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December 19, 2025 |
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WF's Quirky Little Duos, two heavy peaters from Campbeltown |
In other words, Longrow and the latest heavily peated batch from its cousin Kilkerran. I do wonder, in fact, whether the development of Glengyle/Kilkerran might have slightly slowed down that of Springbank’s heavily peated version. |
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Longrow 21 yo (46%, OB, Limited Release, 2023) 
35% Bourbon and 65% Sherry, unlike 2022’s edition (30% bourbon, 60% sherry, 10% chardonnay) that Angus sampled back then (WF 85). It has to be said we usually prefer the clean versions of Longrow, 100% bourbon or refill. Colour: full gold. Nose: the animal side hits first, almost on pure mutton fat, then gently fades to make way for roasted pumpkin seeds and the very much anticipated medicinal dimension, quite camphory, with eucalyptus layered on top, and a touch of dried seaweed on one of the peninsula’s beaches. Worth noting—and good news—there’s none of that sulphury note sometimes found in the sherry-heavy Longrows. Mouth: sharp salinity and pepper straight away, very assertive, with growing brine and that fairly typical carbon dustiness, then smoked meats and tobacco. Walnut and even more tobacco seize control next, with the appearance of orange zest and the omnipresent salt. Finish: long, returning to mutton fat with some very dark chocolate and even a few white-wine-steamed mussels. The aftertaste reverts to medicinal. Comments: these Longrows always dance to their own tune. Cracking stuff.
SGP:466 - 89 points. |
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Kilkerran ‘Heavily Peated Batch 13’ (58.6%, OB, 2025) 
We were rather fond of Batch 12, also released this year (WF 87) Colour: pale gold. Nose: seriously powerful at first, brushing up against cologne, then slowly the candied lemons, oysters and iodine tincture take over, bringing a piercing, clean sharpness to the whole. With water: seawater, seaweed, plaster and beach sand at low tide. Mouth (neat): perfect, farmy, very lemony, with surprising notes of Toplexil, green pepper and salt. In the end, it’s all about purity. With water: really excellent, almost like pure oyster juice, just missing a few drops of Muscadet. Finish: very long, very vertical, salty, peppery and lemony to the point of excess, but we’re all for that. Slightly youthful on the aftertaste, with green pear and a touch of rubber. Comments: still just as good and properly peaty. We now await batch #14, likely due next year.
SGP:456 - 87 points. |
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December 18, 2025 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Ballindalloch |
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| Ballindalloch Distillery and their famous worm tubs (Ballindalloch + AI) |
Let’s be honest, we don’t quite have time or let's say tasting slots for all these ‘new cat’ distilleries from Scotland or elsewhere, especially when we still have zillions of Ben Nevis bottlings to get through (just to pick one example at random). We're not even sure WF is still compatible, if it ever was, with the pace and variety of new barley-based product releases. That said, one of the new distilleries that did impress us this year was Ballindalloch. Wow! And to think, at the start of the year, we only knew them by name… Right then, let’s crack on… |
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Ballindalloch 2015/2025 ‘The Castle’ (50%, OB, The Novel, The Castle, 1st & 2nd Fill Bourbon, 2,400 bottles) 
Apparently, this is tied to a book by one John Sutherland, though that doesn’t ring many bells on this side of the Channel. I readily admit that it’s probably something we ought to be ashamed of, rather than proud. Now, careful—some casks seem to have been ex-peaters, so we may be looking at a bit of in-cask blending here, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: it’s fresh, taut, fermentary, very close to the barley, apple, and sourdough side of things, although there are indeed smoky notes that feel distinctly grafted-on. Pears and ashes. Mouth: really very good, though it does come across as a blended malt on the palate, which of course doesn’t take anything away from the overall quality. A wee touch of Monkey Shoulder ‘Smokey Monkey’. Finish: long, rather lovely actually, balanced, but with more overt peat. Comments: the peat has only grown in strength, and this is a very good young malt, no question about it. But is it really a ‘single malt’? Answers on a postcard…
SGP:554 - 83 points. |
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Ballindalloch 2016/2024 (61.8%, OB, for Austria, bourbon barrel, cask #233)
Go on then, try saying ‘Ballindalloch’ with a Salzburg accent and see what happens… Colour: white wine. Nose: what we liked so much in the one we tasted earlier this year (for Germany) is right here again, fresh bread, focaccia, baker’s yeast, apple and pear peelings, wee berries (rowan, service tree, holly), plus medlar and jujube. You do have to dig a little, but it’s worth it. With water: plaster, chalk, cement, slate, then freshly cut grass and a good handful of fresh barley. Mouth (neat): it’s a little strong but only just (S.!) on earth, bread dough, tart apples, white pepper, even a touch of papier-mâché. It’s a little austere on the palate for now, fair to say, but that’s often a good sign. With water: and there we go, the cavalry arrives right on cue—salted apples, olive biscuits, anchovy crackers, in short a superb salinity that was completely unexpected. Finish: very long, even saltier, tingling, ultra-precise and taut. Comments: clearly the polar opposite of a consensual travel retail malt (BTW what a disaster this year in travel retail, prices and all the rest), but we adore this utterly uncompromising profile, which could easily hold its own alongside the great gentians, great mezcals, great piscos, great white marcs…
SGP:461 - 88 points. |
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December 17, 2025 |
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One last solera session, fearlessly, before the end of the year
Just a reminder that these whiskies are tasted almost one by one, whenever we have five minutes, rather than during a large, specifically organised session. Thank you for your understanding and patience... |
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Symington’s 10 yo (46%, Signatory Vintage, blended Scotch, sherry and bourbon, 2025)
I daresay that if I had access to Signatory’s immense warehouses, I’d have quite the time cobbling together a few batches myself. Only snag is, I’ve no idea how to operate one of those snazzy modern forklifts, I’m afraid… Colour: gold. Nose: rather more malty than your average blend, regardless of the label, showing a lovely green walnut, some ale, wisps of snapped branches and orange zest, with apple making a cheerful appearance as well. Truth be told, we know a fair number of young Speyside single malts that are less enticing on the nose than this. Mouth: the sherry comes through with greater insistence on the palate, bringing nuts, oranges, black pepper and nutmeg, along with black tea and a clutch of little matching biscuits, including shortbread for good measure. Finish: medium in length but fresh and most enjoyable. Apples and cinnamon. Comments: let’s not forget this goes for €30 a bottle. Jolly well done.
SGP:431 - 84 points. |
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Coachbuilt (46%, OB, blended Scotch, +/-2025) 
A whisky concocted by a coterie involving former F1 driver Jenson Button and Williams Racing, who proclaim their ambition to ‘Redefine Blended Scotch Whisky’. Naturally, we’ve heard that line some 3,458,241 times before, but we’ll keep our ears and palates open, although revolutions tend not to announce themselves in advance. Colour: white wine. Nose: pretty, fresh, somewhat coastal, well balanced and refreshing. For now, it’s not exactly earthshattering, but it’s well put together, with a genuinely charming brightness on apples and a touch of seaweed. Mouth: a tad sweet, on marshmallows and lemon drops, then gently turning more malty and faintly smoky. Finish: not very long, but clean. Slight hints of SevenUp. Comments: this isn’t bad at all and doesn’t come across as completely absurd following the Symington’s, which was clearly playing in another division. There is a slightly odd sweetness throughout, but let’s not forget Mr Button was Formula 1 world champion in 2009. Worth an extra point or two for that alone (shame on me!) Please note that there’s also another version which is quite superior we think, we’ll be tasting it here soon.
SGP:641 - 79 points. |
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Fable Blend 5 yo ‘The Fiendish King’ (46.5%, Pendulum Spirits, Batch 4, 2022, 9,000 bottles) 
I fear we may have lost touch a little with these charming folk, but one thing’s for certain, their labels remain absolutely splendid. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: apple and lemon juice, with greengages and a touch of barley syrup. Fairly straightforward stuff, but it works for me. Mouth: really quite enjoyable, gently smoky, salty, coastal, peppery and with a noticeable lager or pilsner-like edge. The apple does most of the heavy lifting and does it rather well. Finish: a little short but following the same general path, which is no bad thing. Some smoke. Comments: does the job very nicely, not overloaded with caramel, and the vanilla and coconut are kept to a blessed minimum.
SGP:552 - 80 points. |
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House of Hazelwood 36 yo ‘The Lowlander’ (45.9%, OB, The Legacy Collection, American oak, 432 bottles, 2024)
It’s a blend and it’s a Lowlander, though let’s not forget that many grain distilleries are—or were—based in the Lowlands, notably Girvan. The question remains as to which Lowland malts William Grant may have employed here… Ladyburn, perhaps? And why not? Colour: pale gold. Nose: a kiss of vanilla and coconut, as they say, though to be honest it’s really very pretty, very elegant, with notes of honeysuckle and dandelion, orange custard, blancmange, marshmallow, fresh American oak (a bit of re-racking perhaps?) and white nougat. Lovely! Mouth: oh, this is lovely indeed, one might call it an anti-Ardbeg, all softness and gentleness, with honey ice cream, hay jelly (a sublime thing when done right) and floral puddings whipped up by top pastry chefs. Finish: not terribly long, granted, but delightfully floral, with no intrusive oak despite the age and the spirit’s relative delicacy. Comments: truth be told, we approached this one with some hesitation but came away thoroughly charmed. Only the aftertaste is a touch frail, with light tannins turning just slightly sour.
SGP:631 - 88 points. |
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House of Hazelwood 56 yo ‘The Long Marriage’ (48.7%, OB, blended Scotch, The Charles Gordon Collection, American oak hogshead, 288 bottles, 2022) 
One imagines Balvenie and Glenfiddich are calling the shots here… Colour: dark amber. Nose: this is an old Rolls-Royce in liquid form, full of aged waxes, precious woods, varnishes, glacé chestnuts, and a humidor crammed to the brim, with just the faintest echo of very ancient Calvados. Did you notice we did not mention any used engine oil that has leaked onto a concrete floor? A magnificent nose, truly one for the museum. Mouth: oh, this is glorious indeed, with far more structure than expected, no fatigue whatsoever, still those roasted chestnuts, old orange liqueur, and vintage Cognac—which reminds us that these venerable Scotch whiskies, or rather their forefathers, found their audience after phylloxera vastatrix had ravaged the vineyards of Cognac. You know the tale. A magnificent palate, whichever way you cut it. Finish: not very long, but perfect, on praline, toasted and caramelised nuts, old rum, old Cognac—in short, very ‘world’. And superb. Comments: one bows without resistance, as before a masterpiece by an old Italian master, in Firenze or elsewhere.
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Since we're taking a step back in time… |
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The Antiquary ‘De Luxe’ (43.5%, OB, blended Scotch, Wax & Vitale, Italy, 75cl, 1960s)
We’ve already sampled some marvellous old Antiquary in the past, and the more recent ones haven’t been half bad either. Colour: white wine. Nose: brings to mind White Horse, with peat, axle grease, wax, withering apples and a whole contingent of dried fruits, not overdone, mind. Mouth: how good is this, how good is this! A blend that would send quite a few modern malts back to school, complexity module first. That said, Antiquary always carried a mighty reputation, and this sample more than justifies it. Lovely notes of small dried fruits, jujubes, sultanas, citrus peels… Finish: a little saline, earthy, citrusy and gently phenolic. Brilliant lemon zest in the aftertaste. Comments: a thousand times better than that ‘J&W Hardie Ltd’ version we had back in… May 2005. So not that long ago, eh.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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| A delightful print advert for The Antiquary, from the early 1960s, by Tomi Ungerer (Strasbourg 1931 – Cork 2019) |
You cannot imagine the deep shame we feel as we prepare to taste the next baby, two years late… |
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Black Friday 15 yo ‘2023’ (54.2%, The Whisky Exchange)
It’s true we do feel that Black Friday is something of a symbol for the hollowness of the age, the dumbing-down of society, and the pernicious, hyper-commercialised influence of the degenerate Western barbarians. I may be exaggerating ever so slightly here… Anyway, rumour has it this one’s Glenkinchie. Colour: amber. Nose: wax and fading apples and pears, then pine needles. With water: waxes and polishes, then walnut butter. Mouth (neat): lovely resins, mint, salted butter caramel, gingerbread and a touch of rum. With water: drifting towards tobaccos, citrus peels and all things mentholy. Finish: same ballpark, lovely, not very long. Comments: I’m fully aware that publishing such a tasting note two years late makes no sense whatsoever. Must be our punk side showing (eh?) …
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
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Avon 9 yo 2016/2025 (51.5%, Milroy’s Soho Selection, hogshead, blended malt)
We are getting a bit fed up with the guessing games, let’s be honest. There, it’s said, with a free mind and peace in our heart. Colour: white wine. Nose: this is lovely—waxy, precise, mineral, lightly smoky, just perfect. With water: beer and malt start to peek through. Mouth (neat): but this is delicious! Apples, green walnuts, tart pears. With water: honey and yellow and green fruits. Excellent. Finish: long, fresh, taut, on small apples and wild pears. Comments: so, what is it? Granted, we know that the River Avon is joining the River Spey near Ballindalloch Castle…
SGP:552 - 85 points. |
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Scottish Glory (40%, OB, blended Scotch, +/-2025) 
Moving on to simpler things, and mercifully not too expensive. We’d tasted an earlier version under a different label about a dozen years ago (WF 60). Colour: white wine; at least it’s not drowning in caramel. Nose: well, this is fairly fresh, very much on apple, hay and pear, with no overt cardboard notes, rather a few hints of dandelion. In short, far from dreadful—on the contrary. Ideal for a summer day, with ice cubes, out in the open… Mouth: quite a bit drier here, slightly cardboardy in fact, with no obvious fruitiness, and leaning towards bitterness. That hay was lovely on the nose, less so on the palate. Finish: short but bitter. Bitter orange. Comments: there are some good sides, especially the nose, but elsewhere you’ll want a fair amount of ice, I reckon. Not terribly glorious, this Glory.
