Firstly thanks to all of you who have read my blog (c147,000 up from 114,000 last year) and followed me on Twitter (c5,300 up from 3,800 last year).
Saturday 31 December 2022
Review of my whisky year - 2022
Sunday 25 December 2022
Whisky Advent Calendar 2022 - Dram reviews
Now the idea with an Advent Calendar is that you open 1 door each day from the 1st December through to Christmas Eve... But please enjoy your whisky responsibly! Sometimes it may not possible to open a dram each day, you could share with mates or save a couple to enjoy at the weekend?
Monday 19 December 2022
Side by side : An unusual Bourbon flight
For this side by side I've had a rummage through my sample boxes and come up with 4 bourbons.
They are all a little different - let's see what they are like.
Tuesday 13 December 2022
Bowmore @TweetTastings
@Bowmore Distillery shared some of their recent bottlings with us in a @TweetTastings.
Monday 12 December 2022
Core Range: Bowmore
Continuing the series of posts showing a distillery's core range of bottlings.
Thursday 8 December 2022
Loch Lomond Distillery Edition One
One of my favourite distilleries have just launched their first Distillery Edition, oooh you might say - a new distillery? Well no this is an old one, but due to their very industrial nature they don't have a Visitor's Centre.
Core Range: Highland Park
Continuing the series of posts showing a distillery's core range of bottlings.
Wednesday 7 December 2022
Dunphail's The Dava Way - First Release
The Dava Way is the new independent bottling arm of @TheDunphail Distillery, the same team behind @BimberLondon Distillery!
Monday 5 December 2022
Lindores Abbey @TweetTastings
@LindoresAbbey Distillery shared some of their bottlings with us in a recent @TweetTastings.
Monday 28 November 2022
Bimber The 1st Peated
@BimberLondon has just launched their first peated barley release The 1st Peated, this come on the back of a number of masterclass bottlings which weren't released.
Sunday 27 November 2022
Limestone Branch @TweetTastings
Limestone Branch Distillery teased us with some of their bottlings in a recent @TweetTastings.
Sunday 20 November 2022
#BTC27 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes
These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 27th #BlindDrams evening.
Tuesday 15 November 2022
Whisky Advent Calendar 2022
Those great people at @DrinksByTheDram sent me an Advent Calendar for the run up to Christmas! For the whisky fans amongst us this makes much more sense than a chocolate one!
Side by side : Lagavulin flight
Friday 11 November 2022
Newer Distilleries : Weetwood
This is the latest in an occasional series about newer distilleries, this entry is about the Weetwood Distillery.
Tuesday 8 November 2022
Side by side : Stevie's Drams' Glasgow 1770 Single Casks.
I prefer to use small independent whisky shops whenever possible, unlike the bigger retailers they get to know you and will tell you when something similar to something you like comes up again.
Side by side: An indie Tormore flight
There's a huge fanbase for Tormore but I've not really connected with them before - the spreadsheet indicated I'd accumulated 4 samples so enough to try a side by side!
These are all from indie bottlers, let's see what they are like!
Friday 4 November 2022
Brave New Spirits #TweetTastings
New indie bottler Brave New Spirits @BNS_Whisky chose a @TweetTastings to launch their Cask Noir bottlings.
Thursday 3 November 2022
Side by side : Bimber Selfridges
With the imminent release of @BimberLondon's third @Selfridges bottling, here's a look at the first two.
Let see what they are like!
Tuesday 1 November 2022
Side by side: Hunter Laing's Journeys
Saturday 29 October 2022
Whyte & MacKay #TweetTastings
@whyteandmackay shared four of their singe malts from their portfolio in a recent @TweetTastings
Saturday 22 October 2022
Glen Scotia - Double Cask Rum Cask Finish
@GlenScotiaMalts' Double Cask was launched in 2015 a 5 year old ish FF bourbon barrel whisky finished for 12 months in PX sherry casks.
This month they've launched a Rum finished version - let's see what this one is like...
