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Exploring the world, one dram at a time. https://www.instagram.com/thewhiskynovice/

07/09/2024

Queen Vic and the rest of the new Shoulders of Giants range went down very well yesterday!
Looking forward to seeing some more of you today!

06/09/2024

It's time!
If you're here over the next three days, pop on over to the and stand to say hello, and of course, try some whisky!

06/09/2024

Kanosuke!
Last night was the official UK launch event for Kanosuke, and what a great evening it was!
Master distiller, Komasa-san, discussed how his family history of distilling shochu has had a direct impact on the whisky they make today, even using those shochu casks for their whisky maturation.

The geek in me was fascinated by their use of stainless steel stills, distilling under vacuum to reduce the boiling point and stop those volatile compounds that you'd usually need copper contact to remove.

We were treated to three distillery exclusive bottlings, never before seen outside of Japan, which showcase the individual components that go into their single malt. Whilst all three were nice, they were not as good as the final product, which just goes to show the craftmanship that has gone into the blending.

I'm really excited to start seeing more and more Kanosuke make its way over to UK shelves. If you get the chance, make sure you try their 2023 cask strength limited edition. I'm still trying to disect it in my brain a day later!!
//PRInvite

04/09/2024

It was great to see the recently re-opened (the old ) the other day! They've done a fantastic job with the re-fit.

While I was there, I may have had a sneaky sip of this 31 year old 'Vintage Causeway Reserve' from an undisclosed Irish distillery. If the word 'Causeway' wasn't a big enough hint at where it's from, then it sounds a bit like Smushmills...

This 'Smushmills' was incredible. A perfect example of the great 90's distillate that people often rave about, full of vibrant, ripe tropical fruits. A stunner of a dram!

03/09/2024

Yesterday, Tamdhu released the first bottle from their brand new Dedication collection.
The first release is a 43 year old whisky blended together from three oloroso casks from 1978 & 1979.

The release is limited to 100 bespoke crystal decanters and retails at £13,500.

As you'd expect, the whisky was stunning. I was taken by suprise by the complex array of fruity flavours. Light fruit notes like apricot jam joined the usual orange and molasses flavours, which you'd normally associate with oloroso.

One thing that was clearly noticeable was that it was not over sherried or over oaked. In fact, 'treated' us to a 1963, 61 year old cask sample, just to prove that older isn't always better, and the importance of cask management.

A big thank you to both and for giving me the opportunity to try this remarkable whisky.

//PRInvite

30/08/2024

Mermaid's Treasure 🧜‍♀️
Another dram from the last meet. This is the second small private cask I've had from and they've both been impressive!

29/08/2024

One of the standouts from last week's meet-up!
You don't see this very often these days. Part of the Icons of Arran Distillery range, the Golden Eagle was a fantastic tropical whisky, kinda like alcoholic Rubicon!

28/08/2024

Birth year Springbank!
When .auction reached out and offered me a sample of Springbank from 1992, my birth year, I could not reply to the email fast enough!

The bottling is from a private single cask which will gradually be sold via .auction . A 27 year old refill bourbon hoggie, distilled in December 1992, and bottled in March 2020.

It's actually the second time trying this particular cask after seeking it out on the .auction table at a festival a couple of years back!

N: Limoncello sorbet, pineapple, brandy snaps, and vanilla wafers. After the initial fruitiness, there's a freshness, cut grass, and Meadow flowers
P: Without wanting to use the cliché there is definitely some Campbeltown funk here.There's an industrial oilliness with notes of overripe and slightly mushy tropical fruit and mushroom soup. There's a nice maltiness too, digestive biscuits, hard boiled Iemon sweets, olive oil, pear skins, ginger ale and a gentle but persistant peat.

I know a few of those tasting notes might not sound great, but those who know Springbank will know what I'm talking about.

This is bloody delicious. I'm not sure I need to say much else.

//Gifted
#1992

26/08/2024

Another before and after style pair of bottles from
Fib are back with two new releases from the GlenAllachie distillery! Bottle number one, the Copper & Oak has been matured for 15 years in a sherry butt, whilst the Permutations has been given an additional finish in Palo Cortado sherry.

Copper & Oak
Nose: Juicy red fruits, to***co leaf, raspberries, grapefruit, and gummy bears.
Palate: Orange, fig, gooey chocolate brownies, ginger biscuits, and a slight 'gravy note. There's a woody finish, similar to chewing on a pencil!

Permutations
Nose: A lot of similar notes to the Copper & Oak. The red fruits have been joined by blackberries, the to***co leaf remains with a nutty, conker-like accompaniment, and the citrus has changed to be more orangey.
Palate: Chocolate flapjacks, milky coffee, orange cremes, trail mix, and spotted dick pudding. The ginger biscuits appear again, but specifically as Borders Dark Chocolate Ginger biscuits.

