Review Archives - Page 11 of 24 - More Drams, Less Drama

Islay Blended Malt 2009 Thomson Brothers

10th December 202310th December 2023Coldorak

Phil and Simon Thomson, the founders of Dornoch Distillery, are well known in the whisky industry. Independent bottlers, they’re also the owners of the famous Dornoch Castle Hotel Bar, which boasts a fantastic selection of bottles. The Thomson Brothers have already released more than 370 bottles and are known for their indy bottling branch, which usually releases whiskies through a ballot as they are highly sought after. In 2017, they started producing their own whisky at Dornoch Distillery, which has already gained a reputation for producing an already internationally acclaimed single malt whisky. The Thomson Brothers have recently been granted permission to build a new distillery in Dornoch South, which will be carbon-neutral and sustainable. But it’s their indy bottling branch that interests us today, as we try an Islay Blended Malt 2009 that the Thomson Brothers released in 2021.

Glenmorangie Signet

3rd December 20232nd December 2023Coldorak

Glenmorangie is a whisky distillery located near Tain, in the Ross-shire region of Scotland (Northern Highlands). It was founded in 1843 by William Matheson, who bought a license to produce whisky and installed two second-hand gin stills at the Morangie farm. The distillery was named after the farm and the name Glenmorangie was registered as a trademark. It is famous for its tall neck stills, the tallest in Scotland. The distillery loves to experiment with their whisky and by the past they’ve played around with yeast, malt and wood, and even built an experimental distillery last year to experiment even more. The Glenmorangie Distillery has become one of the top five most popular Scotch whisky distilleries in the world. Glenmorangie Signet, even though being part of the core range, is still linked to those experiments as we are going to see.

Glenturret 1965 Cadenhead’s (1990)

18th November 202318th November 2023Coldorak

Whisky hoarding is a popular practice among enthusiasts who enjoy collecting rare and unique bottles, or just swapping and buying a significant number of bottles and samples. However, this practice comes with its own set of risks, including the possibility that some bottles may never be tasted and could be lost to evaporation. Unfortunately, I recently experienced this firsthand. I have hundreds of samples and minis waiting for me, but when I recently reached for a Loch Lomond (Rhosdhu) bottled by Cadenhead in 1994, I found that the fill level was low (probably just 1.5 cl left out of the initial five), and the whisky was flat and bland, the alcohol gone, evaporated. To avoid this happening again, I checked what other similar era minis I had, and that’s when I remembered this 1965 Glenturret, bottled in 1990 by Cadenhead’s, and still with a reasonable fill level (but already down to about 4 cl)…

Bimber Collection Antipodes Unpeated & Peated.

13th November 202312th November 2023Coldorak

I was hoping to try the brand new Bimber bottlings for La Maison Du Whisky at Whisky Live Paris back in October, especially since the Bimber booth was really close to Dingle’s, where I was working once again. Regrettably, LMDW had reserved them for their exclusive stand in the VIP section, and my schedule didn’t allow me to visit. Therefore, from the coziness of my whisky room, let’s explore a couple of Bimber single casks bottled last year specifically for LMDW’s Antipodes collection.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company's core range

That Boutique-y Whisky Core Range

6th November 20236th November 2023Coldorak

That Boutique-y Whisky Company has gained fame for its extensive collection of independent bottlings released since 2013, and at this date a total of 883 of them have been documented on WhiskyBase. Recently, the company expanded its repertoire by introducing its first five core range expressions, effectively extending this impressive list. Additionally, there is a sixth core release in the form of their World Whisky Blend, which we have previously reviewed and will omit from this discussion. Instead, let’s focus on examining the remaining five releases from That Boutique-y Whisky’s core range.

Armorik 21-Year-Old Single Bottle

2nd November 20232nd November 2023Coldorak

Indeed, just a solitary bottle, or one might even liken it to a (small) demijohn, as described by Warenghem Distillery. Finespirits Auction and LMDW have launched a special spirits auction in support of Fondation GoodPlanet. This remarkable auction kicked off during Whisky Live Paris and is set to run until November 3, 2023. An exceptional item up for bidding is a distinctive bottle or demijohn from the Warenghem Distillery, boasting their most extended age statement to date: a single 2-litre bottle of Armorik 21-Year-Old.

Armorik Maître de Chai (2023)

13th October 202313th October 2023Coldorak

In 2014, Warenghem Distillery introduced the inaugural edition of Armorik Maître de Chai. Typically, this expression involved blending two oloroso sherry butts, resulting in a limited production of approximately 1800 to 2000 bottles, all bottled at 46% ABV. I have a distinct memory of tasting one of these editions a few years ago, although the precise bottling year eludes me. It happened during a vertical tasting of Armorik whiskies at a whisky store in Rennes, a place that, sadly, no longer exists. This Maître de Chai expression continued its run until 2017. Following that, there was a notable absence of any new Maître de Chai releases. Fast forward to 2023, and Warenghem has unveiled a fresh iteration of Armorik Maître de Chai. However, the only thing this new version shares with its predecessors is the name; the recipe has undergone a significant transformation, as we’re going to see…

Two Port Ellen and Coldorak in front of Port Ellen Distillery

Port Ellen 7th & 12th Release

11th October 202311th October 2023Coldorak

Port Ellen distillery, located on the southern coast of the Isle of Islay in Scotland, is a renowned name in the world of Scotch whisky. Established in 1824 by Alexander Ker Mackay, the distillery gained prominence for its distinctive single malt whiskies. Situated in the village of Port Ellen, the distillery operated for nearly 160 years before closing its doors in 1983. Despite its closure, Port Ellen whiskies continue to be highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors due to their complex flavours, limited availability and the hype generated by very good reviews from a few famous whisky blogs. The distillery’s iconic whitewashed buildings and traditional pagoda roof are emblematic of Scotland’s whisky-making heritage. Despite being silent for 40 years, the distillery is being resurrected, as I could see in July with construction still being done, and a beautiful looking still room almost ready to produce whisky again. Whilst it will be years before we can try the ‘new generation’ Port Ellen whisky, let’s try two Special Releases both distilled in 1979: the Port Ellen 7th and 12th Release. We reviewed two different Port Ellen (including a 1979) before on these pages, with different results, so let’s see how those 1979 do.

Turntable Spirits Blends

1st October 20236th October 2023Coldorak

I had the chance to be invited a few days ago to a Turntable Spirits tweet tasting, allowing me to taste the first three blends released by this new blending company. Turntable Spirits is a brand new blending house founded by two brothers, with transparency about the contents of their blends. Brexit made my participation to Tweet Tastings complicated to say the least, but thanks to Steve Rush, I was able to join this one. Before we start, let’s say on the record (laughs appreciated) that I received as part of this Tweet Tasting three generous samples for free, but that doesn’t have an influence on my reviews.

Caol Ila 22 and 24-year-old

27th September 202313th October 2023Coldorak

In the east of Scotland’s famous peated whisky-producing region’s lies a distillery that has long been revered for its commitment to crafting exceptional Scotch whisky – Caol Ila. Nestled on the rugged shores of the Isle of Islay near Port Askaig, one of the two ferry terminals bringing thousands of visitors to Islay every year, this iconic distillery has been a beacon of peaty excellence for close to two centuries. Close, but not quite two full centuries have passed since our exploration, as we try a 24-year-old whisky released in 2021 in commemoration of their 175th Anniversary. We’ll compare it to the 22-year-old released for Fèis Ìle Festival in 2019.