Reviews

The Isle of Jura, a remote island on the west coast of Scotland, is known for being the only distillery to trade under the same name. The Jura 10 Years is a whisky that reflects both the wild nature of the island and the artisan tradition.

The Irish Teeling Distillery is releasing the third part of its Wonders of Wood series in Germany today. After Chinkapin Oak (Part 1) and Portuguese Oak (Part 2), the next cask from Northern Europe is now selected: Virgin Swedish Oak. The recipe is supposedly simple: the triple-distilled single pot still Irish whiskey, made from 50% malted and 50% unmalted barley, matures for an unknown number of years exclusively in barrels of a rare Swedish white oak. The whiskey is bottled non-chill-filtered at an alcohol strength of 50%. We are very curious to see what influence the wood has had on the distillate. Speaking of wood: Teeling works together with the Tree Council of Ireland and actively cares for the wood stock of native trees.

The Dailuaine 2012/2022 #308764 from Signatory Vintage, bottled exclusively for Kirsch Import, was bottled at 59.20% and matured for 9 years. The Speyside distillery Dailuaine has positively surprised us in recent years. This time too?

Of course we also buy whisky on holiday. On our last holiday in France, a small corner wine shop recommended the Beauchamp Whisky Pur Malt. The whisky comes from the Bercloux Distillery and shows that France has more to offer than just wine and cognac. But how does this French exotic perform in the glass?

The Miltonduff Signatory Vintage 2009/2021 is a representative from the Speyside region in Scotland. Bottled by the independent bottler Signatory Vintage, this whisky matured for 11 years and has an alcohol content of 46% ABV. The Speyside region is known for its accessible and often fruity whiskies, which makes this drop particularly interesting for beginners. But can this whisky really convince?

In the world of whisky, there are a few names that immediately stand for quality and innovation. Kavalan, a Taiwanese distillery, has firmly established itself among the best whisky producers in the world in recent years. The Kavalan SOLIST Fino Sherry Cask in particular has attracted the attention of whisky connoisseurs worldwide with its exceptional maturity and impressive depth. In this review, we take a closer look at this fascinating single malt.

You might think the glass is empty - that's how transparent the Big Peat Small Batch Release from Douglas Laing's is. But don't be fooled! But waiting in this glass is an exciting Islay experience.

Balcones Brimstone is an exceptional whisky that is smoked using a special method known as the "secret process". Unlike conventional methods, the already distilled product is smoked with sun-dried Texas Schurwald oak rather than the grain. This 100% blue corn whisky is aged for less than 2 years.

When you hear ‘Travel Exclusive’, you immediately think of something special, something that you can only get hold of with difficulty when travelling, don't you? Well, the Speyburn 16 years fulfils this claim... but not in a positive sense.

In recent years, the small distillery in the north-west of Scotland's Speyside has gained more and more popularity. The Benromach 10 offers a good and affordable entry.Benromach, now part of the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, is committed to traditional craftsmanship. They believe that making whisky by hand guarantees real character. Benromach only uses first-fill casks for their whiskies: for the 10-years, 80% are bourbon barrels and 20% Spanish sherry casks. The pleasantly simple and uncluttered packaging and bottle design runs through all age groups.

The Balcones Bourbon Ratafia Champenois Cask T-053 is a whiskey that impresses with an exciting cask finish. Produced in the United States, it combines the robust tradition of American bourbon with an exquisite finish in a Ratafia Champenois cask. This bourbon begins its life with three years of maturation in new oak barrels, followed by 52 months of refinement in the special Ratafia Champenois barrel. This results in an abv of 55.2% and a total ageing period of six years.

The Hardenberg distillery in southern Lower Saxony produces German whisky, which they distribute under the name Beverbach. In a regional collaboration with the Einbecker brewery, today's whisky was further matured after aging in ex-bourbon barrels in former Bock beer casks. Distilled from 100% local wheat malt, they follow a field-to-glass approach here. We're tasting what this locally sourced dram, limited to 1500 bottles and aged for 5 years, has to offer.

The distillery, built in 1935, is the largest distillery in Louisville. However, unlike many other bourbon distilleries, only two bourbons are still produced here today. The first is the Old Forester, which inherited its name from the Forester distillery that used to be not far away. The second and far more famous bourbon is Early Times, whose name is also borne by the distillery. Old Forester is the only bourbon that was continuously distilled by the founding family before, during and after Prohibition.

The independent bottler Adelphi has been a staple of high-quality whiskies for many decades. To meet the high demand, they opened the Ardnamurchan Distillery in 2014, returning to their roots as distillers. Recently, a Blended Malt has found its way into Adelphi's portfolio with Maclean's Nose. With a malt content of 70%, and bottled following Adelphi's classic philosophy of no added coloring or chill filtration, "the Nose" aims to impress.

Bit by bit, as the St. Kilian distillery in Rüdenau continues its presence, we're seeing older releases emerge. Today, we sampled an 8-years Ketterer x St. Kilian from the X-Series, named after the customs numbers of the barrels containing foreign wash. The wash for this single malt was sourced from the Ketterer family brewery, the former domain of Master Distiller Mario Rudolf. Unusually for St. Kilian, this whisky isn't a marriage of fully matured spirits. Instead, it has been re-racked, spending portions of its maturation in ex-bourbon and ex-Sauternes barrique casks.

The Compass Box Celestial is a fascinating blend that combines the best characteristics of Caol Ila, Ardbeg, Cameronbridge and Port Dundas. This masterfully composed whisky brings together the characteristic aromas and flavours of these renowned distilleries and offers an unparalleled enjoyment experience. In this review, we delve into the complex and multi-layered characteristics of this unique blend.

The Teeling Riesling Cask in the Grand Cru Edition 2021 is the third edition of the collaboration between the Irish distillery and the German Reichsrat von Buhl winery. After maturing in ex-bourbon casks, the Irish whiskey has been refined for 18 months in selected Grand Cru Riesling casks.

This Highland single malt from the Fettercairn distillery matured in various cask types. These include former bourbon casks and first fill port casks. Fettercairn regularly releases new batches of the core bottling. Here we have the 4th batch / 2023.

Glenfarclas 15 years is a whisky that embodies the spirit of independence. As a traditional single malt from the Speyside region, which has been run by the Grant family for generations, it stands for quality and authenticity. A true classic.

The Haran 12 Years Sherry Cask Finish raises the exciting question: Spanish single malt - what is it? With this question in mind, we can look forward to the flavour experiences of this whisky. The combination of Spanish origin and sherry cask finish promises an interesting and possibly surprising tasting experience.

The Sicilian Fruitcake from The Cask Wizard is a fascinating whisky matured in the rare White Marsala Cask. The cask was pre-aged for 15 long years with the Sicilian liqueur wine Marsala.

LIDL's The Targe 1994 is an interesting grain whisky that takes the limelight thanks to its maturation and attractive competitive price. This whisky offers a wealth of aromas and flavours that make it a remarkable offering in the LIDL whisky range.

We speak for ourselves and probably for many others: We didn't realise that whisky comes from South Africa. And we were even less aware that this single malt whisky is smoky and yes - small spoiler - it's really not bad!

In the limited Wood Collection, GlenAllachie showcases the effect that different types of sherry can have on whisky maturation. They transferred their Single Malt, aged for 6.5 years in ex-bourbon casks, into casks previously filled with different sherries: Fino, Amontillado, and Oloroso. After a total maturation period of 9 years, all three variants were bottled at 48%, without coloring or chill filtration. On invitation from Kirsch Import and Billy Walker himself, we had the pleasure of comparing these three bottlings side by side, focusing on how cask management and selection influence the aroma.