https://youtu.be/PpRHYjaW_2g

I’ve grown tired of Ardbeg in the past few years. Overly expensive bottles with fabulous yet distracting labels, with the whisky inside being underwhelming no matter which angle you look at it. I didn’t try all of the limited releases, granted. But from what I have tried, all the above applied.

But then I got to try this. Joe poured me a sample, and I was sold. A bourbon forward Ardbeg, over 50% with a young age on it. Wonderful, classic, what I want from Ardbeg, a whisky that is as interesting as most of the core range.

The Ardbeg 8YO for Discussion is something I haven’t heard many people talk about, I’ve seen a lot of people sell them despite still being available through Ardbeg’s website for a decent price. So, let’s start talking about this rather classic Ardbeg in a sea of expense.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 470: D.R.K.N.S.S. by Asta Morris

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries an enigmatic malt. D.R.K.N.S.S. or simply ‘Darkness’ is a PX sherry matured secret Lowland single malt bottled by the Belgian indie bottler Asta Morris, Mark’s good friend Bert Bruyneel. Allow Mark to introduce a new term to describe this whisky: ‘slobber whisky’. For it simply is that quaffable and delicious.

https://youtu.be/nkUW9Vrh9og

ralfy review 951 Extras – Distilleries Alive, Hidden, Mothballed, Dead

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show. It’s been over a year since my last Springbank episode, so mea culpa!

https://youtu.be/e84wnRIeLVo

ralfy review 951 – Caperdonich 18yo @48%vol:

Highland Park Cask Strength #3, 64.1%

https://youtu.be/yUCC8wzDqvo

A combination of loads of European oak and heavily peated Highland Park distillate, Batch 3 is uniquely different from the previous batches of ‘sweeter’ high strength releases from the distillery. The nose is rather luxurious with maple, pecan and those classic heather honey notes. But once it comes to taste, this whisky is an explosion of bigger, drier, more powerful HP stylings that I haven’t really come across before, and that is quite fun!

Coming in at a huge 64.1% – it is a liquid that makes a statement, HP can still make great whisky, despite what many would say. A shame it’s the only affordable bottle of that quality.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 469: Four Macallan in a Row

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tastes no less than four Macallan in a row: Macallan 12 Year Old Sherry Oak, Macallan A Night on Earth in Scotland, Macallan Harmony Collection Rich Cacao and Macallan Estate. And guess what… Mark comes to the conclusion that the classic 12 on sherry remains the quintessential Macallan indeed!

https://youtu.be/7kmf0yOC7Kw

ralfy review 950 Extras – Buying gifts for New Year

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 468: Lough Ree Distillery The Bridge Barley Harbour

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries an undisclosed Bushmills from a nascent distillery. The Irish Lough Ree Distillery has some casks of single malt quietly maturing, but in the meantime they release sourced whiskey from, among others, Cooley, The Great Northern Distillery and Bushmills under the banner ‘The Bridge’. Mark tries the Barley Harbour, which is basically a 6 year old Bushmills.

https://youtu.be/-xM9Itbe_DM

ralfy review 950 – Tamdhu 15yo @46%vol (2022)