This year is even more fantastic because we have the usual great whisky calendar, with samples of up to £600 whiskies but also we have several aditions. It has been really hard to choose one. I finally chose the standard whisky calendar because I haven’t tasted several of the whiskies inside like the Kilchoman Sanaig or the new Wolfburn Northland Single Malt and well because it has inside a sherried Macallan, a Kavalan, a 25 years old Glenfarclas… you can’t get it wrong.

But between the new aditions to the range I really considered the premium whisky advent calendar and the expensive old whisky and very old whisky advent calendar. Well, not really, I can’t afford it and it is one of the problem with today’s whisky industry… I have no idea for whom they are creating this whisky… but surprisingly for me it is sold and it is even sold out!. Just have a look at the bottles and it is a mouthwatering experience, expensive but intense and delicious. Unfortunately not for my pocket.

I am not going to promise about tasting each of the samples each day because I won’t be able to do it ( Did I mention I am dad again for third time?! ) but I will do my best to keep you on the loop with this year whisky advent calendar.

The first sample that I tasted was the iconic Buffalo Trace. Let’s review it!

Day 1: Buffalo TRace Bourbon

“I really love Buffalo Trace. A good bourbon for an excellent price range and with notes that remind me of the much more expensive George T Stagg. Simply well made bourbon”

88

Winner of Malt Advocate's 'Distillery of the Year 2005' award, Buffalo Trace is a great bourbon at a very reasonable price. Jim Murray loves it.

This Buffalo Trace bourbon is the basic bottle of Buffalo Trace distillery that is responsible of such great whiskeys as George T Stag or William Larue Weller

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. corn, flowers, spices, citrus, candies. Balanced, sweet and with notes of age and wood. Quite interesting.

Palate (88): smooth, oily. honey, flowers, citrus wood, corn. Sweet, lovely and still those notes of wood and age that show care and love for the product.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Buffalo Trace with 88 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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My opinion on Drinks by the dram’s Whisky Advent calendar is still the same, a fantastic idea, a great gift, a delicious experience and everything packed in little cristal bottles. Just great! And if you can afford the old & rare whisky calendar go and get it!

Mackmyra ten years old

“Fantastic! Lovely sweet nose with a torrent of spices and vanilla when you have a sip. Quite rounded. Delightful dram”

90

Aged in a combination of bourbon, oloroso-sherry and new American-oak casks for 10 years, this is rich yet elegant, spicy yet fruity, with notes of vanilla, raisin, anise, berries and wood spice.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, vanilla, citrus, flowers, wood, candies.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, candies, spices, vanilla, citrus, wood, pepper.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, spices, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Mackmyra Ten Years Swedish Single Malt Whisky with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £67.45
• Buy on Master of Malt for £68.12

A huge hit! I am looking forward to seeing this stuff in 10 years because it is hugely promising! You have just got a fan Mackmyra!

Wooo! It has been almost a year since last time I wrote on the blog. I could write lots of excuses but to be fair… I got a bit exhausted of writing here and decided to do something else with my time. Unfortunately I became Youtuber. I run a youtube gaming channel and I am enjoying it a lot… but from time to time, I watch my whisky bottles and I feel a bit nostalgic.

So when Drinks by The Dram told me about 2016 Calendar I couldn’t but jump and shout like a teenager. I am a bit fan of the idea behind this whisky advent calendar, for £149.99 you get a box full of samples of damn good whisky. Personally I love blind tastings but in case you want to know what are you drinking you can read the full list at their site. I won’t write spoilers this year… but I just opened the Day 1 window and found a Lost Distilleries Blend.

Most of the whisky contained in The Whisky Advent Calendar are simple awesome and in fact there are a few that I have never tasted. And that is something hard to see. I really encourage you to have the first sip of the whisky blind so you can make yourself an opinion of what you are drinking before being assault by years, alcohol content, regions, distilleries… It is so easy to get conditioned by all that data…

Anyway, let’s taste this The Lost Distilleries Blend whisky.

