Review - Ardmore Port Wood Finish

The Port Wood Finish is the latest addition to the core single malt range from the east Highland distillery of Ardmore. It was released back in October of this year.  The whisky is made in the distillery's traditional mid-peated style, which has been produced there since the early 1900s.  It is currently the only Highland distillery to produce the majority of its whisky in the smoky style.  This whisky has been aged in ex-bourbon casks for 12 years before being finished in ex-Port half pipes. The Port Wood Finish comes in the new brand packaging, featuring map-style graphics of the local area and Ardmore's eagle logo.

Review - Kininvie Special Release #1 'The First Drops'

The First Drops is the oldest ever expression from the Speyside distillery of Kininvie to be released. It is also the first bottling in the new Special Release series and was launched at a low key event in London back in October.  The whisky is constructed of just three casks from Kininvie's first ever day of production on June 25 1990.  These have been selected by Brian Kinsman, the Malt Master at William Grant & Sons (the owners of Kininvie), and each cask has been bottled at 25 years of age for one of three markets - Europe, Taiwan and the UK. They will all be available through specialist retailers, with the UK bottling the first to market.

Great Places To Drink Whisky - The Pot Still, Glasgow

The Pot Still is a pub and whisky bar in the centre of Glasgow.  It is located on Hope Street, a steep road that climbs north and away from Central Station.  The building where The Pot Still is located was built in 1835 and was originally a wine and spirits merchant.  It transferred to become a public house in 1870 and was run by generations of the same family, the McCalls, until 1971 when it was sold to Tennent Caledonian Breweries.  In 1981, it was taken over by John Waterson, who renovated the pub and increased the range of whiskies over time.  He changed the name from McCall's Bar to The Pot Still.

Review - Big Peat Christmas Edition 2015

Big Peat is a blended malt that is produced by the independent bottling company of Douglas Laing.  The brand is made exclusively from Islay malts and is known for its punchy, smoky character. It forms part of a wider range of blended malts from Douglas Laing, which celebrate each of the major whisky regions in Scotland.  These are named Rock Oyster (Islands), Scallywag (Speyside) and Timorous Beastie (Highlands).  The Big Peat Christmas Edition was first released in 2011 and is essentially a cask strength version of the regular Big Peat.  The bottling is released annually and has built up a cult following.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (December 4, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 27, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Flaming Heart (5th Edition)

The Flaming Heart is made by Compass Box, the innovative artisan whisky blending company. This is the fifth edition of this award-winning blended malt and has been released to celebrate the company's 15th anniversary.  It remains true to the original 2006 expression of Flaming Heart, but uses older whiskies. This is a marriage of Highland and Islay malts ranging from 14 to 30 years in age, plus a seven years old blended malt featuring three Highland distilleries that has been matured in French oak casks for a minimum of two years. The Flaming Heart takes its names from the famous quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, where he states: "Every great achievement is the victory of a flaming heart".

Review - Port Dundas 12 & 18 years old

These two whiskies are from the closed Glasgow single grain distillery of Port Dundas.  Occasional bottlings of Port Dundas have appeared from Diageo, the owners when the distillery closed, and independent bottlers in the past but this is the first time that the distillery has been presented as a range, albeit a limited one.  Two expressions have been selected from remaining stocks - 12 and 18 years of age - and these will be exclusive to the American market with no immediate plans to expand beyond that.  Both whiskies have been matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 13, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - The Deveron 12 & 18 year olds

The Deveron is the first ever range of single malts to be released from the Macduff distillery in northern Aberdeenshire.  The name of the range is taken from the River Deveron, which flows next to Macduff and then out in to the North Sea shortly afterwards. The new range features expressions of 10, 12 and 18 years of age with all bottled at 40% ABV. The range is the last to be released in a series by owners John Dewar & Sons called The Last Great Malts - this has seen whiskies released from their five Scottish distilleries, most for the very first time.  The other four are Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Royal Brackla.

