https://www.drinkscreative.com/about daily 0.75 2014-09-08 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work daily 1.0 2025-04-03 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram21 monthly 0.5 2026-02-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/6412f477-4970-404c-a350-cfe06e1e8b30/glen+moray.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:21 - Glen Moray 'North Star' 2006 / 19 years old 56.6% Cask - Oloroso sherry hogshead (800283) Region - Speyside Glen Moray is known for its clean and fruity style thanks to medium fermentation times, large stills, upward-angled lyne arms and shell and tube condensers, which increase reflux and copper contact in general. The clean style is also aided by stainless steel washbacks, which tend to run cleaner ferments resulting in less overt tropical notes and less microbial funk (which can translate into lactic and waxy notes). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/d4109cff-2207-43f9-be9f-25c6d279c111/Braeval.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:21 - Braeval 2000 Distilled Single Sherry Cask Aged 21 Year Old 'Small Batch Bottlers Scotland' 50.4 % Cask - Sherry hogshead (single cask) Region - Speyside Braeval (originally named Braes of Glenlivet) was founded in 1973 by Chivas Brothers Ltd. (then part of Seagram) to supply malt whisky for blended Scotch, especially Chivas Regal. Breaval, like Glen Moray, uses stainless steel washbacks and longish fermentations with a view to a lighter style of malt, promoted further by reflux bowls on the 4 spirit stills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2cd5bbb6-6c92-48de-a36a-e1263a0a7d10/cadenheads-enigma-16-years-speys.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:21 - Cadenhead's Enigma 'Speyside Single Malt' 16 years old 53.6% Cask - Manzanilla hogsheads Region - Speyside Distillery unknown - but these secret whiskies are often rumoured to come from distilleries such as Macallan, Glenrothes and Glenfarclas. The slightly more experimental nature of the casks (mazanilla) could point to BenRiach - which sometimes also pops up under the guise of the unnamed distillery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/40a1e196-4c8f-4bfb-a26e-c396ef9949dc/Glenallachie2012Cask_1029PXHogsh+%281%29.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:21 - GlenAllachie 'PX Hogshead Single Cask' 2012 / 12 years old #1029 58.3% Cask - PX Hogshead Region - Speyside Glenallachie was founded in 1967 by Mackinlay McPherson and for its first 50 years was primarily a workhorse distillery supplying malt for blends. In 2017, Billy Walker led an acquisition of GlenAllachie and the distillery began a shift to a single malt whisky range. Fermentations are super long, around 160 hours, the spirit stills are fitted with boil balls and are on the largeish side, which points towards a lighter fruitier style. However, this is countered by downward sloping lyne arms, which promote less reflux and cause heavier vapours to pass into the condenser resulting in more oil retention. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:21 - Mystery whisky Whiskybase score - 87.29 For those who have bothered to read this far, I will reward you with a nugget of information - the distillery which bottled this release has been mentioned above. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram20 monthly 0.5 2026-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/26d75daa-0859-4e59-9113-b4abc189b424/4705423899.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:20 - Glenfarclas 'Family Cask' 2009 / 15 years old #1117 61.5% Casks - Sherry Butt Region - Speyside Distillery founded - 1836 (there is evidence of distilling on the site as far back as 1790). The Grant family bought the distillery in 1865, but it became part of the Glenfarclas-Glenlivet Distillery Co, jointly owned by the Grants and Pattison Elder & Co in 1895. When the Pattison crash hit in 1898 - the Grants bought the distillery outright - it has remained in Grant family ownership ever since. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0f7c7c5a-971d-4398-a49e-09d6d9b4e495/Benromach-Dramfest-2025-release.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:20 - Benromach 'DramFest 2025' #626 2014 59.8% Cask - 1st Fill Sherry Hogshead Region - Speyside Distillery founded - 1898 Benoromach was built in 1898, coinciding almost perfectly with the end of the boom that had preceded it for the previous 20 or so years. It closed a year after opening and had a chequered run for the next 90 years until independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail purchased it, deciding to resurrect the lesser used smoky Speyside style from yesteryear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/d5083e03-25f1-4420-9940-cd7ca602af8a/114916.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:20 - SMWS 2.138 Glenlivet 'Raisin toffee jam' 16 years 55.0% Cask - 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt Region - Speyside Distillery founded - 1824 (the year after the Excise Act was passed - The Glenlivet was the first Speyside distillery to apply for a licence). Owner George Smith is credited with creating a new style of Speyside malt - with marked florals, esters and a pineapple note that held it apart from the heavier Speys of the time. The distillery is also credited for being the first to crack the American market, making it arguably the first ‘Single Malt brand’. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/9e8c1ace-eff8-4940-b746-4c1cd233a480/ciladl2014.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:20 - Caol Ila 'Adelphi' 2014 / 10 years old #326024 55.4% Cask - 1st fill Oloroso Sherry hogshead. Region - Islay Distillery founded - 1846 Caol Ila spent most of its life supplying malt for blends and didn't release a single malt until 2002 with the release of the 12-year-old. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1972, and in the downturn of the 1980s, produced an unpeated highland style to fit with the demands of the era. Rumours are that Diageo is stopping the custom of selling surplus casks to independent bottlers - and so its days as an independently bottled whisky could be coming to an end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:20 - Mystery whisky Whiskybase score - 87.81 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/oak-smoke-and-embers monthly 0.5 2025-11-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/62d8eff6-8b92-4565-9876-c6ff04677ab9/ardbeg-bizarrebq.jpg.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Ardbeg BizarreBQ 50.9% Maturation - Oak, PX and experimental BBQ Casks Region - Islay Style - Dirty peat and rich sherry PPM - 55 ppm (approx) Ardbeg - Ardbeg opened in 1815. It peated its own malt until 1974 when a boom in peated whisky necessitated that it start using Port Ellen Maltings to fill demand. To purists, this was the end of an era. In 1981 the distillery was mothballed, but restarted again in 1989, only to close again in 1996. Glenmorangie came to the rescue a year later and began revamping the brand. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy bought both distilleries in 2004. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e72c9c2e-f4a9-460f-b8cb-f46390fca280/ElementsofIslay_BeachBonfire_bs.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Elements of Islay 'Beach Bonfire' Feis Isle 2023 54.5% Maturation - New Oak, Bourbon, Refill and Sherry Casks Region - Islay Style - Rich and decadent, peat and zesty peat PPM - 40-55 ppm Rumoured to be Laphroaig, Caol Ila and Bowmore. Elixir Distillers is a Scottish independent bottling company founded in 2016. It owns well-established brands such as Elements of Islay, Port Askaig, Macbeth & Single Malts of Scotland. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e466b250-1bdb-4654-b2af-df47ef645639/longrow.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Longrow 18 YO 46% Maturation - 90% Sherry / 10% Port Region - Campbeltown PPM - 50-55 ppm Style - earthy, coastal and peat forward Longrow is a heavily peated expressions made at the Springbank distillery in Campbeltown. The distillery is famous for its traditional earthy style and for doing everything from malting to bottling on site. It is also one of a handful of distilleries using direct-fired stills and also has worm tubs, runs a 2.5x distillation regime and matures its stock on site in dunnage warehouses. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c3aac47d-4252-4277-8ad5-05d47322ca07/TheWhiskyCellarSeries8RobustoBle.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - The Whisky Cellar Series 8 “Robusto” Cigar Malt Blended Whisky 8 YO 52.5% Maturation - Oloroso Sherry Casks Blended Malt - Peated Glenturret / Caol Ila, Glenrothes, Ben Nevis and “Dalrymple” (a tea-spooned malt from the Ailsa Bay Distillery) Region - Speyside Style - Grunty, cigar smoke, peat, sherry and sulphur The Whisky Cellar is an independent bottler set up in by Keith Bonington (Keeper of the Quaich). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/6f2758a5-b90c-4729-84b4-899d4043f6cb/benrinnes+%282%29.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Benrinnes 2010/11 YO Artist Collective 5.4 48% Maturation - 1st Fill Sherry Butt Finish (approx. 500 litres). Region - Speyside Style - Elegant sherry with meaty touches. PPM - unpeated Benrinnes - key distillery features include worm tub condensers, which push a meatier style. Prior to 2007 - Benrinnes practised partial triple distillation involving 2 sets of three stills - with a wash still, an intermediate still and a spirit still in each set. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/cf4c7e6d-d081-454e-a793-1963f586257c/aberfeldy.png Portfolio - Oak, Smoke and Embers - Wednesday 5 November at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Aberfeldy 20 YO Exceptional Cask Double Cask 54.1% Maturation - Ex-bourbon & sherry finish (4 years) Region - Highlands Style - fruity with notes of honey, toast and spices. PPM - unpeated Aberfeldy is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland, famous for producing the signature "honeyed richness" malt that forms the heart of the Dewar's blended whisky. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/caskstrengthcrackers monthly 0.5 2025-11-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/30e1732b-a05b-49e4-8f9f-95b9482ded42/Ardnamurchan+Cask+Strength+AD.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Ardnamurchan 'Cask Strength AD' 58.1% Maturation - A vatting of primarily peated whisky from American oak barrels, and a smidgeon of unpeated from ex-sherry casks Region - Highlands Style - Coastal, old-school highlands Ardnamurchan - this is an ultra-modern distillery which opened in 2014. It runs a sustainable and environmentally minded approach; A hydro-electric generator in the river, provides Ardnamurchan’s cooling water and generates all the power required, while a biomass boiler using wood chips from a local forest provides all the hot water. Owned by Adelphi the independent bottler https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/bc798e54-dc6c-44a7-9e45-b9fbca676bb5/Highland_20Park_20Cask_20Strengt.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.4 Single Malt 63.9% Maturation - Mainly sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, along with just a few ex-bourbon casks. Region - Orkney Style - fragrant and gently peated Highland Park - One of the key facts regarding Highland Park is the composition of the peat from the Orkneys. Orcadian peat is composed entirely of sphagnum moss and heather, giving it a gentler, more floral attack than Islay peat (which contains more creosol and marine vegetation) and mainland peat which has more lignin from trees and therefore burns with a richer smoke. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/cd0f8125-dff2-4cdb-b6d0-a75688fc0660/0113376.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Tamdhu Batch Strength No.7 Single Malt 57.5% Maturation - ex-oloroso sherry casks Region - Speyside Style - Honeyed and fruity, yet weighty enough for ex sherry maturation Tamdhu - Built in the 1890s in the boom that is considered the first golden age of whisky. For many years, it was a major player in blends such as The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and the Dunhill blend - but, since it was mothballed and subsequently purchased by Ian McLeod’s in 2010, it has released a core range of single malts including a 10, 12, ‘The Distinction’ and the NAS Cask Strength Batch release that we are trying today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2d8be009-997f-42bc-a70c-f55e789314ce/the-glenlivet-glencuie-single-ca.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Glenlivet 16yo Single Cask Ladderfoot Sherry Single Malt 58.6% Maturation - Sherry Butt for 16 years Region - Speyside Style - Floral, estery and tropical fruited The Glenlivet - Operational on its current site since 1859. Original owner George Smith is credited with creating a new style of whisky - lighter and more floral with a distinct pineapple note. Today it is the world's second-best-selling single malt Scotch brand after Glenfiddich. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a924a0e8-8dc6-4473-9f2b-16665954a1f3/136064-big.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Finlaggan Cask Strength Single Malt 58% Maturation - Ex-bourbon (some sherry?) Region - Islay Style - Pungent peat smoke, citrus and soot. Finlaggan was a launch brand for the Vintage Malt Whisky Company Ltd, which focuses on bottling whiskies from the Highlands and Islands. The brand was designed to embody the spirit of Islay (it’s named after a loch on the north side of the island, just west of Port Askaig). Possibly Laggavulin or Caol Ila https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/7b84a3b2-ef19-4ab8-9694-c7e67bb137ef/Octomore-Bottle-OCT12_3_D2015_R2.png Portfolio - Cask Strength Crackers - Wednesday 8 October at Hamilton Beer and Wine - Bruichladdich Octomore 13.3 61.1% Maturation - This release is matured in a foundational parcel of first fill ex-American whiskey barrels and a supplementary selection of second fill European oak casks, hailing from the Rivesaltes region of France and the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. Region - Islay Style - 100% Islay-grown, Concerto barley - super heavily peated, 5 years of ageing - served at 129.3 parts per million peat (PPM) 1“Base” edition for the series Usually distilled from 100 % Scottish (mainland) barley, matured (or mostly matured) in American oak / ex-bourbon casks 2 “Alternate / wine / European oak influence” Still (often) from Scottish barley, but with maturation or finishing in European oak / wine / dessert wine casks (e.g. ex-Sauternes, Bordeaux, etc.) or a mix of American + European influence. 3 “Islay / Octomore-Farm / terroir” These variants often use barley grown on the Octomore / Islay farm (single estate) and experiment with a blend of American + European oak casks. The idea is to explore how barley origin / terroir plays with peat and maturation. 4 “Virgin oak / more extreme wood influence” This was introduced (first in Series 7) to include or emphasize virgin (new) oak casks in maturation. That is, casks that have never held spirit before. It often adds a more aggressive wood character (tannins, spice) to the high-peat spirit. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram19 monthly 0.5 2025-11-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/190a6692-da69-4e70-9d01-f057b58f4d43/Bunnahabhain+12+years+old+2023+Cask+Strength+Edition.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Bunnahabhain 12 years old 2023 Cask Strength Edition 60.1% Casks - sherry casks Region - Islay Whiskybase score - 87.27 Distillery key features i) Large stills filled low to maximise copper contact. ii) Long ferments of 50 to 100 hours. iii) Purifier pipes on the spirit stills and shell and tube condensers for a lighter style. iv) Standard double distillation as shown below. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c9d84e95-42be-4022-ab87-ea78ff40a45b/double+distillation.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Double distillation at Bunnahabhain Standard double distillation with feints and foreshots recycled from the spirit still. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/bef3eca4-6328-4c1e-92d1-37344f519e50/Midleton-Triple-Distillation-Gra+%281%29.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - An example of triple distillation at Middleton distillery in Ireland https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1058c0eb-6c9b-4de9-bc86-9caa0de6baf1/Benrinnes+Adelphi+13+years+ol+2.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Benrinnes Adelphi 2006 / 13 years old 55.5% Cask - 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead Region - Speyside Whiskybase score - 88.19 Distillery key features i) Worm tub condensers. ii) Prior to 2007 - Benrinnes practiced partial triple distillation. This involved 2 set of three stills - with a wash still, an intermediate still and a spirit still in each set. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a2af4dee-0662-43e4-abc6-d24de33ed8f4/benrinnes.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Partial triple distilation at Benrinnes prior to 2007 iii) Only the foreshots and hearts from the first distillation go directly through to the spirit still. Feints from the first distillation are passed to an intermediate still - and then on top of this - all further feints (from the intermediate and spirit still) are passed back to the intermediate/low wines still. Image from http://www.daveswhiskyreviews.com/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/7e551e46-4802-4575-ac50-008606eb3ffa/Mortlach+%27Signatory+Symington%27s+Choice%27+2007+17+years+old.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Mortlach 'Signatory Symington's Choice' 2007 / 17 years old #205 56.6% Cask - 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt Finish Region - Speyside Whiskybase score - 88.23 Distillery key features i) Partial triple distillation (claimed to be 2.81x distillation). ii) Worm tubs for condensers on all stills. iii) Water cooled lyne arms to increase reflux. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/163759ef-4354-4208-b279-947a75db8484/mortlach.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Partil triple distillation at Mortlach iv) Three pairs of stills with one running typical double distillation, whilst the other pair work in tandem. A squat spirit still known as ‘Wee Withchie’ receives the last 20% of the first distillation from wash stills 1 and 2 - then triple distils this element, only taking the heart cut after three distillations (with two dud runs). Some argue the procedure is closer to quadruple distillation. Image from http://www.daveswhiskyreviews.com/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/ae79aa71-17bf-46ae-ac70-0280e89849e2/303757-big.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Amrut Triparva Triple Distilled 50% Cask - New American oak and ex-bourbon casks. Region - Bengaluru, India Whiskybase score - 87.19 Distillery key features i) Amrut typically practices double distillation and has one wash still and one spirit still. ii) The spirit still has a boil ball (a bulge or bulb in the neck of the still) to increase reflux. iii) Slow distillations of 14 hours - more copper contact and more reflux. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b5e7ab6a-26d3-4365-a39b-f1e0dd135318/BenRiach-Triple-Distillation-Gra.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Triple distillation at Amrut With only two stills - triple distillation is achieved by doing two runs on the spirit still, similarly to BenRiach, which occasionally makes triple distilled expressions. See diagram. Image from https://whiskyadvocate.com/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:19 - Mystery whisky Whiskybase score - 88.11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/crazycasks monthly 0.5 2025-10-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0eeb383d-7025-42bf-a863-3ccfeb97c21a/aberfeldy-15-year-old-red-wine-c.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Aberfeldy 15yo Red Wine Cash Finish 43% Maturation - Cabernet Sauvignon casks from Napa Valley (presumably American oak) Region - Highlands Style - Hoeneyed and waxy Aberfeldy - One of the sweetest Scottish's single malts, Aberfeldy’s characteristic honeyed note is the result of very long fermentation, coupled with slow distillation. Aberfeldy was founded by Dewars and Sons in 1896. It was solely used for blending for many years and didn’t become a single malt until late in the 19th century, once it had been sold from Diageo to Bacardi. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/5d6bf534-a621-40db-b9e9-57b650cd8675/lagavulin-SR-2023.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Lagavulin 12yo Special Release 2023 - 56.4% Maturation - Don Julio Anejo tequila casks (ex-bourbon casks that have aged tequila for a minimum of one year and up to a maximum of three years) Region - Islay Lagavulin - A long history dating back to 1816 when it was founded by John Johnston. It was actually built next to a distillery called Ardmore (nothing to do with today’s Ardmore) and eventually the two were combined Malt Mill Peter Mackie was one of the real characters of the late 1800s and early 1900s who was famous for created the White Horse blend and also co-founded Craigellachie distillery. He took over at Lagavulin and, when infuriated at losing agency with Laphroaig, proceeded to build a replica of Laphroaig on the Lagavulin site. It ran for many years but never produced anything close to the Laphroaig quality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/22d1a351-d219-469e-a24d-977d1448b15a/tullibardinemurrayportfinish_102.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Tullibardine ‘The Murray’ Triple Port - 46% Maturation - White port, tawny port and ruby port. Region - Southern Highlands Tullibardine - Tullibardine was famous for its heavy nutty style but since shifting to a focus on single malts and contributing less to blends, it has upped the floral, estery high toned notes and has invested heavily in new casks. Aberfeldy Distillery, founded in 1896 by John Dewar & Sons and now owned by Bacardi, draws water from the Pitilie Burn. It uses a 7.5-ton lauter mash tun feeding 11 washbacks (8 larch, 3 stainless) with long 72–88-hour fermentations for a honeyed, fruity spirit. Four steam-heated copper stills (2 wash, 2 spirit) feature ascending lyne arms, promoting reflux and a lighter style, condensed via shell-and-tube condensers. Spirit runs are slow, yielding new-make at ~68–72% ABV. Annual capacity is ~3.4 million LPA, with most whisky destined for Dewar’s blends, though the single malt—marketed as “The Golden Dram”—is noted for its soft Highland character. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/df28de73-4194-4c78-8a9c-011406cf957a/Singleton+14yo+Special+Release+2023.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Singleton 14yo Special Release 2023 - 55% Maturation - Chardonnay de Bourgogne - French oak Region - Speyside Style - green and grassy The Singleton whisky is made at three different distilleries owned by Diageo: Glen Ord, Dufftown, and Glendullan. The Singleton brand was created to bring these three single malts together, each with its own unique characteristics and target markets. Glendullan - Glendullan Distillery, founded in 1897 in Dufftown, Speyside, produces a light, delicate single malt often used in blends like Old Parr. Now part of Diageo’s portfolio, it’s known for its grassy, fruity character. Modern, yet traditional, Glendullan balances efficiency with Speyside malt charm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c7511cb9-41ad-47ec-a802-8dcbdb9d521e/Glenglassaugh+Octaves+Classic+Batch+2.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Glenglassaugh Octaves Classic Batch 2 - 44% Maturation - Bourbon, Pedro Ximénez and Amontillado octave casks Region - Speyside Glenglassaugh is found on the north Speyside coast within a kilometer of the sea. The distillery leans into tradition and depth using extended fermentation (up to 96 hrs), which promotes a fruity, ester-rich character. The old-school mash tun and minimal interference during mashing promote a robust sugar profile for conversion. A deliberately inverted still setup (spirit still larger than wash still) reflects a tailored, artisanal production ethic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b25abe6b-879c-4d4b-a184-4a054b93655a/cask_fb.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c51ca259-1d55-4e8e-b656-11befa56009a/Amrut_20Spectrum_20004_1024x1024.png Portfolio - The Crazy Cask Whisky Tastings with John Shearlock - Wednesday 13 August - Amrut Spectrum 004 Single Malt 50% Maturation - Initial maturation in ex-Bourbon oak for three years - then transferred to a custom-made barrel for three and a half years. This consisted of five oak types: American oak with level three charring, French limousin oak with a soft toasting, an ex-oloroso sherry stave, and an ex-Pedro Ximenes sherry stave. Region - India Amrut - Amrut Distilleries, founded in 1948 in Bangalore, India, began bottling single malt in 2004, pioneering Indian whisky on the global stage. Using six-row Indian barley (and some peated Scottish malt), the distillery employs long fermentations of around 96 hours to encourage tropical fruit esters. Pot stills feature upward-sloping lyne arms, promoting reflux for a lighter spirit. Maturation occurs in Bangalore’s hot, high-altitude climate, accelerating aging in ex-bourbon, virgin oak, sherry, and occasional wine casks. This regime yields rich, fruity, and spice-laden whiskies, with rapid wood integration. Amrut is celebrated for its bold cask experiments and ability to produce maturity well beyond its years. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram18 monthly 0.5 2025-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/ef416a4d-425e-4094-91d4-8a220b445b1b/loch+lomond.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:18 - Loch Lomond 'Cadenhead' 17YO 46% Cask - Sherry (unspecified) Region - Highlands Whiskybase score - 87.34 At Loch Lomond you will find 13 stills including swan necked pot stills, straight necked pot stills (with rectifying plates), continuous grain stills and coffey-style malt column stills, making the distillery, without doubt, one of Scotland’s most flexible and innovative distilleries. Armed with these stills, the distillery churns out a variety of expressions which are mostly named after the islands of Loch Lomond; Inchmurrin, Inchfad, Inchmoan, Croftengea and Old Rhosdhu to name but a few. For the Loch Lomond expressions, like this one, a combination of the swan-necked and straight-necked pot stills are used. The latter have controllable levels of reflux and produce super-high abv spirit which is fruity and light. Combine this with a hint of smoke and peat and the results can be quite pleasant. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/77ad00d3-a565-4af7-b8b3-4ab64acb72d1/glenfarclas.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:18 - Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary 46% Cask - a combination of hand-picked casks going back over 6 decades Region - Speyside Whiskybase score - 88.09 There is a painting dating back to 1791 that shows whisky production in full flow on the Glenfarclas site, and yet, there is no evidence of a licensed distillery there at that time. So, with no set founding date, the distillery has chosen to use the date the distillery was first officially awarded a license, which was in 1836. Based on this, in 2021, Glenfarclas turned 185, and to mark the occasion, Callum Fraser (Distillery Manager) and Douglas Belford (Managing Director) were given the enviable task of going out into the warehouses to hunt for casks from across the decades that they felt best represented the 185-year history. These included whisky from six different decades, meaning there is spirit in the mix dating back to the 1960s. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/630816fc-fa2a-4659-a73f-13f4fa90a8f5/springbank.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:18 - Springbank 17 YO Madeira Wood 47.8% Cask - Bourbon & Rum, Fresh Madeira Finish - (Number of bottles 9200) Region - Campbeltown Whiskybase score - 88.59 The Springbank distillery really throws the kitchen sink at its whiskies; 100% onsite floor malted barley, 2.5 times distillation using a wormtub on the wash still, dunnage warehouses, a lick of peat at 12-15ppm (for the ‘Springbank’ expression at least) and typically a pleasing assemblage of casks used in the final blend. This bottling sees bourbon and rum finished in fresh madeira (as opposed to stale madeira?) and is bottled at a slightly peculiar abv of 47.8%! Presumably the whisky has been brought down to this abv in the belief that it is a sweet spot. However, after 17 years in a humid, cool warehouse - is it just possible this is cask strength?! Unlikely, but more research is needed on this topic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f005e77d-bbe0-4c47-9834-11b7ff190873/glenallachie-2008-px-hogshead-49.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:18 - GlenAllachie 2008 / 15 YO PX Hogshead 6521 - 49.1% Cask - PX Hogshead Region - Speyside Whiskybase score - 90 GlenAllachie was built by Mackinlay, McPherson & Co (a subsidiary of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries) in 1967. It was designed by William Delmé-Evans who also designed Jura and Tullibardine, and operated mainly as a blending malt for brands like Clan Campbell. It passed through several owners through the 80s and 90s (Pernod Ricard and Invergordon) and closed for periods, only to reopen fully in the 1990s when it was still being used for blending and had no single malt presence. Its revival began in 2017 when it was bought by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, operated by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker. At this stage focus shifted to single malt production and a core range was released in 2018. Long fermentations (up to 160 hours), traditional shell-and-tube condensers and maximised copper contact create an ester-rich, fruity style. Again, the question with this one is where the abv of 49.1% comes from?! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:18 - Mystery whisky Whiskybase score - 88.72 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/lightanddark monthly 0.5 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c966fdf1-919e-42b1-8357-94e8cfe73bf1/talisker-11-year-special-release.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Talisker 11yo Special Release 2022 55.1% Maturation - Matured in and blended from a mix of 1st-fill ex-bourbon casks, refill casks, and wine-seasoned casks. Peat - 18-22 parts per million Region - Islands Talisker - Talisker produces a highly individual new make which mixes smoke, fruit, sulphur, salt and pepper. The malt is medium-peated, the worts clear, the fermentation long. It is in distillation that things go slightly strange. Reflux is heavily promoted (a purifier and kinked lyne arm), pushing for fruitiness, but copper contact is reduced due to worm tubs, resulting in sulphury notes in the new make, and possibly leading to the signature pepperiness in the mature spirit. The purifier pipe also adds oiliness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/66e14c22-88f9-4bad-a317-f22084716ff0/Arran+Quarter+Cask+Single+Malt.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Arran Quarter Cask Single Malt 56.2% Maturation - Initially matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels before being transferred for secondary maturation into smaller Quarter casks also made of the finest American oak. Region - Islands (Arran) Arran - Once home to over 50 distilleries, the Isle of Arran is now home to just two. Arran was opened in 1995 and its sister distillery, Lagg, on the other side of the island, launched in 2019. The distillery style shows light cereal crunchiness behind a distinctly citric note. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/bb34a0cb-f60d-4aba-aef9-44830f70e696/Glen+Scotia+Victoriana+Single+Malt+54.2%25.