September 2026 - part 2 <--- October 2026 - part 1 ---> Current entries


October 11, 2026

The Rum Sessions,
the new rums start to pour in

It’s peak season for new releases, and we’ll try to stem the rising tide. That said, the succession of festivals of interstellar calibre is making it a little tricky to put together the grand malternative line-ups we so enjoy, but things should be back to normal next week, provided we survive the German currywursts this weekend (it’s Hamburg, baby). I should add that we adore currywurst and only wish we found its aromas and flavours in our spirits a little more often… Right, an apéritif…

The 18th century Rockley still (Stade's Rum/W.I.R.D.)

Bahari ‘South Africa Edition’ (43%, OB, South Africa, +/-2026)

A very young blend of aged and unaged pot still rums, sourced entirely from South Africa (Sugar Baron and L’Atelier). I humbly confess to knowing neither distillery… For now! Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s young, a little sweet on the nose, a little grassy, a little pear-led, but lovely sugar cane notes then emerge, and the whole is pleasantly fresh. Mouth: really not bad, though it doesn’t quite scale the heights of Mhoba. Perhaps a little light, but rather nicely saline. Green apple. Finish: very short, which is a bit of a shame. Comments: we’ll call this baby honest, fair and fit for trade. We appreciate the absence of added sugars, syrups and assorted liqueurs, at least any we can detect.
SGP:440 - 78 points.

Who mentioned Mhoba?

Mhoba ‘Odyssey’ (58.5%, OB, South Africa, LMDW Collection Anthologie, bourbon barrel, cask #BC-1, 188 bottles, 2026)

Mhoba just keeps getting better, it’s almost becoming worrying. We’re joking, but this baby is 86 months old. If my arithmetic is sound, that makes it a little over 7 years. Colour: gold. Nose: immediately fragrant with Jamaican-style esters (I know, esters are esters), rubber, dried seaweed, acetone, new plastics, overripe banana and seawater. With water: and dried mushrooms, especially morels and ceps! Mouth (neat): excellent, of course, perhaps slightly less extreme and a little more citrusy than other expressions, though I could be wrong. Lemon, olives, varnish, agave… With water: very little change, and we’re not complaining, perhaps the olives move a little further forward. Finish: long, a little sweet, but still full of character. Comments: we’re thinking of a decidedly global triangle linking Jamaica, Fiji and South Africa. Last year’s ‘Satara’ was perhaps slightly more assertive, though.
SGP:552 - 89 points.

Rhum J.M ‘L’Empreinte’ (41.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, 2026)

A very young, limited edition of J.M at a modest strength, let’s see whether there are still a few watts or horsepower under the bonnet… Colour: gold. Nose: very typical but spicier than usual, with cinnamon biscuits and toasted buckwheat, then Seville orange marmalade and wafts of jasmine. You almost feel you’re in a (very good) Chinese restaurant. Mouth: consistent with the nose, though a little weaker, which is only to be expected at this strength. Lovely oranges, a little juniper, cane juice, cedarwood, a touch of mild curry. Finish: a shame, it takes a bit of a nosedive here, which is rather frustrating, let’s admit it. But the spices in the aftertaste remain very, very lovely. Comments: come on, a slightly more ‘unbridled’ version, please, the profile is quite magnificent.
SGP:541 - 82 points.

Ron Tepuy ‘Destino’ (40%, OB, Venezuela, +/-2026)

A brand I hadn’t come across before. Obviously, at 40% vol., our hopes aren’t terribly high, although it’s better than 38% (what a useful comment that was, S.!) Colour: deep amber. Nose: oranges, agave syrup, caramel, triple-sec… Not bad. Mouth: a little flabby, not too sweet, becoming drier, with black tea sweetened with honey and a touch of bagasse. Very light structure. Finish: ultra-short. Comments: not too bad, actually, at least it hasn’t been ‘dosed’ to death, but perhaps best kept for cocktails? I mean, light cocktails?
SGP:320 - 69 points.

