This was released for the 2020 edition of the Campbeltown Malts Festival. It's mostly heavily peated malt matured in refill and recharred American oak casks, along with some medium peated malt matured in first fill barrels. It was then finished in tawny port hogsheads for a small period. I'm not normally a fan of port … Continue reading Glen Scotia 14 Tawny Port Finish (52.8%, OB 2020)
Tag: Single Malt
Balblair 1991 3rd Release (46%, OB 2018)
My soft spot for young natural Balblairs is well-documented already, but I've been fortunate enough to try some of their older malts as well. Here we have the third release of the 1991 vintage, bottled at around 26-27 years of age. The bulk of its maturation was done in ex-bourbon casks, with the final 2-3 … Continue reading Balblair 1991 3rd Release (46%, OB 2018)
Blair Athol 2007 (55.2%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 2019)
Blair Athol is one of those Diageo workhorses that focuses mainly on blends - it's a major component of Bell's. As a result, other than the odd special release and the Flora & Fauna 12 year-old, we never get to see an official bottling so we have to turn to independents like this one. There's … Continue reading Blair Athol 2007 (55.2%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, 2019)
Glen Scotia 15 (46%, OB 2020)
Over the past few years, Glen Scotia has started to emerge from Springbank's shadow, with a devoted fan base among whisky geeks. I had somehow missed its psychedelic cow phase, so this 15 year-old was my first proper encounter with this distillery. It's matured in ex-bourbon casks, with a very quick (2 months) finishing period … Continue reading Glen Scotia 15 (46%, OB 2020)
Balblair 2000 (46%, OB 2018)
This Balblair - around 18 years old - was available for just under £70 before it was replaced by the age statement 18 year-old for almost twice that amount. I associate Balblair with bourbon casks but this one boasts significant sherry influence: it was matured initially for around 13 years in ex-bourbon before spending its … Continue reading Balblair 2000 (46%, OB 2018)
Balblair 2005 (46%, OB 2018)
Before Balblair replaced vintages with age statements and bumped up the prices to unreasonable amounts, I would have had no hesitation in naming it as my favourite distillery. My first encounter was the Balblair 2002 about six years ago, and it immediately grabbed me with its fresh, citrus-forward, eau-de-vie-like profile. Perhaps 'grabbed' is not the … Continue reading Balblair 2005 (46%, OB 2018)
Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 53 (59.7%, OB 2015)
Sometimes looking at past orders can make for depressing reading. I bought this bottle of Aberlour A'bunadh in November 2015, and paid £28.55 for it in a flash deal. Nowadays it retails for almost £100, and we're lucky if we can find it at around £60 on offer. The whisky itself doesn't need much of … Continue reading Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 53 (59.7%, OB 2015)
Benriach 17 Septendecim (46%, OB 2018)
This was bought in 2018 but probably bottled earlier - I believe it was discontinued a while before that. Benriach of course recently revamped their core range: gone are the fanciful (sometimes misspelled) Latin descriptions (Heredotus Fumosus anyone?) and the capital R in the BenRiach - it's all about clarity and simplicity now. I always … Continue reading Benriach 17 Septendecim (46%, OB 2018)
Ardmore Tradition (46%, OB 2015)
The Ardmore Tradition is (was?) the travel retail version of the Ardmore Traditional Cask. The latter has now been replaced as the entry-level expression by the Ardmore Legacy, which is unfortunately bottled at 40%. This one, however, is the same as the Traditional Cask - i.e. 46%, no chill-filtration and finished in quarter casks. Nose: … Continue reading Ardmore Tradition (46%, OB 2015)
Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7 (59.9%, OB 2020)
The Glengoyne Teapot Dram is a 'tribute to the daily dram that the Glengoyne workers enjoyed three times each day from copper teapots in the distillery canteen'. It's already a much-loved ongoing batch release - batch 7 is quickly selling out but is still available at the distillery shop and a few other places. As … Continue reading Glengoyne Teapot Dram Batch 7 (59.9%, OB 2020)
The Daily Dram 