Our own unique blend!

Our own unique liqueur!

Less sweet than others and made from 12yo Scotch with a hint of tangerine and chocolate-orange. Makes the best rusty nails ever!

To open the bottle - hold down and wiggle-and-pull the stopper!

Final chapter in the odyssey of Ardbeg’s recent history under the new owners now achieving ten years, limited release of quite a few but not as many as some would wish.

Like the last chapter ‘Almost there’ this is fully mature and not at all silly. Carbolic but complex initially, a touch of aniseed and the vent from a dry-cleners, now comes the peat which fills the glass. There are many elements, fresh and fishy.

To taste it is soft and peaty, a hot smouldering blacksmith’s fire. A long long finish which eventually returns to that fresh carbolic that began it all.

Ace for Ardbeg fans of course.

If I were putting this on the Flavour Map it would be somewhere about B10 but that denies it’s complexity.
Light / Smoky

Batch#2, bottled May 2008.

Stuart Robertson and Frank McHardy have combined their many years of whisky making experience, and their noses, to selected the casks for the first release of the new Springbank Vintage.

Added to LFW.CO.UK 6-JUNE-2008

Bottled March 2008

'The Macphunn' was the whisky of Sir Fitzroy "007" Maclean’s hotel, The Creggans in Strachur across Loch Fyne from Inveraray.

Named after Archie Macphunn who was hanged in Inveraray ‘till deid’ for sheep stealing - yet recovered once revived with an interesting whisky cocktail.

Sir Fitzroy's son Charles has now revived the brand with our support.

The first bottling sold out in a matter of a month and now, just arrived, is the bottling of the second cask, again 18 years old sherry cask matured Speyside single malt Scotch Whisky.

It is distinguished by the bottling month printed by the strength (March 2008 and 57.2%alc.).

Like the first cask this is as good as the very best - in fact we think it is even better than the first.

A round aniseed and floral aroma. Taste is of oranges, dark chocolate, raisins and the very-slightest ‘reek’ of peat. There is a long finish of more chocolate, absolutely superb!

was £27.90 inc vat
NOW £24.90 inc vat

I'm looking forward to trying this, Ardmore (when good) has the most authentic peatiness of any mainland distillery but can be variable, this, the first OB bottling we have seen on general release, is the first new release from it's new owners (Jas.) Beam Global who won Ardmore with their acquisition of Teacher's (and Laphroaig).

It says; 'Non-chill filtered. Matured for a final period in 19th Century style "Quarter Casks".

Now I've sold a bottle and pursuaded the buyer to give me a taste...

It's as good as I had hoped, there is slight smoke from a tarry base, then fruit, suspect shellfish and cleaning solution (carbolic? no). To taste I've got 'good, very good. Warming peat and smouldering fire. A hot swallow with a long sweet and fruity smokey finish, excelent.'

Loch Fyne Whiskies bottling of the year 2005! Ace!

An engaging aroma of tropical fruits, toffee, bananas and marmalade with a round and oily nose feel, some mince pies and nail-varnish remover.

The taste is initially quiet, sour but bounces on the swallow. Sweet and salty and a stimulating, charred throat feel. The finish settles soon but re-emerges no eruptsseveral minutes later to remind you that you have recently had a remarkable dram.

Every year the team at Loch Fyne Whiskies discuss which whisky has fared the best when offering tastes to our customers in the shop, an easy sale on quality and value and a little unusual too.

Our customer's choice for this year is a single malt that describes itself on the label as "the gentle dram".

A Speyside whisky that has been largely ignored as a single malt, the new owners are now determined that this whisky be recognised for it's quality.

At 16 years it is sublime.

Tomintoul 16 has a soft sherry-sweetness about the nose, (fino sherry La Ina), some oak, black pepper, hardboard sawdust and speyside fruitiness. On the tongue it is soft, gentle (like it says) perfectly balanced with a fruity-spicy swallow. Best without water.

[Blind tasting note from RJ during the SFWC:

SCORE: 4/5

A rich and pleasing nose of bananas, esters, beer and ‘Bazooka Joes’. Chocolate, coffee, cocoa and soft estery flavours - short but juicy. Nice smoky finish. A highly rewarding dram.]

Released in April 2005 by the new owners. Anyone like to volunteer a tasting note?

This from customer Patterson:

I'm surprised you haven't reviewed this yet as it's a damn good whisky.

I'd have said it was like Glen Garioch with extra honey - but creamy is a good way of putting it. There's some treacle too.

Basically this is a good medium-heavy malt without island smoke. There's a bit of sherry but I think it's mainly wood flavour you're getting -definitely vanilla (real from the pod not the bottle of synthetic stuff). I get a certain amount of heather as well, but overall it's an autumn walk in aon oakwood with someone baking treacle tarts in the forester's cottage.