Stade’s Rum ‘Rockley First Drops’ (49%, OB, Barbados, bourbon cask, 1,200 bottles)

Stade’s Rum ‘Rockley First Drops’ (49%, OB, Barbados, bourbon cask, 1,200 bottles, 2026)

A rum from W.I.R.D., distilled in the Rockley Still, said to be the oldest rum still in the world. 200+g esters/HLPA. Colour: chardonnay. Nose: it’s all there, but gently so, with seawater, a little vinegar, a touch of acetone and ammonia, brine, liquorice root, a little lime juice and hints of gentian. Tropical gentian, of course. Mouth: much the same, in a style we really must call Jamaican. Trelawny, a little less oily and with a little more pepper from the distillate. Finish: fairly long, still with lovely peppery notes alongside the classic combination of liquorice, salt, olives and varnish. Comments: I find this very good indeed, with something of a ‘Bowmore of the Caribbean’ character (eh???) We’re hoping for a 100-proof version.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

Hampden 10 yo 'Great House Distillery Edition 2026' (55%, OB, Jamaica)

Colour: full gold. Nose: of course. With water: of course. Mouth (neat): of course. With water: of course. Finish: of course. Comments: more seriously, the nose combines pencil shavings, charcoal and shellfish, while the palate is much more saline, with olives, brined lemons, capers, seaweed, rubber, seawater and salmiak. Let’s not forget the customary drop of fresh paint and that slight hint of peat that so often has us calling Hampden the Ardbeg of the Caribbean. Note that neither Hampden nor Ardbeg have ever complained.
SGP:463 - 90 points.

There’ll be plenty more rums (and Hampdens) on WF over the coming weeks, stay tuned.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted


October 9, 2026

The Time Warp Sessions,
today Pulteney 17 vs 50

The north-east coast gang! You may have noticed that we shamelessly seize every opportunity to taste Pulteney, and today’s duo is quite something, as we’re pitting a new 17-year-old for LMDW at a rather explosive strength against the celebrated official 50-year-old released this year. Somewhat unusually, we’ll start with the latter, on account of its much ‘gentler’ bottling strength.

Old Pulteney 50 yo (40.8%, OB, 200 bottles, 2026)

The oldest Pulteney ever bottled, we could almost call it ‘Old Old Pulteney’, were that not rather inelegant. Speaking of elegance, I find the bottle beautifully refined, perhaps unlike much of what other distillers tend to produce for whiskies boasting this sort of pedigree. Anyway, this is a marriage of four casks aged at least fifty years, brought together to celebrate the distillery’s bicentenary this year (1826-2026). Colour: gold. Nose: what freshness! Beautiful notes of oolong tea, wonderfully precise kiwi and equally precise apple, honeysuckle, sweet woodruff, just the right amounts of liquorice and mint, a surprising touch of pear (at fifty!) and then a few distinctly maritime wafts, quite real rather than imagined, in the shape of samphire. It’s beautiful, fresh, almost cheerful and sprightly. Mouth: a mirror of the nose, with a little more oolong tea and a little less fresh fruit, but the components are otherwise identical, save for a little oak that inevitably now puts in an appearance. At 50 years and 41% vol., it would have been very surprising otherwise. Finish: short but fresh, with touches of gooseberry, wakame and little orchard apples. More fairly well-steeped green tea in the aftertaste, but again, that’s only to be expected. Comments: there’s a faint sense of a miracle here and there, and a slight fragility on the palate that ultimately only adds to the considerable charm of this beautiful 50-year-old. It proves, re-racking or no re-racking, that no, not all malts fall apart after 35 years in cask.
SGP:441 - 90 points.

