A lot of people sleep on Single Grain Scotch, which is a real shame, IMHO. I got into grain via Compass Box Hedonism, which is a blended grain, but that opened me up to trying others. Many years ago I was in the right place at the right time, when Julio's Liquors happened to get a couple of bottles of a Clan Denny 50 year old North British Single Grain.

The price was shockingly low, half what 25 year old single malts were going for, so I snapped one up on the spot. It was fantastic, and when I later got into auctions I started hunting other Clan Denny bottles, and have since branches out into other independent bottlers.

I'm still picking up Clan Denny though, and this time I added a 30 year Garnheath 1975, a 40 year Girvan 1965, a 35 year Cambus 1975, and a 44 year Invergordon 1966.

I also picked up a few Cadenhead's bottlings - a 31 year Cameronbridge, a 34 year Girvan, a 40 year North British, a 26 year North British, and a 40 year Carsebridge.

As odds and ends I picked up a bottle of Cameron Brig (which is Cameronbridge) - I've been warned this might not be so good, a Signatory 14 year North British 2009, a Signatory 29 year North British 1991, a Muirhall Bond 15 year North British, and a Murray McDavid 16 year Invergordon.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #ClanDenny #Cadenhead #SignatoryVintage #NorthBritish #Invergordon #Garnheath #Girvan #Cambus #Cameronbridge #Carsebridge

I'm a well known Glenmorangie fanatic, so it should come as no surprise that a number of the recent arrivals are Glenmo.

The Year of the Horse wasn't an auction lot. That one I'd reserved well in advance through LVMH and picked up at Julio's Liquors. This is the rarest of the zodiac bottles to date, with only 388 instead of 888 bottles as with the previous four releases.

Cask 8664 was a Distillery Exclusive Release packaged like their Rare Cask offerings.

I picked up one of the 10 Year Old special label bottles, with the stills on the back, and the 1996 bottling of the 1974 vintage.

I also picked up four more Speakeasy bottles - 5446, 5448, 9601, & 9629.

Two more The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glenmorangie bottles were obtained - 125.2 & 125.11

And then several independent bottles. A couple of Cadenhead 'Highland' bottles which my research indicated should be Glenmorangie, and several Westport bottlings - which is 'teaspooned' Glenmo.

#Whiskey #Whisky #Scotch #Glenmorangie #Cadenhead #SMWS

Cadenheads Ben Nevis 25yo Authentic Collection, NC, NCF, 52.2% ABV

Packed with fruity deliciousness, floral notes, strawberries and raspberry jam. Complex flavours, citrussy notes which develop into sweet tropical fruit with brown sugar and spicy black pepper. Juicy, buttery finish with slight herbal notes and cinnamon. Lingering blackcurrants that go on and on.

Simply outstanding.

#whisky #singlemalt #scotch #scotland #bennevis #cadenhead

Advent Dram #23

Cadenhead's Ardnamurchan 5, NC, NCF, 58.1% ABV

Wonderful sweet cherries, strawberries, red currants, and a touch of earthy dunnage. Rich, thick, and mouth-coating, mulled wine with cinnamon, cloves, orange peel, and more dark fruit. Jammy with a slight savouriness. Despite its youth and high ABV, there is no alcohol burn. It is beautifully smooth and quaffable. The cask must have been really active, as the depth of flavour and complexity is astonishing.

This is a real beauty.

#whisky #singlemalt #scotch #Scotland #Ardnamurchan #Cadenhead