30/10/2026 Ardnamurchan

Ardnamurchan 8yo 2018/2026 (63.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 228b): nose: it has a mineral cleanliness from the get-go, like a stone puled out from a stream, dried, yet inexorably polished by years of erosion. Shortly thereafter comes a mildly-medicinal touch (disinfectant or guaiacol), followed by a whiff of burnt wood and subtle softened butter. Finally, we find thorn-y twigs, hawthorn or brambles. The second nose has a wood stove in a rustic kitchen in the north of Italy in autumn. At some point soon, it will see a cauldron with polenta; for now, it is gaining heat. There is a tumbler of cheap red wine on the table, following the rising temperature in the room. With water, the nose turns more coastal, with sea breeze and a mist of sea spray. Eating orchard fruits on the harbour on a drizzly day. Mouth: clean and sweet on entry, very sweet, in fact, it peddles spent matches and charred hazel sticks with the most-limited chewing. Intentionally moving the liquid around the mouth ignites a fire of char -- charred twigs, a pile of matches (left behind by an arsonist, no doubt), liquid fire starter, burnt pine logs. It still has guaiacol and surgical disinfectant, some might say TCP, yet the acrid smoke and charred bits are loudest, reminiscent of a lunchtime fire on a November day's lumbering in the woods. The second sip has ashy peach slices, juicy, fruity, not fully ripe, and made a bit abrasive by a dusting of ashes. Water tones down the heat and the smoky side to focus on orchard fruits again. Only when chewing does the ashtray of a fire insert emerge, not even full of ashes. Finish: dry peat, then burnt peat. It is almost wood smoke, initially, from what seems to have been an efficient flame. Then it changes and hints at damper, smokier mosses, giving thicker, more-acrid smoke. Throughout, a pleasant sweetness hovers, strawberries or such. Retro-nasal olfaction sees lichens clinging to the sides of a vase, bone-dry, close to ash-like. The second gulp throws peach slices into a bowl of ashes and stirs them with a wooden spoon. It does not really go beyond that, but it also does not need to. It dies out with a pinch of soot, acrid and sticky. Water makes for a robust-if-juicy finish. More orchard fruits (apples, plums) and a pile of dry white-wood logs waiting to be thrown onto the fire. Perhaps it has a spoonful of lemon curd too. Pleasant, if not super challenging. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, JH)

29/10/2026 Arran

Arran 23yo 1997/2021 6th Release (53.8%, OB White Stag, Sherry Hogshead & Sherry Puncheon, B#6, 995b): nose: dry, dry, dry almonds and hazelnuts in a lacquered case. Underneath are dried cranberries, dried banana slices sprinkled with red wine and hum. Some breathing time makes the fruits fresher, with peach slices, papaya cubes and dark grapes or currants. Suddenly, the circular blade of a ham slicer appears, clean and freshly oiled. Follows a piece of white wood, likely pine from cheap furniture, cut with the ham slicer, and shedding sawdust. The second nose is full-on currants, raisins and dried cranberries soaked in red wine. At a push, one may find a trace of earth, yet that would be wine-stained earth. Mouth: unctuous and fruity, it has peach nectar, apricot juice, plum smoothie and a couple of rehydrated dried cranberries. Chewing triggers a small eruption of fruits, chiefly plums, punctuated with a strong and fruity Patras wine. It has a spoonful of peanut paste, neither overly oily, nor too bitter, which paves the way for something mineral: it could be fruit stones, but then they are mixed up with pebbles. Further chewing puts more emphasis on the wine-y note. The second sip welcomes gingerbread, mulled wine gone cold and Aachener Printen. Chew some more for a cup of mulled wine to accompany those Printen. It has cinnamon and ginger in reasonable amounts; it is the  texture, in particular, that shouts: 'Printen'. Moving the liquid around the mouth injects musk -- a fox's wet hair drying by the campfire. Finish: big and wine-y in the best possible way. It is fruity (grapes, blush oranges), game-y (sauce grand'veneur, lingonberry compote) and a little tannic. It sticks to the gob like pitch and feels like wine-flavoured sweets, albeit of a heady rather than sweet kind, a heavy wine that has seen a lot of sun. The second gulp doubles down on the fruits -- blush oranges, dark grapes, raisins, dried cranberries, dried figs, all soaked in heady wine, somewhere between sangria and mulled wine. It has cinnamon powder and but a pinch of ginger powder, so it is probably the latter. Well made, if not suitable every day, in this taster's opinion. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, SOB)

27/10/2026 Highland Park

 Another dreich day, another topical dram.

