i watched recycled reviews 1, 2 and 3. havent seen any taliska

Got me blushing again Rob, but seriously thank you for all your support and kind words.

Yeah, the other guys are damn good with expressions, tasting notes and reviews - I had to find where I could add some value, and I have fun with these recycling videos! Thank you Frank!

This is a really nice comment to read, thank you! I think in time I'll refine what people take from these and try to keep it snappy but meaningful. I also think there's a value in perhaps linking to trusted review sources for deeper notes and appraisals. Thanks for taking the time.

not to mention how he remembers each one; or he saves his tasting notes for a long time.

Thanks for stopping by boys! Loved the tongue-in-cheek Compass Box Phenomenology review!

And no +/- either! Impressive...

I love when you say "this is gin" haha!

Hey Foodquig thank you for stopping by I always look out for you! 😉 Glad our palates remain aligned in preference , if not performance!

You should write tasting notes! I'll be digging deeper the next time I have my face in a Ledaig!

I have that very same syndrome!

Absolutely *love* reading comments like this! 😀 It'll help me deal with the pre-release doubt in future. Thank you Ethan.

I have some shame in admitting there's another video's worth in the garage waiting. I'll spice it up with some Christmas bottle-kills and do another in the new year.

Aqvavitae Yes! I can't wait!

Thanks Justin! 👍

Yes! I snagged a bottle of the OP21 at retail in Austin, TX last weekend. Thank ou Dan - your wish of luck worked!

Thank you and welcome, nice of you to stop by Jaap!

You're doing a damn decent job yourselves boys! More Thursday night Jeopardy please!

Good juice that's been replaced with arguably better juice in the 24yo. The 22 is a nice soft-spiced Highlander that'll be a great one to pour for your VIP Christmas guests! If you ever pop it - tell me how long it is before you find the smoke..

The only hard part is finding the VIPs my friend, cheers

Hey Eric - yeah it's even colder today! Thanks for sharing the love on Twitter too my friend!

Thanks Criell! I think we all come to realise at some point that the whisky changes throughout the open bottle, and as such so does our relationship with it. The first dram of a new whisky is nothing more than a first date.

Thanks boys - but if ya wanna know jealousy slip into my shoes as I read about all those bucket-list drams you're reviewing for Malt Review. 🙁

Cheers Peter nice to get your feedback - we are in complete agreement about the class of that Balblair 90/15. I've yet to try a Van Winkle 10. Innis & Gunn! Too funny - it's brewed in Glasgow! On the OP21 open it and give it a little time, at the price you have available there you'll pick up more, of that I can all but guarantee.

Hey Alan thank you, really appreciate it.

I seem to be a day or two late, but really like them just the same...you doing a live on thursday of this week?

I'm travelling this week but hope to be getting a live out on the 21st! I'll post a placeholder on YT and tweet it out too.

cheers and safe travels

Thanks for stopping by again Nathan 🙏

Thank you Walt! I hear ya on Aberfeldy, and one of the reasons I won't replace is the profile doesn't suit me at all. But so many of the folks I shared it with *loved* it to the point I wanted to stay a little more balanced in the video. I don't always take to heavy honey flavours in malt. The last few drams however, after being open for about a year or so, were *damn* good. Hope your travel plans are shaping up (?)

Lagavulin is by far the most successful at converting people to what is usually a formidable style of whisky, give it time in an open glass - I hope you'll love it.

It's a a very well made whisky JDC and I'm fond of it. If was 46% it would be a classic. If you can get some Lagavulin 12 though. That is whisky perfection.

'speshly that 2017 - your eyes will fall out your head.

Brandon we could talk for hours about that AnCnoc 16. People sometimes get caught up in their oloroso casks or their peated Islays, when really true class lies in a good quality spirit left alone in a good old refill bourbon hogshead. Lovely it was. Pretty cool for you to spot that Botanist as well - I shoulda scored that - it was damn good - but I'm not very up on my gin knowledge. Thanks Brandon.

