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With so much choice for enthusiasts to explore today, our canny - and occasionally miserly - Hamish is drawn to a bargain Thompson Bros Circumstance that has the airwaves chattering.
Dougie, trying to get his head around a new sphere of whisky in Wire Works, needs a little inspiration from the thing he’s come to love every bit as much as the drink itself - the folk.
Aengus is back. In reviewing the very latest release from Dr. Don’s Rye Cask Lot 40 Cask Strength - with a cherry wood finish - he tries to define the attributes of ‘cool’.
Eallair’s second fascinating instalment of the history behind American Single Malt, to the backdrop of a special Straight Rye from Leopold Bros
Faced with some recent difficulty, Wally evaluates a thing he leans upon to bring comfort and optimism. Catharsis comes through the lens of an affordable, available Campbeltown sparkler.
How to convey the breathless experience of the world’s Largest Whisky Show? We send in Ainsley. Who seems to drink the time of his life. Oh, and a lesser-seen Balmenach review, for value.
Tav turns up for a race feeling like he’s in the zone, he’s brought his A-game. Only to be left questioning his relationship with whisky. All with the backdrop of a 7 year old Glasgow Marsala cask banger.
Dougie becomes cynical of super-dark whiskies. Not content with an inability to see the true colour of the Tyndrum Ardnamurchan single cask, he decants first, then reviews.
Murdo is invited to present interesting whiskies to a group of wine lovers, searching for bold flavours and hooks, he makes a slight error skips this beautiful Glentauchers from Signatory.
After a horrific experience with Tasmanian whisky, Calder returns to his local stuff after significant inspiration from his favourite dram pairing; literature. He sets out with a Killara Port Cask.
Tyree returns with some deep thoughts on expertise, enthusiasts, ‘Big Whisky’ and black boxes. Fascinating. He finishes off with a flourish and a beautiful 1990s Benrinnes. Welcome back fella.
Some new, cracking value, Glasgow 1770 Small Batch releases have dropped. Dougie leads a team up with Drummond and Wally to check out the Madeira and the Islay Cask. Don’t miss these.
When you love something, sense doesn’t always prevail. Wally, not for the first time, naively pulls the trigger on a 2024 Talisker only to discover he’s chasing nostalgia, and he needs to move on.
Bristol is one of Europe’s culture capitals. Today, it also has a distillery who are determined to do things wildly different. Fergus gambles on an Organic Single Grain and cashes in on flavour.
Despite living at the opposite end of the planet, Calder dreams of the Sound of Islay and Bunnahabhain. Especially when it’s peaty. Here he reviews 3 guilty pleasure Fèis Ìle releases.
Another milestone is reached and Kingsbarns release an 8yo Distillery Reserve at cask strength. Is it any good though? Well, Wally is offered a bottle but deflects it to Skye. Step up Dougie.
Ogilvie has been starved of whisky choice recently, but a positive effect of this is a more curious mind. Which led hime to pick up a 14yo Invergordon official bottling. We’re intrigued!
Reflecting on the rise of modern blends; Fletcher thinks about the incidental rise of the amateur blender, and tries a few of these newer products up against the benchmark; Johnnie Black 12yo.
Betrayal; that of friends and family, but also the worst kind; that of distilleries! Drummond and Ainsley team up over some peaty Bunnahabhain Staoisha to discuss the fickle relationship.
Despite his youth, Broddy has a concern that whisky is at risk of becoming stuffy once more. Is that about age? Or age statements? As Shelter Point comes of age he shares his thoughts.
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We share our thoughts and insight into whisky, its larger landscape as well as the Dramface environment.
Our Dramface hiatus is interrupted as Doog somehow manages to summon the energy to share why many of the team are ghosts after a legendary weekend.
Hailing from Paris and loving whisky AND wine, Ainsley gives us a barnstormer feature we all can benefit from; a deep yet succinct 101 cheat-sheet for all things wine-related in whisky.
After the devastating export figures issued recently by the SWA, scotch faces turbulent seas ahead. Fletcher asks hard questions about greed, strategy and the potential of a whisky ocean.
Arthur continues his exploration to better understand a little more about industry roles, specifically the whisky makers. This time, for the third in the series, it’s the alchemist of Loch Lomond Group Michael Henry and The Blender Files.
After last week’s tales of a morning in Campbeltown blending his own whisky at Cadenhead’s, Dougie tackles the afternoon by way of their warehouse tasting. Stamina, plot twists and drams a-plenty.
Dougie’s annual swashbucking diversion to uncover the whisky treats of Scotland’s West Coast this time takes him back to Campbeltown, where he signs up for Cadenhead’s Blending Lab. So vivid you’ll swear you were there.
A thought piece from Ramsay, as he considers the expansion in scotch whisky production in the last decade, he decides to try to put a number on it. It’s a lot.
In Arthur’s fascination to understand a little more about industry roles, he’s reaching out to the folk on the front lines. This is Scott Adamson of Tomatin & Cù Bòcan, the second in his series of The Blender Files.