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August 23, 2026 |
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Cognacs are back
We’re doing the windscreen-wiper routine Sunday after Sunday, cognac, armagnac, cognac, armagnac, cognac… And then rum. Come on then, cognac, and let’s start with one of our traditional old apéritifs…
Hennessy, magazine ad, circa 1960
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Hennessy ‘Bras Armé’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-1960) 
First time we’re tasting this famous, high-volume, seminal version. Note that things can move very quickly here, it could be wrecked… Also note that it was rather uncommon to find an alcohol strength stated on labels in those days. Colour: full gold. Nose: very lovely, with probably quite a lot of high-quality juice in there, including some pre-war distillates. Ripe peaches, apricots in syrup, liquorice, cinnamon tea, honeysuckle, a floral greenhouse… In short, a very beautiful nose, almost surprisingly so. Mouth: ah yes, this is excellent, very textured, very liquoricy, almost salty, rich and opulent, despite a splendid dryness, with dried apples and figs coated in fir liqueur. Finish: quite long, drier, with more tobacco. Comments: it is rare for these old high-volume bottlings to be quite this beautiful and good. But then again, this was Hennessy right in the midst of pushing its brand…
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
Let’s try a second oldie then… |
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Bisquit ‘VSOP’ (no ABV, OB, fine champagne, +/-1975) 
This could be a little less good… Let me remind you that, in theory, fine champagne is a blend of grande and petite champagne, sadly without any borderies or ‘bois’. Colour: full gold. Nose: nice, close to the Hennessy, but with less depth and more grilled and toasted notes. Very light rubber, but the general profile is pleasant and far less muddy than that of equivalent, more recent ranges these days. Mouth: once again, we’re close to the Hennessy, but this is drier and, since we’re fifty years back, say less ‘sexy’, even if the figs and raisins just keep becoming more obvious as time goes by. Finish: medium in length, more caramelised, no doubt a little more obscured. Comments: …but this is a very good old cognac from a brand that was very much at the forefront in those days. Much less so nowadays, it seems, but let us remind you that the French drink very little cognac…
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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Michelet ‘Lot 12’ (58.5%, Piacere Rinato, Grande champagne, 2026)
We are in Segonzac, in 2012 and not 1912, this is very young of course, but it should already express itself with grace, persistence and insistence. Right. Colour: gold. Nose: tart apple, sour cherry and rubber, in a simple style, perfectly delineated, and entirely devoted to simple souls such as ours, right. With water: a little soap, chamomile, hay and pips. Mouth (neat): this is a countryside cognac, almost violent at first, and above all very peppery. Salted liquorice. With water: it settles down a little, heading towards Stollen and fig cake. That Marrakech or Agadir fig side is very much to the fore. Finish: its finest side, it becomes more complex, rough but in a most pleasant way. Very lovely gentle spices. Comments: not very straightforward, but very beautiful and committed.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
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Michelet ‘Lot 18’ (52.3%, Piacere Rinato, Grande champagne, 2025) 
This is of course younger, a 2018 by all accounts. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we find a little grape stalk again, but also some very lovely notes of rose and black cherries, praline, yellow peach. You could almost believe this baby was older than the 2012, which proves, once again, that ageing is anything but linear. Fresh hay. With water: the hay moves to centre stage. Mouth (neat): rather magnificent, with rose again (as sweets) and cherry, then bitter almond, orgeat, peach skin, fir honey… Some very elegant little bitters. With water: these little bitters take control, somewhere between walnut liqueur and bitter orange, even Cynar. Finish: long, fresher, essentially on citrus fruits. Comments: this is a profile rather close to that of a malt, notwithstanding the grape bunches and the very aromatic yet nicely rustic and countryside character.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Famille Tribot ‘L.T. 96 - A la Main Edition 1.1’ (48.1%, Jean-Luc Pasquet, Grande Champagne, 120 bottles, 2026)
A new range from the famous little house in Eraville, with rather artsy packaging. We like that, of course… And this should be around thirty years old, give or take, and ugni blanc. Colour: full gold. Nose: vineyard peaches and heather honey, touches of liquorice, honeysuckle, pink pepper… It is not ultra-complex, but it is rather flamboyant aromatically. Mouth: sharper on the palate, more on orange and grapefruit zests, then increasingly herbal, with pips, buds, and even… lawn grass. And yet, there is some very beautiful expressiveness, especially as the oranges then arrive en masse, some Seville, but not all. Finish: long, lively, still rather herbal, and very distinguished. Liquorice wood. Comments: a grande champagne that brings together perfumed elegance and a certain well-judged rusticity. This is adorable.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Famille Rateau ‘L.R. 20.11 - A la Main Edition 2.1’ (49.6%, Jean-Luc Pasquet, Grande Champagne, 270 bottles, 2026) 
I’m not quite sure what ’20.11’ means, perhaps simply that this is a 2011? In any case, while we had already tasted some Tribot, we did not know Rateau, but we are still very far from being cognac experts, aren’t we. Colour: full gold. Nose: more unusual on the nose, a little toasted, with touches of extinguished cigar, but also passion fruit and even fresh mango and very ripe apricot. Very, very convincing and highly malternative so far. Mouth: unlike the Tribot, it remains very consistent on the palate, we find the mango again, the maracuja, the liquorice, and of course the apricot and pear, as well as a very slight Muscat-like side that lifts the whole thing even further. Finish: long, fresh, elegant, almost easy and, above all, as they say north of Hadrian’s Wall, very moreish. Comments: as we sometimes say, they ought to add a warning to the label, or at least to the back label. Easy and truly excellent.
SGP:651 – 90 points. |
Shorter session today, let’s have one last one… |
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Laurichesse ‘Lot 19.75 – Le Souverain’ (50.6%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 360 bottles, 2026)
Granted, we should have had this baby after its superb ‘feminine’ counterpart (touchy stuff), La Souveraine, WF 90, two weeks ago. But we never do things in the right order, as you know… Anyway, perhaps here comes the lion’s share (ooh that’s smart, S.) … Colour: amber gold. Nose: obviously, at this level… Heather honey, thyme honey, apricot and mirabelle liqueurs, touches of peppermint and camphor, soft liquorice, fruity olive oil (Nyons style) … With water: the mint extract and camphor come a little more to the fore. Mouth (neat): very beautiful oakiness, mentholated, pronounced, very liquoricy, but counterbalanced by a kind of very expressive banana plus mango plus peach plus pear combination. Water will tell us whether this oakiness is a little excessive after all, or not at all. We have our own little idea… With water: of course not, the water brings everything back into balance (it’s Evian, very exceptionally, as our Vittel has temporarily run out) and brings out herbal teas and herbs. And the mint, which remains the ultimate arbiter here. Finish: long, only the aftertaste is a tiny bit more drying. Touches of glue. Comments: it would of course be totally improper, and perhaps even punishable by a hefty fine or even imprisonment, to declare that, between the masculine and feminine versions of these very beautiful and very feline Laurichesses, one dominates the other. As you can see, we’re walking on eggshells…
SGP:661 - 90 points. |
Next week, back to rum, there’s plenty in the pipeline! |
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August 21, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos, |
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| today simple young Strathmills |
| Yet another name we rather enjoy keeping alive on this wretched little website, even if it means giving it slightly more coverage than its true standing among the vast flood of single malts available on the market might warrant. Just imagine, we ought to reach one hundred different Strathmills tasted before 2030! Or perhaps much sooner, should our friends the brokers decide to unleash another vast batch of casks onto the market... |
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Strathmill 10 yo 2014/2025 (56.4%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 310 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: rather yeasty and gently acetic, although that's not the slightest problem, quite the opposite in fact. Bière de garde, kombucha, sauvignon blanc, grapefruit liqueur... Then a generous slab of freshly baked country bread. With water: very little changes, apart from the arrival of some honeyed notes, rather evocative of mead. Mouth: we do enjoy these slightly oily, thick and peppery citrus fruits. With water: very good indeed, still firmly on citrus fruits, lemon juice, green peppercorns and honey. A little touch of ginger. Finish: fairly long, following much the same lines. Comments: as good as proper fresh bread as we say. Or perhaps lemon fougasse.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Strathmill 14 yo 2011/2025, (55%, Spirit of Scotland, James Gordon, refill bourbon barrel, cask #805666, 174 bottles)
A sub-brand of Gordon & MacPhail, as you know. Colour: white wine. Nose: plenty of wax and rapeseed oil to begin with, followed by sesame, wild carrots, plantain and even a little plasticine. We rather suspect there's some lingering influence from the cask's previous occupant. The rest of the profile revolves around ripe apples. With water: lovely waxiness, propolis, and still that faint touch of plasticine... Mouth (neat): yes, almost certainly the previous contents of the cask at work here, it's very earthy and smoky, with quite a bit of ash layered over apples and pepper. With water: lemons come charging in and restore order, although the smokiness remains. Finish: long, with notes of verbena and angelica. Comments: well, this almost feels like a blended malt. A high-quality blended malt, naturally.
