March 2026 - part 1 <--- March 2026 - part 2 ---> Current entries


March 27, 2026

Happy International Whisk(e)y Day!

This special day celebrates the original International Whisky Day, first launched on Whiskyfun back in 2008 with modesty and little fanfare, after a suggestion from renowned Dutch whisky writer Hans Offringa. Every year, the occasion is marked on the birthday of the legendary whisky writer Michael Jackson, honouring his lasting influence on the whisky world following his passing in 2007.

Ordinarily, on such occasions we enjoy Macallans from the distillery’s golden age, but it seems we have by now more or less covered the field, even if there are probably still two or three Vintages we have yet to taste. In any case, we chose instead to sample some Clynelish today.

The reasons are simple: first we love Clynelish almost as much as Mickael Jackson adored Macallan, and second, in his celebrated annual guide The Malt Whisky Companion, ‘Emjay’ wrote:

“Cult status seems to have been conferred in recent years on the Clynelish distillery and its adjoining predecessor, Brora, which command the middle stretch of the northern Highlands. The appeal of their malts lies partly in their coastal aromas and flavours. Sceptics may question the brininess of coastal malts, but some bottlings of Brora and Clynelish make that characteristic hard to deny. They are the most maritime of the East Coast malts.”

It should, however, be remembered that, in reality, Michael Jackson did not hold Clynelish or Brora in especially high regard in his guide, being content to score their expressions somewhere around 78–81 points. No matter, long live the memory of Michael Jackson, long live International Whisk(e)y Day, and long live Clynelish and Brora!

And now, aperitif time…

King’s Legend ‘Old Special’ (no ABV statement, OB, Ainslie & Heilbron, UK, blend, +/-1960)

The best-known Clynelish blend, perhaps on a par with Royal Edinburgh, but I’ve often found King’s Legend superior. Colour: light gold. Nose: we immediately find one of the main hallmarks of Old Clynelish, Brora and ‘New’ Clynelish, beeswax mingled with plasticine, all of it sitting atop a layer of white flowers (honeysuckle, clover) and ripe apples and plums. The whole is very malty, rather mineral in the end, with no really detectable vanilla or coconut. In short: quite some blend. Mouth: the coastal, saline and greasy minerality (mineral oils) is absolutely immense, and you really get the impression that this is old Clynelish at 80° proof. Perhaps that was indeed the case? There are also notes of pebbles, the sort we used to suck when children, along with cement, gum arabic, but also lime, which is common in old Clynelish. A formidable blend (if it really is a blend) Finish: a little shorter, but still mineral and even slightly ‘industrial’. A machine oil feeling. Seawater returns in the aftertaste. Comments: top blend, to be placed alongside the White Horses, Logans and Mackie’s of the same era.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

Let’s go back to a young, recent Clynelish, before moving on to older vintages…

Clynelish 11 yo 2014/2025 ‘Hogmanay Bottling’ (48.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead, 223 bottles)

Obviously, given the location of their castle in Dornoch, the two brothers can practically glimpse Clynelish distillery to the north from their window, and on a very clear day, perhaps even Pulteney. I may be exaggerating slightly, admittedly… Colour: deep gold. Nose: completely on salted butter fudge at first, metal polish too, then more and more maritime elements, right down to dried seaweed and driftwood picked up on the beach. A few old walnuts as well. Mouth: sharper on the palate, more lemony, tangy, with a rather Japanese side that’s quite hard to pin down, perhaps those mixes of pickled ginger and wasabi. In any case, I rather adore this faintly… Jamaican edge. One could almost think the cask was ex-Hampden. I do mean ‘almost’. Finish: same again, with very good length and a more peppery profile. Comments: it has to be said that, on top of that, 48% vol. is a perfect bottling strength.
SGP:463 - 88 points.

Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (49.1%, Thompson Bros., dechar French and American oak hogsheads, 613 bottles)

Of course, the cats tend to steal the limelight on Clynelish labels, even if here we seem rather far from any proper Scottish wildcat. Colour: white wine. Nose: this baby is more mineral, almost granitic, which makes it a little austere, but we do rather like these profiles. Brake fluid, linseed oil, sauvignon blanc, honeysuckle, even a touch of green pepper, then more and more lemon zest. Mouth: same sharp fruity and floral profile, we are almost in Hugo spritz territory here, then on to a little glass of soluble lemon aspirin. And yet, I promise you, it wouldn’t give you a headache. It then becomes more herbal and bitter, though in a very pleasing way (fino). Finish: long, fresh, taut, ultra-classic. Comments: I don’t quite feel brave enough to score this baby differently from the previous one, although they are very different indeed.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2025 ‘25th Anniversary Dornoch Castle’ (50.5%, Thompson Bros., Rejuvenated Hungarian oak, cask #314380, 344 bottles)

They might as well try to rejuvenate Viktor Orban too, if you ask me. And between us, Dornoch Castle struck me as rather older than just 25 years the last time I passed by. Colour: full gold. Nose: well now, this has the best of the two previous ones, all fused together here. Magnificent citrus fruits, chalk, honey, walnut liqueur, beeswax, and that little medicinal side once again (aspirin tablets). With water: rain-soaked wool, shoe polish, plaster, paraffin. Mouth (neat): this is simply splendid, more peppery, but also with varnish and even glue, bitter orange, zests, sea water, paprika (well of course, Hungarian goulash, S.). With water: it becomes perfect with two drops of water. Oysters, clams, lime, waxes… Finish: long, fresh, almost cheerful, with wee echoes of the Clynelish 12-year-old from 50 years ago. That mineral side. Surprising notes of apricot jam in the aftertaste. Comments: superb, there are even little Balblair-ish touches. It’s true, we’re not very far off…
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Clynelish 14 yo (55.1%, Elixir Distillers, Macbeth Act Two, Servant, first fill bourbon, 1600 bottles, 2024)

We really have very little to fear here… Colour: white wine. Nose: immaculate Clynelish, all on beeswax, vanilla pod and bergamot, with wet chalk, then a few maritime puffs. Lastly, touches of green orange/Orange Verte (from Hermès). With water: wafts of dill, fennel and caraway. How amusing this is! Mouth (neat): even simpler than on the nose, which is a virtue, let’s be clear about that. Chalk, green orange zest, green kumquat, no less green pepper… Magnificent tension, with a more discreet waxy side. With water: it softens, moving towards lemon cream. You could almost find a little meringue. Finish: not tremendously long, but superbly balanced, with lemon blossom honey coming along to soften the whole thing even further. Comments: I’m sorry, I am utterly incapable of resisting this sort of lovely little baby from Sutherland.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Here’s another “young” one, only much older. You know what I mean.

Clynelish 11 yo 1982/1994 (66.3%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, Meregali Import)

I can no longer remember whether it was around those years that the famous receivers (especially for the low wines) were regularly cleaned of the well-known natural ‘gunge’ that would settle there and lend the distillate that particularly singular waxy side. This overzealous cleaning, though of course well intentioned, actually removed part of Clynelish’s DNA. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: far too powerful, far too much on eau de cologne to be properly enjoyed neat, isn’t it. With water: so typical of malts from that era and from this series. Zero cask influence, tonnes of flint and leaven, and at least forty kilos of lawn clippings. Only a few touches of bergamot suggest that this is in fact a Clynelish. Mouth (neat): concentrated lemon juice, multiplied a thousandfold. We shan’t insist, if you don’t mind. With water: boom, everything comes out, lemon balm, chalk, gunflint, gentian, mezcal, salsify… But not really the proverbial wax, as we rather suspected. Finish: lemon balm blossom and vegetable juice, a few drops of limoncello in the aftertaste, and half a drop of sea water. Comments: do not taste this without water, friendly advice.
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Clynelish 24 yo 2001/2025 ‘A Sutherland Dram’ (48.9%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead, 135 bottles)

I’m afraid this may be way too excellent, as Gen Z would put it. Colour: light gold. Nose: a floral Clynelish, chiefly on dandelion and discreet rose, but then an army of little aromas starts to invade the senses, boiled ham, beeswax and pollen, ripe apple, orange blossom, elderflower, woodruff, angelica, roots and twigs, button mushrooms, fresh butter… all that only to end on a tiny drop of coconut milk. Mouth: livelier, more precise, sharper, earthier and more citrus-driven, with certain aspects that remind you of that famous Orkney distillery that does not begin with the letter S. And which we taste rather often. In the end it is simpler on the palate than on the nose, but of utterly mad elegance, Kill Bill-style as we so often say. Finish: long, sharp, more citrusy and more peppery. Mint, green tea and roots in the aftertaste. Comments: the complexity of the nose is rather astonishing, if you grant it a little of your precious time, and even more so if you add a drop of water (which we have taken into account in our modest score).
SGP:462 - 91 points.

