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Sampling Two Whisky Exchange Exclusives: Glenfarclas 15 & 21 Year Olds – Speyside Whisky Perfection!

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The Glenfarclas 15 & 21 Year Old Whisky Exchange Exclusives!

I’ve been lucky enough to be sent a pair of samples from The Whisky Exchange’s “Exclusives” Range. Namely drams from the great Glenfarclas distillery: a 15 year old bottled at 100º proof (57.1%) and a 21 year old bottled at 95º proof (54.2%)!

The Whisky Exchange has worked with Glenfarclas since the early days of the online retailer, not only selling their great whiskies, but also selecting and bottling single casks and small batches.

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

The Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 15 Year Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive (57.1%)

A fruity Glenfarclas single malt bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange after 15 years in sherry-seasoned oak.


Nose: Sweet sherry with plump sultanas and raisins. Then it gets all vanillary with baked apple coated in brown sugar.

Palate: Richly toffee sweet with more plump raisins and that baked, sugared apple detected in the nose makes a welcome appearance!

Finish: Intensely spicy with more fruit leading to a dry finish.

Overall: That ABV is a beast – almost knocked my mouth out! I didn’t try it with water though – I preferred it’s full strength, no-nonsense approach!
£74.95

The Glenfarclas 21 Year Old

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 21 Year Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive (54.2%)

A rich and fruity 21-year-old Glenfarclas single malt bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange after 21 years in oloroso sherry seasoned oak.

Nose: Banofee pie, fresh apples, wisps of tropical fruits. After a spell the nose leads to sugary, plump raisins, creamy toffee, vanilla and sherry – rather nice!

Palate: Gorgeous thick mouthfeel. Sweet cake spices including cinnamon. There’s fruit cake plus, minty, dark chocolate.

Finish: Sweet finish with a lighter spiciness than the 15 year old – but it still makes itself noticed! Pronounced, dry bitterness at the end with some salt.

Overall: Another great Glenfarclas dram!

£125

Many thanks to The Whisky Exchange (@WhiskyExchange) for the tasters!

Sampling A Whisky Exchange Exclusive: The Caol Ila 2005, 15 Year Old – Get Ready For A Taste Bud Treat!

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The Caol Ila 2005 15 Years Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive!

The Whisky Exchange has released another one of their Exclusives – namely a Caol Ila 2005 15 Years Old!

This 2005 Caol Ila single malt was matured in a single refill sherry hogshead for 15 years, before being bottled in January 2021 by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Connoisseurs Choice range – exclusively for The Whisky Exchange.

Here are the details:-
Caol Ila 2005 15 Years Old
Region: Islay
Matured in a refill sherry hogshead #301507
Bottled: 06/01/2021

Not chill-filtered
Natural colour
266 bottles available

Gordon & MacPhail was established in Elgin, Scotland in 1895 and has always been a family owned and family run business.

They carefully select casks of whiskies from more than a hundred Scottish distilleries, many of which have since stopped production or simply vanished entirely.

Their ranges include Discovery – aimed at categorising Scotch whisky’s many facets and introducing new drinkers to new tastes in a manageable way – to the exclusive Private Collection and the iconic Connoisseurs Choice allowing them to cater for drinkers at every point on the Scotch whisky spectrum, from beginners to true connoisseurs.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks @WhiskyExchange!)

“A glorious mix of orchard fruits and peaty smoke!”

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Caol Ila 2005 15 Years Old – Whisky Exchange Exclusive (57.5%)

Nose: Fruit and smoke battle it out in a friendly fashion! There’s wisps of woodsmoke and peat mixed with fresh orchard fruits, mainly apple, with some additional sweet, sherry notes – glorious!

Palate: Wonderful mix of orchard fruits and peaty smoke! Sweet sherry with shades of toffee and some zingy mint.

Finish: Fiesty spice with some serious punch to it! It’s tempered though with fading smoke and vanilla sweetness.

Overall: A great selection of flavours wrapped up in a very enjoyable dram. I love the combination of fruit and smoke – making for a fantastic taste bud treat!
£120

Once again, many thanks to The Whisky Exchange (@WhiskyExchange) for the taster!

Sampling “1770 Single Malt: The Coopers’ Cask Release” – Sadly Gone – But Definitely Not Forgotten!

