Flavour tag: Orchard fruits | Tasting Notes

84

Cù Bòcan Creation #1

It is an open secret that we’re into the fact that distilleries experiment a lot with different maturations and finishes. This Cù Bòcan Creation #1 is a perfect example of having the courage to try something different. Matured/finished on Black Isle Brewery Imperial Stout (28%) and Bacalhôa Moscatel de...

88

Cù Bòcan Signature

We start our Cù Bòcan journey with their Signature whisky. A lightly peated malt that has matured on bourbon, oloroso sherry and North American virgin oak casks. That’s quite a lot of different casks, it’s not something that makes our heart beat faster usually, because more often than not,...

79

Glenmorangie 12yo Quinta Ruban

Tasting whisky at our best friend Stefan’s house is like stepping into a time machine. He buys bottles, he forgets about them and then he buys new ones. We gladly empty our bottles to make room for new ones, but Stefan soon has to expand his house to store...

83

Rock Island by Douglas Laing

We think there is truly something magical about whisky, the craftsmanship, the community, it almost feels like a fairytale. Everytime we visit a distillery, we feel like we’re time travelers. Distilleries often do have some amazing stories behind their releases and that is, in some cases, what can make...

90

Dailuaine 7yo 2011-2019 ex-Islay Octave Finish by Scotch & Tattoos

We’ve got to know a lot of people with the same ‘hobby’ through Instagram. Everyday we are thankful to have gained so many friends in this lovely whisky community. It is a wonderful community to be part of. One of our friends, whom many of you guys may know,...

95

Caol Ila 2012-2020 8yo by Golden Drops Danmark

I took this photo in the morning, when golden drops of sunshine entered my office. Fitting for this bottle that was gifted to us by Golden Drops Danmark. With the elegant white label, stating one of our most beloved Islay distillery: Caol Ila and the glorious words ‘Oloroso 1st...

87

Benromach 15yo

As mentioned in an earlier post, my love for Benromach came (far too) late. Not because I didn’t like it at first, no, it’s just because I never felt the urge to buy a bottle. One time, in an early “let’s-buy-everything-that’s-peated-period” I bought a Benromach Peat Smoke, but it...

83

Glen Keith 22yo 1993-2015 Cooper’s Choice

‘’Whisky is for old men’’ I (Dion) consider myself a young dog in this wonderful world of whisky. Born in 1993, I am, in fact, relatively young for being in this business. In the beginning, people always tend to take my opinion or advice about whisky with a pinch...

86

Caol Ila Distillers Edition 2003/2015

When it comes to peated whisky, there are several drams that quench our thirst. But the Caol Ila distillery always feels a bit special for us. The strange thing is, we can’t give you valid reasons for that. Yes, they’ve released some beautiful expressions over the years, and indeed,...

87

Glen Scotia Double Cask

A combination of first fill Bourbon barrels and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks. Music to our ears, if done correctly, for that matter. We didn’t know what to expect when this classic Campbelltown malt knocked on our door. Just like every artist, there are songs and albums which you don’t...

85

Laphroaig Select

Laphroaig is a typical example of a love-or-hate whisky. We tended towards the latter in our beginners’ years, but after paying a visit to Islay, it was instant love. This is the magic of visiting our first Islay-distillery at work. We always have a 10yo at hand, so we...

86

Tomatin 15yo Moscatel Wine Finish

We’re just two simple lads from the East of the Netherlands. If we see a Tomatin with an out of the ordinary finish or maturation, we buy one. Or two, or more. You shouldn’t be surprised that when we stumbled upon this beautiful Tomatin 15 Moscatel we immediately bought...

83

Glen Scotia 11yo Sherry Double Cask Finish

By recommendation of Whiskeytemple Vladimir, I put this Glen Scotia on my Sinterklaas wishlist. Him and I are pretty much one the same page whatever whisky he reviews, so I didn’t look anything up and rolled with it. And so my wife picked it from the list and gifted...

87

Ardbeg 5yo Wee Beastie

Ardbeg’s latest core range addition sure shook some things up. In one corner we have the influencers, praising the bottle no matter what. In the other corner we have the sceptics, grumpy and disappointed and wanting everybody to know. We don’t really care what label is slapped onto us,...

85

Tullibardine 24yo 1993 Bourbon Hogshead by Claxton’s

In our constantly changing whisky collection, we try to maintain a healthy balance between different casks and maturations. Of course, some types are over-represented but we try to stay honest and ignore or neglect no one. We feel like, for example, sherry matured or finished whisky is a lot...

83

Bunnahabhain Toiteach a Dhà

When Toiteach a Dhà was announced a few years ago, we were a bit sad, because one of our favourite peated drams and predecessor Toiteach was about to be discontinued. Although batches differed hugely, the good old Toiteach remained a staple in our cabinet. The Toiteach a Dhà, which...

88

Finlaggan Red Wine Cask Matured

Finlaggan is no stranger to the liquor stores here in Holland, but somehow we always managed to ignore the expressions of this Islay Single Malt. Until we bought our very first Finlaggan, since then, you can always find several bottles in our collection. If you are in love with...