Never thought I’d be in an Athol thread. My current is a 22 Rattray and it is splendid. AQ I bought 2 acnoc 24s for $150 and I couldn’t be happier with it

Agree with both of you about the AncNoc 16. If you can find the Balblair 1997 it's a similar age and profile. As is the Glencadam 15, but I've been told by Reb, who recently visited the distillery, that that is also due to be shelved. What with the Balvenie 15 Bourbon and the Glenlivet Nadurra 16 on the scrapheap also, it makes you wonder. I don't understand why distilleries can't source decent bourbon barrels, fill them and lay them down for 14-16 years. I don't drink much gin these days but I recently tried Oxley which is very good. Expensive but 47%

Thanks Ebril. I noticed a thinning in texture on Lagavulin 16 too, but I have to say the most recent bottle I have is much better again. Despite this, it's still a formidable whisky, as you say. Thank you.

Raster thank you! Let me know your thoughts on any you try. And thanks for stopping by 👍

Gloves - check! I will say some of these have been open a loooong time Bob, and at least four were given to me by my whisky buddy the Whisky Rev. I'd only start to worry about my alcohol intake levels if I was putting these videos out monthly!

Aqvavitae maybe it’s because I’ve seen 3 of these videos in around a month now I was worried for your liver 😂

Thanks for looking out for me Bob! I'll keep sharing to keep the pressure off my own liver 👍

Thank you Jason, great of you to stop by!

Very welcome Bronco and great to see you joining in on the live streams too!

Hi fella, thank you - yeh I did! (What did you think of the Last Jedi btw?!)

Aqvavitae It had some cool scenes and I liked it overall but there were parts in there I didn’t like so much. There were some things unanswered questions too which annoyed me at first but I’ve calmed down a bit now😁Have you seen it yet?

Yup. Awesome except for the casino scenes and weird detour to that planet. Some real iconic scenes that I absolutely loved. Really enjoyed it overall!

Aqvavitae I wasn’t sure about the Leia bit near the start and I agree with the casino part too and that part of the film, thought it felt a bit un Star Wars. Just 2 short years to wait on the final part, I think Abrams will do a job on the last film again.

The door's always open Everwind! Hit me up on the live with any questions about the more obscure ones 👍

I would like to visit Scotland someday :) Anyway, I love Scotches that have a long. long, "warm" malty finish that warm you from the inside out, but not burn. Always on the lookout for long finish scotches.

Truthfully, it' because there are so many open at any one time that I tend to be able to kill quite a few off at once. Also, at least four of the bottles featured here were purchases by my friend the Whisky Rev, until he moved to the Highlands we'd meet up and share our bottles, he's kind enough to put aside some of the better ones for comment. Cheers Mark!

The 21yo is playing a different game altogether. Thanks Telex!

Yeah I had a feeling they may be out of Batch V. Damn it was good while it lasted, let's hope they pull a similar stunt with Batch VI. I foget where you are in the whisky world - US?

Yes, US. California, south of San Francisco a bit.

Yes it's been damn cold. Where you travelling from?

+Aqvavitae Austria - it's cold here as well (ok, not today because of a warm Foehn wind but normally it's around -1, -2°C)

It's not gonna be around for long either Andrew, perhaps one to grab a back up bottle of.

Welcome! thanks for connecting while you were here 👍

Some of them are pricey, sure. Some are really great value though. Thanks for commenting.

Glad you’re loving them! 👌 I like ‘em too...

Saltire don't lose faith with your Clynelish... Your strategy with it is solid. Glad you're enjoying what are two whisky extremes with obvious 'hooks', the Clynelish is a little more subtle. It'll demand your patience. Thanks for stopping by ma man.

Oh I'll not give up on it, that's for sure! I remember having something similar happen to me with Springbank 12 CS when I was just starting out - it overwhelmed me and I didn't quite get it to start with. I let it sit a few months, went to some other whiskies, then when I returned to it I loved it! Now that one has everything going on, whereas as you said the Clynelish does seem subtler. Having a cold doesn't help either just now when it comes to nosing and tasting hence why I'm on the peatier or CS stuff just now; but hopefully when I return to it, I'll enjoy it more. Hopefully should make your livestream tomorrow if you are running one, since I'm all settled in now after my flit! Slainte!

