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February 16, 2026 |
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A little trio of official Tomintoul
No fuss here, remember that Tomintoul is ‘the gentle dram’. In fact, the first time I went wild camping not far from Tomintoul, out in the heather – and more years ago than you could possibly count – I mainly made the acquaintance of the midges. But why am I telling you this? Come on then, a little aperitif to help forget that rather stinging memory…
(A very good Rosé des Riceys by the house Boizel in Epernay) |
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Tomintoul ‘Tawny Port Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, +/-2022) 
We have already tasted quite a few Tomintouls without an age statement and finished in all manner of assorted wines. Amarone, for example, or merlot, or pinot noir, or tempranillo… We have always had a good laugh, so let us hope it will be the same today. Colour: raspberry jelly. Nose: just as the colour suggested, it is crammed with red fruits and rather evokes a still Champagne rosé, something akin to a rosé des Riceys with its little touches of leather and tobacco and a hint of faded rose. And raspberry, naturally. Frankly, this little ready-made cocktail is rather pleasant on the nose… Mouth: certainly maltier and it is here that one realises the superiority of fortified wines over table wines when it comes to finishing. Notes of cherry-stalk infusion, a little earthy tobacco, and even fresh button mushrooms and pepper. Finish: fairly short and drier, on unsweetened black tea. Comments: perhaps my favourite of the lot. It is in fact much less driven by red fruits than I had expected.
SGP:450 - 79 points. |
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Tomintoul ‘White Port Cask Finish’ (40%, OB, Small Batch, +/-2022) 
You are quite right, I perhaps ought to have started with this one, but over here we say, “red on white, everything goes to blight, white on red, nothing moves ahead”. Naturally, in globish, the good rhyme is lost. Colour: white wine. Seriously. Nose: very aromatic indeed, on banana and pear, and even pineapple. Has some well-meaning soul slipped in a drop of amyl acetate? And a spoonful of white chocolate cream while they were at it… Yet here again, it is rather good. Orange wafers. Mouth: I prefer this baby to its red companion, it feels closer on the palate to a light but ‘proper’ malt, with the wafers returning alongside fruit skins, especially peach. A faint touch of Fanta Lemon. Finish: rather short, on yellow fruit smoothies, with green tea in the aftertaste, gently drying the whole. Comments: frankly, I quite like it. And it confirms our famous proverb mentioned above.
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
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Tomintoul 14 yo 2011/2025 (63.5%, OB for SG60, bourbon barrel, cask #3482, 247 bottles) 
An official bottling to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of Singapore, done under the guidance of several prestigious bars, including the Quaich Bar and The Auld Alliance. All should therefore go splendidly, even if one does wonder, given that new make is generally run into cask at 63.5%, how not even a tenth of a degree has been lost over 14 years. Nor gained, for that matter, as that can happen too. Colour: straw. Nose: it is a little hot, even slightly fierce, yet we detect dandelion, hay, fresh malt and overripe apple. All this bodes pretty well, let us see… With water: yellow cherry, gooseberry, acacia honey, zucchini flowers… and always that dandelion, along with other yellow flowers. It is floral! Mouth (neat): strictly between us, I might not have kept the mention ‘The Gentle Dram’ upon this label, for it is very lively, sharp, rather lemony and packed with small green fruits. Apples included, naturally. Water should tame all this… With water: homemade apple juice, orange blossom water, light peppermint… It has not exactly become meek as a lamb, but there is now a very pretty multifloral honey. Finish: long, fairly brisk, more lemony. The apple returns with a vengeance. Comments: obviously very good and, above all, very ‘natural’.
SGP:551 - 86 points. |
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February 15, 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! |
Nine superb Armagnacs to lift our spirits |
And I promise you it won’t just be the effect of the alcohol. In any case, it’s always a great pleasure to taste Armagnacs after Cognacs, even if the slightly more ‘modern’ styles currently in vogue in both regions – a little closer to malt whiskies, in fact – seem to have brought them somewhat closer together in recent years, at least to my mind. In short, fewer notes of raisins, flowers and stewed apricots in the Cognacs, and less pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and prunes in the Armagnacs.
There is also the growing use of batch distillation in Armagnac, or so it seems to me… although I’ve just read that it still accounts for less than 5% of production. In any case, between a Cognac Folle Blanche and an Armagnac Folle Blanche, both distilled in batches, there is no longer all that much difference. Well then, it’s time to taste a few Armagnacs, with quite a number of young ones this time. |
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This adorable little Alsatian girl stands guard
at Château Saint-Aubin. At least they didn’t put up a giant bretzel. (Saint-Aubin) |
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Château Saint-Aubin 4 yo (âge 4) (43%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, 2025)
An estate of 55 hectares, 36 of which are devoted to Armagnac, owned by an Alsatian family, just imagine! There we are, five extra points (wink). The house is located in Réans, in the Eauze area, right in the heart of the Gers. In any case, this Saint-Aubin has absolutely nothing to do with the famous Burgundies. This 4-year-old is a blend of ugni blanc and colombard. Colour: deep gold. Nose: notes of eucalyptus, mint, pine sap and camphor bustle at the gate to begin with, before allowing plenty of cracked pepper and liquorice wood to come through, while the fruitiness, though clearly present, remains slightly in the background. I find the overall effect rather splendid, truth be told. Mouth: this time it is the fruits that take the leading roles, especially mandarins and oranges, which quickly combine with notes of that Italian drink with the provocatively red colour that begins with the letter C. Then we have touches of fresh oak and ginger-flavoured toffee. It is very modern, and I find it very good indeed. Finish: long, with fairly spicy oak in command, followed by bitter orange that comes along to bring everyone into agreement. Comments: hopla geiss! (that’s meant to be Alsatian).
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
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Château de Millet 5 yo ‘VSOP’ (42%, OB, Bas Armagnac, +/-2025)
Armagnac remains a rather free territory, you see sometimes they write Bas-Armagnac, sometimes Bas-armagnac, and sometimes Bas Armagnac without a hyphen, as here. In any case we are once again in Eauze and here we have pure baco. Colour: full gold. Nose: here we find a completely different style, much more on black nougat, fudge, caramel, praline, but also wood varnish and liquorice. The touches of Williams pear that arrive thereafter render it rather irresistible, one could happily dive straight in. Mouth: once again less marked by the wood, thus with more reddish (roux) casks I imagine, bringing it closer to candied fruits, cassata, panettone and even the proverbial prunes. It is therefore less modern but frankly, I adore it. Finish: long, more liquorice-led as is often the case, with a very slight mentholated touch thereafter. Aniseed emerges in the aftertaste, for a very end of palate that is fresh as a daisy. Comments: a very young armagnac of great beauty but do be careful, it slips down rather easily.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
In short, a truly striking contrast in style, one to recommend to beginners who think these brandies are all much the same… Let’s carry on… |
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Cloud & Clet ‘XO’ (40%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, +/-2025)
A 10-year-old pure baco and a fairly recent brand it would seem, proclaiming “the renewal of Armagnac”, as indeed they all tend to do whenever a new generation takes up the torch. And that is all very well. Here we are on a 100-hectare estate in Mauléon-d’Armagnac, the only thing that strikes us as slightly odd, for a ‘modern’ armagnac, being the bottling strength of 40% vol., especially for an XO. Colour: full gold. Nose: this one is much rounder, much fruitier, much more jammy, much more aromatic, yet without any heaviness. One might almost think of gewurztraminer marc aged in oak and topped up with orange liqueur, although that impression soon evaporates to make way for stewed peaches and sultanas. If the palate is not overly syrupy, we once again have a superb young Bas-Armagnac. Mouth: well no, I mean yes, we most certainly still have a very fine armagnac, fresh and joyful, brimming with fruit, peaches, apples, pears, mirabelles, apricots, and many more besides. Light honey. Finish: not even short, and tending somewhat, I assure you, towards young Macallan from the 1970s. Indeed, indeed. Comments: I must confess the design of the bottle had worried me slightly, but the armagnac inside swiftly made up for that first impression.
SGP:641 - 87 points. |
Do note, this is a Haut-Armagnac, which is not all that common… |
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Château Arton 2015/2026 ‘La Flamme’ (47.6%, OB, Haut-Armagnac)
Here we have a blend of ugni blanc and colombard, thus a rather Cognac-like composition if I am not mistaken, bottled this year at cask strength. I rather like the statement on the back label: “This is NOT brandy”. We shall endeavour to remember that, guilty as charged. In any case, we are here in Lectoure, with the Montal-Montesquiou family. The estate is in biodynamic conversion, though that of course does not yet apply to this 2015. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this one is far more pâtissier than the others to begin with, on almond cake, buttery croissants, custard… Notes of white wine then arrive (chardonnay matured in oak), but also raisins, with a few touches of PX from Jerez. Stewed quince then comes along to gather it all together. A dessert armagnac? Mouth: it starts straight away on apple, whether stewed or distilled, with a slightly green and taut tannicity that then leads towards lemon zest. I had feared, once again, an excess of roundness, but not at all, I was wrong yet again. I also confess to finding notes of single malt with a northern Highlands side and there, I assure you, I am quite right. Indeed. Finish: long, with very ripe and caramelised apple returning with some force, accompanied by its companion pear. Comments: it is excellent.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
A fairly tight cluster for now, but that’s only to be expected: the BNIA had, in a way, preselected these four very fine young Armagnacs for me. They’re good at the BNIA (Bureau National Interprofessionnel de l’Armagnac) – very good indeed… Right then, if we’re tasting the very young VS that follows after the others, it’s because of its considerably higher bottling strength… |
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Domaine d’Espérance ‘VS’ (52.5%, OB, Bas Armagnac, 2024) 
This is the estate of the delightful Countess Claire de Montesquiou, a descendant, so I am told, of the genuine d’Artagnan, Musketeer of the King. The back label is in fact a veritable novel, from which we learn that this small VS is a blend of five casks, one folle blanche 2022 #250, two baco 2022 #291 & 154, and two baco 2020, #332 & 336. And if that interests you, the latter two were 500 litre casks, whereas the others were 200 litre ones. The still is fitted with 8 plates, so that should purify things rather well. It is also at natural cask strength, and for the sake of completeness, I have absolutely adored the Espérances I have previously tasted, though they were all much older than this modest VS. Modest? Let us see about that… Colour: full gold. Nose: purified? Well no, we are propelled straight into Sutherland, somewhere between Brora and Wick, more or less, with a pronounced fatness, more beeswax than in a hive, and a compote of apple, pear and quince softened with heather honey. And a very slight sea breeze. With water: the water works wonders, bringing out both more fruits and some earth. Mouth (neat): a formidable sharpness, allied to that oily side we cherish so much. A swordsman as fine as its musketeer ancestor, with orchard fruits as pointed as his famous blade. But let us keep things simple: greengage, apple, gooseberry and small green pear. With water: and here come the roots, liquorice, gentian, celeriac, even raw turnip. And the wines. Finish: long and taut, now very much on the vegetables. And the earth… Comments: if I dared, I would use one of those terrifying barbarisms of which we at WF HQ have the secret: it is a true maltagnac. I know, it is dreadful, I willingly offer my apologies.
