Subtle
Balblair 12yo
Today, we’re revisiting an old friend with a new face – the Balblair 12. If you’ve been following our whisky adventures, you may remember our previous encounters with Balblair’s 1999 3rd Release and the 1989 3rd Release. Both were delightful in their own right, but thanks to De Monnik...
Read more
Teeling Sommelier Slection Douro Old Vines Casks
Teeling has managed to become a solid staple in our collection in the last couple of years. This is not only due to the generosity the team displays in offering samples of their latest creations, but also because they consistently impress with whiskies that are both experimental and meticulously...
Read more
Glenmorangie 12yo Palo Cortado Finish 2022
Just look at this bottle, isn’t it like the Easter Bunny painted the label himself? Hate it or love it, as far as Easter dram are concerned, Glenmorangie delivered. This whisky has finished on rare Palo Cortado sherry casks. It’s hard to go wrong with these casks, no question....
Read more
The Gauldrons by Douglas Laing
It is a stormy night in October, going on a walk in the forest during these conditions isn’t one of your best ideas but you are determined to keep going, you are not a quitter! As conditions are getting worse you eventually need to seek shelter and you notice...
Read more
Mars Kasei
Every time we encounter a Japanese whisky to review, we tell you: we don’t have a lot of experience with it. But counting them, we can carefully say we now have a global view of what the cheaper segment of (mostly blended and NAS, what this one is too)...
Read more
anCnoc 12yo
Once again @monnikdranken delivered something on our doorstep we haven’t tasted before. After all those years you might expect that we have had most of the core ranges in our whisky collection but we’re glad to say we have not. We’re working on it though. You see, this anCnoc...
Read more
Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Some while ago we touched briefly on the incredible variation that the Loch Lomond Distillery is able to offer with their three types of stills. And while we may be acquainted with the distillery by now, Spearhead Single Grain Scotch Whisky didn’t ring a bell, until we received this...
Read more
The Whistler – P.X. I Love You
Whether you’re having someone special, or trying to seduce Cupid into finally aiming his arrow to your secret love. There’s always a reason for gifting whisky. And we have a striking one right here. This is the The Whistler – P.X. I Love You. This single malt drop of...
Read more
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon
We’ve learned to appreciate bourbon more and more during the last two years. Still, it feels more like tiptoeing instead of going full send, but we hopefully have some years till we grow old and grumpy to explore this realm even more. Today we’re going back to one of...
Read more
Old Pulteney 12yo
We can’t deny it any longer, autumn has definitely arrived here in the Netherlands. Leaves are falling, rain is pouring from dawn to dusk and the temperature is dropping massively day by day. We get a little sad every year when summer ends but these weather conditions make us...
Read more
Tomintoul Seiridh
I’t time to wave the summer goodbye. Like Dion mentioned earlier it wasn’t a spectacular one, weather wise. But frankly, being a spring and autumn kind of person, I kinda liked it this way. Mostly because firing up the bbq and tasting whisky in the garden, to me, is...
Read more
Smokehead Islay Single malt
From a lot of whisky worldwide, you can not see what is hiding inside. The looks of the bottle doesn’t give anything away about the character of the dram. This Ian Mcleod’s Smokehead clearly isn’t one of those, one glance at the frightening exterior gives you an idea of...
Read more
Timorous Beastie by Douglas Laing
To a Mouse Hey little creature, What are you doing up there? So small, but fierce and brave, And definitely not scared. Timorous Beastie, I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion, has broken Nature’s social union. I know you have been scared for many, many years, because of what the awful...
Read more
Tomatin 2008 12yo Rivesaltes Casks
Last month, we got the opportunity to take part on the live tasting for the launch of The French Collection by Tomatin. As a fan of Tomatin, we were thrilled! The French Collection is a four part series, the whisky is distilled in 2008 and has initially matured on...
Read more
The Epicurean by Douglas Laing
The Epicurean is a connoisseur of the arts of life and the refinements of sensual pleasures, especially when it comes to good food and drinks. We didn’t know there was a word for something we feel so deeply, until the Epicurean set a foot on our doorstep. The Epicurean...
Read more
Àlainn 27 Year Old 1989 – The Vatting by Murray McDavid
What we have here is a very special and dangerously drinkable Islay blended malt by Murray McDavid. A vatting of Bowmore and Laphroaig from 1989, having matured for at least 27 years. My guess, based on the taste, is that it’s predominantly Bowmore, there are some hints of Laphroaig,...
Read more
Cù Bòcan Creation #2
Last in line during this Cù Bòcan week, is the Creation #2. If you talk about experimental maturations and finishes, you’ve got to see this one. A regular virgin European oak (16%) in combination with a Japanese Shochu cask (84%). This might be interesting! To be completely honest with...
Read more
Glenglassaugh Torfa
When I talk about my go to whiskies, I often forget to mention Glenglassaugh. Quite wrongly so, because their Evolution is the one I keep returning to as an example of a well crafted bourbon matured whisky. It’s the dram I take to make my palate ready for a...
Read more
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...
Read more
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,...
Read more
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...
Read more
Horse With No Name Habanero Infused Bourbon
This bottle brings a smile upon my face. As a kid born in 1990, like many others, I grew up playing several pinball machines in front of a whirling PC with a CRT monitor when it poured outside. When the sun shined, you had to find me outside. Playing...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
Glenfiddich Fire & Cane
I postponed this review for more than two years now. I have this bottle for a while and I just don’t like it, but as always I wanted to give it a fair chance. So I took it to several blind tastings in the past to see what other...
Read more
Umiki Japanese Whisky
There are lots of different styles in the whisk(e)y world, and we all have our preferences. Last Friday Dion spoke about his preference towards the bolder facets of scotch, in contrast to the more crisp and elegant style of the Irish. Pure from a taste point of view. I’m...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
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...
Read more
Ledaig 12yo 2008-2020 Hermitage Finish by Gordon & Macphail
What a crazy year it has been. Sadly no big family reunion this Christmas due to obvious reasons, but now me and my wife were gently forced into spending some well deserved quality time together and with our daughter. We cooked, we ate together and went through the year....
Read more
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,...
Read more
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...
Read more
Teeling Blackpitts
A while ago, The Teeling Distillery, Chris and Niamh gave us the chance to taste a little bit more of what Teeling has to offer. Including their first ever Peated Irish Single Malt Whiskey: Blackpitts, named after the area just behind the distillery. Matured in Bourbon and Sauternes casks...
Read more
Lagavulin 16yo
Light up the fireplace, get a glass and put your feet up. On moments like this I pour myself a dram that doesn’t require much thought. And while Lagavulin 16yo has no permanent spot in my cabinet anymore, I can’t help myself but feel this is one of the...
Read more
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...
Read more