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The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Whisky 2018 – Stay Cosy & Buy A Dram Online!

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It’s An Orkney 18 Year Old!

NOW Available! The Whisky Exchange Black Friday Whisky 2018: An Orkney 18 Year Old!

Now a firm tradition at The Whisky Exchange, their limited-edition Black Friday Whisky is now on sale!

Last year’s limited-edition Black Friday Malt sold out in 20 minutes flat!

A one-off single malt that has been bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange by Elixir Distillers from an unnamed Orkney distillery.

Described as an “… 18-year-old dram with the gently smoky character typical of the distillery, autumnal notes and a hint of festive flavour.”

There are only 1400 bottles available and a 70cl. bottle is priced at £69.95. If it’s anything like previous years this dram won’t last long (last year’s limited-edition Black Friday Malt sold out in 20 minutes flat!) so you need to be quick if you want to catch this.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!). So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – Black Friday 2018: Orkney 18 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (54.6%)


Nose: Sweet sherry hit with red apples. There’s a little smoke (just a hint), dark chocolate, spicy fruits and aromas of rain soaked undergrowth. After a while there’s creamy vanilla caramels.

Palate: A rich, sweet, tempered peaty cocktail with some burnt wood smoke, a little orange and dark choc

Finish: Fiery pepper with a fiesty dark kick that warms the cockles! It’s held in check by some chocolate orange sweetness. A dry tobacco finish with a pinch of salt tops the whole thing off.

Overall: Now this is a black friday deal I can get behind!
It may not be reduced to a ridiculous price but you do have the opportunity to get hold of a classy limited edition dram – certainly a bargain in itself!

So Stay Cosy This Black Friday – Buy A Dram Online!

The Whisky Advent Calendar Tweet Tasting!

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The Whisky Red Advent Calendar!

Christmas was certainly in the air (and in the nose!) for last Monday nights Tweet Tastings making us all realise that Chrimbo was only a roasted chestnut throw away!

We were treated to the delight of sampling five drams from Master of Malt’s Whisky Red Advent Calendar (£149.95). It was a great (and early) introduction to the festive season!

Master of Malt’s Advent Calendars are now as traditional as listening to Christmas classic Pop Songs or over-cooking the sprouts so it’s great to have a chance to try out some whiskies which hail from all over the globe – a Whisky Red World Advent Calendar in fact!

The drams sampled were:-

  • Starward New World Whisky
  • Brenne Cuvée Spéciale
  • Whisky Advent That-Boutique-Y-Whisky Irish Single Malt
  • Kavalan Single Malt
  • Glenfarclas 105

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

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Starward New World Whisky (43%)

An Australian Malt Whisky Produced using 100% Australian malted barley and aged in Australian Apera (fortified wine) casks.


Nose: Apples, oranges and yummy caramel with a hint of rum soaked plump raisins. Add a little bit of woodiness and some nice creamy fudginess which comes thru after a while!

Palate: Rich christmas cake with alcohol infused fruits! Some apples, oranges & tropical fruit with a hefty bit of spice thrown in.

Finish: Quite a dry, spicy finish but fair-dinkum all the same.

Overall: A solid, tasty dram that I enjoyed very much and would love to re-visit!

Tasting Notes – Brenne Cuvée Spéciale (40%)

A French Single Malt Whisky Produced using malted barley grown in Cognac. Initially matured in Limousin oak casks before being finished in Cognac casks.


Nose: Amazing tropical fruits – reminds me of those tuiti-fruiti chewy sweets! Plus there’s apples and pears with sugary vanilla. The banofee pie is also strong in this one with a side-serving of Rum and raisin ice cream.

Palate: A watered down version of the nose – banana and strawberry milkshake with a little too much sugar.

Finish: Short finish with some pepper but the milkshake lingers …

Overall: Not really my style of dram but some of the tweeters loved it! So, as should be the case, each to their own …

Tasting Notes – That-Boutique-Y-Whisky Irish Single Malt (46.8%)

An Irish Single Malt Whiskey – Whiskey #1 – Aged 13 Years – Batch #3.