SGP:461 - 88 points. |
We need a Ténarèze, don’t we? … And now we’ll move on to some older Armagnacs… |
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Château Le Courréjot 2005/2024 (55%, Hootch, Ténarèze, cask #64, 98 bottles) 
Pure ugni blanc from Condom-en-Armagnac and from a single cask. Cask strength, naturally. Colour: gold. Nose: tonnes of marzipan steeped in eau-de-vie, that is what strikes first. Then come the natural, rustic notes, fresh hay, sautéed mushrooms, forest honey, followed by an improbable yet magnificent combination of dill and fir needles. The whole is beautifully balanced and far more complex than it first appears. With water: it does not move an inch, you may simply add a small touch of fresh putty. Mouth (neat): this is simply too good! An explosion of orange blossom honey and fir bud liqueur, with almost a hint of old Sauternes about it. With water: it remains as immovable as a Norman wardrobe, as we say, this time with just a little liquorice joining the festivities. Finish: and it carries on; it is a rock. Orange honey continues to take the leading role for quite some time. An aniseed touch in the aftertaste, as so often, which neatly loops back to the dill on the nose. Comments: a Ténarèze as stubborn as a native of the Gers. I allow myself to say so as I have family in the Gers. Magnificent beast.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
Hmm, how to respond? Perhaps with this… |
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Domaine d’Espérance 2006/2025 ’Folle Blanche’ (50.5%, OB, Bas-Armagnac, cask #51)
Colour: golden amber. Nose: whereas the VS was nervous and modern, here we are faced with an armagnac in the old style, marked by Darjeeling, a cabinetmaker’s workshop, dark chocolate, dried ceps or morels?), and even a few mentholated and terpenic wafts. I would add that it is very beautiful, almost Grand Siècle in style. With water (just a wee drop): touches of crushed slate and mosses, though this is merely decorative, the whole scarcely changes. Mouth (neat): but how close it is to the previous Ténarèze! The same vigorous honeys, orange blossom water, menthol and liquorice, light varnish notes… With water: sour cherry bursts forth, along with its companion kirsch, yet without the slightest vulgarity naturally. Finish: long, with that tension so appreciable in the finest French, err, brandies. Apologies. A very slight chouchen side, though then it would be the finest chouchen in Brittany, thus in the world. Perhaps a hint of olive oil in the far aftertaste. Comments: as we sometimes say, we would require a double magnum of each to manage to decide between the previous one and this one. We agree, that would not be reasonable.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Domaine de Danis 39 yo 1985/2025 (47.1%, Armagnac.de, Ténarèze, cask #40, 2026)
Folle blanche, as always at Danis, distilled in a travelling still (alambic ambulant). I should add that many producers in Armagnac still do just that. Colour: dark red amber. Nose: at this age the wood plays a greater role and it shows, with a whole assortment of fruitwoods, cherrywood for instance, or rather wild cherry. Quite naturally there then arise kirsch-like notes, marzipan, followed by eucalyptus wood on a very hot summer’s day (only joking) and dried fruits, especially figs. A very fine example of a nose that ‘converges’, according to the theory that old spirits, whatever their raw materials may have been, tend increasingly to resemble one another with age. Mouth: the fruits put up some resistance, though in a more candied, almost ultra-ripe guise. Figs again, also dates and, above all, Corinth raisins. And Cointreau. And a little fir liqueur… Finish: much the same, with the oak gathering strength once more, on black tea and bitter chocolate. Comments: we are approaching a tipping point here, and it is as moving as an ageing Hollywood actress who still has plenty to say. Well, you see what I mean… Superb in any case.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
It may be time to bring this gallop to an end; in any case, we’ll soon have plenty more Armagnacs to come… |
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Bas-Armagnac 1963/2025 (45.8%, The Antelope, cask #DB1021, 73 bottles)
A somewhat mysterious bottling, does ‘DB’ stand for Domaine de Baraillon? Pure speculation, do not dwell on it, in any case it has been a long time since we last saw any Baraillon pass our way, I do hope they are well as we adored their armagnacs in the highest degree. Colour: deep red amber. Nose: superb and even compact, with compotes rather than jams, peaches in syrup, dried figs, chestnut honey, plus those light old-fashioned metallic touches, the sort one finds in grandmother’s ancient copper cauldron. Gentle wafts of moss and mushrooms as well. A touch of liquorice plays the part of the sheepdog here, ensuring the whole flock remains neatly together. A very, very beautiful nose. Mouth: we cross a threshold here, it is sublime with mint, olives, liquorice, tobacco… Above all, the small herbs insinuate themselves, verbena, wormwood, genepy, all under the watchful eye of the liquorice, just as on the nose. It is simply extraordinary. Finish: only now do touches of old oak step forward proudly, yet never causing the slightest disturbance. Thin mints, strongly infused mint tea, dark chocolate… Only the aftertaste shows a faint tannic edge, which is more than normal. Comments: this is deeply impressive and even if I do not know whether this baby spent those 62 or 63 years in cask or finished its life in demijohn, it is truly an ode to the passing of time. Remember, the number one ingredient, the most sacred of all, remains time. Incredible Bas-Armagnac. And so, what is it exactly?
SGP:661 - 92 points. |
We’ll stop there, and although all these Armagnacs were ‘selected’ in one way or another, and we took great care to avoid the run-of-the-mill, we are nonetheless very impressed by the overall standard.
See you soon – stay tuned. |
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February 14, 2026 |
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A non-alcoholic whisky that doesn’t pretend to be whisky
(To celebrate Valentine’s Day
with a bit of a laugh)
I’ve just come back from Wine Paris, where one of the major talking points was alcohol-free spirits. I must admit I’ve often toyed with the idea of doing a tasting of alcohol-free ‘no’ whiskies, but none of the ones I’ve tried so far have really justified it. Some were perfectly pleasant to drink, but they simply bore no resemblance to whisky — and I’m not talking about the missing alcoholic kick. Besides, I wasn’t especially keen to alienate half the whisky world and risk immediate digital crucifixion. |
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A penicillin (with a thought for Stéphane G. Missing you Stéphane.) |
Quite amusingly, though, I stumbled across the one we’re about to try, and it very pointedly makes no claim whatsoever to be an alcohol-free whisky. It isn’t a de-alcoholised whisky produced by one method or another (something I’ve yet to see work convincingly, at least so far). I’ve sampled a fair few of those, including several at Wine Paris itself. That said, I may well have made the cardinal error of tasting proper whisky shortly beforehand, when I probably ought to have started with the alcohol-free options instead. In any case, we’ll revisit the subject properly another day. For now, we’re simply going to taste the one that caught our attention and which, as I mentioned, doesn’t pretend to be whisky, nor even alcohol-free whisky, nor indeed something meant to be drunk neat… |
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Giffard ‘Woody Malt N°02’ (0%, OB, +/-2026)
The honourable makers mention in their charming brochure, I quote, a ‘Lively attack of malt and sherry evolving towards gentle fruity notes before an elegant finale on peat and oak wood.’ That is quite a lot of promises for a product that is offered solely as a mocktail ingredient and in no way as a ‘whisky’. One must admire Giffard’s honesty here, a house that strikes me as extremely well regarded among all the mixologists known to my friends. Colour: deep gold, slightly cloudy. Nose: this is genuinely most amusing, somewhere between fresh paint, soot, toasted sesame, old Gouda and liquorice. A touch of dust. I rather like this charmingly improbable nose, and I am not joking. To think it is absolutely not meant to be sipped neat! Mouth: it is not whisky, yet we are not so very far away, and I find it… good. Liquorice takes centre stage, followed by light touches of violet and lavender, some smoke though discreet, and a faint orange fudge note. There is sweetness, but I imagine it is required to avoid ending up as a mere herbal infusion. Finish: short of course, but not abrupt, once again thanks to that gentle sweetness. The orange caramel side lingers, together with a small note of sweet carrot… Comments: I ought not to score this, granted, yet I wish to record that it is, in my view, a very good product, superior to many whiskies ‘with alcohol’. And after all, it is Valentine’s Day!
SGP:331 - 80 points. |
Bonus: here’s the recommendation from Giffard themselves if you’d like to turn it into a cocktail, and I do mean recommendation, as they actively advise against drinking it neat:
Penicillin (a modern classic cocktail typically combining Scotch, lemon juice, honey-ginger syrup and a float of peaty whisky):
4cl Giffard Woody Malt - 2,5cl Giffard Gingembre sans alcool - 1,5cl Sirop Miel Giffard - 3cl Lemon juice.
A votre santé ! |
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February 13, 2026 |
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Two Isle of Raasay, or cherries vs pumpernickel
I agree, two Raasays aren’t too many. It’s one of the young distilleries we’re rather fond of! |
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Isle of Raasay 2021/2025 (48%, OB, France exclusive, matured in red Bourgogne)
For us, maturations in red wine casks are always slightly worrying (I know, I do go on) but one never quite knows. We assume it was pinot noir, yet do note that there is also gamay in Bourgogne, not solely in Beaujolais. Indeed, fifty years ago there was a great deal of gamay, even in the Côte d’Or. Anyway, let us move along, this is not bourgognefun here… Colour: gold with apricotty hues. Nose: our good fortune here is that the distillate was still brimming with barley, yeast, earth and all those fermentary things that we rather cherish, as a consequence of which the blackcurrants and cherries behave themselves properly and we are spared any true cocktail effect. Phew. Mouth: the red fruits are more emphatic here, the whole veering slightly towards a kirschy side, yet we also find a few impressions of Belgian ‘Kriek’ beer, which I personally enjoy, and which incidentally causes all my Belgian friends to tease me gently. In short… Lyon’s praline tart. It remains a truly good whisky, yet we are clearly within premix territory. Finish: long, more kirschy, more peppery. Comments: but why are all the Scots now using red wine casks? Merely a question of cost?
SGP:651 - 80 points. |
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Isle of Raasay (60.9%, OB for Kirsch Import, Awakening Series, for Whisky Live Germany, PX sherry quarter cask, cask #21/1231)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: Germany 1 – France 0. It looks like the result of a football match from the 1970s or 1980s, doesn’t it? The absence of red fruits is a true blessing, while the walnut liqueur, mushrooms and damp earth are blessings too. Not forgetting the national pumpernickel, which we adore to the highest degree, it is almost malt whisky in solid form. Yes, indeed… But do take care, this Raasay is a little strong… With water: damp earth, fresh mastic, virgin wool and just a handful of fresh barley. Mouth (neat): excellent, taut, certainly young and vigorous, and a little rustic here and there, yet green pepper, smoke and lemon perfectly complete that famous… pumpernickel. With water: perfect young coastal malt, close to its ingredients, without Botox or excessive makeup. Despite the quarter cask, and despite the PX, perhaps it was refill? Finish: long, delightfully earthy, just as we like it. Comments: indeed, I do like this BKaiser-Franz of whisky very much.
SGP:553 - 87 points. |
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February 12, 2026 |
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A Balvenie
and a Balvy
Yet another new name for a ‘blended malt’ which, in all likelihood, comes from the famous distillery in Dufftown, from which we are about to sample — as an aperitif — a 10-year-old expression from a few years ago. |
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Balvenie 10 yo 'Founder's Reserve' (40%, OB, Germany, +/-2005)
We have of course already tasted this 10 a few times, but we have never written a ‘formal’ tasting note. In any case it was not the greatest of the Balvenies, even if the version from the 1980s in a Cognac bottle had been a little superior, in my humble opinion. That was the era when Scotch sometimes copied the attributes of cognac, you see… Colour: gold. Nose: mainly hay and herbal tea to begin with, then a touch of vanilla and fresh walnut, finally hints of not quite fully ripe apricot. It is not immensely expressive, but this is a 40% vol. version, there was also 43%. Mouth: much more punch on the palate, it is almost a little rustic and spirity, then it unfolds on vanilla and overripe apple, slightly bitter woody touches, and a return of the apricots, accompanied by peaches, the whole rather dry. No very ripe mirabelle nor quince paste this time. Finish: not so short, a little bitter, with a touch of lemon zest right at the end. Comments: it is nonetheless really rather good, better than in my memories. Perhaps a little good OBE after twenty years in bottle?
