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November 18, 2025 |
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A lovely little bag of Ardbeg
It was time we tasted a few Ardbegs again, whether in their official form, in their independent one, or under the gentle name of Kildalton. We’re going to try doing it randomly, stochastically, in a sort of quasi-Brownian motion that might eventually settle into a more or less logical order, as it often does. But enough silly waffle already, we’ll see what happens… |
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We would have so loved for it to be full
(At the Distillery, WF Archive, 2006) |
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Ardbeg 15 yo ‘Anthology The Beithir’s Tale’ (46%, OB, 2025) 
Matured in designer charred bourbon cask. I also reckon the general public ought to pay more attention to the silly names many distilleries now feel compelled to slap onto their age statements. Such as this ‘Beithir’s Tale’, a tale of a dragon that supposedly came to Ardbeg and devoured three rare casks. Are we quite sure it wasn’t rather a club of Scandinavian whisky nerds? (love you all). Colour: straw. Nose: ashtray smoke and vanilla-and-banana cream, then a syrupy cough medicine brimming with menthol and eucalyptus. It’s clean, unfussy, very pleasant, all the more so as a little fino-style accent rises up behind that, most charming. Mouth: the mint arrives right away, followed by spruce bud and conifer ash that dries the palate a touch, though not in an unpleasant manner. A few sultanas steeped in orange liqueur follow and lend it all a bit of decorum. Finish: long, saltier now, with also some blackcurrant paste and even other fruits, rather unexpected yet very well handled. Comments: I believe this little dragon might even appeal to peatophobes. I like it a lot, but it absolutely needs to breathe.
SGP:556 - 88 points. |
Why not another 15-year-old at 46%, but an older one… |
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Ardbeg 15 yo 1973 (46%, Moncreiffe, Meregalli Import, +/-1988) 
I was quite certain I’d already tasted this well-known Italian baby before, but apparently not. There was also a 14/1973. Colour: gold. Nose: there’s a thousand times more fresh tar, fresh mastic, modelling clay, plus bitter herbs and seaweed, some leather, mutton suet, and charcoal… In short, this is far less ‘commercial’ than the very good Anthology, though I’m not entirely sure that’s the right word. Most importantly, there are virtually no fruits, if any at all. Mouth: very dry, salty, like seawater run through a smoker, then bolstered with paraffin oil, smoked fish and even oyster. The tar emerges next and gains more and more ground. Finish: not all that long, but very waxy and resinous, and naturally saline. That ‘ashtray’ side coming back on the aftertaste. Comments: it brings to mind those old official 10s from the Allied era, but that’s hardly surprising. Very slight OBE, slightly unfavourable, but it’s still very magical stuff, even if it does fade a wee bit too quickly in your glass.
SGP:367 - 90 points. |
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Ardbeg 15 yo 2009/2025 (54.5%, Brave New Spirits, Cask Masters for Hong Kong Festival, 1st fill Rivesaltes barrique, cask #26001, 308 bottles)
Rivesaltes might seem like an odd choice for maturation, but in truth it’s not far from certain sherries, notably PX, even if the grape varieties aren’t the same and there are several styles of Rivesaltes (tuilé, ambré, grenat, rosé…) Colour: gold. Nose: I believe one never quite knows what to expect when peat meets sweet wine, and here it opens with gherkins and even a dab of horseradish and mustard, then veers off toward seaweed and samphire before landing back on Islay with ashes and tar. It’s genuinely entertaining and even thrilling to follow, if you’re willing to spare it a little of your precious time. With water: rounder, more on dried raisins, which makes sense. Mouth (neat): this time it’s the sweetness of the wine that speaks first, with muscaty overtones and touches of grenache and candied cherry… The distillate, for its part, brings in the smoke, brine and ashes. With water: the tables turn, Ardbeg reasserts itself, with pepper, brine and tar. Good fun. Finish: long and halfway between both components, brought together by pepper. Comments: a little Ardbeg/Rivesaltes that plays like a two-piece puzzle. It’s daft and it’s very good.
SGP:566 - 88 points. |
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Ardbeg 15 yo 2009/2024 (50.8%, PK Maltroom, ‘Four Seasons’, sherry butt, 82 bottles)
A bottling for Vietnam, more precisely for what is surely a very high-end bar (we’re quite sure of it) in Ho Chi Minh City. The label is adorable – and yes, of course the packaging is part of the whisky. Colour: white wine. Nose: this baby displays as much sherry as a concrete breeze block. That’s a rather silly way, I’ll admit, of saying the sherry itself is entirely absent, and we’re certainly not complaining. In short, it’s an Ardbeg of razor-like precision, extremely fresh, far more mineral and chalkier than the previous ones, and offering just the right touches of oysters, lemon, green apples and seaweed. Magnificent. Water is unnecessary, I’d say. Mouth: let’s just say it, this one reminds us of the ‘Introducing Ten Years Old’, who remembers? Superb tension, precision, freshness and balance of flavour. Finish: a blade. Comments: grand cru whisky, thanks to its purity. Nothing to add. A pity there are (were?) only 82 bottles, but these batches are worth hunting down. You can trust the colour, the paler, the better. There, we’ll talk about this one again in twenty years.
SGP:467 - 92 points. |
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Ardbeg 16 yo 2008/2024 (58.3%, Casky Hong Kong & The Antelope Macau, Ferry Ticket Return Way, refill sherry cask, cask #80060213, 201 bottles)
These folks are a bit of a nuisance, they almost always release rather dazzling bottlings; I would think they ought to pause their spirits-related activities for a while and take up macramé, batik or pottery. They can always come back later. Colour: rich gold. Nose: yet another style again, taut for sure, but also heavily marked by tar, natural rubber, fresh putty, and even oil paint. In the background, a beach bonfire, dried seaweed and assorted shells. With water: the sherry tries to emerge, with some leafy notes, walnut skins and a dab of mustard, but the distillate calls the shots. And quite right too. Mouth (neat): immediate impact, lemon, bitter orange, pepper, ashes. With water: magnificent, we’re edging towards the spirit of the 72–76 vintages, it’s delightfully tarry and bursting with gherkins. Finish: long, on bitter Italian drinks of very deep red hue. Redder than red, if you see what I mean. Comments: just a tiny bit less precise than the previous one, but I’m splitting hairs now. Magnificent Ardbeg.
SGP:467 - 91 points. |
Since it’s just us, I always find myself wondering, as I savour these little independent gems, why the official brands so rarely release whiskies in this kind of very ‘natural’ style, rather than endlessly pursuing those improbable finishes that could bring a tear to even the cheeriest of bricks. If you’ve got the answer, I’m all ears… Right then, let’s carry on… |
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Ardbeg 25 yo 2000/2025 ‘Something in the Water’ (55.4%, Artist #15 by La Maison du Whisky, oloroso sherry butt, cask #1100000016, 224 bottles)
As the main label is purely functional, I’ll rather show you the artwork that comes with it. One imagines, without having checked, that the name of this series refers to the famous Deep Purple song, written after Frank Zappa set the stage ablaze in Montreux. Well, that’s not quite what happened, but never mind, we’re here for the whisky… Colour: bronze brown. Nose: you can tell straight away that water will be essential to unlock all the aromatic molecules queueing at the gate, like in the Paris metro at rush hour. Figs? Tobacco? Rust remover?... With water: have you ever stuck your head into a barrel of Brent crude, emptied of course? And the oloroso is splendid, in the Navazos style. Mouth (neat): hefty cask impact, but done in that American craft style, all-out excess, which ends up creating an odd sense of coherence and even softness. Not sure that makes sense, but there we are. Rubber, peat, smoked fish, lamp oil, myriads of spices, strange coatings (Rubson?), dark chocolate… With water: no time to linger, is there? Let’s just say brined Italian citrus fruits come crashing in. Finish: very long, with a feeling of having swallowed a bottle of thyme essential oil and several other things besides. Comments: the challenge here is adding just enough water—but not too much—because it might ‘snap’ sharply despite its power. The exact opposite of the sublimely graceful PK Vietnamese one, and yet, both are magical. For as the great and charming philosopher Paula Abdul once said, ‘Opposites Attract’.
SGP:567 - 93 points. |
Let’s journey back into the past… |
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Ardbeg 21 yo 1976/1997 (49.2%, Adelphi, cask #453, 180 bottles)
A little Ardbeg from the days when the very distinguished house of Adelphi had once and for all decided to place absolute faith in the supernaturally sharp eyesight of all whisky enthusiasts. Colour: pale gold. Nose: it’s the compactness and expressiveness that strike at once, the smoke, the ashes, the oils, the tars, but also—almost for the first time today—the fruits. Truth be told, there are those typical notes from this vintage that fuse candied citrus with resins, hash included, I mean that quite seriously. Which might explain the typographic choices of the era, but let’s not digress, much water has passed under the bridge since 1997. With water: a touch of leather. Mouth (neat): it’s too good, let’s just stop there. Sublime candied citrus, resins, saline touches, shellfish, liquorice, all in perfect harmony. The peat is but one component, it’s by no means the star. With water: unnecessary. Finish: long, fresh, sublime, resinous and lemony. Comments: the similarity in complexity between this 1976 and the 2000 from LMDW is splendid news (for the 2000), in these days when one tends to believe everything is in decline anyway. Perhaps entropy doesn’t apply to malt whisky. Or at least, not to Ardbeg, after all.
SGP:567 - 93 points. |
Well then, to celebrate this discovery, perhaps we could have a few more Kildaltons? Maybe with a little thought for the priest said to be buried beneath the famous cross, reportedly slain in an extremely brutal fashion by barbaric Vikings. |
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Red Bag 4 yo 2020/2025 (61.2%, Dramfool’s Middle Cut, red wine barrique, cask #54, 282 bottles) 
Here we go kicking and screaming, and only because it’s Dramfool, who usually do superb things. But honestly, Ardbeg and red wine? What’s next, mustard in our coffee? Colour: first bit of good news, the whisky isn’t pink like a pigeon’s eye. Nose: I don’t know, smoked blackcurrant with fir wood, and a hint of ham at the same time? With water: not bad at all, obviously smoky, robust of course, and above all with wafts of tomato bush, which only this sort of combination could possibly create. I mean, in the whisky world. Mouth (neat): we’ve stepped into another dimension, that of a wild, extreme drink, burning, salty and acidic. With water: ah, that’s better, it’s original, creative, full of buds and foliage (cherry tree, tomato) and it doesn’t stray too far into grenadine, raspberry or cassis. Finish: rather long, with touches of cardamom. Comments: okay, with a name like ‘Red Bag’, we all knew which whisky this was, but could we perhaps get more details about the red wine that did at least a third of the work? Italian? Spanish? The worst part is, you end up liking this improbable ‘thing’.
SGP:567 - 85 points. |
Right, I was about to say they’re mad over at Dramfool, but you’ll no doubt reply that it’s in the name. Fair game. |
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Kildalton 14 yo 2009/2024 (52.1%, Casky, Hong Kong Neon Light City, hogshead)
Colour: gold. Nose: a far more austere version, well-mannered, bordering on a Swiss girls’ boarding school (right?) and close to seawater and ashes. With water: a few puffs of limoncello served as granita. Mouth (neat): uncomplicated, simple, not very expressive, and yet I love it, as it stays so close to its markers—ash, olives, lemon, smoked fish, seaweed, oysters, pepper, Tabasco… With water: and brine, more olives, capers, anchovies… Finish: similar, saline, tapenade, anchoyade… Comments: one of the most maritime today, in all its simplicity.
SGP:466 - 89 points. |
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Kildalton 15 yo 2009/2024 (53.4%, Harmony Macau, Four Towers Series II, refill hogshead, cask #1233, 163 bottles)
We are indeed spending quite a bit of time around the Great Bay today, but we’re certainly not complaining. Colour: white wine. Nose: back to that pared-down style, meticulous, simple in the almost abstract sense, on chalk, lemon, apple and ashes. With water: some oils, grape seed, sunflower, paraffin… Mouth (neat): blast, this is really very good. Full of ashes, fruit and vegetable peelings, lemon zest, oysterleaf and green pepper. It sort of splits you clean in two, but you let it—aren’t all malt lovers just a bit masochistic anyway? With water: in come baked fruits, quince, pear, apple… This part is surprising, it almost clashes a little, but the whole remains spot on. Finish: long, slightly saltier, while staying rather gentle. Lovely briny notes that linger for ages, at least 120 caudalies… I promise. Comments: a magnificent baby, high-level stuff, with just a touch less of that sharp edge we so love, though that’s entirely subjective. In short, it’s excellent.