SGP:552 - 85 points. |
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August 20, 2026 |
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A wee trainload of a dozen secret Speysiders
Let me start by paraphrasing, WF-style, the German writer Jean Paul : ‘Dream with whisky, conceive with wine, execute with coffee.’ Good, after those ten seconds of pseudo-culture, let us recover from our emotions with a few ‘secret’ Scottish malts, of which the market has been plentiful, at least until these more recent times, when we’ve started seeing certain official names reappearing at the indies. Anyway, that’s all very good, and this time we shall once again proceed entirely at random. More or less… So, we were saying, secrets… |
Jean Paul Richter aka Jean Paul (Wunsiedel 1763 - Bayreuth 1825) by Heinrich Pfenninger |
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Secret Speyside 16 yo 2008/2025 (48.8%, The Wealth Spirit x Milroy’s, sherry butt, 165 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: touches of glue and kirsch to begin with, but that doesn’t last long as coffee fudge soon comes rushing in, together with touches of stollen and caramelised pecans, which is an absolute killer. A slight minerality, rather basaltic, and even touches of botrytis and smoke. Mouth: we find the kirsch again, the caramelised nuts, some spice cake, juniper, and a little dark tobacco, followed by Seville oranges. This is really very good, surely this cannot have been first fill. Finish: slightly softened Sichuan pepper dominates the finish, with some help from green walnuts. Comments: I find this excellent, with the sherry very much present but never dominant.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Secret Speyside 12 yo (58.4%, Two Oak Nuts, Chapter No1, The Affair, bourbon, 244 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very unusual, as it kicks off straight away with lily of the valley and jasmine tea, with some cardboardy and waxy touches that are not unpleasant at all. Green apple juice, double cream. With water: it softens, with green plums, greengages, a little paraffin… Mouth (neat): it’s rather like celery eau-de-vie with added pepper and plenty of grated, very bitter lemon zest. With water: a proper miracle, the water brings out some very lovely pear and fresh turmeric. Finish: long, herbal, with some lovely bitters, aubergine and artichoke. Comments: a very unusual little beast, somewhat challenging and intellectual. Like the owners, I imagine. I like this difference.
SGP:361 - 85 points. |
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Bothy by Ralfy 11 yo (54.1%, North Star Spirits, 10th Anniversary, blended malt, 1,320 bottles, 2026)
Whoops, a blended malt rather than a secret Speyside, but on the other hand it’s our friend Ralfy at the helm, so this baby certainly belongs… anywhere on WF. Colour: gold. Nose: peat, cigars, camphor, tiger balm, green apples, paraffin, propolis, quinces, mirabelles, a little dry-cured ham, in short, nothing to throw away. With water: slightly animal notes, game, Gouda, fondue, but all remaining perfectly civilised. Mouth (neat): the peat is more pronounced, rougher, sharper, almost mentholated. There’s a good peater in there and the other components, rather more timid, do not seem inclined to argue with it. Still, this is very good. With water: this time it’s the roots that come to the fore, led by gentian and raw beetroot. Finish: long, slightly saline, better balanced, but then very herbal. Comments: it’s a little rough, but in a very lovely way, my Monstrously Machiavellian Malty Maniacal Malt Mates! In short, we find this excellent.
SGP:365 - 87 points. |
Right, we got a little distracted, let’s get back on track with our secret Speysides… |
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Secret Speyside 8 yo (45.2%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills, blended malt, hogshead, 781 bottles, 2025)
Here this could go very quickly, as much like us, they’re rather keen on keeping things crystal-clear at Jean Boyer. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: barley eau-de-vie, pears, apples, plums and gooseberries. And a fresh croissant first thing in the morning. Mouth: more vigorous, closer to stems, leaves and roots, fruit skins, some very ‘brut’ farmhouse cider, in short, all that sort of thing. Finish: long, earthier and saltier, rooty, rather in the manner of Tullibardine au naturel, as the name of the file already suggested, ha. Comments: simplicity itself, yet absolutely excellent.
SGP:361 - 85 points. |
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Secret Speyside 16 yo 2006/2022 (51.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead and sherry finish, 277 bottles)
We’re very late once again, with our apologies to the brothers. Colour: full gold. Nose: a sherry leaning towards old walnuts and shoe polish, a classic combination, although not quite as common as you might think. Thyme honey, cigars, an oilcloth. With water: even more oilcloth, paraffin, a new sweater from Ali or Temu… Mouth (neat): a Fanta-like side, pepper and Campari, surprising at first, but since we do love our bitters… The pepper soon takes over. Water should bring a lot to the table here and now. With water: boom, there we have it, the peppers and bitters unfold… Finish: it remains bitter and austere, but if you enjoy that as much as I do, this is for you, provided there’s any left. Comments: I read somewhere that this was Glen Elgin. That surprises me greatly, but these things happen every day. In any case, perhaps not the easiest of Glen Elgins…
SGP:362 - 84 points. |
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Speyside 31 yo 1989/2021 (51.3%, Thompson Bros., refill bourbon, 527 bottles) You’re right, we’re even later with this one, almost shamefully so, truth be told. Colour: new-world chardonnay. Nose: ah, vanilla, mango, papaya liqueur, fresh sawdust, a little grated coconut. With water: very lovely chalks, candles, and just some beeswax. A small rum baba. Mouth (neat): this is excellent, even if I haven’t a clue what it is. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, coconut, orange juice and Aperol. Not much difference from the nose. With water: a slightly muddled side, but the herbal teas and very gentle spices come in to balance it all out. Pumpkin cake. Finish: quite long, much drier, almost drying, but there’s something genuinely authentic about it. Comments: an old cask that’s become complex and a little complicated. The two generally go together, and in any case, we like this a lot.
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
Well okay, it’s not Speyside, but who cares about boundaries and rules… In any case, it’s secret… |
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Highland Single Malt 49 yo 1976/2026 (45.1%, Thompson Bros., Dornoch Castle 25th Anniversary, cask #SR26050, 140 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: outrageously fruity. Either it’s Bushmills, but this isn’t Irish, or it’s Lochside, but we doubt that, or it’s Littlemill, but we doubt that too and Littlemill is a Lowlander, isn’t it. Wait, or perhaps it’s Benriach. But then they would have put ‘Speyside’. Or else it’s Tomatin, for a long time the largest distillery in Scotland. In any case, this is an absolutely gorgeous exotic fruit juice, magnificent, fresh, dazzling, poetic, almost simplistic, yet wonderful. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, banana. Mouth: very much in keeping. Sublime fruitiness, with a texture that is certainly there, but behaves like a gentleman. The Highland side comes through as a slight earthy saltiness, almost anecdotal. Finish: exotic fruit salad with a few drops of seawater. Comments: splendid bottle. Any left? Or perhaps at the hotel bar?
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Come on, let’s get back to the Secret Speysides… |
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Secret Speyside 26 yo 1997/2023 (51.2%, Malt Bar, K S, The Attic and Revel Hibiki, hogshead)
Quite a bunch of fellows here, in Hong Kong. Colour: straw. Nose: light in a Glenlivet kind of way, ripe apples, Golden Grahams, scones, finger biscuits, biscuits roses de Reims (often baddish this whisky is better). With water: it comes back down to earth, a little earthy, not hugely distinctive. Mouth (neat): very good, lively, very malty but also mentholated and with plenty of green apple. With water: no, that’s the trouble with less distinctive distillates, they need some wood, some sherry. In their natural state, they struggle a little more. Apples. Finish: medium in length, very good but hardly likely to really rouse the languishing taster (what?) Comments: high quality, but with no obvious rough edges. But yeah, we like it rather a lot…
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Speyside 25 yo 1996/2022 ‘Marriage of Casks’ (52.6%, Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers)
Obviously, this isn’t the category we’re putting at the very top of our programme, and here’s further proof. Colour: pale gold. Nose: ripe apples, cornflakes, muffins, muesli, porridge. Not a whisky that’s going to change the face of the world, but at least, in a triple measure, it’ll make us forget all about it. With water: wheat beer. Mouth (neat): ah very good now, there’s some backbone here, apple and cinnamon cake, although the rough edges remain few and far between. All these whiskies are a little ‘average’, but not necessarily in a derogatory sense, mind you. With water: it’s good, but not yet extravagant. Finish: quite long, more herbal, rougher. Lovely coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: we could almost quote Iggy Pop, ‘I’m a tad bored’. I’m joking, just a little bit…
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
We know this situation, a long series of very good whiskies that remain relatively middle-of-the-road as far as style is concerned. Let’s see what happens next… |
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Secret Speyside 33 yo 1992/2026 (47.8%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask #408880, 236 bottles)
Apparently, they ‘really don’t know what it is’. All right then, we believe them. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s full, thick, textured, with apples and a very faint touch of eau de cologne and crème de menthe. Bitter almonds, orgeat, green banana, cider… Ord (not Speyside unless I’m mistaken), Elgin… Mouth: ah excellent, serious, herbal, fat, mentholated, extremely close to the raw materials, but not exactly exhilarating. Tough guy. This is where you can sense that barley is probably not the most spectacular of raw materials (if we compare it with agave, wine, sugar cane, and plenty of other things) Finish: long, more precise but still very herbal. Cactus and small lemons. Comments: a little un-Whisky-Jury, this old malt, in my humble opinion. But after all, it’s only barley but we like it (S., that’s enough).
