Bowmore, NSS, 2015, 2026, 11 yrs, 57.9 %, WB296705

It's not my place to say it, but I will anyway: it's a real shame what Bowmore is doing with its spirit. Caramel colouring, chill filtering and all the other things you shouldn't do with Scotch are common practice (the same is true of many other distilleries; only independent bottlers showcase the spirit in its purest form). This spirit has so much potential: for me, it has a very appealing peat aroma and a very nice maturing behaviour. It works with bourbon, sherry and other wine casks. Bowmore was not really affordable for me independently; it was either too expensive or scarcely available. But recently, I've noticed, just a feeling, plenty of Bowmore flooding the market.

Nose: Nice, with bonfire and campfire notes producing umami together

with grilled meat and perhaps grilled vegetables. There is a slight minty freshness that produces the impression of a nice summer ocean breeze on the shore. Speaking of briny, maritime freshness and youthful vibrancy, I hate to say it, but I will anyway: 'summer whisky'. Incidentally, in summer I like young, peated, bourbon-matured Scotch whiskies. Everything is fine somehow, with no wars going on and everyone peacefully enjoying this whisky together without any deep thoughts. Now, vanilla notes together with sweet candy floss and Turkish delight spread across the room. In the background, there are hints of exotic fruits, such as honeydew melon and grilled pineapple. Wow, I can smell some herbs: basil? Thyme? Eucalyptus? There's a citrussy freshness — mandarins, perhaps?

Palate: A confectionary explosion of vanilla custard, smoked vegetables, smoked salmon, almonds, marzipan and other nuts, as well as other smoked dishes — but not ham or dark meat, rather white meat — together with grilled aromas from the barbecue. There are hints of a white wine, such as Pinot Gris, but with a distinctive sweetness. The sweetness is sherbet-like, with hints of fruit, such as pineapple juice. There are hints of lychee and starfruit, with a slightly lemony flavour and bitterness in the background.

Finish: Bitter, but not unpleasantly so. It is reminiscent of rocket or dandelion flavour, and is aromatic and fresh. It is herbaceous, but not overpowering. It's similar to the finish of a medium-complex, dry, summer white wine with a slightly mineral quality. Adding water brings out more sweet aromas and makes the palate more briny. The aftertaste is much more pleasant.

“Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”– Elie Wiesel

90/90/89

 

 

Benrinnes, 1997, 2026, DeDr, 28 yrs, 52.4 %, Peugeot, WB296208

The Benrinnes distillery is actually in its second location. The original distillery was built by Peter MacKenzie in 1826, but it was destroyed by a flood in 1829. John Innes then found a new site. Around 1974, the distillery began a partial triple distillation process, but abandoned triple distillation in favour of traditional double distillation using two wash stills and four spirit stills in 2007. Consequently, this whisky from 1997 is triple distilled. Benrinnes uses worm tubs. The glass, by the way, is the Peugeot glass and comes with a cooling base. Sorry guys, but as a stem holder (no pun intended), I'm afraid this glass is just not beautiful. It feels cheap when you manage to hold it. Looking at the whisky and its colour, dark thoughts occur. Inevitably, I think about the new Spider-Man series, Spider-Noir. Don’t get me wrong; I like the Noir Spider-Man, the idea of Spider-Verse and the character, but Nicolas Cage? Really? I'm not so sure about that.

Nose: There are certainly some nice dark fruits, but it is also floral. There are flowers blossoming in some front gardens at the moment; it smells like a rich, sweet, nectar-like floral blend. The aroma closely resembles jasmine tinged with vanilla, balanced by bright citrus nuances and a deep, warm honey undertone. This famously heady aroma often evokes nostalgic feelings of warm summer evenings. The flower is called honeysuckle. There are chocolaty notes, but not overly dark. There is a jam-like quality, perhaps raspberry or other dark berries. It is not as dense as the colouring suggests. Interestingly, there are some vegetal notes, such as courgette. Cucumber? Paprika? There are hints of leather and tobacco.

