Glenburgie 2004 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 21 yo

 

 

 

57,3° 

Distillery : Glenburgie - Speyside

Refill Sherry Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail

Limited Edition

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Connoiseurs Choice is undoubtedly one of the oldest ranges in the history of whisky, having been created in 1968 by George Urquhart, and it now comprises over 2,000 bottlings. This one is a 21-year-old Glenburgie, which spent its early years in a refill sherry hogshead, resulting in 243 bottles ready to bring us great pleasure.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

The sherry struck me as nuanced and oaky, dried fruit steeped in tobacco, dates, figs, acacia honey and floor wax, blood oranges soaked in wine, a coffee bean, raspberry and blueberry jam. On the palate, wild berries, woody spices, prunes in honey, moist marzipan, pudding, crushed redcurrants. A tablespoonful of cinnamon. A long, powerful finish, digging in black earth, ferns, bark, heather, watermelon, argan oil, macerated walnuts and hazelnuts. 

 

In Short, 

Some have criticised this one for having a sulphurous note, but I didn’t detect any myself. That said, the sherry is intense and deep, it takes over everything in its path, you have to admit that. But it’s not really a ‘sherry bomb’, as it’s nuanced and varied. Be that as it may, I really enjoyed it. What’s more, the price isn’t that high for a 21-year-old. 

Score : 89-  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                     To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                             KXLLER - Golden Static

Lochlea Smoke Without Fire

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Lochlea - Lowlands

Ex-Peated Refill Bourbon Barrels and Red Wine Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range

Single Malt 

Launched in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

And here is the third and final expression to appear in Lochlea’s Core Range in 2025. Named ‘Smoke Without Fire’, it is a blend of ex-peated refill bourbon barrels and red wine casks. The distillery does not use peated barley, but recycles old casks that previously contained peated whisky. The casks come from Laphroaig, as John Campbell, former Distillery Manager at Laphroaig, went on to work for Lochlea as Production Director and Master Blender from 2021 to 2024. Red wine casks are also added to accentuate the fruitiness. As I've already said, the whisky is almost entirely produced on site, with the exception of the malting process. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The peat is delicate, barely smoky, and blends with a variety of white fruits, bananas, mirabelle plums, grapes. Fried onions, a pinch of ash, orchard fruits, a zest of lemon and traces of salt, along with grains still imbued with earth. On the palate, it is once again light, but the fruit is present, vanilla, pears and apples, a hint of aniseed, and spices that remain fairly subtle. The finish is more peaty, fuller-bodied, earthy and spicy. Pepper, cloves and liquorice, roasted wheat, notes of charcoal and dried leaves. 

 

In Short, 

Peat adds a little something extra, in terms of body and depth, and character too. It gives this distillery, which can sometimes be a bit too mild, a slightly different personality, though it remains very mainstream. I think this is my favourite from the new Single Estate range, but that’s just a matter of taste. The price is still reasonable.

Score : 85+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                             Man/Woman/Chainsaw - Nosedive

Octomore 2020 Edition 17.1 The Impossible Equation 5 yo

 

 

 

59,7°

Distillery : Bruichladdich - Islay

1st Fill Bourbon Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 81 ppm

 

 

 

This is already the 17th Octomore batch, and there’s no telling when it will end, given that the 18th season is already planned. Here we have a 5-year-old whisky, matured entirely in first-fill bourbon casks, made from Concerto barley peated to 81 ppm, sourced from the Scottish mainland. It couldn’t be more classic for an Octomore, and yet it still works a treat. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A wave of mineral and sea salt notes, limestone, flecks of quartz, kelp, dried seaweed. A dry white smoke, gently suffocating. Incandescent peat lending great depth. A touch of creamy, even rich, fruit, almond paste, white peach, a zest of citrus fruits steeped in molasses. Campfire, waxy grains, a hint of ginger. On the palate, it is very dense and spicy, almost solid vanilla cream, stiffly whipped egg whites, candied bananas. Powerful and very long finish, avalanche of rocks, coconut, hot embers, sea salt, lychees. Lemon fruit jellies.  

In Short, 

I particularly liked this one, even though it isn’t the best Octomore from the .1 series that I’ve tasted. It’s particularly briny, maritime and mineral, that’s what I really liked about it. The smoke is intense, but it delicately envelops some very pleasant white fruits. A real success, which restores a sense of originality to this product, whose batches can sometimes seem a bit similar. The price is a bit too high for my liking, though, but if you look hard enough, you can find it at reasonable amounts. 