SGP:451 - 81 points. |
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Balvy 35 yo 1989/2025 (52%, The Whisky Jury, blended malt, refill hogshead, cask #681R, 278 bottles)
Thirty-five years, that is beginning to count. Let us see whether we rediscover the mirabelle tart with custard so common in old Balvenie distilled towards the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s. Colour: pale gold. It is paler than the 10 yo, ha. Nose: I would almost go so far as to call it ‘anti-Balvenie’, so much does it begin on roots and waxes, fresh mastic, a handful of just-malted barley, old tobacco in an old tobacco pouch, and an old tin box with old mint tea inside. In short, you see, all this is murmuring rather quietly for the moment. Water should wake it up as it wakes the cats at WF Towers. With water: yes, it works, it brings out Williams pear and quince, and even cauliflower, but in homeopathic doses, so no cause for concern. Mouth (neat): the Balvenie DNA returns at once, with plums of every hue in abundance, plenty of apples and even some cider, then notes of salted butter caramel. Who does not like salted butter caramel? No one. With water: it becomes even more ‘Balvenie’, firing off apples, pears, greengages, little apricots, but also a touch of kirsch. In short, it is an old Balve… Balvy that has remained rather rustic. Finish: long, close to the orchard but also to the earth. Green apple and a surprisingly marked salinity in the aftertaste. Comments: let us admit that it does not show its 35 years, and that the cask was doubtless lazier than Homer Simpson. Or than a giant panda. Or than the cats at WF HQ.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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February 11, 2026 |
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Eight Tullibardine, for glory and for flavour |
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A distillery full of merit, and one that truly deserves greater recognition. We're ready to spread the word! |
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Tullibardine ‘500 Sherry Finish’ (43%, OB, +/-2021)
The label states this is ‘A Drop of Pure Highland Gold’ and we’ve no reason whatsoever to doubt it. The number 500 would appear to refer to the cask capacity, and certainly not to the 500 miles of Indianapolis (S.? All good?). I should add that we’d tasted earlier iterations of this 500 and had rather liked them. Colour: full gold. Nose: lovely, slightly yeasty, showing notes of fresh walnut and overripe apple, a combination that, to our mind, always works. A few hints of bark and some wood dust as well. Mouth: really not much to add, it’s a charming malt, quite close in style to some excellent beers, dry in just the right way, unassuming, yet that’s very much part of its appeal. Farmhouse cider, tobacco, slightly bitter walnuts. Finish: not very long but nicely dry and bitter. Comments: a very young and inexpensive malt (I believe) but one full of merit.
SGP:461 - 80 points. |
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Tullibardine 30 yo 1993 (47.9%, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, 222 bottles, +/-2024)
We’re placing this venerable version here due to its bottling strength, you see. These old Tullibardines are really not common at all. As they say round here, they don’t grow on vines. Colour: Californian chardonnay. Just kidding. Nose: absolutely all-in on weissbier, brewing wort, bread dough, a bakery at five in the morning, cider apples, even a dab of cider vinegar—but just a dab. Simply astounding for something thirty years of age. Mouth: it’s improbable stuff, not very balanced, hyper-fermentary, highly peppery, verging on acidic, and yet I utterly adore that sensation of tasting… … … new make. It’s genuinely excellent, albeit rather unlikely. Finish: fairly long, with honey and mead making a late appearance to lend body, if not quite sweetness. Still, what brilliant acidity. Comments: an improbable, disconcerting old malt, yet in the end, marvellous, if you’re into all things natural. Natural wine? Here comes natural whisky.
SGP:451 - 90 points. |
Time to hand this back to the juniors… |
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Tullibardine 13 yo 2012/2025 (54%, Cadenhead, Chairman’s Stock, hogshead)
Alas, this wee one spent its final two years in tawny Port casks, but one never knows, perhaps it managed to retain its DNA? Colour: dear me, redder than raspberry jelly! Nose: this is where all your certainties come crashing down—there’s not a hint of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, blackcurrant or redcurrant (S., message received), instead we’re getting fresh croissant and toasted gingerbread. The worst part is, for now, it works. With water: not bad, cigarette tobacco, fresh concrete... Mouth (neat): blimey, it’s actually good, thanks to the pepper taking full control. That said, I must admit there’s still a fair amount of red fruit in the background, which is borderline off-putting. A sort of artisan Campari. With water: no idea what that is. Salted and peppered orange liqueur. Finish: jammy, peppery. Artificial wild strawberry (yep). Comments: I’d be rather surprised if the Chairman of WM Cadenhead, with his access to endless Springbanks, drinks this sort of thing on the regular.
SGP:551 - 78 points. |
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Tullibardine 11 yo 2013/2025 (53%, Decadent Drams, 2nd-fill sherry hogshead, 242 bottles) 
I must admit I’m very curious now—why has our Angus, prince of the singular yet classical malts, chosen a Tullibardine just 11 years of age? Colour: gold. Nose: scones, shortbread, sesame oil, kouign-amann, buttercream… Right, got it. With water: leaves, cherry tree, peach, fig… Mouth (neat): perhaps a few walnutty touches from the sherry, otherwise it’s all pepper and small white fruits. Not a jot of softness or sweetness, this baby’s taut as an Olympic bow. With water: a few gentler notes (bergamots), though it still holds tight as a G-string. Finish: fairly long, veering more towards bread and yeast. Comments: this is really lovely, very close to nature, ultimately quite minimalist, though perhaps not as memorable as Symphony No.40 in G minor KV 550 or indeed Crosstown Traffic.
SGP:451 - 83 points. |
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Tullibardine 10 yo 2015/2025 (55.6%, Hogshead Import, 1st fill vinsanto octave, 71 bottles)
Vinsanto? Why not! Don’t they say all tastes are found in nature… Colour: full gold. Nose: I’d say the vinsanto doesn’t really show, and I’d add that this is all for the better. Fresh brioches and green tea, plus green peppercorns. With water: the oak does come through in the end, leaning towards chamomile and a sort of ‘English breakfast’ tea vibe. Right. Mouth (neat): lemon drizzle cake and green pepper. Very good. With water: herbal. Not sure dilution does it many favours. Finish: medium length, herbal in flavour. Comments: comfortably above average, though let’s be honest, it’s no Brora 1972.
SGP:451 - 80 points. |
Maybe it's best to have one last one, or maybe two or three... |
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Tullibardine 9 yo 2015/2025 ‘Edition #44’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 proof, 1st and 2nd fill oloroso butt)
Truly, what a marvellous ‘budget’ series from Signatory… Colour: deep gold. Nose: cedarwood and candied oranges, plus bergamots and nougat—what more could one want? Nothing, absolutely nothing. With water: straw, hay, cigars, bread dough. And bread dough is always something to cherish under such circumstances. Mouth (neat): magnificently peppery, then bursting with turmeric, liquorice and coffee bean. It’s utterly full-on in the spice department, to say the least, but it’s great fun. Perhaps just a touch too much, on second thought? With water: we return to pure malt, herbs, earth, yeast… And the sherry’s walnuts! Finish: fairly long, a tad austere, bitter, herbal and, above all, honest. A trace of oregano on the aftertaste, which is rather amusing. Comments: lots of fondness for this fine series from Signatory, which generally manages to outshine its official counterparts without breaking a sweat.
SGP:461 - 84 points. |
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Tullibardine 10 yo 2015/2025 (44.1%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills, hogshead, 392 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: all manner of beers, cardboard, old papers, straw, yeast and fresh bread. All of it works… beautifully. Mouth: very good, close to barley, with hints of kirsch and almonds—which, we agree, are more or less the same thing, in a kind of way. Finish: lovely length, with slightly tart apple and a touch of chalk. Comments: Scottish nature in your glass—it’s almost moving. Indeed.
SGP:351 - 83 points. |
Just one more, scout’s honour… |
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Tullibardine 6 yo (54.9%, Dràm Mor, cask #19000022, finished in 1st fill oloroso hogshead, 336 bottles, 2025)
Colour: full gold. Nose: the cask is doing much of the heavy lifting here, it’s all toasted country bread, fougasse, sourdough and the usual twigs, with a dollop of vanilla fudge. With water: whoops, it closes down on yeast and leafy notes only. Boxwood, privet, that sort of thing. Mouth (neat): oh yes, very good even if it’s a bit rough and, truth be told, ultra-peppery. Possibly a touch too much in that regard. With water: small green pears and serviceberries. Still pretty austere, to be honest. Finish: long, very herbal, very honest but no walk in the park. Small green pears. Comments: small green pears are truly delightful, but perhaps they’re not quite enough to deliver a full and satisfying experience, after all.
SGP:361 - 79 points. |
Right, we’ll stop now, but blimey, that 30-year-old Singapore, what a thing! |
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February 10, 2026 |
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The return of Royal Brackla
on WF
It’s not that one is obliged to sip Royal Brackla regularly, but still, the prefix ‘Royal’ is enough to spur us on—we poor, jaded, secular republicans. Alas, no official bottling today; truth be told, I’ve no idea where they’ve got to. I do hope they’re doing well…
It's one of the funniest bottles of malt, it is real, it is the 35-year-old Brackla released in 2013, aka The Holy Hand Grenade. We laughed so much! Having said that, we never tried it... |
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Royal Brackla 13 yo 2011/2025 (56.9%, Lady of the Glen, 1st fill tawny port finish, cask #1315, 159 bottles)
Certainly, it’s a tawny port finish, but never mind, we shall endure… Colour: full gold. Nose: the wine is obvious, with cherry jam, prunes, a honeyed Cognac-like side, plus a brandy de Jerez sweetness that borders on the indecent. Worst of all, it’s really rather pretty. We’re going soft! With water: springs back elastically to malted barley, with shortbread, oatcakes, and scones… Mouth (neat): heavily jammy and confit-like, yet also spicy and peppery… Peppered onion chutney, gingerbread—only the foie gras is missing. And I hate to admit I rather enjoy it. With water: blast, it’s truly good. I reckon it’s the pepper, quite dominant, that sets the pace and reins in the wine’s sweetness. And we do like pepper. Finish: long, curiously well-balanced, candied, and ultimately rather fresh. Comments: something miraculous happening in this tawny-ed Brackla, to think I wouldn’t have wagered a kopek. Then again, Lady of the Glen know what they’re doing…
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
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Royal Brackla 13 yo 2012/2025 (57.2%, Watashi Whisky, refill sherry octave, cask #574490)
Back we go to Taiwan, with our feline friends duly restored to glory. As it should be! Colour: white wine. Nose: the hue suggests a very, very well-behaved octave indeed—bravo. Truth be told, we’re knee-deep in fresh barley, damp soil (Scottish, naturally), and roots—celery, carrot, potato, even turnip—I daresay you could turn this wee Brackla into a broth and everyone would love it, me included. Lovely touches of parsley and chervil. With water: sourdough starter, pizza dough, actual sourdough… Long live the great outdoors. Mouth (neat): back to the fruity side with apples and pears, all steeped in ale and dusted with white pepper and nutmeg. It’s all rather rustic, really. With water: cider and beer. Finish: medium in length, with a nice bitterness and a touch of ginger. Comments: naturally, when one sees ‘octave’, one expects cask-driven madness. Not the case here at all, on the contrary, despite the ginger, and even if it’s not quite transcendental.
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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Royal Brackla 16 yo 2008/2025 (58.2%, Signatory Vintage, Symington’s Choice, 1st fill sherry butt, cask #2, 676 bottles)
And here comes the full sherry treatment. I don’t believe Brackla is quite a distinctive enough malt to fight an onslaught, so we’re bracing ourselves for a proper bacchanalia of dried fruits and assorted nuts. Colour: full gold. Nose: well, no, this is civilised stuff, still focused on walnuts and hazelnuts, but also soft pipe tobacco, bitter orange, triple sec, chestnut purée… With water: strong ale and an old tobacco tin. Mouth (neat): very bitter, heavily cask-driven, all cedarwood, pencil shavings, bitter orange, green walnut, fresh turmeric… It feels rather like a brawler on the palate at this stage, truth be told. With water: that same strong ale again, Belgian no doubt, cellared for twenty years or more. My beer knowledge pretty much ends there, though we’ve surely gone well beyond that point already. The sherry remains squarely in the nutty corner, dry and bitter as it should be. Finish: fairly long, though a touch less dry, with notes of mead, for instance. And naturally, old amontillado. Comments: very classically Jerezian.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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February 9, 2026 |
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A neat little trio of Redbreast
It's true, we don't taste enough Irish whiskey! We'll have to put that right with three single pot still Redbreasts from Midleton…
Oh, and sorry about the result of the France–Ireland match in the Six Nations last week — honestly, we’ve got so much love for the Irish!