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
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Blacksboat Ridge 12 yo 2013/2026 (58.8%, Single Cask Nation, American oak PX hogshead finish, cask #180641, 175 bottles)
This is indeed a single malt, from Speyside. Persistent rumours might suggest that this is GF. GF who will possibly soon be pretty happy to scatter around casks complete with permission to mention their precise origin, like many others. Anyway, just wild guesses… Colour: full gold. Nose: bitter almonds, neoprene glue, maraschino, broken branches. With water: cinnamon, cardamom, fir and pine wood, cedar, bitter almonds… Mouth (neat): rich, once again on bitter almonds, sour cherries and peppery bitter oranges. The whole thing is simple but very lovely, with plenty of body. With water: the cinnamon, ginger and cardamom return. The PX cask was seriously active. Finish: long. Comments: big cask impact, but the balance has been preserved. Only just, but preserved, almost miraculously.
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
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Secret Speyside 50 yo 1975/2025 (48.6%, Lucky Choice for The Antelope, refill American oak, cask #6368)
It’s completely bonkers that independent bottlers from the greater Hong Kong bay area should somehow be obliged not to display the name of the original distillery on a 50-year-old malt. That says a lot, in my opinion, about a few slightly tone-deaf and certainly a tad pretentious Scottish brands that still seem to think, or hope, they’re living in pre-Covid times. Good luck to them in the near future. Colour: gold. Nose: what strikes you immediately is an almost incredible freshness and liveliness, very much on some fifty different kinds of apples, and we’re barely exaggerating, then bitter almonds, lemongrass and a very faint shampoo-and-flowers side, strictly nothing troublesome here, almost the opposite in fact. Mouth: oh, but this is very good, with a trio of earths, resins and lemons of the highest order, even if you can feel the old cask lurking in the background, which is only normal at this age. Then fir buds, orgeat syrup, blood orange liqueur, and cinnamon. Finish: quite long, spicier, cinnamon, orange peel, Japanese roasted tea, tannicity… Comments: a slightly bonkers old malt indeed, a little tired here and there, but still well above 95% of its brethren of all ages. That’s life, what can you do…
SGP:361 - 90 points. |
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August 19, 2026 |
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A trio of Dailuaine
What can we tell you about Dailuaine, other than that Charles Doig was heavily involved in its construction? I know this because we have a period engraving of the distillery plans at WF headquarters… Right, let’s do a proper little vertical… (Bovril) |
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Dailuaine 5 yo 2020/2025 (61%, The Whisky Exchange, Zodiac: Taurus, first-fill Pedro Ximenez, cask # 312947, 489 bottles)
What’s good when you come across malts this young is that they teach you that the Distillery was active fairly recently. Yep. Colour: full gold. Nose: we should have guessed this was going to be lovely, otherwise they wouldn’t have bottled it at this rather unsellable age (no ten, no deal). Very lovely touches of Bovril, roots, gentian, old balsamic vinegar, and more palo cortado than PX. Or let’s say ‘cream’, and we’re talking high-standard ‘cream’ here, because those do exist. Then some cured ham. With water: the mushrooms are pushing their way out of the neck! The other day I tasted an extraordinary porcini candyfloss that this reminds me of. An absolute killer. Mouth (neat): rich indeed, almost on mushroom and leek broth, then ginger and an umami side that just keeps growing. Orange marmalade keeps watch over the whole thing. With water: excellent, but increasingly on Williams pear eau-de-vie. That’s youth, it never lies. Finish: long, on candied pear, eau-de-vie, and dried bolete powder, an extraordinary condiment. Comments: absolutely excellent. At five years old!
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Dailuaine 13 yo 2013/2026 (5.1%, Dràm Mor, Portuguese red wine finish, cask #302722, 282 bottles)
Red wine is of course a little frightening (Duero/Douro?), but we know that at Dràm Mor they know how to handle this kind of slightly dodgy business, don’t we? Colour: apricot. Nose: we could almost call this a rosé whisky, what with all those raspberries, peonies and redcurrants showing off, rather in the manner of a crémant or champagne rosé. What’s quite crazy is that none of it clashes, at least not so far. With water: rye bread and ground barley are holding their ground, but there are indeed some dried fruits, especially the apricot already mentioned. Mouth (neat): proper rosé whisky, I swear. Black pepper, pink peppercorns, artichoke and red pepper, stalks, skins… With water: a few notes of fruit sweets, strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries… Plus some curious notes of agave syrup. Finish: long, more on a slightly improbable duo of aubergine and blackcurrant, with some pleasantly tart blood orange in the signature. Comments: we feared the worst, but it works.
SGP:661 - 84 points. |
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Dailuaine 23 yo 2002/2025 (57%, The Whisky Blues, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #29, 211 bottles)
These labels are still as beautiful as ever and still remind me just as much of Klek, the mad drummer from Angine de Poitrine. Colour: pale gold. Nose: here comes the fatness, the sulphur (sulphur from the distillate), the shoe polish, also bitter orange and wonderful whiffs of fresh hay stuffed with flowers. Behind all that, cement, grist, plaster, chalk. With water: it gets even tighter, on slate, paraffin and herbs, but it works perfectly. Mouth (neat): perfect! Lemon, chalk, mandarin, grey pepper, basta cosi. With water: very beautiful, precise to the millimetre, just rubbery enough, and packed with clays and rather tart citrus fruits. Finish: long, fresh and fat at the same time, very much on citron, even slightly soapy ‘in a good way’. Comments: a mixture of explosiveness and almost Calvinistic seriousness. Perhaps slightly intellectual, as we sometimes say without the slightest restraint… when we don’t know what else to say. Seriously, this is excellent.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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August 18, 2026 |
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Here is our monthly trio of Clynelish,
plus three strange bonuses |
It seems to me that last month, in July, we declared, admittedly in a somewhat peremptory fashion, that we wanted to taste some new Clynelish, or at any rate Clynelishes we had not yet tried, every month. Or something along those lines. Now August is already well under way, so it is high time we put our money where our mouth is. Off we go… |
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Clynelish 8 yo 2018/2026 (50%, The Cooper’s Choice, Golden Cut Collection, bourbon, cask #303893, 360 bottles)
We’ve already tasted some magnificent Clynelish from Cooper’s Choice/Vintage Malts Whisky Co. including a 1983/1996 whose only flaw was that it had been bottled at 40% vol. Or a 1971/2002 Cooper’s which, incidentally, was our 20,000th whisky two years ago. By the way, this is the youngest Clynelish we’ve tasted so far, let’s try to see whether the famous ‘black gunge’ was indeed present in the receiver… Colour: pale gold. Nose: precise, with as much candle wax as cider apples, then grapefruit and black radish. Touches of mandarins in brine. With water: chalk and liquorice wood come charging in. Mouth (neat): powerful, waxy but, once again, also full of tart fruits, with a texture that cannot help but remind us of Talisker. This isn’t the first time that’s happened. With water: even more so, although naturally without the peat, but with plenty of salted lemon. Those little mandarins in brine are back as well. Finish: long and much saltier than most Clynelish I’ve tasted, it seems to me. Apart from ‘Old’ Clynelish, of course. Comments: very impressive for an 8-year-old.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (51.8%, James Eadie, Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland, recharred hogshead, cask # 327401, 355 bottles)
A recharred hogshead, possibly from Cambus Cooperage, Diageo’s cooperage unit that had replaced the old grain distillery. We’d visited it with the Malt Maniacs, and it had been very, very impressive. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s naturally close, but fruitier and more vanilla-driven, with a slight feeling of IPA, pear, but also mandarin and pollen. A little liquid shoe polish and a touch of celery. Very nice indeed. With water: chalk and twigs. Classic. Mouth (neat): this time it falls into line with the 2018, only earthier, sharper, livelier, but less salty. With water: ah perfect, once again. I don’t know why, but yet again I’m thinking of Talisker. Perhaps because, in theory, the malted barley should come from the same maltings? (Ord). Finish: perfect. Rooty, powerful, still very textured. Lovely pepper. Comments: frankly, between both and as they say in Inverness, when it comes to quality, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
SGP:461 - 88 points. |
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Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (54.5%, Lady of the Glen, hogshead, cask 231584, 295 bottles)
I think it’s brilliant to see independent Clynelish once again displaying the distillery’s name, rather than ‘The Cats’ Favourite Secret Highland’ and other such funny and sometimes even entertaining nonsense that was made compulsory for a while. But of course, nobody was fooled… And naturally, the risk here is that this baby will be virtually identical to the previous ones, but is that really a risk? Colour: full gold. Nose: what the colour was already suggesting, this is rather more coated in vanilla and fudge, even orange liqueur, but we know this style suits Clynelish perfectly well. All the more so since the little wild apples and candle wax are expressing themselves freely. With water: a little fresher than the others, at any rate a little less coated than the James E., but we’re talking about the thickness of a pencil line here, as we say. Mouth (neat): yet another perfect young Clynelish, this time we find a few touches of violet-flavoured liquorice on top of everything else, wax, cider, clementines, small shellfish, a little peppermint… With water: another little marvel, classic Clynelish, fresh, with slightly earthy fruits, citrus, a salty touch and, naturally, wax. Finish: perfect, a little more floral at this stage. Apples roasted with thyme honey, or something along those lines. Saltier aftertaste. Comments: now, has anyone ever tried making Clynelish-scented candles? In any case, I regret to inform you that I like all three of these young Clynelishes equally and couldn’t possibly score them differently. That’s the problem with hyper-focused line-ups, but what can you do…
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
Bonus: we found the next baby lurking in the Clynelish box, and we’re going to taste it for the first time. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when you file everything alphabetically… |
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Chain Pier 5 yo 2019/2025 (54.5%, Hogshead Imports, virgin oak barrel, 259 bottles) 
Here’s an experimental micro-distillery from John Crabbie that only operated in 2018 and 2019 and produced, just imagine, 39 casks in total. I had heard of it, but of course I’d never had the opportunity to taste it before… Colour: gold. Nose: little lemon sweets, lemon balm and lemongrass, baking soda, meringues, angelica… Well, none of this is bad at all, and it even holds its own after those wonderful young Clynelishes. At least for now… With water: the fresh wood comes to the fore. An Ikea warehouse, as we sometimes say. Mouth (neat): it’s good, but on the palate it’s really very wood-driven, coconut and vanilla, and I would never have said this was Scottish. I might even have thought it was grain whisky or some very adventurous young bourbon. With water: curiously, it recovers somewhat, with the citrus returning, along with curry, and even masala. Finish: same. Comments: above all, it’s great fun. There are some very lovely sides to it, others that leave us rather puzzled, including the woodiness, which is far too excessive for us.
