More Drams, Less Drama - Coldorak's Whisky Blog.

Laphroaig 12yo and 14yo Willem Dafoe

8th June 20267th June 2026Coldorak

Laphroaig 12-year-old and Laphroaig 14-year-old Willem Dafoe lead today’s review, bringing together two distinctive Islay whiskies and one unmistakable name. Celebrity collaborations in spirits often sit somewhere between genuine passion projects and smart storytelling, and whisky is one of the categories where that relationship feels especially natural. From brand partnerships to special editions created with distilleries, these releases show how a famous name can add another layer of interest to the glass. Here, though, the focus stays where it should be: on the whisky itself, with these two Laphroaig expressions taking centre stage.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen and Glenury Royal, King George V and The John Walker

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare, King George V & John Walker

5th June 20265th June 2026Coldorak

Johnnie Walker Blue Label has a habit of showing up in many forms, from the familiar to the highly collectible, and the four releases we are going to review are among the more intriguing examples. Building on last year’s look at the 18-year-old and two Blue Label editions, I’m now turning to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ghost & Rare Port Ellen, Ghost & Rare Glenury Royal, King George V, and The John Walker – three whiskies that each take the Blue Label idea in a slightly different direction, plus The John Walker, in its own even more premium category. They are all very much premium blends, but what makes them worth exploring is the way each one balances rarity, depth, and the distinct house style Johnnie Walker is known for.

Torabhaig Taigh House Style

3rd June 20262nd June 2026Coldorak

There are so many distilleries now in Scotland that it’s hard sometimes to remember if some of them have been covered at least once on More Drams or not. For instance, I was sure, having tried a few Torabhaig these last couple years, that I had reviewed their inaugural release and a couple of the next expressions they released. And I was wrong. So, let’s at least repair that mistake, by introducing Torabhaig distillery and reviewing their first core range expression, Torabhaig Taigh House Style.

7 + 1 Springbank Local Barley

29th May 202628th May 2026Coldorak

Pour yourself a dram or a coffee (or whatever you fancy), as today we’re having many whiskies reviewed, with 7 + 1 Springbank Local Barley. We’re tasting all but one of the recent Local Barley expressions released since 2019 (so we’re starting with one bottled in 2018), plus as a bonus, a vatting sample from one of them, tried before its final bottling and release, during my Eat, Sleep, Dram, Repeat tour at Springbank back in July 2023.

Hagmeyer Wah! Classique & Single Cask

27th May 202626th May 2026Coldorak

Today, we’re taking a look at Hagmeyer, an Alsatian distillery long known for fruit distillation, but which also makes whisky since 2016. We review two of their whiskies, with the Hagmeyer Wah! Classic and Single Cask.

Two Exceptional 1970s Speyside ALOS

25th May 202624th May 2026Coldorak

We’re flying at high altitude today with two very high-level secret Speyside whiskies bottled in 2017 by Antique Lions of Spirits (ALOS). Antique Lions of Spirits is an independent bottling collaboration based in Italy, but we’ll learn more about it below. In our glasses today are two very old Speyside single malts, distilled in 1973 and 1975, and both bottled in 2017.

Three Teaninich

22nd May 202621st May 2026Coldorak

I hesitated for a moment to call this review “Threeninich”, but, in the end, these three Teaninichs deserved something a little more dignified. This set brings together a Teaninich 10-year-old Flora & Fauna, an 11-year-old bottled by Chorlton, and a 1983 Signatory Vintage bottling from 2011, three very different snapshots of a distillery that has spent most of its life working quietly in the background.

Clos de la Groie Vieille Réserve Sélection du Papy Franck

Clos de la Groie Vieille Réserve Lot 47 Cognac

20th May 202619th May 2026Coldorak

Today’s post features just one cognac, but it’s an especially old one: a Clos de la Groie Vieille Réserve Sélection du Papy Franck. A mouthful of a name, to say the least. Le Clos de la Groie is the commercial label of the Denechere family estate in Brie-sous-Matha, in the Fins Bois cru of Cognac, about 15 km from the town of Cognac. The property has remained in the same family for five generations and covers around 80 hectares of vines, growing ugni blanc for Cognac as well as wine grapes used for Pineau, liqueurs, and other products.

Chain Pier 2019 Hogshead and Bonnington 2021 The Caskhound in front on Chain Pier Distillery

Rare Indy Chain Pier & Bonnington

18th May 202617th May 2026Coldorak

Chain Pier and Bonnington are two names linked by Edinburgh whisky history, with the former acting as the short-lived precursor to the latter. In this review, we’re looking at a Chain Pier 2019 bottled by Hogshead Import and a Bonnington 2021 bottled by The Caskhound, two releases that help trace that transition from experimental beginnings to full-scale production.

Compass Box No Name 1/2/3 / Menagerie / 3yo Deluxe

15th May 202614th May 2026Coldorak

Compass Box has always treated blended malt as a creative form rather than a compromise, and these five bottlings show that philosophy from several angles. The three editions of No Name, along with The Menagerie and Three Year Old Deluxe, move from smoky playfulness to bold and provocative transparency, showing how much character Compass Box can build when it treats blending as storytelling rather than formula, as we’ve already seen on these pages.

Taken together, this tasting is less a simple lineup than a snapshot of the house style: layered, a little provocative, and often more concept-driven than most whisky releases. It is also a reminder that Compass Box has never been afraid to challenge expectations, whether by leaning into heavily peated profiles, unusual compositions, or a label that says something very different from what you might expect in the glass.