Blended Malt Archives

The Chuan & Goalong Chinese Whiskies

16th February 202616th February 2026Coldorak

As tomorrow will be the Chinese New Year, it felt appropriate to try and talk about The Chuan and Goalong Chinese whiskies. Chinese whisky is a young but fast‑moving category, driven by both domestic demand and big international players. Distilleries such as Pernod Ricard’s The Chuan in Sichuan and Goalong in Hunan produce malt whisky using broadly Scottish-style methods – malted barley, pot stills, cask maturation – but root their identity in local terroir, water sources and sometimes Chinese oak. The first commercial releases only started appearing in the 2010s and 2020s, so most are relatively young, yet they already show a spectrum from light, fruity, approachable profiles to more experimental cask finishes, positioning Chinese whisky as an emerging ‘new world’ scene rather than an imitation of Scotch.

Timorous Beastie Cheese Cellar Collection

24th October 202524th October 2025Coldorak

Douglas Laing created the Timorous Beastie Cheese Cellar Collection as a trilogy of Highland blended malt whiskies crafted specifically to pair with artisan cheeses. This limited-edition series forms part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range and highlights Highland single malts including Dalmore, Glengoyne, Glen Garioch, and Strathearn. Between 2024 and 2025, the company developed the collection to celebrate the link between whisky and cheese, finishing each expression in a different style of wine cask chosen to complement distinctive cheese types.

London Distillery The Golden Union #1

2nd July 202514th November 2025Coldorak

We’re back already with the revived London Distillery, but this time not for a single malt. Following the recent Renascence release, London Distillery has already introduced something new: an English blended malt. The London Distillery ‘The Golden Union’ combines whiskies from both London Distillery and Adnams. Without further ado, let’s pour it into our glass and discover what it has to offer.

Compass Box Nectarosity & Crimson Casks

23rd June 202522nd June 2025Coldorak

Compass Box, known for its inventive style of Scotch whisky blending, introduced a major update to its core range in July 2024. This change signals a fresh chapter for the brand, coming after John Glaser left in May 2024 and a period of careful planning about the direction of its whiskies. The new core range now includes six distinct expressions: the returning favourites Orchard House and The Peat Monster, the established Artist and Glasgow blends, and two new releases – Nectarosity and Crimson Casks. With this update, Compass Box has retired The Story of the Spaniard and Spice Tree, aiming to bring more clarity and definition to the line-up. Now, let’s take a closer look at the two latest additions: Compass Box Nectarosity and Crimson Casks.

Two Campbeltown Blended Malts (Swell/Chorlton)

14th May 202514th May 2025Coldorak

When an independent bottler releases a blended malt, it can mean one of two things. First, it might be a true blended malt-a carefully crafted combination of single malts sourced from different distilleries, skilfully married to create a unique flavour profile. Alternatively, it could be what’s known as a ’teaspooned’ single malt. In this scenario, and as we’ve already mentioned in the past, the original distillery, wishing to keep its name under wraps, adds a tiny amount – just a teaspoon – of another single malt to the cask. This minuscule addition is enough to legally classify the whisky as a blended malt, even though it has virtually no effect on the taste. In some cases, that ’teaspoon’ might be purely virtual – a symbolic gesture rather than a physical addition – used solely to navigate labelling regulations without altering the whisky itself.

Today on our tasting table, we have two intriguing Campbeltown Blended Malts: one from Swell de Spirits and another from Chorlton Whisky. Let’s dive in, savour each dram, and see if we can guess what’s really in the glass!

Usquaebach 15yo and Commonwealth Games 13yo

Usquaebach 15yo and 1986 Commonwealth Games 13yo

11th April 20255th November 2025Coldorak

Today we explore miniatures I bought a few years ago but never got to, as I forgot about them in one of my whisky sample drawers. The first one is a Highland blended malt by Cobalt Brands, and the other one an undisclosed single malt bottled in 1986 by Eaglesome Ltd: let’s review the Usquaebach 15yo and 1986 Commonwealth Games 13yo.

No Age Declared Blended Malt Masam

14th March 20255th November 2025Coldorak

Silvano Samaroli was a pioneering figure in the world of whisky and spirits, known for his groundbreaking contributions to independent bottling and blending. Starting in the 1960s, he selected exceptional casks of Scotch whisky based on their unique character and quality, rather than age or prestige. His bottlings became highly sought after by connoisseurs, and his uncompromising standards set new benchmarks in the industry. Samaroli’s legacy includes his role as an educator and his influence on the rise of independent bottlers. Today, he is remembered as a visionary whose dedication to craftsmanship continues to inspire new generations of enthusiasts and professionals. We review a blended malt he created, but that was bottled by his widow a few years after his death, the No Age Declared Blended Malt Masam.

Scotch & Sherry SMWS

21st February 20255th November 2025Coldorak

In 2024, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) released a documentary exploring the intricate relationship between Scotch whisky and sherry. This documentary, titled “Scotch & Sherry: A Flavour Odyssey,” takes viewers on a journey from SMWS headquarters in Leith to the oak forests of Galicia and the Sherry Triangle in Andalucia. The film delves into the process of creating sherry cask-matured whisky and introduces the artisans behind both the casks and the sherry used in the maturation process.

Accompanying this documentary, SMWS has curated a tasting pack featuring three whisky samples and two sherry samples (one Oloroso and one Pedro Ximénez). Let’s review the three whiskies, but skip on the sherries.

The Cairn CRN57° 30-Year-Old

4th February 20255th November 2025Coldorak

The Cairn Distillery, nestled in the Cairngorms National Park near Grantown-on-Spey, represents a £25 million investment by fourth-generation family business Gordon & MacPhail, known for reviving Benromach Distillery in 1998. As the first new distillery built in the park since its establishment, it combines cutting-edge architecture with reverence for its dramatic Highland surroundings, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that frame views of the Cairngorm mountains and River Spey. While the first spirit flowed in 2022 – described as medium-bodied with sweet malt and vibrant fruit notes – the inaugural single malt won’t bottle until the mid-2030s. This extended maturation reflects Gordon & MacPhail’s legacy of patient cask management, with initial fills stored off-site. Since their own single malts won’t be released for years and decades, The Cairn released a series of blended malts, called CRN57 (named for the 57th parallel latitude), in order to preview the distillery’s future single malt character through expressions aged 12 to 70 years. Let’s review the one in the middle: The Cairn CRN57 30-year-old.

Glen Garioch 2015 and Secret Islay 2017 Swell de Spirits

21st May 20245th November 2025Coldorak

A few weeks ago, we received a few samples from the French independent bottler Swell de Spirits, including a few whiskies. Today we try two of them: a Glen Garioch 2015 and a Secret Islay from a south shore distillery known for its eccentric marketing team and its yearly non-age-statement releases…