Tasted #336: Glenfarclas 2007 9yo for Whisky and Wisdom

Whisky fans can be an obsessive bunch (myself included). If we like a whisky enough, we might start to build a collection around it (like say, Heartwood), or even start to stockpile a single type of bottle (the many GlenDronach 15yo bottles I have stashed away would suggest I'm guilty of this too...)

It takes a special kind of whisky fan though to try a whisky, and say "Yep, I like that. I'll take a cask."
(Note: cask, not case)

That however is exactly what the Mr Andrew Derbidge of Sydney did recently, when presented with a sample of a 2007 First Fill ex-Sherry Glenfarclas (well, he took half the cask, but we're splitting hairs here - he still took 252 bottles!).

As Director / Cellarmaster of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Australia, long-time whisky writer, more recent whisky blogger, Glenfarclas tragic and all-round nice bloke, "AD" is probably Sydney's most well-known whisky personality, so it's fair to say he knows his way around a dram. Having shared many a dram with AD over the years (and tried many of his SMWS picks), I knew he had an excellent palate, so had no hesitation buying this before sampling it.

...and I'm glad I did.

Glenfarclas 2007 "Whisky & Wisdom" (60.5% ABV, 9yo, Speyside, Scotland, $229AUD)
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Colour: Dark mahogany copper (or put more simply - "correct").

Nose: Huge, rich Christmas cake and Brazil nuts. There are classic Oloroso sherry notes everywhere you look, but they're all incredibly "clean" - not a hint of sulphur, dustiness, or what have you. Glacé cherries, fresh cherries, and even some macerated blueberries.

Palate: Instantly, a massive, oily, warming (but not "hot") mouthfeel. This is every bit a Christmas (or winter) dram. There are walnuts, sherry-soaked raisins, Brazil nuts and loads of red berries. With a few drops of water, some humbugs and fresh laundry (a trait I often find on "clean" sherried whiskies - and this is one of the cleanest!)

Finish: Long, vibrant, warming. Red berries, tobacco and raisins. With some water, a little herbal.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100. I'll be honest, whilst I've tried some excellent Glenfarclas releases (at least 8 I can recall over 30yo), it's a distillery whose core range, and younger whiskies I'm generally not hugely fond (give me a GlenDronach any day). This 'farclas however, is absolutely beautiful - showing an incredible amount of character, flavour and refinement for merely 9 years of age. Top pick, AD.

Sidenote: I've shared this whisky with a lot of people (which probably explains why my bottle is now empty) - whisky fans and novices alike, including a few people who are definitely not used to whiskies above 43% ABV (let alone 60%+). Everyone has loved it, and more than one person has asked where they can buy a bottle. It's not often you find a whisky that appeals to whisky geeks and novices alike, but this one seems to. 

The Whisky & Wisdom Glenfarclas is available for $229AUD from The Whisky Empire. Andrew's even offering a discount for the Christmas season (presumably because it makes a bloody good Christmas dram) - $25 off for Dram Full members. $204 for a whisky like this is, to be honest, a very good deal.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #334 - 335: Teeling 13 Year Old "Revival II" and Teeling 24 Year Old Single Malt

We've been pretty fortunate here at TimeforWhisky to try pretty much every major Teeling release that makes its way to Australia, and since it's launch in Hong Kong earlier this year, Hong Kong too.

Teeling has taken off in a big way in Hong Kong this year, and that means more releases for HK, and more opportunities to sample those releases (without Teeling having to send them all the way from Australia, which they've kindly done on several occasions)!

The latest releases to hit the Hong Kong market are the 24 year old Single Malt, and 13 year old "Revival II" (following on from Revival, tasted back in May), both of which I've just tasted this weekend.

Teeling 24 Year Old Single Malt (46% ABV, 24yo, Dublin, Ireland, HK pricing TBC / AU pricing TBC / £220.78 ex-VAT)
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One of 5,000 bottles. Matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and married in ex-Sauternes casks.

Colour: Light copper.

Nose: Dusty, varnish/furniture polish. Leather. All those "old whisky" notes I love! There's also some cherry freshness, candied almonds, and blackcurrants. Lots of blackcurrants! Hugely perfumed - it noses a bit like an old Bowmore, minus the smoke.