4.406 14yo 2012/2026 Sweetly soothing smoke (64.4%, SMWS Society Cask, ex-Bourbon Hogshead finished in 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 220b): nose: warming goodness. Warm oil, a cauldron of hot pitch, a puff of warm gas coming out of the sewers on a brisk morning... Did I say 'goodness'? Well, it is relative. Deeper nosing renders this cleaner, with ashy white wine and recently-applied sealant around a new bathtub. It progresses towards hazelnut oil, white-wine vinegar and the hard-sugar shell of lozenges. The second nose somehow brings ashes to the table, the white kind that follows an efficient fire, before reintroducing white wine, something between Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Mouth: astonishingly citrus-y, it has lemon drizzle cake and orange sponge cake. Mixed peel extracts itself from the fluffy cake to have a solo career, and it is a success. Chewing adds droplets of wood oil, too light for teak -- probably acacia? It has a faint bitterness, though that does not take away from the lemon-y pleasure and the honey-like wood we encounter too. The second sip is drying, if fruity. It is akin to a dry white wine again, with green grapes and their skins jostling chalk and sherbet. It is remarkably acidic and warming upon chewing. Imagine the juices of a lemon turnover trickling onto the hot baking tray. Finish: big, fruity and acidic, it has more mixed peel, hot lemon drizzle cake, hot marmalade spread on fluffy bread, all served on a board made of white wood -- birch, acacia, hazel. It is a long finish that wakens the taste buds before lulling them into a sense of comfort. The second gulp welcomes lozenges, some minty, some even mentholated, which overshadows the chocolate contained within the sugar shell. It takes imagination to catch an acrid white smoke, but why not? We spot dry-to-the-max passion fruits more easily, though. Alright, this! 8/10

26/10/2026 Caol Ila

53.527 12yo 2013/2026 Seraphic sea symphony (59.7%, SMWS In Celebration of Robin Laing the Whisky Bard, 2nd Fill STR Oloroso-Seasoned Barrique, 276b): nose: an inky-petrolic puddle of sea water. Is this really a Caol Ila? It smells like a Bladnoch -- not! Seashells dusted with caster sugar, wicker baskets of empty oyster and mussel shells, whelk in tarry sands, and profiteroles, believe it or not. It acquires a fruity side, in the long run, fruity and somewhat mineral, which hints at a dry white wine, probably. After thirty minutes of breathing, it turns quieter and more distinguished, with shoe polish and leather pouches, or brown leather shoes. The second nose continues that and makes it more comfortable by adding a fire insert. That leads to an empty-not-cleaned ashtray and church scents -- spent incense, stoup water, oiled pews, and a general archaic dampness. Mouth: salty as fook, it feels like drinking sea water from an oyster shell. It also has a strongly-appealing mix of kerosene, lacquer, ozone and mentholated tobacco, a mix that becomes bolder as one chews. It comes across as both clean and staining, which is remarkable. Briny sea air over an island airfield, while they refuel a plane, maybe. The second sip has mussels in a salty broth, a lick of chalk, old fishing nets and warm vanilla custard blended with warm sea water in a smoky bothy. Finish: sweet at first, like a gulp of chocolate éclair at room temperature, it swiftly drops a bomb of stagnant water, algae and mosses. It sticks to the oesophagus like lichen to an empty vase, drying and abrasive, vegetal and marsh-like. Menthol ends up in the spotlight, as does cigarette smoke in a fishing shed. Quaint. The second gulp follows a similar progression: sweet-stagnant-salty-ashy-vase-like-mentholated. Consistent. Does the trick. 7/10

24/10/2026 Shakespeare

The soundtrack: Various - Belgium's Finest

JH suggested the theme, who is in town just for this. Just kidding! He will, of course, attend a symposium on paper napkins at the same time.

