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Interview with Tomer Goren of Milk & Honey Distillery

March 4, 2020
Scyfion: a Ukrainian independent bottler

December 3, 2019
Interview: Cheaper by the Dram

November 18, 2019
That Boutique-y Whisky Company advent calendar

November 10, 2019
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Smögen Barrique!

March 27, 2020
Hazelburn 11 year old, Springbank Society

March 23, 2020
Irish 1990 single malt whiskey – The Whisky Blues

March 20, 2020
Teeling 24-year-old, Vintage Reserve Collection

March 17, 2020
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Hielander whisky festival 2016

Last weekend the 6th edition of Hielander Whisky Festival took place. This festival is held once a year in the Grote Kerk in Alkmaar and attracts many …

Milk & Honey Distillery

Interview with Tomer Goren of Milk & Honey Distillery

Scyfion

Scyfion: a Ukrainian independent bottler

Cheaper By The Dram

Interview: Cheaper by the Dram

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Smögen Barrique!
Hazelburn 11 year old, Springbank Society
Irish 1990 single malt whiskey – The Whisky Blues
Teeling 24-year-old, Vintage Reserve Collection
Hyde No.4 President’s Cask

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This 14-year-old single malt (bottled for the US) is one of the few Glenfiddichs that has fully matured in ex-bourbon casks and that is what got to my attention. I have tasted a few Glenfiddichs that had matured in bourbon casks and these were very tasty, but this was either straight from a cask or a festival bottle for Spirit of Speyside and all were at cask strength. So I was curious to see how this would taste at a strength of only 43%. Here are my tasting notes: ⠀
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Nose: Red apples leaning towards apple compote, fresh pears in the background. Creme brulee. Honey and some lemons too. A little bit of coconut. Later also a floral note and icing sugar. ⠀
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Taste: Vanilla custard, a hint of bananas. Followed by caramel and honey. Somewhat spicy towards the end, cinnamon, a touch of ginger and a tiny hint of black pepper. ⠀
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Finish: The finish is mid-long, with vanilla and lingering warming spices, such as cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg. And a little bit of toasted oak here.⠀
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Oh, this is actually not bad at all. It's very flavourful for a whisky at 43% and the bourbon casks work great with the Glenfiddich character, but I already expected this. The spices give it that little bit extra, so it doesn't get boring. A nice daily dram. ⠀

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An older photo of the Laphroaig Distillery, which I took during Feis Ile last year. This is the iconic wall of warehouse no. 1. ⁠

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A very pleasant 12 year old Kilkerran from the Cadenhead warehouse tasting last year. Unfortunately, this is gone, but certainly not forgotten. 😉

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So this is the Milk & Honey Classic! The first commercial release of this Israeli distillery. Previously there were a handful of limited single malts and also the young single malts (younger than 3 years), but this is their first official core expression. So they kindly sent me a bottle to taste it and that's what I did. 😉 Here are my tasting notes:⁠⠀
Nose: Strange smell at first. It seems a little out of balance. But this changes when you leave it to stand for a bit. A floral note, which quickly goes towards wine gums. Honey. And some fruit, such as red apples, oranges but also a hint of blueberries and red grapes. A hint of oak later on, which is followed by caramel and marzipan. Plasticine in the background.⁠⠀
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Taste: Honey here as well and it’s somewhat oaky. This is followed by oranges. A hint of vanilla and some caramel too. Then plenty of spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves.⁠⠀
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Finish: Somewhat short with mostly oak and spices.⁠⠀
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It's definitely not a bad single malt and it’s quite full of flavour, although it lacks some balance at some points. Maybe a tad too much oak? But all in all a nice first introduction to Milk & Honey.⁠⠀

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A young Campbeltown blend from the Thompson Brothers, it's only 5 years old but it's nice. Nothing too special, but very drinkable. The one thing that annoys me though is this label, it's making me hungry! 😉#iloveramen ⁠

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The Kavalan Distillery was the first whisky distillery in Taiwan. Founded in 2005 and since 2008 also open to the public, it gained popularity in the world quite quickly. It is known for its tropical fruit style whisky and won several prices ever since they released their first single malt. Quite impressive. ⁠⠀
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I personally am not much of a fan of most of their single malts, even though do love tropical fruit flavours in a whisky. The ones I tasted all seemed very concentrated and a bit overpowered by the cask. The only one I really liked so far was the Solist Fino Cask. What do you think of Kavalan?⁠⠀
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Pleasantly surprised at this 24-year-old Glen Keith from Berry Bros & Rudd. Very tasty stuff! Quite fruity, especially on the nose. I have yet to write a review, but this is really delicious! This is one of those bottles you actually want two of. ⁠⠀
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I think the Aberlour 12 year old is a lovely entry-level single malt. Ok, I personally like my whisky to be at a higher alcohol percentage nowadays. But as a beginner, you have to start somewhere and then 40% or 43% is just fine. Other than that, it’s well-balanced, solid and there is enough flavour to discover in this one. #gifted⁠⠀
Nose: Red apples, plenty of honey. Fresh plums and figs, blueberries. A hint of raisins. But also vanilla. Sweet pears. Caramel and milk chocolate. Later also lemons.⁠⠀
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Taste: Sweet blackberries and plenty of honey. Raisins in the background. Vanilla. Followed by a hint of raw cashew nuts. Later some spices such as cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg.⁠⠀
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Finish: Somewhat short. Vanilla. Honey and nutmeg.⁠
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The weekend is about to start and because of the advice from the government to avoid social contacts, I have a terribly quiet weekend. Not too bad, a bit boring maybe after having to stay at home for a week because of a cold (not corona). All of this has to do with the restrictions here regarding the Covid-19 virus, but hey, it's the way it is right now. ⁠⠀
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But the advantage of all this is that I suddenly have time to catch up on some samples that have been here for far too long. So let's start tonight with a sample of this Smögen Barrique! This 7-year-old Swedish single malt has matured in French oak barriques, which previously held a Bordeaux red wine, it's bottled at 60.3% ABV. And from what I remember it is very tasty. 😊⁠⠀ ⁠⠀

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The Balvenie stills, looking all shiny. 😁⁠⠀
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You can't see them all in the photo but in total, they have 11 stills, 5 of which are wash stills and there are 6 spirit stills.⁠⠀
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Although already a few years ago, it was one of the better tours I have had in Speyside. The tours are in small groups and are very extensive, where you get to see all aspects of whisky making, from the malting floor to a visit to the on-site cooperage and everything in between. Well worth a visit! ⁠⁠⠀
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I do like a Laphroaig Cairdeas from time to time, but I haven't tasted this one yet. Any thoughts on this one? Yay or nay. 😉

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Ben Nevis 10 remains a fantastic single malt in my eyes. More complex and tastier than most other entry-level whiskies, this is one of my favourites. Nowadays it is slightly more expensive but still affordable, and so a whisky that I keep going back to. What's a whisky you keep going back to?

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Smögen Barrique!
Hazelburn 11 year old, Springbank Society
Irish 1990 single malt whiskey – The Whisky Blues
Teeling 24-year-old, Vintage Reserve Collection
Hyde No.4 President’s Cask
Bimber re-charred oak casks
Caol Ila 2003 – Gordon & MacPhail
Interview with Tomer Goren of Milk & Honey Distillery
Brora 37 year old – 14th Release
Clynelish 2008, cask #800151, Van Wees

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