SGP:650 - 77 points. |
Would you believe it, there was a second one… |
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Chain Pier 6 yo 2019 (58.9%, Tri Carragh, 2nd fill red wine octave finish, 86 bottles)
Everything we love, octaves, red wine, finishings… But careful, this is second-fill, so you never know… Colour: white wine (amusing for red wine). Nose: my heart is torn. On the one hand there are little red berries, on the other it’s much less woody than the previous one. And there’s some lovely muesli. Right, let’s dig a little deeper… With water: three tonnes of porridge, turnips and raw carrots. Mouth (neat): very strange, but great fun. Tonnes of nutmeg, coffee dregs, chickpeas, dried ceps… Talk about something unusual! With water: the mushrooms take over, and what’s more, they’re very salty. But where on earth is all this coming from? Finish: very long, spicy and salty, in a style we’ve never encountered in malt whisky before and probably never will again. Comments: these two babies, and they really are babies, are impossible to tell apart in terms of quality, we’d need the codes and we simply don’t have them. Okay, one extra point for the dried cep powder, given what the stuff costs...
SGP:451 - 78 points. |
But wait, there was another strange thing in the Clynelish box (which sits, would you imagine that, just before the Cragganmore and Craigellachie box…) |
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Crafty 3 yo 2022/2025 (60.2%, Fadandel, 1st fill oloroso octave, cask #PC0011, 75 bottles)
It’s probably good to know that Crafty was the original name of the Galloway Distillery in the Lowlands, and that consequently, whiskies bearing the name ‘Crafty’ are extremely rare. I don’t think we’re going to create a ‘Crafty’ section in our index, that wouldn’t be terribly useful, what do you think? Colour: full gold. Nose: this is much more classic than the Chain Piers, rounded, rich, well defined, very much on orange cakes and chocolate, Jaffa Cakes, orange blossom Turkish delight, nutmeg and all that. With water: closer to barley, but also rye, millet… Mouth (neat): I find this very good, there’s peppered chocolate, roasted lupin tea (very good), toasted buckwheat too, walnut cake, touches of ginger… With water: this one isn’t very Scottish in style either, you’d think you were in California instead. Lemony spices, sandalwood, incense, cardamom etc. In other words, a whisky for Armistead Maupin’s characters. Finish: lovely, long, spicy, almost oriental this time. Fig cakes. Comments: this stuff is really good! But the name, well, they should have asked a decent communications agency for advice. Crafty? Sounds like a cartoon for two-to-five-year-olds, doesn’t it?
SGP:571 - 83 points. |
That reminds me, while we’re on the subject of craft, are there still any casks of Loch Ewe kicking around Scotland? Right, this little session has gone seriously off-piste, but it has made us want to add a few improbable and unknown whiskies to our traditional sessions from time to time. Goodness knows, there are myriads of them in our stocks, and while the alphabetical approach makes absolutely no sense in terms of styles, it does at least have the merit of amusing… the humble taster. Right, we’ll see how it goes, see you. |
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August 17, 2026 |
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A small trio of new holy Glendronach |
The branding of dear Glendronach is getting closer and closer to Macallan, with, for example, these NAS ‘Rooms’ that do rather bring to mind the big brand’s own NAS releases (Harmony, A Night Wherever…) On the other hand, rather like at Tamdhu, the sherry here should be more classical, closer to what the large brand we have just been mentioning so insistently used to be some thirty years ago. Well, when it’s sherry, naturally. |
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Glendronach ‘The Sevillian Room’ (43%, OB, House Edition, 2026) 
Pure sherry, with a combination of PX, oloroso and palo cortado. We just hope this room in Seville is a room with a view and somewhat removed from the hordes of tourists. Colour: full gold. Nose: old walnuts and shoe polish, raisins, dried figs and triple sec. It could hardly be more classical than this, while for now, the modest 43% is holding the fort rather well. Mouth: a little spicy and modern, with nutmeg, cinnamon and a little sawdust. Some orange liqueur comes along to rescue the whole thing somewhat, but we remain a little too close to freshly seasoned wood. Finish: quite long, more peppery, with more nocino. May I remind you that nocino is Italian, not Spanish, and even less Andalusian. Comments: I found the nose better than the palate, which is a little young and ‘pumped up’ with sherry, but this is still a very, very good young whisky.
SGP:461 - 82 points. |
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Glendronach ‘The Venetian Room’ (46%, OB, House Edition, 2026)
I’m not sure whether the real theme of this new collection is overtourism, perhaps not after all. Here we have PX, oloroso and amarone, so some seriously bodybuilt Italian red wine, which makes this more Italian-Spanish than truly Venetian. Anyway, amarone is from Verona, not Venice, or so it seems to me… Colour: onion skin. Nose: the Sevillian, plus some red wine made from partially dried grapes, which is precisely what amarone is. Truth be told, it’s not bad at all, coherent, gentle but not schmalzy so far. Very PX dulce in the end. Mouth: all of this is fairly rich, whith fortified wine, it doesn’t integrate too badly with the malt, despite these notes of tomato (and leaves) and a slightly peppery bitterness, rather close to grape stalks. Finish: quite long, rich, spicy. Peppery raisins. Comments: we cannot really say this has the lightness and elegance of Venice, unless you find in this amusing little juice something slightly… Bellini-like. The Sevillian was a little more coherent for me.
SGP:461 - 80 points. |
It’s amusing, all these very clerical colours, you’d think we were at a conclave in the Vatican, wouldn’t you? |
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Glendronach 14 yo ‘Boynsmill House’ (46.8%, OB, 2026)
Oloroso, PX, then a claret finish, so red Bordeaux I imagine, which means blackcurrants and bell pepper, we suppose. Right, let’s hold tight… Incidentally, this bottle celebrates the 200th anniversary of Glendronach’s original ‘house’, a bit like their own Easter Elchies, if you will. Right, red Bordeaux and malt, that’s without a safety net… Colour: good news, it isn’t pink, just apricot. Nose: this is rounder than the others, without any excess of cabernet or merlot, with some lovely pink-orange liqueur and a few touches of candied cherry, but once again, nothing excessive. No overbearing grape stalks, pips or skins, nor any blackberries, blackcurrants or raspberries. In short, a very pleasant nose. Mouth: well played! We all know just how antithetical red Bordeaux casks are to malt whisky, but here it works rather well, with a little chilli, bitter orange, pepper, and the proverbial tomato leaf. Pink peppercorns. Finish: same. Blackcurrant buds and grey pepper. Comments: this kind of strange composition generally struggles to reach 85 points on our humble little rating scale, but we’re not very far off here, even if it does creak a little here and there.
SGP:561 - 83 points. |
Well, these wine-boosted NAS are probably not terribly indispensable, but I find they’re getting better and better at making them. Anyway, at the rate things are going in Bordeaux, they’ll soon be doing cask seasoning just like in Jerez. |
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August 16, 2026 |
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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! |
Another little bag of Armagnacs
After last week’s cognacs, here come the armagnacs again on WF. And this time, I promise we’re not going to do it ‘vertically’…
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Domaine d’Aurensan ‘Les 10’ (43.9%, OB, Ténarèze, 2026)
The ten grape varieties authorised in Armagnac assembled into a single bottling, that really is a first and rather reminds us of what a few rare Champagne houses are doing, Drappier for example. But we’re not here to talk about Champagne… To be complete, those varieties are the very rare (in Armagnac) Plant de graisse, Meslier St François, Mauzac blanc, Mauzac rosé, Clairette de Gascogne, Jurançon blanc, and of course Ugni blanc, Colombard, Baco and Folle blanche. That does make ten… Colour: amber. Nose: the bitters and marcs are dominating proceedings, amaros, marc de Bourgogne, small berries, fruit skins, zests, herbs and flowers… Truth be told, this is almost more marc d’Armagnac than ‘fine’, but then again, aren’t we in Ténarèze? Mouth: increasingly on the marc side, with fresh fruit, liquorice, pips and stalks, lemon-mint, and quite simply herbs. A very faint resinous side, young fir needles… Finish: it retreats a little towards the skins, pips and stalks, but as lovers of marc, we can only appreciate this greatly. Comments: it’s distinctive, unusual, a little wild and certainly very rustic, but it’s terrific, even if we have to intellectualise the whole thing a little bit. But were the grapes destemmed or not?
