Malts of Scotland Archives

Four Independent Miltonduff Whiskies

6th February 20265th February 2026Coldorak

Today marks More Drams’ first dedicated Miltonduff session—an introduction to the distillery paired with four compelling independent Miltonduff whiskies. On the tasting table: a Malts of Scotland from 2011, a 13-year-old cask bottled for Van Wees’ 100th anniversary by Gordon & Macphail, a 2009 Whisky Mercenary release, and a 22-year-old Chieftain’s Choice from 1989. This Speyside workhorse deserves far more attention than it typically receives.

Caol Ila From 10 – To 40-Year-Old

28th January 202627th January 2026Coldorak

We move on to four more Caol Ila, ranging from 10 to 40 years old – partly because there’s no good reason not to, and partly because Caol Ila is hard to resist. After last week’s birthday, marked with two 47‑year‑old single grains that I reviewed on Monday, it feels only natural to keep the celebration going with a line‑up of both youthful and venerable Caol Ila.

Three Indy Bowmore

22nd February 20245th November 2025Coldorak

Bowmore stands as Islay’s most ancient licensed distillery, sparking my initial interest for whisky some two decades ago with their 15-year-old expression. Back then, I was slim and still had some hair on my head. My, how time flies. Twenty years later, a visit to the distillery in July 2023 proved an exhilarating experience. Our guide’s warmth and knowledge captivated us, the other guests and me, allowing us to savour a unique moment of bottling a small cask sample straight from the cask in one of their warehouses. Then, our tasting session revealed a trove of delicious whiskies, awaiting my eventual review. But today, we explore three indy Bowmore expressions from three independent bottlers: The Whisky Agency, Svenska Eldvatten, and Malts of Scotland.