Old Pulteney 17 yo 2009/2026 (64.8%, OB for LMDW, Collection Anthologie, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #268, 186 bottles)

At this strength, either the cask matured right at the top of a palletised warehouse, or we’re already seeing the effects of climate change. Or both… But that tells us nothing about the quality of this inevitably rather potent baby. Colour: gold. Nose: I don’t think I’ve found quite so much citrus in a malt whisky, certainly not recently. Incredible blood oranges, followed by a procession of bergamot, mandarins and citrons. Needless to say, we adore this. But careful, we’re at almost 65% vol… so, with water: believe it or not, it barely changes, even at +/-45%, except that it becomes a little more vanilla-led, with hints of mango syrup too. Mouth (neat): another explosion of citrus and orange blossom, with an inevitable earl grey tea character. And quite a bit of ethanol… With water: it takes off towards passion fruit, little shellfish, green pepper and plain old lemon. Touches of wax bring to mind the nearest distillery to the south. Finish: inevitably a little ‘limoncello-y’, with a duo of peppermint and little oysters in the background, then that wakame we mentioned above. Comments: you know what, let’s not overthink this, we’ll give it the same score. So, should you acquire this magnificent Pulteney rather than its ancestor, you’ll have saved yourself a very tidy sum in the process. We’re joking, such considerations are rather vulgar, of course…
SGP:651 - 90 points.

Check the index of all Pulteney we've tasted


October 8, 2026

An infernal trio of Highland Parks

In other words, a vertical tasting, 1968, 1974, 1996. Or rather the other way round… Let’s start, by way of an aperitif, with a little mystery blend…

Old Orkney Relics 30 yo 1996/2026 (41.7%, Decadent Drinks, blended Scotch, refill sherry butt, 492 bottles)

A bottling sourced from the stocks of Gordon & MacPhail, the previous owner of the brand, which pays tribute to the origins of the OO Relics name, hence Stromness. Single vintage/single cask blends are always a little mysterious, since that combination is normally the preserve of… single malts or single grains. So how did several whiskies end up together in one cask while all being from the same vintage? Had they been blended at birth? Or perhaps blended later and then re-racked into this butt? I may be missing something… Colour: gold. Nose: a surprising combination of young calvados, old fino sherry, smoked butter, pale ale, old hessian sacks that have been lying around in an ancient cellar, furniture polish and kombucha. It’s fresh and even rather joyful, and to tell you the truth I’m not detecting hectolitres of grain whisky. Mouth: I was a little afraid it might be too fragile, but not really, the fino side only grows stronger, as do the earthy and slightly smoky notes, before it heads towards some old mead made for the locals rather than the tourists. Notes of grapefruit liqueur and the return of the calvados (50% apple, 50% pear). Finish: this is, I was about to say inevitably, its slightly weaker part, as is often the case with these kinds of whiskies, but it still holds up very well, with lovely green walnuts and roasted tea. Comments: ‘almost’ 90, only the finish held it back a little. Indeed, that was to be expected…
SGP:352 - 89 points.

Highland Park 13 yo 1974/1987 (58.4%, Intertrade)

We had already tasted, earlier this year and in similar circumstances, the 16 yo 1970 Intertrade, which Nadi Fiori, the epitome of moustachioed Italian elegance, had graciously given the world… a very long time ago. Colour: white wine. Nose: you see, these are those Highland Parks that are all about chalk, light oils (the gearbox oil of a Miura, ha), mandarin and the proverbial heather honey. Formidable. With water: it remains pinpoint precise, yet oily at the same time. Above all, it’s very ‘HP’. Mouth (neat): a simply dazzling assortment of citrus fruits and some equally dazzling little saline bitters. Oily and almost thick in texture (we shan’t start talking about Italian engines again, rest assured). With water: in comes the smoke, together with shellfish, preserved lemons, tobacco and a few hints of not-quite-ripe mango. Finish: the finish is more mineral, so in a way it ends just as it began on the nose. Barley and mandarin sing in the aftertaste. Did we mention the heather? Comments: an improbable ratio of youth in cask to age in bottle. I think I like it even more than the 16 yo.
SGP:562 - 93 points.

Highland Park 54 yo 1968/2023 (46.9%, OB, refill and 1st fill sherry, 225 bottles)

Oh blast, I’ve just realised that we had already tasted this baby when it came out, in 2023. Having quickly reread my notes from back then, I’d say I haven’t changed my mind in the slightest, and in doing so hereby declare this to be the shortest tasting note in the world.
SGP:651 - 93 points (unchanged, naturally).

