Lagavulin 12 yo 2011 release
I have this one on the shelf and had completely forgotten about it! I will be in Islay for the Lagavulin Jazz Festival, so now seems as good a time … Continue reading
Clynelish 14 yo
It would still be summer in Scotland. ‘At most a light sweater or jacket’, I nodded agreeably, after all recent weather forecasts suggested as much. What would be more natural … Continue reading
Glenrothes 1991/ 2008
Speyside is a beautiful place, drive south you find the Cairngorms looming ahead, turn north and the elemental beauty of the coast contains you. Stay where you are and grows … Continue reading
Ardbeg ‘Airigh Nam Beist’
Not enough Ardbeg on this website methinks. Airigh Nam Beist is variously translated as lair of the beast, or shelter of the beast (romantic end) to just a middling pasture … Continue reading
Invergordon 1964, bottled June 2013, 48 yo, Hunter Laing
A first! This is a Single Grain Scotch Whisky, form a single cask, distilled at Invergordon in 1964. Ok so that means it is the product of one distillery, distilled … Continue reading
Longmorn 1996 / 2009, Carn Mor Vintage Collection
Several Longmorns have appeared on Whiskyrific, but they’ve all been well aged examples (a ’69, and 2 early 70s). Here’s a 1996 just because. Longmorn lost it’s coal heated stills … Continue reading
Longrow, just Longrow
Not a 10 year old, but a NAS Longrow ‘Peated’. Seems to be from about 2012 or earlier. As the esteemed reader would know, Longrow is the heavily peated double … Continue reading
Ben Nevis Càrn Mòr Vintage Collection 1997 / 2009
How about another Ben Nevis? This is a fairly young 1997 from the Carn Mor Vintage Collection range, that means 6 years after Nikka took over the distillery in 1991. … Continue reading
Guadeloupe, 1998, 12 yo (Rum) Berry Bros. & Rudd
Rum! Guadeloupe is of course in the area we call the Caribbean, east of Puerto Rico, north of Trinifad and Tobago. It is part of France, so I am in … Continue reading
Bladnoch 1989/2005, 16 yo, Cadenhead Authentic Collection
This lowland distillery is named for the river on the banks of which it is located. It is Scotland’s most southerly active distillery, if viewed on a map, one would … Continue reading
Lagavulin 1985/2007, 21 yo OB, 56.5%
Post number 100! Something special then. I have quoted the William Black quote found on Lagavulin bottles before, but I’ve also often wondered what the original source material was. Today … Continue reading
Johnnie Walker Green Label ‘180 cask’
This was a short lived special that took over the space marked for the old Green Label 15 yo on duty free shelves in airports around Asia and Latin America … Continue reading
Glencraig 1976 36 yo Signatory Vintage cask 4258
So Glencraig is the name of the whisky distilled from Lomond stills from Glenburgie – they replaced the ‘burgie’ with ‘craig’ as the production manager at that time was Willie Craig. … Continue reading
Craigellachie 5yo, 2006 / 2011, Signatory Vintage for LMdW
Google Craigellachie and you will find many matches for the famous hotel and the village. Scroll some way down and finally you’ll see a match for the whisky. Not a … Continue reading
Ballantine’s 17 yo ~ 80s ceramic
Hmm old jug of Ballantine’s 17, frrm the 80s meaning that the spirit within was distilled in the 60s, which means i) old school style and ii) good chance that … Continue reading
Rosebank 1989 Signatory Vintage cask 723 + 724
Apparently there have been a few other Rosebank distilleries one time or other – one opened in the late 18th century by a pair of Stark brothers, another popped up … Continue reading
Yeast – from East to West
Every whisk(e)y distiller relies on yeast to convert the sugar in the wash/mash to ethanol, which is then distilled in the stills. Granted yeast is but 1 factor, however fundamental, … Continue reading
White Horse 1946
White Horse is an old blend, the name was officially registered in 1891, but the brand was founded back in 1861 by James Logan Mackie. However it is his nephew Peter … Continue reading
Wild Turkey, Kentucky Spirit
Time for another bourbon – this one is close to my heart as one of my first whisk(e)y experiences. Wild Turkey is an iconic american bourbon, also available in most … Continue reading
Millburn 1966 16 yo G&M
Millburn, Glen Albyn and Glen Mhor are usually referred to as the Inverness distilleries, though none are open today. Millburn was founded as ‘Inverness’ distillery around 1807, the first of … Continue reading
Aberlour A’bunadh, Batch 34
Aberlour claims a shared parentage with Dailuaine – being founded by James Fleming. Both are east of the River Spey in whisky country. Some sourced give the date of Aberlour’s founding … Continue reading
Tomatin 34 yo 1976 / 2010, The Nectar of the Daily Drams
Distilling allegedly took place on the site of the modern Tomatin distillery long before the official founding, with just 2 stills, in 1897. We know it went bankrupt in 1906 … Continue reading
Madeira basics for the Whisky drinker
Part 3 in this little fortified wine series. Madeira is a fortified wine that occupies a range of flavours from sweet toffee to dry almonds. It has a distinctive oxidised … Continue reading
Longmorn 37 yo 1972 / 2010, The Perfect Dram & Three Rivers Tokyo
A third Longmorn for Whiskyrific – must be something good going on with these old casks. Longmorn 37 yo 1972 / 2010, The Perfect Dram & Three Rivers Tokyo, Refill … Continue reading
Hakushu 12 yo
Hakushu is a Suntory distillery. An earlier post talked about how Japanese distillers being somewhat hampered by the lack of a practice of cask trading, have had to build their … Continue reading
Littlemill 22 yo 1990 / 2013, Whiskybase special bottling