Clynelish 31 yo 1993/2025 (47,8%, Lucky Choice & Abyss Whisky Bar, bourbon barrel, cask #11085)

Here we are again in Hong Kong, and once more there’s a cat on the label. Our feline assistants at Château Whiskyfun (Soba, Perle, P’tit Noir, Tigrou and Dolphy) can only applaud with all four paws. Colour: pale gold. Nose: epitomically Clynelish. Sublime beeswax, orange liqueur, first rainwater, mandarin (and chen-pi), oysters, seaweed, roots, chalk and fresh mint. I bow. Mouth: just a hair more rustic, with a tea-ish side, dry tobacco and slightly more marked tannins, but this is also one of those bourbon barrels that drift admirably towards dry sherry, for unknown reasons (to me), with walnuts and gorgeous mild mustard. Finish: long, heading towards citrus fruits and mints, which lifts the whole thing skywards, towards the azure and its eagles. Well, you see what I mean. Comments: it is perfect on the nose but not quite perfect on the palate, and that is precisely when you tell yourself that perfection may well be boring. In short, we adore it, and as we’re off to Hong Kong soon, we do hope we might taste it again there (message received?)
SGP:472 - 92 points.

It’s probably time to draw this Clynelish cavalcade to a close, perhaps with this baby…

Clynelish 40 yo 1984/2025 (46.7%, Gordon & MacPhail, Book of Kells, for T.D.M. Whisky, Minus, Casky & Malt Barks, refill American hogshead, cask #4103, 122 bottles)

I find it absolutely brilliant when several bars and motivated entities join forces to commission a bottling as prestigious as a 40-year-old Clynelish from G&M. It gets to the point where we wonder what on earth we’ve done to deserve the honour of tasting it… (with only slight exaggeration). Colour: pale gold. Mad. Nose: we are so close to the previous one! The beauty and poetic elegance of a fine refill cask, without the slightest vulgar intervention from some extrovert barrel or flashy wine, even if there are indeed discreet touches of coconut and banana here. The rest is all about a beehive in the thick of the spring honey flow, with fresh wax, pollen, the season’s first honeys, and rare little citrus fruits of the sort one finds at Fortnum & Mason, La Grande Épicerie or Globus. It would almost be a slightly conservative nose, if not elegantly reactionary, but without the slightest gram of pre-fascism (S., do stop that). Mouth: we have reached the end of the journey with this beautiful old malt, and you can feel those slightly over-woody, slightly tisane-like notes knocking at the door, though they have not quite come in yet. It is always a moving moment, all the more so as the fresh and fruity notes, especially under the guidance of oranges and pink peppercorns, are still firmly in power. I’ve no idea whether any of what I’m telling you makes the slightest sense, but please do take my word for it. Finish: not very long, but with notes of peach skin that are admittedly unusual, though rather close to those of an old Borderies Cognac. We always say it, old spirits do converge. Comments: an old whisky just on the verge of crossing over to the other side, but which for the moment remains wonderful. Absolutely perfect timing, though we are not remotely surprised.
SGP:561 - 92 points.

Again, Happy International Whisk(e)y Day!

Was it a sign of destiny?

I had been most kindly invited by my friend Nicolas (Whisky Magazine France) to attend the World Whisky Awards ceremony, held in London at the Waldorf on Wednesday evening, just two days before International Whisk(e)y Day.
Between ourselves, I had quietly prepared for the possibility, just in case, of receiving an award along the lines of “Communicator of the Year”, which was in fact presented to our excellent friend Joel Harrison.
As it turns out, however, I was actually inducted into Whisky Magazine’s Hall of Fame, as number 110.

Do rest assured, the evening was
far less stuffy than this little photo
might suggest.

I do not believe I truly deserve such an honour, but then again, they do say one does not refuse these things.

In short: an excellent evening, excellent friends, excellent whiskies, but above all, I realised that inductee no. 1, the very, very, very first, was… Michael Jackson!

So of course I raised a toast to him across the stars, whose very substance, I have since learned, is in fact made up of clouds of malt whisky.

Cheers, à ta santé, Michael Jackson!


March 25, 2026

A few aged Bunnahabhain and an aperitif

For the aperitif, it will be one of the latest batches from the official range, then we’ll have two, three, or perhaps four aged independent bottlings, if that suits you. We’ve got a large number of ‘Bunnies’ in the pipeline for later, not even counting the Moines and the Staoishas. A session with another heartfelt thought for John MacLellan.
Tasting 1960s Bunnie with John MacLellan, circa 2002, (WF Archive)

Bunnahabhain 18 yo (46.3%, OB, +/-2025)

The owners’ website confirms that this baby was finished in sherry, and not fully matured. That said, we had loved a previous 18 aka XVIII, in its transparent bottle, around 2017 (WF 90). Colour: dark amber. Nose: a very marked metal polish and old pennies side at first, also quite a lot of shoe polish, a family pack of marrons glacés, some walnut liqueur and a few thin slices of dry sausage. In short, it is very much marked by the sherry and there is quite a presence. Mouth: chocolate liqueur, prunes in Armagnac, old plum, all that on a curiously light structure, while the chocolate keeps becoming more and more pronounced. English black tea. Salt. Finish: not so light now, quite the contrary, it becomes even saltier, more chocolatey, more on black tea and on Christmas cake. Comments: it remains very lovely, really concocted in a rather masterly fashion.
SGP:451 - 88 points.

Bunnahabhain 32 yo 1989/2021 (44.7%, Quaich Bar, The Islay Giants, 1st fill oloroso sherry hogshead, 213 bottles)

Colour: dark amber. Nose: well, this is magnificent, without the metallic edges of the official 18-year-old, and immediately on old Armagnac, very marked Corinth raisins, dates, and fruitcake soaked in eau-de-vie. It is not especially complex to be honest, yet it is perfect, even if we might have said PX rather than oloroso. Mouth: an incredible maelstrom of black olives, toffee, liquorice, crème de menthe, fruitcake, walnut wine, dried longans and old Pu-erh, red as rubies, or almost. Finish: drier, more on tobacco and Pu-erh, then finally on chocolate with a very high cocoa content. The aftertaste leans much more towards rather salty beef broth and old oloroso, even a touch of old vin jaune. Comments: impressive, some aspects remind us of the famous official Auld Acquaintance (WF 93).
SGP:361 - 91 points.

Bunnahabhain 40 yo 1980/2020 (45.2%, Gleann Mor, Rare Find, refill sherry butt)

Older and in refill, this ought to be relatively lighter… Colour: full gold. Nose: acetic, almost vinegary, very balsamic at first, then dried fruits and toasted pecans join the party, the whole having almost a Thai broth side. Then raisins settle in little by little, while the balsamic vinegar has almost disappeared, or let us say that we have become used to it. Mouth: more direct, almost younger, a little more peppery, more on dried figs and with a slight soapy edge, but in no way intrusive. Then in come the maritime notes, salted tea, salted butter caramel and all that. Finish: rather long, quite fresh for this age, with a lovely little sweet and salty touch. Comments: not too easy to follow this very classic full refill sherry, it has done very well indeed.
SGP:451 - 89 points.

Bunnahabhain 44 yo (42.4%, The Single Malts of Scotland, Director’s Special, butt, cask #4051, 492 bottles, 2020)

We know the Director, he is truly very demanding… Besides, we are not entirely certain, but these could be the same distillates as those of the 45-year-old Port Askaig, well, we shall see… Colour: full gold. Nose: here we are really close to the old officials, the sort of vintage bottlings from the 1960s, it is fresher and fruitier, packed with mango and banana jams, beeswax, old apples, pollens and honeys, then soaked limestone after the rain, though I do not believe there is any limestone on Islay, is there. Mouth: we move closer to sherry, after all it is a butt, fresh walnuts, old walnuts, thin mints, mint and chocolate, pistachio syrup, then we witness the return of ripe bananas. Let us say that the palate is ever so slightly less dazzling than the nose, to our very humble opinion. Finish: medium length, more on green tea and a little nutmeg. Comments: on the palate we feel just a slight weight of the years, yet it remains utterly beautiful, and the nose is sublime with fruity freshness.
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1980/2025 (44.2%, Whiskay, cask #91)

A very beautiful label yet a rather surprising one for a European like me, on a bottle of whisky I mean, it was created by Japanese artist Mayuka Yamamoto. Colour: gold. Nose: stop, we halt everything, there is parsley, sage, chervil and even wild garlic, in short this is a profile we find utterly sublime. In the background, fig, tomato bush, miso soup and chicken broth with marrow. We absolutely adore this nose, of incredible finesse. Will the palate follow the same path?... Mouth: bingo. But it is rather different in truth, more classical, a little more marked by the years like the previous one, herbal infusions, lupin tea, with touches of ginseng, ginger, cinnamon, but also pomelos and bergamot. It is more fragile, yet very, very far from collapsing. Still, these are above all whiskies for the nose, almost perfumes. Finish: ah lovely, the herbs from the nose echo in the finish, especially parsley but also miso. The aftertaste is more maritime, saltier yet, woodier. A small piece of smoked ham. Comments: if in these old Bunnies the palates were at the level of the noses, they would be the greatest whiskies in the world, seriously.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

