12/06/2026 Aim for the Moon

Ben Nevis 1970/1988 (46%, Brae Dean Int. for Moon Import The Sea, Sherry Butt, C#2913, 360b, b#267): nose: a marvellous combination of brown shoe polish applied onto soft-leather moccasins, hazelnut spread and light cigars (Laguito No. 3, perhaps, or Carlotta). It has a dirty, funky background, something I did not notice (as much) in previous encounters (here and here), but it is a Ben Nevis, so it is not really surprising. Walnut spread and chestnut purée gradually replace the hazelnut and, at the same time, a soft metallic touch emerges. It is somehow reminiscent of that unmistakable smell of a new motherboard wrapped in an anti-static plastic bag. Anyone who has ever assembled a desktop from individual parts will know. Finally, it peddles coffee, ashes in the desk ashtray and black liquorice rolls. Fun! The second nose pumps coffee and caramel into the mix, or an enticing mocha custard. Take it from someone who is not a fan of mocha. There is something else in the back that may be caramelised orange slices. It adds a gentle fruitiness that is most welcome. Mouth: mellow and sweet, it feels like chewy sweets such as Gummy Sweet Cherries or Cola Bottles. Chewing adds a mild sting (ginger or stem ginger), yet it fans the Cola-Bottle flames most of all. It is at once spicy and syrupy, which confirms the stem-ginger note, but has so much more to tell: milk coffee, Mokatine, caramel, sweet and a little bitter. It has more wood than honey, yet that wood, despite its bitterness, is undeniably sweet too -- and that is not plain resin. Maybe Gocce Pino filling applied on clustered splinters? The second sip is thinner for a second, then turns into thick marmalade sprinkled with mocha grounds. The alcohol bite fleetingly hints at warm zinc or galvanised iron, or a hot Moka tin pot. It is breakfast-y, in any case: marmalade, custard, mocha. Finish: long, it glows heat and conifer goodies (resin, bark) as well as Mokatine and caramel coffee. Considering how coating and syrupy this is, it would be tempting to call stem ginger again, but there is none of the spicy heat that ginger provides. Instead, it is caramel coffee spilled onto cypress shelves. The second gulp opens with candied citrus (bergamot, bitter orange), chewy and vegetal as if the foliage had been candied too. That, of course, means a gentle bitterness to balance what could otherwise become overly sweet. We find mocha grounds at the death, or grated mocha chocolate. I want to say gunpowder tea, but it is not that bitter, and it is earthier. It is staggeringly good, that is for sure. 9/10

HB, TMcN!

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.

02/06/2026 A few drams at The Maltshop

Not exactly easy to find, this place

Extensive, eclectic selection

A couple of Korea-exclusive Kilchoman

And even a couple of exclusive single casks of Raasay

A quick flight to determine whether bottles are worth buying. In this location (The Malt Shop is a chain of stores and some do not offer the same selection), the number of bottles open is consequent. Most are exclusive to Korea or The Malt Shop itself. Hoping to try all of them, I am quickly brought back to reality: beside the obvious time constraint, each dram tasted has to be paid. Prices are reasonable and the pours are generous: at 2cl each, we might as well be at a bar. Still, in this setting, notes are scant.

Burnside 11yo 2011/2022 Private Edition No.11 (53%, The Maltshop Whisky Collection, Bourbon Barrel, 400b)

Light, fruity, it feels a little young. Funnily, they list Balvenie and Glenfiddich explicitly on the shelf tag. 6/10

Aultmore 9yo 2013/2022 Release No.105 Private Edition No.12 (59.1%, Angus Dundee for Alistair Walker Infrequent Flyers bottled Exclusively for The Maltshop imported by MetaBev, Pedro Ximénez Sherry Puncheon, 686b)

Earthy number, overflowing with prunes and dried dates. Good. 7/10

Orkney Islands 2009/2022 Private Edition No.5 (62.1%, The Auchtermuchty Bond for Berry Bros. & Rudd for The Maltshop imported by Trans Beverage, Hogshead, C#3, 150b)

Farm-y and briny at first, it becomes numbing and dry on the palate, before delivering more farm-y notes. The winner of the pack. 7/10

The Orkney appears to be a shared cask. The other part of the cask was bottled for Germany in 2024, with an ABV 1% lower.

