“I see FarmStock 001 being a $10,000 bottle of whiskey within 10 years,” says Raj Bhakta. It’s a bold predictionfrom the founder of pioneering craft distillery WhistlePig , especially given that FarmStock 001 is the company’s first offering to include whiskey actually distilled at WhistlePig’s picturesque Vermont farm. Bhakta, however, has good reason for his optimism. The most recent release from WhistlePig, Boss Hog The Black Prince, a rye finished in Armagnac casks, launched last fall and retails for $500 a bottle—an unheard-of price for a craft upstart.

The Black Prince has beaten out competition from Scotland, Ireland, Kentucky, and...

Fall is the most exciting time for whisky—lots of new and limited-edition releases hit shelves during the months leading up to the holiday season. And even though we’re still weeks away from autumn leaves, and temperatures, the first of the 2018 special bottles is about to roll out. Old Forester always kicks off the season with its Birthday Bourbon, which is released each year on september 2, the birthday of founder George Garvin Brown. Bottled for the first time at Old Forester’s new distillery in downtown Louisville , this year’s Birthday Bourbon is 50.5% ABV and has a recommended price...

 ...

 ...

Heads up, whisky lovers! There are lots of new releases to get excited about this week.

Jack Daniel’s is rolling out a bottled-in-bond version of its classic Tennessee whiskey. Currently available in travel retail stores only, the whiskey will sell for $38 for a 1-liter bottle.

Meanwhile, peat heads will want to look for this year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas, the distillery’s annual special release. The 2018 Cairdeas matured in first-fill bourbon barrels before a finishing period in fino sherry casks. It costs $80 and will be available in limited amounts.

Freddie Noe, son of Fred Noe and grandson of the legendary...

Few things are more enjoyable than sipping a great whisky in the company of a good friend. But complications arise when your drinking companion has four legs and kibble breath. Fortunately, we’ve uncovered a handful of bars that cater to whisky lovers and their canine counterparts. With impressive whisky lists and perks for your pooch, these dog-friendly destinations are great places to enjoy a whisky with a side of water—served neat, in a bowl.

Taurus Beer & Whisk(e)y House —Miami This rollicking locals’ bar is both dog and kid-friendly. No food is prepared here, so dogs are permitted throughout the...

[It’s Vermouth Month , and we’ve asked food and wine pairing expert Fiona Beckett to give us her thoughts on what we should be eating when drinking vermouth]

Vermouth has been the big drinks craze of 2018 so far – but if you want to take your enjoyment to the next level you should try it with food. Happily with its relatively modest alcohol content – like sherry, it’s often not much higher than a still wine – it’s a flexible partner for all kinds of dishes, as good a palate-sharpening aperitif as it is a stomach-settling digestif at the end...

The past four years have been interesting for Mortlach . Once a little-known Speysider with a single official bottling and occasional independent releases, it was a whisky fan’s whisky. But back in early 2014, the Mortlach Flora & Fauna 16 Year Old disappeared and a new Mortlach range appeared. Fans were dismajed. But now it’s time for some new Mortlachs – the powers that be were listening.

The entire range is being redone. The new whiskies will be 12, 16 and 20 years old, with rough price points of £50, £80 and £200 respectively – and they’ll be 70cl bottles....

Gin and tonic saves lives. Or at least it did, back when malaria was rife and the powers that be needed to get quinine – one of the most effective anti-malarial substances on the planet – into the populace. Quinine, found in the bark of the cinchona (quina-quina) tree, is notoriously bitter, and it was only by instructing soldiers to mix it with soda water, sugar and gin that the British government could get troops stationed in India to stomach their medicine.

Cinchona bark. Tasty.

Mixing quinine with alcohol wasn’t, however, a British invention (although we do excel in making...

Not sure why this is called ‘Extremely Rare’ because obviously it isn’t, but anyway, it’s simply the Glenmorangie 18 Year Old .

Matured in American white oak but about 30% of the spirit used was finished in Oloroso sherry casks for three years.

Glenmorangie 18 yo ‘Extremely Rare’ (43%, OB +/- 2018)

Nose: rather light, with the distillery’s typical fruitiness. Yellow plums and apricots mainly. Also gooseberries and oranges. Hints of vanilla cake, honey and almonds. Floral notes too (orange blossom, geranium). Mouth: sweet, bright and fruity, showing tangerines, tinned pears, oranges and pink grapefruit. Almost tropical with...

Ben Nevis 1999 – Creative Whisky Co – TWE exclusive

Drawn from a single cask by The Whisky Exchange and Creative Whisky Co., this Ben Nevis 1999 is eighteen years old and said to be rich and fruity. It comes from a single sherry butt and is bottled at 50.8%. Just 180 bottles, exclusively available from The Whisky Exchange .