Palate: Juicy and fruity, but not dark fruits as one might expect. It's reminiscent of old, dense cider, young rum, old tequila and medium-aged armagnac. It could be any or all of the drinks that PI Ben Reilly drinks, and he drinks a lot. It reminds me of a red wine, perhaps a Pinot Noir or a young Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Finish: Not as long as one would expect for a whisky of that age. There are some sweet and sour sensations, such as orange zest and orange juice. There are cherry notes, but not the sour ones. Be careful when drinking it; if you take a sip the wrong way, the alcohol burns unexpectedly. An unidentifiable juice aroma lingers. “We don’t pick the ballroom. We just dance.” Spider-Man Noir.

89/88/89

 

Speyside (M) 2011 14 Year Old Luvians Grad Dram 2026 1st-Fill Ximénez Sherry Butt Finish, WB301347

Another secret Speysider, but there are hints. I wonder why the 'M' is so prominent — maybe it's a clue? A Speysider with an M? Is it Mannochmore (no, it's Macallan), or perhaps Mortlach (no it is Macallan)? I don't know — maybe it's Miltonduff (no Macallan). I can't solve this mystery. I wonder why they're being so mysterious when they've made it so obvious. Anyway.

Nose: nice fruity notes – maybe I can identify those, such as raspberry. You know, raspberry is not a berry, but It is classified as an aggregate fruit, anyway now I get some nuts like almonds, but the sweet ones, more like marzipan. The big one is also here, the coconut, but it's cloaked in mystery, perhaps as an alcoholic cocktail like a Pina Colada? No, pineapple coconut mimosa? Nah, Bahama Mama? Of course, it's a no(u)t! What about the tropical coconut rum punch? Maybe... definitely unexpectedly summery. It's berry season, and people are cooking all kinds of jams and syrups.

Palate: The cane sugar family is inviting you to a cocktail party. Rum and tequila are dancing salsa and lambada around the palate. Some deep oak notes appear on the dance floor, performing some weird break moves. Cinnamon, pepper and pimento applaud alongside cloves.

Finish: Very sweet espresso, with a sweet-sour sensation and hints of salt, like an olive in a dry martini. It is not short, but appropriately long. The pickled salty olive lingers for a while longer, accompanied by orange zest.

Tiny drops of water reveal more oaky notes and nutmeg accompanies the cinnamon while the espresso becomes black tea.

88/88/87

Speyside (M) SV, 2005, 2026, 20 yrs, DRU17/A106 #21, 58.4 %, WB295567

Another mysterious, misty, mountainous, malty, mind-boggling Macallan. The new stills in the large machinery were installed around 2017/18, so this spirit was distilled using the legendary old stills. However, they already had 21 stills in 1975, so it's not that small. The new facility houses 12 wash stills and 24 spirit stills, essentially running three parallel distillation setups under one spectacular roof.

Nose: The nose is nice, with hints of maple syrup, date syrup and dark

honey. There are also hints of Yucatan honey, rum raisins and dark chocolate, as well as soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, cooked plums and other dark fruits, such as blackcurrants, blackberries, black cherries, black elderberries, black goji berries and black grapes that are already fermenting — is this Eiswein? There are hints of leather and tobacco, and an umami flavour as if someone is frying dark meat.

Palate: Chewing tobacco, sour, like biting into old leather with dried BBQ sauce. It's like a young but dense red wine from hot regions around Spain, Portugal or South Africa. Or perhaps some Malbec from Chile or those dense, tannic, deep purple Californian Napa Valley wines. There is some sweetness, but it is totally suppressed by oaky, syrupy, winey notes. Some might say it's almost undrinkable espresso, but others find it deep, rich and interesting. I don't know — total failure or a big success? As always, try it for yourself and form your own opinion.

Finish: Long-lasting with young tannins; wild, untamed and slightly alcoholic red wines dominate. Refreshingly youthful, although old — but who wants to die young anyway?

'Dying is banal. Whatever time I have left, I want to fill it with nothing but cocktails and chaos." - The Boroughs.

