Teeling Whiskey unveiled the fourth bottling of The Revival , the series of bi-annual commemorative expressions to mark the opening of its distillery in juni 2015. The fifth and final Revival will be released next year ahead of Teeling Whiskey’s own Single Pot Still distilled in Dublin coming of age.

This release was matured in ex-bourbon barrels for 14 years and then finished for 12 months in casks that held Moscatel (Muscat wine) from the Douro valley.

Teeling Revival volume IV won the award for 2017 Irish Whiskey of the Year at the recent Irish Whiskey Awards.

Teeling...

I’ve realized that once again life and work consumes most of my time in the last few weeks, leaving almost no free time to work on the blog. But I think that going for a quick and down to earth review mode maj help building the momentum again.

Let’s get festive with the latest Douglas Laing Christmas Edition of Big Peat. This series has been going for a few years already and always provided a good value.

Big Peat Christmas 2017 (54.1%, £53.95 / €52,95 )

Nose : Young and malty. Then sweet peat with gentle smoke, honey, some Ardbeg...

Tullamore D.E.W. has made ribbon cutting obsolete. For the opening of their new distillery on oktober 19th 2017, a bottle of Tullamore D.E.W. was smashed against a grain column like the launching of a ship, eliciting cheers from the assembled guests. The grain distillery’s opening comes three years after Tullamore began production at its malt and pot still whiskey distillery, located adjacent to the new facility. After a $70m investment, Tullamore D.E.W. has been transformed: long blended from sourced whiskey, the brand’s production is now going grain to glass.

The Rebirth of Tullamore D.E.W.

Tullamore, Co. Offaly is a busy...

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Whiskybase released a few of its whiskies at the recent Whiskybase Gathering , their yearly festival if you like.

Officially undisclosed, but this shouldn’t be Scapa, you see.

Undisclosed Orkney 15 yo 2002 (58,7%, Archives ‘Fishes of Samoa’ for The Gathering 2017, refill hogshead, 270 btl.)

Nose: fairly punchy start (alcohol kick with a slightly acetic edge). Gets sweeter and creamier after some time. Candy sugar, hints of red berries. A little kirsch. Some vanilla and candied ginger. Light flinty notes. Mouth: sweet fruity notes, as well as firm spices (pepper, ginger, a little salt). Berries, sweet apples,...

My whisky friend Wim sent me a package of seven unlabeled whisky samples . He loves sherry bombs and the idea came up because we disagreed on some of the recent Glenrothes 1997 bottlings . I knew he would slip in different profiles to see whether a blind assessment would match my earlier reviews.

I don’t usually do blind tastings. I know other reviewers prefer not to be bothered with names and dates, but I simply find it too hard to organize as I would need to rely on someone to re-label my samples, keep track of them, etc. You...

Scotch distilleries roll out major new whiskies to great fanfare all the time. (In fact, we write about them every Friday in Whisky Weekend .) Whisky retirements get less attention, but they do happen. The reasons are numerous: shortages of aged stock, changes in branding or focus, or even the total overhaul of a distillery’s core line. But because of the way that whisky retail works, there’s usually a long lead time between when a product is announced as being discontinued and when it’s actually gone from store shelves.

The single malt whiskies on this list were all discontinued relatively...

After Highland Park Magnus , here’s another US exclusive from Highland Park .

It is composed of 481 first-fill bourbon casks, both barrels and hogsheads, all filled in 1999. Fully bourbon maturation is something that you rarely see in official releases but often from independent bottlers.

Highland Park Full Volume 1999 (47,2%, OB 2017, first-fill bourbon)

Nose: barley notes and juicy citrus. A little unripe pineapple and kiwi. Orange juice. A whiff of vanilla, as well as some banana candy. A fresh floral note as well. Almost no peat smoke, just a hint of earthy oak underneath....

