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thewhiskynovice Exploring the world, one dram at a time. https://www.instagram.com/thewhiskynovice/

Who doesn't love a bit of new make?Well, this one is just a little different! have used the sour mash process with thei...
17/12/2025

Who doesn't love a bit of new make?
Well, this one is just a little different! have used the sour mash process with their peated malt barley to create this special spirit.

For those unfamiliar with sour mash, it's a little like making sourdough. Some of the leftovers from the previous mash is added to the next mash. The spent mash contains a lot of dead yeast, which is great for live yeast to feed off of. The acidic nature of the spent mash helps maintains a steady pH and controls bacteria growth.

This could very well be a first for InchDairnie, as it's believed to be the first time a Scottish distillery had used the backset process in single malt production.

Nose: This is funky! Sour melon, bread dough and flapjacks. It's super malty and a little ye**ty.
Palate: Interestingly the peat hits you straight away, before fading into fruit flavours, and then returning for another wave of smoke.
It's little acidic to start with a touch of citrus, which soon turns into peaches, lychee and a rich mineral note. The texture throughout is thick and creamy. Not what you'd expect from a clear spirit!

This is baffling! I am desperate to see what this is like when aged! InchDairnie released their first single malts this year at 8 years old, so I suspect it'll be a good while before we get to see the final product!

//Gifted

And that's a wrap for 2025! is always a great way to end the festival calender.And of course, the photographer papped me...
12/12/2025

And that's a wrap for 2025!
is always a great way to end the festival calender.

And of course, the photographer papped me as I was pouring and waffling about my love for the 14 year old Port Cask! 😅

Thanks to everyone who saw me on the road, came over for a chat, and enjoyed a dram!

Normal whisky reviews will resume shortly, right after I've shaken off this dreadful cold (hot toddy recipes gratefully received!)

Curiosity killed the cat, but not this one.This is a 14 year old Ben Nevis from . There's no mention of cask types on t...
09/12/2025

Curiosity killed the cat, but not this one.
This is a 14 year old Ben Nevis from . There's no mention of cask types on the front label, but a quick look on their website indicates that this has been matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and sherry casks.

I'm a big fan of the branding, and the way this bottle stands out on the shelf. (If you haven't seen them already, check out their Jura and Craigellachie bottles, too). But of course, what's important is what's in the pretty bottle, so let's dive in.

Nose: Lemon pips, freshly cut hay, apricot pastries, and caramel pancakes.
Palate: Green apples, baked pears, dried apricots, olives, coffee cake, pepper with a citrusy zing.

This is quite a savoury dram, and pretty much what you'd expect from a Ben Nevis of its age. There's a maltiness, with some stewed fruits and an element of funkiness with the olive note. There's also a lot more stone fruits and citrus than the tropical notes you would associate with an older Ben Nevis.

//Gifted

A lovely christmas present from the team at the !I've kindly been sent a bottle of the Lakes Signature to enjoy over th...
08/12/2025

A lovely christmas present from the team at the !
I've kindly been sent a bottle of the Lakes Signature to enjoy over the festive period.

The Lakes Signature was released earlier this year as the first readily-available single malt bottle in their core range. I've previously been a fan of quite a few of the Lakes releases, but their limited nature meant it was hard to pick up a second bottle of the ones I really enjoyed, so it's great to see a permanent addition to the range.

Signature is a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries, matured in both American and European oak casks before being bottled at 47%ABV.

Nose: Red berries and dried fruits. Blood orange, tanned leather, chocolate shavings, and a touch of nutmeg.
Palate: Baked apples, raisins, bread pudding, walnuts, baking spices, molasses, and a slightly dry oak spice on the finish

The flavour profile of this one is exactly what you'd want from a christmas whisky, with plenty of rich flavours that would stand up well against your christmas feast. And with it being 47%, there's no worry of being the first to fall asleep on Christmas afternoon...

//Gifted

Last show of the year and the team have treated me to a new fish tank!If you're at swing by to try the new !
05/12/2025

Last show of the year and the team have treated me to a new fish tank!

If you're at swing by to try the new !

Cask Na Nollaig, the Christmas Cask.Named after Crom Dubh na Nollaig, a character from Scottish folklore described as th...
05/12/2025

Cask Na Nollaig, the Christmas Cask.
Named after Crom Dubh na Nollaig, a character from Scottish folklore described as the anti-santa. The demon, also known as 'The dark crooked one of christmas,' would punish children by beating them with birch sticks. Sounds perfect for a whisky, right? 😅

have released a peated port cask for their christmas bottling. It's a blended malt from Islay, bottled at 46% and limited to 200 bottles.

Nose: Sticky BBQ glaze, plum jam, hazelnut spread, iodine scrub, and a coastal saltiness.
Palate: Raspberry, dark chocolate, cherry lip sweets, chewy caramels and lemon & lime cordial, then there's a kind of menthol-ly oakiness, aswell as a salty peat smoke on the finish.

The port and the peat on this one work together in harmony and make for a really tasty dram. If I had to pick one little ni**le, it's that there could have been a little bit more texture to it, but that's just me being picky.