Bunnahabhain Palo Cortado Cask and more…

The Distill group (Bunnahabhain, Deanston and others) have announced six limited editions accross their single malt portfolio:

• Tobermory 2005 (12yo) Fino Cask Finish, RRP £ 110
• Ledaig 1998 Oloroso finish (19yo), RRP...

Hazelburn 13 Year Old Oloroso is the unpeated and triple distilled Springbank spirit aged in a mix of first-fill and refill sherry casks. They already had a 2003 version of this in 2017 – we’re trying the 2004 vintage bottled in april 2018.

Hazelburn 13 yo 2004 ‘Oloroso Cask Matured’ (47,4%, OB 2018, 9000 btl.)

Nose: the typical mix of marzipan and pencil shavings that I always get in Hazelburn. Hints of damp floors. Blackcurrants. A bit of vanilla cake and candied ginger. Just light sherry, with some raisins and plums. Even some rosewater lokum. Mouth: quite sweet...

After the excellent Caol Ila 2011 from Asta Morris , here’s another bottling from their most recent line-up: Glen Moray 2007 . Probably the total opposite of the the Caol Ila: coming from a fresh bourbon cask, this should be fresh and summery.

Glen Moray 2007 (50%, Asta Morris 2018, fresh bourbon cask, 270 btl.)

Nose: very fresh indeed, with pleasant honey, sweet barley and lots of yellybeans. Pineapple cubes. Hints of raspberry bubblegum, some floral / grassy notes and ginger. Vanilla. Light waxy touches. Rather summery, but very vivid with decent complexity. Mouth: same vibrant character. Citrus,...

This Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1990 was the first of a new series of vintage malts called Bond House No. 1 – the largest bonded warehouse built at the distillery during the 19th century. This particular year was troublesome as the barley harvest delivered bad results.

The 1990 Grand Vintage is a 26 years old mix of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.

Glenmorangie Vintage 1990 (43%, OB ‘Bond House No 1’ 2016, 5000 btl.)

Nose: very fresh and forthcoming, with a slightly tropical side. Juicy pears, pineapples, tangerines and orange syrup. Quite sherbety. Also hints of heather honey and floral...

That Boutique-y Whisky Company recently presented this smoky Ardmore 14 Year Old . Not much more to say…

Ardmore 14 yo (49,5%, That Boutique-y Whisky Company 2018, Batch #5, 582 btl.)

Nose: quite gristy, mildly smoky, showing hints of wet gravel. Hints of tequila and a green fruitiness. A little wax. Walnuts and hints of herbs. Not the slightly tropical fruit notes that we like in 1990s Ardmore, this is more mineral and earthy. Mouth: quite oily, close to the raw materials again. Sweet peat, biscuity notes, bread, lemons and nice hints of peaches. Spicy notes, think chilli...

I tried the first release of Kilchoman Loch Gorm back in 2013 , I think it deserves a new look. The 2018 edition has been released not long ago.

This 6th edition is still a vatting of sherry casks, more precisely 19 Oloroso butts filled in 2007, 2008 and 2011. This includes some of the oldest sherry casks that have been released to date.

Kilchoman Loch Gorm (46%, OB 2018, 15.000 btl.)

Nose: a really nice sootiness, grilled fish and cigar smoke. Hay and distant farmy notes. Hints of black olives. Sweeter notes underneath, cinnamon buns and cooked...

Rock Oyster is the Islands components in the Remarkable Regional Malts series from Douglas Laing . It is a blended malt composed with maritime malts distilled on Orkney, Arran, Jura and Islay.

International Oyster Day was celebrated yesterday (5th of augusti), a perfect occasion to have a look at the Rock Oyster range, as Douglas Laing encourages you to sprinkle it over oysters to give them an interesting twist.

Rock Oyster (46,8%, Douglas Laing 2016)

Nose: coastal, briney notes and dried seaweed up front. Some herbal notes (rosemary) and light hints of ashy peat. Green apple. Clean notes...

Asta Morris has just released three new bottlings:

• Caol Ila 2011 – sherry butt
• Benrinnes 2010 – sherry cask
• Glen Moray 2007 – fresh bourbon cask

I had a sneak preview and I can tell you they are true bang-for-your-buck whiskies: all in the € 50-65 price range and simply great drinking whiskies. My favourite is probably this 7 years old Caol Ila 2011 .

Caol Ila 2011 (56,1%, Asta Morris 2018, sherry butt ref. AM 055, 580 btl.)

Nose: starts on bread crust and a hint of vanilla, before it goes deeper and brings out lovely tobacco...