Review No.25 – North Star Orkney 13 Year Old (Highland Park)

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 of policing my comments because a certain friend relentlessly posts under the pseudonym of …

Review No. 24 – 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.23 – 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.22 – 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.21 – 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.20 – 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.19 – 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.18 – 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.17 – 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.16 – 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 …