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Big Peat – Leiden Edition 2026
Douglas Laing likes to play with their Big Peat series, one of the cornerstones of the Remarkable Regional Malts range. Limited editions are often nicely themed, with the typical character in a Christmas or Sinterklaas disguise. Many places around the world also have their localised edition: Mount Fuji, Tirol, Haemeldaeme... you name it.For Whisky in Leiden 2026 , which takes place next weekend in a church in Leiden, they came up with a tequila finished version. Big Peat - The Leiden Edition (60,9%, Douglas Laing 2026, tequila cask finish, 256 btl.) Nose: lots of mineral notes, seaweed, damp soil, along with roasted lemons and kippers. Nice mentholated / camphory notes. Also bonfire ash and a slightly sweeter hint of vanilla and unripe peach. Light herbal undertones as well. Really good. There's a very light green / vegetal note but I'm not getting much of the expected agave. Mouth: big and punchy. Quite raw, with a lot of white pepper and fiery medicinal peat coming out. Lemon j
fromWhiskyNotes - news
Zodiac series: Clynelish, Glenlossie, Laphroaig, Croftengea
The Whisky Exchange presented a second quartet of whiskies from the Zodiac series . We tried four whiskies in February already - after this one more batch will follow. My own sign turns out to be translated as Clynelish... Clynelish 10 yo 2015 (52,8%, The Whisky Exchange 'The Zodiac' 2025, bourbon barrel #51246, 255 btl.) Nose: lots of crisp green apples and lemons, candle wax, along with subtle vegetative undertones. Light chalk. Perhaps a little pineapple or yellow plum. Then a little icing sugar and sweet cucumber lemonade. Mouth: a simple but very enjoyable combination of sweet and tart fruits (kiwi, banana, apple, gooseberry) with beeswax and a pinch of pepper. The cask made it a bit sweeter than I expected, but also really pleasant. Plain malty notes. Hints of vanilla and grapefruit. Finish: medium long, with added zesty notes and a subtle grassy touch along with sweet wax.Still young, so complexity is not the highest. That said, it's a perfectly lovable spirit with all the
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Aberlour Triple Cask
Aberlour Triple Cask has been around for a while, but we've never had it before. It was originally for the French market. The rest of the world got a Double Cask, or so it seems.The whisky has been matured in a combination of bourbon barrels, bourbon hogsheads and (European oak) oloroso sherry casks. I'm not sure I would count bourbon barrels and hogsheads as two separate casks...
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Bushmills / Cooley / Lochindaal (The Roots)
We're back with a selection from The Roots . There's another Cooley 2001 (similar to the ones we tried late 2025), a peated Bruichladdich 2010 and something that never goes by unnoticed: Bushmills 1991 .
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Glenfarclas 2015 (Spirit of Speyside)
A few weeks ago German reader Sven contacted me about a new Glenfarclas 2015 bottled for the Spirit of Speyside Festival. He asked me about the definition of a Matusalem cask : is this simply a brand name or also related to the size of the cask?Matusalem is a brand of sherry produced by González Byass. Until 2012 it could be called Amoroso or sweet Oloroso (with 25% PX added to it), but nowadays it's technically a Cream sherry. They use a series of biblical names for their oldest wines — Noé, Apóstoles, and Matusalem. All of them are aged well beyond 30 years in a solera system. While common at Dalmore for instance, the cask came to Glenfarclas as a second fill through a broker. Their normal supplier is José y Miguel Martin.The question about the size of the cask is also interesting. Note that Glefarclas released 803 bottles which equals around 562 litres. Most distilleries claim that a sherry butt only contains around 500 litres. It all depends what you call a 'standard butt'.
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North British 1991 (Thompson Bros for The Whisky Exchange)
Some time ago we had a Glen Scotia 2015 bottled by the Thompson Brothers for The Whisky Exchange . Today we're having a similar release, a single grain whisky from North British distillery. This 1991 vintage comes at merely 40.1% ABV.
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Bowmore 2007 / Armorik 2013 (Wu Dram Clan)
Another Bowmore already? Yes, why not. Wu Dram Clan is launching two new whiskies today and one is an 18 year old Bowmore . The other dram is a 12 year old Armorik from Warenghem distillery in France.There was an inofficial presentation at the Limburg Whisky Fair a few weeks ago but due to logistics issues things came a bit later. Check the Wu Dram Clan website for dealer information.