Nose: Restrained sherry with some crisp green apples, fruits, caramel coupled with some fresh new wood. There’s oat and cereal with a little meadow hay. Left in the glass, after a while, there’s sticky toffee!

Palate: Yo! That’s nice! Vanilla sweet and fruity with a smooth, punchy, peppery bite!

Finish: Tropical fruit coupled with a woody dryness and don’t forget that spice!

Overall: I’m not surprised I enjoyed this – another fine, well selected and tasty dram from the Boutiquey Whisky stable!

Tasting Notes – Kavalan Single Malt (40%)

Kavalan Single Malt is a Taiwanese non-age-stated Whisky. Matured in ex-bourbon barrels it is rumoured to be around 3-4 years old.

Nose: Crisp apples with some ripe tangerines and pineapple. Vanilla fudge and I keep getting whiffs of Cointreau! – there’s so much oranginess!

Palate: Syrupy tropical fruits with some caramel – lovely!

Finish: Honeyed layers of fruit with just a dash of spiceiness that make this a very nice dram indeed!

Overall: First time sampling the Kavalan brand and I wasn’t dissapointed – amazing flavours and balance for such a young whisky.

Tasting Notes – Glenfarclas 105 (60%)

A Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The Glenfarclas 105 bottling was the first time a distillery had released a barrel proof single malt whisky. The brand was eventually re-named to 105, referring to its alcohol content in British Proof, which equates now to 60% ABV.

Nose: Creamy sherry with just a hint of port. Chocolate with stewed fruits.

Palate: Rich christmas cake with luscious chocolate! Thick, creamy fudge with fruit! Adding a few drops of water releases a lot more caramel and chocolate and sets the taste buds tingling! Heady stuff though at an un-diluted 60%!

Finish: Basically the same as the initial palate. This dram just keeps on giving!

Overall: It’s 60% but it’s VERY smooth! I’m Mr. “No Water” usually but this dram certainly shows more of it’s facets with some H2O and I recommend adding some. (Never thought I’d hear myself say that!)

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the Glenfarclas 105, closely followed by That-Boutique-Y-Whisky. The Glenfarclas 105 is what Christmas is all about – but liquified!

There’s still time to grab an Advent Calendar and they cover a variety of whiskies and other spirits including Gin, Tequila and Rum. Why not celebrate the run up to Santa’s upcoming visit with something tasty and different each day? But keep them away from those Elves!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and the team at Drinks By The Dram (@DrinksByTheDram) for sending the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweeters were:-


@TheWhiskyphiles @ocdwhisky @JasonVaswani @FiShoop @TomsWhisky @dvdbloke @Jotterface @iheartwhisky @CherryConstable @Whisky_And1 @whiskywings @steveprentice @WhiskyUnplugged @SpiritAndWood @drinkersite @RumDiariesBlog @julie_gwc @NikkiHayes1969 @wetwewhistle @MaltMusings @RealDramRob @SimonFieldCFM @AmateurDrammer

Sampling Limestone Branch Distilleries Bourbon & Whiskey – Smooth, Smooth And Smooth Again!

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Yellowstone Select Bourbon & Minor Case Rye Whiskey

I’ve received some samples from the Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery (LBD) who have brought their historical Yellowstone Select Bourbon and Minor Case Rye Whiskey to the UK.

First produced by Master Distiller, Steve Beam’s ancestors in 1872, Yellowstone was Kentucky’s biggest selling bourbon in the 1960s. The original family recipe was resurrected in 2010 by Steve Beam and his brother Paul Beam with the first barrel filled in 2015.

LBD is based in Lebanon, Kentucky, in the heart of Bourbon country and is a founding member of the Kentucky Craft Bourbon Trail.

LBD’s intention is to craft the finest whiskey in small batches, honouring the long Beam family heritage. With a history of distilling on both sides of their family – Beam and Dant – the brothers are seventh-generation distillers.

In 2015, LBD partnered with Luxco to assist in delivering its fine whiskeys around the world.

The craft whiskeys are distilled utilising the same method Beam’s previous generations used, with the yeast dating back to 1850. The whiskeys are hand labelled and hand-bottled and the focus is on quality, with just a barrel per day produced.

