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…)
The Edition series is currently my favorite part of The Macallan’s illustrious portfolio. Since all bottlings in this range have a raised ABV of 48 per cent or higher, they allow drammers to experience a sturdier side of the record-breaking Speyside giant, whose regular products (more…)
When I stumbled upon this bottling in The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s outturn catalogue, it struck all the right notes with me: The number 58 stands for a renowned distillery that rarely finds its way into an independent release (namely Strathisla from Speyside). (more…)
In mystery shows like “Supernatural“, shape-shifters often fill the roles of sly and devious antagonists that use their transformation abilities to mislead the heroes and perform their vile deeds unnoticed. This special breed of shape-shifter, which hails from Craigellachie Distillery (more…)
A unicorn!? Well, maybe not quite. But certainly no ordinary bottle either. When the barkeeper of Whiskycafe L&B in Amsterdam produced this 42-year-old (!) Highland malt by the disbanded Glen Mhor distillery from one of his many whisky-filled racks, my eyes lit up (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…)
Last September I was lucky to be invited to the new Macallan Distillery as a winner of the global #ToYourMacallan competition on social media. At the end of our first day in Speyside, me and the other seven guests were treated to a dinner at Easter Elchies House (more…)
When former BenRiach managing director Billy Walker and his partners purchased The GlenAllachie in 2017, they changed the course of the Speyside unit drastically. Whereas almost all of The GlenAllachie’s considerable output was sold to blenders in the past (more…)
Some distilleries have such a strong standing with the whisky community that their special releases create a world-wide craze. Others are also well regarded, albeit less talked about. Speyburn Distillery, whose latest single cask bottling I will introduce to you in the following (more…)
It is said that about 70 per cent of a whisky’s flavor and 100 per cent of its (natural) color come from the cask. When you put a sub-par distillate into top-quality wood, the result will usually be decent at least. But when you fill excellent new make into weak barrels (more…)