Review - Hibiki Japanese Harmony

The Japanese Harmony is the latest addition to the core range of the Hibiki.  The new whisky has been created by Shingo Torii and Shinji Fukuyo, Master Blender and Chief Blender respectively at brand owners Suntory.  They have used the same whiskies as in the original version of the Hibiki blend, which was first released in 1989. The pair have used single grain whisky from Suntory's Chita grain distillery plus malts from their Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries.  These have been matured in a combination of American white oak, Mizunara oak and ex-sherry casks.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 6, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Glenmorangie 'A Midwinter Night's Dram'

The famous north Highland distillery of Glenmorangie has announced a limited edition single malt designed for the winter months. A Midwinter Night's Dram has been crafted by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Distilling & Creation at Glenmorangie, and is a marriage of ex-bourbon casks made of American white oak and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.  The bottling pulls inspiration from the tradition of Glenmorangie giving its distillery staff a bottle of whisky on St. Andrew's day at the end of November to help them through the tough winter months in the Highlands.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 30, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Great Places To Drink Whisky - The Bon Accord, Glasgow

The Bon Accord is located in North Street on the western edge of the city centre in Glasgow.  The pub was first opened in 1971 and has grown to become a Glasgow institution and a must visit destination for beer and whisky fans.  It is owned by Paul McDonagh, who purchased it fourteen years ago and who we were lucky enough to meet briefly during our visit.  Under Paul and his family's ownership the establishment has gone from strength to strength and regularly pulls in awards.  One of the most recent was for the Best Whisky Bar in the UK in 2014.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 23, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - This Is Not A Luxury Whisky

This Is Not A Luxury Whisky is the latest limited edition relase from the multi award winning artisan blending house of Compass Box.  The whisky plays on the concept that the liquid, rather than packaging, that defines quality and seemingly challenges other brands that think otherwise.  The whisky is a blended malt containing four different components and each were selected and blended by John Glaser, the company's founder, and his team. The name pays homage to the 1929 painting by Belgian surrealist artist René Magritte entitled La Trahison des Images (The Treachery of Images), which famously states 'Ceci n'est pas une pipe' ('This is not a pipe').

Review - The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Whisky Cask Finish

This whisky is the third and final bottling in the revised Nàdurra range from The Glenlivet. The Nàdurra, which means 'natural' in Gaelic, is a series of cask strength whiskies designed to show the 'roots of The Glenlivet'. The latest releases is the Peated Whisky Cask Finish.  It joins the First Fill Selection and Oloroso expressions and sees The Glenlivet single malt finished in casks that have previously held heavily peated Scotch whisky. The original version of Nàdurra was launched in 2004 and was the first ever cask strength expression of The Glenlivet on the market. Subsequent releases have seen the series attain a cult status amongst whisky fans.

Review - Diageo Special Releases 2015

The Diageo Special Releases are one of the biggest and most talked about annual whisky releases. Each Autumn, the largest producer of single malt in Scotland announces the line up.  The Special Releases programme has been running since the early 2000s and is designed to showcase some to the finest and rarest stocks in Diageo's portfolio, both from their current 28 single malt distilleries and those no longer in operation.  All the bottlings are at the natural cask strength, non chill filtered and limited edition.  The 2015 collection features nine whiskies.

Karen and Matt C were privileged to be invited to a small private tasting of the nine whiskies in London last month. The tasting was hosted by Dr. Nick Morgan, Diageo's Head of Whisky Outreach, and Maureen Robinson, one of Diageo's Senior Master Blenders. Both are part of the Special Releases selection panel. A huge thank you to both for the invite.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 16, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - The Balvenie DCS Compendium Chapter 1

The DCS Compendium is new super premium series of single cask whiskies from The Balvenie, the renowned Speyside distillery.  The series will be formed of 25 single cask bottlings, which are to be split in to five chapters, and is named after The Balvenie's long serving David C. Stewart.  He has worked for owners William Grant & Sons for 53 years and has hand selected each cask involved in the DCS Compendium, which designed to chart the knowledge and skills of David Stewart over the five decades that he has been there. 

