WotM Jan-May 2020

I’ve been writing these wee whisky of the month blogs since June this year and it occurred to me that if I had any hope of selecting a whisky of the year then I should probably take a look back at the previous months and select a top dog for each.

This then is a look back at some of the amazing (and not so amazing) drams I have covered this year.
Each section will be dedicate to each month and I will briefly discuss every dram, in the order I covered them, and select my favourite each month at the end of the section.

As always, if you want to know more about a whisky, please follow the links to the full reviews.

January

After an excellent Xmas period I settled back into the review structure with Old Forester 1920. Quite difficult to get over here but well worth the effort.
Next was the Highland Park 14yrs Loyalty of the Wolf, a travel retail exclusive and generally nothing to write home about.
Third up was the December Summerton Club release. A collaboration with The Whisky Baron and a blend of two well known scotch malts.
After, we had the Bruichladdich Classic Laddie. Quality liquid for an affordable price, irritating opaque bottle though.
The Mackmyra MACK follows. A surprising dram that isn’t actually aimed at ‘us’ but impressed nonetheless.
Then it was the Douglas Laing Gauldrons Batch 5. A blend of Campbeltown malts. Tasty but a little expensive.
Penultimately, we had the Crowded Barrel Eleanor 9.4. Extremely tasty but only available out of the distillery in Texas.
Finally, the Bowmore 12. Classic Islay scotch.

Januray’s winner: Old Forester 1920

February

A slightly shorter month so a couple less to pick from, lets get into it.

First up, the Ardbeg Corryvreckan. Serious peat, serious ABV, good value.
Second, the Black Mountain BM1 ‘Excellence’. Far from excellent unfortunately.
Next, Knappogue Castle 12 Years. All round pretty good. Nothing too exceptional, just a well rounded dram.
Balcones Texas Rye 100 is up next. A monster dram but I have to deduct points for the price of it over here, I just can’t recommend it for the UK market.
Then is was the Mackmyra Svenska Ek, using 10% Swedish Oak. Very interesting indeed.
And finally Kavalan Wine Oak. I usually don’t get on with Kavalan but this one was pretty good.

February’s winner: Ardbeg Corryvreckan

March

Are you all still with me? Let’s keep at it!

We kick off with the Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold. Personally, I didn’t find it that impressive.
Then we have the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition. I’m a fan of Jameson and this one is pretty good as well.
After that we had a face-off between two The Exceptional Whisky releases. Some well known whisky went into these for sure.
The fourth dram I covered was the Glengoyne 12. This is a classic malt and one to add to your repertoire.
Next, a seasonal release from Mackmyra in the Gronte Te. On paper it doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does.
The only boubon this month is the Jim Beam Single Barrel. A massive step up from other Jim Beams but not as good as equivalent bourbons.
And finally, the Macallan Gold. I just don’t get the fuss about Macallan, over priced and not that great.

March’s Winner: Mackmyra Gronte Te

April

Its the penultimate month for this article!

We start this month with a joker dram, Hampstead Rare. Just no.
The first real dram of the month is Teeling Single Grain. I like grain whisky but wasn’t overly keen on this. The Small Batch is better.
Next is another disappointment in the Longmorn Distillers Choice. Don’t judge the distillery on this one, they can do better.
After is the Compass Box Great King Street Glasgow Blend. I love what this company is doing and this dram is no different.
Then we have the Woodford Reserve Rye. A fairly easy going rye that enjoyed for what it was.
Fifth is the Mackmyra Svenska Rok, a smokey swedish whisky. I like this one.
Over to Wales next for the Penderyn Rhiannon. I didn’t like this on the cork pop but the bottle grew as is aired out and became lovely.
Next is the Glengoyne 18. Exceptional whisky. Period.
Second to last is the Very Old Barton Bottled in Bond. For the price, this is excellent bourbon.
And lastly, the Balcones Single Malt. Tasty, but again too expensive to recommend over here

April’s winner: Glengoyne 18

May

The final month for this article. Lets see what treats we have in store.

The opening salvo comes from Cotswolds Lord Mayors Reserve. It has to be said its the weakest of the Cotswolds drams so far, but still pretty good.
Second is the Jameson Black Barrel. I expected more from this. Generally disappointed.
Third is the Glen Keith Distillery Edition. OK whisky, but I reach past it every time.
Next up is the World Whisky Blend from That Boutiquey Whisky Company. A nice idea but ultimately fell short for me.
Next up is The Tormore 14. Not really available over here but its a nice drop for the money.
Then its the English Smokey. I enjoyed this one a lot.
And finally The Balvenie 16. Lovely whisky, but travel retail and quite expensive for not much reason.

May’s Winner: English Smokey

So there we have it. All caught up on the year. Would you have chosen differently? Let me know in the comments below!

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