It’s time for one more bottlekill to cover. I’m pretty sure no one is actually reading these words, but, as with any weblog, this is more for me than someone else. So, I will take down these notes for the future in order to capture the past. If this ends up being of any interest, you can always check out the first entry, which I published only a month ago here. So let’s get to it, but first, we need music! Now playing: Benoît Pioulard & Offthesky – Sunder.

First up is the bottling of Ardmore by The Vintage Malt Whisky Co. for The Cooper’s Choice series. This is the first time I’ve had this independent bottler, and I’m very impressed. It is an integrity bottling, uncoloured, non-chill filtered. I’m not sure if it was cask strength at 48.5% (probably?), but it is indeed a single cask bottling of a 17-year-old ex-bourbon matured single malt (2003 vintage). I covered this whisky next to Old Pulteney, a 26-year-old here, and, spoiler alert, it won the round. So yes, we can assume that I loved it, and I will be back for another of these, assuming I can find it at a reasonable price. Speaking of which – the Amrut Fusion is a well-spent dollar (about £60 now), and although young and non-age-statement, can deliver a punch at 50% ABV. With that said, its Peated version is even better, and it took the price when I compared them side-by-side in this review. I think I’m due for another refill – I keep reaching for it when I eat some [wait for it!] Indian food.

Unlike the “semi-standard” Amrut, that Jura Tastival is nothing but. It is a limited edition 18-year-old, which I bought when I moved to London to celebrate my new beginnings, and I’ve been sipping on it v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y, mostly on the anniversary of my escape from the United States. It’s an integrity bottling at 52.0% and most likely now only on the auctions (if you can find it). It was absolutely delicious, matured in “sparkling wine casks” (What? You can’t have wine still sparkling in the barrel, lol) since 1997. I siphoned off the last 100ml into my stash, and no, I haven’t covered it alongside any other. That Talisker 8-year-old from the Diageo Special Releases of 2021 took a while to finish. There were some times when I just didn’t care for it. And yet, at others (with some water), I enjoyed it very much. I’ve tried it next to Caol Ila here, and it was awesome. At 59.7%, it’s an integrity bottling from Talisker, but I think its follow-up, an 11-year-old 2022 release, is way better. In the end, I’m not so sad to let it go, even as I have another unopened bottle in my archive.

The last two are Laphroaigs (again? I’m actually surprised how much Laphroaig I polished off last year!). The first one is a 15-year-old Old Particular bottling from Douglas Laing. It’s not the “typical” Laphroaig and is much gentler. I paired it next to an 18-year-old Ardmore from the same Old Particular series here, and… it won. Even as the Ardmore was surprisingly delicious. It was, in fact, that particular tasting that made me go out and buy the above-mentioned Cooper’s Choice release. I guess it took me almost a year and a half to finish both of these together! Finally, we come to the distillery bottling of the Laphroaig 18-year-old, which, although it was indeed much better than a strange Amazon 16-year-old exclusive I compared it against here, was nevertheless a little disappointing. It’s coloured (but not chill-filtered) and bottled at 48%, and to be honest, I think that Laphroaig Cask Strength is absolutely better. I’m glad I tried it, but most likely, I will not buy it again. I’d rather keep on purchasing the annual releases, the Cairdeas or the independent bottlings (and yes, the Williamson as well).

So, there you have it, folks, another roundup of empty bottles. I actually enjoyed this write-up and revisit of the malts. So, whether you extract a piece of knowledge from these words or let them disappear, at least I have a record of these souls. To summarise, here are my picks: it’s a “yes!” to Ardmore, Amrut, Talisker and the Old Particular bottling of the Laphroaig. I’m not totally sold on that Jura, and it’s a pass on Laphroaig 18. And now, I can go out and trash them and fill the empty space with new contenders on my shelves!