Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 2, 2018)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, 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.

New release - Glengoyne 1990 Auld Enemy

Glengoyne, 15 miles from the centre of Glasgow, is the most southerly Highland distillery in Scotland. Straddling the Highland/Lowland line that defines Highland malt distilleries from Lowland malt distilleries, it is in the unique position of having the distillery buildings located in the Highlands and the warehouses across the road located in the Lowlands. Back in the day Glengoyne was sometimes even referred to as Lowland malt but these days the distillery is very proudly a Highland whisky.

Founded in 1833, at the foot of the Blairgar burn from which it takes it water, the distillery was ideally located to serve the growing population in Glasgow. Indeed, before this time the area was known as a hotbed of illegal whisky production, with illicit distillers taking advantage of its remote and rugged terrain and the opportunities to make a quick buck in the nearby markets of the central belt.

The Auld Enemy bottling is a single cask whisky from 1990 which has been released in conjunction with the inaugural Auld Enemy dinner and auction celebrating the England/Scotland rugby rivalry over the years. All proceeds from the dinner, auction and the whisky will go towards the Help for Heroes fund and the Bill McLaren Foundation. Bottled from a sherry butt at a strength of 54.4%, there are only 300 bottles available of this whisky. It is only available direct from the distillery or from Royal Mile Whiskies for £175.

Our tasting notes
So intense and complex. Surprisingly nosable at full strength. Sweet and creamy at first, reminding me of chocolate éclairs, a bittersweet note of vanilla and burnt sugar akin to crème brulee comes next. There the French based dessert theme ends and a mulchy, forest floor aroma comes along and then the whole thing gets all fruity, reminding me of prune juice or grape juice, maybe cherry juice, possibly all three. Also Demerara rum and bananas – there’s something here that reminds me a little of El Dorado. I’m getting different things every time I take a sniff; treacle toffee, fruit cake, ginger cake, fresh mint. There’s also a little crispy duck aroma that’s making me hungry. Some bitter notes too; coffee, echinacea concentrate. With water there’s some lovely baked apple and pear aromas, it also gets pleasantly citrusy with some orange peel and there’s also some sugary elements too, reminding me of barley twists and flat coke.

Forceful on the palate, where there’s vanilla fudge at first but it gets spicier and dryer as time goes by. Sweet and spicy drying notes combine to give malt loaf, pine honey, ginger, cinnamon, fennel seeds. The finish is like liquid raisin juice. There’s a mildy pleasant drying mouthfeel throughout. With water it settles down, it’s more bitter and spicy at first with a nice oakiness alongside liquorice, fennel seeds and aniseed. It’s towards the finish where it gets sweeter with a juicy, Demerara fruitiness like fruit salad and caramel. There’s some spearmint and Juicy Fruit chewing gum on the finish that hangs around for ages.

What’s the verdict?
Well, you can certainly file this one under the “sherry monster” category but unlike some heavily sherried whiskies it’s neither too bitter and dry nor dirty and sulphuric. Even then, these sorts of whiskies are not to everyone’s tastes, some people preferring a little more balance between cask and spirit character but in my opinion when these heavily sherried whiskies are good, they can be very, very good indeed and the Auld Enemy is one of those “very good indeed” ones. Having said that, it is still a little pricy for a 21 year old but it’s an excellent, complex whisky and the money goes to a worthy cause.

Inbox > April 8, 2011

Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR type material that has found its way in to our email inbox. Sadly, we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece that we receive, so Inbox was born! It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we will write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information if you want to. Here is this week's news - grab a dram and enjoy!
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The Chivas Regal Cannes Experience
Chivas Regal, the premium blended whisky brand, has announced an extension to its sponsorship of the iconic Cannes Film Festival. This will be the third year that it will be an official partner of the festival, which will be staged for the 64th time this year. To celebrate, Chivas are offering a VIP trip for you and three friends to Cannes. The winner will have a whistle stop 24 hour experience that includes return flights, tickets to a movie premiere including walking along the red carpet, meeting stars, entry to an exclusive after-show party, luxurious accommodation and dinner at a top restaurant in Cannes. To enter, simply go to the Chivas Regal Facebook page. Good luck!

