Whisky Reviews
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Review no. 21: Scapa 19-year-old 2003 (Whisky Exchange)
I’m way late with this one, I suspect everyone who’s in any way interested has already tried it. I don’t have many reference points for Scapa, as independent releases are scarce and the standard line is poor. I do have some bottles from Chivas’ Distillery Reserve range waiting to be opened, and those tend to… Continue reading
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Review no. 20: Hazelburn 10
Back to Earth after last week’s review of the Springbank vintage 1994. Because of the quality of the distillery’s new makes, their maturation seems to me less linear than others. For my palate, 10 years is often the perfect age for Springbank. Younger ones I usually find a bit raw, and the distillates are so… Continue reading
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Review no. 19: Springbank Vintage 1994
I was quite disappointed with last year’s Springbank Vintage 1998, as it was defined by the blandness of modern sherry casks. It is usual to have drier and woodier aspects which can take more than an hour to lift off these old whiskies. In the case of the 1998, they never did, shading the distillate.… Continue reading
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Review no. 18: Lagavulin 12 (Special Release 2017)
In the interests of science, I took today’s bottle onto a Kentish clifftop during the recent Solar eclipse. I can confirm that it held up well, and may even have improved in the eerily soft light. With such an offering, we are surely within our rights to expect a good harvest. Time will tell. Lagavulin 12… Continue reading
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Reviews no. 16 & 17: Deanston 15-year-old Organic & 20-year-old Organic (2002)
I haven’t posted for whole month, as 1) I had a summer cold 2) it’s been boiling hot so I’ve been enjoying cigars and ice cold brews, and 3) the garlic that I grow to protect my hops from pests has come in. Meaning, the old palate has been blasted to bits. Today, however, I’ve… Continue reading
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Review no. 15: Clynelish 47-year-old, 1977 (Gordon & Macphail Private Collection)
These old vintages are becoming rarer and rarer, and when they do get bottled, you can either get one or buy a medium-sized hatchback. Thankfully the Thompson brothers split this old Clynelish into samples as a celebratory breakeven bottling. Hence we get to try it, but still keep our organs off the black market. Let’s… Continue reading
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Reviews no. 11-14: Kilchoman Limited Releases 2026
I had a look at four Kilchoman Founder’s cask releases a couple of weeks ago, all nearing their 20s, and all excellent. Since then, I’ve had in my glass four of their recent “limited” editions (limited only in the sense that whisky marketers in their abuse of the English language interpret the word, they’re pretty… Continue reading
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Reviews no. 7-10: Kilchoman Feis Ile 2026 Founders Cask Tasting
After last week’s review of the 2021 Kilchoman Feis Ile release, I’ve decided to crack open my samples for the upcoming Founders Cask tasting early. The whiskies are: Kilchoman Cask 2008/93 – Fresh Bourbon Cask, 100% Islay (17-18yo) Kilchoman Cask 2006/16 – Fresh Bourbon Cask (19-20yo) Kilchoman Cask 2009/437 – Refill Oloroso Butt, 100% Islay… Continue reading
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Reviews no. 5 & 6: Daftmill 15 2023 / Kilchoman Feis Ile 2021
Kilchoman and Daftmill are at the forefront of the new-millennium “craft” whisky revolution, going about it in very different ways. Both are farm distilleries, but Daftmill uses its own barley exclusively and operates at a much smaller scale. Neither do they tend to venture beyond traditional bourbon and sherry casks, thank heavens. Because of this,… Continue reading
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Review no. 4: Bladnoch 34-year-old (1990) – SMWS 50.120 “Dawn’s Embrace”
90’s Bladnoch is essentially a lost style. Having been mothballed in 1993, it was reopened in the year 2000, producing an entirely different distillate. The new Bladnoch tends to be sweeter, with very active casks, and it’s not something I seek out. This old style shows a quirkier, more lactic spirit, of which many excellent… Continue reading
North Sea Whisky 