WHISKY JOURNAL
Tasting notes, distillery stories and practical whisky ideas in reviewed English editions.
Travel · November 2, 2026
Shelf prices at the arrivals duty free shop at Porto Airport, from photos taken by the site operator after landing. Products also sold at Lisbon Airport departures duty free carried exactly the same prices.
Travel · November 2, 2026
Shelf prices for Glenfiddich, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker, Jameson and Jack Daniel's at Seville Airport departures duty free, from photos taken by the site operator. A small shop, but with plenty of promotions.
Travel · November 2, 2026
Shelf prices for single malts, blends and Japanese whisky at Barcelona Airport departures duty free, from photos taken by the site operator. Many travel exclusives and 1L bottles, with promotion prices included.
Whisky stories · November 2, 2026
Shelf prices for single malts, blends, bourbon and the locked premium case at Emart Traders Guseong in Yongin, Korea, from photos taken by the site operator. From Macallan, Glenfiddich and Balvenie up to GlenAllachie 35.
Tasting notes · October 29, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for Glenmorangie The Nectar 16 Years Old (46%), bought and tasted by the site operator, with notes on its bourbon and sweet white wine cask maturation.
Travel · October 21, 2026
Shelf photos and real price labels for whisky, beer and Portuguese wine at the basement supermarket of El Corte Inglés in Lisbon. The beer range is far wider than at a typical Korean hypermarket.
Travel · October 20, 2026
Real shelf prices for whisky, port, Moscatel and Vinho Verde at Lisbon Airport departures duty free, from photos taken by the site operator. Portuguese wine is the real strength here.
Tasting notes · October 20, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Cask Strength 2023 Edition (60.1%), bought and tasted by the site operator.
Tasting notes · October 15, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for a bottle of Glen Garioch 15 Year Old Sherry Cask (53.7%) bought and tasted by the site operator.
Tasting notes · October 15, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for Aberlour A'bunadh Batch 084 (61.2%), bought at a duty-free shop and tasted by the site operator.
Tasting notes · October 15, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for Springbank 12 Year Old Cask Strength (55.9%), bought and tasted by the site operator.
Tasting notes · October 15, 2026
Nose, palate, finish, personal impressions and a 100-point score for Clynelish 14 Year Old (46%), bought and tasted by the site operator.
Travel · August 11, 2026
Confirm bookings, tasting options and transport ahead of time and a distillery visit goes a lot more smoothly than showing up on a whim.
Distillery · August 11, 2026
A small operation running one or two pot stills and a large distillery running column stills around the clock approach the same category of whisky very differently.
Whisky stories · August 11, 2026
An unopened bottle is one thing, but the moment you break the seal, air exposure begins. Here are practical principles for keeping aroma and flavour intact.
Tasting notes · August 11, 2026
Rather than memorising a fixed list, two simple principles do most of the work — match similar weight, or deliberately pair for contrast.
Column · August 11, 2026
Why the tulip-shaped nosing glass became the standard, and what the bowl shape and narrowing rim actually do for how aroma reaches your nose.
Distillery · August 11, 2026
The batch-run copper pot still and the continuously running column still are built differently, and that difference decides how heavy or how clean the spirit turns out.
Whisky stories · August 11, 2026
What separates the three isn't taste — it's a specific set of legal requirements covering origin, distillation, and the cask each one has to mature in.
Whisky stories · August 10, 2026
Even on an unfamiliar label, reading the distillery, vintage, cask, strength and bottle count in order lowers the risk of an unfamiliar purchase.
Column · August 9, 2026
An age statement is time information, not a quality score. Here's how the spirit, the cask, the bottling decision, and your own palate change the result.
Column · August 8, 2026
Two similarly named terms, split apart by the order of maturation and the role each cask played, plus the questions worth asking of a product description.
Tasting notes · August 7, 2026
Instead of chasing poetic descriptors, log the same conditions, the same three stages, and comparable words to track how a dram changes.
Whisky stories · August 6, 2026
Before the flashy name, check the category, strength, age statement and cask details in the order that actually matters when choosing a bottle.