Spirit of Unity > A unique whisky to help earthquake victims
A group of seven independent Scottish distilleries have collaborated to create a unique whisky that will generate vital funds for the Japanese and New Zealand earthquake relief work. Each of the seven – Arran, Benriach, Bladnoch, Glendronach, Glengyle, Kilchoman and Springbank – have donated a single cask of whisky, which have been blended together to create a limited edition named Spirit of Unity. The bottle and container (pictured, left) has also been donated free of charge by Chesapeake Branded Packaging. There are only 2,000 bottles, with 1,200 being sold in the UK market through two nominated retailers – Royal Mile Whiskies and Loch Fyne Whiskies – at £59 each (plus postage). The remaining 800 bottles will be sent to Japan and New Zealand, where they will be sold. Every penny of the sales will go to the relief efforts in the two countries and this will total almost £120,000. Spirit of Unity can be pre-ordered from UK retailers’ websites.

Whyte & Mackay > Recreate 100 year old whisky
Whisky company Whyte & Mackay have recreated a whisky that has been buried under the ice of Antarctica for a century. The company's Master Blender, the legendary Richard Paterson, has taken eight weeks to blend and marry the new whisky in order to achieve an exact replica of the original whisky. This original was produced by MacKinlay's and was left by Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton on a failed expedition to the South Pole in the early 1900s. It was not discovered until 2007 and only recently three of the bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay's headquarters in Scotland, where Richard Paterson analysed the whisky. The originals are to be returned to the ice but the new version will be available shortly.

The replica Shackleton whisky will retail at £100, with 5% of the proceeds going to the New Zealand based charity who maintain part of Antarctica and who found the original crates of whisky. It has been bottled at the original's strength of 47.3% ABV and 50,000 bottles have been produced. The packaging for this new whisky has also been replicated to be as original as possible, including imperfections in the glass and wooden box! The whole series of events, from the discovery through to the blending process, has been recorded and will be released as a documentary by The National Geographic Society later in the year.

Have just tried ... Kilchoman Single Cask from Royal Mile Whiskies

A new distillery
Kilchoman (pronounced kil-coe-man) is one of Scotland's newest whisky distilleries. It is located on the western side of the famous whisky island of Islay, which lies off the Scottish west coast. The distillery is named after a local church parish and is brand new - the first spirit was produced in June 2005. Kilchoman is independently owned by the Kilchoman Distillery Company and has an annual production capacity of around 100, 000 litres, making it one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland. It is already building up a cult following of whisky drinkers and attracts over 10,000 people a year to its visitor centre.

Exclusive whisky
The first official single malt whisky from Kilchoman was only released in November 2009, once it had reached the legal age of three years and was allowed to be named as whisky, and has received rave reviews. Prior to this, Kilchoman had released a series of bottlings of their new make spirit that had been aged between one month and two and a half years. This bottling is from a single cask that was specially selected for whisky retailer Royal Mile Whiskies. The whisky was distilled on 22 May 2007 and bottled just over three years later on 4 June 2010. There are only 264 bottles available and its alcoholic strength is 61.7% ABV. The retail price is £59.95. We thank Michael Hopert and Matt Tilbury at Royal Mile's London shop for the chance to sample this exclusive whisky.

Who are Royal Mile?
Royal Mile Whiskies is one of the UK's leading independent whisky and spirits retailers. The company was established in 1991 and has established a worldwide customer base. They currently have two shops - one on Edinburgh's Royal Mile (hence the name!) and one in London's West End - with a third shop in Edinburgh specialising in cigars. Royal Mile Whiskies have one of the best whisky retail websites on the net and in addition to an expansive range of whisky, bourbons and other spirits, the website is also home to in depth distillery profiles, whisky history and staff tasting notes. It is well worth a visit - www.royalmilewhiskies.com.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is light and golden. The nose has an interesting combination of vibrant freshness and rich smokiness - the aromas coming through include toffee, fresh green fruit (think of pears, apples and greengages), vanilla, citrus (imagine lemon zest), a hint of something spicy (reminiscent of peppercorns) and plenty of woody bonfire smoke. On the palate, this is initially crisp and fresh but feels sweeter and less savoury than the nose suggests. This sweetness has elements of honey, vanilla and icing sugar to it. These combine well with the slightly acrid but pungent peaty smoke (this feels slightly more ashy than on the nose), some distinct cereal grains and the fresh green and citrus fruits - the overall feeling remains clean and refreshing. It ends up being creamier with more vanilla coming to the fore. The finish is long, vibrant and sweet with that vanilla and woody bonfire smoke prominent. The smokiness burns away before fading in your mouth and it becomes dry towards the end.