A great side-by-side showcasing how much a short finish can alter a whisky. The Copper & Oak needed just a touch of water to get it to open up, whereas the Permutations was great at full strength. I think for me, the Permutations suits my palate better, which is no suprise as I am a fan of Palo Cortado matured whiskies!

//Gifted

25/08/2024

Check out this awesome whisky journal!
When the guys from messaged me about test-driving their book, I jumped at the chance!
I'm a big spreadsheet geek, recording all sorts of details about every dram I've tried, but there's some things you can't fit onto a spreadsheet. The Whisky Journal provides a lovely visual representation of the dram with its aroma and flavour wheels and its colour chart, and it gives me a space to record tasting notes. The journal itself has a lovely feel to it.

If you haven't already, head on over to to hear his thoughts too!

23/08/2024

"Pleasantly Surprised"
I've not had many Miltonduffs. There's something about this distillery that just comes across as uninspiring, even the name just sounds meh (Sorry if you're a Miltonduffonian).
When people are asked their favourite of the 'lesser known' distilleries, they often mention Linkwood, Mannochmore, Longmorn or Teaninich, but I don't think I've ever heard someone say "I really like a Miltonduff".

This particular bottling appeared at last nights BYOB tasting. It took me be surprise. Proper old school sherry with a nose of dusty antique furniture. The sherry had obliterated most of the distilleries character (whatever Miltonduffs distillery character is anyway), but I liked it, and surely that's the most important thing.

22/08/2024

Another belter of a bourbon sampled at a couple of weeks back was this Cellar aged.

My new years resolution was to try more bourbon this year, and im slowly doing just that!
🥃

21/08/2024

The difference a bit of nice weather makes... ➡️
Wouldn't mind being sat beside a quiet lake with a dram right now!

This was a really special private cask bottling from

19/08/2024

A single cask from The Single Cask!
have kindly sent me this Royal Brackla to have a look at! I've been a fan of the previous bottlings I've had from The Single Cask. Their bottle design reappt stands out on the shelf, and the weighty nature of the glass gives a real premium feel. They've recently started focusing on Whisky and Food pairings with their new 'Foodie Cask Collection', so they have given some suggestions for this Royal Brackla, which I'll mention at the end.

This particular bottling had been matured in a refill butt for 9 years, having been distilled in 2015, and bottles at 57.6%.

As everything they release is single cask, that does mean that bottles are limited, so if you find something you really like, you might not be able to find it again!

Nose: Rock cakes, raisins, instant custard powder, buttery pastry, and lime curd with a mineralic/chalky note.
Palate: Savoury cronuts, naan bread, almond butter, pretzels, and more dried fruits with a finish of sea salt crackers and chamomile tea.

I'd be quite interested to know what sort of sherry was in this butt previously. The official tasting notes mention Manzanilla, and I'd expect this to be spot on with the saline, doughy, and chamomile notes.

The nose starts off quite gently, but the palate has taken on a lot of sherry notes. This may have been a refill, but I can't imagine the previous spirit was in that cask long judging by the flavours that are still showing.

A rather moreish dram that gets you chin scratching. The Single Cask suggest pairing this with seafood or sushi. However, being Midlands based, getting good seafood is a bit of a struggle. Perhaps I'll just try it with Fish and Chips.
//Gifted

17/08/2024

Absolute stunner.
I don't normally chase releases, but when I found out that the latest 18 was going to be completely ex-bourbon, I got a little excited. It's exactly as I hoped, full of that Springbank DNA from start to finish.

Big thanks to for this one, and for letting me take photos in their cellar (keep an eye out for some future content!). Was good to crack this open and share a dram with the great !

$It's time for something a little different!Deeds rum celebrates the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, the home of the Pontef...$

16/08/2024

It's time for something a little different!
Deeds rum celebrates the Yorkshire town of Pontefract, the home of the Pontefract cake (a small black disc-like sweet that tastes of liquorice, caramel and vanilla).

Apparently, back in the 1800s, someone decided to drop one of these black penny sweets into a tot of rum, and thus, the black rum blend was born!

now combine the flavours of the Yorkshire Penny with Carribean Rum to create their 'original black rum blend'.

I decided to use this rum in a Dirty Deeds, their take on the famous Dark n Stormy cocktail, floating the rum on top of ginger ale, lime juice and a splash of bitters. This worked really well, the liquorice combining nicely with the ginger and lime! I definitely preferred the Dirty Deeds to the rum straight, and since taking these photos, I have returned for a couple more!

//Ad

14/08/2024

Pappy. Worth the hype?
Back with another treat from my recent trip to
As part of a Bourbon night, G&G cracked opened three Pappys, the 10, 12 and 15 along side some other sortafter Bourbons (Blantons, Bookers, Sazerac etc.)

