Looking back on a plethora of inaugural bottlings from all these new distilleries in recent years has Gilbert realising it’s hard to keep up. This time it’s Jackton’s turn with their RAER Inaugural.

When times are tougher and the purse strings are pulled tighter on the whisky budget, Drummond is pleased to benefit a little from the Dramface Deflection System. Six from Adelphi in the hopper today!

After following in whisky’s footsteps for many years, Fergus is shocked when he stumbles over some early-days tasting notes. He’s come a long way, but is he up to Holyrood’s Pitch?

Ardbeg seems to be doing things in a fair way these days, or is Wally just being his usual, far-too-generous, optimistic self? He’s got the 15yo Trudernish in the glass and he seems to like it.

In Charlie’s distillery deep-dives and comparisons, the indies have always won out. However, could a naturally coloured official Glenrothes turn that around? He tries two of them alongside two Cadenhead’s releases..

Toothache is a terrible thing at the best of times, but when you’re living on a remote island with no immediate care, Doog learns just how tough it can be. Can a magical Ardnamurchan help?

Ogilvie leads as he, Archie and Eallair team up on a duo of special releases from Nc’Nean. Supplied through Nick, each of them have a go at Edition 4 ‘ Lemon Meadow’ and 5 “Malted Teacake”.

Commenting on something of a modern phenomenon, Fletcher considers the official outlets that do their own ‘indie’ bottlings. A perfect example is Glasgow and their Port Cask 7yo.

Murdo knows what to look out for while travelling. Some of the things he’s really keen to try just don’t make it to his native Hong Kong. Like these Wire Works souvenirs he grabbed from The Whisky Exchange.

Earie has been chewing hard on wood vs spirit and how it comes into play, especially at a young age. He shares his thoughts over a Glasgow 1770 6yo Sherry Cask Matured, Batch 01.

In an attempt to get back to basics, Archie rekindles some fun in whisky with the assistance of the playful and bright fruit-punch from Compass Box: their Nectarosity release.

Having never climbed Ben Rinnes, Charlie decides to clamber through three - make that four(ish) - expressions of the Benrinnes spirit to see what it’s all about. Official vs Indy once more!

Wally has a new obsession, which is troubling because it was sold out in a day and he’s fast getting through the only bottle he has. Bruichladdich’s Greener Still hits the spot, just as he’d hoped.

It turns out Murdo is an anxious traveller. He reaches for a pre-flight dram - one that he hoped would be a nice replacement for his loved Glendronach 15yo. Did the Tamdhu 15yo do the trick?

After a brutal summer of extreme heat across Europe, Hughie battled palate fatigue. Staying away from whisky, he eventually had his taste-buds rejuvenated by this funk-bomb from Hampden.

Ogilvie conducts a social experiment while visiting Martha’s Vineyard - how many polite Good Mornings are returned on his walkabout? He picks up his Vineyard exclusive Kilchoman too.

In railing against the addition of colour and chill-filtering, Mason is tripped up by a bargain-basement Glen Moray Classic. He’s forced to apply some pragmatism and just appreciate what it is.

Six - yes six - from Cut Your Wolf Loose today. In a remarkably candid piece, our LA resident Archie reflects on a tumultuous professional path to date, all to explain his love for art - and independence.

Broddy has been squirrelling the releases from Arran in the Signature Series - so far. With a fourth edition imminent, he brings us his thoughts on the first three, and there’s a clear favourite.

Charlie continues his dive into official releases versus indies. In exploring Cardhu, he places two official bottles against a James Eadie - can we already guess which is best?