I tried this Ben Nevis 1995 quickly but couldn’t detect anything special. So I poured it back and tried it again three days later. Sometimes waiting long enough makes all the difference between a regular whisky and a special one.

Ben Nevis 18 yo 1995 (51,8%, The Whisky Agency ‘Old Times Diving’ 2013, refill hogshead, 242 btl.)

Nose: starts surprisingly un-fruity compared to the rest of this series. Sweet cereals, mineral notes and some waxy / fatty notes. Meadow flowers. After some time and hand warmth it becomes warmer and unfolds its fruits: first grapefruit and lemon balm, then...

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Whisky-Doris has two new releases: Bowmore 2003 and Bunnahabhain 1980 . It has been matured for 33 years in a sherry butt.

Bunnahabhain 33 yo 1980 (45,6%, Whisky-Doris 2013, sherry butt #92, 460 btl.)

Nose: a delicate nose, on dried flowers, soft honey and allspice. A subtle fruitiness of orange peel and lemon cake. Candied ginger. Overall rather dry and waxy. Some old-style oak and walnut husks. The lightest hint of sea breeze as well. All rather discreet, but pretty complex, it grows on you. Mouth: dry with lots of herbal notes, liquorice and a load of oak juice...

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This GlenDronach 1992 cask #195 was part of the 9th batch of GlenDronach single casks . It was bottled from an Oloroso butt. I already tried sister cask #161 a couple of years ago and I like it a lot.

GlenDronach 21 yo 1992 (59,8%, OB 2013, Oloroso butt #195, 566 btl.)

Nose: very dense, even a little closed at first. Dark chocolate and coffee liqueur. Some roasted chestnuts and toasted bread crust. Some oak spices (pepper, clove). It’s only after a while that brighter red fruits and kirsch gets noticeable. Also an earthy and rubbery side. If...

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Another Glentauchers 1996 , this time in the Liquid Library series. The colour of this one is slightly lighter than the Glentauchers 1996 bottled by Tasting Fellows. Let’s see where the differences are.

Glentauchers 17 yo 1996 (51,4%, Liquid Library 2013, refill barrel, 178 btl.)

Nose: lots of fresh barley again, but less candied and with less vanilla. More mineral notes (limestone). The fruity notes are still there, but they’re ‘greener’. Lemon and grapefruit, unripe gooseberries and green banana. Still slightly rummy in a way, but less tropical. Mouth: the fruity notes and sweet spirit come are louder here,...

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There’s a new series of releases from Tasting Fellows , and there’s good news. The German shop Whisky-Fässle will distribute their bottlings, so this will make them available outside of Germany as well.

They seem to have a preference for fruity Speysiders. This time there’s Glen Keith 1992, Glenburgie 1992, Braeval 1994, Mortlach 1996 and Glentauchers 1996 . All bourbon casks if I’m not mistaken.

Glentauchers 17 yo 1996 (57,2%, Tasting Fellows 2014, barrel #1160, 146 btl.)

Nose: sweet barley and plenty of vanilla at first, with some marzipan and latte notes. Apples and peaches. There’s a bubblegummy...

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This Arran Millennium Casks was distilled on the 31st of december 1999 and filled on both sides of the millennium switch (so technically a multi-vintage release). It is a composition of 45 casks: 35 ex-bourbon hogsheads and the rest ex-sherry. The label is decorated with a picture of Janus, the two-headed Roman God.

The release was intended for charity: £1 of each sale goes to the Arran Trust , which funds projects that deal with landscape preservation and environmental care on the Isle of Arran.

Arran Millennium Casks
(53,5%, OB 2013, 7.800 btl.)

Nose: classic apple notes and candied...

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Some of you maj know Eiling Lim as a Malaysian blogger writing about food, wine and whisky (among other things) but I have the impression we might remember her more as a whisky bottler. She’s assisted by ex-Malt Maniac / Glenfarclas collector / former independent bottler Luc Timmermans , her newly-wed husband and obviously a respected name to have on your label.

