When I first had Bowmore 12, it honestly wasn’t my favorite and I almost wrote off Bowmore altogether, but then I discovered there was a 15 for not too much more and I am very glad I gave it a shot. It’s very good.

(I might circle back to the 12 to give it a fair shake. I’m sure it’s not bad. Not sure why it didn’t resonate with me like the 15.)

Nose: There’s smoke and salt but it’s a little subtler than others. Chocolate covered raisins. Strangely, modeling clay and pencil shavings? A little bit of spice on the end.

Palate: Brine. Chai spice. Pepper. Dark fruits, more chocolate. It’s oily. Not too sweet. What I imagine cherry extract would taste like. Figs. And of course… oak. Mellow oak.

Finish: Cold sea water. Cinnamon sticks. Dry wood, warm tobacco, smoked nuts. At the very end, spice… and back to the sea water.

Overall: Rich, nuanced, plus the beautiful color. (The color is kind of irrelevant, but also not.) It’s really good. Good mouthfeel. Perhaps not the most complex, but there’s still a lot going on.

I’d give it a 88/100.

The next one on my list is the Ardbeg 10!

Has anyone successfully branched out from scotch to another spirit. I love my scotch, peated/unpeated, young/old, love it all.

I'm looking for another equally deep and complex world of spirits. Thinking cognac, tequila, Irish whiskey, bourbon, and sake. I've enjoyed each, but can't seem to find another spirit that has the same level of research/variety available as scotch. I just don't really know where to start...

Of course I know it’s all preference.

But I’m really craving a “christmas whisky.” I’ve had the Glendronach 15 before and LOVED it, especially due to how rich and dark it tastes. It gives me real christmas vibes. It is however £80.

I’ve never tried Bunnahabhain 12 before, but I love scotch and know I’ll like it. I’m more wondering will I get my “christmas” kick with that bottle, or should I really just spend extra money for what is one of my favourite bottles?

Store by me has a sale on Glen Scotia 18 for $100 after tax. The Victoriana is also the same price after tax.

I heard great things about the Victoriana but mixed on the 18. For 100, should I try the 18?

This thread is the Weekly Discussion Thread and is for general discussion about Scotch whisky.

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This is the weekly recommendations thread, for all of your recommendations needs be it what pour to buy at a bar, what bottle to try next, or what gift to buy a loved one.

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I’ve had this bottle for a while (as you can tell). It’s a strong one, good neat or with ice. The Offerman editions have each been interesting in their own way. I’m hoping to find the latest Caribbean Rum Cask Finish in the near future! But, back to the Charred Oak Cask…

Nose: As always, there’s smoke; it’s damp and mellow smoke, if that makes sense. Moss. Cherry cordials and fruit cake. Fig Newtons.

Palate: Immediately, it’s super sweet. Spun sugar. Chocolate, maybe, with some dark fruit jam. Plus, the same Fig Newtons from before, but lighter this time around.

Finish: Bitter and spicy, but in a good way. Maybe some tobacco? Fresh cut grass. Moss. And, of course, more oak. Warm embers.

Overall: It’s solid. It’s punchy. It’s definitely not subtle. If you like oaky, peaty, smoky whisky, this is it. Maybe not very complex, but I’m not disappointed by any means.

I’d give it an 88/100.

The next one on my list is the Bowmore 15!

Obviously each whisky has its own taste, but most stuff out of the same distillery has stuff in common (Springbank funk, for example)

Another example being that, having tried a few from both brands, I enjoy the general flavor profile of Laphroaig significantly more than Ardbeg (not that Ardbeg isn’t very good in its own right)

Is there a word for this?

Ardnamurchan rum cask

55°

Nose: funk, peach, vanilla sponge cake, dried bananas

Mouth: tobacco, funk, molasses, coconut

Aftertaste: faint hay, thin ash, fleeting funk

I think rum cask is not doing ardnamurchan a favor. It flirts with ardna's unique funk but leaves it too curtailed in the end. It's like a teenage romance- starts with a youthful passion but ends in a forgettable puff.

7/10 (in a good way)

As the title suggests, I'd like to expand my Scotch palate. I am most familiar with the big Islay hitters; Lagavulin 16 (love, love, love), Ardbeg Uigeadail (another love), Ardbeg An Oa (like, but not as much as the first two), Bruichladdich Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Heavily Peated (ok, just fine for me), Laphroaig 10 (like, but somewhere under the Laga 16 and Uigeadail). For the non-Islay things I've tried... JW Black and Macallan 12 and thats is. Of those, I probably prefer the Macallan but not by any huge margin.

As far as notes go, I'm a big fan of citrus and red fruits, not a massive floral fan though.

I do have Oban 16 and Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or on my list to try, but am open to any and all suggestions.

[Mods, please delete if crossing the self-promotion line. Given the potential damage the problems at Wolfcraig can have on the reputation of Scotch and new projects, I felt the need to say some things. this started as a comment to the previous wolfcraig thread but thought it needed its own thread] I'm semi active here on another account but refrain from getting involved with any TB/DD stuff]

[Edit, i'm Simon Thompson, owner and director of Dornoch Distillery and Thompson Bros]

Good new Courier article giving an overview of the problems at Wolfcraig.

Wolfcraig distillery: 9 key moments leading to Stirling 'unbranded' spirit offer

Wolfcraig took a big risk selling casks pre planning approval. The gambit would have been to sell casks to minimise founders dilution but the risk was that you would have a lot of p**sed off people if you encountered a project killer or significant delays. As far as I can gather they sold out 1000 casks at a cost of £4000 to £6000 so probably raised circa £5m from cask pre-sales. In theory, a large chunk of that should be unspent. Design and planning is expensive but not that expensive.

I do worry that things like this will affect sentiment when we go to raise for our 2nd distillery... We've worked hard to pass through any project killers before going to equity, with a little more de-risking to go before we raise.

For our 2nd distillery, we funded through design, planning approval and building warrant submission from cashflow. Then completed a Convertible Loan Note (like an American ASA) with sophisticated friends and people we do business with. Borehole went in 2 weeks ago, waiting on water analysis (tasted good, though)... contaminated water would be a project killer. Archaeological trenching finishes today... if they find something of interest, it could cause delays (nothing so far).

In addition, we've created a holding company (the entity taking investment) which owns 100% of Dornoch Distillery Co, which includes Dornoch Distillery, Thompson Bros Indy, Blends and Gin, 7+ years of Dornoch production, all the TB barrel stock, assets, property etc. nothing has been hived off or separated. The holding company now also owns 100% of Dornoch Castle Hotel ltd and the new distillery project.

When we built the original Dornoch Distillery, we did raise £175k on a cask offer that went live post planning permission and a bit more from crowdfunding rewards. We did everything that we promised and at the time it felt like it took longer to fulfil than we would have liked but in retrospect everything got done at a decent pace and now many of those casks are bottled or have been bought back (just about to bottle 7yo private casks).

For the new distillery, we are holding back on cask sales as a later option, ideally when a clear completion date is in sight. I suspect we'll offer an option on casks (to be paid upon filling) as part of the rewards for a platform based crowdfunding equity offer. Year 1 will always be your oldest stock and you regret selling too much later on.

A last point to further distance ourselves from Wolfcraig, last week we released a 30yo blend for £85, which sold out at ballot. Wolfcraig have a 30yo blend for £425 (still available).