91/91/92

Bowmore 2005 TWA, 20 yrs, 51.8 %, 2026, The Nose 3.0, WB298777

After a long period wandering among the ill and beyond, health and perception returned, along with a Bowmore and this strange Nose 3.0 glass. In the centre is a comb-like glass structure. I wonder how to clean it — supposedly it enhances the aromas. This glass enhances my depths to the bank.
Nose: Unfortunately, there is no significant difference in the aroma between the Nose 3.0 and the blender's glass, despite the huge price difference. However, let's focus on the Bowmore. How many different apple cake variations do you know? Crumble cake, covered apple cake, apple strudel with plenty of cream and apple sauce, grilled pineapple and bananas. I admit the last two don't really count as apple dishes. There are all sorts of influences from bourbon casks: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, a touch of white pepper, vanilla and honeydew melon. Palate: Honeydew melon family, ginger, aromatic white pepper,

perhaps Szechuan pepper (?), apple juice, pineapple juice, cinnamon and clove tea, and rooibos tea sweetened with honey. Adding a few drops of water brings out even more sweetness, reminding me of stevia! Valla!
Finish: Warming and very long with a drying effect in the mouth and numb teeth; the cinnamon and clove combination continues to heat things up. It's like a violin solo accompanied by drums and an electric guitar. A few drops of water conjure up hints of acacia honey and doughnuts, or Berliner doughnuts if you prefer. Grains of salt linger a little longer. "Not all those who wander are lost." ― J. R. R. Tolkien.

91/90/90

Mortlach 2005, Decadent Drams/ Drinks whatever, 2026, 50,1 %, 20 yrs, WB295736

There are moments, fleeting instants, that happen and you want to hold on to them for as long as possible, but then they’re gone and you keep searching desperately, constantly on the hunt.

Nose: A lovely warm breeze of the approaching summer, freshly harvested hay, whatever it is, straw-yellow like the glass, bright and fragrant, the nostrils delight in the aromas, fragrant vanilla pods, crème brûlée, vanilla custard fresh from the oven, candyfloss, baked apples, apricot cake and yes, fresh from the same oven, peach tart, apple sauce, light cinnamon notes, a hint of clove, a touch of nutmeg and allspice, freshly grated lemon or orange zest (?), quince jam, toffee and cream sweets.

Palate: Peach juice from tinned peaches, other soft, overripe yellow fruits, a hint of the South Seas, hardly any coconut though, more Mediterranean in fact. But, oh so much lychee. Life-affirming yet slightly melancholic, the lightness of being, a touch of ginger spice for the not-so-light side of

existence.

Finish: Milliseconds? Half an eternity. No need for hunts anymore; the moment has come to stay. Oily, mouth-filling, slightly warming in the throat, cinnamon and cloves tickle, but not harshly. Juices of yellow, overripe fruit. 

“The present moment, though fleeting, is the only tangible moment. The rest are but a heap of memories.” ― Michael Bassey Johnson

94/93/93

 

 

Glendronach 1993, 26 yrs, 50.9 %, Tyndrumwhisky.com, new Amber Glass, WB175465

That's another amber glass. I see them online and they look fine, but when I hold them and smell and taste from them, they just don't deliver the experience you would expect from their appearance. The glass feels strangely artificial, not to say cheap, despite the high price. It is a balloon glass similar to the Blender's Glass, but less balloon-like, with a slightly wider opening. Overall, I'm not so positive: the taste and aromas are restrained, the handling is artificial and 'cheap', and the glass is less elegant than it looks. This bottling is already from the Rachel Berrie era, but it was an affordable exclusive bottling at the time. Nowadays it's impossible to get hold of, and the prices are a real pain for a 20ish x years old bottle.
Nose: Subtle sherry notes, herbal aromas from the herb garden.

Dark fruits tend to remain in the background. Hardly any dates or raisins. All my personal perception, of course. Others might detect a sherry bomb, but nothing explodes for me. Everything is subtle, almost elegant, were it not for those intrusive herbs and a slight alcoholic sharpness. In the background, musty cellar and old wood.
Palate: Sweetened black tea, maple syrup. Pancake, overbaked with strong toasty notes. Tannins, red wine, a Burgundy-style blend. Spices such as cinnamon and allspice.

