Review / Dalmunach 6 years old

This new whisky is the inaugural bottling from the Speyside distillery of Dalmunach that is available for general release. The Dalmunach 6 years old will form part of a trilogy of whiskies from the distillery in a series named Mythical Creatures. All will be inspired by Scottish mythology. The first features the wulver, a mysterious beast said to hunt and fish around the coast of the remote Shetland isles. The whisky has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks and will be exclusive to The Whisky Exchange. The Dalmunach 6 years old Mythical Creatures 'Wulver' is bottled at 60% ABV and will cost £59.95 per bottle. To purchase - click here.

Review / Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured

This is a new whisky that is the latest to enter the core range of single malts of the popular Speyside distillery of Aberlour. The Aberlour 14 years old Double Cask Matured has undergone a double maturation process (as the name suggests, haha) with a minimum age of 14 years. First the whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels from Kentucky, USA and then in ex-Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain. This process was overseen by Graeme Cruickshank, the Master Distiller at Aberlour, and his cask selection team. The whisky will be a constant bottling in the core range but created and released in small batches. Our bottle is from Batch 0002.

Review / Caperdonich 18 years old & 25 years old

These two whiskies form part of The Secret Speyside Collection from Chivas Brothers, a 15-strong selection of single malts from the company's lesser known Speyside distilleries. Four such distilleries feature in the collection - Braes of Glenlivet, Glen Keith and Longmorn are all currently in production with Caperdonich closed for many years and now demolished. This makes these two whiskies arguably the rarest of the series. 

The Caperdonich 18 years old in particular is extremely rare as it features peated spirit, which was only produced at the distillery for a short time each year during a short period of its history. The Secret Speyside Colection feature six Caperdonichs in total - three using the classic spirit at 21, 25 and 30 years of age, and three using the rare peated spirit at 18, 21 and 25 years of age.

Review - Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish

This is a permanent addition to the core range of the famous Ballantine's blended Scotch whisky range, released in September 2020. The Ballantine's 7 years old Bourbon Finish has been created by Sandy Hyslop, the Master Blender for Ballantine's. He blended single malts and single grain whiskies for a traditional Ballantine's expression with a minimum age of seven years, before then finishing them in ex-bourbon casks sourced from Kentucky. The new whisky is inspired by founder George Ballantine, who started selling his own 7 years old aged whisky in the 1870s. It was also a time when Ballantine's were one of the first companies to be importing ex-bourbon casks from America.

Allotment Dram - Ballantine's Finest

Matt is back at our north London allotment on a very warm May afternoon and talks about the Ballantine's Finest, one of the biggest selling whiskies in the world. Listen as he samples the whisky and gives some basic tasting notes, along with some history of this famous old brand.

(Apologies, but I made an error during recording and did not realise until afterwards. I should have said one million bottles per week, not per month. Sorry and hope you enjoy it - Matt.)
 

#allotmentdram

Review - The Glenlivet Distiller's Reserve

The Glenlivet Distiller's Reserve is part of the new Triple Cask range of single malts, which are exclusive to the travel retail sector. It is a rebranding of the previous Master Distiller's Reserve release. The other two whiskies in the range are the White Oak Reserve (which replaces the Solera Vatted) and the Rare Cask (which is a re-naming of the Small Batch). As the name suggests, three casks have been used for maturation for each bottling. In the case of the Distiller's Reserve these are first-fill American white oak, European oak and ex-sherry casks used in combination.

Review - Aberlour Casg Annamh

The Casg Annamh is a new small batch single malt from the popular Speyside distillery of Aberlour. The name translates as 'rare cask' from Gaelic. Graeme Cruickshank, the Master Distiller at Aberlour, has selected a number of ex-Oloroso sherry casks made from both American and European oak to produce this first batch. The idea is that subsequent batches will follow a similar principal but will each be subtly different. Casg Annamh is non chill-filtered and bottled at a strength of 48% ABV. It is available worldwide in specialist whisky stores and will carry a price of £55/$70 US per bottle.

Review - Havana Club Tributo 2018 Edition

This is the third release of the annual super premium small batch bottling from the leading Cuban rum brand of Havana Club. The Tributo 2018 Edition has been finished in smoky Scotch whisky casks, which is a first for the brand. Each release of Tributo is designed to pay tribute to different elements of the Cuban rum production process - this year honours the influences of casks during the maturation process and is enhanced with subtle peat smoke aromas and flavours.

This latest expression of Tributo, which was first released in 2016, was created by Asbel Morales. He is the Havana Club Maestro del Ron Cubano and hand selected various aged rums (including some of 60 years of age) and blended them together before finishing them in casks that had previously held smoky single malt Scotch whisky.

Review - The Glenlivet Captain's Reserve

The Captain's Reserve is a new single malt from the famous Speyside distillery of The Glenlivet. The new expression has been finished in ex-Cognac casks and honours Captain William Smith Grant, the great grandson of The Glenlivet's founder George Smith, who fought in France during the First World War. It is initially matured in first-fill ex-sherry casks made from American oak. It joins numerous expressions in the core range, including the Founder's Reserve and recently re-introduced 12 years old, but also designed to show the versatility of the Glenlivet spirit and the experimentation happening at the distillery.

Review - Ballantine's Hard Fired

Ballantine's Hard Fired is a blended expression created using a double-charred cask product process which produces an expression with enhanced flavours of sweet smooth vanilla and spicey smokiness.

