April 2025 - More Drams, Less Drama

Glendronach 1963 12yo / 21yo / 1993

23rd April 202522nd April 2025Coldorak

In December 2021, while reviewing an old Glendronach 12-year-old Previ Import, I mentioned that it reminded me of the 1963 Glendronach 12-year-old I had the opportunity to taste a few years prior during a tasting where I could compare it to a more recent Glendronach 12. Upon revisiting my tasting notes, I realised I hadn’t documented my experience with that older Glendronach. It’s time to rectify that and include younger but older expressions from Glendronach, if that makes sense (it would if I did not make a point writing this sentence this way to make it confusing!) Today, we have the Glendronach 1963 12-year-old, a 21-year-old Parliament from about a dozen years ago, and a 1993 25-year-old in our glass.

Hazelburn 2007 and Springbank 2003 Society Exclusives

21st April 202520th April 2025Coldorak

Springbank Distillery typically holds a special place in the heart of whisky enthusiasts. The quality of their distillates, the differences between Hazelburn, Longrow, and, of course, Springbank, and the fact that they still make it as they did decades ago, with floor maltings, old-style equipment, and a rejection of unnecessary modernisation, all contribute to its appeal. Dozens of people work at the distillery, not just three people and a computer. The Springbank funk and the consistency of the Springbank 10-year-old, which has remained a fantastic whisky for years without failing or cutting corners, and still at an accessible price, are reasons why whisky enthusiasts love Springbank. Count me among them. For long-time fans, there’s the Springbank Society, which offers access (via ballot) to special and exclusive releases that remain reasonably priced. Unfortunately, I discovered the Springbank Society too late; due to its success, they have closed new applications for several years. However, thanks to a good friend, I managed to get samples of two recent society releases: the Hazelburn 2007 and Springbank 2003 Society exclusives, aged 16 and 20 years, respectively.

Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 and N.88 Cognac Sponge

18th April 202516th April 2025Coldorak

After the recently reviewed Vallein Tercinier bottled by Malternative Belgium, we compare two Fins Bois cognacs from this well-known merchant. We’ll review an official single cask against one selected by Cognac Sponge, the cognac branch of Whisky Sponge and Decadent Drinks. Specifically, we’ll review the Vallein Tercinier Lot 96 and N.88 Cognac Sponge, both single casks from the Fins Bois cru.

Five Prunier vintage cask strength cognacs

Five Prunier Cask Strength Vintage Cognacs

16th April 202515th April 2025Coldorak

Today we explore five Prunier cask strength vintage cognacs, moving from Fins Bois to Borderies to Petite Champagne, with vintages ranging from 1978 to 1994 harvests.

Early last year, a good friend introduced me to the Prunier Cognac house when he shared the last of his 1979 Prunier cognac, bottled by The Whisky Jury, during an SMWS tasting in Paris on my birthday. A few days later, back home near Rennes, I tried the cognac and was amazed by its quality, bursting with tropical fruits. I spent days searching the Internet for another bottle but unfortunately found none. Fast forward to December 2024, and I discovered a Prunier Horizon in my Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar. Although not as tropical, it was equally stunning with vibrant fruitiness.

When I planned a trip to Cognac in February to visit distilleries and merchants, I made sure to include Prunier. Though they don’t typically welcome visitors, I arranged to spend an afternoon with Alice Burnez as an on-trade visitor, thanks to my own company, Whisky Sans Souci. Alice gave me a wonderful tour, explaining the history of their house and showing me their cellars and the process of hand-waxing and sealing bottles with a wire cage and painted lead seals.

Alice and her sister Claire prepared a large lineup of bottles for me to try. As we worked through the samples, I couldn’t stay longer, so they kindly provided me with samples from the rest of the lineup to review later with a fresh palate. I left Prunier with five cask strength vintage cognac samples (and purchased a stunning bottle of a vintage 1979 and some branded glasses). Now, it’s time to review them!

Godet Single Cask Spring 2025

14th April 202513th April 2025Coldorak

This week, we return to Cognac to review something entirely new – a 17-year-old Fins Bois Cognac that Godet hasn’t released yet: the Godet Single Cask Spring 2025 Edition. Back in December 2024, we sampled a Godet 43-year-old single cask Cognac (their Fall 2024 edition) as part of our Cognac-Expert Advent Calendar, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, we’re excited to explore a younger offering from this esteemed Cognac house with their Godet Single Cask Spring 2025 Edition.

Usquaebach 15yo and Commonwealth Games 13yo

Usquaebach 15yo and 1986 Commonwealth Games 13yo

11th April 202510th April 2025Coldorak

Today we explore miniatures I bought a few years ago but never got to, as I forgot about them in one of my whisky sample drawers. The first one is a Highland blended malt by Cobalt Brands, and the other one an undisclosed single malt bottled in 1986 by Eaglesome Ltd: let’s review the Usquaebach 15yo and 1986 Commonwealth Games 13yo.

Croftengea 2007 Wemyss Malts vs North Star Spirits

9th April 20258th April 2025Coldorak

Today we compare a duo of Croftengea single casks. Croftengea, as you may know, is the name given to highly peated (50 ppm) single malt that is double distilled in straight-neck stills at Loch Lomond. It’s a really nice peaty profile and while I don’t actively seek out more of these, I always seize the opportunity to try them when available. So today, we put face to face two indy Croftengea 2007: Wemyss Malts vs North Star Spirits.

Glenmorangie 12-year-old Lasanta & Nectar d'Or

Glenmorangie 12-year-old Lasanta and Nectar d’Or

7th April 20257th April 2025Coldorak

We don’t just have a large backlog of malternative samples, we also do with whisky, so let’s continue picking samples and have little duos of bottlings on a common theme. Today, we’re featuring Glenmorangie, a renowned Scottish distillery known for its tall stills. We’ll be tasting the Glenmorangie 12-year-old Lasanta and Nectar d’Or, two discontinued expressions that share the same age but offer different finishes.

An Armagnac and a… Not-Armagnac Swell de Spirits

4th April 20253rd April 2025Coldorak

It’s been a while since we last reviewed some malternatives on More Drams, so let’s dive into the malternative samples box and explore an Armagnac and a… not-Armagnac Swell de Spirits. We have a ‘classic’ Bas-Armagnac 1976 from Domaine de Jouatmaou, and a 2002 Domaine de Baraillon that, probably because of its finish in an ex-Long Pond rum cask previously used for Calvados, can no longer be called Armagnac. This should be interesting!

Two Single Casks From… The Single Cask Ltd.

2nd April 20251st April 2025Coldorak

The Single Cask Ltd. is a whisky shop, bar, and independent bottling company led by Ben Curtis, with operations in London and Singapore. Specialising in single cask whiskies – both single malt and single grain – bottled at natural cask strength. The independent bottling part was founded in 2010 and the Singapore bar opened in 2015. We review two single casks from… The Single Cask Ltd. , a Benrinnes 2012 and an Aultmore 2010.