Single Grain Archives - More Drams, Less Drama

The Whisky Cellar Series 004 Tweet Tasting

10th April 202210th April 2022Coldorak

The Whisky Cellar is back with its fourth series of Private Cellars Selection bottlings, but not only. Keith Bonnington, The Whisky Cellar‘s founder and ex-Edrington employee, bought, a few months ago, from his former employer, the Brig O’Perth blend brand. One of his other projects, Scalasaig, also is not only an island whiskies blend, but also now a bottler, with, I imagine, single malts coming from all the distilleries making up the Scalasaig blend. So for this fourth Whisky Cellar Tweet Tasting, we’ll try the Brig O’Perth, a Tobermory bottled under the Scalasaig brand, and three single malts and one single grain part of the Whisky Cellar Private Cellars Selection Series 4. We enjoyed a lot Keith’s selection during the first three Tweet Tastings, so I think we can have high hopes for this Whisky Cellar Fourth Tweet Tasting.

Braeckman Distillery 10-year-old

13th February 202214th February 2022Coldorak

Some time ago (almost two years ago), a friend sent me a sample of a Braeckman Distillery 10-year-old single grain single cask. As I do usually, I entered the details of the sample (what whisky it is, age, ABV, Whiskybase link, who sent it to me and when…) in my whisky sheet. Then, I probably let the sample stay on my desk for a few weeks before deciding to put it in the samples box until I’d decide to review it. The only problem was I didn’t pay attention the sample was in a plastic bottle. Well, make it two problems, as the second one is that I waited more than 18 months before getting that sample out in order to review it.

Fuji Gotemba Single Grain at Aloha Whisky Bar in Tokyo

Fuji Single Grain review

17th November 202117th November 2021KanpaiPlanet

Our friend and guest writer Mac from Kanpai Planet is back today with the review of another Japanese whisky, this time the Fuji Gotemba Single Grain.

Most drinks fans are familiar with Kirin, whether through their Kirin Ichiban Shibori beer (Kirin Ichiban outside Japan) or through Four Roses Bourbon, which they own.

But outside Japan, not many know that Kirin is the number 3 whisky producer in Japan, behind Suntory and Nikka.

In November 1973, the Fuji Gotemba distillery began production. It was built by Kirin-Seagram, a joint venture established in August 1972 between Kirin Brewery Co., Ltd. (Japan) [50%], JE Seagram and Sons [45%] and Chivas Brothers [5%].

The Whisky Cellar Tweet Tasting

28th September 202028th September 2020Coldorak

As I had the chance to do many times before, I participated in a Tweet Tasting organized as usual by Steve Rush from The Whisky Wire on Wednesday the 23rd of September. This time, it was not a distillery, but a “new” indy… No, not Indiana Jones. As I was saying, this time it was not a distillery, but a quite new Independent Bottler called The Whisky Cellar. We received a really nice package with five samples, a notebook and a beautiful pen made with oak from a cask stave by Andrew from miawoodcrafts. By the way, if you didn’t know what he does, go check him out, what he makes is brilliant. I do already have a pen made from a Glenfarclas stave and I love it. But let’s get back on track and talk about today’s subject: The Whisky Cellar Tweet Tasting. And let’s start by having a chat with Keith Bonnington to know more about The Whisky Cellar!

Quick review: Strathclyde 31yo batch 4 TBWC

10th December 201911th December 2019Coldorak

Behind the tenth window of That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s 2019 Advent Calendar we will be reviewing each day until the 24th of December was hidden a Strathclyde 31yo batch 4, bottled at 45% abv by that Boutique-y Whisky Company and the first single grain of this calendar. The black and white label details the chemical components created when the cooperage toasts the wood making the barrel, those substances being what’s behind the flavours we recognize in our whiskies. But boutique-y being boutique-y, you’ll quickly see that they cannot stay serious and scientific until the end and give a quicker explanation for those not that interested. And what about Strathclyde, a distillery many people never heard about? It’s a grain distillery located in Glasgow on the south bank of the River Clyde, in a district called Gorbals, and is pretty awful looking (it was an old cotton mill). It’s owned by Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers) and is used mainly as a component for Ballantine’s and Chivas blends. I could not find a price for this whisky.