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I am not too sure but would take a punt that you might get similar properties from your Trinidad 21 year old. All TDL I have had has some pleasant herbal type medicinal bitterness. Very unique profile, and always tends to be one of the cheaper single cask rums in the UK. Nah, for $180 (£143) I would pass on the Magisterium and get a 20+ year old or well aged Hampden. As much as I enjoy Foursquare £100 is kind of my limit on what I would be willing to spend. I love cats...have 2 of them and yeah mate you have a great Xmas time to, and stay safe 🥃

It's a pleasure mate, and a big thank you to you as well for the generous samples throughout the year. I have not pulled the trigger yet on the Cambridge 18 year old so a sample would be most welcome if possible mate. You also have a great Xmas and new year and stay safe. Cheers 🥃

Yeah I have to agree with you mate. For me the issue with Ardbeg is that there is so much "competition" these days and we really are spoilt for choice. The Uigeadail imo is just not what it used to be, and other distilleries are producing quality age stated expressions at around the same price or cheaper. Cheers 🥃

Very nice mate, always great when luck is on our side. Hopefully crack one open during the festive season and enjoy. It is an excellent bottle 🥃

It's a pleasure mate, glad you enjoyed it. I only have a dram left but will savour it over the holidays 🥃

I have had a sample of the Berry Bros 15 year Foursquare (had it as one of my Subscriber Sample Saturday videos) and for me I found there to be a bit too much oak at its natural strength. I added some water and felt that it helped to bring down the wood a wee bit. Difficult to fully judge it only based on a sample, but like you definitely a bit too much oak. The regular 12 year old CS Foursquare has always impressed me and in my opinion is their most solid release. Some batches might be better than others but have always been consistent. Other than the 12 and Doorly offerings I would personally always suggest Foursquare that has some sherry cask influence like this Magesterium, and also the excellent 12 year old Elysium which is still available. The Elysium is a bit more expensive but I think worth the price as it does offer something a little bit different from the classic bourbon cask influence in my opinion. I could be a bit biased as Foursquare with a bit of sherry influence is my favourite profile. Either way it's great that the 12 has become readily available these days as there was a period of time all higher strength Foursquare was almost impossible to get.

Thanks for your comment mate. For me this bottle definitely has a unique, different profile to other bottles I have had this year. Very enjoyable 🥃

It's a pleasure mate. Glad you are enjoying watching them 🥃

Thanks for your comment and nice that you have 2 bottles of 09.05.23 mate. I hope you enjoy when you do decide to open one of them up. Definitely my favourite of the three bottles I have 🥃

Thanks for your comment mate. I think the latest batch will definitely appeal to more folk as it has that cleaner profile, but still retains all the Springbank DNA to enjoy. I really like the fruit forward nature of the dram. I am sure you will enjoy the bottle when you get to open it at Xmas time. Let me know how you get on with it after you have had a taste. Slàinte 🥃

Thanks mate. I will get it right some day lol 🥃

Thanks for your comment mate. I have yet to get any cask strength batch from Benromach so thanks for the suggestion. Will see if I can nab one of the batches in the new year 🥃

I would say that over 90% of my scotch and rum is from indies. That Burnside is a banger and was a very reasonable price considering its age.

Cheers mate and thank you for the recommendation. Looks to be a US exclusive? Either way I will keep an eye out for it. Cheers! 🥃

Yes it is an excellent bottle 😊

Never had a bad indie bottling of Jura 😁🥃

It has to be. The official line up is so disappointing and has been for years. Mind you, the same thing can be said of Auchentoshan who have a miserable core range but indi bottles are usually excellent. Caol Ila - I can't remember when I last bought an official bottling but I get through gallons of independent stuff. Signatory have a little cracker of a 10 year aged in sherry butts (57.1%) recently released and it costs less than £50.

@ yeah those Signatory cs haven’t made their way here …. Yet🤷‍♂️

@@welshtoro3256 Yeah like you all the Caol Ila I have is independent. G&M has become a bit pricey (still excellent though) but I really need to get a Signatory bottle. Amazing value for sure and high strength. Cheers for that 10 year recommendation...will need to check it out 🥃

@@justwhisky Hopefully will eventually get to you. I have not got a bottle yet but will surely give them a try soon as they appear to be fantastic value for money 🥃

Nice one mate! It's turned into my favourite Bruichladdich bottle of the year, against some stiff competition (18 year old, 12 year old private cask and a Micro Provenance bottle). Great that you got it at a good price, so I hope you enjoy it when you do get it. Once you have had a taste let me know how you got on with it, I would be interested to know 🥃

