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August 27, 2026 |
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More blends and more secrets
That says it all, doesn’t it? |
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St Bridget’s Kirk 10 yo 2014/2026 ‘Robert Burns’ (48.5%, Hannah Whisky Merchants, blended malt, 1st fill oloroso quarter cask finish, 194 bottles) 
It’s great, they tell you what’s in it, namely Glen Spey ex-ruby Port, Glen Moray ex-bourbon and Caol Ila ex-ruby Port. In short, it’s Caol Ila. We’re joking, but the peated ones generally tend to dominate even in very measured doses… Colour: golden apricot. Nose: peat and blackcurrants doing a rather unlikely yet very pleasant tango, over a basaltic carpet strewn with prunes. In short, that’s more or less it… Mouth: Caol Ila is calling the shots even more now, but we were expecting that, weren’t we. Fruits in brine, salted fruit paste (very good!) and some kind of mixture of manzanilla and… well, ruby Port. Finish: long and pepperier, as is often the case. Peppers, grape stalks, then a slightly medicinal signature. Comments: frankly, I was a little worried, but strangely enough, the combination really works.
SGP:656 - 84 points. |
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The Teuchter 10 yo ‘Batch 2’ (47%, Decadent Drinks, Highland secret malt, refill hogshead, 2026) 
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: green apple and candle wax, plus sea spray and gusts of offshore wind, could we be somewhere around Brora? Touches of flint and seashells. Mouth: more wax, apple and lemon, then a large bag of jellybeans from you-know-who. Very faint touches of pear drops. Finish: long, fresh, more herbal, while the aftertaste remains typically salty. Comments: has anyone ever thought of vatting Clynelish and Pulteney? Anyway…
SGP:452 - 87 points. |
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The Teuchter 10 yo ‘Batch 4’ (47%, Decadent Drinks, Highland secret malt, refill hogshead, 2026)
Colour: gold. Nose: oh, I thought this was going to be from the same source, but no, and I believe the owners admit that this is Ben Nevis. Typical Ben Nevis, drier than the Clynelish, more bitter on the nose, with more dark chocolate, fresh concrete, mustard sauce, the sea… In short, it’s fatter, almost Campbeltownian. Mouth: it’s fascinating to compare the two, as they’re two of my favourite distilleries and here, they’re on an equal footing in terms of age and cask, and even strength. Let’s say this BN is a little more ‘messy’, dry, peppery, less cheerful, but perhaps a little deeper, and even more complex. Finish: long, peppery, drier than batch 2. Comments: I love both, but it’s the Clynelish I’d take to a desert island. If I were only allowed to take one, of course…
SGP:462 - 87 points. |
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The Teuchter 17 yo ‘Batch 1’ (46%, Decadent Drinks, 1st fill PX hogshead, 330 bottles, 2025)
This time it was Tomatin, so a lighter and less textured malt than BN or Cly, at least in theory. Colour: gold. Nose: rather superb, but I’m less fond of this style, with more emphasis on raisins and old cellar. Coffee fudge, basalt, old pebble (no one in particular, ha), gunflint. Mouth: same feelings, it’s very good, but the impact of the PX is truly massive and while it combines rather nicely with Tomatin’s fruitiness (kind of relative in these vintages, mind you), it remains a little thick. Orange peel-flavoured oil. Finish: long, still rather thick, and very honeyed too. Comments: make no mistake, I like this, but the two younger ones that came before it rather dominated it, at least by my own personal criteria.
SGP:651 - 84 points. |
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Highland Malt 10 yo ‘Hermanos Thompson’ (45.5%, Thompson Bros., 2026)
Was this baby distilled in a clandestine laboratory somewhere near the Mexican border? Well, no, actually, it was finished in a manzanilla cask! Colour: gold, slightly cloudy. Nose: for sure! Green walnuts, mild mustard, seaweed, light brine, oatcakes and a drop of sherry vinegar. Now those maritime touches don’t really let you work out whether they come from the distillate or the manzanilla. Or both. Mouth: excellent! Quite acidic and bitter, in a very lovely way, fresh, sharp, invigorating. Lime, grapefruit, mustard, oysters, touches of whitecurrants. A little yeast. Finish: quite long, a little earthier. Comments: a very lovely little bottle, with the fino from Sanlucar making its presence felt. Would you pass me the langostinos, please?
SGP:462 - 86 points. |
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Secret Highland Distillery ‘Chinese Yellow Wine Cask Finish’ (53%, HK Whisky, for Whisky Live HK 2024, cask #2a) 
There was also an excellent 13 yo Speyside (WF 89). Chinese yellow wine is ‘huangjiu’, made with rice, it’s got nothing to do with vin jaune. This is experimental, you understand. Colour: deep gold. Nose: it is true that rice is a cereal too, and consequently rice wine is closer to malt than, say, cabernet sauvignon or touriga nacional, no? In any case, I like this nose a lot too, it’s rather magnificently earthy, slightly fermentary, and bursting with yellow plums with a little pink pepper added. I find this works perfectly. With water: polenta! Mouth (neat): lots of toasted sesame and buckwheat, with even a faint smoky sensation. Excellent! With water: don’t add too much, it relaxes the whisky a little too much and makes it lose focus somewhat. Finish: very lovely pepper mingling with barley and buckwheat. Comments: we really ought to campaign for the use of these casks to be authorised by the Scotch Whisky Association, even if that means having to ship them to Scotland before filling and maturation. Between us, we’ve already seen stranger things up there…
SGP:662 - 88 points. |
Hard to follow that very special baby. So, we’ll carry on later… |
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August 26, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos,
today Tomintoul |
We have survived Tomintoul’s many vinous convolutions in recent years and shall celebrate that with two small, official and classic expressions, probably rather light but which we haven’t tasted for almost ten years, the 14 and the 16. You’ll notice that, rather strangely, the 16-year-old is at 40% while the 14 is at 46%. I’m not saying that’s quite as important as peace in the Middle East, but still, it does make you wonder a little… So, let’s start with the lighter one… |
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Tomintoul 16 yo (40%, OB, +/-2026) 
The packaging hasn’t changed for a long time, which is quite a good sign, in theory at least. I mean, compared with the almost constant rebranding elsewhere… Colour: gold. Nose: very malty and very close to beer, so very much about the raw materials, with a discreet floral side (heather, naturally) and a little liquorice. Some cider too, and even a touch of calvados. Mouth: pleasant but rustic, even more on beer and malt, very ripe apples, a little vanilla, then notes of stout. The whole remains light, almost featherweight. Finish: rather short but more herbal, while the malty-beer side remains. A very faint touch of bitter lemon peel in the aftertaste. Comments: nothing to add, it still won’t change the face of the malt world, but it’s perfectly all right.
SGP:441 - 78 points. |
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Tomintoul 14 yo (46%, OB, +/-2025) 
There are several wine-boosted 14-year-olds around (notably white Port, PX), but this is the natural version, from ex-bourbon casks. Colour: white wine. Nose: I’ve rarely found quite so many gooseberries and so much stewed rhubarb as here, all wrapped in white chocolate and custard. It’s all rather childishly comforting, in the best possible sense. Mouth: fairly lively but less precise than on the nose, as if the lightness of the profile and texture were having a little trouble keeping the alcohol in check. Still, these notes of pink grapefruit work very well and add some… joy to the whole. A little bitter green tea then. Finish: medium in length but fresh, on apples, with a noticeable and welcome return of the gooseberries. Comments: I find this simple but really good, and I’m not saying that on a desert island, with no hope of ever returning… … …
SGP:551 - 80 points. |
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August 25, 2026 |
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A merry cargo of Tomatins, part two
Quite a cavalcade yesterday. Good, let's try just a few more, we’ll keep the others for later… |
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Tomatin 8 yo 2015/2023 (46%, James Eadie, Small Batch, recharred and 1st fill bourbon hogsheads, casks # 300055, 300612, 300617, 1205 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: lovely, close to bread, barley, chalk, pear, apple and lemon, with discreet vanilla despite the pedigree. Mouth: a perfect mirror of the nose, just with a slightly more herbal side, as is common with these natural malts. Finish: quite long, carrying on from the palate, with no changes. Comments: another lovely little beastie, rather unadorned, so to speak.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Tomatin 2004/2023 (55.8%, OB, for Charles Hoffer, Switzerland, bourbon barrel, cask #40258, 248 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: very close to the previous one, just a little waxier. With water: candle wax. Mouth (neat): very lively, very lemony, very joyful, very chalky. We’re finding that blanc de noirs Champagne character again. With water: it becomes softer, now more blanc de blancs. Chalk, green apple, quince jelly… Finish: long, straightforward, fresh, pure, and still rather Champagne-like. A little aniseed. Comments: a very lovely Tomatin, ultra-classic. There really is some remarkable consistency across all these Tomatins, when there’s no sherry or very little of it, whether the malt is young or not so young.
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Tomatin 7 yo 2016/2024 (59.4%, Cut Your Wolfe Loose, hogshead, 262 bottles)
We have the impression that Tomatin’s fresh and joyful character is a great source of inspiration for label designers. Now this may still be a little young… Colour: pale white wine. Nose: but this is artisanal kirsch, distilled only last year! Mind you, that doesn’t mean we don’t like it. With water: more chalk, fresh concrete, broken twigs, box-tree leaves… Mouth (neat): pear juice, agave juice, sugarcane juice, lime juice, plus something rooty, close to celery as well as, perhaps, cassava. With water: green apple in all its majesty. Finish: long and herbal. Comments: we can easily miss this kind of little creature if we don’t pay it enough attention. We need to engage in a dialogue with it, which we happily do.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Tomatin 29 yo 1994/2023 (49.5%, Whisky Sponge, refill sherry hogshead, 190 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this remains in line with all the others, we’re not dealing with the more exotic versions of Tomatin, but there are some very lovely notes of geranium, violet, rose, smoked tea, and a little caraway. A very beautiful nose. Mouth: we find the apple and lemon again, fruit peelings, melon skin, the whole remaining taut, lively and distinctly more herbal than on the nose. Finish: long and precise, with green walnuts, very probably from the sherry, and pepper. Comments: I find this very beautiful indeed, unusual, elegant…
SGP:552 - 88 points. |
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Secret Highland 42 yo 1978/2023 (43.6%, The Roots & The Antelope, refill sherry butt, cask # T30154, 221 bottles) 
A little bird told me that this was most probably a Tomatin… Colour: gold. Nose: and there we are, pink banana, mango, papaya, passion fruit and hibiscus. Light touches of very ripe fig. Nothing to add at this stage. Mouth: just one concern, has the wood started to dominate the hyper-exotic distillate? The answer is no, or barely, with just a little slightly over-brewed black tea. Nothing dramatic, the whole remains balanced and rather wonderful. Mango, pink grapefruit etc… Finish: same. Lovely notes of rosehip tea and a little cinnamon. Comments: those Tomatins from the 1960s and 1970s really were something else.
