23/02/2026 Kilchoman

Kilchoman 6yo b.2024 Port Cask Matured (50%, OB, Ruby Port Casks, 24/96) : nose: a bold slap of tarry mud and ink. A few seconds of opening up and we have whelks sprayed with diesel, tarry sands still wet from the lapping, iodine, crushed seashells and India ink, followed by greasy earth. It peddles some smoke too, of course, somewhere between smoked lobster and barbecued shrimps, between barbecue sauce and teriyaki sauce. It may well have a soft whiff of dairy too, yet that could also be this taster's mind playing tricks: after all, Kilchoman is known for having a yoghurt-y profile. It is certainly not pronounced enough here to be affirmative. The barbecue side, on the other hand, is hard to deny. The second nose is a tad fruitier; it displays roasted apples, baked plums and dark grapes rolled in soot. Mouth: barbecue indeed. Charred pineapple rings, charred marinated ribs, teriyaki again. Chewing dials the char to unhealthy levels, with beef turned black and crusty, yet somehow retaining some juices, a fireplace-cleaning kit, pineapple falling into black dust. Then, gradually, we progress towards seafood, also charred to bits. Whelks, cockles, winkles, all charred to ashy dust, then sprinkled with petrol. The second sip welcomes peaches, at first raw but ripe, then juiced and sprinkled with with charcoal gratings. That latter note takes over in seconds and brings in its wake a dash of lemon juice. Perhaps it has pomelo zest too, in amongst all that soot and grated charcoal. Finish: softer than anticipated, and much more vegetal. Here are dried algae, dusty lichens, empty vases, mosses crumbling to dust. Oh! and, of course, char and diesel join shortly thereafter, albeit more discreet than they were on the palate. The second gulp feels more acidic, with a mix of citrus (pomelo) and berries (cranberries) jousting with drying charcoal and soot. Immediately behind them are those dried algae, still clinging to en empty vase, windthrow in the coppices, decades-old cut branches entirely covered in lichen. That obscures the fruits a bit; they are definitely there, but in the shadow of other, bolder notes of dried and burnt vegetal matter. This is good. Where is the influence of the Port, though? 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, adc)

20/02/2026 Peater Gaija

Caol Ila 22yo b.2019 (58.4%, OB Special Festival Edition Feis Ile 2019, Sherry-Treated American Oak Casks, 3000b, b#2977): nose: well, well, it has a mix of crushed seashells, caster sugar and ashes with a splash of sea water. What a surprise... not! Follow stranded jellyfish and snorkelling gear stored in a (blue) plastic crate in a basement. The plastic takes off too! It does not turn fully petrolic, but it does have loads of petroleum derivatives. One could say it shows a sandy beach littered with drift plastic. The second nose is more earthy -- dark earth from a fertile field, or clay from a musty cellar. Soon, derelict gardening tools rust in silence, covered in decades-old nuggets of mud. We catch a comforting heat behind it all, reminiscent of a boiler in that cellar. Mouth: softly salty, bigly sugary, albeit not sickly. It really is ashes and caster sugar, augmented with a pinch of salt and a dusting of chilli powder. Chewing slaps some mud onto all that, then melted chocolate, crunchy green chilli and lime zest. We also have petrol set alight and a pair of iridescent seashells. Woah! The second sip kicks just as hard. The heat carries delicate fruits, though they are difficult to decipher. Dark cherries? Blackberries? The former, in all likelihood, mixed with blackcurrants, both half smoked. There are embers and ashes from a cherry-tree fire too, now, and that becomes more and more prominent. Finish: huge, it dishes out petrol-coated seashells, ashes, caster sugar, maybe cut pears. It got rid of the plastic, at some earlier stage, to only retain petrol. Tarry sands, 98-octan petrol at the pump -- jerry cans of the stuff. Now, here is a soft impression of sticky toffee pudding, torched to a crisp on the outside, rubbery on the inside. It is kept in an opaque, dark-coloured plastic tub, which we identify via retro-nasal olfaction. Once out of the tub, the pudding is served with a scoop of dark-chocolate ice cream. The second gulp brings a similar fruitiness to the palate's: dark cherries, blackcurrants, cherry-tree-wood on fire. It is very fruity, truth be told. Behind that smoke and that heat, it would be rather easy to miss those fruits, however. Seashells make a late comeback, doused in petrol. Water (casually added to deglaze the glass) brings out fishing nets, still drenched from a recent sortie, and stowed in a plastic crate before being fully dry. Perhaps my score is a tad generous, but this is impressive. 9/10 (Thanks for the sample, Gaija)