@whiskyjourney175 thanks, I will do! As I'm a bit under the weather right now, my senses are haywire, so I'm going to have to wait for a bit. Looking forward to it though! I enjoyed your distillery visits very much. One of my absolute favourite bottles right now is the Benromach 2012 CS batch #3. And I keep a Glen Moray for a budget sipper, I like it, it's not bad, smooth, uncomplicated, and very, very good value! Cheers! 🥃

@@-xirx- Sorry to hear you are under the weather mate, hope you get better soon before Xmas. Glad you enjoyed the distillery visit videos - it was something that I needed to do, and I plan to visit more hopefully next year. Also, need to get some more Benromach as that distillery bottle is excellent, so will definitely seek out one of their cask strength offerings as per your recommendation 🥃

Hey mate, no I don't live in Orkney, I live in the North East within Aberdeenshire, about 15 miles or so outside the city of Aberdeen. I still need to visit Orkney one day so will be sure to visit the Foubister area when I do visit Orkney. I'm sure it is beautiful 🥃

​@@whiskyjourney175Yes, I am going to come up to orkney and visit the town. Also, while I'm there, I'll visit most of the distilleries around because I am a whiskey fan also maybe when I come up there we can get together and have a few drams !!!!!

​@@whiskyjourney175 oh by the way, I also live in New York City, Queens to be exact when I come up there. If you want, I'll bring you some bourbons !!!!!

@@michaelfoubister4339 Sounds like a plan mate. Give me a shout when you visit. Cheers 🥃

Yes an absolutely fabulous rum mate. I have a couple stored in my bunker lol. Always good value with MOM releases and they kind of fly under the radar so to speak. Cheers 🥃

Good to see you mate and thanks for your comment. I think what swayed my decision was getting 10% off my order, so in total it came to £87. Looking back at my receipts the last bottle of Bere Barley I had (2010 version) it cost me £72 back in 2021. So, reality is it has cost me only £15 more than what I payed back in 2021. As a once off I can live with that to be honest, but yeah I don't think I would have bought it at its full retail price. And yes I would buy this over the 18 year old most definitely - this release has that minerality I am looking for in a Bruichladdich. For me that note was not as present on the 18 year old. More youthful obviously, but more expressive in my opinion. Cheers 🥃

Thanks for your comment mate. Looking back the last version I had a bottle of was the 2010 and I was equally impressed with that release, like you it being my favourite Bruichladdich from the core range. When you decide to get this version I hope you enjoy it as much as I am. Cheers 🥃

Thank you for your comment mate. It's a shame about the 18 year old (Chapter 4) as you would not expect an 18 year old at only 50.2% ABV to be hot. I have read some reviews on Whiskybase and they are mixed - some have enjoyed it but some have mentioned what you said: the hot experience, lack of sherry cask influence (possibly tired casks) and overall bland. An experience like this at times can put you off a brand. I had a similar type experience with a Springbank 15 year old from 2017 that put me off the 15 year old for several years. If you get an opportunity and you have not had it, and you enjoy red wine cask maturation, give the Glen Garioch 1999 Red Wine cask matured a try. I am really enjoying that one and definitely reaching for it more over the Renaissance 17 year . Good to know that the core range 12 year old price is a good deal for you in Canada. I will need to keep that on my wish list 🥃

@@whiskyjourney175 Thanks for the tip mate. I'll keep an eye out for that one, but it probably won't make it out to BC sadly. I do love a red wine mature dram. I have the Longrow Red Pinot Noir 7 yr old open at the mo and that's lovely. Even better is the Port Charlotte PMC:01 2013, which I think was matured in ex Pomerol casks. Outstanding stuff!

@@jameswrightesq I do enjoy high strength Port Charlotte - have had the MRC:01, PAC:01 and SC:01 and they were all excellent. Yet to get the PMC:01 so cheers for that recommendation...another one to add to my wishlist. I still have about a third of a bottle of the Longrow Red Pinot Noir 7 year old left and have enjoyed my time with it. For me it does not quite hit the spot like the earlier 13 year old Malbec from 2017 but that was my favourite from the series, from the releases I did manage to get. If you ever see a bottle of it for a decent price just get it. Cheers! 🥃

@whiskyjourney175 Will do! Thanks for recommendation again 👍 I heard a nasty rumour that that was the last Red Longrow they're going to release 😬

@@jameswrightesq Yes mate, I also heard that rumour which is a real shame. Hopefully we will get something else next year though, but I will really miss the Red series when I could get my hands on a bottle. Pretty unique dram. Cheers 🥃

It's a pleasure mate and I really appreciate that you take the time to watch them, so thank you for your lovely comment 🥃

Yes, in my opinion a really good batch mate. Loving the fruit forwardness of this one - I don't always get that with the 15 year old, so a real joy when the fruitier side shines more than the typical sherry type notes. Cheers 🥃