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The 1770 Single Malt: The Coopers’ Cask Release!

The Glasgow Distillery Company, the first independent single malt distillery to open in the city since 1902, has once again sold out of one of its releases, namely their 1770 Single Malt: The Coopers’ Cask Release, after phenomenally high demand!

With only 403 individually numbered bottles available the The Coopers’ Cask Release was the result of a collaboration between The Glasgow Distillery and US based Kelvin Cooperage. It was launched in celebration of the ancient skill of coopering; the art of creating casks made from wooden staves bound by metal hoops.
(Click here for a full write-up.)

Glasgow Distillery very kindly sent me a sample of this very special dram to try, together with a lovely tasting glass. (Thanks Glasgow Distillery!)

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

A sample to savour!

Tasting Notes – Glasgow 1770 Single Malt, The Coopers’ Cask (53.3%)

Nose: Very Creamy toffee, sweet vanilla, refreshing crisp, green apples fresh, orchard fruits.

Palate: Sweet, creamy toffee, vanilla and shades of mint.

Finish: A long finish of fiesty pepper culminating in a sweet dry ending.

Overall: A classy dram for sure! Lots going on flavour wise and the very reasonable price point gave plenty of bang for your buck. I won’t be forgetting this Whisky anytime soon!

Once again, many thanks to Glasgow Distillery (@GlasgowDC) for sending me the sample!

Only 403 Bottles of the The Coopers’ Cask were released

Glasgow Distillery products are also available to buy from these Merchants:-

The SMWS April Virtual Tasting – Five Distinctive Drams – One Heck Of A Lot Of Flavour!

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The SMWS April Virtual Tasting!

Well last Thursdays SMWS April Virtual Tasting was a real ‘flavour’ blast!

Host Madeleine Schmoll was joined by Society favourites Olaf Meier and Kami Newton to guide us through five spectacular drams in this month’s Discovery Pack, all with the theme of which were the best drams to take if you’re out hiking / fell walking etc.

The drams tasted on the night were:-

· 48.118 Trekking in the jungle

· G8.17 Candles, kumquats and polished oak

· 26.160 Fruit market – candy store

· 82.31 Give free rein to the imagination

· 42.52 Wood smoke through a porthole

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Trekking in the jungle – CASK No. 48.118



Region: Speyside
Cask: 1st. fill ex-bourbon barrel (Balmenach)
Age: 7 years
Date: 12 November 2012
ABV: 60.6%



Nose: Fresh, crisp apples, flowery and sherbet sweet with some hints of tropical fruits.

Palate: Ooh! Fresh, creamy, vanilla, sherbet sweetness with shades of mint.

Finish: Peppery and smooth finish.

Overall: Well punchy! Adding water: very pleasant with increased herbal tones.
See All That The SMWS Has To Offer!

Candles, kumquats and polished oak – CASK No. G8.17



Region: Lowland
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead (Cambus)
Age: 31 years
Date: 12 June 1989
ABV: 59.7%



Nose: Toffee, sweet biscuit, dusky libraries, age-old furniture polish, liquorice – surprisingly!

Palate: Glorious sugar cane sweetness! Vanilla, toffee, strong liquorice and fennel!

Finish: Some of the aged notes start to come through in the finish, particularly the liquorice and fennel.

Overall: A very dignified grain whisky with some very interesting flavours – a revelation!
See All That The SMWS Has To Offer!

Fruit market – candy store – CASK No. 26.160



Region: Highland
Cask: 2nd. fill ex-bourbon barrel (Clynelish)
Age: 9 years
Date: 19 September 2011
ABV: 56.7%



Nose: Parkin cake, black treacle and fresh, green apples.

Palate: Very sugary sweet, vanilla, little mint.

Finish: Warming spiciness that gets pretty hot as it goes on!

Overall: A little something for everyone this – sweet, fruity, spicy – tasty!
See All That The SMWS Has To Offer!

Give free rein to the imagination – CASK No. 82.31



Region: Highland
Cask: 2nd. fill ex-bourbon barrel (Glencadam)
Age: 9 years
Date: 16 March 2011
ABV: 61.9%



Nose: Rich, creamy caramel, shortbread, popcorn with some spicy notes!

Palate: Rich, creamy caramel, buttery popcorn, sugar cane sweet.

Finish: Strongly spicy as per it’s strength!