The Lost Distilleries Blend Batch 8

“A great kick of honey and tangerine with good amount of spices and something that could be peat or smoke that make the whole stuff simple delicious. A humbling experience”

90

The Lost Distilleries Blend is a truly extraordinary whisky made exclusively with malts and grains from renowned, but sadly closed, Scottish distilleries. The surviving stock from these once great distilleries has become legendary in many cases, and is highly sought after by enthusiasts and cognoscenti. They are pieces of liquid history, lovingly crafted into this wonderfully balanced, multi-award-winning blended whisky.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. vanilla, honey, cinnamon, citrus, wood, grapes, butterscotch, tobacco, sandalwood.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, spices, pepper, vanilla, wood.

Finish (89): longer than average. citrus, honey, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this The Lost Distilleries Blend Batch 8 with 90 points over 100.

I hope this little sip of whisky is the first of many to come.

You can, and you should!, buy your own Whisky Advent Calendar at https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/drinks-by-the-dram/the-whisky-advent-calendar/ for £149.99

So, let’s crack them open!

All the sets contains one dram of each of the next whiskies:
– Glenfarclas 25 Year Old
– Kilchoman Machir Bay
– The Lost Distilleries Blend
– Dalmore 15 Year Old
– Deanston – Batch 2 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
– The Macallan Amber – 1824 Series

All of them are fantastic stuff, but definitively the Glenfarclas 25 years old and the Lost Distillery Blend are above them all. Just keep calm and don’t start a fight about them.

If you hurry up you can order yours at Master of Malt: https://www.masterofmalt.com/whiskies/drinks-by-the-dram/drinks-by-the-dram-whisky-crackers/.

Happy Christmas!

Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendar 2015 is packed with 24 whiskies ranging from amazing to just damn good amazing stuff… I was surprised last year to find only two or three whiskies that they weren’t top stuff… and I am quite happy to see that this year selection is perhaps even better. Here is the list, judge by yourself.

– Glenfarclas 25 Year Old
– Yoichi Non Age / Miyagikyo Non Age
– Compass Box Great King Street – Artist’s Blend
– Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask
– Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey
– Kilchoman Machir Bay 2014 Release
– Mackmyra Brukswhisky (The Swedish Whisky)
– Glenfiddich 18 Year Old
– Girvan Patent Still – Proof Strength / Girvan 20 Year Old 1993 (cask 10439) – Clan Denny (Douglas Laing) / Girvan 21 Year Old 1994 (cask 58808) – Old Particular (Douglas Laing)
– Isle of Jura Elixir 12 Year Old
– Tullamore D.E.W. 12 Year Old Special Reserve
– Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
– Caol Ila 12 Year Old
– Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold
– Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon 12 Year Old
– Arran – Batch 4 (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
– The Lost Distilleries Blend
– Dalmore 15 Year Old
– Isle Of Jura Superstition
– The GlenDronach 12 Year Old
– Fettercairn Fior
– Invergordon 50 Year Old 1964 (cask 2) / Girvan 50 Year Old 1965 (cask 10896) / North British 53 Year Old 1961 (cask 10708) – Xtra Old Particular (Douglas Laing)
– Balvenie 12 Year Old DoubleWood
– Glen Scotia Double Cask

I am pretty excited to give them a try… but I don’t want to start before Dec, 1st… barely a few days away.

I won’t blog about them in the usual way, I will try to sum them all in three or four posts, but I promise to give you my sincere opinion about each of them and of course, you can get one for you at Master of Malt for barely £149.95 ( that’s isn’t so expensive if you check the whisky inside ). Let me know what do you think.

This year event will take place in Islay, September 24th at 20:00 (UK Time).
Previous shows have brought you the flavours of Spain, Germany, America and even Australia but this year will be tasting 4 very special expressions.

The one off’ Laphroaig 15 YO – The official 200th Expression, Laphroaig Cairdeas 2015, Laphroaig 21 YO – Created for the Friends of Laphroaigs 21st Birthday and a unique Laphroaig 32 YO 100% sherry matured- A very rare, special expression.

Coming live from Laphroaig’s famous floor malting’s (one of only a handful left in the whisky industry), John Campbell and our five previous distillery managers will be joined by experts Bernhard Schafer – Whisky journalist and Master of the Quiach and Emma Andersson -Editor of Allt Om Whisky. Also joining John will be Marcel van Gils – Author of the official 200th book about Laphroaig as well as many of our ‘Friends of Laphroaig’ from many countries around the World.