(Midleton) |
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Redbreast 12 yo ‘Cask Strength Batch B1/12’ (58.6%, OB, single pot still, 2012)
A version from over twelve years ago that we’ve yet to taste. About time, really. Colour: gold. Nose: I find it distinctly less fruity than expected on the nose, at least without water. It's even rather peppery and herbaceous for a Redbreast, at this stage anyway, and quite hot. With water: the water releases melon and beeswax, along with all sorts of apples, though the pepper remains. Mouth (neat): lots of peppered apples and a fairly evident bourbon character, even a slightly rustic tutti frutti eau-de-vie. Quite surprising. With water: we’ve finally arrived at our destination, with the expected fruit salad and a few drops of peanut oil. This oily side is quite typical. A few cereals come through next. Finish: of medium length, on orchard fruits with a touch of honey. Comments: it’s very odd, when we taste the 12-year-old at 40% vol., we regret not having more wattage, and when we taste the cask strength versions, we regret the 40% vol. ones. Is it serious, doctor?
SGP:451 - 80 points. |
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Redbreast 27 yo ‘Batch B1/2019’ (54.6%, OB, single pot still, 2019)
A vatting of port, bourbon and sherry casks. Once again we’re running late, having already tasted batch 5 upon its release in 2024, which we adored (WF 90). Colour: dark gold. Nose: simply superb. The wines don’t really show, at least not the ruby port, as it opens with a solo performance of mango, followed by bananas, rosehip infusion and ling heather honey. A very slight muscat note, Turkish delights, rose petals… With water: a hint of damp chalk, greenhouse atmosphere, herbal teas and assorted infusions… It’s truly beautiful. Mouth (neat): a perfect mirror of the nose, only with more punch, centred on pink pepper and blood orange. Magnificent and dangerously easy at this strength. With water: the mango returns in full splendour, with pink pepper acting as bodyguard and just a flicker of pineapple. Truly splendid. Finish: long, strikingly fresh for its age, with a fruitiness increasingly geared toward citrus. Blood oranges and white pepper on the aftertaste. Comments: it’s absolutely delicious! It should be compared with another batch to see if there’s any variation…
SGP:641 - 90 points. |
Well, exactly… (what a stitch-up, S.!) |
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Redbreast 27 yo ‘Batch B2/2019’ (53.5%, OB, single pot still, 2019)
Same cask types as Batch 1 and considering they released a second batch in the same year, it’s fair to say the first was quite a success. So then, let’s see whether they’re really different… Colour: full gold. Nose: well it’s close, but there are differences, notably some notes of silverware and linden blossom added to the mango, honey, etc. As a result, it’s less “clean-cut”, but it’s more complex. You can’t have it all. With water: slightly more toasted, a touch more on cashew, pecan, even macadamia nuts. But the engine remains the same. Mouth (neat): even closer to Batch 1 on the palate, the fruitiness is just as expressive, though there’s perhaps a slightly greater sherry presence, especially with notes of nutty little cakes. With water: the mango returns in full fanfare, along with a few dried white mulberries, even some goji. Finish: long, and now nearly identical to that of Batch 1. Blood oranges, light pepper, hints of angelica. Comments: I very, very slightly prefer this Batch 2, but not quite enough to justify a different score.
SGP:641 - 90 points. |
We should have more Irish coming soon, including some from new distilleries, but also some old Bushmills and the like. Stay tuned.
(Thank you, Ryan) |
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February 8, 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! |
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| The sublime Etablissements Tiffon in Jarnac (Syndicat des Maisons de Cognac) |
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Some quality cognacs and other fine eaux-de-vie |
…Since rum unfortunately missed its turn last Sunday! Right then, let’s start with our traditional little aperitif… |
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Gautier *** (40%, OB, Fine Cognac, +/-1985) 
I believe that since then this three-star has become the ‘VS’. Gautier is a small but very old Cognac house that belongs to Marie Brizard. Those we tasted the last time, but that was eight years ago, had hardly impressed us, alas! Colour: full gold. Nose: very much on sultanas and all-flowers honey, with touches of caramel. It is not bad, but it is rather lacking in expression, beyond these very rounded notes. Mouth: not bad at all on the palate, with an almost vigorous arrival, unfortunately massive doses of caramel, natural or not, quickly invade the whole, offset by heather honey. Finish: quite long, but really, I insist, far too much on caramel for a modern palate. Comments: rather to be drunk over ice or as a fine à l'eau, diluted with water.
SGP:740 - 72 points. |
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Lhéraud ‘Lot 90 + 20 yo’ (49.4%, The Spirit Traveller, No.07, Petite Champagne, 1475 bottles, 2025)
100% ugni blanc, by the famous house Lhéraud, of which we have already tasted a few marvels. Here we have a vatting made half of a 20-year-old, and half of a 1990 vintage, 34 years of age. Colour: amber. Nose: another world, I dare say of course, even if we are also on a rather traditional profile, fairly jammy and honeyed, not devoid of raisins, but also showing fresh and floral aromatics, somewhere between viognier and gewurztraminer, before dried apricots and dried figs take control, accompanied by a little pipe tobacco, liquorice and earth. Mouth: it picks up where the nose left off, on earth and tobacco, even touches of oloroso, then it fires off the dried fruits, those figs, dried banana, dates, prunes and currants. Also a little dark nougat and touches of slivovitz, or old Souillac plum (vielle prune de Souillac). Finish: long, very ripe, rather jammy and leading towards blood orange, with light pepper and tobacco. Touch of molasses in the aftertaste. Comments: it is rather rich in the end, I find it excellent, but that was to be expected.
SGP:651 - 89 points. |
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Tiffon ‘Hors d’Âge The X-mas Unicorn’ (44.9%, Swell de Spirits, Borderies, Field Trip #08, 2026)
I believe, I am even sure, that here is our first cognac bottled in 2026. Colour: dark amber. Nose: understood. This is undoubtedly a rather old cognac, of exquisite finesse, on hazelnut cake, chestnut honey, apricot jam and pipe tobacco, the whole coated in melted dark chocolate, profiterole style. Traces of menthol. Sublime nose. Mouth: chocolates filled with fruit liqueur, raspberry, apricot, pear… I would almost like to stop there, but one must not exaggerate all the same, especially as black tea and peach leaf (tea) then come in to add a perfect structure, almost dry. Finish: incredible freshness, incredible firmness as well. Return of chocolate and fresh but very ripe fruits, especially vineyard peaches and apricots. Comments: this Borderies is monstrously good in my opinion, it is almost improper, all the more so as there are, I believe, only very few bottles.
SGP: 661 - 92 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Lot 70’ (58.2%, The Whisky Blues, Grande Champagne, 219 bottles, 2025)
A house that has become a classic among malternative lovers, here in a version for our friends in Taiwan. Colour: deep gold. Nose: more firmness, I would almost say a wholesome rusticity that nearly evokes an old Domfrontais, with coffee, malt extract and raisins. Very beautiful and almost a little tricky. Positively tricky, naturally. With water: very fine oakiness, somewhere between Darjeeling and fruit-tree wood, with a few touches of mastic and Gravenstein apple eau-de-vie. Mouth (neat): forget those calvados stories, here we have a pure old Grande Champagne, but indeed very full-bodied. Candied citrus fruits, pepper and a little polished wood quickly take charge. With water: the candied fruits, especially the citrus, assert themselves and are accompanied by liquorice, mint, and a slight medicinal side, between eucalyptus and camphory touches. Finish: long, rather sharp, with a triumphant return of small apple and a few flinty touches. Comments: superb, nervy, almost imposing. Better let it breathe a little - us as well.
SGP:461 - 90 points. |
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Tree of Life ‘Lot n°46’ (49.5%, Whiskay, Fins Bois, 120 bottles, 2025)
A close cousin of Temps Retrouvé by Passion for Whisky. These immediate post-war years always carry a particular charm, which can also be found in, for example, the Médocs, especially the great Pauillacs, absolutely legendary (1945, 1947…) Colour: full gold. Nose: there is a certain firmness at first, in any case plenty of structure, a slightly austere elegance, roots and earth, yellow and white fruits, and above all an assortment of those small-berry eaux-de-vie that we like so much at WF HQ, rowan, wild service tree, elder, holly… In short, this is very, very classy. A few drops of sweet woodruff syrup come to relax the atmosphere a little after five minutes. Also wax. Mouth: this is perfect, taut, almost refreshing at this age, with apples and citrus fruits, then those roots and that earth. Gentian is really not far away. The same sweet woodruff syrup then comes to coat the whole. Finish: long, more austere again, with touches of propolis and other resins. Gentian is still there too, and the whole is simply brilliant, like the aforementioned cousin probably - we no longer have any to compare them, alas! More pine sap in the aftertaste. Comments: a true bouilleur de cru cognac, the very best of the countryside.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
What if we moved on to the pre-war period?, I mean WWII? |
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Vallein Tercinier ‘Grande Rue 34’ (42%, OB, bottled in 2014)
A small half-bottle that has a rather amusing story. We had it on a shelf, unopened, and I had always told myself that I had already tasted it, and that I had in fact adored it, while it was a bottling of +/-2012. Very, very great cognac! And then, while doing a bit of tidying up, I grabbed this wee bottle and, looking at the back label, I saw an extract of a rather disjointed tasting note… But it rang a bell. Of course, it was gobbledygook made at Whiskyfun. So I looked more closely and realised that it was another tirage, a little more recent, say two years later. In short, 2014 instead of 2012. For us, that was reason enough to open this second bottle, and so here it is in our glass! In such cases, any excuse is a good excuse, isn’t it. Colour: full gold. Nose: I swear I remember it. It is so perfect that it marks you indelibly. Incense, cedarwood, red tea, vegetable soup (leek, carrot, potato, chervil, parsley, bay leaf), very old Malaga PX, and then guavas and papayas, mango, beeswax, marijuana, shoe polish… In fact it never stops. We do, though. Mouth: incredible three-way duel between the wood, or rather the woods, the fruits and the herbs, with a wonderful dry side, somewhere between an old amontillado and an old Pu-erh. As we used to say, please call the anticognacporn brigade. And the drier it becomes, the more beautiful it gets, which is not all that common. Finish: very long given the low bottling strength (natural!) and completely oriented towards old Madeiras, Sherries or Marsalas, all as dry as a stick. We love that. Comments: 1934 was a great vintage, in wine too, particularly in Burgundy for that matter. Granted, we are far from Nuits-St-Georges or Beaune. We are not going to change our score compared to the previous outturn, but I promise you I was tempted to add one point, though that would have been misplaced affectation.
SGP:561 - 93 points. |
Well, we won’t be pushing any further with the cognacs, even though we’ve just received some superb ones — sadly a little too late for this session. Instead, we’ll make the most of the occasion to taste two or three other fruit spirits, if you’re happy with that… |
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Huo Shao Yun (53%, Huangshan H&S Wine Estate, China, +/-2025)
Stop, wait, this is in fact a spirit made from assorted stone fruits, notably peaches, apricots and plums. I do not know whether they leave the stones in and in what proportions, whether they control prussic acid as some do when we distil, but anyway, let’s go since we are here. This is an aged spirit. Colour: full gold. Nose: what is interesting is that the fruits do not really stand out as such, at least not in their singularity, and that we are rather facing a spirit that is not so far from malt whisky, or rather from bourbon. Vanilla, milk chocolate, varnish, café latte, and just a little kirsch, whether there is cherry in the mix or not. With water: the plums come out. Mouth (neat): well it is good, even very good. A light sweet side at first, but this time the apricots do express themselves, on rather fine oak and always that bourbon-like side. Orange notes. With water: it swims like a champion and even if the wood shows more (cinnamon, nutmeg) this is compensated by the apricots. Finish: long, gentle but not too much so, and more marked by the fruits. Comments: well this is a true malternative. Excellent surprise, and it even holds its own after the grandiose VT 1934.