SGP:651 - 90 points. |
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Tomatin 10 yo 2014/2025 (53%, Decadent Drams, 2nd fill oloroso hogshead, 285 bottles)
With another amusing nod to the past, there’s even a mention of proof degrees. Colour: full gold. Nose: the sherry is more present here, walnut cake, chocolate, cumin, a little black earth, dead leaves, fir honey… With water: … and nutmeg. Mouth (neat): back to citrus, Jaffa cakes, orange marmalade, black pepper… With water: it relaxes further, with verbena, then nocino, various peppers… Finish: long and more bitter. Very lovely bitters, mind you, we’re even thinking amontillado rather than oloroso. Comments: pretty superb ten-year-old bottle…
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
Come on, one last one, no doubt more extrovert and extravagant… |
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Tomatin 13 yo 2012/2025 (58%, OB, for Singapore 60th Anniversary, matured in cabernet sauvignon barrique, cask #43854, 278 bottles)
I do believe this was full maturation in cabernet, but there’s nothing to say it was Bordeaux and/or French oak… Colour: dark reddish amber. Nose: smoked ham, shoe polish, bitter orange, red and yellow peppers, green walnuts. Perhaps a wee bit too much at this stage. With water: aubergine, artichoke, pepper. In other words, cabernet sauvignon without most of its fruitiness. Mouth (neat): I find it works better on the palate, although that blackcurrant and pepper character is still rather invasive. With water: now it relaxes, with cherry, blackcurrant, pink peppercorns, praline, tomato, even black olives… Finish: long, better yet, more balanced and coherent, despite the very vinous character that remains. Comments: for me, it just kept improving. A coherence that’s not so often found in these slightly unnatural love affairs between red wine and malt whisky.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
OK, one proper very last one, something a little weird… |
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Strathdearn ‘Fruity & Spicy’ (44.5%, Murray McDavid, Cask Craft Series, oloroso sherry finish, 2022)
An NAS finished in sherry, let’s proceed with caution. By the way, I had mistakenly filed this baby with the few Strathearns we’re having in the current pipeline, but it is indeed Strathdearn, a surprising trade name for Tomatin. Colour: gold. Nose: this is rather lovely, with toasted hazelnuts and praline. Which, we agree, is more or less the same thing. Nutella and apricot and mirabelle jams, then a slightly smoky, basaltic side, a touch sulphury, but not excessively so. Mouth: it’s good, malty, with brown and amber ales, praline again, and a little Bailey’s side. Remember Bailey’s Irish Cream? Finish: medium in length but very pleasant, with walnut and orange cookies. The aftertaste is more peppery and on coffee. Comments: this is rather well composed, without a doubt.
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
We really are stopping now. That makes twenty-six Tomatins in two days, which is more than enough, right!? |
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August 24, 2026 |
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A merry cargo of Tomatins |
It was while tasting a very probable ‘secret’ Tomatin 1976 from the Thompson Bros. last Thursday (although afterwards I did wonder whether it might also have been a Balblair) that we got the idea of tasting a few from one of the fruitiest of Highlanders. And so, putting words into action… let’s dive into the stocks at random!
(Tomatin) |
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Tomatin 12 yo (43%, OB, +/-2025)
This baby was matured in ex-bourbon and finished in ex-sherry, so an ultra-classic combination. The last time we tasted the 12 was back in 2020 and we rather liked it (WF 84). Colour: white wine. Nose: fairly typical, slightly metallic (aluminium saucepan) and very much on green apples and pears, perhaps even some not-quite-ripe banana. In fact, all this gives it a lovely freshness and liveliness, even if we remain some distance away from the usual fruit bombs that the older Tomatins can become. Mouth: fresh and light, with melon and apple, papaya, sweet cider, then a small slice of nicely soaked orange cake (with Grand Marnier, naturally). Finish: not that short, a little more herbal, which is quite usual with young malts. Comments: we have to admit that the sherry is rather discreet. We’re sticking with the impression we had back in the Covid days…
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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Tomatin 2008/2023 (63.8%, S Spirits Shop Selection, sherry butt, cask #900041, 620 bottles)
Watch out, at this strength, it could have a go at your gums… Colour: white wine. Nose: well, well, this is virtually the same whisky as the official 12, only with a great deal more wattage. Really! With water: really, we’ve recreated the 12-year-old, at a similar strength. Mouth (neat): melon liqueur and limoncello, plus a large glass of concentrated lime juice. With water: incredible. Finish: same. Comments: one extra point for the additional 20.8% vol. It really is the same whisky, I promise you, give or take a hair. Perhaps slightly fruitier after a little rest.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
We were also having a wee stash of young Cadenheads we’d never tasted… |
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Tomatin 10 yo 2008/2018 (54.4%, Cadenhead, Small Batch, 2 hogsheads, 564 bottles)
Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: barley, barley, barley, apples and paraffin. With water: barley syrup and some very light custard. Mouth (neat): an explosion of orchard fruits, gooseberries, apples, plums, and lemons. Granted, we don’t yet grow lemons in our Alsatian orchards, but surely it can’t be long now. With water: it becomes softer, while stewed rhubarb appears, together with an amusing little suggestion of chervil. Finish: long, precise, lively, very pleasant. Comments: a very lovely bottle. We may still find some, it was a ‘worldwide’ release.
SGP:651 - 86 points. |
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Tomatin 9 yo 2009/2019 (60.1%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 294 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: not very different from the previous one, a little rounder, a little softer, a little more on Spanish melon and candied angelica. With water: same. Orange syrup and pear too. Mouth (neat): close again. A little more citrus, we would say. With water: same, with a very slight white-wine sangria side. Indeed, that does exist. Finish: long, more lemony. Comments: I don’t think these babies were meant to be tasted one after another, they’re still very close to each other. But very good, if not totally thrilling. I slightly preferred the previous one, perhaps that’s the effect of vatting two necessarily somewhat different casks.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Tomatin 10 yo 2008/2018 (54.9%, Cadenhead, Authentic Collection, bourbon hogshead, 270 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: less on pear, more on gentle herbal teas and sweet apples. With water: no, here comes the Williams pear again. Mouth (neat): very lovely, lively, mandarins, citrons, lemon mint, woodruff… With water: the barley hits back, the lemons answer in turn, it’s all rather joyful. Finish: long, lively, more herbal, with even a wee touch of green Chartreuse. Comments: my favourite of the bunch. Listen, we don’t do affiliate marketing, but I’ve seen they’ve got it on offer at Whisky Antique, and if you buy a case, I’m sure they’ll pour me a glass of nocino next time we meet. So, I’m counting on you…
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
Let’s stick with the youngsters… |
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Tomatin 9 yo 2015/2024 (56.2%, James Eadie, re-charred hogshead, cask #300033, 289 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: this is really lovely, much more on chardonnay (say southern Burgundy) and ripe apple. With water: the little green pears come out. Mouth (neat): we can really feel the impact of the re-charred cask, it’s interesting and it’s good. Apple and peach compote softened with acacia honey. Or something along those lines. A little cinnamon, very discreet. With water: in comes the orange, Timut pepper (from the cask, we imagine), pink grapefruit… Finish: long, with some very lovely citrus fruits of all sorts. Comments: well, this is excellent!
SGP:651 - 87 points. |
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Tomatin 15 yo 2008/2023 (54.3%, Whisky Picnic Bar, bourbon hogshead, cask #2200, 266 bottles)
Always those very lovely labels… Colour: white wine. Nose: ah, here’s a very different Tomatin, much more marked by varnish and glue, even wine vinegar, bandages, brine… With water: cottage cheese with little bits of pear. Mouth (neat): I don’t know whether it’s the additional years of ageing, but there’s this very particular glue and olive and argan oils character here. And a very expressive and determined lime that brings an acidity seldom encountered in malts. With water: same feeling, with something fermentary, almost bacterial, in the best sense of the word. Finish: Comments: another superb young Tomatin, very different this time. There’s almost a very, very, very, very, very (got ya S.) natto side to it.
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Tomatin 18 yo (46%, OB, oloroso sherry casks, +/-2022)
First time I’m tastingthis baby, imagine that, although Angus has tried earlier versions. Colour: full gold. Nose: this is the kind of sherry we love, with shoe polish, green walnuts, mustard, very dark chocolate, quality espresso… But as a consequence, Tomatin’s usual fruitiness has been rather subdued. Mouth: I find this excellent, you could almost believe you were knocking back an unmentionable number of copitas in a fine bodega in Jerez. In short, walnut rules the roost. Finish: and the walnut is joined by pepper. Comments: I think this is a really successful sherried version, bravo. Even if the distillate is probably little more than a supporting act by now…
SGP:361 - 88 points. |
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Tomatin 2007/2021 (56.8%, Riegger’s Selection, Guadeloupe rum cask, cask #900049, 279 bottles)
Guadeloupe rum? Bielle?... Colour: full gold. Nose: it would seem that Tomatin’s malt and a very expressive Guadeloupe rum are having quite a conversation together, with an impression of ripe banana, liquorice and olive oil, followed by sandalwood and incense. With water: melon skin? Mouth (neat): this is unusual, almost shocking, and yet it works, despite a few slightly soapy notes that must have been generated by this somewhat unnatural alliance. It’s all very ‘cross’ indeed. With water: the water seems to bind everything together a little, but we do get slightly lost in these twists and turns of flavours. Finish: salty, lemony liquorice. Comments: I find this rather improbable, actually, but it remains very good. In any case, it was well worth trying, no doubt about that.
