Scotland Archives

Strathearn Inaugural Bottling and Batch No. 02

Strathearn Inaugural Bottling / Batch No.02

9th July 20259th July 2025Coldorak

Strathearn Distillery is a small-batch single malt Scotch whisky producer located near Methven in Highland Perthshire, Scotland. Founded in 2013 by Tony Reeman-Clark and partners, the distillery operates within a historic 160-year-old stone farm steading, on the site of an earlier 18th-century distillery. Known as probably Scotland’s smallest distillery, Strathearn is distinguished by its artisanal approach, using Maris Otter Malt, small 50-litre casks (at least during the initial ownership) and a notably long fermentation time of up to 144 hours, which contributes to its uniquely fruity character . In 2019, the distillery was acquired by Douglas Laing & Co, a Glasgow-based independent bottler, which expanded its production capacity and launched new expressions such as “The Heart” in 2022. Strathearn manually handles every step from malt preparation to distillation, employing alembic-style stills imported from Portugal. We review the Strathearn Inaugural Bottling and Single Malt Batch No. 02.

Ardnahoe Infinite Loch and Bholsa

7th July 20256th July 2025Coldorak

Despite launching with an impressive Inaugural Release of 70,000 bottles, Ardnahoe, Islay’s newest distillery, has shown no signs of slowing down. Rather than resting on the success of its debut, the distillery has continued to build momentum and expand its presence in the whisky world. In addition to producing a handful of special bottlings for the annual Fèis Ìle festival, Ardnahoe has now introduced two permanent additions to its core range: Ardnahoe Infinite Loch and Bholsa.

Rosebank 21-year-old Innocence Specialty Drinks

4th July 20253rd July 2025Coldorak

Rosebank Distillery’s official founding was in 1840 by James Rankine, a local Falkirk wine merchant and tea blender. Situated on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal, the distillery thrived throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, earning a reputation for producing some of Scotland’s finest Lowland single malts. Rosebank distinguished itself through its traditional triple distillation process – a rarity in Scotch whisky production – which imparted a delicate, floral, and fruity character to its whisky, complemented by a thick palate texture thanks to its unique worm tub condensers.

After operating continuously for over 150 years, Rosebank closed in 1993 due to the prohibitive cost of upgrading its effluent treatment facilities and logistical challenges, despite the high regard for its whisky. The site remained dormant for three decades until Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the distillery and trademarks in 2017. Following an extensive restoration that faithfully replicated the original distillery’s layout and equipment, production resumed in 2023 and the distillery reopened to visitors in mid-2024. Obviously, the new spirit flowing from Rosebank stills is not whisky yet, so we’ll review a Rosebank 21-year-old ’Innocence’ bottled by Specialty Drinks (The Whisky Exchange).

Allt-A-Bhainne 1979 Whisky Castle / 1995 Chapter 7

Allt-A-Bhaine 1979 Whisky Castle/1995 Chapter 7

30th June 202529th June 2025Coldorak

After enjoying my first two Glendullan single malts on Friday, I continued exploring new experiences by reviewing a pair of Allt-A-Bhainne whiskies for the first time. These came from two independent bottlers I hadn’t tried anything from before: The Whisky Castle and Chapter 7. I review the Allt-A-Bhainne 1979 Whisky Castle and 1995 Chapter 7. Interestingly, the latter was distilled the same year the former was bottled.

Glendullan 2011 James Eadie / 2012 Signatory Vintage

27th June 202526th June 2025Coldorak

I really started my whisky journey, seriously going on the road towards empty wallets and overcrowded whisky shelves, back in 2018. A late start compared to many, but since then I’ve tried to discover as much as I could, try whisky from everywhere. I’ve now tried close to 2,600 different whiskies, and obviously, despite this number looking gigantic to some, and small to others, there are many things I have never tried (and maybe never will). But this also means that there is still a lot for me to discover, to try for the first time, being old or new whisky. After all, more than 260,000 whiskies are listed on Whiskybase, so with just 1% of those tried until now, I’ve barely scrapped the surface. And today, I can tick another checkbox with what seems to be my first ever two Glendullan whiskies. As it is one of the distilleries behind Diageo’s brand ’’’The Singleton’, I’m quite surprised I had never tried any before if I trust my whisky sheet and my Whiskybase account, but well, there’s a start for everything, including large distilleries! But today, no Singleton: we’ll review two independent bottlings: the Glendullan 2011 James Eadie and 2012 Signatory Vintage.

