Dewar Rattray Glen Moray 2007 (8 year old) 60.9%

First Fill Bourbon Barrel 5451/ Dist: Nov 2007 Btl: Jul 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

A very fragrant and estery nose with pineapple chunks, melon, banana, apricot, dusty barley and porridge oats. With time a slight botanical character appears along with some rye-like herbs and sweet ‘Bourbony’ oak.

The palate opens with waves of intense, estery fruit found on the nose. The middle is quite mineral and the alcohol masks the finish although some banana and ‘Bourbony’ oak returns once the alcohol has passed.

Water brings forward the oak a touch on...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Dufftown 2009 (7 year old) 46%

Bourbon Hoggy/ Austrian Riesling Finish

Dist: 2009 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Sept 2016

Initially the aromas are heavy on the sweet-ish and petroly Riesling. Fresh white fruit, melon, barley, white liquorice, sweet vanilla and toffee follow as it settles down. There is a light industrial note beneath but there are plenty of other characteristics to balance.

The palate opens with a little more of the harder barley notes but again the wine finish softens. Hints of barley, grass and crisp citrus come through and lead into a slightly floral middle. Hang...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Glen Ord 2009 (7 year old) 46%...

Bunnahabhain 2005 10 YO Small Batch, 46 % Bunnahabhain is one of my absolute favourite distilleries, and this independent bottling of Bunnahabhain single malt is certainly no disappointment. Independent bottler Cadenhead is behind this particular release. The Bunnahabhain 2005 10 YO Small Batch was distilled in 2005, matured in two bourbon barrels (so this is […]...

Diageo’s Dr Nick Morgan has spoken about Lagavulin many times this year, with the distillery celebrating its 200th anniversary. But what really came through at The Whisky Show’s 200 Years of Lagavulin masterclass was how much he is in love with the place. He took us through five Lagavulin bottlings, as well as an extremely old and rare White Horse , of which Lagavulin is a key component.

Dr Nick Morgan, Diageo’s head of whisky outreach

Dr Nick Morgan – In His Own Words

‘Lagavulin is one of the most special places in the world. There is something magical about...

While letting this Ledaig 1973 settle in the glass, I looked at a couple of other reviews, and it quickly became clear that the judges didn’t really agree. That made me even more keen to try it.

This one is a combination of cask #1711 and #1712 . Ian Macleod also bottled cask #1710 in its Chieftain’s series.

Ledaig 31 yo 1973 (47,8%, Chieftain’s 2004, sherry hogsheads #1711-1712, 120 btl.)

Nose: quite peculiar. Rather estery, minty, with lots of resinous notes and a little balsamic vinegar, but on the other it also shows a classic dark side. Coal,...

Royal Brackla 1979 18 YO, 43 % Hurrah! This is a first, and a fun one at that. This is the first time I have reviewed a whisky from Royal Brackla here on the blog, and while this is a quite old bottling, it is still very much available. Here’s a brief intro to the distillery […]...

As you maj know, Glenglassaugh was mothballed in 1986. In 2008 the distillery was bought by the Scaent group and the stills were fired again. Scaent also bottled the first 30 Year Old in a rectangular decanter (55,1%). In 2013 Glenglassaugh was sold on to the owners of BenRiach / GlenDronach, who bottled this 30 Years again in the typical tear drop bottle. Just recently it was brought down to 42%.

If you do the math, 2016 – 30 brings us back to 1986. That means it’s probably one of the last Glenglassaugh 30 Year Old they can do,...

The Maltwhisky Yearbook 2017 is here. Ingvar Ronde’s annual whisky book is the most up-to-date overview of what is happening in the whisky industry. This 11th edition sticks to the known format and that is a good thing.

This is an overview of the in-depth articles:

• Going with the Grain by Gavin D Smith, looking at the growing category of ‘sipping’ grain whisky
• Watch Out! The Millenials (sic) are coming by Neil Ridley. I can’t say I had picked it up, but apparently ‘millennials’ seems to be a buzzword in the whisky industry. A new generation of whisky...

Braunstein 15:2, 7 YO, 46 % So, here’s the peated expression released by Danish distillery Braunstein last Autumn. Braunstein is to me one of the most exciting distilleries in the Nordic countries right now. They consistently release whiskies of high quality. I have reviewed most of their releases so far, and you can find an overview […]...

I already reviewed a Glen Garioch 1989 from Wemyss Malts in februari this year, and now there’s a new one from the same bottler, nicknamed Cream of the Crop .

It’s from a hogshead, typically a refill cask made from recoopered staves from bourbon barrels.

Glen Garioch 1989 (46%, Wemyss Malts 2016, hogshead, 261 btl.)

Nose: a very nice fruitiness with vanilla marshmallows. Baked apples, sweet oranges, hints of honey as well. Melons, hints of tangerines. Yellow berries. It’s not all fruits though, there’s a fresh, minty side and a slight mineral note in the background. Beautiful. Mouth:...

Glenfiddich IPA Experiment – Experimental Series 01, NAS, 43 % This is pretty cool, I think. Again one of the big players is out to try something new. Glenfiddich recently launched their Experimental Series. The first whisky released in this series is the Glenfiddich IPA Experiment – Experimental Series 01. Here is what they say about […]...

Mackmyra Sweden Rock 2015, NAS, 40 % The Mackmyra Sweden Rock 2015 is a limited edition release, made in conjunction with the annual Sweden Rock Festival. It is made with whisky drawn from bourbon barrels, and whisky that has spent time in casks which previously held raspberry wine. It is mainly made up from Mackmyra’s elegant (unpeated) […]...

Millstone Ménage à Trois (Special No. 3), 5 YO, 46 % Another world whisky, anyone? Well, I am certainly interested. This one comes with an interesting name as well. Best to just leave it at that and move on. The producer, Zuidam Distillery in the Netherlands, calls this whisky Millstone Ménage à Trois because it’s made up […]...

Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon, NAS, 45,7 % I am working my way through the products from Michter’s, both rye an bourbon. Today I’m diving into (well, not literally) the Michter’s US*1 Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Here is what Michter’s themselves say about their bourbon: [The bourbon is matured] with barrels often aging in excess of eight years. […]...