Bunnahabhain 45 yo 1979/2025 (46.8%, Kanpaikai & The Antelope, refill sherry butt, cask #8056, 222 bottles)

What a sublime label! To think that in the old days everyone was putting tartans, thistles or stag heads, what a silly notion it was to claim things were better before. I mean, globally. Colour: mahogany (oh!) Nose: the triumphant return of Armagnac and orange wine, nocino and amaro, beef broth and marrow bone. Long story short, yet another sublime nose, enough to wonder whether Bunnahabhain, at least in those days, was not more perfumers than distillers, though you will say it is rather the same thing if you use vapour distilling, indeed. Mouth: ah there we are! Nocino at full throttle, fir liqueur from the last century, that is to say the one before, bresaola, landjäger, then more fir liqueur, Jägermeister without the sugar, Chartreuse elixir, you see the idea. They must have thrown herbs into the stills, or into the casks, or perhaps both. Finish: very long, extremely herbal, resinous, with splendid bitters and honeyed touches like a very old Westvleteren. Our Belgian friends, all Trappist monks of course, will understand. Comments: a slightly extreme side nonetheless, yet we absolutely adore it.
SGP:471 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Clynelish we've tasted


March 24, 2026

WF's Little Duos, today two wee Highland Parks, for completeness

Every time we wrap up a big series on one distillery or another, no sooner is it published than, lo and behold, a few outrageously tempting new bottlings from that very distillery land on the doorstep of Château Whiskyfun. Sometimes the very same day, sometimes the next. Typical. Take these two Highland Parks, for instance… as if we could possibly leave them sitting there any longer. Not a chance.

Highland Park 18 yo (50.8%, Elixir Distillers, Macbeth Act Two, Young Siward, 650 bottles, 2025)

For us French, Shakespeare tends to stop at ‘To be or not to be’ and an old sketch by Rowan Atkinson. It was high time we broadened our culture, thanks to the good care of Elixir Distillers. Colour: pale gold. Nose: strong presence of wet plaster and beach sand to begin with, before it moves towards new jumper and mint tea with pine nuts. It then becomes more medicinal and remains rather distant from the official bottlings, generally more marked by sherry. With water: it remains very mineral but there are amusing little notes of pastis or ouzo that come along and join in. Mouth (neat): powerful, peaty, oily, very different from the nose but, naturally, some points of contact remain, such as that wet chalk and green tea. It carries on with liquorice wood with a slight peppery edge and very dry old Madeira (Sercial from Blandy’s). With water: bitter citrus zests come rushing in and the whole becomes more bitter and peppery. Finish: long, always bitter, with a drop of Spanish olive oil, peppery and herbal. May we recommend that from Clos Mogador, in Priorat? Their wines too, of course. Comments: this is a dry HP that leans a little towards young BN, even Ledaig in certain respects. Excellent, of course.
SGP:363 - 89 points.

Secret Orkney Distillery 25 yo 1999/2025 (51.2%, The Whisky Agency, Wave Farewell to 2025, hogshead, 135 bottles)

We must hurry up and taste this whole series before we get too far away from 2025, you see. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we are really not far from the previous one, there is still plenty of chalk, but also fern, lemon peel, ground toasted buckwheat, lupin coffee, greengages, fresh sourdough bread… Then a few drops of mead, lightly honeyed, but we are not really talking about heather honey. With water: it has become almost identical to the Macbeth. In any case, it cannot be Scapa, which had been mothballed from 1994 to, I believe, the year 2000, although there may have been the odd small batches distilled from time to time to keep the equipment in shape, just as at Ardbeg. In any case, we have tasted some Scapa 2000 from G&M. In short, this is indeed Highland Park, there is no mistaking it. Mouth (neat): earthy and rooty just as we like them, wild carrots, turnips, gentian, honey cake, elder eau-de-vie, drops of seawater, orange zests. It is very fine and ultimately rather oily and full-bodied. With water: it does not change much, there is simply a little more smoky pepper. Finish: long, saline, oily, mineral, citrusy, peaty, very Highland Park in style. Comments: good, one small extra point, probably linked to the seven additional years of maturation.
SGP:363 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted


March 23, 2026

WF's Little Duos, today independent Glen Grant, natural

No real antiques today, just two small indie GGs, done quickly and properly. And why not?

Glen Grant 20 yo 2003/2024 (52.8%, WhiskySponge, exclusive for Heads & Tails Canada, 1st fill barrel, 169 bottles)

One of the funny pre-WhiskyLand labels. The old Scottish designers must be turning in their graves, but I am sure it is doing them good. Colour: straw. Nose: barley, buckwheat, beer, farmhouse bread, very ripe apples, quinces, clay, candle. With water: the candle only grows, we arrive at a huge Scottish cathedral candle. A very fine apple juice with pollen thereafter. Long live nature! Mouth (neat): the same again, barley eau-de-vie, calvados, pepper liqueur, fresh bread. With water: the epitome of malt whisky, bang on fresh and sweet barley. Finish: the cider returns, apple, barley syrup… Comments: it is not very complicated, and we were not ready to go this high, but the seminally authentic side tipped us over. When the archaeologists of the post-Trump future find these bottles among the rubble, they will say ‘that, that was malt whisky’. I do not think that will happen with ruby Port, Bordeaux or zinfandel finishings.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Glen Grant 1999/2025 (51.2%, The Whisky Agency, Wave Farewell to 2025, hogshead, 203 bottles)

Colour: straw. Nose: this will be quick, it is exactly identical, on apple juice, cider, ale, wax, cereals. Malt whisky in its natural state. With water: the same, barley, hay, barley, hay, barley, hay, ripe apple… Mouth (neat): indeed , it is the same whisky as the 2003, word for word. Perhaps just a tiny touch more on the citrus. In short, it is perfect. With water: ditto. Finish: cider, beeswax, stewed apples… Also some quince and a very slight menthol, that does set it apart a little. We are somewhat reminded of those famous grain vodkas from ex-pot stills. Comments: just as magnificent, just as ‘pure malt’, if you see what we mean.
SGP:551 - 88 points.

Check the index of all Glen Grant we've tasted


March 22, 2026

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!

The Rum Sessions,
Rums of all kinds, some
of the highest calibre

We’re continuing with rum this Sunday, before most likely moving on to cognacs or armagnacs next week. Let’s start with one of our traditional, no-fuss aperitifs…

Cartavio 7 yo ‘Gran Reserva’ (38%, OB, Peru, +/-2025)

The 12-year-old had been very decent two years ago (WF 77), but here, at 38% vol., we must admit we are not expecting much. Colour: gold. Nose: typical of South American molasses and column rums without great personality, yet not unpleasant, with touches of bagasse, pineapple, vanilla and a little hay. We are not going to cry scandal. Mouth: light, a little honeyed, with touches of coconut liqueur but no obvious sugar, let us say it is rather pleasantly dry, though with quite little personality. The 38% vol. goes through well enough, it does not seem too feeble. Finish: very short. Pistachio and hazelnut syrup. Comments: a perfect calibration rum, with not too much tinkering it would seem.
SGP:331 - 72 points.

While we’re on the subject of seven-year-old high-volume rums…

Abuelo 7 yo (40%, OB, Panama, +/-2025)

Abuelo 7 yo (40%, OB, Panama, +/-2025)
Cane honey rum from the Don José distillery. We have already tasted several versions of the 12-year-old (+/-WF 75) but never this young 7-year-old. Will it beat the Cartavio fair and square? Colour: pale gold. Nose: a little more body, with some rather pretty herbal touches, on vanilla cream and orange cake. A little less sweet than the Cartavio, and that can only be due to the two extra degrees. Mouth: more vitality, but also more disordered flavours, dried herbs, grated zests, a rustic side, yet here too, not too much added sugar it would seem. Finish: rather short, rather imprecise, yet not unpleasant. Orange liqueur right at the end. Comments: it is worth remembering that in South America, ‘honey’ refers to anything with the consistency and colour of honey, but in the European Union, being more particular (right, picky), honey is only made by bees.
SGP:341 - 70 points.