SGP:456 - 89 points. |
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Kildalton 22 yo 2003/2025 (53.6%, Whiskyland, Decadent Drinks, 2nd fill barrel, 247 bottles)
There, the Kildalton Cross on the label. The two pagodas don’t leave much room for doubt either, though why on earth they’re floating in the middle of the Irish Sea is anyone’s guess. Or is it what might this place look like by the end of the century, affected by climate change? I’ll add that since the Lider Maximo of DD began his career as a tour guide at Ardbeg, we ought to trust his ability to pick a decent cask from said distillery. Let’s see… Colour: gold. Nose: a return to that clean, precise line, almost minimalist, on frying oil used once for Belgian shrimp croquettes (yep), plus a handful of little shells, cockles, whelks… All of this, really, just completes a platter of lightly smoked oysters, Korean style. It’s all very fine and elegant, moderately powerful, even if that distinctly Ardbeggian bicycle inner tube note shows up next. With water: fishermen’s nets left to dry on the beach and a bit of driftwood. Mouth (neat): much more rustic and punchier, with gunpowder and green pepper. Also some bitter orange, full of promise… With water: still very expressive, acidic, green, bitter, salty, fairly challenging. Finish: same profile, with great length. Comments: it’s the acidic side I find most striking here, but acidity is life, is it not.
SGP:366 - 90 points. |
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Kildalton 21 yo 2003/2025 (51.3%, The Whisky Jury, second fill bourbon, cask #11124, 276 bottles)
A ‘blended malt’ from a single cask is always amusing, unless the blending took place at birth, or before a marriage-maturation period of three years or more. Sure, sure… Colour: full gold. Nose: very much on smoke and ash, though there’s also a jammy side not often found in a second fill, perhaps a mix of marmalade and mirabelle jam… But it’s lovely. With water: more on tar, soot, and a fine bitterness, grilled aubergine-style. Mouth (neat): same slightly sweet or caramelised impression, but of course the distillate rumbles underneath and fires off loads of pepper and salted ashes. With water: very fine balance of citrus, yellow fruits, oysters, peppers, ashes and tutti quanti. Finish: long, youthful, slightly on salted and peppered lemon marmalade. Comments: the perfect counterpart to the Whiskyland; if we had the time, we’d try blending the two.
SGP:566 - 89 points. |
By the way, who remembers the official Ardbeg ‘Kildalton’ from 2014? It was only very lightly peated. Certainly good, but not the most magnificent of Ardbegs, in our humble opinion (WF 83). Right then, let’s finish with a grand finale. Or at least, here’s hoping it turns out to be one… |
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Ardbeg 15 yo (46%, Cadenhead, dumpy, 75cl, +/-1980)
The main label is entirely similar to that of other ‘black dumpy’ bottles of Ardbeg, but the neck label is a bit of an oddity, as it’s actually from a Springbank 15, most likely one of those used on certain ‘pear shape’ bottles at the time. It’s worth remembering that Springbank/J&A Mitchell had acquired WM Cadenhead in 1972. And they wasted neither glass nor paper, did they. Or perhaps Cadenhead’s neck labels had run out? Or a trainee’s blunder? Or the printer failed to deliver… Colour: straw. Nose: lots of clay and modelling putty at first, then a lovely sweetness sets in, mainly on marzipan, fresh putty and shellfish, with very gentle seaweed and just hints of tar and mild mint. This is an Ardbeg leaning rather towards elegance. Mouth: splendid! As gentle and restrained as the nose was, the palate bursts forth with salinity, grapefruit and sheer coastal peat, you get the impression of swallowing seawater or taking a massive wave full in the face. The rest is extraordinary, with all the usual suspects: gentian, chartreuse, absinthe, limoncello, oysterleaf and a myriad of tiny edible herbs, the whole as precisely tuned as a V12. Finish: long, more medicinal, and feeling more like 50% than 46, with an increasingly oily texture and an aftertaste on the trio of ashes, lemon and seawater. Comments: this is the sort of bottle that helped launch Ardbeg to the forefront for enthusiasts. Also, you’ll no doubt have noticed that we’ve carefully avoided any maltoporn.
SGP:467 - 95 points. |
Right then, thirteen Ardbegs is probably enough for today, we’ll save a few for our next session. Above all, we dream of an official release in its natural state, without any improbable boost from hyperactive wood or wine casks, something that could genuinely give the independent bottlers a run for their money. For now, alas! we’re not quite there yet… Even though, of course, there’s the marvellous, very lovable official Ten. |
(Muchas gracias, Aaron, Geert, Ratko and friends) |
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November 17, 2025 |
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It’s time to savour Clynelish once again |
We either don’t have or can no longer find (you never know with cats) this year’s Special Release, but that won’t stop us from enjoying a few Clynelish before Christmas. It’s worth noting that we’ll also have four or five Brora later on that we’ve never tried before! Anyway, today it’s Clynelish, and we’re diving in a bit at random... |
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This is not a Blend 2015/2025 (50%, Compass Box, LMDW Itinéraires, single malt, bourbon barrel, 2025)
Well, we’ve been well and truly had—and quite happily so—by both Compass Box and that dear old Magritte, since this is clearly a single malt and not a blend! Whether that’s enough to conclude it was indeed a pipe on Magritte’s painting, I’m not entirely sure… Anyway, here’s a vatting of seven casks of Clynelish, finished (can one really say that?) in ex-Bowmore casks for eight weeks. Wait, you’re right, it might well only be a single malt on paper, when in fact it’s more of a blended malt—an in-cask blend, if you will… So, the plot thickens… Colour: white wine. Nose: a young, fresh and fruity Clynelish, full of golden apple and only mildly waxy, marked by seawater and, let’s say it, Bowmore, whose mere droplets are often enough to shift the style of any vatting. With water: more Clynelish, less Bowmore, with some alpine honey. Mouth (neat): it’s a blend, but it’s excellent. I mean it’s clearly a blend, AND it’s excellent. Lemon drops, brine, beeswax, liquorice wood. With water: it’s really very very very very good, just don’t add too much water. Finish: this is not a finish. Comments: excellent. I might have called it Clynemore or Bowenish, but that would’ve felt a bit less ‘Magritte’. Still, not exactly a stratospheric score…
SGP:562 - 90 points. |
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Clynelish 9 yo 2015/2025 (53.5%, Adelphi, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #51261, 215 bottles)
One still fondly remembers that Clynelish Adelphi had released for Whiskyfun’s 20th anniversary, complete with a little magnifying glass dangling from the neck so one could actually read the label. Because let’s be honest, Adelphi’s labels are still terribly hard to read—unless you’ve now got one of those new augmented specs like the Ray Ban-Meta or Nexora, which make things considerably easier. Even if, granted, you do look a bit of a muppet with those things on your face. Anyway… Colour: white wine. Nose: brilliant, this is exactly the Compass Box, only without the Bowmore. Glorious waxes, herbs, fruit peels, tangerines, chalk and a few fresh mushrooms. With water: damp earth, wonderful. Mouth (neat): but how good is this! Just perfect, on wax-covered tangerines, pepper and honey. With water: can it get any more perfect than perfect? Possibly, as a touch of lime just rounds it all off. Finish: the ending of a great whisky is always a little sad, isn’t it? Comments: who was it that wrote that noble souls are not made to wait for years to show their worth?
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Blimey, we’re already too far up… |
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By the way, be careful — there are quite a few dodgy online shops around at the moment which clone legitimate sites and display heavily slashed prices. Of course, they’re scams, they’ll take your money and never send the bottles. Basically, if it looks too good, it is. Don’t fall for it. Same goes for semi-private offers on Facebook, for example. Some are even taking advantage of the current dip in the market, so extreme deals might seem more believable. Codswallop! |
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Clynelish 17 yo 2008/2025 (56.3%, Gordon & MacPhail, Connoisseurs Choice, LMDW Itinéraires, 1st fill bourbon barrel)
Colour: white wine. Nose: fresh as a daisy, more on fruit, and I was about to say gentler than the previous ones, very lovely but perhaps a little less distinctly Clynelish. They may have cleaned the legendary receiver (private joke). With water: as often with G&M, it goes very cloudy. We really ought to pay another visit to their filters, which we already marvelled at some twenty years ago… Anyway, apple juice and beeswax. Mouth (neat): oooh this is good, more precise than the nose, more peppery, and oilier at the same time. Green apples cooked with pepper and honey. With water: this is still a gentler Clynelish than most, one that’s settled down and now seems to sit somewhere between the hefty neighbours to the north and south. That’s it, Pulteney and Glenmorangie. Finish: same. Comments: magnificent, just a bit… gentler.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Candlekitty 15 yo 2010/2025 (55%, Decadent Drams, Decadent Drinks, refill barrel, 254 bottles)
We’re very fond of the name ‘Candlekitty’, even if at WF Towers it mostly makes the cats laugh… Colour: white wine. Nose: magnificent and rather different, in that it starts off on celeriac and turnips before veering into more familiar waxy and honeyed territories. And some overripe apple. It’s already quite intriguing at this point… With water: crisp, clean, perfect, wax, apple, barley, chalk. Mouth (neat): superlative, no need to labour the point, this mix of citrus, waxes and earth is stunning. And I swear there are echoes of ‘Old’ Clynelish. Yes, we did recently pour ourselves a lovely dram of the old 12-year-old, so we’ve got a solid comparison. With water: is Clynelish the greatest malt in Scotland? What if the distillery weren’t such an eyesore? What if it looked more like Strathisla? Or even Brora? Finish: long, flawlessly waxy and slightly more lemony. Comments: perhaps we’re suffering from that condition said to be quite treatable—Clynelitis morbifuga. Apparently best managed with regular doses of magnums, according to the faculty.
SGP:551 - 91 points. |
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Clynelish 1993/2022 (49.6%, Càrn Mòr, for The Whisky Exchange, Celebration of the Cask, bourbon barrel, cask #11080, 125 bottles)
One of the bottles we commented on during a tasting (they call it a masterclass, but I rather dislike the term) at this year’s Whisky Show in London. A superb event, with extraordinary folk and an audience of truly intergalactic calibre. Colour: white wine. Nose: pure beeswax, overripe apples, mandarin skins and damp earth. Slightly shy during the ‘big tasting’ in front of a crowd, but now, in the calm of Château WF, it’s speaking with clarity and elegance. Mouth (neat): but this is lovely. Let’s say bergamots in honey, wrapped in candle wax and a bit of pale earth, like albariza or chalky Champagne soil. Some lightly peppered apples enter a little later. Finish: long, with lemons arriving here as well. Comments: we’re very close to Candlekitty territory, though that one was a killer. Like all cats, you’ll say.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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Clynelish 9 yo 2012/2021 (60.4%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 1st fill bourbon, #26.184, ‘Lychee Scented Candles’, 231 bottles) 
Of course, the name is a bit alarming—I mean, lychees? But it’s Clynelish… You’ll tell me there’s another young one called ‘Comfort and Joy’, which sounds a tad less menacing… Colour: white wine. Nose: well done, now we’re chasing those famous lychees, and not finding them. That said, there are faint touches of Mei-Kwei-Lu in there, but they’re barely perceptible. In any case, the strength is blocking everything a bit. Only one way to fix that… With water: not so sure, a bit of furniture polish does come through, as well as some dried fruits, but the Clynelishness remains rather elusive in the end. Mouth (neat): hot but fruity, with loads of pepper. As for the lychees, perhaps another time—it’s far too powerful. With water: apple juice with honey, young Calvados, a hint of lemon liqueur. Finish: not all that long in the end. Comments: I feel this is a Clynelish of the sort we used to see quite a bit twenty years ago, not all of which had their full credentials, so to speak. Still, a very good young malt, lychee or no lychee.
SGP:541 - 83 points. |
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Clynelish 24 yo 1972/1997 (61.3%, OB, United Distillers Rare Malts)
Of course we’ve tasted this baby many times before, but the note published on WF is pitiful—cramped, imprecise and frankly humiliating. That was back in 2005. Only the score still feels sound: 91/100, so it’s high time we revisited it, twenty years on and with fresh perspective. Twenty years, my friend! United Distillers, naturally, were Diageo’s predecessors. And this bottle has had some time to age as well, though at 61%, that’s bound to be slow and minimal. Colour: gold. Nose: right, a beehive, beeswax, pollen and honeys of all kinds. With water: little change, really, but it’s so elegant and texturally perfect on the nose that adding much more would almost feel vulgar. Mouth (neat): all I can say is that this is magical—sharp, nervy, unsettling, demanding, and utterly sublime. With water: wax, quince jelly, forest honey. Finish: long and on similar notes. Comments: let’s speak plainly since we’re among friends—these bottles gained massive reputation (including at WF) because, at the time of their release, they were among the few that captured the distillery characters of Diageo and its forerunners with such precision. Think of Benromach or Bladnoch, for example. Since then, the landscape has changed, there’s been a flood of very high-level indie bottlings, and so these Rare Malts—unless it’s for long-closed distilleries—may have become ever so slightly less essential. But this one, for instance, remains magical. There’s even a drop of lychee liqueur in there. Yes, really.