SGP:562 - 82 points. |
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Tomatin 1984/2016 (44%, OB for Shinanoya Tokyo, cask #36504, 682 bottles)
My God, ten years already… The only individual who seems to be running even further behind is Mr Farage who, incidentally and unknowingly, had already siphoned off a certain number of our whiskies before Brexit, a story I may tell you one day… Colour: pale gold. Nose: this time we’re in the much fruitier Tomatins, but also the more fermentary ones, with a massive sense of IPA, think early batches of Sierra Nevada, or Pliny stuff. In fact, this is extremely beautiful. Mouth: Tomatin from the great old days, Gravenstein apples, very ripe bananas, pineapple, fermenting mirabelles, and tutti quanti. Finish: long, almost prickly from being so fermentary and virtually acetic. Comments: magnificent old-school Highlander, with a particularly pronounced ‘white wine’ side. In our mouth and in this context, that’s a compliment.
SGP:652 - 90 points. |
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Tomatin 30 yo 1994/2024 (51.6%, WhiskyLand, refill hogshead, 230 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: whiffs of vanilla, biscuits, yellow flowers, crushed slate, apple yoghurt… All this needs to settle down a little, water should help us… With water: very ‘old refill cask’, light coconut, light vanilla, balsa wood, milk chocolate… Mouth (neat): simple for its age, but that’s no flaw whatsoever. Pear, apple, a drop of seawater, a drop of dry cider. With water: water wakes it up and steers it towards a sharp and maritime sauvignon blanc. Samphire, small lemons, and almost some oysters. Finish: long, with a marked return to green apple. Comments: very good, even after the magnificent Shinanoya from ten years earlier..
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Slochmor 16 yo 1978 (57.9%, The Whisky Connoisseur, cask #6443, +/-1994)
Frankly, Slochmor, what a name! It is of course Tomatin, but as for saddling it with the name of some hard rock doom metal whatever de la muerte band, we wouldn’t have dared. You may say that back in 1994, things were probably rather less established in that department… Colour: gold. Nose: quite the opposite of its name, all gentleness, with banana cream and acacia honey. Could anything be softer? Little thoughts of pink grapefruit add a touch of liveliness. With water: a little wet chalk comes in, adding a champagne-like side. Mouth (neat): traditional Tomatin of the period, more on riesling, mango and lemon juice. With water: and lemon blossom honey. A wee oily side too, rather unexpected. Groundnut oil. Finish: medium in length but very lovely, oily and yet citrusy. Not a common style. Comments: excellent but rather curious in terms of dialogue and style. In short, it’s almost philosophical…
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
If you fancy that, we can keep going, there are myriads of Tomatins all around us… |
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Tomatin 18 yo 2003/2021 (51.6%, OB for Independent Spirit, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #1921, 228 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s simple and it’s pretty beautiful, with barley, gentle honeys, ripe apples and cornflakes, plus a slight muesli side. With water: more towards earth. Mouth (neat): lemon juice, Campari, grapefruit, in short, it’s much sharper than expected. With water: the apple returns, with touches of lavender. Finish: quite long, slightly soapy, it’s the lavender side that gives this impression. Comments: nothing more to add.
SGP:451 - 84 points. |
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Tomatin 9 yo 2015/2025 (61.9%, Scotch Malt Whisky Society, #11.53, ‘Ticks the Boxes’, 1st fill bourbon barrel, 234 bottles)
These specs are almost provocative, aren’t they? Colour: white wine. Nose: coconut, vanilla, apple juice, white chocolate. With water: leafy notes, fresh rhubarb, chives and fresh chervil. Mouth (neat): apple eau-de-vie, kirsch, rhubarb. It’s a little brutal, but it’s quite lovely, if not entirely indispensable. With water: it’s good, nothing to add. Lemony and herbal barley. Finish: long, straightforward, simple, herbal. Comments: it does the job. As they said themselves, ‘it ticks the boxes’. A nice case of self-introspection.
SGP:461 – 82 points. |
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Tomatin 12 yo 2008/2021 (46%, OB, French Collection, 3-year Monbazillac cask finish)
Quite frankly, we’re a little scared here. Monbazillac, apart from the prestige cuvées, which we rather doubt they used, is a simple, sweet, highly aromatic wine. Basically, an apéritif for grandmothers. We love grandmothers, of course. Colour: gold. Nose: flambéed banana. Mouth: apple and cinnamon tart, banana and honey cake. Finish: a mixture of all that. Comments: it’s good, but it’s not hugely interesting, we think. Perhaps there’s something a little pleonastic about the combination of the distillate and the wine.
SGP:641 - 80 points. |
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Tomatin 32 yo 1991/2023 (45.3%, Fruitful Spirits, bourbon + 2nd fill PX, cask #14188, 91 bottles)
A pretty little beastie, probably. Let’s hope the name ‘fruitful’ is appropriate… Colour: gold. Nose: fruity, with ripe apple, but also camphory, medicinal, with balms and embrocations… Mouth: let’s be honest, and no matter where this comes from, this combination of very ripe yellow fruits and smoky camphor, or camphory smoke, is absolutely beautiful. In short, it’s full of mystery… We imagine this comes from the previous contents of this 2nd fill PX cask, but never mind, we’re very ROMO on this one. Finish: long, rather smoky, rather ‘trans’. Comments: Tomatin, I don’t know, but the combination, whatever it was, worked almost to perfection.
SGP:563 - 88 points. |
Here, let’s have some fun… |
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Tomatin 25 yo (43%, OB, +/-2005)
We have, I was going to say of course, already tasted this baby (more than 20 years ago), but perhaps it’s time to revisit it, now that we have ‘some context’. Colour: light gold. Nose: pear, mango, IPA, rosehip tea, in short, classic Tomatin of the period. Mouth: but this is so good! An extra 20 years in the bottle have added depth, flowers, honeys and some very gentle spices. Finish: not that long, but full of gentleness and charm, a little old-fashioned perhaps, but all the more seductive for it. Comments: pure lacework, at a strength that we perhaps disparage a little too often.
SGP:651 - 88 points. |
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Tomatin 19 yo 1994/2023 (53.4%, Chester Whisky, bourbon hogshead, 162 bottles)
Colour: light gold. Nose: tart apples and yoghurt. With water: same, plus hay and camomile. That’s good news. Mouth (neat): cider, plasticine, clay. With water: the cask is showing a little fatigue, but it remains lovely and dominated by honeyed apple. Finish: quite long, already a little tired, but that only adds the patina of time. Comments: a very lovely malt, a little fragile, but utterly charming.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
Right, that makes 18, which is already well beyond the limits, but we took our time. Let’s call it a day, we’ll be back tomorrow with a lot more Tomatin… |
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August 23, 2026 |
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Cognacs are back
We’re doing the windscreen-wiper routine Sunday after Sunday, cognac, armagnac, cognac, armagnac, cognac… And then rum. Come on then, cognac, and let’s start with one of our traditional old apéritifs…
Hennessy, magazine ad, circa 1960
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Hennessy ‘Bras Armé’ (40%, OB, cognac, +/-1960)
First time we’re tasting this famous, high-volume, seminal version. Note that things can move very quickly here, it could be wrecked… Also note that it was rather uncommon to find an alcohol strength stated on labels in those days. Colour: full gold. Nose: very lovely, with probably quite a lot of high-quality juice in there, including some pre-war distillates. Ripe peaches, apricots in syrup, liquorice, cinnamon tea, honeysuckle, a floral greenhouse… In short, a very beautiful nose, almost surprisingly so. Mouth: ah yes, this is excellent, very textured, very liquoricy, almost salty, rich and opulent, despite a splendid dryness, with dried apples and figs coated in fir liqueur. Finish: quite long, drier, with more tobacco. Comments: it is rare for these old high-volume bottlings to be quite this beautiful and good. But then again, this was Hennessy right in the midst of pushing its brand…
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
Let’s try a second oldie then… |
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Bisquit ‘VSOP’ (no ABV, OB, fine champagne, +/-1975)
This could be a little less good… Let me remind you that, in theory, fine champagne is a blend of grande and petite champagne, sadly without any borderies or ‘bois’. Colour: full gold. Nose: nice, close to the Hennessy, but with less depth and more grilled and toasted notes. Very light rubber, but the general profile is pleasant and far less muddy than that of equivalent, more recent ranges these days. Mouth: once again, we’re close to the Hennessy, but this is drier and, since we’re fifty years back, say less ‘sexy’, even if the figs and raisins just keep becoming more obvious as time goes by. Finish: medium in length, more caramelised, no doubt a little more obscured. Comments: …but this is a very good old cognac from a brand that was very much at the forefront in those days. Much less so nowadays, it seems, but let us remind you that the French drink very little cognac…
SGP:551 - 84 points. |
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Michelet ‘Lot 12’ (58.5%, Piacere Rinato, Grande champagne, 2026)
We are in Segonzac, in 2012 and not 1912, this is very young of course, but it should already express itself with grace, persistence and insistence. Right. Colour: gold. Nose: tart apple, sour cherry and rubber, in a simple style, perfectly delineated, and entirely devoted to simple souls such as ours, right. With water: a little soap, chamomile, hay and pips. Mouth (neat): this is a countryside cognac, almost violent at first, and above all very peppery. Salted liquorice. With water: it settles down a little, heading towards Stollen and fig cake. That Marrakech or Agadir fig side is very much to the fore. Finish: its finest side, it becomes more complex, rough but in a most pleasant way. Very lovely gentle spices. Comments: not very straightforward, but very beautiful and committed.
SGP:651 - 85 points. |
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Michelet ‘Lot 18’ (52.3%, Piacere Rinato, Grande champagne, 2025)
This is of course younger, a 2018 by all accounts. Colour: pale gold. Nose: we find a little grape stalk again, but also some very lovely notes of rose and black cherries, praline, yellow peach. You could almost believe this baby was older than the 2012, which proves, once again, that ageing is anything but linear. Fresh hay. With water: the hay moves to centre stage. Mouth (neat): rather magnificent, with rose again (as sweets) and cherry, then bitter almond, orgeat, peach skin, fir honey… Some very elegant little bitters. With water: these little bitters take control, somewhere between walnut liqueur and bitter orange, even Cynar. Finish: long, fresher, essentially on citrus fruits. Comments: this is a profile rather close to that of a malt, notwithstanding the grape bunches and the very aromatic yet nicely rustic and countryside character.