What to do? I have an idea, let’s change tack completely and try a straightforward, very young little whisky that really impressed me at the Whisky Show in London. That way, we’ll have had a proper ‘trio’ today after all.

Miraon (50.3%, OB, South Korea, rice shochu, cask #2604, 2026)

Some two-and-a-half-year-old ~~whisky~~ shochu made at Hwasimjujo Distillery. A first for me. Rice is indeed a grain, and here it is heavily roasted before being milled, brewed and distilled. Colour: gold. Nose: full-on smoky and slightly salty crème caramel, the floral side of rice spirit (ylang-ylang, perhaps), fresh mushrooms and a terrific combination of pine sap and fresh natural rubber. I promise you, it’s much less unlikely than it sounds. With water: earth, moss, leaves, green tea, fresh barley (I know, it’s rice) … Mouth (neat): brilliant arrival, very direct and ultra-lemony, before unleashing all manner of little earthy spices. Saffron seems pretty obvious too, as does roasted tea (Japanese hojicha). With water: even better. Aniseed, pine sap, cardamom, dried mushrooms, and of course lemons. Finish: same. Comments: very impressive for its age. We’ll see whether, once it reaches three years of age, they still choose to call it ‘shochu’, as they do now, or switch to ‘whisky’. I’d bet on the former, or perhaps K-Whisky. Ha.
SGP:562 - 87 points.

(Thank you mucho, Bora)

Check the index of all Highland Park we've tasted


October 7, 2026

WF's Little Duos, today:
old old Longmorn G&M versus new old Longmorn G&M

Let’s say it without fear: when it comes to Longmorn (or Strathisla, Glen Grant and perhaps a few other), especially the older vintages, Gordon & MacPhail have always been masters of the game. And we’re about to prove it once again… All strictly personal opinion, of course, as always. Even the proof.

Sir Kenny Dalglish’s Vintage Moments (Gordon & MacPhail)

Longmorn 25 yo (43%, Gordon & MacPhail Reserve, sherry, cask #3233, 2001)

A bottling for Dieter Kirsch in Germany (Kirsch Import), curiously lacking a vintage, but with an extremely reassuring pedigree, nonetheless. Colour: deep amber. Nose: great elegance and restraint, opening on vanilla-scented chestnut cream with the lightest dash of rum, followed by fairly mellow sherry, honey, two drops of soy sauce and orange marmalade. At no point do the 43% feel thin, so far at least. In any case, we know Longmorn carries these gentler bottling strengths very well. Mouth: a rather surprising mix of praline and salted butter caramel, even lightly salted peanut butter, followed by milk chocolate and a few sultanas. All very elegant. Ripe orchard fruits then develop, along with the customary black pepper. Finish: not terribly long, a little drier and earthier too. We shall have the temerity to dock a point for that reason alone. Boo. Comments: perhaps a little less fruity than other Longmorns of this ilk, but excellent all the same, as we rather expected.
SGP:451 - 90 points.

Longmorn 1967/2026 ‘Into the Lion’s Den’ (45.5%, Gordon & MacPhail, Sir Kenny Dalglish’s Vintage Moments, cask #3340)

Part of a rather extraordinary little new series marking, in its own way, the highlights of Kenny Dalglish’s career. Probably Scotland’s most famous footballer (I hope I’m not ruffling any feathers by saying that, I’m no expert). Colour: glowing amber. Nose: for a malt pushing sixty, this is extraordinarily fresh, opening on almond and hazelnut creams with light touches of camphor, followed by magnificent prunes in Armagnac. Or kirsch, come to think of it. Then come tiny, very discreet fruitcakes and delicate hints of fennel seeds. Finally, traces of some very upmarket moisturiser. Mouth: these Longmorns really are killers. This time we begin where the nose left off, with touches of cosmetics, before an avalanche of coffee chocolate (or chocolate coffee, take your pick) comes tumbling onto the palate. The customary walnut wine rounds things off with panache. Finish: long and, this time, fruitier, whereas the opposite so often happens. Plums, cherries in eau-de-vie, coffee-schnapps. A very light woody touch in the aftertaste. Comments: I don’t know whether Sir Kenny ever beat France’s national team, but if he did, which would hardly have been surprising, he should know that all is now forgiven!
SGP:561 - 92 points.

