Coldorak's whisky blog.
Whisky reviews
On the table today: a Girvan 1964 from Scott’s Selection and an Invergordon 1975 bottled in 2022 by Alambic Classique. I indulge in two 47‑year‑old single grains to mark a personal milestone. After another year quietly added itself to the tally – reaching a number that still feels implausibly large – what better way to acknowledge the passage of time than with a pair of whiskies that share the same depth and maturity (I’ll concede, in my case, nothing’s won yet)?
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We introduce two new distilleries at the same time, as we taste a Dornoch 5-year-old from the Mystery Malt Batch 3 and a Clydeside 2023 Limited Edition. And, as we add these distilleries to the blog, it’s also our first time trying whisky from these distilleries. As its ABV is the lowest of the two, we’ll start with the Dornoch, then the Clydeside, but first, let’s talk about these distilleries, in that same order.
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After last week’s deep dive into Ardbeg’s Ardbog, Auriverdes and Perpetuum, the journey down Islay’s Feis Ile memory lane continues. The next three stops – Dark Cove, Kelpie and Grooves – each capture a distinct moment in Ardbeg’s modern festival history, revealing how the distillery has played with sherry darkness, Black Sea oak experiments and heavily charred wine casks to push boundaries while keeping its signature smoke at the core.
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We explore how alcohol strength shapes whisky’s sensory profile through three Domaine des Hautes Glaces Epistémè R15D24 rye whiskies. Cereal type, fermentation, distillation, and wood maturation all shape the final dram you drink. But what about ABV? Water drops often transform whisky – sometimes improving it, sometimes not. Domaine des Hautes Glaces, already committed to true terroir expression (unlike Waterford’s cask-heavy chaos), bottled identical spirits from one cask at three strengths to test this. First, we unpack their Epistémè range. Then we taste the three R15D24 ryes to discover ABV’s impact.
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Almost a full year has slipped by since the last Clynelish review, so the time has come to revisit the distillery with a fresh trio. This line‑up brings together three Clynelish from Hunter Laing and Signatory Vintage, offering a neat snapshot across ages and cask approaches. The session opens with the youngster, a 2009 bottled by Hunter Laing, before moving on to compare two 1996 vintages from Signatory, drawn in 2016 and 2023, to show how extra years and different casks reshaped this famously waxy Highlander.
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Speyburn remains a distillery I know little about, so this review explores its history first. Then it compares two Speyburn 15-year-old expressions: the official bottling against the SMWS single cask. We covered Speyburn once before, back in 2019, with just a quick introduction. This time, a full distillery overview precedes the detailed tasting notes on both whiskies.
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We start a series of reviews of Ardbeg bottlings for Fèis Ìle, with the Ardbeg Ardbog, Auriverdes and Perpetuum. Other and latter releases will appear in upcoming reviews in the coming weeks. Fèis Ìle is Islay’s annual festival of whisky, music, and Gaelic culture, held over about 9–10 days at the end of May. It has grown into one of the world’s most influential whisky events, drawing thousands of visitors and turning the island’s distilleries into a global stage each spring.
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Tormore rarely steals the spotlight, yet these two 20-something Tormore from That Boutique-y Whisky Company and Elixir Distillers make a strong case for paying much closer attention. Together, they sketch a compelling portrait of modern indie Tormore: bright, characterful Speyside spirit, handled with a light enough touch to let the orchard and exotic fruits do the talking. So without further ado, let’s get to our tasting glasses.
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We explore three Glen Moray: two official bottlings and an independent one: the Glen Moray Warehouse 1 Tequila Cask Finish (peated and unpeated), and a 2007 bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd. Glen Moray Warehouse 1 series replaces the previous Cask Curiosity range. On the indy side, Berry Bros & Rudd, founded in 1698, stands as Britain’s oldest family-owned wine and spirits merchant. They operate from their iconic St James’s Street shop in London. The company holds a Royal Warrant and has supplied the British monarchy for centuries, evolving from grocery origins to a focus on fine wines and spirits.
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We kick off the year with two 30-year-old Bowmores from Silver Seal and Wemyss Malts – rare drams that languished too long before I seized the perfect moment. We already know Wemyss Malts, and Silver Seal is an independent bottler founded by Luca Gargano, championing unfiltered, cask-strength authenticity from historic casks.
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