Browsing Posts in: Whisky Tasting Notes

We’re kicking off the new year with a brand-new exclusive release – please welcome our Kavalan Vinho single cask, freshly arrived from Taiwan. Kavalan – Taiwanese Malt If you’ve been reading the blog for a…

For the past few years, there’s one annual whisky release that we’ve received more questions about than any other. It’s not the Port Ellen from the Diageo Special Releases or even the Glenmorangie Private Edition…

American whiskey is on the up. While Irish whiskey may be the fastest growing in the world, the USA is gaining ground as the connoisseurs choice. Whiskeys like the Van Winkle range are snapped up…

In a bust-up for the dubious honour of ‘most mysterious and least-known major whisky-producing nation’ it is, by my reckoning, a straight-up two-way tussle between India and Taiwan – Japan and England having now backed away into relative…

It’s a year for celebrating big anniversaries. Not only has legendary independent bottler Signatory Vintage just turned 30, but it was also the 10th instalment of The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show. To begin the celebrations,…

Last weekend was one of our biggest of the year – The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show. 2018 is a particularly special year, as it marked the tenth edition of the show. Ten years have seen…

It’s time to reveal the final bottle of the Diageo Special Releases 2018 – Cladach. What is Cladach For the second year in a row, Diageo have dropped a secret bottle into the line-up, only…

Announcing our latest Whisky Exchange exclusive – a rare chance to try one of Loch Lomond’s wide range of single malts that don’t usually see the light of day as single malts. Introducing our brand…

When it comes to tasting whiskies, there is a huge range of things to distract you. The room you’re in, other people around you, rogue pets, your roommate’s bad taste in music, next door’s obsession…

Autumn is almost here and the Diageo Special Releases 2017 are here. It’s an exciting group of whiskies this year: along with the regular Port Ellen, Brora, Caol Ila and Lagavulin, there’s also the oldest…

Speyside distillery Glenrothes bucks the trend by releasing its whiskies by vintage rather than with an age statement. Since 2010 it has been under the sole ownership of wine merchant (and independent bottler) Berry Brothers & Rudd. We welcomed…

It’s that time of year again: the Diageo Special Releases 2016 are here. Well, almost here – they’re earlier than usual this year and should be hitting The Whisky Exchange website on the evening of…

Scotch whisky is very different to a few decades ago. Demand is up and as drinkers’ tastes change, distilleries tweak their recipes. The spirit, the casks and the resulting whiskies are all different to how…

We like the folks at Signatory. Andrew and his team know good whisky and we’re very pleased they sometimes let us into their warehouses to choose some casks. Our latest four TWE-exclusive drams have just landed…

The Islay Festival is drawing to close. Tomorrow is the last day, and in usual fashion, things are ending with a bang: it’s Ardbeg Day – or, as they are calling it this year, Ardbeg Night. Unlike…

When Jim Murray named Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 his 2015 World Whisky of the Year, no-one could have foreseen the unprecedented demand Japanese whisky would experience over the following years. It’s been almost a year since Nikka’s announcement…

We’ve been big fans of Kavalan since it first made an appearance on our shores in 2011, so much so that we spent a year to be the first to stock its whiskies in the UK, and it has been…

Last week saw the end of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival – five days of events across Scotland’s most densely packed whisky-producing region. We watched enviously as tweets, Facebook posts and the occasional bragging text message told tales…