This is her (their) first release, a Littlemill 1990 . Only 68 bottles are available, it’s no secret this is from a shared cask. The release is intended for the Malaysian market, which is still slightly immature when...

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Duncan Taylor ’s Black Bull brand is sponsoring Ecurie Ecosse , a motor racing team with a great history that goes back to the 1950’s. The team had a 2011 revival and will now be driving a BMW Z4 GT3 in the British GT championship and the Blancpain Endurance series.

To celebrate this sponsorship, they’ve launched a Black Bull Racer’s Reserve, a 21 years old blend. Apparently the racers chose the whiskies, but the actual blending was left to the specialists at Duncan Taylor.

Black Bull 21 yo ‘Racer’s Reserve’ (50%, Duncan Taylor 2013)

Nose: quite a neutral,...

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We saw a wave of Glenturret 1980 and 1977 bottlings in 2012 already, from different German bottlers. Here’s one that left behind, now bottled in the new Old Times Diving series.

Glenturret 33 yo 1980
(42,8%, The Whisky Agency ‘Old Times Diving’ 2013, refill hogshead, 253 btl.)

Nose: lots of orange juice, then orange blossom, evolving towards bergamot oils and Earl Grey. Stewed apples. Lovely hints of passion fruits and lemon grass as well. I love this kind of fruitiness. Slightly ethereal, and not a lot besides fruits, I admit, but very attractive. Mouth: such a juicy fruit bowl! This is...

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Another one of these redesigned Liquid Library releases. Something that has become a ‘must-have’ or even a permanent offering for most independent bottlers: Clynelish 1997 .

Clynelish 16 yo 1997 (52,6%, Liquid Library 2013, refill hogshead, 129 btl.)

Nose: quite a round Clynelish, with some lemonade touches and lime juice. Buttercups and other flowers. Green banana. Less waxy and mineral than comparable Clynelish, although there’s surely some brine and waxy notes in the background. Soft peppery hints too. Mouth: again a clear fruity side (oranges, crystallized grapefruit, lemon) with a sweetish vanilla coating. Then it grows oilier and...

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Founded in 2012, Gaiaflow is a relatively new player in the Japanese whisky market. They’re acting as an importer for various spirits, mostly smaller brands.

They’re also releasing private bottlings like this Glentauchers 1992 from Asta Morris which has just arrived in Japan.

Glentauchers 21 yo 1992 (48,2%, Asta Morris for Gaiaflow 2013, ex-bourbon cask, 305 btl.)

Nose: sweet and bright. Plenty of fruits: gooseberries, green apples and pineapple cubes. Hints of honeysuckle. Some mineral notes, majbe a little mint and ginger as well. Over time soft vanilla comes out. Simple yet fresh and faultless. Mouth: really sweet...

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I have a couple of 1990’s GlenDronach expressions lined up, all from the latest Batch n°9 of single cask releases (oktober 2013). We’ll start with the 1991 cask #5405 .

GlenDronach 21 yo 1991 (49,9%, OB 2013, Pedro Ximénez puncheon, cask #5405, 702 btl.)

Nose: slightly overweight sherry. Bags of prunes and sticky dates. Caramel and pear syrup. Rather heavy, lacking a hint of brightness, especially since there’s also overripe oranges and a sulphury, vegetal edge that I really don’t like. Not my favourite GlenDronach so far. Mouth: walnuts and rubber, with meaty notes and a heavy caramel sauce....

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The Whisky Agency ’s Liquid Library series has a redesigned label. The old minimalist white / orange label is gone and replaced with a bamboo-coloured label featuring exotic animals. I’m not sure whether this is a permanent style or a theme that will change each time a new set is released.

We’re trying an undisclosed Irish single malt distilled in 1991 . Of Ireland’s distillers, only Bushmills and Cooley produce single malt whiskey.

Irish single malt 22 yo 1991 (52,4%, TWA Liquid Library 2013, refill barrel, 191 btl.)

Nose: it’s definitely Irish for its slightly bubblegummy fruitiness (apricots,...

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The latest series from The Whisky Agency is nicknamed Old Times Diving . On the labels we see people with antique diving helmets and old-style oxygen systems.

