Having just reviewed the Amber Lane Water, we move on to the unusually named Quintessence that is an alternative word for the more often-used word Aether. Whatever you call it, this was rapid-proofed rather than slow-proofed and the differences between this and the Water are striking. We also discuss how Amber Lane as a Distillery manage their water supply and of course, review the Whisky.

The Alchemical Series was released by Amber Lane in October 2024 with five offerings, each named after an element of ancient Science. Each has a different twist on cask finishing and fast or slow proofing and the results vary considerably. We start this off with the Water and see for ourselves how slow-proofing has impacted this dram. It's not what you'd expect...

The last of the Amber Lane Core Range is the Liquid Amber, and being partly matured in ex-Pedro Ximénez casks it might just be the kinds of Sherry bomb that I have a soft-spot for...but how well can it compete with similarly matured Scotches? I don't want to spoil the ending, but this dram...actually blew my mind.

Now on to the second dram in the Core Range set of three from Amber Lane, this recently released offering is called the younger sibling of the acclaimed Silk Road, but at a more drinkable ABV the Silk Lane has been winning its own awards too. Does it stand up to the hype? Let's find out...

Having heard so many more good things about the Australian Amber Lane Distillery, I got my hands on some of their New Make called 'Pure Amber' as well as a sample pack of their new Core Range, which included their original Equinox Single Malt. I'd already reviewed it way back but nearly one year later, it's time to revisit it and re-review and see if it's the same dram that I remember.

Having just reviewed the 2024 release of the Macallan 18 Year Sherry Oak, I discovered what was left of my sample from many months ago of the 2017 release...so what's a good Whisky-reviewer to do...? Why, side-by-side compare them of course...and pick a winner. This turned out very differently to what I'd expected...

Many episodes ago I reviewed the 18 Year Sherry Oak but it was the 2017 release. When some very special people bought me a bottle of the 2024 release for my birthday, I was over the moon...that was many months ago and being slightly apprehensive about drinking it, it's time to review the 2024 release to see if it's the great Scotch that I remember...

Unlike my last year in review, this has genuinely been a full 12 months of Whisk(e)y tastings, reviews and learnings and I feel far better positioned to provide recommendations this time around. There's some old favourites and some new discoveries to share! I pick my favourite recommendations for Easy-sipping, Sherried and Peated Whiskies that are reasonably priced...as well as throw in two of my absolute favourites of all time (so far). Strap yourself in...this is a good one!

The Victoriana is a favourite of many Whisky enthusiasts so I just had to get my hands on a sample and give it a shot! I cover some more about the dark history of Glen Scotia and I also review the dram and contrast it with it's 15 Year brother. Is it worth the extra money?

My exploration of Campbeltown continues as I shift from Glengyle to Glen Scotia. This particular dram I tried at a Whisky Club evening and I subsequently grabbed a bottle when it was on special. Perhaps that's spoiling the ending about how much I liked it...but let's review this properly shall we?

On my trip to New Zealand in July this year, my son and I stayed near Christchurch and while there I stopped by at the lovely Whisky Galore store. They had so many I would have liked to have grabbed however this bottle caught my eye. I grabbed it, had some of it while I was there but couldn't bring it home to Australia with me, so just brought back a sample. I'd tried and enjoyed the Batch 6 at a Whisky Club night last year...how does the Batch 11 compare?

After a brief coverage of where Ardbeg source their Peated Malted Barley from I tackle a review of the strongest ABV Ardbeg in their core range. Up there in intensity against the Laphroaig 10 Cask Strength...can it beat it...or does it fall short? Time to find out!

This time I talk a bit about the Distillery itself, where this dram gets its name from and then I try to figure out for myself, why the Ardbeg Committee members voted the Uigeadail as being Ardbeg's best core range Whisky. Is it that good? Let's see.

Ardbeg's 10 Year offering has long been considered the benchmark Islay peated Whisky and set the standard for both quality and value. It's odd that I hadn't tried this until today and given my recent interest in Peated Whisky, it's one I've been looking forward to. I talk about the Ardbeg Committee, Dr Bill Lumsden and of course I review the Whisky...plus there's a special note towards the end...

The 'Wee Beastie' was initially released to the market in 2020 making it Ardbeg's most recent mainline entry into their Core Range. Some look at it's price point and smile, whilst others turn up their nose at being less than 10 years in age. The real question is...is it any good? Let's see shall we?

For Scotch, many consider 18 Year Age Statement offerings to be the point at which the real 'magic' happens in Whisky aging. There are many 18 year offerings from Scotland that I love, although you generally pay for the privilege. The real question for me though, is what does the extra time in the cask do to a Laphroaig, and will be live up to expectations?

The Laphroaig Lore is also referred to as 'The Cask Lore' and is said to represent over 200 years of the company's knowledge and traditions... Well that's all very delightful and lovely, but is it any good? Let's see...

I'd noticed the PX Cask in Travel Retail as I wandered through the Sydney International Airport a few months ago, but I didn't pick one up because I was out of Duty Free Allowance. I was also hesitant because I'd never tried it before...that changes now! When I next go through a Travel Retail location, will I insta-buy one, or will I keep on walking?

I first tried this on the first Whisky Club Peat Night I ever attended. I was pretty impressed and finally got around to finding a sample for me to review it properly. Whilst it's getting harder to find at the moment in the Australian market recently...if I could track one down, would it be worth the trouble? Let's see...

The Laphroaig 10 Year is the most easily accessible Laphroaig in my local area if I'm looking for a strong Peated Whisky, so I had actually tried this twice in the past but when I was out and about. At long last I got my own sample to try and review in my safe space...is it as good as I remember? There's only one way to know...