From common every day drams to the exotic and the obscure. Focused on Scotch but also dabbling in Bourbon, English, Japanese, Gin and worldwide spirits.
The Whisky Lo[ch] was the name given to the enormous surplus of stock resulting from poor sales of Scotch Whisky in the 1980s when many distilleries including the prestigious Brora were mothballed. The Whisky Loch was a terrible time for all but sounds like a delightful place for a swim!
Whisky LOCK is the condition of being fixated and obsessed with tasting, learning about, searching for and talking about all things Whisky. Are you Whisky Locked?
Bottle images used with permission from Master of Malt or Whisky Exchange or under Fair Use Licence.
just been researching tenjaku whisky and ended up on sainsbury site where they now sell LAG 8 they also have added the bushmills 15 and the new glenmorangie the original 12yo. oh and a tamnavulin port cask and glenfiddich 14.
Great finds. Lagavulin 8 is a stunning whisky for anyone who likes bright, oily and heavily peated whisky. I'm on my third bottle which I will hopefully review soon. Looking forward to trying the new Glenmo 12 as well.
We just have a 1 for 1 offer for the 70cl bottle on most Diageo Special Releases 2021-23 today and this one is SGD 173 or about GBP 101 for 2. Not bad at the price!
Had a few youtube probs of late so good to see you back. Love this and the TBBSw both great drams and from the price point hard to beat. Also had a tickle at York races and bought that Cotswold sherry cask you reviewed a while back, better than expected 🙂 So I now think you can guess where six of my OSWA votes have gone as I love Mull ;-) Great work Shane.
Glad to have you back 👋 ah the Cotswolds CS releases. Fantastic stuff that shows what you can do with young whisky in quality casks. I used the last of mine to boost my infinity bottles. Great stuff and great to hear that I pointed you towards something good. Cheers 🥃
Huge single malt scotchfan here but I didn't mind this expression. I think TB has huge integrity but it's pricey (very) to get it to Canada. I'd rather pay for a peated single malt scotch! Terrific thoughts Shane! Cheers!!
What stands out to me is the number of bottles at a time. 800 bottles in the US is a single order from a single metropolitan area liquor store chain. Or a single order from one of the control states. That's not just a micro distillery, that's like nano sized. The lack of real distribution in the US is far more understandable in that context. They would have to grow by a factor of 10 to meet the demand, and then what is the quality going to be like?
When you put it like that I start to realise why my some of the smaller distilleries don't have better global reach. Also why many distilleries really value the US market!
@@WhiskyLock Not at all. These companies need halo-products. They are not made for profit but to put in glass cabinets in their hallways or meeting rooms, to serve to clients, to be premium gifts to clients, to brag with to their friends or just to drink in public (since almost all employes are forbidden to drink non-company-drinks in public, being brand-ambassadors and all that). So releasing them at a fair price would even defeat the purpose. They were never aimed at a whisky geek audience. That's also the reason they don't bother with foregoing chill-filtration or caramel -colouring.
The blenders are getting their act together and it is becoming more about creating something special by the amalgam and perhaps incorporating a combination that delivers on both taste and fair value. It is great for the evolution of excellent whisky which we can afford to drink and share. High priced whisky is excessive luxury and indulgence in my way of thinking. Good review, thank you.
I love these whiskies that show us what we could and should be getting from blenders. It's often said that blends can be more than the sum of their parts and IMHO this one actually does that. Great stuff at a great price. Cheers 🥃
I'd be interested to hear what you think of the Tesco's "butcher's apron" whisky, Shane. Other reviewers' takes have suggested it's well worthwhile. I had been only trying single malts but earlier this year decided to try a few blended malts. CB Orchard House has been "out of stock" in nz for nearly a year so I missed out on trying that one, but I did try CB Spice Tree, and after the stronger oak influence of the neck pour it settled down into a delicious whisky. Sadly, by that time the price had gone up by 17.7% from ~£40 to ~£47. Doesn't sound a lot in UKP but in local units and timing-wise it put my nose quite out of joint. I was interested to see your review of Wemyss Spice King 12yo, and very happy to find a single nz retailer with it in stock. Unfortunately the price was ~£50 rather than the I think low-30s you'd found it for last year. Still, it's a truly delicious whisky and I managed to snaffle a couple more for £45 when they had a 10%-off sale at the end of August. Such are very rare in my market. A different retailer does a 5%-off sale about once a year, if that, and ups the prices many years due to rising govt duty/inflation-driven. From the Spice King retailer I also tried a bottle of Kingsbarns Dream to Dram, ~£43, and I mostly like it apart from a note on the nose and attack/front palate that makes me think of carrot tops (green leaves), and which I presume is what others mean when they refer to such whiskies as being "grassy"? Definitely not lawn clippings, either fresh-cut or dried, and nothing like hay, etc.
