Tag: single malt
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Dr. Tobermory and Mr. Ledaig
Some distilleries have a dual a nature. A normal side… and a dark side, if you will. I’m talking about the unpeated versus the peated incarnation. Peat really makes for a radically different whisky, so it’s no surprise that distilleries bottle their unpeated / peated spirits under different names, so as not to create chock…
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Unleash the Clynelish
Clynelish — a whisky with a cult following owing to its characterful coastal and waxy profile. But alas! Some say the wax has waned. Wax on, wax off. As intricately described in this reddit post there are a number of factors in the production process contributing to the waxiness, including long fermentation times for the…
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An empire lost
Imperial is like a poet whose work did not become appreciated until after their untimely death. In modern times a workhorse malt distillery for blends, it was mothballed in 1985, a difficult decade for the industry. Under new ownership it was running again between 1991-1998 but was then silenced, sold, and eventually scrapped in 2013…
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Glencadam ’91 & ’94
Glencadam 10 was my vote for best whisky at Whisky Fringe 2022. Sure, there was more ‘special’ stuff on offer at the Fringe, but the crisp, fruity, and tart profile of Glencadam is simply delicious; and unchillfiltererd, at natural colour, and 46% ABV, the 10yo offers unbeatable value at ~€40. A clue to as to…
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More ‘bow
Following up on the “Bowmore straight from the source“, we are back to try some more of that juice: the 25yo Distiller’s Anthology 01. The juiciest of the lot? I better hope so, given that the I paid £20 for a mere 2cl sample. A bottle would fetch €700 on auction, probably haussed by Bowmore cultists…
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Dea(n)ston
Deanston, not among the most well-known Scotch distilleries, but one that should be! Deanston first came under my radar some years ago in a ralfy.com review, if I don’t misremember. I tried it in an Edinburgh pub, in a context where the focus was more on the company than the dram, but remember getting a…
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Craigellachie x2
I have been watering my whisky bush regularly, and it has grown me a pair of Creigellachies that are now ripe for harvest. The first standard 13yo was gifted to me as part of a larger whisky order I made with an online retailer. A bottle goes for around €40. The other sample is (surprise,…
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Glenwood and Link Elgin
Tonight I have a tasting theme of utmost seriousness, requiring the fullness of attention and discernment: a blind tasting challenge! I happen to have samples from three of my favourite distilleries: Linkwood, Glen Elgin and Deanston. All three are 13 years old, 52-56% abv, and of a comparable colour that suggests all are ex-bourbon casks.…
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Who’s that Whiskémon?
I have here the standard 12yo of Glenallachie, which by the way is an integrity bottling (i.e. natural colour, non-chillfiltered), good on them! And yummy for us. It’s been in my cupboard for a bit over a year since the (in)famous first whisky tasting / super-spreader event I hosted for my colleagues, and it’s nearing…
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Benrinnaissance
Finally, two weeks after the onset of a nasty cold, I feel sufficiently recovered to trust my nose with a whisky review (it’s 14th May today). On the menu: two samples from the Benrinnes distillery in Speyside. One from UK independent bottler Chorlton, that I bought from Hop/Scotch, the other sample from my Single Malts…
DuckDrams 