Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 579: Ledaig 27 Year Old 1995 Berry Bros & Rudd

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a rather old Ledaig. Recently, he attended a tasting by Care for Craft Spirits in Ghent, in the coziest tapas bar in the city, Bar Terroir, where none other than Mike Harrison, Sales Development Director of independent bottler Berry Brothers & Rudd, presented some bottles. One of the highlights of the evening for Mark was this 27-year-old Ledaig. Distilled in 1995 and aged for almost three decades in a hogshead, the cask yielded 224 bottles.

https://youtu.be/ozCwepmB7ps

Douglas Laing & Co. Unveil Winter Wonders with Dual Limited-Edition Releases

As temperatures drop and Whisky lovers reach for something warming, Douglas Laing & Co. proudly unveil not one, but two exceptional seasonal bottlings: Scallywag Winter Edition and, for the very first time, Big Peat Winter Edition. These annual expressions of two of the company’s flagship brands invite consumers to embrace winter in all its bold, rich and flavourful glory.

Scallywag Winter Edition: Frosted by Nature

Returning for its annual appearance, the Scallywag Winter Edition has been reimagined in striking new form for 2025. Sporting a frosted glass bottle and cracked ice design effect, the presentation mirrors the Whisky’s indulgent, wintry soul. This Speyside Malt has been expertly finished in rare Ice Wine Casks sourced from Eastern Europe and is said to deliver “a decadent dram brimming with dark chocolate, candied orange and warm festive spices”. Natural in colour, non-chill filtered and bottled at a natural cask strength of 52.4% ABV, it’s an intense, warming Whisky that captures the very essence of the colder months.

Scott Morrison, Scallywag Senior Brand Manager comments:

“As ever, Scallywag’s Winter Edition is a celebration of the season – but this year’s striking new look adds an extra layer of drama to an already flavour-packed Whisky. It’s a bottle designed to be both admired and enjoyed… can you find our Feisty Fox Terrier lurking beneath the ice?” 

Big Peat Winter Edition: A Powerful New Chapter

In an exciting new development, Big Peat – Islay’s distinctive Malt with a cult-like global following – makes “his” first foray into Winter Editions. Hanging up “his” Santa hat in favour of something more curated this year, Big Peat presents a special limited release, carefully finished in hand-selected Madeira Wine Casks sourced directly from the iconic region, adding sunlit sweetness to “his” trademark smoky Islay Malt.

With this winter warmer you can expect “sweet Malt, sea spray and salted caramel on the nose, followed by a molasses-rich palate with burnt orange, coal dust and phenolic firepower.” Bottled at a punchy 53.6% ABV, and as always with no colouring and no chill-filtration, this limited release is an authentic and powerful winter dram for the devoted peat fan.

Chloe Wood, Big Peat Brand Manager comments:

“This isn’t a reinvention, it’s an evolution. Big Peat has always embraced the elements, and our Winter Edition showcases his depth and adaptability in the face of nature’s coldest, wildest season. Prepare yourself for something truly spectacular!”

Both limited editions are available in formats designed to captivate. Big Peat is presented in a striking carton, featuring embossing and gold foil detailing that reflect the Whisky’s bold character. Scallywag, meanwhile, is offered bottle-only to hero its iconic frosted glass bottle and cracked ice design. Each release is destined to appeal to Whisky connoisseurs, collectors, and seasonal gift-buyers alike.

With winter fast approaching, Douglas Laing invites Whisky lovers to embrace the season boldly, whether through Scallywag’s rich, sherried indulgence or Big Peat’s smoky, sun-touched storm.

