The minute Strathearn Distillery started out on their own in 2013 and got acquired by Douglas Laing in 2019. Shortly after, they launched their first official release, simply titled Batch 001. To be honest, I had overlooked it at first. But then I won a 20 per cent voucher (more…)
In the week before Christmas, I met my pal Michael “Jerry” Lutz, whom some of you might know under his alias Herr Lutz, for a chat over a couple of drams. A few weeks before, he had taken a new job at Grupo Osborne. During our conversation, he told me that he will (more…)
Grain-based spirit is awesome. And so is grape-based spirit! The Imperial XO by Carlos I Brandy falls into the latter category. It originates from Spain’s famous sherry region Jerez and is made exclusively from so-called holandas (more…)
Recently, Douglas Laing’s German importer Bremer Spirituosen Contor started the sublabel “Time for whisky adventures” within the Old Particular line of bottlings. The first releases sporting the new moniker and logo are three real sherry bombs: (more…)
“To be or not to be?” – In case of “Dramlet: the Dark Prince of Denmark!” there is but one reply to the great playwright William Shakespeare’s existential question. And that is “To be!” on all levels. To be the first Danish whisky in the portfolio of the renowned Scotch Malt Whisky Society. (more…)
I have a special relationship with The Macallan’s annual Edition series. My first-ever sip, I took in April 2018. Back then, Edition No 2 marked the epic finale of the complimentary tasting that followed up on the distillery tour. It was one of the last tours through the old production halls. (more…)
Every year, I buy a Christmas-themed bottle to enjoy during the festive season. This year, my choice fell on Paul John’s Christmas Edition 2018 – to my knowledge the first seasonal bottling from the Indian distillery. While the whisky itself does not bear an age statement (more…)
Having started as an independent bottler of high-quality single malt whiskies (plus the occasional grain or bourbon thrown in between), North Star has recently also made a name for itself as a blender. Their first such bottling, Vega 23yo, took the whisky community by storm (more…)
The Vaults. That mythical place in the north of Edinburgh, where 35 years ago the world’s most illustrious whisky club – the Scotch Malt Whisky Society – was founded. Today, the former wine warehouse still serves as a high-class bar and meeting room for the Society’s members. (more…)
Up in the Highlands ‘twixt mountains and glens,
There lives a wee beastie, our special friend.
He’s shy and he’s coy and he’s also quite jumpy. (more…)
