“How do you supercharge a blended Scotch whisky with an extra-amount of most-delicate smoke?” – This question resided at very heart of the conception of Black Bottle’s fourth “Alchemy Series” bottling Smoke & Dagger. And resourceful as they are, the whisky makers (more…)
Andean oak – also known as Quercus Humboldtii – is a rare commodity in the Scotch industry. At least to my knowledge, the recently released Andean Oak entry into Black Bottle’s experimental “The Alchemy Series” is the first-ever whisky from Scotland to be drawn from such wood. (more…)
When I did an interview with FABLE Whisky’s co-founder Andrew Torrance earlier this year, he predicted that at the end of the company’s first outturn “there could still be something special, like a hidden chapter”. Now the cat is out of the bag: The mentioned supplement (more…)
This 4-year-old Lowlands malt from Lindores Abbey has a pretty unconventional coming-of-age story: Originally, the spirit started out in a Port pipe. After two-or-so years, however, the distillery team discovered leakage. So they moved the soon-to-be whisky into an Oloroso Sherry cask. (more…)
“I love working on Black Bottle Blended Scotch Whisky,” said the Distell Group’s Master Blender Julieann Fernandez early on in this virtual launch event via Zoom. “It is such an experimental brand that constantly allows me and my colleagues to challenge existing conventions (more…)
Last month, I received a wee parcel from Flickenshild whisky shop in Itzehoe, Northern Germany. The content: Three samples of their most recent exclusives, realized in collaboration with renowned indie bottlers Wu Dram Clan and Hunter Laing as well as fellow spirits dealers (more…)
In the light of the new spirits fair Just Whisky Hamburg, alcohols importer Prineus GmbH held a brilliant tie-in event. At the classy premises of top-quality Vietnamese restaurant Hoi An in Hamburg-Harburg, the company ran an exclusive Lindores Abbey tasting. (more…)
A cask is ready when it’s ready. Sometimes, it takes several decades for the spirit inside to reach its peak. And sometimes, it only takes a few years. In the end, I don’t think that I could ever overstress the much-quoted statement that “age is just a number”. (more…)
In 2021, Fife-based Lowlands unit Kingsbarns released its second Distillery Reserve. Like the distillery’s signature release Dream to Dram, the bottling in question is composed from 1st-fill ex-Bourbon casks and STR red wine casks (more…)
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