I love that the guys have gone for something a little different than your standard "how much sherry can we get into this" christmas bottling. Whilst I do love a good sherry cask, it is actually a port cask I tend to turn to over the festive period.

Merry Christmas, or 'Fijne Sinterklaas' for my Dutch followers celebrating today!

//Gifted

Gather. A single cask from that was only available from "bricks and mortar" whisky shops. The idea? To get people out o...
03/12/2025

Gather. A single cask from that was only available from "bricks and mortar" whisky shops.

The idea? To get people out of the house and back into in-person retail, giving them the chance to interact with some of the fantastic people who work in local whisky shops around the UK.

Just by chance, I happened to be at over the weekend that this was launched. Matt has a wonderful shop in the heart of Chesterfield, selling all kinds of spirits, beers, and wines. Their knowledge and passion made the experience so much more enjoyable than sitting at home inputting my card details onto a screen.

In spirit of the 'Gather' element of this bottling, I've split mine with a local whisky club to ensure as many people get to try this sought-after whisky as possible. It's a double maturation single cask, starting life in an ex-bourbon barrel before being finished in a 1st fill Moscatel barrique.

In other White Peak news, their Bourbon barrel has just won The 's Whisky of the Year for 2026. A well-deserved award for what is a fantastic whisky. Congrats, guys!

So I'm sure you've all seen quite a few posts by now, so I'll save you the waffle and summarise. ⚫️ Free Whisky* - If y...
02/12/2025

So I'm sure you've all seen quite a few posts by now, so I'll save you the waffle and summarise.

⚫️ Free Whisky* - If you pay the £8.95 postage and sign up to their subscription, you get your first 35cl bottle for free.
⚫️ Cancel anytime - Cancel or pause your subscription by giving the guys a call.
⚫️ Head to www.whisky52.com/NOVICE to take advantage of the offer.

For full disclosure, we get a slight kickback for any sign-ups, so choose whose link you use wisely!

This month, the Whisky52 guys have sent me their edition No14, a Nc'Nean aged in STR and oloroso casks.

Nose: Fruity. Red vine candy, Jacob's crackers, ice cream cones, cooking chocolate, mahogany, and walnuts
Palate: Jelly tots, chocolate coated nuts, redcurrants, wood tannins, nutmeg, and oak spice.

I found the nose to be better than the palate on this one, with a touch of youthfulness coming through. Even down at 47%, it's still a little spritely.

At £35 (the equivalent of £70 for a 70cl), then I can't help but feel there could be better value found elsewhere. I guess that's the gamble with subscription services. Not every bottle is going to be to your taste.

Thanks again to Whisky52 for sending me the bottle.
//Gifted

Embarque, a recent release from the . It was bottled in celebration of the journeys from the sun-drenched bodegas in Je...
30/11/2025

Embarque, a recent release from the . It was bottled in celebration of the journeys from the sun-drenched bodegas in Jerez to the historic docks on London.

Just like the recent releases (see my Tamdhu picture from last week), this has been finished in 1st fill oloroso sherry casks from Bodegas Barbadillo.

Nose: Raspberry ripple ice cream with a chocolate flake, cinder toffee, bark chippings, treacle tart, and pink wafers.
Palate: More berries, chocolate centred toffees, sharp marmalade, drumstick lollipops, pain au chocolat, macchiato, and a mild toasted oak finish.

There's a really nice texture to this one, and a big berry and chocolatey palate. The LDC spirit delivers more to the palate than your average oloroso drenched sherry bomb, providing a nice balance of sherry and distillery character.

If you've been thinking about this one or now tempted after reading about it, then The London Distillery Company has currently knocked £20 off for Black Friday!

//Ad

I'm in Chesterfield today at pouring some and !
29/11/2025

I'm in Chesterfield today at pouring some and !

Dewars have made their latest Distillery Edition available online! Normally, this bottle would only be available if you ...
27/11/2025

Dewars have made their latest Distillery Edition available online!

Normally, this bottle would only be available if you made the trip to Dewar's Aberfeldy distillery, but for this particular edition, they've made it easy for everyone to get their hands on it.

Whiskies from 2014 have been blended together before being finished in Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon casks.

Obviously, ordering online means you'd miss out on getting to bottle the whisky yourself, so if you're able to get to the distillery, I'd recommend heading on over to get the full experience. Whisky , you have bottled yourself always tastes that little bit more special.

Nose: Milk chocolate, plums, blackberries, conkers, and rolling to***co.
Palate: Dark fruits, blackcurrant jelly, coffee truffles, and a sweet herbaceous note. It's a little earthy with a dry woody/tannic finish.

I'm a little on the fence about distillery exclusive bottlings being available online. It's great that people who can't make it to the distillery get a chance to get their own bottle, but I also like the reward of a special bottling that can only be obtained by making the journey.

At the 60.2%ABV bottling strength, everything seems a little tight initially, but a few drops of water does wonders for this dram, opening the whisky up a little and showcasing hidden flavours. Quite often red-wine casks can be a little too tannic, however I didn't find that with this release. The tannins are there, but they're in check, with the dark fruit notes taking the limelight.

//Gifted

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