We also see this, which we tried in 2024

27/05/2026 An evening at Cobbler

Just like last time, as soon as we explain to the barman that we like whisky and are keen to discover exclusive bottlings for the local market, he collapses and sends us his manager... who remembers us! She brings us a handful of bottles (amongst which a Ballechin). When JS says smoke is a secondary interest to us, she turns around: "Ah. All of these are smoky" and brings a different selection.

Also, complimentary cobbler on arrival

Mlla b.2025 (53%, Michel Couvreur bottled only for South Korea imported by Splash International, Dry Manzanilla Sherry Butt)

Nose: strongly herbal, like a génépi. Juniper leaves, laurel, fresh rosemary, maybe dried seaweed, though not much salt. Hinoki wood appears at second nosing. It smells like a warm bath in a scented tub.
Mouth: full-bodied, almost syrupy. More herbs (laurel and rosemary again), now complemented with stem ginger and cassia bark. It feels woodier at second sip, though it is still syrupy. Thuja, cypress bark, hinoki.
Finish: big, liqueur-like, this has thuja, hinoki and other scented woods. JS finds grapefruit pips. The second gulp has a lovely pine-tree-bark allure that makes me think of Benrinnes.
Comment: good effort. Matured "over a decade."
Score: 7/10

F b.2025 (53%, Michel Couvreur bottled only for South Korea imported by Splash International, Dry Fino Sherry Butt)

Nose: balsawood, sandalwood, oiled teak furniture and dried rosemary. It has a faint whiff of burnt sugar and torched molasses. The second nose has an earthy perfume from the 1980s, the name of which escapes me.
Mouth: fruitier on the palate, it has prunes and figs soaked in booze, berries liqueur, a gentle lick of wood (distant acacia). drier at second sip, it is very reminiscent of a Fino, mineral with a Sauvignon-Blanc vibe to it.
Finish: dry and robust, it has walnut-shell gratings and crushed fruit stones. Follow flint and slate chippings, bitter and mineral. It is fruity and dry at second gulp, like a good white wine.
Comment: even better. But then, Fino is my favourite type of Sherry.
Score: 7/10

Paired with olives and chocolate

Edradour 11yo 2013/2024 (60%, OB Ibisco Decanter imported by Stirling Korea, Bourbon Barrels, C#413+415+417+418+419+420+421+422+423+424, 1997b)

Nose: spirit-y, medicinal, even. Ether, surgical alcohol -- wait! Peaches appear suddenly and more and more pronounced, as do Turkish delights, then crème brûlée and gentle rubber. The second nose has custard and fruity yoghurt.
Mouth: ester-y and spirit-y again. This might as well be new make, so little character it has. In terms of flavours, that is, because it is otherwise rather fierce, with lashes of surgical alcohol. The second sip is more mineral, with quarry dust peppered over it.
Finish: eau-de-vie-like, here are distilled peach and kaki somewhat hidden behind a generous dash of booze. It is not poorly integrated; it just kicks like a mule. The second gulp is more quaffable, though still powerful. Custard-cream biscuit on acid. Water makes it more biscuit-y and gives it an impression of wet dog (Hardois, si tu nous regardes…)

Comment: the Korean text states Ibisco Decanter as the collection, even if it does not appear in English.
Score: 7/10

Glenlossie 12yo 2013/2025 (60.3%, North Star High Proof Guarantee selected and exclusively bottled for Jens Drewitz imported by Sansibar-Whisky imported by Roehni, 282b)

Nose: the Sherry cask speaks. This is lactic and animal: cow hides, cattle sweat, and it has a hint of alcohol in the back, before oily orange peels appear. The second nose has more and more orange rinds, dried, but still fruity.
Mouth: leathery and animal alright. Cattle breath, raw hides, rancio, and the bitterness of shoe polish. The second sip is more medicinal: ether at first, then plaster glue and muscle straps.
Finish: it kicks too, but citrus comes through more. Oranges, blush oranges, cured tangerines. The second gulp is, again, more medicinal (tuberculin).

Comment: a Korean import of a German import of a Scottish whisky. Ha!
Score: 7/10

Paired with nuts

A few people leave:

tOMoH: "If you want to go scan the shelves, go for it."
JS: "Yeah, now it's clearing up a little."
tOMoH: "Oh! yeah, the other long nose has gone. I'm now the longest nose in the room."
JS: "Let's call you Pinocchio."

We call it a night anyway. Early start tomorrow.