ralfy review 1144 Extras – Distillery integrity = bottle competency.
Springbank 12 Cask Strength 56.6% 2026
There isn’t much else to say, is there. Somehow I was able to get hold of this bottle for the first time in my life. I felt so honoured to have it that it only felt right to share it with other people at a tasting I ran in Manchester, and as you’d expect, it went down a storm. As a believer in the ‘bourbon casks are best’ policy when it comes to ageing spirits, I was so happy that this release was also 100% ex-bourbon cask matured. I wanted to taste that oily, funky, unusual thing that has made Springbank so famous all over the world, whilst getting the nuances of the style, too. No heavy fortified wines or sweet rums clouding that possibility. I love all casks, but this was a special experience. A marvellous whisky with a lot of potent presence and an almost cleansing level of spiciness.
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ralfy review 1144 – Kilchoman Maury Cask @50%vol:
The Good Dram Show – Episode 646 ‘Thirty Something’
Welcome to this week’s episode of the show. It’s titled thirty something because all the whiskies featured in the show are thirty years old or over. There is no link to the television series of the same name bar the typeface! Episode 646 – thirtysomething Filmed in The Study Nottingham. Filmed & Edited by Chris Goodrum.
Featuring
Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Strathclyde 1987 (30 year old) 50.5%
Douglas Laing Old Particular Carsebridge 1982 (33 year old) 44.9%
Douglas Laing Xtra Old Particular Caol Ila 1980 (36 year old) 57.4%
www.douglaslaing.com
Lombard Jewels of Scotland Glen Keith 1985 (30 year old) 41.9%
www.lombardscotchwhisky.com
Glenglassaugh 30 year old 44.8%
www.glenglassaugh.com
Benromach 35 year old 43%
www.benromach.com
ralfy review 1143 – Clynelish 12yo @54.5%vol: (Lady of the Glen)
At its simplest, a blended whisky is one which combines whiskies of two types or places, but that obscures how diverse and interesting a category this is. Grain whiskies are generally lighter and more delicate, so in addition to reducing cost, they also allow a blender to balance flavours with greater precision. This explains in great part the dominance of blended whisky today – more control for less money. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s inferior, as smaller outfits like Compass Box, Thompson Bros or Woven demonstrate. That’s without touching on Irish or Japanese whisky traditions, or indeed blended malt whiskies, where only single malts go into the final blend. Blends contain worlds – thankfully that’s territory well worth exploring.
Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 613: Auchentoshan 26 Year Old 1991 Claxton’s
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another one of his favorite Lowlander. Unless you have only recently discovered Mark’s blog and Ramblings, you know very well that Auchentoshan has captured his heart. A few weeks ago, he was given a lovely bottle by his friend Manny, and Mark is now very happy to bring to try it. It is an Auchentoshan from 1991 that matured for no less than 26 years in a sherry cask, bottled at cask strength by independent bottler Claxton’s in those distinctive square bottles.
Laphroaig Willem Dafoe 14YO, 53.7%
This, on paper, is one of the most refreshing celebrity involved whisky collaborations. Willem Dafoe has been gracing our screens in numerous blockbuster and independent films, all doing it with his own unique charm. A charm that is reflected in the classic style of Laphroaig. A fourteen year old single malt that is initially matured in ex-bourbon casks and then finished in ex-Oloroso casks for two years; it retains a wanted amount of boggy, peaty Laphroaig with some slick sherry sweetness to add texture and complexity. The flavours move between classic Islay and through into some wonderful Asian cuisine aromas and tastes, finishing with an earthy, concentrated aroma that morphs between salty & sweet. There’s no denying that this is a great tasting single malt from Laphroaig. Now for the elephant in the room.
The tasting notes on this aren’t that different from the core bottle of Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry bottled at 48%. I love that bottle and it’s one of the thongs I wanted Laphroaig to do for so long, this Willem Dafoe selection is higher in ABV and a little older, but I’m not quite sure that it’s worth doubling the price for. This would have been an absolute home run of a bottle if the price point was below £100, but given the higher RRP of £135/£140 isn’t particularly justified for me. It’s a unique collaboration and an interesting liquid, but being in the same vein as one of your most popular core range bottles leaves this sticking out like a sore thumb. Naturally, the cask selection is what it is, you bottle what tastes good. I do think they missed out by not going deep into the Dafoe lore and calling this The Green Goblin release. In general, it’s missing the point with its price and a lot of the humour that normally comes with Laphroaig marketing. Again, the idea of luxury making the purchase by consumers a doubt when they see the price.
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The final ever Talisker from G&M
The last Talisker to ever be bottled by Gordon & MacPhail…what a sentence.
G&M have announced the winding down of their independent bottling ventures, although we’re lucky enough to have plenty of stocks to see us out for the future. This 1987 39 year old Talisker was from a single refill sherry cask, producing 451 bottles and showing off how radically different old Talisker can really be when compared to the younger releases.
Older doesn’t mean better, but this whisky is quite the remarkable release. The nose opens with some excellent old fruit notes, chocolate and hazelnut, along with some excellent notes of botanicals and orange oil. The taste is classic Talisker, but dialled upto 11. The age, the cask influence and the balance of the sherry in this liquid is truly special. What a way to see out the last of the G&M Taliskers.
The Good Dram Show – Episode 644 ‘James Eadie’
Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at some of the Spring 2026 release from James Eadie in their ‘The Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland’ range. The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 643 – Spring Brings Forth A Bountiful Selection …! Filmed in The Study Nottingham.
Featuring
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Cardhu 2016 (9 year old) 52.4%
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Dalmore 2016 (10 year old) 52.7%
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Dufftown 2012 (13 year old) 52.3%
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Cameronbridge 1998 (26 year old) 52.7%
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Aberlour 2014 (11 year old) 52.3%
James Eadie The Distilleries of Great Britian & Ireland Laphroaig 2016 (10 year old) 52.3%