Palate: Massively creamy blackcurrant notes. Tropical notes too - grapes, mango. Oily mouthfeel, with lots of wine gum notes coming through after time too.

Finish: Medium to long length, with notes of caramel and wine gums.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. Probably the most unique Teeling I've tried, and up there with the most enjoyable!

Teeling 13 Year Old "Revival II" (46% ABV, 13yo, Dublin, Ireland, HK pricing TBC / AU pricing TBC / £83.29 ex-VAT)
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Aged for 12 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished for 12 months in ex-Calvados casks.One of 5,000 bottles. Matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and married in ex-Sauternes casks.

Colour: Vibrant yellow straw.

Nose: Big tropical fruits - mango, guava. Vanilla and strawberry-flavoured bubblegum. Some green apple.

Palate: Spice and oak initially, then the tropical notes come through - green apple, big pepper and some milk chocolate. The effects of the Calvados finishing are subtle but noticeable.

Finish: Long, slightly tannic (though not unpleasantly so), with some mango and orange chocolate at the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 89/100. An enjoyable, easy-drinking and quintessential Teeling...with a twist.

Thanks as always to Teeling Whiskey Co and Summergate Fine Wines & Spirits for the samples.

Cheers,
Martin.

Tasted #332 - 333: Highland Park 25 and Highland Park 40 Year Old

Highland Park's "Ice" may have been the focus of its recent launch in Hong Kong, but there were a few other drams fighting for the limelight that week too - namely the Highland Park 25 year old, and Highland Park 40 year old. Having tried the 30 year old a few years ago, I was happy to be able to finally sample its older and younger siblings (and not spend over £200 for the privilege!)

Highland Park 40 Year Old (48.3% ABV, 40yo, Orkney, Scotland, $21,800HKD / Not currently available in Australia / £1,996 ex-VAT)
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Colour: Dark orange copper.

Nose: Honey-drizzled orange slices. Papaya. Perfumed oak. Marmalade on toast.

Palate: More citrus - whole oranges dipped in Dark Chocolate. Hugely perfumed. Floral spice, leather, oak - lots going on here. Honey and the slightest hint of earthy peat.

Finish: Soft honey smoke that lingers, and lingers, and lingers (and you're very glad it does).

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. Just beautiful. 

Highland Park 25 Year Old (45.7% ABV, 25yo, Orkney, Scotland, $4,200HKD / Not currently available in Australia / £280.42 ex-VAT)
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Colour: Golden toffee.

Nose: Honey, toffee, roasted chestnuts. Nutty pie with a sugary centre. 

Palate: Rich, warming honey drizzled over waffles. Chewy toffee. Slightly leather / furniture polish notes. There's a slightly smokey earthiness - a hint of earthy peat. It's one of those drams that has a lot of characteristics of an old, well-matured whisky - the sort of notes you never, ever see on younger whiskies.

Finish: Long and earthy. Oak and leather. Beautiful.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 94/100. The 30yo is a lovely dram, I prefer the 25, which I'd put on equal footing with the 40.


Cheers,

Martin.

Highland Park Ice Launch Tasting & Lunch in Hong Kong (Tasted #331)

It may have been released all the way back in February of this year, but Edrington Hong Kong were so busy with other launches in 2016 (Edition No.2, Double Cask 12yo and the incredible 65yo in Lalique to name a few), that Ice was put on the backburner. Not to worry though - good things always come to those who wait, and this month Hong Kong finally got its taste of "Ice".

Focusing on the creation (with "Ice") and destruction (with "Fire") of Earth, the series follows on from the hugely successful "Valhalla Series", which concluded with 2015's "Odin". Interestingly, this series will only have the two bottles - there won't be a "wind" (although I'm not sure what style of whisky "wind" would have been anyway - an empty bottle perhaps?!)

Whilst the HK release may have been delayed, it was certainly no less impressive than we've come to expect from Edrington, with Highland Park's Senior Brand Ambassador Martin Markvardsen flying out for a series of events over the course of a week.

