A wardrobe of Whisky Blog - tasting notes, collection and best shops for buying whisky online A wardrobe of Whisky Blog - tasting notes, collection and best shops for buying whisky online
Login
“Because you can't buy happiness... but you can buy whisky and that's pretty much the same thing”

Read older stories of A Wardrobe of Whisky blog.

You can read here older articles posted in A Wardrobe of Whisky since 2009.
The articles are sorted by publication date. You can either browse here, check the featured articles section or use the search bar on the top of this page.
Library list of older posts

Stories from October, 2013

What is your favorite Whisky?

By Miguel in Whisky

As part of our celebration of A Wardrobe of Whisky’s third birthday, I am giving away a £100 bottle of whisky, so for an extra chance ( each day I will add a new task ) you can share with us your favorite whisky.

win-free-whisky-day-2

So today for a new chance to win a fabulous single malt whisky, add a comment with your favorite whisky and share this post. One more chance to win a fantastic bottle of single malt whisky, and yes, £100 can still buy very good whisky.

If you lack of inspiration you may want to check what whiskies others recommended or some of my favorite and best whiskies reviews. Please refer to how to win free whisky about exact terms and conditions ( mainly stuff about +18, end date of the give-away, and shipping conditions ).

Good luck!


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Win £100 of FREE Whisky

By Miguel in Featured

A Wardrobe of Whisky turns three years old somewhere between October and November so to celebrate such mythical age at which raw spirit turns into single malt whisky I have decided to give away a £100 bottle of whisky. Any whisky you choose. For free. Serious.

Win FREE Whisky

A Wardrobe of Whisky’s fans recommendation ( and mine if you ask me ) are Compass Box Delilah + Nikka Coffey, Highland Park 18yo, Talisker 18yo, Old Pulteney 21yo, Glenfarclas 25yo, Balvenie 21yo or Yamazaki 18yo. The Yamazaki is slightly over £100 but what the hell, a blog doesn’t turn three years old everyday.

So what you need to win this fantastic prize, it is quite simple:

  1. Like A Wardrobe of Whisky on Facebook or Google+ ( or both for more chances )
  2. Each day I will publish a photo like the one above. Like and share it. Share each day for more chances to win.
  3. That’s all.

Read the full story »


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Best Whiskies from The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2013

By Miguel in Tasting , Featured

At last, after writing almost one month ago my experience at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show I have written the whole set of tasting notes. So here you have all the whiskies I tasted scored and reviewed. The whiskies are shown in the exact order that I tasted them.

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show Best Whiskies

Warning! 100 Bottles of whisky ahead. Keep your wallet in a safe remote place or you will end up ordering great stuff… much like me.

Read the full story »


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Bunnahabhain 1989 Berry Bros Cask 5755 Review

By Miguel in Tasting , Bunnahabhain

“Lovely sweet with a more than decent amount of peat for any Bunnahabhain whisky. A winner on its own!”

90
Bunnahabhain 21 Year Old 1989 Cask 5755 (Berry Brothers and Rudd)

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, vanilla, citrus, spices, cinnamon.

Palate (90): powerful. honey, peat, vanilla, citrus, floral, spices.

Finish (90): average. peat, wood, citrus.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Bunnahabhain 21 Year Old 1989 Cask 5755 (Berry Brothers and Rudd) with 90 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Ardbeg 18 years old Single Cask by Master of Malt

By Miguel in Tasting , Ardbeg

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! This one was sold out in a matter of hours. I wasn't able to buy it. Fuck again!”