In the UK there is a huge demand right now for authentic bourbon and rye whiskeys, from both the on-trade and also specialist whiskey retailers. We are delighted to be able to introduce our Yellowstone Select and Minor Case Whiskeys to the UK market.

Bourbon and Rye whiskeys offer an ideal entry to the category and the increasing popularity of classic American whiskey-based cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, Whiskey Sour and the Manhattan, are further fuelling demand.
– Steve Beam: President and Distiller, Limestone Branch Distillery

Steve Beam


Yellowstone Select Bourbon has won the following awards:
SF 2018 GOLD,
SIP PLATINUM 2017
2017 BERLIN GOLD MEDAL
2017 SIP AWARDS SILVER CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARD

Minor Case 2-yr old straight rye whiskey has won the following awards:
SF 2018 GOLD
2017 GOLD SIP AWARD
2017 MASTER AT THE GLOBAL LUXURY MASTERS
2017 SILVER SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

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

Tasting Notes – Yellowstone Select Bourbon (46.5%)

Named after the Yellowstone National Park, award-winning Yellowstone Select Bourbon is a small batch of four and seven-year aged straight Kentucky bourbon whiskey made with locally grown white corn, rye, malt and limestone water.

Yellowstone Select Bourbon
Nose: Red apples, tropical fruits, fudge, vanilla and honey. Over time there’s old polished wood & chocolate.

Palate: A lovely, rich, creamy palate with smooth vanilla fudge flavours. There’s a hint of some wood and those apples are there as well coupled with a tropical fruit sweetness.

Finish: Very smooth finish. The tropical fruit continues and is joined by some spicy pepper at the end. No fieriness at all!

Overall: This is an amazing Bourbon! Quite sublime in it’s sweetness and the, amazing and surprising, total lack of fieriness that seems to underly most Bourbons I have tasted in the past.

Tasting Notes – Minor Case Rye Whiskey (45%)

Minor Case is a two-year old straight rye whiskey distilled using 100% American heartland grains and finished in a sherry cask. A nod to its namesake, exceptional distiller, Minor Case Beam (Steve’s great grandfather), Minor Case today is an authentic reproduction of Minor Case’s original recipe.

Minor Case Rye Whiskey
Nose: Initially a big hit of glue and popcorny new make spirit. Again, there’s green apples and later caramel sweetness comes through.

Palate: Smooth, honeyed and vanilla with apples and tropical fruit.

Finish: Again, a smooth finish with the familiar tropical fruit that I’ve come to love! There’s a hint of pepper and the dram ends on a note of tanin dryness.

Overall: There’s not as much nose as the Yellowstone Select Bourbon but Minor Case Rye makes up with it with bags of flavour! Again, a smooth, smooth drink that can be drunk neat with the utmost ease!

Yellowstone Select and Minor Case are distributed in the UK by Woolf Sung. RRP for both is £49.00 in 70cl. bottles.

Many thanks to limestonebranch.com for the very enjoyable samples!

They can also be found on Twitter @limestonebranch.

Introducing The Whisky Exchange Christmas Malt!

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The Whisky Exchange Christmas malt

A Fine New Christmas Malt for 2018!

“… it’s a properly Christmassy whisky!”


For the nights before Christmas,
When snug in your house,
Or, carefully wrapped,
‘Neath the tree for your spouse.

A Christmas Malt
That’s been selected with care,
From a Speyside distillery,
Though we can’t tell you where.


Available exclusively from thewhiskyexchange.com is their very own and first-ever Christmas Malt!

A Speyside single malt Scotch whisky that captures the essence of Christmas with “rich buttery spice and sticky cherries, hints of holly-wreath leafiness and Christmas-tree pine.”

It has been matured for 17 years in oloroso sherry butts, creating a whisky packed with festive flavour. There are only 1800 bottles available and a 70cl. bottle is priced at £74.95.

The Whisky Exchange has kindly sent me a sample to try (Thanks Whisky Exchange!).
So, what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

Tasting Notes – The Whisky Exchange Christmas malt (58.7%)


Colour: Satisfying sherry with a hint of port redness.

