Infrequent Flyers is the first range of independent bottlers from Alistair Walker (ex-BenRiach, son of Billy Walker who is now running GlenAllachie).

The first batch contains 9 bottlings, from young Fettercairn to old Glen Keith. Alistair loves wood finishes so he’s currently re-racking part of his inventory for the future.

Currently the whiskies are distributed to the UK, Germany, Belgium, Japan and New Zealand.

Glen Keith 26 yo 1993 (54%, Alistair Walker ‘Infrequent Flyers’ 2019, barrel #8511, 143 btl.)

Nose: quite pungent at first, but it folds open nicely on apricots, ripe banana, creamy coconut and vanilla ice...

Compass Box Affinity is a mix of 62% Scotch whisky (Craigellachie + the typical Highlands base) and 38% Calvados from Domaine Christian Drouin in France. The idea is based on a couple of affinities between the two spirits, such as the climate, double distillation and the use of French oak casks for maturation.

John Glaser said he had been blending Calvados and whisky at home for years, and now he decided to bring it to the market. It can be served over ice, mixed with vermouth for a unique twist on a boulevardier, or paired with tarte tatin.

 ...

I’ve overlooked Glenkinchie so far. An old Glenkinchie 1975 and the Special release from 2016 were certainly excellent but I’ve never been impressed by the more mundane versions.

Let’s give this Glenkinchie 12 Year Old a chance, the flagship bottling which replaced the 10 Year Old around 2007 if I’m not mistaken.

Glenkinchie 12 yo (43%, OB +/- 2018)

Nose: oh so neutral and grainy. Muesli and plain malt, lots of grasses with some red apple, lemon peel and floral notes. Some fresh oak shavings too. Not much to get excited about. Mouth: again quite grainy, even a...

Highland Park 21 Year Old (augusti 2019)

Highland Park has a new edition of its 21 Year Old expression. It is made using six first-fill sherry seasoned hogsheads (EU oak), four first-fill sherry seasoned American oak casks and five refill casks.

It is bottled at 46% ABV and presented in a new box that has augusti 2019 release quite prominently on the packaging. It costs around € 260 per bottle.

Laphroaig 25 Years ‘Bessie Williamson’

Together with the Laphroaig 30 Years ‘Ian Hunter’ there is now a Laphroaig 25 Years ‘Bessie Williamson’ , named after the female distillery...



The 11th Whisky Show was held in London last week-end and The Whisky Exchange presented a unique new series entitled The Magic of the Cask . It includes four whiskies matured in different types of casks, highlighting the mystery of the cask’s influence.

The details on the labels and parts of the images are printed in UV responsive ink – a small torch is included with every purchase. The alchemy of wood maturation reflected in a creative label design.

We start with a third-fill bourbon barrel. Obviously here the ageing of the Imperial spirit itself will have...

Palo Cortado is the rarest type of sherry (think of it as a very fine style of Oloroso, made from free-run must rather than subsequent pressings) and these casks are rarely used for whisky finishing. Some of the experiments have not been very convincing .

Deanston filled a few Palo Cortado casks with 1997 spirit . A first release was the Deanston 12 Years Palo Cortado finish , and now they bottled an older Deanston 21 Years Palo Cortado . It was matured for 18+ years in ex-bourbon casks and 2+ years in sherry cask.

Deanston 21 yo...

The Whisky Exchange had two 20th Anniversary bottlings released in september. One was the Inchmoan 2007 cask #96 , the other one this Ballechin 15 Years which only became available just now.

Ballechin 15 yo 2003 (55%, OB for The Whisky Exchange 20th Anniversary 2019, first-fill Oloroso sherry butt #204, 482 btl.)

Nose: Cuban cigars, walnuts, toasted bread, mixed with sweeter notes. Dark cherry or blackberry jam, burnt raisins and a lot of chocolate ganache. Also heavy pipe smoke, Lapsang and tarry notes underneath. Hints of leather, menthol and bandages. Rather clean by the way, I don’t find...

That Boutique-y Whisky Company released an excellent Ben Nevis 21 Years before the summer (Batch #8) and now there’s a new Ben Nevis 23 Year Old (Batch #10).

Ben Nevis 23 yo (48%, That Boutique-y Whisky Co 2019, Batch #10, 558 btl.)

Nose: this typical waxy / fatty profile but surprisingly un-fruity this time. Frosties, lemon balm, pollen. Some bready notes. Almonds. Coppery touches. Perhaps a hint of green banana and marshmallows. Mouth: fruitier now. Pineapple, triple-sec, banana ice cream. Vanilla biscuits and almond milk, a few grainy ale notes. Then moving towards green, herbal notes with ginger...

Wolfburn’s Kylver Series is named after the Swedish Kylver stone which held the 24 characters of the runic alphabet, and each release has a different rune at the centre of its label.

This is the first (lightly) peated release in the series (hence the green / brown bottle). It was matured in a combination of first-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill quarter casks.

Wolfburn Kylver Series #4 (50%, OB 2018, 950 btl.)

Nose: starts quite fragrant, almost floral, mixing with chimney soot and hints of lanolin. Plenty of lemons and freshly cut apples, with a mentholated edge. Grassy notes...

Cragganmore & Dalwhinnie 150th Anniversary

Two of Diageo’s distilleries, Cragganmore and Dalwhinnie , were founded in 1869 and two limited releases will mark the 150th anniversary.

Cragganmore 15 Years 150th Anniversary was double matured in heavily charred hogsheads and bottled at 48.8% ABV. Only 1869 bottles are available at the distillery only for £ 150.

Dalwhinnie has a 150th anniversary bottling matured in American brandy casks and specially charred hogsheads. Also a distillery exclusive, with 6000 bottles being sold for £ 85.