SGP:561 - 88 points. |
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Famille Tribot ‘L.T. 96 - A la Main Edition 1.1’ (48.1%, Jean-Luc Pasquet, Grande Champagne, 120 bottles, 2026)
A new range from the famous little house in Eraville, with rather artsy packaging. We like that, of course… And this should be around thirty years old, give or take, and ugni blanc. Colour: full gold. Nose: vineyard peaches and heather honey, touches of liquorice, honeysuckle, pink pepper… It is not ultra-complex, but it is rather flamboyant aromatically. Mouth: sharper on the palate, more on orange and grapefruit zests, then increasingly herbal, with pips, buds, and even… lawn grass. And yet, there is some very beautiful expressiveness, especially as the oranges then arrive en masse, some Seville, but not all. Finish: long, lively, still rather herbal, and very distinguished. Liquorice wood. Comments: a grande champagne that brings together perfumed elegance and a certain well-judged rusticity. This is adorable.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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Famille Rateau ‘L.R. 20.11 - A la Main Edition 2.1’ (49.6%, Jean-Luc Pasquet, Grande Champagne, 270 bottles, 2026)
I’m not quite sure what ’20.11’ means, perhaps simply that this is a 2011? In any case, while we had already tasted some Tribot, we did not know Rateau, but we are still very far from being cognac experts, aren’t we. Colour: full gold. Nose: more unusual on the nose, a little toasted, with touches of extinguished cigar, but also passion fruit and even fresh mango and very ripe apricot. Very, very convincing and highly malternative so far. Mouth: unlike the Tribot, it remains very consistent on the palate, we find the mango again, the maracuja, the liquorice, and of course the apricot and pear, as well as a very slight Muscat-like side that lifts the whole thing even further. Finish: long, fresh, elegant, almost easy and, above all, as they say north of Hadrian’s Wall, very moreish. Comments: as we sometimes say, they ought to add a warning to the label, or at least to the back label. Easy and truly excellent.
SGP:651 – 90 points. |
Shorter session today, let’s have one last one… |
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Laurichesse ‘Lot 19.75 – Le Souverain’ (50.6%, Malternative Belgium, Grande Champagne, 360 bottles, 2026)
Granted, we should have had this baby after its superb ‘feminine’ counterpart (touchy stuff), La Souveraine, WF 90, two weeks ago. But we never do things in the right order, as you know… Anyway, perhaps here comes the lion’s share (ooh that’s smart, S.) … Colour: amber gold. Nose: obviously, at this level… Heather honey, thyme honey, apricot and mirabelle liqueurs, touches of peppermint and camphor, soft liquorice, fruity olive oil (Nyons style) … With water: the mint extract and camphor come a little more to the fore. Mouth (neat): very beautiful oakiness, mentholated, pronounced, very liquoricy, but counterbalanced by a kind of very expressive banana plus mango plus peach plus pear combination. Water will tell us whether this oakiness is a little excessive after all, or not at all. We have our own little idea… With water: of course not, the water brings everything back into balance (it’s Evian, very exceptionally, as our Vittel has temporarily run out) and brings out herbal teas and herbs. And the mint, which remains the ultimate arbiter here. Finish: long, only the aftertaste is a tiny bit more drying. Touches of glue. Comments: it would of course be totally improper, and perhaps even punishable by a hefty fine or even imprisonment, to declare that, between the masculine and feminine versions of these very beautiful and very feline Laurichesses, one dominates the other. As you can see, we’re walking on eggshells…
SGP:661 - 90 points. |
Next week, back to rum, there’s plenty in the pipeline! |
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August 21, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos, |
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| today simple young Strathmills |
| Yet another name we rather enjoy keeping alive on this wretched little website, even if it means giving it slightly more coverage than its true standing among the vast flood of single malts available on the market might warrant. Just imagine, we ought to reach one hundred different Strathmills tasted before 2030! Or perhaps much sooner, should our friends the brokers decide to unleash another vast batch of casks onto the market... |
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Strathmill 10 yo 2014/2025 (56.4%, Watt Whisky, hogshead, 310 bottles)
Colour: white wine. Nose: rather yeasty and gently acetic, although that's not the slightest problem, quite the opposite in fact. Bière de garde, kombucha, sauvignon blanc, grapefruit liqueur... Then a generous slab of freshly baked country bread. With water: very little changes, apart from the arrival of some honeyed notes, rather evocative of mead. Mouth: we do enjoy these slightly oily, thick and peppery citrus fruits. With water: very good indeed, still firmly on citrus fruits, lemon juice, green peppercorns and honey. A little touch of ginger. Finish: fairly long, following much the same lines. Comments: as good as proper fresh bread as we say. Or perhaps lemon fougasse.
SGP:551 - 85 points. |
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Strathmill 14 yo 2011/2025, (55%, Spirit of Scotland, James Gordon, refill bourbon barrel, cask #805666, 174 bottles)
A sub-brand of Gordon & MacPhail, as you know. Colour: white wine. Nose: plenty of wax and rapeseed oil to begin with, followed by sesame, wild carrots, plantain and even a little plasticine. We rather suspect there's some lingering influence from the cask's previous occupant. The rest of the profile revolves around ripe apples. With water: lovely waxiness, propolis, and still that faint touch of plasticine... Mouth (neat): yes, almost certainly the previous contents of the cask at work here, it's very earthy and smoky, with quite a bit of ash layered over apples and pepper. With water: lemons come charging in and restore order, although the smokiness remains. Finish: long, with notes of verbena and angelica. Comments: well, this almost feels like a blended malt. A high-quality blended malt, naturally.
SGP:552 - 85 points. |
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August 20, 2026 |
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A wee trainload of a dozen secret Speysiders
Let me start by paraphrasing, WF-style, the German writer Jean Paul : ‘Dream with whisky, conceive with wine, execute with coffee.’ Good, after those ten seconds of pseudo-culture, let us recover from our emotions with a few ‘secret’ Scottish malts, of which the market has been plentiful, at least until these more recent times, when we’ve started seeing certain official names reappearing at the indies. Anyway, that’s all very good, and this time we shall once again proceed entirely at random. More or less… So, we were saying, secrets… |
Jean Paul Richter aka Jean Paul (Wunsiedel 1763 - Bayreuth 1825) by Heinrich Pfenninger |
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Secret Speyside 16 yo 2008/2025 (48.8%, The Wealth Spirit x Milroy’s, sherry butt, 165 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: touches of glue and kirsch to begin with, but that doesn’t last long as coffee fudge soon comes rushing in, together with touches of stollen and caramelised pecans, which is an absolute killer. A slight minerality, rather basaltic, and even touches of botrytis and smoke. Mouth: we find the kirsch again, the caramelised nuts, some spice cake, juniper, and a little dark tobacco, followed by Seville oranges. This is really very good, surely this cannot have been first fill. Finish: slightly softened Sichuan pepper dominates the finish, with some help from green walnuts. Comments: I find this excellent, with the sherry very much present but never dominant.
SGP:551 - 87 points. |
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Secret Speyside 12 yo (58.4%, Two Oak Nuts, Chapter No1, The Affair, bourbon, 244 bottles)
Colour: pale white wine. Nose: very unusual, as it kicks off straight away with lily of the valley and jasmine tea, with some cardboardy and waxy touches that are not unpleasant at all. Green apple juice, double cream. With water: it softens, with green plums, greengages, a little paraffin… Mouth (neat): it’s rather like celery eau-de-vie with added pepper and plenty of grated, very bitter lemon zest. With water: a proper miracle, the water brings out some very lovely pear and fresh turmeric. Finish: long, herbal, with some lovely bitters, aubergine and artichoke. Comments: a very unusual little beast, somewhat challenging and intellectual. Like the owners, I imagine. I like this difference.
SGP:361 - 85 points. |
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Bothy by Ralfy 11 yo (54.1%, North Star Spirits, 10th Anniversary, blended malt, 1,320 bottles, 2026)
Whoops, a blended malt rather than a secret Speyside, but on the other hand it’s our friend Ralfy at the helm, so this baby certainly belongs… anywhere on WF. Colour: gold. Nose: peat, cigars, camphor, tiger balm, green apples, paraffin, propolis, quinces, mirabelles, a little dry-cured ham, in short, nothing to throw away. With water: slightly animal notes, game, Gouda, fondue, but all remaining perfectly civilised. Mouth (neat): the peat is more pronounced, rougher, sharper, almost mentholated. There’s a good peater in there and the other components, rather more timid, do not seem inclined to argue with it. Still, this is very good. With water: this time it’s the roots that come to the fore, led by gentian and raw beetroot. Finish: long, slightly saline, better balanced, but then very herbal. Comments: it’s a little rough, but in a very lovely way, my Monstrously Machiavellian Malty Maniacal Malt Mates! In short, we find this excellent.
SGP:365 - 87 points. |
Right, we got a little distracted, let’s get back on track with our secret Speysides… |
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Secret Speyside 8 yo (45.2%, Jean Boyer, Gifted Stills, blended malt, hogshead, 781 bottles, 2025)
Here this could go very quickly, as much like us, they’re rather keen on keeping things crystal-clear at Jean Boyer. Colour: very pale white wine. Nose: barley eau-de-vie, pears, apples, plums and gooseberries. And a fresh croissant first thing in the morning. Mouth: more vigorous, closer to stems, leaves and roots, fruit skins, some very ‘brut’ farmhouse cider, in short, all that sort of thing. Finish: long, earthier and saltier, rooty, rather in the manner of Tullibardine au naturel, as the name of the file already suggested, ha. Comments: simplicity itself, yet absolutely excellent.
