Must Try

Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

54.7% ABV
$375-600
Website
Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022

What the Bottle Says

The First Editions – Aged in a Single Cask
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled at Cragganmore Distillery
1995
Speyside Region
This Single Cask Was Bottled 2022 Aged 26 Years

From This Single Malt Scotch Whisky Expect

A rich, fruity, slightly spicy nose with plums, cherries, walnuts and some leather. Spicy on the palate with cinnamon, some ginger, walnuts and dark chocolate-coated raisins, leading into a long peppery finish.

Bottled at Cask Strength, Non Chill Filtered, Not Couloured

Approved by Andrew Laing

One of 300 bottles from a Sherry Butt
HL19119
54.7% Alc by Vol
Edition Spirits LTD. G3 6AX 700 mL

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich with coffee cake, stewed plums, raisins, floral notes, earthy with citrus notes.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with fruitcake, raisins, figs, apples, pears, ginger, cinnamon and chili oil.
Finish: Moderately long and damp with dark fruit, bit of peat and chili oil.
Comments: Very interesting trying this alongside the Cragganmore 25 Year Limited Edition; you can definitely pick up on the familial resemblance (especially the chili oil note). This was otherwise more intensely flavored, and far more darker given the sherry butt maturation which isn’t a surprise. This also benefits from some time in the glass, and a bit of water which brings out notes of toffee on the nose and some dark chocolate notes on the palate..

Rating: Must Try

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Longmorn 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53% ABV
$440-$600 (700 mL)
Website
Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Triple Cask Matured
American Oak Barrels, Hogsheads and Butts

Rich and fruity on the nose with notes of ripe plum, fresh peach, plump sultanas and a touch of cinnamon. Incredibly sweet on the palate with a hint of spice. Dry in character, the finish is long and smooth.

Non Chill-Filtered
Cask Strength

What Gary Says

Nose: Leather, stewed fruits, plums, raisins, tangerines, peaches, oak, cinnamon and sultanas.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruit with peaches, apples, pears and kiwi, cracked pepper, chili oil and oak.
Finish: Long and drying with pepper spice fading to fruit notes.
Comments: This is just delightful (as I hoped it might be, given some wonderful expressions of Longmorn I’ve had the pleasure to try. This has a bit more bite than some of those, and time in the glass helps this one quite a bit. A bit of water also helps tamp down those sharper edges, and brings a bit more of a citrus bent to the fruit notes on the nose (although this drinks really well at 53%)
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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High West Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey

/ / Bourbon, Review / ,

High West Cask Strength
A Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
Batch No: 25K14

58.5% ABV
$70
Website
High West Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank High West Whiskey and lippe taylor for sending us a sample to review.

What the Producer Says

High West Distillery is toasting to the start of the New Year (2026) with the release of Cask Strength, a new limited-edition blend of straight bourbon whiskeys. Bold yet approachable, this release welcomes both seasoned whiskey enthusiasts and curious newcomers, and joins High West’s portfolio of fan-favorite core expressions. Available nationwide in limited quantities, Cask Strength can also be purchased at the High West Saloon and via the High West website beginning January 12th, 2026.

The release arrives at a milestone moment for High West, following Distilling Director Isaac Winter’s Master Distiller Certification – a highly respected distinction earned through a rigorous process and reflective of decades-old traditions in American whiskey-making. On Cask Strength, Isaac shares:

“This was a really fun blend to put together. Building on our high-rye blending philosophy, this Cask Strength expression uses our Bourye blending approach to precisely balance rye-driven spice with malted barley richness, resulting in layered complexity and a bold, lasting presence that keeps you coming back.”

This small-batch bourbon is composed of straight bourbons aged between 6 and 20 years, finished in new, charred American white oak barrels to deliver remarkable balance, complexity, and depth. Some details about the liquid are below:

Mash Bills:
60% Corn, 40% Malted Barley – Kentucky
60% Corn, 40% Rye – Kentucky
75% Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley – Indiana
78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley – Kentucky
84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley – Tennessee

On the Nose: Butter-poached green apples, candied Meyer lemons, cornbread drizzled with honey, brioche toast points, crushed walnuts, allspice, sarsaparilla, fresh hay, new wooden porch swing
Tasting Notes: Sweet plantains with cinnamon, dried apricots, peach crumble, homemade toffee, Earl Grey Crème tea, nutmeg, rose, hickory, seasoned oak.
Finish: Kumquat, white chocolate, velvety spice.