Review - Chivas Regal 18 years old Ultimate Cask Collection

This whisky is the first in a new series of the popular Chivas Regal blended Scotch whisky that is to be exclusive to the global travel retail sector.  The Ultimate Cask Collection will be a set of three whiskies that aim to reinterpret the classic Chivas 18 years old expression. To achieve this the Chivas Regal 18 years old will undergo a different cask finish. The first release is the First Fill American Oak Finish, which has seen the whisky maturing in these casks for around six months.  Further bottlings are planned over the next two years.  The series will be presented in a robust and luxurious blue and gold embossed box.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 9, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Dalmore 21 years old

This Dalmore 21 years old single malt is a new expression from the north Highland distillery that in conjunction with the 30 years old, which released at the same time, showcases some of their older stocks.  The limited edition whisky has been crafted using casks hand selected by Richard Paterson, the Master Distiller for Dalmore, who has just celebrated his 45th anniversary in the whisky industry.  The liquid included has been matured in American white oak before being finished in first-fill ex-Matusalem Oloroso sherry casks from the famous Gonzalez Byass bodega in Jerez, Spain.

Review - Laphroaig 32 years old

The best selling Islay single malt brand of Laphroaig has announced one of its oldest ever expressions.  The Laphroaig 32 years old rounds off a series of six special releases to celebrate the distillery's 200th anniversary year.  The whisky has been matured exclusively in first fill ex-Oloroso sherry casks, hand selected by Distillery Manager John Campbell, and is limited to just 6,000 bottles.  It has been bottled at the natural cask strength of 46.6% ABV.  These will be available globally shortly and a bottle will cost £750.  The whisky was launched at a lavish event at The Connaught Hotel in London last week (October 1st).

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 2, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Royal Brackla 12, 16 and 21 years old

This new range from the Royal Brackla distillery forms part of a larger range called The Last Great Malts.  This showcases whisky from each of the five Scotch distilleries owned by John Dewar & Sons. Ranges from Aberfeldy, Aultmore and Craigellachie are already on the market, both in domestic and travel retail, with Macduff (which will be bottled under the Deveron name) to follow shortly this Autumn. It is the first full range to ever be released from the distillery and one whose whiskies we were very unfamiliar with.

Review - Jameson Caskmates

The Jameson Caskmates is an innovative new collaboration that sees the famous Midleton distillery, where the hugely popular Jameson brand is produced, working in conjunction with craft brewery Franciscan Well.  Both are based in Co. Cork in the south of Ireland and the release follows a successful trial in Ireland last year.  The partnership sees Franciscan Well age a stout for three months in casks that have previously held Jameson whiskey, before returning them to Midleton.  Then they are refilled with Jameson and finished for six months.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 25, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Distillery visit - Aberfeldy

Aberfeldy is one of the most visited whisky distilleries in Scotland, despite the Aberfeldy range of single malt not featuring in the world's Top 20 best sellers.  Its Highland location and relative proximity to Edinburgh and Glasgow help a lot but the main reason for its popularity is the distillery's importance to Dewar's, one of the most popular blended Scotch brands.  Aberfeldy is one of the signature single malts in the Dewar's range and this is reflected in the Dewar's World of Whisky visitor centre being at the distillery.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 18, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold

The Famous Grouse blended Scotch whisky brand has a new permanent addition to its core range named Mellow Gold.  The new blend has been created by Gordon Motion, the Master Blender for The Famous Grouse, and features a higher percentage of single malt and ex-sherry cask matured whisky than the regular expression of The Famous Grouse.  The bottling features a new packaging design, which is appearing across the core range, and is available now from supermarkets and independent retailers in the UK.  The Mellow Gold is bottled at 40% ABV and a bottle will cost £22.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 11, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Johnnie Walker Select Casks 'Rye Cask Finish'

The Select Casks is a new limited edition range from Johnnie Walker, the world's biggest selling Scotch whisky brand. Each bottling in the range will feature a different and experimental wood/cask finish and further expressions are scheduled to be released over the next couple of years. The first in the Select Casks series is the Rye Cask Finish. The special blend has been crafted by Jim Beveridge, the Johnnie Walker Master Blender, and has been matured in first-fill ex-bourbon American oak casks for 10 years before being transferred to ex-American rye whiskey casks for six months.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 4, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 21, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Bowmore Mizunara Cask Finish

