Decades before cocktail partygoers chatted about mortgage-backed securities, it was whiskey-backed securities that stood poised to threaten the U.S. financial system. Prior to Prohibition, banks accepted whiskey as collateral on business loans. Whiskey’s durability made it an attractive way to finance distilleries. In addition, whiskey barrels were required to be aged in government-supervised warehouses, adding a desirable degree of assurance to the collateral, which came in the form of a warehouse receipt documenting ownership of the barrels.

As the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, a ban on the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors was debated, there was much...

WhiskyFest Chicago is coming up on mars 23rd, and it’s time to start thinking about what you want to drink. Fans of bourbon, Irish, Canadian, and world whisky will have plenty to enjoy, but if it’s scotch that takes your fancy, the night will be satisfying indeed. Here are our top recommendations for the tables you should visit and the whiskies you should try.

Be sure to check out the full list of pours . Don’t forget about the seminars , either—a great way to take a load off while continuing to sip whisky . And if you need some...

Jim Beam , Jack Daniel’s , Elijah Craig , George T. Stagg . When you think of whiskies named after people, do any women come to mind? Probably not—there are very few examples. In 2012, Glenfiddich released Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve , a 55 year old single malt named for the granddaughter of company founder William Grant, but—provocative marketing aside—that’s about it as far as women’s representation on whisky labels goes.

That’s about to change, however, as Johnnie Walker has announced the Jane Walker Edition of its Black Label blended scotch. The limited release, rolling out in mars to coincide...

The future promises more Glenmorangie and less begging for Ardbeg , thanks to plans by The Glenmorangie Company and parent company Moët Hennessy to expand production of the popular single malts through investment in growing the facilities.

Plans for Ardbeg include a new, larger still house on the existing site with the addition of two stills, bringing the Islay distillery to a total of four stills, effectively doubling its capacity. Glenmorangie Distillery will add two stills—one wash still and one spirit still—in a new structure adjacent to the existing still house. Scaling up production at Glenmorangie will also require additional...

Ever sat in front of a Martini and wondered what, exactly, is vermouth? (aside from something that shouldn’t get anywhere near your Martini, obviously). Ask, and someone will probably tell you that it’s an aromatised wine… which isn’t exactly helpful. Unless you particularly like reading drinks legislation (like us), or have spent a lot of time in Italy where most of them are made, the phrase ‘aromatised wines’ might have all the meaning of a randomly generated password.

The thing is, however, you’ve probably drunk a lot of them already – and you should definitely be drinking more. Here’s our...

‘ We were saved by rock and roll ‘

When it comes to statements you weren’t expecting to hear, that must be up there with them. Stood in the large entrance hall of an Irish castle with Alex Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles, surrounded by pictures of generations of his family, rock and roll was far from my mind. But as you walk through Slane Castle, in among the pictures of marquesses past are photographs of U2, Robbie Williams and Bruce Springsteen. But what connects an aristocratic Scottish family with an Irish castle, Bono and whiskey?

Let’s rewind a bit....

Irish whiskey is booming. For a long time it has been seen as Scotch whisky’s less-popular sibling, but the past few years have seen it explode in popularity. The biggest driver is Jameson , a blended Irish whiskey, but also growing is a style of whiskey not found anywhere else: pot still whiskey .

Pot still: isn’t that what you use to make malt whiskey?

First off, the terminology is confusing. In Ireland, along with blended, grain and malt whiskey, you also have pot still whiskey. Distillers make malt whiskey in a pot still, but it’s not pot still whiskey....

Absinthe is a drink surrounded by stories and misconceptions. From tales of murderous rampages under its influences to decades of being banned across Europe, its reputation is fearsome and almost entirely undeserved. It’s time to clear up a few things…

What is absinthe?

Simply put, absinthe is a bit like gin , but the main flavouring ingredient is Artemisia absinthium : grand wormwood – a bitter herb.

Artemesia Absinthium – grand wormwood

Like with gin, there are different ways of making it. The simplest is to add flavourings and colour to neutral spirit, which generally produces a lower-quality drink known...

Independent bottler Claxton’s recently unveiled its latest batch of single cask bottlings. Here are the first four, there are three more to come. Check my recent news post for full details.

Macduff 14 yo 2003 (55,9%, Claxton’s 2018, sherry butt #1834-900822, 652 btl.)

Nose: sweet oranges and tart lemon pie, as well as hints of kiwi and peach jam. Quite summery. A slight musty note behind it, majbe moist tobacco leaves. Hints of golden raisins and floral honey. A fairly fruity nose, with little sherry, youngish but pleasant. Mouth: sweet and a bit fizzy. Sweet oranges and fruit...

The barrels for Booker’s True Barrel bourbon were originally hand selected by Booker Noe (grandson of Jim Beam and a legendary distiller), only for friends and family. Since 1988 the company turned it into a public small batch series.

