Ainsley rejoices in the friends and like-minded companionship can bring, yet selects a special and mature Cadenhead’s Glen Grant to put forward the case for sipping, contemplatively, alone.

With a rare glimpse into Murdo’s home life, he shares a tale with a bottle that has become something of a domestic icon for him. A vintage Glendronach 21yo(?) from 2021.

Ainsley is full of excuses: Brexit, holidays, distractions, work, being French. Eventually, he gets around to sharing some beauties from Decadent Drinks. The good news; they’re belters & mostly still about.

Are auctions coming back to the rational drinker? If so, that appeals to Nick who occasionally stumbles upon bonus bargains to assist the shipping costs, like this vintage Glen Garioch gem.

Broddy tries to break Dramface with an epic assessment of ten banging modern blends. He recruits some local pals and covers them all - blind. Think you’re only into malt? This one’s a cracker.

Charlie digs out four somewhat forgotten blends from his cupboard to revisit them, all the while realising they all have a story - and a good reason for being there.

The Glen Scotia ‘disco cow’ releases have become legendary, but unfortunately for their inconsistency. Charlie harks back to his Campbeltown childhood and shares where this 21yo lies.

In sipping a curiously challenging Fragrant Drop Glen Grant 21yo, Wally asks an equally curiously challenging question - is malt whisky actually too cheap?

After a ‘day-off’ yesterday, due to our AWOL editor, Innes gets us back into things with a study of five different Glentauchers bottlings over four decades, including one that really shouldn’t exist…

Starting out eager and earnest, Mason grabbed a ‘bargain’ 21 year old Glenfiddich, only to discover that age and quality are not always synonymous in whisky.

Ainsley brings a Glen Ord banger to a 90+ points whisky night and ends up contemplating what’s different about ‘older’ whiskies that are, in whisky terms, actually pretty young.

While hearing about an absolute cracker of a lesser-seen Miltonduff, we get to know some secrets about Murdo and his other passions beyond what fits in a Glencairn. Fascinating.

Fed up with grey days and bad news, Fletcher cracks open two well-aged blends on a budget to see if they can bring a little lightness. A Glenallachie made NacNair’s 21yo vs a Cadenhead’s 25yo.

A vintage Benriach soothes Fletch as he protests the fleecing of travellers at visitor centres across Scotland, with the story of The Pilgrim. Many of us can relate.

Fletch is trying hard to find a nice, special occasion whisky but, in another fit of disappointment, he’s reminded instead of a childhood movie that still haunts him today.

Saving a special bottle for a quiet moment, Ramsay swims in a dusty and now discontinued Glencadam 21yo while wondering if it’s worth reviewing hard-to-find bottles. We must Tav! We must!

If we’re going to blindly chase bottles based on reputation alone, measured and as-objective-as-possible critique is crucial. Enter Tyree vs some mature Longrow. Fussiness expected.

Tyree holds up another bottle of unobtanium and offers an alternative.

A mature and delicious organic malt

Good - at the old prices