Reviews

Knockando 12 is considered the classic entry-level single malt, representative of Speyside, with a fruity, nutty flavour profile. As part of the Classic Malts Selection, it becomes even more interesting when viewed in the context of the full lineup. Knockando mainly produces malts for blends. Nevertheless there are some own bottlings which are traded under the name of the distillery Knockando (Gaelic for: Little Black Hill).

The rye for the rye whiskey from Stork Club is harvested in one of the largest rye-growing areas in Europe, namely in the German state of Brandenburg.The Rye whiskey matures in barrels made of American and German oak, which have been burnt out to different degrees. It is advertised as the perfect Rye for cocktails - is that true?

You hear a lot of good things about distilleries from the Scottish coastal town of Campbeltown in recent years. It's hard to have a conversation about Glen Scotia without someone steering the topic towards Springbank, which everyone agrees is better in every way. Is that really true?Double Cask is an NAS Scotch with Glen Scotia single malt matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and aged for up to a year in Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks. Up to one year - a wild time specification.

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 years is the youngest bottling from Balvenie's Core Range with an age statement. This malt matures in ex-bourbon casks and receives a subsequent post-maturation in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.The Balvenie distillery is located on the Speyside in Dufftown. It dedicates itself to the traditional production of Single Malts and is one of the few distilleries that still dries their (on-site grown) barley on its own malting floors.

For a long time, Clynelish produced almost exclusively for blends, among others for Johnnie Walker. As part of the Classic Malts Selection, it becomes even more interesting when viewed in the context of the full lineup. Meanwhile, a 14 and a 16 years bottling are offered. We take a look at what the younger of the two has to offer.The distillery run under the name Clynelish is actually still comparatively young. Clynelish was founded by the Duke of Sutherland in 1819 and was to be replaced by a new building in 1967. For a short time, Clynelish A (1819) and Clynelish B (1967) existed in parallel, with Clynelish A being renamed Brora after a short break in operations and the newer Clynelish B now being called Clynelish.

The blended Scotch Malt Whisky is supposed to be cheeky, at least that's what the name and label promise. The Scallywag is now available in a wide variety of editions and styles. We have the classic in our glasses.What could be better than a dog with a monocle as a bottle label? The blend from Speyside is decorative in its own peculiar way. It is said to contain Mortlach, Macallan, Glenrothes and a few more.

Talisker Port Ruighe was named after the port in the small harbour town of Portree (Gaelic: Port Righ), which was very important for trade with the island.Traditionally, the Talisker distillery matures whisky in port wine casks, which have been imported from Portugal via the "Port of the King" since the 19th century. Port wine was also traded through this port. The Talisker Port Ruighe is meant to bring back a piece from the past.

Often, the celebrities who give their names to spirits have nothing to do with it - this is not the case here. The drummer Shawn Crahan has blended the two varieties No. 9 and No. 9 Reserve. We have the No. 9 in the tasting.No. 9 was developed in collaboration with the Cedar Ridge distillery in Iowa and has become the distillery's best-seller nationwide. Cedar Ridge uses locally grown Iowa corn (51%) for their whiskeys, plus 35% malted rye and 14% malted barley.

The German distillery St. Kilian regularly releases its Signature Edition. Behind this 3-year matured single malt whisky is an exciting cask combination that can lead to an interesting result.The German Whisky from Upper Franconia was matured in bourbon barrels (62%), Sauternes barrels (27%) and casks made of Palatinate oak (11%). The Signature Edition is delivered in the usual pot-still bottle shape, which by now has a high recognition value.

Under the name Bulleit Diageo distributes a bourbon brand whose exact origin was unclear for a long time. With the 10-years bottling they offer one of the few core range Bourbons with an age statement.Until 2013, Bulleit was (allegedly) distilled by Four Roses for Diageo. Then in 2017, a Bulleit distillery was built in Kentucky. In between, there was also a Bulleit visitor center at the former Stitzel-Weller Distiller. What is no secret is the recipe for Bulleit: 68% corn, 28% rye and 4% malted barley.

The discounter LIDL has several single malts in its range, including the Ben Bracken Highland Peated, which is described as powerful and intense. We took a closer look at the whisky.LIDL does not reveal which distillery is behind Ben Bracken. All we know is that we have a whisky from the Highlands at a bargain price in our glass. The packaging is brown, which distinguishes it from the other whiskies in the series. There is also a Highland whisky, an Islay Scotch and a bottling from Speyside.

Glen Elgin, one of Scotland's lesser-known distilleries, has been distilling whisky since around 1900. As part of the Classic Malts Selection, it becomes even more interesting when viewed in the context of the full lineup. After being closed several times, the distillery has been producing its own bottlings since its reopening in 1998, in addition to a lion's share which is processed in blends.Apart from special releases and anniversary bottlings, the 12-years single malt is the only permanently available bottling of the distillery. A reason to try it.