Score : 89+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                   To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                                    Chewing Gum - Dirt Girl

Lochlea Dark Briar

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Lochlea - Lowlands

Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso and Port Casks

Original Bottling  

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncolloured

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Of the three new expressions from the distillery launched in 2025, this one emphasises sherry and port, and therefore fruitiness. It forms part of the Core Range, so it will be readily available. Once again, despite the ‘Single Estate’ label, it is not strictly speaking a Single Farm Estate, as the malting is not carried out on site. Nevertheless, the effort to produce a whisky made almost entirely on-site, with a very long fermentation period (66 to 116 hours depending on the batch), is to be commended. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The sherry is full-bodied but slightly dry, red berries, raisins, blueberries and redcurrants, toasted oak, treacle. Melting caramel, toffee, gingerbread with a good dose of cinnamon. A touch of varnish, fir honey. On the palate, the fruit return, blueberry tart, raspberry jam, strawberry syrup, candied cherries. It’s quite creamy, with vinous notes and, of course, spices such as cloves, nutmeg, pepper. The finish is quite long, liquorice, concentrated fruit, plenty of spice, yet it remains pleasant. Tobacco and benzoin. 

 

In Short, 

It’s often the same with sherry. The advantage is that it enhances the quality, but you lose a little of the whisky’s personality. That’s the case here too, it’s a lovely sherry, albeit a little young, which brings a pleasant fruitiness, but the distillery’s light and evanescent character fades into the background. This does not detract from the fundamental quality of the product, but one is entitled to prefer the distinctiveness of a more characteristic profile. That said, the price here is very reasonable, so it would be a sound purchase. 

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                             Tove Lo - No One Dies From Love

Williamson 2014 British Dragonflies 11 yo

 

 

 

61,4°

Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay

Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Archives

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 43 ppm 

 

 

 

Normally, when the name ‘Williamson’ is used, in honour of Bessie Williamson, the only woman to have run a distillery in the 20th century, it is to conceal the fact that it is actually a Laphroaig. At Archives, they haven’t quite grasped the concept, as the bottle states: ‘Williamson distilled at Laphroaig Distillery’. What’s the point of calling it ‘Williamson’ if you’re allowed to say it’s a Laphroaig? ‘Williamson’ is also used to describe young, fiery Laphroaigs, and this one is certainly fiery, given the stated alcohol content. At Archives, a Dutch company founded in 2011, bottlings are always cask strength, which is why the alcohol content can sometimes be very high. But there’s nothing to stop you adding a little water to your glass. This one was bottled to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Heads and Tails, an independent bottler based in Canada. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The smoke hits you right in the face. Thick, laden with ash, deeply maritime. Iodine and seaweed, a violent sea breeze, sea foam and fish scales. Shards of rock, chalky mineral nuances, quartz, flint. Behind all this, sweet butter, a dash of vanilla and a few plums and bananas. Orange peel. On the palate, it’s quite oily, almond oil, juicy pears, lychees, perhaps a bit of coconut. Then the spices come through, fierce, white pepper, cumin, horseradish. The finish is rather intense, though not as much as I’d expected, nor is it particularly long, dark tobacco, charcoal and liquorice. It’s very medicinal and salty, used bandages soaked in disinfectant, cold ash, cough syrup with a faintly sweet note. 

 

In Short, 

It’s actually more of a Williamson than a Laphroaig, because right from the first sniff it’s a storm of smoke and iodine. It’s as if you’re standing on the railings of an old fishmonger’s boat, with fuel oil leaking and piles of fish wriggling about on the deck. But on the palate, it’s still quite fruity, and the finish is superb, very medicinal, and the alcohol seemed well integrated to me. A very good Laphroaig, then, or rather, a Williamson, which lacks just a touch of genius to be perfect. 

Score : 89+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                      To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                             New Day Dawn - Whatever It Takes

Armorik Sherry Cask

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Warenghem - France

Oloroso Sherry Butts 

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Lauched in 2020

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This whisky was launched in 2020. At the time, the bottle label was entirely red. However, they changed the packaging in 2021, then again in 2024, and most recently in 2026. The recipe, however, has remained the same. Today, the fact that it has been matured entirely in Oloroso sherry butts is highlighted, as is the absence of chill filtration and colouring. This is a mark of quality and respect for the consumer. As the packaging is brand new, I only have a photo of my own to show you. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Lovely roundness, the sherry influence is not too pronounced. Red berries, raisins, figs, dates, raspberry jam, earthy and spicy nuances, cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin. Blood oranges, crushed apricots, dried bananas. A few herbaceous notes. On the palate, baked apples, honey, very ripe mirabelle plums and a few cereals. The spices are still there and blend with a hint of Viandox. Beef stew. A fairly long, very respectable finish, liquorice, redcurrant jelly bringing a touch of acidity, velvety caramel, cloves. Perhaps a blueberry or two. 

