ralfy review 1017 – Torabhaig Allt Gleann single malt @61.1%vol:

Scapa Signatory Bottling, 46%

What is going on with Scapa?

Never before with any whisky distillery have I had to search every website in the UK for an interesting bottle of it. Finally, I found a bottle of not so ‘Secret Orkney’ that so happened to be from the distillery, but even then, it took some righteous digging through reviews to confirm it was this modern unicorn distillery.

Scapa seems to have been turned into something super premium without any rhyme or reason. I thought the 16YO was an okay product, but it was discontinued, and prices jumped to £300 a bottle at its peak. Are you actually taking the piss?

It isn’t a large distillery by any means, nor the most famous on the Island of Orkney, so why the jump in pricing? Why the almost impossible to find age stated release, and I’m not a stickler for age statements, but the struggle to even find and indie of it was pretty soul destroying as a whisky fan.

I can hear you all saying that there are plenty of older bottlings to try. Yes, that’s true. But as much as I’d love to sample an 30+YO Scapa, I don’t quite fancy paying the £1,000+ price tag for it.

I thought this would be a really cutting, intense, slightly funny rant about a distillery that just needs some love, but inevitably, it just made me sad. I’m not crying, but what are Pernod doing in this place, and why can’t they run a Scottish distillery effectively that isn’t a household name?

Anyway, watch the video for the review, let me know your thoughts on this expensive cloak and dagger story of why Scapa is now the whisky equivalent of trying to find Lord Lucan riding Shergar over a finish line in Atlantis

The Good Dram Show – Episode 545 ‘Claxton’s Exploration Series’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’m welcoming the return of the Independent bottler Claxton’s. This week I’ll be reviewing a selection of bottlings in their new Exploration Series. The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 545 – Mariage, Divorce And Reconciliation..! Filmed in The Study Nottingham

Featuring

Claxton’s Grain Barm 30 year old 48%

Claxton’s Exploration Series Lowlands (Dalrymple) 2012 (8 year old) 50%

Claxton’s Exploration Series Blair Athol 2015 (8 year old) 50%

Claxton’s Exploration Series Glen Elgin 2006 (14 year old) 50%

Claxton’s Exploration Series Orkney (Highland Park) 2012 (8 year old) 50%

Claxton’s Exploration Series Islay ‘Trails End’ (Ardbeg) 2017 (6 year old) 50%

www.claxtonsspirits.com

ralfy review 1016 – SIGNATORY Mortlach 15yo @46%vol: (OSWA winner 2023)

The Good Dram Show – Episode 544 ‘Barrell Craft Spirits’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be looking at the creative American whiskey blending company Barrell Craft Spirits.

Featuring

Barrell Craft Spirits Seagrass Rye 60.19%

Barrell Craft Spirits Dovetail 61.27%

Barrell Craft Spirits Vantage 57.22%

Barrell Craft Spirits Small Batch Rye 57.85%

Barrell Craft Spirits Bourbon Cask Finish Series: Amburana 58.21%

Barrell Craft Spirits Bourbon Cask Finish Series: A Tail of Two Islands 54.11%

https://youtu.be/aNYsWJoj6dE

Scotch Malt Whisky Society 19.90 Chilled Toddy (Glen Garioch) 54%

The SMWS are such a solid stepping stone for everyone who is into whisky. Would you like it single barrel, cask strength, and as naturally presented as possible? Then they’re the people to go and see!

I was in Edinburgh last year when I decided to become a member, and I’m happy to say that it’ll be renewed as soon as it can. The trickiest bit, as is with any single barrel selections, is deciding what you want. It took me a good month or two before I could click checkout on things that really appealed to the nerd in me. This is the final of two bottles that we’re going to talk about.

Glen Garioch – I love this place. Since a late rediscovery of their standard whiskies in 2023, the appreciation train for this very old school Highland distillery is still speeding along the tracks at good pace. A deep, nutty, dry, chocolate style of single malt whisky that has all of this dripping, lingering spice notes that just make it feel almost infinite.

This SMWS bottling is sourced from first fill bourbon, cask strength, and all the good stuff! At a price of £130 per bottle, this really hits everything that the SMWS is about for me. Great casks, great liquid, reasonably priced in the modern world of whisky, and something to cherish in every glass.

ralfy review 1015 Extras – Why Ardnamurchan has a good reputation.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 522: Milk & Honey 4 Year Old 2019 Rye Cask for Liquid Art

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, asks himself ‘do we need more M&H releases?’. Because despite the fact that they have only been around for a decade, Mark has already tried over 50 expressions, of which a large amount were independent bottlings. This is a release of a young Israeli malt that matured on a rye cask, released by Belgian bottler Liquid Art – at cask strength, of course. The answer is ‘yes’! Because this is again an outstanding malt.

https://youtu.be/5GYdMnoJeH8

ralfy review 1015 – Ardnamurchan 01.21:01 @46.8%vol: Best New Distillery (OSWA’s 2023)

SMWS 46.142 Mosambi Mojito (Glenlossie), 59.2%

https://youtu.be/mzULv22OeZU

The SMWS are such a solid stepping stone for everyone who is into whisky. Would you like it single barrel, cask strength, and as naturally presented as possible? Then they’re the people to go and see!

I was in Edinburgh last year when I decided to become a member, and I’m happy to say that it’ll be renewed as soon as it can. The trickiest bit, as is with any single barrel selections, is deciding what you want. It took me a good month or two before I could click checkout on things that really appealed to the nerd in me. This is the first of two bottles that we’re going to talk about.

Glenlossie is a relative unknown in a vast world of Speyside whiskies, and tends to be hidden deep away into the Diageo vaults. Prioritised as part of the Johnnie Walker blending selection, and rarely seen as a single malt outside of a Flora and Fauna 10YO, with the odd occasion of being involved with the Special Releases.

This SMWS bottling is sourced from first fill bourbon, cask strength, and all the good stuff! At a price of £62 per bottle, this really hits everything that the SMWS is about for me. Obscure. Naturally Presented. Affordable. Easy To Get Into.

Next weeks bottle is double the price, but still equally worth it in my mind. Cheers!