Springbank 12 yo Cask Strength Batch 28

 

 

 

55,5°

Distillery : Springbank - Campbeltown

100% Bourbon Casks

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 12 ppm

 

 

 

This one is the second 12-year-old Cask Strength release of 2025, it was bottled in September 2025 for a release in early December, just in time for some people to have a lovely Christmas present. For the occasion, it is a 100% Bourbon Cask release, a format previously used for Batch 23 in 2021, which was very well received by consumers. Why change a winning formula? Unfortunately, it is not known how many bottles are being released.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Wax and crushed plums, young wood, freshly cut hay, candied lemon, mirabelle plums, a very light charcoal smoke. Pastry cream, grapefruit, banana, white currants. Molasses and an unlit cigar. On the palate, wheat and blond tobacco, dry straw, but it’s oily too, olive oil, English cream, vanilla extract, and violent spices, pepper, clove, cumin. Perhaps a zest of clementine. A long and explosive finish that keeps building in intensity, charcoal crumbs, milk chocolate, crushed roots, peanuts, a pinch of salt, candied apples. Trace of minerals.

 

In Short, 

Despite the similar maturation, I find it slightly different from Batch 23. It’s very citrusy, with crushed fruit notes, and quite indulgent. The distillery’s character is slightly less pronounced, but it is very pleasant to drink, with a lovely balance and plenty of fruit, cream and wax. That said, I wouldn’t rank this one amongst the best in the series, only amongst the very good ones – and they are all very good. However, it is really hard to find, and often at a disproportionate price, a victim of its own success.  

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                                  Oh Hiroshima - Meridian

Inchmurrin 1973 Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength 37 yo c. 3380

 

 

 

44,3° 

Distillery : Loch Lomond - Highlands 

Refill Bourbon Barrel 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2010 

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

Having opened in 1966, the Loch Lomond distillery was only seven years old when it distilled this whisky, but it already had the straight-necked stills used to produce Inchmurrin, one of Loch Lomond’s many brands. The result of this distillation was then aged for 37 years and 5 months in a Refill Bourbon Barrel, and when the cask was emptied, there was only enough left to make 149 bottles. It is worth noting that there is a Sister Cask, distilled and bottled on almost the same day, Cask 3381. Both were presented at Whisky Live Paris in 2010, for priority sale in France. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

A full-bodied and fresh nose, slightly vinegary, balsamic, wood and warm chestnuts, damp bark, dried dates, liquorice, warm earth, cooked mushrooms, followed by evanescent vanilla, a few fruits, a hint of iodine, herbaceous notes, reeds, tall grasses. On the palate, chestnut cream, prunes, there is a lovely character, fermented blackberries, not overly strong spices, black pepper. A long, powerful, explosive and deep finish, earthy roots, cola, dried sage, peppermint leaf, aniseed, heather. 

 

In Short, 

A lot of people say that Inchmurrin is herbal, and it is, but I find it’s mainly forest-like, and I quite like that. Amidst the mushrooms and bark, you can sense the freshness of a clearing, the fruit notes are there but very subtle. There’s a character I hadn’t noticed in the few Inchmurrins I’ve tasted, and a lovely spring-like freshness. It really is an interesting and original bottling, though it’s completely impossible to find at the moment. 

Score : 89 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                              To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                               Vraell - Guitar Meditation VII

Kilchoman 2009 20th Anniversary Cask Series 15 yo

 

 

 

52,7°

Distillery : Kilchoman - Islay

Ex-Oloroso Sherry Butts 

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 50 ppm 

 

 

 

The second bottling released to celebrate the distillery’s 20th anniversary is this one, a 15-year-old whisky matured entirely in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. Five casks in total, yielding a total of 3,153 bottles. Anthony Wills, the distillery’s founder, selected 20 casks and divided them across four different expressions, each emblematic of the brand. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is very dense, with powerful, earthy, mineral peat, slightly woody, whilst the sherry notes bring out cherries, blueberries and blackcurrants. Amarena cherries, red fruit tart, assorted redcurrants, dates and raisins, cocoa powder, a hint of rancio, barbecue sauce, cinnamon, fried bacon, intense charcoal. The palate is creamy yet earthy, root-like peat, sticky chocolate and caramel, candied red berries, wood varnish, rich spices. The finish is long and violent, fruit paste, hazelnut custard, leather, damp bark, a pinch of sea salt, dried seaweed, freshly extinguished ashes. Mint leaf. 

