How can Wally admit to loving a bottle and yet score it 3/10? It’s complex, but in this case he thinks Diageo have made it a big, confusing, opaque and cynical mess - for retailers and punters.

Broddy heads back to grab a second bottle of an absolute banger, only to discover they’re all sold. Worse, some naughty whisky mules have been smuggling ‘em out of his native home to punt on Scottish auction sites. Cue a Broddy huff.

On the hunt in a neighbouring state for some Springbank goodness, Ogilvie decides not to buy and switches to something completely different. I wonder if you can guess why?

While reviewing those two Aqvavitae Ardnamurchan bottles, somehow, in so many incidental ways, Dougie highlights all of the things to be grateful for exploring whisky. Those high-energy, emotional, glowing, amber-inspired moments we all love to live for.

Not just a review from Broddy, but a confession. A reflection on what he’s buying: how many, how much is open, what producers and - how much he’s actually spent. Sobering indeed.

Dramface takes on a six bottle outturn from Watt Whisky, it’s a team effort. Two single malts, a blended malt, a blend, a single grain and a curious Bas Armagnac. No wonder the images are blurry.

Finding independent bottlers slightly intimidating at first, Hamish get’s hooked on Linkwood during a whisky trip and discovers indy Linkwoods online, at auction and everywhere.

As we swing into boxing day, Doog finds an appropriate dram to utterly switch off with. The fact that he can pick it up for the equivalent of mere buttons, in whiskey terms, sweetens the already sweet deal.

A team review is required around a new take on Elixir’s Port Askaig series and their first Cask Strength Small Batch. Wally leads with a deep dive into why we’re not drinking enough. Apparently.

In something of a follow up to Earie’s Shelter Point piece, we hear about Broddy’s visit to what may be his desert island distillery -The Netherland’s Zuidam, makers of Millstone. Dougie chimes in too.

A sudden gust of luck brings a random Instagram win for Earie. In enjoying a Christmas selection set of Douglas Laing’s Rock Island malts, he finds a way to share his splash of good fortune with us all.

Worlds collide as an in-real-life cross border meet up and distillery visit has otherwise unobtanium whisky change hands and call for for a three-way Dramface review, this time Batch 3 of Shelter Point’s 10 year old Canadian malt.

Drummond dives into another solid Benromach, this time in the Contrasts Series range with their Double Matured Bordeaux. With it, he reaffirms that age isn't everything and even though it is not quite a hole-in-one, its still a worthy addition to the Benromach shelf.

Amazing gestures of generosity place Doog in the possession of two much celebrated special releases from Loch Lomond; the XL Fermentation DE3 goes up against Aqvavitae’s 2022 release.

Earie takes a wander through the Dram Mòr Autumn/Winter releases 2023 and discovers a solid turnout, but one of them knocks him clean off his feet.

Glenlivet’s ubiquitous 12yo in its slightly more modern ‘Double Oak’ guise is gifted to Ogilvie as he departs for his newly relocated life. Exhaustion has him skip the bottle specs, forcing a blind sip and a surprise.

It seems we’ve discovered the next rabbit hole that threatens to swallow our Doog for a while - that of Single Grain. Old, decadent, tasty and fairly priced stuff too.

As part of a ‘team building exercise’ Hamish is invited to stretch his olfactory senses in a structured test. His colleagues - knowing he’s a whisky reviewer - determine that he’ll “boss it”. Well, did he? You know the answer…dontcha?

In a Dramface first, we visit Nc’Nean. Two malts showcasing what they’re up to in sustainability and organic processes. Ramsay wonders if he’s missed anything, with a little help form Drummond.

Malt? Or grain? Wally tries to decipher the latest release form Loch Lomond’s fascinatingly geeky Distillery Edition series, which isn’t quite as easy as it at first may seem.