For me, I'm a big fan of the Pappy 15 on the very rare occasion you can find it at RRP (or reasonably priced for a glass like this was), however, to even suggest this is worth 4 figures is absolutely bonkers!

13/08/2024

The third and final bottle from the Sherry Collection is this 17 year old, 2006 vintage Pedro Ximenez finish.

The whisky spent the first period of its life in refill casks before an eight year finish in PX casks from the Toneleria Juan Pino cooperage in Montilla.

With only 2940 bottles available, this is the most limited out of the three editions.

Nose: Sweet. Figs, honey, grape soda, balsamic glaze, antique mahogany, and mocha with a side of coffee cake.
Palate: Big fruit cake notes, with more figs, raisins, and other dried fruits. Grilled grapefruit, traditional lemonade, treacle, brown sugar, steamed orange pudding, toffee sauce, and chocolate tort.

Tonnes of traditional PX notes with a citrusy twist. There's an underlying sweetness that prompts a lot of dessert based tasting notes! I can see myself turning to this one quite often as the colder months start to creep back in!

//Ad

12/08/2024

I finally got round to trying the latest Longrow!
I tried my hardest to get a bottle of this one after really enjoying the last couple of Longrow Reds. Turns out, this wasn't one of my favourites... I mean, it was good, but there's definitely been better! Perhaps this was the world's way of getting me to save my money?

Big thanks to for making this accessible for people to try! I'm glad I've now tried it, but the FOMO has disappeared for now.

11/08/2024

The first ever whisky to come out of the West Midlands!
Huge congratulations to the team at for such a historic milestone.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to be invited to witness the bottling of the West Midlands' first ever single malt whisky, along with the opening of their new distillery site.

After working through a few cask samples, I can say that this distillery has a promising future ahead! If you're not already doing so, drop them a follow and join them in their journey.

PS. How cool is that bottle design?!?
//PRInvite

11/08/2024

50 year old whisky!
What a way to start the day yesterday!
I managed to try four great whiskies at , including this 50 year old blended grain. It's so chewy!

The bonkers part about it was that it's the current members breakeven bottle. 50 yesr old whisky, for £7.50 a glass!!

What's the oldest whisky you've tried?

10/08/2024

Manzanillaaaaa!
The next bottle I want to talk about from 's The Sherry Collection is the 2014 10 year old matured in Manzanilla sherry butts.

After spending 8 years in refill casks to allow that Tomatin spirit to develop, the whisky was then moved into ex-Manzanilla butts for a two year finishing period.

Nose: Caramac bars!
Cinder toffee, butterscotch angel delight, dried fruits, sugared almonds, and salted nuts with a few floral notes.
Palate: Doughy. Brioche bread and warm bagels, dried chamomile, Garibaldi biscuits, and Eccles cake with a drying wood spice and a briney finish.

I must admit, I was a little dubious about this one. I was yet to find a Manzanilla matured whisky that I've really liked. I have now.

The spirit has really taken on that salty sea breeze note you get with Manzanilla sherry, creating an almost coastal whisky style feel (Those who know my palate know I love those notes!) The Caramac nose and the bready/doughy palate make for a great combination. I may need to get a couple more bottles of this one.

//Ad

08/08/2024

27 year old Glencadam!
Master Blender and all-round good guy treated a lucky few to a guided tasting of the new Glencadam 27 year old Reserva De Jerez.

The release is an Oloroso cask finish, spending its last 7 years in 2 Oloroso Butts having previously been in refill ex-bourbon. There's 1691 bottles available, bottled at 46%

Nose: Dusted chocolate truffles, cherry cola, orange peel, apricot, and thick caramel.
Palate: Pain au Chocolat, both on the palate, and as a texture, with that buttery pastry mouthfeel. Dried fruit scones, peach syrup, roasted chestnuts, and a splash of orange bitters. There's also a slight mulled wine vibe, probably more of a warm apple juice with cinnamon and star anise.

This whisky has everything you'd want from an old sherry cask without it flooding the spirit and becoming a sherry bomb. The Oloroso is clearly the main event, but elements of the Glencadam distillery DNA can still be found creeping in.

It truley is a great whisky, a real 'special occasion' dram. At around £700 a bottle, this unfortunately sits outside of my current whisky budget. I'd like to give an extra special thanks to the Glencadam team for allowing me to try such a special dram.

//Gifted

07/08/2024

It's Sherry Season!
After three years of the Countries Collections, have decided to go for something a little different!

The Sherry Collection is made up of three expressions, showcasing the unique influence of different sherries. Those whiskies are:
- 2014 10 year old matured in Manzanilla Butts
- 2008 15 year old matured in Palo Cortado Butts
- 2006 17 year old matured in Manzanilla Butts

I love a Palo Cortado matured whisky, so how about we start there?
Nose: Orange flavoured milk chocolate, sponge cake layered with vanilla buttercream and raspberry jam and honeycomb
Palate: Big savoury and nutty notes. Walnut whips, affogato, orange tart, roasted chickpeas, gruyere, and ginger beer with an almost leathery wood spice.