 

In Short, 

It’s well made, there’s no reason to complain about it. What bothers me is that it lacks a bit of originality. It’s a good sherry-cask whisky, but it’s nothing new, there’s nothing special about it. The price is reasonable, so why not buy a bottle? But you could just as easily ask the opposite: why buy one?

Score : 85

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                                       Nation of Language - I'm Not Ready For The Change

Armorik Small Batch Chouchenn

 

 

 

46°

Distillery : Warenghem - France 

Chouchenn and French Breton oak Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range 

Single Malt 

Launched in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Launched as a limited edition in 2025, this whisky was quickly added to the core range the following year due to its success. It is a bold move to produce a whisky aged in Chouchenn casks – Chouchenn being a mead native to Brittany, that is to say, a honey-based spirit. And they did just that. But what’s more, not content with simply producing the only whisky of its kind, they have gone to great lengths to create a whisky that is exclusively Breton. The only casks used are Breton oak casks, either new or previously used for Chouchenn, the barley comes mainly from Brittany and is, moreover, certified organic, and bottling takes place on the distillery’s premises. The only aspect about which we know nothing, or very little, is the malting process, other than that it complies with organic regulations. In any case, this is a product whose originality is bound to appeal to any self-respecting whisky lover. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

First of all, a rather rich and thick waxiness, then the honey fills the nose. Makroudes, cinnamon biscuits, cloves, royal jelly, candied mirabelle plums. Behind this, the wood offers a lovely velvety texture, varnish, Vendée brioche, crunchy caramel, and lovely notes of vanilla. Flambéed bananas, melted butter. Honey-coated fruit on the palate, pears and peaches, a few dates and raisins. The spices are subtle, faint maritime hints in the background. A fairly long finish, slightly astringent, chocolate sweets, dark honey, a pinch of earth, liquorice and dried figs. 

 

In Short, 

Here, originality goes hand in hand with a certain quality, the virgin oak casks are used to great effect and blend with the honey without imparting the slightest hint of bitterness. There are a few flaws, notably a finish that is a little aggressive, though long and rich, and a palate that is just a touch light. Overall, however, I think it’s a success, and I’d even say this is the direction to take. Doing what others don’t do, and doing it well, that goes without saying. The price is, of course, a little high, the Research & Development department’s efforts need to be recouped, but it’s still reasonable. Buying a bottle might just satisfy your curiosity. 

Score : 85+

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                             To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                             Denez Prigent featuring Lisa Gerrard - An Hini a Garan

Armorik Men Ruz

 

 

 

43°

Distillery : Warengehm - France 

Bourbon, STR, Oloroso Sherry and Virgin Breton Casks

Original Bottling 

Core Range

Single Malt 

Launched in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This is the latest release to hit the small world of French whisky this autumn. This newcomer has undergone a complex maturation process, involving four different types of cask, predominantly Bourbon and new oak casks. It is reportedly ‘approximately’ five years old, at least that’s what the Brand Ambassador said. The alcohol content is a little low, but it remains unchillfiltered, which I welcome. Men Ruz means ‘Red Stone’ in Breton, a tribute to the Côte de Granit Rose, found in this part of Brittany, near Lannion, where the distillery is located. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A nose full of honey, the influence of the new oak barrels is very well controlled, there are notes of caramel, sponge cake and brioche, but no bitterness whatsoever. Churned butter, juicy yellow fruits, mashed bananas, rum baba, a few coastal nuances, iodine, limestone, quartz. A fresh, maritime character. The palate is, unfortunately, light, but smooth and well-balanced, vanilla, royal jelly, egg custard, solid untreated wood, cherry or pine, crème brûlée, spices that aren’t too disturbing. The finish isn’t very long and is rather astringent,  charcoal, liquorice, splinters, soft bark, lichen, cloves. Mushroom cream. 

 

In Short, 

The nose is really pleasant, you can really savour it, but then it gets a bit more complicated, on the palate it’s fine but a bit too light, and the finish is a little harsh. That said, it’s an entry-level whisky that’ll be sold at a low price, so it would be silly to expect miracles from it. Given the price it’s on sale for, I think it’s not bad at all, in fact, quite nice. 

Score : 84+ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                  To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                                   Stéphane Giacalone - Le Sentier des orages