91
Ardbeg 18 Year Old - Single Cask (Master of Malt)

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. peat, vanilla, citrus, honey, earth.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. peat, honey, citrus, pepper, earth, vanilla.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, vanilla, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ardbeg 18 Year Old - Single Cask (Master of Malt) with 91 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Girvan 1989 Cask 37532 Berry Bros & Rudd

By Miguel in Tasting , Girvan

“At first nose isn't promising at all but then the palate and the finish of this grain whisky makes you fall in love with it”

89
Girvan 1989 Cask 37532 (Berry Brothers and Rudd)

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (86): average. floral, honey, vanilla, spices, cinnamon, citrus, ginger.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, spices, vanilla, wood, cinnamon, citrus, liquorice.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, spices, liquorice.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Girvan 1989 Cask 37532 (Berry Brothers and Rudd) with 89 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Arran 100 Proof

By Miguel in Tasting , Arran

“Very fresh Arran whisky at a high strength. Too young for my taste”

86
Arran 100 Proof
A mini bottle of Arran's 100 proof single malt - bottled at 57% ABV, the British 100 proof.

This dram has a white wine-like color.

Nose (84): more than average. honey, floral, citrus, grass, spices. Very young whisky

Palate (86): powerful, oily. honry, citrus, spices, vanilla, fruits.

Finish (87): average. honey, spices, apples.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Arran 100 Proof with 86 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

North Of Scotland 1973 Cask 14570 Berry Bros & Rudd

By Miguel in Tasting , North of Scotland

“Super grain whisky. Haven't I bought a bottle of Carsebridge for Christmas that would have been my best option. Quite dramtastic whisky sir!”

93
North of Scotland 1973 / Cask #14570 / Berry Bros& Rudd Single Whisky
A 1973 vintage single grain whisky from North of Scotland, founded in 1958, closed in 1980 and dismantled in 1993. This was aged for 38 years before being bottled in 2012 by Berry Brothers and Rudd.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. cereals, honey, vanilla, red mature fruits, citrus, spices, roses.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. honey, wood, nutmeg, citrus, ginger, spices, candies.

Finish (93): long. candies, floral, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this North of Scotland 1973 / Cask #14570 / Berry Bros& Rudd Single Whisky with 93 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Kavalan Solist Vinho Cask

By Miguel in Tasting , Kavalan

“Very nice! Overwhelming but really nice! I love this Kavalan”

90
Kavalan Solist Vinho Cask
A slightly strange experiment from Kavalan, using first fill American wine casks for maturation after planing and retoasting the wood. Measured wine influence with some great classic American oak flavours.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, fruits, biscuits, citrus.

Palate (90): powerful. honey, fruits, wood, pepper, floral, citrus.

Finish (89): longer than average. honey, floral, biscuits.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Kavalan Solist Vinho Cask with 90 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Whiskey by John Lamond Review

By Miguel in Books

If you are new to Single Malt Whisky this book will give you an interesting and fast insight into Whiskey world and it will surely move you to learn more and more about this deliciously complex spirit.

9781616892166

I don’t usually do reviews of whisky books although I have quite a collection of them at home. This book, Whiskey by John Lamond, that has fallen in my hands is part of the Princenton Architectural Press’s Instant Expert series.

The idea behind the book is to turn yourself into a expert in a pocket book that you can carry with you. Have they succeed on the task? No, mainly because you can’t be turned into a whisky expert by any book but I have to say it is a quite interesting reading.

The book is structured in several parts, each of them quite accessible.

The first section is about whisky fundamentals were briefly you are introduced to whisky ingredients, the different steps involved in making whisky, the different types and some tips about how to drink whisky ( you should really read this one if you are interesting in learning how to taste whisky ).

Then the second part of the book is a collection of distilleries information and must-know as well as tasting notes without scores ( but with an useful “Expert Essential” seal on some bottles ) of Single Malts, Blends, Irish Whiskey, American whiskeys and international whiskies.

The thrid and quite interesting part of the book is about several topics quite related to the whisky world: how to enjoy the whisky best, bottles and age statements, styles of whisky, tips for buying at auction and retails ( if you really want to save money check prices first at A Wardrobe of Whisky ) and tips about how to store your whisky to get the best of it. Finally it has a list of places where you can learn more about whisky.

A decent book about Whisky. And quite good sized.