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Dallas Dhu, Benromach, Glenlochy (G&M CC Heritage)
Gordon & MacPhail is launching the Connoisseurs Choice Heritage Collection , a new way of celebrating George Urquhart. He launched the Connoisseurs Choice range in 1968, providing enthusiasts the opportunity to try whisky from distilleries that were rarely available as single malts. In a way the new Heritage series has a similar approach: when was the last time you tried a new Dallas Dhu or Glenlochy?For this occasion G&M is reviving the old map label which adorned the series between 1988 and 1996. For more information on the evolution of the series, check this WhiskyAuctioneer article.It's remarkable that most of the whiskies on offer today were already bottled as far back as 2021. I assume they are leftovers / reworks of previous bottlings, or simply casks with a very small yield that didn't have a clear destination at that time. Only 100 sets will be available, brought together in a nice wooden case. You can now register your interest to buy volume 1 - other volumes will follow late
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Bruichladdich Black Art Sapero
Black Art Sapero is the first expression in a new spin-off of the Bruichladdich Black Art series exclusive to global travel retail. It made its first appearance at Changi Airport in Singapore at the end of 2025 and was then listed in other airports. Future releases include Black Art Propheta and Black Art Empresse, scheduled for November 2026 and 2027 respectively.Black Art is about embracing the unknown, so the cask types used for this composition are undisclosed.
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Bowmore 2005 (The Whisky Jury)
I sometimes get the question 'which distillery should I look into?' and then Bowmore is always one of my answers. They've taken an impressive leap forward from the horrible violet-infused production and the mediocre wine finishes. A few years ago we started to see a new style of spirit, full of fruits, even tropical fruits. Today these can be found in several official bottlings. At the same time independent bottlers seem to have access to more Bowmore again, and seem to embrace the new style.At the Limburg Whisky Fair a lot of people talked about two Bowmore 2005 expressions, the one from TWA and this one from The Whisky Jury .
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Toro Albalá Amontillado 1951 (Decadent Drinks)
Decadent Drinks recently introduced a new series named Decadent Grapes . The first release is an Amontillado 1951 from Bodegas Toro Albalá. With this wine the bottler is venturing into the fortified wines of Andalusia for the first time. Toro Albalá is located in the Montilla region near Córdoba. They are best known for their high-age sweet PX wines, but they have dry styles as well. While most will link the name Amontillado to sherry wines, this is technically not a sherry. It is a separate denomination about 200 km further inland from Jerez. The wine Amontillado was named after this region, it literally means in the style of Montilla. Since their bodegas were so far from the shipping ports, Fino from Montilla inevitably underwent some oxidation along the way, becoming a style on its own. Locals think of this as the ultimate dry style because it combines the characteristic ageing under flor (usually around 8 years) with a (much longer) oxidative influence.It says 1951 but in fact at T
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Auchentoshan / Glen Keith (TWA & East Village Whisky)
The Whisky Agency ( founded 2008 ) teamed up with East Village Whisky Company ( founded 2018 ) to celebrate their anniversary. I reckon we're talking about Carsten and Peter's personal anniversaries then. I'm terrible at guessing ages but I think they could be the same age indeed. They selected two bottlings, both similar to previous TWA releases. Auchentoshan 25 yo 1999 (50,6%, The Whisky Agency 'Birthdays United' for East Village Whisky Co 2025, barrel, 120 btl.) Nose: forthcoming, with lots of yellow fruits. Peaches, some lime, later also mango and a bit of honey roundness. Drops of tropical fruit syrup. Then subtle hints of beehive notes and sunflower oil, along with dandelions and powdered sugar. Light vanilla. Much better than your typical Auchentoshan, ha! Mouth: more oranges, or rather tangerines, with mangoes. It gets more zesty after that, with candied grapefruit, some gingery notes and a greener, light bitter edge. Subtle gin botanicals. Then green malty notes, a light
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Longrow 23 Year Old Cadenhead / 100° Proof (2026)
Here were have two recent Longrow expressions. The first is a 23 year old sherry cask from Cadenhead's Original Collection . A semi-official release so to speak.After that we have a true official bottling: the second release in the new Longrow 100° Proof series. We had the first batch (Pinot Noir) last year. I still don't understand why the name Longrow Red had to change if it's still about red wine casks after all. Longrow 23 yo (43,7%, Cadenhead's Original Collection 2026, Oloroso sherry hogshead) Nose: smoked fruit. Big hints of strawberry jam, blackberries and cherries. This comes with mild sooty notes and a nice dustiness, old leather and hints of cigar boxes. Then caramelized almonds, tobacco leaves, dark cocoa and prunes. After a while it comes closer to Springbank, with more brightness and a nice citrusy side. Mouth: a rather waxy fruitiness, not unlike those 1991 Laphroaigs of late. Some medicinal notes, becoming a little bittersweet and tangy. A winey touch, but nothing
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Milroy’s of Soho: Ben Nevis, Clynelish, Tun 89…
Milroy's of Soho just released a new batch with four single malts and one single grain whisky. There are a couple of interesting things, starting with a 0 year old Clynelish (new make spirit indeed). There's also a very old teaspooned Speyside malt and a 43 year old North British.
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Arran 10 Years ‘Arran Barley’ #001 (Optic)
Local Barley is a thing these days, taking inspiration from Springbank and from the wider interest in heritage grains and terroir-driven whisky. Today's dram is a 10 year old Arran, the first edition of the Arran Barley series .The Optic barley was grown at Bellevue Farm by the Currie family. It matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and second-fill sherry hogsheads, in proportions similar to their classic 10 year old expression. From now on they will release an annual bottling showcasing different barley varieties and cask types.