Finish: Dry, coffee aromas, hardly any sweetness. Cocoa nibs. Sage and chervil linger for a while. Oily coating on the palate. A sharpness of white pepper. Alcoholic like a brandy. Woody bitterness. Unusual maritime performance. “I don't perform. Seals perform.” ― Morrissey
 

88/87/87

Glenkinchie 2008, 18yrs, 53.4 %, Sansibar deinwhisky.de, WB297947

This is a real rarity. There are hardly any independent bottlings; they are a serial absentee. A rarity, a Lowland whisky and a distillery with worm tubs – it must be Christmas.
Nose: Stewed dark fruits, strawberries, but also plums, perhaps cherries? I’ll soldier on and explore the nose a bit more. But there’s also something baked – cake? Black Forest gateau. There are dates too, and a different kind of heavy sweetness: maple syrup, pine honey, sugar syrup. I admit, I’ve no idea about the distillery’s character; all I can detect here is this fantastic cask. Now there’s leather too, a hint of sawdust, but old and dusty. Coffee aromas. Will that linger in the mouth?

Palate: Heavy red wine, Spain, Ribera del Duero. Very strong coffee, perhaps even espresso, slightly sweetened. Stewed fruit drowns in coffee and red wine aromas, strong tannins. 
Finish: Very dry. Espresso notes fill the entire mouth, hellish astringency. Rarity or not, the cask gives you no chance to learn anything about the distillate – no Glenkinchie here, yet still a great drink.
 

88/87/87

Blended Grain 1973 NSS, 51.9 %, 52 yrs, WB296492

Did you know that Bob Ross, William Shakespeare and Christopher Reeve all died at the age of 52? So did Grace Kelly, Houdini and Frank Zappa. All credit cards have been blocked, by the way. Life is for living in the moment, for moments like this. Some seek enlightenment through meditation, some by climbing high mountains and dying, and some by sitting under the great bodhi tree and waiting to die of hunger anyway. So what do I do? The everlasting search for the meaning of life is not found in the stars, the universe, behind the moon or in great philosophers, but in liquids like this. What absurdity! But life itself is absurd and perhaps even meaningless. What does this bottle mean? It means cheap pizza again for dinner.
Nose: The nose is beautiful, with sweet sherry notes, but mature of course — about 52 years old.

It's so deep and rich, reminiscent of very old Armagnacs. There's a lot of umami here: soy sauce and other Asian sauces, as well as cooked sweet wine, such as rancio or balsamic vinegar. It's like old wood in antique churches where people have just left after intense prayer. There are a lot of sins in the air, by the way. Sins are committed in dark corners, back alleys, dark cellars and other clandestine places. Dark furniture surrounds these places: some old leather armchairs and dark thoughts everywhere, like dark fruits cooking or dark meat frying. 
Palate: Intense, rich and dense. Dark fruits that have been cooked, as well as umami sources. A sauce mage is brewing all kinds of blissful potions, but sweet ones that are enchanting like a fairy tale. Such sweetness is paired with old Armagnac, plum juice, hints of cassis, overcooked jam, sticky toffee and well-aged rum. As for demerara or muscovado sugar, I honestly can't tell the difference. Anyway, it's dark and sweet. What a beautiful dram, what a gem! Worth abandoning every meaning of life.

Finish: Life is too short to worry about how long this will last. It's just eternal. The muscovado sugar lingers for a long time, the rum stays overnight, the balsamic vinegar doesn't want to leave at all and the soy sauce is now part of your life. The meaning of life? "Through a grimy window that I can't keep clean. Through billowing smoke that's swallowed the sun. You're nowhere to be seen.” – Anne Clark.
 

95/94/95

Glenxxxxxxx 2006 NSS, 59 %, 19yrs, WB296553

It's supposed to be a sherry hogshead; judging by the colour xth fill. A mystery malt? It's categorised as a Glenfarclas on Whiskybase. Long story short, I couldn’t solve the mystery.
Nose: Barn, with hints of burnt tyres and shoe polish. Spices, with no sweetness. Strawberry jam. Meaty, umami, mushrooms and forest floor. Sheep dung and a musty cellar. Dried apricots and perhaps peach and baked apples. Sage tea.
Palate: I'm terribly blind at blind tasting and very bad at recognising anything, so here too, I don't detect any signature or hint; it's an alien whisky. However, it's not bad; it's just sharp on the palate.

