Glen Ord 23 yo 1973 / 1997 Rare Malts 59.8%
Glen Ord 23 yo 1973 / 1997 Rare Malts 59.8% Certainly old school – Old shops filled with old things, grease flecked with grime and soot. Fur coats, dirty candle … Continue reading
Laphroaig 1979 / 1997 Clydesdale #5963 53%
Several IBs have had 1979s and they’ve always been superb, so high expectations here. Expectations met, very similar to the Glenscoma – which I realize is still sitting in draft. … Continue reading
Glenlivet 1964 commercial sample George & John Gordon Smith
From an old commercial sample from George & John Gordon Smith, that is, the company of the founder of The Glenlivet and his son. It was John who famously took … Continue reading
Ardbeg 23yo 1965 / 1988 Mizuhashi Total Liquor Supply 55%
Revisiting this most esteemed but somehow criminally under-recognized Ardbeg. Best guess is that as a Japanese bottling, it never penetrated our European friends’ imaginations. The whisky? Much as I remember: … Continue reading
Caol Ila 21 yo 1974 / 1996 Signatory #12592 60.5%
Get ready for a ride, these always blow you away. And yes, it slams into you like a tsunami of shards of salt, punchy peat, sharp white smoke, grapefruit rind, … Continue reading
Clynelish 12yo ‘Edward square shoulders long cap’ 56.9%
Is this really my first time putting down notes for this alone? Some say this is the 71 rotation some says weren’t exact. Anyway… I am reminded why I love … Continue reading
Littlemill 24 yo 1989 / 2014 Liquid Library 48.7%
Remember some 10 years ago when that parcel of fruity-grassy Littlemill came out and every IB had some… Now in 2025 I am reminded of its many virtues: Sauvignon blanc-esque, … Continue reading
Bowmore Tempest Batch 4 55.1%
This was back in the early 2010s but already we made it back to the cut and coastal style of Bowmore – which was very welcome at the time I … Continue reading
Talisker 37 yo 1984 / 2021 Prima & Ultima 51.9%
One does not come across 80s Taliskers at this age everyday and of course it will cost you, the industry being what it is now, but what about the whisky? … Continue reading
Port Ellen ‘Maltings’ 21 yo 1973 / 1998 58.4%
One in a small pantheon of legends, remarkable also because of its vintage. Precise yet powerful, with an immensity that rises out of the glass as a colossus from the … Continue reading
Clynelish 21 yo 1992 / 2014 Cadenhead 51.7%
I have a thing for these ‘inter-generational’ Clynelish, and their sharp elbowed but uniquely individual middle child character. This one arrives all raw and bluster with petrol fumes, violet leaf … Continue reading
Ardmore 21 yo 1992 / 2013 Whiskyman 49.7%
Ardmore should get more love. Here’s a very fine medium peated malt with old school character and oftentimes fruit as well. This one has a pleasant clean farmy side to … Continue reading
Tennessee Bourbon 8yo 2016 / 2024 Whisky Sponge 57.1%
Very much what you would expect from Jack or George, though not intensely woody as these Americans go. This one shows nice layers of fine leather, floral elements, molasses and … Continue reading
Lochside 29 yo 1981 / 2010 Whisky Doris #960 58.8%
This one pulls in disparate directions and the result unfortunately detracts from the fruitiness of the Lochside. We have an undeniable fruity core, ripely tropical, warm and juicy, but also … Continue reading
Laphroaig 16 yo 1974 / 1991 Signatory #5119 54.6%
Classic sherry and peat. Purple fruit, cocoa, hot ash and embers. Sea water, licorice, clove laced fruitcake on oily ebony platters. Juicy and moist richness with syrupy molasses. Lampblack, graphite … Continue reading
Caol Ila 35 yo 1982 Special Release 2018 58.1%
The peat really does belie its age. There’s no mistaking a huge dose of powerfully mentholated ointments and a hot peat fire. Still, as with any well aged Caol Ila, … Continue reading
Bowmore 30 yo 1963 / 1993 Anniversary 50%