SGP:651 - 92 points. |
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Clynelish 28 yo 1996/2025 (49.9%, Casky Hong Kong and Kanpaikai, refill bourbon hogshead, cask #11444, 171 bottles)
Colour: straw. Nose: acacia honey strikes first, and while it’s among the gentlest of honeys, it’s quickly joined by apple juice, farmhouse cider, hay after a summer rain, quince jelly from grandma’s cupboard, and little medicinal salves… Mouth: the connection with the Rare Malts is so clear, it’s practically the same whisky two decades on. It’s like listening to Joni Mitchell’s re-recordings—timeless, iconic, no matter the age. Finish: little lemons quickly take command. Comments: apologies, that was a swift one, but it really is a marvellous Clynelish. And-I-love-those-little-gherkin-notes. A great spirit, across all categories.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
It’s no doubt more than time for one last one... |
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Clynelish 21 yo 1992/2014 (51.6%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, bourbon hogsheads, 592 bottles)
We’re happy to report that these were still ‘matured in oak’. Always room for a harmless chuckle. Or so we hope—Campbeltown being, after all, a world of its own, with its own sensitivities… Colour: straw. Nose: clear line wax, overripe apples, multifloral pollen and sweet oriental bread, soft and just slightly sugary. With water: on very overripe apple, powdered cinnamon and acacia honey. Mouth (neat): that trademark honeyed softness, very much on overripe apple as with these well-known batches. Perhaps not Nobel-worthy, nor even double-gold-in-San-Francisco material, but still absolutely excellent. Lovely citrus too. Finish: just slightly ashy, faintly smoky, and mostly buried under five kilos of pollen. Coffee touches. Comments: excellent, just a bit less precise than others, as if the reduction had been done with a slightly rough hand.
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
Nine Clynelish — I think that’s enough. Clynelish, we’ll see you again next year, okay? We’ll compare your 2025 SR with the likely 2026 one in October or November 2026, okay? I almost forgot; beyond the people running it, a distillery is of course a person in its own right. |
(Merci to Grégoire and Morten) |
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November 16, 2025 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
I am, of course, referring to Grande and Petite Champagne, in the Cognac region. Or Fine Champagne, which is a fine like all Cognacs (don't ask). The French word champagne comes from the Latin Campania, meaning ‘open country’ or ‘plain’. Many places in France were named this way, including, of course, the region famed for its bubbly – but also two parts of the Cognac-producing area. And many others besides. So, let’s begin with our customary little apéritif... |
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Marnier-Lapostolle V.S.O.P. (40%, OB, Fine Champagne, 1970s) 
An old cognac from the makers of Grand Marnier, now in the hands of Campari. No idea what this might be worth in terms of quality, let’s have a look… Colour: deep gold. Nose: what’s terrifying, really, is the way our brain operates, as I simply can’t help detecting notes of Grand Marnier at first, but it’s a fairly elegant cognac that soon emerges, with vine peach and plum, then a handful of golden sultanas and some charmingly honeyed touches. Lovely bottle ageing. Mouth: loads of raisins and a rather exaggerated sweetness that borders on old sweet wines, even Pineau des Charentes. It’s genuinely good, but we’re drifting away from the realm of ‘proper’ cognac. Finish: a little short, a little too jammy. Comments: this was a good product, though perhaps owing to extended time in bottle, the liqueur-like side appears to have taken over in the end.
SGP:630 - 70 points. |
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Jean-Luc Pasquet ‘Très Vieille Fine Champagne L.54Y’ (46.6%, OB, Confluences, 566 bottles)
A blend of Grande Champagne (70 + 71) and Petite Champagne 70. Just as a gentle reminder, as part of our noble mission to enlighten the parched masses, Fine Champagne refers to a blend of Petite and Grande Champagne. Colour: deep gold. Nose: exceedingly fresh, bursting with tangerines, linden blossom, honeysuckle, wonderfully ripe melon, Gravenstein apple and a mere droplet of mint honey. Tremendous freshness throughout, you could almost pair this Cognac with fine Indian cuisine, just as a suggestion. Some hints of chen-pi begin to make themselves known thereafter. Mouth: the palate picks up exactly where the nose left off, with all that elegant tension and citrus-led brightness, more floral notes, a whiff of pink pepper (Timut-style) and a touch of melon once more. From Charente, naturally! A fresh and irresistibly charming Cognac, yet underpinned by all the layered complexity its venerable age bestows. Finish: still wonderfully fresh and refined, with a rather splendid acidity that, once again, calls out for a place at the dining table, much like a good wine. Zesty echoes in the aftertaste only confirm as much. Comments: just an idea, perhaps a poularde demi-deuil à la Bocuse, or, and I insist on this, a grand Indian dish. You will have gathered by now that the drinkability index—and by extension, the danger factor—is off the charts.
SGP:741 - 91 points. |
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JC Saunier ‘Lot 75’ (44%, Authentic Spirits, Grande Champagne, 2025)
This is 100% ugni blanc from Domaine de Sabourat, 29 hectares in the Segonzac area. Colour: amber. Nose: very lovely notes of aniseed that show up straight away, followed by liquorice, then some meadow honey, dried figs, and a few zestier touches of small citrus fruits. It wraps up on gingerbread and a packet of Camel cigarettes—a descriptor we still use freely, as I believe it hasn’t been banned just yet. Mouth: we’re fairly close in style to the previous one, though this one shows a little more toastiness and char, and that tobacco note returns as well. A touch more pepper too, and some Corinthian raisins, which lead us into slightly more ‘digestif’ territory. Hints of pencil shavings, cedarwood… Finish: long, once again with a lovely acidic brightness from the citrus, but also a square of dark chocolate that settles firmly on the aftertaste. Comments: magnificent. Go on then, how about this with a rich chocolate dessert?
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Fine Champagne ‘Hors d’Âge’ (47.8%, Decadent Drams, Decadent Drinks, 116 bottles, 2025)
An important message to our dear friends abroad who select and bottle Cognac: the word ‘âge’, as in ‘hors d’âge’, takes a circumflex on the ‘a’, which, according to typographic rules, also applies to capital letters, so it’s ‘Hors d’Âge’ and not ‘Hors d’Age’. Apologies for being a proper pedant about these matters. Of course, none of that should detract from the quality of the contents… Colour: deep gold. Nose: zut, we’re clearly back in 90-point territory. This time, the style is a touch more oriental, almost Byzantine, with heaps of orange blossom, figs, dates, and even rose liqueur. Just a drop, mixed in with a touch of liquorice. Mouth: but how good is this! A little simpler than the previous ones, but that’s almost a virtue here, with rosehip tea and those figs still very much leading the charge, nearly evoking one of those premium raki brands you might sip while watching the boats sail up the Bosphorus. Alright, perhaps we’re getting a bit carried away. Finish: long, on peppered fig jam. Comments: here’s another topic for debate—can one even use the word ‘dram’, as in ‘Decadent Drams’, for a spirit that’s not from Scotland? Answers on a postcard, please.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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François Voyer ‘Le Baladeur Lot 79’ (50.4%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 2025)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’re back to a more classic style, closer to slightly scorched walnut cake, mixed raisins of all kinds, orange marmalade, and heather honey, with a touch of mint and liquorice as well. With water: just two drops bring out a wee camphory and patchouli side, followed by those familiar figs we’ve already mentioned several times today. Mouth (neat): blimey, this is good, more on honeyed citrus, with a simpler profile again—but let me stress, that’s a virtue. Milk chocolate filled with orange marzipan. With water: the profile remains the same, citrus still calling the shots, to our immense delight. Acacia honey. Finish: medium length, more honeyed, rounder. The aftertaste is gently chocolatey and liquoricy. Comments: I’m sorry to report that we’ve not managed to separate this one from the others in terms of score. Excellent.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
It’s worth noting that aside from our little apéritifs, we rarely taste anything but the crème de la crème of Cognac – the true ‘malternatives’. But I promise you, one of these days we’ll go scavenging for entry-level bottles from the big houses and do a tasting of the ‘cheapos’. A bit of a change for us… Or who knows – maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised? |
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Delamain & Cie ‘Le Rossignol Lot 62’ (54.4%, Malternative Belgium, Petite Champagne, cask #755, 198 bottles)
The house of Delamain enjoys quite a high reputation in France, often seen on the lists of top restaurants. Of course, we’re not all that familiar with the ‘early landed’ expressions that also built the house’s name… elsewhere. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is honey, gently blended with a little orange juice and almond milk. Very faint whiffs of natural rubber. With water: curiously turns a touch more rustic, a little more herbaceous. Mouth (neat): very classic, balanced yet taut, a little spicier than the others, and again a touch more herbal. For now… With water: there it is, the fruitiness returns, with Turkish delight and other oriental pastries, though never in an extravagant way. Finish: fairly long, still a little austere and herbaceous. Comments: very, very good, though perhaps slightly overshadowed after all those marvellously fruity ones we’ve just enjoyed. Maybe we ought to have tasted it before the superb Voyer ‘79, but how could one have known?
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
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Bache-Gabrielsen ‘Founder’s Edition Lot 57’ (46.8%, OB, Grande Champagne, +/-2025)
This Grande Champagne comes from the ‘Paradis’ cellar of the renowned house of Bache-Gabrielsen. Oh, and 1957—that’s the year of John Coltrane’s Blue Train. And Monk’s Brilliant Corners. And Miles Ahead. And Ben Webster’s Soulville… Colour: amber. Nose: here we are in hyper-classic territory, with praline, overripe apples, very ripe yellow peaches, blackcurrant bud that really commands respect (ahem), almond brittle, and—dare I say it—something reminiscent of old Highland Park from similar vintages (soon on WF). Mouth: this is beautiful, with a little age showing (herbal teas, infusions), but also lovely notes of liquorice wood, peach and apricot skins, walnuts, and a fine touch of tobacco. It’s just important, when tasting this sort of old cognac, to always keep in mind that it’s something ancient and slightly fragile and shouldn’t be pushed about. Nor should we force our grandmothers to dance to Aerosmith or Blue Öyster Cult, should we? You get the idea, I’m sure. Finish: nice length, drifting toward fine aged white wine, like a good Graves blanc or a mature Meursault from the same era. Comments: it’s quite moving to taste these old Cognacs, which have so much to tell us—even if they do speak in hushed tones, and just a little hesitantly.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
A few more – not necessarily from the ‘Champagne’ crus… |
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Godet 29 yo (43.2%, OB, Borderies, cask #FB2311, 2025)
Some pure ugni blanc from a dry cellar and from old Tronçais oak. This baby was just bottled last month. Colour: golden amber. Nose: a very fine composition of tobacco, leather, and tiny dried raisins, with wafts of violet liquorice in the background—liable to stir all manner of childhood memories—followed by a few very ripe peaches that seem to have just dropped from the tree, a touch of almond oil, and perhaps a hint of pecan, less expressive but very gentle. A lovely nose, very elegant. Mouth: rather lively on the attack, with candied orange, but it quickly shifts to dried figs, dates stuffed with marzipan, and that violet liquorice we mentioned above. The bottling strength is just perfect. Finish: fairly long, a touch saltier, with faint echoes of Spanish ham and a slightly more rustic side that’s utterly charming. Lovely pepper on the aftertaste, which becomes even a notch more rustic. Comments: I love this rather alternative Borderies, almost a little ‘Highlands’ in style, particularly on the palate.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
Right then, let’s have a young one now… |
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Prunier ‘XO’ (49.1%, Swell de Spirits, On Tour #09, Cognac Festival Bordeaux 2025, Petite Champagne)
These are Cognacs of 14 years at the youngest, distilled on the lees and aged in a damp cellar. Do remember, in French ‘XO’ or ‘extra old’ actually means fairly young. It’s a bit like the opposite of cinema actresses, isn’t it. Colour: gold. Nose: naturally more herbaceous, tauter than the older ones, with hay and citrus zest, plus touches of woodruff, fresh mint, and distinctly lovely wormwood. Also a faint touch of Burgundian marc popping up here and there. Mouth: on the palate it’s not worlds apart from the older ones, so it’s rounder, with more stewed and dried fruits, orange marmalade, ripe peaches, dates, and a bit of liquorice wood. Finish: long, more on the orange marmalade. Marmalade with Cognac—does that exist? We’ll have to ask our British friends. A little agave syrup and pink pepper on the aftertaste. Comments: a perfect Cognac for a fine silver hip flask, made for long countryside strolls. I like this a lot. By the way, happy festival, Bordeaux!