Contrary to previous series – that always tried to combine whiskies of different genres and with different flavour profiles – the new series revolves around ‘fruitiness’. We can’t be against fruits, can we? There’s a Glenturret 1980, Ben Nevis 1995, an undisclosed Irish malt 1988 and this 21 years old Glen Keith 1992 . All ex-bourbon if I’m not mistaken.

Glen Keith 21 yo 1992
(51,4%, The Whisky Agency ‘Old Times...

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Now that Amrut has straightened the path for Indian whisky, Paul John is quickly gaining recognition.

The company has been running since 1992, but their single malt production didn’t start until 2008. Distilled in Goa in copper pot stills, two single cask releases were introduced in 2012. They’re now followed by two regular expressions: Paul John Brilliance (unpeated) and Paul John Edited (a combination of peated and unpeated spirit). Brilliance is matured in ex-bourbon casks and around 3-5 years old.

We already know Indian barley (Himalayan 6-row grain) and the extreme climate can produce an attractive “high-pressure-cooked” whisky that is...

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Travellers Liquors is a distillery in Belmopan, Belize. They have a whole range of rums, brandies, vodka, gin…  I must admit I had never heard of them, but apparently they have 60 years of experience as importers / blenders and 25 years as distillers.

Travellers produces double-distilled rum in column stills, which is aged in charred casks. Their best known brands are One Barrel, Five Barrel and Don Omario. This one is a single barrel filled in 2005 .

Travellers 8 yo 2005 (49,5%, The Whisky Agency 2013, single barrel rum, 282 btl.)

Nose: clean and aromatic, with...

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The General is an uncommon blend. It consists of casks from two parcels, of unknown provenance but both containing malt and grain whisky, blended at a very young age and then matured together for many years. One parcel was 33 years old (ex-sherry butts), the other supposedly around 40 years old (ex-bourbon barrels).

These super-mature blends were recently offered to Compass Box and John Glaser worked to find the right balance of both. The General is a very expensive blend, but at least the story is awesome.

The General
(53,4%, Compass Box 2013, 1698 btl.)

Nose: a rich, old...

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It’s been a while, but you might remember my report of a legendary birthday party in Ostend . This is one of the morning-after drams. There were too many beauties for one evening, so we had a couple of “leftovers” the next day right after breakfast. Some party…

It’s a Clynelish 1974 bottled by Signatory Vintage .

Clynelish 27 yo 1974 (55,7%, Signatory Vintage 2001, cask #2570, 229 btl.)

Nose: starts waxy and mineral, a little closed even, but then moves to bags of guava. Some oranges and apples as well. Dried yellow flowers, hints of charcoal and...

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Auchentoshan has a series of 1970’s expressions. There has been a 1975 bourbon, a 1977 sherry and now this 1979 from oloroso sherry butts. The casks have been filled in oktober 1979 and bottled after more than 32 years, at natural strength.

Auchentoshan 32 yo 1979 (50,5%, OB 2012, first fill Oloroso butts, 1000 btl.)

Nose: very aromatic. It’s nice to see a classic sherry influence alongside the fresh, citrusy spirit. Lovely tangerines, pink grapefruits and passion fruits. Orange zest. Moving towards golden raisins and bramble jam. Beeswax and leather. Cinnamon sticks and mint. Great stuff, hinting towards...

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Laphroaig 15 yo 1998 
(52,7%, The Whisky Agency ‘Reflections’ 2013, refill hogshead, 261 btl.)

Nose: clean and sharpish Laphroaig. Very coastal (seaweed, wet beach, some smoked fish). Hints of antiseptics. Some camphor. Wet wool and hints of canvas. Little fruitiness or roundness, apart from some lemon in the background. Ferns. Mouth: oily, chiselled and focused again, though sweeter and definitely rounder than on the nose. Marzipan and more fruits. Salted almonds. Liquorice. Kippers. Again quite medicinal. Finish: very long, peaty, grapefruity and salty.

A Laphroaig of the slightly sharper type. Just really faultless. Not that we’re surprised, mind you....

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