If you’re an Ardbeg fan (and, presumably – by definition – an Ardbeg drinker) then you’ll eagerly await each Committee Exclusive release when they come along. Whether it’s the annual Ardbeg Day special release, or some other Committee Exclusive that the team has put together, it would be fair to say that these releases always generate some serious chatter in the whiskyverse. The new release – the Ardbeg Ten Cask Strength – has simultaneously done two opposite things at once: It’s got people talking, and it’s shut a few people up!! So what’s the deal with the Ardbeg 10 CS?
Category: Reviews
Reviews of whiskies
Glasgow Distillery
Most whisky enthusiasts would be aware of the huge explosion in the number of new single malt distilleries to have been established in Scotland in the last ten to twenty years. Kilchoman’s arrival in 2005 heralded in a boom of new distilleries as both new and old players added to the tally of operating distilleries. What has been particularly interesting to note, mind you, is the geography of most of these new distilleries. Although many suggest that the traditional whisky regions of Scotch whisky aren’t relevant anymore, it’s in the Lowlands where much of the new action is occurring. In 2005, the number of Lowland distilleries was three. (And, even then, one of them was effectively mothballed!) Today, that number is closer to 25! And if there’s a distillery that perhaps typifies the new, modern facility, then it’s Glasgow Distillery.
Hellyers Road
If you’ve kept an eye on the Australian whisky industry over the last five years or so, you’ll be aware of huge, dynamic change. We’ve seen more than 30 new distilleries bring their debut release to market. We’ve seen large-scale distilling emerge, and we’ve seen corporate and investment money now backing many distilleries. We’ve also seen companies with main interests in other categories of the drinks industry add whisky-making to their portfolio (e.g Angoves, Morris, Bickfords, and Coopers). And we’ve seen new blended whisky products appear with malt whisky being blended with grain whisky (wheat) to produce cheaper and more widely available bottlings. We’ve also seen more contract distilling occurring, and we’ve seen an increasing number of Australian independent bottlers appear. With all the change and all the noise around some of the above developments, you could be forgiven for overlooking some of the long-established names who’ve just quietly gone about their business. Hellyers Road is one such distillery. Continue reading “Hellyers Road”
Iniquity Gold, Batch 008
I’m often asked, “Which do you think is the best Australian whisky”? It’s a difficult question to answer, although I had a fair crack at answering it in this article here. One of the problems in answering the question is that it can depend on how much you’re comfortable spending? Ask me what is the best Australian whisky for under $150 and I’ll give you one answer. Ask me what is the best Australian whisky for under $300 and I might answer something different. And we’re all too aware that there are plenty of Australian single malts being sold at RRP’s much higher than $300! Of course, the inconvenient irony here is that it doesn’t necessarily follow that the $300 whisky is actually better than the $150 whisky! But as we discussed previously in the article referenced above, one of the key metrics in deciding which is the best Australian whisky is the “bang for your buck” factor. There have been some exceptional Aussie malts sold out of Tasmania in recent times, but if the RRP is over $900 and the whisky is effectively inaccessible to most consumers – then how good it is can be a moot point. And so we often have to ply a line of best fit. Or, you can simply nominate Iniquity Gold.
Ardbeg Eureka
It’s been an interesting few years for Ardbeg. The core range continues to grow with new insertions at the affordable end (e.g. the Wee Beastie) and interesting additions at the premium end such as the limited edition 19yo Traigh Bhan batches, the 25yo, and curiosities like Heavy Vapours and Fermutation. While Ardbeg will always have its loyal fans and the wonderful Ardbeg Committee, the brand has not been immune to the industry downturn in recent times, and it’s not gone unnoticed that many of the limited-edition releases – that would once have sold out in a matter of days – are now sticking around on the shelves. Indeed, several of the Committee Releases still remain on the Ardbeg website, a year or two after their release. So something special was needed. Enter Ardbeg Eureka….
