New: Balvenie Stories // Nikka Days // Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection

‘The Balvenie Stories’ series

The Balvenie is working on three new expressions or Stories about craftsmen and their experiences, and how they produce the true character of the spirit:

Balvenie 12 Years ‘The sweet toast of American oak’ (43%), focused on the fruitier, sweeter style of Balvenie, made with a batch of ex-bourbon casks transferred to virgin oak barrels for a finishing period
Balvenie 14 Years ‘The Week of Peat’ (48.3%), produced during the one week each year that the distillery uses peated malt
Balvenie 26 Years ‘A day of Dark Barley’ (47.8%), produced with dark roasted brittle barley more commonly used to make stout beer.

Update: see my review of the Balvenie Stories range.

Nikka Days

Nikka Days is a new blended Japanese whisky, combining grain whisky (Miyagikyo) and lightly peated malt (Yoichi). It’s meant to be smooth, delicate and fruity. Bottled at 40% ABV and available for around € 40. Could be a nice everyday drinker.

Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection

Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the new look of its Private Collection range with the launch of two new releases:

Inverleven 1985 (57,4%, refill bourbon barrel #562, 130 btl.) – £ 1000
Glenrothes 1974 (49,5%, refill sherry puncheon #18440, 276 btl.) – £ 1250

Watch out for my reviews – working on it as we speak.

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve ‘American oak selection’

This is a new version of the base expression Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. It is supposed to contain first-fill ex-bourbon casks only. Bottled at 40% ABV. Basically the same recipe as what they did to the Nadurra range, focusing on specific cask types – maybe there will be an Oloroso matured Founder’s Reserve in the future?

Also interesting

Things that may not have been widely announced but that grabbed my attention in shops recently…