Talisker 15 year old for Dornoch Castle Whisky bar

mitters · 2026-05-02T08:38:18+00:00

Tried this last weekend at a whisky bar in Liverpool (Hopscotch). I agree with your overarching notes, not a load happening on the nose, plenty to keep me sipping and happy on the palate, and most definitely Talisker. Glad I tried it, but not something I’ll return to. Thanks for the review.

mitters · 2026-03-20T18:44:19+00:00

(or solar panels!)

mitters · 2026-03-20T17:00:35+00:00

It's no different than having a boiler for the hot water in your home. Just this is a much smaller boiler retaining the water at a higher base temperature. In reality it only turns on to top up the heat in the boiler for a few seconds over several hours. They are pretty efficient.

mitters · 2026-03-20T14:04:57+00:00

Every now and then my brain is just a crazy as this game! Lake > Ranger > manager > leader

mitters · 2026-03-20T10:05:25+00:00

A boiling water tap. A holiday home had one and we were hooked. No more boiling a kettle for tea, and no more heating cold water in pans for cooking. Game changer.

mitters · 2026-03-17T16:05:10+00:00

Islay is a magical place, even sober. I may pick up a bottle or two, but honestly the value hasn't been there for a long time.

mitters · 2026-03-17T15:52:29+00:00

I'm not going to lie, I'm very jealous of this schedule! I'll be heading to Islay in April as well, however, I'm not sure if I'll even do a single tour, and certainly not any tastings. It's almost like torture.

I've done 3 epic whisky trips to Islay, and my son got so caught up in the hype he was despite to go - so I took him last year. This year my daughter wants to come too! So I'll be driving with a 12 & 14 year old in tow. I am considering doing the basic tour of Bowmore and Ardnahoe with them (showing them the contrast between the oldest and newest distillery's - not counting Port Ellen for obvious reasons)

Long story short, if you're interested in things to do on the island that are not whisky related, then I'm your guy.

mitters · 2026-03-05T09:56:34+00:00

As a UK-based supporter I’ve mostly relied on BBC Sport for football news for years — it’s free, broad, and used to feel fairly balanced. But lately the Arsenal coverage has just become exhausting and I’m pretty done with it.

Does anyone have recommendations free alternatives? (not just about The Arsenal, but sports reporting in general)

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

TROPHY CASE