SGP:371 - 88 points. |
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Couzard-Lassalle 20 yo 2005/2026 (49.5%, Darroze, armagnac.de, Bas-armagnac, cask #R116)
Couzard-Lassalle is the other name for Lous Pibous, and sadly this is their very last vintage! And 100% folle blanche. Colour: full gold. Nose: it kicks off with oils, waxes, and even a little fresh rubber, rather like a malt whisky. Indeed. Then come varnishes, glues, fresh paint, rather as in a young bourbon. Indeed. And finally, the apricots and peaches arrive, together with prunes, plums and service-tree berries… Mouth: it’s all happening on the palate, developing at breakneck speed towards grapefruit, melon skin, jasmine tea, jujubes and pine nuts. This is a vigorous, terroir-driven armagnac, certainly not some drawing-room tipple. Finish: it loosens up, becoming more citrusy, more on oranges of all kinds, with even a few echoes of Martinique. Right, maw-tinique. Comments: some serious chewiness in this Lous Pibous/Couzard Lassalle which, as we used to say back in the day, takes no prisoners.
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
The little Aurensan put up one hell of a fight! Right, let’s carry on… |
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Domaine Pouy 25 yo 1998/2025 (57.9%, L’Encantada, Piacere Rinato/Pietramore, Ténarèze, cask #99)
Some ugni blanc and colombard, probably in perfect symbiosis. And above all, Ténarèze. Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re extremely close to the Couzard-Lassalle. Lovely tension, lovely fatness, plenty of texture on the nose. With water: little mints, camphor, paraffin oil, almond milk… Mouth (neat): same elements, with an even more pronounced varnish-and-glue side. Zests, bitter almonds, fir needles, buds, kirsch… With water: figs, pine-nut tea and, above all, a massive whack of wood glue come charging in, it’s almost a little ‘too much’. It reminds me of the wild cherry and morello cherry eaux-de-vie from Marcel Windholtz in Ribeauvillé, top distiller in Alsace. Finish: long, rustic, bitter, almost rubbery. Comments: I think this really is a Ténarèze for die-hard fanatics of the extreme de la muerte.
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
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Baron Gaston Legrand 1986/2026 (47.1%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #32)
Some baco and ugni blanc. By the way, psst, you’ve forgotten a zero in the price of this +/- 40-year-old armagnac, haven’t you? I mean, €135? What would the shoddiest of Scottish distilleries do in these circumstances? Why yes, bang, €1,350. Injustice rule this world, I tell you… Colour: full gold. Nose: this is the style of armagnac that comes rather close to cognac, with peaches in syrup, milk chocolate, very gentle honeys, herbal teas (rosehip, camomile) and a wee trail of exotic fruits, heading towards tinned mangoes. It’s lovely, not extravagant, but very elegant. Mouth: excellent, once again a little cognac-esque, with green tea, apple and peach peelings, herbal teas, then increasingly buds, leaves, herbs… Truth be told, it becomes a little dry but remains elegant. The wood is a little more noticeable, gentian, liquorice wood, hojicha… Finish: medium in length, drying out a little, towards wood glue and conifer buds. Comments: excellent, but perhaps it would be better to avoid the finish, which, let’s admit it, is a very tricky thing to do. Our powers remain rather limited, you see.
SGP:451 - 88 points. |
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Domaine Ludon 26 yo 1998/2026 (51%, L’Encantada, Piacere Rinato/Pietramore, Bas-armagnac, cask #178)
Pure folle blanche here. We have deep hopes, let that be said… Colour: full gold. Nose: ah, here comes the fruit. Mirabelles, peaches, apricots, all ultra-ripe and coated with a little varnish and kirsch. This is the folle blanche expressing itself in full. With water: oh, this is beautiful, thuja wood, argan oil, prickly pear liqueur, blood orange… Mouth (neat): an incredible cavalcade of essences and juices, rose, orange blossom, liquorice… this really is very beautiful. With water: of course. Oranges peeled down to the flesh, accompanied by rose liqueur, violet and olive oil. Killer stuff. Finish: same. Very beautiful. Comments: a much clearer line here, purer, easier. We like things easy at Château WF, let that be said. As Angus would say, we’re not masochists.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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Veuve Goudoulin 85 yo (41.6%, OB, barrique #1, +/-2022)
Not too sure if and when this was bottled, it was probably vatted later on, but surely, we couldn’t resist an armagnac that’s even older (and less coloured) than the president of the United States, could we? Colour: amber. Nose: this old-school armagnac style is actually magnificent, despite being somewhat old-fashioned, even downright antiquated. Cocoa butter, old Meursault, incense and rosewood, cinnamon, ‘discreet’ rosewater, soft caramels… This really is a journey back in time. Mouth: it’s a little woody and soapy (and it loses quite a few points here), but it isn’t really fragile, it’s simply very woody. On the other hand, there are some very lovely spices centred around cinnamon and cumin. Finish: quite long, very bitter, resinous, but with a rather tremendous kind of elegance. Comments: this is a rather fragile old thing, no doubt well past its glory days (let’s say the Jimi Hendrix era), but moving and laden with history. Please, let’s remain magnanimous.
SGP:261 - 85 points. |
More new armagnacs coming very soon, including, imagine, some from those rare varietals we mentioned hereabove… |
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August 14, 2026 |
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A trio of strange young Glenturrets
We shall taste them in ascending order of alcoholic strength. There has to be some order, right? |
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Glenturret 12 yo 2013/2025 (54.3%, Decadent Drams, re-charred hogshead, 291 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: peat, mint, even a little lavender, antiseptic, in short, this very smoky and medicinal little Glenturret certainly isn't going to make you ill. With water: touches of turnip and celeriac. In short, roots. Mouth (neat): peat again, but this time coupled with limoncello, with a slightly coaly side and… hum, it’s rather tequila-ish. With water: the lavender is back, together with pink and grey peppercorns, which, seriously, gives this baby a wee 1980s Bowmore side. FWP and stuff. Finish: once it's there, it simply won't leave you. Comments: to be fair, this is very good, but it isn't my favourite style of peat. It reminds me a little of some peated Loch Lomonds. Hurray, I've finally found a Decadent Drinks that I don't like very much!
SGP:465 – 79 points. |
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Glenturret 8 yo 2010/2019 (58.5%, The National Choice, refill hogshead, cask #183, 336 bottles)
Another peated one, it seems. Has the word ‘peated’ remained a magic word in malt whisky, in 2026? To be discussed over an organic herbal tea or a glass of kombucha… Colour: deep gold. Nose: the impact of the cask is rather strong, refill or no refill, while some medicinal peat comes storming into your nostrils. Burnt walnuts, herbes de Provence, especially thyme. Thyme is brilliant, but you can have too much of a good thing. With water: this is all right. Carrots and ginseng. Mouth (neat): it’s good, but on top of the lavender that was already present in the DD, this time there’s also violet liqueur and touches of shampoo. I swear. With water: better, but this new Fanta side is really massive too. Some eau de cologne. Finish: long, on pepper, lavender, violet and apple-scented shampoo. Comments: it rather feels as though we’ve travelled twenty years back in time. You may say that makes you younger, but this really isn’t my favourite style of peat. Bowmore-style FWP, get out of this glass!
SGP:565 - 77 points. |
I think we’d be perfectly entitled to ask that all peated Glenturrets be labelled as Ruad Mor (whatever) rather than Glenturret, just to avoid any misunderstanding. Unless we’ve missed a mention somewhere, which is entirely possible. Right, let’s carry on with the third baby… And indeed… |
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Glenturret ‘Ruadh Maor’ 12 yo 2012/2025 (60.3%, Watashi Whisky, refill sherry octave, cask #1200003488)
These labels are so beautiful and funny! We are, of course, in Taiwan… Colour: gold. Nose: every bit as peaty as its predecessors, but more straightforward, direct, simple, no fuss. Caol Ila new-make. No, no Bowmore circa 1985. You may say that could come after adding water… With water: yeah, difficult to categorise, but do we even need to? Citrus eau-de-vie and a lavender-and-violet duo that’s virtually absent. H.u.r.r.a.y. Mouth (neat): we find the soapy side of the others again this time, the violet and the shampoo. Okay, violet shampoo, plus pink peppercorns and touches of glue. Come on, hang in there, water should be welcome on the palate… With water: wild raspberry eau-de-vie straight from the still and pink peppercorns. Finish: same. Some soap comes through again. Comments: octaves always scare us a little, but when they’re refill, things generally go better. Here’s a fairly good example, although it remains a little too tough for me. And ‘shampoo-y’.
