This is the 2016 ‘distillery edition’ of Gouden Carolus whisky , presented at the Molenberg festival last week-end.

After the 2015 Pure Taste Bourbon Cask , which spent the whole 36 months in ex-bourbon casks, we now have the counterpart Pure Taste Anker Cask , matured for 36 months in Het Anker casks (Het Anker is the name of the parent brewery).

The original Gouden Carolus whisky is matured in ex-bourbon casks for 30 months and then finished in Anker casks for 6 months. It remains a bit of a secret what an Anker cask is exactly, but the...

Some of Diageo’s upcoming Distiller’s Editions appeard in the TTB database:

• Lagavulin 2000/2016 Distillers Edition (lgv. 4/505)
• Oban 2001/2016 Distillers Edition (OD 165.FB)
• Dalwhinnie 2000/2016 Distillers Edition (D.SX.312)
• Cragganmore Distillers Edition (CggD-6568)

Also new: Scapa Glansa . First aged in American oak and then finished in peated casks for a subtle smoky finish. Bottled at 40%.

Glen Grant has launched three aged-statement whiskies. That’s good news. Their current core range consists of the Major’s Reserve, a 10yo and 16yo and expanding them with new aged expressions goes against the flow in today’s market.

• Glen Grant 12 Year Old...

In partnership with each respective distillery, all whiskies in Gordon & MacPhail’s Rare Vintage series are uniquely labeled. Many of these labels – like the ones for Strathisla – grew to become a kind of semi-official range under licence from the distillery.

We’re trying a Strathisla 1967 bottled in 2015. They’ve released some excellent bourbon casks as well, but this is from first-fill sherry butts.

Strathisla 1967 (43%, Gordon & MacPhail 2015)

Nose: fully on plum jam with dried apricots underneath. Sweet and sour, with some orange peel and marmalade, lime, mint and eucalyptus. Plenty of waxed furniture...

Last night I participated in a Twitter tasting #LaddieBelgium, hosted by Bruichladdich for Belgian bloggers. We tried two unpeated and two peated expressions, most of which focused on their terroir experiments. It was an inspiring tasting – I will spread my reviews over a couple of weeks.

Bruichladdich Classic Laddie can be seen as a younger (no age statement) version of the The Laddie 10 , which was introduced in 2011 but then phased out again because of low stocks.

Made from 100% Scottish barley, this version was trickle distilled, then matured for its entire life by the shores of Lochindaal in...

This is the second part of our Vallein-Tercinier cognac  round-up. Having reviewed some of the most interesting assemblages, this time I will try some of the oldest and rarest cognacs in the house.

Vallein-Tercinier 1973

Vintage cognac from Petite Champagne, bottled as a Brut de fût at 48,2%.

I’m sure you could trick experienced maltheads into thinking this was a refill sherry single malt on the nose. Some blood orange, apricot jam, hints of leather. Perfect balance with some polished oak. Fruity palate, raisins and fresh plums, but with a light bitter edge (clove, ginger, tangy oak). Some...

After the Irish 1988 in the Perfect Dram series, there is now also an Irish single malt 1991 with a similar Art Nouveau label. To be precise, it is a billboard for an interior shop, designed by Manuel Orazi in 1901.

Irish single malt 24yo 1991 (49,5%, The Whisky Agency ‘Perfect Dram’ 2016, bourbon barrel, 152 btl.)

Nose: they’re all fruity but I keep being surprised about how fruity exactly. Very beautiful, very refined. Bananas, maracuya, some mango and lemongrass / lime blossom in the background. A light hint of tobacco after a while, hinting towards a more...

This Bowmore 1997 ‘Shellfish platter’ is part of the new Spring 2016 releases from Wemyss Malts .

Bowmore 1997 ‘Shellfish platter’ (46%, Wemyss Malts 2015, hogshead, 330 btl.)

Nose: starts quite raw, chalky, with lots of oysters and hints of heather smoke. Hay and mineral notes. Briny notes and seaweed. Fresh herbs. Clean and seemingly narrow, but after a while some whiffs of bright, slightly tropical notes come out (grapefruit, a little passion fruits) – hinting towards the excellent Bowmore 1993s. Mouth: quite fruity (sweet lemon and orange) with medium peat and a few medicinal touches. Lots of...

Douglas Laing released a limited edition of their Big Peat blended malt for the Islay festival that starts today and continues next week (20-28 maj).

Big Peat Feis Ile has an updated packaging which features Islay’s most notable landmarks. The round church at Bowmore and Port Ellen’s Kildalton Cross feature amongst a collage of travel stamps, in a colourful, hand-drawn design with Big Peat himself at the forefront.

The liquid inside has the same style, but this time he’s bottled at higher strength for an even punchier peat hit. Only 500 bottles are available at the festival but also from global...

I’ve seen several Caol Ila 2006 and 2007 releases from independent bottlers lately. This is probably the most recent vintage I’ve tried from this distillery.

Caol Ila 8 yo 2007 (53,7%, The Whisky Agency ‘Good Vibes’ 2016, bourbon hogshead, 324 btl.)

Nose: highly grassy and mineral, with raw wool, limestone and Matcha tea. Hints of moss and soaked grains. Sea spray and peat. Lots of lemons, subtle kiwi and pears. Slightly sharp and youngish but pleasant. A little mint after a while. Mouth: sweet peat, sweet barley, with raw wool and iodine. Quite some almond roundness too. Sea...

Compass Box The Circus is another new limited edition blend. The reference to a circus was chosen for its ephemeral character (just one night in town). A whisky for special occasions, they say.