Right, that’s enough of the aperitifs. Have we actually tasted any rums? Our palate can hardly remember already…

Off-Road Rhum #03.2 (44%, Vagabond Spirit, blend Cape Verde + Guadeloupe)

Off-Road Rhum #03.2 (44%, Vagabond Spirit, blend Cape Verde + Guadeloupe)
60% pure cane juice rum from Cape Verde, thus grogue, and 40% pure cane juice from Guadeloupe, coming from two small casks immersed for eleven months in the ocean. An experiment that inevitably carries a slightly Jules Verne-like and rather amusing side. Colour: full gold. The casks must have been new. Nose: obviously, the question that arises is whether the salinity, quite present, comes from the grogue or from the immersion in the sea, or both. In any case, it is truly saline, like some Jamaicans, yet without the petrol side, while there is a clear impression of ripe mango and papaya, then touches of camphor and cough syrup. This is a very pretty nose. Mouth: well, it is ultra-salty, one almost expects to find a wee sardine in the glass. A dead one, right. There is nonetheless a form of balance, but you must enjoy very salty cocktails, or cold broths. We do. The texture is surprisingly oily, almost thick. Finish: long, very briny. Anchovies and olives. Comments: you really has to enjoy the taste of salt. Perhaps with bottarga or tarama, or even caviar. In any case, when it is this deviant, we love it. And it’s a perfect talking point when tasting with friends.
SGP:373 - 88 points.

Careful, you’ll need to drink plenty of water to rinse your mouth before moving on to the next one…

Cuban Rum 60 yo 1964/2025 (47.7%, The Whisky Agency, Wave Farewell to 2025, 240 bottles)

These old Cuban rums, whose origins remain debated among the rum chatterati, of which we are not part, are always spectacular in our view. We do not know who owns the original brands, the Cuban state, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, others, imagine what the price of such bottles would be if they were offered by the brands. Colour: copper amber. Nose: oh dear me, oil paint, roasted peanuts, tobacco, inevitably Cuban, coconut milk, fir honey, light varnish, freshly sawn precious wood, thuja, this is utterly beautiful. Mouth: the distillate itself is rather light, one can feel it, yet here the layer of essential oils, conifer honeys or honeydews, and even paint again is magnificent. A few crumbs of ginger biscuit, then increasingly resinous, tarry and liquorice notes, salted liquorice, come to kind of round things off before the finish. Finish: very long, with more ginger liqueur and elderflower, in the style of St Germain, though of course a thousand times better. Comments: it is rather different from other very old Cubans we have tasted, more on saps and resins. We love this, as long as it remains balanced as it does here. Oh, and good luck poor Cuba!
SGP:472 - 91 points.

Chairman’s Reserve 14 yo 2009/2025 (57.5%, OB for Wu Dram Clan, St. Lucia, Master’s Selection, ex-bourbon barrel, cask #0307052009, 157 bottles)

Chairman’s Reserve 14 yo 2009/2025 (57.5%, OB for Wu Dram Clan, St. Lucia, Master’s Selection, ex-bourbon barrel, cask #0307052009, 157 bottles)
Made in their Coffey still + John Dore 1. Do not ask me to explain how a John Dore still works, please. Colour: full gold. Nose: there is truly a bourbon side, with tonnes of varnish, vanilla and orange wood sawdust (that, we imagine), then fig leaf, new trainers, kumquats and bergamots. I find this utterly beautiful, at least for now, but am not in the least surprised. With water: earth, balsa, cedar, turmeric, all of which we adore. Mouth (neat): varnish and orange liqueur, then honey and very light touches of coconut liqueur. It no doubt needs a little water to bring out the bergamots and kumquats. With water: bingo, indeed, yet the youthful bourbon side is still there as well. Bitter oranges, pepper. Finish: long, fresher, slightly maritime, saline, finishing on lovely bitters in the style of craft gin. Only the aftertaste is a little more drying. Comments: it had a death seat after the Cuban, yet it survived with grace and distinction. Once again, no surprise here.
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Jamaica 11 yo 2013/2025 (48%, Elixir Distillers, The Rum Trail)

Jamaica 11 yo 2013/2025 (48%, Elixir Distillers, The Rum Trail)
Pot still rum aged four years in Jamaica and the rest in the United Kingdom. Colour: white wine. Nose: a little of the grace of a Worthy Park, we would say, with this side of green apple juice, lemon juice and seawater in which cigar ashes would have been infused. Amusing touches of white asparagus, their season is just beginning here. Mouth: a magnificent combination, fresh and taut, on rhubarb juice, petrol (at the current prices), seawater, gentian, green olives and carrot juice. Finish: long, smoky like a lapsang souchong ‘very tarry’, and perfectly salty. Comments: a Provençal tapenade in your glass, with esters of perfect balance. A magnificent bang for your buck, but we shall still need to check the price, as we never quite do that.
SGP:552 - 90 points.

While I’m at it, I’m very often asked why I don’t take price into account in my scores. I usually reply that the fact a VW Golf Diesel costs twenty times less than a Ferrari or even less doesn’t make it any faster. Hmm…

Here, since we’re in Jamaica,, let’s brace ourselves for a bit of punishment…

Hampden 2023/2025 ‘1500-1600 gr/hlpa’ (59.7%, The Colours of Rum, #73, Jamaica, bourbon, 256 bottles)

A purely symbolic ageing of two years in Europe, hence the colour that could do with a little dye, like you-know-who in DC. By the way, with these ester levels, in theory this is <DOK. I suppose they could also use it in Elon Musk’s rockets (not Elon Muck, mind), or in dragsters. But enough silliness already… Colour: almost white. Nose: a punch straight to the nose, in the manner of Cassius Clay. Mediterranean seawater, kerosene I,deed, new leatherette, brake dust, leeks boiled in water. Right, with water: plenty of fresh rubber, you almost feel as if you are visiting a warehouse of Michelin, Continental or Pirelli. Mouth (neat): ultimate tension, almost as much salt as in the slightly mad blend by Vagabond Spirits, acetone, cider vinegar, green pepper. With water: you can drown it completely, it keeps insulting you without shame, a bit like the French in Monty Python’s Holy Grail. We take the references we can. Finish: almost eternal. Comments: it is still a little too mad to be recommended without reservations, remorse or scruples.
SGP:574 - 89 points.

A last one…

New Yarmouth 32 yo 1994/2026 (58.5%, Ferrer, Collection One Cask, Jamaica)

A new house it would seem, if we are not mistaken. They are French, Canadian, Swiss or Belgian, since they write ‘rhum’ with an H, or perhaps Acadian, or from Louisiana. These New Yarmouth 1994, of which we have already tasted a few casks, are generally excellent. Colour: full gold. Nose: we find this rather typical balance between very ripe tropical fruits, led by mango, and more phenolic, tarry, saline and petroly notes. The fact is, the cursor has been set, by someone, exactly in the right place. With water: it is furniture polish that comes out, varnish, beeswax, green propolis. Mouth (neat): we find again this incredible balance between tar and mangoes, with here the addition of salty bitters, mezcal de la muerte and a good deal of black olives. That said, the wood and the terpenes are quite present, but let us remember that this is 32 years of age. With water: coconut liqueur, now that is unexpected. You should probably only add a drop of water. Finish: on herbal tea, with a certain tannicity. Comments: magnificent, even if it becomes slightly tired in the finish.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

Hang on, we’re actually going to finish with a TDL from the same house. TDL can stand up perfectly well after the Jamaicans…

TDL 16 yo 2009/2026 (61%, Ferrer, Collection One Cask, Trinidad)

So, TDL heavy or TDL light, we are always asking ourselves the same questions as with Caroni, are we not. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is perfect, more moderate than the Jamaicans yet perhaps more elegant, closer to oils, fruit peelings, dried flowers, then a duo of peaches and mangoes comes along to dance rock and roll under your nose. With water: the same, plus wafts of woodruff and fennel. This is perfect. Mouth (neat): there we are, it’s indeed perfect, exactly what we were expecting. We find again this infernal duo of vineyard peaches and wild mangoes, wrapped in petrol, tar, liquorice, pepper liqueur and coal tar. Mad. With water: it carries on, just a little softer and fruitier. Finish: it is the liquorice that takes control in the end. Comments: careful, this baby is dangerous, as you might get the impression at first that you can sip it quietly at its natural strength. Tsk-tsk.
SGP:562 - 90 points.

One day, we really ought to organise a proper double-blind Caroni vs TDL session. Isn’t it good to have goals in life? Anyway, until next time…

Check the index of all riums we've tasted


March 20, 2026

A severe case of Bennevissitis

Bennevissitis is a terrible affliction that has struck us at WF, manifesting as an unfortunate tendency to sample large quantities of Ben Nevis, and to derive a great deal of pleasure from it… Nearly forty different versions since January, just imagine! But we’ll only have two 1996s this Friday.

Ben Nevis 28 yo 1996/2025 (43.5%, The Whisky Agency, Wave Farewell to 2025, sherry butt, 307 bottles)

Always this very lovely Art Nouveau theme! Colour: pale amber. Nose: but how could we possibly resist when there is properly ripe mango, roasted chestnuts, little touches of engine oil, a hint of mustard and tobacco, then a camphory touch and a few drops of sherry? Not forgetting orange zest, chocolate, dry-cured ham… Mouth: more mineral on the palate, more on modelling clay and even proper clay, pepper, peach iced tea (you either like it, or you do not), chicory, buckwheat infusion (that is really rather good), leather… And indeed there is that little dirty side we so adore in BN. A few drops of ginger ale as well, and that typical nutty note of dry sherry. Finish: fairly long, more on leather, chocolate and tobacco. Aftertaste of slightly dirty stone, typical, and rather adorable. Comments: ultra-classic and yes, absolutely adorable. Always an immense joy to taste these vintages…
SGP:552 - 91 points.