Our first taste of Ice came not during the official media launch, but during a public tasting held at SAFE Bubbles & Malt (which features in our list of Hong Kong's Top Whisky Bars). A few weeks earlier I'd seen a tasting advertised on Facebook, for the very reasonable sum of about $300HKD (~$53AUD). That might sound about right for a tasting, but check out the lineup...

• Highland Park 40 Years Old
• Highland Park 30 Years Old
• Highland Park 25 Years Old
• Highland Park Ice Edition
• Highland Park 18 Years Old
• Highland Park Dark Origins

It's not every day you get to try a 40yo Highland Park, but to do so with all those others, led by the distillery's global brand ambassador, for $300HKD? I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear it sold out in a matter of hours...

As a host Martin was the consummate professional, infusing his incredible Highland Park knowledge and love with stories from his years working for the brand (in roles ranging from floor malting to his current position), and always making sure guests were having a good time (we were - did you see the line-up above?!)

Martin talked us through a few interesting facts about the distillery and its Orkney home, like the minimal angels' share (0.5-1% each year), their use of "Tartan Barley" for 5 weeks every year, and the fact that if Scotland voted "Yes" in their 2014 independence referendum, Norway would have legally had the right to "buy back" Orkney - and intended to exercise that right!

Of course as interesting as those facts were, we were there to try the whiskies, and Martin wasted no time in letting us get into them.

Having tried the 18 year old, Dark Origins and 30 year old before, it was the Ice, 25 year old and 40 year old I was most interested in. I'll save the 25 and 40yo for another post, and focus on the Ice here.

Highland Park "Ice" Edition (53.9% ABV, 17yo, One of 30,000 bottles, Orkney, Scotland, $2,880HKD / £158.33 ex-VAT)
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Matured in 100% first-fill Bourbon hogsheads with virgin, un-charred cask ends.

Colour: Light yellow gold. 

Nose: Light at first. Some bananas, a hint of mint. Then freshly cut grass. Tropical notes follow - mostly green apples and papaya.

Palate: It's tropical, but there's also a fair amount of spicy vanillin. Then there's mint again, and a treacle-like sweetness that emerges - honey-drizzled pineapple actually!

Finish: Long, spicy, with subtle hints of earth-laden smoke. I wouldn't call it BBQ smoke, but there is a little grilled pineapple towards the end.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 92/100. After a lot of hype, and a lot of comments (both good and bad) online, after finally tasting it, I can confidently say it's a sold dram - one that meets the hype.

Later that week, Edrington held a media lunch to launch Ice, at Eaton House in Central. Over a 3 course lunch we heard more of Martin's years with the distillery, and tasted Dark Origins, 25 year old and of course Ice, paired with a menu from Eaton House's caterers.

Crab Cake with Salad paired well with Dark Origins, bringing out some really interesting fruity, yet nutty notes which weren't evident in the whisky when sampled neat. 

Short Ribs stew with red wine reduction, seasonable vegetables and brown rice followed, paired with Ice. The pairing was fine, but I used this as another opportunity to try Ice on its own (and found I enjoyed it just as much as the first time).

Chocolate truffle cake came last, paired with the 25 year old. As the 25 was my equal favourite dram of the core range (equal with the 40), I was more than happy to enjoy that one on its own. Detailed tasting notes on both the 25 and 40 year olds will follow this post.

Edrington certainly went all out for their last launch of the year, and it was great to finally try Ice. A big thanks to Edrington and Lee Wolter PR (again). We can't wait to see what 2017 has in store!

Cheers,

Martin.

Review: Tiffany's New York Bar's Whisky Advent Calendar 2016

Not two days after this advent calendar arrived from Master of Malt, I was kindly offered one of Tiffany's New York Bar's calendars - also a 24 day / 24 drams calendar, containing whiskies from around the world.

Quite a bit bigger and more solid than Master of Malt's, the concept is roughly the same (24 drams, 24 days), this Tiffany's calendar had a few nice little features:

• A branded GlenCairn glass with which to enjoy the 24th and final dram
• A $100HKD voucher to spend at the bar
• A printed list of each day's dram
• Polyseal cone caps on each bottle, which many whisky lovers (myself included) swear by for long-term storage. In fact the bottles are more or less the same as the ones I purchase separately for sample storage, so soon I'll have another 24!
• Available in HK, so no concerns with shipping or taxes for HK-based whisky lovers. 

