Mellow and gentle, the ‘Fiddich 15 could easily persuade you that it’s a sofa dram, a whisky for when you want to switch off. But sit up and take a deeper sniff and the whisky starts to reveal all sorts of sophisticated flavours – this is a complex malt which offers pleasure on several levels. Behind […]
We have written previously about Compass Box, the independent whisky bottler with a flair for dramatic names. Their latest release, the 2012 edition Flaming Heart, matches its name with a big, bold whisky. Flaming Heart is malt whisky, but rather than a single malt, it’s a blend of the whisky from several distilleries. Some of the malt […]
Distillers often invoke the name of Robert Burns. It’s hardly surprising. We toast his memory in whisky every January 25th. Burns wrote about whisky, he worked for a time as an excise man, he was fond of a dram. I wonder what he would have made of this one, from the Isle Arran Distillery? It […]
Heavy, even oily, and powerfully peated, Lagavulin 16 Year Old is a whisky which attracts devoted followers. The robust palate and long woodsmoke finish makes it a great cold weather dram. In the past, before single malts became widely popular, Lagavulin was an important part of the White Horse blend, but these days it is […]
Every whisky has its fans, but some whiskies garner fanatics. Ardbeg is one such. Perhaps it’s because the distillery was nearly lost. Mothballed and neglected during the 1980s, it took a huge commitment and the expenditure of more than £3.5 million by new owners the Glenmorangie company to restore it. Since its relaunch Ardbeg has […]
The latest release from Talisker distillery, Storm turns up the peat smoke and adds a touch more sherry to the mix. The new release is bottled at the same strength as the standard Talisker Ten Year Old – 45.8% – but is made up of a range of ages, including some younger whiskies. These younger elements add a fiery […]
Tamdhu distillery has, until recently, been overshadowed by its erstwhile stablemates Macallan and Highland Park. Now new owners Ian Macleod Distillers have re-packaged it and pushed it into the spotlight. The retro-stylish packaging, which aims to remind us of the late Victorian era when the distillery was built, is certainly very distinctive. But what about […]
Talisker fan James Forbes heads to Opium, a Chinatown speakeasy to meet two new members of the family, Storm and Port Ruighe in the company of Diageo’s Global Scotch Whisky Ambassador, Donald Colville Less a tasting, more a “sensory experience” – burning peat, brine and dry ice sea fog effects, glasses filled with coffee, pepper, […]
