January 2025 - Page 2 of 2 - More Drams, Less Drama

Ardnamurchan AD/10 10th Anniversary Edition

7th January 20256th January 2025Coldorak

As we’ve previously mentioned, Ardnamurchan Distillery, located in the western Highlands, was established in 2014 and began distilling on July of that year. Founded by the independent bottler Adelphi, the distillery features a two-tonne semi-lauter stainless steel mashtun with a copper canopy, along with seven washbacks: four wooden (three made from Oregon pine and one from oak) and three stainless steel. Ardnamurchan operates with a single pair of stills – a 10,000 L wash still and a 6,000 L spirit still – now fitted with stainless steel sub-coolers. Their inaugural release debuted in October 2020, and in 2024, to mark their 10th anniversary, the distillery released its first 10-year-old single malt: the Ardnamurchan AD/10 10th Anniversary Edition.

Famille Cabanne Lot 24 Cognac

5th January 20253rd January 2025Coldorak

A century. That’s the age of this Grande Champagne cognac. A century is a period of 100 years, a significant unit of time that allows us to reflect on historical, cultural, and scientific advancements. The term comes from the Latin word centum, meaning ‘hundred’. Centuries are often used to measure the progress of civilisations, identify eras, and study the impact of human activity on the world. For instance, the 20th century (1901–2000) and the 21st century (2001-present) have been marked by extraordinary changes and developments, shaping the modern era. Let’s reflect quickly on what has happened since 1924, when this Famille Cabanne Lot 24 Cognac was distilled, three generations ago.

Agitator 2019 & 2020 The Whisky Jury

4th January 20253rd January 2025Coldorak

We stay with Nordic whisky after the Sall Whisky 2020 Whisky Watcher from two days ago, this time with a duo of Agitator whiskies. Agitator Whiskymakare, a Swedish distillery founded in Arboga in 2017, stands out for its innovative production techniques. With an annual capacity of 500,000 litres of pure alcohol (lpa), their methods go beyond the typical marketing buzz around ‘innovation’ often touted by larger distilleries.

For instance, instead of adding water during mashing to extract sugars, Agitator adds water during the milling process. Later, the fermented wash is divided between two pairs of stills that operate under vacuum, enabling distillation at lower temperatures. They also experiment with a variety of grains beyond barley, use unique types of wood, such as chestnut, and even employ wave stave casks. Additionally, their approach to cask filling is unconventional, with some of their new make spirit entering barrels at 55% ABV instead of the standard 63.5%.

Today, we’ll be reviewing two single cask whiskies from Agitator, both selected by an independent bottler, and both using wave stave casks: the Agitator 2019 and 2020, bottled by The Whisky Jury.

My Recap of 2024 – Part 2

3rd January 20253rd January 2025Coldorak

Although I shared my recap of 2024 two days ago, I realised there were more personal and insightful statistics worth exploring. These might inspire you to reflect on your own whisky spending and how it breaks down across categories: official vs. independent bottlings, age, ABV, or even the total days of whisky you’ve purchased (assuming one dram per day). If that number exceeds 365, and you’re not drinking more than one dram daily, then your collection has grown! So, here’s my 2024 recap – part two.

Sall Whisky 2020 Whisky Watcher

2nd January 20252nd January 2025Coldorak

Sall Whisky Distillery, a Danish microdistillery, was established in late 2018 by a group of friends with a shared vision of making a fully local whisky using their own home-grown, organic cereals. Their journey began with the launch of their new make in 2019, followed by their inaugural single malt whisky in early 2023, aged just three years. In 2024, they introduced three small-batch releases – Muld, Tørv, and Glød. However, today’s review focuses on a unique offering: the Sall Whisky 2020 Whisky Watcher. This release, from Whisky Watcher – a Danish shop and independent bottler specialising in whisky, rum, and other spirits – is the distillery’s only independent bottling to date.

My Recap Of 2024

1st January 20251st January 2025Coldorak

2024 has been quite a unique year for me, both personally and in my journey with spirits. While I’ll keep the personal side of things private – those who need to know are already in the loop – I’d love to share what this year has meant for me in terms of exploring spirits. It’s been about so much more than just whisky, and I’m excited to reflect on the highlights and, of course, reveal my favourite whiskies and spirits of the year.