SGP:361 - 85 points. |
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Secret Speyside 16 yo 2006/2022 (51.1%, Thompson Bros., refill hogshead and sherry finish, 277 bottles)
We’re very late once again, with our apologies to the brothers. Colour: full gold. Nose: a sherry leaning towards old walnuts and shoe polish, a classic combination, although not quite as common as you might think. Thyme honey, cigars, an oilcloth. With water: even more oilcloth, paraffin, a new sweater from Ali or Temu… Mouth (neat): a Fanta-like side, pepper and Campari, surprising at first, but since we do love our bitters… The pepper soon takes over. Water should bring a lot to the table here and now. With water: boom, there we have it, the peppers and bitters unfold… Finish: it remains bitter and austere, but if you enjoy that as much as I do, this is for you, provided there’s any left. Comments: I read somewhere that this was Glen Elgin. That surprises me greatly, but these things happen every day. In any case, perhaps not the easiest of Glen Elgins…
SGP:362 - 84 points. |
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Speyside 31 yo 1989/2021 (51.3%, Thompson Bros., refill bourbon, 527 bottles) You’re right, we’re even later with this one, almost shamefully so, truth be told. Colour: new-world chardonnay. Nose: ah, vanilla, mango, papaya liqueur, fresh sawdust, a little grated coconut. With water: very lovely chalks, candles, and just some beeswax. A small rum baba. Mouth (neat): this is excellent, even if I haven’t a clue what it is. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, coconut, orange juice and Aperol. Not much difference from the nose. With water: a slightly muddled side, but the herbal teas and very gentle spices come in to balance it all out. Pumpkin cake. Finish: quite long, much drier, almost drying, but there’s something genuinely authentic about it. Comments: an old cask that’s become complex and a little complicated. The two generally go together, and in any case, we like this a lot.
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
Well okay, it’s not Speyside, but who cares about boundaries and rules… In any case, it’s secret… |
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Highland Single Malt 49 yo 1976/2026 (45.1%, Thompson Bros., Dornoch Castle 25th Anniversary, cask #SR26050, 140 bottles)
Colour: gold. Nose: outrageously fruity. Either it’s Bushmills, but this isn’t Irish, or it’s Lochside, but we doubt that, or it’s Littlemill, but we doubt that too and Littlemill is a Lowlander, isn’t it. Wait, or perhaps it’s Benriach. But then they would have put ‘Speyside’. Or else it’s Tomatin, for a long time the largest distillery in Scotland. In any case, this is an absolutely gorgeous exotic fruit juice, magnificent, fresh, dazzling, poetic, almost simplistic, yet wonderful. Papaya, passion fruit, mango, banana. Mouth: very much in keeping. Sublime fruitiness, with a texture that is certainly there, but behaves like a gentleman. The Highland side comes through as a slight earthy saltiness, almost anecdotal. Finish: exotic fruit salad with a few drops of seawater. Comments: splendid bottle. Any left? Or perhaps at the hotel bar?
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
Come on, let’s get back to the Secret Speysides… |
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Secret Speyside 26 yo 1997/2023 (51.2%, Malt Bar, K S, The Attic and Revel Hibiki, hogshead)
Quite a bunch of fellows here, in Hong Kong. Colour: straw. Nose: light in a Glenlivet kind of way, ripe apples, Golden Grahams, scones, finger biscuits, biscuits roses de Reims (often baddish this whisky is better). With water: it comes back down to earth, a little earthy, not hugely distinctive. Mouth (neat): very good, lively, very malty but also mentholated and with plenty of green apple. With water: no, that’s the trouble with less distinctive distillates, they need some wood, some sherry. In their natural state, they struggle a little more. Apples. Finish: medium in length, very good but hardly likely to really rouse the languishing taster (what?) Comments: high quality, but with no obvious rough edges. But yeah, we like it rather a lot…
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Speyside 25 yo 1996/2022 ‘Marriage of Casks’ (52.6%, Single Malts of Scotland, Elixir Distillers)
Obviously, this isn’t the category we’re putting at the very top of our programme, and here’s further proof. Colour: pale gold. Nose: ripe apples, cornflakes, muffins, muesli, porridge. Not a whisky that’s going to change the face of the world, but at least, in a triple measure, it’ll make us forget all about it. With water: wheat beer. Mouth (neat): ah very good now, there’s some backbone here, apple and cinnamon cake, although the rough edges remain few and far between. All these whiskies are a little ‘average’, but not necessarily in a derogatory sense, mind you. With water: it’s good, but not yet extravagant. Finish: quite long, more herbal, rougher. Lovely coffee in the aftertaste. Comments: we could almost quote Iggy Pop, ‘I’m a tad bored’. I’m joking, just a little bit…
SGP:451 - 85 points. |
We know this situation, a long series of very good whiskies that remain relatively middle-of-the-road as far as style is concerned. Let’s see what happens next… |
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Secret Speyside 33 yo 1992/2026 (47.8%, The Whisky Jury, refill barrel, cask #408880, 236 bottles)
Apparently, they ‘really don’t know what it is’. All right then, we believe them. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s full, thick, textured, with apples and a very faint touch of eau de cologne and crème de menthe. Bitter almonds, orgeat, green banana, cider… Ord (not Speyside unless I’m mistaken), Elgin… Mouth: ah excellent, serious, herbal, fat, mentholated, extremely close to the raw materials, but not exactly exhilarating. Tough guy. This is where you can sense that barley is probably not the most spectacular of raw materials (if we compare it with agave, wine, sugar cane, and plenty of other things) Finish: long, more precise but still very herbal. Cactus and small lemons. Comments: a little un-Whisky-Jury, this old malt, in my humble opinion. But after all, it’s only barley but we like it (S., that’s enough).
SGP:561 - 87 points. |
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Blacksboat Ridge 12 yo 2013/2026 (58.8%, Single Cask Nation, American oak PX hogshead finish, cask #180641, 175 bottles)
This is indeed a single malt, from Speyside. Persistent rumours might suggest that this is GF. GF who will possibly soon be pretty happy to scatter around casks complete with permission to mention their precise origin, like many others. Anyway, just wild guesses… Colour: full gold. Nose: bitter almonds, neoprene glue, maraschino, broken branches. With water: cinnamon, cardamom, fir and pine wood, cedar, bitter almonds… Mouth (neat): rich, once again on bitter almonds, sour cherries and peppery bitter oranges. The whole thing is simple but very lovely, with plenty of body. With water: the cinnamon, ginger and cardamom return. The PX cask was seriously active. Finish: long. Comments: big cask impact, but the balance has been preserved. Only just, but preserved, almost miraculously.
SGP:461 - 86 points. |
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Secret Speyside 50 yo 1975/2025 (48.6%, Lucky Choice for The Antelope, refill American oak, cask #6368)
It’s completely bonkers that independent bottlers from the greater Hong Kong bay area should somehow be obliged not to display the name of the original distillery on a 50-year-old malt. That says a lot, in my opinion, about a few slightly tone-deaf and certainly a tad pretentious Scottish brands that still seem to think, or hope, they’re living in pre-Covid times. Good luck to them in the near future. Colour: gold. Nose: what strikes you immediately is an almost incredible freshness and liveliness, very much on some fifty different kinds of apples, and we’re barely exaggerating, then bitter almonds, lemongrass and a very faint shampoo-and-flowers side, strictly nothing troublesome here, almost the opposite in fact. Mouth: oh, but this is very good, with a trio of earths, resins and lemons of the highest order, even if you can feel the old cask lurking in the background, which is only normal at this age. Then fir buds, orgeat syrup, blood orange liqueur, and cinnamon. Finish: quite long, spicier, cinnamon, orange peel, Japanese roasted tea, tannicity… Comments: a slightly bonkers old malt indeed, a little tired here and there, but still well above 95% of its brethren of all ages. That’s life, what can you do…
SGP:361 - 90 points. |
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August 19, 2026 |
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A trio of Dailuaine
What can we tell you about Dailuaine, other than that Charles Doig was heavily involved in its construction? I know this because we have a period engraving of the distillery plans at WF headquarters… Right, let’s do a proper little vertical… (Bovril) |
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Dailuaine 5 yo 2020/2025 (61%, The Whisky Exchange, Zodiac: Taurus, first-fill Pedro Ximenez, cask # 312947, 489 bottles)
What’s good when you come across malts this young is that they teach you that the Distillery was active fairly recently. Yep. Colour: full gold. Nose: we should have guessed this was going to be lovely, otherwise they wouldn’t have bottled it at this rather unsellable age (no ten, no deal). Very lovely touches of Bovril, roots, gentian, old balsamic vinegar, and more palo cortado than PX. Or let’s say ‘cream’, and we’re talking high-standard ‘cream’ here, because those do exist. Then some cured ham. With water: the mushrooms are pushing their way out of the neck! The other day I tasted an extraordinary porcini candyfloss that this reminds me of. An absolute killer. Mouth (neat): rich indeed, almost on mushroom and leek broth, then ginger and an umami side that just keeps growing. Orange marmalade keeps watch over the whole thing. With water: excellent, but increasingly on Williams pear eau-de-vie. That’s youth, it never lies. Finish: long, on candied pear, eau-de-vie, and dried bolete powder, an extraordinary condiment. Comments: absolutely excellent. At five years old!
SGP:562 - 87 points. |
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Dailuaine 13 yo 2013/2026 (5.1%, Dràm Mor, Portuguese red wine finish, cask #302722, 282 bottles)
Red wine is of course a little frightening (Duero/Douro?), but we know that at Dràm Mor they know how to handle this kind of slightly dodgy business, don’t we? Colour: apricot. Nose: we could almost call this a rosé whisky, what with all those raspberries, peonies and redcurrants showing off, rather in the manner of a crémant or champagne rosé. What’s quite crazy is that none of it clashes, at least not so far. With water: rye bread and ground barley are holding their ground, but there are indeed some dried fruits, especially the apricot already mentioned. Mouth (neat): proper rosé whisky, I swear. Black pepper, pink peppercorns, artichoke and red pepper, stalks, skins… With water: a few notes of fruit sweets, strawberries, blackcurrants, raspberries… Plus some curious notes of agave syrup. Finish: long, more on a slightly improbable duo of aubergine and blackcurrant, with some pleasantly tart blood orange in the signature. Comments: we feared the worst, but it works.
