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

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.

Two Tobermory & An Unpeated Ledaig

13th May 202613th May 2026Coldorak

Tobermory is one of those distilleries that rewards a closer look, especially when you bring together a modern core bottling and a pair of older independent releases. The 12-year-old gives a useful snapshot of the distillery’s style today, while the 1995 Hidden Spirits and the 1994 unpeated Ledaig bottled by Spirit Stock offer two very different windows into its older character, one leaning toward Tobermory’s gentler, fruitier side and the other toward the more farmy, smoky identity associated with Ledaig… even though it will be an unpeated one here. Will it be as good as the one we reviewed last year?

Taken together, these three drams make for an especially interesting flight because they show how much personality can shift with age, cask selection, and whether the spirit was made in the peated or unpeated style. Rather than reading like a simple vertical, this tasting becomes a small study in distillery character, independent bottling influence, and the subtle split between Tobermory and Ledaig.

A Brilliant Daftmill Tasting

11th May 202610th May 2026Coldorak

I attended last week an online Daftmill tasting, and these tastings always have a very particular kind of charm: the drams always say a lot about the distillery, the farm, and the careful seasonal rhythm behind the spirit. This tasting was no exception, moving from the clean, bright side of Daftmill’s summer distillates to the richer, more textured winter expressions, with a few cask twists along the way that showed just how much character Francis Cuthbert can coax out of such a restrained setup.

What made the lineup especially interesting was the way each whisky seemed to reflect a different choice point in the Daftmill style: barley variety, cask type, fermentation length, and whether the spirit came from the summer or winter season. Put together, the drams didn’t just taste like a flight of whiskies; they felt like a snapshot of how a farm distillery builds identity one careful bottling at a time.

The lineup was made of six drams, but the first one, a Daftmill 2010 Winter Batch Release, has already been reviewed on More Drams, so it won’t be reviewed again. However, the five other expressions were yet to be reviewed here (and I hadn’t had the chance to taste them before), so you can read my thoughts below.

Deanston 15yo Sauternes Finish & Chronicles Edition 3

Deanston 15 yo Sauternes Finish & Chronicles #3

8th May 20267th May 2026Coldorak

Today we’re having a couple of Deanston whiskies in our glass: a 15-year-old Sauternes Finish, which was a distillery exclusive in 2017, and Chronicles #3. It’s been a very long time since our last Deanston review, so it was long due we reviewed a few other Deanston whiskies, with today not core range ones but two distillery exclusives. Just two Deanston today, but I guess after trying those two I’ll want to procure more of them.

Ardbeg Ardcore Heavy Vapours Spectacular

Ardbeg Ardcore, Heavy Vapours and Spectacular

6th May 202611th May 2026Coldorak

It’s time for another instalment in our Ardbeg Feis Ìle series, with Ardcore, Heavy Vapours and Spectacular. This will mark the end for a while, as I skipped the Ardbeg Day 2025 release and remain unsure about this year’s edition. For now, though, we dive into the Ardcore and Heavy Vapours Committee releases, alongside the General Release Spectacular.

Seven Signatory Vintage 100 Proof #70-73 & #75-77

4th May 202611th May 2026Coldorak

We’ve already tried a few of the releases from the running Signatory Vintage 100 Proof series, but since they continue releasing many of those, let’s review seven out of the eight latest expressions in these series, with all the editions #70 to #77, with the exception of the #74 I couldn’t source. In our glasses today are whiskies from Caol Ila, Highland Park, Linkwood, Mortlach, Ben Nevis, Ledaig and Clynelish. We’ll go in release numbers ascending, so I guess I’ll need a pause in between some drams when going from potentially peated to unpeated!

Jean-Luc Pasquet Le Cognac d'André & Le Cognac de Joël

Pasquet Le Cognac de Joël & Le Cognac d’André

1st May 20261st May 2026Coldorak

There’s something especially moving about opening two cognacs like these side-by-side. Jean-Luc Pasquet’s Le Cognac d’André L.68/72 from Fins Bois and Le Cognac de Joël L.88/82 from Grande Champagne cru are not just old bottles to taste and compare — they are pieces of family history, shaped by growers, seasons, and places that still matter deeply in Cognac. One comes from the softer, more immediately charming register of Fins Bois, the other from the finesse and depth of Grande Champagne, and together they make a beautiful conversation in the glass.

They also arrive at a difficult moment for the category, especially for the latest one released this year. Cognac is going through a serious crisis, with exports falling, inventories piling up, and the industry forced to cut yields, uproot vines, and rethink its future under pressure from trade tensions and weaker demand in its key markets. That makes bottles like these feel even more precious: reminders of a slower, more human Cognac, made before the market became so strained.

Caledonian From 29 – To 48-Year-Old

29th April 202628th April 2026Coldorak

We explore three venerable Caledonian single grains, aged between 29 and 48 years. The youngest, if we can call it that way, hails from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, while the two venerable elders – a 46- and 48-year-old – come from Scott’s Selection. This long-closed distillery, known for its grain whiskies, deserves a closer look.

Five Independent Clynelish

27th April 202626th April 2026Coldorak

It’s already time for another Clynelish session, this time with five independent Clynelish bottlings, even though we reviewed three back in January. Then again, Clynelish is one of those distilleries we never seem to tire of – right up there with Ben Nevis and Springbank… and a few others.

Since my recent move, I’ve also taken the opportunity to reorganise my samples, even adding a four-drawer cabinet to give myself more room and increase storage capacity by 50%. Yet, as with bottles, I seem to acquire more samples than I can realistically drink. And because I still have a habit of wanting to write about every new whisky or spirit I try, while also tasting several at once for comparison, some drams inevitably end up waiting far too long for their turn.

Perhaps I should admit that not every bottle or sample needs a full review. That would certainly help keep the stock under control – and might even leave me with more time to simply enjoy whisky. In any case, today we’re turning to independent Clynelish from Cadenhead, Signatory, Silver Seal, Whisky Sponge and Masam, drawn from Silviano Samaroli stock. Let’s move the vintages up, shall we?

Four Diageo ‘The Managers’ Choice’ From The Past

24th April 202623rd April 2026Coldorak

We take a nostalgic look in the rear-view mirror as we explore four gems from Diageo’s exclusive Managers’ Choice collection – a limited one-cask-per-distillery series launched in 2009. In our glasses tonight: a Cragganmore, Knockando, Lagavulin and Talisker, all handpicked by their respective distillery managers and bottled that same year at cask strength, offering a rare snapshot of Diageo’s portfolio at the time.