Category Archives: Whisky

Breaking News: Bladnoch distillery calls in liquidators

Posted on by

bladnoch-distillery-signBreaking News

Bladnoch distillery is no longer in the hands of the Armstrong brothers. A liquidator has been called in to take control of the company. It’s important to note that the company was not bankrupt, there are no financial difficulties. The four directors/shareholders simply could not agree on a way forward, two wanted to sell, two did not. Unfortunately there were no buyers wishing to acquire a 50% shareholding and as the value of the distillery as a whole has increased considerably it was not possible to reach an amicable agreement.

Sad news from a great independent distillery.

Comments? Find me on twitter @steveprentice

Review: Girvan Patent Still – 25 Year Old

Posted on by

grain_gir25yoThe Girvan Patent Still – 25yo – 42% abv

Colour: Light and clear gold to straw in colour – natural colouring and nice to see! – Doesn’t the bottle look sexy too eh?

Nose: Light and refreshing, gentle grains encased in perfect amounts of sweet vanilla oak. Well aged but it doesn’t smell old, it’s just had time to breath, relax and let off some alcohol steam.

Palate: Fairly thick feeling oils in your mouth, but they’re easy going on you. Just enough ABV and cask influence to give you a touch of spices and bite, but the over riding thing is a perfect velvety sweetness with a background of grains and oak, vanilla and toffee apples.

Continue reading →

Quick Review: Pig’s Nose – Blended Scotch Whisky

Posted on by

pigs-nose-whiskyPig’s Nose – Blended Scotch Whisky – 40% ABV

Colour: Golden, slightly caramelly.
Nose: Sweet, rich, sumptuous, a little young. Reminds me a little of Black Bottle.
Palate: Silky smooth and easy. Packed with flavour, caramel, smoke, fruits, butter and a bit of spice.
Finish: There’s some Islay malt in this which with the fruit helps the finish last longer than you’d imagine.
Thoughts: It’s not going to rock your world, but it’s a perfectly nice blend which is more interesting than many. If you liked the old Black Bottle (it’s now changed recipe) then you’d like this.

Continue reading →

Review: Littlemill – Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)

Posted on by

littlemill-that-boutiquey-whisky-company-whiskyLittlemill Batch 1 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company) – NAS – 50cl, 47.40%

Colour: Light, bright straw.

Nose: Spicey wood, creaminess, vanilla, thinners, farmey barley. Leave it for a good long time to open up, when you do huge citrus is there.

Palate: Interesting! Doesn’t follow the nose too much (at first), on the palate you’ll find buckets of summer citrus fruits and slightly brown bananas. The mouthfeel is pretty thick and oily and the spices found on the nose are really easy going on the palate, it’s smooth and velvety, with slight notes of the type of bourbon maturation that I like in Tomatin.

Continue reading →

Review: Highland Park Freya

Posted on by

hp_freya_530Highland Park Freya – 15yo – 51.2%

Marketing Blurb: Freya represents the continuation of Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection; a range of four unique whiskies taking inspiration from the legendary Nordic gods of old.  Bottled at 51.2% ABV this limited edition whisky comes housed in the same unique and award winning wooden frame of Thor and Loki, echoing the fearsome contours of a traditional Viking long ship.

Freya will be available from 7th February at a RRP of £140.

Let’s crack on with my review…

Continue reading →

Review: Glenmorangie Companta

Posted on by

Companta BottleGlenmorangie Companta – 46% ABV, OB, NCF

Marketing Blurb: Glenmorangie has launched it’s fifth annual special edition, Companta (which stands for friendship in Scots Gaelic). Companta has been matured in Grand Cru casks from Clos de Tart and those of a sweet fortified wine from Côtes du Rhône.

Bottled at 46% ABV, and non-chill filtered, for extra body and texture, Glenmorangie Companta is available from specialist retailers and department stores now at £69.99 and is selling out very quickly.

Let’s crack on and take a look!
Continue reading →

Review: Blair Athol – 22yo – IB (The Maltman) – Refill Sherry

Posted on by

07 Maltman Range-1-1Blair Athol – 22yo – IB (The Maltman) – Refill Sherry Cask – 49.1% NCF

Colour: Full golden.

Nose: Instantly an old dunnage / oak cask nose here that puts you in a relaxed state of mind. Some leather, a touch of polish, a bit of dry must, and after a short moment sweet winter fruits start to come through, stewed fruits in a bowl with a dollop of vanilla custard.
Continue reading →

Review: Ballantine’s Christmas Reserve 2013 Limited Edition

Posted on by

Ballantine's Christmas ReserveBallantine’s has launched its fourth Christmas Reserve Limited Edition for 2013. Let’s take a look!

Colour: Rich and darkly fully golden.

Nose: Full of autumn fruit smells, sweet caramel, vanilla toffee, touches of smoke amongst malt, slight damp mossiness.

Palate: For something that’s 40% abv (and therefore assume chill-filtered) it has a pretty fair mouth coating to it, fairly rich and oily. It’s sweet and lusciously smooth, with honeyed wood noes coming through the maltiness really nicely. It’s well balanced, doesn’t feel too young, there’s no alcoholic nip to it.
Continue reading →