SGP:331 - 62 points. |
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Queen Anne 12 yo ‘Light De Luxe Whisky’ (43%, Hill Thompson, Giovinetti, 75cl, +/-1975)
A Seagram’s/Glenlivet brand. The “light” mention is typical of the era—everyone wanted lightness, and some whiskies were even decolourised rather than dosed with caramel. Paler = lighter, as it were. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s very light indeed, with hints of peanuts, herbs, old beer, and also infusions—chamomile especially—with a faint waxy touch. Gradually, a little peat emerges, lending it something of a White Horse… light. Very light. Mouth: this is actually better on the palate, with broths and herbal teas, smoke, tobacco… That White Horse light profile becomes even more evident. Finish: fairly long in the end, saline and smoky. Comments: it really opened up after a few minutes. A very charming old blend, in fact, worth noting that age-stated versions like this 12-year-old were top-tier in their day!
SGP:352 - 84 points. |
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Glen Mavis (43%, OB, Italy, blended Scotch, +/-1970) 
The brand still exists, currently selling, for example, for €21.50 at the excellent Whisky Lodge in France. For 1 litre. Colour: full gold. Nose: OBE is very noticeable, with soapy notes, old paper, but also hints of old liqueurs, fir, orange… the jury’s still out. Mouth: it’s really on its last legs, though one can still pick up a smoky, even maritime character, more clearly expressed in the Queen Anne. Finish: very short, dry. Comments: noted here for the record. Still drinkable, hence the relatively decent score, but it must have been far better ‘in its day’. A shame, the label is absolutely lovely.
SGP:231 - 40 points. |
Just one last one for now… |
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John Haig ‘Gold Label’ (No ABV mention, Liqueur Scotch Whisky, Haig & Haig, Markinch, spring cap, 1936)
We know it’s from 1936 because the original owner pencilled the date onto the label. Very much in period style, the label is festooned with medals, though curiously there's no mention of the World Whisky Awards or the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It doesn’t yet reference ‘the late King George V’, who had passed in January 1936, merely stating ‘by appointment’ beneath the royal seal. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is lovely, brimming with roasted nuts, pecans, scones and muffins, pizza dough, damp earth and savoury broths, very much in the style of many truly old blends. Antique orange and citrus liqueurs. Mouth: Turkish delight with peanuts, more roasted nuts, sesame paste, certainly some peat, old dry sherry… all wrapped in a texture and strength that haven’t faded a bit, feels close to 80° UK proof or thereabouts. Finish: begins to fade at this stage, which is to be expected, drifting into dry tobacco and cardboard. Comments: a moving pre-war blend, likely with distillate from the 1920s. Don’t we catch a glimpse of these bottles and their wooden crates in the original version of Whisky Galore? We really ought to check…
SGP:352 - 87 points. |
(Max, Tom, Wouter, you’re kings) |
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December 16, 2025 |
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The Time Warp Sessions, new aged Glen Grants with 30 years between them |
I find it unfair that Glen Grant remains somewhat slightly in the shadows today. It's one of the seminal malt distilleries—if not the seminal one—whose official releases, or those through Gordon & MacPhail, long outclassed the competition fair and square when it came to quality. |
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Glen Grant 30 yo 1994-1995/2025 (46.8%, Decadent Drinks, WhiskyLand, barrels, 360 bottles)
The boss of Decadent Drinks, citizen Angus, is an absolute fanatic of Glen Grant and generally speaking, that shows in their bottlings. Let’s check this one quickly then… Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s like an old Meursault, or a very old white Graves, in any case it has that sort of complexity, somewhere between orange pound cake, melted butter, white flowers, very ripe pear, stearin wax, and chervil… Mouth: even better than on the nose, more citrus-led, with lemon creams, lemon meringue pie, and numerous secondary and tertiary elements, including wood spices that have completely melted into the distillate, along with touches of pineapple. Finish: medium in length, with grapefruit but also coconut and herbal infusions. Comments: one of those slightly fragile moments when the whisky hesitates somewhat about which path to follow. It’s true that Glen Grant no longer has the rich, muscular profile of olden times, but here there are some very, very beautiful remnants. A somewhat intellectual malt, but that’s not why we rather love it, eh.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
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Glen Grant 59 yo 1966/2025 (51.1%, Gordon & MacPhail, Year of the Fire Horse, refill sherry hogshead, 88 bottles)
In China, the year of the fire horse is 2026! We may be a little early here. For once, you might say… Colour: full gold. Nose: it’s so typical, so lovely, so marked by all things straight out of a beehive—pollen, honey, wax, propolis, fir wood—and notes of old Chablis from a great vintage and an excellent grand cru. Not Grenouilles, that’s terribly overrated and doesn’t hold up. My advice, drop it. Anyway… With water: wonderful sweetness, white chocolate, barbecued bananas, sandalwood, marshmallow… Mouth (neat): of great beauty, honeyed and gently resinous. In short, it’s fir honey with cosmetic notes (a hint of an elegant lady’s night cream) and verbena liqueur. With water: the fir, the spruce, the chartreuse, the verbena—all of it tries to take centre stage. You get exactly that impression of an old whisky slightly searching for its way, once more. It’s really charming and moving. Finish: not very long but remains entirely on the pine, hive and honey side. Comments: an exquisitely fragile thing, reminding us that malt whisky is a living being. Is it not?
SGP:561 - 92 points. |
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December 15, 2025 |
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The Time Warp Sessions, two Longmorns and a quick apéro |
Careful now, the 1963 bottled by the Gillies Club in Australia is absolutely legendary and, what’s more, practically unheard of (what you’re saying makes absolutely no sense, S.). So, to ready our palates for this little duo de la muerte, let’s start with a small Christmas apéritif… |
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Longmorn 17 yo 2007/2024 (46.6%, Delias Whiskyshop and The Whisky Agency, Christmas Series, barrel)
Whoops, perfect for Christmas, granted, though last year’s Christmas, evidently. No matter, let’s not be pedantic… Colour: white wine. Nose: as fresh and fruity as one could wish, bursting with orchard fruits—apple, pear, peach, plum—and the resulting eaux-de-vies made thereof, with touches of gooseberry, mackerel flowers and dandelions. Hints of vanilla and honey in restrained doses, as they should be. Mouth: an exact replica of the nose, down to the tiniest detail, with just a flicker of white pepper to perk things up, and perhaps a few drops of Chardonnay for good measure. It’s simply very good, of course. Finish: similar again, with a medium length and a little cider and honey to round off the ensemble in the aftertaste. Comments: a rather young Speysider, fully natural and unbothered by cosmetics. Very good, naturally.
SGP:641 - 86 points. |
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Longmorn 28 yo 1996/2025 (54.2%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drinks, refill hogshead, 155 bottles)
According to the label, there should be pear in this charming little baby, or at least some rare fruit vaguely resembling one. Let’s say somewhere between pear and cucumber (!)… Colour: white wine. Nose: quite simple really, it’s the same whisky, but with eleven more years under its belt. It’s absolutely perfect for spotting the undeniable effects of time, which allow one to move beyond the fruits (still very much present, plus that odd fruit from the label, apparently), and into oils and waxes, with various minty notes as well. I find it all utterly beautiful and, more importantly, extremely subtle and elegant. With water: utterly charming, with a more prominent waxiness. One thinks of Candlekitty—sorry, Clynelish. Mouth (neat): excellent, the same elegant evolution brought about by the extra eleven years, this time with more melon and grapefruit, plus the expected spices, white pepper most notably. With water: the citrus and pepper take the lead, and the whole thing turns nearly refreshing. Finish: rather long, still fresh, with returning notes of mint and honey. You say mint honey? Why not indeed. Comments: a fine beast, subtle and classy, like a 1960s Formula 1 car. The modern ones are more like transgenic woodlice.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
Brace yourselves, the chat’s about to heat up… |
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Longmorn-Glenlivet 1963/1983 (56.2%, The Gillies Club, Australia, Pure Malt, cask #3445)
There’s a line at the bottom of the label I absolutely adore: “Not for Re-sale”. Just imagine if all the top brass north of Hadrian’s Wall had slapped the same warning—or something similar—on their bottles! Auction houses (we love them all) would have a proper sulk. In any case, the Gillies Club is the stuff of legend, perhaps the first proper malt fan club, passionately devoted to both history and technique. We're talking nearly 50 years ago now, long before the Malt Maniacs or the Plowed Society. Anyway, those legendary enthusiasts selected, among other gems, this little Longmorn, which we already know is going to be fantabulous. Because you see, we already dipped our lips in it a few weeks ago… Colour: walnut stain. Nose: there's something in these old-school sherries that renders you instantly silent (who said good news, eh?). A sort of fusion between distillate and sherry cask that’s almost extinct in modern bottlings. Possibly some very positive OBE? Sultanas, damp pipe tobacco, prunes and ancient armagnac, along with delicate hints of ham, soy sauce, liquorice, mint and every dried fruit you can name. The whole is simply mind-blowing. With water: wafts of old wine cellar, blood oranges, and ancient PX, possibly from a solera started sometime around the 19th century. Mouth (neat): extraordinary. Overripe bananas, old Guyanese rum (think Port Mourant), dark chocolate, venerable Ténarèze, tobacco, figs and dried dates, plus touches of tar and ashes, and—more surprisingly—old Karuizawa. On which note, expect a 24-bottle vertical of never-before-reviewed-by-us Karuizawas here later this year. In short, this Longmorn is as classic as Mozart. With water: touches of chicken broth, truffle, and even a little miso soup. Finish: very long, marvellously dry and bitter, with waves of orange zest dipped in dark chocolate and black pepper oil. We call those orangettes here, and they’re lethal. Comments: absolutely magnificent, a ‘sherry monster’ of intergalactic calibre, but let’s not go on. How many of these bottles are even left?
SGP:662 - 96 points. |
(With heartfelt thanks to Emmanuel and Olivier) |
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December 14, 2025 |
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Ding ding, last rum session of the year!
Well, maybe not quite — we’ll see.
In any case, next Sunday it’ll be cognacs and/or armagnacs. But first, let’s find one or two little aperitifs to get us started… |
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Not quite enough room for a wee rum distillery
(WF Archive, 2025) |
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Labourdonnais ‘XO’ (42%, OB, Mauritius, +/-2024)
Clearly, we've been doing a fair bit of strolling around the Indian Ocean these past few weeks. We've already tried a few Labourdonnais, or La Bourdonnais, from independent bottlers, but only one official version so far—their Classic Gold—which had been fairly decent (WF 72). These are from estate-grown canes and pure juice, not molasses. Colour: gold. Nose: this is more Réunion-style than Mauritian, closer to fresh cane juice, with a rather lovely toasted and grilled side, followed by forest honey, including a good dose of honeydew, and then that apricot liqueur that's terribly fashionable these days. Mouth: a touch like something from Martinique, only rounder and sweeter, with notes of honey, fudge, rock sugar and galabé… The apricot liqueur keeps singing along, as does the fresh cane, which is rather charming and just slightly grassy. Finish: medium in length, slightly grilled again, with a hint of coffee and a little sweetness. Comments: very pleasant, and not one of those overly sugary Mauritians one often encounters.
SGP:541 - 82 points. |
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Rivière du Mât 'Cuvée 1886' (42%, La Réunion, +/-2025)
This is traditional rum, so molasses-based, a blend of the 2003, 2004 and 2006 vintages. Colour: full gold. Nose: a little glue and varnish to start with, then mint and eucalyptus, showing a much drier profile overall than the Mauritian, though there are resemblances, particularly that toasted note. Mouth: again rather dry, with honey biscuits, orange zest, a hint of mango, echoes of incense and even rose-flavoured Turkish delights, then pipe tobacco and mentholated liquorice. Finish: medium in length, with no major development. Comments: the overall quality feels very similar to the Mauritian, not really worth scoring differently. Just a tad fresher, and a notch more minty.
SGP:551 - 82 points. |
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Dictador 23 yo 1999/2022 ‘Parrafo I’ (43%, OB, Colombia, Borbon, 310 bottles)
There were also sherried versions in this range, which seems to have taken rather a lot of inspiration from malt whiskies. We’d already tried a cask from 2004, which had been a bit too sweet for our tastes (WF 72). That’s putting it mildly. Colour: amber. Nose: rather pleasant on the nose, all praline and caramel, dark turrón, molasses, toffee, Nutella… Quite regressive, but not unpleasant. Mouth: this is basically coffee liqueur—they could have called it ‘Starbucksio’. Far too much in terms of sugar for me, so let’s spare ourselves further torment. Finish: as previously indicated. Comments: I believe the 2004/2022 was far better.
SGP:830 - 40 points. |
Desperate times call for drastic measures… |
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Uitvlugt 26 yo 1998/2024 (51.6%, Silver Seal, Demerara, 200 bottles)
A vintage from the original distillery, closed in 2000, with its stills—including the ones from Port Mourant—relocated to Diamond. One must love the pink parrot in disguise on the label! Colour: gold. Nose: this is a fairly delicate Uitvlugt, almost vanilla-led, close to banana and pineapple, with notes of tarte Tatin and island herbal teas. The esters are singing in the background, but it’s more a gentle love song than a wild calypso. With water: a few touches of varnish. Mouth (neat): punchier and sharper now, more saline and citrusy, rootier, more ‘mezcal-like’, but never over the top. With water: it remains charming, civilised, and in the end rather close to sugarcane. Finish: medium in length, with a light touch of tar. Comments: a kind of Uitvlugt Light, really, very approachable, and probably the perfect dram to convert our Dictador-loving friends during a little missionary outing.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Neisson 8 yo ‘L’Empyreumatique’ (50.8%, OB, for LMDW Itinéraires, Martinique, 2025)
Few people truly know what ‘empyreumatique’ means—well, it simply means empyreumatic (thank you very much, S.), in other words, marked by burnt or grilled aromas. Colour: deep gold. Nose: not exactly Port Ellen packed with burnt tyres, but I find this rather magnificent, starting on coffee-Cointreau before heading off towards slightly earthy candied oranges, loads of green Earl Grey and bergamot. Very tight structure. With water: splendid, as orange blossom and acacia flower appear, even a touch of courgette flower. Mouth (neat): perfect, concentrated, beginning with a medley of small citrus fruits seasoned with camphor and eucalyptus, before opening onto gingerbread covered in glaze and filled with orange—what we call nonettes. With water: a gentle green woody touch that only brings added freshness. Most welcome, then. Finish: fairly long, like a proper liquid bergamot sweet. Aftertaste perfectly lemony and minty, lifting everything like a coda in a well-written sonata. Comments: a superb example of a spirit that may not be complex yet achieves near-perfection through sheer coherence and compactness. The wood has been handled with exceptional care.