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
One last one, a particularly symbolic choice, as we’ve just marked the Armistice of the 1914–1918 war this week… |
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François Voyer ‘La Gardienne Lot 19.14’ (44.9%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 2025)
Just forty-two bottles drawn from a demijohn into which this very likely 1914 vintage was transferred in the 1990s, after at least seventy-five years in cask. To be honest, the label with the biplanes leaves little doubt about the vintage. Colour: golden amber. Nose: what a fruit bomb! Without meaning to offend our Cognac friends, we’re very much in the realm of a great old fruity malt—Benriach ’76, Clynelish ’72, Lochside ’66, Bowmore ’64, old Littlemill… It’s loaded with tangerines, melons and mangoes, with a discreet and elegant honeyed touch. Seems the demijohn did an excellent job. Mouth: same impression, it’s precise, utterly unforced, with perfect fruitiness in line with the nose. What were we saying again? Tangerines, melons and mangoes... And a few faint hints of prickly pear and some noble, slightly botrytised old sweet wine. I’ll let you pick your preferred label. Finish: rather long, still on those same fruits, with subtle medicinal, camphory, minty and liquoricy touches. Timut pepper makes more of a showing on the aftertaste, with a light oaky glow. Comments: this magnificent Cognac was clearly distilled after the general mobilisation of August 1914, and it’s highly likely that it was made by women. A true splendour.
SGP:741 - 93 points. |
How on earth do you follow that? |
(Thank you tout le monde!) |
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November 15, 2025 |
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Angus's Corner
From our correspondent and skilled taster Angus MacRaild in Scotland. |
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Remembering
Dick Beach
This week we lost Dick Beach. A great friend to us at Whiskyfun, a great friend to so many people in whisky and beyond, a Dad to Jon Beach, a grandfather, and the kind of person who deeply enriched the lives of the people around him. Dick was a good age and he lived a long, eventful and clearly a fun life, yet it is still shocking and sad to lose him. |
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| Dick Beach (Photo Marcel Van Gils) |
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I first met Dick and his son Jon on Islay in 2010. They arranged a tasting of all the Port Ellen annual releases, which were duly opened and enjoyed, fortified by a small loch-full of scallops. I recorded tasting notes for each of the Port Ellens by hand on the back of an A4 envelope (which I believe is somewhere out there in the ether of Drumnadrochit to this day). |
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But the lasting memory, and the most meaningful event, of that day was meeting Dick and Jon. It isn’t too often that you click immediately with people in life, but we did, and a profoundly unserious, hearty, fun-filled and life-affirming friendship followed from the dregs of that wonderful party. |
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If Jon is the hyperactive, Salmon-coveting, joy-producing engine at the heart of Fiddler’s in Drumnadrochit, then Dick was the steadying and guiding force that brought an old school charm and wry sophistication to that outfit. My impressions of Dick were always that he was a product of a different generation’s experiences and values, but he represented the best of those times and he knew instinctively which side of the serious and un-serious divide in which to place his life’s priorities: he loved his family; he took his business seriously; he knew when to let his hair down and have a damn good time! |
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Dick was indeed old school in many ways, but he was a deeply passionate and thoughtful man. He could become immensely animated about politics, he was one of the people that taught me that others with wildly different views from your own can still come at their life’s perspectives from a position of caring deeply about the world, about society and about others. We often disagreed with boundless stamina, but when I think about it, most of his political views were concerned with the future and about how the world might be better for his grandkids. |
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He was a gentleman, but he was also cheeky, inexhaustibly capable of silliness and a storytelling raconteur. It was only a couple of months ago in Edinburgh that he put us all to shame by staying up until three in the morning, regaling us with stories and fulfilling the role of beating heart of the party. What makes his sudden departure so shocking, is that he seemed to possess some kind of energetic enthusiasm that suggested he would be with us for years. |
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Perhaps the most important thing to say about Dick, is that he was kind. He took interest in people, noticed them, the things they liked or were good at, and he encouraged people and engaged with them. He was forever pressing me to write more: “When are you going to write a bloody book?!” was usually a sentence I’d be on the receiving end of before the first dram was poured whenever we’d meet. |
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He was not a whisky geek in the sense many of us are. He was not obsessive about micro-detail, but he was deeply appreciative, understood quality and exercised quietly impeccable judgement. He liked old style whiskies, but also old-fashioned ones, meaning he enjoyed old Gordon & MacPhail malts bottled at lower, easy to sip bottling strengths. He adored the old-style lusciousness and generous fruitiness of richly sherried Speysiders. Most of all, he held a profound soft spot for old Miltonduff. He was someone you could dram with and the whisky was what it should be: a delicious supporting act for the main show of good conversation and revelry. |
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It was through whisky that, along with a wonderful group of likeminded friends, we shared some of our greatest collective experiences in recent years. Our trip to Brora in 2013 ‘Broracademy’; the Pre-War Whisky Tour in 2014; the Islay Odyssey in 2015; our trip to Jerez in 2017; various Whisky Show Old & Rare get togethers in between; then, finally, our recent weekend in Edinburgh. If you’ve been a regular reader of Whiskyfun over the years, you might be aware of just how many really incredible, often historic bottles were opened on these adventures. One of the constants through it all was Dick Beach, glass in hand, happy as a Salmon at the top of its ladder, to just be there enjoying the company and another hefty measure of something ancient and delicious! |
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There are a lot of fun and cherished memories from these various trips we shared together over the years, but when it comes to Dick, it’s probably his pithy, politically incorrect and entirely accurate summation of the situation we all found ourselves in, while sipping a large dram of something clearly very dark and delicious, he chuckled and said “God, it’s a lovely way to get pissed, isn’t it!” |
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It so happens that I have a few centilitres remaining of a special old Miltonduff on my bottle shelf, and also just so happens that, for whatever reason, I never recorded notes for it before. Perhaps the universe is saying something. When my own father passed away, I remember my mind continually circling back to the nagging question: where is he? I’ve felt that same, haunting question in the back of my mind these last few days since Dick passed. I have no idea about the answer, but I know he’ll exist in countless happy memories for many people and for many years. His profession was hospitality after all, and through what he and his son and wider family have created in Fiddler’s, he brought a lot of joy to visitors from all parts of the world. A legacy that lives on in every plate of fish n chips, every cold pint and every delighted traveller that alights there. Here's to Dick, but also to Jon and to their family. |
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Miltonduff 35 yo 1961/1996 (53.4%, Signatory Vintage, #51, 189 bottles) 
Colour: bright straw. Nose: fresh, waxy and mineral. Classic old style, distillate-driven malt whisky of body, fatness and beautiful weight. There’s also quite a few citrons, a single kumquat and notes of lime curd and white flowers. With water: honey and waxes in comforting abundance, the honey is nicely resinous in a way that recalls cask-aged mead and old, crystallised, dried out honeycomb. Mouth: diet Clynelish in the very best sense! Perfectly waxy, mineral, a tension between petrol and oils, wee notes of bouillon, sheep wool and bone marrow add to this feeling of fatness and texture. I would also say there’s a slight salinity about it too, which enhances this overall feeling of freshness. With water: more honey, more enhanced waxiness and more petrolic and mineral qualities. Mineral salts and mineral oils all muddled up with waxy lemon rind and lemon marmalade. Finish: long, tense, mineral, waxy, full of stones, flowers, putty and hints of herbal teas. Comments: none. Here’s to you Dick! No doubt you’d have preferred this one at 43% and after around two-three decades in some kind of ancient, luscious sherry cask!
SGP:461 - 91 points. |
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November 14, 2025 |
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A small trio of very old Glenburgie, tasted vertically |
Not a distillery we taste very often, but there have been plenty of indie bottlings in recent years. Sadly, as a warm-up, we no longer have any Glencraig to hand; just a reminder, that was the malt distilled at Glenburgie using Lomond stills until 1981. Nor do we have any old Ballantine’s, the house blend… However, we do have one of the very rare official bottlings, and we’ve never tasted it before… |
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Glenburgie 17 yo 1999/2017 (55.7%, OB, The Distillery Reserve Collection, first fill barrel, cask #6237, 210 bottles)
A Chivas Brothers edition that picked up a silver medal at the Malt Maniacs Awards in 2017, though I wasn’t on the jury that year. Colour: straw. Nose: it’s austere, on earth and grass after the rain, sourdough bread, tiny semi-wild apples and plain barley. A kind of statement, perhaps? With water: a few notes of paraffin oil and metal polish come out, while the fruit retreats to a strict minimum. Mouth (neat): rather sharp, still very grassy, leaning more towards green apple and lemon this time. Still just as austere… With water: and here come the fruits, now a little more expressive, greengages, yellow melon, some vanilla too, and quite a bit of green tea. Finish: long, fairly cutting, grassy. A welcome touch of apple juice in the aftertaste. Comments: a quality filler, but not the easiest of Speysiders.
SGP:351 - 84 points. |
Let’s move on to… less serious matters. |
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Glenburgie 50 yo 1975/2025 (40.5%, Brave New Spirits, Cask Masters, American bourbon hogshead, 108 bottles)
Naturally, such an old whisky at such a borderline strength can be a bit daunting, and there’s perhaps a bit of a coin-toss quality here—but don’t we all love a challenge? And against risk and uncertainty, don’t we always wager on luck? (S., please stop with pub philosophy…) Colour: deep gold. Nose: bingo, the miracle has happened, this is like an old mead that’s remained perfect, or an ancient perry of similar pedigree, with a few windfall apples simply glazed with very soft honey and just a touch of cinnamon. All in all, this is wonderfully elegant, in the style of the old Glenburgies at 40% from G&M or Sestante. Mouth: naturally, there’s more in the way of herbal teas and infusions, old tobacco, even a few faint cardboardy notes, but the fruits and honeys have held on and balance the whole thing beautifully. We’re back to those famous honeyed apples dusted with cinnamon. Finish: not eternal, granted, but it stays soft and there are lovely hints of pollen. Comments: of great delicacy, and I’d imagine it could be sipped like a fine wine. Now just imagine what dishes you’d pair it with—any ideas?
SGP:351 - 90 points. |
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Glenburgie 59 yo 1964/2023 (52.9%, Gordon & MacPhail, Private Collection, 1st fill sherry hogshead, cask #260, 141 bottles)
Always these impressive strengths for such old whiskies at G&M. And as always, we’re left stunned they didn’t wait just a few more months to release it at 60 years of age. If that’s not the height of well-placed Scottish cheek, I don’t know what is. Colour: gold. Nose: incredible. Like old Sauternes from a top château, candied orange, beeswax, and a few perfectly ripe little figs. Nothing more to add, except that it’s pretty grand. And then there are gentle puffs of patchouli arriving in a second wave. With water: oh yes, the malted barley answers back and finds its place! There are also touches of mint tea with pine nuts, and fig-filled biscuits—think Figolu. A killer. Mouth (neat): magnificent dialogue between melon, fir buds, green apples and lemon balm infusion. With water: it falls into line, with elegance and humility. Ripe apples, pears, quinces… Finish: fairly long, almost simple but in a deeply moving sort of way. And the citrus fruits tumble in on the aftertaste, tangerines, oranges, bergamots… Comments: let’s admit it, bringing this cask to 60 years wouldn’t have changed a thing. Hats off to the artists!
SGP:561 - 93 points. |
Let’s finish with a younger Glenburgie, but from an even older vintage… |
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Glenburgie-Glenlivet 28 yo 1962/1991 (57.8%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection)
On the little cream-coloured label it’s clearly stated that this baby was matured in an ‘oak cask’, as always with this fine series—a mention that, I believe, will keep us chuckling until the end of time. Or of these (often) magnificent bottles. Colour: gold. Nose: powerful, almost phenolic, with something approaching Jamaican rum. Notes of soy sauce, old calvados, certainly plenty of fir liqueur, and then more and more cough syrup, with mint, camphor and rather thunderous eucalyptus. But caution, while the nose is beautiful, it may be signalling a rather tougher palate, but let’s see. With water: continues along that cough syrup line, but even drier and more bitter. Mouth (neat): not very easy, as expected, with fir becoming dominant and bitter, though counterbalanced by some lemon. Hmm… With water: a bit better, but the bitterness dominates, which is rather surprising, and I wonder whether there might be a bit of cork taint. It happens, not often, but it happens. Finish: slightly improved again, thanks to the citrus which comes in like Chuck Norris, though it still stays quite astringent. Comments: still, something must have gone wrong here, please don’t pay too much attention to this note.
SGP:271 - 70 points (for the record). |
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November 13, 2025 |
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WF’s Little Duos, today old Benriach plus apéro
Benriach hasn’t quite been in the spotlight as much lately, but we haven’t forgotten this truly fine distillery. In fact, we’re about to sample a 1976 and a 1966, but first, perhaps an apéritif or two… (AI) |
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Benriach-Glenlivet 12 yo 2012/2025 (46%, Cadenhead, Original Collection, hogshead)
Finished for two years in Amontillado hogshead, so bespoke seasoned casks since I believe no one’s ever seen hogsheads of amontillado in a proper ‘maturing’, as opposed to ‘seasoning’, bodega. Colour: pale gold. Nose: not bad at all, on honey cream and walnut ice cream, two rather rare specialities that can be superb when well made. Whiffs of cigar boxes, a fair amount of lovage and Maggi. In short, the amontillado does the job. Mouth: very similar to the nose, dominated by walnut and earth, grey pepper, nutmeg, then a touch of chestnut honey that nicely coats the whole. Finish: long, even very long, leaning even more towards walnuts. In the Périgord region of France they make quite a few walnut liqueurs in this style. Comments: I really find this very good, even if it's almost more of an Andalusian product than a Scottish one.