YM, JMcD, SOB and JS join JH and myself for an afternoon of high-brow theatre, then.

Speaking of which...

tOMoH channels his inner-SOB to present Tea-tre-ninich

Teaninich 46yo 1975/2021 (47.4%, Sansibar JD’s Personal Choice No.4, Bourbon Hogshead, 158b) (tOMoH)

Nose: chamomile (JH), very floral (SOB), marygold (YM), gingerbread, Majorquese almond cake (JH), juicy orange-y cake (JH).

Mouth: super fruity, but also briny, salty and spicy (JH), pickles and jalapeños (JH).

Finish: mango (SOB), oily-rubbery (JH), tea (YM).

Comment: I do not spend nearly as much time with this stunner as I should. My full notes are here.

Score: 9/10

JH [about his recent trip to Skye]: "We were staying in an old castle -- actually McD-related."
JMcD: "You're welcome."

We talk about logos.

JS: "The Watt Whisky [logo] is weird. Every time I see it, I think: 'What were they thinking?'"
tOMoH: "Should be called the Twat Whisky logo."
[YM looks it up]
SOB: "Have you found it?"
YM: "Yeah. I don't know. The colour scheme. Usually, that means you need to go to the hospital."

The soundtrack: The Coronation Of King George II

JMcD brought something from a Danish distillery to mark The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. He adds that this is a peated version, dried with peat and heather, likely harvested on a blasted heath, the place where the witches live, in Macbeth.

Stauning Smoke (47%, OB) (JMcD): salt (JMcD), pine (JMcD), cigar smoke (JH), malted barley (YM), liquorice (JH), Salmiyakki (JH). It is roasted apples for me, and heather brush, borderline hay. Mouth: Bolder here, it has fine smoke, roasted barley, toasted cereals. It still has juicy apples, roasted, even charred in places. Some earth comes up on the late tip. Finish: grappa (YM and JH), eau-de-vie distilled from pine stuff (JH). 'Speciality smoke' (JH), scented wood chips for burning. 7/10

tOMoH introduces the next bottle: he bought it from OB, whose local pub used to be The Shakespeare.

Auchroisk 27yo 1988/2016 (48.6%, Cadenhead, Bourbon Hogshead, 258b) (tOMoH)

Nose: a fruit bomb. Strawberries, peaches, tropical fruits and candied ginger (JH).

Mouth: front-loaded, it hits bigly (JMcD). It packs quite a punch indeed, with dried ginger, dried peach slices, dried mango slices and rehydrated-dried-fruit water.

Finish: it drops (JMcD). It is indeed relatively short at first impression, until one realises a comfortable heat stays in the stomach. And then fruits shine again, wave by wave.

Comment: we took notes for the miniature version of this, when it came out. This full bottle fares considerably better.

Score: 9/10

SOB unveils Othello's character: Port Dun-Das-demona. He continues by saying this particular one was bottled for Cadenhead's Milan shop and observes that so many plays of Shakespeare's take place in Italy. In particular, he insists, Two Gentlemen of Verona, in which one of the characters, Lord Prospero Visconti, is the Duke of Milan. As if that were not enough, he notes that the Shakespeare pub in Bethnal Green has a plaque that reads "Est. 1842", the same year as Cadenhead.

Port Dundas 31yo 1988/2019 (50.8%, Cadenhead specially bottled for Cadenhead Whisky Shop Milan, Hogshead, 228b, 19/389) (SOB): nose: a Port-Dundasian metallic edge, perhaps, and oregano. We find the syrup of stem ginger lurking behind it all. Mouth: syrupy (SOB), it has lots of aromatic herbs, some candied, some fresh. It becomes chewy with minty chalk or chalky mint, though that turns into silky custard in the long run. Finish: 'me like' (JH), fruit cake (JH), apricot cake(JH), very buttery, like a vanilla cookie (JH), canelés (YM), almond croissant or lemon drizzle (JH), brown sugar (YM). It has a wonderful custard-y texture reminiscent of flan or vanilla pudding. This is something! A very strong 8/10

Food enters.

