Author Archives: Sjoerd de Haan-Kramer
Auchentoshan Festival Bottling, 2009, 56.5%
Another Auchentoshan review in a short while. I bought a sample of this dram from The Toshan Man Mark Dermul since I generally like bourbon matured Auchentoshan, especially if it’s a properly selected active cask. Something they bottle for their … Continue reading
Beam, Straight up – Fred Noe
Fred Noe, the seventh generation of master distillers at Jim Beam in Kentucky wrote a book about his life and the brand. The book tells his story, a lot about his father (the legendary Booker Noe) and short insights in the … Continue reading
Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 6, 49.8%
The last of my Balvenie Tun 1401 samples to be reviewed at this time. I know I can get Batch 1 and 2 as well, but I haven’t seen the people that were willing to trade or sell in a … Continue reading
Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 5, 50.1%
The penultimate Balvenie review in this series. This one is released in Europe and the Middle East. For some reason they spread them thin across Europe… This batch consists of nice casks, of which four were sherry butts (1970, 1971, … Continue reading
Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 4, 50.4%
The 4th batch was released in 2012 for the Travel Retail market at select locations across the globe. Although you’d say it would be more available then, the current price is about € 800 for a bottle, compared to the … Continue reading
Balvenie Tun 1401, Batch 3, 50.3%
Ah, the Balvenie Tun 1401 series. Whiskies that have been hyped incredibly since 2012 with each of them selling out really fast. Most reviews have been in the ‘this is a steal at € 200’ category. For some reason it … Continue reading
Glen Garioch Competition
Guys, Glen Garioch is running a competition on Facebook just like Bowmore a while ago. This time you can win a trip to the distillery in Oldmeldrum, just by answering a simple question on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/glengarioch. Of course, … Continue reading
Ardbeg Blasda, 40%
Ardbeg Blasda to me looked like a reincarnation of the rather magnificent Kildalton, albeit younger and not at cask strength. I only had a wee taste of Kildalton from the Ardbeg Peat Pack a few years ago, which also included … Continue reading
BenRiach Solstice 15yo, 50% (peated, port finish)
BenRiach is a distillery that is know for various things. The most noticably are there terrific old releases, of which the 1976 bottlings are truly stunning. There are other oldies regularly that are pretty terrific too (the 1975 for Asta … Continue reading
Forty Creek Port Wood Reserve, 45%
The fourth and last whisky in the Davin de Kergommeaux series of tasting on Sunday nights in May. Where’s the third, I hear you think? Well, I haven’t gotten around to reviewing it yet. That Sunday I was not available … Continue reading
Malt Fascination 