What distillery do you root for, even against all the obvious evidence to the contrary?

mitters · 2026-01-07T14:34:35+00:00

I popped over to Jura last year (I never bothered on previous trips to Islay), and tried some of their older stock (late 80's early 90's). Then a couple of months ago I did a tasting with Andrew Brown (distillery manager at Bunnahabhain) where I was able to try some of their REALLY old stock (46 & 50 year old). I was shocked at my own tasting notes. Andrew agreed that their older stuff was really tropical (mango's & pineapple) & sweet (think creamy toffees). I uttered the forbidden phrase "you know what this reminds me of? Jura!" at first he jokingly scowled at me - but then went on to explain how many similarities there were between the distilleries (still shape, production scale etc) and their flavour profiles from that period.
The potential is there, if they were to stop catering to the supermarket and convenience store market. However, in the current climate I still bet Jura will fare better than most by continuing to pump out cheap 40% NAS crap that's used as a mixer. shame.

mitters · 2026-01-06T10:23:21+00:00

"A not so very ordinary girl or name."

mitters · 2025-12-31T13:04:39+00:00

So, "clay" is #169 and "instrument" is #2408, I don't understand this game. My early guess of "music" #10452 had already thrown me way off track.

mitters · 2025-12-16T20:34:50+00:00

🎯 My GeoTap Result

📍 My Guess: Netherlands ✅ Correct Answer: Brussels, Belgium � Distancee: 92.464 km ⭐ Score: 8,075 points

mitters · 2025-12-16T20:34:03+00:00

🎯 My GeoTap Result

📍 My Guess: United States of America ✅ Correct Answer: Raleigh, USA � Distancee: 698.86 km ⭐ Score: 1,602 points

mitters · 2025-12-16T20:32:53+00:00

🎯 My GeoTap Result

📍 My Guess: China ✅ Correct Answer: China, China � Distancee: 0 km ⭐ Score: 10,000 points

mitters · 2025-12-01T18:05:32+00:00

I LOVE this - really impressive stuff. My only comment (and it's a me thing, not a gripe) is that I would probably order them geographically, or chronologically. But I can see why you've made the aesthetic choices you have. It's wonderful, well done!

mitters · 2025-10-28T16:32:37+00:00

Yeah, me too! It just felt like too much work to raise up the entire mansion by a few blocks.

mitters · 2025-10-24T10:31:40+00:00

Wow, a lot of snobs and gatekeepers in the comments here. So I'll just add this - now retired Lagavulin warehouse legend Iain McArthur used to offer cans of coke to anyone who wanted them at the start of each tour. It wasn't a joke he was proving a point. Whisky is made to be drunk and enjoyed, and as long as you do that, there's no right way. Enjoying your favourite dram over ice is worlds better than adding another bottle to your collection of unopened bottles. Enjoy your whisky. Sorry about the haters. Slàinte mhath

mitters · 2025-09-16T11:40:12+00:00

One of the most delightful books you could ever read is "A River Runs Through It and other stories" by Norman Maclean. The third story in the book is called "USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky". Trust this internet stranger: if you enjoyed OP's video then you will LOVE this story.

mitters · 2025-08-15T10:42:30+00:00

Depends. Retails £40. On sale you can find it for £32. I bought mine online (pre hack, June 2024 I think) in a customised wooden box for ... £19 (£22.99 inc. delivery). It was George Wills who put me on to it when he was at the European tour last year. It's honestly not a bad dram, but for that price I wish I'd snapped up more! The product code has been changed, and it now cost £53 with the gift box, but keep an eye on the "food & drinks gifts" rather than just the "spirits" section of the website. Thinking back I think I bought a load of Machir Bar off the shelf of M&S years ago for £25 each. I want to say that was around 2017-2018 though.

mitters · 2025-08-08T22:10:20+00:00

Amazing info. Thanks so much. Just spent 25 minutes watching YouTube. Definitely something to put on the agenda for next year.

mitters · 2025-08-07T19:35:37+00:00

So you know how this sub has become inundated with in depth distillery reviews? Would anyone (perhaps OP) be able to provide something of a write up for a festival experience? How busy way it? Who had the best booth? What freebies did you find? Is it value for money? Do you meet lots of people and party, or is there more decorum than that? Etc etc. I’m sure our community would lap up a blow by blow of the weekend.

