Carn Mor Celebration of the Cask Aberlour 1989 (27 year old) 55.1%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: juli 2016

A fragrant and mature nose with a touch of dusty oak and almost mentholated herbal notes. Lovely complexity with hints of barley, dried grape, coconut, lemongrass and a smidge of baked fruit and a sliver of citrus.

The pallet opens with mature barley, vanilla and slightly oxidised fruit. Hints of toffee, coconut come through on the middle with the thread of citrus that the nose displayed. Long and remaining oaky with hints of white and dark chocolate, herbs and...

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Fettercairn 2009 (6 year old) 46%...

Vidda Torr Gin 43%

Botanicals include: Juniper, heather, yarrow, chamomile flower, bilberry, angelica root, meadowsweet, sorrel, calamus root, elderflower and pine shoots.

Tasted: juli 2016

Glacial fresh aromas of intense juniper with hints of pine and elderflower. There is a slightly oily spirit character which balances and with time a light floral/ heather-like note appears.

The palate displays a lot more lightly oiled cereal character and thus isn’t as fresh as the nose would suggest. It’s also more piney and herbal with the juniper being a lot subtler. Quite floral on the middle. Long and continuing herbal with a touch...

Krucefix Smerka (Spruce) Eau de Vie 40%

Tasted: juli 2016

Dense and lightly oiled spirit notes on the nose with spruce and herbs. Pleasantly balanced with a slight piney edge and background sweetness.

The palate is soft and rounded. Lightly starchy with spruce and herbal notes. Again well balanced with a long, lightly oiled finish with lingering spices.

Krucefix Rusevje (Mountain Pine) Eau de Vie 40%

Btl: Sept 2015/ Tasted: juli 2016

Slightly fresher aromas than the spruce with a deeper, almost whisky-like character. The pine notes are quite subtle and again there is a pleasant background sweetness.

Fresh and...

Nelson’s London Dry Gin No7 42.5%...

Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016 Madeira Cask, NAS, 51,6 % This is the 2016 Friends of Laphroaig release. As always the last digit in the ABV reveals the release year (6 -> 2016). The Laphroaig Cairdeas 2016 Madeira Cask has been matured for about 8 years in ex-bourbon barrels before being married together in Madeira seasoned traditional hogsheads […]...

Garnheath 1967 43 YO Clan Denny, 44,4 % Today I present a first for Whisky Saga. I have never before reviewed a grain whisky from the now closed lowland distillery Garnheath. I could also say it was from Moffat, a rebuilt paper mill that was turned into a distillery in 1964/1965. At Moffat they produced […]...

Mackmyra Preludium:05 – Smakrika Småfat, NAS, 48,4 % Time to pick up again where I left off, working my wau through the early releases from Swedish distillery Mackmyra. I have now reached the Mackmyra Preludium:05 – Smakrika Småfat (Flavoursome Small Casks). This is the first release in the Preludium series where all the spirit was distilled […]...

Bunnahabhain 1989 23 YO Great Cask Series, 44,1 % Bunnahabhain is an Islay distillery, and something of a favourite of mine. That is to say, I often find that I like the whisky produced at Bunnahabhain – and that includes when I do blind tastings, like when  tasted this whisky. I am presenting the Bunnahabhain 1989 […]...

Mackmyra 2008 8 YO Dram Good Whisky No. 3, 54,4 % I am very happy to present one of the first independent bottlings of a Nordic Whisky today. The only previous ones I know of are this release of a Smögen whisky from IB Svenska Eldvatten, and another Mackmyra release from Auld Rare Whisky Sweden AB. This […]...

Old Pulteney WK 499 Isabella Fortuna – 2nd Release, NAS, 46 % Here is a ravel retail expression from Highland distillery Pulteney. The Old Pulteney WK 499 Isabella Fortuna – 2nd Release is bottled at 46 % and not cask strength as the first release. A pity that. Here is the official blurb about this whisky: […]...

Whisky Advocate’s  Fall 2016 issue will be hitting the newsstand in early september. Here’s a reveal of the ten highest-rated whiskies in the issue’s Buying Guide. We start with #10 and conclude with #1.

#10 – Four Roses 2016 Limited Edition Single Barrel Elliott’s Select, 58.4%, $125

There’s a certain complexity here that you just come to expect in limited edition Four Roses. This one doesn’t disappoint. Rose petals, honeysuckle, caramel, roasted pine nuts, cotton candy, dark coffee, and vanilla. The creamy mouthfeel delightfully brings in warm cinnamon roll, chocolate truffle, and honey taffy, balanced by herbs and subtle earthiness that...

Craft beer drinkers have it figured out: aluminum cans can go places where glass bottles can’t—piled into a backpack, relaxing by the pool, tossed at the ballpark. Wine lovers are also in on the act, with single-serve cans of wine, like Barefoot Refresh, catching on big at the beach this summer. And now, we whisky lovers finally have a portable package to call our own— a 100 ml can of rye whiskey cocktail called Hochstadter’s Slow & Low .

If you’re not already familiar with Slow & Low, The Cooper Spirits Company of Philadelphia crafts this pre-Prohibition cocktail using straight...

Our capital is filled with bars all jostling to claim ownership of the largest collection of Scotch , bourbon and Irish whiskies. But, as is the case with wine lists, a carefully curated selection in a convivial space with knowledgeable staff will always win against a backbar groaning under the weight of dusty bottles. These five whisky bars in London maj have a huge selection or are simply known for their specialist bottles and keen interest in whiskies, yet either way are thoroughly enjoyable places to enjoy the finest spirit in the world.

Black Rock – for exploring your palate...

This weekend, sitting in the sun on a pallet in a yard behind a brewery, surrounded by happy men and women, I had a sudden realisation – beer is really popular. Sure, it’s always been popular, but not in the same way. Drinking and appreciating beer is no longer the refuge of stereotypically bearded men with bellies and sandals – or, as I call them, ‘my people’ – it’s exploded to encompass the whole of the drinking public, and this week is a busy time for those of us who like a swift half or two.

Here in London we...

George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis and even Danny DeVito. Are stars attracted to spirit brands because they believe in the product, or just the money?

Early in the film Lost in Translation , Bill Murray’s character, an over-the-hill American actor in Japan to endorse Suntory whisky , is shooting an advert. He sits silently while the director yells instructions (in Japanese), with a translator on hand for guidance. With limited understanding, Murray delivers his lines only to be cut off repeatedly by the fiery director. The scene is genius because of Murray’s discomfort, his suspicion of the translator, and his...

Benrinnes , one of the workhorse distilleries of Diageo, which produce the malts for a series of blended whiskies.

In 1974, Benrinnes started to use a system of partial triple distillation , where the feints and low wines of the second distillation are distilled again in a separate spirit still (not unlike the Springbank method). This still arrangement was changed around 2006-2007. Add to this the use of worm tubs (typically generating a more meaty, sulphury spirit) and you get a rather unique profile.

Benrinnes 24 yo 1991 (52,6%, Single Malts of Scotland 2016, hogshead #090508, 287 btl.)...