What's the verdict?
As mentioned, most Kilchoman releases to date have received rave reviews. It is easy to see why as they show much potential and seem a little older than their young age would suggest. This Royal Mile bottling is another example that shows this potential and much quality. Having said that, it is still very youthful and gets you thinking about how good the whisky from this distillery could be in the future. Let's hope that temptation to meet demand isn't fully followed and some whisky survives to prove or show the point. This is by no means the finished product and people need to remember that before getting carried away, but it's a good and promising start!

New releases ... Laphroaig 1999 single cask from Royal Mile Whiskies

Royal Mile Whiskies is one of the UK's leading independent whisky and spirits retailers. The company was established in 1991 and has established a worldwide customer base. They currently have two shops - one on Edinburgh's Royal Mile and one in London's Bloomsbury Street - with a third shop in Edinburgh specialising in cigars. Royal Mile Whiskies have one of the best whisky retail websites on the net and in addition to an expansive range of whisky, bourbons and other spirits, the website is also home to in depth distillery profiles, whisky history and staff tasting notes. For this reason, we included it in our recent Top 10 Whisky Websites feature. Check it out at www.royalmilewhiskies.com.

Details of the whisky
Regularly, the guys at Royal Mile Whiskies carefully select and bottle their own whiskies and the latest of these have just been released. This example is from the famous Laphroaig distillery on the isle of Islay - it is bottled from just a single cask and at the natural cask strength of 56.8% ABV. The whisky was distilled in June 1999 and bottled in April 2010 and there are only 309 bottles available. It can be purchased from either of their shops or from the website at £39.95 each.

A world famous distillery
Laphroaig is one of the best known whisky distilleries in the world. The name is derived from the Gaelic for 'beautiful hollow by the broad bay' and is pronounced la-froyg. The distillery is located on the island of Islay, which lies off the west coast of Scotland. Laphroaig and Islay are renowned for producing very smoky, peaty flavoured whisky and Laphroaig's 10 years old is the best selling whisky of this style in the world. The distillery was founded in 1810 and is currently owned by drinks corporation Beam Global. It has an annual production capacity of 2.9 million litres.

Our tasting notes
The colour of this whisky is a pale straw yellow and the nose is vibrant, aromatic and full of smokiness. The smoke has an ashy bonfire nature to it, with some damp peat and moss behind it. Behind this are some other aromas that combine well to give an excellent and promising nose - sweet vanilla, cereal grains (think of rolled oats or grain husks), fresh green fruits (imagine pears and apples) and a distinct note of dried grasses. On the palate, this whisky is again vibrant and fresh with a lovely mix of tangy citrus (think of lemon zest), hot spices (imagine red chillis and peppercorns) and sweet ash-like bonfire smoke. The smokiness is slightly less prominent than on the nose and allows further character notes through more easily. These include vanilla, oatmeal, fresh green pears (reminiscent of Poire William liqueur), some saltiness (think of brine) and a slight hint of acrid rubber. The finish is long and fresh, with plenty of that bonfire ash smoke and sweetness. It grips your palate and won't let go!

What's the verdict?
This Laphroaig 1999 is a cracking dram! It exhibits great balance for something with such a high alcohol level - it maintains a good level of intensity, spiciness and smokiness throughout. We found that the addition of water dampened the smokiness, softened the spiciness and thinned the texture in the mouth. A very impressive independent bottling - well done to Royal Mile Whiskies. We thank Matt Tilbury in the London shop for giving us the chance to sample this new whisky.

Please note - the image above was taken from the website of Royal Mile Whiskies.