We’re happily closing in on 300 Longmorns on WF. Perhaps before the year is out?

Check the index of all Longmorn we've tasted


October 6, 2026

A wee trio of Ardbeg

Because it was high time we tasted the new official 15-year-old, to which we’ll add two independents, one very recent, the other rather very old. Does that sound like a nice little line-up?

(Early 1990s range including the former 15 yo - WF Archive)

Ardbeg 15 yo ‘Trudernish’ (48.8%, OB, 2026)

Here is ‘A Smoky Dram of Creamy Harmony’ matured in bourbon, new charred oak and oloroso sherry casks. Trudernish is a small hamlet in the south of Islay, and a ‘story’ that’s rather less far-fetched than some others, it has to be said. We quite like all this… Colour: white wine. Nose: this is typical Ardbeg, fresh, precise, and very much in the vein of the Ten that we like so much at WF. Slightly resinous and tarry peat, but never excessively so, with light touches of capers and olives, a few oysters that happened to be passing by, and, indeed, a sense of harmony, or even fullness, without being too ‘creamy’. Good news, if you ask me. Mouth: this time there are a few touches of bergamot and even pineapple, typical of deep-charred wood, but once again the balance has been preserved and all the maritime character remains. Including the oysters, seaweed and lemons. Finish: medium in length but crystal-clear in profile, and above all refreshing. A lovely duo of salted mint and salted aniseed in the aftertaste. Comments: the oloroso is anecdotal. Somewhere along the way, we’re reminded of the old ten and the very rare old fifteen from more than thirty years ago. Careful, this goes down all too easily, so it’s a little dangerous.
SGP:566 - 88 points.

Speaking of oloroso…

Ardbeg 17 yo 2008/2026 (57.2%, Murray McDavid, Mission Gold, oloroso sherry butt, 149 bottles)

MMcD have had some cracking Ardbegs in the past, so we’re all ears. So to speak… Colour: gold. Nose: the oloroso isn’t dominating, that’s the first bit of good news. There are certainly walnuts and tobacco, even little touches of black truffle, but in the end, and upon reflection, it moves increasingly towards smoked and grilled bacon, as well as artichoke and aubergine. It’s rather intriguing and feels a little like a seaside barbecue, but it’s truly charming. With water: a few cheesy touches (Stilton) and some kelp. Mouth (neat): massive. Orange zest, black pepper, juniper, brine, winkles and walnut wine. More or less… With water: everything falls back into line a little, and we almost regret that. Oysters, light Ardbeggian tar, lemons, gentian… Finish: long, on a duet of smoked lemon and seawater. Lime in the aftertaste, now that’s perfect. Comments: in the old days, what we looked for from the independents were variations, versions that strayed quite markedly from the official bottlings. We’re certainly getting that here, much to our delight. It could hardly be more different from the ‘Trudernish’, and yet for us the level is similar. A very fine bottle indeed.
SGP:567 - 88 points.

We did say an old one, didn’t we?

Ardbeg 1974/1988 (55.1%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #33.8)

These babies are getting increasingly rare, and these tasting notes, consequently, increasingly useless. But that doesn’t bother us, should it? Of course, 1974 means ‘Provenance’, and ‘Provenance’ means one of the true Hyperardbegs. I know what I mean… Colour: pale gold. Nose: star early 1970s ‘beg, little cask influence, fully distillate-driven, 100% crystal-clear line, peat and tar, then wax and lemons, plus two or three shellfish. Let’s say cockles, clams and razor clams (what utter nonsense, S.!) With water: but who on earth first had the mad idea of taking lemons, smoking them, then putting them in brine? Mouth (neat): this is so good, fresh, precise, taut, citrusy, tarry, saline, with this incredible smoky & salty daiquiri side. It’s the combination of thickness and freshness that is the most impressive of all. With water: I give up, this is just too good. Finish: I said I give up, OK? Comments: half a day in the fridge (I know, I know) then with some absolutely top-notch caviar. With blinis, naturally. And friends.
SGP:467 - 94 points.