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Glen Scotia Victoriana Single Malt 54.2% Maturation - Matured in first and second fill bourbon casks, then finished for up to 12 months in heavily charred bourbon barrels and Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry butts, before being married together for a further six months. Region - Campbeltown Glen Scotia - There are elements of flexibility built into Glen Scotia. Unpeated, medium-peated and heavily-peated malt are all processed in its open-topped, cast iron mash tun giving wort which is fermented in (new) stainless steel washbacks, Fermentation time will vary between short (nutty) and long (fruity). In 1924 when distilleries were shutting left right and centre in Campbeltown, Scotia (as it was originally known) was purchased by Duncan MacCallum who had founded Glen Nevis. He was forced to close it in 1928, but it reopened in 1930. That year, however, MacCallum committed suicide after losing his life savings in a scam, and his ghost is said to haunt the distillery to this day! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b3945a9d-6955-4c48-ab7e-e47266f7a132/Laphroaig-10-Year-Old-Sherry-Oak.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Laphroaig 10yo Sherry Oak 48% Maturation - After drawing rich character from ex-bourbon barrels, the spirit then rests in European oak casks previously filled with oloroso sherry. Region - Islay Laphroaig - A substantial distillery with seven stills and a capacity of over 3m litres per annum (bigger than Ardbeg and Lagavulin). Laphroaig has retained its own floor maltings which still account for 20% of its requirements. They have been retained specifically because it is believed that the Laphroaig kiln produces a more creosote-like phenolic character than the malt the distillery receives from the Port Ellen maltings. Certainly, a tarry iodine note is one of the signatures of the spirit. A very long fore shot run means there are less estery notes in the new make, while a deeper cut means that heavier phenolics are captured compared to Ardbeg and Lagavulin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/ea4a2489-d79f-46d4-a512-20b45fa44236/Glenlivet+%27Signatory%27+2007+14yo+Exclusive+Selection+Ink+3.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Glenlivet 'Signatory' 2007/14yo Exclusive Selection Ink #3 49.3% Maturation - 1st fill sherry butt for 14 years. Region - Speyside Glenlivet - Situated high above the river Livet with a view out towards Cardhu and the slopes of Ben Rinnes, The Glenlivet has been operational on this site since 1859. After a recent expansion and refurb it is one of the most modern distilleries in Speyside with a vast Brigg’s mash tun which sends clear wort to wooden washbacks. Distillation, which is slow, takes place in two stillhouses, in seven sets of stills. Owner George Smith’s greatest achievement was his decision to make a new style of whisky. By the 1860s, The Glenlivet was noted for producing a spirit with a ‘pineapple’ note, evidence that the floral, estery character seen today has a long history – and one which broke with the heavy, dense, rich styles prevalent at that time. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4bc5ed65-2109-4146-a577-b9509515ef77/Aberlour+a%27Bunadh+Single+Malt+Batch+77+60.8%25.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Aberlour a'Bunadh Single Malt Batch 77 60.8% Maturation - Spanish oak sherry butts Region - Speyside Aberlour - Short ferments encourage a rich malt profile, whilst stills that are short and wide-necked, encourage more reflux and copper contact pushing for lightness. Distillation is relatively slow, preserving richness and deep flavours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/bca5f590-31ee-40cd-a4b1-9db32869d6eb/kilkerran-16-years-single-malt-w+%282%29.png Portfolio - Whisky’s Light and Dark Side - Bourbon and Sherry Casks with John Shearlock - Tuesday 17 June 2025 - Kilkerran 16 YO 46% Maturation - 70% bourbon, 20% sherry, 10% rum (2024 release). Region - Campbeltown. Glengyle Distillery - Originally built in 1872 by William Mitchell (brother of Springbank founder John Mitchell) - closed in1925 due to post-war downturns and then reopened in 2004 by J&A Mitchell & Co., the owners of Springbank. Fermentation is long (around 70–100 hours), in larch washbacks, encouraging ester development. The house style is lightly peated (around 12–15 ppm), giving it a gentle smoky background and typically offers earthy, maritime, and waxy notes (typical of Campbeltown malts). Worm tubs and a dunnage warehouser add to the heavier earthier style. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/mothers-ruin-gin-tasting-2025 monthly 0.5 2025-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/cbf6be95-8d46-4fdf-aaba-c4765c34a7d4/1100px-Beer-street-and-Gin-lane.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Make it stand out Hogarth's Beer and Gin Street https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c4dd7574-05e2-4f93-98fb-7ef91933d521/484052380_646851828033253_233431.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Make it stand out Puss & Mew - gin vending machine https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/fba90493-7b6b-4490-b209-7f905533d367/awildian-blue-edition-contempora.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Awildian - Coromandel Dry Gin, Blue Edition, NZ Awildian is the acclaimed gin brand produced by the Coromandel Distilling Company, a boutique microdistillery located in Thames, New Zealand. Founded in 2019 by scientists and conservationists Paul Schneider and Daniela Suess, the distillery embodies a deep connection to nature and a commitment to craftsmanship Awildian has achieved remarkable recognition on the international stage. At the 2024 World Gin Awards, the distillery secured five gold medals, more than any other distillery worldwide, across diverse categories Each small batch typically yields around 130 bottles and undergoes a16-hour maceration and slow distillation, followed by a three-week maturation period to enhance flavour complexity. Botanicals - Juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, Seville orange, lemon thyme, hibiscus, Thames lemons, blueberry, lemon myrtle, rose petal, cubeb pepper, butterfly pea flower. Butterfly pea flower contains natural pigments called anthocyanins, which are pH-sensitive colorants (universal indicators). They change colour when the pH drops (as the tonic is added). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f5972afc-bbc1-4235-a887-ac93dcc9e620/never+never+ginache.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Never Never - Ginache Gin, Australia Never Never Distilling Co. is an acclaimed Australian gin producer based in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Established in 2016 by George Georgiadis, Tim Boast, and Sean Baxter, the distillery has quickly garnered international recognition for its innovative gins and commitment to bold, juniper-forward flavours. Botanicals The Ginache gin is made using the flagship Triple Juniper Gin as a base. This gin employs a unique three-stage juniper infusion process: Juniper berries are steeped in Australian wheat spirit for 24 hours. The steeped juniper, along with fresh juniper, is added to the still for distillation. Additional juniper is placed in the vapour basket to capture fresh and floral notes. Ginache is then steeped with McLaren Vale Grenache grapes for up to a month to extract colour and develop flavour. The result is a gin with a deep raspberry red hue that turns bright hibiscus pink when diluted, offering flavours of fresh raspberries, tinned plum, and plush tannins. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/94e47370-1967-4217-bead-3f619b42a7a3/peddlers-shanghai-craft-gin-31.1.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Peddlers - Rare Eastern Gin, China Peddlers Gin Company is a pioneering Shanghai-based distillery, renowned for crafting China's first artisanal gin. Established in 2016 by a group of Kiwi and Chinese friends, the company set out to create a spirit that encapsulates the rich tapestry of Chinese botanicals and the dynamic spirit of Shanghai Botanicals Sichuan Peppercorns: Sourced from Qingxi in Hanyuan County, these peppercorns impart a signature "mala" (numbing and spicy) sensation, adding depth and complexity. Buddha’s Hand: A fragrant citrus fruit from Yunnan, offering bright, floral notes reminiscent of lemon zest. Lotus Flower: Collected from Gansu province, contributing subtle floral undertones. Chinese Mint: Introduces a refreshing, aromatic layer to the gin's profile. Angelica Root: Adds earthy, herbal nuances. Xinjiang Almonds: From the Tianshan Mountains, these almonds provide a hint of sweetness and nuttiness. Liquorice Root: Sourced from Guangdong, offering a sweet, woody flavour. Coriander Seed: Contributes citrusy and spicy notes. Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice. Juniper Berries: Imported from Hungary and Italy, providing the classic gin backbone. Osmanthus: Infuses a delicate, sweet floral aroma. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b2fbaad6-0746-44f1-a613-6b36d3aa249d/gracias+a+dios+mezcal+gin.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 11 May '25 - Mean Doses Taproom - Gracias A Dios - Agave Gin, Mexico Gracias a Dios is an artisanal mezcal brand based in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico, often called the Mezcal Capital of the World. Founded in 2010, the brand was created by a group of friends passionate about mezcal, including maestro mezcalero Oscar Hernández. Gracias a Dios specializes in small-batch, handcrafted mezcals made using traditional methods, including underground pit roasting, natural fermentation and copper still distillation. Botanicals This is a recipe inspired by the diversity of Oaxaca, the capital of mezcal production in Mexico. The base is Gacias a Dios agave spirit, which is macerated with eight botanicals: Juniper and seven botanicals from Oaxaca, including avocado leaf, yerba santa, cacao and Oaxaca tangerine. This is then triple distilled. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/maltsaltandearth monthly 0.5 2025-06-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c1d8da0a-8a80-4de2-a53b-849d55de5522/Caol+Ila+15YO+Unpeated+Style+61.5.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Caol Ila 15YO Unpeated Style 61.5% Maturation - Refill American oak / European oak butts Region - Islay (north east coast). Islay is famous for its big peaty malts but Caol Ila offers a slightly lighter style with a peat level of 35ppm, long ferments, lots of copper use and, typically, bourbon cask maturation. Here we find it in its rare unpeated form and what a treat it is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/09c46b3a-ae4b-4175-9536-fdb7ae72de33/Kilchoman+%27Sanaig%27+Cask+Strength+57.8.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Kilchoman 'Sanaig' Cask Strength 57.8% Maturation - Bourbon and sherry casks (with further finishing in oloroso sherry hogshead) Region - Islay Kilchoman is Islay’s farm distillery set up in 2005 with its first core release in 2012. 25% of its barley requirements come from Islay (mostly from fields around the distillery) and it has two small malting floors and kilns which produce a medium-peated malt – the heavily peated with which it is mixed comes from Port Ellen. Fermentation is long, helping to create fruitiness to balance the phenolics, while a wood policy using a high percentage of first-fill ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks brings real pedigree. PPM - 20 to 50ppm Peat is sourced from Cnoc Dubh banks near the distillery for their 100% Islay expressions and from the east side of Islay, near Port Ellen, for their commercial malt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/97e2a58e-c42f-484a-b47d-0dd2449fbe74/clynlish.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Clynelish 10yo Special Release 2023 57.5 % Maturation - First-fill ex-bourbon American oak Region - Speyside Clynelish is famous for its waxiness, which was discovered to come from the build-up of gunk in the feints receiver (when removed one year in the silent season, the waxiness disappeared). The distillery was founded in 1819 by the Duke of Sutherland (during the brutal ‘clearances’). It was mothballed in the 1930s and then reopened in the 1960s. A second distillery known as Clynelish B was built next to it at this time and the original was then mothballed only to reopen as Brora. Brora went on to achieve cult status only to close in 1983. It was reopened by Diageo in 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/dd57c229-9866-48eb-b87a-4cb97c82bf26/HighlandParkCS3_900x.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3 64.1% Maturation - First-fill sherry American & European oak Region - The Islands (Orkney Isles) Highland Park’s trademark is a soft and floral peatiness thanks to the high heather composition of the peat on the island (which makes up 20% of the barley used for each mash, with the balance coming from the mainland at around 4ppm). The distillery has copped some flak over the years for its absurd and rather commercial Norse-themed range - packed full with strange NAS expressions. It has now moved to a smaller core range which is exclusively age stated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c18628a9-1820-40e7-805c-a279e9b5397e/Tobermoray_2021yo_20Oloroso_20Ca.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Tobermory 21yo Oloroso Cask Finish 46.3% Maturation - 3 year finish in oloros sherry casks Region - The Islands (Isle of Mull) Tobermory was established as Ledaig distillery in 1798 by John Sinclair, but had an absolutely terrible run with constant closure and sale to new owners, spending much of the next two hundred years shut. It changed ownership in 1979 and was then renamed Tobermory. In 2007 - the peaty Ledaig brand was launched as a 10-year-old at around 30 to 40 ppm. The fermentation time is relatively short, but it is the unusually shaped stills which lie at the heart of the Tobermory style. They have both boil bulbs and a strange S-shaped kink in their lyne arms, all of which increases reflux. As refulx increases, whisky becomes lighter and cleaner. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0d054bff-f9bf-4903-8a0d-d522ce42b97d/Ledaig+Hidden+Spirits+2009+12yo.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Ledaig 'Hidden Spirits' 2009/12yo 54.2 % Maturation - unknown but judging by the pale colour, this must be a bourbon cask (possibly second fill). Ledaig is the peaty expression made at Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull. The peat spec is around 35 ppm - less than many of the big heavy-hitting Islays. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3a09976e-a843-4534-b3c6-11e4ca09edcf/cladach.png Portfolio - Malt, Salt & Earth - Coastal Whiskies at Hamilton Beer & Wine - Cladach The Coastal Blend Special Release 2018 57.1% Maturation - First-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks, refill American oak hogsheads, refill European oak butts and ex-bodega European oak butts. Part of the 2018 Special Releases, Cladach – meaning ‘coastline’ – is made using only single malts made at Diageo’s coastal distilleries; Caol Ila, Lagavulin, Oban, Talisker, Clynelish and Inchgower. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram17 monthly 0.5 2025-05-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4b54093f-2a80-4f48-b286-ad9391f63d0d/Daftmill+New+Zealand+Exclusive.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:17 - Daftmill 'New Zealand Exclusive' Cask 055/2011 60.2% (first fill bourbon) Cask - First fill bourbon from Clermont Springs Region - Lowlands Daftmill is one of the few truly self-sufficient Scottish distilleries adopting a farm-to-bottle approach (it has its own artesian well, farms its own barley and matures in a dunnage warehouse on site). It is owned by the Cuthbert brothers, two farmers with a long history of growing barley for malting. They were granted a licence to distil in 2005 and set about converting part of the farm into a micro distillery (with just two stills) which produces only 20,000 litres during two three-month seasons (in winter and summer). The inaugural release was a 12-year-old in 2018. The barley variety Publican was used for this whisky, grown locally in the 43ac field. It was then dried and stored on the farm to be malted in Alloa during the summer of 2010. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/8a84039a-5fb8-4c51-97ea-986477192bce/SMWS+112.107.