Compass Box Nectarosity & Crimson Casks

23rd June 202522nd June 2025Coldorak

Compass Box, known for its inventive style of Scotch whisky blending, introduced a major update to its core range in July 2024. This change signals a fresh chapter for the brand, coming after John Glaser left in May 2024 and a period of careful planning about the direction of its whiskies. The new core range now includes six distinct expressions: the returning favourites Orchard House and The Peat Monster, the established Artist and Glasgow blends, and two new releases – Nectarosity and Crimson Casks. With this update, Compass Box has retired The Story of the Spaniard and Spice Tree, aiming to bring more clarity and definition to the line-up. Now, let’s take a closer look at the two latest additions: Compass Box Nectarosity and Crimson Casks.

The Attic Islay June Tasting

20th June 202520th June 2025Coldorak

I recently participated in another session of the Attic Islay tasting, which I had mentioned a couple of months ago. The June event showcased six Islay whiskies, adhering to their usual format of featuring one whisky per distillery. The tasting was lively and engaging, conducted across multiple platforms, including Zoom, Facebook, and YouTube. The team of David Brodie, Katie Cairns, and Colin Stroud led the session with their characteristic enthusiasm.

During the tasting, we sampled each whisky blind, made our guesses, and then had the trio reveal the details before moving on to the next one. The lineup included an unpeated Caol Ila, an unpeated sherried Bunnahabhain, a Bowmore 15 Sherry Oak, a Lagavulin 11 Offerman, the Ardbeg Eureka (which I have previously reviewed and thus won’t cover here), and an Octomore 15.1. This selection offered a diverse representation of Islay whiskies, some of which were not universally liked by the hosts but were included to provide a comprehensive view of Islay’s offer.

Here, I will review five of the six whiskies from the Attic Islay June tasting. I extend my thanks to the organisers for putting together this really enjoyable event for whisky and Islay enthusiasts.

Talisker The Wild Blue vs The Wild Explorador

18th June 202517th June 2025Coldorak

Born to be wiIIIiiiIIIiiiIIIiiild… sorry, not sorry. Today we compare a pair of Talisker whiskies, selected because of their names: Talisker The Wild Blue vs The Wild Explorador. Yes, ‘explorador’ with a ’d’ – don’t ask me why, but I’m sure Diageo’s marketing team has a perfectly logical (and probably very exciting, of course) story for that. The Talisker The Wild Blue is a brand new 2025 release with a link to a foundation, like the Wilder Seas ’Parsley a couple of years ago, while The Wild Explorador is a 2023 Special Release. Let’s get to them, shall we?’

Glen Keith 21-, 25 and 28-year-old

16th June 202516th June 2025Coldorak

We published our first Glen Keith review on this blog only a few months ago, and we return already to this distillery. The previous review covered an independent bottling from Wemyss Malts; this time, we are looking at three official Glen Keith releases. Glen Keith, like the Braevals we reviewed last month, belongs to Pernod Ricard’s Secret Speyside range. The whiskies under review come from the first batch, so they might differ slightly from later batches, but they remain available, making this review relevant. (And I do not limit myself to reviewing only currently available whiskies.) Here are my notes on the Glen Keith 21-, 25-, and 28-year-old expressions.

Ninety-One & One / Ardbeg 19yo / Blend 40yo Living Souls

99&1 / Ardbeg 19yo / Blend 40yo Living Souls

11th June 202511th June 2025Coldorak

Living Souls is a new independent bottler that Calum Leslie, Jamie Williamson, and John Torrance founded. Together, they bring decades of experience in the whisky industry. They aim to take a different approach from other independent bottlers by focusing not on single casks but on delivering small batches, sometimes through a solera system. We will review three expressions from their batch #1 release: the Ninety-One & One, Secret Ardbeg 19-year-old, and Blended Scotch 40-year-old Living Souls.