Signatory (distilled at Laphroaig) 1998, 60.8%, £100

Another toughie. The best have been small batches this year: Lagavulin’s Feis Ile bottling, Bruichladdich’s Bere Barley, and the coming of age of Port Charlotte. The winner however was that rarity, Laphroaig in sherry.

I know that the official line is that Laphroaig is best suited to American oak casks; they give the whisky a sweet element to balance its tarry, seaweedy depths. They work, no doubt about it, but you know there’s just something about this big bruiser of a single malt that works when given longer-term maturation in sherry wood.

Here...

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The Teeling family owned the Cooley Distillery in Ireland from the start in 1987 until they sold it to Beam Global in 2011. Shortly thereafter Jack Teeling started the Teeling Whiskey Company. The agreement with Beam ensured they had access to Cooley produced stock. They could therefore start releasing whiskey bottlings under their own brand. […]...

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Craigellachie 17 Year Old, 46%, £83

This was tough, almost impossible in fact. There was a stellar tranche of Glenfarclas Family Casks whose 1987 Cask #3829, was the best overall Speysider in terms of liquid for me. For sheer consistency, look no further than Glenfarclas. It was pushed hard by an amazing Cragganmore bottled for Friends of the Classic Malts. Then how could you ignore the remarkable revamp of Mortlach, which showed the layered complexity that lies in this distillery’s make, and that there is more to the beast of Dufftown than heavy sherry?

But for me they were shaded...

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[You can find the first two parts of this series at: What was a sherry cask? and What is a sherry cask? ]

In the last post, I talked about how the type of wood that makes up a cask has a large effect on the spirit that goes into it. However, if the cask has already had a liquid stored in it, then that too will obviously have some influence as well. In the case of a sherry cask, that liquid will either be sherry or another similar fortified wine.

Palomino grapes, fresh from the vines, ready for pressing

It starts,...

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Strathmill 1988 as part of Diageo’s Special Releases 2014 . It was the first year that this distillery appeared in this series and the first official release in a very long time. It was matured for over 25 years in refill American oak.

Strathmill 25 yo 1988
(52,4%, OB 2014, 2.700 btl.)

Nose: very malty, with lots of grainy biscuits, plain gristy notes and sugar coated corn flakes. On a second level, there is soft vanilla, ginger and a nice dusty side that keeps the middle between hay and dried flowers. Honeysuckle and orange zest. Coffee with cream. Mouth:...

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Jameson Select Reserve Black Barrel, NAS, 40 % On Monday we attended a whisky tasting featuring six Irish whiskeys. My wife already reviewed the Bushmills 10 YO. Now it is my time to review the Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch. This whiskey was originally sold under the name Jameson Select Reserve Small Batch, but on […]...

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The Last Drop 50 year old, 50.9%, $4,000

The story is compelling. In 1972, a batch of more than seventy malts and twelve grain whiskies were blended together and left to marry in sherry oak casks. Their intended destiny was to become an agreeable 12 year old blended Scotch whisky. Each of the constituent mature whiskies had been distilled between the 1940s and 1960. These days, we lament the loss of many of the distilleries where those historical liquids originated.

The sherry casks were disgorged for bottling and the contents consumed through the 1970s, around the dance floors of noisy...

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With just 59 bottles, this Littlemill 1992 in the Archives series was very limited and indeed already sold out. Cask #44 has also been bottled by them in 2012.

Littlemill 22 yo 1992 (46,7%, Archives ‘Voyage dans l’Amérique Méridionale 2014, hogshead #43, 59 btl.)

Nose: starts fairly malty sweet at first, with some dusty vanilla and plenty of paraffin. Linseed oil, bread dough. Hay and soft hints of hazelnut paste. Less fruity than some other Littlemills, but after a while it shows melons and grapefruits. Also the kind of coconutty aroma that you sometimes get from bourbon oak. Mouth:...