Lagavulin 19yo 1995/2014 (54.7%, OB bottled especially to celebrate Fèis Ìle 2014, European Oak Sherry Butts, 3500b, b#0837): nose: this one smells tame and distant, by comparison -- words that are not often used to describe a Lagavulin, one assumes. We find a wooden table, oiled several weeks ago, empty cardboard boxes used to carry pastry home (said pastry was eaten more than a day ago). That is followed by something more concentrated, something that comes out of a tube, perhaps Tubble Gum. Then, at last, fires becomes fleetingly apparent. Pungent smoke, (heady) dried rosemary, honey, flour and confectionary sugar so hot they may just ignite and self combust. The second nose has wood dust from a lichen-covered decking in a place that does not see a lot of rain. Hardened chocolate truffles are next, in which the outer cocoa layer is louder than the once-gooey core. Mouth: ow! this is vegetal and vegetative. Empty vases, dried algae, stagnant water, dried fern, dried mint stems. Chewing doubles down on the mint, even if it is far from the concentration of After Eight (phew!) Then, we have dried sphagnum moss, tree-bark shavings, smoked leaves of some kind, smoked dried sausage rich in fennel seeds. The second sip is bitterer. It presents a mix of cocoa powder and powdered leaves (mint, sage, citrus foliage) and ground spices (liquorice, nigella seeds, black cumin). One might detect super-dry unripe berries (cranberries?), just before empty vases come in the spotlight again. Finish: timid in the drop, it blows up upon hitting the stomach. Sugar, honey, candied angelica all cloaked in smoke that comes from burning herbs, thyme being the one that stands out. It is long and appeasing a finish, slightly acrid (all that smoke, you understand), yet it feels tame compared to today's first dram. The second gulp is a spoonful of honey blended with a drop of petrol, topped with a pinch of gunpowder tea and sage leaves. Only via retro-nasal olfaction do we meet empty vases again, with their dried algae and lichen. To join them, this pushes mentholated-tobacco ashes too. 8/10 (Thanks for the sample, Gaija)

16/02/2026 Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis 19yo d.1996 (51.8%, OB Single Cask, C#1424): nose: this is a mildly-austere nose, with flint, grated limestone and the toolbox of a flintknapper (chisel and hammer, file, that sort of things). It has fruits too, but, at this point, they are limited to crunchy pears, quite unripe. A couple of minutes later, it peddles white fruits of tropical provenance: dragon fruit, snakehead fruit, chiku, perhaps mangosteen. None of that is loud, mind. Then, we go back to pears and quinces. The second nose has us stepping into a walk-in wardrobe on a warm summer evening, and that gives us aromas of linen, white wood, chipboards and pot-pourri pouches. Vanilla custard follows, as does something more vegetal that is hard to pinpoint. Leek greens? Papyrus leaves? In any case, freshly-ironed linen quickly comes back, with lukewarm burlap in tow. Mouth: well, from the first sip, it is gorgeously fruity. Again, it is pears, rather than anything more extravagant (for a European), but these perfectly-ripe Conference pears are a delight, sweet, and melting on the tongue. Chewing brings a strong bitter note that turns more acidic, then sweet, and it is clearly Alphonso mangoes that we find at the other end, hand in hand with glorious persimmons. Phwoar! How unexpected! It still has a mineral vibe to it, as if those fruits had been cut on a slate and served with grated limestone, but the tropical fruits really dominate the conversation, now. It does feel a tad chalky in texture, with crushed medicine tablets (I dread to use the word 'Aspirin') and grout, yet that just adds to the whole, rather than subtract or distract. The second sip seems even more boldly fruity, an avalanche of mango and persimmon generously coated in caster sugar -- although that sugar clears upon chewing to give way to lukewarm full-fat milk. Later on, it acquires oily wood from a nut-producing tree -- hazel or beech. Unless it is polished hazelnut shells? Finish: big without being punchy, it has more fruits, albeit chalkier and less tropical than on the palate. Korean pears and crunchy apples, with unripe blueberries adding a gentle bitterness too. The second gulp is an explosion of fruits that dissipate to reveal a small tub of butter. When that dies out too, all we have left is a gentle tingle on the gums, the soft spicy lick of ground cardamom. Wow. This has improved enormously in the open bottle, I think. I was a little less convinced the first time; now I am a believer. 9/10 (Thanks for the dram, JS)