Our Top 10 whisky websites

The number of whisky blogs and websites on the internet has risen massively over the last couple of years and each one contributes to a lively and vibrant whisky community online. The beauty of this online community is that there is enough room for everyone's voice, their style of site and their opinions. The fact that each website is written and programmed by different people, in different styles and with differing opinions is what makes the community so interesting.

Blogs can offer immediacy and short sound bites of information, whereas the benefit of a website is that it can offer more in depth information and be used more as a permanent reference resource. To this end, we started our website – www.whiskyforeveryone.com - about a year ago as an extension of our blog. This has allowed us to share much more information than is viable on a blog post, covering subjects such as whisky basics, detailed distillery profiles and interesting facts and figures. If you haven’t visited it already, then please click the link above and let us know what you think.

Here, we have decided to champion some of the best whisky websites that we have discovered since we first joined the community less than two years ago. We have made many friends and acquaintances along the way and this Top 10 is a tribute to each one's work. It would be unfair to rank these, as each offers something unique and which you may prefer is ultimately up to you, so we have listed them in alphabetical order. Recently, we produced a similar list of our favourite whisky blogs – to view this list, click here.

Ardbeg
www.ardbeg.com
Almost every whisky brand, distillery and independent bottling company have a website these days and while most are functional and ‘do the job’, there are few that truly stand out. Ardbeg is one of these and has taken the genre of the ‘distillery website’ to a different level. They combine innovative graphics, plenty of customer interaction and informative text in a stylised and impressive website. The ‘style’ of the website is carried through to their equally innovative marketing material. The site also includes a shop that allows you to buy Ardbeg whisky and other associated products. The only down side is that the site tends to crash dramatically when large numbers of people go on it at the same time to try and buy a limited edition release! Other well branded websites include Monkey Shoulder and Smokehead.

Aspiring Gentleman
www.aspiringgentleman.com
This is a cracking site that is not just about whisky, but all things for the ‘aspiring gentleman’. Whisky plays a major part on the site, with regular reviews, detailed tasting notes and relevant talking points and news. Cigars play the other major part on the site and there are excellent reviews and tasting notes of the products. However, these whisky and cigar articles are placed alongside others covering all manner of subjects such as cigarettes, tailoring, shaving, beer, other drinks and spirits, etiquette, male grooming and accessories. All articles are extremely well written and make easy reading for beginners to these subjects. We have learnt a lot, especially from the cigar reviews. There is also a store section that allows you to purchase related items, including a decent range of whisky books.

Connosr
www.connosr.com
This is a whisky social networking site that allows you to post and compare whisky reviews with other users. The site is the brainchild of Jean-Luc and Pierre Thiebaut - two whisky enthusiasts and web designers, who decided to combine their day job and hobby in order to create Connosr. There is not another site like Connosr that is purely led by its readers and contributors and it is a valuable source of information and opinion. In addition to posting your own whisky reviews, it allows you to speak with other users, rate whiskies using a star system, create your own whisky wish list, cabinet and history and much more. Connosr has been going for just over a year and is extremely popular, with over 3000 members already. Another more traditional style of forum worthy of a mention is WhiskyWhiskyWhisky.

Malt Maniacs
www.maltmaniacs.org
Where to start? Put in simple terms, Malt Maniacs is one of the most comprehensive and informative whisky websites and resources around. It is also one of the oldest whisky sites, having been started in 1997. As a result, there is a vast back catalogue of articles, tasting notes and reviews of over 10,000 whiskies! Malt Maniacs is unusual as it has contributions from a select group of ‘friends’ who are located all around the world. These include a number of the whisky glitterati, such as Charles Maclean, Dave Broom, Mark Gillespie, Ulf Buxrud and Serge Valentin (in fact, Serge’s popular blog Whisky Fun started life as an offshoot to Malt Maniacs and contains regularly updated tasting notes). The founder, Johannes van den Heuval also writes his own side project called Malt Madness, which focuses on whisky news and distillery information.

