Peat

Spirit of Hven Seven Stars No. 5 Alioth

The Spirit of Hven is a craft distillery located on the island of Ven, which lies in the Öresund strait between Denmark and Sweden. It is also a conference and hotel resort, replete with restaurant and pub. It is a remarkably small grain-to-glass distillery, which is why their releases are so often limited. The Spirit of Hven make a number of spirits but it is clear they are fans of single malt whisky. And astrology, as shown by their beaker-shaped bottles and copiously detailed product sheets. The Seven Stars is a series of single malts, each named after one of the stars in the Ursa Major (Latin for “Great Bear”) constellation, the third brightest modern constellation in the night sky. It is more familiarly known as the Big Dipper. One of the stars, Polaris, is also known as North Star. The fifth in the series is Alioth, which comes from the Arabic alyat al-hamal (“the sheep’s fat tail”), and is the brightest star in the constellation.

By Adam | November 20, 2021 | Foreign | No Comments |

Clynelish Reserve: Game of Thrones Edition

Founded in 1819, Clynelish has been operating nearly uninterrupted for over two hundred years, even when it was known for a time as Brora distillery. Though it produced single malts early on, almost all the distillery’s output has been a primary highland component to some of current owner Diageo’s Johnnie Walker series. Maybe because new single malts are rarely seen from this distillery, the Clynelish Reserve was seen as a standout when Diageo released a Game of Thrones set in early 2019 to celebrate the hit show’s final season. There is no age statement or anything to stand it apart like cask finishing.

By Adam | July 5, 2021 | Highland | 1 Comment |

Dewar’s scotch is a brand of blended scotch with a history as storied as many single distilleries. Created in 1846 by John Dewar and expanded by his sons so that by the turn of the century, their scotches were winning awards and being gifted to multiple US presidents by Andrew Carnegie. The Dewar’s brand have constructed or bought distilleries to add to production and they currently own Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, Macduff and Royal Brackla. While each of these produce single malt offerings, part of their output is allocated to the Dewar’s blended mix. The Dewar’s 21 Year Double Double is thus named for the four-stage process where two parallel batches of single malt and single grain whiskies are aged and blended on their own before finally being married together in ex-sherry casks. Curiously only a 375ml bottle, though the box offers a nice presentation. Heavy marketing around sensation – “Ultimate Smoothness” and “silky smooth finish” versus taste or smell.

By Adam | June 5, 2021 | Blends | No Comments |