Overall: Forget the popcorn, sit down with this to watch your favourite movie!
See All That The SMWS Has To Offer!

Wood smoke through a porthole – CASK No. 42.52



Region: Highland
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead (Tobermory / Ledaig)
Age: 13 years
Date: 29 March 2007
ABV: 58.3%



Nose: A smokery! Peat, woodsmoke, rich BBQ, sweetly coastal.

Palate: Lovely combo. of sweetness and smokiness – loads of peat!

Finish: The palate continues apace! This dram makes me SO hungry – I’m dreaming of smoked foods!

Overall: For the strength it is surprisngly mild and has bags of flavour. A real joy BUT a word of warning – have plenty of savoury snacks on hand – you will need them!
See All That The SMWS Has To Offer!

On the night I most enjoyed Wood smoke through a porthole – CASK No. 42.52, though to be honest, they were all good in their usual classy SMWS way!

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for such an enjoyable evening and for sending the samples!

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Sampling The Lakes Distillery “Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4” – More Please!

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The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4

English whiskymaker The Lakes Distillery has announced the release of their latest single malt whisky, The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4!

An evolution in the journey to define their sherry-led house style, the new whisky is an artistic exploration of maturation and blending. Supremely balanced and complex, it is a single malt whisky matured in the finest, meticulously sourced Oloroso, PX and red wine casks, comprising Spanish, American and French oak.

A single malt whisky matured in the finest, meticulously sourced Oloroso, PX and red wine casks!

At 52% ABV and bottled at natural colour, it possesses the same sherry-led, wood-forward and flavour-packed characteristics of previous releases, with a more restrained, sophisticated, and almost Moorish influence.

From the American and Spanish oak casks, big notes of Manuka honey, sun-dried dates, and roasted cashew nuts lead to layers of dried fruit, nuts and spice, with an indulgent velvet-cream finish.

One of our most complex yet approachable whiskies in the series to date, this is a well-balanced and contemplative whisky, ideal to enjoy after dinner or with good friends.
– Dhavall Gandhi: The Lakes Distillery’s whiskymaker

Available now from LakesDistillery.com – the RRP is £65 for a 70cl bottle.

The Lakes Distillery have kindly sent me a sample of their new dram to try (Thanks Lakes Distillery!)

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4 Single Malt Whisky (52%)

Nose: Sherry in abundance! Vanilla, creamy fudge, toffee which is countered by sharp blackcurrant, rich dark chocolate and blood oranges.

Palate: Punchy with sweet sherried fruits, dark chocolate, hints of blackcurrant and orange.

Finish: All the flavours above continue along very nicely with the finish ending in dry spiciness.

Overall: Morish the Press Release says? Yes I say!

A very satisfying blending with some nice sweet, tangy, spicy flavours.

More Please!

Other Lakes Distillery Whiskies (& Gins) are available to buy from:-

About Lakes Distillery

On the shore of Bassenthwaite Lake, near Keswick, in The English Lake District, The Lakes Distillery creates an exceptional collection of whiskies, gins and vodkas and attracts over 100,000 visitors each year.

Twice named ‘one of eight distilleries to visit before you die’ by the World Whisky Day campaign, the visitor centre, bistro and tour has held Visit England’s Gold accolade for the last three years and was voted the Icons of Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year 2019 by Whisky magazine.

On 7 September 2019, The Lakes Distillery unveiled the first in a series of widely available single malt whisky releases that will showcase their house style, defined by whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi.

The Lakes’ Story

The Lake District has long been a crucible for creativity, a place in which the imagination can flourish, and it’s no different for The Lakes Distillery. Taking inspiration from the UNESCO World Heritage Site where our state-of-the-art distillery has been built meticulously within a 160-year-old farmstead on the banks of the River Derwent, the idea of distilling being distinct individual elements is not how we look at the art. Rather it is part of a continuum, a net of possibilities where everything is interlinked. Change one element and the effect will change everything else.

Only by understanding how flavours are created throughout the spirit’s journey through the distillery can our whiskymaker fully comprehend the possibilities. That is why, unusually, Dhavall Gandhi is actively involved at every stage. It is holistic whisky-making, to ensure every flavour possibility is achieved.