It was exactly £100. Yes, expensive for a 12 year old but only 272 bottles and can only get at the distillery, so kind of have to "grin your teeth and bear it" lol. Cheers 🥃

@ a fair price imo for single cask cs

@@justwhisky And the juice is rather tasty so overall I am very happy with the purchase. Embarrassingly this is the first time I have had Benromach so has been a good experience to have my first experience of the spirit as a single cask 🥃

Yeah the 17 YO Marsala is very enjoyable and tasty. Yeah I am on WB, name is Beverast. Cheers 🥃

Thank you very much for your comment mate. I plan on visiting Glen Moray tomorrow, so will definitely keep that 17 year old in mind. I do have a soft spot for Glen Moray - when I visited them back in 2017 my partner and I tried the Exclusive Tasting set that had 4 different drams. One was a youngish peated port expression from 2011, and the other x3 were all from 1994 distillate with different cask maturations. The peated port bottle was only £50, and the 1994 distillates were £125 per bottle. At the time I kind of scoffed at the 1994 prices, however looking back now, considering how things are in the whisky world now when it comes to pricing, that was a really good deal for juice that was well over 20 years of age, bottled at natural cask strength/non chill filtered/natural colour. So yeah, hopefully I can pick up something nice when I visit Glen Moray again. Yes, my latest visit to Glendronach left me a little puzzled. Regarding the staff not knowing about the single casks, I can only assume that they have not worked there for too long. To me the stocks appear low at the distillery - I remember in 2017 and 2019 the shelves were well stocked with single casks. Also remember the days when trying to "chase" the single casks when they appeared at retailers, but always lucking out as they would sell out so quickly, especially the more youthful expressions. Yes you are not that far off with the pricing - the 13 year old I got was £142. Yes, expensive, however far better than the handfill I got in 2019 (if my memory is right it was an 11 year old). That one was seriously hot on the palate initially and took ages to settle down. Nice you got a 25 year old in 2019 - who knows how much that would cost these days. Thanks again and take care mate 🥃

Oh I remember the days of chasing Glendronach single casks too! Yes they were expensive but they were incredible whiskies and I'm glad I still have a few in my stash, including some of the Allardices and Parliaments which have also more than doubled in price. Glen Moray indeed has always had a good price-quality ratio for their single casks and hand fills, plus like you said it's just a nice distillery to visit. I'm sure you'll be in for a treat when you visit the distillery and looking forward to your vlog/review. :)

​@@mcw2553That's me just left Glen Moray and heading to Benromach. Ended up getting that 17 year marsala so thanks again for the suggestion 😊

Yes indeed mate the scenery is beautiful in that area with farmland for miles. Yes funny enough I also started with the 12 year old when I first started getting into sherry forward whisky and definitely opened my eyes to other expressions. The handfill I got this time is a lot better than the one I got in 2019. Far less alcohol presence on the nose and more smooth on the palate. Just needs a bit more time in the bottle and I think it will become a very fine dram.

Good to hear mate. If I had a bottle I could do a comparison but unfortunately missed out on it 🥃

Thanks for your comment bud and I have to say that I am a little jealous that you have a 27 year old Highland Park 😁 I'm sure it is absolutely gorgeous, and hopefully at some point I will be able to taste it 🥃

Independent bottlers can still get it wrong at times though - won't mention names but one bottler has just released a 14 year old Bruichladdich for £170! I mean that is absolutely ludicrous when Chorlton released one for just over £100 not that long ago. I don't really get it to be honest. Even the reviewer advised there was no distillery character, with it being completely butchered in a wine cask. Not got anything against that type of maturation, but there needs to be balance imo. I will continue to seek out Bruichladdich on auctions as that is definitely where you can get most bang for your buck. Although the bottle I reviewed here does lack some information, after tasting it I can assure folk this is great quality and a fine example of bourbon cask matured Bruichladdich. Thanks for your comment mate 🥃

Thanks for your comment bud. Yeah IB Jura is just simply enjoyable - such a different, unique profile compared to all other distilleries. This bottle is a cracker and was lucky to have gotten it for a decent price 🥃

@whiskyjourney175 there is a blend that I am really enjoying at the moment, I don't know if you have tried? A Douglas Laing Campbeltown cask strength batch #2 The Gauldrons? Tons of Campbeltown funk and flavour, I have been loving it!

