Review No.38 – Talisker Port Ruighe

5 months to write another review; a personal record in my lazy-bastard approach to document the meandering, jovial whisky journey I'm on. Or not on, as for the past two weeks and counting I haven't had a single whisky, and my self-imposed hiatus will persist for the foreseeable future. Raging alcoholic needing a break? Not …

Reviews No.34 to 37 – A New Year and Some Samples Sent From Scotty in Scotland

2020 wasn't all bad. Yeah, there's a pandemic and with the P-word comes the exasperated realisation that a lot of people think Bill Gates is using a health crisis to nefariously microchip a global population of 7.5 billion people and then track our daily bowel movements. The mental gymnastics needed to believe that a guy …

Review No.33 – Ardnamurchan Single Cask AD/CK.335 07:15

Some folk just have an natural affinity for writing; to dive right in, to tie an experience to their insightful opinion, to then bring it all together in a flourish at the end. I, however, cannot, so instead I'm going to list some of the stuff I wanted as a kid but missed out on: …

Review No.32 – Daftmill 2007 Winter Batch Release

It's not often that a distillery sees such a persistent and fervent clamour for their releases, but distillery size, production output, a great name, continuing popularity, and, of course, the quality of the whisky all drive the somewhat nutty race to grab a bottle. Entering a ballot for the chance to obtain a bottle from …

Review No.31 – Ardnamurchan AD 09.20:01

The important issue first: Ard-na-murkan. That's according to the youtube videos I dilligently watched, but it's also written on the sustainable cardboard packaging that this whisky came in. This commitment to sustainability, from production to packaging, is at the forefront of Ardnamurchan's ethos. So, Scotland's first green distillery. What does that actually entail? This may …

Review No.30 – Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky

Even though I'm a big proponent of supporting local retailers and shops, I sometimes use a global e-commerce website which specialises in selling and shipping a dizzying array of shite, like sugar-free gummy bears and bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label for £500, and some awesome stuff like life-sized cardboard cut-outs of Ainsley Harriot and …

Review No.29 – The Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength

I have developed a bit of a soft spot for Arran over the past few months - they produce consistently good drams, aren't averse to trying a wide array of cask maturations and finishes, and are one of the few distilleries in the past year to receive (mainly) positive feedback from the demanding whisky community …

Review No.28 – Bunnahabhain Moine

Today we're at Bunnahabhain over on Islay and this release was chosen because it's by far the easiest NAS release that I can pronounce. In 2018, with approximately only 1% of the Scottish population speaking Gaelic, the distillery saw an opportunity to name their releases using the native language and connect whisky lovers from both …

Review No.27 – Longrow 2007 Sauternes Single Cask 12 Year Old

With new whisky releases being churned out weekly, it's increasingly difficult to keep track of where and when they go on sale, even harder to afford them, and yet the trouble doesn't stop there. Should you have your ear to the ground and disposable income burning a hole in your pockets, then your next difficulty …

Review No.26 – North Star Orkney 13 Year Old (Highland Park)

EDIT: I cocked up my review tally - this is # 26, nae 25. A quarter century of uninspiring reviews with tasting notes you've read before - it can all seem a bit mundane at times, with very little Jim Murray-themed sexual analogies and zero controversy, but behind the scenes it's actually a constant battle …

Review No. 25 – Fettercairn Fior

I have a friend. Well, I actually have more than one, but this is specifically about a friend called Joseph. Joseph adores Fettercairn; absolutely loves their whisky, the distillery, and their location. I agree on location because, being from the North East of Scotland, I too trumpet about the scenery, the rowies (oh god, the …

Review No.24 – Edradour 10 Year Old Straight From The Cask

Whenever I speak to anyone about Pitlochry, there are two attractions that I always bring up. The first is the Fish Ladder, where you can see salmon making their way upstream to their spawning grounds, and the second is Edradour Distillery. What I never mention is the name of the hotel that served me a …

Review No.23 – Lady of the Glen Blair Athol 14 Year Old

I seem to be on an Independant Bottler mission and it's showing no signs of letting up. With there being so many companies all sourcing and bottling whiskies, it means that there's an even-wider array of interesting drams to try. Personally, at the moment, they are becoming a more appealing purchase than many distillery releases, …

Review No.22 – Adelphi Selection Benrinnes 11 Year Old

Most whisky fans will be familiar with Adelphi Selection and their position as one of the more prominent Independent Bottlers. I was aware of them but, up until recently, had never managed to try them. Fortunately, due to credit remaining on the engagement dowry (since gone but not forgotten), I luckily managed to find a …

Review No.21 – Hepburn’s Choice Tamdhu 10 Year Old

Silence for months then two reviews in two days. It’s the feast or famine whisky blog, unfortunately where even the feast doesn’t taste very good - this review is getting in to Dalmore 18 territory. So, today's review is of an Independent Bottling of Tamdhu 10 from Hepburn’s Choice that I picked up a shortwhile …

Review No.20 – Ardbeg Blaaack Committee Release

I’m back after another lazy-bastard-hiatus with a huge backlog of whiskies to review from the past 9 months. By my remedial calculations, I should manage to catch up and complete these reviews around 2026, that’s if the world hasn’t ended by then. So, here I am, with thankfully little to whine about compared to many …

Review No.19 – Midleton Very Rare 2017 Edition

Started in 1984, this is the 34th release from Midleton's Very Rare series, which is oft-cited as being the top end of the Irish Whiskey market in terms of quality and popularity. Every year the best casks are selected from the distillery's warehouse and married together to produce each new bottling. Situated 30 minutes east …

