Bowmore is certainly a peated whisky, but not ferociously so, and it has plenty of other aromas to offer. The peat smoke is balanced against a gentle toffee sweetness and maybe a wee bit of lemony citrus. Sometimes a waxy note suggests that maybe the toffee you’re smelling was made with honeycomb. The flavours are […]
Amber in colour, with hints of hazelnuts on the nose, the organic Red Kite is delightfully cleansing, with a gently, light carbonation on top of a refreshing lightly roasted malt. Almost mandarin skin on the finish.
A sweet malt, the Arran 14 year old has plenty of fruity notes, given weight by the woody, spicy cask flavours. Mid-amber in colour, much like the 10 year old, there are an array of fruits on the nose – red fruits like raspberries all the way to tropical (bananas!). There is also the characteristic […]
From a wee Edinburgh brewing company, this is a traditional Scottish ale, brewed with an eye to older styles of beer rather than the currently trendy hop monsters. Knops use four different malts in brewing Musselburgh Broke, which is named for the racecourse at Musselburgh, just east of Edinburgh. The nose is gentle and malty, […]
Auchentoshan’s standard malt is popular with casual whisky drinkers, because it’s so approachable. Auchentoshan are the only Scottish producer to triple distill all their malts, and it gives a style which is always very smooth, although Auchentoshan is certainly richer than most Irish whiskies. The theme of lightness and balance is evident on the nose, […]
A young, pale-looking whisky, the Isle of Arran Machrie Moor immediately sends up a puff of dry smoke to signal its origins. This is followed by a malty or cereal character, very like the ten year old, but lighter. And, yes, there’s the same minty note too. Come back to the whisky after a […]
The eighteen-year-old expression of Highland Park takes all the elements that are found in the twelve year old and polishes them into a supremely smooth, harmonious dram. So you find a rich malty note blending easily into a mix of dried fruits and nuts, which gives way to the tang of sherry, before a subtle […]
If you are famous for making the most strongly flavoured whisky in the world, where do you go next? Well, in the case of Laphroaig, that meant an experimental programme of maturation in specially commissioned casks, a quarter of the normal size. The smaller the cask, the faster the whisky will mature, so the Quarter […]
Ask a Scot which malt she favours, and chances are the answer will be Glenmorangie. But as well as being the most popular single malt in its home country, the ten year old Original has won many friends & awards further afield, most recently a Gold Best in Class at the International Wines & Spirits Competition 2011. […]
Faced with the challenge of re-establishing the reputation of the re-opened distillery in 2001, Bruichladdich took a decidedly modern approach to packaging. Even the more standard bottlings – if Bruichladdich can be said to have standard bottlings – stand out on the shelf with their bright light blue livery, but the Black Art takes this to […]