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:17 - SMWS 112.107 'Exotic probiotic!' 10 years old 60.9% Cask - First-fill bourbon Region - Southern Highlands (right on the border with the Lowlands) Loch Lomond is one of Scotland’s most flexible and innovative distilleries. The distillery was founded in 1966 in a wave of distillery building following the drought of the first half of the 20th century (no new distilleries were built for the first forty nine years). The original distillery had a set of pot stills with rectifying plates in their necks (also known as Lomond stills), allowing different flavour streams to be produced. Two more, of the same design, were added in 1990, before the distillery installed two continuous stills three years later, in which to make its own grain whisky with a view to self-sufficient blend production. Two ‘traditional’ swan neck pot stills were added in 1998, before an additional continuous still, set up to produce grain whisky from a 100% malted barley mash, was installed in 2007. With the recent addition of two more Lomond stills, Loch Lomond can produce 11 different distillates for its whisky brands. This expression is known as Inchmurrin (named after the biggest island in Loch Lomond), and its starting point is a fruity new make spirit, created as a result of a high cut point from the pot stills equipped with rectifying heads. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/15643e0b-c896-4df0-b369-bd2a22beb0a7/Craigellachie+Signatory+Vintage+11+Year+Old.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:17 - Craigellachie Signatory Vintage 11 years old 2012-2023 68.2% Cask - First-fill sherry Region - Speyside Craigellachie is famed for its sulphurous style thanks to minimal copper contact resulting from the use of worm tub condensers. Don’t forget, a small amount of sulphur can be a desirable component in whisky, given time to soften and integrate into the malt, where it can then be perceived as floral, mineral and even (ideally?) meaty. Craigellachie leans towards the last of those styles and apparently, one is greeted with aromas of cabbage and beef stock upon entering the distillery. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/71082bc4-f13f-4bd0-b42f-1d5c7346570b/Loch+Lomond+%27Adelphi%27+2016+8+years+old+57.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:17 - Inchfad (Loch Lomond) 'Adelphi' 2016 / 8 years old 57% Cask - First-fill PX sherry Inchfad had a short-lived release as a single cask single malt under the Distillery Select banner in the mid-2000s, alongside other Loch Lomond malts including Craiglodge and Croftengea. However, Inchfad is also used by Loch Lomond to classify one of the many spirit types produced at the distillery, and continues to be used for blending purposes. To complicate things, although typically a peated expression - Inhfad can range from unpeated up to 50ppm and this expression is certainly peated. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:17 - Mystery whisky Hmmm, what to choose, what to choose! Another first-fill, to make guess work harder, or a second-fill to see if we can really spot the difference? https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/sake-soju-and-shochu-at-generator-bowen monthly 0.5 2025-04-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c6e1fa6c-5e5f-4ecd-b520-c04f81936f1c/2+%283%29.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/615434e4-be2d-457c-8d0a-92b0e7bae39f/steaming-rice.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/94c3df9d-e901-4c43-8fe8-6f36ae634b77/sake.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/99eeb7e0-a2ed-4957-86a8-fb6f44584146/okome_en.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3773515a-f797-4098-b2f6-d8992cb4d872/Ozeki+Karatamba+Junmai.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Ozeki Karatamba Junmai Ozeki’s original Japanese brewery was founded in 1711 by Ozakaya Chobei in Nada district of Hyogo prefecture. Over the years, Ozeki has become one of the world’s major sake brewers. Nada's "Miyamizu": The Nada region is known for its unique geological features that produce a special brewing water called "Miyamizu," which is abundant in minerals and has an optimal balance of components, including low iron content, which stimulates yeast fermentation In 1979, Ozeki became the first Japanese producer to establish a presence in the USA. Polish Rate - 70% ABV - 14.5% https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e767299f-2743-46cc-8241-be3fcd383c6e/Onishi+Shuzo+Hiyashibori+Ginjo+Sake.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Konishi Shuzo Hiyashibori (cold pressed) Ginjo Sake Founded in 1550, Konishi Shuzo has the honour of being the oldest sake brewery owned and managed by the same family, the Konishi family. It is based in the Hyogo Prefecture which is renowned for being one of the most important sake producing regions in Japan. The brewery uses soft, river-bed water fed from the Rokko & Nagao mountains and has forged close relationships with a number of agricultural co-operatives to ensure a reliable supply of quality rice. Polish Rate - 60% https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/308f98b9-cdc8-4694-92fb-07287da3f927/Daiginjo+720ml.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Hakkaisan Daiginjo Hakkaisan Brewery Co was founded in 1922 by Koichi Nagumo in Minamiuonuma City, Niigata. It is known for its "tanrei karakuchi" style sake, using snowmelt water from Mount Hakkaisan. For this Daiginjo, Yamada Nishiki and Gohyakumangoku sake rice are carefully selected and polished down to 45%. All of the koji is handmade and the sake is brewed with pure snowmelt mountain stream water, known as Raiden-sama no Mizu or water of the god Raiden. A touch of alcohol is added to enhance the sake’s aromatic expression. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3e589b23-7fd0-4233-af23-91381930d751/KawatsuruSanukiCloudy.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Kawatsuru Shuzo Sanuki Cloudy Sake (Nigori) The Kawatsuru brewery was founded in 1891 and the name means “river crane”. Kawatsuru is known for producing rich, umami-driven sake with a good balance of acidity and depth. Soft water influence – The brewery uses natural water from the local Saita River, which gives the sake a smooth texture. Rice varieties used include Yamada Nishiki, Omachi, and Oseto, a local rice variety from Kagawa Prefecture. Nigori sake - In regular sake production, a fine mesh filter separates the liquid from the rice solids. However, for nigori, a coarser filtration is used, allowing some rice sediment and lees (or sake kasu) to remain in the sake. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f58321d4-e4ce-4fcc-a822-ef6d0228ab29/JINRO-Is-Back-soju-1024x1024.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Jinro is Back Soju Jinro is Back is a reinterpretation of soju sold between 1975 and 1983 made by HiteJinro. The retro blue bottle is especially popular with consumers and has led to the creation of a range of new products, including Jinro is Back branded clothing. Jinro soju was first introduced in 1924. Distillation: Continuous distillation rather than pot stills. It’s a very industrial, clean style of distilling. Dilution: After distillation, the spirit is diluted heavily with pure water to bring it down to drinking strength. Flavoring and Sweetening: After dilution, a little sweetener (usually sugar derivatives) and flavour enhancers to give it that super smooth, slightly sweeter style. Filtration: The final step is charcoal filtration, which softens the spirit even more. 16.9% https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/532c9160-9d60-4b2c-84ea-e655b05931ce/SATSUMA-SHUZO-Kan-No-Ko-Barley-S.png Portfolio - Sake, Soju and Shochu at Generator Bowen - Satsuma Shuzo Kan No Ko Oak Barrel Aged Barley Shochu Founded: 1936 Satsuma Shuzo is a renowned shochu distillery based in Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan - a region famous for producing sweet potato (imo) shochu. The distillery has a long history of craftsmanship and is known for making rich, full-bodied imo shochu that reflects the terroir of Kagoshima. Distillation is using pot stills made of stainless steel with a single distillation run. Type: Mugi shochu (barley shochu) Ageing is in American oak. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/the-magic-of-mezcal-t464h monthly 0.5 2025-04-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f45992be-f646-4ad0-aea8-bd996cfb34c5/230141_Stories_Agave_Hero_Articl.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c1a22813-f4be-4fc9-a829-0560a5c09d39/images+%2855%29.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Commercial Mezcal Commercial Mezcal production utilities modern apparatus such as autoclaves to cook the agave hearts or piña - which derives from the Spanish for pineapple which the hearts resemble when the leaves have been cut off. Distillation can also occur in continuous stills which facilitate larger-scale production. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/6f420f01-0924-4d56-9acb-aa23bc18db02/960x0.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Artisanal Mezcal Around 90% of modern mezcal production falls under the artisanal method. This approach straddles old and new techniques with a big nod to time-honoured methods. The heart of the agave, or piña, is roasted in underground pit ovens or above-ground masonry ovens, the former imparting its signature smoky flavour. After cooking, the agave is crushed—often with a stone tahona or by hand —before fermenting in clay, earth, wood, stone or animal skins. Distillation must be over direct fire in copper pot stills, clay pot stills or stainless steel – agave fibres may be included. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b4003d8e-e676-41a8-b494-5dbe24e76695/007f15f7b9bf778fd8ec15d3af56bd3c.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Ancestral Mezcal Mezcal Ancestral - the most traditional production methods are required to be called ancestral. This represents a tiny percentage of the overall industry. Agave hearts must be roasted in pit ovens only; crushed by hand, tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill. Fermentation must take place in stone, earth, wood, clay or animal skins and distillation must happen in clay pots over direct fire and may include agave fibers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1993099b-3bc1-4334-9ec4-0d3e2cc5621b/del++maguey+vida.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Mezcal del Maguey Vida Clásico 42% Del Maguey is a renowned producer of artisanal mezcal, founded in 1995 by artist and mezcal visionary Ron Cooper. The brand is headquartered in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, but its mezcals are produced in various traditional villages across the region. Del Maguey revolutionized the mezcal industry by introducing the concept of "Single Village Mezcal," highlighting the distinct flavors and techniques of individual communities. Agave - Espadin State - Oaxaca (San Luis del Rio village) Ancestral - Handcrafted, twice distilled, very slowly in small wood-fired, riverside copper stills to flavour specifications that https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0cd3c2d0-33e3-435e-80aa-e401ed5d9e99/Gracias+A+Dios+Wild+Tobala+Mezcal+45%25.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Gracias A Dios Wild Tobala Mezcal 45% Gracias a Dios is an artisanal mezcal brand based in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico, often called the "Mezcal Capital of the World." Founded in 2010, the brand was created by a group of friends passionate about mezcal, including maestro mezcalero Oscar Hernández. Gracias a Dios specializes in small-batch, handcrafted mezcals made using traditional methods, including underground pit roasting, natural fermentation and copper still distillation. The mezcals are known for their smooth yet complex profiles, balancing smoke, earth, and sweetness State - Oaxaca (Santiago Matatlan) Agave - Tobalá, known as the king of magueys, is believed by some to be the first agave distilled by indigenous Oaxacan producers. Tobalá likes rocky, high-altitude soil, often grows in the shade of oak trees, like truffles and takes 10-15 years to ripen. Tobalá produces a complex mezcal marked by high minerality. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a374b3f4-0e60-4506-85d4-35fe216a4df8/pechuga-mezcal-750ml-image_hero.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Gracias a Dios Mezcal de Pechuga 45% State - Oaxaca (Santiago Matatlan) Pechuga mezcal is a rare and ceremonial style of mezcal, traditionally produced in Oaxaca. "Pechuga" means "breast" in Spanish, referring to the unique production method in which a raw, skinless chicken, turkey, or other meat (such as venison or rabbit) is suspended in the still during a third distillation. The vapours pass through the protein, adding rich, savoury complexity to the final spirit. In addition to the protein, mezcaleros often add fruits, nuts, and spices to the distillation, creating a layered and aromatic profile. The result is a smooth, slightly smoky mezcal with a delicate balance of sweet, savoury, and herbal notes. Originally crafted for special occasions like weddings and festivals, Pechuga remains one of the most distinctive mezcal varieties. Many top brands, including Del Maguey and Gracias a Dios, produce Pechuga mezcal, each offering a unique take on this traditional style. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/5f103244-6e1a-49b1-8afa-9141066be9ac/IMG_1294_5ab9fdcc-3ea8-49db-8b3e+copy.png Portfolio - The Magic of Mezcal at Generator Bowen - Teremana Tequila Reposado 40% State - Jalisco Agave - Blue Weber Teremana is a premium tequila brand founded by actor and entrepreneur Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in 2020. It is produced in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, at the small-batch distillery Destilería Teremana de Agave. The name "Teremana" combines Latin and Polynesian roots, meaning "spirit of the earth." The tequila is crafted using 100% Blue Weber agave, which is slow-roasted in traditional brick ovens (hornos) and distilled in handmade copper pot stills. Teremana offers three main expressions: https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram16 monthly 0.5 2025-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/7aa7c3b3-9754-4e6a-ad7a-8d5d0e92a02e/glen+elgin+copy.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:16 - Glen Elgin Adelphi 2008 / 2024 15 years old 55.6% House style - rich (yet delicate), honeyed and slightly waxy. Maturation - Refill oloroso sherry butt. Distillation regime - Clear wort, long fermentation (80 - 120 hours) and slow distillation Still shape - The wash stills are fairly large, with a unique boil ball shape that increases reflux, refining the spirit. The spirit stills are smaller and contribute to the distillery’s rich yet delicate character. Notes on worm tub - five large wooden tubs on the outside of the distillery. Peat - no https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/93ba88f4-1b98-4aa5-9aa3-9e1e10b05a31/knockdhu.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:16 - Knockdhu 'Infrequent Flyers' 2013 / 10 years old 59.2% House style - Intense, citric (sulphur and veg found on the new make) Maturation - Pedro Ximénez puncheon. Distillation regime - Clear worts, medium fermentation times (55 to 80 hours). Still shape - One wash still, one spirit still. Wide shouldered pots, small boil ball with tall, narrow necks to promote significant copper interaction. The lyne arms have a steep downward angle, which helps balance some heavier notes while still maintaining a clean and fruity character. Notes on worm tub - One cast-iron worm tub which the spirit and wash still worm tubes sit next to each other in. Peat - no (but is found in the anCnoc brand made at the same distillery). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/04ebd919-3dfb-48ab-8345-bf32e55f30be/edradour.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:16 - Edradour 12 years old Cask Strength 2012 Batch 3 58.6% House style - big and rich. Maturation - 1st fill & 2nd fill oloroso sherry butt. Distillation regime - Fermentation over 100 hours, very cloudy worts (to enhance malt profile) slow distillation. Still shape - The wash and spirit stills are small and squat. Distillation is slow to enhances reflux and copper interaction. Notes on worm tub - wooden tub located outside the distillery. Peat - no (but is found in the Ballechin brand made at the same distillery). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2d66b414-5a5f-4322-a485-02e7b9c89c9a/springbank+palo+cortado.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:16 - Springbank 10 years old Cask Strength Palo Cortado 55% House style - rich, fruity, earthy and slightly oily. Complex. Maturation - Palo Cortado. Distillation regime - Cloudy wort, long fermentation 100+ hours, slow distillation - 2.5 times distillation using an intermediate still for some of the spirit coming off the wash still. Still shape - Wash Still - traditional, squat, and slightly onion-shaped with a wide, rounded base. Lyne Arm: Slightly descending, encouraging some heavier compounds to carry over into the next stage. Intermediate Still - much smaller than the wash still, with a compact pot shape and shorter neck. Function: Used to redistill part of the low wines, creating the "half distillation" that gives Springbank its unique 2.5x distillation process. Spirit Still - tall and narrow, with a relatively slim neck. Lyne Arm: Slight downward angle, limiting reflux and allowing some heavier elements to remain in the spirit. Notes on worm tub - only used on the intermediate still. Peat - ~12-14 ppm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:16 - Mystery whisky Something distilled at the Springbank distillery, which let’s not forget, is responsible for three brands - Springbank, Hazelburn and Longrow. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/summer-sippers monthly 0.5 2025-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4b3cd07b-950b-4c76-9de0-b20920d6d7d6/French+region+Kimmer.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Chablis Chablis is found in northeast France and is famed for its Kimmeridgian soil - a limestone-based soil that contains clay and marine fossils. This soil is also found in Champagne and parts of the Loire Valley. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/370d283b-ceb3-4017-82f6-2db32335f79b/denis+race+chablis.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Denis Race Chablis 2022 Region - Chablis, Burgundy - France Grape - 100% Chardonnay Soil and vines - The vines which produce this wine are up to 65 years old. growing on clay-limestone kimmeridgian soils - which are full of marine fossils and thus high in calcium. Fermentation is in thermoregulated stainless steel at cool temperatures to retain fruit flavours and aromatics. The first fermentation (sugar being turned into alcohol) starts within a few days and can go on for up to three weeks. A second fermentation known as malolactic fermentation follows, whereby malic acid is converted into lactic acid. This is crucial to the flavour profile of the wine which receives no oak and needs the ‘malo’ to provide weight, texture and creaminess to the austere fruit flavours. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/cda69686-e0b5-4e5d-90ef-107643257cd5/sancerre-loire-wine-map.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Sancerre The spiritual home of Sauvignon Blanc in France. Sancerre is found at the end of the Loire Valley where the Lorie river begins heading south. Here, we are far inland and so the climate becomes continental with warm summers and cold winters. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/358976d4-1910-49b7-976d-33f84fcb1f90/IMG_1638_a10d8caf-8cc9-4ad5-a93a+copy.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Gerard Fiou Terroir Silex Sancerre 2023 At Domaine Gérard Fiou, in Saint-Satur, Florent Bourgeois makes the most of his old vines and the vein of flint that runs along the Loire river to make bright, lively Sancerre wines that respect the environment and the soil. Region - Sancerre, Loire - France Grapes - Sauvignon Blanc Soil - The local terroir is famous for its flint which represents 20% of the soil. Alongside this we find “terres blanche” and “caillottes” which are white soils composed of clay, limestone and Kimmeridgian marine deposits. There is also a large proportion of siliceous clay which is high in silica (silex). Winemaking - Minimal intervention, focusing on expressing the natural character of the grapes and terroir. Cool ferments in stainless steel and no oak. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/98330572-c428-4486-b0e3-eabee1d5c5fd/gavi.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Gavi Gavi is located in Southern Piedmont in the Monferrato area where undulating hills ripple onto the Apennine mountains. Vineyards, woods and fields create a green landscape, which is home to the grape variety named Cortese. The cooling sea winds from Liguria help aid acid and aromatic retention in the grapes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4088f049-8967-426c-b745-4b0effdd14a8/images_20_25_3bd11118-0c93-450f.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Stefano Massone Gavi DOCG Masera 2023 Region - Gavi, Piemonte - Italy Grapes - 100% Cortese Soil - Calcareous marl and Red clay Winemaking - Fermentation in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures to preserve freshness. Malolactic fermentation is partial or prevented to maintain acidity. The wine is aged on fine lees in stainless steel tanks before bottling Style - With its characteristic greenish tinge and notes of acacia flowers and green apple, this wine delivers a mineral-laden yet fruity wine with a bitter almond finish that pairs beautifully with all manner of dishes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e675e348-b26e-41d5-9133-cd916ab68167/map-of-North-Canterbury-vineyard.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Waipara North Canterbury North Canterbury comprises four distinct sub-regions. An easy 45-minute drive north of Christchurch will land you at the doorstep of the Waipara Valley including Omihi and the Glasnevin Gravels. Fifteen minutes further inland you will find Waikari. Picturesque Vineyards also lie on the plains close to Christchurch city and further east on the extinct volcanic that is Banks Peninsula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/337053a0-cfea-46d9-a7fe-98de98e7a599/PBR-Bel_Canto_f16adcd0-d8a8-4257.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Pegasus Bay Bel Canto Dry Riesling North Canterbury 2023 The Donaldson Family has been seriously involved in viticulture and winemaking for over 45 years. Founder Ivan Donaldson planted the first Canterbury vineyard in 1976 and went on to establish Pegasus Bay in 1986 with his wife Christine. It is a true family business, with all four of their sons involved. Region - Waipara Valley, North Canterbury - NZ Grape / soils - 100% Riesling. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. They are located on the “Glasnevin Gravels” where greywacke stones, silt and loam have been washed down from the mountains over the millennia. The soil is of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vigour. Winemaking - After an extended hang time, the bunches were hand-selected with a portion of botrytis and a ripeness of approximately 25.5 Brix. The free-run juice was then fermented slowly at cool temperatures to help the wine retain its vibrant fruit characters and varietal purity. At all stages, the wine was handled very carefully to help retain a little of its natural carbon dioxide. This has resulted in a small amount of spritzig, which adds extra liveliness to the wine and accentuates its freshness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/689fb7fa-deb2-4686-9eac-bcded567c10a/000006cf5-Cassis_Bandol_winery_m.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Make it stand out Mourvedre and Grenache form the main component of Bandol red (and rosé) wines. Grenache is an earlier-ripening variety and risks over-ripeness in the intense climate here, bringing too much potential alcohol to the wines. This has turned out to be less of an inconvenience than it might seem; the local vignerons plant Grenache on the cooler, north-facing slopes and Mourvèdre on the warmer, south-facing slopes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a8d6d96f-883b-44ec-8b5a-a74d520d2eac/bleu-rivage-bandol.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Bleu Rivage Bandol Rose 2022 Region - Bandol, Provence - France Grape - Mourvèdre - 50%, Grenache 25%, Cinsault - 25% Soils - The vineyard rests upon clay-limestone and marly soil Winemaking - Direct pressing of grapes is practiced with the grape varieties being vinified separately. Alcoholic fermentation is carried out at low temperature in order to preserve fruity aromas and colour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/fdc5e03d-c035-4b0c-ad7b-bad8c55887f6/Australia-wine-map.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley, located in South Australia, is one of the world's most famous wine regions, particularly known for its rich, full-bodied Shiraz. It has a deep winemaking history, dating back to the 19th century, and is home to some of Australia's most prestigious wineries. Location: About 60 km (37 miles) northeast of Adelaide, South Australia. Climate: Mediterranean (warm days, cool nights). Main Grape Varieties: Shiraz, Grenache, Mataro (Mourvèdre), Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling (in nearby Eden Valley). Soil Types: A mix of sandy loam, red clay known as terra rosa and limestone. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4bb7ed58-47d7-44fc-844e-dbcc4cd74c31/CB-CHILLABLE-RED-NV_720x.png Portfolio - Summer Sippers at Generator Waring Taylor - Chaffey Bros Not Your Grandma's Chillable Red 2022 Region - Barossa Valley, Autralia Grapes - Grenache and Mourvèdre Winemaking - Made from juicy, handpicked old vine Barossa Grenache and Mourvèdre. Hand-crafted with minimal intervention using cool fermentation with whole bunches https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram15 monthly 0.5 2025-03-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/90db4d62-2ea8-4cdb-9707-f83580de3838/springbank.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom - Springbank Local Barley 10yo 55.6% - Oloroso sherry Maturation - Oloroso sherry casks Peat source - Springbank has sourced peat from various locations over the years. Machrihanish in Campbeltown was one such source, but the peat has degraded to the point where it is now too sandy and forms glass when kilned. Islay has also been a source - but today it uses Highland peat from St. Fergus (Northern Peat & Moss) and Inverness (Bogbain Farm). Peat spec - 10-15 ppm. The Springbank Local Barley range was first launched in the early 1990s as well-aged spirits crafted from malt distilled between 1965 and the early 1970s. Most of these bottlings were bourbon-aged, but a few, like today’s, were aged solely in sherry casks. One such example, a dark and devious-looking number currently fetching a score of 94.27 on Whiskybase can be yours for around €13000. These whiskies are made with local ingredients. This one uses Belgravia barley from Glencraigs Farm found on the Kintyre Peninsula. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0d05d189-89eb-4ae8-9789-63f87a93d1bb/kilkerran.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom - Kilkerran 8YO Cask Strength Sherry Cask Matured 57.4% Maturation - Oloroso sherry casks Peat source - Northern Peat & Moss near St Fergus and Bogbain Farm in Inverness. More carbon is found in Highland peat compared to Island peat (which is richer in sphagnum moss). Peat spec - ~15-20 ppm Kilkerran is made at the Glengyle distillery which was founded in 1872 by William Mitchell but ceased operation in 1925. In 2000, J&A Mitchell (the family business that owns Springbank and to which William Mitchell belonged) acquired the distillery buildings and began reviving the distillery. Production began in 2004 with gentle to moderate peating (15-20 ppm) being the general approach but with a heavily peated offering in the core lineup. These whiskies, like Springbank, have become sought-after in the secondary market - especially heavily sherried, cask-strength offerings like this one. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f09ef231-6da3-45ba-a440-3c557e670f5c/benromach.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom - Benromach 'Cask Strength' #3 2014 Vintage 60.6% Maturation - Bourbon and sherry Peat source - Dava Moor (near Forres in Speyside) - produces peat rich in mosses and heather, imparting a softer, more floral smokiness. Peat spec - ~12 ppm. Benromach was founded in 1898 just before the whisky industry fell into tough times. As a result, it spent most of the 1900s opening intermittently and then closing whilst frequently changing hands. It was finally mothballed by DCL in 1983 and was then bought by the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Their vision was a return to an older peat and smoke style that had been all but lost to Speyside. Long ferments of 70 to 120 hours also give the malt a rich fruity character. This is their limited-release, vintage, cask-strength whisky. It is aged in a combo of sherry and bourbon casks and peated to around 12 ppm. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/dc7d1b98-0d72-4610-8bad-1f2daa03de42/ardmore.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom - Ardmore 'Adelphi' 2016 / 7 years #1051 61.1% Maturation - Refill oloroso sherry butt Peat source - St Fergus peat bog in Aberdeenshire. This peat is known for having a higher carbon content and less sphagnum moss compared to coastal / island peat. Peat spec - ~12-14 ppm Ardmore was founded in 1898 by Adam Teacher, son of Glasgow blender William Teacher. The distillery was very much built with volume in mind for the Teacher’s blend and is still, to this day, a large contributor to the blend. The gentle peat level combines beautifully with the fruit from long(ish) ferments and clear worts, and is then given more weight thanks to downward facing lyne arms (which presumably reduce reflux). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/548d7782-ef3c-4746-a85b-470e507717a4/mystery.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:15 - Sunday 26 January, 2.30pm, Mean Doses Taproom - Mystery whisky From an undisclosed Scottish island - Pedro Ximénez puncheon matured (yum!). Will the island peat shine through with its more medicinal qualities thanks to a higher proportion of sphagnum moss? https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2025/1/2/seatoun-bowls-club-tastings-01 monthly 0.5 2025-01-02 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram14 monthly 0.5 2025-01-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/8b621782-b04c-4bdf-8504-ca2d455c4987/blair+athol.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:14 - Sunday 1 December - Mean Doses Taproom - Blair Athol ‘Signatory Cask Strength Collection’ 12 Years Old 2008 54.4% Maturation - Refill hogsheads finished in a fresh sherry butt for 23 months Recipe Heavy, nutty malt - Blair Athol is one from the Diageo stables. The distillery keeps its wort (the liquid that is fermented into beer to then be distilled) cloudy, runs a short fermentation and keeps a controlled level of solids in the wash still which add a rich, deep, malt-loaf character to the new make. 10 years in Hogsheads - these are reconstituted bourbon barrels (typically) of around 225 and 250 litres. They have new ends - which means new oak - which can mean spice and vanilla. Bourbon barrels typically offer vanilla, coconuts, grassiness and green apples. Fresh sherry butt finish - butts are big (no jokes please) but a first fill butt should still provide ample sherry - and 23 months is a fairly long finish. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1d277d16-8bb4-4135-86b3-2389a9a4ec7f/390945-big.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:14 - Sunday 1 December - Mean Doses Taproom - Caol Ila ‘Signatory Cask Strength Collection' 11 Years Old 2010-2022 57% Maturation - Refill hogshead finished in a fresh sherry butt for 20 months Recipe Light and fruity malt - New make at Caol Ila is light and fruity thanks to tall stills filled low that maximise reflux and copper conversation. Add a long ferment into the mix plus high cut points and that high tone limoncello note the distillery is famous for should sing through. Nine years in hogsheads - as mentioned above, hogsheads quite often add spice to whisky. Of course, there is no mention of what was previously in them - but typically they would be rebuilt from bourbon barrels (sherry hogsheads do exist though). Sherry butt for 20 months. No mention of what fill this is. Presumably fresh? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2d80e843-c598-4c9d-8e18-6eb8f3a0a31e/deanston.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:14 - Sunday 1 December - Mean Doses Taproom - Deanston 'Signatory Cask Strength Collection' 13 Years Old 2008 66.8% Maturation - 1st fill sherry butt Cask number - 900076 Recipe Fruity malt - Deanston employs low gravity worts, a long fermentation and slow distillation which contribute to a fruity waxy style. 13 years in a 1st fill sherry butt - Yes! Now we’re talking. Expect Xmas cake, sandalwood and lashing of spice. N.B This is a sister cask to the stinky Deanston from Dramfest in 2020 which was cask number #900072 also distilled in 2008 and bottled at an abv of 67.8% abv. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/12683986-c17c-4b57-97e9-442741b20516/IMG_3620_401f18a0-1e95-478c-a4c9.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:14 - Sunday 1 December - Mean Doses Taproom - Benrinnes 'Signatory Cask Strength Collection' 11 Years Old 2012 58.8% Maturation - Dechar/rechar bourbon hogshead Cask no - 310541 Heavy, robust and meaty malt - A complex distillation regime (which used to involve triple distillation), stills with wide necks and slow distillation, enhance the heavier and oilier characteristics of the spirit. Everything is run through worm tubs which are kept very cold at Benrinnes, adding further weight and meatiness to the spirit. Dechar/rechar bourbon hogshead - as the name suggest - the old char is scraped off a used barrel and then the wood is re-charred. This new charred oak should exhibit vanilla, caramel and spice flavours. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2024/10/30/ttdnw33x599gbjaksouo4q1qgea3ly monthly 0.5 2024-10-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331621572-EHT5VRXMKF1GKQ77KF9Z/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-1.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331621583-AGH6R2Y9WLIZLKWJSF67/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-4.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331645576-LVE99Y3IFQG9LV9R0X84/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-5.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331647170-0LMPBI0RC31TSEDYR6AY/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-6.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331661743-4US1EDB9SV19STDWQBZV/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-7.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331676406-RXPO7WBDJEEJXZGCGLD9/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-8.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331680225-D6LTDPR9QT0Z1REY5I26/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-9.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331693121-YPXOP8ZU08RR9FT7BZUV/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-10.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331695436-EMK0IIYAGX6ZG7IXEFX0/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-11.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331710032-5COL7R2HA9CQPW6BSMT8/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-12.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331709478-R02NVIBXRAKTC7SIYE4Q/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-13.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331733751-QDKO4IGFLR1DHE8Y3S1M/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-14.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331724289-8Y9EN5QP1A1N1GDTDFF2/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-15.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1730331733994-2Z0SM0Z77OYKPLNV0U4N/2309+Te+Mata+AUS+22AWA+and+22CCR+Review+Booklet+final+%282%29-16.jpg Portfolio - Te Mata Cape Crest & Awatea Verticals with Winemaker Phil Brodie https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram13 monthly 0.5 2024-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c0a9a1c3-d034-4c3b-9fdf-6f34a4bed948/ben+nevis.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:13 - Sunday 27 October - Mean Doses Taproom - Ben Nevis 'Adelphi' - 5YO 2015-2020 58.9% Cask - 1st Fill Oloroso Butt Cask number - 10715 (split cask - the web claims the other half was labelled for Loch Fyne Whiskies in Inveraray) Number of bottles - 379 Cask size - a split cask producing this number might suggest a Butt? Whiskybase score - 87.32/100 (88 ratings) Ben Nevis distillery is situated in Fort William, Scotland at the base of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. The distillery draws its water from the Allt a’Mhuilinn which originates from two pools on Ben Nevis. Founded in 1825 and has been owned by Nikka since 1989. Ben Nevis is famous for its traditional heavy Highland style. The ferments are quick (which typically results in a malt forward, nutty profile) the washbacks are wooden and the distillery is the last in Scotland to use brewer’s yeast to ferment the beer. Brewer’s yest is thought to add further sweet nut flavours to the malt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/0e4dea2b-e868-44f5-88f3-2440cddd3fac/smws+ardnamurchan.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:13 - Sunday 27 October - Mean Doses Taproom - Ardnamurchan 'SMWS' 149.7 'A coal scuttle of jam and treacle' 7YO 61.7% Cask - 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Butt Cask number - 149.7 Cask size - 450 to 500 litres Number of bottles - 650 Whiskybase score - 87.38/100 (23 ratings) Established in 2014 by Adelphi (the independent bottler) the Ardnamurchan distillery is situated on the Argyll Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast. The distillery is powered by local renewables, including a hydro electricity generator and a biomass boiler. The distillery also recycles by-products, such as draff, which is combined with pot ale to produce animal feed In their own words the flavour profile is one “that is expected of the west coast of Scotland, gentle peat smoke, rich and oily with honey, fruit and salinity on the palate.” It is thought that the water used to bring the new make down to fill strength is integral in the flavour profile. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/7d12346c-3879-4bd0-b80b-5f95bb562d0f/tullibardine+.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:13 - Sunday 27 October - Mean Doses Taproom - Tullibardine 'The Single Cask' 6YO Sherry Cask Aged Whisky 65.5% Cask - 1st Fill Sherry Hogshead Cask number - 9900135 Cask size - 225 to 250 litres Number of bottles - 322 Whiskybase score - 86.11/100 (12 ratings) Tullibardine was famous for its heavy nutty style but since shifting to a focus on single malts and contributing less to blends, it has upped the floral, estery high toned notes and has invested heavily in new casks. It has a funny history. A distillery called Tullibardine was first built in the town of Blackford in 1798 but it ran for just one year. It reopened soon after under new management and had a slightly more impressive run closing this time in 1837. The original site was demolished and it wasn’t until 1949 that the famous distillery designer William Delme-Evans bought the Gleneagles Brewery site (also situated in Blackford) and built a new distillery called Tullibardine. It was the first to be built in Scotland since 1900. The distillery changed hands a few times and then lay silent between 1994 and 2003, when a business consortium snapped it up. They sold off some of the site as a retail park, using the money raised to get distilling up and running again. They found, unfortunately, that a lot of the stock in the warehouse had been filled into tired old casks. Now owned by Picard - the (failed) retail park venture has been bought back and a newly repackaged and reformulated range of single malts has been introduced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/903774fb-f14d-4006-830b-575926f081d9/north+star+glen+garioch.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:13 - Sunday 27 October - Mean Doses Taproom - Glen Garioch 'North Star' 2014/2023 - 8YO 53.3% Cask - Bottled from a refill hogshead, with an Oloroso finish. Cask size - 225 - 250 litres (size of finishing vessel unknown). Whiskybase score - 87.00/100 (6 ratings) At Glen Garioch, based in the eastern highlands, ferments are short, giving a deep cereal and spice note to the new spirit which also has a distinctive waxy, tallow-like, character. When mature, the heaviness changes into a thick, fat texture, allowing honeyed fruits and heather to emerge. It has been unpeated since the 1990s, but in recent years, small batches of smoky barley have once again been run. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram12 monthly 0.5 2024-10-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/68a42845-eb39-44d3-a395-9086c27cdf38/Glen+Scotia+11yo+Festival+Release+2023.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:12 - Sunday 25 August - Mean Doses Taproom - Glen Scotia 11yo 'Festival Release 2023' 54.7% Cask - white port finish for 12 months - lightly peated The distillery, originally named Scotia, was built in 1832 and changed hands many times before it was renamed Glen Scotia by Bloch Bros, who purchased the distillery after then current owner, Duncan MacCallum, committed suicide (his ghost is said to haunt the distillery to this day). Its output was primarily used for blending and it produces light, medium and heavily peated styles as a result. It wasn’t until 2005 that a 12 year old single malt was released and a broader core range followed in 2021. Proximity to the sea - 300 metres https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2ef876b5-3969-486a-8fe9-05ac1ee2fb35/roseisle-12-y.o.-special-release.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:12 - Sunday 25 August - Mean Doses Taproom - Roseisle 12yo Special Release 2023 56.5% Cask - 1st fill ex-bourbon and refill Diageo’s Roseisle is (along with Aisla Bay) part of a new wave of distilleries specifically designed to produce a range of different styles of spirit. Six of its seven pairs of stills can switch between stainless steel or standard copper shell and tube condensers. When light grassy spirit is required, the copper condensers are flicked on and fermentation times are extended. If a heavier malt is required the fermentation times are reduced and the stainless steel condensers are brought into action - reducing the copper conversation and resulting in a meatier weightier spirit. Proximity to the sea - 1400 metres https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/af49396d-6b47-4699-9d8d-f31ec09d79f6/332843-big.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:12 - Sunday 25 August - Mean Doses Taproom - Laphroaig SMWS 29.282 9yo ‘Massive aniseed heat and searing peat’ 62.3% 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel Key facts for Laphroaig’s heavy style… Floor maltings account for 20% of its malt as the kiln on site is thought to produce a more creosote-like phenolic quality. A very long fore shot run means there are less estery notes in the new make, while a deeper cut means that heavier phenolics are captured. Bourbon casks are the norm here - for sweetness to counter the heavy peat (minimum 35ppm). Proximity to the sea - 5 metres https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/813fd0fa-b381-4ff4-8f62-a84a452e90d4/Glenglassaugh9YO2012Cask522Whisk.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:12 - Sunday 25 August - Mean Doses Taproom - Glenglassaugh 9yo 2012 Cask 522 58.9% Cask - American wine hogshead - peated The style at Glenglassaugh is medium weight and very fruity with a heavy honeyed floral character. The distillery is one of many which appeared during the boom at the end of the 19th century. It closed with the ensuing crash at the turn of the century and didn’t reopen until the 1960s. It closed again in the 1980s and wasn’t brought back to life until 2008. In 2013 it became the third member of the BenRiach Distillery Co. (with BenRiach and GlenDronach). It is now owned by Jack Daniel’s producer Brown-Forman and Rachel Barrie is the master blender. Proximity to the sea - 150 metres https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/otago-more-than-just-pinot-noir monthly 0.5 2025-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4cce00dd-79a9-4397-b69d-9989135504a2/rsz_central_otago.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Key regions of Central Otago Gibbston Valley, Bannockbun, Lowburn, Pisa and Bendigo. Wanaka is 50km north of Cromwell https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/4cfbc33d-3231-4a53-9c0d-f524c1d7312e/VALLI+Otago+Overview+Map+%281%29.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Waitaki - the coolest and most easterly subregion. Wanaka can be seen to the northwest of Bendigo. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b6aba50c-5fb5-4a85-8b78-3c7c07883fbe/wine-reigon-stats_ha2023_co.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - The major grape varieties Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay Riesling… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/21241eb9-1026-4a2a-8205-a16fc63748aa/amisfield+pinot+gris.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Amisfield Pinot Gris Central Otago 2022 Region - Pisa, Central Otago Grape - Pinot Gris Winery location - Pisa, cellar door found in Gibbston Valley Winemaking - Grapes were gently pressed and settled overnight before racking into a combination of fermentation vessels with 25% fermented naturally in large oak barrels. The wine was then aged on lees for 4 months to incorporate a textural element to the wine. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/7eb178ea-8c76-4f72-b96e-3094265b5a8a/Rippon+Gewurztraminer+Central+Otago+2020.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Rippon Gewurztraminer Central Otago 2020 Region - Wānaka Grape - Gewurztraminer Schist soils, a continental climate and the proximity to Lake Wānaka are all key to the wines. Winemaking - Slow, whole bunch pressings, wild ferments and extended lees contact. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3872e1fd-ec77-4d73-a313-6e661fc96ef5/MT_ED_Chenin_360x.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Mount Edward Chenin Blanc Central Otago 2021 Region - Morrison vineyard in Pisa Winery is located in Gibbston Valley Mount Edward Wines was founded by the godfather of modern Central Otago wine, Alan Brady, in 1997. Duncan Forsyth is now the winemaker. Winemaking - whole bunch pressed directly to barrel, fermented naturally using the vineyard yeasts, all in older French oak. 16 months on lees prior to bottling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e15ed5a8-a6cb-4b94-a50a-e8cbd8b4c896/quartz+reef+gruner.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Quartz Reef Gruner Veltliner 2022 Grape - Gruner Veltliner Region - Bendigo This wine is from a BioGro certified organic and Demeter certified biodynamic estate vineyard located in the Bendigo subregion of Central Otago. The vineyard was first planted in 1998 and the Gruner Veltliner added in 2008. Rudi Bauer was the original winemaker. Winemaking - Whole bunch pressed, free run juice only. Natural fermentation and aged on yeast lees for 9 months during which full malolactic fermentation occurred. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a4903b5e-1d61-473d-acea-65bff84e3724/VALLI+PINOT+NOIR+WAITAKI+VALLEY+2022.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Valli Waitaki Valley Pinot Noir 2021 Region - Waitaki Grape - Pinot Noir The winery is located in the Gibbston Valley and was established by Grant Taylor in1998 - Grant had been making wine in the region for five years prior. The winemaker is now Jen Parr. Valli Waitaki Pinot Noir is made with grapes grown on Grant's Road in the Waitaki Valley, a maritime influenced climate planted between 2004 and 2005 at 200 metres above sea level on limestone based soils. River gravels also make up some of the soil type here. 800 growing degree days Rainfall: Approx. 