That's a nice idea Dorian. And thank you!

Who ya buying for? 🤔 Yersel?

Aqvavitae Yesh 😁

Thank you sir!

Thanks VV!

Thanks! (Billy?) Yeah Lagavulin seems to be coming back onto a good thing again 🤞 The Aberfeldy 21? Nah - you're good 😉

it's Mike, always Mike ;)

Sorry meant to type (Mike?) but my brain farted. Just watched your Bunna 25 review, superb!

Now, go and see where it's made, how it's made and why it exists. It's an absolute joy. Thanks for watching and commenting Paul, your whisky journey ahead is going to be amazing.

Sorry - I meant to link to the video I've just released today on that very subject - here it is : kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gbCgeNmH29TMpYU.html

times 2!

Cheers Mark!

"Tea-spooning" is common in whisky right now. 1) In the context of which you imply. 2) rendering casks of single malt into blends to avoid brokers, bottlers and traders selling traded casks as a single malt (where the original distiller are overly protective or nervous of brand dilution) and 3) My favourite - the "Ralfy" - using a teaspoon to carefully add just the right amount of water to your dram!.

Clynelish is always worth a look, the SV's I've really enjoyed, but there's little to find fault in their standard 14yo OB. On the Bunna 8yo I think you've nailed it. It was excellent whisky, but now that it's been bought and enjoyed it'll probably give its shelf space up to something else for a while - there is indeed just too much choice out there.. On the DE Classic Malts, people make the mistake that these are slightly premium versions of the standard and that's not strictly true, they're just a different take on the standard. For example I prefer the standard Lagavulin 16 over the DE most years, I will say however that the Cragganmore is quite a departure from the standard, and despite not always loving port wood finishes I do like that one a lot. This brings me back to your first point - if you can find the Clynelish DE - grab it. Thanks Everest!

Hi Roy, thanks for the reply and the heart! :) My boss tasked me with picking/buying a bottle of whisky ("something good, up to 100€") for our Christmas celebration (sometimes I love my job :D ), and during my search I came across a Clynelish DE for the absolutely insane price of 44€ ... 5 minutes before reading your reply. That one will be mine alone though. :D Regarding the DEs in general, I know what you mean. I also quickly learned that the Talisker 10 and DE wonderfully coexist, whereas I prefer the standard Caol Ila 12 over the DE because it is more straight-lined and self-consistent. My question was actually sort of in the context of that already.

PS: Does it surprise you, that the Clynelish DE is actually out of stock? ... I knew there was a catch ... :(

Everest314 hmm...that's a shame. I should mention that it was also out of stock at Glenkinchie distillery last week. I wonder.... If you find it anywhere it'll cost around £60 to £70. If you're buying for colleagues the only mistake I've made in the past is buying cask strength for folks who aren't used to it. How about a nice rich Glendronach 18?

Thanks for the input! Yeah, I already pretty much excluded cask strength, because even despite the budget, we are aiming for something suitable for casual enjoyment. Glendronach 18 or 21 (just within the budget and sounds very christmasy :D ) are on my list, along with Talisker 18, Caol Ila 18 and Ballechin STFC Port Cask (it's cask strength, but "only" 50.9%). There is definitely a positive bias towards smoky whisky here, but I refrained from the heavy stinkies. :P Not quite sure yet.

Yes. Teapot Dram is a distillery exclusive unfortunately - but they do sell it through their online shop, it was £90 but limited to around 3,000 bottles has now sold out. Auction sites now I'm afraid. JasonWhiskyWise did a review which I've linked to in the description if you're interested. It differs from the CS as they agonise over a very exacting cask selection in trying to recreate a style of young, bold and powerful first-fill sherry aged whisky similar to what may have been issued during the days of 'dramming' in distilleries. I shared this on a live with the Scotch Test Dummies - here's a link to the exact spot in the live stream where we cover the Teapot Dram kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p7FimsKTs6zekYE.htmlm51s This was batch V, selected from 5 first-fill casks, 4 butts and a hogshead.

