Cask Strength

March 24, 2020

1776 Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey by James E. Pepper

This cask strength straight rye whiskey comes from MGP of Indiana distillery at Lawrenceburg. Old 1776, like Colonel James E. Pepper nicknamed it, is a legendary whiskey brand. It’s been around since the American Revolution. Originated from Lexington, Kentucky, where they just recently built a renovated distillery. So while this […]

December 7, 2019

Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength review

This is the cask strength version of Amrut Single Malt which is normally bottled at 46% alcohol by volume level. In my opinion their normal single malt is decent, but I do like the Amrut Fusion. So I really didn’t know what to expect. Something in between? Amrut Cask Strength […]

November 15, 2019

Mossburn Blair Athol 10YO 2007 Cask Strength

This 10 year old Blair Athol single malt comes from the independent bottler Mossburn’s cask strength collection. This small batch whisky was distilled in 2007 and bottled 30th of November 2017. The bottler is called Mossburn – Distillers & Blenders (MBD). They have Vintage Casks collections from various distilleries, this […]

August 30, 2019

Ballechin SFTC 13YO 2004 Port Matured – cask number 199

Ballechin SFTC 13 year old comes from one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, Edradour distillery which was founded in 1825. SFTC means Straight From The Cask so this whisky is cask strength. Ballechin whiskies are heavily peated Edradours, so this single malt is a smoky one, with 13 years […]

July 5, 2019

Highland Park Sydäntalvi 15YO Single Cask review

Sydäntalvi is a 15 year old single cask Highland Park distilled in 2001, bottled in 2017 for the Finnish retail market. Since their first single cask release for Finnish retail market in 2016, Highland Park has continued to launch new ones because of their success. The first four releases, including […]

June 24, 2019

Highland Park Sisu 13YO Single Cask review

This 13 year old single cask Highland Park called Sisu was distilled in 2003, bottled in 2017. Made specially for Finnish retail market during Finland’s 100 years of independence anniversary year. According to Highland Park’s brand ambassador Martin Markvardsen, Sisu single cask whisky was named after some dog. The definition […]

February 16, 2019

Redbreast 12 year old Cask Strength review

This Redbreast 12 year old is an cask strength Irish Single Pot Still whiskey from New Middleton distillery. Single Pot Still whiskeys are also known as Pure Pot Still, a traditional yet rare Irish way of making whiskey using malted and unmalted “green” barley. So far New Middleton is the […]

July 18, 2018

Booker’s 6YO True Barrel Bourbon Batch 2017

WhiskyRant’s conclusions Tasting notes An interesting cask strength whiskey release by Jim Beam. Booker’s True Barrel Bourbons are 6 year old bottlings straight from the barrel, originally hand selected by Jim Beam’s grandson Booker Noe. The product has been around since 1988. Ever since then, Booker’s True Barrel releases have taken […]

August 7, 2017

Willett 3 year old Single Barrel Small Batch Rye Whiskey

Willett Single Barrel Rye 3YO review

Tasting notes Willett Distilling Company (a.k.a Kentucky Bourbon Distillers) has been sourcing whiskies since the 1980’s but recently they’ve been maturing their own distillates too. So there’s a chance that this Willett 3 Year Old Single Barrel Small Batch Rye Whiskey is completely their own product. I purchased this from […]

August 7, 2017

GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 6 review

WhiskyRant’s conclusions Tasting notes GlenDronach’s sixth batch of the Cask Strength expression comes with a great 56.1% ABV (alcohol by volume). Bottled with great strength and coming from a distillery with good track record, this GlenDronach sounded tempting when I received a sample from a buddy of mine. Just like […]

July 27, 2017

Springbank 12 year old Cask Strength batch 13 review

I had previously tasted batch 10 of Springbank 12 year old Cask Strength single malt. I fell in love with it. Now it was time for batch 13 in a local Finnish whisky tasting. And what another wonderful release of Springbank’s 12YO CS it was. This Campbeltown based distillery malt, […]

July 27, 2016

Bowmore Tempest 10 year old Batch 6 review

Like the name states, Bowmore Tempest VI 10 year old single malt is the 6th batch of the nowadays famous Tempest series by one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Bowmore was founded in 1779 and it is the oldest distillery in Islay region. Bowmore is one of only 6 […]

June 4, 2016

Lagavulin 12 year old single malt whisky review (2015 and 2014 editions)

Lagavulin 12yo 2015 edition Lagavulin 12yo 2014 edition Lagavulin 12 year old single malt is a yearly special release by one of my favorite distilleries in the world, the Lagavulin distillery from Islay. I just absolutely love their 16 year old peated single malt from the core range. Well, I […]

February 6, 2016

Classic of Islay Jack Wieber 2015 review

Friend of mine told me about a German importer from Berlin, who has released bottlings under the name of Jack Wieber since 1998. Jack Wiebers Whisky World is a wholesale business operating in Wiener Strasse, Berlin. Owned by Lars-Göran Wiebers, the whisky shop is specialized in independent and rare bottlings. And they do release […]

