Tag: islay
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Port Charlotte comes of age
Port Charlotte is no stranger to this blog: there’s been both the visit to the distillery (Bruichladdich) in the Islay trip and the sampling of the old PC range that showcased the effect of increasing age, but still in the single digits. Today we take a sip of the childhood (10yo), teen years (15yo), and…
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Buy or pass?
Today I’ll try samples that acquired of two recently released bottles that have been on my potential-buy list. Let’s see if I’ll be convinced to pull the trigger… or put the gun away. Craigellachie • 15yo (2009) • 59.5% • Signatory Vintage Scotch Single Malt • First-fill bourbon barrel • Natural Colour & Unchillfiltered •…
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Linlagnahoenean
Lots of super-exclusive, old-age stuff recently. It’s time to bring things back to earth with some young spirit, but hopefully yummy drams, and work on topping up that baby blend. I’ll warm up with some Lindores, a sample of their early standard bottling that I didn’t receive in time for my Lindores tasting. Followed by…
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From still to snifter in a semi-century
From the still in the 70s (1974 or 75), to the bottle in the 90s (around 1993), to my glass in 2025: these whiskies have been on a journey through time. We have here three more or less peated whiskies of almost identical vintage and age, a Springbank, an Ardbeg, and a Caol Ila. Should…
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WC sniff & sip 2025 (Part 2/2)
We continue after Part 1 with the second batch of 12 secret samples. One can surely expect a special finale! Hercynian Whisky Co. | “The Alrik Limited Exclusive” | 55.1% | Official 🌐 German single malt 🪵 PX sherry quarter casks 💲 €130 (50cl) 🔗 whiskybase from a 2cl sample bottle tasted blindly 🗒️ Tasting…
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Bottle kills of 2024
The year is heading towards its end, and so are quite a few bottles that have long occupied the top shelf of my drinks cabinet where all the open bottles live a crowded life. It is indeed a good time to make room for the new immigrants that will be cracked open in 2025, so…
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Bowies from three decades
Back for some more of that Bowmore. The not-so-amazing core range was one of my first horizontals on the blog (#13-16), followed up by a special 25yo release (#32), and then over a year later some special Bowmore blends (and one not so special, #200). Tonight’s roster sports a rather random trio of 2cl Bowmore…
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The Helmsman and Smoky Two
At the back of the cupboard I have two driver’s drams that I picked up at Bunnahabhain distillery during the 2023 Islay trip. So they’ve sat in small sample bottles for a worryingly long time. However at some point (late 2023 perhaps) I sealed the cap lining with wax in a hope to reduce oxidation.…
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Bowies and Laphies
One Friday night I was craving the thrill of gustatory exploration, but did not want to have the quantity of alcohol associated with a full comparative whisky tasting. So I blindly took one sample from the increasing pile of forgotten minibottles. It turned out (as I revealed to myself after the tasting) to be Bowmore.…
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The Jingle Malts of Scotland
It’s been many weeks of hard work, and no whisky tasting. Now I finally have a day off, and what a grand tasting I shall have as a reward for my toil! A 14yo Lowland, 13yo Highland, 31yo Speyside, and 28yo Islay, all single casks with 51-54% ABV. These are the samples from undisclosed distilleries…
DuckDrams 