Whisky Posts & Articles

Whisky’s impossible question

I was at a social gathering recently and found myself amongst a circle of newly-made acquaintances whom I was introduced to just five minutes earlier.  In the course of our social dialogue and etiquette-driven pleasantries (relax, this isn’t a Jane Austen novel), the fact that I was an avid whisky enthusiast and involved in its industry came up.  “Oh, what’s your favourite whisky?” was the question immediately thrown at me.  I’ve been asked that more times than I can possibly remember, and I have my standard answer always queued at the ready, but I reflected on the way home later that evening that it’s an increasingly irrelevant question.

Continue reading “Whisky’s impossible question”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Archie Rose Six Malt New Make – the giant stirs

As the Australian whisky revival and renaissance marches on, there are now countless highlights and spikes on the radar.   Australian whiskies winning awards; new distilleries being established; new releases being launched…the scene now generates its own continuously scrolling newsfeed.

As for the Australian distillers and distilleries themselves, the field has grown to the point where there is a marked split between the craft players and the big guys that now run genuinely industrial and commercial operations.

Continue reading “Archie Rose Six Malt New Make – the giant stirs”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Johnnie Walker Black Label Sherry Edition

The Johnnie Walker stable of whiskies continues to grow and expand, as the latest edition to the Black Label, the “Sherry Edition” demonstrates.   Whisky & Wisdom has covered off most of the new releases and expressions in recent times (see links below), but whether Johnnie Walker is your cup of tea or not, you can’t accuse the world’s biggest selling brand of Scotch whisky of standing still.  I guess that’s why Johnnie Walker is the striding gent.

Continue reading “Johnnie Walker Black Label Sherry Edition”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Diageo Special Releases 2017

Our annual take on the range each year, this is our piece on the Diageo Special Releases 2017 whiskies…

Continue reading “Diageo Special Releases 2017”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Ardbeg Grooves

Groovy is a term that disappeared from common vernacular. In fact, were it not for Mike Myers and the Austin Powers films, there would be several generations now that would be completely unaware of its application. Groovy became cool; cool became hot; and hot became cool again. Meanwhile, some distilleries got on with churning out delicious whisky.

“Grooves” is the name of this year’s annual Ardbeg Day release, and the marketing and imagery that accompanies it is the 1960’s hippy era of peace and love. “Peat and love” is thus the key phrase here and Ardbeg Day celebrations around the world will be based on this very theme.

Continue reading “Ardbeg Grooves”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Johnnie Walker Blue Label – Ghost and Rare “Brora”

Johnnie Walker continues to extend their portfolio and bring interest to the category of blended Scotch whisky with a number of new and/or limited edition releases.  The “Blue Label” brand has many incarnations and variations these days since it was first expanded with the King George V release several years ago now.

The latest Blue Label release comes with all the usual fanfare and back-story, but this one will deservedly and legitimately grab your attention.  For, whilst many rare blends tease you with vague or enigmatic tales of especially “rare” or “old” whiskies making up the blend (but never telling you what they are), Blue Label’s first “Ghost and Rare” release proudly shows its hand and tells you its secrets.  And any whisky that declares Brora as a key ingredient is going to draw the interest of whiskyphiles.

Continue reading “Johnnie Walker Blue Label – Ghost and Rare “Brora””

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Glenmorangie Spios

The whisky calendar is blessed these days to have annual events and annual releases that we all look forward to.  For example, Islay-philes hang out each year for the Feis Ile bottlings, and Ardbeg fans are always keenly anticipating May for Ardbeg Day and the release of the special Ardbeg limited edition that accompanies it.   For those who prefer a more typical “Highland” style of whisky, there is always huge interest in the annual release of Glenmorangie’s Private Edition bottling.  This year’s release – Private Edition No. 9 – is called Spios.  Glenmorangie Spios.

Continue reading “Glenmorangie Spios”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland

[Updated April, 2024]  Visiting Scotland soon? Are you planning a trip to Scotland to visit your favourite whisky distilleries?  Yes, for every whisky lover, it’s the ultimate pilgrimage:  After listening jealously to other people’s travels and dreaming of making it to the promised land, you’ve FINALLY saved up for and planned your first whisky trip to Scotland.  Exciting times!

Of course, every first-timer always asks the same questions in the early stages of planning:  Where’s the best place to stay?  Which distilleries should I visit?  Should I hire a car?  Do I have time to get to Islay?  How many days should I spend in Speyside?  Is the trip up to Orkney worth it? 

Naturally, the answers to these are highly subjective and individual.  They’ll depend on your budget, the amount of time you can spare, which distilleries are your favourites, and what transport options are at your disposal.  But there are a few things to appreciate about visiting distilleries that you won’t read in the guide books or find online.  Here are ten things you ought to know before heading off to Scotland…

Continue reading “10 things every whisky lover should know before visiting Scotland”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

Unknown heroes of the whisky industry

When was the last time you poured yourself a healthy dram of Braeval?  Or had a good swig of Miltonduff?  How about a Glenburgie?  Or an Allt-a-Bhainne?   An Auchroisk?  Dufftown perhaps?  Have you even heard of these whisky distilleries, let alone seen a bottle of their whisky at your local liquor retailer?

What about Ardbeg?  Oban?  Bruichladdich?  These names are more familiar, yes?  And, chances are, you’ve had a dram of their product more than once or twice on your malt journey.

The irony here is that the first group listed above are some of the biggest distilleries in Scotland.  And the second group are amongst the smallest.   There’s a cliched conclusion here that you might have heard before:  Size doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with it that counts!

Continue reading “Unknown heroes of the whisky industry”

Share this / Follow us / Like this

The stink about sulphur

Sulphur in whisky?  What does “sulphured whisky” even mean?  And why do people use terms like “dirty cask” or “tainted cask”.   Hmmm…I’m reminded of a quote from a movie:  “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”  The Usual Suspects, 1995

Substitute “whisky industry” for devil and “sulphur” for he and you’ll get a quick snapshot of what’s being discussed here.  Sulphur taint is one of the more confusing and least understood aspects in today’s whisky community, and there are plenty of industry folks trying to convince you it doesn’t exist.  Let’s cut through the taint and kill a few myths and misunderstandings…

Continue reading “The stink about sulphur”

Share this / Follow us / Like this