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The first two were my favourites of the night and in particular the 12yo. They had more of the bold Benromach flavours I love. Cheers everyone! Love Benromach and that very much made up for a hectic day! #BenromachWhisky

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21yo - Palate : Orange marmalade and dried mixed fruit with milk chocolate, hazelnut, leather and leafy smoke. A little quieter than the other drams, but still lots of flavour #BenromachWhisky

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21yo - Nose : A little red apple again, with wood polish, creasote, ginger in syrup and light tobacco smoke. #BenromachWhisky

15yo - Palate : The drams are different, but the same DNA is there. The 15 us definitely less in your face than the first two, with apple, chocolate, vanilla and bonfire smoke lingering throughout, along with some liquorice and aniseed. #BenromachWhisky

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15yo - Nose : Instantly a strong hit of sweet red apple, the autumn leaf thing is there but more muted than the first two as is the smoke. This is super apple-y for me with some oak and grassy aromas #BenromachWhisky

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12yo - Palate : Autumn leaves and garden fire smoke again. If there’s one distillery I think I could pick from a lineup it’s Benromach. Sweet toffee, icing sugar and vanilla with rich espresso high cocoa chocolate, tobacco, pepper spice and orange peel. A great addition to the range #BenromachWhisky

12yo - Nose : As previously it smells like an autumn walk in the woods. The fallen leaves, the damp earthiness. The smoke is a little more forward this time. Rather than purple fruit we have more toffee and caramel, with fruit cake, cinnamon, oily rags, curry leaf and coffee. #BenromachWhisky

Contrasts Bordeaux - Palate : Leafy, autumnal and smoky - I feel I am going to be repeating myself tonight, but that’s Benromach in a glass for me. Again with the berry fruits and some apple, along with coffee, dark chocolate and liquorice. A decent wine finish. #BenromachWhisky

Contrasts Bordeaux - Nose : Crunchy autumn leaves, wet soil and distant garden rubbish fire interspersed with berry fruits. The purple label is very appropriate. Vanilla panna cotta with a blackcurrant coulis. Used engine oil and petrol fumes #BenromachWhisky

Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Sorry i’m late guys. Been a hell of a day! Will catch up as best I can #BenromachWhisky

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Polishing off the last of this delicious 46% bottling of anCnoc 16

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Beautiful set of drams arrived for next Thursday’s Benromach tasting with @thewhiskywire.bsky.social . I’m a big Benromach fan and am looking forward to trying the new 12 year old #BenromachWhisky

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Reposted by Andrew

Brian's Malt Musings 🥃 @maltmusings.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Each September I complete a survey, recording the prices of a distillery's 18yo - a standard bottle which you might buy for a special occasion like a birthday. This year's results are in - let's see how things have changed. malt-musings.blogspot.com/2026/09/whis...

malt-musings.blogspot.com

Whisky Prices 2026 - 18yo

A blog about malt whisky

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Fumare 14yo - Palate : Lots of sweet smoke, with charred lemon, chocolate limes, iodine, aniseed and mint. Creamy and minty finish #SPEYWhisky

Fumare 14yo - Nose : Grilled charred lemon on top of a piece of barbecued mackerel, with salty sea breeze, seaweed and wood fire smoke #SPEYWhisky

Trilogia 10yo - Palate : It’s fairly thin, but there’s rather powerful smoke which builds as it develops and becomes quite spicy. More of those fruit cake and dried fruit notes with bbq meats and bitter charred oak #SPEYWhisky

Trilogia 10yo - Nose : Best nose so far. Hoi sin sauce and bbq spare ribs are the headline, with old leather jacket, old books, farmyard aromas and a light background of bbq smoke #SPEYWhisky

Tenne 9yo - Palate : Strawberry laces, jam, boozy fruit cake and vanilla going into dark chocolate, espresso and liquorice, which takes us into a bitter finish, but unlike the first dram the chocolate and coffee notes make it much more pleasant and the jammy fruit still shows through. #SPEYWhisky

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Tenne 9yo - Nose : Creme caramel, baking spices, iced fruit cake, dark chocolate, leather and wood shavings #SPEYWhisky

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Trutina 7yo - Palate : Sweet lemon and apple which quickly turns rather bitter, oaky and drying and never comes back. I’m not digging this one, sorry #SPEYWhisky

Trutina 7yo - Nose : Light and bright. Sour lemon, vanilla, barley and polished oak. Farmyard aromas and dry hay #SPEYWhisky

Giving these a bit of air ready for 7pm! #SPEYwhisky

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Bowmore and Foursquare the clear picks for me. Other two whiskies were fine, but nothing I would buy again. Got to say I love the concept and there’s plenty of bottles on my shelf I would have been happy having 20cl and then moving on. I will definitely buy something from the next outturn #DrinkHIP