Hopefully you'll get a new batch of Orchard House soon. To be fair I think that's still a good price for Spice King. Especially if you're talking about the high proof version that I had. An excellent blended malt that's flown under a lot of people's radar. I agree with you about the heavy oak on Spice King. Quality whisky for sure but it's not my favourite of their range. Interesting notes on Dream to Dram. I think I know what you mean. It has a certain astringent, planty note. I don't mind that though. Looking forward to trying their Doocot soon. Cheers 🥃
I didn’t get along with this one at first. I got this under matured note that I associate with lots of Cadenheads single barrels that are way older but seem to have taken nothing from the cask. I was really disappointed, especially since I like the spice king at 52% and the orchard house. I tried it again after 6 months and it was better, but still leagues behind those other two. Maybe my expectations were too high, as everyone was hyping this one up for some reason. Your review is much more grounded by comparing it to other blended malts.
Thank you 🙏 I think it is very easy for some to get swept up in positivity and hype for certain whiskies when everyone else is singing their praises. I don't mind being the odd one out though 😅
Crtyin' about the cost of whisky, lol! I remember when I used to buy quality cask strength Port Ellen's for under $200. EVERYTHING has gone up! Welcome to post-Covid where nothing is going to get better any time soon.
You have a point. It's true that many of us can't afford the quality that we used to enjoy. But this is also far more expensive than most Cask Strength 12yo whisky. The 'everything is more expensive now' argument is being abused by some (Diageo) to hide a lot of outright greed.
Been debating on getting this shipped across the pond since its never gonna see the light of day on the shelves in the US 😢 Is it worth that hassle though 🤷🏻♂️
Tricky one. We pay around $40 and I think at that price it's a no brainer. If you're going to be paying significantly more than that then there may be better value options elsewhere... One of the best blends I've had in a long time though. Cheers 🥃
@@WhiskyLockyeah I agree…process to get that to me would be Your Price x 1.34(today’s rate) plus add another $17-18 for shipping and customs…so that bottle costs about $60-64
you underestimate the fact that the Ardbeg Fon Fhoid is capable of being _the_ safety anchor in case Ethereum goes bust: even if ETH falls to, say 10 Euro per unit it can still be used to trade these bottles since the offers and smart contracts are all in ETH (and I doubt that all the sellers will adapt prices fast enough in case of an ETH crash) ... there, heard it from me first and no, I do not mean to buy the ETH right now, but I sure as hell would buy it if it fell to 10 dollars (maybe even a bit before that) ... admit: you would aswell 😉
OK I've ordered some, direct as no-one else seems to have any. It will have to live alongside the Ardnamurchan cask that states Unchill-filtered, natural colour on the label. No peat or smoke but excellent nonetheless. Lovely people there too.
I think this will be my last ever bottle of 10CS. It really pisses me off that they have ruined what to me wa the ideal whisky. The best peated whisky I have ever tasted was a Ledaig 9 year old i was lucky to get at Cadenheads about 30 years ago. I keeep looking in anytime I'm near but never has it shown its face again. I have to say that the staff there are a lot less helpful than they were 30 years ago too..
ps you can't buy it direct! I originally got the 9 at the offer price a shop was doing normal 10 for -£15!! Not once but several times to my sons benefit!
