G&M tasting: Ardmore, Caol Ila, Glenlossie, Miltonduff & Mortlach

Gordon & MacPhail Tasting 

hosted by the "Whisky & More" shop 

in Hasselt (Belgium) 

Last weekend I attended a whisky tasting in my own hometown Hasselt, where only last year the first whisky shop opened its doors.
As for now they haven't got much to offer the seasoned whisky drinker. But it takes some time for an independent shop holder to acquire a decent stock of exclusive and rare bottles that sets them apart from the local supermarkets.

Glen Albyn 35yo (1975/2010) Gordon & MacPhail

Loch Ness mysteries in a bottle

View of the Beauly Firth at the mouth of the Caledonian Canal,

 100m from the grounds of the former Glen Albyn

Prelude

Last summer,  I stayed in Inverness for a couple of nights, it only came natural to do a bit of whisky relic hunting during my evening strolls.
Nowadays no one would likely make the connection between whisk and Inverness. Only a few of you would probably point out to me that the town is home to Bairds, an important supplier of malted barley.

Up to the 80's Inverness could proudly say it had no less than three small distilleries within the city limits. All was fine with the world until the overzealous industry created the infamous whisky lake that swept away two centuries of whisky production in Inverness.

Port Charlotte PC8 Ar Duthchas

Bold Strokes from Islay

Time to re-taste an old classic from the Bruichladdich stable: tonight's entertainment is brought to you straight from the shores of Loch Indaal.

And it brings back with it quite a few good memories. 
I bought a 10cl sample back in early 2012 going by a few good online reviews. This was the second Port Charlotte I ever tasted and as I was still relatively unfamiliar with single malt whisky back then it simply blew me away.
Looking back now, the PC8 has become somewhat of a cult classic that has gained quite a following. Some even hail it as Port Charlotte's best release ever.

Rosebank 25.59 (1991/2011) Boxing gloves and rapier thrusts

The Sleeping Beauty

This review is for the SMWS 25.59 Boxing gloves and rapier thrusts from the silent Rosebank distillery.

news.stv.tv/tayside/202761-former-distillery-to-be-turned-into-brewery-and-visitor-centre/

When in late 2012 the good people from Arran Brewery announced their scheme to breathe new live into the abandoned distillery, I had good hopes that Rosebank could be revived in one way or the other. But now almost two years later we know sadly enough that the sleeping beauty of the lowlands will remain dormant for a the years to come.

As for now , all we have left is its legacy: a rich heritage in the form of a wide range of expressions from independent bottlers sold at ridiculously high prices at online auctions.

Rosebank is probably the best selling lost distillery after Port Ellen and Brora. But does it live up to its name? Only one way to find out.

Glengyle's Kilkerran Work in Progress VI Bourbon Cask

Apricots by the Sea

I love Campbeltown whiskies, by that I mean everything of the Springbank range, not Glen Scotia.

But it took me quite some time to eventually try the sister distillery of Springbank from the same owners. I'll admit I've been missing out.

whiskymizuwari.blogspot.be/2012/12/glengyle-distillery.html

I'm still often surprised to hear people asking me where the "Kilkerran" distillery is situated, or bluntly stating that Kilkerran is just another range of the Springbank distillery along Hazelburn and Longrow. 

However Glengyle is the name of the beast, and it is an independent distillery by in its own right.

The distillery has some historic roots as it was rebuild on the grounds of an older Cambeltown distillery. In the hollow shell of what once was a mighty Glengyle distillery, a new chapter was written in the early 2000's .