Reviews

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The Deanston Distillery, located on the banks of the River Teith in the southern Highlands, is known for its unfiltered character and use of Scottish spring water. The Cask Hound has selected a special cask from the 2012 vintage and bottled it in 2024 after twelve years of maturation. The promise: pure Highland essence without compromise.

Billy Walker, the master of cask management, has once again demonstrated why his GlenAllachie bottlings are so highly regarded in the industry. With an impressive 57.2 per cent alcohol content and maturation in PX and Oloroso puncheons as well as Rioja and virgin oak casks, this Speysider is ready to show us what a real sherry bomb can be.

The Nikka distillery honours its founder with Taketsuru Pure Malt, a blend of various malt whiskies with no age statement, bottled at 43%.

In the world of whisky, unconventional paths often lead to the most exciting discoveries. For years, the Jameson distillery maintained a pragmatic relationship with the neighbouring Franciscan Wells brewery: the disused whisky casks found a second life there for stout maturation. But at some point, the question arose in Midleton as to whether this cycle could also work the other way round. What happens when whisky is allowed to mature in casks that were previously filled with dark stout?

Three exceptional casks come together here to form a spiritual trinity of intense flavour. The Cask Wizard, known for his uncompromising and polarising bottlings, has turned all the controls up to maximum and created a distillate that overwhelms beginners and fascinates connoisseurs.

Since 1995, a young distillery has been maturing on the Isle of Arran, which is now one of Scotland's most exciting destinations. This 25-years single malt represents not only a quarter of a century of cask ageing, but also the entire life story of a distillery that is almost as old as its product.

Mexico and whisky? To many, this initially sounds like tequila with a Scottish accent. However, the Destilería y Bodega Abasolo defies this expectation. In the heart of the Mexican highlands, it is not a classic single malt that is produced here, but a whisky based on nixtamalised corn – an ancient, traditional process used in indigenous cuisine.

The name sounds like a yodel after three pints of beer: UUAHOUUA! But this seven-years Austrian from the Wieser distillery is actually much more reserved than its name suggests. Matured in Pinot Noir barrels, it attempts to bridge the gap between whisky and wine. Spoiler alert: it ends up somewhere in the middle and can't quite seem to make up its mind.

Deep underground, where NATO secrets were once stored, liquid gold is now maturing. Whisky Bunker AG has taken advantage of an extraordinary maturation location for its second limited edition bottling: a former military bunker in the Odenwald forest, whose constant temperature and humidity create ideal conditions. The selected casks come from the exclusive vintage stock of St. Kilian Distillers and have undergone intensive development here.

When whisky romantics rave about the mist-shrouded Highlands and wax lyrical about centuries-old traditions, the Schlitzer distillery smiles mildly. Spirits have been distilled here since 1585 – although back then, no one had the crazy idea of producing whisky in Hesse of all places. That would take a few more centuries. Since 1983, the traditional distillery has been trying its hand at the Scottish supreme discipline, and the result is... well, the Schlitzer Single Malt Classic.

There are whiskies that tell stories – and then there are those that merge worlds. The Nc'Nean Aon Calvados 2017/2025 belongs to the second category. Originating from the young, ambitious distillery in the Scottish Highlands, this seven-years single malt presents itself as a fascinating experiment: matured in former Calvados casks, it combines the rugged beauty of the Highlands with the fruity sophistication of Normandy.