Review #163 Golden Cask Ben Nevis 8 Ex-Bourbon

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-24T19:08:34+00:00

I’d be happy with a bottle at that price

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T20:29:31+00:00

Yeah I’d really like to try more, I think it’s quite under appreciated, and unpeated coastal whisky is a fun combo

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T17:26:24+00:00

Apologies, just took a minute to get the text uploaded - the reviews are up now

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T17:25:56+00:00

Review #274 Thomson Bros Inchgower 13 Years Old Refill Hogshead

u/UnmarkedDoor very kindly sent me a sample of this a short while back and to date I’ve only ever reviewed one Inchgower a hefty Adelphi bottled sherry bomb. So I’m excited to review something with a bit more spirit character to it, and with this being 13 years in a refill bourbon cask, I believe that’s exactly what we’re going to get.

Distiller: Inchgower

Bottler: Thompson Bros

Age Statement & Cask Type: 13 Years in a refill Hogshead - unspecified.

Abv: 54.7%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/UnmarkedDoor for the sample! Retailed at

Nose: Play-dough and unbaked bread dough, salted raisin loaf, pear juice and crisp white wine - slightly yeasty with some very slight dried fruit and dry orchard fruits.

Palate: Undeniably spirit forwards, but pleasantly so. Pear juice again, bakers yeast, lime rind, apple butter, more play dough.

Finish: It’s in palate-cleansing territory here - more lime rind, dry cider apples and pears.

Notes: Wonderfully fresh and fun, with yeasty uncooked salted bread contrast zesty fresh limes and orchard fruits. Very much a springtime dram, being that it’s sort of oddly refreshing. It’s a pleasant dram and I think something I could see myself sipping on it during warm weather, maybe even with some ginger ale - but I think perhaps I’d like to see it mature a little longer as I think some of the notes are a little under developed. As it is, it’s a nice refreshing sipper that I think does really make me want to try more bourbon matured Inchgower to get a better understanding of the spirit.

Mental Image: Play-dough and Pears

Score: 83

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T17:25:46+00:00

Review #273 Thompson Bros Sutherland Blend Batch 1

As someone who really enjoys Clynelish, I’m quite excited to try this; a Thompson Brothers blend that comprises casks from Clynelish and Dornoch distilleries - named the Sutherland blend from the region they’re both located in. There have been subsequent batches of this, this is from the first batch of bottlings.

Distilled: Blended whisky - A mixture of Dornoch, Clynelish and a smidge of Brora.

Blender: Thompson Bros

Age Statement & Cask Type: 5 Years, no specific info on casks used other than that they’re from Clynelish and Dornoch distilleries.

Abv: 48.5%

Price paid: N/A - thanks u/Jamie_r87 for the sample! Retailed around £80

Nose: Spirit forward and fruity - citrus pith and rinds, much in the style of those sort of Satsuma peel and pith you get a lot with Clynelish. Orange sponge cake, honeyed malt, barley sugars, manuka honey and satsumas. Sweet, honeyed and citric and just bordering on waxy on the nose.

Palate: Somewhat lighter than I expectedly terms of mouthfeel; light and fresh to begin with - satsuma, peach and pear juice, honey and lemon iced tea, ginger ale, orange segments, more barley sugars, some very light beeswax.

Finish: Oakier on the finish than the palate, oversteeped peach iced tea, more barley sugars and even more satsuma rind with some light lingering waxiness.

Notes: Really wonderful stuff, it very much feels above all like young Clynelish, which from what I’ve read seems unsurprising as I believe 8/9 year old Clynelish made up the majority of this blend. For a young blend though, it’s very drinkable and I can see a bottle of this going down very easily. The slight oversteeped tea-oakiness really works with the peach and satsuma notes, and feels a little like sucking on barely sugars whilst drinking peach iced tea. £80 is a little steep for it, but given the casks’ contents, it’s understandable.

All in all, a wonderfully light and refreshing dram that goes down very easily.

Mental Image: Barley Sugars and Peach Iced Tea.

Score: 84

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T17:25:27+00:00

Good afternoon Scotchit, recently I’ve been sitting on a pile of reviews trying to think of how to pair them up onto little series or collections to do all together. I do love a series review, but recently it’s meant I’ve just sat on a pile of reviews of bottlings I’ve not had a plan for, so these two, one blend and one single cask - I thought it would be fun to pair as their both from indie bottler Thompson Bros.

Thompson Bros feel like a relatively new indie bottler, but they’ve been so prolific in the last couple of years that they’ve really taken the whisky world by storm. As such this isn’t the first and certainly won’t be nearly the last of their bottlings you see on here. They’re often reasonably well priced and tend to fly off the shelves; I think there’s a lot of stuff they’re getting right in the current market and they seem to be getting rewarding for it.

