Tag Archives: Speyside

Two New Releases from BenRiach

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By Mike Lord

Benriach 12 Years Old Horizons Triple Distilled

‘Horizons’ is quite an unique whisky for BenRiach and Speyside for that matter. It has been triple distilled.  The previous owners of BenRiach, Chivas Brothers, performed some experiments with triple distillation at BenRiach back in 1998 – why is not clear.  ‘Horizons’ is then finished for a minimum of 3 years in Oloroso Sherry butts (having started life in ex-bourbon casks).  It is aged over 12 years old, is non chill filtered, and is bottled at 50% ABV.

Tasting notes from Benriach:-

Nose: Roasted almonds and Brazil nuts. Hot, freshly buttered scones smothered in clotted cream. Sweet heather honey adds an extra luxurious contribution.

Taste: Vibrant and wonderfully fresh. Huge nutty characteristics right from the start including peanuts, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts. A slice of sweet creamy oak and honey brings balance to the equation.

Benriach 15 Years Old Solstice Peated Port Finish

‘Solstice’ is a heavily peated BenRiach which started off life in ex-bourbon barrels, and has then been finished in Tawny Port Pipes.  Great that port pipes have been used for this.  Benriach say that what makes this release so special is that these casks are some of the best they have in the warehouse – they are simply sensational. Both Billy Walker, master blender, and Stewart Buchanan, distillery manager, have identified these casks as exceptional.  Stewart told me that he is particularly pleased with this one.  After all, peat and port is always a winner.  ‘Solstice’ is aged over 15 years old, is non chill filtered, and is bottled at 50% ABV.

Tasting notes from Benriach:-

Nose: Benriach: Rich wood smoke with ladles of sweet peat. Home made raspberry jam and spiced fruit shortcake. Spicy and big.

Taste: Benriach: Massive peat and wood smoke flavours partner a base of soft red fruits and autumn spices - cloves and cinnamon specifically. Very bold and intense characteristics.


The Whisky Shop Dufftown's Second Bottling - Caperdonich 1972 37 Years Old

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By Mike Lord

Bottling No 2 is now ready to buy!

With the help of our inside man at Duncan Taylor we were able to liberate a small amount of Caperdonich from a single ex-Bourbon cask saving it from being Octaved.  It certainly didn't need it!  This is one of the best Caperdonich's I've had showing all the complexity of a well aged whisky from a Bourbon cask.

During the last few weeks a liberation tunnel was dug into the warehouses of Duncan Taylor while our inside man tunnelled out.  He could occasionally be seen walking around the Duncan Taylor warehouse scattering the soil from the tunnel onto the warehouse fall.  When challenged by the Duncan Taylor guards he cleverly claimed to be creating a traditional dunnage style warehouse.  Genius!

When we finally got the whisky out it was a fast motorbike ride (well trip in the van) and a stunning leap over the Deveron to avoid  the boarder patrols and get the whisky to Dufftown.

Nose: Tropical fruits - mango, pineapple, banana and peaches with pencils, wood shavings, tablet and toffee wrappers. A tropical fruit salad in a wooden bowl.

Taste: Citrus, candied lemon and then the more tropical notes re-emerge with more mango and banana. Also a little salt and pepper.

Finish: Intense tropical notes with a spicy kick. Reminiscent of a Pineapple Daiquiri.

The WSD Caperdonich 1972 37 Years Old £125.00

PS: Plans for bottling number 3 are well on their way.

The WSD Caperdonich 1972 37 Years Old

Glendronach Single Cask Releases Batch 2

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Still catching up with the new stock in the shop!

We now have in stock 6 of the Glendronach single cask whiskies from their second release.  They are all stunners and all from sherry casks.  In short supply so get them while you can!!!

Glendronach 1993 17 Years Old from a single Oloroso Sherry Butt @ 60.5% (£66.95)

Glendronach 1991 18 Years Old from a single Pedro Ximinez Sherry @ 51.7% (£69.95)

Glendronach 1990 20 Years Old from a single Oloroso Sherry Butt @ 57.9% (£78.75)

Glendronach 1989 20 Years Old from a single Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon @53.2% (£77.50)

Glendronach 1978 31 Years Old from a single Oloroso Sherry Puncheon @ 51.2% (£164.00)

Glendronach 1971 39 Years Old from a single Oloroso Sherry Butt @ 48.8% (£310.00)

Glendronach 1971 39 Years Old

The WSD Challenge 2010

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This was another very competitive competition.  Independent Bottlers entered their whiskies in to 2 categories: Speyside; and The Rest of Whisky.  The winners, voted for by attendees at The Whisky Shop Dufftown during the Spirit of Speyside Festival were:

Speyside

First place: Old Malt Cask Probably Speyside's Finest 1967 41 Years Old (Jan Beckers)

Second place: Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Glen Grant 1987 22 Years Old (Mark Watt)

Third place: Tie between Weymss Spiced Apples (Susan Colville) and Adelphi Glenallachie 1973 26 Years Old (SOLD OUT)

The Rest of Whisky

First Place: Adelphi Bunnahabhain 1968 41 Years Old

Second Place: Mackillops Bowmore 1989 (IN STOCK SOON)

Third Place: Douglas Laing Big Peat.

