Latest Scotch whisky reviews
Balblair 7 Years Old Batch 1
Entertaining, nice sweet and herbal quality, very volatile in the glass, phenolic – that touch of peat is very present and prominent. Green fruits and waxy pine and herb leaves. 83/100
Bruichladdich Bere Barley 2011
Quite smooth, fruity and vanilla led, perhaps the cask influence at 10 years is just starting to make its presence felt against that thick and unctuous mealy cereal nature from the Bere. 85/100
Whitlaw 15 Years Old Batch 1
Yum, classic HP, very light initially. This one is all about the subtleties, wisps of heathery smoke and a sprinkle of smoked sea salt crystals! 85/100
Latest US whiskey reviews
Wilderness Trail Cask Strength Rye
Incredibly drinkable as presented, not too spicy but full of woody herbal notes and sweet toffee, possibly the best Rye whiskey I have ever tasted! 88/100
Rebel 100 Bourbon
Accomplished and unchallenging, smooth and creamy throughout and a nice addition of chocolate makes this one a real nice sipper. 83/100
Ezra Brooks 99 Bourbon
Lighter than I had hoped on the nose and palate but very pleasant, comes into it’s own later with some deeper and darker wood-derived flavours. 82/100
Latest Irish whiskey reviews
Irish Single Malt #2 15 Years Old Batch 6
Sweet and clean, creamy and with plenty of fruit suggestive of mostly spirit and ex-Bourbon maturation keeping things fairly straightforward and enjoyingly simple. A touch odd in the finish – perhaps indicative of the distillate source? 85/100
Yellow Spot 12 Years Old
Very much Pot still style, woody and spice driven familiar from unmalted barley. Plenty of yellow/stone fruits present in here despite the unusual cask combination used, I’d have expected something a little darker and drier like fruitcake, instead it is peached and cream. 84/100
Teeling Stout Cask Finish
An unusual but very nice/enjoyable expression, this still has quite a lot of citrus aroma and flavour from the base whiskey blend but it is not sharp/acidic and compliments well the very creamy chocolate nature derived from the stout casks.
Latest World whisky reviews
Willowbank 18 Years Old Batch 2
Lots of old wood and fruit influence as you’d expect for its age and ex-red wine cask, hints of eucalyptus in places but overall a superb woody old whisky! 85/100
Teerenpeeli 5 Years Old Batch 1
Another great wine cask example from TBWC, I’ve no feeling for the original spirit but this felt like mostly sherry cask and perhaps not too much original spirit nature – certainly for a 5yo. The result is a very enjoyable sherried whisky. 84/100
Armorik 5 Years Old Batch 2
Very sweet on the nose but very balanced on the palate and eminently drinkable. Some sharp French oak tannins give a good edge or foil to the fruity Sauternes sweetness. 84/100
Latest whisky blog rankings
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