Availability: National Limited Release
Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered

What Gary Says

Nose: Salted caramel, toffee, oak, cinnamon, cocoa, cloves, honey and lemon zest.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with vanilla, fudge, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, pepper, mixed nuts and oak.
Finish: Moderately long with caramel, baking spices and pepper.
Comments: This is a really lovely offering from the fine folks at High West. While non-age stated, appreciate sharing the details of the mash bills (and states of distillation). While I’m curious about the age, what matters most to me is what’s in the glass – and this is a delightful dram. Each time I sat down with it, I found something new I enjoyed about it.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Delord Armagnac 25 Years

/ / Other Spirits, Review / ,

Delord Armagnac 25 Years

40% ABV
$80-$100
Website
Delord Bas Armagnac 25 Years

What the Distillery Says

Armagnac 25 years
Elegant on the nose, with its peppery and spicy notes, it is on the palate that it reveals all its complexity.

What Gary Says

Nose: Coffee, cocoa butter, caramel, vanilla, allspice, clove, bit of ginger and grapefruit.
Palate: Dried fruit with grapes, raisins, prunes, apricots, grapefruit and sultanas, citrus zest, honey and a hint of caramel.
Finish: Moderately long, drying with tobacco, oak, walnuts and fading fruit notes.
Comments:  Similar to brandy – not super familiar with Armagnac. But as a whisk(e)y drinker, I found this to have a lot of complexity for 40% ABV, and a solid flavor intensity. 25 years I’m sure brings that kind of complexity to the party, and doesn’t break the bank either. Just nosing and sipping this neatly in my Glencairn left me quite content.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Jacoulot Petit Brandy

/ / Other Spirits, Review /

Jacoulot Petit Brandy
Brandy de Bourgogne

45% ABV
$35
Website
Jacoulot le Petit Brandy

What the Distillery Says

Jacoulot, located in Romanèche-Thorins, a village in the heart of France’s Burgundy region, is a haute couture distillery that has been transforming the region’s signature pinot noir grapes into rich, complex brandies since 1891. The Jacoulot trademark is a distinctive and unique combination of aromatic complexity, finesse, and elegance achieved by distilling and aging hyper-local fruit spirits in their historic cellar, notable for its consistently cool and humid temperature. Jacoulot rose to fame in the bouchons of Lyon for producing the region’s finest grape-based eau de vie – their iconic L’Authentique Marc de Bourgogne.

Philippe Vançon and Anne Pascal, the current owners and team behind Jacoulot, have taken this historic house to new heights with an intense focus on quality, utilizing the bounty of local ingredients native to the Burgundy and Rhône regions. They are true craftspeople, meticulous in their production methods and thoughtful innovations, consistently delivering exquisite, handcrafted brandies from one of the great viticultural and gastronomic regions of the world.

Production – Petit Brandy is a completely fresh and innovative take on Jacoulot’s classic French grape spirits, distilled exclusively from Burgundian pinot noir. Petit Brandy, a blend of equal parts three-year-old Marc and three-year-old Fine, is one of the first brandies to merge both pomace and wine distillates, highlighting the best attributes and subtleties of both styles. The base eaux de vie are single-distilled in Jacoulot’s mobile alembic still, then aged in 228L, 600L, and 700L French oak barrels in their cool, humid cellar. The Marc and Fine are then married into old 10,000L French barrels before being bottled at 45% ABV, ideal for both sipping and mixing. Jacoulot Petit Brandy captures the full spectrum of the Pinot Noir grape, creating a completely new, deliciously complex brandy profile.

Tasting Notes – Aromatic, integrated notes of milk chocolate, coffee, red plums, golden raisins, and cinnamon. The palate is lush and chewy, with a long, elegant finish.

Usage Notes – Use in brandy-based classics such as a French 75, Sazerac, or Champs-Élysees for dynamic, world-class cocktails with a notably Burgundian character.

  • Distilled pinot noir pomace and wine from Côte de Beaune
  • Single-distilled in a mobile alembic still
  • Blend of brandies aged 3-4 years in 228L barriques and 600-700L demi-muids
  • Notes of milk chocolate, coffee, red plums, golden raisins, and cinnamon
  • Use in classic brandy-based cocktails for an unmistakable pinot noir elegance

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich, milk chocolate, raisins, honey, citrus, bit of a funk I can’t quite put my finger on.
Palate: Honey with candied orange, lemon, raisins, grapefruit.
Finish:  Moderate in length with honey and vanilla.
Comments:  Wow, not being that familiar with brandy I wasn’t sure what to expect – but this surprised me! The honey is pretty heavy, in fact this reminds me a bit of a honey liqueur (not QUITE that honey intensive, but close). Fruit forward which I expected, but the richness of the nose surprised me as well. A bit of water brings out some floral and pineapple notes on the nose. This really shines as an aperitif; think summer orchard stroll in a glass. Nicely balanced and nuanced, at least to me. Again, someone with a lot of brandy experience, but I really enjoyed just sipping this one neat.

Rating: Must Try

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