Nose: Sweet, caramel toffee, red apple and oranges. There’s stewed fruits mixing with sweet spice. As it develops aromas of port with a hint of lemon (sounds like a classic 70’s drink!) and fudgy vanilla come through.

Palate: A mighty kick of peppery, spicy plum pudding with added notes of sweet sherry. Hints of apple and creamy chocolate help balance the 58.7% spicy whoomph!

Finish: The formidable spiciness sustains all the way through this dram married with a tasty porty sweetness that ends in a tanin dryness.

Overall: A heart-warming dram. Perfect for fireside contemplation after sweeping up wrapping paper debris and searching fruitlessly high and low for “.. those extra batteries we bought …!”
It’s spicy heart surrounded by Christmas cake port sweetness will have you reaching for the bottle more than just once!
As Billy Abbott from The Whisky Exchange said, “Christmas can come more than once a year – just have another sip.”
I think that’s an excellent observation and an excellent idea!

Merry Christmas!

The SMWS Virtual Tasting 35th Anniversary – Celebrating & Sampling!

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A 35th Anniversary bash with an online Virtual Tasting!

I always love an anniversary so I was greatly looking forward to Celebrating The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 35th Anniversary bash with an online Virtual Tasting!

The evening was hosted by master brand ambassador John McCheyne at The Vaults. He introduced five hand-selected Society drams, each with a different flavour profile.

This was their first ever golbal Virtual Tasting. John moved the tasting order around a bit but we got there in the end!

The malts sampled were:-

  • SMWS 35.214 Without pretence
  • SMWS 63.49 In the dark of the abyss
  • SMWS 135.6 Cones vs crones
  • SMWS 93.94 The final trawl
  • SMWS 29.249 Sweet black tea in the surgery

If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say you can view the whole event here: #SMWSat35.

If you’re interested in joining the SMWS and taking advantage of their great whiskies you can find everything you need here.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – SMWS 35.214 Without pretence (55.7%)

Nose: Green apples, citrus, vanilla and fudge with a little wood. There’s also some lovely tropical fruits! The nose is intensely sweet with rich fruit and chocolate.

Palate: Vanilla, blackcurrant, apple and chocolate.

Finish: Powerful spicy chilli with a menthol finish coupled with smooth caramel!

Overall: A solid dram with plenty of fruity sweetness.

Tasting Notes – SMWS 63.49 In the dark of the abyss (60.6%)

Nose: Rich, sweet sherry – almost porty. There’s also treacle, fudge, stewed fruits and a little sulphur. After a while the nose exhibits a really powerful, creamy vanilla fudge!

Palate: Luscious mouthfeel with rich stewed fruits, orange and dark chocolate.

Finish: Smooth finish with mild spice – very tasty!

Overall: If you can wait awhile with this dram in the glass it turns into something glorious!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 135.6 Cones vs crones (57.1%)

Nose: Very powerful rich caramel toffee! Chocolate biscuit, butterscotch and popcorn.

Palate: Tropical sweetness and golden syrup popcorn.

Finish: Hot, peppery spice with a little salt.

Overall: Quite a strong taste of new-make spirit in there which makes this dram my least favourite. Maybe it’s the young age?

Tasting Notes – SMWS 93.94 The final trawl (56.8%)

Nose: Great, rich, peaty aromas – lovely smoke and burnt wood! Seaside air and smoked fish, oily and coastal which mellows into a smooth caramel seaseme halva!

Palate: Zingy citrus with a lovely woody, smokey peat! Sweet and fruity.

Finish: Tobacco finish with peppery spice.

Overall: A joy to sample this one – so rich in flavours and aromas!

Tasting Notes – SMWS 29.249 Sweet black tea in the surgery (48.6%)

Nose: Sweet, antiseptic, smokey with a little peat.

Palate: Sweet, smokey and fulfilling!

Finish: Chilli spice with a smooth finish.

Overall: Strong hints that this dram is from Laphroaig. The taste certainly seems to confirm this!