I know it's pitched to someone who already feels 40% is powerful enough, but yeah, it's heartbreaking for us who want to connect with it. Often we get so much more from IBs, there's a middle ground there but not many in the industry are exploring yet.

I must be a contrarian. With just superficial blind knowledge, I would choose an indie over an official any day any time. It is almost the reverse of logic-indies are higher abv, more transparent, usually not chil-fil, no color added and cost less! I guess people hypnotized by branding.

Jez Bhatti thanks! The 25 is noticeably richer than the 15 as you'd expect, it's actually a masterclass in bringing deep, rich, we'll aged sherry style to the masses. Treat yourself Jez.

KNUR Konesur it was very tasty. 8/10! 🙂

So will you buy it again? :D BTW. Did you drink the Esker Gin by any chance? ;) (And if yes, could you compare the two?)

I think that's a great buy, I really do - I hope you come to love them!

apu de geest You shouldn’t, not on my say so. Perhaps if we knew other better, but I’m just one guy. Linkwood and Mortlach are both dear to me and I’m not sure if you refer to the G&M Linkwood 15 or the Flora&Fauna 12, regardless they’re both good but to compare these or G&M Mortlach 15 to Blair Athol 12 wouldn’t be fair to any. Different styles. I go on value, and for me I’m pretty sure I’d pick the Blair Athol every time. I hope you can try a sample or bar pour first. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

See the follow up video! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d8Wpe9F7qNWmdpc.htmlm38s

Mark Wilson try the 12yo cask strength, order will be restored to your world. Thank you for watching!

The 21 is not much at all like the 12, but much closer to the richness of the 17, imo. I think I'd feel cautiously comfortable pushing you to pick up at least one and try it. Like so many of the style and age - it gives its best when allowed patience.

Thanks boys - outside in the cold - just like you fellas!

It is refreshing ;)

Hi Reb. I know the taste/profile you speak of well, but I've never picked it up in Ledaig 10yo. I do have a Kilchoman 100% Islay and it's not enjoyable for me due to that very character! How interesting! It's like a wet hay, mulchy, sawdust-type note. I think this is perhaps influenced by the cut-point and I understand it's a batch-driven phenomenon. Hope you get to try Ledaig again to see if it's consistent to you. In recent times the range has been improved hugely across all Burns-Stewart distilleries, there was once an expression of Ledaig (NAS) which was nothing like the current 10yo, and closer to the style you speak of. Nàdurra is powerful! - I'd give that to a newbie with a warning and a jug of water on the side! Thanks Reb.