SGP:641 - 90 points. |
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Vieux Sajous 5 yo 2020/2025 (59.5%, La Maison & Velier, Haiti, clairin)
Clairin—especially pure pot still, cane juice clairin—is a marvellous thing. When you open a bottle, it feels like opening a box of brand-new Nikes, only far better. Colour: gold. Nose: for something aged, it’s kept all the vibrancy of young white clairin, with a maelstrom of pickled gherkins, lime, smoked salmon, wood glue and fir ash. And let’s not forget the fresh tar. I don’t know why, but every time I nose a clairin, I think of Islay… With water: back to those new Nikes. Mouth (neat): absolutely superb, taut as a bowstring, wonderfully earthy and bursting with a riot of pickles leading inevitably to little green olives with chilli. With water: very ripe mangoes creep in quietly and find a place among the riot of olives, brine and tar. Finish: just the same, fresh, nicely acidic and acetic, with tiny green limes (not lime) laying down the law in the aftertaste. Comments: a stunning clairin, with a maturation that feels as if it were conducted by the steady hand of a very seasoned concert pianist.
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
The only way forward now: switch to Jamaica… |
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New Yarmouth 2014 (69%, Bedford Park, Jamaica, cask #8, 240 bottles)
This baby at lethal strength (I tried to call my solicitor, but he’s probably out golfing again) comes straight from Thurso. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: we’re back to our new Nikes, but there’s also heaps of fresh tar and a good measure of paraffin oil. And above all, a bloody big hit of ethanol… With water: actually, this one’s a fairly gentle Jamaican on the ester front (NYE?), yet it gives off some absolutely gorgeous earthy notes—moss, ferns, old tree stumps, and a bit of lemon. Mouth (neat): crikey, at this strength I shouldn’t really enjoy this mix of lemon juice, seawater, olive oil and ashes. And yet… With water: utterly clean-lined, flawless, ultra-precise, more on citrus now (candied peels, liqueurs), with very restrained salinity. Finish: long, focused, ultra-concentrated. That famous lemony tar-and-olive duo makes a comeback in the aftertaste. Comments: this whole Jamaican dichotomy between brutal power and surprisingly elegant aromatic finesse is always a treat. You see where I’m going with this—it’s basically a ready-made Jamaican martini.
SGP:552 - 89 points. |
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Vale Royal 2006 (65%, Velier, Jamaica, cask #17, 180 bottles)
This is Long Pond, done in the style of the old Vale Royal distillery. Let’s be honest—as a malt enthusiast, that doesn’t mean much to us, but I’m quite sure our rum freak friends were as giddy as a New Yorker at a hot dog fair when news of this venerable bottle dropped. Apparently, it’s more likely to be TEC marque Long Pond (A, B, C), so very high ester count. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: 65%? And my solicitor still won’t pick up… But it’s really lovely and, just between us, it rather smells like a high strength agricole from Martinique. For now… With water: wood varnish, dried ceps, touches of balsamic, a carpenter’s workshop in full swing, and a bit of pineapple liqueur in a TDL style. Mouth (neat): absolutely magnificent in terms of precision and fresh woodiness, though it’ll knock you flat if you’re not paying attention. Still just between us, it doesn’t feel that high-ester for the moment. But it’s no fool, this one. With water: I still don’t quite find the ester bomb, but there are definitely oranges, lemons, olives and glue. Finish: very long, though also fairly woody, a rather peppery woodiness that dominates a bit. Comments: I must humbly admit I struggled a little with this one. A bit of a beast.
SGP:462 - 84 points. |
Let’s give it another go… |
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Long Pond 6 yo 2019/2025 ‘STCE’ (60%, Velier, Art Series, Anedu Edozie, bourbon cask, cask #124, Jamaica, 204 bottles)
Art will save the world. Well, perhaps not the White House, judging by what we see on telly—always a reason to reach for the sunglasses. Colour: deep gold. Nose: eucalyptus wood, ointments, clams, fresh rubber. Now this is different. And really quite lovely. With water: resinous woods and sauna oils. Mouth (neat): rather brilliant so far, full of embrocations, resinous oils, thyme, and tiny, super-acidic lemons (finger limes) … With water: yes, this is spot on now, very concentrated, with that slightly ‘stuffy’ character you get from tropical ageing—even at just 6 years—but everything holds together beautifully. Finish: very long, tense, varnishy, lemony and resinous. Comments: a very fine bottle. As for the label’s artist, you may check out Anedu Edozie.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
You're right, there's something missing… |
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Hampden 1 yo ‘<>H’ (52%, OB, La Maison & Velier, The 8 Marks Collection, Jamaica, ex-bourbon, 20cl, 2024)
That’s right, ‘Diamond H’, so roughly a kilo of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol. We’ve still a few more from this marvellous series to try, and we’re already looking forward to them, even if, as usual, we’re terribly behind. Colour: white wine. Nose: taut and chiselled like a Riesling from Hunawihr or Ribeauvillé, and just as mineral, even petroly. With water: wild stuff. Like a walk through a tropical forest after a violent downpour—watch out for the snakes and spiders. Mouth (neat): a brilliant display of lemony and carbonaceous perfection. Feels a bit like drinking a blend of paint and eau de cologne, but oddly enough, it works. With water: immense salinity, really feels like seawater. Truly. Finish: same again, only even bolder. Comments: it delivers exactly what was promised—bye-bye. But these Hampdens are as mad as… well, let’s say Salvador Dalí. Just saying.
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted
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December 12, 2025 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today indie Allt-A-Bhainne |
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| Another one of those little-known Scottish distilleries owned by a major group and mainly used to supply blends, even though there have been two or three official releases in recent years. There was even a small official NAS, said to be a little peaty, bottled at 40% ABV about seven or eight years ago, styled like a bourbon bottle, but we never dared to try it. On the other hand, the official ‘Lost in Time’ 32-year-old edition for TWE was of very high quality (WF 88). Just goes to show, it's not a distillery’s fame that determines the quality of a whisky (pointless comment, S.) |
This wee Allt-a-Bhainne NAS OB had been
launched in 2018 to ‘shake up’ single malt
Scotch. Not quite sure that worked a treat. >>> |
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Allt-A-Bhainne 16 yo 2008/2025 (63.4%, Milroy’s Vintage Sherry Reserve, third-fill sherry butt, cask #80900249)
Milroy’s had an excellent 27-year-old last year, but this time, third fill and at 63.4%, it’s clearly no laughing matter. Strap in, this isn’t a casual affair… Colour: apricot amber. Nose: rather explosive, on aged kirsch matured in oak and a fairly flinty sherry. Just between us, water seems absolutely necessary here. Also a few touches of slivovitz or Alsatian damson eau-de-vie. With water: much more civilised, on blond cigarettes and walnut cake, some rather coarse honey and a little leather, then straight-up apple. It is sherried, but this is third fill, so the impact remains relatively modest, let’s say. Mouth (neat): slightly old-school, fiery, still very heavy on the kirsch and even some bitter almond, the two being quite closely linked, truth be told. Honestly, it’s pretty wild. With water: if you bring it down to around 45%, you’ll land on walnut cake with kirsch and honey, generously dusted with cinnamon. Finish: rather long, again a bit rustic, a little eau-de-vie-ish, but also featuring some lovely bitter oranges and a rather peppery, more bitter aftertaste. Comments: a fairly wild little Allt-A-Bhainne indeed.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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Allt-A-Bhainne 28 yo 1997/2025 (58.8%, Scout Drinks, Taiwan, hogshead, cask #3498, 127 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: not wildly different at first nosing, but it quickly veers into fruity territory, with citrus, honey-glazed pecans, white peaches, and a fairly pronounced yet delicate oakiness, along with a touch of pine bud. This one too would benefit from a drop of water. With water: slight metallic edge (old copper coins), and more nuts, making one wonder if it might actually be a refill sherry hogshead. Light whiffs of mint tea with pine nuts, in the Tunisian style. They say there are three essentials for making that tea: time, embers, and friends. Mouth (neat): again, not worlds apart from the 2008 in terms of profile. Green apples, a touch of tobacco, some bay leaf, and kirsch... With water: those extra eleven years do make themselves known as there’s more complexity, with infusions, herbs, citrus peels, while it gently mellows, becoming increasingly charming and lemony. Finish: long, rather refreshing. Comments: this baby just kept improving all throughout the tasting. You could as well simply add water straight away and move directly to the palate, which is quite lovely. Ha.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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December 11, 2025 |
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A nice little shipment of ten recent Springbanks before Christmas |
To really get ourselves into the festive spirit, you see. And for even more fun, we’re going to try pushing the WF machine to its limits and do it all randomly rather than in order of age, or even by increasing ABV. After all, “Those who never wish to do anything foolish are not as wise as they think,” wrote La Rochefoucauld in 1664. Mind you, it’s going to be hard to score under 90/100, especially since there’s no bizarre finishing lined up, but indeed, Christmas is nearly here. |
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Springbank 25 yo 1999/2025 (54.4%, Kanpaikai Japan and The Antelope, refill hogshead, cask #800369E, 177 bottles)
Colour: reddish amber. Nose: this is a fairly rounded Springbank, on praline and toffee, with some very lovely notes of salted butter caramel, the salt lending a faint maritime dimension. A drop of water should loosen things up and let us delve a little ‘into the molecular structure of the aromas’... Very faint rubber, leather and tobacco, which is all quite ‘Springbank’ anyway. With water: charcoal, shoe polish and even smoked salmon float back up, while the tobacco veers clearly towards proper Cuban puros. Mouth (neat): much feistier, livelier and punchier than on the nose, with an almost aggressive hit of concentrated lemon juice (though one surrenders happily) then a very saline, peppery and liquorice-rooty structure. As they say down the bistro, it speaks. With water: that ‘distilled manzanilla’ profile we cherish in some Springbanks. The polish makes a strong comeback, as do oysters, tar, and heaps more lemon. Finish: very long, more resinous, more camphory, firmer, more phenolic. Comments: to fully appreciate it, you need 1. time and 2. water. Otherwise, forget it. With both, we leap from still photography to full cinema.
SGP:463 - 91 points. |
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Springbank 25 yo 1999/2025 (42.2%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drinks, refill hogshead, 229 bottles)
Same set-up, but at a much lower strength, suggesting a rather ‘wet’ maturation, unless it isn’t actually cask strength, which we very much doubt. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: well, this is as gentle as a lamb, reminiscent of some fairly youthful OBs from bygone days, all on slightly tart apple, wet sand, basalt, shoe polish, paraffin oil, fresh seaweed, pistachio oil, and carbolineum... It’s really ultra-ultra-classic, with the faintest hint of menthol. Mouth: perfect, clean lines, pitch-perfect strength (we’ll save the Vittel – by the way Nestlé, the cheque still hasn’t arrived), with oils, a touch of engine oil, lemon, smoked fish, citrus fruits, oysters, and chalk... Finish: surprisingly long, fresh yet rather fat, extremely maritime. A touch of waxed cardboard. Comments: hard not to think of the best batches of the official 10-year-old, with just that wee extra complexity from age. We totally adore the 10-year-old, and this 1999 as well, naturally.
SGP:362 - 91 points. |
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Springbank 30 yo 1994/2025 (44.8%, WhiskyLand, Decadent Drams, refill hogshead, 238 bottles)
With a label that’s thoroughly dreamlike and almost Chagall-esque. Colour: paler than the palest white wine. Nose: virtually pure mezcal, with metal polish, cactus oil (does that exist?) and a very curious old bottle effect for such a recent release, which takes us back once again to the palest of the old official bottlings, black labels and all that. Damp cardboard, tar oil, fresh plaster, and bandages, though all in moderation. Mouth: this really echoes the 1999, though it’s even more mineral and rooty, more austere, perhaps a touch less ‘for everyone’ (a feeble attempt, S.), but with some sublime citrus notes emerging, like in a very old bottle of limoncello found in a little trattoria in a tiny town somewhere in the Italian hills, far from the tourist hordes. You get the picture... Finish: lovely lemony length, full of breed and purity, despite this ‘old country lane half-tarred after the first rain in three months’ kind of thing. Why not, near that same little Italian town far from the tourist zones... Comments: I love this stuff, and also that touch of underripe mango right at the very end (of the end).
SGP:462 - 93 points. |
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Springbank 28 yo 1997/2025 (44.6%, Whisky Business, The Inventors, Alexander Graham Bell, hogshead, cask #332, 88 bottles)
Well now, it seems that good Mr Bell has already found himself on quite a few Scotch labels, starting with Glenfarclas and a fair few others. Colour: deep gold. Nose: here comes a slightly less fresh version, more marked by the cask, yet still carrying all the hallmarks of a proper old Springbank – the tension, the fatness, the sea, and all those faintly industrial notes we’re so fond of: machine oil, paraffin, carbon and so on. Over all that, some lemon honey or something of that ilk. Mouth: oh blast, it’s happened again, we’re still above the 90 line, this time with a brinier, almost vinegar-y profile (old balsamic) and truly heaps of shellfish, a little Tabasco, some oloroso notes (no idea if there’s any in there), juniper, oregano, pepper, tobacco, black olive... There’s almost a flavour jumble here, but we love it, it’s a proper labyrinth. You’ve just got to hang on tight... (we certainly are). Finish: long, fairly fatty, with notes of old sweet wine, a touch of retsina, then chestnut cream and cocoa. Comments: in truth, this Springbank is rather wild and perhaps not terribly crowd-pleasing. More for us…
SGP:463 - 91 points. |
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Springbank 30 yo 1994/2025 (45.5%, The Auld Alliance, 15th Anniversary, cask #91)
Some wicked tongues have accused me of already polishing off half a bottle of this baby, in an environment teeming with sharks and great barracudas. I mean that literally, not figuratively. Colour: white wine. Nose: rather different from the others, in that it starts with more precision, quite earthy and rather rooty, which suggests carrot, gentian, and even celery and parsnip – quite a beautiful ensemble, truth be told. The vegetables are soon joined by shoe polish, mandarin, damp chalk and even a little olive oil. Almost a literary profile, one might say, with something adorable, nearly refined. Mouth: more peppery, more lemony, more energetic, chalkier still, and extremely close to the distillate, just how we like them. The saltiness only grows, taking us once more in the direction of a distilled manzanilla (but who will dare make one someday?) It also becomes increasingly medicinal, always fresh, always taut as a bowstring, yet never aggressive. Finish: long, clean, vertical, with a lovely green pepper weaving its way in, right through to a very dry aftertaste, and very... manzanilla! Comments: one of the great whiskies of the year, probably in the same aromatic cluster as the 30-year-old from WhiskyLand, only a touch fatter. God, how we love these!