SGP:565 - 78 points. |
Well, that wasn’t the easiest of sessions, especially since we weren’t expecting quite so much peat (and shampoo). We've already tried some superior Ruadh Maor I believe. Next time, we’ll do everything we can to taste some regular ‘turret, promise. Oh, and you’ll notice that those blasted Decadent Drinks still managed to bag the highest score today. |
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August 13, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today some mandatory Springbank |
I know we’re repeating ourselves a little, but there are names that we simply have to taste from time to time, as they’re such an important part of the landscape. Like Springbank, of course… We’ll actually start with the older one, as it’s the one that was bottled at the lower strength of the two. |
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Springbank 15 yo (46%, OB, sherry, 2025)
I believe this is the most recent batch of the 15-year-old. We had really enjoyed the 2024 (WF 88), although for me it had been eclipsed by the 10-year-old, which I still adore just as much (WF 91). By the way, we’ll have to revisit the 10-year-old, once a year is the bare minimum, isn’t it? Colour: gold. Nose: you can smell the shoe polish from twenty metres away. All right, two metres. Also soot, old walnuts, old tobacco (grandfather’s old pipe), then coffee. It then becomes rather more ‘Springbank’, with fresh cement, engine oil, lemon and menthol. Lovely two-stage nose. Mouth: superb, dirty just as much as it should be, very peppery and mustardy, with some rather flamboyant bitters if that’s your thing, although the whole does become just a wee bit stifling as a result. Bitter almonds, bitter oranges. Finish: long and simply carrying on with that very lovely bitterness. It’s rather like amontillado with a very pronounced flor character. Comments: as the 10-year-old wasn’t around to steal its thunder, we can happily add one point. You just have to enjoy your bitters…
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Springbank 12 yo 'Cask Strength' (56.6%, OB, batch #29, 2026)
Pure ex-bourbon this time, so it should be sharper and, perhaps, more petroleum-driven. Like a certain orange entity, you might add. Colour: straw. Nose: indeed, we’re closer to the 10 here, with more oomph of course, damp earth, barley, old tweed, engine oil, but also more custard than expected, even a few jellybeans, now that’s unexpected. With water: plaster, grist, plasticine, seaweed, new rubber… It’s definitely Springbank, just in case you had any doubts. Mouth (neat): the bitterness is back, less ‘amontillado’ this time and more towards green pepper. Grilled aubergines. You can tell it needs water… With water: in come the oranges and lemons, with a lively tension that’s also rather fat, quite oily. What a texture! Finish: long and very Springbankesque. Wax, pepper, green walnut, salt and a wee oyster. Comments: perhaps a less complex 12-year-old CS than some others, but with a clearer line, and that we love. Perfect salinity.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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August 12, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today Tamdhu, OB vs IB |
After yesterday's Macallans, here comes its former colleague within Highland Distillers, Tamdhu, with an official in a very limited edition, and a considerably older indie. Let’s see how this goes… |
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Tamdhu 2014/2025 (50.7%, OB for The Whisky Club Australia, oloroso sherry matured)
A bottling released exclusively to the distinguished members of the Whisky Club a little earlier this year. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is very classic, with chocolate, coffee fudge, walnut liqueur, roasted hazelnuts and even a touch of peanut butter. In the background, a little curry and nutmeg. With water: the spices tend to try to come to the fore, but the nuts are putting up some resistance. Mouth (neat): a very amusing Irish coffee at first, or rather Scottish coffee, and this time, the nutmeg and ras-el-hanout strike more quickly. Very lovely spices, really, also salted butter caramel and a return of the peanut butter, with a slightly mustardy touch. With water: it is the salted butter caramel that takes control, but the nutmeg holds its ground. Finish: rather long, this is a proper spice spiel, but all done with elegance and coherence. The walnut eventually wins the argument, as was to be expected. Comments: they really do have some top bottlings in this Club of the formidable Antipodes.
SGP:571 - 87 points. |
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Tamdhu 34 yo 1989/2023 (54.8%, Gourmet Pool, bourbon hogshead, cask #8144, 144 bottles)
After Australia, Germany, with ex-bourbon this time, and an age that is beginning to count. Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is lively and fresh, as the colour already suggested, with whitecurrants, yellow melon, rather aromatic apples and some very lovely floral notes, lilies, jasmine… And a few very, very light touches of medicinal alcohol, which is quite incredible after 34 years. With water: broken branches, green tea, still some melon… Mouth (neat): excellent, with walnuts that might have suggested sherry, although this is bourbon, then barbecued marshmallows and bergamot and lemon liqueurs. I really like this freshness. With water: grape pips and fruit skins are now coming through, in any case the tannins are ripe, if we can indeed speak of tannins. Finish: racy, elegant length, still with that slight greenness that we always enjoy. It’s got a little vinho verde side, if you like. Comments: this liveliness, at such a venerable age, may be a little disconcerting, but it is a style I’m particularly fond of. Just imagine, there’s even some… barley.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
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August 11, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today two Macallans that could hardly be more different |
Macallan is one of those brands, sorry, one of those distilleries that we simply cannot leave fallow for too long on WF. So here are two… |
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Macallan ‘Organic Cherrywood Lapsang Tea’ (44.9%, OB, The Harmony Collection, 2025)
All this is merely ‘inspiration’, you understand, there is of course neither cherrywood nor even lapsang souchong involved, that would probably be illegal. So, we’re now awaiting a beluga caviar, Piedmont white truffle or Brittany blue lobster version, since just about anything is probably allowed, as long as it remains inspiration. 0f course we’re joking, there have been some lovely versions among these very humble NAS from the Harmony Collection. Colour: amber. Nose: amontillado-style sherry, rather pronounced, indeed with wild cherry and rosehip, although I cannot find any lapsang souchong whatsoever… but it is a very charming nose. Mouth: very much driven by the wood, smoky indeed, burnt in any case, with coffee dregs, a feeling of old samovar, cinnamon, and above all dark chocolate. And dark chocolate filled with… kirsch. Finish: quite long, more peppery, with touches of cumin and juniper. Comments: I must admit I’m rather impressed by the way they’ve managed to flavour this young Macallan without ever lapsing into vulgarity or inelegance. In theory, I ought to hate this, in reality I rather like it.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Macallan 34 yo 1991 (51.8%, DH Global Spirits, William, sherry hogshead matured, cask #8192, 2026)
We have a good feeling about this one, not because it’s a decanter, but because we’ve already tasted some of the house’s offerings and they had been excellent. Colour: amber with reddish hues. Nose: this is full-on currants, clafoutis, fig jam, and simply fruitcake soaked in kirsch. But who could possibly be against that? With water: earth, mushrooms, old red Burgundy, leather, in short, all those wonderful things. Mouth (neat): even better on the palate, closer to old-skool Macallan, with teas and herbal infusions, tobacco, small berries, prunes, a little umami and quite a lot of crushed black pepper. And, naturally, dark chocolate. With water: properly ‘old Macallan’, perhaps just a little more marked by raisins and dried figs. An amusing tiny saline touch in the background. Finish: not extremely long but very elegant, with top-quality sherry singing all the way through, until the walnuts and black pepper return, together with their magnificent bitterness. Comments: all that’s missing now is a Chesterfield, Duke Ellington and some excellent company. Who would, of course, be equally fond of Duke Ellington and fine old Macallan.
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
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August 10, 2026 |
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today wee indie Brackla |
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| Always a pleasure to taste two or three little Royal Bracklas, if only to keep the flame alive for them on this little website. The opportunities don't come along all that often... |
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Royal Brackla 11 yo 2014/2025 (57.2%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 288 bottles)
Everything ought to run like clockwork here. Colour: white wine. Nose: one of those utterly natural malts, packed with earth, chalk, fresh barley, bread dough, baker's yeast and tiny wild apples, delightful to nose although rather less enticing to bite into. With water: lovely brioche scented with orange blossom. Who doesn't enjoy brioche with orange blossom, I ask you? Mouth (neat): little fruit sweets, lemon drops, honey pastilles, green tea and lime juice, almost like a ready-made daiquiri, only sharper, drier and altogether more chiselled. Properly razor-sharp. With water: it really comes into its own, with delicate touches of violet liqueur weaving through everything else we've already mentioned. Finish: fairly long, increasingly on grapefruit liqueur, with a pleasing return of chalk in the aftertaste. Comments: an excellent young malt, properly mature despite its age and gloriously natural, just the way we like them. Thoroughly uplifting stuff, many thanks to the Watt mafia.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
Let's head to the opposite end of the spectrum... |
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Cawdor Springs 10 yo 2015/2025 (56.6%, Fragrant Drops, matured in a fresh Margaux barrique, cask #319, 281 bottles)
Remember that Cawdor Springs is a trade name for Brackla, we've already tasted one here before. Also note that this isn't a mere Margaux finish, probably cabernet sauvignon-led as expected, but a full maturation. I must confess we were rather curious... Colour: full gold, not pink in the slightest, which is quite astonishing unless the cask had been thoroughly rinsed and steam-cleaned beforehand. As a reminder, there is no such thing as white Margaux. Well, they do make white wines in Margaux, but they do not (yet) enjoy the appellation. Anyway, let's move on, this isn't winefun. Nose: an extremely pronounced vinosity, with pink peppercorns, green capsicum, blackcurrant buds, then Swiss cheese and juniper. Quite astonishing. With water: Swiss fondue, naturally with plenty of kirsch. It's rare indeed to find quite so much cheese in the nose of a single malt. Also, a distinct gym socks side, wonderfully bacterial... Mouth (neat): much better on the palate, full of blood oranges, pink grapefruit and properly ripe strawberries with just the right amount of pepper. There's also a touch of grenadine. With water: even better! Pink grapefruit liqueur, almost like Sarti Rosa, practically ready for a spritz. Finish: fairly long, amiable and decidedly unusual. Comments: this is very odd and rather wayward, yet certainly not without interest, nor indeed quality.
