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...

The 'Select' is Laphroaigs entry level Whisky and whilst it can be found out and about, I'd yet to try it! That changes now. Does this Laphroiag still pack a peaty-punch, or is it's 40% ABV just a bit too low to deliver the flavour and mouthfeel I've come to associate with Laphroaigs? Let's find out...

I first tried this Dram at the first ever Whisky Club night I ever attended and that was a year ago. It was my second favourite Whisky of the evening and when I saw an amazing price for a bottle, I grabbed one. It remains the only Japanese Whisky I've ever bought...let me review it and I'll explain why.

Way back in Episode 43 I reviewed Batch 006 of this exact Whisky...and I lamented the fact that I couldn't buy a bottle of it in Australia. Dan Murphy's website showed no stock of any Batch of it, anywhere in Australia so imagine my surprise when I was wandering through a Store I spotted a Batch 007 on the shelf! It was even cheaper than the website list price so I grabbed it...and today I'm going to review the 007 with 006 and see how it stacks up.

The final sample I grabbed from the New Zealand Whisky Collection's Cellar door in July this year is also the strongest. It's a strong and bold presence in this Whisky, but of all the ones I've reviewed, is it actually the best?

The Oamaruvian Revolution is considered to be the truest expression of the New Zealand Whisky Collection's new Dunedin distillery character. How well does it stack up against the more traditional offerings in the Collection? There's only one way to find out...

The Double Wood 16 Year Old comes from original Willowbank stocks and there are only a hundred or so bottles remaining. I grabbed myself a full sized bottle of this after I tried it in the tasting at the Cellar Door. Let me explain how this Whisky has a bizzare and amazing split personality.

One of the first new Whiskies from the New Zealand Whisky Collections new Dunedin Distillery is the Double Cask Single Malt. Can this new offering make it's own mark in their line-up? There's only one way to know for sure...

Our journey through the New Zealand Whisky Collection continues with a 21 Year Old Blended Whisky bearing the original Wilson's name and branding. Fully matured in its original cask from when Willowbank was operating, does its age statement do this spirit justice?

This is first of several Whiskies I brought back from New Zealand, from the New Zealand Whisky Collection in Oamaru. Cyril Yates has been involved with the original Willowbank through to the modern NZ Whisky Collection Distillery at Speights, both in Dunedin. I dive into how Cyril has been the thread that ties the generations together and I also review his Solera Blended Malt...it's unique and it's just lovely.

On my skiing trip to New Zealand with my son I stopped in Christchurch at the Kaiapoi Distillery just North of the city. I tried several of their offerings but came home with a bottle of their 18 Year Single Malt. I love a good Sherry Bomb for sure, but is this a perfect execution of a Sherry Bomb, and how does it compare to others in the genre. Let's find out...

The final sample from the pack I grabbed when I was at the Distillery in July, is the Otago Pinot Barrel Whisky. Matured in ex-Red Wine Barrels from Maude Wines in Otago, I'm expecting something similar to the Starward Nova...but there's only one way to find out.

The second of the three sample pack I brought back with me is on the cards today. The Virgin Oak is matured for 7 years in European Oak casks...but is it balanced and lovely, or did they push it too far? Let's find out...

Having returned to New Zealand for a Skiing Holiday with my oldest son in mid-July, I took the opportunity to visit the Divergence Distillery in Christchurch and do a tasting and a tour. It was awesome! I brought back a three pack of 200mL samples including my old favourite, the Port Wood that I reviewed in Episode 63. Does it still match up with my recollection? Let's see...

AOB are located in Mullumbimby in Northern New South Wales, only 20k from Byron Bay, where the Highwayman Distillery is located. When AOB and Highwayman get together to create a Whisky, it's worth paying attention. I'm thrilled to review their first collaboration, the Diemens Rising 001 to see what the joining of spirit made in the same still, on two different islands, in two different times can come together to create something truly special.

AOB have two Whiskies available on their website and this offering is finished in ex-Peated Casks sourced from the Highwayman Distillery. I go into more detail about AOB themselves, their still and review this offering to determine if it's the next step up from the Walking Along The Shore...just how big a step up that is.

In episode 40 I reviewed the AOB Pinot Noir Cask, as part of my Liqour Loot subscription that I had at that time. I couldn't find a bottle for sale anywhere other than Liqour Loot themselves, but they were out of stock. Upon coming upon the episode, Pete Jaffe from AOB reached out and said...we have bottles of this...it's actually called Walking Along The Shore, and would I like one? With a bottle now in hand, I re-review this offering. Is it as good as I remember? Or is it even better? Not only that, I go in-depth with economies of scale and how I'm now going to rank Craft Distilleries differently on cost. Let me explain how and why...

With the Odes to the Valley and the Dark now reviewed, the final release in the series, the Ode to the Embers, harkens back to the days when GlenDronach peated their malts. For me, it's the first modern Peated GlenDronach I've ever tried. It's also the most expensive, but is it actually the best one of the series? Or did we peak with the Dark?

Having just bought the Ode's without trying them, I was relieved when the Valley was quite alright. The second most expensive and the hottest offering, their Ode to the Dark, is the next on my list to try. Maturation in Pedro Ximénez Sherry Casks certainly sounds like my kind of Whisky...there's only one way to know...

I've become a bit of a GlenDronach fanboy...so when they released a set of three as a special release, I just bought them all without trying them first. I know, I know, I broke my own rule. They call them the Ode's and this one is their Ode to the Valley. Did I make a mistake buying them without trying them first? Let's start with their Ode to the Valley...and find out...