North America hosts the World Cup and the USA finds itself once more distracted by this odd sport that fascinates the rest of planet Earth. CA based Archie drinks it all in with two recent bottles from Fragrant Drops.

Sometimes, we don’t get exactly what we expect. That’s when an open mind and patience can deliver a decent experience regardless, as Earie and Fergie discover on this Signatory Mortlach.

Charlie continues his deep dive into new distilleries (to him), this time uncovering the two ‘Glens’ of Ord and ‘Dullan, then comparing two Special releases to indies from James Eadie and the Thompson Bros.

We all hit forks in life’s road. Archie shares one of his. Eventually decisions lead us to other, unplanned opportunities. Like when a bottle he was chasing escaped and made him pick up a peach of an Edradour.

Reading this would make you consider we have a recruitment academy. We don’t, but it’s nice to see enthusiastic learning, such as both Dramface & Ardnahoe Cask Strength inspiring our Archie.

In discovering a cracking SMWS Loch Lomond Inchmurrin, Broddy goes full Broddy and gives us a deep dive into our scoring, the whys and the whats and the hows. It’s fascinating.

Is it snobbery to suggest cask-driven flavour isn’t desirable? Or to mention that some whiskies are ‘engineered’? Fergus tracks down a Signatory Glenlivet that is a no-holds-barred unapologetic sherry bomb.

Refining his whisky-sights, a measured gamble on the ever-reliable Thompson Brothers connects Tav with a ‘teaspooned’ bottle he’d have to pay double for to grab the branded version.

Joining SMWS requires a membership which, as well as some other IB vagaries, was intimidating to Hamish. Now he wholeheartedly embraces indies but he shares why, until now, he’s never signed up.

Innes gets giddy while visiting the hidden gem that is Glen Scotia. Full of the distillery-visit-glow, he snags two single casks to compare with a favourite at home, wondering why it’s still ‘hidden’.

Curiosity gets the better of Fletch. With Glenlivet marking 200 years, they’ve released a 12yo that looks identical to the standard. Only available through TWE, he dives in to compare the world’s best selling malt.