SGP:463 - 93 points. |
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Springbank 20 yo (53.5%, OB for SG60, Singapore 60th Anniversary, 2025)
One of the bottlings produced by Singapore’s top whisky bars to celebrate the country’s sixtieth anniversary. It seems to us that this particular choice is especially well judged... Colour: full gold. Nose: as is often the case, the owners go for casks that speak louder of the wood, though with Springbank, given the texture and personality of the distillate, it’s rather tricky to overdo things in that department. Even though there’s a touch of sulphur here, not unusual in OB Springbanks, then plenty of sage and tarragon, and even a whiff of truffle. With water: more truffle still, cooked leek, new plastic... Mouth (neat): fat, ample, citrusy, very peppery, fairly vinegary, with that tarragon coming further forward still. This is not one of your ‘quiet’ Springbanks. Old-school tar liqueur and a dab of hoisin sauce. With water: orange peel, pepper, cinchona and tar. Not one for the neighbours, that’s for sure. Finish: long, rather drying, vinegary, salty and very peppery. Comments: truly a Springbank for specialists, fairly extreme and not remotely ‘commercial’, which makes perfect sense given it was chosen by ‘top whisky bars’. I imagine they’ve got top clientele too...
SGP:363 - 90 points. |
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Springbank 20 yo (54.6%, Best Dram, Kirsch Import Awakening Series, Whisky Live Germany, 1st fill oloroso hogshead, 107 bottles, 2025)
We absolutely loved the first Whisky Live Germany this year, in Hamburg. Even the Deutsche Bahn currywurst wasn’t half bad, so just imagine the Springbanks... Colour: amber. Nose: same age as the recent Singaporean one, but this one’s far more easy-going on the nose, more classic, on orange zest, dates stuffed with marzipan, tobacco, pepper liqueur, even a touch of fudge... It may lose a little character, but it’s vastly more approachable, and frankly, one can’t complain. With water: same story, it folds in a little, but brings out some lovely tobacco. Mouth (neat): simple (for Springbank), immediate, on citrus sodas including Fanta, with a very pretty combination of pepper and cinchona. We do enjoy this kind of simplicity. With water: compact, in fact perfect, peppery, on dried fruits and citrus, with amusing notes of blueberry yoghurt. I swear. Finish: long, fairly rich, on tobacco and leather, then motor oil. Granted, one doesn’t sip motor oil every day, but this is Springbank. Comments: I was torn between 89 and 90, as it may not be an outright superstar like some others, but then I thought of the Deutsche Bahn currywurst.
SGP:452 - 90 points. |
Here, we could take a little detour via an older bottling… |
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Springbank 17 yo 1996/2013 (54.2%, Hunter Laing, Old & Rare, Platinum, sherry butt, 270 bottles)
I believe it was around this time that the two Laing brothers, Fred and Stewart, went their separate ways and divided up the business. The latter even declared on this very label that he had ‘approved with confidence’ this bottle, which is wonderfully reassuring. Isn’t it just? Colour: amber. Nose: it does smell like an old sherried OB from that era, with that slightly sulphury edge that characterised quite a few of those bottlings, bringing us almost into Jamaican rum territory, though without the aromatic depth. But as we all know, just a few drops of water can turn things around entirely, so let’s do that... With water: truffle and cabbage soup push their way through, such a classic combo in these official sherried Springbanks from these vintages. Mouth (neat): totally wild, on truffle, quinine, ginger tonic, pepper, black olive tapenade, anchovy, lemon, tar and burnt caramel. With water: nope. Finish: nope. Comments: these sulphury batches were, in my view, the equivalents of the Bowmore ‘FWP’ of the previous decade. A tale of casks and clashes, in my humble opinion.
SGP:462 - 78 points. |
Come on, let’s quickly forget the last one… |
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Springbank 27 yo 1997/2025 (50.3%, Milroy’s Vintage Reserve Black, 1st fill Port barrique, cask #931)
Blimey, another Milroy’s! They’re absolutely on fire at the moment and it’s a joy to see, especially given how much the French adore London. You might think that has nothing to do with whisky, but you’d be wrong – for us, anything happening across the Channel is all part of the same picture... Colour: amber. Nose: balance. That fine balance between walnut cake, dried fruits, figs, dried white mulberries, and on the other side, the maritime notes – salty, chalky, tarry, waxy, phenolic. In short, it’s all very classic. With water: earthy and balsamic. Mouth (neat): rather perfect, back to a racy Springer, very peppery, full of tobacco, lemon zest, earth, more tobacco (indeed, I’ve said it already), and this time even a little chilli. Wouldn’t mind dipping a prawn fritter or two into this... (just kidding). With water: it softens, but the pepper remains firmly in charge. Finish: long, with returning oranges, sour notes, and medicinal touches. Comments: I was thinking 88, then 89, but Christmas is coming.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
That’s the trouble with these “random” sessions, I’m afraid the 30-year-olds from WhiskyLand and Auld Alliance may have slightly killed the game. Let’s be honest, we should’ve saved them for the end of the session, despite their relatively “low” strength. Right then, one last Springbank for 2025… |
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Springbank 33 yo 1990/2024 (44.5%, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel, Singapore, 180 bottles)
No doubt about it, they’re firing on all twelve cylinders in Singapore. Colour: new-world chardonnay. Nose: we’re back to great gentleness, on beeswax, mango liqueur, triple sec, but also blond tobacco, apricot and mirabelle liqueur, and quince tarte tatin glazed with soft honey... It’s really very beautiful, though so far there aren’t huge doses of ‘Springbankness’. Little fun, little funk, no problems. Mouth: firmer, salty, peppery, and simply ‘Springbank’, entirely free from the torments of those sulphury sherry casks of yore (you know, from Sulphur & Co.), so civilised, yet still with a bit of bite. Are you following me? Quinine, white pepper, seawater, clove, bay, lemon, mussels and other shellfish, with just a whisper of chilli... Finish: surprisingly long, with only moderate signs of tiredness. The beautifully coastal and peppery aftertaste brings it back up a notch. Comments: a touch of fragility here and there, but thirty-three years, come on! Seriously, this is a magnificent bottle, one to sip while contemplating the state of the world and the rise of fascism more or less everywhere – including places one never expected. Surely a case of global cognitive decline, encouraged if not outright caused by social media and AI. Of course we're exaggerating, vastly.
SGP:462 - 91 points. |
Right, as for our challenge to find a Springbank scoring under 90 points, I regret to inform you that we’ve failed miserably — if we count the fact that we were allowed just one exception, essentially a joker (the HL). Which means, as a result, we’ll be converting this sorry website into zinfandelfun.com as of the first of January. We’ll take the opportunity to make a few functional and aesthetic changes, without renouncing those yellowish tones that are all the rage in D.C.
Well, we’re still thinking it over… |
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December 10, 2025 |
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Just a few more Clynelish, already in the Christmas spirit
Shall we say a trio—does that suit you? Now that we've got our hands on this year's Special Release again... |
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Clynelish 18 yo ‘Waxen Sun’ (51.6%, OB, Special Release 2025, refill casks)
They’ve included in this assemblage some distillates cut very early, therefore richer in lighter molecules (fruits, exotic fruits) and lower in heavier compounds, which tend to appear later in a run. So, a less Clynelish Clynelish, one might say… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: interesting that the focus here is on the distillate rather than the casks, that makes a change. That said, there’s a slight impression that the process has sent the spirit back in time, in other words made it feel younger. One can’t help but think of the effect of a third distillation, with something slightly Irish about it, or at the very least Lowlands-esque. It’s pretty, on white peach and green melon, but the Clynelish character hasn’t been entirely wiped out, thank goodness. With water: hints of damp chalk, sauvignon blanc, acacia honey… Mouth (neat): lovely, very fruity indeed, lemony, fresh, tight, brings to mind a similarly aged Rosebank. The waxy side is still there but extremely faint. With water: the sauvignon blanc returns, along with golden apple, a touch of honey, pink grapefruit—add some bubbles and you’re almost in champagne territory. Wax present, though rather ephemeral. Finish: not very long, but fresh and fruity, even more ‘Lowlands’. Increasingly clear notes of papaya. Comments: this is good and a genuinely interesting variation. Next time, we’d be curious to try the opposite approach, a wider foreshot and a lower cut, to bring out more body and heavier phenols. Worth digging into, but hey, not my business.
SGP:641 - 87 points. |
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Clynelish 24 yo 2001/2025 (51.8%, Milroy’s Vintage Highland Reserve, hogshead, cask #235, 164 bottles)
Don’t we already have a premonition? Colour: white wine. Nose: bang, church candles scented with orange. Hats off to the vicar! One is almost tempted to stop right there, on a purely spiritual note—and well, dash it, that’s exactly what we’ll do. With water: it calmly sends that rather lovely Special Release to meet its makers without so much as blinking. That’s brutal, and certainly not very church-sanctioned. Mouth (neat): perfect in every respect. White pepper, riesling, ashes, wax, citron, and a small oyster passing by for a maritime touch. With water: total clarity of line, straight from the Holy Spirit. Superb mix of citrus fruits, white pepper and waxes, utterly Clynelish. Finish: same. Comments: say your prayers…
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
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Clynelish 35 yo 1990/2025 (42.7%, Signatory Vintage, Symington’s Choice, bourbon barrel, cask #3476, 95 bottles)
Hard to see what could go wrong here, short of a Dreamliner crashing into WF Towers or a massive and sudden Rhine flood. Interesting strength, suggesting a maturation in a warehouse that must have been truly cold and damp. We've already tasted magical spirits that had dropped this low before. Colour: straw, very pale for its age. Nose: magical fruitiness, lavender honey, honeysuckle and acacia blossoms, perhaps even elderflower, gentle furniture polish, a rather restrained wax, multifloral pollen, a few hints of delicately minty custard, a touch of camphor, whiffs of balsa wood, and vanilla fudge… What more could the people want? One only hopes the palate won’t lack a little oomph… Mouth: all is well, it's remained lively and zesty like a dace, and even the wood spice, though more pronounced on the palate, knows how to behave. There are beeswaxes of various ages (both light and darker, thus more marked by honey and pollen), overripe apple, fairly evident salted butter caramel, then more beeriness, hops, and even—how curious—malt. Beautiful citrus, though it does tire just a wee bit right at the end, but that was to be expected… Finish: medium in length, miraculously fresh, this time with propolis and citrus peel, plus a tiny saline touch in the aftertaste. Slight hint of dry curry right at the very end, and it’s only there that it gently bows its head. Comments: approaching 91, though the very slight fragility in the finish of the finish brings it back to 90. A magnificent bottle in any case, though perhaps we ought to have tasted it before the truly superlative 2001.
SGP:661 - 90 points. |
No more Clynelish until next year. But the Broras? Not so sure, ha-ha... |
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December 9, 2025 |
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The Time Warp Sessions,today indie Aberlour, old vs recent
It's true that, for once, we're more used to official Aberlours than the rather rare independent ones. In any case, this time we'll have one of the seminal independent bottlings, followed by a much more recent version. |
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Aberlour-Glenlivet ‘As We Get It 100°Proof’ (57.3%, JG Thompson, Ian Macleod, Pure Malt, Cask Strength, +/-1990)
Frankly, the old-timers had a rather liberal way of converting 100° UK proof into G.L. degrees or % ABV, as we've already encountered ‘100° Proof’ at 56.9%, 57.0%, 57.1% and now, a fresh twist in this case, even at 57.3% Colour: white wine. Nose: fairly typical of this series, with not the faintest trace of sherry and rather brutal, all on freshly cut grass, small green apples and sour cherry juice, even some very artisanal kirsch. You can tell water will be essential, but that’s always been part of the charm of these ‘As We Get It’. With water: we’ve tamed this near-new-make a little, now bringing in some yellow fruits and a few biscuits. Prunes, apples and all that, then small touches of absinthe. Absinthe at 100° proof, of course. Mouth (neat): very brutal and bitter, on lemon peel, cologne, leather and turf. With water: there we go, almost civilised now, on lightly sweetened limoncello and apple-style quince eau-de-vie (less aromatic than the pear kind). The background remains rather bitter, nonetheless. Finish: fairly long and still quite austere. Lime. Comments: it hasn’t exactly rolled over, this wee Aberlour of the people, but that ultra-rural side is most charming.