SGP:661 - 84 points. |
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Dailuaine 23 yo 2002/2025 (57%, The Whisky Blues, 1st fill bourbon barrel, cask #29, 211 bottles)
These labels are still as beautiful as ever and still remind me just as much of Klek, the mad drummer from Angine de Poitrine. Colour: pale gold. Nose: here comes the fatness, the sulphur (sulphur from the distillate), the shoe polish, also bitter orange and wonderful whiffs of fresh hay stuffed with flowers. Behind all that, cement, grist, plaster, chalk. With water: it gets even tighter, on slate, paraffin and herbs, but it works perfectly. Mouth (neat): perfect! Lemon, chalk, mandarin, grey pepper, basta cosi. With water: very beautiful, precise to the millimetre, just rubbery enough, and packed with clays and rather tart citrus fruits. Finish: long, fresh and fat at the same time, very much on citron, even slightly soapy ‘in a good way’. Comments: a mixture of explosiveness and almost Calvinistic seriousness. Perhaps slightly intellectual, as we sometimes say without the slightest restraint… when we don’t know what else to say. Seriously, this is excellent.
SGP:561 - 89 points. |
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August 18, 2026 |
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Here is our monthly trio of Clynelish,
plus three strange bonuses |
It seems to me that last month, in July, we declared, admittedly in a somewhat peremptory fashion, that we wanted to taste some new Clynelish, or at any rate Clynelishes we had not yet tried, every month. Or something along those lines. Now August is already well under way, so it is high time we put our money where our mouth is. Off we go… |
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Clynelish 8 yo 2018/2026 (50%, The Cooper’s Choice, Golden Cut Collection, bourbon, cask #303893, 360 bottles)
We’ve already tasted some magnificent Clynelish from Cooper’s Choice/Vintage Malts Whisky Co. including a 1983/1996 whose only flaw was that it had been bottled at 40% vol. Or a 1971/2002 Cooper’s which, incidentally, was our 20,000th whisky two years ago. By the way, this is the youngest Clynelish we’ve tasted so far, let’s try to see whether the famous ‘black gunge’ was indeed present in the receiver… Colour: pale gold. Nose: precise, with as much candle wax as cider apples, then grapefruit and black radish. Touches of mandarins in brine. With water: chalk and liquorice wood come charging in. Mouth (neat): powerful, waxy but, once again, also full of tart fruits, with a texture that cannot help but remind us of Talisker. This isn’t the first time that’s happened. With water: even more so, although naturally without the peat, but with plenty of salted lemon. Those little mandarins in brine are back as well. Finish: long and much saltier than most Clynelish I’ve tasted, it seems to me. Apart from ‘Old’ Clynelish, of course. Comments: very impressive for an 8-year-old.
SGP:462 - 88 points. |
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Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (51.8%, James Eadie, Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland, recharred hogshead, cask # 327401, 355 bottles)
A recharred hogshead, possibly from Cambus Cooperage, Diageo’s cooperage unit that had replaced the old grain distillery. We’d visited it with the Malt Maniacs, and it had been very, very impressive. Colour: white wine. Nose: it’s naturally close, but fruitier and more vanilla-driven, with a slight feeling of IPA, pear, but also mandarin and pollen. A little liquid shoe polish and a touch of celery. Very nice indeed. With water: chalk and twigs. Classic. Mouth (neat): this time it falls into line with the 2018, only earthier, sharper, livelier, but less salty. With water: ah perfect, once again. I don’t know why, but yet again I’m thinking of Talisker. Perhaps because, in theory, the malted barley should come from the same maltings? (Ord). Finish: perfect. Rooty, powerful, still very textured. Lovely pepper. Comments: frankly, between both and as they say in Inverness, when it comes to quality, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other.
SGP:461 - 88 points. |
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Clynelish 12 yo 2013/2026 (54.5%, Lady of the Glen, hogshead, cask 231584, 295 bottles)
I think it’s brilliant to see independent Clynelish once again displaying the distillery’s name, rather than ‘The Cats’ Favourite Secret Highland’ and other such funny and sometimes even entertaining nonsense that was made compulsory for a while. But of course, nobody was fooled… And naturally, the risk here is that this baby will be virtually identical to the previous ones, but is that really a risk? Colour: full gold. Nose: what the colour was already suggesting, this is rather more coated in vanilla and fudge, even orange liqueur, but we know this style suits Clynelish perfectly well. All the more so since the little wild apples and candle wax are expressing themselves freely. With water: a little fresher than the others, at any rate a little less coated than the James E., but we’re talking about the thickness of a pencil line here, as we say. Mouth (neat): yet another perfect young Clynelish, this time we find a few touches of violet-flavoured liquorice on top of everything else, wax, cider, clementines, small shellfish, a little peppermint… With water: another little marvel, classic Clynelish, fresh, with slightly earthy fruits, citrus, a salty touch and, naturally, wax. Finish: perfect, a little more floral at this stage. Apples roasted with thyme honey, or something along those lines. Saltier aftertaste. Comments: now, has anyone ever tried making Clynelish-scented candles? In any case, I regret to inform you that I like all three of these young Clynelishes equally and couldn’t possibly score them differently. That’s the problem with hyper-focused line-ups, but what can you do…
SGP:551 - 88 points. |
Bonus: we found the next baby lurking in the Clynelish box, and we’re going to taste it for the first time. That’s the kind of thing that can happen when you file everything alphabetically… |
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Chain Pier 5 yo 2019/2025 (54.5%, Hogshead Imports, virgin oak barrel, 259 bottles)
Here’s an experimental micro-distillery from John Crabbie that only operated in 2018 and 2019 and produced, just imagine, 39 casks in total. I had heard of it, but of course I’d never had the opportunity to taste it before… Colour: gold. Nose: little lemon sweets, lemon balm and lemongrass, baking soda, meringues, angelica… Well, none of this is bad at all, and it even holds its own after those wonderful young Clynelishes. At least for now… With water: the fresh wood comes to the fore. An Ikea warehouse, as we sometimes say. Mouth (neat): it’s good, but on the palate it’s really very wood-driven, coconut and vanilla, and I would never have said this was Scottish. I might even have thought it was grain whisky or some very adventurous young bourbon. With water: curiously, it recovers somewhat, with the citrus returning, along with curry, and even masala. Finish: same. Comments: above all, it’s great fun. There are some very lovely sides to it, others that leave us rather puzzled, including the woodiness, which is far too excessive for us.
SGP:650 - 77 points. |
Would you believe it, there was a second one… |
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Chain Pier 6 yo 2019 (58.9%, Tri Carragh, 2nd fill red wine octave finish, 86 bottles)
Everything we love, octaves, red wine, finishings… But careful, this is second-fill, so you never know… Colour: white wine (amusing for red wine). Nose: my heart is torn. On the one hand there are little red berries, on the other it’s much less woody than the previous one. And there’s some lovely muesli. Right, let’s dig a little deeper… With water: three tonnes of porridge, turnips and raw carrots. Mouth (neat): very strange, but great fun. Tonnes of nutmeg, coffee dregs, chickpeas, dried ceps… Talk about something unusual! With water: the mushrooms take over, and what’s more, they’re very salty. But where on earth is all this coming from? Finish: very long, spicy and salty, in a style we’ve never encountered in malt whisky before and probably never will again. Comments: these two babies, and they really are babies, are impossible to tell apart in terms of quality, we’d need the codes and we simply don’t have them. Okay, one extra point for the dried cep powder, given what the stuff costs...
SGP:451 - 78 points. |
But wait, there was another strange thing in the Clynelish box (which sits, would you imagine that, just before the Cragganmore and Craigellachie box…) |
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Crafty 3 yo 2022/2025 (60.2%, Fadandel, 1st fill oloroso octave, cask #PC0011, 75 bottles)
It’s probably good to know that Crafty was the original name of the Galloway Distillery in the Lowlands, and that consequently, whiskies bearing the name ‘Crafty’ are extremely rare. I don’t think we’re going to create a ‘Crafty’ section in our index, that wouldn’t be terribly useful, what do you think? Colour: full gold. Nose: this is much more classic than the Chain Piers, rounded, rich, well defined, very much on orange cakes and chocolate, Jaffa Cakes, orange blossom Turkish delight, nutmeg and all that. With water: closer to barley, but also rye, millet… Mouth (neat): I find this very good, there’s peppered chocolate, roasted lupin tea (very good), toasted buckwheat too, walnut cake, touches of ginger… With water: this one isn’t very Scottish in style either, you’d think you were in California instead. Lemony spices, sandalwood, incense, cardamom etc. In other words, a whisky for Armistead Maupin’s characters. Finish: lovely, long, spicy, almost oriental this time. Fig cakes. Comments: this stuff is really good! But the name, well, they should have asked a decent communications agency for advice. Crafty? Sounds like a cartoon for two-to-five-year-olds, doesn’t it?
SGP:571 - 83 points. |
That reminds me, while we’re on the subject of craft, are there still any casks of Loch Ewe kicking around Scotland? Right, this little session has gone seriously off-piste, but it has made us want to add a few improbable and unknown whiskies to our traditional sessions from time to time. Goodness knows, there are myriads of them in our stocks, and while the alphabetical approach makes absolutely no sense in terms of styles, it does at least have the merit of amusing… the humble taster. Right, we’ll see how it goes, see you. |
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August 17, 2026 |
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A small trio of new holy Glendronach |
The branding of dear Glendronach is getting closer and closer to Macallan, with, for example, these NAS ‘Rooms’ that do rather bring to mind the big brand’s own NAS releases (Harmony, A Night Wherever…) On the other hand, rather like at Tamdhu, the sherry here should be more classical, closer to what the large brand we have just been mentioning so insistently used to be some thirty years ago. Well, when it’s sherry, naturally. |
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Glendronach ‘The Sevillian Room’ (43%, OB, House Edition, 2026)
Pure sherry, with a combination of PX, oloroso and palo cortado. We just hope this room in Seville is a room with a view and somewhat removed from the hordes of tourists. Colour: full gold. Nose: old walnuts and shoe polish, raisins, dried figs and triple sec. It could hardly be more classical than this, while for now, the modest 43% is holding the fort rather well. Mouth: a little spicy and modern, with nutmeg, cinnamon and a little sawdust. Some orange liqueur comes along to rescue the whole thing somewhat, but we remain a little too close to freshly seasoned wood. Finish: quite long, more peppery, with more nocino. May I remind you that nocino is Italian, not Spanish, and even less Andalusian. Comments: I found the nose better than the palate, which is a little young and ‘pumped up’ with sherry, but this is still a very, very good young whisky.
