ralfy review 1047 Extras – Whisky and the Internet.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 541: Shinshu Mars Komagatake & Tsunuki: 2 single casks

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries two very different Japanese single cask releases. Hombo Shuzo Co is one of the oldest in Japan, buying and selling whisky since 1949. Currently, they also own two distilleries: Komagatake in the north and Tsunuki in the south of Japan. What sets them apart is the terroir, making for a rather ‘Speyside style’ whisky being produced at Komagatake, while at Tsunuki the style is more ‘highland’ and a touch maritime. Today, Mark puts two very different single casks head-to-head, both bottled at cask strength.

https://youtu.be/ChU8I6TcADM

ralfy review 1047 – Balblair 15yo @ 46%vol: (2024)

The Good Dram Show – Episode 567 ‘Woodrow’s of Edinburgh’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show. As you can see I have returned to the newly improved study, complete with proper studio lighting! So in this return episode of the show I’m looking at a relatively new Independent bottling company called Woodrow’s of Edinburgh.

The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum

Episode 567 – Bottling Whisky Is Not Neuroscience..!

Filmed in The Revamped Study Nottingham

Featuring

Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Aberlour 2011 (12 year old) 55.3%
Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Royal Brackla 2008 (15 year old) 55.8%
Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Mortlach 2013 (10 year old) 59.5%
Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Teaninich 2013 (10 year old) 56.8% +
Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Strathmill 1991 (33 year old) 49.7%
Woodrow’s Warehouse Reserve Inchfad (Loch Lomond) 2019 (5 year old) 59.5%

www.woodrowswhisky.com

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 540: Mars Maltage Cosmo Malt Selection vs Wine Cask Finish

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries not one, but two whiskies from the Land of the Rising Sun. Mars Maltage Cosmo is a release by the Japanese company Hombo Shuzo, most likely containing whisky from both their Komagatake and Tsunuki distilleries, but is special as it’s what Mark would call a hybrid blended malt. After all, their Cosmo also contains a Scottish single malt from an undisclosed Speyside distillery. And there are two releases: the Malt Selection and the Wine Cask Finish. He puts those head-to-head!

https://youtu.be/PrbJXUUEIac

Springbank 18YO 2024

The time has finally arrived, Springbank has arrived on the channel, and it was courtesy of a friend of the channel, Gabriel! Thank you very much, indeed, Gabriel.

Solely matured in 100% ex-bourbon casks for its life, this batch of Springbank 18 really had my attention, alas, I wasn’t able to source one from anywhere. God bless friends in whisky places.

Springbank 18YO has always been the one that nobody paid too much attention to. Sights were always on the 15YO, 12 Cask Strength, 10YO, and whatever else was released. The 18YO always seemed to be the batchiest release, varying the most in character. This one is loaded with some of the freshest and zestiest smells that I’ve ever come across on a Springbank release.

Creamy white chocolate and some caramel nut notes fill out a lot of blank space between that first hit of classic, ashy Springbank smoke.

I enjoyed drinking this and would savour it at RRP, but folks, don’t overpay for this. It’s good, quite good, but it isn’t worth the nearly £200 secondary price.

ralfy Extras – YOUR VOTE in the OSWA’s 2024

THE Online Scotch Whisky Awards

ralfy review 1046 Extras – Sam’s Story (Whisky Cask Investment Harassment)

ralfy review 1046 – Benriach ‘Smokey’ 12 @46%vol:

Fielden Rye Whiskey

THE REVIEW

Upon discovering heritage grains in old English thatched roofs, Fielden used the clover system to help farmers bring their fields back to life. Clover works as a natural fertiliser and is planted underneath the grain crops to help assist with a more natural farming process, with no nasty chemical being involved. Their focus on heritage grains involves rye, wheat, and barley.

Eight different mashbills are available at the distillery, which will aim to be a fully automated location in Yorkshire and aim to have 12,000 maturing casks by 2030. Matured in new American oak, used American oak. Sauternes wine casks, moscato wine casks, and Madeira wine casks.

The distillate is produced through pot and column stills, as well as shell and worm tub condensers, with a minimum maturation time of 42 months/3.5 years and a marrying peridot of 93 days.