Reviews

The German Independent Bottler Anam na h-Alba from Oberhausen proudly labels itself as "The Soul of Scotland." Hence, it was quite surprising when we stumbled upon a Kentucky Straight Bourbon bottled by them. The label promises a just shy of four years old Single Barrel bottling from Owensboro, seemingly distilled by Green River Distilling from Owensboro, Kentucky. Let's dive into what this cask-strength whiskey has to offer.

Balcones use several types of rye in the mash for their Texas Rye. These include Elbon rye from the north-west of Texas as well as crystal, chocolate and roasted rye.

Founded in 2017, Torabhaig is only the second distillery on the Isle of Skye, alongside the famous Talisker distillery. Built by the independent bottler Mossburn, it produces peaty single malt whiskies. Since 2021, small batches have been released as part of the Legacy Series. The Allt Gleann Legacy Series is only the second of these bottlings. Torabhaig demonstrates its integrity here: no filtration, no coloring, and a wonderful 46% ABV.

The Gutshofbrennerei Begatal has been producing whisky hyperlocally since 2016. Only raw materials from the Lippe region are used. The family tree of the family business can be traced back to 1284 - the building in which the distillery was built has been standing since 1535.

The distillery Loch Lomond, named after the famous lake it resides by, is nestled in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Renowned for its versatility, it produces a wide range of whiskies: from smoky single malts distilled in pot stills, grain whiskies produced on Coffey stills, to even the "Glen's Vodka". Today, we sample the Loch Lomond 18 Year Single Malt, one of their flagship releases.

The distillery Springbank is one of the few remaining Scottish distilleries that have not been acquired by any major corporation. Additionally, it is one of the few distilleries in the historic region of Campbeltown. Known for its traditional production methods and its distinctive, artisanal heritage, Springbank has been hard to overlook recently. Today, we're tasting the 15-years expression.

The 10-years single malt whisky from the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown, Scotland, has been the talk of the town in recent years and has experienced a real hype - unfortunately also in terms of price. In the meantime, the hype is slowly dying down and you can now and again get hold of a bottle at the RRP (yes, that's also high).

Green Spot, an Irish single pot still whiskey, invites connoisseurs on a journey through the lush landscapes and vibrant flavours of Ireland. With its roots in Midleton's distilling heritage, this expression promises a flavour of tradition with a modern twist.

Very good spirits are known to come from the Henrich distillery. The Gilors 10 Year PX Sherry, a whisky from this very distillery, was bottled in 2021 at 60.1% ABV after maturing for 3 years in an ex-islay cask and 7 years in a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask. 10-year matured single malts from Germany are still rare at the moment.

It's not every day that you get the chance to taste a 1982' Port Ellen (with no further age statement). So we are all the more delighted to be able to taste such a special dram. The distillery has not produced whisky since 1983, and a reopening is planned for this year. Getting hold of bottlings - especially at reasonable prices - is almost impossible at the moment.

Springbank has been the talk of the town in recent years. Now that prices have slowly normalised, one could almost dare to buy a bottle of the 10 years or even reach for the cask strength? However, if you want to get to grips with the Campbeltown region, there is - alongside Glen Scotia - the Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt, which is released almost every year. Today we have the 2023 version in our glass.

Matured 75% in bourbon barrels and 25% in sherry casks, the Bunnahabhain 12 Years is bottled at a decent 46.3% ABV. Nice for a standard, by the way: no colouring or chill-filtering was used.