Friday flight with Mrs G. IL gets the vote.

Thursday flight with a cask focus - Dailuaine come out strongly

I will miss owing this whisky - a 40th birthday present from my folks more than a decade ago. Sometimes the back story is more than just the liquid

Couple at Milroys

The new sibling has arrived. 3 empty spaces but 6 still kicking

Sad to say bye to this bottle - lovely thick spicey orchard fruit. Yum

#BlindDrams dram 5 mouth is liquid Parma violets and rose water. Very sweet but with an initial Turkish delight hit - not my jam unfortunately

#BlindDrams dram five nose is cafe latte, salted peanuts, floral and furniture polish spray. There is a minerality too and salinity.

#BlindDrams dram 4 scores a 3 for me

#Blinddrams dram 4 with a drop of water dials up the sweet and the funk. Heat comes through too. Finish is slightly bitter but also thick and sweet and quite long. This is my favourite so far

#BlindDrams dram 4 mouth is flat cherry coke, molasses, tobacco leaf, burnt ends and blackcurrant jam. Reminds me of the Cu Bucan 15.

#BlindDrams dram 4 nose is promising. Leather, tobacco, industrial oils and rubber, cherry, black currant, dark chocolate and burnt ends.

#BlindDrams dram 3 finish is peppery, drying and again slightly bitter. Yet another 2 ….

#BlindDrams dram 3 mouth is blackberry compote, honey on toast, savoury too - like a charcuterie with spicey fig relish and a balsamic glaze. Fizzy and peppery too - loads going on here.

#BlindDrams dram 3 nose is grappa, pencil shavings and mixed dried herbs. Molasses too I think and aux de fisherman’s friend.

#Blinddrams dram 2 finish is warm, sweet and a little bitter. Another 2 from me.

#blindDrams dram 2 mouth is fizzy, sweet, some pepper heat and maybe some menthol. Water dials up a chilli heat. Again that grape skin dryness is there.

#BlindDrams dram 2 nose is wood shavings, dust, potato peel (!), grape skin and herbal edge. Not sure how ‘dry’ is a smell but somehow it is.

#BlindDrams dram 1 finish is short, bitter and drying. Overall it’s a little disappointing and too saccharine for me. Scores a 2.

#Blinddrams dram 1 mouth is sweet and thick - strawberry cream, dried apricot, weetabix with loads of sugar and crystalline ginger. It’s nice but very sweet

#Blinddrams dram 1 nose is thick orange marmalade, strawberry jam, quince jelly and orange sherbet

Happy Sunday

2 recent bottle kills - both good drams and not too hard to replace with something similar. Cheers

Boy done good this year - shelves well stocked for 2026!

Advent calendar dram 24 is a 29 yo Dailluaine from Wemyss. Nose is Tropical fruit, icing sugar, lavendar, chalk and beeswax. Mouth is Fruity and spiced, white pepper, ginger, chalky/fruity, orchard fruits, linseed oil, almond, beeswax and melon. Cooling refreshing finish. Refined dram.

Advent calendar dram 23 is 27yo 1988 Bunna at 55.4% Nose is dark fruit, cigars, furniture polish, beeswax, Brazil nuts and wood spice. Massive mouth is salted caramel, molasses, ginger cake, tobacco and a vegetal edge. Water dials down the spice and a smoother dram. This is a special old Bunna.

Advent calendar dram 22 is 1994 Tobermory 21yo. Nose is unripe banana, loads of spice, freshly baked bread and honey. Mouth is super spicy with ginger and pepper and Chilli, toffee apple and orange barely sugar. Then more spice. Don’t know if I mentioned it, but it’s spicy!

Advent calendar dram 21 is an AD Rattray 22yo Glentauchers. Nose is biscotti spread and caramel. Mouth is orange and caramel and pepper and ginger and it goes on and on. This is a great dram.

Advent calendar 20 is Wemyss Aromatic Orange tobacco (25yo Glenrothes from 1988). Nose is rich caramel and terrys chocolate orange, malted milk and white pepper. Mouth is worthers originals, white pepper, orange barley water and honey. Yummy.

Advent calendar dram 19 (whatever happened to 18 is one of life’s unsolved mysteries) is a 20yo Miltonduff. Nose is stewed apple, barley sugar, honeycomb, caramel and a hint of plasticine. Mouth is oily, honey, apple and wood spice. Not shabby at all.

Tonight’s cheeky flight courtesy of Mr G Snr - loving the Linkwood.