Join them & me on the online event with one of my favorite single malts.

When Andrew Beltran, founder of Original Grain, told me about the watch, I was really curious about the idea of a wooden watch… so when I actually got the watch I was hugely and positively surprised. Let’s review it!

The watch is quite thick. I love big watches and this one is even thicker than my (fake) Rolex. On the hand it feel quite solid and I absolutely love the combination of wood with a cooper like steel ( espresso steel they call it ).

Also I really love the way the watch looks. It is really original… I have it in my hands and I am still shocked about it: A watch made with whiskey casks. This isn’t a conservative watch. The way the cooper-like steel and wood combines makes it very pleasant to the eye and really will make some heads turn towards you… and I have no idea why but I want a dram of Balvenie right now.

Although the watch has lots of parts of wood, they are all placed in steel in such a way that they don’t get damaged my usage. The rest of the watch is pretty solid and it weight a lot. I just love this watch, man! This is the back of the watch.

My watch is the Barrel Wood and Brushed Espresso steel, the one done with whiskey casks, but there are others that looks too truly amazing. Here you have a photo of my sun-tanned arm with the watch on it :)

You still have two days more to support the project on Kickstarter before the price goes up: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/originalgrain/the-barrel-handcrafted-watch-made-w-whiskey-barrel or go to Original Grain after that.

The style of Crown Royal is closer to Scotch whisky than to their American cousins: Bourbon and Rye whiskeys, so for me it is a pretty interesting experiement how close they can be to a real rye whiskey without forgetting about their own heritage. So let’s review the first whiskey.

Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

This Crown Royal, the first of its kind, is created with a 90% of Rye in the mash recipe and delivers exactly what it promises. A wonderful rye experience.

“Lovely nose! It is awesome how they crafted a rye whiskey that it is so faithful to the Crown Royal style. Thumbs up!”

88

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, dried flowers, spices, cloves, pepper, vanilla, peaches.

Palate (88): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, spices, cloves, wood, cherries.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, corn, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye with 88 points over 100.

I really love powerful bourbons and rye whiskies like the one Buffalo Trace creates, and eyes closed this Crown Royal Rye can be perfectly mistaken by one of them. A fantastic experience… and of course, drink it straight.

Crown Royal Selected Barrel

Today’s second whiskey is a higher strength ( but no cask strenght I feel ) single cask whiskey. The idea here is that retailers can order an entire cask, and as you know each cask differs slightly one from the other. So, let’s see how it relates to the original Crown Royal.

“Fantastic! More spicy and less sweet than the standard Crown Royal. You could easily mistake this whiskey for a great Kentucky bourbon”

91

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, corn, wood, spices, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus, fruits.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, corn, spices, cloves, cinnamon, wood, pepper, citrus, liquorice.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, corn, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel with 91 points over 100.

A great experience. I really think that it is more because of the extra alcohol than the single cask, that this whiskey is so close to a great bourbon… just add four or five drops of water and you get back the smoothness of Crown Royal whiskeys.

Miguel says…

A fantastic set of whiskeys. I have been drinking Rye whiskey ( Bulleit Rye in case you are wondering ) lately and this Crown Royal is really good. I have no idea how much they will see it here in Europe ( or what it is left of Europe anyway ) but for $29.99 it is a real bargain.

Once inside, it’s hard not to be impressed. There are over 22 units displaying 3,500 bottles, from entry level Grants’ blend to their jewel in the crown bottling, the Macallan 1928 50 Year Old, on sale at £35,000. This is very clearly a shop for whisky enthusiasts. All the ultra rare whiskies are displayed in glass cabinets, lit with beautiful led lights. This really brings the colour of the whiskies to life and displays them in their best way possible.

One thing that really sets Hard To Find Whisky apart from other whisky retailers is their huge range of masterclasses. They have 14 masterclasses on offer. These are available all day, whenever you want to taste some great whiskies. The idea is you can pop in whenever you want and take part rather than the usual tasting evenings that are run by most other spirit and wine stores. All the tasting classes contain 5 whiskies and start at £20 per head for a beginners course.

