Coldorak's whisky blog.
It’s been quite some time since we last reviewed a Longmorn, so today we’ll be looking at two expressions from this Speyside distillery. First, we’ll start with the now-retired official Longmorn 16-year-old, followed by a licensed bottling from Gordon & MacPhail, distilled in 1983. These two whiskies represent both official and independent releases, offering a look at different sides of Longmorn.
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This humble blog welcomes two new additions to its pages: Glen Keith Distillery and Wemyss Malts. Strangely enough, I was convinced I had already covered both, but it turns out I did not have – so it’s time to fix that! Before diving into the tasting and review of the Glen Keith 1996 Wemyss Malts, named Sweet Disposition, let’s take a moment to introduce both the distillery and the independent bottler.
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Despite having friends who are huge fans of Ledaig, the peated whisky from Tobermory Distillery, it’s never been something I’ve actively sought out. The few Ledaig expressions I’ve tried so far have failed to win me over. I’ve revisited the Ledaig 10 and 18 a few times, but neither has been to my taste. However, as a whisky geek, I believe in exploring distilleries I don’t naturally gravitate toward. It’s important to gain a fuller perspective of what they can offer and see if they might surprise me. So, when friends offered me 10 centilitres of an unpeated Ledaig bottled by Swell de Spirits and suggested splitting a sample of the highly regarded Ledaig 1972, I couldn’t resist. Despite my bias against Ledaig, the opportunity to explore something so unique and revered was too tempting to pass up. With that in mind, I’m putting these two whiskies head-to-head: a 1994 unpeated Ledaig from Swell de Spirits versus a 42-year-old Ledaig 1972. Let’s see if either of them has what it takes to change my opinion and perhaps even make me a believer.
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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.
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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.
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The second cognac from my 2024 Cognac Expert Advent Calendar is a multi-vintage Vaudon Lot 75/78/80, bottled by German independent bottler Grape of the Art. Vaudon’s estate spans 60 hectares, primarily in the Fins Bois region, the largest Cognac production area. Their history dates back to 1771 when François Gaborit passed the domain to his son-in-law, Pierre Nalbert. Significant expansion occurred in the 20th century under Denis and later Pierre Mousset. Further growth followed when Pierre Vaudon married Anne-Marie Mousset, uniting two winemaking families.
Vaudon produces both single-cru Fins Bois cognacs and multi-cru blends with the neighbouring Grande Champagne region. Today’s review focuses on this multi-vintage, single-cru Vaudon 75/78/80 Grape of the Art.
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Part of the recent and ever-growing series 100 proof from Signatory Vintage, the independent bottler released a few bottlings as an ‘Exceptional Cask’ subseries. We review the first three whiskies bottled in this series: an Aultmore 2007, a Glenburgie 2008 and a Macduff 2007 100 Proof Exceptional Casks, Edition #1 to 3, from Signatory Vintage.
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Although Domaine de Charron traces its origins back to the early 20th century, its journey into Armagnac production truly began decades later. In 1985, Fernand Lartigue considered uprooting the vines on his grandmother’s plot in Perquie. However, his sons, Claude and Jacques, stepped in to acquire the 2-hectare vineyard, preserving the Baco vines and reviving Armagnac production. The vineyard’s care was entrusted to a neighboring winemaker, whose expertise ensured the creation of high-quality, natural wines from the start.
Thanks to our friends at Swell de Spirits, I’ve received samples of two Domaine de Charron Armagnacs as part of a box featuring malternatives and spirits. Let’s dive into these two releases, Domaine de Charron 1996 and 2008, bottled by Swell de Spirits.
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Pulteney distillery, known for its whisky labelled Old Pulteney, was once the northernmost whisky distillery on mainland Scotland. However, this title was later taken by Wolfburn and then 8 Doors distillery. The northernmost whisky distillery in Scotland overall is Highland Park. In 1825, James Henderson, who had been distilling illegally in Stemster, moved to Pulteneytown to establish a legitimate whisky distillery. The Henderson family owned it for almost a century until selling it to Jas. Watson of Dundee in 1920. In 1922, Wick town council banned alcohol sales under the influence of an American evangelist, and by 1924, Old Pulteney was sold to John Dewar & Sons, eventually becoming part of DCL. The distillery closed in 1930 due to a market downturn and reopened in 1951, four years after the ban was lifted, when local businessman Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming bought it. He sold it, along with Balblair, to Hiram Walker in 1955. Following a series of mergers, it became part of Allied Distillers, who sold it to Inver House in 1995 when it was in desperate need of repairs. In 2001, Pacific Spirits acquired Inver House, which was later purchased by Thailand’s International Beverage Holding in 2006. Today, we will sample several Old Pulteney whiskies from the core range, including the 12- and 15-year-old expressions, the 2012 Flotilla, a 2006 Vintage released for Global Travel Retail, and an independent bottling: a 2008 single cask bottled by Daily Dram.
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These fruit-based eaux-de-vie, whilst less prevalent than grape-based brandies, were once popular but have since fallen out of favour. It’s unfortunate as they offer unique and flavourful spirits. In France, fruit eaux-de-vie represented only 0.3% of the total alcohol value in large retailers and a mere 0.2% in the trade network (bars, hotels, and restaurants) in 2022, with these numbers declining compared to previous years. Three to four decades ago, a 70 cl bottle of fruit brandy was primarily consumed directly after meals, but today, it’s more commonly used in gastronomy, accounting for 70% of its consumption, while direct tasting comprises the remaining 30%. There has been a significant decline in fruit brandy consumption during the 1990s and the 2010s, a product once associated with our great-grandparents. The rise of whisky in the market has shifted preferences and emphasised a desire to explore alternative spirits. This change reflects a generational shift. Nevertheless, there are still distilleries producing these fruit brandies. We will be tasting a plum brandy and a pear brandy from the Salamandre distillery, both bottled by Swell de Spirits, from which we recently reviewed two whiskies.
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