Category Archives: Review

Review: The Gauldrons

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The GauldronsThe Gauldrons – 46.2% abv

Info: The latest edition to join the Remarkable Regional Malts family, The Gauldrons is a “vatted” Malt exclusively from Cambeltown produced in very small batches and bottled without colouring or chill filtration.
Colour: Gentle golden straw.
Nose: Fairly strong and full, quite salty with hints of peat and green berry fruits.
Palate: Quite sweet with nice full oils on your tongue, followed by an interplay of salt, and then back to sweet notes, with some toffee creaminess and gentle fruits.
Finish: The finish is probably the most flavoursome part, and it lasts for a nice long time. The hints of peat means it’s good and warming. It’s slightly spiced, fairly sweet, and has a touch of oak tannins.
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News: Drinks by the Dram’s 2017 Advent Calendar selection

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Drinks by the Dram's 2017 Advent Calendar selectionDrinks by the Dram’s 2017 Advent Calendar selection

That Boutique-y Whisky Company's Advent Calendar (2017 Edition)Now in it’s 6th year, the Drinks by the Dram 2017 Advent Calendar selection has expanded to include even more goodies than ever before… now’s the time to grab yourself a booze filled Festive calendar before December hits!

Classic favourites are back including Whisky, Gin and Rum calendars, and are now joined by exciting new additions, including a Calendar packed with whiskies from renowned independent bottler Douglas Laing, and another filled to the brim with incredible gins from the world’s best distillers, bottled by That Boutique-y Gin Company.

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Review: The Glenturret Peated Drummond Edition

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Peated Drummond EditionThe Glenturret Peated Drummond Edition – 58.9%abv

Info: Distillery exclusive. This is cask 100, a refill hogshead cask filled on the 25th of March 2009, i.e. an 8yo peated Glenturret.
Colour: Light golden straw.
Nose: Sweet mellow peat amongst sweet distillery character. Light green fruits, green apples, gooseberries, and some gristy malt.
Palate: Surprisingly easy for such a strong dram. It’s fairly oily, nicely peated and tasty with the lighter green fruit tones coming through and malted digestive biscuits with almonds on them.
Finish: Almost fizzy, it’s long, slightly spiced and reasonably warming. Malty tones prevail to the end alongside a wee crack of white pepper.
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Review: Highland Park Valkyrie

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HIGHLAND PARK VALKYRIE BOTTLEHighland Park Valkyrie – 45.9% abv

Info: Released earlier in the year. Listed as “a slight departure from our core 12 Year Old whisky” this has had more peated malt used than the regular bottlings, around 50% peated malt. Natural colour. This release replaces Dark Origins but isn’t sherried like that was.
Colour: Fairly light and bright golden yellow.
Nose: Malty with honey heather coal peat tones, not at all costal, but high healthland peat. Behind that it’s a summer fruit cup of slightly ripe citrus fruits with lots of vanilla custard after some air gets to it.
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Review: Glenfiddich 125 Anniversary

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Glenfiddich 125 BottleGlenfiddich 125 Anniversary – 43% abv

Info: Limited edition released in 2012. Glenfiddich have used a combination of peated and unpeated whiskies aged in a large proportion of Spanish ex-Sherry butts, as well as American ex-bourbon casks. No stated age that I’m aware of.
Colour: Golden sunset.
Nose: Fairly well aged malty notes with slight waxy tints and hints of leather, a good nose! Small puffs of peat smoke that really give it a great background with slight grunt, yum.
Palate: Reasonably thick oils and easy going on the palate with enough background spice to keep it interesting. Quite earthy with gentle dunnage style oak notes. Reasonably sweet with late summer fruits and malt, again with just a hint of smoke.
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Review: The Balvenie Peat Week 14yo

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balvenie peat weekThe Balvenie Peat Week 14yo – 48.3%

Info: Peat Week has been aged for 14 Years, it’s 2002 vintage. 100% of highland peated malt (30ppm) used. Non-chill filtered, fully matured in American oak casks.
Colour: Bright gold with a slight autumn tint.
Nose: Fairly robust spirit on your nose. There’s a slightly early nutty note, backed up with gentle honey and oak, with hints of hessian. Fairly good amount of vanilla, and some milk chocolate notes. Slight puffs of fresh smoke, fairly restrained, and not coastal.
Palate: Reasonably thick on the palate, a fair amount of oils on your tongue. There’s interesting oak spices that hit the top and back of your palate more than your tongue. The malt notes are honeyed and just gently peated, they sparkle on your tongue a little bit.
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Review: Jura One And All

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jura one and all whiskyJura One And All (20yo) – 51% abv

Info: Limited edition to celebrate the island and it’s islanders, it’s also been chosen by them as well. It’s matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and prepared with Jura aged in sherry wood, sparkling Cabernet Franc casks, Cabernet Sauvignon casks and Pinot Noir barriques. Non-chill filtered and natural colour. 5,000 bottles worldwide.
Colour: Rich, autumnal reddy tints.
Nose: Quite strong, a good spirit hit which is sweetly spiced, with a slightly earthy note coming through behind.
Palate: Lovely, thick and oily; it’s easily accessible at the higher strength without burning your tongue. Gently sweet,and nicely aged, a slight herbal backnote under all the rich fruity flavours.
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Review: Glen Garioch 21yo (Abbey Whisky)

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glen garioch 21 year old release 6Glen Garioch 21yo (Abbey Whisky) – 55% abv

Info: Distilled in 1994, this is the 6th release from Abbey Whisky’s Rare Casks series of Glen Garioch. Matured in a refill hogshead, no colour, or chill filtration. 126 bottles.
Colour: Clear and bright summer straw.
Nose: Buttery malt grain hits your nose along with white pepper, some spirit, and tropical fruits.
Palate: Oily and buttery at first quickly followed by the white pepper notes making your tongue dance while you check out the restrained tropical fruit notes. A hint of smoke is there in the background.
Finish: Long and warming, with those hints of smoke turning into more definite light puffs of smoke.
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Review: Jura Tastival 2017

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jura tastival 2017 whiskyJura Tastival 2017 – 51% abv

Info: Made using whiskies finished in American oak bourbon barrels and Douro Valley Port pipes from Graham’s. Natural cask strength, no chill-filtration.
Colour: Summer rich golden with slight orange pink tints.
Nose: Rich and pungent; more autumnal than I had expected, packed with rich red port fruits, hints of cracked nuts, lashings of cream and a hint of chocolate.
Palate: Thick and creamy, with spices gently building into very warming peppery tones, backed up by the fruit, (hazel) nuts and cream found on the nose. Hints of damp dunnage.
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