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 5, I think it’s got to be the SMWS 93.94 – The final trawl. A powerful dram with lots of flavours!.

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending the samples and for a great dram evening!

Tweet Tasting Grant’s Whiskies Three New Expressions!

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‘Triple Wood’, ‘Rum Cask Finish’ & ‘Triple Wood Smoky’

It was blended night on last Wednesdays Tweet Tasting, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire.

There were three blends on offer from Grant’s Whisky who recently announced a brand refresh for its blended Scotch whisky range, including the launch of the three new expressions we were sampling.

In addition to the three new expressions Grant’s Whisky have also rebranded their Signature Blend bottling as Grant’s 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Finish.

So, the blends sampled were:-

  • Grant’s Triple Wood
  • Grant’s Rum Cask Finish
  • Grant’s Triple Wood Smoky

If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #GrantsWhisky on Twitter.

So, what did I think?

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

Tasting Notes – Grant’s Triple Wood (40%)

Grant’s Triple Wood: matured in three different types of cask; Virgin Oak, American Oak and Refill Bourbon. (Priced at around £15.00)

Nose: Quite woody with some apples in there. Some vanilla & maple syrup (I pinched that observation!) as well as popcorn and gets nice and fudgy as it breathes!

Palate: Thinnish, smooth mouthfeel. A fresh sweetness, almost sherbet like with vanilla, a hint of apples and quite a dry mouthfeel.

Finish: Long finish with some punchy pepper!

Overall: A pleasant dram, suitable for all tastes and an ideal mixer whisky.

Tasting Notes – Grant’s Rum Cask Finish (40%)

Grant’s Whisky Rum Cask Finish: matured in oak barrels before ageing further in barrels that previously held Caribbean rum. (Priced at around £19.00)

Nose: Thick, creamy vanilla. Butter popcorn and some wood. The rum is coming thru now with a hint of tropical fruitiness – but not as much as many of my fellow tweeters experienced!

Palate: Creamy vanilla, buttery popcorn and a frisson of ruminess!

Finish: “Tanic Oak” Yes, Got it! Plus a smooth finish with vanilla sweetness and a little spice.

Overall: Sweeter than the Triple Wood with a hint of rum that sits well on the palate. Again, suitable for all tastes and an ideal mixer whisky.

Tasting Notes – Grant’s Triple Wood Smoky (40%)

Grant’s Whisky Triple Wood Smoky: matured in three different types of cask; Virgin Oak, American Oak and Refill Bourbon. It also has an increased amount of peated whiskies included in the blend compared to the Triple Wood bottling. (Coming soon to selected retailers – Priced at around £19.00)

Nose: Some nice peaty, wood smoke straight off! Sweet vanilla mixed in with some wood charring as well. Following on is crisp green apples and some fudge – also a little salt.

Palate: Smooth, rich vanilla with just a hint of smoke and some tropical fruitiness.

Finish: Lovely finish – sweet with a building pepper.

Overall: A gentle introduction to smokiness with just hints of peat and peat – very nice!

My Favourite On The Night

Out of the 3, I think it’s got to be the Grant’s Triple Wood Smoky. A very nice dram with a little “something” for everyone – watch out for that building pepper though!

Congratulations to Grant’s Whisky on this brand refresh – I’m sure that it will be a big success!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and of course, Grant’s (@Grantswhisky), for sending the samples and without whom!

My fellow Tweeters were:-


@JasonVaswani @TomsWhisky @iheartwhisky @Whisky_And1 @dvdbloke @SpiritAndWood @whiskeycyclist @jwbassman_ @ocdwhisky @WhiskyUnplugged @rjstir1 @whiskywings @TheWhiskyphiles @MaltMusings @MorayTours @SanjieB @rumminguk @spikeydog120 @RumDiariesBlog @moonbites @skemduffy @bobsta1975 @PhilScott101

Grant’s is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Sampling “Steel Bonnets” From Lakes Distillery – Much More Than Just A Blend!

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Steel Bonnets retails for around £64.95

Steel Bonnets, The Lakes Distillery’s blend of English and Scotch malt whisky, has recently been awarded a Gold Medal in the World Whisky Ultra-Premium category (whiskies priced over £51) by the prestigious Spirits Business Awards. More info. here.