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Cognac Prunier 1989 / Delamain TV RES (Malternative)
I met Pieter and Ysatis of Malternative Belgium in Limburg again, where they showed off two of their latest releases. Unbelievable how so many whisky enthusiasts are still actively avoiding cognac for different reasons, one more stupid than the other. Anyhow, we won't go into that today.The first release is the Prunier 1989 bottled for the second Gastronomic Waves dinner. The other is a new Très Vieux Réserve release from Delamain . We've seen several of these before - this one is bottled as a festival edition. Not just for Limburg, it was presented at different festivals where they had a stand. Both are now also available in their webshop. Prunier 1989 - Petite Champagne (60,9%, Malternative Belgium ‘Gastronomic Waves #2’ 2026, 50 btl.) Nose: highly polished, with a little cellulose varnish and furniture polish. Some roasted nuts and tobacco, as well as stewed figs underneath. After a while the base aroma moves to aromatic fruits, especially lychee. This is underlined by some yl
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Pittyvaich, Glenturret, Tamnavulin… (Decadent Drinks)
We're having new releases from Decadent Drinks today. The first is the second bottling in the hipflask series The Teuchter , after the Highland Malt 17 Years.Then we have three Whiskyland releases from second-tier distilleries, let's say. Glenturret, Tamnavulin and Pittyvaich aren't exactly names that trigger my attention right away. All of them are well-aged though, distilled in 1990 or 1991.A peated Knockdhu 2006 is the surpring encore.
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Caol Ila / Bowmore (Douglas Laing Old Particular)
There appears to be a subset of the Old Particular range from Douglas Laing, called The Islay Collection . It celebrates the smoky reputation of the island. Especially in The Netherlands they've made quite a bit of noise about it.Douglas Laing started this series with three finished whiskies (2x port and 1x tequila). If it's really a celebration of the classic Islay character, then why not showcase it in a natural state?
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2x Islay Malt 1991 (The Whisky Jury)
Among the latest bottlings from The Whisky Jury there were two 1991 Islay Malts . One is a general release and the other is for friends: Passion for Whisky in The Netherlands and Lucky Choice in Australasia.I tried both at the Limburg Whisky Fair last weekend and they were really good.
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The Macallan Cherrywood Lapsang Tea
In the summer of 2025 The Macallan released two whiskies in collaboration with JING Tea . Both are part of the Harmony Collection - this time inspired by tea. There's Phoenix Honey Orchid Tea (oolong from Guandong) and this Organic Cherrywood Lapsang Tea , a reinvention of Lapsang Souchong.The whisky comes primarily from European oak sherry seasoned casks, complemented by American oak casks.
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Bowmore 2005 / 2x Ben Nevis 1996 (The Whisky Agency)
The first stand that I visited at the recent Limburg Whisky Fair was The Whisky Agency . To say hello to organisers Meike and Carsten, but also to have a look at their latest selections of course. It was an impressive line-up, nicely presented in wooden display holders.
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Lagavulin 15 Years (Feis Ile 2025)
Moscatel is one of the key wines of Andalusia. Just like in the sherry region, Málaga also uses Pedro Ximénez and Muscat grapes to create sweet wines. While PX is more common to Jerez, Málaga is well known for its Moscatel.These Moscatel casks were used by Lagavulin to finish its Feis Ile 2025 bottling, a 15 year old whisky. I believe the last Feis Ile release we tried from them was the 2021 Port cask finish.
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Glenkinchie 2008 / Caol Ila 2007 (DeinWhisky)
We received a package with two new releases from Sansibar . These are white label bottlings exclusively available from DeinWhisky , from Glenkinchie and Caol Ila distilleries. Both whiskies are 18 years old and come from a sherry cask but with a clearly different cask influence. Glenkinchie 18 yo 2008 (54,1%, Sansibar for DeinWhisky.de 2026, Oloroso sherry hogshead, 273 btl.) Nose: a juicy style of sherry, with sweet and sour berries at the fore. Damsons, sour cherries, hints of strawberry jam. This is lifted by some cinnamon and peppermint, leading up to subtle floral top notes. Then light cocoa and herbal honey. The fruitiness and elegance are quite excellent. Mouth: now clearly more spicy and even a little tannic. There are dried herbs and drops of strong coffee along with plain winey notes. Also toffee sweetness, red fruits again (plums and cranberry) with some mint chocolate. Finish: medium to long, with a peppery and floral note as well as some citrus and toffee.Although it
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Lucky Choice: Imperial, Talisker, Springbank
At the recent Limburg Whisky Fair I met some Asian friends. At the same time some of them didn't manage to reach Germany because of the silly war and transport problems. Lucky Choice's Rafael was one of them, but some of his samples travelled with others and managed to reach me nonetheless.Recent bottlings include Imperial, Talisker and Springbank. Check their website for more information.
fromWhiskyNotes