Ben Nevis 29 yo 1996/2026 (48.1%, Scout Drinks, hogshead, cask #1558, 164 bottles)

Colour: full gold. Nose: it is splendid to taste this version with little or no sherry, the fruitiness is more intense, the whole rather fresher, with fresh paint and pine syrup, verbena, woodruff, almond milk and above all immense notes of bergamot liqueur, we warmly recommend that made by Nussbaumer in Steige in Alsace. They also make a good one in Italy, though the packaging is rather over the top (Italicus). It makes for very fine spritzes. While we are at it, we shall try the Ben-Nevis-by-Scout spritz this very evening. Mouth: absolutely packed with citrus! We shall not list them all, rest assured. Then chalk, a touch of tar, pepper and salt, very dry Chablis… Here, we would recommend a Côte de Léchet from a fresh vintage. Finish: long, always fresh, taut, with a very slight natural rubber. Comments: the whole sends little shivers down the spine, a pleasant sensation in this context. A marvellous ‘fresh’ Ben Nevis 1996.
SGP:652 - 91 points.

I’d wager we’ll have more Ben Nevis very soon, it’s one of the symptoms of Bennevissitis.

Check the index of all Ben Nevis we've tasted


March 19, 2026

A new little bag of odd or mixed bits and bobs

Blends, right, mostly malts…

(1968 French pressing of “Born to Be Wild”)

Ascent of Drams 10 yo ‘Phase One, Spark’ (49.4%, Decadent Drinks, Online Exclusive, blended malt, refill sherry hogshead, 100 bottles, 2025)

No idea what this might be, but the neo-retro-futuristic label is magnificent, we could almost do with posters. Colour: dark gold. Nose: earth, cured ham, tobacco, smoked fish, walnut liqueur, ashes, rather evocative and pleasantly rustic. Mouth: lovely peat running through citrus and pepper, touches of salmiak, Seville orange, and still those persistent notes of cured ham, we would say Parma for good measure. Finish: long, with the pepper coming more to the fore, citron and a saline, seawater-like note in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to add, this is excellent.
SGP:466 - 86 points.

Scallywag ‘The Winter Edition’ (52.4%, Douglas Laing, Speyside blended malt, Ice Wine casks finish, 2025)

We are publishing this note just before the official arrival of spring in our hemisphere, phew! A finishing in ice wine casks is bound to be rather bizarre, about as much as a twelve-year-old child in the body of a grandfather who would have the absolute power to send goodness knows what onto whomever he pleases. We also used to make ice wine, or eiswein, in Alsace, but a few years back we rather ceded the appellation to our Canadian cousins and friends, whom we adore anyway. Remember ice wine is supposed to be made from grapes that have naturally frozen while still on the vine, so in theory, it’s very ‘late harvest’. Colour: full gold. Nose: a little bushy at first, very much on apricot liqueur and honey, but it seems to find better balance after a moment. Let us see… With water: it does not change one iota. Mouth (neat): slightly cloying with all that fruit and sweetness, rather extreme indeed. With water: it improves, the muscat side coming through, along with blood orange liqueur. Finish: fairly long, much the same… Comments: I have not checked, is this a bottling for the Canadian market? Let us be honest, this is not bad at all, indeed rather good.
SGP:741 - 81 points.

Turntable ‘Track 07 - Born to be Wild’ (53%, blended scotch, 2025)

A blend of Ardnamurchan, Raasay, Nc'nean and Lochlea, alas with some Port Dundas in the mix. Let us hope that part was properly controlled… We have nothing against Port Dundas of course, quite the contrary, but it remains silent whisky all the same. Everything is a matter of proportions, quite right… Colour: gold. Nose: we do rather like Steppenwolf, it brings back memories of our first runs on a Harley. This nose is charming, very rooty, youthful, close to barley and earth, with strong impressions of celeriac. With water: a full five-kilo slab of nougat, honey, almonds, pistachios and so on. Mouth (neat): well now, this is very good indeed, fresh, earthy, lightly smoky, still very much marked by roots. With water: truly excellent. It is rather clever to combine these new cats, even if the Ardnamurchan seems to dominate the proceedings somewhat. Impressions of smoked lemon. Finish: fairly long, with just a couple of drops of coconut liqueur, no doubt coming from the grain, which otherwise rather kept a low profile throughout the tasting. Thank you, grain. Comments: this is excellent all the same. I have not checked what became of the band Steppenwolf, we shall look it up first thing tomorrow morning.
SGP:552 - 85 points.

The Ileach ‘Ruby Port’ (48.5%, OB, for Germany, cask #25/0032)

This is in fact an Islay single malt, but after a stay in ruby Port, can we really claim with a straight face that it remains a single malt? On the label they say ‘the true taste of Islay’, which may be a touch presumptuous, but we know these people are above all passionate. Colour: apricot. Nose: holy Suzy, smoked apricots and cherries preserved in ash. It clashes a little, let us admit it. Mouth: whoops. Raspberry and hay smoke, plus bay leaf. Finish: the same. Comments: I find it does not quite work, but that is very personal. A shame, the base is lovely, one can feel it, and I should also add that we tasted other Ileachs, made in a more natural style, and they were excellent.
The devil’s SGP… 666 - 65 points.

Stocking Filler 2011/2024 (46%, Royal Mile Whiskies, blended malt)

What is the point of tasting this now? Strictly none, we quite agree. But it is spring cleaning time at WF… Colour: deep gold. Nose: lovely roasted walnuts, peanuts, caramel, toffee, coal smoke, shoe polish and the like. Mouth: it is good, with a slight Glenfarclas side, plus a peaty touch. Nocino, shoe polish, bitter almonds… Finish: the same. Comments: nothing to add, we are well past the deadline anyway. Okay, it was very good…
SGP:463 - 85 points.

CRN57° 12 yo (43%, OB, blended malt, +/-2025)

This baby is supposed to be ‘a projection of the future The Cairn 12-year-old’, the new distillery from Gordon & MacPhail. Fair enough! Do note there are several labels, white, dark turquoise and so on… Not entirely sure what that signifies. Colour: gold. Nose: upper echelon for sure, lightly smoky, a little in the style of Benromach, with added notes of quality black tea and tobacco. Mouth: same impressions, fairly smoky, citrusy, earthy, with good texture despite the low strength. Notes of honeyed, peppered aubergine, roasted in the oven. Finish: drier, more austere. Black tea, without sugar, honey or aspartame. But with a nip… Comments: very nice indeed, firm, and very much in the Benromach vein.
SGP:462 - 84 points.

We move to the other end of the range…

CRN57-30-yo-43-OB-blended-malt-2025

CRN57° 30 yo (43%, OB, blended malt, +/-2025)

This baby also exists at a higher strength of 51.9%. Colour: full gold. Nose: obviously, with G&M’s stocks, they had everything required to compose a superb blended malt, and it shows in full here. Beautiful notes of beeswax, honeys, old Sauternes, nougat, white tea, honeysuckle, well-aged furniture polish and the like. Mouth: wow, this is excellent, I do not know whether there is some old Benromach from the Diageo era, but it certainly feels like it. Superb honeys, very ripe yellow fruits, and even two or three drops of Moutai, I swear. Finish: long, more smoky and spicier, yet perfectly balanced. Comments: who will still be around in twenty-five years to compare this CRN57° 30 with an actual thirty-year-old The Cairn? Perhaps an AI? In any case, this baby is brilliant, good luck.
SGP:552 - 90 points.

House of Hazelwood 33 yo ‘The Tops’ (51.6%, OB, Legacy Collection, blended malt, 1st and refill sherry, 523 bottles, 2022)

We recall that this is a series by William Grant & Sons and that, despite the somewhat improbable decanters they came in, the juices we have tasted so far have all been rather superb. Colour: mahogany. Nose: this rather reminds me of very old Glenfiddich that the brand used to have us taste in the good old days, twenty or thirty years ago, with walnuts, furniture polish, fir wood, crushed slate, fir honey and so on. Very retro, but retro is fashionable, is it not? With water: inhalations, balsa wood and essential oils for the sauna. Mouth (neat): excellent, that is beyond doubt. Fir and manuka honeys, fir bud liqueur, chestnut purée, thin mints… With water (although it does not seem strictly necessary on the palate): a superb combination of tars, resins and citrus. It is very slightly tired, but even that works nicely in this context. Finish: not very long, a little resinous and drying, let us move on… Comments: this is terrible, it lost points in the finish, yet it remains very high indeed.
SGP:461 - 89 points.

