Whisky Reviews
Here you'll find honest opinions, thoughtful analysis and the occasional disagreement, because no two palates are quite the same. We review widely, score reluctantly and remain convinced that whisky is far more interesting than the numbers attached to it.
Agreement is optional; curiosity is encouraged.
Decadent Drinks April 2026
As well as sharing his thoughts on a selection of Decadent Drinks recent outturn, Ainsley also shares his thoughts on his latest visit to the Independent Spirits Festival in Leith.
Isle of Raasay Duo
Archie feels there’s a fairly newborn distillery that deserves a little light shone on them and apologises for an almost three-year hiatus from Dramface. He makes up for it with a duo review.
Torabhaig High Strength Duo
Admitting one of his favourite Scottish destinations, Charlie laments not having visited Torabhaig, yet. However, he travels vicariously through an official and an indy from Thompson Bros.
Torabhaig Duo
Facing challenges of keeping up, Charlie realises it’s all too easy to forget things you’d already discovered. Like how much you like peat, bourbon casks - and Torabhaig Batch Strength & Sound of Sleat
Abhainn Dearg X 10yo
Probably the most under-the-radar of all scotch single malts, yet it’s been around long enough to produce a 10yo. Charlie made a pilgrimage to the most westerly of them all: Abhainn Dearg. Worth it?
Arran Sherry Cask
Anyone in for some Dry January? Thought not. Drummond has his own ideas and while he shares them, he does so over a high strength Isle of Arran; their Sherry Cask.
Arran 10yo
After being assured by his own previous experiences, Earie never really believed in the positivity behind Arran’s 10yo. Believing it was hyped, he finally relented. Here’s his take.
Highland Park 12yo 2024
Continuing the theme this week on age statements, and over Highland Park’s new 12yo, Wally shares his thoughts on why age statements don’t matter in 2024, and also why they absolutely do.
Scapa 10yo
Tav and Wally wade in together on a brand new Scapa. Now there’s something we don’t read too often. This one is the affordable 10 year old, and they both agree on something. The fruit!
Tobermory 17yo PX
When the Tobermory Distillery Halo Effect kicks in and Innes bursts out his wallet for a whisky that, in the end, has him asking "When is too much sherry cask influence a problem?"
Ledaig 10yo vs Ledaig 10yo
Celebrating batch variation and reminding us that darker does not mean better, even if it does in this case. Tav tucks in to a crowd pleasing Ledaig 10yo comparison.
Ledaig Rioja Cask Versus
Earie places a popular bang-for-buck Ledaig against a very similarly profiled indie release, only to have him wondering why there isn’t an official cask strength from Mull’s in vogue peat monster.
Tobermory 12yo
Batch variation is real and as enthusiasts we learn to enjoy it, providing it always meets a baseline minimum quality. Broddy and Aengus team up to see if that’s true of Tobermory’s under-the-radar 12yo.
Raasay R-01.2
Finally getting back into his whisky as Dougie unpacks his new life on Skye, he rolls out Raasay’s R-01.2, tries it against his current favourites, inside and out, and decides it’s already consistently good. Of course, there’s a ‘but’…
Highland Park 10yo
Like so many, Drummond is a Lockdown whisky geek. To catch up he ventures into Highland Park’s official 10yo to find some of that famous “all-rounder” character, only to discover something of a bargain no-brainer.
Arran 14yo
It’s a funny thing, whisky. Earie swoops with excitement as a bottle of his long-fabled Arran 14yo suddenly appears at retail, while Hamish revisits his old bottle to wonder what all the fuss is about.
Jura Distillery Cask
Jura official releases are responsible for kick-starting whisky interest in thousands, even if they can’t hold it. Broddy is just one. He chases an auction win to ignite some Jura nostalgia. What a find!