Which of the three would you be most keen to try?

//Ad

06/08/2024

"The inspiration for Oliver Twist came to me whilst drinking a single malt from West London" - Charles Dickens*

*There's a very small chance that Charles Dickens did not say this.

05/08/2024

Glasgow are back with two new Small Batch releases in the range!

Tokaji Cask Finish Batch 2 and Cognac Cask Finish Batch 2 follow on from two of their most popular predecessors, now proudly showcasing a six year old age statement.

The new Tokaji uses their unpeated single malt finished for a three and a half year period in Hungarian Tokaji wine casks.

The latest Cognac Cask finish is a combination of 5 casks, 3 unpeated and 2 peated, spending a total of three years and four months in those finishing casks having previously been in ex-bourbon.

Tokaji Cask Finish Batch 2
Nose: Fruit forward. Apples, peaches, grapes, and some tropical fruits with a honey sweetness and gentle cereal notes.
Palate: More tropicality with mango sorbet and pineapple juice, with a sweet treacle note, and a sweet but woody ginger spice. There's a slight grassiness to this too.

I've become a fan of Tokaji matured whiskies over the last couple of years, but they all seem to vary so much! The nose suggested a much fruitier palate, but the spice is a welcome addition, providing that extra layer.

Cognac Cask Finish Batch 2
Nose: A very light smoke. Pears, appleblossom, and sticky hoisin sauce with a sweet but slightly musty peat smoke.
Palate: More Orchard fruits. Baked pears with a honey glaze, candied walnuts, vanilla fudge, and luncheon meat. Again, with a sweet peat to finish.

Cognac casks are definitely growing on me, but im not quite there yet. The addition of peat brings something different to the table, and I like that. Although containing Orchard fruits in abundance, it's definitely much more than that.

Another solid couple of drams to the ever expanding portfolio. It's great to see them proudly showcasing that 6 year old age statement and really rolling with it. Saying that I'm excited about the distilleries future would be doing them an injustice. I'm excited about what they're doing right now.

//Gifted

04/08/2024

Rumour has it that there's some new bottlings on the horizon! I'm still working my way through their Manzanilla bottlings from a few years back!

03/08/2024

Few days off the 'gram due to sickness, but I'm back!
I took this .distillery peated with me to Wales. I forgot just how much I liked it until the Dr Swan launch night the week before. It works brilliantly in a highball too!

30/07/2024

I couldn't come to Wales and not pick up a bottle of Welsh whisky!
I popped into the shop in Portmadog yesterday, lots of different Welsh spirits including three .distillery small batches. There was an en-rye cask, Tawny Port and French wine, anyone who knows me, will know I can't pass up a Tawny Port Cask!

29/07/2024

Trip to a local Abbey ruins yesterday.

Picked up the new Paul Launois from last week. Still can't believe these guys have just turned 10 years old!

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Just Wow! This whisky bookcase from @gravitydrinks looks and feels fantastic! If you haven't already seen this set before, it is the Whisky Tour of the World from Gravity Drinks. It contains a selection of whiskies from all around the globe, including the UK, Australia, Sweden, India, and Peru. The wooden bookcase is handmade, housing 5 linen-bound books containing a host of surprises. The Whisky Tour of the World contains 24 x 50ml bottles, so (dare I mention the C word?) would make an ideal advent calender but would equally make a nice gift for someone looking to explore world whisky. As well as the whisky, encased in these 5 books are two whisky tumblers and an illustrated guide to everything within the box. A huge thank you goes out to Gravity Drinks for gifting me this truley epic set! #GravityDrinks #WorldWhisky #AdventCalender

The new Bushmills 15 Year Old! Aged in ex-Bourbon barrels before a finishing period in ex-cognac casks. I've been enjoying a few 'Grape and Grain' cocktails, a simple drink made with one measure of the @bushmillsuk 15 topped up with @fevertreemixers White Grape & Apricot and served over ice! It's super refreshing and perfect for the summer (if it ever gets here 😅) Keep an eye out for my tasting notes, which I'll be posting soon! (Also, how great is this press box??) //Gifted #Bushmills

Tomatin Brand Ambassador training day three: The Tomatin range & sensory assessments. @tomatinwhisky #Tomatin #Cubocan #ToWhatMatters

The @bladnochwhisky Vinaya What a fantastic looking presentation box! The Vinaya is a light and floral whisky, matured in both ex-bourbon and sherry casks. There's notes of green apple, cut grass and heather with the sherry casks providing some delicate nutty spice on the back end. For me, this is true Lowland style! //Gifted

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