 

In Short, 

It has to be said that the cask takes up a lot of space. This is a lovely, full-bodied and intense sherry, with a variety of flavours. It’s best suited to those who appreciate this style, but it’s very well made, with the alcohol perfectly integrated. The price is unfortunately high, but everyone is entitled to their little indulgences. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                            Echoberyl - Morgana

Ardbeg 1978 Spirit of Scotland 22 yo c. 454

 

 

 

53°

Distillery : Ardbeg - Islay

Bourbon Cask 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2000

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Heavily Peated

 

 

 

As you only live once, I treated myself to a few centilitres of this rare find in a specialist bar. It really is a piece of history, apparently, back then, Gordon & MacPhail went by the name of Speymalt Whisky Ltd, and the type of cask isn’t specified anywhere. However, it is indeed cask-strength, which wasn’t all that common at the time. As for the peat level, it varied back then, ranging from 40 to 80 ppm, as the distillery malted its own barley until 1980. It is, of course, impossible to know how many bottles were released. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :   

Light yet persistent peat, grainy and mineral, quartz and gypsum, with coastal notes, sea spray, dried seaweed, rubbed citrus, crystalline vanilla, lace-like iodine, coconut cream, cigarette ash, untreated wood. Very smooth and oily on the palate, citrusy, a few yellow plums, brown sugar, slightly minty or even aniseed-like spices, ginger, lychee. An extremely long and full-bodied finish, molasses, raisins, waxed wood, dried bananas, charcoal nuggets, chlorophyll, peppermint leaves. 

 

In Short, 

Old whiskies are always expensive, but they’re not always brilliant. That said, this one is still an excellent product, very old-school, meaning it has a lovely balance and a subtle minerality. The peat isn’t strong—around 30 ppm, I’d say—but the bottle has certainly been open for years, and it was almost finished. No jarring flavours, just a hint of charcoal on the finish, and plenty of fruit, especially on the palate, it really was a different distillery back then. Lots of elegance, restraint and complexity, yet not overly intense, it’s easy to drink despite being 22 years old. In short, a lovely experience, but not a mind-blower. The bottle can still be found, provided you’re prepared to empty your savings account. I’d advise waiting for it to come up at auction if you absolutely must have it, the price will be more reasonable. 

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                            mesh - This World

Caol Ila 1990 Whiskyland Chapter Twenty-Eight 35 yo

 

 

 

44,5°

Distillery : Caol Ila - Islay

Refill Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm 

 

 

 

The truly legendary Caol Ilas are those from the early 1980s, but I’m certainly not going to turn this one down either, distilled in 1990 and matured for 35 long years in a refill hogshead, before being bottled in a run of 226 bottles. With this new range, named Whiskyland and launched in 2024, Angus MacRaild and Iain MacClune, founders of Decadent Drinks, are truly working wonders. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The peat is quite powerful given the age of the whisky – the first surprise. It’s medicinal, fuel oil and kerosene, beautifully balanced by coastal, cliff-like and quartz notes, along with airy iodine, there’s still a tremendous amount of character – the second surprise. Shades of citrus, a very light trace of vanilla, gravel, the cask seems to have left very little of its mark – the third surprise. On the palate, it’s the opposite, thick honey, pulpy fruit, with a touch of exoticism, banana, pineapple, white peaches, mirabelle plums and very ripe yellow plums, the peat is barely detectable, the spices very subtle, it’s incredible. A massive, endless finish, candied lemon, sea spray, Breton biscuits, olive oil, crème brûlée, a drop of tar, mille-feuilles. 

 

In Short, 

It’s absolutely insane, one of the best Caol Ilas I’ve ever tasted, and certainly the one that best represents the distillery. It has it all, the distillery’s pure character with its coastal notes, a peat that’s fiercely intense and uncompromising, but also beautifully integrated fruit and magnificent nuances. Truly a piece of history, probably better than the few Caol Ilas from the 1980s that I’ve tasted. As for the price, it’s commensurate with the exceptional character of the whisky, boundless. 

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                 To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                                  Eivør - Healer

Tamnavulin 1991 Whiskyland Chapter Thirty-One 34 yo

 

 

 

48,7°

Distillery : Tamnavulin - Speyside

1st Fill Sherry Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This is one of the most recent releases in the Whiskyland range, launched in 2024 by Decadent Drinks. It is a Tamnavulin distilled in 1991, before the distillery closed in 1995 and before it was taken over by an Indian consortium and reopened in 2007. It is therefore a testament to a distillery that no longer really exists, as after 12 years of closure, it is rare for whisky to be produced exactly the same way. Furthermore, it is the product of a first-fill sherry hogshead, so it is set to be a rich and fruity spirit. 208 bottles saw the light of day. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :   

Deep and dripping sherry, poached damson plums, clafoutis, fermented cherries. It is mellow, with candied and dried fruit, macerated grapes, damp wood, pine resin, treacle, stuffed figs, blood oranges, blueberry tarts, Tabasco. On the palate, the fruit is more luscious, plums, caramel, redcurrants, mandarins, strawberry coulis, it is thick, even sticky. Very pronounced and intense spices. A powerful, very long finish, earthy, woody, hot chestnuts, caramelised onions, dark chocolate and coffee, sweet potatoes, dragon fruit. 

