Springbank filled quite a few Madeira casks in 1996-1997 and some of them have been released lately, including an official release for the Open Day 2018 as well as a Springbank 21 Years by Boutique-y Whisky .

We’re now trying a similar Springbank 21 year old 1996 bottled by Master of Malt in their single cask series.

Springbank 21 yo 1996 (55,2%, Master of Malt 2018)

Nose: starts on gun flints and a little coal dust, as often in wine matured Springbank. A little lamp oil and berries. Hints of grilled ham. Sercial in the background. Toasted rye...

GlenDronach 1993 25 Years

As you know I’m a big fan of GlenDronach single casks from the 1993 vintage , especially the ones filled 15th januari 1993. Some of these are modern classics. However they seem to have been used up and casks from other dates in the same year often turned out to be less convincing .

Earlier this week a picture was leaked by LMdW of a GlenDronach 25 Year Old 1993 ‘Master Vintage’ , probably an upcoming release. I’m not sure what to expect: part of me says it maj be a bunch of leftover casks (not...

Elixir Distillers (the bottling branch of The Whisky Exchange) donated a bottle of Karuizawa 50 Year Old to a charity auction which will raise money for Plastic Oceans, a non-profit organisation raising awareness of the impact of single-use plastics on our oceans.

The auction itself will take place in november and 9 out of 15 lots are specially prepared one-off bottles never to be repeated. There are only 2 bottles of this Karuizawa 50 Year Old , one of the oldest expressions ever bottled from this distillery.

Not much is known about the whisky, actually. There have been a few...

Earlier this week Diageo presented the Special Releases 2018 to some of its key clients and bloggers in Belgium. I was invited so I can give you some thoughts on most of the bottlings. Part 2 is coming tomorrow.

Caol Ila 15 yo ‘Unpeated style’ (59,1%, OB ‘Special Releases’ 2018, American and European oak casks)

The ‘Highlands style’, virtually unpeated. The first time this is presented in a combination of both wood types.

Nose: more on the fruity side this time. Apples and peaches, melons majbe, with raisins, light touches of pine and a hint of toasted bread....

Part two of our overview of Diageo’s   Special Releases 2018 . In case you missed it, check the Special Releases 2018 – part 1.

Inchgower 27 yo 1990 (55,3%, OB ‘Special Releases’ 2018, refill hogsheads, 8544 btl.)

Sometimes known as the ‘Manzanilla of Speyside’ for its light and coastal profile.

Nose: although there’s certainly a light fruitiness (lime, bergamot), it is more on the oaky side, with slightly fragrant notes (whiffs of potpourri). Fresh oak shavings. Ginger and pepper. Shortbread. Also a little marzipan. Mouth: fruitier and creamier now. Peaches, apples, honey and pineapple cubes. Then back...

Epitome , you say? No idea, but “according to rumours” this could be one of these malt bases blended at birth (and often re-casked / finished at some point), intended for premium Edrington blends.

Indeed, that’s basically the same concept as these wonderful 1973/1975 casks of late. A good guess in this case would be a mix of Macallan, Highland Park and Glenrothes.

‘Epitome’ 24 yo 1993 (53,1%, Maltbarn 2018, sherry cask, blended malt, 170 btl.)

Nose: a gentle profile, with berries and plums, subtle leafy notes, mint and some ‘un-modern’ oak influence (without vanilla, that is). Marmalade....

The Masterpieces series is reserved for special drams which only appear once a year or so. They are chosen by The Whisky Exchange director Sukhinder Singh .

This year we’re trying this Springbank 1993 (which Whiskyfun indicated as 1992, it appears the samples have been mislabeled).

Springbank 23 yo 1992 (52,2%, Elixir Distillers ‘Masterpieces’, refill sherry cask, 339 btl.)

Nose: very oily and mineral, with hints of polished brass, sourish peat and old leather. Hints of oysters. Delicate touches of lime and tangerines. Some floral / heathery notes as well. Pretty austere and slightly heady, hardcore Springbank. Mouth:...

CWS is Chief Whisky Society , a non-profit developing the whisky culture in China. It is the largest group of whisky lovers in the red country, with over 50,000 members and 200 whisky bars.

They sent me a sample package with their latest bottlings (thank you), all quite interesting, most of them official bottlings, with some unexpected surprises like this Glen Garioch 1979 .

Glen Garioch 38 yo 1979 (42,9%, OB for CWS 2017, first-fill sherry butt #3831, 114 btl.)

Nose: a very fragrant Glen Garioch, with a mix of geraniums and old roses, eucalyptus and a lot...

In the left hand corner: Invergordon 1972 bottled by Cave Aquila (the one-man bottling project by Belgian whisky lover Daniel Quanten ). A joint bottling with the other small bottler Brachadair .

To the right we have an Invergordon 1973 bottled in the Boogieman series by whisky specialist van der Boog in Holland.

In the middle: the brand-new Invergordon 44 Year Old (probably 1973?) bottled by The Whisky Exchange as one of the Whisky Show 2018 festival bottlings.

Invergordon 44 yo 1972 (46,7%, Cave Aquila ‘A Knight’s Dram’ 2017, cask #20, 60 btl.)

Nose: rather exemplary. Tinned peaches...

The oldest Arran I’ve had so far: Arran 21 Years 1996 bottled for the 10th Anniversary of The Whisky Show by The Whisky Exchange.

Arran 21 yo 1996 (50,2%, The Whisky Exchange – Whisky Show 2018, 217 btl.)

Nose: quite a buttery version, with pastry notes, marzipan and butterscotch. Fruity notes are growing: lots of apples, lemons and peaches. Some spices (pepper, nutmeg) and a little heather perhaps. Wet oak. Mouth: sweet, fruity onset (peaches, baked apples, hints of mango, lightly tropical), mixed with pepper and gingery notes from the oak, well integrated. Toasted brioche. Getting more zesty...