On november 16, WhiskyFest New York celebrated two decades with two floors’ worth of scotch, bourbon, Irish whiskey, and more. The year’s most exciting whiskies were represented as well, with many of Whisky Advocate’s 2017 Top 20 available to taste. Among them was Whisky of the Year Elijah Craig Barrel Proof , which had just been announced that day , master distiller Denny Potter himself pouring it at the Heaven Hill table. For the thousands in attendance, WhiskyFest offered much to learn, taste, and come back for.

With whisky flowing, a tour of both floors provided a tour of the...

With just 24 shopping days left until Christmas (and only 11 until the first night of Hanukkah, which this year starts on december 12), there’s no end of great whiskies lining up on shelves, waiting to be taken home and enjoyed.

Johnnie Walker has a new, limited-edition Blue Label called Ghost and Rare, which includes whiskies from silent distilleries (though one, Brora, won’t be silent for much longer ). It costs $400 and comes in a gift-ready box.

Jameson is launching a new expression of Caskmates, its beer barrel-finished whiskey. Whereas Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition is finished in, duh, stout...

Crank the thermostat down a notch or two as the whiskies reviewed in the Winter 2017 issue are sure to keep you warm and cozy. Hitting newsstands on december 5th, the issue’s buying guide features a number of whiskies that soar well above the 90-point threshold. (The Winter issue also highlights the full Top 20 whiskies of 2017 .) Special releases from Four Roses , Diageo , and Buffalo Trace , along with award-winning Ardbeg and Glenmorangie , single cask Irish whiskey, and a rare Amrut , all register as excellent end of year gift choices—particularly for yourself.

Four Roses...

Once you acquire more than a handful of whisky bottles , you have to start thinking about the best way to keep them organized. Even more important, storing whisky in the right conditions helps keep open bottles tasting their best, while maintaining those you maj be saving for a special occasion or as a collection. Being well organized allows you to easily locate specific bottles, avoid cluttering your living space, and protect your most valuable whiskies. Use this guide to avoid lackluster flavors, evaporating fill levels, sun-bleached labels, and calamitous leaks while also showing off your connoisseurship.

Storage Basics

Compared...

A lot has changed about the business of putting people on boats and sailing them around the world since Gavin “Captain Stubing” MacLeod strode the decks of “The Love Boat” in the 1980s. Take size, for example. The Pacific Princess , the real ship that the fictional Stubing navigated to and from Puerto Vallarta each weekend, had capacity for all of 780 passengers, whereas today’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s immense Harmony of the Seas , can accommodate close to 7,000 travelers. And it’s not just the size of the ships that has grown, but also that of the cruise...

In Pour This, Pair That, Whisky Advocate asks professional chefs to share a recipe designed for a specific type of whisky. Learn why these food and whisky combinations work—and try them yourself at home!

High-proof bourbon has seen its stock rise in recent years. As whiskey lovers search for ever more powerful expressions of their favorite distillers’ visions, these robust, rich bottlings have come to exemplify the art of bourbon production. And alongside appropriately full-bodied dishes, all those layers of flavor and aroma packed into the high alcohol content really have a chance to shine.

“The reason for fatty food...

You maj not have come across the term ‘ fortified wine ’ before, but you’ve almost certainly drunk one. Ever had a glass of port or sherry at Christmas? Then you’ve tried a fortified wine. And if you’ve ever tried Madeira , marsala or Pineau des Charentes , then you’re part of the fortified club, too.

The name refers to the fact that fortified wines have spirit or brandy added to them, locking in any sweetness, upping the alcohol and giving them a longer shelf life. But don’t be misled – with the exception of Madeira, which lasts months even...

Redbreast 16 Year Old single sherry cask #18829

Redbreast single casks are still quite rare, but some of the (older) sherried examples I’ve tried ( Dream Cask and LMdW ) were among the best Irish whiskeys I know. Now Master of Malt has a first-fill Oloroso bottling which looks very promising.

It is a 2001 vintage, aged for 16 years in cask #18829 and bottled at cask strength 60,2%. Only 582 bottles are available, exclusively from Master of Malt .

Teeling 34 Year Old Vintage Reserve

After its 33 Year Old, Teeling will release a new Vintage Reserve...