Distillery Visit - Blair Athol

Blair Athol is a gem of a distillery. Nestled in the centre of the Highlands at the southern end of the town of Pitlochry, the distillery is one of the oldest in Scotland that remains in operation. Long labeled as 'The Home of Bell's', it is now starting to market itself in its own right. One recent crisp Autumn afternoon, Matt paid a visit.

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My first recollection of Blair Athol as a fledgling whisky fan was not favourable. Driving through Pitlochry and heading south, we had spotted the distillery. Outside was a massive sign proclaiming it as 'The House of Bell's'. At the time, my thinking was that single malts were better than blends and it instantly made me disinterested in the place. Now, a decade later I know better.

Review - White Walker by Johnnie Walker

The White Walker is a new expression of its best selling Johnnie Walker blended Scotch, which has been developed in collaboration with HBO and Game of Thrones. The whisky is inspired by the popular TV series and has numerous points of reference to its storylines including the evil white walkers, the frozen North and the phrase 'Winter Is Coming'. The whisky is a special limited edition version of Johnnie Walker created by Diageo's team of blenders, which was led by George Harper.

Review - Mortlach 12 years old, 16 years old & 20 years old

The Speyside distillery of Mortlach has announced a revamp of its core range, which introduces three new expressions to replace the previous three bottlings. The new whiskies are the 12 years old 'Wee Witchie', the 16 years old 'Distiller's Dram' and the 20 years old 'Cowie's Blue Seal'. All three are designed to show the bold and audacious nature of the distillery, which is nicknamed 'The Beast of Dufftown', with the bottle size reverting to 70cl from the previous 50cl.

Review - John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2017 Edition

The 2017 Edition is the fourth bottling in the Private Collection range from John Walker & Sons, the super premium branch of the popular Johnnie Walker Scotch brand.  This new expression is entitled 'Mastery of Oak' and investigates how wood character and combinations of casking can influence whisky.  The Private Collection is created by Jim Beveridge, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his blending team at Diageo. The series was launched in 2014 and the three previous expressions have concentrated on smoky, rich fruit and light honeyed characteristics respectively.