SGP:371 - 81 points. |
It’s probably going to be an easy match for the next one... |
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Aberlour 10 yo 2014/2025 (58.9%, James Eadie, first fill European oak oloroso sherry finish, cask #378484, 362 bottles)
The sherry finishing lasted 14 months here. Colour: gold. Nose: an intriguing start that’s ever so slightly medicinal, then earthier, then more walnut-led, including green walnuts, along with pipe tobacco and a wee hint of new leather. With water: not much development. Mouth: a big, bold ensemble with a sherry that's delightfully bitter and peppery upfront, soon joined by maraschino and nocino. With water: the fruits come tumbling in, though without shaking off a certain bitterness. Naturally, one thinks of Seville oranges. Finish: long, still nicely bitter and peppery. The citrus stands out more in the aftertaste. Comments: this is serious stuff! It does give the impression that the underlying malt was a bit like the As We Get It and that the sherry finishing has done a proper job, though without completely smoothing out the rather rugged edge.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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December 8, 2025 |
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Another solera session, trying anything Scottish
The headline is a bit of a mess, I’ll readily admit… But in any case, today’s line-up might be a bit of a mess too. |
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Long John ‘Special Reserve’ (OB, blended Scotch, +/-1970)
Long John was a colossal brand in France back when, well, back when we were just beginning to taste (a somewhat inflated term) our very first whiskies. It went rather well with Coca-Cola at the time, but this round we shall try it neat, as though it were a 1972 Brora. Well, you get the drift… Colour: gold. Nose: light, gently roasted and toasty, not entirely innocuous, one wonders if there wasn’t a splash of Ben Nevis hidden in this humble assembly. Whiffs of shoe polish, damp cardboard and yellowing magazines. Mouth: here comes much more oomph, with broths, old citrus and herbal liqueurs, a touch of peat, something rooty, saline edges… And probably a smidgen of OBE. I wouldn’t dare claim I recall the old Long Johns as if it were yesterday, but if we hastened to drown them in Coca-Cola—then the very emblem of American cultural imperialism (what we’d now call soft power)—it wasn’t entirely without reason. Finish: rather long, with pleasing bitterness, brine, bouillon and a trace of mead. Comments: quite the surprise, shall we say, but then many blends from that era do tend to startle us these days. Long live OBE!
SGP:462 - 83 points. |
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Culzean Castle (40%, Prestonfield House for National Trust of Scotland, Scotch Whisky, +/-1990)
A tourist trinket (so, us) from the forerunners of Signatory. In short, Signatory. Note that there’s now a single malt named ‘Culzean Castle’ and that this earlier version gave no clue as to whether it was a blend or a malt. Colour: white wine. Nose: apples, pears, a touch of barley and something akin to Tennent’s lager (back then, there were bikini-clad ladies on the cans – guaranteed hit). All in all, a rather likeable nose. Mouth: seriously, this is good – fruity, malty, uncomplicated, but as they say, it did the job. No need to go charging after these at auction. Finish: not very long, slightly salty, but that’s probably the OBE doing its thing, the aftertaste is most pleasantly liquoricy. Comments: a nice surprise. The sort of wee bottle of whisky you’ve had gathering dust at the back of the shelf for decades, and when you finally dare to open it, well, it’s better than you feared. A rather elegant way to master spacetime (eh?)
SGP:452 - 79 points. |
 
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Blend 1980/2025 (47.1%, 275 bottles for the 'Year of the Horse' for WhiskyBusiness and 100 bottles exclusively for HM The King of Bhutan)
These old blends can harbour many wonders, all the more so when they’re intended for such royalty! We do in fact have, resting somewhere on the shelves of Château WF, a Bhutanese whisky from Gelephu that had been bottled for His Majesty’s coronation silver jubilee – we really ought to crack it open one of these days. Colour: amber. Nose: yes, this is very lovely indeed, on genuine pâtissier’s praline, with a wee touch of vegetal mastic and pistachio oil, some fine quality green tea, and a few hints of kirsch-laced marzipan—the sort of things to which resistance is utterly futile. Mouth: if this truly is a blend with any meaningful proportion of grain whisky, then I must be the official whisky advisor to both Putin and Trump. You see the odds… At any rate, it’s splendid, on chlorophyll, mastic and oranges, with a stylistic purity one seldom finds in malts of this age. One’s leaning towards ‘C.’ Finish: rather long, creamier and waxier, even more squarely in the style of ‘C.’ No grain whisky is truly detectable, but then you’ll tell me that’s precisely the function of grain whisky—not to be detectable, ever since ‘Islington’. Check the Web or any AI slop. Comments: that’s the charm of these slightly unlikely bottlings, to unveil unsuspected surprises (pleonasm alert, S.)
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Blended Scotch 24 yo 1999/2023 (44.1%, Hogshead Imports, refill sherry butt, 329 bottles)
It’s always the same conundrum when a blend or blended malt ticks every single malt box—vintage, single cask detail, and a bottle count straight from the single cask playbook: is it truly ‘blended’, and more to the point, could one demonstrate that fact to Her Majesty’s customs without breaking into a sweat? Let’s not dwell… Colour: bronze gold. Nose: nothing is impossible, and here we’re rather in apple juice territory, but laced with heather honey and dried figs, then a little nougat and a dollop of marzipan. Truth be told, it’s fairly tight and focused, although a certain lightness of touch might indeed whisper the presence of grain whisky in the mix. Or perhaps not. Mouth: very pleasant, rather fresh, on gentle ales, orange juice, honey and a splash of cider. This may not be Botticelli, granted, but it’s good. Finish: medium in length, turning more towards herbal infusions and delicate teas. Comments: perhaps not quite as thrilling as the hypothetical reunion of Led Zeppelin, but still a jolly good dram.
SGP:531 - 84 points. |
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James Eadie’s Trademark X ‘100° Proof’ (57.1%, James Eadie, blended Scotch, 1,800 bottles, 2025)
Colour: full gold. Nose: there’s a lovely toasted and lightly charred edge right from the off, with roasted hazelnuts and walnuts, a lean dry sherry character, and just a flicker of mint and wood smoke lurking about. With water: plenty of Earl Grey tea and a smattering of biscuits. Why not oatcakes? Some claim they’re scentless—nonsense, I say. Mouth (neat): punchy and emphatically malty, all on lemon zest and nutty notes, with a little honey and once again that discreet smoky strand. With water: faintly floral turns, even hints of those little lavender sweets, lending it a Provençal charm that rather captures a lingering summer. Finish: long, with those floral sweets growing more assertive. Poppy, lavender, violet… Comments: we found this very good indeed, thoroughly malty, and a far cry from the usual ‘blend’, if that phrase means anything at all. The only ‘fault’ being that we were quite expecting it to be.
SGP:552 - 86 points. |
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Maiden’s Blend 25 yo (44.5%, Vintage Bottlers, sherry, cask #8 2025)
A blend hailing from those illustrious Edrington stocks, apparently. Generally speaking, they’re excellent. Colour: pale amber. Nose: absolutely lovely, all honey and blossoms, with a heaped tablespoon of multifloral pollen and, most notably, notes of Sauternes from a rather grand château, even showing a touch of noble rot. Or toasted, if you prefer. There’s also a little vanilla chestnut purée in there. Adorable nose indeed! Mouth: oh yes, this is excellent, with an added earthy and rooty layer we’re always fond of. Not quite gentian, but nearly—somewhere between parsnip and gentian, shall we say. Finish: fairly long, with citrus creeping in alongside black teas sweetened with honey, plus a faint trace of toffee. Very, very good. Comments: oh yes indeed, very, very good.
SGP:641 - 89 points. |
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Something in The Water ‘Symbiosis’ (50.6%, Artist #15 by LMDW & Elixir Distillers, blended Islay malt, cask #2418120292, 282 bottles)
A striking mixed-media piece by Radhika Surana graces this bottle, which contains a blend of peated Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila, finished in a toasted new oak barrel. According to the ever-enthusiastic bottlers, this is something of a preview of things to come from Portintruan, Elixir’s new distillery rising in Port Ellen. Interesting indeed! Colour: gold/bronze. Nose: evokes the scent of a beechwood-smoked Williams pear, which one suspects is courtesy of the new oak. There’s also a faint flicker of cologne. It’s all very clean, fresh, vibrant and positively sparkling! With water: still distinctly ‘new’, or something along those lines—clearly neither Caol Ila nor Bunnahabhain as we know them. A wander through a tropical greenhouse, I’d say. Mouth (neat): rather unorthodox, offering plenty of green tea with a hint of celery, and a ‘green’ peat that leans towards eucalyptus and even the faint whiff of bidis. And yes, salt. With water: same impressions, though now edging closer to the maritime and saline character shared by the two distilleries on the Sound of Islay. Finish: medium in length, perhaps veering towards something like green lapsang souchong, say a Champasak from Laos. That smoked Williams pear returns right at the back. Comments: we’ll be keeping a sample and, ten years from the first spirit off the stills at Portintruan, well—let’s have a proper side-by-side. Deal? In any case, this is most unusual and very much to our taste.
SGP:564 - 87 points. |
It’s time to put an end to all this chaos. |
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December 7, 2025 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
A few rums from the French islands and quite some cognac
We’ve tasted some very good Seychellois rums in recent weeks, the Takamaka in particular, though it's not the only brand available. After the rather disappointing Vasco last time (WF 25), we still have an Endemic to try, and then we’ll attempt to add a few rums that have remained French (unlike the Seychellois, right) …
Christmas in the Islands (WF archive, 2025) |
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Endemic ‘Dark Original’ (43%, OB, Seychelles, +/-2025) 
It’s ‘craft’, but ouch, we’re only just realising that this baby is, in the brand’s own words, ‘Made with real cinnamon extract, pure vanilla extract, and a kiss of caramel’ So this is, in fact, a spiced rum, but never mind, we’ll taste it anyway… Worth noting that none of these ingredients is endemic to the Seychelles, unlike, say, the coco de mer. Colour: gold. Nose: quite a bit of cinnamon, as expected, on a rather light base. Turns out we do like cinnamon. Mouth: it’s almost a liqueur, though I must admit we find it rather nice, you’d just need to throw in quite a lot of ice to make it more drinkable. Nice cinnamon. Finish: long and a little more spirit-driven, still very much on the cinnamon, with a touch of pepper as well. Comments: well, this really isn’t bad at all, just don’t approach this spirit as if it were a proper sipping rum.
SGP:630 - 70 points. |
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Isautier 5 yo (40%, OB, La Réunion, blended rhum agricole and traditionnel, +/-2025)
Isautier has recently been releasing some cracking high-strength versions, so let’s see if this little half-agricole, half-traditionnel number can hold its own. Colour: pale gold. Nose: lovely notes of fresh sugarcane with a fair bit of herbaceousness, as well as hints of olive and almond milk. I rather like that. Mouth: very light funk—as the rum folks say—pleasant salinity, touches of pickled lupin, then bitter almond and a faint earthy side. Finish: fairly long, grassy, earthy, with a little olive that lingers on the aftertaste, alongside a faint suggestion of cologne. Comments: a rather dry expression, certainly not in the league of their recent cask strength monsters, but it’s got personality.
SGP:361 - 79 points. |
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La Favorite 2024 ‘Cuvée No.2’ (53.7%, Les Frères de la Côte, Martinique, agricole, 1,400 bottles, 2025)
This is a young amber rum aged first aboard a ship and then in France, in an ex-Monbazillac cask, that being a sweet wine from South-Western France, as you know. Colour: white wine. Nose: this works very well indeed, the aromatics are nicely balanced, the sugarcane is fairly vivid, with some lovely notes of hay brimming with flowers. Sultanas show up next, no doubt courtesy of the cask. With water: a few puffs of flint. Mouth (neat): very good, rather on tangerine, an unusual profile that could be the result of this rum-meets-Monbazillac combo. With water: the rum takes the upper hand, with salted earth, plenty of nutmeg and turmeric, while the tangerine turns to lemon. Finish: long, tighter, saltier, peppery, more lemony and even prettier. Comments: a very fine young rum, with a Monbazillac influence that works a treat, just as it did in a recent Ballechin, by the way.
SGP:462 - 86 points. |
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Bologne 7 yo 2014/2022 (54.9%, Velier, Flora Antillarum, Cuvée Luca Gargano, Guadeloupe, agricole, cognac cask, 1,000 bottles)
A bottle I somehow missed three years ago. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is rounded and toasty, with lots of pecans and roasted peanuts coated in caramel, in a style that feels rather Martiniquais. Dried figs, jasmine, toasted bread… With water: a touch of natural rubber, which is fairly typical, and a basaltic, near-volcanic edge. Mouth (neat): tighter on the palate, not exactly ultra-fresh, but bursting with zest and even a splash of triple sec, alongside all those roasted and caramelised nuts. With water: it turns more floral, with lavender and violet, plus an increasing presence of nutmeg and cinnamon. Finish: long, again quite caramelised, but the lavender, liquorice and salty touch remain very much in play. A black olive lingers in the aftertaste. Comments: really very good, and if it nosed a bit like a Martinican, it certainly tasted fully Guadeloupean. The cognac cask is incidental.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Savanna 20 yo 2005/2025 ‘Grand Arôme’ (57.5%, Planteray, La Réunion, for LMDW Itinéraires)
Matured for ten years on site, then another ten in France in a Ferrand cognac cask. Let’s not forget, grand arôme means high esters. Colour: deep gold. Nose: very much on fresh mastic, marzipan, orange peel, orgeat, jasmine and honeysuckle—it’s almost as gentle as a lamb at this point. With water: rubber boots and even more mastic, plus rich black potting soil, morels and truffles. All rather unusual and very lovely. Mouth (neat): powerful, with perhaps a few hints of vineyard peach from the cognac, but also a grating edge in the style of proper marc, along with salted dark chocolate and menthol tobacco. Quite spectacular, really. With water: in come notes of dry-cured ham—think Iberico—coffee beans, and a touch of school glue. The kind we used to eat as kids when the teacher wasn’t watching. Finish: long, still showing that pleasant sharpness. Dark chocolate. Comments: this Savanna feels like it came in a kit, which is fun. Fun and excellent.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Neisson 2021/2025 ‘Full Proof Cognac Cask’ (58.9%, OB, Martinique, LMDW Itinéraires, ex-cognac, agricole, 570 bottles)
600 litres of white rum went into this, and after 4 years, we’re down to just 400 litres. That gives a fair idea of the angels’ share, doesn’t it? The thing with Neisson is, you know from the outset that it’s going to be very good. Colour: pale gold. Nose: who came up with the daft idea of mixing coffee with olive oil, a hefty dose of engine oil, and a few drops of some rather peppery ladies’ perfume? It’s slightly locked in at cask strength. With water: doesn’t shift all that much—it’s quite an austere Neisson, contrary to what the mention of cognac might have suggested. Mouth (neat): very powerful, borderline violent, grassy, packed with lemon zest. Not sure you could actually sip this neat. Let’s do the sensible thing… With water: and there we are—cue the trumpets—this one opens up. Citron, geranium liqueur, service tree berries (as eau-de-vie), three drops of seawater, herbes de Provence, and quite a bit of lemongrass. Finish: increasingly characterful, tense, almost refreshing. The aftertaste turns nearly rooty. Comments: this Neisson makes you work if you really want to get to the bottom of it. But it’s well worth the effort! There’s even a quirky Caol Ila-like side to it—I swear.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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J.Bally 2010/2025 (53.8%, OB for WDC, Martinique, agricole, bourbon barrel, 192 bottles)
WDC, that’s the Wu Dram Clan, a power trio that sits somewhere between ZZ Top and Khruangbin when it comes to spirits. More or less… Colour: reddish amber. Nose: we know WDC are fond of their bourbons, so it’s no surprise to find classic bourbony notes straight away in this Bally—wood glue, varnish, dried meat and banana-vanilla cream. And it works. Then comes cigarette tobacco, menthol, and a mix of spruce and eucalyptus. With water: hardly any change, just a box of very dark little cigars joining the fray. Mouth (neat): very much on the ‘bourbon’ woodiness again—varnish, bitter chocolate, and resinous buds. There’s something extreme here, but it’s excellent. With water: same profile, though this time a few citrus notes sneak in, particularly bitter oranges. Finish: long, and oddly even more complex, on pine buds, essential oils, thyme, rosemary, and thin mints… Comments: an intense profile with a strong oak presence but perfectly done. In short, this baby has plenty to say (as does the WDC).