Find out more about our whisky story at www.LakesDistillery.com

Recent Awards

Named by The London Stock Exchange Group as one of the ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain 2020’ and 19th fastest growing brand in Alantra’s 2019 Food and Beverage Fast 50, The Lakes’ portfolio of award-winning spirits includes single malt whisky, blended malt whisky, blended whisky, gin and vodka. Recently, they received the following prestigious World Drinks awards:
2020:
World’s Best English Single Malt Whisky, No Age Statement (Gold Award) – The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.2
International Spirit’s Challenge (ISC), World Single Malt Whisky (Gold Award) – The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.2
International Wine And Spirit Competition (IWSC), Spirit Gold Award – The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.1
2019:
World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky, No Age Statement (Best in English Category) – Steel Bonnets
World’s Best Blended Limited Release Whisky, No Age Statement (Best in English Category) – The ONE Sherry Expression
World’s Best Gin (Gold Award) – The Lakes Gin
World’s Best Gin Liqueur (Gold Award) – The Lakes Rhubarb & Rosehip Gin Liqueur
World’s Best Vodka (World’s Best) – The Lakes Vodka
World’s Best Chocolate Liqueur (World’s Best) – The Lakes Salted Caramel Vodka Liqueur

Sampling Kilchoman’s Loch Gorm 2021 – A ‘Jack Of All Flavours’ – And A Master Of All Of Them!

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The Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2021!

The hotly anticipated Loch Gorm 2021 from Kilchoman Distillery has once again had its annual release!

Named after Islay’s largest freshwater loch neighbouring the distillery, Loch Gorm is their only annual limited edition matured entirely in oloroso sherry casks.

Year on year the vatting of Loch Gorm subtly changes (and sometimes not so subtly), in age, colour and character. 

The 2021 edition is a vatting of 24 oloroso sherry butts filled in 2011 and 2012

The 2021 edition is a vatting of 24 oloroso sherry butts filled in 2011 and 2012. These large 500 litre sherry butts have been sourced from Bodega Miguel Martin in Spain and filled with Kilchoman spirit peated to 50ppm.

Once these casks had been matured for a minimum of 9 years, they were then vatted together and bottled at 46% abv, resulting in 17,000 bottles being made available to Kilchoman fans around the world. 

Although we have always filled the bulk of our spirit into ex-bourbon barrels, the Loch Gorm releases have shown how well our peated Islay spirit can combine with sherry casks, something that’s not always an easy task.

Rich bold flavours with a breadth, depth and balance of character that sets it apart, the 2021 edition is packed with juicy fruit, macerated lemon and sweet chargrilled BBQ smoke.
– Anthony Wills: Kilchoman Founder and Master Distiller

Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2021 retails in the £69.95+ range.

Kilchoman has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks kilchomandistillery.com / @Kilchomanwhisky!)

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2021 Islay Whisky (46%)

Nose: Rich, smokey, peaty nose with smooth sherry. Then along comes some apple and vanilla with buttery biscuit. The peatiness fades away after a time to be replaced by lemon creams and fruit cake – delightful!

Palate: Sweet, thick, plump fruits with sweet spices including cinnamon. Add in some lemon citrus and dark chocolate and you have a gorgeous palate right there!

Finish: Strong black pepper, sweet liquorice, smokey polish finishing with a dry peat, smoke finish.

Overall: A cracking dram and I love it! Rich flavours abound and I can’t fault it. This whisky is a ‘Jack of all flavours’ – and it’s the Master of all of them!

Kilchoman is available to buy from these Merchants:-

Many thanks to kilchomandistillery.com (@Kilchomanwhisky) for sending me the sample!

About Kilchoman

Kilchoman Distillery is a small family run farm distillery based on the rugged west coast of Islay. The distillery was established by Anthony Wills in 2005, the idea was to build a new distillery which took whisky production back to its roots. Anthony and wife Kathy have been joined by their three sons; George, James and Peter.

Kilchoman produces its 100% Islay single malt from barley which is grown in fields surrounding the distillery and completes every stage of the whisky-making process at the distillery, including traditional floor malting. Kilchoman is the only distillery in Scotland to do this.

Sampling The Jura Rum Cask Finish – The Taste Of A Whisky Tropical Paradise!

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The Jura Rum Cask Finish!

Jura Single Malt whisky recently released their latest addition to their product range in the shape of Jura Rum Cask Finish, a fruity, exotic single malt bringing the lively taste of the tropical to its range of whiskies!

