Thanks very much Steve. Enjoyed the drams, but would love to try them at 46% non-chill filtered. Hope The Cairn releases are at that higher strength when the core range is ready. The 3yo First Peek at 57% is rather good and bodes well for the future #TheCairnDistillery @thewhiskywire.bsky.social

30yo - Palate : It tastes old. Old cupboards and library books, with coconut, toffee pennies, oak, peppery spice, apple and milk chocolate. Very enjoyable, but not as good as the nose was. #TheCairnDistillery

30yo - Nose : The curry spices I got on the nose of the 18 are back! Earthy dunnage notes, sour plums, apple strudel and custard, polished oak. Very refined. Just need a leather wingback chair and a log fire! #TheCairnDistillery

25yo - Palate : Another spicy one, but less so than the 18. Lots of toffee and vanilla notes, with darker chocolate, dark fruits, coconut and apple. A little of the acetone from the nose. Drying oak, chocolate and cream in the finish #TheCairnDistillery

25yo - Nose : Although I know this is 100% malt whisky, I would have guessed blind this was a grain whisky. Very sweet vanilla, acetone, black marker pen, bounty bars and dried fruits from the sherry casks #TheCairnDistillery

18yo - Palate : Rather spicy and oaky. The spice never leaves, but does reduce after a few seconds. Dried fruits, dark chocolate, old cupboards, ginger. Very drying. #TheCairnDistillery

18yo - Nose : This is interesting, Im getting a lot of curry type spices on the nose - garam masala. Also polished mahogany, apple skins, strawberry toffo, black tea. #TheCairnDistillery

12yo - Palate : A little thin on the mouthfeel. More of the same with the oak and dried fruits. The oak is rather drying. Apples, liquorice, ginger spice and dark chocolate. Becomes creamier as it develops, but the drying, bitter oak remains #TheCairnDistillery

12yo - Nose : A little musty, with lots of oak, leather and rich dark dried fruits. Apple peel and juice, dark chocolate, chocolate limes, prunes and vanilla #TheCairnDistillery

Poured and raring to go for tonight’s #TheCairnDistillery tasting. Might have to pour a drop of their 3 year old release afterwards @thewhiskywire.bsky.social

I knew it was coming, but first time I have seen the Speyburn 18 available at 40%. Seems to be around the same price as it was at 46% too. Good luck to them selling that!

I don’t tend to get through any bottle that quickly, but this one has only lasted about 6 or 7 weeks. Found it hard to reach past.

Unexpected little set arrived from Gordon & MacPhail today. As I wasn’t selected for the next tweet tasting I can only assume its because I bought The Cairn release 🤷🏼‍♂️

Peat Chimney - Palate : Very earthy like dry slate, with sweet and sour lemon, more of those barbecued meats and salty mackerel, with coal tar, soot and liquorice #WemyssMalts

Peat Chimney - Nose : Big highland toffee up front, with lemon, farmyard aromas, TCP, barbecued meats, aniseed and mint imperials #WemyssMalts

Intrepid Mariner 20yo - Palate : Lots of lemons with a balance between sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Some oak and creamy vanilla as it develops, but its all about the lemons for me #WemyssMalts

Intrepid Mariner 20yo - Nose : Could be power of suggestion again but it does smell salty - Fish and chips. Salted caramel, zesty lemon and ginger ale. Quite earthy and grassy. #WemyssMalts

Velvet Fig - Palate : Very juicy almost like whisky Ribena. Apple and blackcurrant, vanilla, milk chocolate and anise. After a short while the bounty bars come through and the chocolate gets darker into a creamy finish #WemyssMalts

Velvet fig - Nose : You call it Velvet Fig then Im naturally going to smell figs 😂 Toffee and apple pie with custard, polished mahogony, milk chocolate and pine resin #WemyssMalts

A Quarter Past -Palate : Creamy again with lots of vanilla. It’s a little aggressive and spicy on the palate and may benefit from a drop of water. Toffee apples and caramel custard with oak and liquorice. It’s one of those nights when I’m not sure if my palate is firing on all cylinders #WemyssMalts