Review No.18 – A Trio of Glen Garioch Samples

I recently received three samples from a friend who had visited Glen Garioch (for non-Doric speakers and those unfamiliar with the distillery, it's pronounced 'Glen Geery') to purchase a few distillery exclusives and, as he's aff the bevvy for the time being, was generous to send them my way with an accompanying mini tasting glass. …

Review No.17 – Suntory Kakubin White Label

I don't know how some of you do it - the prolific, relentless whisky reviews and blogging. It's impressive dedication and I only wish I had such drive. However, I'm lazy and this is a hobby, but even my laziness has limits. Given I am now working from home, and in between mundane tasks such …

Review No.16 – Arran 20 Year Old Explorer Series Volume 1 Brodick Bay

Welcome back to the whisky blog that uses a pet dog on a zero-hours contract for poorly taken photos, which, on the evidence provided, don’t seem to be improving. However, Elsie’s Sports Direct-like existence isn’t in vain, particularly given the exposure she enjoys to all 15 16 17 readers. Today’s review is from The Arran …

Review. No 15 – Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old (2015 Bottling)

One Aberdonian, a fawning appreciation for Glendronach, and an old bottling of the 15 Revival? Well, you aren't mistaken for thinking this would be another puff piece - an uninspired, slavish display of adoration for a whisky world cult favourite - and I was a bit troubled that all of my reviews had become overwhelmingly …

Review No.14 – Kilkerran 8 Year Old Cask Strength 57.1% (2019 Release)

I'm a bit behind the times on this one having missed out on a bottle when it was released at the tail end of last year, however after a concerted effort to hunt it down - which meant trawling through the Kilkerran trade list, then emailing and calling shops - I was fortunate to locate …

Review No.13 – Drumshanbo Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey

Many thanks to Whiskey Nut More Irish whiskey! Rude not to, I do live here after all. So, 2019 was drawing to a close and I was a mildly unimpressed consumer of this island's offerings. I am not sorry to say that I found it all a bit samey, even a bit repetitive. Probably a …

Review No.12 – T.B.W.C Irish Single Malt #1 13 Year Old Batch #3

Sean Dyche Having seen several people mentioning this dram found in their whisky advent calendars, I decided to pick up a bottle from Master of Malt for the princely sum of £34.95. That's a fairly wild saving given the RRP was £59.95 and, at Christmas, with my looking for a New Year bottle, it proved …

Review No.11 – Seven Stills of San Francisco Russian Imperial For The Czar Whiskey

Massively out of my comfort zone here, if I even have one, as this is probably the strangest dram I have ever tried. Hailing from joint brewery and distillery Seven Stills of San Francisco, this whiskey is created by double distilling their craft 10.8% Russian Imperial Stout and, during the second distillation, passing the spirit …

Review No. 10 – Ballechin SFTC 12 Year Old Chateuaneuf-du-Pape Cask Matured

Ballechin is Edradour's peated whisky, and the name is a wee head-nod to a nearby silent distillery that closed in the 1920s. Part of an expansion of Edradour's core range in 2006 by owners Signatory, their Straight From The Cask series features a multitude of different cask finishes and age statements. I received this sample …

Review No. 9 – Glenugie 1977 Signatory Vintage 32 Year Old

Alfred Barnard's wonderfully detailed illustration of Glenugie Distillery (formerly Invernettie), 1887 Distilleries have come and gone in the whisky industry for centuries, and today, in a hugely competitive single malt whisky market, old ones are rejuvenated and new distilleries are being built. Some of these include distilleries with legendary status that fell silent many years …

Review No. 8 – Dalmore 18 Year Old

I've not written for a while because of a combination of procrastination, apathy, life, holidays, and work. Multiple excuses, pick yer winner(s). Anyway, back with Review No. 8 and it's Dalmore's 18 Year Old expression from their core range (or, as Dalmore have named it, their Principal Collection - fair enough). In all honesty - …

Review No. 7 – Talisker 10 Year Old

An all-time classic. There, I've said it, and I steadfastly refuse to back down. I'm putting my head on the block, and my non-existent reputation on the line. Granted, what I write is all subjective and is only my own experiences, but if you can bear with me and the following woeful analogies, then I …

Review No. 6 – GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament

I have previously mentioned my somewhat tragic levels of fanboy appreciation for GlenDronach and their sherry bomb whiskies, in particular their core range, so the 21 Year Old Parliament was never going to sit on my shelf for very long - 3 weeks if you are wondering - before being opened. Most would relate the …

Review No. 5 – Port Charlotte 10 Year Old

Islay's spectrum of flavours, the island's stunning scenery, and it's deep-rooted history with whisky make it one of, if not the most popular whisky region. With 8 distilleries (9 with Ardnahoe Distillery recently opened in Port Askaig, April 2019) dotting the landscape, and each with its own distinctive style, from bottle design to marketing, and …

Review No. 4 – GlenDronach The Doric

I have a soft spot for GlenDronach. I think this has something to do with growing up in Aberdeen, but more so because of the well-known and much-fabled 'older-than-they-state' bottlings of the 15 Revival, the 18 Allardice, and the 21 Parliament (this great Words of Whisky article explains further), and because of the sherry bombs …

Bushmills Tour + Reviews No. 1 – 3

"Generic quote by famous author signifying my quirky interest in the world of whisky" I started this blog out of a fondness for getting pished on whisky with friends, and in embracing this fondness I have since spent far too much money - or not enough, it depends if you are speaking to myself or …