Archive For The “Official Bottling” Category

Mortlach 1978, 20 Year Old Rare Malt Selection (62.2%)

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Mortlach 1978, 20 Year Old Rare Malt Selection (62.2%)

The UDV (Today’s Diageo) Rare Malt Selection was a series of bottlings released between 1995 and 2005, when they were replaced by the Diageo Special Releases. The idea, though, is basically the same: To release special expressions highlighting the Diageo distilleries. Like the Special Releases, some distilleries were released almost regularly (like Brora with 10…

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Benromach Triple Distilled (50%)

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Benromach Triple Distilled (50%)

Benromach is a distillery you just adore. Traditional to the hilt, nothing there is computerized, with that quaint old style of Speyside whisky. So yes, if I had to choose two distilleries to bring back the floor maltings to, Benromach would be the second, but you can’t really hold that against them  🙂 There’s also…

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Glen Garioch Bottle Your Own, 1999 Wine Cask 1420 (56.5%)

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Glen Garioch Bottle Your Own, 1999 Wine Cask 1420 (56.5%)

My last visit to Scotland was a short one, following the London Whisky Show. Short or long, though, a stop at Glen Garioch in Oldmeldrum is a must, as there’s a new bottle your own cask on tap from their two or three that are regularly available. The new cask is a first fill red…

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Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 009 (58.1%)

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Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 009 (58.1%)

Yesterday was a very special day, as I made my way to Mishmar HaEmeq, a kibbutz in northern Israel, where my friend Yori Costa held a tasting he was putting together for the past three years. Through diligent work, he was able to bring together either samples (60-200 ml each) or bottles of all 11…

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GlenDronach 1993, 24 Year Old for Abbey Whisky (60.6%)

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GlenDronach 1993, 24 Year Old for Abbey Whisky (60.6%)

This bottle appeared last week and was gone quicker than a Nicolas Cage or Vin Diesel movie. It’s a special bottling of the infamous year of 1993 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Abbey Whisky. Those who are familiar with Abbey Whisky and Mike Sharples know that they have a 6th sense for sniffing out…

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