SGP:371 - 90 points. |
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J.Bally 2009/2025 (62%, OB, Martinique, agricole, for Kirsch Import Germany, Awakening Series, American oak, 192 bottles)
This could well be quite the duel… Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: very bold but rounder than the WDC, on orange zest and even peony, then back to those classic bourbon-like notes, especially wood glue. Surprising hints of raspberry eau-de-vie too. With water: resinous earth, cigars, thuja wood, vegetable broth… Certainly no boredom here. Mouth (neat): very powerful, very oaky, closer to the 2010 in that regard. Mint and salty liquorice. With water: more on black earth, maduro cigars, pine needles, herbal and mint sweets and, let’s just say it, a good splash of Jägermeister… Finish: long, wonderfully resinous, saline, veering even towards salted tar, or salmiak for that matter. Comments: let’s not try to pick a winner between these two Bally (Ballys? Ballies?), that would be unseemly, wouldn’t it. Two splendid beasts with plenty of action in your glass.
SGP:372 - 90 points. |
How about we finish with another Savanna? |
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Savanna 17 yo 2001 ‘Grand Arôme’ (51%, OB, La Réunion, The Very Rare Casks, Cellar 3, cask #537, 300 bottles, +/-2018)
Another version aged entirely on site in an ex-cognac cask. Colour: amber. Nose: I’ve rarely come across this much smoked ham, bresaola and Bündnerfleisch in a spirit. Loads of ashes, tar, charcoal, coal tar—you’d almost think it was a young Port Ellen aged in a rum cask. Seriously. With water: splendid, on cold firwood ashes in the hearth the morning after. Mouth (neat): seriously, this is like Port Ellen mixed with ultra-medicinal Laphroaig and Spanish olive oil, the latter actually taking the lead. Madness. With water: sublime grand arôme, both tight and salty, still driven by black and green olives. I think it’s extraordinary. Finish: sublimely dry, in the manner of a fine coastal fino. Comments: not really a surprise—and yet, it is a surprise. A formidable Savanna grand arôme, dry as a whiplash and almost philosophical. Six days of fermentation, no less!
SGP:373 - 92 points. |
Check the index of all rums we've tasted |
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December 6, 2025 |
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Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and
skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland
Raasay, Loch Lomond and Ledaig
Time to grapple with some more recent samples which have landed, with a few sparring partners which I am, unsurprisingly, very late indeed with. |
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Raasay 2018/2025 (60.4%, OB 'Draamers' Cask #3', 1st fill bourbon barrel) 
Unpeated spirit made with Champagne yeast. Colour: pale straw. Nose: you immediately feel that there is 'something' going on that's out of the ordinary. A charismatic profile full of rice wine, yellow fruits, putty, lime curd and pineapple, also some bready qualities and even a nice yeasty / waxy subtleness. With water: really on pineapple jellybeans, yellow flowers, malt extract and notes of warm draff and freshly baked white bread. Mouth: naturally sweet with lemon barley water, assorted citrus curds, some slightly dried out herbal notes, glazed pastries and heather flowers. There's still this lovely bready richness about it and some creeping coastal notes that add freshness. With water: thicker in texture now, getting more bready, yeasty and autolytic - to the point you wonder how much of that is coming from Champagne yeast? Also beerier and spicier now too, with an elevated coastal side that starts to really become salty and sharply citric. Finish: quite long, back on breads, seaweed crackers, chalky mineral notes, limestone and caraway. Comments: unusual, complex and excellent whisky that shows a superb coastal side without any peat. Challenging at times as it sort of demands that you pay attention, but it's really characterful and actually rather powerful as well. You are left with the feeling that it might have shown better with a few degrees reduction at bottling, but also that this is distinctive and impressive spirit.
SGP: 461 - 87 points. |
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Raasay 2019/2023 Distillery Exclusive (52%, OB, 1st fill American oak ex-Manzanilla sherry hogsheads, 2500 bottles)
This one should be peated. It was bottled to mark their award for tourism destination of the year 2022, if you've ever been to Raasay, it's easy to see why they nabbed that particular gong. Colour: pale gold. Nose: a creamy fusion of peat and American oak coconutty notes. Also seawater, gherkins, gentian root and touches of malt vinegar and squid ink. Walks a perfect tightrope between cask influence and some pretty impeccable distillate credentials. With water: develops a very slightly farmy and more earthy profile, going inland, so to speak... More towards wood smoke and black olive now. Mouth: it's the peat and the coastal power that come through loud and clear now, the wood takes a back seat and it's all things salty: salted liquorice, wet kelp, seaweed crackers, pickling brine and anchovy paste. Superb umami qualities about the whole thing, and it really does make you think of Manzanilla! Where is the nearest plate of Iberico ham...! With water: high definition, bone dry peat smoke, whelks, beach pebbles, kiln smoke and tar. Finish: long, with a deeper, more rugged smokiness emerging, more densely peaty and still extremely salty. Comments: youthful and vigorous, but this is already extremely excellent. Apart from a wee flourish of coconut up front, you really do get lashings of Manzanilla character from this wee baby. A superb dram to spend time with in your copita, as opposed to your tumbler.
SGP: 366 - 87 points. |
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Inchmurrin 11yo 2011/2022 (58%, Dram Mor, cask #2996, refill barrel, 225 bottles) 
Colour: bright straw. Nose: they say Inchmurrin was created as a clone of Littlemill for blending purposes, I'm not too sure if that's true or not, but I cannot escape that thought every time I nose a modern Inchmurrin, there is an inescapable sibling fruitiness with some older Littlemills that I find very funny and extremely excellent at the same time. This one is really on those sorts of general all-purpose exotic fruit salad juice vibes, add to that some crushed nettles, notes of old Irish whiskey and hints of metal polish and gorse flower. With water: limeade, exotic fruit teas, tiger balm and a few floral, pollen notes. Mouth: same excellent fruit juice vibes. Only here it's a bit greener, a bit sharper, more tart with sharp gooseberry, nettle, star fruit, lime and cider apple notes. With water: a little firmer, spicier and more peppery and warming. Still superbly fruity but brining in some oranges and bergamot now. Finish: long and very citric, full of lemons, limes and oranges of all shades. Comments: I find these Inchmurrins irresistible, I wish I had the current official 12yo here for a head-to-head as it's one of the very best OBs on the market just now in my view. This one was absolutely excellent!
SPG: 651 - 88 points. |
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Inchfad 5 yo 2017/2022 (58.2%, Watt Whisky, refill hogshead, 300 bottles) 
Inchfad usually means heavily peated in my experience. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: yeast, bread, pale ale and pure lemon juice! Then the whole thing gradually evolves towards rock pools, chalk, seawater and beach sand - becoming hyper coastal and precise. With water: lemon juice drizzled through sheep wool, smoked mussels, antiseptic and tar. Mouth: grizzly young peaty malt whisky! Really all about gherkins, brine, some tarry notes, some kind of smoked yeast starter, really going towards peated grist, wash and draff: we're in the belly of a working distillery! With water: gathers a certain oiliness, makes you think of motor oil and toolboxes, but really it's still dominated by raw peat and wood smoke, seawater, tar and pickling vinegar. Finish: long and very ashy, briny and smoky, plenty more wood smoke and lemon juice. Comments: for anyone who likes young, no nonsense peat monsters, this will float your fancy and tickle your boat. I find it actually very nostalgic, it makes me think of tasting Ardbeg Very Young when it first came out (remember those days?).
SGP: 367 - 83 points. |
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Croftengea 18 yo 2007/2025 (52.1%, The McSandforthe Whiskyclub and Billy's Whisky Barrel, ex-rum barrel)
I'm always sceptical / nervous about rum casks near whisky, but a full-term maturation is another matter, not to mention the fact that Croftengea is another of Loch Lomond's peated makes... Colour: gold. Nose: no excessive rum (phew), rather more on soft briny notes, pink grapefruit, smoked olive oil and hints of seawater and miso. It's all rather elegant and sophisticated in fact. With water: beach sand, green peppercorns in brine, capers, cornichons and all things green and salty! Well, maybe not all things... Mouth: soft and slightly sweet peat smoke, with smoked tropical fruits, seawater, olive oil, again those elegant briny notes, some green olive, preserved lemon and notes of heather smoke and smoked ales. I'm sure the rum is doing some clever, invisible work in the background, but it remains reassuringly seamless. With water: really great now, an alignment of grapefruit, lemon, soft peat smoke, hints of tarred rope and smoked fennel seed. Finish: long, on waxes, camphor, pine wood resins, tar and gentle, peppery peat. Comments: don't let any mentions of rum casks deceive you, it's another excellent Croftengea, very nice selection. Why are we not all more interested in Loch Lomond Distillery?
SGP: 465 - 87 points. |
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Some Ledaigs now, but due to the complications of peat levels and ascending cask strengths, we'll start old and go forwards in time. |
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Ledaig 28 yo 1993/2021 (54.1%, Gordon & MacPhail 'Connoisseur's Choice', cask #703, refill sherry butt, 517 bottles)
Colour: light amber. Nose: leafy, slightly salty, and earthy mature sherry cask profile. That's the funny thing about Ledaig, pre-1995 it seemed to be the wilderness years for peat! This one continues with some earthy black teas, Maggi, lovage and lightly cured game meats. With water: some bitter marmalade, prune, fig and sultana, all very classical and pleasing. Mouth: very drying on arrival, really on tobacco, coffee, bitter chocolate, mole sauce, old leather and bouillon. Eating a whole dried roast pheasant with no gravy! With water: a more mellow profile emerges, back towards those sultanas, prunes and impressions of old Fins Bois cognac. Still quite a lot of dark chocolate with sea salt and freshly brewed black coffee. Finish: long, umami, leathery, salty, slightly gamey and rather rugged and rustic, going towards old Baco Armagnac. Comments: Excellent, as expected, but perhaps a little on the chewy and dry side for me.
SGP: 461 - 87 points. |
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Ledaig 17 yo 2006/2023 'Autumn' (55.4%, The Whisky Exchange 'Seasons', sherry butt)
Colour: deep orangey gold. Nose: tar and charcoal! We're smack bang in textbook, modern Ledaig territory with big notes of black olive tapenade, roof pitch, camphor and BBQ sauce. With water: a tiny gingery note, some salted almonds from the sherry influence and some sort of smoked miso broth! Mouth: just simply very big and powerful whisky. Smouldering fir woods full of resins, pure tar, old rope, hessian bung cloth, anchovy paste, smoked chilli and a feeling of kerosine. With water: pure kiln smoke, seawater, tar, pine wood and salty liquorice. Finish: long, very drying, salty, umami and smoky. Comments: these are very good, very big whiskies, but I find them a bit tough to be honest. You really have to be in the mood. Not unlike Jazz, arguably.
SGP: 367 - 84 points. |
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Ledaig 19 yo 2005/2025 (65.5%, Scout Drinks, cask # 900002, butt, 170 bottles)
A brand-new series from our friend KC Fan. Colour: gold. Nose: much more streamline and concentrated, was this one of those casks where the maturation delivered a tiny outturn naturally? The ABV and profile of this nose would suggest so. Crystalline peat, wood ashes, brine, varnish and pure pine tar, like nosing a tarred fence post! Then camphor, fir buds, hardwood resins and smoked teas. With water: peat embers in a kiln, malt vinegar cut with pickling brine, a dirty martini full of green olive juices and enough bitumen to resurface Leith Walk. Amazingly dense and intense whisky where you really feel it has undergone some unusually concentrative maturation. Mouth: rather terrifying at cask strength, even though you feel the power and purity of the dram, the simmering heat of the alcohol does call for H2O... with water: tiger balm, miso paste, old tar liqueur, herbal cough syrups and fir woods once again. More breadth and complexity with water, but still immense and potent whisky. Going off in various simultaneous directions: camphor and farmyard; seashore and minerals; peat and smoke of various shades. Finish: long, very peaty, smouldering, ashy, some mineral salts, lots of black and green olives and various umami / savoury stocks, broths and infusions. Comments: I find these whiskies extremely hard to score, probably due to the fact that they are themselves extreme! Quite an amazing drinking experience, but very salty, very potent and something that you have to be armed with a whole bandolier of pipettes to do battle with.