Ardbeg 17
Ardbeg 17 makes a triumphant return to our consciences and tastebuds but – like so many things in Scotch whisky these days – its time appears limited. At least for now. The “new” Ardbeg 17yo is a special Committee Release and is also available at the distillery on Islay, and at selected Ardbeg Embassies and retailers around the globe. Whether or not the distillery elects to re-introduce the expression full-time to the brand’s core range remains to be seen but, for now, it is worth recapping on why this particular expression of Ardbeg has some of us excited and salivating…
The Macallan Time : Space Collection
1824 was a special year in the history of Scotch whisky. Well, to be more accurate, it was the previous year, 1823, that is remarkable. For that is the year the Excise Act came into being. The Excise Act of 1823 completely overhauled and transformed how whisky was taxed, and it ushered in a new era as existing distilleries turned legal, and other entrepreneurial distillers took out licences and founded new distilleries. As a result of this, 1824 saw quite a number of new distilleries get established and, for the small handful that are still going strong, 2024 marks their 200th Anniversary. The Macallan is one such distillery!
It’s not every day you celebrate 200 years, so it’s an occasion to mark with style. The Macallan has done exactly that, unveiling the TIME : SPACE COLLECTION. The collection is two new, unique products which actually consists of three different whiskies! The first of these is TIME : SPACE – a dual chamber vessel that includes the oldest whisky released by The Macallan at 84 Years Old, as well as a second single malt that marks the first release from the brand’s new distillery. The second release, TIME : SPACE Mastery, is a unique single malt with layers of complexity that – it must be said – is a superb expression of The Macallan. Whisky & Wisdom was fortunate to attend the launch of TIME: SPACE in Australia and to try the Mastery, where it seriously impressed.
The Malt Whisky Yearbook, 2025
For many whisky drinkers and whisk(e)y enthusiasts, there are some annual events and recurring appearances on the whisky calendar that we eagerly await each year. For example, it might be annual releases (such as the hotly-anticipated Diageo Special Releases bottlings), or the results from any of the many annual whisky awards and competitions. However, for whisky lovers who are really serious and passionate about this great drink, the annual release that we most look forward to each year is the new edition of the Malt Whisky Yearbook.
The Malt Whisky Yearbook for 2025 is out now and, as always, it’s an absolute ripper of a read. Editor, Ingvar Ronde, has again outdone himself with a superb publication. This year’s edition is all the more special in that it marks the 20th Edition. Yes, this wonderful resource has been informing, educating, and entertaining us now for twenty years!
So what makes this the “must-have” book? There are so many reasons, but the executive summary is that it is so many different things in one small package:
Octomore Whisky (and Series 15)
Of the many whisky distilleries, brands, and names that make up the landscape of Islay, few are as storied or as enigmatic as Octomore. “The most heavily peated whisky in the world” is the tagline that invariably accompanies the name, and whilst that’s an easy feature or hook for the brand to hang its hat on, it has always struck me that it risks underselling the whisky. For there is so much more to appreciate about Octomore than its mere peating levels.
Octomore is not a whisky distillery. (At least, not anymore. The original Octomore distillery was in operation from 1816 to 1852.) It is one of three different styles or variants of whisky made at the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay. As such, the story of Octomore cannot be told without first telling the story of Bruichladdich.
Kanosuke Whisky
Kanosuke Distillery is a relatively newer player on the Japanese whisky scene; even newer on the global whisky scene. Established in 2017, it has a backstory and history significantly older and broader than the age of its spirit, but in the increasingly crowded space of world whisk(e)y, it’s a slow process for newer brands – even those with quality products – to make a splash.
For all its visibility, profile, and its broad spread of enthusiastic fans, Japanese whisky remains something of an enigma. For decades, the main brands worked quietly away, doing things in a very Japanese way, i.e. setting about the making of whisky in a very methodical, no-nonsense fashion without blowing their own trumpet. In the tiny circles of the “single malt enthusiasts’ club”, we knew there were truly amazing Japanese malts being bottled, and this was – to us – happily one of the world’s best kept secrets.
That all changed in 2012 when a Yamazaki expression won World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards that year. Other Japanese whiskies won a bunch of awards and accolades at other awards programs and in noted whisky publications over the next four years and, suddenly, the secret was out. Demand rapidly exceeded supply, and the corresponding economics ensured Japanese whisky was a scarce and expensive option for single malt enthusiasts. And so it returned to being an enigmatic product for most drinkers…something you sometimes saw and heard about, without really digging into too deeply. Kanosuke is one of the brands hoping to change that…