Now available at select retailers and online with a suggested RRP of: 

Scallywag Winter Edition: £60.00 / €68.00

Big Peat Winter Edition: £65.00 / €74.00

Scallywag: scott.morrison@douglaslaing.com / @scallywagwhisky

Big Peat: chloe.wood@douglaslaing.com / @bigpeatwhisky

Website: www.douglaslaing.com

J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery Invites Fall Partygoers to Customize Their Own Whiskey for Halloween

Be the Life of the Party with a Personalized Halloween Bottle 

FRANKFORT, KY (Sept 25, 2025) – This Halloween, even your bottles can be dressed up for the occasion, with J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery’s craft your bottle program. Whiskey fans can go online to www.jmattingly1845.com/crafting/make-your-own and choose between three different double staved™ mashbills (or recipes), including two bourbons and one rye whiskey.  Next, users select their bottle shape, customize their own label and even choose their own wax color from every color of the rainbow. Bottles can be shipped to 46 states.  This program is available online and in person at the Distillery in Kentucky and can result in some frighteningly fun labels and Halloween-themed wax colors. ​​

With Halloween spending projected to be at an all-time high this year, and nearly three-quarters of Americans intending to celebrate Halloween in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation, taking a bourbon with a custom label to your next Halloween party, or creating one yourself to display with your Halloween décor and enjoy as you hand out candy is a spell-binding way to spend All Hallows’ Eve.

“We really get into the Halloween spirit here at J. Mattingly 1845, and have seen some creative plays on words for labels, and wax bottle toppers that range from what you’d think of as traditional Halloween colors of orange and black, to even tri-color wax that looks like candy corn,” said Cameron Mattingly, Master Blender and Vice President of Production. “Since all of our whiskey is double-staved, the product inside the bottle looks and tastes just as good as it looks on the outside.”

Double-staving is a proprietary method developed by founder Jeff Mattingly over a decade ago and is the process of adding additional charred oak staves to each barrel at just the right moment in its aging cycle to coax out additional flavor. Pricing for the custom bottles starts at $99.50 for a 750 mL bottle, and shipping is available to 46 states.  Visit www.jmattingly1845.com to create your custom bottle today.

About J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery

The Mattingly family has been synonymous with distilling in Kentucky for more than two centuries, having a hand in the development of at least nine separate distilleries in the Commonwealth, and with connections to some of the most illustrious names in the distilling industry, including George Garvin Brown, the Willetts and the Samuels.

It all started in 1845, with John Graves Mattingly’s first distillery in Marion County, Kentucky, Registered Distillery #2.  Many historians today believe his distillery was the first registered distillery in Kentucky.

        In 2010, Jeff Mattingly took up the family mantle and started his own craft bourbon business.  Today, Jeff’s son Cameron continues the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly Distillery 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky, serving as Vice President of Production.  J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery continues to innovate, with their proprietary double-staving process and custom bourbon blending experience unparalleled in the spirits industry, available on-site in Frankfort or online at https://jmattingly1845.com/build-a-bottle/.

For more information about J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery visit www.JMattingly1845.com.

Our collection schedule for September 2025 has now been finalised. Please click HERE to see the list of dates, locations and to register your interest in the collection service.

The deadline for collection requests is 12noon on Monday 13th October 2025.

Home collections are available for those customers sending 10+ bottles or bottles to the value of £1000. Lots can be split over the next three auctions.

Unfortunately this service is not available in London. Although we do have four collection points in London. Collections are limited and offered on a first come first served basis.

It is essential that a submission sheet is completed, you can find the link to do so under the selling section on your ‘My SWA’ page.

It would be appreciated if bottles could be packed for uplift with your name clearly marked on the front of the box.

A winner in our auction? We are now offering a delivery service to customers who are dropping bottles off for a future auction. This service is charged at £12 (inc. VAT), optional loss and breakage cover is available.