Perfect paired with pineapple!

Initially matured in American White Oak Ex Bourbon barrels, the spirit went on to conclude its maturation journey in hand selected Caribbean Rum Casks to create a smooth, creamy and fruity finish.

Our Jura Cask Editions have been created to showcase cask types in partnership with the Jura distillery character. The flavours offer interesting interpretations of our classic style, making them ideal for those looking to explore new flavours and finishes.

With Jura Rum Cask Finish, the taste experience has been enhanced through the finish to create a beautifully tropical and fruity result. In making this release, we wanted to share a Single Malt that’s easy drinking and great value with compelling character!
– Gregg Glass: Whisky Maker & Blender at Whyte & Mackay

Jura Rum Cask Finish has launched initially in the UK, available in Tesco stores at £45 for 1 litre.

Jura Whisky has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks jurawhisky.com (@jurawhisky!)

So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Jura Rum Cask Finish (40%)

Nose: Hints of tropical fruits which steadily grows. There’s also vanilla, caramel, fudge and sweet muscovado sugar.

Palate: Sherbet sweet with vanilla, toffee and tropical flavours which start to make a slow appearance along the way.

Finish: Smooth finish with growing, warming pepper, tropical fruit hints and sweet vanilla. Moderately dry finish.

Overall: A great dram, the tropical flavours made me want to sing “Here Comes The Sun” over and over again while I was sampling!

And just to cap it all I also received some Pineapple pieces with which to try a bit of taste pairing: The result? Very nice – the two go together very well – a whisky tropical paradise in fact!

Once again, many thanks to jurawhisky.com (@jurawhisky) for sending me the sample!

Jura is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

The Glasgow Distillery Tweet Tasting – An Enlightening Take On Familiar Spirits!

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The Glasgow Distillery lineup!

We celebrated the 200th. @TweetTastings last Wednesday and as always for the last 10 years, it was ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire.

For this special occasion we had the honour of sampling some of the Glasgow Distilleries portfolio of products.

The spirits sampled were:-

  • Glasgow Distillery Makar Dry Gin (alone & with Indian Tonic Water)
  • Glasgow Distillery G52 Vodka (alone & with Indian Tonic Water)
  • Glasgow Distillery Banditti Club Rum (alone & with Ginger Beer)
  • Glasgow Distillery 1770 Whisky

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #GlasgowDistillery on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery Makar Dry Gin (43%)


Makar Original Dry Gin, which takes its name from the Scots word for poet, is the first gin to be distilled in the city of Glasgow. It’s distilled in small batches in their copper pot still, called Annie!

A juniper led gin, made with seven botanicals, including angelica root, liquorice, coriander seed, lemon peel, rosemary, black peppercorns and cassia bark.

Nose: Nice lemon and really prominent lime citrus hit straight off! Lime seems to increase in strength as you nose! This is coupled with inviting icing sugar sweetness and black pepper.

Palate: Thick, pleasing mouthfeel with bitter lemon and spicy pepper and ginger.

Palate with mixer: Even more lemon now it’s got tonic in! It also brings out pine, sweet boiled lemon sweets and rose!

Overall: A superb gin, full of flavour and very unique!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery G52 Vodka (40%)


G52 Botanical Vodka Fresh Citrus, was inspired by the merchant past on which Glasgow was built. Distilled and produced using 100% natural and fresh ingredients.

Produced using botanicals including fresh grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, rosehip and spicy fresh ginger.

Nose: Seriously tropical – Starburst in a glass – explosions of lime, strawberry and orange – can’t believe it’s vodka! Zesty, fruity and sweet.

Palate: Very similar to the nose – lots & lots of lemon, lime and icing sugar with grapefruit thrown in!

Palate with mixer: Goes well with the mixer – dials down the sweetness a bit and adds some bite to it!

Overall: Is this a vodka in gins clothing? Whatever, ’tis very nice!
Available to buy from this Merchant:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery Banditti Club Rum (44%)


The Banditti Club were a company of bold rogues who would meet in Glasgow’s local public houses; singing, eating and playing music late into the night.

Matured and spiced in Glasgow, made using rum distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice on the Island of Madeira and aged for up to 12 months in oak casks, and spiced with a selection of fresh tropical fruit and exotic spices, including pineapple, orange, cacao and allspice.