SGP:461 - 82 points. |
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Glendronach ‘The Venetian Room’ (46%, OB, House Edition, 2026)
I’m not sure whether the real theme of this new collection is overtourism, perhaps not after all. Here we have PX, oloroso and amarone, so some seriously bodybuilt Italian red wine, which makes this more Italian-Spanish than truly Venetian. Anyway, amarone is from Verona, not Venice, or so it seems to me… Colour: onion skin. Nose: the Sevillian, plus some red wine made from partially dried grapes, which is precisely what amarone is. Truth be told, it’s not bad at all, coherent, gentle but not schmalzy so far. Very PX dulce in the end. Mouth: all of this is fairly rich, whith fortified wine, it doesn’t integrate too badly with the malt, despite these notes of tomato (and leaves) and a slightly peppery bitterness, rather close to grape stalks. Finish: quite long, rich, spicy. Peppery raisins. Comments: we cannot really say this has the lightness and elegance of Venice, unless you find in this amusing little juice something slightly… Bellini-like. The Sevillian was a little more coherent for me.
SGP:461 - 80 points. |
It’s amusing, all these very clerical colours, you’d think we were at a conclave in the Vatican, wouldn’t you? |
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Glendronach 14 yo ‘Boynsmill House’ (46.8%, OB, 2026)
Oloroso, PX, then a claret finish, so red Bordeaux I imagine, which means blackcurrants and bell pepper, we suppose. Right, let’s hold tight… Incidentally, this bottle celebrates the 200th anniversary of Glendronach’s original ‘house’, a bit like their own Easter Elchies, if you will. Right, red Bordeaux and malt, that’s without a safety net… Colour: good news, it isn’t pink, just apricot. Nose: this is rounder than the others, without any excess of cabernet or merlot, with some lovely pink-orange liqueur and a few touches of candied cherry, but once again, nothing excessive. No overbearing grape stalks, pips or skins, nor any blackberries, blackcurrants or raspberries. In short, a very pleasant nose. Mouth: well played! We all know just how antithetical red Bordeaux casks are to malt whisky, but here it works rather well, with a little chilli, bitter orange, pepper, and the proverbial tomato leaf. Pink peppercorns. Finish: same. Blackcurrant buds and grey pepper. Comments: this kind of strange composition generally struggles to reach 85 points on our humble little rating scale, but we’re not very far off here, even if it does creak a little here and there.
SGP:561 - 83 points. |
Well, these wine-boosted NAS are probably not terribly indispensable, but I find they’re getting better and better at making them. Anyway, at the rate things are going in Bordeaux, they’ll soon be doing cask seasoning just like in Jerez. |
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August 16, 2026 |
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A word of caution
Let me please remind you that my humble assessments of any spirits are done from the point of view of a malt whisky enthusiast who, what's more, is aboslutely not an expert in rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, gin or any other spirits. Thank you – and peace! |
Another little bag of Armagnacs
After last week’s cognacs, here come the armagnacs again on WF. And this time, I promise we’re not going to do it ‘vertically’…
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Domaine d’Aurensan ‘Les 10’ (43.9%, OB, Ténarèze, 2026)
The ten grape varieties authorised in Armagnac assembled into a single bottling, that really is a first and rather reminds us of what a few rare Champagne houses are doing, Drappier for example. But we’re not here to talk about Champagne… To be complete, those varieties are the very rare (in Armagnac) Plant de graisse, Meslier St François, Mauzac blanc, Mauzac rosé, Clairette de Gascogne, Jurançon blanc, and of course Ugni blanc, Colombard, Baco and Folle blanche. That does make ten… Colour: amber. Nose: the bitters and marcs are dominating proceedings, amaros, marc de Bourgogne, small berries, fruit skins, zests, herbs and flowers… Truth be told, this is almost more marc d’Armagnac than ‘fine’, but then again, aren’t we in Ténarèze? Mouth: increasingly on the marc side, with fresh fruit, liquorice, pips and stalks, lemon-mint, and quite simply herbs. A very faint resinous side, young fir needles… Finish: it retreats a little towards the skins, pips and stalks, but as lovers of marc, we can only appreciate this greatly. Comments: it’s distinctive, unusual, a little wild and certainly very rustic, but it’s terrific, even if we have to intellectualise the whole thing a little bit. But were the grapes destemmed or not?
SGP:371 - 88 points. |
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Couzard-Lassalle 20 yo 2005/2026 (49.5%, Darroze, armagnac.de, Bas-armagnac, cask #R116)
Couzard-Lassalle is the other name for Lous Pibous, and sadly this is their very last vintage! And 100% folle blanche. Colour: full gold. Nose: it kicks off with oils, waxes, and even a little fresh rubber, rather like a malt whisky. Indeed. Then come varnishes, glues, fresh paint, rather as in a young bourbon. Indeed. And finally, the apricots and peaches arrive, together with prunes, plums and service-tree berries… Mouth: it’s all happening on the palate, developing at breakneck speed towards grapefruit, melon skin, jasmine tea, jujubes and pine nuts. This is a vigorous, terroir-driven armagnac, certainly not some drawing-room tipple. Finish: it loosens up, becoming more citrusy, more on oranges of all kinds, with even a few echoes of Martinique. Right, maw-tinique. Comments: some serious chewiness in this Lous Pibous/Couzard Lassalle which, as we used to say back in the day, takes no prisoners.
SGP:461 - 89 points. |
The little Aurensan put up one hell of a fight! Right, let’s carry on… |
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Domaine Pouy 25 yo 1998/2025 (57.9%, L’Encantada, Piacere Rinato/Pietramore, Ténarèze, cask #99)
Some ugni blanc and colombard, probably in perfect symbiosis. And above all, Ténarèze. Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re extremely close to the Couzard-Lassalle. Lovely tension, lovely fatness, plenty of texture on the nose. With water: little mints, camphor, paraffin oil, almond milk… Mouth (neat): same elements, with an even more pronounced varnish-and-glue side. Zests, bitter almonds, fir needles, buds, kirsch… With water: figs, pine-nut tea and, above all, a massive whack of wood glue come charging in, it’s almost a little ‘too much’. It reminds me of the wild cherry and morello cherry eaux-de-vie from Marcel Windholtz in Ribeauvillé, top distiller in Alsace. Finish: long, rustic, bitter, almost rubbery. Comments: I think this really is a Ténarèze for die-hard fanatics of the extreme de la muerte.
SGP:361 - 87 points. |
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Baron Gaston Legrand 1986/2026 (47.1%, Grape of the Art, Bas-armagnac, cask #32)
Some baco and ugni blanc. By the way, psst, you’ve forgotten a zero in the price of this +/- 40-year-old armagnac, haven’t you? I mean, €135? What would the shoddiest of Scottish distilleries do in these circumstances? Why yes, bang, €1,350. Injustice rule this world, I tell you… Colour: full gold. Nose: this is the style of armagnac that comes rather close to cognac, with peaches in syrup, milk chocolate, very gentle honeys, herbal teas (rosehip, camomile) and a wee trail of exotic fruits, heading towards tinned mangoes. It’s lovely, not extravagant, but very elegant. Mouth: excellent, once again a little cognac-esque, with green tea, apple and peach peelings, herbal teas, then increasingly buds, leaves, herbs… Truth be told, it becomes a little dry but remains elegant. The wood is a little more noticeable, gentian, liquorice wood, hojicha… Finish: medium in length, drying out a little, towards wood glue and conifer buds. Comments: excellent, but perhaps it would be better to avoid the finish, which, let’s admit it, is a very tricky thing to do. Our powers remain rather limited, you see.
SGP:451 - 88 points. |
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Domaine Ludon 26 yo 1998/2026 (51%, L’Encantada, Piacere Rinato/Pietramore, Bas-armagnac, cask #178)
Pure folle blanche here. We have deep hopes, let that be said… Colour: full gold. Nose: ah, here comes the fruit. Mirabelles, peaches, apricots, all ultra-ripe and coated with a little varnish and kirsch. This is the folle blanche expressing itself in full. With water: oh, this is beautiful, thuja wood, argan oil, prickly pear liqueur, blood orange… Mouth (neat): an incredible cavalcade of essences and juices, rose, orange blossom, liquorice… this really is very beautiful. With water: of course. Oranges peeled down to the flesh, accompanied by rose liqueur, violet and olive oil. Killer stuff. Finish: same. Very beautiful. Comments: a much clearer line here, purer, easier. We like things easy at Château WF, let that be said. As Angus would say, we’re not masochists.
SGP:551 - 90 points. |
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Veuve Goudoulin 85 yo (41.6%, OB, barrique #1, +/-2022)
Not too sure if and when this was bottled, it was probably vatted later on, but surely, we couldn’t resist an armagnac that’s even older (and less coloured) than the president of the United States, could we? Colour: amber. Nose: this old-school armagnac style is actually magnificent, despite being somewhat old-fashioned, even downright antiquated. Cocoa butter, old Meursault, incense and rosewood, cinnamon, ‘discreet’ rosewater, soft caramels… This really is a journey back in time. Mouth: it’s a little woody and soapy (and it loses quite a few points here), but it isn’t really fragile, it’s simply very woody. On the other hand, there are some very lovely spices centred around cinnamon and cumin. Finish: quite long, very bitter, resinous, but with a rather tremendous kind of elegance. Comments: this is a rather fragile old thing, no doubt well past its glory days (let’s say the Jimi Hendrix era), but moving and laden with history. Please, let’s remain magnanimous.
SGP:261 - 85 points. |
More new armagnacs coming very soon, including, imagine, some from those rare varietals we mentioned hereabove… |
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August 14, 2026 |
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A trio of strange young Glenturrets
We shall taste them in ascending order of alcoholic strength. There has to be some order, right? |
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Glenturret 12 yo 2013/2025 (54.3%, Decadent Drams, re-charred hogshead, 291 bottles)
Colour: pale gold. Nose: peat, mint, even a little lavender, antiseptic, in short, this very smoky and medicinal little Glenturret certainly isn't going to make you ill. With water: touches of turnip and celeriac. In short, roots. Mouth (neat): peat again, but this time coupled with limoncello, with a slightly coaly side and… hum, it’s rather tequila-ish. With water: the lavender is back, together with pink and grey peppercorns, which, seriously, gives this baby a wee 1980s Bowmore side. FWP and stuff. Finish: once it's there, it simply won't leave you. Comments: to be fair, this is very good, but it isn't my favourite style of peat. It reminds me a little of some peated Loch Lomonds. Hurray, I've finally found a Decadent Drinks that I don't like very much!
