Big Peat Winter Edition 2026

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Big Peat Winter Edition 2026 bottle and carton

Info: 10yo Islay blended malt Scotch whisky finished for 16 months in French red wine casks. No colouring or chill-filtration. 48% ABV.
Colour: Deep golden winter, the hints of red wine cask showing their hand.
Nose: For those peat lovers amongst us, this is an instant relaxation moment. Familiar Islay peat notes make you relax with thoughts of beachside bonfires on a late autumn evening. With time the nose increasingly moves towards the juicy, fruity red notes. Slow oily legs.
Palate: Smooth oily coal tones followed by juicy, fruity malt with a pinch of salt. There’s some tannin, but that’s held in check by the sweet peat. On a second visit a treacly BBQ meat note is apparent. Continue reading →

Scallywag Winter Edition 2026

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Scallywag Winter Edition 2026 bottle and carton

It’s with pleasure that I have a couple of Douglas Laing drams to review. It feels like a small lifetime ago that I was a Drambassador for Douglas Laing. I may even still have my name up on a wall in their office somewhere! Since then, family life has kicked in and time for blogging has been short, but I’m pleased to be trying some of my favourite winter warmers!

Info: Speyside blended malt Scotch whisky finished in Cognac casks. 54.2% ABV.
Colour: Cold golden barley, slow oily legs.
Nose: Golden syrupy with vanilla fudge, then a gentle malt and wood note. With time some sweet white grape skin notes come through.
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Bruichladdich (Bowmore House B&B Private Cask) 13yo

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Bruichladdich 13yo Bowmore House Bottle

It’s been a while since i’ve last posted a review, doesn’t time fly?! That’s family life for you with a young one. What better way to pop my head up than to taste one of my good friend’s private casks of Bruichladdich… Distilled on 9th July 2012, popped into an ex-bourbon cask, kept onsite in Bruichladdich’s warehouse number 4, and bottled by hand in the dining room of Bowmore House B&B – you can’t get a more micro provenance bottling if you tried! This would be somewhat equatable to a half fill at Bruichladdich, but this private cask bottling is only available if you’re staying at Bowmore House B&B.

Right, on to the notes…

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Review: The Balvenie The Tale Of The Dog

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The Balvenie The Tale Of The Dog 42yo

Bottle shot of The Balvenie The Tale Of The Dog 42 Year OldInfo: It comes as chance and luck that a friend has given me a sample of The Tale Of The Dog, The Balvenie’s 2021, 42yo release from stock comprising of two casks, from 1978 and 1974. 47%. RRP £9,000. Ouch. It comes in a posh box though!
Colour: Rich, fully golden ripe corn in the evening sun light.
Nose: Gently fruity with plenty of old leathery notes along with nuts and polished oak, and more vibrant vanilla tones.
Palate: The 47% here works a treat, it’s oily but not overpowering; it’s gentle, fruity, and although obviously “old” it’s sprightly with vanilla tones, honey, dates and oak. Continue reading →

Review: The Singleton of Glen Ord Celebratory Bottling

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The Singleton 70cl Bottle Glen Ord Whisky GroupThe Singleton of Glen Ord – Celebratory Bottling

“The Singleton” is a Diageo brand umbrella that covers various distilleries, and Singleton of Glen Ord sadly isn’t one that’s so well known in the UK (although it is elsewhere in the world). That may start to change as Diageo have launched a renewed Singleton visitor “experience”, based at the Glen Ord distillery north of Inverness.

To celebrate the new visitor centre launch they’ve released a special distillery only bottling, although to be fair it’s not easy to find Singleton of Glen Ord anywhere else other than at the distillery, at least in the UK. Continue reading →

TAMDHU CELEBRATES 125TH ANNIVERSARY WITH DUO OF SPEYSIDE WHISKY FESTIVAL RELEASES

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Tamdhu Single Malt Scotch Whisky is celebrating its 125th anniversary year with two limited edition launches at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

As the first in-person Speyside Whisky Festival since 2019, there is great excitement for the occasion, so Tamdhu is delighted to be able to celebrate its very own historic milestone as the whisky world descends on Scotland’s North East.

As per tradition, the brand will release two ‘festival exclusive’ bottlings – the first is the next chapter in the much-loved Dalbeallie series, the second is an exclusive cask strength limited edition of Tamdhu’s recent 18 Year Old release.

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Review: Ardbeg Wee Bestie

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Ardbeg Wee Bestie – 47.4% abv

Info: Ardbeg’s latest permanent expression. Five year old matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks.
Colour: Ripe straw golden.
Nose: Barley, toffee and mossy wet peat. Hints of beach fire embers.
Palate: Oily mossy damp sweet peat, grassy barley, hints of creamy toffee. The sweetness shows the distillery character well; the younger age meaning there’s still plenty of sweet new make distillery spirit left undominated by wood.
Finish: Hints of tannin right at the end, along with those lasting barley and peat notes. Long finish, but didn’t overly warm my chest.
Time: With some time hints of coffee grouts and bacon show their head.
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Review: Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012

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Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2012 / 8yo

Info: Produced using barley grown on Islay in 2011 by eight farmers from western and central farms on the island, which was dried, malted and distilled in 2012. Unpeated, matured in a combination of first-fill American oak barrels and French wine casks. 8 years old, 50% abv. Around £55 (via Bruichladdich’s website).
Colour: Light summery barley tones in the sun.
Nose: Slightly spirit lead, but sweet and moreish. Earthy (but not peaty) barley notes with hints of creamy vanilla and nuts.
Palate: Creamy and easy (considering the highish abv), sweet and full of Bruichladdich signature. Barley sweetness and nuts.
Finish: Warming and long, full of sweetness, with a a small hint of tannin at the end, just how I like it!
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Review: Bruichladdich The Ternary Project

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The Ternary Project

Info: A mix of roughly 3rds (30%, 40%, 30%) of Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore. It’s a NAS, but dates (and I’m giving vaguely informed guesses here) are roughly 28+yo, ~20yo and ~13yo respectively. 4000 bottles, ballot only (closed). £275. 52.1% ABV.
Ex-sherry, ex-bourbon and ex-wine casks.
Colour: Lovely deep autumn gold.
Nose: Initially I’d describe it as a sweet and sour nose; lovely and sweet with rich fruits, but balanced with salt and peaty hints. With time fabolous old hessian and dunnage warehouse notes come out.
Palate: Oily and warming, lightly spiced to make your tongue dance a wee bit. Sweet fruity barley oils mixed perfectly with costal mossy peat. Hints of eucalyptus and tannins.
Finish: Long and warming, sweet yet tanniny and the ever present feeling you’re on a beach with a fire crackling away in the breeze.
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Quick Review: Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Release

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Ardbeg Kelpie Committee ReleaseArdbeg Kelpie Committee Release 2017

Info: Ardbeg’s Feis Ile 2017 Committee Release, matured in casks made from virgin Black Sea oak and more traditional bourbon casks. 51.7% abv.
Colour: Fairly ripe straw.
Nose: Fairly strong, salty and coastal with oaky peat smoke.
Palate: Thick and oily, spiced charred peat and maple & bacon.
Finish: Spiced and very long, oak, smoke and tar coal hints.
Thoughts: Fun and slightly different, however I’d like a little more sweetness from this, maybe a hint of sherry maturation.
Available: Sold out, likely only available at auction sites.

My own sample as part of a bottle share.