(Thank you, Angus!)

Check the index of all Ardbeg we've tasted


October 4, 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!

One Cognac, and what a Cognac

We hadn’t planned on publishing anything today, being rather pleasantly knocked sideways by the very enjoyably lethal run of Whisky Live Paris, the Whisky Show in London this weekend (we’re there as we speak), and then Whisky Live Germany in Hamburg next week. But there you have it, in London we stumbled upon a rather incredible little gem and simply couldn’t resist publishing its ‘official’ tasting note (right) without further ado. So here it is…

Île d’Oléron 18 yo 2007/2026 (50.3%, Jean Grosperrin, Bois Ordinaires)

This one comes from a tiny estate in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, whose owner retired after the 2007 harvest, so this should actually be the property’s very last vintage. Oléron cognacs are proper island spirits, grown on sandy soils right by the Atlantic, and mature examples have become exceedingly rare. We’ve already tried an excellent 18-year-old from the same estate back in 2022 (WF 88), so expectations are not exactly low. Besides, any spirit that comes from an island already has an unfair advantage on Whiskyfun. Ha! Colour: pure gold. Nose: fat, almost oily, with a texture reminiscent of a great malt and, astonishingly, something rather Bruichladdichian about it. Lots of melon skin, a few maritime touches (without quite venturing into seaweed and oysters, mind you), and some magnificent sandalwood. There’s also a little tinned peach, as in many lovely cognacs, and even a few fresh mint leaves that seem to have been dragged through the soil. In short, I adore this nose. Mouth: a little closer to classic cognac this time, but there’s some pretty massive cinnamon (cinnamon biscuits), damson tart (sprinkled with cinnamon, right), and a few small raisins wandering through. It all ends up rather like speculoos. Finish: long and surprisingly fresh. The little mint returns in the aftertaste, together with a salty, resinous touch that turns one last somersault right at the end. Comments: as we used to say in the early days of whisky ‘blogging’, I’d like to marry this cognac. As for the price, I believe it is clearly ‘typo-ish’. See what I mean.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

Check the index of all cognacs we've tasted


October 2, 2026

The Time Warp Sessions,
today indie Clynelish,
33 years apart

No month without Clynelish, and this time we’re getting in early. There.

Clynelish 10 yo 2016/2026 (57.8%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection, new wood hogshead, cask #307816, 279 bottles)

The story doesn’t say whether this is US or EU oak, or even mizunara, although we may safely leave that last possibility to the dreamers. Most likely American… Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is curious, the oak immediately brings rooty, mentholated and resinous touches, but some fairly rich beer, followed by remarkably precise and studious beeswax (studious bees?) and then lemon take over. It’s rather fresh and taut so far, no lumberyard disaster in sight. With water: the bergamot literally explodes, get your Italicus Spritz ready! Mouth (neat): very powerful, very lemony, almost violent, but with the Clynelish markers clearly present in the background, thank goodness. Wax and mandarins. It’ll be fun to compare this with the 1983 that follows, which could display a similar profile, although thirty-three years ought to count for something. With water: really excellent, with more roots again, ginseng, fresh turmeric, lemon zest, light brine, white pepper. Finish: long and fresh, citrusy, saline, with a little nod to the distillery further north, in Wick. No names, naturally. Comments: in the old days it was considered that using new oak made no sense whatsoever for Scotch malt. Perhaps those were strictly economic considerations at the time… (accountants, we salute you).
SGP:461 - 88 points.

