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.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.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.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.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. …