To my nose somehow peatier and more phenolic than clarity and purity of fruit. On the flipside this one is certainly more robust than expected. Plenty of stove top scents … Continue reading
Speyside Region Malt 41 yo 1975 / 2016 Fino Sherry Cask Antique Lions of Spirits 46.9%
Speyside Region Malt 41 yo 1975 / 2016 Fino Sherry Cask Antique Lions of Spirits 46.9% Beautiful profile very much to my liking. Full of burnished golden hues I identify … Continue reading
Cognac Vallein Tercinier Lot 70 Petite Champagne 52%
Cognac Vallein Tercinier Lot 70 Petite Champagne 52% VT brought me back to Cognac with the Lot 65. This is a 1970 vintage in not so many words. Expensive leather, touch … Continue reading
Bowmore 19 yo Cadenhead 46%
Bowmore 19 yo Cadenhead 46% Vintageless little mini but given the label, something tells me it might be great. Right, I was hoping for fruit, which isn’t here but neither … Continue reading
Clynelish bicolour 12 yo donini import 57%
Clynelish bicolour 12 yo donini import 57% Donini was active up to the mid 90s and given this label, it’s tax strip and code JI, best guess would be an … Continue reading
Longmorn 25 yo 1973 / 1999 Hart Bros #4117 55.5%
Longmorn 25 yo 1973 / 1999 Hart Bros #4117 55.5% One of Michiel’s past Limburg gems. This whisky is almost brown in the glass! A fulsome blend of wood, sweet … Continue reading
Brora 40 yo 1978 / 2018 200th Anniversary 49.2%
Brora 40 yo 1978 / 2018 200th Anniversary 49.2% A masterclass in subtlety. Not far from those glorious Special Releases. These miracles somehow retain a deep phenolic depth though clearly … Continue reading
Longrow 1973 Samaroli 53%
Longrow 1973 Samaroli 53% Billowing clouds of dry and resinous white smoke, oil flecked, mineral and sharp, from a bonfire of medicinal barks and roots, and sap laden branches. Sharply … Continue reading
Glenlossie 24 yo 1975 / 2000 Cadenhead Millennium Bottling 53.9%
Glenlossie 24 yo 1975 / 2000 Cadenhead Millennium Bottling 53.9% One of these old speysiders that can seem quite highland in style, if regions means anything to you. Dried orange … Continue reading
Longrow 18 yo 46%
Longrow 18 yo 46% Brings to mind the charred aspects of a fire, the charred wood, ash, dumped garden clippings, but also a burnt cream in blackened pans and some … Continue reading
Mortlach George Cowie 113.8 proof
Mortlach George Cowie 113.8 proofA bit of a mystery bottle. I knew I had the picture for this but I can’t find it now, though I am sure it was … Continue reading
Bowmore 12 black dumpy 1L for duty free 43% ~80s bottling
Bowmore 12 black dumpy 1L for duty free 43% ~80s bottling A bottle with a livery issued over a long enough period that it has a varied reputation. Since this … Continue reading
Springbank 11 yo 2006 / 2017 Local Barley 53.1%
Springbank 11 yo 2006 / 2017 Local Barley 53.1% Big boisterous Springbank, up to the ears in oily petrochemical notes of spilt diesel on a hot day next to a … Continue reading
Rosebank 20yo Zenith 57%
Rosebank 20yo Zenith 57% I was not ready the first time I tried this, but every time I come back I find its brilliance ever brighter with each pass. There … Continue reading
Glenfarclas 29 yo 1966 / 1996 #6551 51.2%
Glenfarclas 29 yo 1966 / 1996 #6551 51.2% Big boned Glenfarclas, you can feel the heft. Charred gristle and soot effect comes through, but alongside various honeys and earthy herbal … Continue reading
Laphroaig 1979 / 1997 Blackadder #5962 43%
Laphroaig 1979 / 1997 Blackadder #5962 43% A bit of an open secret but some of these late 70s Laphroaigs could be gorgeous. Zing! Absolutely. At opening, the sting of … Continue reading
Macallan 52 yo 1946 / 1998 Select Reserve 40%
Macallan 52 yo 1946 / 1998 Select Reserve 40% Let me just say – because I know I will get questions on this one. This was one of the last … Continue reading
Clynelish 36yo 1972 / 2009 Gordon & Macphail Book of Kells #14301 59.4%
Clynelish 36yo 1972 / 2009 Gordon & Macphail Book of Kells #14301 59.4% What we love about Clynelish is right here in this glass. Warm wax, ripe yellow fruit, hot … Continue reading
