whisky at its most personal
There is a really intimate pleasure in cracking open a bottle of aged malt whisky. Almost a nervousness. A 40 year old is a huge treat indeed for most of us. 40 year old whiskies are exceptionally rare, can be incredibly complex and should always be treated with respect. Whiskies this age can lose up […]
If the British Empire had been built on whisky rather than gin mankind would be on Mars by now. Cutty Sark is a popular range of blended Scotch Whisky from home-town heroes Edrington. Named after the Cutty Sark, the fastest of all the 19th century Tea clippers that plied their trade over tempestuous seas from […]
Pale Speyside gold with notes of citrus and toffee apples and a dreamy finish. A tasty dram. When George Smith began distilling way back in the 1820s – before the Excise Act legalised distilling in Scotland – he selected whisky from the traditional oak casks of a range of ages, which gave each expression its […]
Skeleton Key from Duncan Taylor & Co, the family-owned Scotch whisky specialist. One of Brewdog’s Boilermaker series, with bold peat smoke to complement their Jet Black Heart stout or Zombie Cake porter. It has been said that this is a combination that shouldn’t work, but does, and I’d have to add that of all the […]
Liquid gold with notes of citrus and boiled sweets. The Macallan 1824 Series celebrated the Speyside distillery’s commitment to 100% natural colour, drawn from the wood in which the spirit is matured. The four no-age-statement Single Malt Scotch Whiskies ranged from Gold through Amber and Sienna to Ruby. The concept being the colour of the […]
Malt of the month for November. Polite, yet full-flavoured malty fruitiness with a peppery smoke. The Crabbie name has been famous for whisky for a long, long time. Since the early 1800s in fact, although the Crabbie family line can be traced back even further, to the ’45, the Jacobite Rebellion and Culloden, the last […]
In the wild, a rather pleasant, pretty unique, bottling of 158 bottles from Chorlton Whisky of Manchester. A non chill-filtered 8 year old from Glenturret, matured in a hogshead from Caol Ila, bottled at 62.5% ABV. Smoky and peaty, yet light on the palate, with salted caramel and honey notes, and a lingering toffee apple […]
Whisky of the week – Glenfiddich Fire and Cane. The fourth expression from the Glenfiddich Experimental Series, Fire & Cane was released into the wild in mid-2018. I’m always in awe of the knowledge of the master distillers that make these decisions, but giving some of the distillery’s peated single malt a three-month finishing period […]
It won’t take your head off, but a long cool, highball based on Mary Queen of Scots 12 year old blended malt is perfect for a hot dry afternoon. An attention-grabbing measure of blended malt, your personal preference as to ice and bubbling to the rim with soda. Cool! Roadtested at Milroy’s of Soho, London.
