Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/New-or-newish-Glenrothes-from-NAS-to-1988.html

After the Kavalan , here’s another bottling for TastToe , this time a joint bottling with Drankenshop Broekmans , both shops related to The Nectar . It’s a Laphroaig 1998 from the Signatory stocks.

Laphroaig 15 yo 1998
(57,4%, Signatory Vintage for TastToe & Broekmans 2013, hogshead #5570, 300 btl.)

Nose: this nose achieves a very nice balance between peatiness, coastalness and roundness. It’s very warm, with soot and ambering ashes. A little vanilla, camhor, honey, hot sand… A little candy sugar and marzipan as well. Hints of leather. Round, complex, just excellent. Mouth: slightly hot, but very impressive again. Deep...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/laphroaig/laphroaig-1998-signatory-tasttoe/

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/Tasting-three-slightly-bizarre-Auchroisk.html

This Glen Grant is part of the 1959/1960 mini-series by Gordon & MacPhail to commemorate the marriage of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson. We’ve tried the matching GlenDronach a couple of weeks ago and there’s more to come from the same series.

Glen Grant 1959/1960
(40%, Gordon & MacPhail 1986, Royal Wedding)

Nose: great fruity notes alongside waxy notes (a combination that we love in Glen Grant). Oranges, mango, hints of pineapple and tangerine. Quite a bit of smoke (not peat smoke, but the kind of subtle hint of smoke that was common for that era). Some mint and...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/glen-grant/glen-grant-1959-1960-royal-wedding/

Another in our occasional series of Tweet-style interviews. Here’s Bruichladdich general manager Duncan MacGillivray, who was interviewed just before Christmas.

What’s the view from your office window?

Out across Loch Indaal to Bowmore. Nice view of Bruichladdich pier too.

Better than mine, even if it is my garden. What season of weather is it today, given it could be any one of four on Islay?

It’s rather grey and unusually calm, late autumn. Damp, but not wet.

What’s going on at the distillery today?

We’re distilling Octomore spirit. The last mashes before the Christmas break. Then we will have a maintenance...

Läs mer http://whiskyadvocate.com/whisky/2014/01/03/bruichladdichs-duncan-mcgillivray-in-140-or-less/

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/A-little-bag-of-Speysiders.html

The last Oban I’ve tried was like three years ago. It’s not a distillery which makes a lot of noise. This Oban 21 Years , a natural cask strength version, was matured in rejuvenated American Oak and second-fill ex-Bodega casks.

Oban 21 yo
(58,5%, OB 2013, 2860 btl.)

Nose: nice sweet toffee and buttery pastry notes at first. Honey. majbe sugarcane. Then going towards waxy notes, grasses and finally also full-blown coastal notes like dried seaweed. Some leafy notes and mint. Hints of linseed oil and cinnamon as well. A great maritime nose, nicely balanced with sweetness. Mouth: again...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/oban/oban-21-year-old/

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/2014/A-little-bag-of-Tomatin.html

Läs mer http://www.whiskyfun.com/

Happy New Year to everyone!

When looking at last year’s statistics, it has been a good year for this little blog. An increase of 28% in terms of unique visitors and almost twice the number of page views (well over 2 million now).

GlenDronach is the most popular distillery again, with Ardbeg now in second place. Among the specific drams, after four years, Laphroaig Triple Wood has lost some of its popularity, and Johnnie Walker ‘The Gold Route’ is now the most visited review (by far), followed by Ardbeg Galileo and Glenmorangie Ealanta . The Johnnie Walker Red Label vs....

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2014/whisky-news/best-whiskies-of-2013/

Läs mer http://blog.thewhiskyexchange.com/2013/12/ones-might-got-away/

We’re seeing a lot of single cask Kavalan releases these days, bottled for different retailers around the world, mostly #S060821… casks. There’s cask #S060821049 that received a Gold medal in the recent Malt Maniacs Awards, sister cask #…047 bottled for LMdW among others and this #…045 for the Belgian whisky shop TastToe .

It’s quite surprising they are all said to be natural strength yet exactly 57,8% . majbe Taiwan allows of higher deviations for alcohol measuring, and printing the same tube is cheaper? Or majbe the processes are meticulously executed, the Asian way.

While Kavalan’s bottles and tubes don’t mention...

Läs mer http://www.whiskynotes.be/2013/world/kavalan-solist-sherry-for-tasttoe/