86

Glengoyne 12yo

We consider ourselves very lucky, both growing up in the early nineties. Born and raised in the Netherlands during prosperous times and in a safe environment. How different it was to our grandparents, born before or during the Second World War, or is to the less fortunate people today....

91

Arran 12yo 2006 James MacTaggart 2nd Edition Palo Cortado Finish

We have a license to kill, to kill this wonderful bottling by Arran. Maybe the best Arran I’ve recently purchased, a true diamond. Luckily diamonds, just like the memories of it, last forever…

92

Tomatin 2006 12yo Amontillado Sherry

It’s an open secret that we’re a huge fan of Tomatin whisky, but we know that not all that glitters is gold at the same time. We think that it just depends on the right approach when it comes to Tomatin.

88

Tobermory 1994-2020 25yo by Kintra

We came across this bottle by Kintra a couple of months ago. It ticked all of our boxes: Tobermory, sherry matured, 25 years old, cask strength (50.9%) and an empty wallet. Well, that last box wasn’t all too bad actually. It set us back around € 140,-, which is...

89

Benromach 10yo

Benromach 10 definitely exists on our short list of whiskies that everyone should have in their cabinet. If it isn’t for the taste, then it’s for the value for money. You don’t see this bottle highlighted very often, in fact, we’ve only discovered how good Benromach actually was last...

83

Whisky Row Smoke & Peat

Knock knock knocking on heaven’s door with some holy water. Who’s there? It’s Whisky Row to put some long gone Edinburgh flavours back on the map. Our good friend Terri (@dmscotland) kindly introduced us to this new kid on the block by Gleann Mór Spirits. You wouldn’t say, because...

83

GlenDronach 8yo “The Hielan”

As our feed shows, we’re a big fan of Glendronach. We think the current Glendronach labels exude ‘Whisky’ and they look incredibly sexy on our shelves. Luckily, the spirit itself is not too bad either. Online, and in every shop since our first Glendronach, we kept looking for more...

87

Scallywag Speyside Blended Malt by Douglas Laing

Recently – with a little help from de Monnik Dranken – we adopted a little Speyside puppy. Don’t feel bad for our best buddy Charlie right here, because this little feller came in liquid form. Scallywag is a mixed-breed of Mortlach, Macallan and Glenrothes, among others, he’s bred under...

87

Scotch & Tattoos: Caol Ila 13yo 2007-2020 by Torsten Paul Whisky Company

Here’s the third release in the Scotch & Tattoos series by Torsten Paul Whisky Company. And the first peated single malt of the three. Not only is it peated, it’s also from our beloved Caol Ila distillery, what could go wrong? The label for this 13yo bourbon matured Caol...

84

The visit of ‘Uncle’ Big Peat

Last week we were pleasantly surprised with the visit of our ‘Uncle’ Big Peat, arranged by our friends of De Monnik Dranken. So a huge thanks to them for hooking us up! We figured the best thing we can do with an uncle you haven’t seen in a long...

83

Craigellachie 13yo

Let’s revisit a bottle that we haven’t had in a while: Craigellachie 13.

82

Teeling Small Batch (04/2019) Rum Cask Finish

After a virtual tasting and tour, we were surprised. Let’s look at the Teeling Small Batch to see what’s that about!

90

Lagavulin 12yo Special Release 2019

There she stands, with her pale skin, her light hazel eyes, her curvy body pleasing to the eye. I’m a difficult man to impress, but this was love at first sight. Lagavulin is not very high on my list anymore. I’ll admit, I was pretty unimpressed by our previous...

89

Kilchoman Sauternes Cask Finish 2018

I’ve been a big fan of Kilchoman since the beginning. They offer a great core range with diverse types of sherry and bourbon maturations, and the best thing is that they’re very open about which casks are used and in what ratio. It gives the buyers a good understanding...

85

Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique #W121225131A

The critically acclaimed Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique, a whisky that we’ve looked forward to reviewing for a long time. We really liked the Solist Sherry Casks, so what could go wrong? Honestly, it’s quite a gamble to buy something purely based on reviews. Especially when the price tag is...

90

Edradour Ballechin SFTC 12yo Heavily Peated Bordeaux Cask 2007-2019

It’s an open secret that I (Dion) am really digging into the wine-casks lately, I personally think that a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a nice Malbec is the next best thing. But don’t worry, whisky was my first love, and it will be my last. I promise you that. That...

87

Benriach 1999-2016 17yr Ventisquero finish

Lately, Dion is aiming for whiskies with a wine finish or maturing, so when we stumbled upon this beautiful looking Benriach bottle, finished in a Viña Ventisquero Grey Carmenere Barrel, we couldn’t resist.

87

Bunnahabhain 1991-2013 21yo (#5369) Dimensions by Duncan Taylor

A guest review by Jan Temming Duncan Taylor is known for laying premium Scottish cask for decades. Therefore Duncan Taylor has built quite an impressive collection of vintage and rare Scottish whisky’s. Let’s have a look at this 21yo Bunnahabhain, bottled in 1991: This dram Is definitely worth the...

87

Finlaggan Cask Strength

When you run out of money and whisky, what do you do? Finlaggan comes to the rescue!