Categorie: Tom’s Dram Diaries
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Speyburn Distillery Tucked Away in a Secret Valley Speyburn Distillery may not be a household name among single malt enthusiasts, but it is quietly making waves. We are seeing more and more affordable, approachable bottlings hit the market, while the 15 and 18 Years Old remain the backbone of the range – despite both being…
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Fit for a King (and a Tourist) Royal Lochnagar is the odd one out in Diageo’s sprawling portfolio of distilleries. It is a remarkably small operation compared to the big names like Glendullan, Dufftown, Glen Ord, Clynelish, Caol Ila, and flies comfortably under the radar for it. This boutique distillery quietly makes lovely Highland whisky:…
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The Dunphail Distillery: the anti-consistency malt whisky Dunphail is the name of a new Speyside distillery just south of Forres. Here, nobody is reinventing the wheel – quite the opposite, in fact. It is a return to the traditional basics. Just let the ingredients do their thing, and it will turn out fine, even if…
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The Burnobennie Distillery and the Case for Fragmented Distilling Whether you’ve been in the whisky game for decades or you’re just wandering in, chances are you have a favourite. This brand, that age statement, you name it. To legally call itself whisky, a spirit has to spend at least three years in an oak cask,…
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How the Lights Are Coming Back On in Remote Cabrach The first cask of spirit at The Cabrach Distillery was filled by men whose grandfathers shared not only a lifelong friendship but also a heartfelt vision of bringing back whisky distilling to The Cabrach. The story of this (future) whisky is about far more than…
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Balmaud Farms Its Way to the Future with Quiet Confidence Distilleries are thin on the ground in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. Glen Garioch and Fettercairn keep the flag flying, while Royal Lochnagar holds court in the heart of the Highlands. For a few years now, a newcomer has quietly entered the scene, describing itself…
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The Pearl of Speyside, Polished to a Shine! The Tormore Distillery’s nickname is The Pearl of Speyside, and anyone who has ever driven from Grantown-on-Spey towards Aberlour knows exactly where that name comes from. As you glide through that glorious bend in the A95 and the majestic buildings drift past, you cannot help but gawp…
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A Visit to Glengoyne and A Massive Tasting Talk about your busy schedules! Together with two friends, I visited the Glengoyne Distillery all the way back in January, to shake hands with another good friend, Mr. Richard Brass. To us, he is a comrade affectionately known as “just” Richie. This is one passionate guy! We shared…
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A repeat visit to the now active Ardgowan Distillery Ardgowan is such a distillery that will probably stay with me forever, since the connection was established before distilling had even started. In January 2025 we visited the distillery in the final stages of construction before production commenced in May. Unbelievable what we saw then, so…
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Single Estate Bus Whisky: sipping for a better world In the tiniest of hamlets called Bus, in the Dutch province Noord-Brabant, there is a small distillery of the same name to be found. Surrounded by farmland, the story of how whisky started dripping from the still there is a remarkable one. My dear whisky-and-food pairing…