I too have followed this for years. I think the first one was 9. Spilt on your fingers it would reek of bonfire for days. It went misty with water added and it had the taste of burnt oak iodine etc. Since then I have been dissappointed to find no mist, no bonfire but I keep trying it to recapture 9. After seeing your 15/16/17 comparison an maybe this one I may seek a bottle of 17. Interesting that they say barrier filtered. That is what Bunnahabhain said they were doing and i was shown the filtering medium. I am back to the standard 12 year old more and Ardnamurchan. I have written to them quite a few times about my feelings - have they listened? No replies that's for sure. I'm tasting an Ardnamurchan cask strength as I watch you. We went there recently, lovely people, lovely place.
It's easy to get caught up in your favourite batch and wishing for another one the same. Been there, done that! Most batches are truly superb though IMHO. I enjoy them all.
@@WhiskyLock I thought it was a bit better, I didn't taste side by side. Apparently they both have a fair whack of Glen Ord and Clynelish in them so a real breakfast whisky.
I will have to do that one day. Old bottles seem to go up in price quite a bit once you get to the 1970s but I think that's probably where the really good stuff starts. Cheers 🥃
Hate bargains... does not compute 🙂 I'd really like to try more of the better Macallans. I see a lot of potential in the 'entry' level stuff if the ABV were higher. The price of the good stuff is somewhat of a deterrent for me though! One day. Cheers 🥃
Thanks for again an excellent review Shane Haven't tried this one as a) haven't seen it and b) not searching for it. Enough lighter coloured whisky still in the to be tried queue. And sarker color indicates sherry influence, which is just not my preference. Slàinte mhath
Normally I'm the same. Too many sherried drams are hit and miss and bourbon/refill has everything you need. This is a lovely change of scenery for the price though. Really enjoying it. Cheers 🥃
Tough decision but I may have to give Dramvent a miss this year. I don't think I'd have time to get it done. I do have the 2023 Single Cask Advent Calendar that I got on discount though. I'm aiming to start going through that as blinds and uploading the videos as and when. So there will be blinds, and hopefully some good ones. Cheers 🥃
Regardless of the rumours it does not drink like 6 year old whisky. It is a little thin, which leads me to believe it could be Macallan, it also noses so very simiilar to the bottle of 12 Sherry Cask I have 😉 but even then the BSW is superior. Worth €40 of anyones money.
Congratulations - you've bought one of the very best experiences in peated whisky! It may be overwhelming at first but don't be afraid to add a little water. Especially at first. Cheers 🇬🇷 🥃
It's a shame they don't have more global reach but I guess something might get lost if they increased the batch sizes. It's one to look out for if you ever see it. Cheers 🥃
I am curious, how many batches are still to come, until this „limited“ bottling is going to reach it‘s limited bottle number. They‘ve said it at batch 6. Which one do we have now in the market? batch 14? It is just marketing folks.
Hi @InDerRuheliegtdieKraft-z3b the last bottle I picked up is batch 14 (bought 1 week ago). The shop where I have been buy whisky for some time thinks it will be sold out by Christmas. The guy who owns the shop thinks every time he orders more stock he will be told sorry its all gone. I know Thompson Brothers have something new to replace it but I don't know when it will be launched. I hope this is of some help, best wishes Andy P.S. I am based in Scotland if this is of any help.
I understand the skepticism. I had to check a few spreadsheets to have a more concise think about how long it'll last. Total vatting size was 22,000 litres which was then recasked. We have about 1/3 of the origonal vatting left in casks. We burnt through 2/3 in 2 years but the rate of sales has been increasing so I'd estimate we'll be all out by early to mid 2025. When TB/BSW has burned through the remaining casks from that vatting, it'll be done. We are working on a follow up but it will be clearly a different thing from different stock. Also, this product has had no marketing (at least nothing that cost us money), no free bottles sent out for review. We have told people it'll be gone at some point and we may have done some figure in the air guesses without looking at the figures but since we were being called out for marketing, I thought I'd look into it more precisely ;)
Yeah never buy anything solely because of scarcity. Unless perhaps if they're telling you the number of casks and it's very small (like 3 or 4 tops). Everything both is and isn't "limited edition" 🤔
Nice review! This is a great whisky. I found it in the states and it’s called Redacted Bros in the US. lol. Assume due to trademark issues. Anyway it’s delicious and I did buy two.
