The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is almost upon us! It’s our tenth show this year and we’re celebrating in style – we’ve got more whisky than ever before, bigger masterclasses, excellent show bottlings and even a guest spirit…

The Whisky

We’re still building the complete dram list (expect it on the Wednesday before the show, like every year – please stop asking me…) but we’ve broken the 650 mark and are still chasing up the final few bottles.

So far on the list we have whisky from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Sweden, Denmark, India, Japan, Australia, Canada, USA, South Africa, Switzerland,...

We’re very fortunate at The Whisky Exchange. Not only do we have one of the world’s widest ranges of great spirits, beers, wines and liqueurs, but we also work with the foremost independent bottlers and get the chance to share exclusive releases with our customers. Usually, those releases are whisky, but every now and again we get something a little out of the ordinary.

Introducing our latest Whisky Exchange exclusive – a single cask of Caroni 2000 , aged for 17 years in Trinidad.

What is Caroni?

If you don’t know Caroni , then worry not – you’re not alone....

This Caol Ila 1984 is one of these 30yo+ single malts that have recently been bottled to ‘enhance’ the Connoisseurs Choice series, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. They come in a bulkier version of the new bottle, presented in a wooden presentation box.

Whereas the old Connoisseurs Choice range (map labels and later) used to be an entry-level range, often at low ABVs, it has now been given a significant push upwards.

Caol Ila 33 yo 1984 (52,8%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 2018, refill sherry hogshead, 216 btl.)

Nose: unsurprisingly great. Excellent combo of sweeter...

This Edradour 1995 was a festival bottling for the recent Whisky L! (tenth edition) in Shangai, China. It was finessed in a first-fill Oloroso sherry butt for 13 years.

Edradour 22 yo 1995 (54,2%, OB for Whisky L 2018, Oloroso finish, 661 btl.)

Nose: clean, let’s continue. A really nice, tobacco-led profile, with cigar boxes and leather, old Oloroso and hints of redcurrants. Juicy damsons. Polished oak, hints of menthol and aromatic herbs. Crushed peppercorns and brown sugar. Mouth: a similar dry and herbal sherry profile, although there’s now a meaty side to it. Blackberry leaves, bitter oranges,...

First-fill bourbon barrels and then a six-month refill Pedro Ximénez sherry finish , that’s the recipe for Glen Scotia Double Cask . A NAS expression from this distillery, in the lower part of the core range.

Glen Scotia Double Cask (46%, OB +/- 2017)

Nose: dusty oak up front, with a charred edge, mixed with peaches and biscuits. Quite modern, with a hint of vanilla, but really not bad. Hints of yellow apples and a touch of salt and copper as well. Mouth: quite punchy, with raisins and grapes, then a slight alcoholic note (grappa), peaches again, even...

GlenAllachie 12 Years is the cornerstone of the new GlenAllachie core range, presented two months ago. It is matured in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, as well as virgin oak.

GlenAllachie 12 yo (46%, OB 2018)

Nose: rather more impressive than the GlenAllachie 18 Years . Very fresh, with a bright fruitiness (banana, nectarine and mango) with marzipan and vanilla cake. Light mineral notes, grass and a peppery hint in the background. Honey and a hint of mocha. Great aromas. Mouth: honey and banana again, sweet but with a surprising bitter side (grapefruit, minerals,...

Another cask strength Connoisseurs Choice bottling from Gordon & MacPhail : Clynelish 1989 . It’s a vintage that we’ve tried several times before from independent bottlers, but it’s nice to see G&M has more of this lying around.

Clynelish 28 yo 1989 (49,3%, Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice 2018, refill American hogshead, 221 btl.)

Nose: always great to have this round combination of waxiness, ripe gooseberries and mild, warm oak. Later also juicy pears, green mango, candied ginger. Hints of leather and wet rocks. There was a dusty note at first but this disappeared. Good. Mouth: oily, with...

This high-end Glengoyne 30 Years was first released in november 2017 as a limited edition. A batch of 13 casks was selected: one third of first-fill European oak sherry butts and two thirds refill sherry butts. Quite possibly the perfect recipe for old sherry bottlings, if you ask me.

I won’t talk about the packaging too much, but it comes in a wooden box with a rose gold plated cask bung. It will be repeated as a yearly release.

Glengoyne 30 yo (46,8%, OB 2017, 6000 btl.)

Nose: truckloads of red plums, figs and juicy cherries. Lovely fruitiness...

Arran Distillers recently picked up two gold medals at the International Wine & Spirits Competition for this  Arran 10 Year Old and the top-of-the-range  Arran 18 Year Old . In general we don’t attach much value to all these awards, but it has to be said Arran is often getting praise for its commitment to quality.

About time we review this cornerstone expression…

Arran 10 yo (46%, OB +/- 2018)

Nose: a very honest, naked dram. There’s a nice pineapple / pear sweetness, creamy malty notes and sugary biscuits. Vanilla custard. Light heathery / herbal touches. Aromatic honey....

Let’s get it going with the GlenAllachie core line up reviews. Last week we checked out the GlenAllachie 12 Year Old (which I liked a lot) and now it’s time to check it’s close sibling, the 10 Year Old Cask Strength.

The 10 Year Old also uses a mix of Oloroso, PX and Virgin Oak casks. 12,000 bottles were produced, bottled at a 100 proof of 57.1%.

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch #1 (57.1%, £56.95 / € 49.90 )

Nose : Really not far away from the 12 year old. Fruity with pears and apricot, stronger bubble gum, limestone...

Until 2017 GlenAllachie distillery was a modern ‘boring distillery’ in the Chivas Brothers portfolio where 99.5% of the produced whisky going into blends (mainly Chivas Regal) and just a few casks here and there were bottled as single casks by independent bottlers.

But then came Billy Walker who sold BenRiach Distillers (owning BenRiach, Glendronach and Glenglassaugh distilleries) to Brown-Forman a year before, and the distillery immediately came into the limelight and everybody was curious to see what will Billy do with the distillery and the extensive stock maturing in the warehouses.

A few months ago it started with a wave...

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ English Whisky Rum Cask 2011 (6 year old) 60.5%

Dist: Apr 2011 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

A subtly estery nose with fleshy banana, apple and pear. Hints of dark honey and the rum cask sweetness sit in the background. late straw, milky coffee and gristy barley.

The palate is grippy and gristy with barley and loads of sweet, rummy dried fruit – apricot, pineapple, pear and apple. Quite spicy and unsurprisingly alcoholic on the middle, although the sweetness balances. Long with  grassy and slightly marc-like finish. Light coffee’d after-taste.

Water brings out hints of brown sugar,...

Claxton’s ‘The Single Cask’ Glen Moray 2007 (10 year old) 54.5%

First Fill Bourbon Barrel/ Dist: Nov 2007 Btl: 2018/ Tasted: Apr 2018

An aromatic and succulent nose with juicy apricot, peach and tangerine. Very evolved for such a young whisky with huge amount of apple blossom honey and barley. Late hints of lime, grist and vanilla. A lovely nose.

The palate is heavily barley’d but still as juicy and succulent as the nose suggests. Gently spiced middle with a touch of grippy, coffee’d oak and barley husks. A piercing, lime accented finish with offsetting honey, white peach, pear, tangerine and a...