One last of the same ilk (we say the same cask in French), if I may say so…

House of Hazelwood 36 yo ‘Queen of the Hebrides’ (43.4%, OB, The Legacy Collection, Islay blended malt, 274 bottles, +/-2024)

Given that the last time we checked, William Grant did not have a distillery on Islay, these must necessarily be sourced casks. You will tell me that they do possess very large stocks for their famous blends… Colour: gold. Nose: this starts quite simply on Ardbegness, and we shall admit that one could do far worse in that respect. So, fresh tar, sailors’ ropes, smoked fish, coal tar, then slightly smoked apple and old hessian sacks forgotten at the back of a warehouse with a slightly leaking roof. All this ends, on the nose at least, with a most beautiful mix of camphor and eucalyptus. Could be Laphroaig just as well. Mouth: sublime, that is all. And not tired in the slightest. I adore this smoked fish, these oysters, this mentholated tobacco, and even these touches of Lagavulin, although we are not entirely sure there could be any Lagavulin in there. Magnificent bergamots in the fruit department. Finish: long, and even smokier and saltier, which is quite a feat at only 43% or thereabouts. You will rightly retort that around 40-43%, every tenth of a degree counts. Comments: a wonderful bottle, and not entirely certain it is truly a ‘blended’ malt. But no matter, it is brilliant and very south-coast-ish indeed.
SGP:565 - 92 points.

Check the index of all blended malts we've tasted


March 18, 2026

Let’s soar high for the love of Talisker

I know, another slightly daft headline. In any case, nothing really new from the officials in the pipeline at WF Towers, but there are quite a few independent bottlings we’re looking forward to tasting. We’ll revisit the official 10-year-old from a very recent batch, much talked about at the moment, next time.

Uma Thurman in Kill Bill vol.1 (Paramount)

Talisker 1940 (70° proof, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, Rare Old Liqueur, sherry, mid/late 1950s)

Some amusing mentions on the label, such as ‘It’s a Fine Speerit The Talisker’ and ‘There’s No A Petter Made’. This is not Bolognese dialect, we have checked. Let us be frank, these are controversial bottles, with levels often very high and glass often immaculate, yet labels invariably rather worn. It seems there have been several versions, which we readily find at very reputable auction houses, that latter point being rather reassuring. 40%/70°proof etc. But the proof is in the pudding, I mean, in the glass… Colour: amber. Nose: pretty much zero doubt, unless someone slightly unhinged has entirely re-dressed a very old Talisker from G&M or BB&R, which would make little sense. In short, it is very much on an old heap of coal at the back of a slightly damp cellar, with cigar ashes, saltpetre, soot, old liqueurs made from buds, chiefly fir, and bitter cocoa from the sherry. Not a gram of sweetness, everything is dry as a truncheon blow. We rather like this. Let us see whether the palate is a little tired, which, all things considered, would almost be good news. You see what we mean. Mouth: we find the bitterness again, the coal-like side, but also those old fir liqueurs, this time joined by bitter orange. The coastal side is well present too this time, with salt but also Talisker’s proverbial black pepper. If this is not old Talisker, it is devilishly well imitated. Finish: not very long, of course, but the cigar ashes return, ashes that we might have extinguished by dousing them with a little seawater, then with gentian eau-de-vie, what an idea. Comments: this is Talisker already made under the D.C.L. regime and after the end of triple distillation, yet before the more significant renovations of the distillery. What is rather more troubling is that I don’t think we have ever seen another Talisker 1940, have you? Was this the only one ever released?
SGP:363 - 90 points.

It's to be noted that as of today, Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, known as Wolves and now Marston's, is/was the UK’s largest regional brewer and pub operator. Indeed, like many UK brewers, it also operates its own distribution network, with over 1,600 managed and tenanted pubs. One can assume that this Talisker was intended to supply the company’s pubs at the time, which may explain why a fair number of bottles can be found on the market. The brewery division was recently acquired by Carlsberg.

Just another heads-up: I’ve seen some well-meaning people surprised to come across ‘proof’-labelled versions with Italian tax seals on the necks. It’s worth knowing that some Italian merchants and collectors were required by customs to apply these seals, often long after they had acquired the bottles. Mystery solved.

Right then, a bit of kerosene…

Talisker 15 yo 1979/1994 (63.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

Of course, this baby was ‘Matured in an Oak Cask’. We know, a running gag worth two pennies, yet it still makes us chuckle every time. Colour: white wine. Nose: not the first Talisker 1979 from Cadenhead that we have tasted, but here it is almost a little too strong, with lemon and cologne water leading the charge, rather in the style of a white agricole rum at 65% vol, along with seawater. With water: well, it does not change much, even at around 45% vol, it even drifts slightly towards medicinal alcohol, with rather light smoke, with a few oysters, nonetheless. Mouth (neat): it lands two slaps straight away. And amusingly, we find exactly the same composition as on the nose before reduction, lemon, cologne water and seawater, plus white rum. With water: it is better, much better, both fat and taut at once, with chlorophyll and salt, as well as shellfish, not only oysters, clams, winkles... On the other hand, as often with these vintages, the smoke is not particularly massive, yet the cold ashes are very much present. Finish: long, very maritime, with oysters returning drenched in lemon juice. Comments: perhaps not the greatest, yet still magnificent. Ah, the 1979 from The Bottlers!
SGP:364 - 89 points.

I think we’ll push it a bit further…

Talisker 18 yo 1979/1997 (63.2%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)

In your view, in what kind of cask was this baby raised? Bravo! Colour: pale gold. Nose: more on waxed cardboard and paraffin, the daily paper just delivered, read at 6 in the morning with a proper coffee, slag, coal, seaweed, a few autumn leaves, and not that much alcohol, all things considered. With water: magnificent, this impression of grapefruit stored in a kiln for two or three weeks, with a splendid oiliness on the nose. Mouth (neat): not two slaps, a proper uppercut, and an unbelievable quantity of salt and pepper, followed by tar. With water: now it really speaks, sharp as a Toledo blade, fir liqueurs and other resinous notes are back, seawater is immense, and of course the pepper too. This peppery side seems less present in more recent Taliskers, but we shall check that in a few minutes, happy to oblige. Finish: very long, almost rugged, with slightly drying ashes now to the fore, a certain harshness, let us say, it loses one or two points at this stage, yet it remains high. Despite touches of salted limoncello that arrive right at the end. Comments: no, it is a formidable bottle, just a bit of a bruiser, like almost the entirety of this range at that time (1990s).
SGP:364 - 90 points.

A Skye Whisky 22 yo 2003/2026 (47.7%, Kanpaikai & The Antelope, refill sherry cask, cask #T035)

This cannot yet be Torabhaig, can it. Colour: full gold. Nose: cough syrup for giants, or for lion-horses, according to the label. In short, it is massively concentrated on eucalyptus and fir buds, camphor, propolis, cannabis resin, then earth and salted liquorice. This salmiak-resin side is extremely spectacular and ultra-concentrated. Small touches of green tea in the background, perhaps to soothe things a little. Mouth: what we sometimes call a ‘Kill Bill’ palate, you know, Uma Thurman with her Japanese sword, yet one is quickly tended to with eucalyptus preparations, tincture of iodine, mercurochrome, then that salted limoncello side we have, I believe, already mentioned above. A formidable palate, with rather rare power despite the degrees being, all things considered, fairly moderate. Finish: long, resinous, peppery (there), lemony, as saline as can be, and above all it keeps invading your palate for at least five minutes, come on, ten, no, fifteen. Comments: it is amusing, of course very different, while it rather makes us think of Hampden, we swear.
SGP:465 - 91 points.

Talisker 12 yo 2011/2024 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, Fanatical about Flavour, 150 bottles)

Talisker 12 yo 2011/2024 (48.4%, Douglas Laing, Old Particular, Fanatical about Flavour, L19637, 150 bottles)

A bottle not easy to come by, yet these Taliskers by DL are always spot on, even their youngest versions, even at 5 or 6 years of age. Colour: pale white wine. Nose: we love this, not a microgram of oak, only lemon, green apples, ashes, clay and tincture of iodine. Mouth: that ‘blade’ sensation is very much present here, it slices you into two perfectly equal halves, as we sometimes say, and it is essentially seawater mixed with lime and conifer ashes. Just avoid going the wrong way, it could quite wreck your throat, we have just tried. Finish: long, taut as a competition bow, and absolutely magnificent. Comments: a seminal malt, let us say. It reminds us somewhat of the greatest batches of the official 10-year-old. A sublime little bottle, but do try to find it, believe us, we have failed.
SGP:466 - 91 points.

It’s time to move on to the last one, six is a nice number.

