u/TomParkeDInvilliers

A lot has been said of whisky’s taste profile but little attention is paid to the label aesthetics. Here’s a beautiful one from Ben Nevis that invokes an Old World sort of charming quaintness, emphasising information density (like a resume!) on textured stock with scalloped (not the modern straight) edge adorned in serif, ornate typefaces (the gold foil like ones within a frame feels especially old school), accompanied by etching-like monochrome landscape and apparatus rendition. So beautiful.

I still enjoy the redbreast21 as a regular sipper but the preference these days are great, maybe sometimes funky, single casks for the surprises they throw up compared to the regular releases. The lament of their irreplaceability sometimes add to the whimsical longing.

This time round, it is a great mix of Macallan exceptional single cask that’s over 20 years, the almost always reliable Yamazaki owner’s casks and the divisive springbank single casks that vacillate between extremely good or ultra funky (bad if you are not a sulphur lover). I’m extremely excited with the bourbon/oak casks from Yamazaki and springbank that accentuate the malt flavor with vanilla that tend to be muted by strong sherry influence.

Not exactly affordable bottles but whisky prices have come down significantly and I think there is no better time to saviour these flavors. Have a great week ahead as corporate earnings start pouring in.

and miss it? These bottles arrived just in time for the summer solstice drinking session this weekend.

The theme is predominantly summer fruits, starting with Yamazaki puncheon bottled 2010, and then springbank 30 from 2025 of 85% bourbon and 15% sherry. Anticipating pineapple, banana, peach and maybe mango with hints of vanilla and cinnamon.

And who can resist a glenfarclas family cask, this one 30 years in 2nd filled (sherry?) hogshead. I’m increasing a fan of refilled casks that reflects a distillery’s confidence in its new make, and that allows for long maturation of consequently complex and rich finishing without excessive tannin.

Finally, a 19 year nikka miyagikyo single cask as a blind box, of possibly refilled butt according to whiskybase; nikka doesn’t state the type of casks and there is no 100% reliable way of telling. I’m charmed by Nikka’s single casks these days.

No overt sherry bomb, until fall returns at least.

Have a great summer solstice, and enjoy the longest day of the year however you fancy.

they are quoting 150 pounds for a bottle of whisky to ship to Singapore excluding local taxes and breakage. Seriously? celtic whisky is delivering a bottle to me too at 50 euro.

That glenfarclas is a very fine one, 30 years from second filled sherry cask. I'm loving quality refill cask these days for the preservation of flavors from the fermentation and distillation, complemented with subtle wood influence. it takes a lot of confidence in the new-make to use refilled casks.

Picked these up at an auction recently. 1972 is supposedly to a vintage year for single cask glendronach. And a 20 years old sherry butt Yamazaki single cask is always exciting, especially those from the 1980s.

A note on the cap seal for the Yamazaki. Some of them have peeled seal like this one that some collectors avoid, which benefit drinkers like me. The cause is from long term sealing using the likes of parafilm or similar product that tend to get sticky over time, damaging the seal.

I see such peeled seal as a sign of authenticity because counterfeited ones cannot replicate this easily and the original owner must treasure the bottle enough to parafilm it. This one is still not cheap but the price has fallen enough to a level for drinking purpose.

Have a great one!