Friday 21 October 2022
Elements of Islay - Core Trilogy
Wednesday 19 October 2022
Dava Way - Orkney 17yo
Glen Scotia 2022 Seasonal Release - Amontillado Casks
Now on to it's third year @GlenScotiaMalts' Seasonal Release continues the theme of age statemented, cask strength, unpeated bottlings.
This years has been finished in Amontillado Sherry Casks - let's see what it's like...
Tuesday 18 October 2022
Mackmyra Destination
Having finished their Säsongswhisky 'seasonal' releases Swedish distillery @Mackmyra have come up with something along the same lines with Destination.
Sunday 16 October 2022
#BTC26 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes
These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 26th #BlindDrams evening.
Thursday 13 October 2022
Borders Distillery WS:01 - Malt & Rye
Yet to release a single malt, Borders Distillery are teasing us with a single blend, not a term you'll find in the SWA handbook but one which a number of distilleries can now produce.
Wednesday 12 October 2022
Flash Blog: Lux Row Distillers' Rebel 10yo Single Barrel Bourbon
Another month, another Flash Mob! Again it's a new release from Lux Row Distillers.
Let's see what this one is like:
Islay - Branded Glencairns
Islay - Other distilleries
As well as the four main warehouse tastings we also visited Caol Ila, @Ardnahoe, @LagavulinWhisky, @Ardbeg and Port Ellen.
Tuesday 11 October 2022
Islay - Bruichladdich Distillery
The fourth distillery tour and tasting on our trip was @Bruichladdich
Monday 10 October 2022
Islay - Laphroaig Distillery
The third distillery tour and tasting on our trip was @Laphroaig
Sunday 9 October 2022
Islay - Bowmore Distillery
The second distillery tour and tasting on our trip was @Bowmore
Friday 7 October 2022
Islay - Bunnahabhain Distillery
Wednesday 5 October 2022
Islay - Planning
Sunday 25 September 2022
Side by side: Five from Ben Nevis
The Japanese distillery in Scotland - @WhiskyBenNevis is very under the radar.
Tuesday 20 September 2022
Side by side: Glasgow's unusual side!
The Glasgow Distillery Company @GlasgowDC has been bottling whisky for 4 years now and some of their early experiments are starting to be released.
Sunday 18 September 2022
#BTC25 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes
These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 25th #BlindDrams evening.
Tuesday 13 September 2022
Side by side : Four from Armorik
@ArmorikWhisky is the brand name of single malts from Warenghem distillery in Brittany, Northern France.
Thanks to a sample swap with some European mates I was able to try four of the range.
Wednesday 7 September 2022
Side by side: Two from Skene
A pair of drams from the same indie bottler arrived via a blind sample swap.
Friday 19 August 2022
Glenturret #TweetTastings
@DrinkGlenturret have recently launched their 2022 of 7 bottles, @TheWhiskyWire organised a @TweetTastings so we could try 3 of them!
Sunday 14 August 2022
#BTC24 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes
These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 24th #BlindDrams evening.
Sunday 7 August 2022
Side by side : 21 Glen Scotia Single Casks
As with most distilleries @GlenScotia release their whisky after it's matured in oak casks - peated or unpeated spirit matured full term or finished in 1st fill or refill ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, ex-port or ex-wine.
Saturday 30 July 2022
More Loch Lomond Chardonnay Wine Yeast
One of my favourite @LochLomondMalts distillations is using Chardonnay Wine Yeast in a straight necked pot still, huge citrus effervescence on the tongue.
Friday 29 July 2022
The Whisky Cellar @TweetTastings
@whisky_cellar chose @TheWhiskyWire to launch their 5th Batch with a @TweetTastings - those who were successful received a lovely package of samples through the post.
Tuesday 26 July 2022
Core Range: Glenmorangie
Continuing the series of posts showing a distillery's core range of bottlings.
Thursday 14 July 2022
Loch Lomond 2022 Open Golf Special Edition
Sunday 10 July 2022
#BTC23 #BlindDrams Tasting Notes
These are my tasting notes from the Blind Tasting Consortium's 23rd #BlindDrams evening.