SGP:641 - 85 points. |
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Ferme 1719 2023 (71.3%, Authentic Spirits, Eau-de-vie de Grande Champagne, high-ester)
Ugni blanc from Cognac, straight from the still. Okay, we quickly draft our will, say our prayers, warn family and friends… and here we go! Colour: all white. Nose: it stings hard, but there does seem to be a lovely oily and fermentary side. But let us not push our luck any further… With (a ton of) water: I promise you that you feel as if you were on Marie-Galante. Mouth (neat, because we must, procedures you know): this is superb, it is just dangerous. Plenty of pear, of course, as in all ultra-young spirits bottled at natural strength. Okay, not vodka… With water: very oily, the pear is still there, but there are also lemon and olive, and even some saline notes. Finish: an olive mojito side, quite incredible. Comments: this is rather terrifying in its clarity and precision, but beware, you must be the emperor of the pipette to get through this fairly incredible eau-de-vie. Here, we love it, but we are afraid of nothing.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Philippe Schaeffer 1982/2022 (49.3%, Authentic Spirits, Fine d’Alsace)
We love the work of Authentic Spirits, one must not forget that dealing with these distillates, especially in their less commercial versions (or not commercial at all to be honest), is to deal with the gods. Indeed. Here we have sylvaner, riesling and gewurztraminer, and we are in Epfig, in the Bas-Rhin. They make superb wines there (says this citizen of the Haut-Rhin). Colour: full gold. Nose: this baby is forty years old in total, wood + demijohn according to the picture on the label, and you can feel it, but there is no softness at all, on the contrary, we have travelled to Asia, with fermentary aromas, small fruits such as jujubes, but also manzanilla (I promise you) and vin jaune from Arbois. And walnut wine, what we call here nusswasser. Mouth: incredible lemony and fermentary side, natural wine (in 1982 one may doubt it), chalk, comté, green pepper, but also paraffin and, above all, plenty of bitter almond. We are not far from the craziest marcs of the nearby Jura. Finish: indeed, green walnut comes to impose itself, with a few touches of new plastic as well. Comments: this is very improbable, a real journey in your glass, not easy to follow but quite fascinating if you hang on a little. We find it a bit vulgar to assign a score to this kind of creation of nature, but anyway, that is what we do. Take this with a grain of sauerkraut/choucroute. I mean, a grain of salt.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
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Zind Humbrecht 1996/2019 (62%, Amateur Spirits, eau-de-vie de vin)
A proper fine d’Alsace, 100% pinot noir, aged in cask for 23 years, half an hour on foot from WF Towers. Remember, a fine is distilled and aged wine, not marc. Right, Cognac is a fine too. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is praline, roasted peanuts, fudge, pistachio oil, sesame oil and various assorted foliage. With water: glue and kirsch come to the fore, with almost an American side, in any case bourbon. I know, I know… Mouth (neat): it is almost fresh, nervy, taut, varnished, packed with citrus peels, with touches of glue. But that could be the very high strength… With water : it rolls along on citrus fruits and small berries, even grapes, their pips, and even a very light brine, surprising but absolutely not out of place. Finish: long, very taut, almost tart, with again that fresh kirsch side. Lemon zests and small green apples come to nag you in the aftertaste. Comments: a kind of friendly anti-cognac side, with much more sharpness here. But we agree, the grape varieties have nothing to do with each other. Well done DZH and AS.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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February 6, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven,
part 5
I think this will be our last Ben Nevis session for a few weeks. You should never overdo a good thing…
Former Distillery Manager Colin Ross (Pop Art carnage, AI) |
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Ben Nevis 1996/2025 (45.7%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #1648, 260 bottles)
The 1998 from the other day had been magnificent, but here we are in 1996. Keenly observed, wouldn’t you say? In fact, we’ve already tasted around ten Ben Nevis from these vintages bottled by The Whisky Jury, which is almost as many as the official releases. This is no joke... Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s always a bit of a nuisance to start this high, let’s admit it. Banana skins, a medley of vegetable oils, overripe apples, seawater, beeswax, a flick of mustard, a smidge of leather, a few grams of tobacco, three fresh walnuts, yada, yada, yada… Mouth: far more compact on the palate, and to be honest almost jarring in how tight, precise, and above all salty it is. What we’d call a clean line. Finish: very long, very elegant, very classy, saline and spicy yet also sublimely bitter. Comments: perfect, almost embarrassingly so. And psst, vastly superior, in my opinion, to most sherry butts (or sherry hoggies for that matter).
SGP:562 – 92 points. |
Appetite comes with eating, and thirst comes with tasting… (note: this isn’t an official saying). Anyway, we're carrying on with the Jury. Naturally… |
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Ben Nevis 1996/2025 (48.2%, The Whisky Jury, 6th Anniversary, refill hogshead, cask #348649, 270 bottles)
Let’s keep it brief—six years isn’t exactly a vast stretch. No offence meant. Colour: gold. Nose: a fruitier version, thus very lovely but a touch less complete than the previous. Fruit salad, mango, papaya, banana, pears in syrup, a drop of acacia honey, a splash of fruity olive oil. Irresistible, perhaps even a tad too irresistible, if we’re being pedantic (as often, S.)… Mouth: it regains balance through the wood, sap, fir resin, herbal infusions and teas… Make no mistake, it’s marvellous, but cask #1648 lays down the law here. Finish: fairly long, on honeyed infusions and citrus peels. Slightly drying aftertaste—that’ll be the wood. Comments: it’s always the same tale, it’s only after tasting that you feel like changing the order of the line-up. For truly great spirits bend the whole sequence to their will, and once you’ve tasted them, there’s not much you can do except wait twenty-four hours and start all over again in a different order. At our current tasting rhythm at WF Towers FR or SCO, that’s nigh impossible, we beg your pardon.
SGP:661 – 89 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1996/2025 (54.6%, The Whisky Jury for The Antelope, refill hogshead, cask #1354, 187 bottles)
Still this killer series de la muerte (pleonasm alert). Colour: gold. Nose: we’re much closer again to the first one of this session—chalky and fatty, with seawater, mashed banana, argan oil, and a dab of fresh oil paint. With water: a touch of brioche dough, sourdough starter, and barley, always a delight. Mouth (neat): unstoppable, commanding, and yet elegant. Nothing to do with D.C., then. The salinity is remarkable, with wee green peppers, salted waxes, even kippers... With water: it all falls into place, becoming more than perfect, though it doesn’t quite scale the interstellar heights of cask 1648. Believe me, I’ve worked my way through a fair few cls of each before arriving at this carefully considered view. All in moderation, of course, Spitfire-style, or just about. Finish: long, leaning more on wax and citrus, with a slightly more herbal edge rather than outright bitterness. Lemon zest. Comments: perhaps a somewhat centrist 1996, if you catch my drift. Superb, naturally.
SGP:551 – 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1997/2025 (48.1%, Sansibar, Jens’s Personal Choice, refill sherry cask, cask #11, 198 bottles)
There aren’t that many 1997s about, and let’s just say the vintage (indeed, quite the controversial concept in whisky) doesn’t carry quite the same lustre as 1996 or 1995. But the exception proves the rule, doesn’t it… Colour: white wine. Nose: this is fresh, chalky—more Sauvignon Blanc than Chardonnay—with gooseberries and green apples. This apparent acidity is lovely and almost makes you forget that the sherry’s rather absent here. Unless, of course, it’s refill fino or manzanilla, both of which we adore. That said, the clay-like and chalky side only builds, which is rather glorious. Mouth: the sherry, again, is fairly anecdotal, unless those notes of green walnut are stemming from it. The rest is classic—salty, maritime as anything—and I do wonder whether we couldn’t enjoy a wee glass of this alongside a platter of oysters next time in Paris, alright? Very pretty notes of lemon brioche, still just underbaked. Finish: long, with the arrival of our eternal friend, the good old family limoncello. Comments: it’s just so good!
SGP:552 – 89 points. |
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Ben Nevis 27 yo 1996/2023 (51.4%, The Whisky Blues, refill hogshead, cask #1333, 196 bottles)
Slightly awkward, really—there’s already a BN from The Whisky Blues leading this wee session by some margin (thanks in part to its marvellous label, which we’ll happily count for a tenth of a point. Well, a twentieth perhaps, but still enough to tip the scales). Colour: pale gold. Nose: balance through freshness. No fruit bomb, no hectolitres of oil, barely any paint, varnish or putty, just a reasonable number of shellfish, a touch of mustard and horseradish here and there, and some restrained citrus. In short, civilisation. With water: brings out the passion fruit, lovely! Mouth (neat): the cask is fairly thick and makes its presence known, straight onto salted and spiced citrus liqueurs. Then come lemon balm, marjoram, and quince paste. For us, quince paste holds the value of gold or platinum, though Wall Street doesn’t seem to have caught on. With water: not much change. Finish: of medium length but very well balanced. A heavy reduction leads to apricot liqueur, if you really want to know. Comments: softer and lighter, yet still quite full-bodied. And of course very, very, very good.
SGP:551 – 90 points. |
We're really staying within a handkerchief-sized space here, as we say here – truth be told, we wouldn't mind coming across a poor Ben Nevis, just to add a bit of contrast to this little multi-session. But we know those bottles are few and far between. Right, not that we're going to complain about it. |
Still, I reckon we're rather overdoing it with all these 1996s, aren't we? |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (51.8%, East Village Company, Whisky Maniac, sherry butt, 72 bottles)
Post-apocalyptic themes seem to be all the rage on our spirit labels these days. Between that and the cats, I must say my heart is torn... Colour: gold. Nose: rich, oily, gentle, on apple and banana coated in white blossom honey. Acacia, for instance. Then, rather than heading toward the usual markers such as tobacco, leather or brine, it veers off into tropical fruit territory, guava, papaya, mango, grapefruit… With water: it becomes soft and mellow, like fruitcake. Mouth (neat): an exotic fruit salad drizzled with lemon juice and mezcal. Works for you? With water: little change, save for some wee fruits and berries sneaking in, thinking grape in syrup. Finish: medium length, with the wee impression that adding water may have done it no real favours. Comments: a truly lovely Ben Nevis in any case, and for once we’ll just say it plainly—please, no water.
SGP:651 – 90 points. |
Careful now, we messed up our calculations, we only had six Ben Nevis on the table this time, not seven. Not a big deal, right? All in all, we’ll have tasted 34 different versions, which is pretty good going. And we’ve hovered around the 90-point mark the whole way through, just a little lower for the younger ones, which says a lot about the quality of these Ben Nevis/Nevisses — even the very young ones, in fact. |
So naturally, we can’t help but think of Colin Ross, who was undeniably the skipper of the whole thing. And who often saved us from ending up with all those wonderful casks ruined by ueberfruity port, PX, or Bordeaux rouge. Hasta la vista, Colin Ross — you were, well, you are, a star! |
A quick reminder of the cream of the crop, rated WF 92:
Ben Nevis 1996/2025 (45.7%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #1648, 260 bottles)
Ben Nevis 27 yo 1996/2023 (47.9%, The Whisky Blues, hogshead, cask #1638, 267 bottles)
Sister casks, purely by chance, eh… |
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February 5, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven, part 4 |
We carry on, plain and simple… There’s still a lot of Ben Nevis around, and all the better for it. Still in the lead: the Ben Nevis 52 yo 1973/2025 (40.1%, Thompson Bros., two refill hogsheads), for several reasons.
