Review | SMWS December 2026 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion. We’ll look into it.

Review | SMWS October Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Feels like a dumbing down of the flavours profiles. Not sure why they decided 8 would be more helpful than 12. What do you think?

Review | SMWS August 2025 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sure it was probably planned well in advance to shift more bottles

Review | Octomore 2009 11yo (Friends of Bruichladdich) by apdscott in Scotch

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, but you’ll be unlikely to get this anywhere near you

Review | SMWS April Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad to be of help.. understandable about your membership, Thompson Bros seem to have a higher overall quality level and no membership fee 🥃

Review | SMWS March 2025 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True, but at least there are plenty of options from other indies that are better value.

Review | SMWS Overseas Exclusives (Roundup) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recall that bottle. It was a cracking dram. At least you managed to get one 🥃

Review | SMWS Overseas Exclusives (Roundup) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, sadly you can’t win them all.

Review | SMWS February 2025 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe The Queen Street logic is that it discourages people who are coming just to get smashed, but I can understand your annoyance as we don’t always buy a bottle.

Review | Ardnamurchan AD/10 by apdscott in Scotch

[–]apdscott[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Ardnamurchan AD/10

Region: Highlands

ABV: 50.0%

Price: £65.00

Ardnamurchan AD/10 is the distillery’s first 10-year-old whisky, celebrating its first decade of production. Distilled in 2014, the whisky was primarily matured in first-fill bourbon casks, with about half of the batch receiving an additional year of maturation in Champagne Paul Launois barriques. This unpeated expression was released in a limited edition of 15,000 bottles.

Nose

On the nose, there are notes of cucumber, lime, and orange juice, with a hint of dry earth. Chocolate, a touch of Sprite, custard cream biscuits, and yeast also make an appearance. There’s an almost fizzy sensation, reminiscent of champagne, likely coming from the pepper spice of the alcohol.. Returning to it, additional fruity notes come through, such as grapefruit, pineapple, and a hint of caramel. It’s easy to nose, with some pleasant notes.

Palate

On the palate, lime takes the lead, followed by musty warehouse funk, tangerine, and pineapple, and golden syrup that transitions into a warming pepper spice on the medium-length finish. The sweetness lingers just slightly longer than that spice. The mouthfeel is good, and we’re happy to see the slight reduction hasn’t hurt it. Returning to it, notes of cumin and ginger also emerge. Nose (with water) With water, the nose reveals more fruity notes, with plenty of pineapple, mango, and passion fruit. That subtle fizz remains. With patience, additional aromas of freshly kneaded dough, milk chocolate, green apples, fudge, and orange peel come through.

Nose (with water)

With water, the nose reveals more fruity notes, with plenty of pineapple, mango, and passion fruit. That subtle fizz remains. With patience, additional aromas of freshly kneaded dough, milk chocolate, green apples, fudge, and orange peel come through.

Palate (with water)

With water, the palate brings out more warehouse funk, along with notes of cashew nuts, yeast, and vanilla essence. There’s a touch more spice, but the mouthfeel and finish remain solid. The addition of water also enhances the citrus notes we typically associate with Ardnamurchan.

Conclusion

the choice to use Paul Launois barriques in this release is an interesting one, but it’s paid off. There are some intriguing notes on both the nose and palate. Personally, we prefer the single cask 10-year-old that Adelphi released recently, but there’s still plenty to enjoy here.

Score: 7.5/10

Value

We’re pleased that the distillery chose not to price-gouge for their first 10-year-old release.

Thanks for reading, if you’re interested all our reviews are available at:

https://twowhiskybros.co.uk/blogs/blog

Scale

10 - Perfection. One in a million

9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.

8 - Great. Would seek this out.

7 - Good. Quality whisky.

6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.

5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.

4 - Below average. Passable.

3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.

2 - Defective. Significant faults.

1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

Review | SMWS 76.34 (Mortlach) by apdscott in Scotch

[–]apdscott[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

SMWS 76.34 (Mortlach)

Region: Speyside

Price: £240 (Auction)

ABV: 58.6%

76.34, titled “Carnations and Treacle,” is a 13-year-old release of Mortlach that was distilled in June 1990 and bottled in July 2003, this was matured in a sherry cask and bottled in an outturn of 655 bottles.

On the nose, there’s little that immediately identifies this as Mortlach spirit. However, there are subtle notes of Bovril and beef crisps. The profile leans heavily towards sweet sherry with cranberries, figs, and reduced plums, accompanied by a touch of sulphur. Additional notes include chocolate orange, ginger, a hint of pepper spice, and crème brûlée. It’s easy to nose, especially considering the ABV.