YM and SOB brought enough for a garrison:
Coppa Piacentina, Rabbit Terrine, Saucisson with Walnuts
Pinocchiona IGP, Pinocchiona Salame, Veroni Prosc. Parma
Gouda 48 Months, Fleur du Maquis, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Romano
Sourdough bread 

And JMcD brought the now-traditional
blueberry cheesecake and almond tart

JS introduces a Tulli-bard-ine. (If you live under a rock, Shakespeare is known as The Bard).

Tullibardine 33yo 1972/2006 (43.1%, Dewar Rattray Cask Collection, C#2597, 141b) (JS)

Nose: Austrian dessert with curd and rum (JH), Topfenstrudel (JH).

Mouth: acidic and lively, very yellow. Then, we have a vanilla custard with soaked raisins and prunes.

Finish: a yellow-fruit explosion with a note of salted caramel (SOB), bitter marmalade (JH), orange pith (JH).

Comment: JH rates this 'yes' out of ten. It is still amazing two decades after first trying it. I am glad we have it later than number one in the line-up, for once. It allows it to slap even harder. Full notes here.

Score: 9/10

The soundtrack: Various - Romeo + Juliet: Music From The Motion Picture - Volume 2

JH hits gold with a separated pair: Tobe Ardna Tobe?

Tobermory 1994/2026 (55.3%, OB Hand Filled Exclusive Edition, Oloroso Finish, C#015) (JH): nose: very elegant, nutty, it has almonds, hazelnuts, soft leather. The second nose may well offer milky coffee. Water elicits cherry liqueur and nutty cappuccino. Mouth: mincemeat pie (YM). It is dry (Oloroso, you see?), with old shoe polish and old leather, yet a leather that retains its softness, dry, not crackly. Further are tins of dried black modelling paint. It is a bit bolder at second sip, with old tyres, liquorice allsorts, spearmint (JH) and blackened cassia bark. Water makes it milky, adds diluted cherry juice and a sprinkle of mocha. Finish: dry-not-drying, it has crusty shoe polish, not rubber. Bone-dry prunes, an old bag of raisins. The sting of mint (SOB) followed by berries (SOB), candied chestnuts (YM). A fair amount of melted dark chocolate shows up in the long run, augmented with freeze-dried raspberry slices and a pinch of ground mocha. Here too, water increases the milky impression. It has a fantastic pudding-like texture and a mocha-chocolate taste. Beautiful and an excellent swimmer. Might bump my score with water. 8/10

YM tells us that A Midsummer Night's Dream has a character called Highland Puck. Lolle.

4.221 16yo 1999/2016 Light, luscious and lovely (55.9%, SMWS Society Single Cask, 1st Fill ex-Bourbon Barrel, 156b) (YM): nose: lemony (YM), lemongrass (SOB), custard, vanilla-ed sugar. Later on, it has an air of freshly-cleaned corridor in a government building. Actually, there is a whiff of antiseptic, even. Mouth: lemon meringue (YM), lemon curd (SOB). It has smoked cream, custard and a beautiful freshness that is almost pine-y. Finish: torta della nonna (JH showing off his dessert knowledge). It is long, assertive, a trifle smoky, and comforting, in the long run, soothing. It has salt and crushed glass, but that is hidden underneath pine-y custard. Excellent drop. 8/10

The soundtrack: Mogwai - Zero Zero Zero

SOB brought something bottled in the Warehouse Tasting range, because his favourite productions of Shakespeare were those at the Donmar Warehouse. This is from an undisclosed Speyside distillery and he tells us that many characters in Shakespeare's plays are not (fully) disclosed. Also, this was matured in a Port cask -- for Portia, a character in The Merchant of Venice. Finally (yes, he is really inspired by this theme!), it is allegedly a Glenfarclas -- or a Glenfar-Claudius, for the main antagonist in Hamlet. Ooft.