November 25, 2015

Glenglassaugh Evolution review

Glenglassaugh distillery was closed in 1986 but resurrected in 2008. After the distillery was reopened, they made Glenglassaugh Revival – matured in first and refill bourbon casks and finished for 6 months in first fill Oloroso sherry butts. Glenglassaugh Evolution is a limited cask strength release follow up to Revival. […]

October 15, 2015

Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 47 review

Finally got my hands on a release of this well respected Aberlour A’Bunadh. The name is derived from Gaelic, meaning “return to origin”. That’s because the whisky has been produced according to the methods that were common around 1870’s. I ordered a sample of Batch 47 of the popular A’Bunadh […]

October 2, 2015

Springbank 12 year old Cask Strength batch 10 review

Welcome to my review of Springbank 12 year old Cask Strength version. Springbank is a fairly small distillery with an annual production capacity of 750 000 litres. Owned by the Mitchell’s, which is the same family who founded the distillery in 1828. That makes Springbank the oldest distillery continually owned by […]

September 6, 2015

Kavalan Solist Ex-Bourbon Cask review

Kavalan is Taiwanese single malt produced and bottled by King Car Kavalan distillery. They started bottling of Kavalan in 2008 and their whiskies have good reputation, which has been growing fast. It also shows in the price tag and availability, which is why I’m reviewing a sample. My 5 cl […]

July 11, 2015

Highland Park Freya 15 year old review

I haven’t tasted the first two, but I got a chance to try the third release of Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection: Freya, a 15 year old single malt whisky. This one was named after the Norse Goddess of Love. Freya the Goddess was sensitive and wise – a valiant protector of human […]

June 30, 2015

Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition 2014 review

Four Roses Small Batch 2014 is a 9 year old bourbon, containing also bourbons up to 11, 12 and 13 years old. This is a cask strength limited edition by the Four Roses distillery from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Every year they release a small batch of this heavier alcohol per volume […]

June 24, 2015

Elements of Islay Bn4 review

Elements of Islay Bn4 is the fourth batch from Bunnahabhain distillery, bottled by the independent bottler Speciality Drinks. This dark and sweet character felt like a nice addition into the Elements of Islay series, even though I only had a chance to take few sips of it on our way to Taivaanranta […]

June 22, 2015

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel review

Nikka Whisky From The Barrel is a marriage of malt and grain whisky blended together. It has been bottled directly from the re-casked whisky barrels. This Japanese blend is a prize winning dram – it got the top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and […]

May 11, 2015

BenRiach 17 year old Solstice (2nd edition) review

17 year old Solstice from BenRiach is the second edition of the series in question, replacing the 15 year old single malt whisky, which was well appreciated by Whisky Bible’s Jim Murray. Solstice is distilled from heavily peated malted barley and matured in ex-bourbon casks. Finished in tawny port pipes. […]

May 4, 2015

BenRiach 15 year old Single Cask Release 1998 review

Like The Whisky Exchange puts it, “a slightly crazy entry” this BenRiach’s 10th single cask release – malt whisky triple distilled, unlike their regular double distilled spirit. It’s been matured for 15 years and finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon. 630 bottles has been released. Mine was only a […]

March 7, 2015

The Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year old review

Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 year old is a small batch cask strength single malt whisky, “nadurra” meaning natural in Gaelic. Based on the alcohol per volume level and the time I bought it, I think that this sample is from the batch bottled in January 2014. Resembling a lot of Glenlivet 12YO, which i […]

February 27, 2015

Säntis Malt Edition Dreifaltigkeit Peated whisky review

Säntis Malt Edition Dreifaltigkeit is a cask strength peated whisky from Switzerland. This beauty has been matured in old (60-130 years old) oak beer casks that were smoked with oak wood by the “Swiss Highlander”. Säntis whisky is a product of Locher brewery – famous for making a wide range […]

February 21, 2015

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Straight Bourbon Whiskey review

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a small batch 12 year old bourbon by Heaven Hill Distilleries. Bottled cask strength, this batch in question has a whopping 67,4% alcohol per volume level. I had to test this devil neat and boy oh boy, was it spicy and strong! Tough but good […]

February 19, 2015

Willett Single Barrel Rye 4 year old review

Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Straight Rye Whiskey Aged 4 years, this straight rye whiskey has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% barley. This rye dram is truly a craft whiskey coming from private family-owned Willett Distilling Company (also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers). Willett Single Barrel whiskeys are selected […]

December 19, 2014

Amrut Peated Blackadder Raw Cask review

My sample of Blackadder’s Peated Amrut Raw Cask was from the batch of BA14/2012 (62,7% ABV). Amrut’s Peated Blackadder Raw Cask (63% ABV) batch BA18/2013 won Best Peated Whisky 2013 in The Malt Maniacs Awards. The Raw Cask Series contains whisky, that’s been bottled directly from the cask without any filtration. I don’t have […]

August 8, 2014

Old Buck VYS at Panimoravintola Beerhunter's, Pori

Old Buck VYS single malt whisky review

Old Buck got famous in whisky circles, when Jim Murray rated the cask number 5 of the second release with 96 points and “European Mainland Whisky of the Year 2009” award. The first release had gotten 93,5 points and the third release got 95, so there was great consistency in […]