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Bushmills 10 YO, 40 % On Monday I attended an Irish Whiskey tasting at Dr. Jekylls Pub in Oslo. The occasion was the release of a new book “Whiskeyvandringer Irland – England – Wales” (Whiskey wanderings Ireland – England – Wales) written by Ivar Aarseth and Tom Lunne. The first whiskey this evening was Bushmills […]...

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If you’re a whisky fan, it’s highly likely you jot down the occasional tasting note or two. Tasting notes are the perfect way to keep track of the whiskies you’ve tasted and when. And keeping a record of them is a very handy thing to have.

For example, if you’re struggling to decide on a particular whisky to buy, then a quick scan over your tasting notes could help you make up your mind. Or if you’re choosing a whisky from a favourite distillery, then your notes will refresh your memory on the expected flavour and style. You can also see...

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Broger Burn Out, 42%, €48

The World Whisky of the Year award has previously been bestowed upon whiskies from Asia (Yamazaki in 2007, Kavalan in 2013) and the Indian subcontinent (Amrut in 2010, and 2011), but only once to a European whisky (Millstone in 2012).

However, this year’s recipient is Broger Burn Out , a rather special Austrian single Maltwhisky. Brothers Bruno and Eugen Broger head up the family business, which has become a leading light of the Austrian Whisky Association. Their distillery is based in Klaus, Vorarlberg, in the far western tip of Austria, nestling close to the...

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This is quite a rare Highland Park 1973 bottled by Mackillop’s Choice . Sister cask #8396 was bottled by Jack Wiebers in 2003.

Mackillop’s Choice was founded by Angus Dundee Distillers (Tomintoul, Glencadam) in 1996 and bottlings have been released since 1998. All releases are single casks selected by Lorne Mackillop – originally a Master of Wine – and bottled at 43% or 46%.

Highland Park 1973 (43%, Mackillop’s Choice 2007, cask #8395)

Nose: starts a little shy and mostly malty / nutty, but folds open so nicely. Juicy oranges, whiffs of mint and pine resin. Eucalyptus honey and nice...

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As you maj have noticed, Christmas is rapidly approaching. That means that the world’s postal services start groaning at the seams and deliveries start slowing down. To make sure you get your parcel by december 25, make sure you order before the dates listed below:

United Kingdom

Orders to postcodes IV, HS, KA27-28, KW, PA20-49, PA60-78, PH17-26, PH30-44, PH49-50, ZE, BT, IM, TR21-25 must be placed by 2pm on Friday 19 december. Orders using 3-5 working day delivery (offered for some small parcels) must be placed by 2pm on Friday 19 december. All other UK orders must be placed by 2pm...

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There’s been a bit of discussion in the comments sections of the Awards posts (and in other social media) that makes it apparent that our Awards process maj be misunderstood by a few of you, so I’d like to clarify. While we do review whiskies all year long, and give them points—ratings—the awards don’t necessarily go to the highest-rated whisky for a given category. There’s a bit more to it than that. This holds true, not just for my American Whiskey of the Year pick, but for all the award selections.

We noted this in our december 3rd awards announcement ...

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Rejoice, for the age of the snake of the color black is upon us! I am happy to announce that the Norwegian (whisky) importer Terroir Wines will be representing independent bottlers Blackadder and Clydesdale. A bit of background history is in order, I think. Robin Tucek used to work as an author and journalist, for […]...

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Ichiro’s Malt The Joker (Distilled At Hanyu), 57.7%, £220

At the time of writing, everyone is asking me about Japanese whisky, which is fantastic. Is it really good, Dave? Yes, I respond. I’ve been saying that for close on 20 years and am happy to continue to do so. When you consider that Japanese distillers have been perfecting their craft for over 90 years, it would be more surprising if they weren’t making award-winning, world-class whisky. It’s good to see people getting the message.

This year’s choice is a tinged with sadness, because it marks the end of an era...

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