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!

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?

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.

For various reasons, Broddy doesn’t have much excitement these days for his local Canadian whisky. He does find a tasty Oloroso finish Shelter Point to restore some faith.

It turns out Broddy has some Nordic heritage. He shares some of the details, culture and food he enjoys while bringing us his thoughts on a Norwegian Arctic Single Malt. Nice.

Hoping for the best, but fearing the worst, Archie picks up a high-volume bottle for the masses - a Kirkland Highland Malt Whisky 15yo at 46% . On the face of it great value. But, is it?

Wally and Charlie are at it again; wallowing in their gleeful states simply because their team have made the World Cup finals for the first time in a generation. The SV Ben Nevis Tartan Army release in the glass this time.

Charlie and Wally are nervous. Scotland appear at their first World Cup finals since 1998 this weekend. Will Clydeside’s unofficial/official distillery limited edition release be the one to pour if there’s something to celebrate?

It seems that Pulteney have never been fully forgiven for the brand update that happened all the way back in 2018. Drummond put the case forward for their often overlooked 18 year old.

Sometimes we place unrealistic expectations on things, based on our own dreams and memories, building up inevitable ‘failure’. The return of Arran’s 14yo has Wally wondering if we’re all just after a ‘hot take’.

Kindred spirits Archie and Charlie collab on one of their favourites: Torabhaig. This time it’s all about their new Taigh core release and the meaning of home, with summery pics of California and Scotland.

It’s a popular bottle, the Longrow 18. So much so, it generates one of our famous Dramface pile-ons, with Earie, Mike, Drummond and Murdo all reviewing their own annual editions. Perfect.

Archie shares his thoughts on the new Teuchter 17yo from Decadent Drinks, while admitting to getting down and dirty with his precious camera and the pursuit of better pictures.

Charlie wraps up a trio of Official vs Indy articles with a distillery which has yet to nudge the needle on the whisky enthusiast scanner, he wonders why as the distillery launches a 12yo flagship.

Remember the ‘good ole days’ as kids where we ranged far and wide fearlessly. Memories of those days in playgrounds bring a contrast to the newer playground designs where sharp edges are banned and children protected. Reflecting, Mason finds a tasty Peat Monster from the back of the cupboard which he has a soft spot for.

Despite finding frustrations with transparency (that thing again) and general presentation, Earie is pretty pleased to find a flavoursome value bomb from Teeling in their Douro Old Vines Sommelier Selection.

In a particularly fun and relatable piece, Ally shares the challenges at home of juggling the transition away from his over-accumulation and the onset of Storage Wars. A Wolfburn No.270 is in the glass.

Palate fatigue. Mason is convinced it’s a thing. And so, he resolves to seek out things to switch up his sipping experiences. How about the stuff he likes less? Like full maturation PX? An Edradour 10 fits the bill.

Some much needed positivity from Gilbert as he shares why he thinks Scotch whisky is coming home, using Symington’s 10yo Blended Scotch as the perfect example of why.