The director’s Jaguar at Ben Nevis (WF Archive, 2006) |
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Ben Nevis 11 yo 2012/2024 (54%, Brothers in Malt, octaves, 289 bottles)
From several octaves. Given octaves are small casks, the wood-to-spirit ratio is of course higher than, say, in a hogshead – though a refill octave can be less active than a first fill or rejuvenated hoggie, naturally. Let’s see… Colour: full gold. Nose: active! Wood varnish and kirsch, orgeat, bitter almonds, praline cream and straight-up walnut liqueur. Very typical, and rather balanced for now. With water: it stands firm, no amount of water fazes it. Mouth (neat): very much in line with the nose but now with more ginger and cinnamon mints, which add quite a punchy edge to the whole. Very spicy. With water: there we go – it softens, with citrus zest and those classic BN notes of tobacco and mild mustard. The base distillate hadn’t been so apparent earlier. Finish: long, and this time the proverbial salinity arrives. Comments: truth be told, this young scrapper just kept improving.
SGP:362 - 85 points. |
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Ben Nevis 6 yo 2019/2025 (55%, The Whisky Exchange, Caoineag the Weeping Spirit, sherry butts, casks #416 & 423, 666 bottles)
A Highland witch tale here, which might well suit a 6-year-old BN at full strength. With a touch of Alsatian naivety, one wonders whether the bottle count was intentional or just luck. Colour: full gold. Nose: old walnuts and exhaust fumes, sulphur, leather, ashes, then coriander and pepper sauce, or something along those lines. With water: tobacco, cigar ash and pepper. Mouth (neat): a slightly unsettling brutality at first, but it rounds off with lemon marmalade and pickled lemons. It’s also noticeably peatier. With water: bitter herbs emerge, all very charming. Finish: long, briny, with a surprising young Ledaig character. Fair point – we’re not far from Mull, are we? Comments: very good, especially for just 6 years.
SGP:465 - 85 points. |
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Ben Nevis 13 yo 2011/2025 (56.6%, Le Gus’t, hogshead, cask #289, 303 bottles)
Featuring a lovely photo of dear Colin Ross, ex-Distillery Manager, on the label. He really ought to appear on every Ben Nevis bottle, even the official ones – there, I’ve said it. What a character! Deeply missed… Colour: white wine. Nose: we’re back to the (so-called) purity of the distillate, lightly wrapped in custard and perhaps a touch of white chocolate. Seawater, green walnut, carbon, ‘distillate sulphur’, paraffin, new leather, fresh concrete… With water: just goes on. Mouth (neat): quite different now, with a strong hit of damp earth, peanut caramel, then candle wax and plenty of cardamom. The candle notes edges toward pure paraffin, with even the faintest trace of soapiness – which fits this profile perfectly. Finish: long, with lovely lemony bitterness. One thinks of obscure regional Italian amari – though don’t ask me their names. Salted bitter almond and loads of pepper on the aftertaste. Comments: very original and very good.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 26 yo 1998 (43.2%, Lady of the Glen, Rare Cask, refill hogshead, cask #176, 276 bottles)
An interesting bottling strength, which might hint at a more complex and tertiary profile than some other releases from the same vintage… Colour: white wine. Nose: oh yes, this is spot on – clearer than expected but also more precise, on beeswax, lemon, seawater and a few hints of dill, before shifting into the realm of top-tier Burgundian chardonnays, with that distinctly chalky terroir. Though perhaps the robe of the malt already pointed us in that direction. Mouth: a little more fragile on the palate, with a more pronounced herbal infusion side, but I still find it excellent. Perfect salinity and lovely, mildly sweet pepper. Finish: not especially long, but the waxiness returns, and that’s always welcome. Very ripe banana and pear. Comments: one of its lesser qualities is that you could sip it in outrageous quantities without blinking. Not that we’re recommending that, naturally.
SGP:551 - 89 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2025 (44.8%, Casky & One or Two, hogshead, Two Cities, One Spirit, cask #953, 256 bottles)
A Ben Nevis from the emblematic vintage, offered as a link between Hong Kong and Melbourne. We’re all for it! Colour: white wine, perfect. Nose: we’re squarely in Côte de Beaune blanc territory here, somewhere around Puligny or Chassagne. It starts out almost simply – banana, chalk, vanilla and toast – but quickly livens up with herbs, flowers and fruit showing with lovely restraint. I adore those whitecurrant touches with a bit of beeswax. Mouth: a relatively soft 1996, likely due to a pronounced angels’ share. Perhaps a touch more fragile than on the nose, and thus less commanding, but still a tremendous Ben Nevis – complex, increasingly citrussy and, naturally, ever more saline. Finish: now that’s perfectly taut, very saline, very lemony, with a splendid and layered bitterness. Comments: funny how this one kept bouncing between 91 - 90 - 89 - 88 - 89 - 90 - 91 in my overall score. No, it’s superb. Incidentally, I’m heading back to Hong Kong soon, but I’ve never been to Melbourne and I rather regret that.
SGP:652 - 91 points. |
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Ben Nevis 27 yo 1996/2023 (47.9%, The Whisky Blues, hogshead, cask #1638, 267 bottles)
Sublime label, as always. I honestly think they have the most beautiful labels in the entire world of spirits – tied, perhaps, with LMDW’s Artist series. Colour: white wine. Nose: an ultra-precise 1996 BN – I don’t think I even need to say more. You’re right, it’s a welcome break. Mouth: same story on the palate – nothing further required. So instead, I’ll retell the one about the Scottish chef who always cooks with whisky and, occasionally, even adds some to the food. You brought this on yourselves. Finish: long, characterful, lemony, chalky, waxy, saline, in short, very ‘BN’. Comments: a splendid bottle, very different from the ‘Hong Kong – Melbourne’ one in that this is just so immediate and direct. Truly, I don’t think it’s possible to do much better in this style.
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1996/2025 (47.3%, Malts of Scotland for The Whisky Dreamers FPC, bourbon hogshead, cask #Mos 25013, 188 bottles)
A very Belgo-Dutch affair, judging by the little flags on the label – though of course the bottler is German. Vive l’Europe! In truth, I don’t really see what could go wrong here… Colour: gold. Nose: macerated chalk in banana and mango juice with a dash of sesame oil – that’s what we’ve got. Add three ripe mirabelles for garnish. Joking aside, this is a fruitier ’96 BN than the previous ones. Mouth: utterly charming when the wood plays its hand a little, creating a balance that’s perhaps slightly fragile but refined, like the veiled marble of Raffaele Monti (right, that’s a bit much, S.) Finish: not very long but highly complex, with tremendous finesse, showcasing all the little classic BN bits – ashes, tobacco, oils – and a touch of honey in the aftertaste. Comments: such exquisite softness.
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Right then, after twenty-eight Ben Nevis, it’s the 27 yo 1996/2023 by The Whisky Blues that’s taken the lead, with a WF score of 92. But it’s not over, we should have more Ben Nevis next time. That’s right, tomorrow if all goes well. |
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February 4, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven,
part 3
Right then, so far we've had several ’91s, but the most miraculous was the 1973 from the Thompsons, so we’re arbitrarily deciding that it’s the front-runner. Let’s keep going…
Untitled, 2022, Sthenjwa Luthuli (with Ben Nevis 10 yo Artist #15 LMDW.) |
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Ben Nevis 10 yo ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ (58.3%, La Maison du Whisky, Artist #15, 1st fill sherry finish, cask #202, 655 bottles)
Colour: Nose: straight into shoe polish and gun oil, all rather military, then increasingly on pencil shavings with a mix of citrus zest, curry and ginger. The cask was active. With water: it folds back slightly onto cedarwood. Mouth (neat): very powerful, spicy but not over the top, very citrussy too, veering more and more toward bergamot and the usual mustard. It’s quite something to witness the battle between cask and distillate, with the latter gradually winning out. What a beast! With (Roger) water(s) – yes, another daft joke, even here: again not much change, though a saltier edge emerges. Finish: same again for quite a while. Comments: these Ben Nevis are just brilliant. And yes, you did catch the two-penny pun – Dark Side of the Moon, Roger Waters… Sorry!
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
And since we’re in Paris… |
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Ben Nevis 2018/2025 (46%, Whisky Live Paris Edition, 1st fill oloroso butt, cask #209, 856 bottles)
Eight hundred and fifty-six bottles from a single butt, even at 46% vol., is a fine result. But I believe this was a finishing, so the angels’ share would’ve been lower. And yes, WLP was in September, and yes, we’re late again. Colour: full gold. Nose: as expected, very close to the Dark Side, especially now that the latter has been reduced. Perhaps a touch more chocolate toffee here, and some roasted chestnuts. Mouth: same elements on the palate. Chocolate, cedarwood, a hint of malt extract, salted nuts. Finish: much the same. A touch more peppery. Comments: excellent of course, we’re just docking one point for that rascal Roger Waters, hoping he won’t charge us royalties.
SGP:562 - 86 points. |
Right then, let’s head back to the 1990s… |
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Ben Nevis 1998/2025 (48.3%, The Whisky Jury, refill hogshead, cask #1562, Belgium Exclusive, 92 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: the balance between apple, banana and peach on one side, and salty, waxy, almost coppery notes on the other, with old walnut, mint, tobacco and leather acting as referees. There’s a faint lean into light Jamaican rum territory, which frankly doesn’t surprise us coming from The Whisky Jury. Mouth: tricky, this – it’s like the rev counter of a sports car hitting the limiter, climbing fast into the 90s and settling there almost instantly. Sour apple, leather, pepper, salami, chlorophyll, thyme, salt… Finish: it’s almost like chewing a cigar, then it lands on a classic salty and peppery combo. Comments: superb of course, perhaps just a shade less ‘obvious’ than some others. Top class, nonetheless.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (52.8%, Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular for The Whisky Exchange, refill butt, 208 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: long story short, the joy of fresh walnuts, humus, dried morels, leather and tobacco. Chestnut honey rounds off the set. With water: gentle waxy and soapy puffs, perfectly placed in this context. Mouth (neat): magnificent, ultra-powerful, brutal – far more so than the ABV would suggest. Oily, packed with walnuts, smoked fish, oyster sauce, bitter orange and tobacco. Utterly impressive. With water: extraordinary bitterness. If you don’t like bitterness, move along; if you do, try to snag a case – if there are any left in London or beyond. Finish: very long, oily, bitter, enveloping, saline. Comments: marvellous, 91 plus. Just austere enough, and perhaps not the best advert for malt whisky in general. Still, definitely for the seasoned drinker, I’d say, with only the faintest touch of immodesty.