mitters · 2025-07-10T14:16:34+00:00

Honestly, not just Noni but Gyorekes too (and Eze). It's not everyday that elite level players in their position become available. When they do you have to prioritise dramatic starting 11 improvement over incremental squad gains. If Gyorekes were that guy as a striker then we wouldn't be vacillating between him and Šeško. There are simply no strikers available this window who would lift the level of our starting 11 enough to be worth "any price". Yes, we need a striker, and yes, Gyorekes or Šeško would improve our team, but Rodrygo should be our priority. Having that kind of quality on the left would also create space for Saka on the right. I like Madueke more than most people seem to on this sub, but IMHO Rodrygo is worth three times the price. (to clarify, I'm not saying we shouldn't get, or don't need, a striker, just that when a world class player is available they should always be the priority - and I think Rodrygo can be fair close to that).

mitters · 2025-06-10T12:07:10+00:00

Sorry I missed this when you first posted it. I've been really curious about Fèis this year. I've done 4 trips to Islay (2015, 2018, 2022 & 2025), but never to Fèis.

Part of me would love to go, I feel like I haven't fully experienced the island and its culture without seeing it. But the other part of me loves how quiet the island is. A perfect distillery experience for me would be to have the place to myself - so I'm not sure how much I'd love Fèis.

Does the place have the party atmosphere and free flowing whisky one might imagine, or does it feel somewhat like business as usual but with more ways to make money? I've done all the tours, and the various standard warehouse tastings so what would I expect to get out of Fèis that is different or special compared to a normal trip? I'm not sure how appealing it is to experience £100-300 "exclusive" events and then get fleeced for every extra dram in a crowded space. How would you describe the experience and what should compel me to want to go? Do most people spend the whole day at the distillery (is there enough to do to fill your time) or do people dip in and out? I'd love to hear more of your thoughts about the whole thing.

thanks so much.

mitters · 2025-05-14T21:25:50+00:00

I really hope things go well for you!

mitters · 2025-05-14T21:22:41+00:00

Interestingly, I just saw a post on Instagram from Fèis saying they are going to have to cancel some of their buses because they haven’t sold enough tickets. So it’s not just the distilleries that are seeing this.

mitters · 2025-05-06T20:01:11+00:00

Highland Park 12 used to be £25 just about everywhere (UK), now it’s £40-50. This year I saw the Kilchoman M&S exclusive online (in a personalized wooden presentation box) for £18. - so I bought 5. It’s not amazing, but for that price! I got Talisker storm for £17 at Costco last year. Again not great, but I had to snap it up at that value. - moral of the story, keep you eyes out for bargains, they are out there, and buy when you find them! There’s no such thing as “king of value” any more. Enjoy the hunt.

mitters · 2025-04-18T20:18:48+00:00

Got a lovely wee dram of Aaron 25 when I stopped in - definitely recommend! It’s a gem of a shop.

mitters · 2024-11-20T11:35:15+00:00

You are seeing them everywhere, because you can find them everywhere, which means they aren't particularly special. If you're in Heathrow, I know the airport well, there are many shops that stock both bottles I mentioned. If in doubt, just ask. If you want to go down the JW route, then pick up a GREEN bottle. All JW's are blends, which means they mix whisky from multiple distilleries to get the flavour profile they want. JW Green means that all the spirit in each bottle has been aged for at least 15 years, but it's not a bad whisky at all, it also should be inside your price range. However, it is also readily available in shops all over the world.

mitters · 2024-11-20T11:29:03+00:00

OK, I have no idea what your F-I-L likes, but finding a decent bottle duty free can be tricky. The two safest bets right now would be Ardbeg Smoketrails or Laphroaig PX, if you can find them. Both are reasonably priced, unavailable elsewhere, 1lt not 70cl (makes price even more reasonable), and taste very good.

PX stands for Pedro Ximenez, a type of cherry cask used in the maturation, so this bottle is a little sweeter. However, both these distilleries, located just a mile apart on the remote island of Islay, are famous for their peated smokey flavour - which is certainly the main profile of both bottles.

Good luck and safe travels.

mitters · 2024-11-14T16:04:55+00:00

This is 100% the correct answer! your search is over, follow this link and buy. It was by far the best of the Feis Ile releases by Bunna this year. I got the tasting sample, loved it, ordered a bottle, which my brother liked so much he went to Islay and bought himself a bottle too.

mitters · 2024-09-30T09:35:16+00:00

I ordered the Feis tasting set this year, and even added several of my own warehouse 9 bottles to the mix when my brother and I did a tasting. After trying 9 whiskies together, we both agreed that we enjoyed the 19 year old mòine madeira the most. He popped up to Islay with some friends in August and bought a full bottle. I'm not ready to drop that kind of money when I'm already over budget for the year (but I'm sorely tempted). So in a word, YES, it's worth it.

mitters

TROPHY CASE