A 20 year old whisky for less than € 100, where can you still find that? Ardmore  or Glenfarclas of course, but otherwise Tullibardine will be your only option, I think. It is matured in first- and second-fill bourbon barrels, kind of a grown up version of the Tullibardine Sovereign , they say.

Tullibardine 20 yo (43%, OB +/- 2017, first-fill + second-fill bourbon)

Nose: starts on multiplex and wet newspaper. Hay and dry leafy notes build up, as well as hints of flour. Airing helps and brings out melons, tobacco and almonds. All-spice, butterscotch, hints of unripe...

Sazerac 1981 18 YO, 45 %

Sazerac 1981 18 YO

This old thing was distilled in the Fall of 1981 and bottled in the Summer of 2000. The Sazerac 1981 18 YO is a Kentucky Straight Rye.

I can no longer recall how I got my hands on this. Let’s just call this a test of the new platform (Squarespace) I’ve just moved my blog to.

Nose (23/25): Soft, light and delightful. Quite a spicy nose, but the spices are so well integrated, and make such a perfect whole it feels like a caress. Pepper, toffee, maple syrup, brown sugar,...

Tullibardine 25 YO, 43 %

Tullibardine 25 YO

The oldest readily available whisky from the highland distillery Tullibardine. The Tullibardine 25 YO has been matured in 1st and 2nd fill ex-sherry hogsheads. 

There is limited information available on the official website, but there is some info .

The Tullibardine 25 YO is available to buy in Sweden at SEK 1639 ( 85979 ), and online at around GBP 138 , which is a very decent price for such an old whisky these days.

Nose : Rather mild and nondescript at first. Sure there are sherry notes here, and a soft,...

Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9, 49.4 %

Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9

A really old whisky from Zuidam Distillers , located in the Netherlands, today. The Millstone 1996 19 YO - Special No. 9 was matured in a single Oloroso sherry butt. It was distilled on 1996-10-25, and bottled 2016-09-02. The total outturn was 300 bottles.

I am currently working my way through a few old and new bottlings from Zuidam Distillers. If you haven't tried anything from them yet, then it is time for you to go explore high quality single malt from...

High Coast Quercus III - Petraea, 5 YO, 50.8 %

Nordic whisky #208 - High Coast Quercus III - Petraea

This is the third release in the Quercus series from Swedish distillery High Coast Distillery (formerly known as Box Whisky). This time out the focus is on Quercus petraea, an oak type native to most of Europe. Petraea means "of rocky places", and this is a type of oak that grows at a higher altitude than its sibling the Quercus robur.

High Coast Quercus III - Petraea is an unpeated whisky that has been matured in 200 litre bourbon casks for...

Millstone 10 YO American Oak, 43 %

Millstone 10 YO American Oak

Produced by Zuidam Distillery in the Netherlands. The Millstone 10 YO American Oak is just what it says in the title; a ten year old single Maltwhisky matured in American Oak.

You can buy this online at around GBP 72 .

Nose : Lighter. Cool vanilla ice-cream with fudge and coconut flakes. Hints of fudge and cookie dough.

Taste : Medium body. On the dry side. Quite spicy upfront. Black pepper, ancho chili, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Finish : Medium long finish. Mainly dry oakiness, bitter-ish herbal notes...

Yamazaki 10 YO, 40 %

Japanese whisky with an age statement is getting harder and harder to find. The Yamazaki 10 YO was discontinued about four years ago. This is a whisky matured mainly in ex-bourbon casks.

Nose : Quite light in character. Soft spices, some caramel and vanilla. Herbal notes in the back. Hints of oak and incense.

Taste : Medium body and lightly creamy mouthfeel. Just as light as the nose really; caramel and honey dominate. Again soft herbal notes in the back.

Finish : Medium long finish. A bit drier now, and perhaps a little spicier. White...

Bunnahabhain Moine marsala Finish, 13 YO, 56.6 %

This is a distillery exclusive. It was distilled 2004-01-22 and bottled on 2017-06-27. The total outturn was 564 bottles.

Here is what the distillery says about the Bunnahabhain Moine marsala Finish:

"Beginning its maturation in whisky refill, the Mòine marsala was transferred to marsala Wine Casks for a further 4 years – the rich, sweet dessert wine from Sicily."

Nose : Quite smoky this. Rich, fruity and big wood smoke. A touch of saltiness. Vanilla and hints of well-turned soil and damp leaves.