Agreed Shane. This is a blend which proves that blended scotch is significant and should not be disregarded. Personally I think there is a tendency to be rather snooty about anything which is not single malt, yet it is obvious to me that some blenders are doing fantastic things and we need to find them, praise them and give them credit by supporting them.
Hi Shane :) Earlier this month I tasted a sample of TB-BSW, batch 11, which a fellow whisky enthusiast gave me. The only gripe I have about it is that it feels slightly thin in the mouth. Otherwise - almost perfect :) Old school sherry profile, rich and savory. Great whisky for a very reasonable price. I'm looking forward to acquire a bottle sooner than later. Cheers!
@@WhiskyLock I can only speculate about the reason for the thin mouthfeel. Maybe it's due to specific qualities of the distilate and/or the sherry casks. I've had similar experience with Kilchoman Loch Gorm, 2020 release, which is single malt whisky, 100% sherry casks matured, 9 yo, also excellent :) I have an open bottle of Glenfaclas 15 which tastes absolutely beautiful but also has slightly thin mouthfeel. In all fairness it's nitpicking. I don't have a problem with it not feeling thick and oily given the taste is so nice. I just thought it might be worth pointing it out :) As a matter of fact I find TB BSW to be extremely easy drinkable whisky :) As for the price I'd go as far as reasonable :) Nobody imports Thompson Bros. whisky in Bulgaria so we have to opt for foreign providers, mostly German online shops where TB/BSW can be found for 40-ish euros / 34-35 pounds. In Bulgaria I can buy Arran Quarter Cask or Sherry Cask (both cask strength) for about the same price or Glen Scotia Double Cask, Arran 10 or Loch Lomond 12 for significantly less. Cheers!
@@Nikolay_Nikolov I have always thought that sherry has a habit of knocking the wind out of a whiskys sails a little. One of the reasons why I generally prefer bourbon and refill or at least sherry at higher proof. Glenallachie is an example that springs to mind where I think it's good whisky but really needs more than 46%. Just my opinion.
@@WhiskyLock My favorite style of malt whisky is bourbon and sherry blend the way Ardnamurchan or Springbank do it. Predominantly ex-bourbon with some sherry for extra flavor. Plus a whiff of smoke. Like to have a fully sherried dram every once in a while but I'm far from a "sherry bomb" fanatic. For my taste many sherry bombs are either too oaky or the sherry (or sherry syrup rather) overlays the malt spirit and throws the balance off. As for the Glenallachie, funnily enough, I find the 12 yo to be more dense and chewy than 10 yo cask strength :) I've stopped buying Glenallachie whisky for the time being because I already have quite a few bottles in the stash and prefer to wait until some bottlings of the spirit distilled after Billy Walker took over come out. Absolutely love the new Meikle Toir brand though.
Hi Shane, as it happens I just ordered a sample of this from a whisky buddy. It has certainly reverberated in German whisky circles and I look forward to trying it. Sounds like a perfect dram for autumn. It's €40 in our market.
Hi Shane, I have been heavily into this whisky, building up a small stash for the future. This is going to be a limited release as it came about by an accident,.( although there is a lot of it ) Its price to quality ratio is superb and it tastes great. A well presented whisky. thanks for the review.
Its almost impossible to get it in Poland but thanks to friends in Scotland i had it last year... for this money its a banger Daily dram. Greetings from Poland! BTW glendronach 12yo is toooo sweet
Great review of a well crafted young spirit. Lagg is a firm favourite of mine, love the peaty ones. I agree about the stopper, it’s a pain get past that shrink wrapped capsule.
I'm surprised to hear this one is the entry-level supermarket Tullibardine, as here in the US we have the 12 year and some NAS offerings, but I never see this one. Thanks for breaking it down, Shane. Cheers!
It is interesting how some brands give different expressions to different markets. I'm tempted to assume that they give you the age statement because they see US whisky drinkers as a more discerning bunch 😉 I see some of the NAS versions sometimes too but Sovereign is usually the cheapest and the one that's always available. Cheers 🥃