A GUIDE TO CHICHIBU

For lovers of Japanese whisky, Chichibu needs no introduction. The distillery was founded by Ichiro Akuto in 2008 and has since become a benchmark for the next generation of Japanese distilling. Chichibu traces back to the Akuto family’s sake brewery, founded in 1625, combining centuries of experience with a modern approach. Ichiro carefully selects barley, experiments with fermentation, and ages the spirit in a range of casks – from bourbon and sherry to IPA and mizunara oak – producing releases with distinct flavours while keeping the distillery’s signature balance and precision.  Ichiro is known for his love of mizunara oak, giving his whiskies their distinctive flavours of incense and spice. He bids at auctions each year to source the wood and even makes washbacks from mizunara.

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THE REVIEW

I’m back from holiday and it’s time to get opening all of the new stocks! I managed to secure a really fun bottle from a much loved release from the folks at The Thompson Brothers, I’ve also renewed my membership with a particularly excellent and well established indie bottler.

Outside of all of this, we’ve been sent loads of great bottles from the folks at The Whiskey Wash who I do some other work for. You can check out the written reviews at the link below, or you can wait for me to get them on here. Either way, whatever in this video you really want to see, do let me know below. That’s what this is all about.

Whisky Reviews every Wednesday
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Youtube.com/whiskywednesday

1792 BOURBON WELCOMES COGNAC CASK FINISH

TO ITS PORTFOLIO

The brand’s first permanent cask-finished expression brings new flavor dimensions to its Award-Winning Small Batch Bourbon

BARDSTOWN, kY (September 18, 2025) – 1792 Bourbon, crafted at Barton 1792 Distillery, proudly introduces 1792 Cognac Cask Finish, the first cask-finished expression in its permanent portfolio. Building on the foundation of its Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this release offers whiskey drinkers an opportunity to explore new dimensions of flavor through extended finishing in Cognac casks.

As the oldest fully operating distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky—the Bourbon Capital of the World—Barton 1792 draws on nearly 150 years of whiskey-making experience. 1792 Cognac Cask Finish builds on this tradition, using the same mashbill, fermentation, and distillation process as 1792 Small Batch Bourbon, which was recently named “Best Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon” at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards.

“We’ve experimented with a range of premium cask finishes, but Cognac immediately stood out for how naturally it complements our Small Batch Bourbon,” says Ross Cornelissen, Barton 1792 Master Distiller. “Extended finishing in Cognac casks reveals dessert-like notes and layered complexity, while showcasing the full-bodied character of the Small Batch Bourbon and its signature high-rye recipe.”

The distillery’s journey into finishing began with 1792 Port Cask Finish, an acclaimed early experiment. This experience laid the foundation for the milestone release of Cognac Cask Finish. The latest release from 1792 transfers Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey from charred American White Oak barrels into hand-selected ex-Cognac casks for its final maturation. These barrels are placed on the top floors of the rickhouses, where rising heat intensifies aging and interaction with the wood. After resting for a minimum of six months in Cognac casks, the bourbon develops soft fruit notes and a refined sweetness.

Bottled at 95 proof, 1792 Cognac Cask Finish opens with a deep, luxurious nose of dark cocoa and rich caramel. On the palate, ripe stone fruit—plum, apricot, and cherry—emerges alongside notes of Bananas Foster and creamy vanilla, finishing with sweet oak.

“1792 Cognac Cask Finish represents a new flavor chapter in this brand’s story,” says Andrew Duncan, Global Brand Director, 1792 Whiskey. “We’re pleased to offer a whiskey that invites both new and experienced spirits fans to enjoy premium cask-finished bourbon. It’s already becoming a favorite among bourbon connoisseurs.”

1792 Cognac Cask Finish is available now at a suggested retail price of $37.99 (750ml) through Sazerac’s United States distributor network, reaching retailers, bars, and restaurants nationwide.

About 1792 Whiskey

1792 Whiskey is produced at Barton 1792 Distillery and is named for the year Kentucky became a state. The 1792 portfolio includes Small Batch, Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond, Full Proof, Aged Twelve Years, Sweet Wheat, and more—each offering a sophisticated and complex flavor profile. Through flawless distillation, distinct recipes, patient maturation, and precise proofing, 1792 whiskeys have earned acclaim from novices and connoisseurs around the world. Recently, 1792 Small Batch was named Best Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards, while 1792 Aged 12 Years, Full Proof, and Small Batch each received Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. To learn more, visit www.1792bourbon.com.