Taste : Rich and full-bodied. Fiery hot coals made...

Rampur Indian Single Malt, NAS, 43 %

Radico Khaitan was founded in 1943. This company owns five distilleries in India, and produce a host of products. One product is this, the Rampur Indian Single Malt. This whisky is produced in Uttar Pradesh near the Himalayas.

This is the first single malt released by the distillery, although they have produced whisky for about 25 years. I assume this means they have produced for various blended whiskies previously.

The Rampur Indian Single Malt has been made from local, Indian barley and matured in bourbon casks.

You can buy this product in Sweden...

Well, it is 2019, and time for more whisky! Here are the 53 new releases hitting the shelves of our trusty monopoly stores in Norway on Friday januari 11.

I have not tried many of these yet, but you will find links to a few reviews.

Aberlour Casg Annamh (48 %) (10572001), SCO, 765

Adelphi's Breath of Speyside (58.2 %) (10659401), SCO, 1265

Adelphi's Breath of the Isles (58.5 %) (10659801), SCO, 1265

Adelphi's The Winter Queen II (54 %) (10659301), SCO, 2200

Aultmore 18 yo #571/573 (Adelphi Limited) (55 %) (10659701), SCO, 1740

Balvenie Peat Week 14 YO (48.3...

Johnny Drum Private Stock, NAS, 50.5 %

The Johnny Drum Private Stock is a Kentucky bourbon, produced by KBD (Kentucky Bourbon Distillers) at their Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky.

A bottle will set you back around GBP 48 .

Nose : Corn sweetness with a green tint. I'm thinking tomato plant or perhaps cucumber. White pepper, vanilla and light notes of caramel. Fresh oak.

Taste : Very rich and full-bodied. Full-on pepper attack, followed by a sweet wave of fruity and sweet marshmallows. Demerara sugar and hints of maple syrup and cinnamon.

Finish : Medium long finish. Not a whole...

Bunnahabhain Moine Brandy Finish, 12 YO, 55.3 %

Here is a cask strength release from Islay distillery Bunnahabhain. The Bunnahabhain Moine Brandy Finish was distilled on 2004-12-10, and bottled on 2017-06-22. All in all a total of 4152 bottles were released.

Here is part of the official blurb from the distillery :

"After spending years in our coastal warehouse, maturing in sherry casks, we have, for the first time in the distillery’s history, transferred our Mòine to brandy casks, for another 3 years of maturation."

- Bunnahabhain Distillery

You can buy the Bunnahabhain Moine Brandy Finish in Norway at NOK 1100...

Sonoma County West of Kentucky Bourbon No. 1, 1 YO, 47.8 %

Sonoma County West of Kentucky Bourbon No. 1

OK, so here is a bourbon, with Kentucky and Sonoma County, California listed in the product name. Made from unmalted yellow corn, unmalted Canadian rye and cherry wood-smoked malted barley from Wyoming. I'll just classify it as bourbon from California to keep it simple.

The producer is Sonoma Distilling Company , also known as the Sonoma Distilling Company.

Nose : Mild smoke, charred oak, vanilla, and assorted spices. It has medium sweetness. Hints of something green; cucumber water is as close as I...

Yamazaki 18 YO, 43 %

Yamazaki 18 YO

I just could not help myself. Although I reviewed it back in 2014 (see old review ), I had to do another review of the now very rare Yamazaki 18 YO. If only I had known in 2014 how rare it would become, I would have hoarded a few cases. The Yamazaki 18 YO is still a part of the Yamazaki core range though, as witnessed here , and I do hope we will see it more readily available over the coming years as Suntory rebuild warehouse stock.

The Yamazaki 18 YO...

Bunnahabhain An Cladach, NAS, 50 %

Here is a relatively new addition from Islay distillery Bunnahabhain. The Bunnahabhain An Cladach is the third World Traveller Exclusive from the distillery; following Eirigh Na Greine (see review ) and Cruach Mhona.

An Cladach means ‘The Shore’ in Scots Gaelic. It is an unpeated expression; other than that I have no further facts about this bottling.

You can also pick up a bottle online at around GBP 56 .

Nose : Rain soaked oak planks, almond milk, mild caramel, and mustard seeds. Some spiciness.

Taste : Medium body. Spicy up front - schezuan pepper...