Benriach 40 yo 1971 / 2011 #1947 49.8%
Benriach 40 yo 1971 / 2011 #1947 49.8% The brand new Emerald Room by The Swan Song has officially opened, make a trip down and there you may find such … Continue reading
Mortlach 50 yo1957 / 2007 Gordon & MacPhail #585,586 43.5%
Mortlach 50 yo1957 / 2007 Gordon & MacPhail #585,586 43.5% As expected its a beastly sherry. Or if not sherry then a goopy churn of coffee powder, Worcestershire sauce, chicken … Continue reading
Springbank 29 yo 1993 / 2022 Animal Spirits #95 46.4%
Springbank 29 yo 1993 / 2022 Animal Spirits #95 46.4% A Singaporean bottler, and they have chosen well! Exemplary 90s Springbank, funky type. Diesel fumes, a clean fruity funk, sea … Continue reading
Caol Ila 1976 / 1996 Scotts Selection 57.6%
Caol Ila 1976 / 1996 Scotts Selection 57.6% Mature Caol Ila where, to paraphrase Lagavulin, fire has been fined into warmth. Subtle tones from the wood and spirit have married … Continue reading
Blair Athol 23 yo 1993 / 2017 Special Release 58.4%
Blair Athol 23 yo 1993 / 2017 Special Release 58.4%Powerful sherry driven whisky with notes of smeared blackberry jam, carbonised sauce pans, fire wood, sweet spice laden desert fruitcake with … Continue reading
Irish Single Malt 27 yo 1988 / 2015 Auld Alliance 51.2%
Irish Single Malt 27 yo 1988 / 2015 Auld Alliance 51.2% Famously fruity years in Ireland, perhaps 1988 is the fruitiest of them all. This and its peated 1991 sister … Continue reading
Jura 25 yo 1990 / 2015 Douglas Laing #10990 54.2%
Jura 25 yo 1990 / 2015 Douglas Laing #10990 54.2% Natural and unhindered. A distillate’s quirks are laid bare in a whisky like this. Watered down tiger balm muddled with … Continue reading
Port Ellen 15 yo 1977 / 1992 SMWS 43.4 61.5%
Port Ellen 15 yo 1977 / 1992 SMWS 43.4 61.5% It’s a huge punchy nose. A veritable wall of peat, black oil, tar and petrochemicals, cold rubber, crushed granite, mountains … Continue reading
Bruichladdich 24 yo 1965 / 1990 Turatello 54.2%
Bruichladdich 24 yo 1965 / 1990 Turatello 54.2% Fruity but in the overripe vine laden sense, meaning musky cantaloupe and honeydews, oranges and peaches left out to ripen too long … Continue reading
Strathisla 8 yo Gordon & MacPhail 100 proof 57%
Strathisla 8 yo Gordon & MacPhail 100 proof 57% It’s a mystery to me why some whiskies are upfront and approachable at 60+% but others are so locked in at … Continue reading
Bowmore 43 yo 1964 / 2008 ‘White Bowmore’ 42.8%
Bowmore 43 yo 1964 / 2008 ‘White Bowmore’ 42.8% Classic explosion of lush tropical fruit. Pure, juicy, fresh and dripping, now drizzled over searing white sand. This mineral and fruity … Continue reading
Bunnahabhain 1967 / 2010 Malts of Scotland #3315 41.1%
Bunnahabhain 1967 / 2010 Malts of Scotland #3315 41.1% Not many malts are commonly available at this sort of age. It’s a big deal for Macallan or Dalmore, not so … Continue reading
Convalmore 31 yo 1962 / 1994 Cadenhead 48.9%
Convalmore 31 yo 1962 / 1994 Cadenhead 48.9% Entirely cut, sewn and finished from that old school cloth. Old rusty iron tools, oiled and cleaned, in garden shacks with grimey, … Continue reading
Clynelish 1989 James MacArthur 59.1%
Clynelish 1989 James MacArthur 59.1% From the full bottle we know its bottled in 2002 from cask 1121. Potent as Clynelish comes, hot molten paraffin and thin honey. Robust! Hot … Continue reading
Ardbeg 1966 Moon Import The Birds #2445 46%
Ardbeg 1966 Moon Import The Birds #2445 46%This one is whispering. Old coal, salt crusted rock on rough sandy beaches. It’s phenolic in a dry and ashen manner with burnt … Continue reading
Laphroaig 10 yo Straight From The Wood green strip late 90s 55.7%
Laphroaig 10 yo Straight From The Wood green strip late 90s 55.7% And finally the powerhouse of the trio. Does exactly what it suggests it would, take the astounding phenolic … Continue reading
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