About Barton 1792 Distillery

Barton 1792 Distillery is an American family-owned company located in Bardstown, Kentucky. Named for the year Kentucky became a state, the Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating Distillery in the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” The Distillery is part of Barton Brands, which is owned by the Sazerac Company, one of the world’s largest distilled spirits companies with over 400 years of history. Situated in the heart of bourbon country on 196 acres, the Distillery boasts 29 barrel aging warehouses, 22 other buildings including an impressive still house, and the legendary Tom Moore Spring. 1792 Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey, as well as seven limited edition expressions, are produced at Barton 1792 Distillery. The Distillery has garnered a number of prestigious awards for its whiskies, including its 1792 Small Batch winning Best Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon at the 2025 World Whiskies Awards. To learn more about Barton 1792 Distillery, visit www.1792bourbon.com.

Discover the story behind our latest Harvest Series release – Wychwood Harvest Single Malt Whisky (50% ABV) – in a brand-new feature-length film now live on our YouTube channel below. Crafted from a rare parcel of port and select bourbon casks, this bold and expressive single malt whisky delivers a truly memorable dram. Just 1,500 bottles have been produced, each inspired by a dramatic Cotswolds landscape painting by Andrea Bates, an Oxfordshire artist.

In the film, we’ll take you behind the scenes to the very heart of the Cotswolds, where you’ll hear from:

– Alice Pearson – Head of Production

– Rob Patchett – Head of Global Advocacy

– Andrea Bates – The artist behind this year’s painting, beautifully showcased on the tube

– Daniel Szor – Our Founder

– Michael Green – Our Barley Farmer

Join us as we celebrate the farming traditions, artistry, and passion that make the Harvest Series so special. This limited release is available to purchase now, exclusively from our website and retail shops, priced at £100 per bottle – while stocks last.

SHOP ONLINE HERE

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

2200 Fillmore St.
SF, CA 94115
415.346.1325

www.dandm.com

A HISTORY OF “FIRSTS” IN THE BOURBON

WORLD SINCE 1870!

Founded by George Garvin Brown in 1870, over the last 155 years, the Old Forrester Distilling Company has built a legacy of groundbreaking achievements in the Bourbon world starting with the release of the first bottled Bourbon that year, sourcing and batching whiskey from three local distillers to assure consistency.

When the US Bottled in Bond Act was passed in 1897, Old Forester increased its proof from 90 to 100 to and soon thereafter purchased the Mattingly Distillery to achieve compliance. When a major fire shut down production in 1910, the in-process distillate which was ready for bottling was instead placed into a second barrel while the line was repaired, resulting in the release of a “Very Old Fine Whiskey”, the first double-barreled Bourbon ever produced.  When Prohibition began in 1920, Old Forester was one of just a handful of distillers allowed to produce and sell “medicinal” whiskey and today remains the only Bourbon sold by the same company before, during and after Prohibition. The list of milestones beyond those years include the first single barrel Bourbon (1962) and the first vintage dated Bourbon (2002).

Today, the Brown family continues to manage operations with fifth generation member Campbell Brown now at the helm. Their core Bourbon line includes four bottlings that pay homage to those key early milestone years, which we proudly carry on our shelves. We also have just a few bottles remaining from our own Single Barrel selection available for your consideration. These delicious distillates continue to garner both critical and popular acclaim and, with just a few sips, you’ll understand why.

Cheers!

Old Forester 1870 Original Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

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Old Forester 1897 Bottled in Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon

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Old Forester 1910 Old Fine Kentucky Straight Bourbon

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Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

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Old Forester Cask Strength Single Barrel SBP

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