Direct Wines was one of the earliest (and largest) mail-order wine merchants. Founded in 1969 by Tony Laithwaite, they sometimes also had whisky on offer. Direct Wines bottled this Highland Park 1989 as part of their own First Cask range.I discovered it as a Cheaper by the Dram sample, the business set up by Mark Littler, providing 3cl samples of old collectible bottles.  ..read more

Milroy's of Soho just released a new batch of own label bottlings (check out the previous batch which we reviewed in February). There are two middle-aged Speyside whiskies from Benrinnes and Inchgower, as well as a peated Bunnahabhain.  Benrinnes 21 yo 2002 (46,3%, Milroy's Vintage Reserve 2023, hogshead #3453) Nose: peaches up front, with oranges and yellow apples. Some grassy and floral notes too. Buttered bread. Then light whiffs of wax and chalk, almost Clynelish style. A little rhubarb perhaps.Mouth: slightly bulky, still showing this mix of chalky / oily notes and orc ..read more

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The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has recently launched a Scotch & Sherry campaign. In fact they'll put a focus on sherry maturadion during the entire year 2024. They will organize several events around this subject, including at the upcoming Islay Whisky Festival.In an amazing documentary they head over to Galacia and Andalucia to explore sherry casks used for SMWS bottlings. Essential viewing, with stunning footage shot at Tevasa, Bodegas Barón and Ximénez-Spínola. [embed width="576" height="329"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILhKnkA7tSg[/embed] For more backgroun ..read more

Undisclosed Speyside whisky from 1992, what could that be? Well, some of them led us to Glenlivet. Others claimed it was blending stock with no clue whatsoever. Apparently most of these originated from a large scale vatting that was then reracked into different refill barrels not long ago. As a consequence, most of them are now still close together.In any case this is part of the Marriage of Casks series from Elixir Distillers.  A Speyside Distillery 31 yo 1992 (48,3%, Single Malts of Scotland 'Marriage of Casks' 2023, 806 btl.) Nose: a zingy mix of gooseberries and le ..read more

Here's our periodic cognac session. We start with a Petite Champagne from Fanny Fougerat that had 50 years of ageing. Ugni Blanc from old French oak. This is the fifth bottling Hors série, in a family of special editions.  Cognac Fanny Fougerat Hors série - SIR Type 72 - Petite Champagne (47,8%, OB 2023, 768 btl.) Nose: very fruity start, entirely on apricots, juicy pears and mirabelles, quite jammy with some raisiny notes. Then a soft grassy / herbal side lifts it, even a whiff of rosemary. Some polished oak, as well as light waxy touches and flower petals. Very round and ..read more

Springbank is working its way through a series of sherry cask matured whiskies. Each whisky is finished in a different cask type. In 2022 they released a 10 year old Pedro Ximénez version (which was less to my taste) and in 2023 this Palo Cortado version. The whisky spent six years in refill bourbon barrels and then another 4 years in fresh Palo Cortado hogsheads, made from Spanish oak.When I tried samples of all the Springbank sherry cask series in 2021, this came out as the winner. In the coming years we can still expect the Amontillado, Fino and Manzanilla cask.  Springb ..read more

The other day we tried their Laphroaig, but today we look at a couple of rum releases from independent bottler Jack Tar.We start with Uitvlugt 1991, the third chapter of the Illusion series after the Caroni Limbo and Uitvlugt Dream Catcher. Next up: a pair of Caroni bottlings, from a set of four in total. The whole set has been dedicated to the most powerful cosmic couples: the Moon and the Sun, Venus and Mars. Four casks selected to showcase the multifaceted character of Caroni distillery.  Uitvlugt / Port Mourant 31 yo 1991 'Time Travel' (59,2%, Jack Tar 'Illusion se ..read more

The Whisky Exchange recently named Loch Lomond 18 Year Old its Whisky of the Year 2024. I tried this single malt once and it didn't exactly impress me. The distillery made significant progress in recent years though. Not everything in the warehouse is brilliant, so the new owners should be commended for upping their game. We're keen to find out how it performs today.Loch Lomond 18 Years unites different styles of spirit produced at the distillery: the traditional swan neck pot stills but also the straight neck pot stills, both loaded with peated and unpeated malt. Add different ..read more

Gordon & MacPhail released four single casks exclusive to Kirsch Import in Germany. All of them are Connoisseurs Choice bottlings from refill casks. We try a couple of refill bourbon casks and then a peat / sherry combo.Most of them are still available in several German shops. Get in touch with Kirsch if you can't locate a bottle.  Balblair 1997 (54,1%, Gordon & MacPhail 'Connoisseurs Choice' for Kirsch Import 2023, refill bourbon barrel #1884, 153 btl.) Nose: the kind of active bourbon wood that highlights the fruitiness. Red apples, green bananas, gooseberries and ..read more