In trying to understand why Ben Nevis is such a ‘connoisseur’s malt’ Ainsley assembles a trio of indies and pours them alongside each other for a cosy night hiding from the Parisian rain.

Dougie takes another look at Glasgow 1770 with two releases: their Unpeated Cognac Cask Finish and Manzanilla Sherry Cask Fully Matured. In them he finds how a few key decisions made well can swing the opinion of many.

Taking a broad view of the rapidly expanding Australian whisky scene, Tyree delivers a snapshot with four Aussie single malts, and almost uses the full gamut of our scoring to do so.

Isle of Raasay reached out to share a bottle of their Manzanilla-matured Distillery Exclusive, we arranged that it went to the Doog for analysis and (a particularly pleasing) photographic study. This is how we manage donated bottles.

Sweet with savoury peat, but only as Australians know it.