You also get course notes to take home after which contain a write up of the whiskies you’ve tried. A great thing about the tastings is that they are all done blind so you don’t know what you’re tasting. This takes away any preconceptions of different brands and you are purely basing your opinion on the smell and taste of the whisky. The whiskies are then revealed after often to surprised reactions.

The team at Hard To Find whisky are extremely knowledgeable about whisky and are always on hand to answer any question about the spirit. Between their staff, there aren’t many whiskies they haven’t tried. They are also very knowledgeable about other drinks and spirits and so can offer advice on these where needed. The shop does have a small gin/vodka/liqueur section so people buying other gifts are in safe hands.

Hard To Find Whisky is an incredibly impressive store, the vast array of whiskies on offer and the attention to detail given to making it a whisky-lovers paradise. It is a great addition to the whisky scene of the UK and anyone who loves drinking, collecting, buying or just talking about whisky should pay them a visit.

( Promoted post )

“I was expecting something like Chivas 12yo and found instead a fantastic lovely smoky blend. So much spices and such a lovely smoky hug. Quite enjoyable”

89

A rounded, smooth blend, the Antiquary 12 year old is a great whisky which Jim Murray awarded an incredible 92 points to!. It comes in a diamond shaped bottled.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (87): average. honey, spices, vanilla, smoke, citrus, candies.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, cinnamon, spices, citrus, wood, vanilla, toffee, smoke.

Finish (89): longer than average. honey, wood, spices, smoke.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Antiquary 12 year with 89 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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Miguel says…

I don’t mind saying I am wrong when I am really wrong. And I was wrong with this whisky, quite nice and complex definitively a blend to consider

I have reviewed on the past several exclusive whiskies from The Whisky Barrel and they bottle quite fantastic drams for their Burns Malt series, so my expectations for this set of samples is quite high… let’s see if they live to it!

Springbank 18 years old 1996 Burns Malt #491

First sample is a quite interesting Springbank. If you haven’t tasted yet anything from this distillery do yourself a favour and get they 12yo Cask strength or their 10 years old.

“All you would expect from a fantastic 18 years old whisky and a bit of peat. Perfect”

91

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, citrus, peat, cinnamon, spices, toffee, floral.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, wood, spices, candies, cinnamon.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Springbank 18yo 1996 Burns Malt #491 with 91 points over 100.

Tobermory 20 years old 1994 Burns Malt #188063

I haven’t tasted many whiskies from Tobermory distillery and definitively I prefer their peated versions… I still remember a Ledaig that I tasted three years ago at The Whisky Exchange whisky Show…

“Maybe an ex-bourbon cask? Lots of vanilla and candies aromas. Really nice whisky”

90

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, citrus, wood, floral, vanilla, spices.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, citrus, spices, cinnamon, wood, smoke, pepper.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, spices, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Tobermory 20yo 1994 Burns Malt #188063 with 90 points over 100.

Linkwood 24 years old 1990 Burns Malt #3540

Another distillery that is really under my radar… I have tasted a few of them and all are fantastic, so let’s see what we have here.

“Quite a dram! I love its subtle sherry character! Spices, tobacco, wood... really fantastic”

91

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, citrus, vanilla, spices, pinneapple, peaches, wood, meat.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, wood, spices, cinnamon, citrus, spices, tobacco.

Finish (92): longer than average. honey, spices, tobacco.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Linkwood 24yo 1990 Burns Malt #3540 with 91 points over 100.

Littlemill 26 years old 1988 Burns Malt Hunter Laing Old & Rare Platinum Range

And at last a 26 years old Littlemill, a Lowland closed and lost distillery that has a lovely profile. I have tasted several of them and they are always a great experience and definitively if Hunter Laing chose it for bottling for their Old & Rare Platinum range, it must be stunning.

“Awesome hit of candied fruits, flowers and spices. What a cracking dram Hunter Laing bottled for The Whisky Barrel”

91

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, spices, citrus, flowers, candies, pears.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, wood, spices, citrus, vanilla, liquorice, ginger, cinnamon.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, spices, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Littlemill 26yo 1988 Burns Malt Old Rare Platinium Hunter Laing with 91 points over 100.