The winner of the competition for the best tasting note was by Ed Velthuizew from Holland.  His prize was a bottle of his favourite whisky from the challenge which was the Adelphi Bunnahabhain.

Michael Lord

New Stock in from Duncan Taylor & Co

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The following single malt whiskies and single grain whisky have just arrived in from Duncan Taylor

Rare Auld Caperdonich 1972 27 Years Old #7414 (£132.95)

Another amazing Caperdonich from Duncan Taylor.  Think a bag of boiled sweets fruit flavoured.

Rare Auld Glen Moray 1973 36 Years Old #7037 (£95.95)

The most complex Glen Moray I have ever had.  Well worth the money.  You could contemplate the world with this dram but also enjoy it on a warm sunny day in the garden.

Rare Auld Glen Grant 1987 22 Years Old #44648 (£64.95)

A big sherried whisky from Glen Grant.  It's a game of two halves with big sherry on the nose and more sponge cake and jam in the mouth.  Stunning.

Rare Auld Caol Ila 1988 25 Years Old #6275 (£88.50)

Old Caol Ila's are almost always great and this is no exception

Rare Auld Carsebridge 1979 30 Years Old #33043 (£73.95)

A first rate grain.

By Mike Lord

Lots of New Exciting Single Malt Releases and more

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There have been quite a few new bottlings for single malt whisky into the shop over the last week or two.

Kilchoman Spring Spring 2010 Release £45.95

The latest release from Kilchoman.  This one has been matured in a combination of fresh and refill bourbon barrels for 3 years then finished in 'very active' oloroso butts for 3 and a half months.

Kilchoman Spring 2010 Release

Three New Realease from Adelphi

Adelphi Bunnahabhain 1968 41 Years Old £137.95

From 2 European Oak Sherry Butts.  This is a fabulous old whisky. A real stunner.

Adelphi Longmorn 1992 17 Years Old £75.95

On the nose tomatoes, peaches. A background wisp of smoke. On the palate it is rich, creamy with treacle and toffee.  Probably the best Longmorn I've had.

Adelphi Macallan 1995 14 Years Old £69.95

A great cask strength Macallan from a refill sherry cask with Sweet. Malt. Madeira cake. Gariboldi biscuits. Raisins. Sun dried tomatoes.

See all Adelphi bottlings

And from Wemyss Vintage Malts

"Honey Smoke" Caol Ila 1996 £78.95

An acceptional Caol Ila.  Orange Muscat on fire.

"Spiced Apples" Benrinnes 1995 £46.95

A great Benrinnes from a refill sherry hgshead.  Probably my favourite of the bunch.  On both the nose and the palate there's just different layers of spice and apples.

"The Fruit Bowl" Glen Garioch 1989 £66.50

This does what it says and its all about fruit salad from a wooden bowl.

"Tropical Spice" Dalmore 1990 19 Years Old £71.95

This is the Wemyss bottling that so many are raving about. From a first fill sherry butt.  The nose is Brandy snaps and fig rolls.  The taste is chocolate cake in Cognac.

And for something different:

Darnley's View Gin £19.95

A fabulous gin from Wemyss.  The two main botanicals of Elderflower and citrus really standout producing a gin that already smells like gin and tonic.



New Releases of Single Malt Whisky from Adelphi Distillery Ltd

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Adelphi
Adelphi Logo

Always first class whiskies, here are the new releases from Adelphi Distillery now available at The Whisky Shop Dufftown.

Ardbeg 1998 11 Years Old 57.9% Cask #1981

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Breath of Speyside 1991 18 Years Old 54.3% Cask # 5142

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Bunnahabhain 1997 11 Years Old 58.6% Cask #5368

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Caol Ila 1982 27 Years Old 57.6% Cask #688

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Linkwood 1984 25 Years Old 56% Cask #1623

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The Whisky Shop Dufftown Challenge 2009

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Each year I ask independent bottlers to enter whiskies into 2 categories: Speyside and The Rest of Whisky. During the festival these are available to taste and festival goes are asked to vote for their favourite in each category.

Speyside: Joint Winners: Adelphi Glen Grant 23 Years old Cask #10197 & Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 1976 32 Years Old. Rest of Whisky: Winner: Duncan Taylor Black Bull 30 Years Old Runner-up: Adelphi Cameronbridge 30 Years Old Cask #5