Nose: Creamy vanilla, sugary cinnammon, fennel, cloves, chocolate and licourice! Liquid stollen cake!

Palate: Well that’s different! Quite astringent with creamy vanilla, ginger cake / stollen cake and a massive spicy pepper hit. Shades of cloves, cinnammon and also wondering if it’s time to put the Christmas tree up yet – now where did I put those baubles?!

Palate with mixer: What a wholesome drink with the mixer added – it could replace a meal – A spicy ginger sensation!

Overall: I think I could drink this all night!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Glasgow Distillery 1770 Whisky (46%)


1770 Whisky Rich & Smoky, matured in virgin oak barrels, before being finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

Produced using malted barley which has been smoked with the aromatic heather-rich peat of the Scottish Highlands, and the exceptionally pure water of Loch Katrine.

Nose: Ooh! Gorgeous smokey nose, burning firewood and throwing peat on the fire! Add in some black treacle and sweet coastal wood and it’s a nose to linger over!

Palate: Very satisfying – smokey, BBQ, with sweet peat and more besides including caramel and orange!

Finish: Sweet, spicy, smokey finish that makes you go looking for savoury snacks!

Overall: Adding water levels things out a little but I’m a ‘neat’ man for this dram. I could curl up with this dram any day of the week that has a ‘y’ in it!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Such a different take on familiar spirits but Out of the 4, I think Makar Dry Gin wins it for me with 1770 Whisky coming a very close second!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and Glasgow Distillery (@GlasgowDC) for sending the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @Whisky_And1 @whiskeychap @SpiritAndWood @Jotterface @WhiskyAlly @WhiskyResource @thedramble @ocdwhisky @MrEdwardMilner @ScotchB78 @AndyatDram @AndWhiskey4All @MaltBox @WhiskyWings @whisky_jamie @WhiskyGeekPete @whiskyrover @MaltMusings @rodbodtoo @2rumheads @LeaskPatrick @Whiskyviewer @FiShoop

Glasgow Distillery products are available to buy from these Merchants:-

Grab Your Tasting Packs – It’s The SMWS April Virtual Tasting!

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The SMWS April Virtual Tasting!

The UK April Virtual Tasting will take place on
Thursday, 22 April at 8pm!

Buy Your Pack: £35.00

Hosted by Madeleine Schmoll who will be joined by Society favourites Olaf Meier and Kami Newton they will guide us through the five spectacular drams in April’s Discovery Pack!

All you need is a tasting mat, your drams pack and a computer to join us on their UK Facebook page (or the SMWS Silverscreen channel.)



Drams to be sampled on the night are:-

48.118 Trekking in the jungle

82.31 Give free rein to the imagination

26.160 Fruit market – candy store

G8.17 Candles, kumquats and polished oak

42.52 Wood smoke through a porthole

About The SMWS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is a club unlike any other.

As well as being a place to connect with other like-minded whisky lovers, they are also internationally renowned for their mission: “to provide our members with an adventurous and fun journey of discovery of the world’s widest collection of single cask whiskies.”

Conceptualised in the late 70’s and established in 1983, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, now 35 years old, has branches and partners bars in 19 countries globally. The Society has a selection of over 500 casks every year, each cask yielding a few hundred or less whisky bottles which are unique to that cask.

Rather than name their Whiskies after the distillery, the Society has a coding system. The Society also creates fantastic tasting notes summaries for their Whiskies and other bottles. The whiskies are straight from the cask single malt, undiluted, without chill-filtration or colouring at cask strength.

More recently the Society has been named Independent Bottler of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Independent Bottlers’ Challenge (IBC) competition.

Sampling Lambay Whiskey – Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day The ‘Island’ Way!

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The Lambay Malt Irish Whiskies!

To celebrate St. Patricks’s Day Lambay Whiskey was the subject of last Monday nights @TweetTastings.

Steve from The Whisky Wire guided us through two Irish Whiskies:-

  • Lambay Malt Irish Whiskey
  • Lambay Single Cask Strength Irish Whiskey

The Lambay Whiskey Brand was inspired by Cyril Camus, President of Maison Camus; an independent Cognac house since 1863, which remains one of the last family owned cognac houses.