Advent calendar dram 18 is another AD Rattray - this time a 22yo Auchroisk bottled at 52.6% Nose is honey on lightly toasted bread, straw, barley sugar, gooseberry compote and celery salt. Mouth is honeycomb, vanilla cake, worthers and wood spice. Quite drying but very nice indeed.

Advent calendar dram 17 is an AD Rattray 6yo Craigellachie 58% Nose is burnt toast, engine oil, marmite, bbq. Mouth is bovril with one sugar, burnt toast and marmalade, marmite edge. It’s a bit of a beast but with a bark much worse than its bite.

Advent calendar dram 16 is a 19 yo Benriach from Samaroli. Restrained nose is orange barley water, malted milk biscuit and pencil shavings. Mouth is the same with a menthol edge. It’s nice but 43% feels like it’s had its guts ripped out.

Advent calendar dram 15 was a 7yo Samaroli taucher/miltonduff/something. Young, spirity, apple skin and wood spice. Fine.

Advent calendar dram 14 was an AD Rattray 24yo Invergordon presented at 59.9% Nose was vanilla, dusty milk chocolate and honeycomb. Mouth was syrupy, chocolate, wood and a hint of ginger. Nice pleasant dram.

Advent calendar dram 13 was a Samaroli 7yo undisclosed Islay. Nose was sweet peat, tar, seaside and smoke with a bit of citrus. Thick mouthfeel and everything I got on the nose. An Islay from arguably the best IB in the world. What’s not to like?

Advent calendar dram 12 is A D Rattray Bank Note 5. Simple grain forward vanilla nose with a slightly spicy honey vanilla mouth. Perfectly pleasant and perfectly forgettable. But only £24!

Advent calendar dram 11 is an SMWS 18 yo Tullibardine. Nose is buttered toast, stewed apples, milk chocolate and dusty pews! Mouth is very smooth - toffee apple, white pepper, barley sugar and chocolate. Very drinkable indeed.

Advent calendar dram 10 is Golden cask Bunna 23. Nose: dunnage, pine needles, forest floor, coal dust Mouth: peat,bonfire smoke, custard creams, pineapple and some lime juice. I likes it.

Advent calendar dram 9 is a Woodrow’s 16yo Glentauchers. Nose is toffee, foam bananas and furniture polish. Mouth is spicy toffee apple, honey and a hint of liquorice. Nice dram just a tad too spicy for me.

Advent calendar dram 8 is another Woodrow’s Royal Brackla 15yo bourbon cask. Vanilla, barley sugar, orchard fruits and a sour vinegar note.

Advent dram 7 is yet another Woodrow’s - a Teaninich 10yo. Nose and mouth are sherry heavy - Brazil nuts, Christmas cake and orange cordial. Perfectly nice but not enough to raise above the earlier Mortlach.

Advent calendar dram 6 is another Woodrow’s - this time a 14yo Longmorn. Nose is apple crumble, honey on brown toast and a nut shell edge. Mouth is spiced apple crumble, buttery pastry and orange barley water. Nice.

I clearly have a favourite indie bottler! I love @chorltonwhisky and David’s preference to just put great whisky straight from the cask into the bottle. Which bottle here would you reach for and who is your go to IB?

Advent calendar Dram 5 is an Ardbeg 8. Sweet peat, barley sugar, salinity and citrus. 8 or 10 is the question?

Advent dram 4 is another Woodrow’s - Mortlach 11 px cask. Nose is all sherry - Brazil nuts and dark fruit and cherry and herbal edge. Mouth is lovely and oily with Christmas cake and nuts and figs and maybe a balsamic edge. This is a lovely dram (and I’m not a sherry fan)

Advent calendar dram 3 is Woodrow’s Warehouse blend 1. Nose is honey, apple and wood spice. Mouth is spicy apple compote and oat cakes - lots of white pepper. Quite dry and peppery on the finish. Nice to try it but won’t be searching for a bottle.

Dram 2 of whisky advent calendar is the @bravenewspirits.bsky.social Ardphroaig. Nose is honey on toast, cinder toffee and smoky peat. Mouth is sweet medicinal peat, toffee apple and a warm chilli hit. Great dram and tempted to snag a bottle.

Dram 1 whisky Advent Calendar is a MoM 14yo Ardlair. Nose is spicy apple turnover, gooseberry and malted milk biscuits. Mouth is spiced fruit bomb - peach, apricot, apple and pepper and chilli. Lots to like here.