Littlemill might have been one of the oldest documented distilleries with some record of it going back to 1750s, by 1772 offices for the excise officers had been built and … Continue reading
Silver Seal tasting at Auld Alliance Singapore
Mr Massimo Righi, owner of Whisky Antique and whose brands include Silver Seal and the Sestante Collection, was in town and where would Max go for a drink but the … Continue reading
Auchentoshan ‘Three Wood’
An active, no, thriving lowlander! Right outside Glasgow to boot. Truly triple distilled stuff, so this is a rare breed in the modern industry. Triple distillation has its perks and … Continue reading
A Manzanilla and Bowmore Mariner 15yo
Bit of a throw up today, was hosting so – sherry pre-dinner, white wine through dinner, port after dinner and whisky to round it off. Equipo Navazos are the independent … Continue reading
Tobermory 1972 / 2004, Lombard Jewels of Scotland
The distillery we know as Tobermory today was reconstructed in 1972, and recommenced production in the same year. You might have heard glowing reviews of 1972 Ledaig – Ledaig being … Continue reading
Cockburn’s 20 yo Tawny Port
Another port, but a Tawny Port this time. For Port basics go here. This is Part II – Tawny Port Tawny Port is aged the same way as Whisky – … Continue reading
The Balvenie 14 yo, Goldencask
Balvenie was built by William Grant in 1892, and today Balvenie and Glenfiddich are of course sister distilleries, a fact known to most regular whisky drinkers, now owned by the related William … Continue reading
Glenlossie 1984 / 2009, Carn Mor
John Duff plus a few partners founded Glenlossie in 1876. The name goes around somewhat as the colourful character it belonged too was a former Glendronach and Bon Accord manager … Continue reading
Gutierrez Colosia ‘Fino’
While on the topic of Sherry… Gutierrez Colosia is located in El Puerto de Santa Maria on the site of the ruins of the Palace of the Count of Cumbrehermosa -Cargador … Continue reading
Sherry Basics for the Whisky Drinker
So Sherry is traditionally THE most important fortified wine for us whisky drinkers, because back in the day Sherry was what people got drunk on and most importantly, it was … Continue reading
St. Magdalene 23 yo 1982 / 2006, Douglas Laing, OMC
Only the second ever St. Magdalene on Whiskyrific (can’t say I have had many more IRL either) St. Magdalene is a closed distillery, both this and the Chieftains were distilled … Continue reading
Craiglodge, Distillery Select, Single Cask Bottling, 1998 / 2007
In a previous post I described the non conformist, non-SWA member, victorinox many-in-one distillery that is Loch Lomond. Here’s Loch Lomond in the guise of a peaty bruiser. Craiglodge, Distillery … Continue reading
North British 48 yo 1962 / 2010 The Perfect Dram
A grain whisky this time, from North British Distillery. North British does not bottle its whisky, but you and I have certainly drunk a lot of it as the grain … Continue reading
Blair Athol 14 yo, Vom Fass
There isn’t really a whole lot of information on Blair Athol. We know this is a blending distillery, and most of the 2.5 million L output from 4 stills feeds … Continue reading
Royal Lochnagar 1986 / 2009, The Carn Mor Vintage Collection
It’s *ahem* Royal Lohnagar and not plain Lochnagar like it was before 1848, because Queen Victoria visited Lochnagar distillery (located on a mountain named Lochnagar) near her Balmoral estate and … Continue reading
Port basics for the whisky drinker
Part 1 in my fortified wines series, infographic for the whisky drinker: And here’s a picture of a Port pipe, 650L, looks likes a sherry butt no? But bigger … Continue reading
Caperdonich 1977 / June 2002, 24 yo, Cadenhead Original Collection
Caperdonich started life as Glen Grant # 2 in 1898, being located across the street from its famous neighbour. The owners didn’t bother much with naming it anything else. Unfortunately … Continue reading
Grahams LBV Port 2000
A port! How is that whisky related? Why, some whisky is matured or finished in Port pipes no? Right, I started my alcoholic adventures with port so its back to … Continue reading
Rosebank 16yo 1990 / 2006 Malt Pedigree by La Maison Du Whisky
I have not heard of this range, apparently by La Maison themselves? So uncommon I couldn’t even find a good picture of a full bottle: Rosebank 16yo 1990 / 2006, … Continue reading
Talisker 57° North
NAS Talisker… Hmmm…. Talisker is up there on my list of quality malts. Mentally the basic 10 is the standard against which I measure ‘coastal’ whiskies. So I’m really curious … Continue reading
Longmorn 1969, Gordon & Macphail for La Maison Du Whisky
Longmorn is a fine fine whisky – one of those ‘God I hope it gets more appreciation but not too much that profit-lust overtakes quality and common sense’ whiskies. This … Continue reading
Bowmore 1998 2013 The Whisky Agency ‘Stamps’
Another Bowmore – I’ve had a 17 yo OB duty free special ( malt from 1990 and earlier) that was well perfumed and sweetly peaty, the 1968 Signatory that was … Continue reading
Ichiro’s Malt 1991 (Hanyu)
Bought this little 200ml bottle in Japan back in 2010, after that Yoichi 20 yo, curiosity got the better of me and I’ve cracked it open. Ok so this is … Continue reading
Ardbeg 17 yo 1994, Cadenheads Cask Ends,
This will be an interesting post : ) Perhaps the most ‘cult’ of the big 3 on the Kildalton shore – good lord have you seen the auction prices on … Continue reading
Glenallachie 40 yo 1971 / 2011, The Exclusive Malts, Cask 739
Another big blending distillery. Seems to be quite common on Whiskyrific eh? All distilleries can produce both good and bad whisky, but Glenallachie, according to online sources, I paraphrase as … Continue reading
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