SGP:561 - 85 points. |
We did mention a second apéritif, didn’t we? |
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Benriach 18 yo 2007/2025 (49.8%, Fadandel, refill hogshead, cask #700193, 109 bottles)
This baby is expected to be closer to fresh fruits… Colour: white wine. Nose: yes, it’s perfectly simple and simply perfect, on peanut oil, fresh hay and freshly sliced apple, with a few touches of honey and custard to smooth out the edges. Mouth: watch out, it’s more powerful than it appears, on old plum brandies of various kinds, with a few more drops of honey but above all an honest old chardonnay from southern Burgundy. Simple, precise, very good. Finish: it becomes much less simple in the finish, with barley, numerous herbal infusions, and broad notes of both forest and meadow. There are even some coastal and medicinal touches, though we’ve no idea where those come from. Comments: I enjoy these kinds of whiskies quite a lot, rare as they may be, where the final score just keeps climbing steadily. In this case, 84, 85, 86, 87…
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
Let’s move on to the main event (already started above, it’s true) … |
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Benriach 36 yo 1976/2013 (42.6%, OB, refill hogshead, cask #3042, 173 bottles)
We’ve already tasted quite a few sister casks, all of which were magical or downright supernatural. Colour: gold. Nose: right then, this is more mango than mangoes, more guava than guavas, more banana than bananas, more passion fruit than passion fruits and more … well, you get the idea. An explosion of tropical fruits that would make even the oldest Bushmills or Cooleys turn green with envy, especially as there are also, deep down, hints of Swiss or Savoyard cheese fondue made with neat kirsch (no wine), absolute champions of aromatic expressiveness. Mouth: it’s superb, though a little less defined on the palate, but that’s just nitpicking. Still this avalanche of exotic fruits, still those hints of well-matured Fribourg or Comté (24 months at least), along with some herbal teas of less precise origin. As we said, we’re nitpicking. Finish: very lovely, veering towards liqueurs and eaux-de-vie distilled from the aforementioned fruits. And let it be said, I’ve tried it, distilling those things isn’t easy if you don’t want to end up with… aftershave. Comments: a proper fruit bomb, as we used to say back in the day.
SGP:751 - 91 points. |
Right, let’s jump back ten years… |
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Benriach 42 yo 1966/2008 (43.9%, Signatory Vintage, Cask Strength Collection, hogshead, cask #1019, 175 bottles)
Only Signatory would release such things without fanfare, let alone bagpipes. We didn’t see it coming, but it’s true this was already 16 years ago. No, wait, 17. Colour: gold. Nose: far more restrained than the exuberant 1976, which perhaps saw some new deep-charred wood by the way, so the tropical fruits are indeed present but in a quieter register. Pink bananas, pineapple, mangoes, papayas, then white chocolate with bits of cornflakes and strawberry… I think that’s a deadly sin Lindt themselves offer. There are also a few tiny flowers and herbal teas, also missing in the 1976—assuming they were ever there. Mouth: the beauty of a great Hermitage blanc, something like a Jaboulet Sterimberg from a not-too-warm vintage. I still have a few bottles from 1980 (or is it 1981?) in my cellar, not a great year but the wine is now crystalline and of absolute splendour. Same with this Benriach, almost shy but sublimely elegant. Finish: same story, not very long, slightly fragile, but these salty touches and even those little flat oysters from Finistère are sublime. Comments: a grand whisky that just asks for a little of your attention, it would be a shame to miss it by being distracted. Turn off the telly and the stereo!
SGP:562 - 92 points. |
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November 12, 2025 |
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A small expedition in America,
Part II
So, indeed, it was about time we tasted some American whiskies, now that we’ve also completely lifted our tariffs. You might say that raising the percentage of tariffs on something that’s entirely free, like Whiskyfun, doesn’t make much sense… But anyway, we have plenty to taste, so let’s dive in a bit randomly again... There were highs and lows yesterday, but we had to expect that. Let’s set the table again and see what we still have in our 'American stock'... |
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Ironclad Bourbon Whiskey (95 Proof, OB, Straight bourbon whiskey, +/-2025)
Straight from Newport News, Virginia, aged for two years in 30-US-gallon charred oak barrels. I’ve just seen the brand claim on Facebook that ‘Bourbon is the new champagne’. Perhaps in Newport News, Virginia, but I’m happy to learn that! In any case, the champagnes we enjoy at WF Towers are aged on lees for much longer than two years. Right, let’s dive in… Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re having a laugh, but I’ve already tasted this baby in Hamburg and thought it was very beautiful. That still holds, with a lovely eucalyptus and green tea note, backed by frosty mint, chocolate mint, a hint of smoke, and slightly earthy vanilla. I think it’s easy to miss this profile, but for me, it’s quite successful. Mouth: really very bourbon, more in the old-school style, with a blend of honey, caramel, fresh wood, cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh mint. Finish: long, more liquorice, more spicy (black pepper), but still with honeyed caramel and menthol, making it quite smooth and easy-going. Comments: a lovely surprise. They also have a rather clever label that kind of unrolls!
SGP:561 - 86 points. |
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Jimmy Rack ‘Cask Strength’ (61.15%, OB, Tennessee straight rye whiskey, Batch 01, 2023)
95% rye, aged for three years and six months (so three years), then finished with ‘maple charcoal’, though I’m not entirely sure what that means. Likely the legendary filtration process… Colour: full gold. Nose: the opposite of the Ironclad, which must have had little rye, here we’re all about the geraniums, orange blossom, tons of pink pepper, and that slightly soapy note that we love in this context. Dove? Poppy seeds in the background. With water: back to dark bread, little biscuits, maple syrup… Mouth (neat): creamy, very fruity, heavy on the mezcal candies and poppy lollipops, but the high proof must be doing its thing. With water: this time it stays fruity and floral, then the peppers come in to bring it all under control—Timut, grey, black… Finish: full-on spiced bread liqueur. This would sell well in Alsace around Christmas time. Comments: I was expecting this to be squashed by the Ironclad, but not really.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
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Willett 8 yo (59.1%, OB, Family Estate, LMDW Foundations, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #18632, 2024)
Colour: full gold. Nose: much less fragrant than the previous two, more focused on burnt American oak, popcorn, and a hint of lemongrass in minimal amounts. Slight touches of citron, but it remains discreet for now. With water: nice, with forgotten vegetables—cardoons, rutabaga, even a bit of turnip. It’s amusing, and Baldrick would certainly approve. Mouth (neat): much more presence than the 10-year-old we tasted yesterday, let’s say a lot of grapefruit and lots of pepper of all kinds, followed by carrots and gentian. A touch of honey scented with camphor. With water: superb! Everything comes together—citrus, vegetables, spices, lemon balm... Finish: medium length, well balanced, with the same notes. Comments: phew, the 10-year-old had me worried, but now I’m revived (S., you’re exaggerating again).
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Willett 3 yo ‘OG Wheat’ (60.3%, OB, Family Estate, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #9847, 2025)
And here we are in D.C.! Colour: gold. Nose: a real treat, with nougat, macarons, pecans, and a small touch of linseed oil. It’s quite elegant and not at all over the top. With water: a foresty side, pinewood, fern... Mouth (neat): oh, this is good! Oily, very much on oranges of all kinds, including the bitter ones, manuka honey, grapefruit liqueur, and a touch of Campari. Not overly complicated, but excellent. With water: and here come those earthy, rooty notes, truly beautiful. Some lovely peppers too. Finish: long, still creamy, dominated by citrus and pepper. Comments: three years, are we absolutely sure? Anyone seen the papers? Just kidding, of course.
SGP:661 - 88 points. |
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Willett 11 yo ‘Black Forest’ (65.1%, OB, Family Estate, Jack Rose Dining Saloon, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #5256, 2025)
Indeed, this can happen with cask-strength bourbons—the older it is, the higher the alcohol content. I hear you, you’re thinking the same goes for tasters. Well, know that I hate you and curse you to the sixth generation! Also, the slime of a toad never reaches the white dove (maybe a bit too much, S.) Colour: full gold. Nose: this is crazy, it’s in the same vein as the 3-year-old, but it seems younger, fruitier, easier, with more yellow flowers, acacia honey, custard, and cinnamon cakes. With water: more on the candies and syrups than the 3-year-old, quite the opposite. Mouth (neat): this time it’s a bit spicier, there’s quite a bit of mild curry and a masala note. We love that. The texture is still creamy, almost syrupy. With water: with water, the 3-year-old completely dominates it. That’s insane. Finish: same, it even becomes a bit drying now. Sawdust. Comments: I’m not sure what the Black Forest, which is about forty kilometres from Château WF as the crow flies, is doing here, maybe it’s not the same one. In any case, this Willett is wunderbar, but it doesn’t like water much, it seems. At 65.1%, that’s a bit annoying, don’t you think?
SGP:651 - 84 points. |
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Willett 10 yo (59.5%, OB, Family Estate, Single rye whiskey, LMDW Singapore, cask #2408, 166 bottles, 2024)
Colour: amber. Nose: this is a complex, thick, very ripe rye, with some violet and candied orange, but also notes of aromatic white grape varieties, viognier, gewurztraminer, muscadelle… All this gives it a rather sexy character, let’s say it without hesitation. With water: the nuts and wood show up, which is actually a good idea. Mouth (neat): on the sin scale, we’re diving straight into hell, between, as Rowan Atkinson would say, the lawyers and the French. A very old muscat flavoured with rose, lavender honey, and orange. With water: once again, balance is restored. Pecan pie and peanut butter. Finish: long and surprisingly soft. Comments: the kind of thing you should serve blind to your neighbours. If they guess what it is, invite them over again, they’ve earned it.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Willett 7 yo (54.7%, OB, Family Estate, Single barrel rye, Wu Dram Clan & Kirsch, cask #2611)
We need to speed things up... Colour: deep gold. Nose: we’ve hit a sweet spot here, there’s olive oil, lemons, fresh bread, mastic, a lovely natural soap, and a touch of coriander mixed with toasted sesame oil. We’ve shifted gears now, this is an ultra-alternative rye. With water: incredible, with notes of chalk and seaweed, we’re almost in Islay territory. I swear. Mouth (neat): a carbon-copy of the nose, which doesn’t happen often. Sublime touches of small mushrooms as well. With water: oh, the fruits! A touch of toothpaste (very high-end, like from the Ritz or Plaza own ranges), then blood orange and the best watermelon I’ve ever encountered. Finish: not immense, but perfectly balanced and effective across all dimensions. Fruits, herbs, earth, spices, sweet resins, ointments... Comments: this one’s magical for me. Quite frankly, there aren’t many American whiskies that move me, but this one does. Kudos to everyone involved.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
We’re stopping with the Willetts, we’ll pick that up next time. |
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Tennessee Sour Mash 20 yo (46.6%, Artful Dodger, barrel, cask #20, 179 bottles, +/-2025)
It’s undoubtedly George Dickel. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is custard, mixed with vanilla cake, vanilla yogurt, vanilla liqueur, and white chocolate. I imagine you understand that vanilla rules the day here, at least for now. There’s a touch of orange juice, but it’s almost incidental. Mouth: a shift in style, with a muscular punch from the wood spices, like Stallone. On the other hand, vanilla strikes back, like… let’s say Bruce Lee. And the fight continues through the finish... Finish: I have the honour and advantage of announcing that vanilla won the battle. That said, in the aftertaste, small peppers, lavender, cloves, coffee dregs, and very dark chocolate make an appearance. Comments: it’s quite funny to see that all this excitement comes in at the very end! In short, it’s really fun.
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
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Old Potrero 8 yo 2016/2024 ‘The Valley of the Moon’ (65.8%, LMDW, Ex-Libris, cask #OP 3/16-10, 211 bottles)
The challenge here is to understand, you see, just how pioneering Old Potrero was in the craft whisky movement in the US. Even though the very first bottles, we all remember, were more likely to serve as BBQ starters. I still have a bottle from the very first batch in my stock—it required me to revise my fire insurance policy for that reason alone. Just kidding… Colour: deep gold. Nose: I love this fresh rubber mixed with peonies and black cherries. The problem is that this little one tends to burn your nose... With water: chocolate with spices, especially juniper and clove. Mouth (neat): excellent! Spiced bread, pumpernickel, gingerbread, Nescafé, and plenty of alcohol. Very good, but probably like pastis or ouzo, meaning it’s not meant to be sipped neat, but with water. With water: much smoother, with honey and an unexpected blend of chartreuse, verbena, and benedictine. Finish: long, with honey and spices, almost reminiscent of hypocras. Hints of herbs and broths in the aftertaste. Comments: full of punch. We love it…
SGP:661 - 87 points. |
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Koval Rye (55%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, cask #6508, 210 bottles, 2024)
Koval was missing from this tasting series... Remember, Koval is Chicago's first distillery since Prohibition. This particular expression is aged in new Minnesotan oak. We love the minimalist packaging. Colour: full gold. Nose: quite light and elegant, without the extremes often associated with rye, though there’s a bit of shoe polish, some light acacia honey, a touch of sawdust, and nougat. With water: still light and elegant. The shoe polish and fresh cement notes remain in the background, with even a tiny hint of gasoline. Mouth (neat): once again, it’s quite soft for a rye, but on the other hand, it’s probably fairly mainstream. Be warned, it’s not lacking in spices, with cinnamon very much present. With water: water works wonders, it wakes up the citrus and a good dozen other spices, including cumin. Finish: similar, just a bit drier, with more noticeable tannins. Bitter chocolate. Comments: love Koval. We just hope they never see the National Guard rolling up to their place.