There were three different variants available, but such is the popularity of these that the $1,388HKD one sold out weeks ago. There are still the $1,788HKD World of Whisky Edition and the $5,888HKD Aficionados Edition available though, so it's not too late to catch up (it's only the 8th after all)!

The calendar I received was a special media edition, with whiskies selected and bottled by attendees at the recent media event (which sadly I couldn't attend). With drams like Michel Couvreur, Michter's Toasted Barrel, Asta Morris Cambus IB, a 36year old Cadenhead (distillery not stated) and even an SMWS Ardmore, there's something in here for everyone - from OBs to IBs, single casks to blends, American to Scottish to Welsh to Japanese.

The commercial releases differ a little, but also feature a fantastic selection of world whiskies, including:

World of Whisky Edition ($1,788HKD)

• Aberlour A'Bunadh
• Glenfiddich 12
• Octomore 7.1 Heavily Peated
• Amrut Single Malt Cs
• Glengoyne Cask Stregnth
• Penderyn Madeira Wood
• Armorik Sherry Finish
• Kavalan Single Malt
• Penderyn Sherry Wood
• Arran The Bothy
• Kilchoman Px
• Pogues
• Auchentoshan Three Wood
• Mackmyra Oak
• Slyrs Px Edition
• Big Peat Festive Edition
• Maker'S Mark
• Springbank 10
• Bruichladdich Port Charlotte
• Mars Komagatake
• Sullivans Cove Double Cask
• Crown Royal
• Michel Couvreur Overaged Malt
• Yamazaki 12

Aficionados Edition ($5,888HKD)

• Bunnahabhain 18
• Linkwood Sherry Butt
• First Edition Fettercairn
• Arran Smuglers
• Old Pulteney 17
• First Edition Glen Grant
• Spring Bank Green 12
• Glendronach 21
• Tomatin 25
• Kavalan Vinho Barrique
• Kavalan Amontillado
• Macallan 25
• Michel Couvreur  Overaged Malt
• Balvenie 21
• Macallan 30
• Glenrothes 1988
• Glenfarclas 25
• Highland Park 30
• Samaroli 99
• Laphroaig 18
• Glengoyne 21
• Aberlour 18
• First Edition Glen Keith
• Bowmore Devils Cask III

Years ago I said these calendars are a great way to explore new whiskies, and I still stand by that - any month of the year! With two calendars to get through, and a holiday in December, I'm not likely to finish all 48 samples by Christmas...but January is looking pretty good!

Tiffany's New York Bar Whisky Advent Calendars are available here and from the bar, and are just one of a number of whisky innovations the bar has come up with this year (others being the HK Whisky Festival, their cask programme, Whisky Mooncakes, whisky truffles, whisky ice cream and the list goes on...). We can't wait to see what 2017 has in store.

TimeforWhisky would like to thank the bar, and the tireless efforts of James, Lars and John for their ongoing hospitality this year, and for this lovely Christmas present.

Cheers,

Martin.

Tasted #330: SMWS 127.44 (Bruichladdich - Port Charlotte)

One of the highlights from the Australian branch of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society this year was the resurrection of the Australian Malt Whisky Tasting Championship back in July, as well as the Fèis Ile Society festival bottling that was served up at the after-party - 127.44: Cantina Mexicana (which I thought was superb at the time). Lo and behold, three months following, this special Society release was made available through all the Society partner bars and also through last month's Australian Outturn.

This year is the second year that SMWS have released a Feis Ile festival bottling, following the success it had with the first release last year. This year's release takes its spirit from Bruichladdich (specifically, their peated Port Charlotte expression denoted by the Society code 127).

The Port Charlotte spirit in Cantina Mexicana was distilled in August 2003 and matured for 12 years in a second fill oloroso sherry butt before being bottled at an astounding 65.9% ABV - resulting in one remarkable Port Charlotte expression.

SMWS 127.44 "Cantina Mexicana" Bruichladdich: Port Charlotte (65.9% ABV, 12yo, One of 588 bottles from a second filled sherry butt, Islay, Scotland, $299AUD)
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A rather special Port Charlotte that is laden with rich maritime and spice notes. This release was a stunner and a truly special Feis Ile bottling from the Society.