The Lakes Distillery kindly sent me a sample to try (thanks very much!) so I thought I’d put my taste-buds to the grindstone and get down to the task of sampling whisky!

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

“I’m sure the tastes would have developed even more with time but it didn’t last that long in the glass!”

Steel Bonnets (46.6%)


Nose: Crunchy red apples, vanilla and smooth caramel fudge abound. There’s also some oak wood and a little citrusy lemon.

Palate: Vanilla, caramel and crisp apples.

Finish: Quite long finish with some nice peppery spice countered with sweet vanilla. End notes of tobacco dryness and also (surprisingly!) a little salt.

Overall: Much more than just a simple, one-dimensional blend. Steel Bonnets is a smooth, sweet sensation with some added spice kick at the end.
I’m sure the tastes would have developed even more with time but it didn’t last that long in the glass!

Steel Bonnets retails for around £64.95

For more information, please visit: www.lakesdistillery.com

Lakes Distillery is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Whisky Flash Blog: Sampling The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection!

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Singleton Malt Masters Selection

It’s #WhiskyFlashBlog time!

A whole bunch of us (see below) are getting together today to simultaneously blog about our tasting experience of a new Singleton Malt Whisky release – The Malt Master’s Selection.

The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master’s Selection will soon be available globally to both on- and off-trade consumers, priced at about £30 a bottle.

Malt Master’s Selection is a NAS (No age statement) dram that has been matured in a combination of refill, Sherry and Bourbon casks, with a greater proportion of refill to allow ‘the sweet yet refined distillery character to shine through’.

The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection is an exciting new addition to the Singleton range. Consumers are becoming more knowledgeable, they’re looking for new liquids to try and are genuinely interested in craftsmanship. And the trade are itching to experiment with new liquids.

The Singleton Malt Master’s Selection with its sweeter notes and delicate flavour will appeal to those new to the category whilst still complementing the collection – sitting well with our existing fans and loyal whisky drinkers.
– Nick Temperley: head of diageo reserve GB

If you want to see what all the bloggers had to say about this dram you can view the tweets and read their blogs by searching for the hash tag #WhiskyFlashBlog on Twitter.
Oh! and don’t forget Sean Murphy from The Scotsman over on Facebook!

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

The Singleton Malt Masters Selection (40%)


Nose: Red apples, sweet sherry, oak wood, vanilla caramel with a little chocolate.

Palate: ‘Thin’ mouthfeel, sweet sherry, smooth vanilla and little oak.

Finish: A short finish that is pleasantly sweet coupled with a Very mild spice that gets a little more peppery towards the end.

Overall: A mild-mannered dram that gets tastier by the sip. Positive, morish, tasty.

Truly a malt whisky that is sure to gather fans when released and at a price-point to put a smile on your wallet!

The Singleton of Dufftown Malt Master’s Selection will be available globally priced at about £30

My fellow Whisky Flash Bloggers were:-


@TheWhiskyWire @GreatDrams @TheWhiskyphiles @EdinburghWhisky @CherryConstable @iheartwhisky @Spiritandwood @JasonVaswani @OCDWhisky @MaltMusings @WhiskyWings @BrawSpirit @TheDramble @SpikeyDog120 @Malthound @Unchillfilter @RealDramRob @The_Cask_Blog @cowfish @steveprentice @cache1337 @NNWhisky @rodbodtoo @ScotchPodcast @BlackCountryWS @SwaleDaleBothy and not forgetting
Sean Murphy from The Scotsman over on Facebook.

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for arranging and of course, Singleton (@SingletonWhisky) for sending the samples and without whom!

Singleton is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old – It’s Gone But Not Forgotten!

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Redbreast Dream Cask is (or was!) a limited edition, 32 Year Old single pot still Irish whiskey!

As The Beatles said, “I read the news today oh boy!”

and what was the headline?

“REDBREAST DREAM CASK FLIES OUT OF THE BIRDHOUSE IN JUST SIX HOURS!”

