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.

3,1,2,4,4 from me and thanks Ben @whiskywithmolly.bsky.social for a nice mixed flight finishing very strongly. looking forward to the reveal #BlindDrams

Dram 5 was a strong finish with a long finish. That ups my score to a nice big 4. #BlindDrams

D5 palate is smooth and refreshing, lots of cool peat, some menthol, rosemary and apple skins. The palate builds and leaves a lasting, peaty and salty taste lingering for some time. I wonder what water will do...? #BlindDrams

and finally we have D5 - nose is not too different to D1. cream soda is a good shout @whiskyrover.bsky.social plus peat smoke, hint of mackerel, furniture polish and a fizzy citrus note. Getting a Torabhaig note #BlindDrams

D4 is a return to my palate preferences. Great mouthfeel, lots of peat and fruit and 'erbs. Water makes it too sweet for me so gonna keep it neat and score it a big peaty 4. #BlindDrams

D4 palate is velvet smooth, very sweet and thick whilst also being industrial and peaty. Strawberries dipped in peated chocolate and that seaside saltiness is strong - good vanilla icecream on the beach. This is some good stuff #BlindDrams

ok on to D4 nose - back to smoke and sweet peat, first aid kit, frazzels, milk chocolate, cafe mocha, loads of salinity and BBQ grill the day after the party. Fine by me. #BlindDrams

I thought a drop of water might help D3 and i was wrong again. More watery and more bitter. Not a dram that suits my current palate so gonna score is a 2 - better than D2 but thats not saying much. #BlindDrams

d3 palate is a hefty sherry fest - chrimbo cake, nuts galore (pussys brother), dark soaked dried fruits, cherry coke float, marzipan -- and any other sherry notes you want to add. #BlindDrams

D3 already - where does the time go? Nose is black tea, brown toast and honey, cherry drops, crystalised ginger and more sherry notes - bit of spice in there too. #BlindDrams

D2 not doing it for me - bland, thin, slightly synthetic leading to a bitter finish. scores a generous uno.

can a bit of water liven up D2 palate? No. Flatter and somehow less. An unispiring dram. #BlindDrams

D2 palate is like an old sharried blend - lots of sherry character with leather, tobacco, christmas cake, fat raisins and milky (slightly over) coffee with some brazil nuts too. Quite thin, and gets bitter quite quickly. #BlindDrams

D2 nose is a bit shy - needs some coaxing but then it opens up. Coffee, cough medicine, hint of germolene, herbal notes, dried fruits - raisin, cherry, an old leather wallet and wet woodpile. #BlindDrams

D1 is a nice smooth, young, peaty opening dram that is not helped by water, but neat sets the bar for the evening at a perfectly sound.. #BlindDrams

D1 palate is worthers originals near a peaty fire - nice oily mouthfeel and a decent fruity punch like an apple compote. Very drinkable opener #BlindDrams

#BlindDrams Evening All and ready for BTC59. D1 nose is sweet ashy peat, slightly soapy, cola cubes, oyster shells and BBQ grill - pulled pork is a great note @whiskyrover.bsky.social

Saturday flight - happy weekend. The Talisker took the top spot and the 1770 split the camp. (Speyburn for me though - and I know I am right!)

Lovely dram

Some @blinddrams.bsky.social revisits and a couple young peats - KK8 always hard to beat.

D5 with water makes it even smoother - good finish and gonna go 4 #BlindDrams