Royal Mile Whiskies
www.royalmilewhiskies.com
Royal Mile Whiskies is a retailer who have two stores – on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile (unsurprisingly!) and in London – and they have an excellent website, from which you can purchase the wide range of products that they stock. It is not for that reason that the website has been included in this Top 10, but because it is also one of the biggest resources for finding whisky tasting notes, distillery information and industry news that is available. This site has become one of our first ports of call for us when we look for any whisky related information and is where we have learnt so much. It is especially good and user friendly for the beginner, explaining things in layman’s language. Other good retailer sites that offer plenty of information are Gordon & MacPhail and La Maison du Whisky.

Scotch Whisky.net
www.scotchwhisky.net
This website markets itself as ‘the definitive online guide to whisky’ and in our view, it is not far wrong. The site contains a vast amount of information on all aspects of whisky. The distillery information profile pages are a particular highlight as they supply concise bullet pointed info and facts. These are split in to general information, distillery history, images, comments and available bottlings. The format is very easy to read and user friendly. In addition, numerous other sections are laid out in a similar way. These include information on different whiskies (single malts, blends and grain), whisky retailers and bars around the world, independent bottling companies, whisky history and manufacturing techniques and food/cocktail ideas. An excellent resource and a great site for beginners.

Single Malt TV
www.singlemalt.tv
Single Malt TV is a channel devoted to the world of whisky. The concept was formed in 2006 and it soon grabbed the interest of both whisky connoisseurs and beginners alike. The channel is internet based and operates with 24 hour programming. It was also the first channel (internet, terrestrial or satellite) to be shot exclusively in the Hi-Definition format. Single Malt TV contains everything from full length feature programmes to snippets of clips lasting less than a minute. It covers all manner of subjects to do with the world of whisky – tasting reviews, distillery visits and profiles, food and whisky matching/recipes, interviews with interesting and relevant characters from within the industry and basics guides to whisky production. Well worth a visit and before you know it, you will have been watching for hours!

Whisky Cast
www.whiskycast.com
This is one of the pioneers of the whisky podcast. Whisky Cast was started in November 2005 by journalist Mark Gillespie, when he decided to create and use the podcast as a tool for his own whisky education. The show is produced once a week and can be downloaded from the Whisky Cast site or iTunes. There are currently over 240 editions of Whisky Cast and they are all available in an extensive back catalogue. The podcasts include whisky hot topics, interviews with influential people within the industry, whisky tastings and notes, news, forthcoming events around the world and competitions. There are also archives of photographs and whisky tasting reviews/ratings, as well as a shop stocked with a selection of items including whisky books, glasses and hipflasks.

Whisky Emporium
www.whisky-emporium.com
The Whisky Emporium is an excellent website that is run by Keith Wood in Germany. The self-proclaimed ‘Bavarian exile’ has constructed one of the finest whisky resource sites around and it is packed with information. The main body of the site is the Tasting Notes section, where Keith combines distillery information with the tasting notes of any of that distillery’s whisky that he has sampled. The distillery/tasting list is extensive and you can find yourself reading through the well written notes and then wondering where your time has gone (we speak from experience!). There are other sections worth mentioning such as Dram-atics (Keith’s personal whisky blog), information on collecting and tasting whisky and a shop where you can buy 5cl samples from Keith’s collection.

Whisky Sites Directory
www.whiskysites.com
This is a simple yet effective site that offers links to numerous other whisky websites and blogs. The directory gives links to many of the whisky distillery and brand websites, with many of the Scottish, Irish, American and Japanese brands being placed alongside some lesser known producers from around the globe. There are also links to the multitude of whisky information websites and whisky blogs that are available on the web. As we say, it’s a simple site but one that is easy to use and concise, providing a valuable resource for whisky enthusiasts and beginners alike.

Please note - all logos and images are taken from the original sites.

Have just tried ... Single Casks from Royal Mile Whiskies

Royal Mile Whiskies is one of the UK's leading independent whisky and spirits retailers. The company was established in 1991 and has seen it reputation grow and establish a worldwide customer base. They currently have two shops - one on Edinburgh's Royal Mile and one in London's Bloomsbury Street - with a third shop in Edinburgh specialising in cigars. Royal Mile Whiskies have one of the best whisky retail websites on the net and in addition to an expansive range of whisky, whiskey, bourbon and other spirits, the website is home to in depth distillery profiles, whisky history and staff tasting notes. Check it out at www.royalmilewhiskies.com.