Talisker 12 yo 2011/2024 (56.7%, Harmony Whisky x Lucky Choice, Refill Hogshead, cask #80018686, 108 bottles)

A wee bottling for China. Our Chinese friends are extremely sharp when it comes to spirits, it has to be said, and we shall in fact try to organise a session of great baijiu one of these days. Colour: gold. Nose: somewhat in the vein of the previous DL, yet with a layer of vanilla, mandarin liqueur and beeswax, and it works beautifully. With water: the marriage is perfect, there are even wafts of citrus soap as one might encounter in five-star hotels around the globe. Mouth (neat): superb, fatter than the DL OP FAF, waxier, almost thicker, rootier as well, yet the rest remains similar, oysters, seawater, ashes, fir buds. With water: it is the medicinal side that comes through, we are quite sure this would cure absolutely everything. Finish: very long, on propolis, salt, peppermint and bitter lemons. It is at this stage that we feel like mentioning Uma Thurman once again. Comments: yet another bottle for the FAT (Federation of Aficionados of Talisker). Well, we do not believe such a thing truly exists, it is not that easy to find enough different Taliskers these days to sustain such a distinguished federation.
SGP:566 - 91 points.

Well, I do think we flew very high today. Taking a small dram of the Wolverhampton & Dudley again to round things off, you realise the distillate hasn’t changed all that much over seventy years, despite the successive rebuilds and expansions of the famous distillery. And above all, that it was very probably authentic, given how these six little beauties conversed with one another without the slightest dissonance or discord.

(Thanks a bunch, Franco, KC and Patrick)

Check the index of all Talisker we've tasted


March 17, 2026

Another trio from Springbank

You know, it had been weeks since we last tasted any Springbank! A short verticale 2001 – 1999 – 1993, does that suit you?

(Advertising poster, USA, circa 1950. It's real, no AI slop.)

Springbank 23 yo 2001/2024 (53.9, Archives, Shells from the Bay of Caracas, 1st fill sherry butt, 66 bottles)

Springbank 23 yo 2001/2024 (53.9%, Archives, Shells from the Bay of Caracas, 1st fill sherry butt, 66 bottles)

But where have the fish of Samoa gone? We had eventually grown rather fond of them… But you will say that the Venezuelans could certainly do with some support these days, even their shellfish… Colour: dark amber. Nose: absolutely massive sulphur, yet very, very strangely it has become rather pleasant, in any case extremely spectacular. One almost feels as though we had put our head inside an old factory chimney while sniffing improbable medicinal embrocations at the same time, before ending on a kiln-like side that rather inevitably makes us think of Longrow. Also cooked Brussels sprouts and artichokes… With water: the water softens it and allows dried and candied fruits to emerge. Hurrah. Mouth (neat): still as bizarre, still as entertaining. Enormous amounts of pepper, ashes, toothpaste, digestive herbal concoctions based on fumitory and all manner of increasingly peculiar roots… With water: once again the water smooths the whole and lets the fruits appear, but also plenty of roots and earthy notes here. Finish: very long, with rather dominant pepper and liquorice wood. Campari, gin and orange in the aftertaste. Comments: but how on earth to score this!? We shall adopt the method ‘do we like it or not’. We love it, doctor, is that serious?
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Springbank 25 yo 1999/2024 (54,2%, Lucky Choice & Bar Code Melbourne, refill hogshead, cask #LC369)

By a very great house, we have been able to realise that these past months. Colour: full amber. Nose: much cleaner and fruitier, you might say it could hardly have been as sulphury. Astonishingly massive amounts of raw carrots, which we absolutely adore, plus a little white radish, before figs and raisins begin to take control. Magnificent nose, though one must enjoy raw carrots. With water: camphor begins to appear. Mouth (neat): on the palate we find again a little of the sharp and peppery side of the previous one, with the fairly marked and almost salty structure typical of Springbank. Quite a lot of tobacco, leather and a motor oil side, with clay and slate. Typical. No carrots this time, I am afraid. With water: perfect now, rather combative, very typically Springbank. That sulphury, waxy, almost slightly chemical side here and there. Finish: the same. Comments: on the palate it resembles the 2001 quite a lot, on the nose not at all. The magic of Springbank…
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Springbank 31 yo 1993/2024 (44.4%, Archives, Shells from the Bay of Caracas, bourbon hogshead, 50 bottles)

As there are, or rather were, only fifty bottles, we shall attempt to break the world record for the fastest tasting note. Colour: full gold. Nose: the carrots return, along with roots, beeswax, stewed apples and quince jelly (apple quince and pear quince, 50/50). Mouth: full Springbankness. Waxes, oils, tar, carbon, candied oranges and lemons, eucalyptus, mint, and a drop of seawater. Finish: long, on lemon balm, peppermint, earth and brine. Comments: wow!
SGP:562 - 91 points.

Check the index of all Springbank we've tasted


March 16, 2026

The Time Warp Sessions,
today indie Glenglassaugh
in sherry

Glenglassaugh is another of those distilleries whose relative absence on WF we regret. We have certainly tasted close to a hundred over the years, but the pace has slowed markedly of late, even though the brand has launched official bottlings (OB) fairly recently. Well, we shall try to make an effort! Let us remember that Glenglassaugh was closed not long after the second whisky we are going to taste today, in 1986, only reopening in 2008, before passing into the expert hands of the Benriach gang in 2013. The first one we are going to taste was therefore already produced under the new regime…

Glenglassaugh 10 yo 2015/2025 (55.4%, The Whisky Exchange, The Zodiac Series: Pisces, oloroso hogshead, cask #68)

Colour: deep gold. Nose: very much on a properly dry oloroso, with shoe polish and old walnuts, even a few saline touches that could remind us of an oloroso from Sanlúcar, all of it working like clockwork for now. With water: a little chartreuse, parsley and paraffin begin to emerge. Mouth (neat): very much to our liking indeed, again on a very saline sherry, with touches of peppered little biscuits and slightly bitter dried fruits, the sort of thing we enjoy greatly, almost a small nod towards the best amaros and amari. With water: very dry, bitter, delightful if that is your sort of thing, walnuts and bitter almonds. Finish: long and very much in the continuation of the palate, walnuts and pepper. Comments: we had secretly hoped to be a little closer to the distillate, but we must admit this is a very fine sherry, so we are not entirely sure we have lost anything in the exchange.
SGP: - 87 points.

Glenglassaugh 1983/1996 (55.7%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #21.8)

A 1983 by Mo Or had been superb! (WF 90). Colour: dark red amber. Nose: splendid sherry packed with dried fruits, very much in the style of a very high-level PX. Figs and dates stuffed with marzipan are particularly prominent, beerawecka as well, and even more heaps of raisins. Grandmother’s sultanas… With water: Corinth raisins and plenty of small almost sweet herbs, such as aniseed, stevia of course, lemon balm, and even white clover flowers. Yum! Mouth (neat): perhaps a little less balanced on the palate, one almost feels like there may have been massive doses of paxarette, yet it remains superb, provided you enjoy fruitcakes and raisins. With water: pipe tobacco begins to appear, along with black pepper and dark chocolate. Finish: long, still on raisins, yet the little salty side found in the 2015 reappears here. Slightly… Comments: simply excellent old-style sherry.
SGP:651 - 89 points.

In short, if we wanted to stay close to the distillate, it’s a complete miss. On the other hand, those sherries were still very, very beautiful.

Check the index of all Glenglassaugh we've tasted


March 15, 2026

Rums, rums and more rums

Another very clickbaity headline, isn’t it? But we can’t help loving that sort of thing, the kind that goes: ‘10 rums you absolutely must buy before it’s too late — the tenth will really surprise you.’ Right, we’ll try to pick them at random, but without skipping our traditional apéritif…

Beenleigh Distillery in Australia (Beenleigh)

Botran No.15 ‘Reserva Especial’ (40%, OB, Guatemala, +/-2025)

A previous ‘15’ had not been so bad back in 2017 (WF 72). Apart from that, we still like these fake numbers in huge digits that make one think of age statements without of course being any such thing. Yuck. Colour: full gold. Nose: light touches of shoe polish and metal polish at first, we rather like that, then earth and bagasse, without any extravagant molasses. A little pancake syrup, nonetheless, but it remains fairly elegant. Mouth: the palate is sweeter, yet rather without excess. The problem is that the overall lightness inevitably steers it towards coffee liqueur and caramel, without any real structure behind it. Finish: short, but with rather pleasant notes of orange liqueur. A touch of charcoal and black tea in the fleeting aftertaste. Comments: we find this perfectly decent, actually more decent than in 2017, though we are not entirely sure it was exactly the same recipe back then.
SGP:441 - 74 points.