The signature 'Hard Fired' process takes a specific selection of American oak casks which are then charred a second time to a specific level that is judged by sight by the highly experienced coopers. These best of these casks are then filled with a unique Ballantine's blend to rest.

Review - Longmorn The Distiller's Choice, 16 years old & 23 years old

These three whiskies form the first permanent range from the cult Speyside distillery of Longmorn, which is regarded as one of the 'best kept secrets' of the Scotch whisky industry.  The Distiller's Choice, which was released earlier this year, is joined by a re-invented version of the 16 years old and a new 23 years old expression. The three whiskies have been created by Trevor Buckley, the Distillery Manager at Longmorn, and they are designed for the premium single malt drinker.

Review - Chivas Regal Ultis

Chivas Regal Ultis is the first ever blended malt, a whisky made solely from single malts, to be released by the renowned premium brand.  It has been crafted using five rare single malts from within the Chivas Brothers portfolio of Speyside whiskies - Allt A'Bhainne, Braeval, Longmorn, Strathisla and Tormore.  The use of five malts reflect the fact that Chivas Regal has only ever had five Master Blenders since it was first released in 1909, with Ultis being created by the current Chivas Brothers blending team. The name is a combination of two words - 'Ultimate' and 'Fortis' (meaning 'strength' in Latin).

De-Ciphering The Glenlivet Code

The Glenlivet, the famous Speyside distillery, have announced a new limited edition single malt for this Summer but it is one with more than the usual hint of intrigue.  The Glenlivet Cipher has been released with virtually no information attached, except the legally required alcohol strength of 48% ABV.

No tasting notes, no details of cask types or maturation (other than it is a unique combination never used for The Glenlivet before), no age statement and no indication of colour or style due to the striking black opaque bottle. The bottle and packaging give clues of flavour and aroma but little else.

The Glenlivet distillery has always been innovative since it was founded in 1824 by George Smith.  It was the first distillery in the Speyside region to be granted a distilling license under the new Parliamentary Excise Act of 1823 and this approach has led to The Glenlivet becoming the world's best selling single malt brand when it overtook long-standing leader Glenfiddich in mid-2015.

Now The Glenlivet Cipher continues the brand's innovation.  Like Alpha, Cipher's predecessor from a couple of years ago, the whisky challenges common perceptions by removing obvious stimuli.  This time the mystery and challenge is increased by a user-friendly and interactive digital element.

By visiting cipher.theglenlivet.com you can create your own aroma and flavour profiles for Cipher and also pit your wits against Alan Winchester, the Master Distiller of The Glenlivet.  It is plenty of fun and really gets you to analyse the whisky both on the nose and palate.  Do not worry as Alan is on hand to assist you with some useful tips.

Once you have chosen your six aroma and flavour characteristics, the results are collated into a graphic cipher and your selections compared to those of Alan to reveal how close you are.  You can then share across various social media platforms using #TheGlenlivetCipher and @TheGlenlivet.  As you can see above, my score was terrible (48%) so I think Alan's job as Master Distiller is safe for a while longer ...

"I am laying down the ultimate test and am pleased to invite people to join us on a journey of flavour discovery.  I will be checking social media throughout the campaign to see who manages to crack the code and unlock the tasting notes of this new enigmatic single malt.  So get tasting, share your comments online and stayed tuned."
Alan Winchester - Master Distiller at The Glenlivet.

The Glenlivet Cipher is available now from selected specialist retailers across 25 world markets including Canada, Taiwan and the UK.  The recommended retail price is £85 or $US120.  The full details of Cipher will be revealed to The Glenlivet Guardians by Alan Winchester later in the year.  In the meantime, why not join in and create your own aroma and flavour profile at cipher.theglenlivet.com?

#TheGlenlivetCipher

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 - 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.

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.

Review - The Glenlivet 'Founder's Reserve'

The Founder's Reserve is a new expression in the core range of The Glenlivet single malts. The new whisky has been crafted by Alan Winchester, the Master Distiller at The Glenlivet, and is designed to pay homage to the style of whisky created by the distillery's founder George Smith.  It has been matured predominantly in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks.  The introduction of the no age statement Founder's Reserve has been prompted by the increasing success of The Glenlivet.

New release - Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso

The Nàdurra Oloroso is the latest new release from the famous Glenlivet distillery.  The release follows plans that were recently announced to create a range of their popular and award-winning Nàdurra. The series will highlight the different types of casks used at the distillery. This new whisky has been solely matured in first fill ex-sherry casks and will join the original Nàdurra, which is matured solely in ex-bourbon casks.  Other expressions will be released at later dates. Nàdurra means 'natural' in Gaelic.

Have just tried - Aberlour 18 years old

Aberlour is one of the best selling single malts in the world and currently sits within the global top ten for volume of sales. It is also the top selling single malt whisky brand in France, which is the biggest whisky market in the world. Aberlour is also popular in the UK and southern Europe, and the core range consists of the best selling 10 years old, plus two versions at 12 (one of which is non chill-filtered), 15, 16 and this 18 years old. These are joined once or twice a year by a cask strength single batch whisky named A’bunadh (pronounced a-boona).

New release - The Glenlivet Alpha

This latest single malt from the famous distillery in Speyside is one of the most mysterious new releases of the year to date. It is mysterious because very little is known about it and details will be slowly revealed over the coming weeks, such as age and cask maturation type. As a result, The Glenlivet Alpha is packaged in a black bottle and carries no tasting notes or other details. Essentially, The Glenlivet are asking consumers to take a 'step into the unknown' and be part of an innovative and unique journey.