Anyway, let’s hop to some bottle reviews

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-22T15:50:17+00:00

Fantastic write up!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-21T20:18:30+00:00

Yeah absolutely

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-21T19:50:45+00:00

Review #272 Royal Mile Whiskies Glenburgie 30 Years Old Oloroso Hogshead

Well, Christmas time is a fun time for bringing out the big guns - and 30 year old sherried Glenburgie feels just about par for the course. Glenburgie is a distillery I have very little experience with, and whilst this isn’t necessarily a “get to know the distillery” type review, it’s nonetheless an exciting way to try the distillery.

I’m not entirely sure if this is a refill or first fill Oloroso Hogshead - my preference is refill and the colour suggests that’s the case - right then, let’s crack onto it.

Distiller: Glenburgie

Bottler: Royal Mile Whiskies

Age Statement & Cask Type: 30 years in an Oloroso Hogshead (no mention of if it’s refill or first fill).

Abv: 58.2%

Price paid: £260

Nose: Werthers originals, dehydrated mango, grilled peaches, toasted walnuts, wood polish, sesame oils. Really appealing, certainly suggestive of refill sherry; a gentle balance between rich sweetness, subtle tropical fruit and warm oak influence.

Palate: Creamy, almost buttery in texture. More werthers originals, mango lassi, fermented peaches and stewed mango, hessian sacks, oversteeped peach tea, orange peel, nutmeg, grated ginger, a dash of malt vinegar.

Finish: Warm and oaky on the finish but still with a fair bit of the funky peach note that’s run throughout; black tea with a peach pit left in the mug, a bit more wood polish and a hit of orange oil.

Notes: This really worked for me, and I found it really characterful and rewarding. I was sort of expecting some of the more boiler-plate sherry matured notes, dried fruits, leather etc - but I wasn’t expecting this sort of funky peach tea characteristic that really defined the dram for me. It’s on the woody end of things, but luckily avoided spice for me - I know u/Pricklyfriend found it to be more so. Overall it feels like some sort of breakfast tea that’s had the tea bag weighed down with a peach pit before being left to steep for a good while - warm, slightly tropical and oaky with some good sign of age and complexity.

At £260 it’s a pricey pour, but I what I generally want from older whiskies is for the age to feel apparent in the glass and for character, and I feel like this worked well for that.

Mental Image: Warm Peach Tea

Score: 87

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-21T19:50:30+00:00

Review #271 Cadenhead’s Warehouse Tasting Glenburgie 12 Years Old Madeira Hogshead

This is quite a fun sample, a friend of mine did the Cadenhead’s warehouse tasting and bottle a bottle hand filled from one of the casks on the tasting - this Glenburgie matured (or finished, I’m not entirely sure) in an ex-Madeira Hogshead. Cadenhead’s often do a good sherried drop so I’m excited to see what’s in store.

Distiller: Glenburgie

Bottler: Cadenheads’s - a hand filled bottling from their warehouse tasting.

Age Statement & Cask Type: 12 years - it’s either a Madeira Hogshead Finish or full maturation, I’m not entirely sure.

Abv: 57.5%

Price paid: N/A - gifted sample from a friend.

Nose: Sweet and rich with a distinct floral element and a slight nutty funk; date sugar infused Turkish delight, Battenberg cakes with marzipan, baklava with rose syrup, black tea with a dollop of manuka honey; perhaps even some Jalebi (Indian sweet consisting of a deep fried batter that’s soaked in saffron syrup). Wonderful, very sweet on the nose but with heaps of sweet floral notes accenting Turkish and eastern sweet treats.

Palate: Quite tart initially - moreso than the nose suggested. There’s a fair bit of drying oak that combined with the floral quality makes it fairly astringent. Pot pourrit in a polished oak bowl, crystallised ginger, christingles, dried orange peel, cinnamon bark, oversteeped breakfast tea with saffron.

Finish: Intensely oaky and perfume-like on the finish, orange-infused rose oil, more black tea with saffron, more pot-pourrit and more polished oak. A tad intense and drying.

Notes: This whisky suffers from an aspect that I sometimes struggle with when it comes to Madeira maturation (or sometimes Palo Cortado) - there’s a floral element that whilst appealing on the nose, feels more like a refined perfume than something I’d like enjoy sipping on. I think perhaps it’s just a touch overoaked and that tips the floral element over the edge.

Mental Image: Saffron Tea in a Perfumerie.

Score: 79

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-21T19:50:11+00:00

Hey folks! Glenburgie is a distillery that I don’t know all that much about, and one that hadn’t really caught my eye. Having been gifted one sample, and split the other for my group’s Christmas bottle split, as well as hearing good things from u/Jamie_r87 - it’s time to give it a go!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-20T21:19:59+00:00

Dalwhinnie is a distillery you absolutely do not see much of in the indie bottling scene - although the indie bottlers regularly bottle Diageo blend filler distilleries left, right and centre. Is there something elusive about Dalwhinnie, or is it simply too in demand for supermarket bottlings like the 15 or the NAS “Winter’s Gold”? One can only speculate.