Colour: Dark gold with amber tinge

Nose: The nose is rich and earthy, pleasant and powerful. It's filled with light bonfire smoke, dry grass on a Summer day and hints of Charcuterie served with dry raisins.

Palate: The palate is drying, filled with briny salt, sweet cinnamon bun, pineapple pizza and then you are hit with loads of habanero pepper spices. Loads of briny salt and spices on the palate, so much that it left a tingling and drying sensation.

Finish: The finish is exquisite and elegantly long with plenty of pepper spice that remained.

Rating (on my very non-scientific scale): 93/100.

Cheers
Hendy

Tasting the Armorik range of French whisky with Le Baron Des Spirits

When starting this blog back in 2012, one of the goals was to try as many "world whiskies" as possible. At the time, I'd tried a few (Aussies, Japanese, Scotch/Irish/American of course), but wanted to expand my horizons as much as possible. Whilst it's probably fair to say I've managed to significantly expand those horizons (and now even have my own monthly magazine column on the topic of "New World Whiskies" in Malt & Spirits Magazine), the exploration never ends, and I'm always excited to try whiskies from previously undiscovered distilleries, or emerging whisky-producing nations.

(Sidenote: I love how in the world of whisky, many of the "new world" producers are actually "old world" wine producing regions - France, Italy, Germany etc...)

Enter Armorik whisky, from Warengheim Distillery in the north of Brittany, France. Whilst not a new distillery (having distilled their first whisky in 1983, and their first spirits in 1900),  their's was a distillery I'd only seen/tasted at the odd whisky show, but never really sat down and spent any time with. Hendy tried the Classic Single Malt at Dramnation's World Whisky Tour back in July this year, and so now it was my chance to get better acquainted...

On a trip back to Sydney a few months ago, the enterprising Jeremy from Le Baron Des Spirits was kind enough to take some time out and talk me through a tasting of the core range, on Sydney's foreshore. Drinking good whisky on a crisp, sunny winter's day with the beautiful Sydney harbour as your backdrop? There are worse ways to spend an afternoon.

Jeremy explained that he brought the brand to Australia 18 months earlier, and in that time made Australia the number 1 market for Armorik per capita. Not a bad effort! When you look at Jeremy's tireless efforts to market the brand in Australia (through tastings, whisky shows, social media and just generally being part of the 'whisky scene', not to mention his recent Australia-only special release), and then you consider that he's pretty much doing it himself (without the help of any PR firms), it's an impressive feat.

Back to the distillery though, Jeremy described Warengheim's 1983 move into whisky as a "do or die" move, and a big step up from their history of distilling whatever fruit they could acquire, via their mobile pot stills. Armorik itself was created in 1998, and whilst the distillery's output is still relatively small, it's made a big impact amongst whisky lovers in Australia in a short space of time.

Jeremy had brought 7 different drams for me to try, spanning the range of blends, "old" Armorik, "new" Armorik and even a Rye!

• Breiz blended whisky 4yo (42% ABV)
• Armorik Classic Single Malt 5yo (46% ABV)
• Armorik Double Maturation 8yo (46% ABV)
• Armorik Maître de Chai 8yo (46% ABV)
• Armorik Millesime 2002 single cask #3260 13yo (55.5% ABV)
• Armorik Dervenn 4yo (46% ABV)
• Roof Rye Double Maturation 8yo (43% ABV)

Breiz blended whisky 4yo (42%), aged in virgin oak and containing 50% malt, this gave tropical passionfruit notes on the nose with a sweet and tropical palate. Not overly complex, but a smooth, enjoyable whisky.

Armorik Classic Single Malt 5yo (46%) had notes of paprika and dried mango, with both spice and caramel on the palate and a short to medium length finish.  A nice step up from the blend.

Armorik Double Maturation 8yo (46% ABV), which spent close to half its life in ex-Oloroso casks, showed notes of cigar smoke and Brazil nuts on the nose, and a much more rounded, complex palate than the Classic, with Bourbon sweetness balanced out with some fruit cake-like Sherry notes. A very enjoyable, sippable dram.

