Sherwoods is a brand-new project by Tom Sherwood , an Englishman now living in the Netherlands. His first release is a Craigellachie 2007 , a single cask sourced from Whiskybroker, bottled at a whopping 64.4%.

Around 2009-2012 we noticed a lot of new small-scale bottlers (often just selecting and labeling casks from parcels distributed by larger bottlers). At that time it was fairly easy to get good casks and make some profit. Nowadays sourcing decent casks has become much more difficult for independent bottlers, let alone come up with something that is affordable. Kudos to Tom for taking the plunge....

Compass Box No Name

A parcel of mature, massively peaty American oak casks from Ardbeg is at the heart of a new Compass Box No Name . It’s smokier than their Peat Monster, they say, although it is slightly tempered by the addition of a little Caol Ila, a bit of fruity Clynelish and a small portion of undisclosed whisky finished in French oak casks.

Compass Box No Name will be available soon and limited to 15.000 bottles.

BenRiach Rarus 21 Years

This is a new peated expression from The BenRiach . It is matured in four oak...

The Lost Distillery Company recently added a modern-day expression of Campbeltown malt Dalaruan to its portfolio.

Dalaruan was founded in 1825, active until 1922 and sold at auction in 1925. It used to produce triple-distilled whisky but I’m not sure they used any to create this new interpretation.

Dalaruan (43%, Lost Distillery Company ‘Classic Selection’ 2017)

Nose: smoky, and rather oily, but also very new, with lots of hints towards new-make spirit. Pear drops, a little roasted pineapple. Hints of new plastics. Subtle coastal notes. Mouth: sweet and mellow, with the same young fruitiness and hints of young...

The WhiskyNerds in Holland will soon present their next bottlings, two Inchmurrin 2003 single casks that are actually part of a trio called Trias Usquebaugh . One of them was matured in a first-fill bourbon cask, the other one in a sherry cask. They’ve given them nicknames: Law and Order .

Part of both casks was kept apart for an Executive vatting that is marrying as we speak. So in due time they will bottle this as well and see if the marriage was successful. Great idea.

Inchmurrin spirit comes exclusively from Loch Lomond’s straight neck pot stills. It comes...

This is the fifth bottling in the Exceptional Cask series from the Barbados-based Foursquare rum distillery. It is a blend of pot still and column still distillation, which has been aged for 10 years in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-Madeira wine casks.

Foursquare Criterion (56%, OB ‘Exceptional Cask Selection’ 2017, 2000 btl.)

Nose: classic nose with a medium fruitiness of roasted pineapple, baked apples and overripe bananas. A bright hint of lemon. Well balanced leathery touches and oak spices (nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon). Of course this has the exotic rummy notes but it will definitely be appreciated by...

Ah, the fine dumpy Bowmore 12 Year Old and Bowmore De Luxe . Discovering these 1970s bottlings were such a revelation for those of us who grew up with Bowmore released in the 1990s: the newer 12yo and then Dawn, Dusk, Claret… all of which kept me from trying Bowmore for years.

A lot of different versions exist. Originals, versions bottled for Italy (especially Soffiantino) and France, with a cork or a plastic head, labels that said ‘Over 12 Years’ first and then ‘Aged 12 Years’, and obviously different ABV statements (70°, 40% vol., then 43% vol. or 43° GL…)....

Another recent Archives release: Glentauchers 1996 , exactly what you need in summertime. Well, in theory, it’s rather cloudy over here…

Glentauchers 20 yo 1996 (53,9%, Archives 2017, barrel #7324, 211 btl.)

Nose: very bright and summery. Tinned pineapple, Haribo sweets, white grapes, cherry candy. Grapefruit green tea. Some expected vanilla and gentle spices like ginger and aniseed. Whiffs of wood varnish too. Becomes more floral with water. Mouth: sweet start, fruity, with orange sweets, apples,  lemon cubes, hints of banana cake. Gets slightly more tangy after a while, with added ginger and pepper, as well as some...

Highland Park The Dark 17

The next release in Highland Park’s rebranded core range could be the Highland Park Dark 17 Year Old . It looks like a limited edition though, with 28.000 bottles available, bottled at 52.9% ABV. Perhaps a travel retail exclusive?

Early autumn we can expect a new Highland Park Dragon Legend followed by Highland Park Magnus for North America, both of which are currently still marrying until they’re ready to be bottled. More information will be available by september.

Highland Park Shiel

In the meantime, Highland Park Shiel is coming up, exclusively available to...

Ailsa Bay distillery is located on the same site as Girvan, in the Lowlands. It is a technologically advanced distillery with 16 stills, founded in 2007 by William Grant & Sons , mostly to reinforce its Maltwhisky production for blends like Grant’s and to allow for experimentation.

This specific expression (the first official release) was made with peated barley (“heavily peated”, they say: 21 ppm) during one of the two weeks each year that the distillery does peated runs. It was matured in four types of casks : refill American oak, first fill Bourbon, new oak and Baby Bourbon...

The Whisky Agency bottled three very similar  Bunnahabhain 1968 casks in their Liquid Sun series in 2011, those were the days! We’re trying the 42yo version bottled at 47.8%.

Bunnahabhain 42 yo 1968 (47,8%, Liquid Sun 2011, refill sherry cask, 257 btl.)

Nose: fruity, but in a rather delicate way. Banana, nectarine, oranges. Hints of honeydew. Also a good dose of minty oak and subtle resins, making this a little less exhuberant. Soft leathery notes and vanilla. Mouth: sweet malt, with lots of pears, berries and tangerines before it goes towards spicy notes (pepper, aniseed) and mocha. Some...