An Undisclosed Speyside 15yo 2010/2026 (56%, Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting, Refill ex-Bourbon Barrel finished in Ruby Port Hogshead since 2019) (SOB): nose: warm wood, aromatic wood, seasoned wood chips for barbecues, plum skins. Mouth: JH finds it savoury as gravy, while YM detects walnuts. It is a blackberry paste or elderberry jelly to me, a tad bitter. Dusty uncoated frying pans show up too. The second sip pushes boiled horse's hair. Finish: fruity, it has prunes, figs, raisins. It is mahogany that shines at second gulp, though it remains fruity and juicy. Delish. 7/10

JMcD: "The burger scene in Newcastle is amazing. They have burger battles."

YM tells us Shakespeare's plays are a canon of thirty-nine plays, according to Wikipedia. This is, therefore, from distillery #39. Also, it is called Magical and Heavenly, adjectives that are often used to describe Shakespeare's work.

YM: "This was distilled on the 30th April 1990..."
JH: "Which is the anniversary of Shakespeare's circumcision!"

39.135 26yo 1990/2016 Magical and Heavenly (58.8, SMWS Society Single Cask, Refill ex-Bourbon Hogshead, 186b) (YM): nose: JH calls it funky, with soju and fermented stuff, perhaps mirin. JMcD finds shortbread. It is buttery to me, with kouign-amann, then a metallic water bottle. Maybe it is JH's suggestion, but I get shrimp crackers. JH finds it iron-y and oxidised, while YM talks about yellow Chartreuse. Mouth: not very sweet, not very fruity, it has fermented stuff (JH). This has a lot of dandelion petals, stewed and cooled. Not that this is cool -- it is fairly hot, in truth. A tad bitter and becomes very bitter as one chews. Hotter at second sip, with burning bunches of dried flowers or hay. Finish: yellow flowers, with the softness of petals and the bitterness of stems. It gets hotter and bitterer with each gulp. Not sure if it is the sequence, my preference, or what else; this does not resonate with me, today. 6/10

JH finally gets to the Ardna part of his Tobe Ardna Tobe.

We insist he has it in the dickhead glass, too

Ardnamurchan 8yo 2018/2026 (63.3%, Cadenhead Authentic Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 228b) (JH): nose: tuna tataki (JH), barbecued miso (JH), pink pepper (JH and JMcD). It is very peaty, with mud patties and farm paths. Rice pop and popped cereals (JH), Kinder Country (JH), caramel, maple syrup (JH), sweat from a builder's armpits. Mouth: oh yeah! Caramel puff wheat (the pack with the cartoon frog, you know?) and overbearing mud. This is super earthy, with chilli flakes showing up only belatedly. The second sip stings the tip of the tongue. Finish: incredibly well-integrated peat (JH). It gives the same impression as upon eating something spicy, jalapeño or such (SOB). Water renders it sootier and spicier (YM). Scorched earth, ashes, torched wheat. The second gulp is very cereal-y. 7/10

The soundtrack: Various - Best Of Techno - Volume Four

As a nightcap, we have something of JS's. tOMoH asks when A Midsummer Night's Dream takes place. On the 21st June. It is really the end of Spring-bank.

Springbank 21yo (46.5%, Atom Supplies Darkness Limited Edition, Oloroso Sherry Octaves Finish, b#115) (JS)

Comment: stale Coca Cola (JH). No! Pepsi Cola or Red Bull cola (JH), Ricola (JH), Coca Cola Classic (in a yellow can) (JH), Cola Bottles (the sweets) (SOB). My notes are here. 9/10

SOB: "Darkness. The week before Hallowe'en, too."
tOMoH: "Did the Bard write anything about that?"
SOB: "Hallowe'en? Don't think so."
tOMoH: "Lazy git."

That concludes tonight's enjoyment.