This taster was brought to our annual Expensive Taste KW cookoff and it did not disappoint. Matured in a refill sherry butt and bottled in August 2021 at natural cask strength of 59.2% you would think it would have been quite a spicy meatball, but it hit all the right notes. Smooth, with oily legs, and a touch of heat on the tongue, it was right at home for an afternoon of drinks and tasty food. A distillery that we have never tried before, we are happy we found this little gem.
Tag Archives: Whisky of the Month
Old Malt Cask – Ben Nevis 24
Notes from the distiller;
Nose: Toffee, Strawberries, and Vanilla
Palate: Sweet with Liquorice, Apples and Caramel
Finish: Long with lingering Pepper and Oak
SMWS Cask No. 137.6 The Garden Shed of England
The third and final taster of our June 2026 meeting. Notes from the bottle;
An earthy yet robust and muscular dram. Lots of tool sheds, mechanical oils, salt water and stray lemons whizzing about the place with glee.
Earthy and robust hit the nail on the head with this one. It closely resembles its name in that it literally tastes like a dank shed (who would’ve thought that would be drinkable). An 8 year old whisky, matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks. A spicy dram bottled at 66% ABV.
Macaloney’s Audit Failure
The 2nd of our June 2026 tasters. Procured from the independent distillery Macaloney’s, in British Columbia. Distilled in 2019, it was casked in Pedro Ximenez casks that were distillery smoked with Washington Peat. A solid drinker with a wonderful natural colour, it went down smooth, with a touch of smoke on the palette. Bottled at 52.5% ABV. We will surely be looking into other Macaloney’s offerings.
JP Wisers – Aged 24 Years
The first of our tasters for our June 2026 meeting.
Laphroaig Elements 2.0
Elements 2.0 is a zesty one, with notes of vanilla and apple. Despite the strong opinions online, 2.0 rang the bell as the overall favourite of the Club, although the vote was fairly split.
Laphroaig Elements 1.0
In May, we tasted a long awaited trio of Islay beauties, Laphroaig Elements 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0. Surprisingly easy drinking Laphroaig all around! Which one was the Club’s favourite!?? 1.0 offered tropical notes with spice and smoke…
Kaiyo Japanese Whisky – The Peated
The second selection for our April 2026 Japanese Whisky evening.
Kujira Ryukyu 15 Year
The first of 2 unique Japanese selections for April 2026.
Redbreast 27 – Ruby Port Casks
The 9th and final taster of our Irish Whiskey evening with Joe Duffy, this one came straight from the private collection of our President, Tamara Maurer. Sometimes in life, we like to save the best for last, and in this case, it held true. The Redbreast 27 Ruby Port Casks was an amazing dram. Bottled at cask strength, you immediately nosed the spicy alcohol with rich hints of peach, nectarine, and red fruits. The flavour continued that profile with sweet fruity notes of candied berries, peach, liquorice and to me a bit of wine gum candy. Being a cask strength whiskey you would think the alcohol would overpower you, but it was completely mellow allowing a sweet smooth finish and a warming belly feel. A perfect way to wrap up our Irish Whiskey tour and carry on into the late evening shenanigans.
Many thanks to Joe Duffy for the great guided tasting and for sharing some of the rich history of Redbreast and Jameson Whiskies with us. It truly made the evening an unforgettable experience!