This will have to be a quick review, as typing the name Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair has taken up most of my time already. Isn’t being able to recall or pronounce it a consideration when chosing a ‘charming’ Gaelic name? It’s pronounced Stu-Radhur by the way.

In any case Stiùireadair is the latest release from this Islay distillery. It was matured in first-fill and second-fill sherry casks and bottled at 46.3%. I’ve heard it was launched to take away some pressure from the 12 Year Old, supposedly because stocks are running low.

Bunnahabhain Stiùireadair (46,3%, OB 2017)

Nose: medium sherried,...

Two more single grain releases from the northern distillery of Invergordon , both distilled in 1973 and recently bottled by German indies. The first is part of the recent batch by Maltbarn, the other one was bottled for The Whisky Fair in Limburg in april.

Invergordon 44 yo 1973 (48,5%, Maltbarn 2017, bourbon cask, 135 btl.)

Nose: one of the round, mild expressions, full of vanilla sweetness, creamy coconut and almond milk. A bit of rummy notes (banana, pineapple), popcorn and white chocolate. Plenty of buttered / honeyed notes. Light oak prickle (pepper, ginger). Mouth: same luscious sweetness,...

Together with the excellent undisclosed 1973 Speysiders , there was also a new Speyside 1998 release in the Archives series. Heavily sherried this time.

Speyside Region 18 yo 1998 (52,7%, Archives 2017, sherry butt #1034, 239 btl.)

Nose: deep sherry, with blackberry jam and black cherries. A whiff of chocolate before it becomes drier, more savoury, with teriyaki sauce, leaves, a hint of roasted nuts and something of a smoking gun. Cigar boxes too. Mouth: again traces of dried fruits (dates, figs) but quickly taken over by dark chocolate, heavy roast coffee and smoky touches. Oranges and honey....

Compass Box is working on a new limited edition called Compass Box Phenomenology . It is a blended malt bottled at 46%.

Phenomenology is a way of thinking about ourselves and the very personal, subjective nature of experience. It’s a school of thought in psychology that focuses on phenomena, or, the experiences that we get from our senses – what we see, taste, smell, etc. Somehow, we saw a link between phenomenology and whisky. We’d long been working on a blend of single malts that combines seemingly dissonant flavour profiles, but together creates something compelling.

They end by saying...

After numerous fishes of Samoa, Whiskybase has just presented three upcoming releases with starfish on the label. We’re trying two ex-Fino casks filled in december 1973 at an undisclosed Speyside distillery. There’s also an undisclosed 1998 vintage in the same series. All three will be available in their online shop later today.

Speyside Region 43 yo 1973 (46,5%, Archives 2017, Fino sherry butt #9, 120 btl.)

Nose: it has the slightly sharper Fino-ish side (paraffin, mint, eucalyptus, walnut oil) but also a nicely warm side, with some jammy apricots, stewed apples and a whiff of vanilla. Nice beehive notes...

An old Caol Ila 1982 bottled a long time ago by Hart Brothers . We’ve had some great 1982s at cask strength, but this is a fairly standard 46%.

Caol Ila 25 yo 1982 (46%, Hart Brothers ‘Finest Collection’ 2007, American oak cask)

Nose: a very mineral style of Caol Ila, coming close to Port Ellen. Smoky, without actual peat, with hints of seaweed and brine. Camphor. Lemon and sour apples. Wet chalk. Wet dogs too. Motor oil. Mouth: superb. It’s smoky and kippery, a tad farmy, with lots of phenols and resinous notes. Sweet apples and candied...

Glen Scotia 16 Year Old is a travel retail expression. I tried it back in 2013 and thought it was so-so. The flashy alcopop style packaging has now been toned down and the liquid has been upgraded. It is matured in American oak barrels & finished in oloroso sherry casks.

Glen Scotia 16 yo (46%, OB 2017)

Nose: fresh and clean, with a smooth nutty character (almonds), honey and a buttery quality. Also lemon peel, vanilla and light meringue notes. Coastal notes as well. The sherry is present but on a second level. Gingerbread. Tobacco leaves. Rather complex...

The vast majority of the output of the Saint Magdalene distillery was used in blends. As a consequence of the big whisky slump of the late 1970s, it ceased production and closed in 1983.

This release was distilled in 1965 and bottled under Gordon & Macphail ‘s Connoisseur’s Choice ‘Map Label’ series. Three versions exist: one bottled in 1991, a second one bottled in 1993 and this version which doesn’t have a neck label to indicate the bottling year. I assume this predates the other two.

St. Magdalene 1965 (40%, Gordon & MacPhail, late 1980s, 75 cl)

Nose:...

The Aberfeldy Exceptional Cask series contains some unique casks, usually one-offs and apparently often double matured. I’ve seen a 1996 Red Wine finish for La Maison du Whisky not so long ago and now there is this Aberfeldy 1983 marsala finish for China Whisky Society .

It has been matured for 33 years , five of which in the wine cask.

Aberfeldy 33 yo 1983 ‘Exceptional Cask’ (52,4%, OB for China Whisky Society 2016, cask #3157-#1, marsala finish, 588 btl.)

Nose: orchard fruits like mirabelles and apricots, sweet pears and yellow apples. Some malty notes. Very nice waxy...

The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition is a 25 Year Old 1991 vintage expression, apparently related to the upcoming movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle with Colin Firth and others. Of course it is fully sherry matured and bottled at 48,2%, apparently in the same type of bottle as the GlenDronach Recherché.

Given the pricing of the similarly aged Grandeurs I expected this to retail for around € 600, but it turns out to be closer to € 1000 . It will only be released in the UK, US & parts of Asia, and only 2000 bottles globally are available. The 1991 vintage...