Royal Mile Whiskies carefully select and bottle their own whiskies from time to time and the latest of these have just been released. Each of the three whiskies are bottled from a single cask and offer excellent value for money as they are all priced under £30 and bottles are limited. They can be purchased from either of their shops or from the website. Below are the details and tasting notes for each of the three new whiskies.

Islay 9 years old (Bunnahabhain)
Bunnahabhain distillery is located on the north eastern coast of the western Scottish isle of Islay. This whisky was distilled in 1999 and is light and straw like in colour, with a fresh and lively nose. It is full of sweet cereal grains and even sweeter fresh green fruits (think of pears, apples and white grapes). There is also a whiff of saltiness (imagine sea air). On the palate, this is sweet and sugary (think of icing sugar). The sweetness is again coming from the grains and fresh fruit elements but there is also a zingy citrus quality (imagine lemon zest). This combines with the salty note (think of brine) to give a mouthwatering feel. The finish is fresh and reasonably long with just a hint of some earthy smoke coming through.
(46% ABV/415 bottles/£24.95)

Orkney 11 years old (Highland Park)
Highland Park is a distillery on the Orkney islands that lie to the north of the Scottish mainland. Distilled in 1997, this whisky is golden in colour with a slight amber hue. The nose feels rich with a combination of caramel, cereal grains, something floral (think of dried heather) and some lovely earthy peat smoke. On the palate, this feels soft and smooth with the caramel particularly prominent (this has a slight burnt sugar quality). There is also some sweet honey, that dried heather again, a citrus note (think of candied orange peel), a hint of saltiness and rounded, light peatiness that has a spicy edge (think of pepper). The finish is medium to long and particularly sweet and earthy.
(46% ABV/330 bottles/£26.95)

Islay 10 years old (Bowmore)
Bowmore is a distillery famous for its smoky style of whisky and is located in the centre of the western Scottish isle of Islay. This whisky was distilled in 1999 and the colour is a pale gold amber. On the nose, there is an immediate smoky hit (think of bonfire smoke) and then some sweet cereal grains, vanilla and caramel notes start to come through. There is also a lot of alcohol spirit that attacks your nostrils as this is bottled at 62.7% ABV, and this calms when water is added. The palate is robust and intense with the elements from the nose being joined by some dried fruits (imagine sultanas) and some spiciness (this appears especially when water is added). The finish is very smoky, long and slightly bitter and woody. It begins sweetly before becoming very dry.
(62.7% ABV/291 bottles/£29.95)

Have just tried ... St. Magdalene 1982 'Berry's Own Selection'

St. Magdalene is a Lowland distillery has been closed since 1983. Despite closing almost 26 years ago, the distillery buildings are still standing and have been sympathetically renovated into apartments. The distillery originally opened in 1795 in the town of Linlithgow, which lies between Edinburgh and Stirling and occasionally whisky distilled at St. Magdalene is also released under the name of 'Linlithgow'. It was one of Scotland's oldest distilleries until its closure. St. Magdalene was regarded as having one of the most perfect locations in Scotland for both whisky production and transportation links, being situated very close to some of the main barley growing areas, the main Edinburgh to Stirling road and the Union canal.

St. Magdalene and Linlithgow whiskies are now extremely rare and are running out, so are highly sought after by drinkers and collectors alike. The majority of the remaining dwindling stock is owned by drinks giant Diageo, who occasionally release special bottlings. The rest of the stock is held by independent bottling companies, who carefully select when to release it. This one is released by Berry Brothers & Rudd, the famous London wine and spirits merchant, and forms part of their 'Berry's Own Selection' whisky range. It is 25 years of age, having been distilled in 1982 and bottled in 2007.