Miguel says

A fantastic set of additions to the Burns Malt with prices that makes you really consider them. Even the Littlemill 26 years is a bit over £250 and it is pretty reasonable for a single cask whisky from a lost distillery when you see 18 years old whiskies that goes over £100.

Thumbs up!

“Fantastic! Good earthy peat and a delicious fruity spices aromas that are taken to the next level with some notes of ground roasted coffee”

90

This was bottled in 2011 by Bruichladdich for the Feis Ile (Islay Festival). It was distilled on the 11th September 2001, and was aged in bourbon wood before bottling at the age of 9 years old. Very interesting this. Well worth a try.

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, peat, fruits, plums, wood, spices, apples, cinnamon, salt.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, wood, spices, citrus, peat, coffee, cinnamon.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, spices, peat.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich Renaissance Feis Ile 2011 with 90 points over 100.

Miguel says…

Slightly peated and utterly delicious. This is the Bruichladdie kind of whisky that I love.

So after a few years with no so unpeated whiskies, this Caol Ila really delivers what it promises. Let’s review it

“Unpeated, really unpeated but crazy delicious whisky. The taste is really awesome, damn Diageo... I will have to spend my money”

90

2013's unpeated release of Caol Ila is named for distillery manager Billy Stitchell, who is retiring after almost 40 years at the distillery. This year it's been bottled without an age statement and despite being 'unpeated' there's a definite smoky tang to the whisky, although less so than in previous years.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, citrus, toffee, spices, vanilla, salt.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, salt, citrus, spices, pepper, candies, cinnamon, wood.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, wood, salt.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Caol Ila Unpeated / Stitchell Reserve / Bot.2013 Islay Whisky with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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Miguel says…

Lovely! I am a peat head but this whisky is fantastic even if there is no trace of peat in it. Make if half the price and it is a good deal.

“It is too young for my taste... I miss the good old days of a bit peated Laddies... the good old times...”

87

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, citrus, floral, spices, vanilla, apricot.

Palate (87): powerful, oily. honey, floral, citrus, fruits, vanilla, salt.

Finish (87): longer than average. honey, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bruichladdich The Organic Multi Vintage with 87 points over 100.

Miguel says…

This is one of my biggest fears with NAS whiskies… that under the excuse of picking the very best casks without caring about age you usually end up buying whisky that would be better inside of a cask for a few years more. This Bruichladdie whisky will be awesome in ten years more but right now is too young for my taste.

“Old yet vibrant with floral aromas. A fantastic sherried whisky with a very drinkable bottling strength”

92

Single cask malt whisky matured in an ex-Sherry quarter cask before bottling at cask strength by this Tasmanian distillery

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. honey, floral, sulphur, wood, citrus, vanilla, cinnamon, cocoa, candies.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. honey, candies, wood, spices, cinnamon, vanilla, citrus.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, citrus, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Old Hobart Overeem Sherry Matured (Cask Strength) with 92 points over 100.

Miguel says…

A fantastic whisky… but you will not see me drinking it. Just buy any A’bunadh and enjoy a nice night out with the family with the rest of money that you will save.

“All you can expect from a very old grain whisky. I really love this style of candies, fruits and spices”

92

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. honey, flowers, vanilla, candies, ginger, cherries, wood, cinnamon.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. honey, spices, wood, candies, flowers, cinnamon, ginger, pineapple.

Finish (92): longer than average. honey, pineapple, vanilla.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Cameronbridge 34 Year Old 1978 - Dimensions (Duncan Taylor) with 92 points over 100.

Miguel says…

Just to think that a few years ago you could buy this stuff for less than £100… a damn fantastic whisky if you want my opinion.

“The best most fantastic peated whisky that I have had in a lot of time...”

93

Here at last! It's the Ardbeg Renaissance, the end of the series that began with the 'Very Young' 6 years old. This is the first 10-year old Ardbeg that is entirely comprised of spirit produced after Glenmorangie's takeover of the distillery in 1997.

And it is bottled at cask strength. A great Ardbeg that you can still buy.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (93): more than average. peat, citrus, honey, salt, smoke, vanilla. The fucking peat perfection!

Palate (93): . peat, earth, citrus, honey, vanilla, coffee, salt.