Clynelish 19 yo 1983/2002 (56.6%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #26.23)

We adore 1983 Clynelish, not least some absolutely legendary Samarolis. We’ve also tasted several other 1983 SMWSs, some of them fabulous, but never this one. Let’s go… Colour: pale gold. Nose: the beeswax and mandarin are much more emphatic here, wonderfully concentrated and sharply defined. In fact, there’s hardly anything else, but the precision is quite sublime. Why ask for more? With water: camphor, fresh bandages, a touch of effervescent aspirin, perhaps even Berocca, then pollen and that proverbial beeswax that suddenly makes you want to go and light a candle. Purely for olfactory purposes, naturally. Mouth (neat): a gigantic arrival, all wet chalk, thick beeswax, citron and the inevitable mandarin. Huge definition and almost no unnecessary movement after that, which is exactly how we like it, save for a few increasingly saline flickers. With water: it’s not unusual for these Clynelishes to lose a little oomph once reduced, so careful with the pipette, as too much water can make them rather dry, grassy and austere. Finish: long and resolutely coastal, with more salt than expected and a lingering mixture of wax, citrus peel and chalk. Comments: oops, it shed a point or two towards the end, but this remains one hell of a beast. No more than half a drop of water, please, and preferably under supervision.
SGP:561 - 90 points.

In any case, that 2016 SV held its own remarkably well!

Thank you, KC!

Check the index of all Clynelish we've tasted


October 1, 2026

The Time Warp Sessions,
today Springbank with 50 years between them

It’s a complete disaster, we had promised ourselves we’d taste Clynelish and Springbank every month, and yet it seems we didn’t taste a single Springbank in September. So, high time we made amends. That said, we should be tasting quite a few other expressions from the famous Campbeltowner over the course of this month, just to put everything back into some semblance of order. Thank you for your kind and much-appreciated understanding.

Springbank 8 yo 2018/2026 (58.1%, OB, Distillery Exclusive, oloroso sherry cask, 1,200 bottles)

This was released for the opening of the new bottling hall. Colour: gold, so not very dark for oloroso. Maybe not first fill. Nose: a little herbal tea and some very dry raisins to begin with, dried goji berries, even some curious echoes of PX, then mint leaves, rather discreetly. With water: damp earth, pipe tobacco, cedarwood… Mouth (neat): smokier, peppery, then developing towards umeshu and dark honey, with touches of ginger. With water: it becomes saltier, almost briny, but the raisins counterbalance that tendency. Finish: long, a little floral, a little fermentary, and slightly winey. Comments: a very lovely Springbank, rather cask-driven and consequently less close to the distillate than some others, but we like it rather a lot, even if we tend to prefer the more bourbon or X-fill versions. Right.
SGP:552 - 86 points.

Springbank 1967/1990 (50.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #27.11)

An inevitably legendary vintage, which followed the no less legendary 1965 and 1966, almost more common. I did say ‘almost’. Anyway, these were the swinging sixties, baby! Colour: gold. Nose: immediately, those sublime slightly metallic notes, almost coppery (old samovar), then little touches of mint, camphor and eucalyptus, not exactly unknown in these vintages, a little olive oil, then a few exotic fruits (mango) and finally a pack of menthol Kools from the very same era, left the previous evening on a beach at low tide. You see what I mean. I don’t think adding water is necessary here. Mouth: beeswax, pollen and even propolis dominate at first, soon followed by the zests of all kinds of citrus fruits. Then, finally, the coastal notes return, together with a few traces of petrolic substances. A little water increases the salinity. Finish: magnificent signature of liquorice wood and mint, with a feeling of bitter orange and fresh walnuts polished with wax in the aftertaste. Comments: I believe we tend to add one point per decade to these bottlings of these extraordinary vintages, whether they came from the honourable SMWS, Signatory, Cadenhead or, of course, the official versions. Anyway, another Jimi Hendrix of malt whisky (1967, got it?)
SGP:561 – 93 points.

Thanks Angus!

Check the index of all Springbank we've tasted

September 2026 - part 2 <--- October 2026 - part 1 ---> Current entries

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Best spirits Serge tried those weeks, 90+ points only