SGP:462 - 91 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1998/2025 (54.3%, Liquid Art, cask #1560, 140 bottles)
No doubt a very artistic liquid inside this bottle – though the label itself certainly doesn’t fall short. Colour: full gold. Nose: here in this 1998 we find that slightly rounder, more civilised Ben Nevis character than in the 1996s, even more floral, with bursts of rose petals and oriental pastries. Even viognier! But it’s really lovely… With water: we drift back a little toward leather and mustard. Mouth (neat): absolutely excellent, positioned squarely between west coast and east coast styles (somewhere west of Tomintoul, where there’s virtually nothing at all), on wax, palo cortado, walnut wine and brine. With water: leather, tobacco, pepper, salted lemon juice, tequila, juniper, beer bitters… Finish: long, bitter-leaning. Comments: absolutely superb, perhaps just a shade less coherent than some of its brethren.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 1997/2024 (53.3%, Delia’s Whisky Shop and The Whisky Agency, Christmas Series 2024)
There’s scarcely any point in noting we’re late again, it’s become a given, and we do apologise. Colour: light gold. Nose: it’s true there isn’t much 1997 about, and here we’re faced with a civilised, gentle version of BN, on milk chocolate and even white chocolate, before veering more towards fino sherry, small oysters and petrolic riesling. It’s really very lovely, leaning ever further towards the east coast, which we certainly won’t complain about. With water: a pine needle bed, moss, pinecones… Mouth (neat): this time it’s full of bitters – aubergine, leeks, artichoke, bitter orange, rocket, Fernet Branca, Noilly Prat… The problem is, we adore all that. Not a tenth of a gram of sweetness. With water: the wax arrives, along with candied lemon. Finish: long and bitter, very fine. Salty aftertaste, as expected. Comments: excellent.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (49.6%, The Antelope & Kanpaikai, refill hogshead, cask #1324, 192 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: we have the honour and privilege of announcing the return of mango, banana, copper coins, damp earth and, more broadly, the gentler, more civilised Ben Nevis style. Mouth: quite the opposite – immediately firmer, taut, lemony, even acidic, with those beloved bitters we find so often in Ben Nevis. Small pears and green apples, service tree fruit, jujubes, plus wax and chlorophyll. Finish: long but even ‘greener’, concentrated, acidic and bitter. Green and black propolis. This one doesn’t hold back, even at 28 years of age, but it’s a delight to be wrestled by it. Comments: all these 1996–1998 BNs are markedly different, yet they cluster tightly in terms of scoring. A very fine bottle.
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
Right, that makes three Ben Nevis sessions, there’ll definitely be a fourth, and maybe even a fifth. Stay tuned… |
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February 3, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven, part 2
For now, the youthful 2001 from Whisky-Doris is in the lead (WF 89). Shall we carry on at random, if you're happy with that…? The first one today will be our 400th. |
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Ben Nevis 10 yo 2014/2025 (48%, Wilson & Morgan Barrel Selection, Signature, sherry, cask #178/179)
A vatting of refill PX and oloroso. Colour: light gold. Nose: we’re instantly back with tobacco, chalk and slate, joined by the faintest hints of mustard and a dry, elegant sherry from which emerge notes of dried raisins and equally dry figs, all handled with great restraint. It’s really very elegant – a Ben Nevis glancing ever so slightly towards the little town of Craigellachie, one might say. Mouth: a much more ‘Ben Nevis’ Ben Nevis on the palate, if you see what I mean, very close to the sherry-led official releases, fairly packed with leather, tobacco, salted almonds and bitter orange. Excellent. Finish: very long, more peppery, more on nut-and-honey biscuits, and the ever-quoted Italian nocino liqueur. Comments: thoroughly classic, excellent. The reduction to 48% has worked a treat.
SGP:552 - 88 points. |
Another young one probably heavily influenced by sherry… |
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Ben Nevis 2013/2025 (54.7%, Taste Still by Corman Collins, Blurred Lines, 1st fill oloroso, 234 bottles)
Apparently, the name of this baby comes from a Pharrell Williams song. And there we were thinking it was a nod to the layout of our little website (very immodestly, I admit). Colour: dark red amber. Nose: between millionaire’s shortbread and honey cake to begin with, then straight into Xmas cake and its Italian cousin we so adore, panettone, and finally malted coffee and toasted malt… With water: it doesn’t shift much. Light tobacco, very Ben Nevis. Mouth (neat): lovely sherry, thick, concentrated, between pepper and Corinth raisins. A little Nescafé in the background. With water: the salty side emerges, mustard, stock cube… But all done with restraint. Finish: long, much more bitter. Leather and tobacco. Slightly earthy aftertaste. Comments: rather a handsome bottle.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
Since we’re on a youthful streak… (forget about total randomness — we never quite manage it anyway…) |
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Ben Nevis 2018/2025 (58.7%, Bedford Park, 1st fill oloroso sherry hogshead, cask #3148, 311 bottles)
Always interesting to try a very young version… Colour: rosé amber. Funny colour. Nose: extremely compact and rounded, on honey, caramel, toffee and prunes. There’s even a faint touch of Bailey’s, and we’re all for that. And even Guinness. With water: curious notes of new rubber and fresh putty join the mix – must be the distillate reacting. Mouth (neat): same compactness, but much more malty on the palate. Malt-and-honey chocolate, Maltesers… With water: I’d have said 15 years old. Chocolate, malt drink, café latte, then the usual suspects – tobacco, leather, mustard, stock cubes… Finish: long, on similar notes, just with a bit more leather. Comments: very high quality-to-age ratio, that’s for sure.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
Another youngster, but from a very different type of cask… |
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Ben Nevis 12 yo 2012/2025 (56.4%, Single Cask Nation, 1st fill heavy char hogshead, cask #170023, 241 bottles)
In theory, Ben Nevis with its heft should be able to handle heavy char… Colour: dark amber. Nose: it’s got a recharred sherry feel to it, and everything clicks into place with precision – it’s simple (and simplicity is a virtue here) and compact (same comment), taking us close to a tin of assorted caramels from Rowntree Mackintosh. Remember those? For now the distillate stays a little shy, though water might coax it out. With water: no, still leaning on fresh wood and one can’t deny a hint of young bourbon about it. Mouth (neat): oh this is good! Much livelier than expected, all on oranges, pepper, salt and bitter almonds. Hints of cedarwood, pencil shavings etc., as expected. Excellent. With water: the distillate unfurls, though the whole remains pleasingly dry and bitter, the Ben Nevis DNA taking over once more. Finish: long and very dry. Cold black tea and pepper. Comments: there’s an old amontillado edge at the end, which is amusing. And very good of course – it’s from a cracking house.
SGP:362 - 87 points. |
Let’s move on to some older ones… And speaking of oldies… |
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Ben Nevis 52 yo 1973/2025 (40.1%, Thompson Bros., two refill hogsheads)
We really do enjoy these pastiche-style bottle designs – always great fun. But still, a 52-year-old Ben Nevis that isn’t housed in a crystal decanter inside a mahogany chest, nor endorsed by a fading Hollywood star – what a statement! Colour: gold. Nose: on one hand, that pedigree and the low strength could be worrying, the sort of “we bottled this because it had been sitting for over 50 years.” On the other hand, we know the Thompson lads a bit. And so, what we have is an exotic fruit salad lightly adorned with herbal teas and infusions – verbena, woodruff, even genepy. In short, the freshness of it all is genuinely impressive, if unexpected. But of course, the palate will have the final say… Mouth: what is this sorcery? Sutherlandian witchcraft? Indeed, there are those tisanes that hint at the whisky’s age, but never does it become drying, papery or dusty, quite the opposite. Gorgeous little berries (rowan eau de vie, holly and the like) joined by hints of guava (really) and those wee bananas that always work wonders in our spirits, young or old. Finish: obviously, the finish isn’t long, and it shifts more and more towards herbal teas and very old white wines, but it never truly falters. The most astonishing thing is that right at the very end, the original distillate sends forth its leather, tobacco, bitter orange and even a wisp of seawater. It must have had superpowers. Comments: had this very old Ben Nevis been kept in some sort of time capsule?
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
It had to happen, this 1973 has now taken the lead in our multi-session. Right then, let’s carry on… |
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Ben Nevis 29 yo 1996/2025 (48.5%, The Whisky Firm, bourbon hogshead, cask #406, 186 bottles)
We’re in those rather legendary vintages of the late 1990s. There’s a glut of casks… and a glut of quality, as everyone knows. Colour: gold. Nose: mineral oils, vegetable oils, brake dust and walnut liqueur, then cigars and a drop of seawater flavoured with menthol (who on earth would do such a thing?) We are swimming in full-on Ben-Nevisness. Oh, and a few tiny figs. Mouth: absolutely excellent, on mineral dust, green walnuts, brine, leather and tobacco. Then comes bitter orange. The texture and power are pitch perfect. Finish: long and gloriously saline, bordering on mezcal. Comments: firmly in its place, which is right up at the top of the ladder. Its only flaw is the lack of surprise, but that’s also its greatest strength. Well, you know what I mean, of course.
SGP:552 - 91 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2024 (48.6%, Maltbarn, The 26, bourbon)
Maltbarn and Archives seem to be locked in a fierce battle for the title of quirkiest fish labels, it’s all rather amusing. If you collect all their bottles, you’d nearly end up with a full encyclopaedia of aquatic life. That said, I’ve yet to spot any sardines or mackerel… Colour: gold. Nose: a touch more restrained, though by no means shy, more on vegetable oils and lemons at first, but beware, it gathers pace in the glass, gains complexity and begins to reveal some beautiful fruits, peaches in particular. All in all, a rather gentle Ben Nevis 1996. Mouth: a different beast on the palate, here we’re extremely close to the previous bottling, practically indistinguishable. Finish: long and spot-on, salty, earthy and rooty, with that classic duo of leather and mustard lingering in the aftertaste. Comments: be warned, at this strength these Ben Nevis are like velvet-trousered baby Jesuses, as we say, so do keep an eye on your pour rate when tasting, such is the quality.
SGP:652 - 91 points. |
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February 2, 2026 |
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A Ben Nevis Solera, seven-by-seven |
There are distilleries that end up in virtually every independent bottler’s line-up, often in frankly astonishing quantities. Ben Nevis is one of them – there are millions of Ben Nevis bottlings out there right now. I’m barely exaggerating. Well, alright, I am, but around here we’re absolutely swamped with Ben Nevis. There’s only one solution: kick off a ‘solera’ session, where we add a random tasting note every time we have five spare minutes. Okay, ten. Fifteen, even… Right, off we go, at random, noses to the wind, in batches of six… No, seven. Oh and we too love Ben Nevis. |
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Ben Nevis 29 yo 1996/2025 (48.9%, Royal Mile Whiskies, cask #408, 227 bottles)
1996 is of course the legendary vintage at Ben Nevis, which means we’re off to perhaps the most ludicrous session start imaginable. We are the culprits, naturally. Colour: white wine. Nose: orchard apples and linseed oil, grand sauvignon blanc – I daresay we’ll be referencing Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé quite frequently in this solera session – then slag and chalk. Mouth: earthy, waxy, spicy perfection. Peppers, fruit peels, green walnuts, mustard (yet another hallmark), green pepper, then along come papayas and passion fruit, all neatly flanked by green pepper. Finish: long, lively, fresh, with a sudden appearance of lemon and also white peach. Oilier aftertaste, which is very much ‘BN’. Comments: we’re diving straight into a cracking 1996, even if it does show a smidgen of restraint.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Ben Nevis 25 yo 1999/2024 (51.2%, Liquid Treasures for The Antelope Macau, refill bourbon hogshead, 232 bottles)
Colour: reddish amber. Nose: we’re much more in classic 1996 territory here, akin to a fine sweet wine that’s fully digested its sugars, with lashings of vineyard peaches, sultanas, fresh figs and beeswax. This nose is rather marvellous. With water: sublime old-hive beeswax, positively brimming with honey, pollen and propolis. Because of course, there’s beeswax and then there’s beeswax. Mouth (neat): superb. Peaches, white pepper, liquorice, the whole ensemble synchronised like a team of Danish alpine troopers on manoeuvres in Greenland. With water: perfect, complex, very Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis truly is a malt apart, is it not. Finish: long, a tad more unruly and leaning bitter/herbal, but nothing untoward. Comments: only the finish is a touch less assured, otherwise we were well on our way to perfection.