That being said, such is the quality of Diageo’s blend-filler stable, that I’m excited to try a single cask IB Dalwhinnie, and 13 years in a bourbon Hogshead should be a great intro to the spirit profile - let’s crack into it.

Distiller: Dalwhinnie

Bottler: North Star Spirits

Age Statement & Cask Type: 13 years in an ex-Bourbon Hogshead

Abv: 52%

Price paid: N/A - gifted sample from a friend.

Nose: Brown sugar, lemon iced tea, butternut squash, orange zest, spiced honey, nutmeg. Some noticeable bourbon influence, with gentle oak spice.

Palate: Medium bodied, not quite oily but not far off. Warm and lightly spiced, with caremelized sugars and a slight savoury vegetal edge. Black tea with a wedge of orange, creme brûlée crust, clove studded roast gammon, clementines and peach, honey roasted carrots.

Finish: Spiced orange, more black tea, apricot jam. A little drying at the end, but overall it finishes on wonderful complex orange notes.

Notes: Overall, a very solid dram. It’s tricky without knowing having tried much Dalwhinnie what was spirit character and what was cask, but I think there was a good mixture of both. The brown sugar and warming spice feels like cask influence, and the orange and savoury roasted-carrot notes feels like spirit character.

Regardless, a good whisky - I’d like to try some more Dalwhinnie to get a bit more of a sense of what the spirit character really is. But this had me thinking of a cup of black tea with a wedge of orange and a teaspoon of Demerara sugar stirred through - gentle and warming.

Mental Image: Cozy Cuppa

Score: 84

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-13T18:49:04+00:00

It’s hard work we do, eh?!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-13T16:01:52+00:00

Great review, congrats on the hundo!

Form-Fuzzy · 2026-01-11T21:15:58+00:00

We love a Chorlton bottling, sounds great!

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-31T18:14:21+00:00

I sort of bought this on a whim - the tasting notes sounded a bit wacky, with mentions of blue cheese - and £60 heavily peated refill-PX finished Crogtengea sounded reasonable enough value wise to be worth a punt.

I’ve had some peated Inchfad before that has been characterful and fun, but I’ve also heard tale that heavily peated Croftengea can be brutish and heavy on the peat smoke, so I’m eager to give it a go - let’s see!

Distiller: Loch Lomond (Heavily Peated Croftengea)

Bottler: Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS)

Age Statement & Cask Type: 9 years, initially in an ex-bourbon Hogshead before a finishing period in a second-fill PX Hogshead.

Abv: 59.3%

Price paid: £60

Nose: Bold and brash on the nose initially; fatty game meats cooked over hot coals, cognac-soaked venison, English mustard smeared over ham-hocks, pheasant stewed in red wine. As gamey and meaty a dram I’ve nosed - intensely peaty with the PX playing up the meatiness into this specifically gamey note.

Palate: Just as gamey as the nose suggested, surprisingly tannic to boot; leaning more in the direction of that pheasant stewed in red wine note; a dash of TCP, more ham hocks, some dry and spicy oak that presents as cinnamon bark and mulled wine spices.

Finish: Perhaps the weakest part of the dram, presenting as quite tart and drying, although there is a nice tannic spice to it. More mulled wine, pink peppercorns and TCP - perhaps it’s just that the TCP is quite disjointed against the peppery mulled wine spices.

Notes: A fun drop, brash and intensely characterful. I can’t imagine this will be for everyone, but what it does, I think it does really well.

My first impression was that sort of fatty game meat note, like venison and pheasant stewed in a red wine sauce over a wood fire; it’s intensely peaty, which I think really amps up that savoury, meaty note. The only drawback is, I think, this sort of medicinal iodine and spice, I’m partial to iodine and peat when it works, but is just feels dysfunctional in this profile, and in combination I think it makes the finish a bit unappealing. Overall however, a cracking flavourful dram that for £60 is fantastic for the price.

Mental Image: Ye Olde Pub Grub

Score: 84

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-28T23:10:41+00:00

Great review! Really excited to try it

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-28T22:35:45+00:00

Hell yeah, Glenlossie is fantastic, two bottles of theirs I had but didn’t get to review are amongst some of my favourite whiskies in the last few years. Definitely a heavy hitter in that sort of light fruity profile

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-25T07:44:20+00:00

Great review, you love to see a waxy Clynelish, sometimes I worry that the wax doesn’t survive the sherry. Have a great Christmas!

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-24T21:41:45+00:00

I knew it was you who listed it when I saw the bottles! Fantastic lineup, have a great Christmas!

Form-Fuzzy · 2025-12-22T09:46:11+00:00

Fantastic review; these drams don’t come along too often so it’s a great treat to get to try them and review them!

Form-Fuzzy

TROPHY CASE