SGP:561 - 85 points. |
Perhaps is it time to bring these two American sessions to a close, with something rather unusual... |
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Boulder Spirits 5 yo ‘Peated Malt’ (68.35%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, cask #1548, 222 bottles, 2023) 
Seen the strength? No need to tell you that I warned my insurer, my lawyer, my doctor, and even my dear wife and children before tasting this baby. Here we are at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. The recipe, I quote, is ‘malted barley, a Scottish pot still, #3 char American White Oak barrels, aged in an arid, high elevation climate, and cut with the celebrated Eldorado Springs water.’ Well, to be honest, we’re not entirely sure about the impact of the Eldorado Springs water, but in whisky communication, there are certain mandatory exercises, right? Especially at 68.35%, there probably wasn’t much cut with water, was there? Alright, here we go, it’s the last one... Colour: gold. Nose: not much peat, but lovely candied citrus fruits, bergamot, citron, kumquat... That said, there are also whiffs of damp wood ash and charcoal making an appearance, albeit discreetly. But at this proof, not much else comes through. With water: quite discreet, it pulls back a bit. Smoky chocolate, wood-fired pizza – no toppings – etc. Mouth (neat): it burns, but it’s good. A bit of a dragster vibe, whatever that might mean. Smoked pickled lemon. Indeed, you can smoke pickled lemon. With water: it’s good, not very defined, but quite pleasant. Finish: the wood shows up, sending a slightly drying tannicity. Comments: not the easiest to tame, this is more for pipette pros (and Eldorado Springs water, we imagine). We’ll try a non-peated Boulder Spirits soon.
SGP:463 - 81 points. |
24 American whiskies in two days, wouldn’t you say that’s more than enough? Ciao, stay tuned. |
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November 11, 2025 |
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A small expedition in America on this Armistice Day
Here is the first of two consecutive American whiskey tasting sessions, held in commemoration of the role played by American troops in the liberation and the armistice signed on this 11th of November.
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Indeed, during World War I, American soldiers, played a crucial role in helping the Allies turn the tide of the war. The United States entered the conflict in 1917, and by 1918, over two million American troops were fighting in France. Their arrival brought fresh energy, manpower, and morale to the exhausted Allied forces. The Armistice was then signed on November 11, 1918, marking the end of the fighting. This day, known as Armistice Day, honours all soldiers who fought for peace and in France, it remains a solemn national holiday.
It was also around this time that the first American whiskies truly arrived in France, brought over by the US troops. |
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Jack Daniel’s ’Oloroso Sherry Cask’ (45%, OB, American single malt, +/-2024) 
A single malt from Jack Daniel’s, simply finished in sherry, probably ex-American oak. It’s very expensive (€125). I’ll take this opportunity to suggest that retail websites stop writing that it’s ‘matured’ in sherry when the label itself says in bold letters that it’s only ‘finished’. And while we’re at it, let’s also stop calling solera numbers age statements. Colour: deep gold. Nose: chocolate and still-warm wood shavings, plus a touch of coconut biscuit. That’s all, folks. Mouth: closer to a fairly spicy bourbon, plenty of pepper and yellow curry, but it’s really very rustic and those notes of corn syrup, orange syrup and monosodium glutamate that show up next aren’t doing it any favours. Finish: fairly long, quite oaky, bitter, and lacking complexity. Aftertaste very drying. Comments: in truth it’s not that bad, but we’re a long way off the quality of the smaller American distilleries.
SGP:561 - 78 points. |
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Indiana Bourbon 8 yo 2015/2024 (49.2%, Wu Dram Clan, The Liquid Crew, straight bourbon whiskey, barrel proof)
There was also a very good rye from Indiana by WDC, a 2017/2024 (WF 87). Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is cheerful, fresh, a far cry from Jack, very much on vanilla sponge cake drenched in custard (indeed, that’s a lot of vanilla), with orange blossom and honeysuckle, as well as a touch of Williams pear. Flawless. Mouth: rather taut for a bourbon, with lovely spices, rye bread, notes of candied ginger coated in chocolate (absolutely smashing), followed by star anise. Would be spot-on alongside some Alsatian Christmas biscuits. Finish: medium in length, well balanced, with a touch of ginseng to put you back on your feet (after those Alsatian Christmas biscuits). Comments: really very pretty, not overly complicated, perfectly balanced.
SGP:451 - 86 points. |
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Rowan’s Creek ‘Small Batch’ (50.05%, OB, straight Kentucky bourbon, +/-2024)
We last tasted Rowan’s Creek some 14 years ago, and rather liked it at the time (WF 85). This one appears to be mostly corn-based (72%). Colour: deep gold. Nose: even at 50% this is very light on the nose, quite floral too, with a wee touch of cane and coconut syrup, then a splash of triple sec. As gentle as a lamb, for now. With water: same story. Mouth (neat): almost sweet, then with a bit of lavender and pink pepper. It’s charming, though the Indiana still takes the lead. With water: it opens up a little, with Christmas spices—star anise, cinnamon, clove… Yet the base remains rather sugary. Finish: not very long, soft, easy-going. The MGP had far more personality. Comments:
SGP:631 - 83 points. |
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SirDavis (44%, OB, American rye, +/-2024)
We didn’t really expect to taste this rather lovely thing that does genuinely resemble an old White Horse decanter in terms of looks, but let’s not be picky. Yes, this is the whisky from Beyoncé and LVMH. According to the literature, this baby ‘draws inspiration from Japanese and Scottish styles, thereby redefining the traditional characteristics of American whisky’. Which is rather amusing, considering how marginal the importance of rye (still) is in both Scotland and Japan. That said, Beyoncé does seem to have been genuinely involved. So was Dr Bill, it seems. Colour: gold. Nose: not bad at all, with some fine shoe polish and, indeed, quite a bit of rye, and even a very faint maritime note, though I’ve no idea where that’s coming from. Refreshing and possibly to be had on oysters? Mouth: a touch of rye liqueur, lavender, violet and ginger, all nicely expressive. Honestly, I quite like it, it has a very high drinkability index. Finish: not very long, slightly honeyed, with lovely spices and floral notes. Aftertaste a tad sweet. Comments: I really do think this is rather good stuff, but of course, with Dr Lumsden at the helm, that’s hardly surprising.
SGP:631 - 83 points. |
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Tennessee Bourbon Whisky 21 yo 2003/2025 (41.5%, Cadenhead, Enigma, 822 bottles)
These secret Tennessee casks are generally George Dickel. We’ve already tasted some rather charming ones. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it’s gentle and above all immensely floral, somewhere between dandelions, buttercups, honeysuckle and even lily of the valley. No surprise, this moves on to white chocolate, honey, cornflakes and a few soft herbal infusions, ending on milk tea notes just as our friends in England (and Asterix) enjoy it. Golden Grahams. Mouth: very much in keeping with the nose, though less exuberant and with a touch more herbal tea, hence a bit more oak. The whole becomes ever so slightly drying over time, but still holds up nicely. Finish: perhaps its Achilles’ heel, the oak is present, but the honeys and a little nougat push back pleasantly. Comments: had the palate matched the nose, this would’ve been an absolute stunner, baby (innit).
SGP:651 - 86 points. |
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Tennessee Whiskey 21 yo 2003/2025 (48.3%, Wu Dram Clan, The Liquid Crew, barrel #19, 109 bottles)
Sour mash from Dickel again. Colour: amber. Nose: seems we’re changing gear here—it’s packed with praline and fudge, and this isn’t millionaire’s shortbread anymore, it’s billionaire’s shortbread. Orange-almond marzipan-filled chocolates, Mozart kugeln, then white nougat with pistachio and… more orange. A real guilty pleasure, this nose. Mouth: possibly one of my favourite bourbons since… the last Very Old Fitzgerald I was lucky enough to taste in the States thanks to good friends. Beautiful structure, almost malty, rather oily, with splendid pepper, fresh sponge cakes, anise and cinnamon cookies, and an avalanche of other seasonal petits fours. Lovely bitter oranges too, and even a few drops of marc. Finish: lingers beautifully, dry, leaving the palate perfectly clean and ready for another glass (of the same whisky). Comments: it’s well known that Wu Dram Clan are fans of bourbon, and you can really feel it in this neat little selection.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
Let's have some youngsters… |
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MGP Distillery 7 yo 2017/2025 (56.3%, Milroy’s Soho Selection, Indiana rye whiskey, American oak hogshead)
The back label announces cherries, so we’re expecting that! Colour: gold. Nose: all the incandescent beauty of rye (what?) combined with cane honey and peony, though no cherry for now. With water: cologne and Hermès ‘Orange Verte’. I imagine you could put a few drops of this on your neck or behind your ears. Mouth (neat): absolutely excellent, with pear, blood orange, and rose liqueur, the latter being particularly prominent. This rose and pear combo is reminiscent of a ‘fine’ (not marc) de gewurztraminer. It’s very, very… decadent. With water: no significant change. Finish: fairly long, very fruity, floral and fresh, and if needed, we’ll happily mention a few cherries, or rather kirsch. But it’s the pear that’s in the driver’s seat… Do be warned, though, the rose liqueur makes a return in the aftertaste. Comments: what a distillate! I’m really enjoying the recent selections from Milroy’s, always very smart (if I may say so).
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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FEW ‘Rye Bottled in Bond’ (50%, OB for Navigate World Whisky, Straight Rye Whiskey, 2023)
This is a Chicagoan mashbill of 70% rye, 20% corn, 10% malted barley, aged for 4 years. We love FEW and, naturally, Chicago. And South Africa. Colour: gold. Nose: much more restrained, almost austere, with hazelnuts and roasted nuts, speculoos and kirsch just out of the still. Water should bring it to life a bit more. With water: but where are these bursts of camphor and eucalyptus coming from? There’s even a faint ‘gentle Laphroaig’ note, if you will. Mouth (neat): really quite good, with a very slight touch of fresh parmesan and pepper, then a more classic development with chocolate and nuts of all kinds. With water: I promise, it’s the malted barley that now takes the lead. Orange zest, sourdough bread, caraway… Finish: spiced bread, lasting a good while, with some mint. Comments: excellent, despite its young age.
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
In another life, I’ll be more interested in American whisky. Alright, let’s continue... |
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Heaven’s Door ‘Double Barrel Whiskey’ (50%, OB, +/-2024)
A blend of two bourbons and one rye, still under the guidance of Bob Dylan. Or not? The packaging is really, how shall we say, emphatic? Let’s give this mix a try... Colour: gold. Nose: pleasant, but the fresh and charred wood is very prominent and doesn’t really allow much else to come through… Water might help with that… With water: not really, the wood still takes the lead a bit. Mouth (neat): smooth, with vanilla, coconut, and cornflakes, quite nice, just not complex. The wood/toasted notes are quite marked. With water: same, the wood still sets the pace. Finish: …/… coconut oil. Comments: nothing to complain about, it’s honest, straightforward, and merchantable. It’s just very woody, and this little one suffers quite a bit after the previous ones, which were in a whole different league.
SGP:451 - 78 points. |
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Westland 10 yo 2014/2024 (60%, Single Malt Dreams, 1st fill Tennessee whiskey barrel, cask 1115, 210 bottles)
We love Westland, just like Domaine des Hautes Glaces in France, both of which are owned by Rémy. I recently learned that Matt has left, but this 10-year-old must still carry his DNA. Enough chit-chat… Colour: gold. Nose: incredibly light for a Westland, it’s reminiscent of young Scottish grain whisky, like North British. This isn’t normal, water should solve this mystery… With water: watermelon sorbet, melon sorbet, fresh rye bread. Mouth (neat): ah yes, now it speaks right away, with melon seeds, rye bread, and especially an unbelievable combination of small citrus fruits and wild roots. Let’s dig into this subject, if you don’t mind… With water: this is wild, the water brings back the power, the tension, earthy spices, notes of… rutabaga? Jerusalem artichoke? Where are we? Finish: long, rooty, citrusy and precise. Quite beautiful, especially as the melon makes a return in the aftertaste. Lime. Comments: melon has always been a marker of Bruichladdich, which is also owned by Rémy. This is intriguing, don’t you think? There must be a conspiracy…
SGP:562 - 89 points. |
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Westland 8 yo 2015/2024 (60%, Single Malt Dreams, 1st fill Port barrel, 248 bottles)
Single Malt Dreams are friends in Norway, did you know? It seems this is very peated Westland, and according to my limited experience, Porto and peat are like Donald Trump reciting Allen Ginsberg from memory—highly improbable. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: I don’t know. Someone a bit mad might have macerated band-aids in a mix of grenadine syrup and crème de cassis. Water seems mandatory… With water: blackcurrants and cherries fallen on the ground, basalt, slag, and a pepper-and-mint blend conjured up by a mad mind. Mouth (neat): improbably good and downright improbable. Pepper, ash, and strawberry syrup. There you go. With water: the worst part is that it works when tobacco, leather, and bay leaf come in to restore order. Finish: pepper comes back, cooked red fruits too. A massive hit of salt as well. Comments: I must admit I’m a bit lost here. Let’s stay conservative… PS: in any case, this is strictly not ‘American’.
