Reviews

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.

From the Yamazaki distillery, pioneer of Japanese whisky, there are some high-priced bottlings. Named after the region, the Suntory Yamazaki distillery is both the best known among Japanese whisky distilleries and number one in production volume and exports.The blended Suntory Hibiki Harmony comes in a wonderful bottle. The 24 indentations each represent an hour of the day and each month of the Japanese lunar calendar. The bottle label is made of handmade paper and radiates an especially high quality. We are curious about the content.

The discounter LIDL has several single malts in its range, including the Ben Bracken Speyside, which is described as light and fruity. 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 Scottish Speyside at a bargain price in our glass. The packaging is dark red, which distinguishes it from the other whiskies in the series. There is also a Highland peated, a Highland unpeated and an Islay Scotch.

In addition to all the single malts, every now and then there is a single grain Scotch whisky that wants to be tasted. Mossburn, a relatively unknown brand in Germany, bottles Whiskys from all regions of Scotland.This bottling No. 24 is from a grain distillery in Edinburgh - North British. This distillery produces primarily for blends and is the main component of many of the world's best-known brands of blended Scotch whisky. Reason enough to try the raw material.

The Oban distillery is one of the oldest, one of the smaller and one of the few distilleries in Scotland that produces whisky close to the coast. As part of the Classic Malts Selection, it becomes even more interesting when viewed in the context of the full lineup. The Oban 14 is, apart from a special release and a limited edition, the only Oban with an age statement.As you would expect with an age of almost a quarter of a millenium, the distillery has had several owners and has had to be foreclosed on twice. For a time it even belonged to the Patterson brothers, the perpetrators of the eponymous catastrophic collapse of the whisky industry in the late 1800s.