Glen Garioch Archives - More Drams, Less Drama

Glen Garioch 2011 Cadenhead’s / 1998 Thompson Bros

28th September 202627th September 2026Coldorak

It has been a while since Glen Garioch last appeared on More Drams, so it is time to return to the distillery with two independent bottlings with very different stages and types of maturation. First up is a young 2011 Glen Garioch from Cadenhead’s, followed by a much older 1998 release from Thompson Bros. The contrast should be especially interesting: the Cadenhead’s is a 12-year-old with a second maturation in a white port cask, while the Thompson Bros expression spent 27 years in a second-fill barrel.

Two Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS

24th March 20255th November 2025Coldorak

The Scotch Malt has purchased numerous Glen Garioch 2003 casks, as we reviewed one a few years ago. Whiskybase records about fifty 2003 Glen Garioch bottlings by the SMWS, and their ratings indicate that the Scotch Malt Whisky Society made excellent selections. Let’s reduce this extensive list slightly by reviewing two Glen Garioch 2003 SMWS bottlings: the 19.71 (an 18-year-old) and the 19,103 from January 2025’s outturn, and the latest Glen Garioch 2003 release.

No Age Declared Blended Malt Masam

14th March 20255th November 2025Coldorak

Silvano Samaroli was a pioneering figure in the world of whisky and spirits, known for his groundbreaking contributions to independent bottling and blending. Starting in the 1960s, he selected exceptional casks of Scotch whisky based on their unique character and quality, rather than age or prestige. His bottlings became highly sought after by connoisseurs, and his uncompromising standards set new benchmarks in the industry. Samaroli’s legacy includes his role as an educator and his influence on the rise of independent bottlers. Today, he is remembered as a visionary whose dedication to craftsmanship continues to inspire new generations of enthusiasts and professionals. We review a blended malt he created, but that was bottled by his widow a few years after his death, the No Age Declared Blended Malt Masam.

Glen Garioch 2015 and Secret Islay 2017 Swell de Spirits

21st May 20245th November 2025Coldorak

A few weeks ago, we received a few samples from the French independent bottler Swell de Spirits, including a few whiskies. Today we try two of them: a Glen Garioch 2015 and a Secret Islay from a south shore distillery known for its eccentric marketing team and its yearly non-age-statement releases…

SMWS Whisky Festival 2022

31st July 20225th November 2025Coldorak

A few ~~weeks~~ months ago (I’m late again to publish an article, what a surprise!), the Scotch Malt Whisky Society released a few single malts not as single casks, for once, but as small batches, small vattings of a few casks, for the different whisky festivals of the first half of 2022. For each region of Scotland, in a whisky sense, they released one or several bottlings, all of course with a higher outturn than usual. I ordered a tasting pack containing five out of the six releases, and I also bought a bottle of the sixth one, a Bowmore, so now, let’s review them all. And whilst previously it was Ainulindale reviewing SMWS bottlings, this time it’s my turn!