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2013 Reviewed

By Miguel in Featured

Guess who tasted one fifth of The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show! Taking place at London, near Borough Market, this is maybe the biggest UK Whisky Festival with hundreds of whisky bottles from many distillers all around the world.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

So there I am. One year later I am back to London for TWE Whisky Show. This year I have stayed two full days ( or so I thought ), Sunday and Monday for the Trade Day. Do you want me to tell you the good or the bad things first? Well, anyway, I am going to tell you both.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The great things about the show have been the amount of whiskies to taste, a bit over 500 this year and the quality of most of them. Lots of great stuff for tasting and barely eleven hours to taste them. Between the great whiskies I can think now of both Karuizawa, several Paul John whiskies I tasted, some Amruts, some Signatory drams, a Laphroaig, … I have made a list at the end of the post so you don’t miss them. ( I have just secured mine :P )

Read the full story »


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Ardbeg Day Single Malt Review

By Miguel in Tasting , Ardbeg

“Love it! Pure Ardbeg cask strength complexity for Committee member only ”

91
Ardbeg Day

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. peat, honey, citrus, vanilla, cocoa.

Palate (92): powerful, oily. peat, citrus, fruity, wood, pepper, vanilla, cocoa, earth.

Finish (91): longer than average. peat, honey, citrus, fruity.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Ardbeg Day with 91 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Littlemill 1992 20 years old Cask 9 Berry Bros & Rudd

By Miguel in Tasting , Littlemill

“Gorgeous floral experience! This lost distillery whisky sings about forgotten Springs we enjoyed”

90
Littlemill 1992 / 20 Year Old / Cask #9 / Berry Bros& Rudd Lowland Whisky
A 20 year old single cask whisky from closed Littlemill, distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2012 by independent wine and spirits merchant Berry Brothers & Rudd.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, fruits, spices, floral, anise. Quite floral dram.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. ginger, honey, floral, spices, juniper.

Finish (90): longer than average. floral, citrus, spices.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Littlemill 1992 / 20 Year Old / Cask #9 / Berry Bros& Rudd Lowland Whisky with 90 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Craggamore 20 years old 1991 Single Cask by Master of Malt

By Miguel in Tasting , Cragganmore

“Nice single malt with lots of wood, spices and - is that almonds?! Interesting”

88
Cragganmore 20 Year Old 1991 Cask 1146 - Single Cask (Master of Malt)

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (86): average. honey, wood, spices, cinnamon, citrus, candies.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, wood, citrus, spices, walnuts.

Finish (89): average. honey, almonds.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Cragganmore 20 Year Old 1991 Cask 1146 - Single Cask (Master of Malt) with 88 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Jura 1976 35 years old Cask 888 Berry Bros & Rudd

By Miguel in Tasting , Isle of Jura

“Quite gorgeous! Love its notes of old rancio flowers. A bit salty, a bit peated, delightfully decadent. Love it!”

93
Jura 1976 / 35 Year Old / Cask #888 / Berry Brothers& Rudd Island Whisky
A 35 year old single cask whisky from the Isle of Jura, distilled in 1976 and bottled in 2012 by Berry Brothers & Rudd. This one comes from cask 888, so we suspect this may be snapped up by fans of lucky numbers...

This dram has a old oak-like color.

Nose (92): more than average. honey, leather, pine wood, salt, varnish.

Palate (93): powerful, oily. peat, honey, wood, parma violets, spices.

Finish (93): longer than average. peat, floral.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Jura 1976 / 35 Year Old / Cask #888 / Berry Brothers& Rudd Island Whisky with 93 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Arran The Amarone Cask Finish

By Miguel in Tasting , Arran

“Very fruity Arran with an almost pink color. The high strength bottling saves an uninteresting whisky...umm... not exactly uninteresting but Amarone cask doesn't get the best of this single malt”

88
Arran The Amarone Cask Finish
Colour: Burnished Copper Nose: Poached pears and honey followed by toasted almonds and a subtle touch of cranberry. With water a coffee note appears together with chocolate orange and mellow butterscotch. Palate: Dark chocolate, cherry and turkish delights are evident as are stewed fruits and toffee. Muscular notes of dark plum wrestle with bitter-sweet apricots and a hint of cinnamon. Finish: A well-balanced combination of the finesse of The Arran Malt and the restrained fruit and oak from the Amarone casks. Concentrated and elegant this malt delivers on all levels.