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2025 (51.8%, Milroy’s, hogshead, cask #1583)
Colour: gold. Nose: frankly, this one is near-identical to the previous, just a touch more honeyed and rounded, with a tiny bit more of those overripe apples. The rest is similar. With water: faint notes of beer. Mouth (neat): waxes, peppers, small green fruits, cider apples, white pepper. And a good few litres of mature white Burgundy from a grand vintage. Love these guys but they have been a little full of themselves for years, but I assure you that’s starting to deflate rather swiftly, the old equation of one hectare = one Porsche is beginning to lose, err, a bit of traction. With water: herbal infusions. Finish: fairly long, more candied, more caramelised, yet still quite rustic. Comments: very good of course, though it doesn’t quite lift us skyward or coax us into kinship with the eagles and condors §what?). But you get my drift.
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
We’ve rather fetishised the 1996s, but perhaps it’s time we tried a more recent vintage… |
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Ben Nevis 15 yo 2010/2025 (52.8%, Hogshead Import, refill hogshead)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very much on varnish, hairspray, apple juice, sourdough and roots – celery, carrot, turnip… With water: same again. Hints of nail polish remover. Mouth (neat): excellent on the palate, far more so than on the nose. A mezcal and juniper side, 50/50, plus a sooty touch reminiscent of Caol Ila. I know, it sounds odd, but it’s brilliant. With water: cucumber juice, oyster juice. Finish: long, taut, saline, increasingly on seawater. Comments: forget the nose, dive straight into the palate. Seriously, isn’t this some sort of undercover mezcal? Whatever it is, it’s excellent.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Ben Nevis 12 yo 2012/2025 (53%, Decadent Drams)
A double maturation, with the final five years spent in a sherry cask. Colour: light gold. Nose: this isn’t a funky BN at all, we’re more in the realm of soft fats, baked apples and greengage jam. But water could change all that… With water: we’re back at birth, with porridge, beer, even vegetables (Brussels sprouts) and freshly knocked-down walnuts. Mouth (neat): far more presence than the nose suggested without reduction, much more on mustard, leather, green walnut and tobacco. It’s almost as if the secondary maturation in sherry had far more influence on the palate than on the nose. Funny, that, isn’t it? With water: we land on amontillado, walnut liqueur, devilled sauce, even oregano. Finish: long, very dry, very taut, veering towards Noilly Prat. Comments: chef’s tip, use it to flambé scallops.
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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Ben Nevis 11 yo 2013/2025 (58.6%, Dramfool, bourbon barrel, cask #551, 205 bottles)
The burning question among the wide cohort of Bennevissophiles remains: has Ben Nevis lost its funk in recent years? Especially since the beginning of the post-dear-Colin-Ross era? Only plentiful, consistent and serious tastings will allow us to settle this seminal matter, one that also exists, to a lesser extent, across Scotland at Clynelish. But today we’re in Fort William… Colour: pale gold. Nose: well the answer would appear to be “no”, as we find the requisite doses of mustard, tobacco, seawater, carbon and leather. With water: not the slightest change, still just as austere. Mouth (neat): no, this is excellent, with a fierce lemon joining this salty, tarry and mustardy ensemble. The bitterness is also splendid, though as they say, “it’s perhaps not for everyone”. With water: we’re in extreme fino territory, like those superb limited Lustau releases in their “Puerto” guise. Ultra-cutting, with less sweetness than a shard of granite. Finish: much the same. It’s like you’ve just swallowed a litre of Mediterranean seawater. Comments: seriously, it’s definitely not for everyone, it’s for us! In short, a very extreme BN and, in its own way, rather reassuring.
SGP:372 - 88 points. |
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Ben Nevis 13 yo 2001/2014 (52.6%, Whisky-Doris, The Nose Art, bourbon hogshead, cask #1289, 131 bottles)
Granted, this isn’t a particularly recent bottle, but we hold Whisky-Doris in the highest regard and hope to see the ever-charming Mr and Mrs Debbeler again in Limburg this year. Colour: light gold. Nose: this Ben Nevis leans towards the fruity side this time – think quince-apple-banana compote, for instance. Very pretty. Flint remains watchful in the background. With water: it folds back into leather, bay leaf and slightly green tobacco. Mouth (neat): oh, perfect! Smoked tea, mustard, tobacco, seawater. Superb poise. With water: lovely bitterness, Seville orange, tobacco, coriander, cardamom. Not a single gram of compromise or commercial gloss, it’s wonderfully refreshing. Finish: and here comes the petrolic riesling, from the finest slopes of Ribeauvillé and Bergheim. Gorgeous richness enveloping it all. Comments: a wine malt. That’s meant to be a compliment.
SGP:363 - 89 points. |
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February 1, 2026 |
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The Rum Sessions, no rum today but rum will be back |
Well, I was planning to share a few more rums this Sunday, but something unexpected caught my eye: a large forum — which I won’t name, out of simple goodwill — rather reminiscent of the old Usenet or Yahoo groups in their lively days. There, a handful of anonymous posters had taken the opportunity to express some fairly critical, and at times rather sharp (right, insulting), opinions about this small website and one of our humble rum posts. |
| Honestly, it isn’t such a bad thing. A fully commercial web filled only with praise or even neutrality or consensus would hardly be something to strive for, and a little disagreement is part of what makes independent spaces interesting. Plus, as Courteline once suggested, though expressed in far harsher terms, being judged foolish by someone lacking perspective can almost feel like a quiet compliment. |
| Still, I’ll admit it did leave me feeling a touch deflated reading those remarks. More importantly, it put me slightly off enjoying another glass of rum today — a fortiori five or seven of them — though I’m sure the pleasure will return soon enough. |
| In any case, let’s all take a breath, stay kind, and send a little warmth even to those poor anonymous souls. |
| Hugs and kisses to everyone. |
| See you tomorrow with more whisky... hopefully. |
| Yours, |
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P.S. I've just realised that this January may well have broken a record — or so it seems, though I don’t really keep an eye on our stats, as I firmly believe the quality of our readership matters a thousand times more than its size (which only really concerns those with something to sell — if that).
So exactly 930,570 unique visitors in January, talk about a Dry January! (official figures from our provider - and not visits, hits, extrapolations by third parties, or what have you). Screen copy on request.
Update: A thorough analysis led some talented tech boys and girls to detect significant traffic coming from bots, scrapers, crawlers and the like — totalling the equivalent of 107K visitors, no less. This would bring the actual number of unique visitors in January down to 823,000.
I must humbly admit, that does warm the heart a little. After all, we could even have savoured a few rums today, but it's too late. See you. |
Hold on a second, since you're here, we might as well publish a couple of wee whiskies, even if it is Sunday. Why not these ones… |
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WF's Little Duos,
two very young Auchentoshan to ease into spring, plus bonus |
Alright then, there are still a good six weeks to go before spring arrives here in the northern hemisphere – although, according to the new orthodoxy from D.C., we now talk about eastern and western hemispheres rather than north and south. I suppose the Earth will be flat any day now. Anyway, all the more reason to enjoy two young Auchentoshans… |
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Auchentoshan 9 yo 2016/2025 ‘Waiting for the Sun’ (46%, Uncharted Whisky Co., 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #UC0149, 617 bottles)
Have you seen the name of this baby? If that’s not a whisky for the times… That said, 617 bottles from a single cask, even at 46% vol, that’s jolly robust. Must be a vatting of two or even three barrels. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: extremely youthful, very spirity indeed, but also fresh as a daisy and nicely fruity, this is truly classic Auchentoshan of yesteryear, when the triple distillation profile was still front and centre. Haribo jellybeans and the like, limoncello, banana foam, touches of cologne water, citronella... In short, I’ve no idea whether it keeps mosquitoes at bay, but it’s remarkably faithful to the raw distillate and we’d take that any day over oodles of oak or clumsy wine seasoning. Mouth: splendid bitterness, and above all, lashings of fruit eau-de-vie—damson, mirabelle, pear, kirsch, rowanberry and such. Right, and barley too, the whole thing having seemingly aged in a demijohn for ten years or so. But you see, we do love our fruit spirits, so we’re entirely on board with this naked Auchentoshan. Finish: of moderate length, stems and leaves bobbing back up to the surface. In short, fairly herbaceous and bitter. Comments: pure, unvarnished young Auchentoshan, in its birthday suit. It’ll surely climb the ladder once it packs in a few more years…
SGP:660 - 84 points. |
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Auchentoshan 13 yo 2011/2025 (60.6%, Single Cask Nation, Online Exclusive, 4-years in 2nd fill peated bourbon barrel, cask #160463, 198 bottles)
Online exclusive? That’s cool, we are online, aren’t we. That said, we’re awfully curious to see how peat, even just a trace, behaves on something as lean-bodied as Auchentoshan. Shall we? Colour: gold. Nose: how amusing, it initially noses like smoked rosewater, but what’s even funnier is how rapidly the distillate—slightly fattier than usual here—drives off that smoke by brute force, leaving only the faintest wisps. Still, that’s enough to garnish the Juicy Fruit chewing gums, fresh fruits and sweeties, especially... raspberry. Mind you, that raspberry note may well stem from the lofty ABV, so beware… With water: smoked raspberry eau-de-vie, that’s the one. Mouth (neat): borderline virulent, and unmistakably peaty, yet it works a treat. No dissonance whatsoever—in fact, it’s a superb in-cask blended malt. Well, you know what I mean. At any rate, it’s far peatier on the palate than on the nose, and it does faintly evoke cousin Bowmore. With water: it’s uncanny how natural this feels, ticking all the right boxes and showing the coherence of a proper single malt. Oranges, smoked salmon, lemon, three drops of seawater… Finish: long, fresh, elegant, lemony, peppery and smoky, much like a Talisker in fact. Comments: seriously though, Auchentoshan’s markers are present and correct here too. Could we get a thousand palettes of precisely this malt?
SGP:564 - 88 points. |
PS: pour that one blind, no one will believe it is what it is. Hang on, while we're at it, a little bonus... |
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Secret Lowland 11 yo (57.1%, Dràm Mor, refill oloroso sherry hogshead finish, cask #105, 324 bottles, 2025)
In theory, it’s Glenkinchie, several anonymised casks of which seem to have made their way onto the open market. The snag, as ever, is that Glenkinchie is so scarce it’s rather tricky to pin down any clear markers or to define a proper style, unless of course one happens to be one of Diageo’s master blenders. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s fairly full-bodied, leaning towards sourdough and soft white bread dough, even brioche, with porridge not far behind, then a gentle waft of fresh aniseed and spearmint, with wee white and yellow fruits chiming in quietly. The sherry influence is restrained. With water: little change, though orange drops do appear, along with a rather Auchentoshan-esque brightness. Well well! Mouth (neat): more obvious sherry-led nuttiness, plus preserved citron and candied angelica. Notes of Thai bouillon, coconut milk, and coriander lift it nicely. Even a touch of soy shoots and a mild bitterness that adds welcome tension. With water: very good. Splendid balance, oranges, pink pepper, and still that Thai bouillon showing through... Finish: rather long, heavily orangey, with persistent Thai inflections. Comments: very excellent, and a perfect sparring partner for the second Auchentoshan.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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January 2026 |
Serge's favourite recent bottling this month:
Pulteney 25 yo 2000/2025 (53.9%, Casky’s Finest Selection and The Antelope, refill barrel, cask #100239) - WF 92
Serge's favourite older bottling this month:
Caol Ila 16 yo (40%, Gordon & MacPhail for Sestante, 75cl, +/-1985) - WF 93
Serge's favourite bang for your buck this month:
Caol Ila 10 yo 2014/2024 ‘Edition #28’ (57.1%, Signatory Vintage, 100 proof, 1st fill & refill oloroso sherry butt) ) - WF 87
Serge's favourite malternative this month:
Hampden 15 yo (50%, OB, Jamaica, 2025) - WF 91
Serge's thumbs up this month:
Kornog 2018/2025 (56.9%, OB, selected by Wu Dram Clan, bourbon barrel, cask #01861, 229 bottles) - WF 91
Serge's Lemon Prize this month:
Dos Maderas ‘Atlantic’ (37.5%, Williams & Humbert, blend, +/-2025) - WF 50 |
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