Camus previously created the world’s first maritime matured cognac, Ille De Ré. Having explored the impact of maritime conditions on these casks and seeing how the Irish whiskey category was growing he wanted to create a truly unique Irish whiskey with a cognac cask finish, using the influence of the sea in maturation.

Partnering with his friend Alexander Baring, the owner of privately owned Lambay island, located in the Irish Sea off the coast of north County Dublin, they converted the old lifeguard boathouses into what are now bonded warehouses for their casks.

Lambay island is private nature reserve and was chosen because it is always a few degrees warmer than the mainland and right on the gulf stream. It has the highest portion of sea spray aerosols in Europe making it perfect for cask maturation in their bonded warehouse.
(Apologies to Steve for pinching his notes!)

There is also an opportunity to WIN a Lambay Small Batch Gift Set for you and a friend!

For more details go to thewhiskywire.com and get entering!

If you want to catch up on what all the tweet tasters had to say you can view their comments by searching for the hash tag #LambayWhiskey on Twitter.

AND we managed to trend 9th. on Twitter in Ireland – a great finish for our St. Patrick’s Day Tasting!

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – Lambay Malt Irish Blended Whiskey (43%)


Available from Lambays’s online store for €50.00

A blend of single malts that are both double and triple distilled. Matured in bourbon barrels for at least three years, before being finished in cognac casks from the renowned Maison Camus.

Lambay Malt Irish Whiskey, was the result of a complex process of consistent testing back and forth to ensure the light and delicate notes of the bourbon cask matured single malts weren’t overtaken or dominated by the cognac cask finish.

Lambay Island’s own volcanic Trinity Well water was added at the final stage of finishing before bottling.

Nose: A little tropical with a big slice o’ banoffee pie! Popcorn, creamy vanilla, apples and cereal notes. Lemon, citrus and oak also make an appearance. After a time some nice porty aromas appear – which was nice!

Palate: Creamy, vanilla custard, with hints of tropical fruit. Some growing popcorn and refreshing rose water.

Finish: Punchy pepper with a little chocolate I think. The sweet tropical flavours are still there though.

Overall: All-in-all a very sippable dram – plenty going on!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

Tasting Notes – Lambay Single Cask Strength – Cask 4613 – Irish Single Malt Whiskey (56.5%)

Limited to 400 bottles and launching April 1st. via their online store, for a RRP of €120.00

Initially matured in bourbon barrels for four years, before being finished in cognac casks from Maison Camus for three years.

The Lambay Single Cask Strength bottlings, are from the earliest casks laid down on Lambay back in 2018. Twenty casks were set aside for their Barrel Program and Cask 4613 is the fourth cask release and the only one so far released to the public.

Camus are known for their rich aromatic cognacs, but the casks Lambay use are not always old, as the younger casks are higher in sweet compounds, rather than the deeper rancios notes that you get from the older casks.

Nose: Slow burner me thinks … patience required … So, vanilla toffee, floral loveliness, honey and stewed fruits – a great nose!

Palate: Rich, intense, cane sweetness with tropical flavours and banana. There’s glorious licorice & fennel – very unusual – and it had all the tweeters harking back to the childhood sweets they used to love!

Finish: Very sweet finish with fiery pepper fighting it all the way!

Overall: A very interesting and tasty dram – I’d be curious to know if further releases from their earlier casks produce these types of flavours!
Available to buy from these Merchants:-

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 2, I think it’s got to be the Lambay Single Cask Strength – such an unusual tasty dram that makes me want to come back for more!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire / @TweetTastings) for a great evening and Lambay Whiskey (@LambayWhiskey) for sending the generous samples!

Many thanks to Lambay Whiskey for sending such generous samples!

My fellow Tweet Tasters on the night were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @whiskeychap @WhiskyWings @whiskyrover @SpiritAndWood @WhiskyGeekPete @MrEdwardMilner @whiskyRubhach @ReviewsWhisky @WhiskyApocalyps @Whisky_And1 @houstonbrian @FiShoop @Sav70 @whiskey_paddy @Jamiewronan @Teachmor1 @sekurumbudzi @stepheny7168 @dram_gazette @antheocy @ManyMilesWhisky @_PMcDermott @HelenORahilly @StillTripleDist @missjudithboyle @ultanfinegan @DavidMarra @MaltyMission

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