530mm per annum 20% whole bunch, 32% new oak for 11 months. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/20d80f05-dfdb-4c7b-8c62-e15f8771b7ae/ValliBendigoPinotNoir2022_180x.png Portfolio - Central Otago - More Than Just Pinot Noir - Valli Bendigo Pinot Noir Central Otago 2021 Region - Bendigo Grape - Pinot Noir Valli Bendigo is made at a vineyard located at about 350m altitude. 1150 growing degree days Rainfall: Approx. 450mm per Annum 35% whole bunch, 27% new oak for 11 months. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/bigwinterreds monthly 0.5 2024-07-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/73926a64-5a72-4e4b-803e-47b7913659c7/Chateau-Musar-Jeune-red_360x.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Château Musar Jeune Red 2021 Region - Bekaa Valley, Lebannon Grapes - Cinsault, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon Gaston Hochar planted his first vineyards after returning from Bordeaux in 1930 and established Château Musar working closely with Major Ronald Barton (of Château Langoa-Barton and Leoville-Barton). Made from the fruit of Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, vines planted in 2000 at around 1,000m above sea level in the Bekaa Valley. The altitude is the key to the freshness that the wine displays ad stops them over heating. Musar Jeune Red is fermented in cement-lined vats and bottled a year after harvest and released a year later. Buy here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/b49e6ad3-3e9e-4381-a781-343e2cd8bbb4/vina+valoria.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Vina Valoria Rioja Reserva 2014 Region - Rioja, Spain Grape - Tempranillo, Graciano, Garnacha Reserva definition - a minimum of 3 years ageing prior to release - with a minimum of 1 full year spent in oak. Rioja is famous for its big reds aged for long periods of time in (typically) American oak. The big vanilla and coconut flavours of the oak marry well with the robust flavours of the Tempranillo grape. The region is found in the north of Spain, and is divided into three sub-regions: Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental which span the Ebro river. Vina Valloria is found in Rioja Alta where soils include clay-limestone, clay-ferrous and alluvial deposits and the climate is dictated to by the Atlantic and is thus cooler and wetter. Temperature controlled fermentation and maceration is carried out in stainless steel to preserve fruit intensity before maturation for 30 months in American oak barrels and 24 months bottle-age before release. The winery was established in 1860 and is the region’s 5th oldest. Buy here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1c2361f5-ed06-4608-8c1a-4f1965bf43e5/0smHpwYFTEKumsdEJNZaIQ_pb_x960_b.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Les Haut de Tousquiron Medoc 2015 Region - Médoc, Bordeaux Grapes - 47% Cabernet, 45% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc and 3% Petit Verdot A lovely traditionally styled left bank Bordeaux from a Cru Bourgeois property in the north of the Médoc. The Médoc is located on the left bank of the Gironde estuary, northwest of Bordeaux near to where the river meets the sea and benefits from a maritime climate which helps moderate temperatures. It is famous for its gravelly soils, which are well-draining and retain heat, contributing to the ripening of the grapes. The terroir also includes clay and limestone, adding complexity to the wines. Buy here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/45bdd28c-5fd2-47a9-9b00-c2255887376a/Colossal_Red_Wine_2015-1_360x.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Colossal Reserva Casa Santos Lima 2017 Region - Lisboa, Portugal Grape - Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Tinta Roriz (Portugal's name for Tempranillo) and a dash of 10% Alicante Bouschet Casa Santos Lima is a family owned company making wine from Portugal’s Lisboa, Algarve, Alentejo, Vinho Verde and Douro regions - and exports to over 50 countries. The wine spends 8 months in oak. The Lisboa region stretches along the Atlantic coast, north and west of Lisbon and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean creates a maritime climate, providing cool breezes that help moderate temperatures. The soils in Lisboa are diverse, including clay-limestone, sand, and alluvial deposits, which contribute to the complexity of the wines. Buy here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/18def794-d6ba-44b4-a6f9-2d70ed1dd16a/sons-of-eden-zephyrus_540x.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Sons Of Eden Shiraz Zephyrus 2021 Region - Eden Valley, Barossa, Australia Grape - Shiraz (Syrah) Eden Valley born, Barossa winemaker Corey Ryan cut his teeth at Henschke before moving to Villa Maria in Auckland, New Zealand, and then returning home to create the Sons of Eden brand with an old buddy. Zephyrus Shiraz is named after the Greek God of the west wind, depicted as a majestic horse on the label. Its made from grapes grown in both the Eden Valley (45%) and the Barossa Valley (55%), which combine their, respectively, cooler and warmer climate attributes, which gives this wine its lively acidity and full bodied power. The wine was fermented using varying proportions of whole bunch clusters from 10% to 60% with 20 to 25 days on skins followed by pressing into French oak barrels, 45% new and 55% seasoned. It spent 15 months in oak and was bottled without fining or filtration. Buy here https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/94e8a1f7-4e7f-43ef-a317-7680b7eddff2/IMG_2097_0ccd06dd-0190-4adf-b64a.png Portfolio - Winter Reds at Generator Waring Taylor 18th of July 3:30pm - Man O' War Ironclad Bordeaux Blend Waiheke 2021 Region - Waiheke Island, New Zealand Grapes - Cabernet Franc 50%, Merlot 26%, Petit Verdot 14%, Cabernet Sauvignon 9%, Malbec 1% Ironclad is a full bodied red blend made from traditional Bordeaux grape varieties which are grown on Waiheke Island. The vineyards are dry farmed, hand harvested and each parcel fermented and aged separately for an extended period, 30 days in vat and two years in barrel - 30% new French oak barriques, 70% seasoned. Buy here https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram11 monthly 0.5 2024-08-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/520c5d53-419b-42de-a562-814bd65ccd3b/IMG_3613.JPG Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:11 - Sunday 26 May - Mean Doses Taproom - SMWS 4.312 'Old-School with a twist' 13 years old 61.2% Highland Park - first fill bourbon hogshead Highland park is found in the Orkney Islands about 10 miles north of the north Scottish coast. The peat found on the Orkney islands is composed entirely of sphagnum moss and heather - there is little to no tree component and therefore less lignin and less smoke. This gives the whiskies an aromatic, floral heathery note. Highland park uses a fill strength of 69.5% (the abv the new make is watered down to prior to going into the cask). This is higher than the industry standard of 63.5%. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/d2ea20e1-6c82-472d-8052-36580143f983/glenallachie+sq.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:11 - Sunday 26 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Glenallachie "Whisky Galore's 21st Anniversary'' 2009/14 YO 57.9% 14 years in a single ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry Hogshead GlenAllachie is one of the 1960s built distileries making it a young ‘un by many other distillery’s standards. It is now owned by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, operated by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker (and others) and has just added the Meikle Toir single malt brand to its offerings. Whisky galore celebrates its 21st anniversary with this bottling! Congrats to the team at WG. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/89040c60-b9f4-4ddf-b490-b9771a5ab422/springbank.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:11 - Sunday 26 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Springbank 12YO Cask Strength 2023 Release 54.1% Cask types used - 60% Bourbon, 40% Sherry This is Springbank distillery’s lightly peated line at around 10ppm. If there were one word to sum up Springbank it would be consistent. It was established in 1828 on the site of Archibald Mitchell's illicit still and has remained in the Mitchell family ever since. Long fermentations, its own maltings, a worm tub, a dunnage warehouse and a direct fired still, not to mention it’s complicated (almost) triple distilling regime all result in a super complex malt which is cleverly coaxed out of its shell by clever cask use. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/cc0e1fc5-8077-4faf-88a1-426d5eeadbd9/ledaig.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:11 - Sunday 26 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Ledaig 'Signatory' 2007/10yo Peaty Artist #9 60.8% (refill sherry butt) Refill sherry butt https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/mothers-ruin-gin-tasting monthly 0.5 2024-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f0471f22-c261-4a66-8738-6c37fdf78cdc/Beer-street-and-Gin-lane+small+copy.jpg Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f0975cf4-5ceb-47ac-afb8-c8623184ba95/citadelle+rouge.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Citadelle Rouge (France) 41.7% - maceration France’s first gin made at the Château de Bonbonne in South West France, where flowers, fruit and herbs flourish - owned by Alexandre Gabriel, the owner of Maison Ferrand. The base gins at Citadelle are made using 19 botanicals and uses progressive infusion. Progressive infusion - A base spirit is infused with Juniper (genévrier) at 80% abv then progressively diluted with further botanicals being added over 5 days. Firstly citrus (orange lemon) then spice (sichuan pepper, coriander, nutmeg) - then savoury notes florals and herbs (fennel, star anise, violet) Botanicals - Rouge is designed around red berries - fresh cranberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackcurrant and rhubarb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/741a6912-a150-46c8-acec-209cfc5ea89d/canaima.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Canaima 47% (Venezuela) - maceration Made in Bolivar in Venezuela by the same distillery famous for Dimplomatico rum - Destilerias Unidas S.A. (DUSA) Botanicals 10 exotic ingredients including - Merey, Acai, Uva de Palma, Tupiro, Seje, Copoazu - Plus eight traditional gin botanicals. Macerated in separate base grain spirit and then redistilled and blended. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/807bb7eb-1770-42f6-9e7b-f0bf43bf96e4/mothers+ruined.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Mothers Ruined Citrus Gold Gin 41.5% (NZ) - maceration Based on Wellington’s south coast Botanicals - sweet grapefruit, Pink Lady apple, dehydrated Cutler grapefruit (for extra sweetness) and a secret garden botanical. Colour changing gin The colour change is the result of a change in the pH of the drink when you add the tonic - gin is slightly alkaline, and tonic is acidic. The pigments in the flower and apple peel are what are known as ‘universal indicators’ and show as different colours depending on the acidity of the liquid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/2224555b-b354-43f6-9db7-331521837670/etsu-double-yuzu-cl70.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Etsu Double Yuzu 43% (Japan) - maceration Etsu is an artisanal gin born from an ancestral recipe. It means “pleasure” in Japanese. Made at the Akita distillery in the north of Honshū Island Botanicals - Japanese yuzu, juniper berries, liquorice and angelica roots, coriander seeds and matcha tea. The botanicals are macerated for 7 days in sugar cane alcohol at 67% abv. The botanicals are removed from the alcohol which is reduced to 30% abv before distillation. The gin is distilled once with the botanicals in a copper still. The alcohol then comes out at 83% abv. The alcohol degree is reduced before filtration to 43% abv with water from the Ōu Mountains, the longest mountain range in Japan, which brings purity and freshness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/81df4fce-caa9-4318-9c99-e900cea81dcf/rock+rose.png Portfolio - Mother's Ruin, Mother's Day gin tasting - Sunday 12 May - Mean Doses Taproom - Rockrose Scottish Navy Strength Gin (Scotland) 57% abv - vapour basket gin Navy strength gin is gin with an alcohol content of more than 57% ABV. The British Royal Navy played a key role in the history of gin, including the development of navy strength gin. The high alcohol content is due to the practical reason that gin and rum were stored in wooden barrels below deck with gunpowder. If the barrels leaked, the alcohol content had to be at least 57% so that the gunpowder would still burn. Made by Dunnet Bay Distillers in Caithness (the very top of Scotland). They have two stills called Elizabeth and Margaret Botanicals - Juniper (Italian and Bulgarian) rhodiola rosea, sea buckthorn, rowan berries, blueberries, lemon verbena, coriander, licorice, cinnamon, European blaeberry, rose root, orris root The higher ABV version of Rock Rose gives a strong warm pine release at the front of the drink with notes of lemon sherbet. The heart of the drink is very bold berries from the blaeberries, rowan and hawthorn. These give way to the deeper earthier notes that are hidden in the original Rock Rose, such as angelica and orris. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/notesonthecasualdram10 monthly 0.5 2024-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/29c90f94-0c77-4fbd-a945-548346e2bec1/ardbeg_biz-web_2048x_31e9d474-46.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:10 - Sunday 18 February - Mean Doses Taproom - Ardbeg BizarreBQ 50.9% Double charred oak casks, Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and BBQ casks The peat beast The peaty whisky is definitely a gateway whisky style that often opens people’s mind to just how different whisky can be compared to other drinks. After all, what other drink is flavoured with decaying vegetation? I remember my first peat experience - it was an Ardbeg 10 year old and it really was responsible for enticing me further into the world of whisky. Ardbeg opened in 1815. It peated its own malt until 1974 when a boom in peated whisky necessitated that it start using Port Ellen Maltings to fill demand. To purists, this was the end of an era. In 1981 the distillery was mothballed, but restarted again in 1989, only to close again in 1996. Glenmorangie came to the rescue a year later and began revamping the brand. Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy bought both distilleries in 2004. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/d3f758f6-90b4-4984-b94e-6b5dadf7c2c6/30.122-web__66008.1669648528.386.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:10 - Sunday 18 February - Mean Doses Taproom - SMWS 30.122 'A bootful of brazil nuts' 9 years 67.6% Oloroso butt 5 years / European oak refill puncheon HTMC finish The sinfully sulphurous Sulphur’s presence in whisky is a bit of an enigma - no one seems to categorically know where it comes from. It is a biproduct of fermentation - so, is it introduced into whisky at the very early stages? Alternatively, does it originate in the cask? The use of sulphur candles to clean casks is also often cited as a possible source, but perhaps it is more innocuous than this. Is it simply the result of a tight European oak cask creating a reductive environment in which sulphur is either created - or not allowed to escape? All is possible! Regardless of its provenance. The other million dollar question is - is it a fault, or a lovely complexing element? That’s for you to decide! Glenrothes is one of the jewels in the Speyside crown. A short ferment introduces a cereal element to the spirit whilst tall stills and a slow distillation and encourage reflux, teasing out complexity in the final spirit. The majority is aged in sherry casks and the result is a multifaceted single malt which combines nuts and fruits with a distinctly sweet spiciness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a25fd6d2-a2d3-438c-84aa-ee8441896263/glentauchers+square.