SGP:651 - 78 points. |
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August 9, 2026 |
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Just eight Cognacs, vertically
We’re taking advantage of some slightly kinder weather to taste a few recent beasties, but as usual we’ll start with a decidedly older apéritif… (1960s) |
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Rémy Martin ‘V.S.O.P. Special Reserve’ (80 US proof, OB, USA, Fine Champagne, +/-1975) 
Imported by Rémy Amérique in NYC, probably alongside the famous Macallans, which they also imported.. Colour: amber. Nose: very much on liquorice and slightly burnt raisins, overbaked fruitcake, dark nougat, and a little burnt wood. Mouth: rather resinous, with tobacco, and once again those burnt raisins. Not exactly easy, but these old bottles at low strength (80 US proof = 40% vol. as you know) are fragile and, quite frankly, were probably never really built for keeping. Finish: eventually of medium length, but rather on broths, which is not very pleasant. Overcooked leek, a salty touch. Comments: not without its good sides, but far too fragile for a modern palate. Modern like ours, right…
SGP:441 - 60 points. |
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Château de Montifaud ‘XO’ (40%, OB, Petite Champagne, +/-2025)
These 40% are a bit of a shame for an XO, but the house has a good reputation, which may make up for that. Colour: deep gold. Nose: rather dry, with black teas and, once again, slightly burnt cakes and tarts, but then some honeyed and resinous notes come along to brighten the whole thing up. Fir honeydew. Mouth: very lovely arrival, broad, rather rich, almost Muscat-like, once again with a little fir-bud liqueur, before heading straight towards sweet wines, PX, Rivesaltes, and of course Pineau des Charentes. That’s rather nice. Finish: good length, very much on sultanas. The aftertaste is a little woody, but not excessively so. Black tea, dark chocolate with rum… Comments: right, one point more than for their already very good Napoléon.
SGP:551 - 83 points. |
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Michelet ‘Lot 16’ (63%, Piacere Rinato, Grande Champagne, 2026)
Here we are in Segonzac. From the very high bottling strength, we gather that this must be a 2016 rather than a 1916, but we’ve already seen all manner of utterly preposterous things in the world of spirits, haven’t we. Colour: gold. Nose: indeed, it’s young, with berries and grape stalks, fully ripe pips, pear and yellow peach, plus a slightly alcoholic side that’s hardly surprising at this strength. With water: a little prickly, but this rustic side takes us straight to the countryside, and as it happens, we’ve had quite enough of overcrowded, concrete-covered cities. We’re exaggerating again… Mouth (neat): with souls nobly born, worth does not await the passing of the years, as they say. In short, here is a magnificent spirit… of Williams pear. With water: the spectrum broadens, the pear remains but plums and cherries join in, as do roots, especially celeriac, which we absolutely adore. Finish: long, straightforward, very ‘eau-de-vie’. Mint and liquorice in the aftertaste. Comments: quite a beastie for your solid silver hip flask bearing your family’s coat of arms. Yeah, right…
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Vallein-Tercinier ‘Lot 2015’ (61.8%, OB for Piacere Rinato, Bons Bois, 2025)
There is at VT (Vallein-Tercinier, okay) this predictable side that you only find at a handful of small Cognac houses, which you could count on the fingers of one hand. One day, AIs will write tasting notes in cases like this without us even having to dip our noses and lips into the liquid. God protect us! Joking aside, Bons Bois are fairly rare, while Bois Ordinaires, for their part, reach us… never. Colour: gold. Nose: quite simply, apples, plums, quince, sweet roots, camomile, a little ginger… With water: same. Mouth (neat): excellent, figs and oranges, lemongrass, verbena, genepy, grapefruit… With water: we’re more accustomed to VT’s old vintages, their rookies are less familiar to us. I must admit I’m quite impressed, most young cognacs from the biggest houses (VSOP, XO etc.) generally have far less personality. Admittedly, the bottling strength here, rather unusual in Cognac, does help a little when it comes to winning over lovers of… malt. Indeed, like us. Finish: long, clean, on fully ripe green fruits. Comments: for a ten-year-old (+/-) and with no obvious contribution from active wood, this really is very successful.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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François Voyer ‘Lot 19.89 – Gastronomic Waves #3’ (57.7%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 2026)
We are of course at cask strength here. Colour: full gold. Nose: very aromatic and beautifully simple, with plenty of orange marmalade, mirabelle jam and quince jelly, followed by orange blossom honey. Very seductive. With water: a few herbal teas and herbs, some mint too, but it remains compact. Mouth (neat): very compact and coherent indeed, this time more on vineyard peach and apricot liqueurs. A little toffee, dark tobacco and black pepper in the background, that’s the wood. With water: the dark tobacco starts to take over a little, and that works perfectly. Finish: very long, with the marmalade and apricot jam making a comeback. Black pepper and spiced honey in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to add, this is excellent.
SGP:651 - 89 points. |
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Laurichesse ‘Lot 19.76 – La Souveraine’ (45.1%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, cask #215, 382 bottles)
La souveraine more or less means the Queen in French. Colour: amber. Nose: a real sin, an absolute delight, with great Sauternes, mirabelles and apricots, citron liqueur and some wonderfully expressive honeys. Magnificent and ‘obvious’. A more floral side soon joins in as well (dandelions, buttercups, elderflower, honeysuckle) Mouth: magnificent balance between teas and herbal teas on the one hand, and some utterly splendid honeyed apple and pear juice on the other. A little mango. Finish: quite long, more resinous, almost a little mentholated. Eucalyptus and a little earth in the aftertaste. Comments: not that far from the Voyer, really, but softer and almost easier. We like easy things, don’t we. There is also a 19.75, but we’ll taste that one next time.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Prunier 1976/2026 (59.4%, OB, Fins Bois, 90 bottles)
What a beautiful bottle! We really mean the bottle itself, very Grand Siècle or, you're right, Beyoncé style. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: and what a beautiful nose! Headily aromatic, with jasmine, hibiscus, honeysuckle, orange blossom, a little cedarwood, peaches in syrup, lychees, gewurztraminer, fresh bark, fresh walnut skins, toasted touches… With water: it does not budge, which is excellent news given how beautiful the nose was at cask strength. Mouth (neat): incredible! All the mints, all the black teas, all the flowers, and an assortment of Turkish delights such as even President Erdogan could not obtain (sorry, Mr President). Incredible rose fruit paste. With water: utterly sublime in its freshness, fruits, gentle spices, and toasted hazelnuts and almonds coated with honey. Roasted chestnuts. Finish: sublime earths and roots, then mints. Comments: the epitome of a great Fins Bois, with that superb rusticity adding incredible backbone, even to a very aromatic and almost ‘sweet’ cognac. We should perhaps remember that 1976 was a very hot year, almost as hot as… 2026.
SGP:651 - 92 points. |
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Mauxion ’19.38’ (43%, OB, The Rare Cask, Grande Champagne, 120 bottles, 2026)
Here we are, transported back to before the last true world war. We hope Trump, Putin et al. won’t end up making that expression obsolete. Colour: full gold. Nose: I don’t know whether this very old cognac has been reduced or whether it is at cask strength/from a demijohn, but what is certain is that the result is magnificent, rather waxy (furniture polish) and floral, with very light touches of gentian and verbena over the usual (if we may say so) ripe peaches and apricots. Splendid touches of camphor too. Mouth: I love this, especially those notes of sage at the start, which give it an almost Italian side, then that fattiness that almost glues your lips together, with argan oil, and finally old herbal liqueurs, antique yellow Chartreuse etc. And triple sec, equally antique. Finish: not very long but coherent and never frustrating, quite the opposite. The fruity and floral fatness remains, as does the yellow Chartreuse. Comments: we remain at the summit. Deciding which is better, between the Prunier 76 and this Mauxion 38, would be an act of inexcusable vulgarity.
SGP:561 - 92 points. |
It is time to put an end to what eventually turned into a vertical, a configuration that quite often seems to take shape on the WF tasting table, almost against our will. There must be elves around here… |
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August 7, 2026 |
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A little lineup of Highland Parks
of various ages |
After Bowmore (709), and well behind Caol Ila (935), Highland Park should be the next distillery for which we will have published seven hundred different tasting notes. We're currently sitting at 688, although we imagine that sort of detail is of interest only to the tiny handful of number crunchers among WF's ever-so-distinguished readers. So, let's get on with it...
