A light golden dram that promises much and then delivers

Matured in bourbon casks before finishing in Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez Sherry casks which gives it a magnificent golden colour

The nose gives lots of caramel and chocolate milk with a wee nip of spice

The spice is very evident on the palette, it’s a real “nip” of cinnamon which is accompanied by brown sugar, Christmas cake depth and sweet orange. There’s also a bit of maltiness there too

The finish is long and very pleasant with that cinnamon nip and a dark chocolate with orange and a nutty edge

It’s a great dram with a wee bite and very reasonably priced too

Sláinte mhaith 🥃

A lovely shade of gold and a fantastic package made me want to try this dram and I wasn’t disappointed. Lovely legs on the side of the glass made it even more promising

The nose is overwhelmingly vanilla and it took a while to get through that but when I did I got lots of marzipan with a wee bit raspberry

The feel was great and the taste manifested toffee, red fruits and a bit of wood with a hint of spice

The finish wasn’t especially long but offered sweet apple and a bit of smoke

My first Tamdhu and made me want to try other expressions

Ruby red thanks to maturation in American and Sherry Oak casks. Powerful legs that promise an oily dram

The nose gives honey, toffee, vanilla and rosy red apples

On the palette it’s a smooth combination of bourneville chocolate, toffee, coco pops and a wee nip from ginger

The finish is great and it coats your throat with warmth and a nip of spice

I tried another Aberlour expression last week and it was underwhelming. This dram has reaffirmed my faith in the brand

Slainte mhath 🥃

My go to dram is the Balvenie Caribbean Cask so when a friend posted a bottle of this (online and not actually to me unfortunately!) I was keen to try it.

A portion of this dram was finished in barrels which previously held Caribbean rum so the nose is all toffee, fruit and vanilla. I get lots of red apples in particular with overtones of banana fritters

Neat the palette has loads of toffee with vanilla and summer fruits but when you add water it’s not as punchy as I’d hoped

The finish isn’t particularly long and is a bit “thinner” than Balvenie but it’s a nice enough dram which I’d be happy to drink anytime.

Not as much character (or age) as the Balvenie nor does it coat your mouth, but it’s pleasant enough without being outstanding

The nose offers toffee, honey, brown sugar, Terry’s chocolate orange and sweetie bananas. It’s been finished in Reserva barrels that previously held rum so those notes are unsurprising but very warm, sweet and welcoming

The initial taste has a real kick and is spicy. Neat I get vanilla and toffee but when I add water the palette manifests many more notes including spicy ginger, dark chocolate and overtones of Christmas cake

The finish is a joy. It lingers long and has a taste of orange marmalade and a hint of lime

This is a special dram which is definitely worth the investment and makes you realise that every day is special in some way!

Slainte mhath 🥃

This is a tremendous dram with a great reputation which is well deserved. The nose is sweet with honey, almonds with vanilla and freshly cut timber

The palette is really soft with honey, vanilla, Milky Bar and overtones of soft fruits like orange and peach

The finish is long and really soft and even my wife can tolerate it, and she’s not a whisky drinker. I get cherries like you get in a Christmas pudding and spice with raisins

In summary this is a wonderful dram and brilliant for introducing non-whisky drinkers to the “water of life”.

Slainte mhath 🥃

The name of this dram comes from the size of barrel it was matured in. The quarter cask is, as the name suggests, a quarter of the size of a standard barrel and so has greater wood-to-liquid ratio which accelerates the maturation process and gives a more robust and sturdy finish

The nose is fabulously sweet, not unlike JD or similar bourbons, lots of vanilla and honey with citrusy overtones and a wee hint of maraschino cherries. The more I drank it, the more aromas I got, and latterly I got the scent of leather from a hot car. It reminded me of my brother Jack’s Austin Healey from the 60’s. Drinking whisky is great for evoking fantastic memories ❤️

On the palette this dram is a delight with a lovely sweetness of almonds, coconut and pineapple. There’s also more oaky leather overtones and a wee hint of cloves. It’s powerful too as it’s a healthy 56.2% ABV so easy tiger!

The finish is long and warming with more cherries and the bite of cinnamon and woody spices

There’s no age statement on the bottle but I’d guess it’s around the 10 year old mark. It’s a lovely dram but careful with the measure as it really packs a punch.

Slàinte mhath 🥃

http://www.arranwhisky.com http://www.norlanglass.com

I was really keen to taste this after hearing a glowing review from a close whisky loving pal and it intrigued me. The nose was overwhelming honey but when you get above that it reminded me of butterscotch Angel Delight and dark coffee

The neat palette has an edge with an intense hit of treacle which mellows to Lyons syrup and then the overwhelming sweetness of honey. When you add water the whole palette mellows as you’d expect and you then appreciate notes of butterscotch toffee and a suggestion of a light marzipan. The more you sample the deeper you get with the flavour range.

The finish isn’t particularly long or memorable but sufficient to know you’ve sampled a good dram. It isn’t massively memorable but makes you inquisitive about what this distillery can offer

In summary this is a pleasant enough dram, especially for a 12 year old, but not enough to shout from the rooftops in my opinion

This dram looks absolutely stunning and has fabulous legs which indicate great character. The rich mahogany colour also promises much.

The nose is very woody at first which gives way to sharp orange notes like a freshly peeled satsuma. There’s also toffee with a kick like a dark tray toffee you’d hit with a wee hammer

The palette is a joy. Woody at first with spice and oil of cloves giving way to sweet creamy toffee. It’s a powerful combination and very robust

The finish, as you’d expect is long and dark with the lingering finish of a strong coffee and a real kick commensurate with the 47% abv

This is the second release in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Range and is worth checking out

Sláinte 🥃

This is another expression of the 12 year old Orcadian malt which I’ve grown to love. I’ve previously tasted Dragon Legend and Viking Pride and the notes are on this blog. Viking Honour is different from both and worth investigating

The nose has loads of honey with overtones of sweet fruit and fresh cut grass. It also reminds me of sweet Christmas cake

The palette initially offers honey and dark toffee but not as dark as treacle toffee. I also detect a hint of smoke but not as pronounced as in the other expressions

There’s a nice long nippy finish that suggests light peat with a bit of a spice

Highland Park is a recent discovery of mine but one which has become a firm favourite. It’s not a particularly spectacular dram but easy to drink at any time

Sláinte 🥃