Wow, you have brought up a number of points here. I am on my 4th bottle of Ledaig 10 in 3 years or so. I have found it very consistent. I enjoy it a lot as a different type of Island peaty whisky. Yes, it’s the Burn Stewart 46.3% abv expression. Nevertheless, I have found that it’s signature character is very farmyardy. The Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th Edition is readily available here in Israel and actually cheaper here than in London. I tried the 4th Edition at the distillery and found it too young and new spirity. The 5th Edition I just loved and it is one of my all-time favourite single malts. I am on my 8th (9th?) bottle already. I love the stuff and have 3 bottles in the cupboard at the moment. I have never ever found any hint of farmyard with this whisky at all! How strange! Here is my review here: The Distillery Tour rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/kilchoman-distillery-tour-and-machir-bay.html Kilchoman 100% Islay 5th Edition Review rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.co.il/2016/01/kilchoman-100-islay-5th-limited-edition.html Here are my Tasting notes: English Digestive biscuits, Under ripe banana. Shortcake Butter fingers. After the earthy peat smoke has made "his" dramatic appearance it retires to the back somewhat to graciously allow its co-star, the delicate floral fruity nature of the whisky to take centre stage. Delicious notes of citrusy glazed lime peel come through, followed by Yorkshire Tea with full fat milk, vanilla custard and lemon and banana meringue pie filling with a touch of sea-salt crystals. The Finish leaves you with a satisfying long malty polished wood (think of a new mahogany dining room table in a furniture shop), soft heather honey, roasted citrus and banana on a barbeque with a generous sprinkling of a variety of dry spices. I have been nagging the Israeli importers to bring in the 100% Islay 7th Edition but so far no luck. By the way, I bought a bottle of the Kilchoman Cask Strength Quarter Cask at the distillery and am not too impressed with this finding it tastes too much of burnt wood ash and lacking the creamy butter and biscuits of the 100% Islay. Finally, we get to The Glenlivet Nàdurra Peated Cask. This is bottled at cask strength 61.5% abv. When I describe its character and flavour it is obviously with water! (I cannot understand why anyone would want to sit down and drink a Cask Strength malt straight from the bottle unless they are a recovering Meths-drinker?!) So, with water, it has a mildly coastal peaty ashy base with nose of sweet peat smoke and green apples and honey. However, this only supports the wonderful crispy green apples, honey and almond Country Breakfast cereal, smoky roasted barley grain, apricot jam on scones, milky fudge, furniture polish and wood spices. Now I find this whisky quite perplexing. If you would have asked me I would have said the casks were from Islay. Laphroaig or Bowmore. However, the official press release says that the casks are heavily peated from a Speyside distillery! This narrows down the options considerably. Pernod Ricard (Chivas Brothers), owners of The Glenlivet do not (as far as I am aware) own any distillery that produces heavily peated whisky. The only distillery they own that produces peated malt is Alt-a-Bhainne and they use malt at 10 PPM, hardly heavy! It therefore must be from distillery they don’t own. Candidates include Benromach, BenRiach, Glen Moray, Tomatin Cù Bòcan, Glen Rothes, Balvenie and of course the king of Speyside Peat Monsters, Old-Ballantruan (Tomintoul). Out of all of these, only Benromach (in my opinion), has a slightly coastal flavour. I even wrote to my Cask expert contacts in the Speyside region asking them if they knew but so far, no one has replied. The casks remain a mystery but I have not given up yet.

Reb Mordechai I sense a future sample exchange! 😀

What Sample do you want? I don't think it's very practical sending samples through the post from/to Israel but you are welcome to try. The only thing I have which you definitely will not be able to get in the UK is our newest whisky distillery here in Israel called "Milk and Honey" (I know it's a shmotzy name but I didn't choose it!). The distillery was designed by the late and great Doctor Jim Swan and produces around 1 Million litres / year. Their first bottling is amazing! It's called Milk And Honey "Young Single Malt" Batch #33. It cannot be called whisky because it's only 12 months in casks but wow, it's good! 12 months maturing in the hot and humid climate of Tel Aviv in First Fill American Ex-Bourbon casks, See my review here: rebmordechaireviews.blogspot.co.il/2017/07/milk-and-honey-young-single-malt-cask.html

Thanks Reb, I'd like to check it out. I hear you about the sample exchange and yes some countries it's tricky. I was kind of only half-joking though as I do enjoy trading samples, but my Kilchoman 100% is so famryard-y it's like a hamster cage compared to the sweetness and round mellow Ledaig 10, quite a contrast. However, one of the great things about whisky is the debate and subjective nature, as the owner of one of our local whisky bars says "It's a conversation in a glass" (Paul at the Bon Accord in Glasgow.)

Friends! Deal! thanks Harold

What I admire most about your vids(including the livestreams) is that they are not jejune. Always fun.

I love that I increase my vocabulary with each new comment from you! While I'll not always succeed, I'll try hard to never become jejune!

Thank you Mike!

Thanks for stopping by Keith! Ledaig yes, Aberfeldy no. Although it is a good price I feel like I'm getting to know your preferences and even if you find this at 43% export ABV (although it could still be 40%) I'd say spend elsewhere.

K....thanks for the tip:)

Unfortunately that Ledaig is hard to find for less than $60 stateside. Otherwise I'd have at least one in my stash.

Hogibaer sorry Hogi... No live tonight. Will be live next week 21st Dec...!