Last years post on the Feis Ile 2014 bottles was a smash hit so it’s time for a repeat with a new post on the 2015 Islay Festival Feis Ile bottles!

Like last year, the festival will run from 23rd to 31st of maj 2015 and with two prominent distilleries, Ardbeg and Laphroaig, celebrating their 200 year since (official) foundation year, its bound to be a very interesting and exciting festival.

This post will detail all the available information on the festival bottlings and I’ll update it each time more details will be revealed.

If you look for the full festival...

Lord Elcho, NAS, 40 % We have previously reviewed the older brother of today’s whisky, the Lord Elcho 15 YO, and were left with a very positive impression. Time now then to test the no age statement (NAS) variant of Lord Elcho. This is a blended whisky, from independent bottler Wemyss Malts. The make-up is […]...

BenRiach 1996 18 YO PX Finish Cask #3607 UK Exclusive, 54,4 % Here is a special treat that I tried at the BenRiach Distillery back in oktober 2014, the BenRiach 1996 18 YO PX Finish Cask #3607 UK Exclusive. This is a single cask limited release, UK Exclusive. Cask #3607 was a Pedro Ximenez (PX) […]...

As you know, Malts of Scotland is distributed in Belgium by Dominiek Bouckaert who is also running his own label The Whiskyman . Now they’ve released a Malts of Scotland bottling for The Whiskyman , a Coal Ila 2000 .

Islay whisky is so rare these days, that only the bigger independent bottlers have access to it – and want to keep it under their own label.

Caol Ila 2000 (55,6%, Malts of Scotland for The Famous Whiskyman 2015, bourbon hogshead, MoS 15008, 198 btl.)

Nose: pretty much ticking all the boxes we’d expect from good Caol Ila....

Although it has been available since mid-2014 in some markets, the Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask (quite a mouth full) is still fairly new in this part of Europe. The old 15yo Single Barrel has been replaced by a Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel (bourbon cask) and this 15 Year Old Sherry Cask (from European oak Oloroso butts actually).

Fully sherry matured Balvenies have been rare so it’s nice to see they will be readily available.

Balvenie 15 yo Single Barrel ‘Sherry Cask’ (47,8%, OB 2015, cask #12093, max. 650 btl.)

Nose: I like....

Douglas Laing Old Particular Deanston 1994 (20 year old) 51.5%

Code: OLD0134/ Dist: Jun 1994 Btl: Sept 2014/ Tasted: Oct 2014

A subtle and oily nose. Quite robust, mature and herbal with a touch of vanilla oak. Hmm. Where is the hard as nails barley and cardbordy/ industrial character? Well, not here that for certain, this must be a first for Deanston! What there is instead is a pleasant crisp and granity character. 

The palate is a little industrial and oily with some hard barley being softened by the honey. Full and gently spiced with some toffee’d oak. A pleasant...

Greenall’s London Dry Gin 37.5%...

The Spirit Of Broadside 43%

Is a Bierbrand or Eau de vie de bière which is distilled from their Broadside Beer and aged for 2 years in heavily toasted Russian oak casks.

Tasted: Sept 2014

The nose is very nutty and estery with pineapple, apricot and honey. The aromas are a little bubblegummy with hints of yeast and dried fruit. 

The palate is soft and bubblegummy with white fruit, citrus, malt, wort and beer notes. Again it’s fairly estery with notes of pineapple chunks coming through on the middle. Very long and very oaky on the finish with s distinct...

Poit Dhubh 12 year old 45%...

Douglas...

Francis Darroze Les Grands Assemblages Armagnac 12 year old 43%

Tasted: Sept 2014 

The nose displays a shed load of oak, both creamy and grainy Limosin. Hints of slightly sweetened dried fruit follow with a touch of dusty spice. With time hints of bruised apple appear. 

The palate is soft and less oaked, which allows some sweet grape and dried fruit to be discerned. A gentle aged rancio with again plenty of spice. Not amazingly complex but a good length with quite a drying, bitter oak finish. 

Francis Darroze Les Grands Assemblages Armagnac 20 year old 43%

Tasted: Sept 2014...

Elements of Islay LG1 56.8%

Bourbon/ Tasted: Sept 2014

A classic ‘vulin nose of robust apricot and medicinal herbs. There is a pleasant background of milky oak but the spirit character dominates. 

The palate is full and soft with apricot and citrus fruit along with hints of burnt wood, tar, smoked kippers and medicinal peat. Whoa! That’s an intense middle. It definitely blows the cobwebs away! Very mouth-watering finish with lingering dusty peat. 

Water emphasises the citrus – orange and Satsuma and brings out the gentle saltiness and a touch of iodine. The palate has become quite dusty and spicy...

La Purrita Verda Mescal Joven 40%...

Elements of Islay LP1 58.8%

Bourbon/ Tasted: Sept 2014

A fresh, pungent and medicinal nose with hints of Islay vegetation, fleshy apricot and tobacco. Superb intensity with Laphroaig at it’s stinkiest and manuriest! 

The palate is intense, smoky and medicinal. There is plenty of soft apricot and citrus to balance. Long, with a mouth-watering, grassy, reedy finish. 

With water the nose becomes a little soapy and it emphasises the ferny herbs and manure. On the palate it brings out the citrus fruit rather well. The smoke has become gentler and it allows the gorgeous, slightly sweet barley to put in...

Papadiablo Especial Mescal 47%

Produced in Miahuatlan in the highlands of Mexico, this is distilled using a copper still heated by log fire. Four types of agave are used – Madrecuishe, Bicuishe, Mexicana and Espadin.

Lot PPD-003/ Tasted: juli 2014

Seriously pungent ‘off the still’ aromas but they are balanced buy a lovely sweetness. Like the Del Mageuy there is a touch of white spirit vinegar and a gentle sweet, pulped Agave note. 

The palate is soft and lightly smoked with plenty of delicious Agave flavours. Like the nose there is a touch of ‘off the still’ oiliness and the...

It’s been a while since I last said it so it’s time for a repeat: Gosh I love the whisky community on the internet!

I was gifted a few Irish whiskey samples from a mate as I have to expand my Irish whisky knowledge. When I opened the package, to my delight I found another sample tucked in and on the label there was only one character: ?

Ah..a blind dram! Obviously I didn’t have enough of blind drams lately :-P so I set out to try it. My first thoughts were it’s a young whisky yet it felt quite complex....

As part of the recent boom of new craft (and large) whisky distilleries, we’ve also seen new distilleries pop up in major urban centers. There’s a new distillery in London and a new distillery in Glasgow – the first one in many decades. As with other new distilleries, they already produce Gin and whisky will be produced soon as well.

To celebrate the rebirth of the first Glasgowian distillery in ages, they acquired a batch of aged single malt Speyside whisky casks and the first one was released recently, a 26 years old whisky from unknown Speyside distillery branded Prometheus.

It was laid down...