Black Tot ‘Finest Caribbean Rum’ (46.2%, Elixir Distillers, +/-2025)

Barbados, Trinidad, Guyana and Jamaica together in concert. Bottled in Scotland, which is rather reassuring. Indeed. Colour: gold. Nose: a truly British nose for a rum, as opposed to a Spanish-style nose or a French-style nose, although there are more and more exceptions of course. In short it is lovely, with small touches of petrol (old Jaguar, ha) and engine oil (still that old Jag), but also liquorice pastries, marshmallow, fruitcake and roasted chestnuts. Perhaps a small wandering olive as well. Mouth: the same architecture, at first slightly petroly and liquoricy, but this time moving more and more towards orange liqueur and Earl Grey tea. Earl Grey, that is international, is it not. The whole is very well balanced; one senses the hand of a master blender. Finish: not that long, but the mint that comes to complement the slightly salty liquorice does a superb job. It is almost refreshing. Comments: we shall not re re re re tell what the black tot was for the British navy, shall we. A very good, easy going rum (also economically speaking).
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Belize 9 yo 2015/2025 (48%, The Rum Trail, Elixir Distillers, 2025)

I do not believe I have ever tasted a Belize that was not from Travellers, have you. Colour: gold. Nose: this is a ‘multi-column’ rum but there is still some texture, which always makes us think a little of Foursquare, though please do not hold that against it. A very pretty composition around oranges in all their forms, as zest, candied, in liqueurs. Behind that, notes of lime blossom and cigarette tobacco. As long as we can still mention that one without risking a hefty fine or worse, we may as well enjoy it, you understand. Mouth: along the same lines, with orange zests, orgeat, hazelnut syrup, very, very light petroly touches, then very, very ripe mango, which on the palate may almost be the same thing. Finish: fairly long, with the arrival of pink pepper and citrusy hops. More fresh wood and linseed oil in the aftertaste. Comments: amusingly, it is not extremely far from the fine Black Tot, yet there are no Travellers in the latter, is there.
SGP:551 - 85 points.

Foursquare 14 yo (58%, OB for Wu Dram Clan, Barbados, bourbon barrel, 2026)

This lovely little baby has just arrived at WF Towers, so let us taste it without delay. Colour: amber. Nose: cakes, macarons, brioches, nougat, butter croissants and almond croissants, plus pistachio oil and sesame oil. There is both a gentle side and a firmer side at the same time, this is typically Foursquare in our very humble opinion. With water: hay, bagasse, hazelnut cream, bergamot sweets. Mouth (neat): lively orange and small aniseed touches, the whole rather begging for the addition of water we feel. With water: it works, it moves towards herbal infusions and green tea. Finish: not excessively long, more still on herbal infusions and hay. Comments: Foursquare as a ‘single blend’, therefore column plus a little pot still, it really is the light spirit that pleases lovers of powerful spirits, there is probably some sort of magic underneath it all. Or rather, some voodoo.
SGP:451 - 90 points.

Australia 17 yo 2007/2025 (48%, The Rum Trail, Elixir Distillers, 2025)

This time we imagine it is Beenleigh, pure pot still. Besides, the label says, ‘Single Pot Still’, which ought to suggest that a single pot still was used for both the first and second run, in a necessarily very discontinuous fashion. Or am I wrong again? Colour: gold. Nose: killer. Where else will you find a combination of diesel fuel and rose water. I might almost have said it smells like a lady of questionable virtue filling up her Audi Q7, but I shall not say that (too late, S.). Add lychee, gewurztraminer, cherry juice and liquorice. We find this rather magnificent, very spectacular, and intriguing. Mouth: well, it is not that much of a surprise, we have already tasted superb Beenleighs, but still. Intensely fruity and phenolic, oranges, cranberries, olives, varnish and so on. Finish: long on similar notes, and at 17 years it is beginning to turn tertiary, with cured ham with pepper for example. Mad stuff. Comments: gentle madness. I agree, let us forget that Q7 story.
SGP:562 - 90 points.
UPDATE: A secret note from WF's own FBI (Fullproof Booze Investigation) has just informed us that Beenleigh is in fact distilled using a column-and-pot still configuration. Thanks, Steve!

Come on then, let’s head to Guyana…

Guyana 2004 (53.1%, Velier, 3,000 bottles, 2025)

This should be a blend of several marques or stills from Diamond, although we have not really dug into the literature. The ageing is entirely tropical. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: rather gentle on the nose, very much on roasted chestnuts, espresso, furniture polish, very ripe pomegranate, pecan pie. In short, any possible esters still seem to be fast asleep at this stage. With water: pecan pie drenched in wax and varnish becomes even more pronounced. Mouth (neat): it strikes the palate more firmly, which was to be expected. Coffee, varnish, mustard, black pepper, brine. With water: plenty of very ripe fruits arrive, including strawberry wine. Strawberry wine is always surprising. Finish: long, more cooked, jammier. Blackcurrant in red wine. Comments: the whole is not precise like a Swatch, but it is amusing like a Rolex. In short, a question of timing, yet a very, very fine Diamond of course.
SGP:651 - 87 points.

While we’re over there…

Diamond 23 yo 2002/2025 (58.3%, Silver Seal for LMDW, Itinéraires, Guyana)

This is Port Mourant. Ah, those old Port Mourants from Silver Seal. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: straight brine, olives, used engine oil, bitter almonds, ink and Barbour grease. It is unassailable. With water: almond milk, ink, seaweed, wood glue, a touch of acetone. It remains a Guyanese that feels a little Jamaican, if you see what we mean. Mouth (neat): superb, forthright, salty and petroly to one’s heart’s content, one might almost think of a great Alsatian riesling. Truly. With water: have they matured seawater in oak casks? It becomes increasingly bitter, yet it is a magnificent bitterness, amaro, bitters, salty tar and so on. Finish: the same. Let us keep this short. Comments: it rather crushes the 2004, but we shall leave our dear Italian friends to debate the matter among themselves… (wink).
SGP:462 - 90 points.

Next, we’re off to Jamaica, as usual…

WP 2015/2025 (56.7%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask #19, 238 bottles)

WP 2015/2025 (56.7%, The Whisky Jury, The Many Faces of Rum, refill barrel, cask #19, 238 bottles)

Wait, is that meant to be one of the many faces of rum on the label?WP does not mean WordPress in this context, does it. Nor Wolf Parade. We rather love Worthy Park, the Jamaican estery style perhaps a little more streamlined than the others. Colour: white wine. Nose: this is truly an artist’s studio, with oil paint, linseed oil, drawing gum, canvases, but also fresh putty and almond milk, balsa wood and cedar, plus our dear little olives. With water: carbon dust turned up to full blast. Mouth (neat): it is really the clarity that is impressive here. Someone might have taken grapefruits, smoked them over beechwood, then generously salted them, before marinating them in petrol. With water: it is not complicated, yet it is utterly beautiful, with the precision of a sniper (S., not the right moment). Finish: long, almost simple, almost narrow. Lovely bitters. Comments: in truth, it is almost refined, without wishing to exaggerate.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

Clarendon 1995/2025 (64.4%, Swell de Spirits, V and B, Jamaica, #4, Arcade series, 165 bottles)

The label is a little pixelated, is it not. Even more pixelated than the miserable illustrations on Whiskyfun, which says quite a lot. Colour: amber. Nose: 92 points. Incredible at this strength, on peach jam and papaya of great pedigree (eh). With water: fresh varnish, lanolin, polishes, leather wax for Rolls-Royce (you exaggerate again, S.), old library. Mouth (neat): 92 points for sure. Incredible essential oils, plant extracts, embrocations. With water: a massive pepper arrives, yet it is pepper of intercontinental quality. Pine sap. Finish: very long, superbly bitter, ending on extraordinary pepper and salt. Comments: but where did they find this mad cask. The wood is intense and immense, yet it is a woodiness that we find sublime.
SGP:572 - 92 points.

Well, we’ve ended up condemning ourselves to finishing with some Hampden, though it’s a very gentle sentence, we can all agree…

Hampden 2023/2025 ‘HLCF’ (64.6%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, ex-sherry from Fundador, cask #A3, 764 bottles)

HLCF means roughly 600 grams of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol. The sherry side worries us a little, let us say it frankly, yet the name Fundador reassures us quite a lot, nonetheless. The number of bottles also suggests a proper butt. Colour: gold. Nose: we shall dare to say it, the sherry has very little to say here, this is pure, clear, precise and very beautiful Hampden, with sublime notes of fruit peel, mango, zests and so on. We are aware that the bottling strength is almost lethal, so… With water: unfathomable beauty, little rare fruits, precious white wines, earth and rocks. Mouth (neat): perfection in a bottle. The sherry is as anecdotal as intelligence in a speech by Pete H. With water: forget it, it is perfect. Finish: it does. Comments: sublime muck-driven rum. Between ourselves, it cannot be so easy to manage the aging of a distillate that is already perfect from the very first drops that escape the spirit still. There are very few distillates whose quality does not depend at all on the number of years in cask, yet HD is certainly one of them. We now hope for ageing in sandstone, clay, concrete or even stainless steel in the near future. Or even in polished cement finished with beeswax. Game.
SGP:563 - 92 points.

A session which, once again, reminds me a little of what used to be said about football in the 1970s: it’s a game played by two teams, and in the end the Germans win. Here, it’s always Hampden that wins in the end. Hoppla.

Check the index of all riums we've tasted

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