The heart of this whisky is formed by parcels of blended Maltwhisky that were “forgotten” in marrying casks a long time ago. Compass Box knows very little about the composition of these blends, apart from the fact that they’re old and spent over two thirds of their maturation in marrying casks. It was then completed by some old grain whisky and younger Benrinnes.

This is...

As you know, some of my long-time malternatives include sherry , Madeira and vermouth (in summertime). Lately I heard quite a few whisky enthusiasts rave about certain brands of cognac , so I was glad my tasting club Fulldram organised an evening with the owners of Vallein Tercinier , a small but highly regarded cognac house.

The Vallein family owns the Domaine des Forges in the village of Chermignac since the 18th century, where they harvested grapes and produced wines. Around 1850, Georges Vallein started a trading company and created his own blends of cognac. Today, the fifth generation of...

“ The more information we can share with our customers about the Scotch whisky we produce, the better ” says Compass Box in the Transparency Campaign which was launched after their debacle with the disclosure of the age of the whiskies used in Flaming Heart.

In response to the absurd regulations, they found inspiration in the writers, philosophers and scientists of the Age of Enlightenment, and decided to call their latest release Compass Box Enlightenment .

It’s a blended malt with the following recipe:

• 48% Clynelish from first-fill American oak barrels
• 37% Glentauchers from first-fill American oak barrels
• 11% Balblair...

A quick look at some of the upcoming releases that were announced the past few days.

Deanston 14 Year Old ‘Organic’ , a limited release bottled at 46,3%. A bit strange because Deanston already launched a 15 Year Old Organic earlier this year. I’m not sure whether this will go to separate markets or will simply replace the former.

Bunnahabhain 13 Year Old marsala finish . A limited edition exclusive to the USA, first filled into ex-bourbon casks and left to mature for 10 years before being transferred to marsala wine casks for a further 3 years.

Redbreast Sherry...

The Whisky Exchange has a new exclusive bottling, an Aberlour 16 Year Old , from a single sherry cask. Looking at its colour, I think it’s safe to expect a single cask version of the distillery’s popular a’Bunadh series (which is said to include casks from around 5 to 25 years, give or take).

Aberlour 16 yo (53,5%, OB for TWE 2016, first-fill sherry cask #4738, 282 btl.)

Nose: very proud sherry. Rich Christmas cake, raisins, figs and prunes, mixed with brown sugar and some sticky toffee pudding. Some raspberry jam and candied orange peel. A bit of...

In the latest Good Vibes series from The Whisky Agency , there is an even older Speyside Region 1973 , a whopping 43 years old. The label says sherry butt without further detail, but I believe the colour indicates it’s not Fino like the 1975.

Speyside Region 43 yo 1973 (49,2%, The Whisky Agency ‘Good Vibes’ 2016, sherry butt, 324 btl.)

Nose: oh so fragrant! I love the overdose of polished furniture – I think sandalwood. Humidor, yes. Also quince jelly, orange skin, dried apricots, as well as light tropical notes and red berries. Hints of cardamom and...

A lot of undisclosed Speyside bottlings these days… and the Limburg Whisky Fair is traditionally the preferred moment for The Whisky Agency to present some of its best bottlings of the year. We’ll start with this Speyside Region 1975 from a Fino sherry cask .

The new TWA series is nicknamed Good Vibes and features some funky, colourful illustrations on the labels. We’ll have a look at other releases in the coming days and weeks (there’s more undisclosed goodness, as well as two Arrans, Caol Ila 2007, Cragganmore 2004 and Ben Nevis 1996).

I’ve been wondering about the distillery, and I’ve...

Glendalough 13 Year Old is an Irish single malt whiskey, made in small batches in copper pot stills and matured in first-fill bourbon casks.

I’ve read the original plan was to release this as a 12-year-old but it was matured an extra year in honour of rugby great Brian O’Driscoll, a shareholder in the company. O’Driscoll wore the No.13 jersey for Ireland.

Glendalough is currently producing spirit with its own Holstein stills, but until this reaches maturity, they’re buying external malts for their bottlings (7 Year Old and 13 Year Old). They also sell gin, a single grain...

Independent whisky bottler Lombard (Isle of Man) was established in the 1960s when the company began to lay down fillings at distilleries and hold, mature and bottle from its own stocks.

In fact the family has a history in the drinks business stretching back almost 300 years, owning vineyards in France, cork factories in Portugal and breweries in England. Their Jewels of Scotland series is one of their best known brands.

In our glass we have a Springbank 1965 , bottled in 2002 from one of many sister casks bottled by this company since the 1990s.

Springbank 1965...

This the Old Pulteney 1989 which recently won the World’s Best Single Malt award at the World Whiskies Awards 2016.

It has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels which previously held peated malt – this should result in a lightly smoky dram. See the Old Pulteney 1990 for some context.

Old Pulteney 1989 (46%, OB 2015, peated cask, 255 btl.)

Nose: no immediate peat at first. Instead it is a creamy nose, high on vanilla, with some apricots, roasted pineapple and oranges. Honey. Leafy notes in the background, and indeed a roasted note as well. Hints of lemon-scented wax...

Another bottling from the first batch of Claxton’s single casks: Tomatin 1994 .

Tomatin 21 yo 1994 (48%, Claxton’s 2015, refill hogshead #11247, 217 btl.)

Nose: a buttery kind of fruitiness, on garden fruits with a bit of rubbed mint. Green apples, lemons, gooseberries, sweet barley, a hint of banana too. Hints of peach yoghurt and white chocolate. A bit narrow for a 21 year-old but nice and clean. Mouth: fruity again, with a smooth and creamy texture. Honey, plum jam, peaches on syrup. Light hints of pepper and ginger. Light oak too. Finish: decent length, warming, with...