This dram has a gold-like color.

Nose (88): more than average. honey, fruits, floral, raisins, pears, wood.

Palate (88): powerful, oily. honey, fruits, wood, pears, apples, vanilla.

Finish (87): average. honey, fruits.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Arran The Amarone Cask Finish with 88 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:



Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Rosebank 21 years old The Whisky Exchange Exclusive

By Miguel in Tasting , Rosebank

“Very good whisky. Tastes really complex with a great malt. I will get a bottle of this as soon as I have money again”

91
Rosebank 21 The Whisky Exchange
A single cask Rosebank 21yo bottled by The Whisky Exchange with one of our stylish retro labels inspired by classic whisky designs from days gone by. This one is from an ex-bourbon cask and is delightfully sweet and elegant, even if we do say so ourselves.

This dram has a fino-like color.

Nose (91): more than average. honey, vanilla, floral, malt.

Palate (92): powerful. honey, oranges, citrus, fruity, pepper. Awesomely nice.

Finish (91): longer than average. honey, pepper, wood.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Rosebank 21 The Whisky Exchange with 91 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Aultmore 5 years old Single Cask by Master of Malt

By Miguel in Tasting , Aultmore

“Interesting whisky. Sherry cask? Port Cask? Looks like a very fruity sherried whisky. I like”

90
Aultmore 5 Year Old - Single Cask (Master of Malt)
This Aultmore from our single cask range is a Speysider that displays an intriguing complexity well beyond its years, whilst still maintaining a citrus-y freshness. This stems from the fact that it was matured in a first-fill sherry. It was distilled on the 12th March 2007, aged for 5 years and bottled in May 2012. A release of 628 bottles.

This dram has a cooper-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, wood, citrus, cinnamon, fruits, salt.

Palate (90): powerful, oily. honey, nuts, fruits, citrus, spices, cinnamon, chocolate.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, leather, fruits.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Aultmore 5 Year Old - Single Cask (Master of Malt) with 90 points over 100.

Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

The Color of Whisky

By Miguel in Featured , Whisky

Single Malt Whisky is an exciting and incredible drink. I never get tired of tasting new drams and surprisingly ( at least for me ) most of them are quite different of each other. But one of the things people loves more about malt whisky is how it looks on the glass: the color of whisky.

colors-of-whisky-full

Color is usually a by-product of the years spent in the cask, and other times just the result of the distiller adding caramel to the whisky to get “a single color through batches”. So…

Read the full story »


Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.

Auchentoshan Three Wood Review

By Miguel in Tasting , Auchentoshan

I am back with daily tasting notes for the malts that I enjoy most. So let’s begin with a great Lowlands Single Malt Whisky from Auchentoshan distillery.

“It is like a sherry monster with something really sweet and fruity hidden behind the sherry wall. I like it”

90
Auchentoshan Three Wood Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
70cl / 43% / Distillery Bottling - The ever-popular Auchentoshan Three Wood is matured initially in bourbon casks before being finished in Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez casks for an extra layer of rich, sweet fruitiness.

This dram has a tawny-like color.

Nose (90): more than average. honey, nuts, fruits, vanilla, baked apples, cocoa, ripe pears, cinnamon, cloves.

Palate (91): powerful, oily. honey, sherry, nuts, spices, citrus, cinnamon, cocoa, fruits.

Finish (90): longer than average. honey, citrus, nuts.

So based on other whiskies I have already tasted I rate this Auchentoshan Three Wood Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky with 90 points over 100.

Buy this bottle at

Save money when you buy Single Malt Whisky online. Check for the best prices from best online shops below:



Write a comment Share your thoughts! comments written.