Finish (93): longer than average. peat, salt, honey.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ardbeg Renaissance with 93 points over 100.

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Miguel says…

Speechless, I love this kind of peat. Definitively one of the best whiskies I have tasted so far this year ( if we ignore the Lost Blend from Master of Malt ). Glad that I got a bottle when it still had a decent price. Stuff for enjoying.

“Quite an experience. I think it is my first sherried grain whisky... delightfully sherried if you ask me”

92

This dram has a mahogany-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, varnish, spices, citrus, cinnamon, candies, raisins.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. honey, sulphur, raisins, wood, citrus, cinnamon, salt, spices, candies.

Finish (92): longer than average. honey, raisins, sulphur, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Strathclyde 36 Year Old 1977 (cask 9912) - The Sovereign (Hunter Laing) with 92 points over 100.

Miguel says…

It is always a pleasure to taste this kind of whiskies.

“Not my kind of whisky... but it has a taste that remind me of a smoky & salty Balvenie 12 years old. Interesting”

87

Released in 2013 to coincide with their sponsoring of a yacht in the Clipper Round the World Race, Old Pulteney Navigator was created to reflect the distillery's rich maritime heritage. It is matured in ex American bourbon and ex Spanish Sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (86): more than average. honey, citrus, wood, spices, cinnamon, salt, smoke.

Palate (88): powerful, oily. honey, wood, vanilla, spices, toffee, cinnamon, smoke, salt.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Old Pulteney Navigator Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 87 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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• Buy on Master of Malt for £41.44
• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £41.55

Miguel says…

So with this Navigator I have the same feeling. It is a good whisky but it doesn’t hit the key with me… I am not particularly fond of peated sherried whiskies, except if it is a Laphroaig…

“It is amazing... so you and still so much like itself! You can't miss this one if you enjoy peated drams ( and Lagavulin )”

90

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, floral, honey, smoke, vanilla, spices. Lagavulin!

Palate (90): powerful, oily. peat, earth, honey, citrus, smoke, vanilla.

Finish (90): longer than average. peat, honey, earth.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Vintage Islay 5 Year Old Malt (Signatory) with 90 points over 100.

Miguel says…

I would really advise you against any other such young whisky but being a peated dram… usually the younger the better. And this is unmistakably a Lagavulin whisky. Aye!

“Not a bad finish but I am not really a big fan of finished whiskies, in this Goldlys there is just too much oloroso but in the wrong way”

87

This dram has a amber-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, citrus, raisins, wood, leather, sulphur, vanilla.

Palate (87): powerful, oily. honey, leather, wood, sultanas, citrus, spices, wood.

Finish (86): longer than average. honey, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Goldlys 12 Year Old Oloroso Finish (1st Release) with 87 points over 100.

Much in the way of Glenmorangie finishes… if you like them, go ahead, you will enjoy this dram… but I still have nightmare about damn LaSanta.

“Pretty amazing single grain whisky! So much spices and sweetness in a single bottle... I love it!”

90

Irish single grain whiskey from Teeling! There are only a few Irish single grain whiskies out there at the moment, but Teeling went ahead and made theirs unique by maturing it in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon casks.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, toffee, vanilla, citrus, cinnamon, corn.

Palate (90): light, smooth. honey, corn, vanilla, spices, wood, cinnamon, candies, cloves.

Finish (89): longer than average. honey, corn, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Teeling Single Grain with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £35.95
• Buy on Master of Malt for £37.33

As I said it is amazing to still be able to buy such good whiskey for less than £50. Hope loading…

(Game of throats. Danny Nicholson)

Well, there are several reasons that made me moderate my whisky buying habits. Let me tell you about them and five whiskies that keep my faith in this world untouched.

Prices

Whisky prices are going up everyday. Every single interesting bottle that I spot is really out of my reach. If you are really fast and lucky when ordering online you will only find that you have to pay something way above £100 to get 15 years old whiskies.

Not sure about you, but I can’t afford to spend £160 on my everyday whisky and really it is way out of my pocket to spend that on a treat whisky. I have paid on the past that money for pretty special whiskies like a 25 years old Macallan or a 30 years old Karuizawa… but today… you can’t get even a Macallan 18 years old for that money.