@@-xirx- Hey mate thanks for the recommendation. I have had the standard 46% ABV Gauldrons when they first released it and I enjoyed it. Didn't know that they had a cask strength version so will keep that on my watchlist. Sounds mighty tasty 🥃

Cheers mate. The ex-bourbon maturation definitely comes forth the most on this one imo, with some sherry notes that give some red and dried fruit character. I don't really get any of the 5% rum influence yet. I am an ex-bourbon fan like you so with the majority being ex-bourbon this is right up my street 🥃

The 12 cask strength has never disappointed me - can't say that I have ever had a "bad" batch, but each batch does tend to vary based on the cask maturation and what is involved in the mix. For me this one is more bourbon forward with some sherry, but to be honest I don't really get the 5% rum cask influence. Perhaps needs some time to breathe to let the flavours come together a bit more. I will revisit in a few months. Enjoy your comparison today mate - you have some fine drams there indeed 🥃

@whiskyjourney175 thank you. £75 is not bad price for this CS12, it's going on my wishlist. Being a relative newbie, I'm not yet that confident on my tasting notes, but I am enjoying the journey!, and your channel is a part of that. 🥃

Yes totally agree mate, the Kilkerran spirit really does have that oily consistency that like you I also love. Really great things happening in Campbeltown. It's a shame that things are the way they are for you with regards to Springbank. Everybody should be able to get a taste without having to pay a premium. Thanks for the comment and have a great day 🥃

The 10 year old is a solid bottle mate, and a great introduction to the distillery. In my opinion one of the best 10 year olds from Islay, if not the best. I think you went with the right choice by getting the 10 year old over the Wee Beastie. Let me know how you get on with it mate 🥃

If you mean the Heavily Peated batch 10 that is a great bottle that I have not got around to reviewing yet. One of the best value for money cask strength bottles you can get. Please don't pay anything near to £160 for the 16 year old - it's not worth that kind of cash in my opinion. Maybe wait until the next batch comes around, or alternatively try and get it at auction. Kilkerran does not hit the same prices as Springbank on auction so you may get lucky. Thanks for your comment bud, it is appreciated 🥃

@whiskyjourney175 I did some searching around and found a French website with a bottle of the 16yr old for £80! And a springbank 10yr old for £87. The postage was £14 but still a great deal, better than anything I could find in the u.k. Yes, i have the Kilkerran heavily peated batch 10, which is a personal favourite atm. Cheers! 🥃

@@-xirx- Drink Finder (Constantine Stores) online based in Cornwall have the Kilkerran 16 currently for £75 but not the Springbank 10. Carringtons Wines online based in Manchester have the Springbank 10 currently in stock for £72.50 but don't have the Kilkerran 16. So looks like you did alright there mate as I cannot find an online shop in the UK that has both bottles. Either way I am sure that you will find both bottles excellent - let me know how you get on once you have tried both. Cheers 🥃

I hear you mate, it is a hard sell at $160 (£127). I know the price differences between countries is totally out of whack but for £127 I want something pretty special and more than likely at cask strength. A bump in ABV would most definitely be welcomed by me, but then costs would probably go even more through the roof. Completely get what you mean about the older age statements feeling a bit underpowered, but as you said good drams to relax to. The Kilkerran 16 for me definitely feels more like a "summer time" dram, where I can just sit in the sun and relax. It's a real shame that the prices in the States are what they are 🥃

It's the price that matters though isn't it John? It's nowhere near worth $150 but it is worth the £75 I paid for it. Truth be told though I don't think it's that much better than the £50 twelve year. Past batches have been better.

@ SB shines at their 12 cs…. And the 10 ain’t too shabby 😇 but as you allude….at the end of day it’s value for money 💰 Cheers 🥃

Thanks mate, just sipping on this again tonight and for me definitely a step up from the other partly sherry cask matured Foursquares I have had. For quite some time the Elysium 12 year was my favourite, but this one tops it for me. Delicious juice and surprised that nobody else has reviewed it yet 🥃

Thanks for your comment mate and kind words. Yeah give it a bit of time in the bottle bud...it improves a lot in my opinion with a bit of patience 🥃

Yeah not got around to reviewing it yet mate but will get a review out soon 🥃

Thanks for your comment and 100% agree with you there mate 🥃

It is indeed mate a fabulous bottle. Probably one of the best Port Charlotte's I have tried 😊

Many thanks bud 🥃

Thanks for your comment mate and also for correcting my pronunciation haha. I had a feeling I got it wrong. Yes I am very happy with this bottle. I been shopping at the place I got it from for around 5 years so figured if you don't ask you don't get. Fortunately the owner is very generous and perhaps luck on my side. Couldn't get the 12 cask strength nor the longrow 18 so felt good to score something. Also great to see the distillery character coming out in the finish. Hope you are getting along well with that Fiji as it's a little cracker imo. Daftmill is one I still have to try. Only thing that has stopped me is the high price for 46% ABV. I still see the latest release out there so it's not instantly selling out. Will definitely go the sample route if I can get it. Anyway thanks again mate and good to see you are doing well 👍

Thanks for your comment mate and indeed it is a cracker of a bottle and I still have some left. Definitely one of the fruitier rums and pretty unique imo 🥃