Glengoyne's Legacy Series will feature ongoing releases with the intention of paying hommage to the distillery's past. Chapter One is a tribute to 19th century distillery manager Cochrane Cartwright, who first introduced sherry casks to Glengoyne. Unlike other expressions, there's no official information on the cask make-up, but this features a good proportion of first … Continue reading Glengoyne Legacy Series Chapter One (48%, OB 2019)
Category: 80-84
Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 7 (58.9%, OB 2020)
No, we're not finished with Glengoyne - we now move to the NAS bottlings. The Cask Strength is definitely the youngest of the lot, and is part of the trend of young NAS cask strength editions currently - see similar (and similarly priced) bottles by Tomatin, Benriach and Glendronach, among others for example. Earlier batches … Continue reading Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 7 (58.9%, OB 2020)
Glengoyne 10 (40%, OB 2020)
We started the Glengoyne series with the entry-level 12 year-old, and before we continue to the higher range it's time to try the even more entry-level 10. It has a similar cask composition to the 12, but a greater emphasis on refill wood, which makes up 70% of the vatting. The remaining 30% is shared … Continue reading Glengoyne 10 (40%, OB 2020)
Craigellachie 13 (46%, OB 2019)
Craigellachie aren't quiet about the fact that they like to do things differently. For example, while most distilleries remove the sulphur that occurs as part of the distillation, the Craigellachie style actively embraces it: the use of worm tubs for instance helps preserve sulphur notes and create the big, meaty character that the brand is … Continue reading Craigellachie 13 (46%, OB 2019)
Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold (43%, OB 2017)
Dalwhinnie was one of the first Diageo distilleries to follow in Talisker's footsteps and release and entry-level no-age statement expression (I'm still amazed there isn't a Lagavulin NAS to be honest). Like all such expressions, this one comes with a story that explains its name, except it's not as fanciful as I had expected (I … Continue reading Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold (43%, OB 2017)
Nikka From the Barrel (51.4%, OB 2019)
Now that Japanese whisky is 'the best whisky in the world', all of a sudden even entry-level malts like the Yamazaki 12 are considered premium expressions. Good quality blends are equally hard to find at decent prices, but Nikka from the Barrel is a welcome exception to this rule. I always found the name a … Continue reading Nikka From the Barrel (51.4%, OB 2019)
Port Charlotte Scottish Barley (50%, OB 2017)
Terroir matters for Bruichladdich, as the packaging states, which explains why this Port Charlotte was made with barley grown exclusively in Scotland. Barley is often an international affair, with distilleries importing it from as far as Ukraine for example. Bruichladdich have of course produced even more local varieties of their whisky, moving closer to Single … Continue reading Port Charlotte Scottish Barley (50%, OB 2017)
Glen Marnoch 29 (40%, Aldi Christmas Release 2017)
This was the second of the now-traditional Christmas releases from Aldi, which have all featured impressively aged Scotch single malts (as well as Irish whiskeys) at even more impressive prices. The first release in 2016 was a heavily sherried whisky almost certainly from Mortlach, as was indicated by the tell-tale bottling strength of 43.4% ABV. … Continue reading Glen Marnoch 29 (40%, Aldi Christmas Release 2017)
Edradour 12 2003 Bourbon Cask – Ibisco Decanter (55.6%, OB 2015)
No, I don't know what an Ibisco decanter is either, besides what you see in the picture. This is from a sample bought recently from Master of Malt, mainly because I had never had a fully bourbon-matured Edradour before and I wanted to see what it's like when it's not an idiosyncratic sherry monster. It's … Continue reading Edradour 12 2003 Bourbon Cask – Ibisco Decanter (55.6%, OB 2015)
Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban (46%, OB 2020)
Glenmorangie's Ruby Port cask finish has undergone a number of tweaks over the years: from the original Port wood finish, to the first NAS Quinta Ruban, to its much-loved 12 year-old successor, and now to the current 14 year-old version. The 12 used to essentially be the same whisky as the 10 but with a … Continue reading Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban (46%, OB 2020)
The Daily Dram 