Yep, you heard it right …

Irish Distillers has confirmed that the limited edition, 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish whiskey, Redbreast Dream Cask, has sold out. Launched exclusively through The Redbreast Birdhouse, at 4.00pm on 19th May – World Whisky Day – all 816 bottles of Redbreast Dream Cask were sold by 10.30pm, at a rate of more than two bottles per minute.

Redbreast had very kindly sent me a sample pack so I could experience the launch on the day ‘at first taste’.

So, I was obviously gutted not to be there last Saturday as I somehow didn’t hear the postman and missed the parcel delivery! But anyways the package was re-delivered on Monday and what a package it was!

A dream sample pack!

A quick refresher on the Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey:-

Redbreast Dream Cask is a limited edition, 32 Year Old single pot still Irish whiskey – a single cask that was hand-selected last year by Master Blender, Billy Leighton, as his favourite Redbreast whiskey. The cask was chosen for having the perfect balance of pot still, Spanish oak and sherry flavours, which can usually only be achieved through blending – bringing to life Redbreast’s signature sherry style.

The whiskey was originally unveiled during a Facebook LIVE tasting to mark Redbreast’s World Whisky Day 2017 celebrations. Participants and viewers praised the quality and rarity of what is now the oldest Redbreast Irish whiskey ever to go on sale, with many requesting that the whiskey be made available to buy.

In almost 40 years as a blender, Redbreast Dream Cask is a real highlight as I am able to select my own, personal dream Irish whiskey and share it with the world. Our inaugural tasting in 2017 was by far the largest whiskey tasting I have ever held, and the feedback we have received from the whiskey community on the liquid has been phenomenal, so it’s an honour to see it bottled to mark World Whisky Day 2018 – and watch this space for our 2019 plans.
– Billy Leighton: Redbreast Master Blender

Apprentice Blender, Dave McCabe, and Master Blender, Billy Leighton, taste one of just 816 bottles of Redbreast Dream Cask to mark World Whisky Day 2018 over the weekend

The Redbreast Dream Cask represents the perfect contribution of flavours through a careful maturation journey rounded out by a particularly sublime sherry butt. The original date of bonding goes back to 31st October 1985, with single pot still Irish whiskey filled into re-fill American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels.

Then, on 8th March 2011, the whiskey was re-casked into a first-fill Oloroso Sherry-seasoned butt. The resulting whiskey was bottled without the use of chill-filtration at 46.5% ABV.

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

Redbreast Dream Cask 32 Year Old Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey (46.5%)


Colour: Glorious sherry colour – deep and vibrant.

Nose: Rich fruits including fresh, crunchy, red apples and blackcurrant. Rich vanilla toffee, chocolate, orange and a little mint.

Palate: Ditto the nose! Luscious mouthfeel, rich, sweet, vanilla toffee, red apples, chocolate.

Finish: Dry finish with plenty of fiery pepper and that rich creamy toffee. Extremely well balanced.

Overall: A beautiful dram. One of the best I’ve ever tasted and I’ve tasted quite a few!

Glorious flavours, fantastic nosing. I’ll be a little sad when the last drops disappear but as they say, it’ll be “Gone But Not Forgotten!”

Many thanks to Redbreast (@IrishDistillers) for an amazing sample pack and an amazing experience!

The Redbreast Birdhouse gives Irish whiskey fans exclusive access to limited edition releases, information on the Redbreast family, interviews from the Midleton Master Distillers and bespoke Redbreast gifting. Redbreast Dream Cask becomes the first in a new series of limited edition Redbreast Irish whiskeys planned for the coming years, that will be sold exclusively through The Redbreast Birdhouse.

Redbreast is available to buy from these Whisky Merchants:-

Get All Festive With New Outturns Plus Three Membership Offers From The Scotch Malt Whisky Society!

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VOTE NOW and show your superfan region allegiance!

It’s a bumper weekend ahead for Lovers of fine drams and special offers!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is celebrating the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival which is in full swing as I write / blog.

You can get into the festival spirit by attending one of their Speyside or Islay themed tastings or events at their UK Members’ Rooms and partners bars. But, they also have some great online offers to take advantage of as well!