It's peppery, full of character, wild and a bit harsh, but rich. In the background, the stallion is still there. Wild stallions. There's some sweet tea, but it's infused with lots of herbs: rosemary, thyme and lovage. Sage and orange seeds.
Finish: Medium-long, about 40 seconds. It's warming with a hint of peel and freshly squeezed orange juice that's been squeezed a bit too much. Kitchen herbs and rocket with lamb stew under a full moon. Speaking of, ‘Mystery creates wonder, and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand’. —Neil Armstrong
 

87/89/88

Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, 1972, 2025, Decadent Drams, 50.8 %, Reich glass, WB277516

Everything about this bottle is decadent, even the name. I find Decadent Drinks and their marketing strategy extremely annoying, yet I can't stop Google stalking them — their stories are kind of addictive. Here's another story, so Google it yourself and have fun! While you're doing that, we're playing the waiting game. Is five hours and twenty minutes enough, or do we have to wait half a decade? So, how do you drink such a decadent dram? To add to the decadence, we're pairing the drink with even more decadent glasses. Both are absurdly expensive, and altogether, with the bottle, they're total credit card killers: Izaak Reich from the Czech Republic and Josephine N° 3 from Germany, But I have to admit that these glasses are of the chain, they do enhance the aromas and taste incredibly. For a few hours, you will feel elegant and aristocratic, but also like snobby, arrogant, bourgeois jet-setters.

Nose: How do century eggs smell? Does it make any difference that this one is only half a century old? Don't get me wrong; nothing here smells of eggs, and they're only a few weeks old. Here, you can smell wisdom and reminiscences of much older libraries and students who have been studying in hidden corners for even longer. You can smell sweat evaporating in the air, mingling with old wood, furniture, and forgotten stories. Some of these stories are still remembered. If you do, it's like smelling whisky and recognising aromas of cream caramel, vanilla custard, milk chocolate and hints of banana. You turn the pages of those old books; some are antiques, written in ancient runes or alphabets. Now and again, you recognise words such as 'cantaloupe' and other kinds of honeyed, sweet tropical melons. Dive deeper into the calligraphy and you will read 'honey', even 'honeycomb'. 
Books about long journeys to the South Seas tell tales of tropical fruits and coconuts. It's interesting how, back home and tired from the long journey, you sit by your fireplace, remembering all the exotic cultures, and hold a very old brandy similar to Louis XIII cognac and just die there and then.

Palate: The arrival indeed picks up the thread: it is an old, wise cognac. It transforms sweet aromas into something deep and rich. It boldly coats the mouth with a mineral, even chalky, flavour, with hints of allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, and a touch of clove in the aftertaste. It is like Earl Grey tea, sweetened with lots of sugar and a few drops of Amalfi lemon. 
Finish: The finish reveals some cloves and chalky notes, leading to a drier sensation. A few shy oaky tannins make their presence known. Before you die, a slight bitterness remains of things you have regretted doing or not doing. 
“When the storytelling goes bad in a society, the result is decadence.” – Aristotle.

93/92/91

Edradour 2025, 12 yrs, 46 %, SCAA Charity Bottling, WB293637

It's another charity bottling, so I bought it anyway just to support the cause, but I wasn't expecting anything in return. The SCAA (Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance) is a registered charity that assists the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) with emergency medical services by providing helicopter-based air ambulances. Nevertheless, Edradour's 10-year-old bottlings have lost a lot of complexity and depth in recent years, and consequently I have lost more and more interest. Of course just my opinion.

Nose: That's what I'm talking about: lots of sherry notes, but lacking in complexity and pretty simple. There are rum raisins, but not much sweetness, no sticky toffee, just an alcoholic freshness and some herbs. Surprisingly, there are some milk desserts like rice pudding, but no cinnamon. Now cacao powder and milk chocolate appear.

Palate: Despite the 46% ABV, it's quite alcoholic and spirit-driven. There is only a superficial sweetness and a burning sensation, as well as nutmeg and, finally, cinnamon. There is spiciness from ginger and some white pepper. It is sharp and oaky.