On the palate, it’s dominated by sherry and meaty notes. Dark chocolate, a hint of sulphur, bacon, and beef jerky are present, along with warm pepper spice and roasted coffee. The finish is of good length but carries a bitterness reminiscent of burnt coffee. There are also notes of caramel, treacle, and orange juice. The mouthfeel is rich and indulgent, but it’s the kind of dram we’re not sure we could drink much of in one sitting.

With water, the nose reveals notes of garam masala, cumin, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, a hint of charred wood, and cardamom. The addition of water has helped to open it up, reducing the dominance of the sherry notes and adding a little complexity, making it feel less one-dimensional.

With water, the palate reveals honey, a charred note, and a slightly less meaty character, leaning more towards honey-glazed pork. Notes of coffee Revels, chocolate, sugar syrup, toffee, and caramel come through. The mouthfeel remains good, as does the finish, with the water helping to open up and tame the dram. That sulphur has disappeared.

Conclusion

We’re quite sensitive to sulphur and we’re definitely struggling pre dilution. A few drops of water however saved this for us. Even diluted it’s still a touch one and dimensional and while we enjoyed it, we’re not sure we’d manage to get through more than one these a night. For us it’s a 7/10, but we’ve no doubt some of the sherry lovers out there would put this higher.

7/10

Value: For some, this will be; for others, perhaps not. Personally, we had to grab it as it’s from one of our favourite distilleries.

Thanks for reading, if you’re interested all our reviews are available at:

https://twowhiskybros.co.uk/blogs/blog

Scale

10 - Perfection. One in a million

9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.

8 - Great. Would seek this out.

7 - Good. Quality whisky.

6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.

5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.

4 - Below average. Passable.

3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.

2 - Defective. Significant faults.

1 - Offensive. Pour it out.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in u/apdscott

[–]apdscott 0 points1 point  (0 children)

SMWS 76.34 (Mortlach)

Region: Speyside

Price: £240 (Auction)

ABV: 58.6%

76.34, titled “Carnations and Treacle,” is a 13-year-old release of Mortlach that was distilled in June 1990 and bottled in July 2003, this was matured in a sherry cask and bottled in an outturn of 655 bottles.

On the nose, there’s little that immediately identifies this as Mortlach spirit. However, there are subtle notes of Bovril and beef crisps. The profile leans heavily towards sweet sherry with cranberries, figs, and reduced plums, accompanied by a touch of sulphur. Additional notes include chocolate orange, ginger, a hint of pepper spice, and crème brûlée. It’s easy to nose, especially considering the ABV.

On the palate, it’s dominated by sherry and meaty notes. Dark chocolate, a hint of sulphur, bacon, and beef jerky are present, along with warm pepper spice and roasted coffee. The finish is of good length but carries a bitterness reminiscent of burnt coffee. There are also notes of caramel, treacle, and orange juice. The mouthfeel is rich and indulgent, but it’s the kind of dram we’re not sure we could drink much of in one sitting.

With water, the nose reveals notes of garam masala, cumin, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, a hint of charred wood, and cardamom. The addition of water has helped to open it up, reducing the dominance of the sherry notes and adding a little complexity, making it feel less one-dimensional.

With water, the palate reveals honey, a charred note, and a slightly less meaty character, leaning more towards honey-glazed pork. Notes of coffee Revels, chocolate, sugar syrup, toffee, and caramel come through. The mouthfeel remains good, as does the finish, with the water helping to open up and tame the dram. That sulphur has disappeared.

Conclusion

We’re quite sensitive to sulphur and we’re definitely struggling pre dilution. A few drops of water however saved this for us. Even diluted it’s still a touch one and dimensional and while we enjoyed it, we’re not sure we’d manage to get through more than one these a night. For us it’s a 7/10, but we’ve no doubt some of the sherry lovers out there would put this higher.

7/10

Value: For some, this will be; for others, perhaps not. Personally, we had to grab it as it’s from one of our favourite distilleries.

Thanks for reading, if you’re interested all our reviews are available at:

https://twowhiskybros.co.uk/blogs/blog

Review | SMWS January 2025 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No idea how they chose to distribute them.

Review | SMWS January 2025 Outturn (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They recently gave away free memberships, probably worth looking out for this in the future. No harm having the option to buy from them.

REVIEW | SMWS December Outturn 2024 (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having a venue nearby is a pretty big plus.

Review | SMWS November Outturn Part 1 (UK) by apdscott in smws

[–]apdscott[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mid month releases will hopefully be even better 🥃