 

In Short, 

It is indeed a Sherry Bomb, but it remains relatively well-balanced. There’s a lovely woodiness throughout, and it avoids any sulphur or even rancio notes. From the nose to the finish, I found it superb. Nothing beats a fine sherry, and this one is truly exceptional. The price is steep, but it reflects the quality and rarity of the product. 

Score : 91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                            Joe Zawinul - Orient Express

Laphroaig 2015 Old Islay 10 yo

 

 

 

52°

Distillery : Laphroaig - Islay

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 43 ppm 

 

 

 

Angus MacRaild and Iain MacClune, who founded Decadent Drinks in 2020, have launched a new range called the Islands Hopping Series. The concept involves travelling from one island to another across the British archipelagos and experiencing their most iconic whiskies. The first was a 21-year-old Bowmore released in February, the second a 20-year-old Ledaig (Old Mull), the third a 21-year-old Bunnahabhain, and this is the fourth, a 10-year-old Laphroaig aged in a single first-fill bourbon cask, slightly diluted to 52% ABV. Angus told me that at cask strength it was around 57–58% ABV. In the tradition of the Old Orkney range, these bottlings are called Old Islay. The aim is no doubt to revive old-style whiskies. For this one, 301 bottles are being released.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Right from the start, a gritty smokiness, a very pronounced coastal character, iodine, sea spray, seawater, seaweed, the tide, kelp, and a huge medicinal note, bandages, disinfectant, Betadine, melted plastic. There is indeed a whisper of vanilla and some yellow fruit in the background, but it’s subtle. The whole is very well crafted and very balanced, a bit austere, mineral. On the palate, it goes even further, the medicinal intensity is still there, peat, salinity, oysters and limestone, perhaps a hint of lychee and coconut, not overly strong spices, clove, grey pepper. A very long and explosive finish, gravel, soot, liquorice, a few dried fruits steeped in medicine, burnt rubber, roots. 

 

In Short, 

It’s so quintessentially Laphroaig, so typical of the distillery that there’s nothing else to say, except that despite its divisive flavours and aromas, it seems very well-balanced, easy to drink and almost self-evident. Yes, there is something old-fashioned about this whisky despite its boldness, or at least reminiscent of the old whiskies as we imagine them today. As for the price, it is high for a 10-year-old, but the quality is there, it tastes significantly older. I didn’t hesitate for long before picking up a bottle. 

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Jon Henrik Fjällgren - Old Paths

Mortlach 2005 Decadent Drams 20 yo

 

 

 

50,1°

Distillery : Mortlach - Speyside

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Independent Bottling 

By Decadent Drinks 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2026

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

The company, founded in 2020 by Angus MacRaild and Iain MacClune, released another Mortlach last year, distilled in the same year. This one is therefore the sister cask, but slightly older. What makes them special is that they have been matured in first-fill bourbon casks, which is quite rare for this distillery. This cask yielded just 179 bottles. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is immediately fruity and juicy, with very ripe yellow plums, honey in abundance, and pronounced waxy notes. Soft brioche, banana, pineapple, royal jelly, caramelised onions, sugared porridge, vanilla cream. On the palate, it is quite smooth but very oily, citrusy, lemons of various colours, kumquat, peanut butter, butter biscuits, rather rare spices. A lovely finish, which lifts slightly but remains fruity, this time more candied, mirabelle plums, apricots, quinces, shortbread biscuits, discreet cereals. 

 

In Short, 

An astonishing whisky, which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the distillery’s usual style. It’s not just the influence of the Bourbon, I’ve already drunk Mortlach whiskies matured in Bourbon casks and they weren’t like this. Mortlach is robust and deep, here it’s smooth and mellow, it’s more like a Benrinnes or a Blair Athol. But there’s also plenty of fruit, it’s very pleasant to drink, although it doesn’t leave a lasting impression. The price is a bit high, perhaps even too high in my opinion, but enthusiasts and the curious with deep pockets might be tempted to give it a go. 

Score : 89 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                            To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                            Son Lux - Flickers