A Quarter Past - Nose - Very creamy and toffee’d with a touch of wood polish and turps. Not in a bad way, but getting a little whiff of cleaning my paint brushes. Then there’s strawberry jolly ranchers and balsamic, with dried fruits and vanilla. Nice nose. #WemyssMalts

Poured ready for tonight’s #WemyssMalts tasting 😃

First bottle of the 100 proof I’ve had. I was a little worried it might be a bit too jaggy compared to their older releases, but it’s great even without dillution. It is youthful and spirity, but the pure Springbank spirit is tremendous. Should never have doubted it.

Time for a ‘First Peek’

Deanston 12 is always a solid pour. Not had a bottle for a few years and still comfortably prefer the 18, but this will do nicely.

Such a shame to see Glencadam go so generic on their new branding. Loved the character and charm of the old one. Hopefully the liquid remains just as good.

The Cairn - the official story is that the 3 year old release was made because they tasted it at 3 y.o and felt it was worth a sneak peak of 1,000 bottles. However their first official release of core range will still be at 12 years old.

This is a lovely lime citrus and tropical IPA #BSkyBeer

I said maaayyybeee…I might have another after this 😃 #BSkyBeer

Sometimes you just have to spoil yourself on a Wednesday evening

The Cairn distillery, owned by Gordon & MacPhail, have put out a first release at 3 years old called First Peak. At 57% abv and an asking price of £50 it seems very fair. I had read they were waiting until it was 12 years old before they released anything 🤷🏼‍♂️ www.thecairndistillery.com/whisky/singl...

Opening a fresh bottle of late 90’s Ardmore when they still used direct fired stills 🔥 It may be only 43%, but these 90’s vintages are very good.

Very enjoyable IPA for a couple of quid a can from Aldi #BSkyBeer

One of my favourites becomes the first bottle kill of 2026

First beer of the new year 😃 #BSkyBeer

Seeing as its New Year’s Eve I’ve gone and cracked open one of my all time favourites and the last bottle on my shelf of this 2007 Glen Elgin. Really miss these old 46% Signatory bottles. A side by side pour of the 1995 might be in order…

Once more, some of the team gather to put forward their stand-out whiskies of 2025. Remember there’s no other stipulation here other than to have some fun with it. And, if it’s serious, make it serious fun. www.dramface.com/features/202... #whisky #Dramface #whiskyoftheyear #whiskyreview

My review of my 2025 Whisky Year and my Top 10 drams that I tried for the first time this year. malt-musings.blogspot.com/2025/12/revi...

Tasty sweet peat to finish the calendar. It’s not exceptional, but does the job. I was hoping they would put something a bit special for the final day

Post-dinner dram thanks to Santa 🎅🏻

Christmas dinner prep with another Polly’s. This time a bit different with a cherry sour. Merry Christmas! #BSkyBeer

A healthy pour of something good ready for the best hour of Christmas TV this year #GoneFishing

This feels very much like new make, but it’s fruity and very drinkable.

Everything is done. Takeaway ordered for tonight. Time to relax. Hope everyone has a great Christmas! #BSkyBeer

I’m familiar with this one and it’s a very good fruity Loch Lomond. Only reason I haven’t bought another is that I prefer the 12yo Inchmurrin.

Trying a beer from local brewery, Treboom. I’m no expert when it comes to beer, but it drinks more like a lager rather than the flavourful pale ale I hoped for, but for the price it’s good #BSkyBeer

It’s not great, but I didn’t expect much from a Chivas Regal of any age at 40%. It must be a real skill to make a well aged scotch so dull and flavourless.

Tucking into some local barley Arran. First impression is it’s like a sweetie shop on both nose and palate. Foam bananas, dolly mixtures and pear drops.

A decent malt from the calendar this evening

First pour and already I think this is belting. I usually prefer unpeated Loch Lomond releases, but this is giving me so much. It’s very meaty and slightly medicinal with charcoal smoke and lots of caramel and vanilla running through it. The typical LL orchard fruits are still there too. Love it!