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My favorite malt distilleries (and some thoughts on other distilleries, too!)

People often ask me: “Michael, what are your favorite Scottish distilleries? You know so much about Scotch whisky, I really want to pick your brain and find out which distilleries you keep coming back to!” Just kidding. No one has ever asked me that, although I have often wished someone would ask me about my …

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2025 Diageo Special Releases

You can breath, now. Diageo has finally officially announced their 2025 Special Releases, dubbed "Horizons Unbound," and for those of you itching to get your hands on them, the usual suspects in UK specialty retail have them for sale. I know we've all been losing sleep over this! Let's face it, the Special Releases have …

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Ardbeg Wee Beastie 5 year old

The Basics: Do I recommend it?: Yes! Availability: Widespread ABV: 47.4% Presentation: Unchillfiltered General information: Heavily peated Bottling type: Proprietary Character: Smoky, maritime and surprisingly…Mexican? Score: 94/100 The details: I try to mix it up with my reviews; review some obscure stuff that you’ll only be able to dig up at auction, if even there, …

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Teaninich 14 (Alistair Walker Whisky/Infrequent Flyers)

The Basics: Do I recommend it?: Yes Availability: UK-based specialty retail ABV: 55.6% abv (cask strength) Presentation: Unchillfiltered and natural color General information: Rye cask finish Bottling type: Independent Character: Honeyed, spicy, herbal and nutty Score: 92/100 The details: Diageo’s workhorse distillery in the northern highlands, Teaninich (pronounced chee-nin-nick), churns out over 10 million liters …

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