13/02/2026 Clynelish

Clynelish 15yo 1997/2012 (53.5%, The Whiskyman, Refill Sherry Hogshead): nose: unusually, for this distillery, this expression is on the mute side of the spectrum. There is a faint note of fresh, fruity, but also discreet white wine at play, Riesling or Sancerre, and jasmine that has not bloomed yet. Did I say it is discreet? Even thirtyish minutes of breathing time do not help this become more talkative. The second nose is hardly more loquacious. Perhaps we find pan-seared hazelnut and apple slices, where the juice from the apples coats the hazelnuts. Later yet, it pushes a whiff of dust onto that. Then, out of nowhere, the apple juice from the pan takes a bolder attitude. Dusty apple juice it is. Mouth: it has more to say on the palate. We catch sultanas, honey-glazed grapes, white Port... This is surprisingly sweet, now! Chewing adds nutshells and a drop of Manzanilla. The second sip is still as sweet, yet it is now crunchy apples caramelising in a frying pan rather than syrupy wine. And crunchy it is too! One can almost feel the grit of a Missouri Pippin sanding one's teeth. After the disappointments of December, I was ready to rejoice that this one has not turned soapy (same sample origin), but the last sip gives the impression it could very quickly follow that path too. That, of course is a comment on the container more than on the whisky itself. Finish: dry, which is another surprise, after the sweet mouth, and fruity, with peach slices, not very ripe, sultanas, Medjool dates and, once more, a small amount of fortified white wine. It is warming to a point it could pass as vaguely musk-y, but really, it is mostly fruity. It feels much more balanced at second gulp, where the fruit turns into apple slices and their sweetness matches their acidity. They are no longer crunchy, however, probably softened by all that pan-searing. This turned out to be a juicy number indeed. 7/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)

12/02/2026 Sazerac

Sazerac Straight Rye (45%, OB): nose: this is strangely very Bourbon-y, full of vanilla and white-wood shavings dipped in honey, butterscotch and toffee. It is not complex at all a nose, but it pleases. One's imagination may well suggest a dollop of pale shoe polish too. The second nose reminds me of StilL 630's RallyPoint, also a rye, and also on the Bourbon-y tip, although this Sazerac is simpler. Maybe it has whiffs of white peach. Mouth: on the tongue, it is clearly a rye, with the typical note of Irn Bru to accompany woody notes similar to the nose's. There is much less vanilla at play, here, rather caramelised marmalade or maple syrup. The second sip has hints of lychee, which is, of course, a nice surprise. That is quickly matched by varnished arrow-back chairs and, of course, a drop of Irn Bru turning into cold coffee. Finish: amongst the woody notes again (toffee), we have a slight bitterness, either walnut shells or 45%-cocoa chocolate. That gives a chocolate-pudding impression that is well pleasant. The second sip transforms that bitterness into a mix of marmalade and rose-petal jelly. Inoffensive dram. A decent introductory rye whiskey. 6/10 (Thanks for the sample, OB)