SGP:572 - 83 points. |
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Yellowstone ‘108 Proof’ (54%, OB, Single Malt, USA, +/-2025)
We’ve tasted some pretty good Yellowstone whiskies in the past. Colour: gold. Nose: of course, this doesn’t have the depth of the previous ones, that’s the problem with random lineups, but there’s a lovely vanilla porridge with sour cream. With water: fresher, but also more reminiscent of new wood. Moss and ferns, pleasant. Mouth (neat): it’s good, close to grains, breads, and spices, with a honeyed touch. Very nice. With water: same, moving toward a Christmas fruitcake with plenty of spices. The timing’s not bad, right? Finish: good length, nice softness, great spices, hints of dried figs in the aftertaste. Comments: no soaring heights, but no flaws either. This little one does the job, we’ll say. And the label is nice.
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
Let's finish with this little baby... |
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Willett 10 yo 2013/2024 (67.7%, OB, Family Estate, LMDW Foundations, Single Barrel Bourbon, cask #6684, 84 bottles, 2024)
We admit very humbly, we don’t fully understand Willett, but our spirit is strong, and our outlook is positive. Colour: deep gold. Nose: medicinal alcohol and coconut, nothing unusual at these almost lethal ABVs. With water: honey, coconut, and custard. It’s fairly simplistic, even a bit lacking. Mouth (neat): fresh, banana, lemon, pepper, and coconut, with an alcohol level that could fuel all the missiles of poor Vladimir, who’s starting to resemble a dying axolotl. You might say this is a far cry from the tardigrade in D.C.. With water: pleasant, but very simple in terms of profile, and light in texture. Finish: not very long, simple, oaky. Comments: it really tastes like a Scottish grain whisky. It’s quite surprising and, above all, a little ‘empty’. No comprendo mucho, but we'll havr some much, much 'better' Willetts right tomorrow.
SGP:441 - 75 points. |
It’s better to stop here, but we’ll continue tomorrow, with indeed some Willetts that I definitely, definitely prefer... |
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November 10, 2025 |
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A few crazy Mortlach
By Zeus and the Wee Witchie, no Mortlach in this year’s Special Releases, but that won’t stop us enjoying an official bottling, naturally distilled 2.81 times, in line with their famously byzantine system… No, nothing to do with Istanbul. (AI) |
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Mortlach 16 yo ‘Distiller’s Dram’ (43.4%, OB, +/-2025)
We tasted this wee baby upon its release in 2018, liked it a lot (WF 89) and then nothing more. It was high time we formed an opinion on a more recent batch… Colour: gold. Nose: that familiar slightly scorched walnut cake and plenty of hot malted chocolate, before everything drifts towards ferns, dark soils, roasted chestnuts and dark tobacco, not forgetting the obligatory touches of orange zest. A very Mortlachy Mortlach, in short. Mouth: this is really rather full-bodied despite the modest bottling strength, fairly salty and deeply earthy, with cigars, malt, very strong black tea and a splash of Guinness. In short, everything’s black—you’re talking synaesthesia here! Finish: long, curiously both dry and bitter, yet still fairly honeyed (heather). The aftertaste grows distinctly more peppery, that’s black pepper, of course. Comments: cracking bottle, no question. If one were to have but a single Mortlach…
SGP:451 - 88 points. |
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Mortlach 25 yo (46%, Gordon & MacPhail, Distillery Label, +/-2025)
Colour: gold. Nose: very sulphury at first, as if you'd just struck a massive match, the kind one uses to light a fireplace. But we know that’s part of the house style (of Mortlach, not G&M). Then come notes of spent flint stones or even an old Zippo lighter from grandad, beef jerky, shoe polish, and eventually a basket of garden fruits, apples, pears, peaches and apricots, the latter also in dried form… Mouth: still that tightrope walk between a most singular bitterness, reminiscent of mutton fat and truffle, and garden fruits, with also this distinct impression of chewing on an untipped Gauloise (very, very late at night, well one really shouldn’t, it’s toxic). Finish: long and bitter, akin to certain rooty and very bitter Italian cordials. Pepper in the aftertaste. Comments: quite the beast, certainly not for every palate, though seasoned exegetes of the style should be thrilled.
SGP:461 - 87 points. |
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Mortlach 30 yo 1995/2025 (47.3%, Kanpaikai Japan & The Antelope Macau, Dollar Cat, refill sherry hogshead, cask #803457, 187 bottles)
These folks seem to be firing on all twelve cylinders. Superb cask selection! Colour: amber. Nose: and here comes the sulphur again, though reined in to more civilised levels and leaning towards paraffin, perfectly paired with a heaped basket of orange zest dipped in honey. I’m almost tempted to stop here, it’s that good, precise, flawless, and 100% old-style Mortlach (reminds me of the oldest 32yo 1971/2004 official, sheer magic). Mouth: have we already said this was perfect? Both in terms of those fruity-bitter flavours and from a historical and philosophical standpoint. The pink grapefruit is absolutely sublime too. Dare we call this an authentic Mortlach? One could debate it for hours… Finish: long, with the arrival of ferns, pepper and those famed Italian herbal and root liqueurs. Comments: truly, truly impressive in its precision, every marker’s in place.
SGP:662 - 92 points. |
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Mortlach 35 yo 1989/2025 (44.2%, Artist #15 by LMDW, The Dark Side of the Moon, 2nd fill sherry butt, cask #S-28607, 250 bottles)
Lovely Pink Floyd-esque series name, faintly reminiscent of the Glen Grant 1972/1995 ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’ by Signatory/Velier, which was excellent too (WF 90). Ah, popular culture… Colour: amber. Nose: this is fresher and more cheerful, the sulphur clearly of the paraffin oil variety, with touches of pistachio cream and sesame, the proverbial citrus fruits, a few very light metallic touches (copper coins), then slightly bruised baked apples with cinnamon and honey. A gorgeous nose. Mouth: incredible. Again it calls to mind the official 1971, the waxes are in full caps, the ripe fruits are… well, ripe, the honey is utterly honeyed and the sulphur increasingly discreet, though still present. Without it, it just wouldn’t be Mortlach, would it. Finish: long, superb, tense and pulsating. Citrus, honey, pepper etc. Absolutely no excessive woodiness, on the contrary. Comments: beautiful artwork by Sthenjwa Luthuli on the front of the bottle (or is it the back?) If the contents weren’t so splendid, you could almost buy it just for the artwork and pour the whisky down the sink. Yes, sacrilege—but at this stage, who’s counting.
SGP:661 - 92 points. |
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Mortlach 19 yo 1975/1995 (59.9%, The Whisky Connoisseur, Cask Master Selection No.1, cask #6261)
Hold tight, these folks have already delivered some utter marvels. Largiemeanoch, anyone? Colour: gold. Nose: do not nose this kind of malt while standing, you might just topple over. Incredible oils, graphite above all, then sunflower, sesame paste, linseed oil and patta negra ham with plenty of belottas. Sublime profile, almost abstract. With water: a handful of barley soaked by autumn rain (really?) Mouth (neat): we’re stunningly close to the Artist bottlings here, only with even greater tension and bitterness. Water should ease things off a little, but it’s sublime. With water: no, it’s utterly sublime. Citrus and beeswax dancing a frenzied tango to the sound of Gotan Project. Finish: is it really necessary to go on? Only the aftertaste turns slightly green, soapy and acidic in a rather unexpected way, and that just shaves off 2 points. Dura lex… Comments: but again, what a beauty! Though both the Kanpaikai/Antelope and the LMDW were just a touch above, after all.
SGP:561 - 91 points. |
We were having several other Mortlachs we wanted to taste today as well, but given the way things turned out – quite beyond our control, rest assured – it’s probably best to leave it there. We’ll try to taste them before Christmas. I mean, Christmas 2025. |
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November 9, 2025 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
Rum, and
more rum
And we’re certainly not going to complain, especially as we’re kicking off this new little session with a small-batch independent Foursquare at a very approachable strength…All the while with thoughts fixed on Jamaica, which is currently striving to mend its wounds. |
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Foursquare 8 yo (41%, Tres Hombres, Barbados, 4,296 bottles, 2023)
A maturation of eight years on location, followed by five months at sea aboard a sailing vessel in former calvados and PX casks. Just a reminder that the house of Tres Hombres has nothing to do with the famous eponymous ZZ Top album, which featured the legendary La Grange (a-haw haw haw-haw). Colour: pale gold. Nose: tremendously fresh, with honey and oranges, followed by a few delicately spiced biscuits, especially with cinnamon and star anise, plus hints of praline. Mouth: absolutely excellent, not particularly marked by the calvados or the PX, and unless I'm imagining things, there are undeniable salty and maritime notes, and even a touch of diesel. One gets the impression there's a good deal of pot still in this lively and crisp little Foursquare. Finish: not even short and still fairly saline. Comments: what's more, it's always a pleasure to enjoy a fine rum without needing to resort to our pipette and our Vittel. Then again, that does depend on the spirit's body type; here, it's a full textured one.
SGP:552 - 87 points. |
Seeing as we’re hanging out with ZZ Top (well, almost…) |
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Oliver & Oliver 15 yo (48.5%, Tres Hombres, Dominican Republic, 2025)
15 years in bourbon casks (though within a ‘solera’ system involving a rather baffling triple-aging process – ha, the DomRep!) then 4 months at sea in PX. Since the juice hails from Oliver & Oliver, let us simply hope this isn’t too sugary… Colour: gold. Nose: very light, with notes of hay and herbal tea, just a whisper of paraffin and rubber. It isn’t particularly expressive despite some maple syrup emerging a little later; even the PX seems to be hiding, but the palate will be the final arbiter. Mouth: a little sweet but with great restraint, really nothing bothersome, with an oily texture, candlewax, some orange cake, followed by chamomile infusion and a caramel that’s present yet discreet. Finish: rather short but clean, on slightly bitter caramel and herbal tea. A touch of orange zest in the aftertaste. Comments: well, it’s pleasant! Even if not quite my style, I’ll happily admit that.
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
Maybe we should’ve had the Dominican before the Foursquare, agreed. Let’s carry on… |
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Panama 14 yo 2010/2024 (50%, Arturo Makasare by C’Rhum, Cask Collection)
Colour: gold. Nose: same general territory as the Dominican, a light distillate handled with respect, seemingly without any makeup or Botox. A touch of fresh putty, lime blossom infusion, and a little hay once again… With water: ashes and even a faint whiff of firwood smoke, though there’s still more of that fresh putty. Mouth (neat): there is a bit of syrup, perhaps added at birth, but it lends a pleasant orgeat and triple-sec character, and everything feels freshly done with care. A drop of pineapple liqueur. With water: not much change, though it becomes a touch drier. Hints of coconut. Finish: nice length. Comments: once again, not quite my preferred style (spoken as a malt enthusiast!) but within this style, it’s really not bad at all.
SGP:551 - 82 points. |
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Trelawny 2014 ‘<>H’ (56%, C’Rhum by Corman-Collins, Jamaica, +/-2025)
Trelawny means Hampden, oops, they’re arriving rather early in the session. Let me just remind you of the old saying (well, mine), ‘the only thing that can follow Hampden is more Hampden’, especially when the label declares high ester levels, as it does here – around 1,000 gr/HLPA. Right then, off we go… Colour: chardonnay. Nose: brand new Scotch tape, at least a fifty-kilometre roll of the stuff. Or thereabouts. Then seaweed and olives in perfect synchronicity. With water: like a gentle giant, powerful yet approachable. Remember the prog-rock supergroup Gentle Giant? Mouth (neat): perfect, at a perfect strength that doesn’t even call for water (though we’ll reduce it anyway – procedures, you see). With water: olives, lemon, seawater, glue, tar. Finish: same again, with plenty of ground pepper now tickling your lips. Yes, yes, we know, it’s rather the alcohol. Comments: but how good this is!
