As we head into 2018, it’s time to look back at some of the best bits of the past 12 months. The Whisky Exchange blog team has chosen its favourite moments of 2017, including memorable whiskies, fact-finding trips and interesting encounters. We’ll see you in 2018…

Stuart

The year started well – I interviewed someone I had wanted to speak to for some time: Jim Murray . He didn’t disappoint: he talked about his career, how he fell in love with whisky and the lengths he goes to when it comes to tasting for his annual Whisky Bible .

Another...

Master of Malt recently had an exclusive Redbreast 16 Year Old single cask bottled from a first-fill Oloroso butt. Official Redbreast single casks are quite rare so we’re still discovering what they can be like. Older expressions ( Dream Cask and LMdW ) are often excellent.

When this came out, the 582 available bottles went fast…

Redbreast 16 yo 2001 (60,2%, OB for Master of Malt 2017, first-fill Oloroso butt #18829, 582 btl.)

Nose: aromatic spices up front. Dried ginger, cinnamon. Then moves to cocoa, blackberries, figs and cassis. Baked apples with (dry) raisins. Black Forest gateau. Also...

Glenrothes Oldest Reserve used to be the oldest expression in the core range of this distillery and one of their most interesting expressions of the past few years in my opinion.

To create it, they combined casks from five vintages : 1967, 1972, 1977, 1979 and 1980. It was launched in the summer of 2012 so all components were aged for 30 to 45 years . Originally a travel retail expression (in the old wooden enclosure), it was also made available from other retailers (in a new cardboard version).

Glenrothes Oldest Reserve (43%, OB 2012)

Nose: ah, classic...

 ...

The Gauldrons is the last member of the Remarkable Regional Malts series, which includes other blended malts like Big Peat , Scallywag , The Epicurean … The only region missing was Campbeltown and given the limited amount of active distilleries in the region, this expression should be based around Springbank and Glen Scotia whisky.

The Gauldrons name comes from the sandy coves on Campbeltown’s west shores and literally means bay of storms . It refers to the local legend of King Robert the Bruce, who was defeated by his enemies but was inspired to carry on fighting by a spider...

And on the seventh day of BTC 2017 we had a Speyside whisky: Glenburgie 1995 21 Year Old bottled by the whiskybase.com folks under their Archives brand.

Upon smelling and tasting it I knew we’re probably in the Speyside region but I had some doubts because of the strong honey which could hints at Highlands region and the salt which could lead to Islands region (like Arran). But eventually I played the odds and selected a random Speyside distillery, just too bad I didn’t pick up Glenburgie.

I had suspicions it maj be 20+ year old whisky but eventually I...

Last night we had a very interesting whisky at the BTC 2017 event. For the 8th day we had an 8 year old whisky matured in wine cask from Deanston distillery.

This young handfill (bottled on 23.09.2017) whisky was quite whacky, delivering a leathery profile I’d usually associate with old mature whiskies and this is how I tried to guess. I also whiffed on the ABV as it carried a far higher ABV statement then what I felt. Thankfully I did get the region correctly, phew!

Deanston 8 Year Old Handfill (57.8%)

Nose : Sweet red fruit, sour wood spices,...

 ...

It maj be too late to add more whisky to your Christmas list, but even so, there are new bottles to look forward to long after the wrapping paper has been discarded.

Just in time for the Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year, Highland Park has a new 17 year old called The Dark. Aged entirely in first-fill, sherry-seasoned European oak, the whisky’s name refers to the fall and winter months on Orkney, Highland Park’s home, when there is very little daylight.

Highland Park’s sister distillery, Macallan , has released a new crop of 40 year old...

Distillers love marking special moments with whisky, everything from birthdays to royal inaugurations. These highlights of 2017 are made memorable by special whiskies that we’ll never forget. Grab one while you can.

1792 225th Anniversary—46.075%, $36

Reason to celebrate : juni 1, 2017 marked the 225th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Kentucky joining the United States of America. Bottled at 92.15 proof, a nod to the year 1792 and Kentucky’s position as the 15th state to join the Union, this release was available only in-state—Kentucky, of course.

Arran James MacTaggart Anniversary Single Malt—54.2%, $54

Reason to celebrate: With nearly 40...

Iodine. Coal tar. Asphalt. Bacon fat. Brine. Tarry rope. Soot. Campfire ash. Seaweed. Creosote. These are some signature flavors of peated whisky. It’s hard to tell if we should drink it or use it to seal a leaky roof. Peated whiskies have an edgy reputation for being boisterous, pungent, antagonistic drinks. They invite you to take a slug at the end of an ocean pier, stretch out your arms, and let out a visceral, primal howl. And for the drinkers who love them, only peated whisky will do.

Peated whisky hasn’t always been so popular. Most recently, peated whiskies roared...

By our calculations, thirteen 21st century Scotch whisky distilleries could have whiskies ready to graduate to the bottle* in 2018 (or shortly before), but will they pass the test? At the top of our list are the resurgent distillers in the Scottish Lowlands, with others scattered across the Highlands, Islands, and Speyside. We asked every distiller to tell Whisky Advocate their plans for their inaugural releases, including their expected U.S. debut. We assess the future of Scottish whisky, and those that might be held back.

*New spirit filled into oak can legally be called Scotch whisky after 3 years ....

The opening of the Lindores Abbey Distillery on augusti 30th, in the county of Fife—and its first spirit run on december 13th—was a step back into Scotch distilling history—way back. Lindores features in the first recorded evidence of Scotch distillation in the Exchequer Rolls of 1494/95, noting in translation from the Latin: “Eight bolls of malt to Friar John Cor wherewith to make aqua vitae.”

Cor was a member of the Tironensian order of monks who had constructed Lindores Abbey during the late 12th century, and it was probably an apothecary. The bolls of malt in question were used to...

 ...

In addition to the news that Casa Cuervo is purchasing Pendleton Whisky , this week has brought several new releases.

BenRiach is rolling out a 21 year old single malt that aged in four different casks: bourbon, virgin oak, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and red wine. The whisky is initially available overseas, but will be coming to the U.S. in 2018. Stay tuned for pricing and availability details.

Two Irish whiskeys are making their debut online only. Knappogue Castle 12 year old Special Reserve is a higher-proof version of the standard single malt, available at ReserveBar.com . Meanwhile, DWD The Heritage Edition...

The total phenol parts per million (ppm) of the malted barley is one of the malting specifications required by the distiller. At a malting’s laboratory, samples of malt are analyzed for phenols, moisture, nitrogen content, and predicted spirit yield. Having malted barley peated to a higher ppm can contribute to a peatier-tasting whisky , but the ppm of the raw material is not a measurement of peat or smoke flavor in the bottle. Using the malt’s phenol ppm to predict final flavor (see below) is like trying to judge the value of a used car based on nothing but its...