In 2018 Douglas Laing rebranded its Rock Oyster whisky to Rock Island . Apparently oysters have a negative connotation to some people and they feared it put off consumers.

Therefore it was simply named Rock Island – after all it represents the Island (maritime) whisky character in the Remarkable Regional Malts range , mainly composed of whiskies produced on Orkney, Arran, Jura and Islay. Still a small batch whisky with slight differences between batches.

In juli 2019 they broadened the range with the addition of a Rock Island 10 Year Old (a permanent addition) and Rock Island 21 Year Old...

Master of Malt just released this Springbank 26 Year Old single cask distilled in december 1991.

They don’t exactly give them away but… sister company That Boutique-y Whisky Company has the same Springbank 26 Years (shared cask as confirmed by the people from MoM). So there’s an option to go for a 50 cl version in this case.

Springbank can be excellent at this age so we’re always keen to investigate. Here we go.

Springbank 26 yo 1991 (43,4%, Master of Malt 2018, refill bourbon hogshead)

Nose: mild smoky notes with plenty of oily and mineral notes, warm...

The Macallan Rare Cask was first announced in 2014 (with a smoky Rare Cask Black in 2016) but it got a makeover in 2018, with a new style of bottle and a slightly different concept.

It is now turned into an ongoing series of limited batch releases (four per year – the casks are not so rare after all?) aimed at collectors. The liquid has no age statement but it is matured in (mostly first-fill) sherry seasoned casks , American and European oak. Each batch is a vatting of 50 butts bottled at a fairly low 43% ABV.

I’m not...

Many of the new Single Malts of Scotland releases are gone already, but some really good ones are still around. Let’s have a look at this ‘ Aird Mhor’ (Ardmore) 1998 .

Aird Mhor 20 yo 1998 (51,6%, Single Malts of Scotland 2019, hogshead #750790, 280 btl.)

Nose: discreet peat smoke, as an ever so gentle backdrop for sweet pears and citrus, fresh mentholated notes and pine wood. Heather honey, apple peels. Rather classic, without any lactic notes, good. Mouth: punchier now, but still balanced as a gentleman. An oily texture, with sweet earthy peat, hints of peaches...

The Whisky Trail is a new range from Elixir Distillers . There are two series launched at the same time, one is called the Jazz series , the other Retro label , each which four whiskies.

While both include interesting whiskies, we’ll start with the (pricier) Jazz editions.

Invergordon 44 yo 1974 (47,6%, Elixir Distillers ‘The Whisky Trail Jazz series #2’ 2019, hogshead #0038, 168 btl.)

Nose: ripe bananas with vanilla sugar, plenty of grated coconut and hints of sour varnish, lime and candied orange that prevents it from being too sweet. Subtle hints of paint (fades away)...

We tried the GlenAllachie 12 Years PX finish some time ago, and now it’s time for the youngest expression in their wood finishes series. The GlenAllachie 8 Year Old Koval rye quarter cask finish . Rye and quarter casks, are we aiming for a spicy dram?

GlenAllachie 8 yo – Koval rye quarter cask wood finish (48%, OB 2019)

Nose: lightly fragrant sweetness at first, some freshly sawn wood and cinnamon buns. Pepper and nutmeg follow. Vanilla and honey. Hints of panettone and beer. Mouth: obvious wood wizardry, but in a nice way and with rather less punch...

GlenDronach single casks Batch #17

Fourteen casks from 1990 to 2007 have been selected by Master Blender Rachel Barrie to form Batch 17 of GlenDronach’s single casks . Half of them are destined to Asia, the other half will be sold in Europe.

Update: now available from Master of Malt

Here are the ones we will get in Europe:

• GlenDronach 28yo 1990 PX puncheon #7905
• GlenDronach 26yo 1992 Oloroso butt #221
• GlenDronach 26yo 1992 Oloroso butt #847
• GlenDronach 25yo 1993 Port pipe #5976
• GlenDronach 24yo 1994 PX puncheon #325
• GlenDronach 13yo 2005 Oloroso puncheon #887
• GlenDronach 12yo 2007 PX...

Staoisha is a name that is still quite rare, but judging by the number of casks that are currently being offered by whisky brokers to bottlers, it will become widely known soon enough.

In fact Staoisha refers to one of the water sources of Bunnahabhain distillery and it is used for their heavily peated production (sometimes named Margadale after the other water source). Kind of what Port Charlotte and Octomore are to Bruichladdich.

Most Staoisha bottlings that we see today were distilled in 2013 or 2014, still very young but often full of promise. This one is just 4 years...

The first Miltonduff with an Asta Morris label, taken from a sherry butt. Fairly young, but that doesn’t have to mean anything.

Miltonduff 7 yo 2011 (60,6%, Asta Morris 2019, sherry butt, 346 btl.)

Nose: simple fruity pleasures. Freshly cut apples and pears, vanilla, some floral notes. Mirabelles and melon. A little green banana. Light oak spices and a subtle cereal note and porridge which disappears with a drop of water. Nice and summery. Mouth: quite fierce, again with a fruity freshness. Peppered apple juice, pear eau-de-vie, mixed with warm malty notes and a hint of toffee. Sweet...