SGP:463 - 90 points. |
So, we're staying with Hampden for good, right to the end of this session… |
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Jamaican Rum (64.9%, Swell de Spirits, On Tour #8, for Limoges Spirits Festival, Jamaica, 87 bottles)
Right then, here we’ve got some <H> 2016 blended with C<>H 2007, married together in an ex-Port Mourant cask from 2011. Does any of that make the slightest sense on paper? … But in the glass, things may be altogether different. Colour: white wine. Nose: soft and rounded like a cup of hot chocolate in Vienna at first, but the cavalry soon charges in with the expected mix of seawater, olive oil, lemon juice and fresh varnish. Mind the ABV though, let’s not scorch our nostrils… With water: it folds back onto Spanish olive oil, but what Spanish olive oil! I’d recommend the one from Clos Mogador in Priorat. Their wines too, of course. Mouth (neat): very lovely (fermented mango!) though admittedly a little hot. Quick, the necessary precautions… With water: doesn’t shift an inch, just becomes easier. Happens to me often with Hampden. Finish: long, more on petrol now, but the balance remains spot on. Those fun notes of ultra-ripe mango make a welcome return. Comments: perfect. The number of times we've used that word during Hampden tastings must be frankly embarrassing. For me, at least…
SGP:563 - 90 points. |
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Navy Island Jamaica (57%, Navy Island, +/-2025)
A blend of 11 Jamaican rums of varying ages, all from pot stills, so inevitably with some Hampden in the mix—after all, last time we checked, there weren’t even 11 distilleries in Jamaica. Colour: pale gold. Nose: more balanced than the pure Hampdens we've just had, a touch fruitier too (ripe banana), and far more dangerous, as it currently gives the impression it could be sipped like warm milk. With water: ripe prunes, seawater, fresh tar, petrol, guavas… Wow. Mouth (neat): an incredible rush of Williams pear, clementines, varnish, glue, sea water… It’s utterly charming, there must be some low-marques in here, and that’s a very good thing. Possibly even some white rum. With water: even more Williams pear, plus a slightly sweet note. Williams pear liqueur. Finish: rather long, very good, still marked by the pear liqueur and some guava. Comments: that slight sweetness on the palate cost it a point or two, but this really is an excellent blend, one you could safely serve to your neighbours who aren’t especially ‘rum geeks’.
SGP:652 - 86 points. |
To finish, let’s move on to a mini-vertical tasting of three Hampdens from La Maison & Velier, bearing in mind we’d already sampled the fourth, and youngest, the 4-year-old. |
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Hampden 7 yo 2018/2025 ‘HGML’ (60%, La Maison & Velier, Magnum series #3)
1,200 bottles and 600 magnums available. With these superlative rums, the bottles are safer, you can make your way through one and live to tell the tale, which is not quite guaranteed with a magnum. Apologies for the perhaps overly Bukowskiesque aside. Indeed, WF hasn’t been banned yet, much to our own astonishment. HGML means high-ester, between 1,000 and 1,300 gr/HLPA. Hold on tight… Colour: gold. Nose: criminally glorious, fat, pure, fruity (think fruit eaux-de-vie), and brimming with essential oils, terpenes and various hydrocarbons, yet delivered with a certain poise. Almost. With water: a strikingly fermentary side emerges, quite beautiful, with plenty of acetone and even some ammonia. Mouth (neat): more brutal and, crucially, drier. Fir bud schnaps, anchovy brine, kelp, industrial glue… With water: still brutal, grippy, domineering and ultra-rustic, with an enormous amount of salt. Finish: very long and finishing on a family-sized bag of ultra-salty Dutch liquorice with not a speck of sugar in sight. Comments: for the masochists—and I must humbly admit I’m among them, under these circumstances.
SGP:473 - 91 points. |
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Hampden 8 yo 2017/2025 ‘<H>’ (60%, La Maison & Velier, Magnum series #3)
Again, 1,200 bottles and 600 magnums. <H> carries slightly fewer esters than HGML but, strictly between us and from a malt whisky enthusiast’s perspective, it’s pretty much six of one, half a dozen of the other. It’s a bit like the ppm numbers in Octomore, not necessarily proportional, are they. Colour: gold. Nose: well, that’s me proven wrong once more straight away, this one is a touch fruitier and less focused on varnish and brine than the 2018. You’ll tell me that’s likely the effect of an extra year in wood (S., of course it is). With water: coming closer now. Mouth (neat): not a huge difference here, though there is a slightly more prominent fruity oakiness. Ultra-ripe bananas, skins and all. With water: the glues and varnishes return with full force and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Finish: long and glorious, with a bit more cedarwood at this point, some pencil shavings… Incidentally, you’ll have noticed that pencils, too, come with ‘marques’: H, B, HB, F… Comments: I genuinely can’t choose between them—I love both equally, which is to say, immensely. Okay, this one was slightly fruitier…
SGP:563 - 91 points. |
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Hampden 9 yo 2016/2025 ‘LROK’ (60%, La Maison & Velier, Magnum series #3)
LROK is a lighter marque, between 200 and 400 gr ester/HLPA. But let me insist, there’s even less logic or consistency in these ester gradings than in the positions of a member of the long-declining French Socialist Party. Proper museum pieces, those. As our hero Coluche once put it, give them the Sahara and six months later they’re ordering sand. Right, moving on… Colour: gold. Nose: let’s be honest, this is much fruitier (banana and honey cake) and probably more complex and, above all, more elegant than the higher ester marques, though it’s by no means lacking in esters, varnish, petrol or even tar. With water: peach purée à la Bellini appears, even some mashed strawberries. Mouth (neat): low-ester, you say? Well, indeed, it’s a touch lighter, less textured, fresher, fruitier, but we’ve basically just gone from 98-octane petrol to 95. With water: salt returns, along with pencil shavings. Finish: long, saline, well-balanced, with a character not unlike a good terroir-driven sauvignon blanc, which is, at best, five percent of the world’s sauvignon blanc output IMHO… Comments: I’ve a slight preference for the two previous ones, which were a little more spectacular, but not to the extent that this lovely little LROK deserves fewer points. Let’s say the others were 91+, this one’s 91-. Don’t worry, we’re neither Moody’s, nor Fitch, nor Standard & Poor’s.
SGP:552 - 91 points. |
I’m deeply ashamed of not having managed to tell these three ‘Magnums’ apart. So, I’ll be going into exile tomorrow in a teetotal country (though a tax haven), and I’ll return once I’ve recovered. Or when I get forcibly deported. Right. |
 Check the index of all rums we've tasted
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November 7, 2025 |
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A top-notch trio of old Taliskers
Granted, there’s been a lot of Talisker on WF lately, but it’s a distillery—and a malt—we’re deeply fond of. After all, it’s the closest cousin to Brora/Old Clynelish. Yes, honestly… That said, today we’ll be focusing only on older, rather prestigious vintages.
(Recent magazine advert. Apparently, it's perfectly fine to drink Talisker out of tin mugs.) |
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Talisker 30 yo 1993/2024 (60.4%, OB, Cask of Distinction, for Gourmet Pool, selected by Sebastian Jäger, cask #ZL01, 459 bottles)
Quite the ABV at this age, but we’ve few fears here and now, hic et nunc... Colour: pale gold. Nose: a Toledo blade, lemon, brine, oyster juice and iodine tincture. It’s millimetric, chiselled, ultra-precise, surgical. With water: pine resin and teak oil in abundance, which happens to be something we absolutely adore. Mouth (neat): marvellous. Pomelos and oysters in a wild, rubbery and peppery tango. Well, that about sums it up, except one ought to add a generous helping of smoked fish. With water: it’s true that it isn’t outrageously complex, but it becomes even more coastal and maritime. Your twenty-fourth oyster, having already downed twenty-three. Finish: long, a tad oilier now, which is rather fortunate. Almond milk, seawater, shellfish, seaweed, propolis. Comments: apparently we missed the pepper, but at this level of coastal character, it’s practically an offshore regatta. Are they using super-enzymes or what?
SGP:565 - 91 points. |
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Talisker 34 yo 1989/2023 (48.7%, OB, Cask of Distinction, for Jimmy Chen, refill American oak hogshead, cask #2816, 201 bottles)
We tasted a Lagavulin COD also selected by Jimmy Chen the other day, and it was superb. Colour: gold. Nose: magnificent, very tertiary, almost decomposed in the best possible sense, on lots of crushed slate, chalk, acidic soils, charcoal, burnt fir wood, dried seaweed and Champagne, with a few touches of mushroom (agaric). We’re already entering another dimension... Mouth: back to drier things, almost more modern, saltier than saline, this time rather peppery, the whole being very tight and yes, very dry and spicy. Let’s see what water can bring (perhaps)... With water: brine, preserved lemons, seawater, the faintest hint of cardboard. It does seem to be drifting slightly toward dryness, yet it remains, of course, an absolute marvel. I imagine it wouldn’t have benefited from a later bottling; one senses we’re already nearing the limit. Finish: fairly long, salty, very dry. Comments: the fruits have more or less abandoned ship, but the ensuing ultra-dryness brings its own abundant charms.
SGP:265 - 90 points. |
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Talisker 44 yo ‘Forests of the Deep’ (48.8%, OB, 1,997 bottles, 2022)
We do quite like the names they give some of their expressions; they carry a certain gravitas, unlike those of the SMWS, which, let’s admit, are far funnier. At any rate, we’d never tried this 44-year-old before, though we did taste the 45-year-old ‘Glacial Edge’ two years ago and found it magnificent (WF 93). This 44 was a new collaboration with Parley. Cask staves were loaded aboard Parley’s expedition vessel, bound for the kelp forests off the Cape of Good Hope. Once returned to Scotland, they were made into ten casks and lightly charred using Scottish kelp and stave shavings. Alright then... Colour: full. Nose: we find a richer, fruitier profile, almost reminiscent of salted butter caramel, with a faint note of mango and, above all, plenty of quince, which pairs beautifully with some lightly peppered whelks and razor clams for the maritime side of things. It gradually becomes more subtle, with delicate touches of linseed oil, fresh mastic, paint and beeswax, before apricot brings the fruitiness back to the fore. Mouth: drier, more oaky, and saltier too, the fruits having retreated somewhat, but there’s nori, wakame, a little green liquorice, black propolis once again, green pepper, oysters with Tabasco... Finish: the bitterness comes through, and it’s a lovely kind of bitterness, only very slightly drying. A touch of lemon zest lifts the aftertaste quite nicely. Comments: excellent, of course, though I did find the 45-year-old a touch more compelling. In fact, let’s revisit it... yes, indeed, it was a little ‘zestier’, shall we say, though the family resemblance is clear. One could raise the matter of value in relation to the 10-year-old (WF 90), which costs at least a hundred times less. But talking about money is vulgar, isn’t it.
SGP:465 - 91 points. |
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November 6, 2025 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today today Tormore 2002 vs 1992 |
We’ll start with one of the ‘official pre-releases’, before the first versions put together by the very dashing new owners are unveiled. We’ll have to wait a little longer. |
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Tormore 2002/2025 ‘Legacy Casks’ (48.5%, OB, Elixir Distillers, LMD Itinéraires, first fill bourbon barrel, cask #1443, 140 bottles)
A note, this 2002 even predates the Pernod Ricard era, who only took over the distillery in 2005 following the Allied years. Colour: gold. Nose: an earthy edge with late-season hay, alongside a highly distinctive fruitiness—prickly pear jam, a hint of Tokaji aszú, ultra-gentle mint, and some extremely ripe little tomatoes. I find this really beautiful, and above all, quite unique. Mouth: all that singularity carries through, with notes of marc de gewurztraminer, a sly little slivovitz from the back of the cupboard, blood orange, and cherry-scented pipe tobacco. It then shifts to something more rooty, with a touch of gentian. Finish: rather long, veering towards crème caramel now, followed by a trace of marc on the aftertaste, though more like Burgundy marc. Comments: I find this wee fellow tremendously characterful, and once the surprise wears off, it’s truly excellent.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
Is this unusual profile inherent to the distillery, or just a one-off? Only one way to find out – track down an even older Tormore... |
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Tormore 31 yo 1992/2024 (40.1%, Milroy’s Vintage Reserve, hogshead, cask #101180)
It was a close shave in terms of strength! Colour: white wine. Nose: this dives straight into sourdough, oat porridge and, above all, cottage cheese and mashed turnips, followed by a touch of compost. For now, it’s light years away from all the recent Milroy’s malts I’ve had the pleasure of tasting. Mouth: much better than the nose, though still very grassy, fermentary and chalky. It does improve with time, but the crackers and rustic porridge character isn’t particularly easy-going, especially with all that greenery. A pleasant note of greengage plums brings a bit of grip. Finish: better again, though it’s a bit late to the party. Let’s say mirabelle tart—one of the finest tarts in existence—but that herbal note bounces back on the aftertaste. Comments: we’ve loved all the recent Milroy’s, but I find this one a little less obvious and certainly lacking that ‘clean line’ feel.
SGP:351 - 82 points. |
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