Finish: short and peppery, spicy. Although nothing was expected, it is still disappointing. Gone... “Vanished. Nothing left. Nothing said.” ― Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed

86/86/85

Daftmill 2009, 16 years, 56.3%, #59 & 60, Luvians, new Eisch Rum Nosing Glass Jeunesse, WB294834

To cut a long story short, these new glasses from Eisch are simply no match for standard whisky glasses. Unfortunately, the aromas barely reach the nose; the mouthfeel is good, however, the flavour is restrained, and the price is sobering. 

This Daftmill bottling is yet another exclusive release for Luvians. I visited one of their shops in St Andrews – very friendly people, and very helpful with online orders. And this bottling is a real hit. 

Nose: Warm vanilla sauce, vanilla custard still warm, white chocolate coating just before melting point, popcorn at the cinema, open-air, summer night, a fair nearby, endless candyfloss, a candyfloss revolution. Sweaty people rushing from A to B to buy more sweets and try out the machines. Candy apples. Freshly baked cake, something with apples. A hint of banana, if my senses aren’t deceiving me, coconut milk and Raffaello. In a bar in St Andrews, The Keys, loud, loud golfers, sporty young people, laughing, chatting, drinking beer. 
Palate: Black tea with a little rock sugar and milk, just as the East Frisians

drink it. Unripe apples, herbs like lovage? No, sage? No, perhaps verbena. A few bitter almonds, yet marzipan-like. A hint of rancid walnut lingers in the mouth.
Finish: Light woody notes, some tannins, espresso and dark chocolate. Tonka beans. Long-lasting. After a while, crushed orange seeds linger. I don’t like golf and golfers, but
“Bitterness is venom that consumes its host.” ― Matshona Dhliwayo. So St Andrews wasn’t so bad after all.
91/91/90

Glen Scotia 2005, 59.6 %, 20 yrs, #123, 10th anniversary deinwhisky.de, WB296273

Right, you shouldn’t expect an in-your-face peatiness – and indeed, how is that supposed to happen, after 20 years of full maturation, it’s clear that some expectations haven’t been met. But if you’re open to integrated peaty notes that lead to astonishing complexity: voilà.
Nose (3h): Crème brûlée, caramelised with plenty of birch wood, incense sticks in the distance, with vanilla notes but also a dying fire, a camp just broken up, like in a Western; speaking of which: a hint of horse manure, stables and sweat, an old saddle. A few caramel sweets, but little sweetness overall. Green apples and freshly mown grass.

Palate: Sweetened black tea, a hint of ashtray, burnt sugar, but no molasses, nor rum or cream sweets, rather apple pie left in the oven too long, darkly browned crumble. Nut butter. 
Finish: Black tea on the finish, slightly sweetened, a touch of pepper, medium length, campfire ash eaten with bread on a stick, burnt dough, no more bread, too charred. Water? Hmm, becomes drier, dustier, woodier. “Occasionally, you might enjoy the luxury of an unexpressed thought.” ― Everett Dirksen

88/88/87

Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 11 yrs NSS 54.1 %, Bothy by Ralfy 10th Anniversary, WB295769

Blended live from the legend. Frankly, I didn’t expect this result, tbh; tbh, I don’t even know what I was expecting – probably the usual when you drink a blended malt. This diversity, richness and sweetness – amazing.
Nose (2h): Juicy, sweet red apples, perfectly ripe – Baya Marisa or Red Delicious. A hint of fizzy cola, banana, strawberry, apricots, but also other sweets: fruit and caramel sweets, churros with dulce de leche, light grilled notes, faded and forgotten.

Palate: Bold. Not shy. Confident. Blending ergo sum. Ashtray, forgotten cigarette butt in the mouth, burnt out, accidentally taken a drag on it. A hint of candied ginger. Stale apple juice, oily, peppery. Coffee, too weak not to go. 
Finish: Surprisingly long, campfire, warming, becoming slightly dry. A hint of the cigarette has made its way down the throat. 

Peppercorns triumph, a few grains of salt applaud. After a while, existentialist tannins from the previous day make themselves felt and ask about the meaning of life. Be careful with water, it kills the meaning a little. “The literal meaning of life is whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.” ― Albert Camus

90/89/90