This new release from the Islay distillery of Bowmore offers something genuinely unique - a Scotch single malt that has been matured in Japanese mizunara oak.  This is the first whisky of its kind and stems from the fact that Bowmore is owned by Beam Suntory, the biggest whisky producer in Japan.  Mizunara oak is rare and only grows in northern Japan and small areas of China and Russia.  Trees are very slow growing and take 200 years to reach full size.  Because of this Beam Suntory only make around 100 such casks per year and runs a sustainability programme to replant saplings for future generations.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 14, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 7, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Green Spot Château Léoville-Barton Cask Finish

This new expression of the cult Green Spot whiskey has been finished in ex-Bordeaux red wine casks from the Château Léoville-Barton, a grand cru winery in the Saint Julien appellation of Bordeaux. Château Léoville-Barton is currently owned by Anthony and Lilian Barton, who have Irish ancestry dating back to the 1700s. The whiskey has been matured in a mix of ex-Oloroso, ex-bourbon and new bourbon casks before being transferred for 18-24 months to the ex-red wine casks.  The whiskey is bottled at 46% ABV and is available in a limited number of markets including France, Ireland and the UK.  The recommended price is £43/€59.

Review - Scapa Skiren

Skiren is the new single malt expression from the Scapa distillery on the Orkney islands. The islands have a rich Nordic heritage and the name of this new whisky plays on this - Skiren translates as 'glittering bright sky' from the old Nordic language.  It has been been exclusively matured in first-fill American oak casks.  The Scapa distillery is located close to the village of St. Ola and close to Kirkwall, the capital of the Orkney islands. It is the second most northerly distillery in Scotland and misses out on first place to nearby Highland Park, which is just half a mile down the road.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 31, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Dalwhinnie Winter's Gold

The Winter's Gold is a new single malt that is being introduced to the popular Dalwhinnie core range.  Dalwhinnie is Scotland's highest whisky distillery and one of the most remote. It stands at 326 metres (1070 feet) above sea level and is also the coldest due to its location in the Cairngorm mountains - the weather station at Dalwhinnie records one of the UK's lowest average annual maximum temperatures of just 10.2°C (50.4°F)*.  This whisky has been designed to reflect this cold environment and is suggested to be served frozen as a result.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 24, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Starward Single Malt & Wine Cask

A couple of months ago we went to Australia and during this trip we visited the Whisky Live event in Adelaide.  We were hoping to sample some of the Tasmanian whiskies that are taking the world by storm but were disappointed that very few were on show, especially as some had claimed recent major prizes.  However we did discover something new.  A brand that we were not aware of.  Tucked away in the corner of Whisky Live Adelaide, we discovered Starward whisky.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 17, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Dalmore The Distillery Exclusive 2015

The north Highland distillery of Dalmore have released a limited edition whisky that is exclusively available at their visitor centre in Alness. The Distillery Exclusive 2015 has been created by the Dalmore's Master Distiller Richard Paterson and he has constructed the whisky from a combination of single malts matured in ex-Madeira, ex-Moscatel and ex-Port casks. These have then been finished in first fill ex-bourbon casks for a short period. The Distillery Exclusive has been bottled at 48% ABV and there are just 450 bottles, which will cost £150 each.

Review - Glenturret The Brock Malloy Edition Cask #328

The Glenturret distillery, which is located in the Highlands and is the spiritual home of The Famous Grouse blend, has released this single cask bottling. The Brock Malloy Edition Cask #328 is named after legendary Glenturret stillmen Chic Brock and Hugh Malloy, who produced the spirit and filled it to cask in December 1986. It has been maturing at the distillery ever since and was identified by current distillery manager, Neil Cameron, as being one of the best and oldest remaining in the warehouses.  The decision was taken to bottle it to celebrate the work of the two men.  Bottles are only available via the The Famous Grouse Experience website or by visiting the distillery.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (July 10, 2015)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday.

Review - Benromach 15 years old

This whisky is the latest new single malt from the small independently owned Speyside distillery of Benromach. The 15 years old expression is designed to show a single malt style from the post-Second World War years, when many Speyside whiskies still had an element of peat smoke in them.  This is aided by the distillery's boutique manual approach to whisky making, which has not really changed since that period.  The 15 years old has been matured in a specially selected combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, some of which have been heavily charred, with the larger percentage being ex-sherry casks.