Isle of Arran | Malt and Oak: Whisky Tasting Notes | Whisky Guide | Whisky Blog

About Me

When not nosing, tasting, drinking and reading about malt whisky, I own one of Israel's premiere boutique coaching practices, specializing in small businesses and executive teams.
Trained in the law, I was an international law attorney and took part in Israel's peace negotiations with the Palestinians, as well as representing my country at the UN for parts of the negotiations on the implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Later I was appointed to the military bench.
My favorite thing, other than whisky, is teaching.
You can contact me through the social media buttons above or by email: michael(at)maltandoak.com, replacing the (at) with an @.

Statement of Integrity and Guidelines

Malt and Oak is an independent whisky blog, offering my own views, opinions and news from the world of malt whisky.
These are my guidelines:

1. All whisky reviews published are of whiskies I have personally tasted and noted. Guest bloggers only write about their own personal tastings.

2. With the exception of official whisky samples, I accept no consideration whatsoever from any distillery, bottler, distributor, drink company or store for my opinions.

3. I maintain strict impartiality and objectivity in tasting all whiskies, not least when tasting official samples. Any review of official whisky samples sent to me will be so noted in the post.

4. I will accept invitations to tastings, events and official visits, and full disclosure will be made on any tasting notes and articles resulting from these events or visits.

5. Any sample received over 30 ml in volume is shared with fellow whisky bloggers. In any event, no sample larger than 100 ml will be accepted.

6. No advertisements promoting specific brands will be accepted.

7. I will answer any inquiry by my readers as quickly and as fully as possible.

8. Should I give a link purchase the reviewed whisky, it will be given free of any commercial interest. The link given will always point to cheapest selling price I found on the web. No commission is paid, nor any other consideration given, for such link.

9. As of July 2017, I serve as Douglas Laing’s Israel brand ambassasdor. As such, I will obviously not be posting reviews of Douglas Laing products.

Private Bottlings Can Showcase Stunning Aspects Not in Any Official Bottlings

By Michael Bendavid | August 14, 2015

Private Bottlings Can Showcase Stunning Aspects Not in Any Official Bottlings

Isle of Arran distillery wasted no time in getting into the private bottlings business, and in its two decades of operation, has become a mainstay in private bottlings and festivals. This bottle is no different, as it is a sherry hogshead that was bottled for the 35th birthday of Jan Vissers, owner of the Single…

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Isle of Arran Millennium Cask – Were They off By a Whole Year?

By Michael Bendavid | September 5, 2014

Isle of Arran Millennium Cask – Were They off By a Whole Year?

A cute gimmick as far as gimmicks go, the still run to produce this particular cask was started on December 31st, 1999 and ended after midnight on 1 January, 2000 – thus intending to span the turn of the Millennium. Sadly, they were off by a year, as the 20th century ended only at 11:59:59…

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