08/06/2026 Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis 28yo 1996/2025 6th Anniversary Bottling (48.2%, The Whisky Jury, Refill Hogshead, C#348649, 270b): nose: orchard fruits and a shovelful of fertile earth. Apples, quinces, Comice pears, all crunchy and crisp. Behind them are vague tropical scents, unripe kiwi, unripe mango, unripe snakehead fruit. Very discreet, though. Deeper nosing puts more emphasis on the earthy side, and we spot more damp, fertile earth or clay, albeit from a construction site more than a field: a house whose foundations have recently been dug. A dusting of plaster increases that impression. Fruits are never that far, however, and we soon add green grapes to the list. The second nose sees citrus rinds (orange, mandarines) baked in the oven and starting to caramelise. Served alongside them, we have a spoonful of melted milk chocolate and a pinch of herbs (oregano, tarragon, heather twigs). Mouth: thin and sharp, or 'precise', if the first two adjectives seem derogatory, it soon reveals a fruity dominant on the tongue too -- orchard fruit again, riper this time. Golden Delicious apples, Conference pears, stewed quinces. Half a chew causes a chuckle, as it unleashes a strong ivy bitterness and a stronger mango-y slap in the gob. Longer chewing absolutely confirms, and that puts a smile on tOMoH's face. Mango purée is elevated with a dash of grapefruit juice, whose pronounced acidity chases the afore-mentioned bitterness away -- mostly. The second sip is luscious and gorgeous, super fruity, yet it never lets one forget it is alcohol we are tasting. Punchy without being aggressive; just a lovely fruity spirit. Finish: past the initial kick of alcohol (it is more a karate chop than a kick), it dishes out hot fruits. We have baked grapefruit slices, papaya cubes, stewed carambola and pineapple chunks, and tinned mangoes. Indeed, if the fruits continue to effortlessly dominate, the bitterness is back, and it hints at tin rather than ivy, at this stage. It is a long finish, partly comforting, partly moreish. In fact, let us have some more! The second gulp welcomes mango custard and peach cubes in a boozy yoghurt. Here too, it is virtually impossible to forget we are tasting a spirit, yet the fruits are clearly carrying the whole. They are just splashed with an eau-de-vie that cannot be overlooked. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, elskling)

04/06/2026 An evening at Onion

This is another chain of sorts. One venue is a hip bakery we once visited for breakfast. This one is a covered stall selling pizza by the side of a market that serves highballs. It also happens to have twentyish Korea-exclusive bottlings of whisky. This city is mad like that.

Rubbish collection two metres from our street stall.
Mad.

Glen Moray 13yo 2008/2021 (58.7%, Blackadder Raw Cask Bottled for Dal Dal Korea imported by Magic International, Hogshead, C#2988, 170b, b#19)

Nose: it is fairly neutral, at first, which may suggest a high ABV. A minute's breathing and we can confirm: this assails the nose with flower essence, haybales and cut fruits -- raspberry and peach slices. There is also dark wood at play, which is not expected and offers a nice counterpoint. The second nose has much more white-wood sawdust (birch, balsa), ginger powder, galangal gratings. Water unlocks darker notes of pressed dark grapes and leather. 
Mouth: lovely orange or tangerine juice augmented with white-wood sawdust. Keep it on the tongue long enough and white pepper shows up, shaved lemongrass, ginger powder. Chewing reveals dried citrus peels, slightly bitter, and orange oil. The second sip combines the same wood notes with oily orange peels. Softer with water, it delivers pineapple and pear juices.
Finish: orange oil is right. It is oily, bitter, yet it remains pretty fruity all in all. It is also warming. The alcohol is integrated, but the high ABV is palpable. It is also a tad drying, in the long run, with sawdust and ground white pepper. The second gulp kicks even stronger to play the same notes: wood dust, citrus peels, powdered spices. Water adds a boozy sponge cake.
Comment: very good. A shared cask with Belgium, it would appear: it was released for the fifteenth anniversary of The Nectar.
Score: 8/10

Royal Brackla 12yo 2011/2023 (59.20%, Volpe & Castello imported by J International, Bourbon Barrel, C#1176, 92b, b#1)

Nose: robust and woody at first, it rolls out custard and butterscotch at the next sniff. We do find dried orange peels rubbed on rustic oak furniture. Flan tart with a lovely caramel coulis. It has a fruity note too, either blueberries or currants. The second nose brings warm crusty bread and a knife that has cut yellow citrus (calamansi, sweet lemon, calamondin). Water brings up burnt apple pie, which means more caramel.
Mouth: mellow and very fruity. We have currants, green grapes and lychees, perhaps rambutans. It warms up on the tongue to the point it feels as if it could burn a hole through it. Apart from that, it is well pleasant. Burning-hot raspberry slices. The second sip is fruitier, teeming with calamansi and calamondin, kumquat, citron and a minute amount of metal. Water makes it mellow and reminds me of honey-glazed pickled onions.
Finish: long, it has caramel poured on a blueberry cheese cake. There is a lick of warm metal behind that, perhaps a tin plate or a knife, a faint bitterness that brings nothing negative to the table. The second gulp is a trifle numbing, with white wood and white peach displayed on a stainless-steel plate.
Comment: very good and terribly unlikely we will see this again. The label represents a traditional Korean card games, by the way.
Score: 8/10

That Benromach is tempting

Upon looking at the bottles to choose a second flight, we are told they are closing in ten minutes. The site said earlier than that, the chalkboard reads later. It is likely linked to the staff's mood. Despite a case of FOMO, it is time to hit the sack anyway.