Edinburgh International Festival Blend 2023
Ainsley wonders three things as he sips the 2023 Festival Blend from J&A Mitchell: is 2024 finally the year of the blend?, isn’t grain whisky basically vodka?, and why are people paying £180 for a cheap sipper?
Craigellachie 17yo SMWS 44.148
It’s about addiction, but not the addiction you’re thinking of. Murdo shares some confessions as he reviews an SMWS Craigellachie 17yo. Some of us might find this difficult reading.
Glenburgie 2011 10yo
We all like intensity and focus, but what about when we just need something functional to ‘get it done’? Drummond makes the case for an under-the-radar Càrn Mòr bottling of Glenburgie he stole at auction.
Around the World with TBWC
In an effort to keep his palate and whisky fun as diverse as possible, Broddy tucks into some That-Boutiquey-Whisky-Company releases from Europe, including Austria, Switzerland Sweden and Finland.
Ben Nevis 9yo Bloodtubs
On a trapse to the Big Smoke to explore some whisky in his favourite bar, Doog catches the lurgy. But not before he discovers a belter of a Ben Nevis form Woodrows - and the concept of a bloodtub.
Great Plains 22yo Cognac Cask
Broddy and Aengus team up to review some of the last remaining liquid from Canadian ghost distillery Potter’s. This bottling is a 22yo from Great Plains with a 5yr finish in cognac.
MacNairs 21yo v Enigma 25yo
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.
Benrinnes 10yo The Ultimate
In embracing springtime, Earie pulls out his inner European to complain about the weather, and how it drives his whisky consumption. To us it looks like this Benrinnes form Van Wees would go down well regardless.
Linkwood 13yo 2009
In another Dramface Friday First; our man in Asia feels the sting of shame as one of his whisky preferences is rudely invalidated. It takes a little reflection and another bottle buy to rectify things..
Glen Garioch Sherry Duo
Before pitching two big-hitting, and not inexpensive, Glen Garioch bottlings against each other, Doog decides to wait for his bad mood to pass.
Mortlach 15yo
After years of pounding his way through his favoured Islay big-hitters, Fergus one day encountered what he would come to understand as a Mileston Malt; Mortlach. He picks up a steal of an Signatory release to revisit.
Ardbeg 10yo
In a solemn and stark debut piece, Nick Fleming reflects on the need for spirits that instinctively fit a moment, even when those moments are challenging.
Ardmore Duo
Despite promising himself some restraint, our Hamish has been stealing from the auctions again. This time he’s snagged two young Ardmore indies; a favourite catch.
Ben Nevis Trio
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.
Campbeltown Journey vs Loch
For those of us living in the wider Scotch Whisky diaspora, we often must experience Campbeltown’s mythical spirits vicariously through others. In Ogilvie’s latest, he tracks down two of the Wee Toon’s Blended Malts in this side by side comparison.
Turntable Paradise Funk
Our Dramface debutant today shares his passion for music with an appropriate release form Turntable; their malt-heavy and affordable Paradise Funk. It’s Fergus’ call as to whether it’s killer, filler or grower.
Glenturret Triple Wood
Excited by whisky exploration, Paisley loves a distillery visit. In the bling of Glenturret’s swanky new VC, she picks up the Triple Wood. But how does it fare back in her less-glitzy Glasgow flat?
Woodrow’s Pulteney 15yo
With a confession that he knows very little about art, Fletch considers the art of whisky over a lesser-spotted indie Pulteney 15yo, and how it’s not always about its creation.
Mannochmore 13yo
As he settles into life in Dixie, Ogilvie meets up with a formidable local gent who declares if it isn’t bourbon, it isn’t whiskey. A dinner is the prize if a mind can be changed…
Deanston 15yo Tequila Cask
Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It’s one of Fletch’s favourites; Deanston. Looking for something that the Tequila cask has imparted, he compares it to a similarly insipid Tequila cask blend.