Honest whisky reviews without marketing nonsense

Glenlivet sells more Single Malt than almost any other distillery in the world – and does so with a house style that focuses on gentle 40% and subtle Speyside fruit. For the Cask Strength Collection, Signatory Vintage selected a single First Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt and bottled roughly the opposite: dark, powerful, 19 years old. And with a note that cannot be found on any Glenlivet label in the world: dark soy sauce. The second joint review by Sascha and Florian.

In New Orleans, the Sazerac is not a cocktail but an institution – and the Sazerac Company, which bears its name, now owns Buffalo Trace. This Rye is its house brand: an original bottling without an age statement, fondly called “Baby Saz” by collectors because the big brother Sazerac 18 from the Antique Collection is practically impossible to get. The question remains, one that arises with every affordable Rye: neat in the glass or rather in the mixing glass? For Sascha and Florian, it is their first joint review.

Ledaig is the smoky twin of the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull – long a hot tip for anyone after peated whisky away from Islay. This release comes from independent bottler James Eadie's "Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland Commemorative" series: distilled in 2020, bottled in October 2025, so just five years young, matured in one refill barrel and two refill hogsheads. Bottled at 52.6 % ABV cask strength and limited to 1,015 bottles. The second review by our tasters Florian and Lucas.

Glenburgie is a true Speyside workhorse: most of its spirit has always disappeared into blends, above all Ballantine's. Official single malts are accordingly rare, which makes independent bottlings like this one all the more interesting. Claxton's drew a single cask for its Exploration Series – distilled in 2015, bottled in 2025, matured for nine years in a fresh Tawny Port barrique (cask EXP1081) at 50 % ABV. It's also a little premiere: the first joint review by our two new tasters, Florian and Lucas.