In evangelising some friends, Hughie encounters all-too-common blend prejudice. To counter, he hunts for a good value, sherry cask sipper to help his pals embrace the B-word. Might this Old Perth be it?

Fletcher uses a quintet of quite different, independently released Ledaig expressions to try to fathom how Signatory Vintage arrived at its pricing for a recent Cask Strength 17yo single cask.

Murdo riffs off a recent Ainsley piece where he explored the concept of wax in whisky. After tracking down a bottle of Thompson Bros Dailuaine celebrated for ‘wax’, he feels ready to share.

In a somewhat confessional piece, Innes shares his thoughts on a pricey-but-delightful Adelphi Chichibu. While also addressing an interesting and relatable point about ageism in whisky.

Dougie returns from recent distractions to grab two seemingly unrelated - at first - malts for a Misty Isle twofer: A Thompson Bros Ardnamurchan & an Inchdairnie Finglassie from Lady of the Glen.

After something of an unintended hiatus, Drummond figures out it’s just where he’s at - no longer feeling the need to chase. Instead of FOMO, he’s embracing JOMO - and four cracking Kilkerrans.

Ainsley has tried enough decent Clynelish to know he loves that waxy character it can possess, so he determines to land a bottle. But that’s harder said than done. Did he manage with this 1992 18yo?

Wally enjoys thinking about whisky accidents as he manages to secure a bottle of the Living Souls ‘accident’ where, we’re told, a splash of grain accidentally made its way into a vat of aged malt. Oops.

A lesser-seen malt, well-presented - and for a very good cause that flies uncomfortably close to all of us - resonates with Charlie. To the point he feels it needn’t be particularly splendid - or complex. It’s already a good ‘thing’.

Ainsley recounts the splendour of the recent Independent Spirits Festival held in Leith. This is just the kind of recap to make sure we see another year of this, and a perfect Fib Whisky Whitlaw to match up.

While Innes gives a run through on some of the late 2024 Watt Whisky releases, Wally chimes in after catching the latest release from Blacksmith & Jones: a docuseries all about Indy Bottlers.

In sipping a curiously challenging Fragrant Drop Glen Grant 21yo, Wally asks an equally curiously challenging question - is malt whisky actually too cheap?

After a ‘day-off’ yesterday, due to our AWOL editor, Innes gets us back into things with a study of five different Glentauchers bottlings over four decades, including one that really shouldn’t exist…

Through an auction win, Earie is sucked into the fascinating history and story behind the great Silvano Samaroli, as he realises just how influential he was in the scotch story.

Did our challenging times during Lockdown actually offer us a few silver linings? Murdo offers a few possible examples which endure for him today, including discovering this knockout Cadenhead’s Linkwood.

Refining his whisky-sights, a measured gamble on the ever-reliable Thompson Brothers connects Tav with a ‘teaspooned’ bottle he’d have to pay double for to grab the branded version.

In digging for obscure treasures, Innes unearths a bottle that’s been abused for 50 years. A Wine Society Mortlach from before most of us were born. Incredible liquid history. How does it taste?

A debut piece by our Friday First writer Mason Mack, who introduces us to his digital native generation and slow-living, through a glass of elegant Dailuaine from Fragrant Drops.

Whisky brings solace and escapism in challenging times. After some fatigue, Earie finds his love of whisky geekery sparked once more. A very good indie Islay from Elixir’s Elements helps out.

Cadenhead’s Original Collection and the Enigma Blends are perhaps the most likely of their releases to be found in the wider marketplace. Ainsley dives in to an entire outturn.