Glenfiddich – the single malt that started it all back in 1963 – is the quintessential Speyside whisky. We’re all so familiar with the flagship 12yo expression, whisky enthusiasts often overlook the older and limited-release expressions in the range. Indeed, even though we wrote the piece over 10 years ago now, our article The three stages of your attitude to Glenfiddich: Like – Hate – Love still attracts attention and daily hits online. As that article explored, the ubiquitous nature of the 12yo leads many whisky drinkers to try Glenfiddich and then move on – thus denying themselves the quality malts found elsewhere in the distillery’s portfolio. If it’s time you re-connected with the brand, the new Glenfiddich 16 Aston Martin collaboration is the perfect opportunity.
Continue reading “Glenfiddich 16 Aston Martin”
Category: Reviews
Reviews of whiskies
Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old
There are two big names when it comes to American whiskey, and one of them is Jack Daniel’s. For many years, there was a cheeky saying in the States that America’s favourite whiskey wasn’t a bourbon. Because, by definition, Jack Daniel’s is not a bourbon! It’s a Tennessee Whiskey, which we’ll elaborate on in a moment, but the main talking point is this: Jack Daniel’s has its loyal fans, and its fans in Australia can look forward to something very special: The upcoming return of the Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old expression.
Fans of “Jack” around the world are familiar with the ubiquitous Old No. 7 Brand with the iconic black label and white writing. The Old No. 7 bottling has never had an age statement, but it’s always been accepted that the spirit in each batch has an average age of around four to five years. Australians love American whiskies, in fact, per capita we are the biggest market for American whiskey outside the USA itself. So when Jack Daniel’s put out an older expression with a 10 Years Old age statement last year, it was no surprise that it sold out quickly. How quickly? The entire Australian allocation of 3,000 bottles sold out in less than a week! Fortunately, we’ve not had to wait too long for it to return to our shores….
The Glendronach “Ode to….” series
Glendronach distillery has always had a loyal fan base; indeed, for those who enjoy the sherried-style of single malt Scotch whisky, Glendronach is one of the first distilleries that comes to mind. Located in Huntly, just to the east of the Speyside region, it is one of the smaller and more traditional distilleries, but – as whisky enthusiasts have known for a long time – it punches above its weight. So much so, its loyal fan base is a growing one. And rightly so….
The distillery was founded in 1826 and so this year marks its 200th birthday. The whisky community in Australia was privileged this July to have Dr Rachel Barrie, Glendronach’s Master Blender, visit our shores to help celebrate the occasion. Having Dr Barrie in town, it was also a timely opportunity to shine a light on the distillery’s Master’s Anthology collection, perhaps better known amongst the punters as the “Ode to…” series.
Ardbeg Ten Cask Strength
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?
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.