Balblair 2002 is not the first young Balblair I’m trying: I’ve already had the Balblair 2000 and I’ve even reviewed its successor, Balblair 2003 . Now there’s also a duo of Balblair 2004 available in travel retail, one bourbon matured and the other sherry matured (only in Asia).

Balblair 2002 is made up of ex-bourbon casks.

Balblair 2002 (46%, OB 2013)

Nose: malty and sweet, with lots of sugared cereals and quinces. Fairly youngish, with some esthery fruitiness of banana. Lemon and white grapefruit. Sponge cake. A grassy / minty note too. Mouth: malty, sweet and sour. Lemon drops,...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/balblair/balblair-2002/

Region – Islay – 69.5% ABV – Price?? – a whole bunch of ££ but you can find this bottle for even more ££ on various auction websites.

While I’ve found myself in bonnie Scotland many a time now, I have yet to get my rear-end over there during the Feis Ile festival that happens every year at the end of maj.  Imagine nine days devoted to the malts of Islay, on Islay and each distillery releasing a special bottling for the festival.

Sounds like a wee Bit o’ Honey Heaven.  Thankfully, my good friend Matt L ventures out...

Läs mer http://www.jewmalt.com/octomore-feis-ile-2014-bottling-will-blow-your-mind/

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/Glenkinchie-10-12-and-20.html

Another new release from Malts of Scotland : a Tullibardine 1980 .

Tullibardine 34 yo 1980 (48,3%, Malts of Scotland 2014, sherry hogshead, ref. MoS 14023, 146 btl.)

Nose: a bit robust at first, but it unfolds slowly. Varnish and paraffin at first. Hay, a little chalk and flinty notes. Quite some floral notes as well. Spicy oak shavings and eucalyptus. In between there are restrained gusts of fruitiness that are hard to define. Mouth: oily, starts spicy and slightly herbal again. Mint and pepper. Waxy notes. Nutmeg. The nicest part is the shot of pink grapefruits and apricots...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/tullibardine/tullibardine-1980-malts-of-scotland/

Another new release from Malts of Scotland : a Tullibardine 1980 .

Tullibardine 34 yo 1980 (48,3%, Malts of Scotland 2014, sherry hogshead, ref. MoS 14023, 146 btl.)

Nose: a bit robust at first, but it unfolds slowly. Varnish and paraffin at first. Hay, a little chalk and flinty notes. Quite some floral notes as well. Spicy oak shavings and eucalyptus. In between there are restrained gusts of fruitiness that are hard to define. Mouth: oily, starts spicy and slightly herbal again. Mint and pepper. Waxy notes. Nutmeg. The nicest part is the shot of pink grapefruits and apricots...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/tullibardine/tullibardine-1980-malts-of-scotland/

Jura Elixir 12 YO, 40 % I recently visited Jura, and found that to be a wonderful island, and a interesting distillery. I did get to try a few different whiskies from Jura, and have since also tried a few, to get to know them a little better. I am therefore now ready to present […]...

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Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/The-Short-Sessions-two-Cragganmore.html

Clynelish 1996 16 YO Blackadder, 58,6 % My experience with Clynelish has been very varying. I haven’t tasted that many yet though. Clynelish 1996 16 YO from the independent bottler Blackadder had been matured in a sherry butt, cask number 8782. It was distilled 8 oktober 1996 and bottled in augusti 2013 into 528 bottles. […]...

Läs mer http://www.whiskysaga.com/clynelish-1996-16-yo-blackadder/

SMWS 39.96 The Sultan’s Treasure Chest, 29 YO, 55,0 % Today we have a whisky from a Speyside distillery owned by Diageo. This is a Linkwood, 29 years old. The SMWS 39.96 The Sultan’s treasure chest was distilled back in 1984, on september 4. It has been matured in a refill bourbon hogshead, and the outturn […]...

Läs mer http://www.whiskysaga.com/smws-39-96-sultans-treasure-chest/

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/Two-official-old-Balblair.html

This is not the legendary Ardbeg 1972 ‘Ardbeggeddon’ for the Plowed society, but a similar release by Douglas Laing in their Old Malt Cask series, bottled a couple of months earlier in augusti 2001. It was finished in a sherry cask for six months before being bottled.

Ardbeg 29 yo 1972 (50%, Douglas Laing OMC 2001, sherry finish, 432 btl.)

Nose: marvellous, a great mix of gentle old peat, spearmint, asphalt and a Brora-esk farminess (stables) in the background, although this fades away. Constantly balancing between a fat (vanilla) creaminess and maritime sharpness. Tarry ropes and sweet seaweed. Smoked bacon....

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/ardbeg/ardbeg-1972-douglas-laing-omc/

SMWS 36.73 Tired vampire gets a massage, 22 YO, 54,7 % We have tried a lot of whiskies from the Scotch Maltwhisky Society (SMWS) lately, which means you have to suffer through a lot of these SMWS reviews. I hope this is not too painful, the whiskies are on average very good – which […]...

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American whiskey is booming. From the rye explosion (an explosion in popularity, rather than an actual detonation) a few years back to the huge number of craft distilleries appearing all over the USA, American whiskey of all types is doing very well. Hand in hand with that growth comes the crowning of the elders of this new wave – the distillers who helped kick-start things and are now held up as examples of how things should be done.

Sitting between the big-distillery old guard and the new-wave ‘kids’ is Jess Graber of Stranahan’s. Founded in 2004 after volunteer firefighter Jess met brewer...

Läs mer http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2014/07/tincup-colorado-whiskey-from-indiana/