This year SMWS have three promotional memberships on offer:-

Islay – Membership + Islay bottle – £110 (save £20)
Speyside – Membership + Speyside bottle – £110 (save £10)
Split Decision’ – Membership + Mixed Festival Discovery Pack – £95 (save £10)

Offer starts: NOW
Offer ends: 31st May at 12am

Terms and conditions apply: No code is required.



Plus, you can get involved in the friendly debate of which is best? Speyside Vs. Islay – VOTE NOW and show your superfan region allegiance.

In addition, the SMWS May Outturn marks the Feis Ile Festival with a flurry of new releases. All in all there are 21 casks to explore – including six drams to celebrate the festival and all with celebratory labels. Two of the drams are from Speyside and four from Islay.

I have been lucky enough to receive four samples of the six released. So what did I think? Here are my tasting notes …

A journey into joy – CASK No. 3.307 (20 Years Old: 55.9%)

An Islay dram – refill butt, ex-oloroso.



Colour: Deep sherry colour and a liquid that really ‘wets’ the glass.

Nose: Fruits, apples, caramel, a breath of wood and nutty aromas.

Palate: Syrupy, stewed fruits, orange and vanilla.

Finish: Smooth, long, spicy finish with apple, tofee and peat n’ smoke which becomes more intense as you dram.

Overall: A punchy dram with a beginning and middle that is all sorts of fruit and sweetness with a finale that introduces some peat and smoke. Divine!

Price: £125.00

Graceful gravitas – CASK No. 9.143 (21 Years Old: 60.6%)

A Speyside dram – refill hogshead, ex-bourbon.



Colour: Pale sherry.

Nose: Sweet, luscious tropical fruits, sultanas, chocolate , mint and a hint of orange.

Palate: Tropical fruits, sultanas, chocolate, mint and a herbal cocktail lurking in the back!

Finish: Toffee and spicy comes through with a lovely, caramel chocolate finish. Hints of tobacco.

Overall: Even though this is a 60.6% dram it is is very smooth and hides it’s strenghth well. Tropical fruitiness is lovely and the substantial chocolate hit made me want to go and ransack the pantry!

Price: £95.00

Andalusian gazpacho – CASK No. 107.13 (9 Years Old 65%)

A Speyside dram – refill butt, ex-oloroso.



Colour: Rich sherried colour.

Nose: White oak, luscious stewed fruits, prunes and vanilla fudge.

Palate: Gorgeous Christmas cake mixture with all the spices and fruits. “Jingle Bells!”

Finish: Dry finish with pronounced oak but lovingly accompanied by rich, fruity sweetness and peppery spice.

Overall: A cut above the norm. this dram, sweet spices and Christmas cake fruitiness combine to create a morish dram that demands to be to savoured!

Price: £55.00

Indulgence by the sea – CASK No. 10.141 (12 Years Old 59.5%)

An Islay dram – refill barrel, ex-bourbon.



Colour: Pale straw colour.

Nose: Oak, red apple, shades of salt and a little caramel.

Palate: Slightly oily on the palate. Mightily sweet with even a little sherbet. Sweet spiciness follows close behind.

Finish: A fiesty, peppery finish (almost savoury!) coupled with a satisfying sweetness. There’s also a little dry tanin.

Overall: A fruity, salty, seaside extravaganza beckons … and why not? A full-bodied dram to have before, during and after your fish n’ chips!

Price: £66.00

Also available – but not tasted by moi …

Sweet smoky succulent sensation – CASK No. 10.146 (9 Years Old)


Description: “Scotch pancake with smoked bacon and maple syrup, followed by slow roasted BBQ pork belly with crispy crackling over hickory-smoked wood chips.”
Price: £65.00

A perfect moment – CASK No. 29.241 (20 Years Old)


Description: “A harmonious fusion of king prawns, lobster, smoked duck with walnut bread, parsnips roasted in honey and herbs. Previously in an ex-bourbon cask.”
Price: £150.00

Many thanks to SMWS (@SMWSUK) for sending the samples!

Enjoy all your festivities!

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