The first HP we'll try can only bring to mind that well-worn joke: "I know a chef who always cooks with Highland Park whisky. Sometimes, he even puts some in the food." (Jim Henson + AI) |
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Highland Park 16 yo ‘Between You and I’ (48%, OB, 2025)
A rather eclectic and inventive mix of casks, including Virgin Swedish oak, although we have to confess its purpose rather escapes us. Another Viking saga, perhaps? What's more, the price strikes us as rather steep for a 16-year-old that's not bottled at cask strength (€150), but that certainly won't stop us continuing to adore Highland Park. Besides, this baby appears to have been created in collaboration with a renowned Swedish chef, not the one from the Muppets mind you. As long as it wasn't the fellow who invented Ikea's Huvudroll meatballs... Colour: full gold. Nose: no meatballs here, rather fudge, peanut oil, touches of camphor and embrocation, the sort that's supposed to soothe sprains and the assorted aches of active people, lightly smoky salted caramel, modelling clay, and the faintest coastal edge. Go on then, a wink of common periwinkle. A lovely nose in any case, rather subtle. Mouth: beautifully coherent, although more assertive, with dry sherry and peat taking the lead, a salinity that's more obvious on the palate than it was on the nose, then a curious touch of oil paint and even a drop of turpentine. Plenty of deeply toasted walnuts in the aftertaste. Finish: fairly long, firmly in a peaty, peppery register that, truth be told, has absolutely nothing to do with Talisker. Just to put those rumours to bed, you understand. Comments: we still prefer Highland Parks that stay closer to the distillate, but we have to admit that this baby, chef or no chef, is very well put together indeed. In the end, there's even the faintest Laphroaig-esque whisper.
SGP:462 - 85 points. |
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Highland Park 8 yo ‘Old Orkney’ (47%, Decadent Drinks, bourbon and sherry refill hogsheads and butts)
Remember that Old Orkney, aka O.O., was Stromness before the war, then Gordon & MacPhail, and is now Decadent Drinks. It's an emblematic name, and since we had the singular pleasure of tasting two or three Stromness bottlings over the years, let's see whether this young new O.O. has taken any inspiration from them whatsoever. Colour: pale gold. Nose: the first piece of good news is that it's pleasantly saline and mustardy, not smoky like Stromness, but with a little imagination we can spot a few family resemblances. Above all, it's pure, with seaweed and earthy roots taking centre stage. Pickled samphire, Chinese mushrooms, flint and gentian. Mouth: it's on the palate that this youngster gives that famous Swedish chef the hardest time, much livelier, sharper, saltier and more maritime, packed with little smoky aromatic herbs. The sherry, refill or otherwise, has contributed pepper and walnuts, as it so often does. Finish: long, slightly oily, with a faint engine oil note, but also plenty of lemon, grapefruit and, above all, salt. Comments: we think this is a splendid success. There are echoes of the excellent 10-year-old the distillery used to make a few years ago. A very strong contender for BFYB of the month (£50).
SGP:562 - 88 points. |
Well, victory without peril brings no glory, does it? So, let's have another little 8-year-old... |
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Highland Park 8 yo (100 proof, Gordon & MacPhail, UK, +/1970)
We have already tasted quite a number of these 8-year-olds from various eras, but we have to admit that the 100 proof versions have generally been magnificent. As you will have gathered, the idea is not really to compare this genuine legend with the excellent young O.O. Although perhaps we may uncover a thread of kinship after all... Colour: amber. Nose: utterly magnificent, with the proverbial heather honey, mango preserve, tobacco, earth freshly soaked by the first summer rain, a little maple syrup, and a veritable cavalcade of tiny spices and herbs, all displaying astonishing complexity. An absolutely majestic nose, although that hardly comes as a surprise. With water: smoky honeys and saline earth. The well-mannered taster will bow right down to the ground. Mouth (neat): simply unbelievable and, would you believe it, there really is a family resemblance with the saline peatiness of the young O.O. Seriously, we're not joking, nor are we currying favour with D.D. Promise. Cross our hearts. If we're lying, we deserve to go straight to hell. Sublime preserved lemons, wonderful umami and glorious mushrooms. Citrus zests of every description. Right, let's move on... With water: little mint leaves, embrocations, noble citrus fruits and seaweed, with an extra touch of honeyed sweetness. Finish: very long, more rooty, smoky and lightly caramelised, with breathtaking elegance. Comments: one of the greatest young malt whiskies of all time, alongside a select few others such as the Samaroli Glen Garioch. Absolutely. We should add, since that was the whole point of the exercise, that there really is a common thread running through these two 8-year-olds. A thread stretching back well over fifty years...
SGP:563 - 94 points. |
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Secret Orkney (HP) 25 yo 2000/2026 (52.6%, Sansibar & The Whisky Agency, cream sherry butt)
Our friends have thoughtfully specified 'HP' on the label, just in case anyone might mistake it for Scapa. Incidentally, it's rather a shame that independent Scapa has all but disappeared these days. Colour: full gold. Nose: Highland Park really is a remarkable malt when it's not dressed up a little too heavily. Here it's magnificently earthy, rooty, lemony, maritime and gently medicinal, before becoming increasingly waxy over time. Splendid. With water: oops, we hadn't even noticed how discreetly that famous cream sherry had slipped into the background... Mouth (neat): this is lovely, simply delicious! Green pepper and lemon to begin with, then seawater and ashes, followed by toasted walnuts and a few shellfish. The whole affair is beautifully steered towards elegant bitters. With water: very little changes, apart from a little more citrus and a few extra earthy notes. Finish: long, drier and more peppery, with green walnuts making a late appearance. Still not much sign of any obvious 'cream', should we really regret that? Comments: simply excellent, only the finish is just a shade less perfectly balanced, but once again we're really splitting hairs...
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Highland Park 22 yo 2003/2026 (55.9%, Thompson Bros., refill sherry wood, 336 bottles)
Lovely label, with a distinctly Italian flair. Colour: full gold. Nose: this time we're heading more towards mirabelle and apricot preserves, quince jelly and acacia honey, while the camphory, earthy and smoky elements have been pushed rather into the background. Still, there's really no reason to lodge a complaint with the Malt Whisky Police, is there. With water: beer, wort and yeast come bubbling back to the surface here, gently reminding us of the origins of this wonderful spirit. Flint and basalt. Mouth (neat): much livelier, sharper, smokier and pepperier, almost acidic, with delicate touches of aniseed alongside camphor lotion. All in all, it's the most medicinal of the line-up. With water: the salinity and rooty character move firmly back to centre stage. Finish: long, lively, earthy and consistently rooty. Comments: this is probably not the sort of friendly Highland Park for mothers-in-law and grandfathers. They'd be better off sticking with the official bottlings. As for us, we love it.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
Highland Park is probably one of those distillates where, whatever you do and whatever you say, the casks will always play second fiddle to the spirit itself. While as it happens, we could indeed have reached our 700th Highland Park today, but let's not overdo things, that milestone can wait until next time. Right then, one last wee dram, and let's pick a cask of suitably venerable age.. |
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Highland Park 35 yo 1988/2024 (50.1%, Aquavitae & Shinanoya, Divine Beasts, hogshead, 150 bottles)
The label rather reminds us of those gung fu cha tea trays adorned with little bronze or cast-iron toads that are ceremoniously doused with the first rinsing waters to bring good fortune, happiness and, perhaps above all, to provide a respectable destination for those first infusions that nobody would really know what to do with anyway. At least, that's our interpretation, that of a poorly brought-up Westerner. Colour: gold. Nose: a lovely marriage of peanut oil and mango juice, joined by hints of rose, jasmine, heather and apricot liqueur, before damp slate quietly enters the scene. The cask has behaved impeccably, everything remains wonderfully fresh, almost youthful. With water: bruised mint leaves, proper tweed, grist and sourdough. Finding sourdough after 35 years in oak fills us with quiet delight. Mouth (neat): splendid, taut, spicy and absolutely packed with citrus, then becoming increasingly mineral, exactly as the nose had suggested. Chalk, clay and crushed slate. Beyond that, mango and apricot return, now accompanied by pink grapefruit. The liveliness is just perfect, and so is the balance. With water (just a drop): essentially the same composition, with earthier pepper and the fruits taking a slight step backwards. No real issue, although frankly, you may as well leave these old creatures alone once they're hovering around 50% vol. Finish: fairly long, surprisingly fermentary despite all those years. Comments: it rather lost a point or two after we added water. We probably should have resisted. In any case, a wonderful bottle, and certainly no toad. We mean a toad as viewed by Westerners, of course. Mind you, we do seem to have a chief toad in D.C., you know, a yellow-tinted specimen...
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
Right then, just for a little historical perspective... |
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Highland Park 18 yo (43%, OB, +/-2005)
We were just having a score for this one (WF 88) and no tasting notes, so it was more than time to add some tasting note, for the cause, since we were having a bottle. Quite a few people seem to miss these older labels, or so it appears to us. Then again, they also miss Jefferson Airplane, don't they... Colour: gold. Nose: a little dry, but certainly peaty and earthy, with dried herbs, aniseed, a touch of horseradish and another of lavender. The 43% vol. is beginning to show its age after twenty years, at least on the nose, but let's see what the palate has to say... Mouth: decidedly peatier than we remembered, pepperier too, drier, edging closer to a fino sherry style, with old walnuts, plenty of humus, lavender, pepper, bitter oranges and mint. The 43% vol. is no longer an issue here. Finish: almost long, distinctly earthy and floral. We would lean more towards lavender than the proverbial heather, although the pepper in the aftertaste sweeps much of that aside anyway. Comments: we shouldn't romanticise old bottles too much, and time can also leave its mark on whisky in bottle, but this remains an excellent malt, rather less civilised than expected.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
After this enjoyable little session, we're left thinking that Highland Park is rather like certain rums, age seems to matter rather less to the overall quality of an expression than it does with many other malts and whiskies. We could almost coin the following little equation, if we dared: HP = HD. Mind you, people usually say HD = Ardbeg... Oh, never mind, just forget all that... Next time, we should have our 700th HP. |
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