Belgian whisky maker Etienne Bouillon has a strange production process, including maturation in modern, warm, and strip-lighted warehouses on an industrial estate, but he’s no slouch when it comes to whisky making, and he counts Bruichladdich’s Jim McEwan among his friends. This is melon and vanilla ice cream on the nose; banana, burnt rind, and a sprinkling of pepper on the palate. Youth reveals itself late, but this is dessert whisky at its best. €47 Currently not available in the U.S.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)

Aged in a used bourbon barrel. Rather soft for Bowmore — especially for its age — with a gentle foundation of honey, vanilla, and malt. Interwoven notes of summer fruit, coconut, lime, and gentle peat, with teasing brine and smoke on the finish. A straightforward, unpretentious, pleasant Bowmore.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Summer 2011)

More wood influence than the standard Jim Beam White Label. It’s a bit more robust, bolder, and with more wood spices (especially cinnamon and vanilla) and a curious botanical note. Throw in some corn, caramel, and honey, and this is what you get. Behind all that, I’m detecting a bit of youthfulness — I might like this bourbon with more age and less “devil.”

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Summer 2011)

A quintet of releases showing examples of The Glenlivet from five decades, issued to support The Glenlivet Generations 70 year old bottling. All are available individually or in a limited edition set (50 only) for £2,850; these bottlings are not currently available in the U.S. The youngest of the quintet has been aged in refill sherry hogsheads, but the coconut that immediately assails the nostrils suggests they were made from American oak. Alongside this is the distillery’s signature pineapple note which sits under a scented, floral lift. Water adds a further layer of ripe pear. The palate is equally heightened with a powdery feel. It’s pretty discreet and I’d be cautious with any dilution. The finish is a mix of night-scented stocks, custard, and green apple. £95

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2011)

Nice color for a 10 year old. Puffing peat off the glass, with briny notes and sweetness: promising. The promise is kept in the mouth, too. It’s all there: peat smoke, brine, good round malt, some fruity notes in the finish, and a nice creamy texture. There’s a bit of astringency, and it’s hot for the proof. Still, a very convincing American iteration of a peated single malt, especially at this age.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

Initially mulch and damp undergrowth on the nose, with a whiff of sulfur. Then developing soft toffee and vanilla notes, though the ‘outdoors’ odor remains. Big and oily in the mouth, with a chewy texture. Oak, citrus fruit, hazelnuts, and spices, plus a hint of gunpowder tea. Medium to long in the finish, with more oak, ginger, and quite bitter coffee. A typically ‘off the rails’ independent Ben Nevis. Great if you have a soft spot for a ‘bad boy!’

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Summer 2011)

The price, the proof, and 8 years of age reflect the source: the Triple 8 distillery. Light fruit — white grapes, nectarine — and a bit of resiny plastic in the nose, plus a hint of wine wood, underlain by malt. Clean malt in the mouth, well-integrated with nothing sticking out or unbalanced. The fruit’s still there, but diminished; finish is a little clingy but clean. Nicely-made whisky…but it’s like a really good dish of vanilla ice cream; is that all?

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

This may well be the perfect entry level Mackmyra. It has a lower strength, and is almost Mackmyra Lite, thinner and less peaky, peppery, and peaty than every other Mackmyra bottling. There’s a green fruit, almost gooseberry dimension to this; most unusual for the distillery, and the peaty underlay is fractured and dusty rather than sharp and intense. A revelation, and proof that the distillery is branching out.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)

8 years old and sherry finished, and it shows in the darker color. Sweet dark fruit aromas; a bit sugary. Waxy fruit and caramel, wood spice, and some oaky prickliness on center tongue as the whisky fades. More interesting than the standard, but a bit thick.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

A bit of heat, faint nose of putty, light brown sugar, and fully ripe grapes. Stand-up whisky: sweet grain, a bit of rye spice, oak notes, and a good release on the finish. Just a touch of hollow sweetness in the middle, a kind of flat spot.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

Greenore is the grain whisky produced by Cooley, and as an 8 year old and a 15 year old it has proved to be a world beater. Now it’s being marketed as the oldest Irish single grain whiskey in the world, and while there’s lots to recommend, this age might be a step too far. Lashings of banana and vanilla ice cream are up front, but then sharp salt and pepper slash across it and leave an astringent, puckerish mixed finish.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)

Sweet, crisp nose: apple, mint, wintergreen. Grainy in the mouth; sweet, bready flavors. The whiskey coats the mouth, but more in an obscuring way; it seems to get between you and the flavors. It is quite smooth compared to young bourbons, but it leaves me looking for more. Overall impression is of a sweeter, younger whiskey that needs to mature, and the clean character makes me think maturity would look good on it.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

Not satisfied with trying different levels of peating and cask types, the folks at BenRiach are also utilizing triple distillation. This expression has spent three years in oloroso sherry butts, although for me there’s more a mix of honey and cream, and light orchard fruits than any overt fruitcake. The palate is clean and fresh and lifted. Good energy. £50

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Summer 2011)

The distillery makes big claims for this whisky, stressing that it shares the same high production values as Scotland, and the importance of altitude in the Highveld to maturation. This is the first whisky release from a Pretoria brewery, and it is fascinating. The nose is confused, but the palate is liqueur-like, with blackcurrant cordial and Vimto [a UK fruit-herb soda]. Its problem is its youth. It’s not yet fully integrated, and there are immature rootsy notes here, but it’s promising. €36 Currently not available in the U.S.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)

A small-barrel aged whiskey. The nose is sweet and fairly simple: cotton candy, wintergreen, faint menthol, and some heat. It’s hot in the mouth, too. The mint/wintergreen gives way to light caramel and sweet fudge; it’s even a bit sticky. There’s a need for more depth to balance the sweetness, and some more age to mellow the heat. More rough-edged than ‘big distiller’ whiskey at this point.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

Pale, almost peach color. Light aromas of caramel, sweet citrus. Tastes of sweet caramel, faint bite of oak on the end. Simple, but clean and pleasant. You’d have to be careful mixing this — it would get lost easily — but it should be nice on the rocks or with seltzer.

Reviewed by: Lew Bryson (Summer 2011)

This is from the stock of aged Willowbank whisky that was marketed under the Milford label before ending up as whisky from Thomson. You following this? It’s sweet, with an attractive soft melon center, but sharp pepper kicks in and coats the mouth, staying forever.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)

Thomson has discovered and bottled stocks from the Willowbank distillery, which closed in the 90s. It was, almost certainly, the world’s most southern distillery, located at Dunedin, a South Island city populated by Scots (the name is an amalgam of Dundee and Edinburgh). The whisky? Not bad at all. Sweet, edgy, prickly, with pineapple and kumquat, banana, and salt and pepper.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Summer 2011)