This particular batch 2017-01E is 6 years and one month old and is bottled at cask strength.The whiskey has a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% barley and barrels are drawn from the centre of the warehouse, which produces an intensely flavoursome Bourbon.

Due to its limited nature and reputation, Booker’s bourbon saw a significant price increase early...

The Wine Merchant’s Collection  contains Glenrothes 1992 whiskies that were matured until 2014 in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in wine (and rum) casks from respected houses, in this case the sherry bodega Lustau .



Berry Bros. & Rudd , owner of The Glenrothes at the time, has long-standing relationships with some of the world’s leading wine and spirits producers. Other expressions in this series were finished in Graham’s and Warre’s Port casks, Beaucastel or Ridge Vineyards casks, and St. Lucia casks among other. More information in my announcement from april 2017 .

This Oloroso...

The Glenfarclas 30 Year Old , the oldest release in the core range until it was overtaken by the 40 Year Old in 2010.

This comes from the ‘180 years of production’ edition released in 2016 but I don’t think the liquid inside is different, it’s just the box designed as an homage to the iconic red doors of the Glenfarclas warehouse.

Glenfarclas 30 yo (43%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: a green apple / lemon sherbet tartness at first, as well as some pine wood notes and orange peels. Fruity Christmas cake. Whiffs of cognac. Eucalyptus. Later also...

Kilchoman Comraich

It looks like a new  Kilchoman Comraich  is coming up, a vatting of three 2007 casks (2x bourbon, 1x sherry cask). It was bottled in oktober 2017 at full strength 55,5% ABV.

It has been presented a few weeks ago at a festival in Sweden – I’m not sure whether this could become a permanent edition to the range, but there will probably be more batches in the future (the current label says Batch No.1 )

Glen Scotia 10 Year Old

Glen Scotia distillery is adding a Glen Scotia 10 Years to its core range (which...

Last week I watched an online Balblair masterclass with Mark Williamson (Maturation and Spirit Quality Manager) and Lukasz Dynowiak (Brand Ambassador) presenting the Balblair 2005 and two new expressions that have just been launched: Balblair 2000 2nd release and Balblair 1991 3rd release .

As always with Balblair , the distillery is focusing on well made natural whisky. No exotic cask types or weird finishing, not much marketing babble either. And not a single NAS expression. Quite refreshing.

One of the questions during this very informative presentation was about the release numbers. Take the Balblair 2000 for instance...

An undisclosed single malt distilled in the Speyside region. Not sure whether it’s related to these glorious 1970’s casks, but in any case we’ve seen them before specifically from the 1998 vintage. This Speyside 1998 was bottled by Maltbarn .

Speyside region 19 yo 1998 (52,3%, Maltbarn 2017, sherry cask, 177 btl.)

Nose: oaky in a nice, aromatic way. Fresh oak shavings, hints of polish, with a grassy side. Hints of hay but also sultanas and dried apricots in the background. Mouth: fruity start, on oranges , sultanas and berries. Hints of figs and pomegranate. Then spices (clove,...

This is one of a trio of Bowmore releases that celebrate the influence of wine finishes. Bowmore 18 Year Old Manzanilla Cask has been aged in ex-bourbon barrels for 13 years before being finished in ex-Manzanilla sherry casks for a further five years. There’s also a 26 Years wine finish and 27 Years Port finished version.

Bowmore 18 yo ‘Manzanilla Cask’ (52,5%, OB ‘Vintner’s Trilogy’ 2017)

Nose: berry sweetness and caramelized red apples. Candied orange peel. Blood oranges. Vanilla. Then some honey glazed roasted ham and embering smoke, as well as some mossy notes. Rock candy sugar. Nutmeg...

BenRiach 22 Years Moscatel Finish was a limited edition from Benriach was initially matured in bourbon barrels before being finished in Moscatel wine casks, sourced from Portugal.

BenRiach 22 yo ‘Moscatel finish’ (46%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: juicy grapes, rather aromatic and fairly similar to the light Moscatel wines from Setúbal or Valencia. Golden raisins, figs and apricot jams. Orange cake, cinnamon and hints of fresh oak as well. Nice. Mouth: thick honey sweetness, rock candy sugar with lots of berries (redcurrant, white cherries). Very juicy, with a nice sweet and sour balance. Cinnamon and vanilla, as well...

Balvenie 25 Years DoubleWood

After the original Balvenie 12 Years DoubleWood (supposedly the first ‘finished’ whisky ever, back in 1983) and the more recent 17 Years DoubleWood , there will soon be a Balvenie 25 Years DoubleWood as well, bottled at 43%.

This is a limited edition that marks the 25th anniversary of the DoubleWood concept: a first maturation in American oak bourbon casks and a second period in European oak sherry casks.

As a side note, The Balvenie will also release Batch #5 of its Tun 1509 series in the near future.

Scotch Maltwhisky Society –...