The colour is light and lemon yellow with a delicious nose that entices you to want to try it. There is a lovely sweetness that reminded me of a combination of vanilla and caramel (think of that combination as an ice cream and you will be close). Under this sweetness are lots of fresh aromas - some fresh fruit (imagine shiny green apples and cantaloupe melon) and freshly mown grass. On the palate, that sugary sweetness hits first and is then joined by the vanilla, fruit and grassy notes from the nose. The vanilla is more oaky (think of a waxy furniture polish) and there is also a refreshing zingy citrus note (imagine fresh lemon juice). Interestingly, there is just the faintest hint of peat smoke in the background, which is an ususual characteristic to find in a Lowland whisky. The finish is quite dry and grassy (more dried grass or hay this time), with the hint of peat and the vanilla oak coming through. It is long for something that is so light.

This is a superb whisky, that is light and refreshing yet highly complex. It just has to be tried to be believed. This Berry Brothers bottling is available in selected whisky retailers only for around £80 a bottle, although Royal Mile Whiskies currently have it for a MEGA BARGAIN price of £59.95! This would be a great opportunity to try St. Magdalene whisky before it finally runs out.

Have just tried ... Port Ellen 1982 bottled by Royal Mile Whiskies

Port Ellen distillery has been closed for 25 years and the stocks of whisky produced there are getting less and less as time goes by. Originally built in 1825 on the island of Islay, the distillery had a chequered history. Now, it is renowned as one of the best and most sought after Islay whiskies and coupled with the dwindling stock, it is also one of the most expensive to buy. This contrasts with periods in the distillery's past, where it was deemed surplus to requirements and this includes a period of non-production of almost 40 years (between 1929 and 1967) and ultimately, it's closure in 1983. Most of the distillery has now been dismantled or demolished, although the malting facilities are still operating and supply malted barley to a number of other distilleries on the island. The maltings and most of the existing whisky stock are owned by drinks giant, Diageo and they occasionally release bottlings that are snapped up by collectors around the world. Independent bottling companies also hold some stock and some of these releases are more common and slightly cheaper. This bottling is released by Royal Mile Whiskies and is available only in their two shops in Edinburgh and London or via their website. A single cask has been bottled, so there are only 255 bottles available and they are available for £95 each. So you will have to be quick if you want to buy one!

The nose is gorgeous. It is smoky but quite subtle smokiness (the longer a whisky matures, then the less smoky it becomes) with sweet maltiness and a salty note coming through (it reminded me of sea air in a way). The smokiness is fragrant and quite earthy and mossy. On the palate, all of these elements are present and mix beautifully with something nutty, woody and there is a bitter element (iodine, which is a classic Islay characteristic). The finish is long and combines the smokiness, saltiness and sweetness almost perfectly, although it is a bit dry right at the end. This is a cracker and lives up to Port Ellen's reputation. It is complex yet quite light and delicate for something that has been aged for 25 years. If you ever get the chance to try any Port Ellen, then do not hestitate.

Have just tried ... Port Charlotte 2002 'Royal Mile Whiskies exclusive'

Port Charlotte is not actually a distillery. There used to be a distillery on the island of Islay called Port Charlotte, however this closed in the 1920s. Now another Islay distillery, Bruichladdich, have brought the old buildings and are renovating them so that production can start once again in 2009. Currently, only the malting house is in operation and it is here that the barley used in this whisky was malted. Bruichladdich are releasing limited editions of heavily peated whiskies under this Port Charlotte name. This one is a very limited release of 439 bottles. The owner of Royal Mile Whiskies, Keir Sword, purchased one cask and has chosen to bottle it now after five and a half years of maturation. There have only been three previous releases of the new Port Charlotte spirit since reopening. Two have been released by Bruichladdich (named PC5 and PC6) and one by an independent bottling company.

The colour is very pale, like straw and the nose blows you away. It is packed with heavy smokiness (imagine a bonfire), damp moss, vanilla and something vegetal (reminded me of fresh leaves). On the palate, the smoke is very full on and quite overpowering but there are other flavours coming through. There is sweetness mixed with a spiciness (like cracked black pepper) and a distinct salty character. The finish is quite long with that smokiness and saltiness hanging around for a decent time. This is very good and smooth considering it is a very young whisky. To be honest, I found the smokiness a bit overpowering but once you got beyond that there were some other very interesting characteristics. This whisky can only be bought at Royal Mile Whiskies and retails for £29.99.