Single Malts of Scotland – Reserve Casks

Elixir Distillers will present a range of Single Malts...

Daftmill distillery , founded in 2003 by brothers Francis and Ian Cuthbert, is one of the smallest and one of the only self-sufficient distilleries in Scotland. It is a true farm distillery, with barley production as their core business for many years. Whisky production is marginal: about 100 casks per year , during short two to three month seasons when there’s less work on the fields.

People have been raving about the first few Daftmill releases. Buying a bottle was virtually impossible. On the other hand I’ve also read quite a few reports of people who were disappointed...

Fettercairn has a new travel retail expression: Fettercairn 12 Years PX Cask Edition which is basically their standard 12 Year Old finished for around 6 months in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Recently they also added a 16 and 23 years old expression to their travel retail range.

Fettercairn 12 yo ‘Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Edition’ (40%, OB 2019, travel retail, 100 cl)

Nose: this one has a weird fragrant side to it. Rosehip syrup with hints of potpourri. Raisins and plums. Then moist wood and very yeasty notes, as well as szechuan pepper and cinnamon. Mouth: quite soft...

One of these viking releases, I must say I lost track and I don’t know which series it belongs to. It’s called Highland Park Valknut . Mainly American oak sherry casks and a slightly higher level of phenols.

Highland Park Valknut (46,8%, OB 2018)

Nose: cereals, dusty oak shavings, hints of mashed potatoes and heather honey. Caramelized nuts and sultanas. A coastal sharpness too. Cloves. Medium smoke. Quite typical, with a modest sherry influence. Mouth: richer than the nose suggested, with a nice theme of sweet nuts, toffee and honey alongside hints of Oloroso and fruits. Cinnamon and...

Atom Brands (who own Boutique-y Whisky and Master of Malt ) launched a new brand called The Character of Islay Whisky Company , which will focus on Islay whisky.

The first release is Aerolite Lyndsay , an anagram of the words ten year old Islay . It is a 10 year old single malt, distilled at an undisclosed distillery. The whisky is a mixture of 70% bourbon barrels, 25% Spanish oak sherry quarter casks and 5% ‘mystery’ casks.

Aerolite Lyndsay 10 yo (46%, The Character of Islay Whisky Co 2019)

Nose: very coastal, with a chalky minerality and...

Only the fourth Knockando review on this blog, the distillery is hiding under the radar. I loved the Knockando 25 Years though.

Today we’re trying the 1998 edition of the Knockando 18 Year Old which comes in yearly bottlings as part of a Slow Matured series.

Knockando 18 yo 1998 (43%, OB ‘Slow Matured’ 2016, bourbon and sherry casks)

Nose: leafy, wintery sherry. There’s toast, pepper, malty notes and wet leaves. Walnuts. A vague sweet element underneath, honeyed almonds majbe. Mouth: playing in a different league. Almost entirely on barley notes, vanilla and yellow apples. The sherry influence...

Aerolyte Lindsay 10 Year Old

Atom Drinks, the company behind Master of Malt, That Boutique-y Whisky and other brands, has launched a new range called The Character of Islay Whisky Co . The first release is an undiclosed Islay single malt called Aerolite Lyndsay (an anagram for ‘ten year old Islay’).

It’s already available from Master of Malt . Stay tuned for our review.

The Glenrothes 13 Years ‘Halloween Edition’

The Glenrothes started a tradition of releasing a 13 year-old expression for Halloween . This year it comes in a beautiful white frosted bottle.

It is matured...

Mildleton distillery launched two new expression in their experimental Method & Madness series.

Both are matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry oak, but they are finished in two wood types that are rarely used for the maturation of whiskey. The first one is Wild Cherry Wood , never used before, which is characterised by its porousness and greenish hue.

The other one is finished in Acacia wood, famous for ageing French white wines, and already used by Bushmills some time ago. This type of wood has a much tighter grain and a redder colour.

Obviously this is where...

The latest release in the Asta Morris range is a Glen Moray 1989 . I tried a cask sample of this whisky a couple of months ago, and I was immediately convinced.

Glen Moray 29 yo 1989 (53,2%, Asta Morris 2019, ex-bourbon cask, 204 btl.)

Nose: fresh and full of orchard fruits, with secondary notes of apricots and guava. Juicy with a slightly floral edge (orange blossom). Lots of polished oak, manuka honey and a little sunflower oil. Mouth: mirabelles, lime and pear, as well as a little coconut liqueur. Mixed with some cinnamon and vanilla this makes...

Talisker 41 Years ‘Bodega Series No.2’

The second release in the Bodega Series from Talisker has arrived. It is a 41 year-old expression, the oldest to date. Distilled in 1978, it was aged in refill American oak and finished in Manzanilla sherry casks from Delgado Zuleta, the bodega that was also responsible for the previous Amontillado finish.

It is limited to 2000 bottles, you can already pre-order from The Whisky Shop for instance.

Glenkinchie Tattoo

Glenkinchie celebrates the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo with a limited edition of 6000 bottles. Matured in rejuvenated hogsheads and American oak barrels, this...

We do appreciate a nice old Glen Moray , yes. The name maj not be the sexiest around though, which is why you can still find this Glen Moray 1990 bottled in 2016 by Berry Bros & Rudd on the shelves.

Glen Moray 25 yo 1990 (46%, Berry Bros 2016, cask #10307)

Nose: a vivid, rather youngish nose. Plenty of green banana and pear candy, yellow apple skins. Hints of kiwi. Sweet Chenin. Barley sugar, light mint and honey. Just a wee waxy note. Mouth: creamy and fruity, very easy drinking. Apricot juice, apple pie and fruit jelly....