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Foursquare 14yo Rum - Palate : Creme caramel, molasses, bounty bars, cinnamon and mace. Blackcurrant jam and cherry drops. Ginger heat, black coffee and cocoa into the finish. I’ve neglected rum recently, but this is very tasty #DrinkHIP

Foursquare 14yo Rum - Nose : Caramalised sugar, ginger cake, raisins, dried mango, airfix glue, leather and espresso #DrinkHIP

Invergordon 28yo - Palate : Sweeeeet. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, honeycomb, peppery spice. Pleasant, but a bit sweet for me #DrinkHIP

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Invergordon 28yo - Nose : Vanilla, butter toffee, coconut macaroon and a hint of peach. There is a little glue, but not as much as some grains. Simple but pleasant #DrinkHIP

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Bowmore 13yo - Palate : Much smokier and ashen on the palate with autumn garden fire, that pebble beach mineral note coming through again along with sharp lemon, charred oak and chocolate limes. Little bit of green apple comes through in the finish #DrinkHIP

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Bowmore 13yo - Nose : Gentle smoke that isn’t in your face. Mineralic (pebble beach), Barbecued sausages, sage, carrot sticks, lemon juice and melon. #DrinkHIP

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Tomintoil 12yo - Palate : Bitter lemon initially, which quickly transforms into something somewhat darker and drying with notes of latte coffee, cocoa, charred oak and liquorice. I expected something quite light and fruity, but the sherry cask has done more than the colour suggests. #DrinkHIP

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Tomintoul 12yo - Nose : A sharpness of apple cider vinegar, but also apple strudel dusted in icing sugar, werthers originals and a light sawdust note #DrinkHIP

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Poured and ready to go for tonight’s #DrinkHIP whisky tasting. Looks like I might need to tweak the order a little bit 😂

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Wow! What a generous delivery for this weeks #DrinkHIP tasting with @thewhiskywire.bsky.social . I’ve always said we need more 20cl bottles available so you don’t have to invest in 70cl just to try something new. Roll on Wednesday!

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Kick starting Saturday evening with a fresh bottle of the lovely Arran 10

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

I still have plenty of distillery edition #10 left, despite thinking it’s a very good peated whisky. The problem is my love of heavy peat has faded in recent years, but I’m sure the love will return one day.

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

About time I finished off the previous distillery edition! Lovely stuff, especially when you take into account it was less than £40.

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Ok so this viscous, oily Loch Lomond DE12 is singing this evening. Full of orchard and tropical fruit with lovely floral notes. That’s why I don’t take too much of a judgement from the first pour in 30 degree heat. A second bottle will be ordered.

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Best buds catching up with a few beers in Chester

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Far too warm for whisky really, but wanted to try this tonight. Will reserve judgement for the time being other than saying it’s good stuff.

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Loch Lomond as speedy as ever with the delivery. Can’t wait to try this. Chardonnay yeast and long fermentation combined should be fantastic. Can’t believe I only bought one!

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Andrew @whiskypad.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Larger pour then expected to finish this one off. Thankfully have a couple more bottles stashed away. I’ve gone off sherried whisky in general these days as a lot of them taste exactly the same, but when you do find a good one they still hit the spot.

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Thanks for tonight! The Deanston was the standout for me with the lovely coconut and fruit, followed by the Mystery Islay. If I’m honest the Blair Athol and Dalmunach didn’t grab me on the palate, but were pleasant enough drams #RareFindWhisky

Mystery Islay 9yo - Palate 👅 - This is very mineralic. More of the medicinal peat notes, with blackcurrant menthol Tunes throat sweets and Fisherman’s Friends before the smoke intensifies and is ashen and dry. As that mellows I get dark chocolate and continuing blackcurrant menthol #RareFindWhisky

Mystery Islay - Nose 👃🏻 : Medicinal peat, first aid kits and antiseptic cream - Laphroaig? Lemon juice, pebble beaches, sizzling sausages, Nana’s cupboards, oak. #RareFindWhisky

Deanston 14yo - Palate 👅 : This drinks much easier neat. The coconut is there again and reminds me of coconut macaroons. The ones that look like biscuits not the little French things. Dried fruit,cherry drops, chili chocolate, rum and raisin. That lovely coconut macaroon note lingers #RareFindWhisky

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Deanston 14yo - Nose 👃🏻: Lots of coconut - bounty bars. Strawberry laces, raisins and dates and sticky toffee pudding. Lovely stuff #RareFindWhisky

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Dalmunach 9yo - Palate 👅 : Another spicy one, but it is 9 year old 60% whisky afterall. Toffee again, with blackcurrant concentrate, high cocoa dark chocolate, sandalwood and vanilla #RareFindWhisky