Single Malt

The Macallan 12yo “24.148 – Effortlessly bold” by The SMWS (Review)

The Macallan 12yo by The SMWS "Effortlessly bold" (Single Malt Sherry Cask Speyside Scotch Whisky Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

In recent months, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society released a couple of bottles with the identifier 24 on the label. All of ’em got sold out within minutes, if not seconds. The reason for this: In the bottle code system of The SMWS, the number 24 stands for The Macallan (more…)

Scharfenstein Edition No. 2 by The Nine Springs (Review)

Burg Scharfenstein Edition 2 by The Nine Springs (Single Malt German Whisky Oloroso PX Sherry Cask Tasting Notes BarleyMania)

Over the years, Burg Scharfenstein – a medieval castle in the federal state of Thuringia in Germany – had many owners. Since most of them did not really know what to do with the place, they did not give it the attention it needed and deserved. Luckily, this changed in recent years (more…)

Fary Lochan 7yo Distillery Edition with PX Finish (Review)

Fary Lochan 7yo Distillery Edition PX-Finish (Danish Single Malt Whisky Tasting Notes Blog BarleyMania)

When I met Fary Lochan’s CCO and Chairman Thomas Smidt-Kjærby in Hamburg last Saturday, he told me something that really lightened up my heart: After a lengthy corona break, the distillery has meanwhile opened its doors to visitors again. And the drammers in Denmark (more…)

Private Tour of The Nine Springs Distillery & Whiskywelt Burg Scharfenstein in Germany (Tour)

Private Tour at The Nine Springs Distillery and Whisky Welt Burg Scharfenstein (Germany Spirits Visit Production)

If someone compiled a list of Germany’s best whiskies in 2021, there is a good chance that The Nine Springs would be on it, too. In its first eight years of existence, the brand – which was born in the small town of Worbis in the federal state of Thuringia in 2013 (more…)

Douglas Laing’s Fellows – Exclusive Whisky Tasting (Tasting)

Douglas Laing Fellows Tasting (Single Malt Scotch Whisky Blended Virtual Event)

On 28 March 2017, the wonderful people at Douglas Laing invited me to join the ranks of their honorary ambassadors. Going by the amiable name of the Fellows, these good-humored whisky enthusiasts help Douglas Laing to spread the word about their products, offers (more…)

Single Malt – Batch 1 by Isle of Raasay Distillery (Review)

Isle of Raasay Distillery Hebridean Single Malt Scotch Whisky Batch 1 (BarleyMania Blog Tasting Notes)

The Isle of Raasay is located in the northwest of Scotland, adjacent to the Isle of Skye. It is also from there that the only ferry to Raasay departs; it starts in Sconser and lands in Inverarish about half and hour later. Whereas the island has a long history of illicit distilling, (more…)

“Whisky from Iceland” Tasting with Floki & Kirsch Import (Tasting)

Floki Whisky by Eimverk Distillery on Iceland (Single Malt Whisky Tasting Kirsch Import Blog BarleyMania)

Only quite recently, the fine people of Iceland have begun to master the craft of whisky making. The country’s first (and to this day solitary) distillery Eimverk was planned in 2009, built in 2013 and taken into service in 2014. The whisky produced there is called Floki. It is made by hand (more…)

The Barrel Baron: “In regard to our whisky, the highest priority is quality” (Interview)

The Barrel Baron from the Netherlands (Dutch Independent Single Cask Whisky Bottler Interview BarleyMania)

Though I only discovered Dutch whisky company The Barrel Baron recently, I am already a fan. After all, co-founder Marcel Kip and his partners are total malt maniacs offering both top-quality indie bottlings and exclusive cask shares. (more…)

“Danish Whisky” Tasting with Fary Lochan & Prineus GmbH (Tasting)

Fary Lochan Distillery Danish Whisky Tasting (Single Malt Denmark Prineus Online Virtual Event)

Started in 2009, Fary Lochan is Denmark’s first distillery that was custom-built from scratch for whisky making. In the conception and realization of the place, its late founder and visionary Jens-Erik Jørgensen left nothing to chance. His attention to detail and his passion for the water of life (more…)

“Deconstruction” Whisky Tasting with Lindores Abbey Distillery & Prineus GmbH (Tasting)

Lindores Abbey is a young distillery. And yet the place is rich with lore and history. After all, it is the home turf of the fabled monk John Cor, whose name is inseperably attached to the first-ever mention of whisky or uisge beatha in recorded history. (more…)