Armorik Maître de Chai 8yo (46% ABV), a vatting of two ex-Oloroso casks, and one of only 1,700 bottles worldwide, won "Best French Single Malt" at this year's World Whiskies Awards. With a light, fruity berry compote nose and berries mixed with cinnamon spice on the palate, it had a long, spice-led yet smooth finish.

Armorik Millesime 2002 single cask #3260 13yo (55.5% ABV) was the only single cask amongst the line-up, and also the most noticeably sherried, having undergone 9 years "finishing" in a 2nd fill ex-Oloroso cask. There was some matchheads and flint, along with a raspberry sweetness on the palate, and a long, sweet finish. Probably my equal favourite with the Dervenn.

Armorik Dervenn 4yo (46% ABV) was probably the most interesting release to me - not necessarily because of the whisky itself, but what it represents. Dervenn is the first release of the "new" Armorik - a new single malt spirit first distilled in 2012, developed by Jim Swan, and ultimately to form future Armoriks. This 4yo release (aged in virgin oak) showed floral notes on the nose, with passionfruit and papaya on the palate. At only 4yo, it was a testament to what good spirit and good wood can achieve.

Last up was the Roof Rye Double Maturation 8yo (43% ABV), the first French rye whisky, and a collaboration between a local bar owner and the distillery. The most interesting thing about this whisky is the maturation regime - which sees 6 years maturation take place at the distillery, before the whisky is transferred to Marseille where it undergoes a further 18-24 months (two summers) in heavily charred virgin oak casks, which are stored (two at a time) in small corrugated iron boxes - simulating the extreme heat you might experience under a corrugated roof. This one showed plenty of spice, but also leather, lemon and orange zest. Lovely stuff.


It was an absolute pleasure to try these whiskies, and to do so with Sydney harbour as our backdrop, whilst learning all about the distillery from Jeremy, was the icing on the cake. The Armorik range can be purchased in Australia from Le Baron Des Spirits, including a very limited 10yo ex-Sauternes cask bottled especially for Australia!

A big thanks must to to Jeremy and Le Baron Des Spirits for his hospitality, and a big apology must go out for the delay in getting this article up!

Cheers,
Martin.

Review: Whisky Advent Calendar 2016 by Drinks by the Dram

Back in September we wrote about Master of Malt's 2016 Drinks by the Dram Whisky Advent Calendars - still one of the more popular articles of the past few months by the looks of things!

Fast forward a few months, and Master of Malt were kind enough to send us a calendar to review - their "Whisky Advent Calendar".

There are 25 different calendars (covering everything from rum to Japanese whisky to insanely rare whiskies), but the one we received (selling for £124.96 ex-VAT) includes the following drams:

• Glenfarclas 21 Year Old
• The Lost Distilleries Blend
• The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask or The Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak
• Kavalan Concertmaster - Port Cask Finish
• Lagavulin 16 Year Old
• Rock Oyster (Douglas Laing)
• Wolfburn Single Malt
• Oban Little Bay
• Kilchoman Machir Bay
• Fettercairn Fasque
• Buffalo Trace
• Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Solera
• Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old
• English Whisky Co. 5 Year Old (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
• Highland Park 12 Year Old
• Mackmyra Svensk Ek
• The Half-Century Blend (50yo)
• Evan Williams Extra Aged
• Teeling Single Malt
• Invergordon 25 Year Old (That Boutique-y Whisky Company)
• Old Perth Sherry Cask
• Tomatin 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish
• Dalmore 12 Year Old
• Glengoyne 12 Year Old

A solid line-up of Scottish stalwarts (Macallan 12, Glenfarclas 21, Lagavulin 16 etc..) and some great world whiskies too (Mackmyra Svensk Ek, Teeling Single Malt, Kavalan Concertmaster etc..), but what really impressed us was the inclusion of a 50 year old blend - the Half-Century Blend which retails for £499 ex-VAT!

Being somewhat impatient, we may just have the tasting notes for this one up early in December, rather than waiting until the 24th...until then, we're going to work our way through the calendar day by day, starting with a Balvenie 12 DoubleWood. Cheers!

A big thanks to Master of Malt for sending this calendar to review.

Cheers,

Martin.