SGP: 367 - 88 points. |
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December 5, 2025 |
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WF's Little Duos, today classic Glen Moray OB vs wild IB |
Generally, it's the other way round, the official bottlings tend to be much more ‘creative’ when it comes to wine and wood finishes. But I must admit, lately some independent bottlers (not all) seem keen to catch up by using casks that don’t always make a lot of sense. |
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Glen Moray 15 yo (40%, OB, Bourbon & Sherry cask, +/-2025)
We had tried an earlier version, with a different livery, some eight years ago, it wasn’t bad at all (WF 81). We had found it very honest for the price… Colour: gold. Nose: fresh, cheerful, malty, marked by orange zest, honey and a lovely little duet of aniseed and mint. I find it very expressive for a Glen Moray. Mouth: well, this is very good, rather indulgent, I believe it’s a clear improvement, there’s quite a lot going on and even the 40% vol. aren’t too frustrating. We find the honey and oranges again, biscuits, blueberry muffins, orange cake with grated zest, then a few caramelised nuts, perhaps from the sherry. Finish: long, still joyful and fresh, here are the honey, the oranges and the faintest hint of tobacco. Malty aftertaste. Comments: very good, and the prices remain extremely reasonable.
SGP:641 - 84 points. |
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Glen Moray 18 yo 2007/2025 (57.2%, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Odyssey, Muscat finish, 186 bottles)
After the official tequila-finished version, which wasn’t bad at all a month ago, here comes the muscat, king of the ultra-aromatic grape varieties and sometimes a little… well, you know, insistent… There’s a ruder word for that sort of thing but let’s refrain. And of course there are excellent muscats as well. Colour: rosé gold. Nose: not that far off, but it does veer more clearly, with rose petals and a very prominent blood orange, raspberry liqueur that seems to appear from nowhere, then cloves and cumin elbowing their way in. In any case, it’s fun. With water: things settle down a bit, one finds little honey and walnut cakes. Mouth (neat): very sweet, almost liqueur-like. Still rose, fig, cranberry, raspberry and raisins. Corinthian or otherwise. With water: not much change, though apricot liqueur does make an appearance. Finish: fairly long, jammy, still rather liqueur-like. Comments: given the choice, we would have liked to know which kind of muscat this was, there are many varieties and even more regions producing it. Overall, I find this really good, though I still preferred the charming official, which was less extravagant.
SGP:741 - 82 points. |
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December 4, 2025 |
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The World Sessions,
today a new short selection of whiskies from the rest of the world... |
… As the Scots used to say. We’ll start in France as usual, then head to Finland, China, Slovenia, England, Norway, Denmark and India. Does that suit you?
By the way, one of these whiskies—whichever it may be—will be the twenty-two-thousandth I’ve tasted since the launch of this rather unlikely little website… Yet it’s proven resilient, which surprises even me. Cheers, thanks for you support and constant kind words. Oh and once again, my apologies for the yellow background ;-). |
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Tchankat ‘Fumé’ (43%, OB, France, +/-2025)
Whisky from Gascony with a majority of maize (80%) alongside rye (10%) and barley (10%), produced by the renowned Armagnac house Samalens. The peat smoke is introduced into the whisky via a micro-bubbling process applied during maturation, which is rather intriguing. The casks are recharred ex-Gruaud Larose. The unpeated Tchankats we've already tasted were truly good (WF 82-83) Colour: apricot. Nose: not particularly peaty, we’re rather greeted by fallen vineyard peaches, a touch of Earl Grey, a few drops of cough syrup and hints of sour cherry. Quite pretty, in fact. Mouth: the smoke is more apparent now, though we’re leaning more towards firwood smoke than traditional peat. There’s a certain astringency, a bit of bell pepper mingling with cherries (the Bordeaux influence?) and a faint note of tomato leaf with a whisper of sea salt. Finish: rather long, drier, even more on tomato leaf with a smattering of ashes. Comments: it’s fun and even good, but I believe I preferred the classic Tchankats.
SGP:463 - 79 points. |
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Kyrö ‘Sauna Stories N°2’ (51%, OB, Finland, 2025)
This is malted rye, matured in bourbon and finished in apricot brandy casks ‘in the embrace of a sauna’. Or so I’ve understood. Needless to say, we’re already smiling… Colour: deep gold. Nose: Nordic crackers, oatcakes, rye bread, peanut butter, faint touches of fromage blanc. In short, this baby seems perfect for breakfast, the apricot remains discreet for the time being though I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s been overshadowed by the rye, as their aromas can indeed be rather similar (yes, really). With water: drier, more herbal and more vanilled. Hints of bitter almonds. Mouth (neat): much more marked by the brandy this time, very spicy, very peppery, very bready. That suits us well. With water: this is where it really shines, on gingerbread, rye bread, and indeed apricot, in the style of Jean-Marc Roulot’s excellent liqueur from Burgundy. Finish: long, very well balanced despite a slightly whacky streak. A miracle? Comments: I presume the apricots had been pitted, as their stones are laden with prussic acid. We didn’t detect any sauna notes, ha, but we loved the whole package.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Kwun Cheung 5 yo ‘Peated’ (56.8%, OB, China, single malt, 2025)
A malt from Guangzhou Shunchangyuan Wine & Spirit Ltd. in Canton, matured in Changbai Mountains Mongolian oak. We’ve heard a lot of good things about this new Chinese malt, but it’s a first for us. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s very ‘craft’ and wouldn’t look out of place among the best from Europe or the American West, it’s rich yet taut, on blood oranges, zest, gingerbread, pumpernickel and resinous smoke, plus quite a bit of cracked pepper. Feels like water might open it up further. With water: the mizunara comes out more (spruce, balsa, eucalyptus) along with notes of nougat with orange zest and a slight fermentary touch. It likes water. Mouth (neat): powerful, slightly resinous, peppery, marked by bitter oranges. Feels even more like it needs water. With water: now it plays in the same league as the excellent Kyrö, despite a touch of drying oak, nicely counterbalanced by zest and mint. Great cask work. Finish: long, sharper, peppery, but with a return of Seville orange towards the end. Ash and smoke rule the aftertaste. Comments: this really is very ‘craft’ and very good. Our Chinese friends consume 97% baijiu among their spirits but this sort of malt, quite compatible with Chinese Pride, could shift things a little. Bravo!
SGP:463 - 87 points. |
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Broken Bones ‘Twis’ (46%, OB, Slovenia, 2025)
We’ve already tasted a fair few Broken Bones (well, five) and we rather liked them. Colour: pale gold. Nose: mildly spicy oak, then vanilla, Golden Grahams, underripe banana, apples and oatcakes. At any rate, we’re close to nature here. Mouth: more distinctive on the palate, on candied citrus, lemon, caramelised pear and slightly peppered honey. Finish: long, a little more peppery and a little more honeyed at the same time. A faintly woody aftertaste (spruce). Comments: lovely. They also make superb honey in Slovenia with their famous Carniolan honeybees.
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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London Distillery Company ‘Renascence’ (58%, OB, England, refill barrels and 1st fill sherry, 410 bottles, 2025)
Made from Plumage Archer barley and brewer’s yeast. Colour: straw. Nose: very well mannered, like all Londoners (isn’t it?) and full of nougat and custard, with just a few touches of yellow plums and toasted hazelnuts. With water: more or less the same profile, with just a few puffs of fresh tea (silver needle). Mouth (neat): very good, on citrus zest, white pepper and very fresh country bread. Lovely liveliness despite a creamy texture. With water: as on the nose, water doesn’t change much, though the oak comes through a little more, with more white pepper. But we still find it excellent. Finish: medium length, on fresh bread, fresh oak, white pepper and fresh plums. Zest in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to complain about, it’s very well made, quite fresh while still nicely textured. One could easily have a few glasses without blinking…
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Thy 4 yo 2020/2024 ‘Limited Edition’ (51%, OB, Denmark, oloroso, casks #470-471, 213 bottles)
Odyssey barley smoked over beechwood. Oh, and it’s organic. I think we’re organic too. Colour: full gold. Nose: bingo. Fresh rubber, eucalyptus, new wellingtons, and a stroll through a tweed shop in Scotland. All of that suits us just fine. With water: fern and brand-new trainers. Mouth (neat): very good, this is exactly what one expects from a young distillery trying to stand out. Burnt spruce, rubber, almond milk, charcoal and green pepper. On paper it sounds odd, but in the glass it works a treat. With water: yes, spot on, very nicely rubbery and resinous. I know it may sound deviant, but it really isn’t. Finish: long, on the same profile, with even a touch of salt in the aftertaste. Comments: we didn’t quite catch the beechwood, but that’s probably on us. In any case, this is excellent, despite the marked oakiness.
SGP:363 - 86 points. |
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Myken 10 yo ‘First 10 Years’ (47%, OB, Norway, 1st fill bourbon, 565 bottles, 2025)
A bottle that perhaps looks a little, ahem, HP… We’re talking about the design, of course, and we don’t really care about the design, do we. Colour: white wine. Nose: delicate, precise, close to barley, beer, yeast and lemon zest. It’s very restrained, austere, and ultimately just right. Mouth: amusingly, it opens on notes of lemony anise, or anisey lemon, and remains narrow, controlled, close to the raw materials, with no embellishment save for a little cask pepper. All in all, it’s almost abstract, which is precisely where its charm lies. Finish: precise, slightly more candied. Candied lemon, ginseng, fresh turmeric. Comments: there’s a faintly intellectual side here, let’s be honest. Are the Myken folk a bit bookish? In any case, this is excellent. Happy 10 years, Myken!
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
Right then, we'll finish with something completely different, straight from the stock... |
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Amrut ‘Lightly Peated’ (60%, OB, India, for LMDW Singapore, 15th Anniversary, ex-bourbon, +/-2022)
Colour: full gold. Nose: like almost all Amruts, the nose is wonderfully attractive, even seductive, marked by mango, with peat that is, indeed, very ‘light’, and wee whiffs of hot tar presumably coming from that gentle peat. With water: freshly watered potting soil and mint tea. Mouth (neat): let’s just say it, orange, camphor and rubber all at once sounds wildly off-key, yet it’s absolutely beautiful. With water: this is almost a little hilarious, now showing that hospital-side character, with bandages, ointments, massage balms… and mangoes served to the patients. Finish: long, amusing, herbal and tropical, rubbery and tarry. Comments: in short, it’s a bit unlikely, but it’s stimulating. In any case, we’re big Amrutophiles, peat or no peat, light or not.
SGP:564 - 86 points. |
Hold on tight, we’re going to have hundreds of world whiskies in the coming weeks. I’m not exaggerating. |
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December 3, 2025 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Daftmill
Everyone who’s tried Daftmill loves them, simple as that. So, you’re going to tell me it was high time we tasted the summer 2025 edition… |
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Daftmill 2012/2025 ‘Summer Batch Release’ (46%, OB, first fill bourbon, 5,250 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: the texture feels oily even on the nose, then it dives straight into the citrus—mainly mandarins and pink grapefruit. Not a whole lot else going on, but unless you belong to the 0.001% of mankind who dislike citrus, you’ll find this just about perfect. After a minute or two, tiny hints of fennel seeds and caraway sneak in, adding even more zestiness to this impeccably clean-line malt. Mouth: ultra-coherent, spot-on at 46%, rather incisive while textured, leaning more towards lemon and grapefruit than mandarins. A touch of honeyed vanilla rounds it off a little, no doubt the influence of the first fill bourbon, but it remains fresh and lifted, and rather less bready/yeasty than some previous editions. Finish: good length, still all on citrus, wee oranges (and the big ones too), with just a flicker of coriander appearing in the aftertaste. Comments: really very good, but that was to be expected.
SGP:661 - 88 points. |
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Daftmill 2011/2025 (58.9%, OB, LMDW Itinéraires, oloroso sherry cask, cask #101/2011, 300 bottles)
It’s always a fine sign for a young label or a relatively recent distillery when La Maison Du Whisky adds it to their annual catalogue. You’ll tell me they’d already done so back in 2020, so we’re late to the party once again. Colour: deep gold. Nose: indeed, the sherry somewhat mutes the ultra-citrusy profile of the previous one, but in exchange we’re treated to splendid notes of peanut butter, before the oranges begin to mingle in. I’ll add that we’re very fond of peanut butter. With water: orange blossom and wee cumin notes rise to the surface. Mouth (neat): there’s a bit of a gin-like or rye-ish kick at this high strength, which is rather amusing and surprising, but I’m sure a few drops of water will sort that right out. With water: indeed, and pink pepper joins the blood orange parade. You could say this was a very well-mannered oloroso, almost distinguished. Finish: long, a tad more peppery still, with less fruity exuberance. Comments: there seems to have been a bit of an internal tussle between distillate and cask, but a lasting peace appears to have been signed in the end. We should be sending bottles to the world’s dictators (provided there’s enough left for our own personal enjoyment).
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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November 2025 |
Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Ardbeg 25 yo 2000/2025 ‘Something in the Water’ (55.4%, Artist #15 by La Maison du Whisky, oloroso sherry butt, cask #1100000016, 224 bottles) - WF 93
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Ardbeg 15 yo (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy, 75cl, +/-1980) - WF 95
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Clynelish 9 yo 2015/2025 (53.5%, Adelphi, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #51261, 215 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
François Voyer ‘La Gardienne Lot 19.14’ (44.9%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 2025) - WF 93
Serge's thumbs up this month:
Candlekitty 15 yo 2010/2025 (55%, Decadent Drams, Decadent Drinks, refill barrel, 254 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Vasco Rum ‘Gold’ (40%, OB, ‘premium blended rum’, Seychelles, +/-2025) - WF 25 |
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December 2, 2025 |
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The World Sessions,
today Whiskies from France to the Southern Hemisphere |
As usual, we’re kicking off this little journey around the world (or almost) from France.