SGP:465 – 79 points. |
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Glenturret 8 yo 2010/2019 (58.5%, The National Choice, refill hogshead, cask #183, 336 bottles)
Another peated one, it seems. Has the word ‘peated’ remained a magic word in malt whisky, in 2026? To be discussed over an organic herbal tea or a glass of kombucha… Colour: deep gold. Nose: the impact of the cask is rather strong, refill or no refill, while some medicinal peat comes storming into your nostrils. Burnt walnuts, herbes de Provence, especially thyme. Thyme is brilliant, but you can have too much of a good thing. With water: this is all right. Carrots and ginseng. Mouth (neat): it’s good, but on top of the lavender that was already present in the DD, this time there’s also violet liqueur and touches of shampoo. I swear. With water: better, but this new Fanta side is really massive too. Some eau de cologne. Finish: long, on pepper, lavender, violet and apple-scented shampoo. Comments: it rather feels as though we’ve travelled twenty years back in time. You may say that makes you younger, but this really isn’t my favourite style of peat. Bowmore-style FWP, get out of this glass!
SGP:565 - 77 points. |
I think we’d be perfectly entitled to ask that all peated Glenturrets be labelled as Ruad Mor (whatever) rather than Glenturret, just to avoid any misunderstanding. Unless we’ve missed a mention somewhere, which is entirely possible. Right, let’s carry on with the third baby… And indeed… |
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Glenturret ‘Ruadh Maor’ 12 yo 2012/2025 (60.3%, Watashi Whisky, refill sherry octave, cask #1200003488)
These labels are so beautiful and funny! We are, of course, in Taiwan… Colour: gold. Nose: every bit as peaty as its predecessors, but more straightforward, direct, simple, no fuss. Caol Ila new-make. No, no Bowmore circa 1985. You may say that could come after adding water… With water: yeah, difficult to categorise, but do we even need to? Citrus eau-de-vie and a lavender-and-violet duo that’s virtually absent. H.u.r.r.a.y. Mouth (neat): we find the soapy side of the others again this time, the violet and the shampoo. Okay, violet shampoo, plus pink peppercorns and touches of glue. Come on, hang in there, water should be welcome on the palate… With water: wild raspberry eau-de-vie straight from the still and pink peppercorns. Finish: same. Some soap comes through again. Comments: octaves always scare us a little, but when they’re refill, things generally go better. Here’s a fairly good example, although it remains a little too tough for me. And ‘shampoo-y’.
SGP:565 - 78 points. |
Well, that wasn’t the easiest of sessions, especially since we weren’t expecting quite so much peat (and shampoo). We've already tried some superior Ruadh Maor I believe. Next time, we’ll do everything we can to taste some regular ‘turret, promise. Oh, and you’ll notice that those blasted Decadent Drinks still managed to bag the highest score today. |
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August 13, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today some mandatory Springbank |
I know we’re repeating ourselves a little, but there are names that we simply have to taste from time to time, as they’re such an important part of the landscape. Like Springbank, of course… We’ll actually start with the older one, as it’s the one that was bottled at the lower strength of the two. |
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Springbank 15 yo (46%, OB, sherry, 2025)
I believe this is the most recent batch of the 15-year-old. We had really enjoyed the 2024 (WF 88), although for me it had been eclipsed by the 10-year-old, which I still adore just as much (WF 91). By the way, we’ll have to revisit the 10-year-old, once a year is the bare minimum, isn’t it? Colour: gold. Nose: you can smell the shoe polish from twenty metres away. All right, two metres. Also soot, old walnuts, old tobacco (grandfather’s old pipe), then coffee. It then becomes rather more ‘Springbank’, with fresh cement, engine oil, lemon and menthol. Lovely two-stage nose. Mouth: superb, dirty just as much as it should be, very peppery and mustardy, with some rather flamboyant bitters if that’s your thing, although the whole does become just a wee bit stifling as a result. Bitter almonds, bitter oranges. Finish: long and simply carrying on with that very lovely bitterness. It’s rather like amontillado with a very pronounced flor character. Comments: as the 10-year-old wasn’t around to steal its thunder, we can happily add one point. You just have to enjoy your bitters…
SGP:462 - 89 points. |
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Springbank 12 yo 'Cask Strength' (56.6%, OB, batch #29, 2026)
Pure ex-bourbon this time, so it should be sharper and, perhaps, more petroleum-driven. Like a certain orange entity, you might add. Colour: straw. Nose: indeed, we’re closer to the 10 here, with more oomph of course, damp earth, barley, old tweed, engine oil, but also more custard than expected, even a few jellybeans, now that’s unexpected. With water: plaster, grist, plasticine, seaweed, new rubber… It’s definitely Springbank, just in case you had any doubts. Mouth (neat): the bitterness is back, less ‘amontillado’ this time and more towards green pepper. Grilled aubergines. You can tell it needs water… With water: in come the oranges and lemons, with a lively tension that’s also rather fat, quite oily. What a texture! Finish: long and very Springbankesque. Wax, pepper, green walnut, salt and a wee oyster. Comments: perhaps a less complex 12-year-old CS than some others, but with a clearer line, and that we love. Perfect salinity.
SGP:462 - 90 points. |
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August 12, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today Tamdhu, OB vs IB |
After yesterday's Macallans, here comes its former colleague within Highland Distillers, Tamdhu, with an official in a very limited edition, and a considerably older indie. Let’s see how this goes… |
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Tamdhu 2014/2025 (50.7%, OB for The Whisky Club Australia, oloroso sherry matured)
A bottling released exclusively to the distinguished members of the Whisky Club a little earlier this year. Colour: deep gold. Nose: this is very classic, with chocolate, coffee fudge, walnut liqueur, roasted hazelnuts and even a touch of peanut butter. In the background, a little curry and nutmeg. With water: the spices tend to try to come to the fore, but the nuts are putting up some resistance. Mouth (neat): a very amusing Irish coffee at first, or rather Scottish coffee, and this time, the nutmeg and ras-el-hanout strike more quickly. Very lovely spices, really, also salted butter caramel and a return of the peanut butter, with a slightly mustardy touch. With water: it is the salted butter caramel that takes control, but the nutmeg holds its ground. Finish: rather long, this is a proper spice spiel, but all done with elegance and coherence. The walnut eventually wins the argument, as was to be expected. Comments: they really do have some top bottlings in this Club of the formidable Antipodes.
SGP:571 - 87 points. |
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Tamdhu 34 yo 1989/2023 (54.8%, Gourmet Pool, bourbon hogshead, cask #8144, 144 bottles)
After Australia, Germany, with ex-bourbon this time, and an age that is beginning to count. Colour: pale gold. Nose: this is lively and fresh, as the colour already suggested, with whitecurrants, yellow melon, rather aromatic apples and some very lovely floral notes, lilies, jasmine… And a few very, very light touches of medicinal alcohol, which is quite incredible after 34 years. With water: broken branches, green tea, still some melon… Mouth (neat): excellent, with walnuts that might have suggested sherry, although this is bourbon, then barbecued marshmallows and bergamot and lemon liqueurs. I really like this freshness. With water: grape pips and fruit skins are now coming through, in any case the tannins are ripe, if we can indeed speak of tannins. Finish: racy, elegant length, still with that slight greenness that we always enjoy. It’s got a little vinho verde side, if you like. Comments: this liveliness, at such a venerable age, may be a little disconcerting, but it is a style I’m particularly fond of. Just imagine, there’s even some… barley.
SGP:561 - 90 points. |
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August 11, 2026 |
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WF's Little Duos: today two Macallans that could hardly be more different |
Macallan is one of those brands, sorry, one of those distilleries that we simply cannot leave fallow for too long on WF. So here are two… |
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Macallan ‘Organic Cherrywood Lapsang Tea’ (44.9%, OB, The Harmony Collection, 2025)
All this is merely ‘inspiration’, you understand, there is of course neither cherrywood nor even lapsang souchong involved, that would probably be illegal. So, we’re now awaiting a beluga caviar, Piedmont white truffle or Brittany blue lobster version, since just about anything is probably allowed, as long as it remains inspiration. 0f course we’re joking, there have been some lovely versions among these very humble NAS from the Harmony Collection. Colour: amber. Nose: amontillado-style sherry, rather pronounced, indeed with wild cherry and rosehip, although I cannot find any lapsang souchong whatsoever… but it is a very charming nose. Mouth: very much driven by the wood, smoky indeed, burnt in any case, with coffee dregs, a feeling of old samovar, cinnamon, and above all dark chocolate. And dark chocolate filled with… kirsch. Finish: quite long, more peppery, with touches of cumin and juniper. Comments: I must admit I’m rather impressed by the way they’ve managed to flavour this young Macallan without ever lapsing into vulgarity or inelegance. In theory, I ought to hate this, in reality I rather like it.
SGP:461 - 85 points. |
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Macallan 34 yo 1991 (51.8%, DH Global Spirits, William, sherry hogshead matured, cask #8192, 2026)
We have a good feeling about this one, not because it’s a decanter, but because we’ve already tasted some of the house’s offerings and they had been excellent. Colour: amber with reddish hues. Nose: this is full-on currants, clafoutis, fig jam, and simply fruitcake soaked in kirsch. But who could possibly be against that? With water: earth, mushrooms, old red Burgundy, leather, in short, all those wonderful things. Mouth (neat): even better on the palate, closer to old-skool Macallan, with teas and herbal infusions, tobacco, small berries, prunes, a little umami and quite a lot of crushed black pepper. And, naturally, dark chocolate. With water: properly ‘old Macallan’, perhaps just a little more marked by raisins and dried figs. An amusing tiny saline touch in the background. Finish: not extremely long but very elegant, with top-quality sherry singing all the way through, until the walnuts and black pepper return, together with their magnificent bitterness. Comments: all that’s missing now is a Chesterfield, Duke Ellington and some excellent company. Who would, of course, be equally fond of Duke Ellington and fine old Macallan.
SGP:651 - 91 points. |
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