The only thing I can’t complain about is that Lagavulin 16 years old still cost the same… and I am pretty much done with that.

Limited releases

If things are pretty bad with prices, the result of just combining it with limited release ( that usually are unlimited ) just make everything worse.

With the excuse of being a limited release the price goes up by a good 200% or more. And again, if you are lucky and you buy it from a online retailer on the first minutes of its release.

Whiskies like the new Highland Park Odin, the Octomore new releases, the Devil PunchBowl series, the yearly Ardbeg releases. I really stopped buying them all because there is no point, they will keep coming and coming and coming, each time more expensive and more “limited”.

And well, I see the point on a 40 years old or a 30 years old whisky being expensive, I understand there are storage costs and exclusiveness… but fucking holy shit you can’t do, shouldn’t do, the same with a NAS whisky. It isn’t fair.

Whisky speculators

The third thing that is getting me down are speculators. I am really tired of people that buy a bottle of whisky just to sell it for twice the price a few days after its release. I am a whisky collector, I buy whisky because I love the way the bottle looks and because I love great whisky. Sometimes I indulge myself and open a bottle but most of my collection is close.

Am I any better that those pesky whisky speculators? Well, I want to think that I am. That I love the whisky I buy not because the profit I may make on the future but because of the greatness of the liquid that is inside the bottle.

It is very hard to compete with people that makes a living of buying and selling whisky and I really refuse to pay double the price for a bottle of whisky. I really gave up trying to buy “interesting” whiskies both because of price and because of speculators.

Economy

This has nothing to do with whisky itself, but when some retards assholes working on ECB thought it would be great for Germany to sell more cars by weakening EUR against USD and GBP, automagically my whisky turned a 20% more expensive. And that really sucks if you have been reading the previous paragraphs.

I love good whisky but I have my feet on the ground and I really can’t pay hundred of euros for a bottle of whisky no matter how good it is.

Miguel says…

So, no, I didn’t quit whisky. I kept drinking and tasting and finding hidden gems just that previously I wrote the articles mainly for myself to guide my buying options and well that really came to an end.

The fact that many of you wrote me about what were going on about the blog gives me a motivation to start writting again and helping you and me perhaps to find good great whisky for a fair price. Just that it gets harder each day :)

Well, today I am here with a review of Old Pulteney Navigator, a duty-free whisky from this highland distillery that was the crafter of Old Pulteney 21 years old, the best whisky in the world… or so Jim Murray says…

Personally I don’t enjoy much the profile of Old Pulteney whiskies. They are nice but they don’t hit me on the soft spot as well as other drams: it is not enough peated, not enough salty, nor enough sherried. But anyway… let’s review it with that in mind.

“Not my kind of whisky... but it has a taste that remind me of a smoky & salty Balvenie 12 years old. Interesting”

87

Released in 2013 to coincide with their sponsoring of a yacht in the Clipper Round the World Race, Old Pulteney Navigator was created to reflect the distillery's rich maritime heritage. It is matured in ex American bourbon and ex Spanish Sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (86): more than average. honey, citrus, wood, spices, cinnamon, salt, smoke.

Palate (88): powerful, oily. honey, wood, vanilla, spices, toffee, cinnamon, smoke, salt.

Finish (88): longer than average. honey, wood, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Old Pulteney Navigator Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 87 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

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• Buy on Master of Malt for £41.44
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As i said it is a decent whisky but not my kind of whisky. I would rather put my money somewhere else…

Let’s review it.

“I love how peat and wood works on this whisky. A fantastic ( and highly recommedable dram ) from Hven distillery with notes of nuts and spices over a honeyed peated malt. Yay!”

90

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (89): more than average. honey, spices, citrus, wood, pepper, cinnamon, plums, smoke.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, peat, citrus, nuts, spices, pepper, cinnamon, salt.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, nuts, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Spirit of Hven No.3 Phecda with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:

• Buy on The Whisky Exchange for £92.35
• Buy on Master of Malt for £94.65

Miguel says…

Definitively a great step forward over Merak. This whisky is more mature, slightly more peated and definitively more yummy. Keep an eye on Spirit of Hven because if the progression keeps next releases are going to be quite quite interesting.