(La Buse's flag, 18th Century) |
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Bows 2021/2025 (45.5%, Version Française by La Maison du Whisky, French oak cask, cask #B106, 206 bottles)
A distillery based in the Aude region offering here a blend of 80% maize and 20% malted barley. Even though there’s no rye whatsoever, we ought to be edging rather close to a bourbon… Colour: dark amber. Nose: heavily varnished and nicely acetic to start with, showing firm notes of balsamic vinegar, then roasted peanuts, dark nougat and wee touches of baked aubergine. Everything holds together marvellously on the nose. Basaltic impressions. Mouth: a little fruitier, a little more resinous too, yet that roasted peanut comes further to the fore, backed up by liquorice, more of that balsamic tang and even a slightly acidic espresso note. Finish: fairly long, considerably drier, quite peppery, leaning much more towards coffee, extra-dark chocolate and green walnut liqueur. The aftertaste is delightfully bitter. Comments: forgive me, but we’re rather closer to one of those new American ‘craft’ malts than to any classic bourbon. The whole thing works like a musical score, especially if, like me, you’re fond of bitterness.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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Northmaen ‘Cuvée 1110’ (48%, OB, France, batch 1/2021, 1,000 bottles)
A vatting put together by our friend Grégoire ‘Greg’ Sarafian. Northmaen is a small brewery in Normandy. This single malt was matured in both oak and acacia. Colour: gold. Nose: unusual but rather lovely, perhaps it’s the acacia wood speaking, faintly reminiscent of certain Westland bottlings from much further west. Wee hints of Marmite, fir needles, a mint-and-eucalyptus combo, spruce, preserved lemon and, increasingly, semillon and citron. Very attractive nose—if the palate’s up to par, we might be dealing with a wee prize-winner here. Mouth: starts off most charmingly, slightly medicinal (toothpaste) but with pink pepper, citrus fruits, then once again that mintiness mixed with white wine and a splash of fir bud liqueur. One might have wished for just a few more volts. Finish: fairly long, consistent, slightly more marked by the wood—likely the acacia—but everything remains crisp and fresh. Comments: it stood its ground brilliantly after the excellent Bows, offering a fresher, brighter profile. Vive la France! (come on, S.)
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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La Roja ‘Silencio N°1’ (56.4%, OB, Switzerland, +/-2025)
A roughly 3-year-old Swiss single malt drawn from a single cask and a single field. The distillery is located in the canton of Vaud. Colour: white wine. Nose: this is very close to the barley, to the field, to the earth, with chalky soil and touches of limestone, then green apple gradually shifting towards lemon. No need to tell you we’re fond of this sort of very natural development. What’s more, it’s an organic whisky. With water: plenty of damp soil, which we’re always partial to. This baby brings to mind some of those Nordic malts. Mouth (neat): very good, with apple and pepper forming a rather unexpected and punchy duo. Subtle honeyed notes. With water: excellent again, along similar lines but now also showing sweet roots. Finish: nicely long, with a slightly oilier texture. Barley syrup and hints of fresh turmeric. Comments: very good indeed, though one does wonder why they called it ‘Silencio’, as it seems anything but silent to us.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
Come on—let’s switch hemispheres… |
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Old Sey Wisky 10 yo ‘The Family Reserve’ (43%, OB, La Buse, Seychelles, +/-2025)
The sort of whisky – though they write wisky on the label, which is intriguing, let’s admit it, perhaps it’s Creole? – that one enjoys discovering and tasting, a bit like those legendary curiosities such as Ankara in Turkey, Old Havana in Cuba, or countless others from across the globe. In any case, I rather doubt the government of the Seychelles has formally regulated a ‘Whisky of the Seychelles’ category, so one might expect anything, including grain alcohol sourced from places like India, along with the addition of more local spirits, rum included. Still, the label does state clearly ‘Distilled, blended and bottled in Seychelles’. Come on then, let’s be brave, it’s for our noble cause… Incidentally, this Old Sey is offered by a firm called La Buse, and La Buse, aka Olivier Levasseur, was a very famous French pirate in the Indian Ocean during the 18th century. That might explain quite a few things… Let’s have a go? Colour: gold. Nose: this is far from your usual whisky, more like a kind of pine or resinous liqueur, with a dash of aniseed and some very prominent cinnamon. If that is indeed cinnamon, all the better – there are plenty of cinnamon trees in the Seychelles. Mouth: very sweet and even more marked by the cinnamon, with touches of Underberg or other very herbal… and sugary… drinks. Finish: medium in length, slightly more earthy, which again pulls it even closer to cinnamon. Comments: a sort of liquid cinnamon drop, not entirely unpleasant in itself, but it has absolutely nothing to do with whisky. Perhaps in Seychellois Creole, ‘wisky’ simply doesn’t mean ‘whisky’.
SGP:660 - 50 points. |
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Thomson ‘Manuka Wood Smoke’ (46%, OB, New Zealand, +/-2025)
It’s true we’re far more accustomed to manuka honey than to malt whisky smoked with manuka wood. Generally speaking, it leans rather towards eucalyptus, but let’s see what gives, shall we… Colour: gold. Nose: fairly odd, briny gherkin juice and burnt rubber, a bit like a gang of Hell’s Angels doing burnouts on their old shovelheads. The strange thing is—it’s not unpleasant in the slightest. Lovely notes of pickled samphire, tiny onions and lemons. Mouth: really quite strange, salty, again with heavy burnt rubber, green pepper, fir ash and something akin to certain types of shochu. Still, we rather enjoy all this quirky business. Finish: same story. That ‘burnt tyre impression’ lingers right through to the end of the aftertaste. Pencil shavings too. Comments: bags of fun, even if it’s about as far from whisky orthodoxy as you can get.
SGP:373 - 84 points. |
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The Gospel Straight Rye Whisky (45%, OB, Australia, +/-2024)
We’re in Melbourne, Australia this time, and this is 100% rye. Colour: amber. Nose: this is a soft and well-mannered rye, as all Australians tend to be, don’t they. Lovely notes of lightly buttered rye bread with one’s pinkie raised (why not), then speculoos, pumpernickel, pinecones and a touch of geranium. It’s not complicated, but it’s very precise and utterly charming—provided you like rye, of course. I do. Mouth: fruitier now, on ripe strawberries with black pepper, orange zest, gingerbread and faint hints of lavender pastilles. Still just as charming, with the oak feeling less prominent than in most US or even EU ryes, or so it seems. Finish: medium length, more on herbal sweets—somewhere between Fisherman’s Friend and Ricola. Comments: to be honest, I like this a lot. It’s fresh and rather singular.
SGP:561 - 85 points. |
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Sullivan’s Cove 25 yo 1999/2025 (47.8%, OB, Australia, American Oak second fill, cask #HH0010)
A celebratory bottling straight from Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. We’d tasted some excellent 2000-vintage Sullivan’s Coves back in the day (WF 85–87), but that was over a decade ago. I don’t believe I’ve ever tried a 1999 before, mind you. Colour: gold. Nose: highly unusual, starting on Alba white truffle (€4K a kilo!), game birds and exhaust fumes, then the citrus begins to shine through and everything settles beautifully, shifting towards pink grapefruit and fresh mango, with just a few whiffs of camphor and a trace of mild curry. It’s not often you get a nose evolving this much in, what, thirty seconds flat? Mouth: citrus and spice locked in a near-endless brawl before collapsing into each other’s arms. Cinnamon, nutmeg, grapefruit, oregano, kumquats, grey pepper, paprika, Seville oranges… Finish: and it just keeps going… A hint of ashes, raw cocoa and stout in the aftertaste. Comments: I love it. This little gem also reminds us how much time truly remains an essential ingredient in great whisky. Cheers Sullivan’s Cove! And long live the truffle…
SGP:562 - 89 points. |
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Sullivan’s Cove 25 yo 1999/2025 (47.6%, OB, Australia, American Oak ex-bourbon, cask #HH0056)
We were expecting a touch more impact from the American oak… Colour: pale gold. Nose: well then, once again we stand corrected. Yes, it’s a little rounder, a little more honeyed, more polished, but also fruitier, on mangoes, mirabelles, quinces, and nicely overripe bananas… The truffle and exhaust fumes have all but vanished (just to be clear, we’re terribly fond of exhaust fumes in our whisky). In truth, this baby’s far more classical, and without doubt considerably less of a ‘bad boy’ than its sibling. Mouth: indeed, more classic, still spicy but also showing a comforting fruitiness, full of zest, tropical fruits and tiny salted preserved lemons, very much in the Italian style. Pepper and rather pronounced notes of hops round off the composition. Finish: long, with an unexpected return of the faintly ‘foxy’ notes we found in the previous one. That’s the truffle for you… Comments: I do have a slight preference for the second fill, as it’s a tad more ‘deviant’, in the best possible sense, but not enough to score them differently. Truly great whiskies from Downunda, as our dear old mate Craig D. might say. Cheers, Craig!
SGP:662 - 89 points. |
We’ll wrap up this rather exciting little session with another distillery from Downunda that we’re absolutely in love with… |
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Hellyers Road 10 yo 2014/2025 ‘The Narrow Road’ (58.1%, La Maison du Whisky Ex-Libris, Itinéraires, Australia, oloroso sherry cask, cask #14129.09, 141 bottles)
A tribute to Australian writer Richard Flanagan and his The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which, according to some AI, ‘follows an Australian surgeon captured during WWII and forced to work on the Thai–Burma Death Railway, exploring guilt, lost love, and the lasting moral scars of war’. (Editor’s note: let us never forget the immense role played by spirits in wartime medicine, right up to the present day, faced with the new barbarians around us.) Colour: rich gold. Nose: yes and no. Yes, because of that superb bready spiciness, and no, because the zesty, vibrant side of Hellyers Road’s otherwise flabbergasting distillate seems a little ‘buried’ beneath the sherry blanket. With water: brilliant, though perhaps a shade less stunning than those bourbon cask versions that blow your hat off. Mouth (neat): stunning blood oranges paired with interstellar ginger and peppery cherries of the superlative kind. It’s just so ‘immediate’. With water: exceedingly difficult to pin down. It’s magical, though that inexplicably ‘cherried’ side of the sherry (no joke) slightly muddies the waters for this distillate we’re so fond of. I know, I’m labouring the point. Finish: magnificent. Comments: I truly don’t know what to make of this über-fruity youngster. Still, love Hellyers Road regardless—more of those coming very soon on WF.
SGP:751 - 87 points. |
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December 1, 2025 |
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Last holiday sessions in the bilge:
A solo Aberfeldy
Why? Because over the past few years, we’ve tasted quite a few Aberfeldies finished in rather improbable wine casks, and we didn’t want 2025 to end without enjoying one in a more ‘natural’ state. Purely out of altruism, you see… |
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Aberfeldy 21 yo (40%, OB, +/-2024)
It seems this 21yo, previously ex-sherry and ex-bourbon, may no longer be in production, though I’m not entirely sure. Mind you, this handsome bottle proudly sports a massive ‘Double Gold’ medal from the San Francisco Spirits Competition—but no worries, that sort of thing can happen to anyone. Right. Colour: light gold. Nose: of course, 40% is a bit of a handicap, but on the nose it’s very elegant, with very ripe yellow fruits, or jam thereof, leading the charge. A few notes of mead and sweet Loire white wine appear, alongside flower nectar and touches of hibiscus and geranium. All in all, a very distinguished nose. Mouth: such a pity to offer this lovely profile at 40%, the attack is a little weak and things fade rather quickly, unless you take a big swig—which isn’t quite the idea when tasting. Still, there are some charming touches of honeyed herbal tea and bergamot sweets (a killer thing, a speciality from Nancy, in Lorraine). Finish: very short, meteoric, virtually non-existent, more like cooled-down light herbal tea. But it isn’t unpleasant! Comments: absolutely charming, hence the still-high score, but the low strength is clearly a drawback.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
A solo Glenglassaugh
Another recently revitalised distillery, though I haven’t heard much about it since Dave and I kind of casually awarded one of their expressions ‘Best of Show’ at a ‘masterclass’ at WL Paris two or three years ago. Hello? Thankfully, there are the indies…
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Glenglassaugh 11 yo 2014/2025 (54.3%, Brave New Spirits, Cask Masters, sherry hogshead, 266 bottles)
Colour: full gold. Nose: not easy to pin down, let’s say this morning’s apple tart, dusted with ground cinnamon and flan, soon joined by buttery croissants and Danish pastries. There’s a bit of a New York deli vibe to it. With water: more on cherry cake, clafoutis, pear tart rather than apple now… Mouth (neat): this is a very good young malt, slightly rustic (think Guinness) and caramelised, with malty coffee notes our grandparents would have adored. With water: the maltiness becomes even more prominent. Instant coffee with powdered milk and chicory, or something from Starbucks. Finish: long, a little more bitter, but still very malty. The sherry’s expected walnuts arrive rather late in the game. Comments: that rustic edge remained throughout, ending with a curious impression of powdered coffee lengthened with fruit eau-de-vie. Ideas-ideas… And it’s very good.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
A solo Eden Mill
We’ve tasted very little Eden Mill so far. Time to add one, for the cause… It’s also one of the rare moments we find ourselves in a shared spirit with the charming, if slightly old-fashioned, town of St Andrews…
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Eden Mill ‘Sherry Cask’ (46%, OB, 2024)
Fair enough, it’s only a humble oloroso and PX finish, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be good, even if the very idea of already finishing such a young malt might naturally be a little bit worrisome. Colour: gold. Nose: I rather like these notes of chicken broth with coriander, gingerbread, pumpernickel and molasses honey. It’s not remotely Scottish in style—just like that Annandale we’ve just tasted (at the time of writing I don’t know whether this Eden Mill will be published before or after the Annandale), but I do like it. It could be Danish, Norwegian, Swiss, German, Liechtensteinian… just not particularly Scottish. Still, I like it… Mouth: it does veer off quite a bit, we’re into Marmite and Maggi territory now, molasses, more gingerbread, stout and strong Belgian ale (think Rochefort). And yet I like it, despite a faint sulphury edge, somewhere between truffle and gunpowder. But I like it. Finish: it stays in the same lane, though black pepper takes the wheel slightly and almost sends it into the ditch. The sulphur is more noticeable in the aftertaste. Comments: in my opinion this is full of little flaws, and yet I like it. I know, I know, I keep saying it. Where was this again, St Andrews?
SGP:472 - 81 points. |
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