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:10 - Sunday 18 February - Mean Doses Taproom - Glentauchers 'North Star' 2008 / 14 years old 58.1% Oloroso Sherry Butt The sherry bomb It’s hard not to love a sherry bomb and all the rich Xmas cake flavours that come with it. This dark beauty has been aged for 14 years in an oloroso sherry butt and comes from the Glentauchers distillery. Glentauchers was founded in the whisky boom of the 1890s and favours long ferments and slow distillation resulting in a newmake style that is floral and light. It played with continuous pot distillation at the beginning of the 20th Century (along with Comvalmore distillery) and then expanded in the 1960s whilst catching the wave of another whisky boom - only to be closed in 1985. It is now in the hands of the Chivas Brothers and a 15 year old expression exists under the Ballantine’s brand (for which it is a named blending component). North Star Spirits is a family run independent bottler based in Glasgow which was started by Ian Croucher in 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/66ae446b-316b-4517-b9ae-91d841132495/Port_Dundas_23_Cask_Finish_36666.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:10 - Sunday 18 February - Mean Doses Taproom - James Eadie Port Dundas 23yo Refill PX Sherry Hogshead Finish 54.7% The guilty pleasure grain Grain is a bit of a dirty word in the world of Scotch and is seen as a poor cousin to the single malt. But all those sweet simplistic flavours that remind us of a bowl of cornflakes dowsed in white cane sugar - really can be quite pleasant. Refill PX hogshead. Glasgow’s Port Dundas distillery was built in 1811 and merged with the Cowlairs distillery, built next door, in 1860. It was one of the founding members of the grain distillers conglomerate DCL, which appeared in 1877. By 1885, its three Coffey and five pot stills were producing over two million gallons of malt spirit a year using ‘American corn’, barley, and rye. It combined with another nearby distillery called Dundashill in 1902 but eventual owners, Diageo, decided to shift a large proportion of production to Cameronbridge and in 2011, production ceased and the site was demolished. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/6/29/e8sr1apex1i5flyljy94j7nonk82xg-lerab-p6mp3 monthly 0.5 2024-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/f4942c3a-130e-43af-aa9d-6d761fe31be9/IMG_3011_180x.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:09 - Sunday 19 November - Mean Doses Taproom - Ledaig Blackadder 11 YO 2010 Raw Cask 61% (sherry puncheon) Ledaig - Meaning 'safe haven' and pronounced 'letch-ick', Ledaig is the name for the peaty expression made at Tobermory distillery on the isle of Mull. The brand has been around since 2007, but the name Ledaig has a long history. The original distillery built on the island in 1798 was called Ledaig. It had a terrible time of it, being repeatedly mothballed until it was bought in 1979 and renamed Tobermory. It was closed one more time before being purchased by Burn Stewart who launched Ledaig 10 year old in 2007. Vintage 23.10.2010 - Bottled 2022 11 years old Cask - sherry puncheon Number of bottles - 524 Peat 30-40 ppm (typically for Tobermory/Ledaig) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/5c31b74e-4f47-401a-96fb-407092dd3d39/Dailuaine-Gordon-_-MacPhail-2009.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:09 - Sunday 19 November - Mean Doses Taproom - Dailuaine 'Gordon & MacPhail' 2009 / 12 YO 57.3% (first-fill ex-sherry hogshead) Dailuaine was built in 1851 and by the end of the 19th century it was the largest single malt distillery in Speyside. In 1898, it merged with Talisker to form Dailuaine-Talisker Distilleries Ltd. The distillery perished in a fire in 1917 and was reopened in 1920 only to be destroyed in another fire in 1959, by which time it had become part of DCL now known as Diageo. It runs large stills and uses a long fermentation time which would typically result in a lighter, fruitier style. However, it also uses stainless steel condensers which minimise the copper contact at the final stage of distillation resulting in a meaty, heavier malt. Stated age - 12 years old Cask type - sherry hogshead Vintage - 2009 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/8f07e87a-b103-45fe-9690-cc9800220e9a/94345_1_580x.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:09 - Sunday 19 November - Mean Doses Taproom - Benriach 2007 13 YO Cask 8736 Batch 17 58.1% (Moscatel hogshead) Benriach was built in 1897 by John Duff (owner of Longmorn and Glenlossie) at the peak of the Victorian whisky boom (33 distilleries were built in Scotland in the 1890s). The Pattison crash of 1899 triggered a huge downturn in the industry and the distillery was open for only 2 years before shutting for the next 65. The upturn in whisky’s fortunes in the 1960s saw Benriach run from 1965 onwards. It shut in 2001 for two years but was bought and reopened by Billy Walker and the Benriach Distillery Company in 2003/04. Billy brought about a resurgence in the brand. It is now owned by Brown-Forman and Rachel Barrie is the master blender. Vintage - 2007 Bottled - 2020 Cask number - 8736 Stated Age 13YO Cask type - Moscatel hogshead https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/c7f59f51-915c-477e-92fe-b9f348087202/5058867-001.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:09 - Sunday 19 November - Mean Doses Taproom - Tamdhu 'The First Editions' 2007/14 YO 59.9% (sherry butt) Tamdhu was built in 1897 - the same year as Benriach. It fared better than many distilleries built at this time but was mothballed for 20 years in 1927. Highland Distillers owned the distillery for many years, but when Edrington bought the company - Tamdhu was sold on - becoming part of Ian Macleod Distillers in 2011. Most expressions are now 100% sherry cask matured including a superb value cask strength batch release. “The First Editions” is a range from Hunter Laing consisting of single barrel expressions, always released at natural cask strength, and without colouring or chill filtration. Cask type - sherry butt Vintage - 2007 Stated age - 14 years old https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/10/17/new-zealand-bubbles-versus-champagne monthly 0.5 2024-01-16 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/6/29/e8sr1apex1i5flyljy94j7nonk82xg-lerab monthly 0.5 2023-11-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/a810f905-48f1-4690-a60f-c894a7672f53/BLACKADDER+ENGLISH+WHISKY+10YO+2010+65.1%25+-big.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:08 - Sunday 10 September - Mean Doses Taproom - Blackadder English Whisky 10YO 2010 65.1% Distilled at St George’s Distillery by the English Whisky Company situated in Norfolk. The distillery was created in 2005 and was the first distillery to be built in England in over 100 years. Bottled by Blackadder independent bottler - founded in 1995. The company is famous for bottling with no filtration, so the whiskies contain dark sooty cask sediment. Vintage 08.07.2010 - Bottled 2021 10 years old Cask number - EN21-02 Number of bottles - 227 Peat 60ppm https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3b6e6448-ae8c-424d-84a4-0583f50afe83/LAPHROAIG_2010YO_20CASK_20STRENG.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:08 - Sunday 10 September - Mean Doses Taproom - Laphroaig 10YO Cask Strength Batch #15 - 56.5% A brief history of Laphroaig - built in 1815 by Alexander and Donald Johnston. Donald took control in 1837 but tragically died in 1847 after falling into a vat of boiling pot ale. Ian Hunter took control in 1927 and left the distillery, upon his death, to his secretary and PA Bessie Williams. Prince Charles awarded the distillery its own Royal Warrant in 1994, and the Friends of Laphroaig was launched the same year (the first initiative of its kind and now copied by many distilleries). The distillery has traded hands many times and is now owned by Suntory. Batch #015 Bottled 01.12.2021 Stated Age 10YO Cask type - Ex-Bourbon Barrels https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/3c3c4785-9b04-4f90-aea1-b7ae9d92e304/glanallachie_2010_big1.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:08 - Sunday 10 September - Mean Doses Taproom - GlenAllachie 'Cask Strength' 10YO Batch #8 57.2% GlenAllachie was built in 1967 by Scottish & Newcastle Breweries’ distilling subsidiary, Mackinlays. Its whisky was predominantly used by past owner Chivas Brothers for blending . It is now owned by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, operated by former BenRiach MD Billy Walker (and others) and is developing a core range of single malts. Fermentation time has been extended to make a fruitier malt style. Bottled 08/09.10.2022 Cask type - Ex-Pedro Ximénez and ex-oloroso sherry puncheons as well as a small amount of ex-virgin oak and ex-Rioja barrels. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/55030268-bcf4-4420-aa9b-2412d7d243d1/springbank-10-year-old-pedro-xim.png Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:08 - Sunday 10 September - Mean Doses Taproom - Springbank 10YO PX Cask Matured - 55% Springbankdistillery runs a complex distillation regime and has three expressions - Springbank (medium peated, partially triple distilled), Longrow (heavily Peated double distilled) and Hazelburn (unpeated - triple distilled). Springbank’s partial triple-distillation involves a direct fired wash still, which creates the low wines, the strongest portion of which is directed to the spirit still charger. The remainder is redistilled in an intermediate still (which has a worm tub) and put into the feints receiver along with the heads and tails from the spirit still distillation. Bottling series - Sherry Wood Vintage - 07.2012 Bottled - 07.10.2022 Casktype - 7 years in refill Bourbon Barrels, 3 years in fresh Spanish oak PX Hogsheads Number of bottles 10800 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/6/29/e8sr1apex1i5flyljy94j7nonk82xg monthly 0.5 2024-01-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/d135a3f6-b088-4e44-b31c-c8a0f9cb9a29/ad+2017+big.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:07 - Sunday 2 July - Library Bar - Ardnamurchan 2017 AD 53.6 % Limited Release No. 02 Cask: A marriage of peated and un-peated spirit matured in first fill ex-sherry octaves followed by four months in Pedro Ximénez casks. The second release from the Ardnamurchan distillery. Too young to be called whisky - but rather a malt spirit. ‘As early as ‘07 we noticed that demand had overtaken supply, and there were three options: start filling new make, buy a distillery or build one. For some stupid reason we decided to take the third option!” - Alex Bruce - managing director at Adelphi/Ardnamurchan https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/e225a33f-9a0c-4fdb-a379-50a31f57b233/breath+big.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:07 - Sunday 2 July - Library Bar - Adelphi Breath Of Speyside 2006/2017 10YO 57.7% Bottled by Adelphi Cask: First fill European oak sherry butt Bottles: 508 Vintage: 2006 Bottled: 2017 10 years old Bottled from an undisclosed Speyside distillery which many believe to be Glenfarclas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/370e7d58-867a-4c1d-b5f8-147a7f1ae955/bunna+big.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:07 - Sunday 2 July - Library Bar - Adelphi Bunnahabhain 2009/2019 10YO 58.8% Bottled by Adelphi Vintage: 2009 Bottled: 2019 Stated Age: 10 years old Cask type: 1st fill sherry Cask number: 900021 Bottles: 719 Bunnahabhain has large stills that are filled low. This ensures plenty of reflux and conversation between spirit and copper. Ageing is typically in ex-sherry casks. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/764f8aba-f59c-4131-a0dc-8928d819044d/link+big.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:07 - Sunday 2 July - Library Bar - Adelphi Linkwood 2008/2020 11YO 55.8% Bottled by Adelphi Vintage: 2008 Bottled: 2020 Stated Age: 11 Years Old Cask type: 1st Fill Sherry Cask number: 3083360 Bottles: 311 Linkwood produces a light fragrant style of new make thanks to long ferments, clear worts, slow distillation and plenty of copper contact in stills where the spirits stills are larger than the wash stills. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/84a67185-7723-43db-ad6a-7a8f20d89705/madeira+big.jpg Portfolio - Notes on The Casual Dram:07 - Sunday 2 July - Library Bar - Ardnamurchan AD 10.22 Madeira Hogshead Finish 58.2% Vintage: 2016 Bottled: 2022 Cask type: Five years in first-fill Bourbon casks - followed by a Madeira Hogshead finish. Bottles: 5781 The Ardnamurchan distillery is located in the Western Highlands and produces a traditional rugged highland style. It is owned by Adelphi, the independent bottler, which was itself started by Jammie Walker, the great-grandson of Archibald Walker who was one of the initial owners of the original Adelphi distillery based in Glasgow. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/11/emotive-malts-bunnahabhain-2009-10-year-old-900022-589 monthly 0.5 2023-06-27 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/11/emotive-malts-glenturret-19-yo-distilled-1999-28082-639 monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/sail-the-seas-with-piraat-strong-belgian-ale monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/lindemans-gueuze-big-flavours-thanks-to-microflora monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/product-design-for-mean-doses-can-art monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681114524647-QTQ3H4VDQRCJDWB7HB8M/banana+boss+07wrap.jpg Portfolio - Product design for Mean Doses - can art... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681114530970-BSY4DDL4CLH7GFPSFUGN/hazy-xpa-can-12final.jpg Portfolio - Product design for Mean Doses - can art... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681114536794-79L13ES9LCW1HVPRVVXD/red-ipa-can-shrink-08-23032022cmyk+proof.jpg Portfolio - Product design for Mean Doses - can art... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681114552831-4JNVRWU45073IRT230GL/mean-cerveza-11-11-21h.jpg Portfolio - Product design for Mean Doses - can art... https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/ij4q1s52nrcynnk7fmkipb34hivqgl monthly 0.5 2023-04-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113512217-J5TK648M7S422UCNMSPV/tap-badge-19-haze14-sized-01.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113549234-U470UVAHXJ2NA1L6YOTE/tap-badge-48-pilsner-01.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113518314-RICRECU2Y2VCA3NE68LE/tap-badge-78-gruber-02-large.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113528737-G3Y95QF7R9VQTHOR2P6V/tap-badge-95-fresh-01.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113533935-DCC32QRB7OST2RYAOBWB/tap-badge-167-cerveza-5-sized-white.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113543271-BCKOFWPH7O1AUCVNW3HR/tap-badge-168-haze+paranoids-03+sized+white.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113550738-67ZRJ7LNU43PXA0OEOAF/tap-badge-179-dean-ipa-08+white.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681113553398-ZX2CI1QB2AGG51OHC4A2/tap-badge-180-galaga-03-sized-white.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/1681116698343-URV9MY1OOD0MXB373SBH/tap-badge-193-gyruss-03-whitejpg.jpg Portfolio - Mean Doses - more tap badge designs... https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/unibroue-and-the-paradox-of-beer-styles monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/westmalle-tripel-and-the-holy-trinity monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/mean-hazy-xpa monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/44ce4fb0-f979-4dab-b1c1-204165eaf538/tap-badge-156-mean-hazy-xpa-sized-white.jpg Portfolio - Mean Hazy XPA - tap badge design - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/travel-by-beer-with-kona-big-wave-golden-ale monthly 0.5 2023-04-11 https://www.drinkscreative.com/our-work/2023/4/10/mean-xpa-tap-badge-design monthly 0.5 2023-04-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/592d3b1a17bffc6464aee626/86482567-5eff-4427-8480-d169d543c177/tap-badge-17-xpa12-sized.jpg Portfolio - 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