Our first full year has come to a close. We added over 500 more reviews, which means…our collective backlog of several thousand still needs a lot of attention. We remain mostly focused on Scotch, though of course The Auditor makes sure there’s lots of rum and DemiTastes favors the newly official category of American Single Malt Whiskey. You’ll also find Irish whiskey, bourbon and rye, brandy, and whatever other assorted spirits we’ve been drinking this year. Our personal highlights, lowlights, and other impressions follow. Thanks for reading.
-The Maltrunners
zSolaris
Best pour: Macallan 30 Year (1989) Kingsbury’s. An old Macallan that actually lived up to the hype.
Most surprising: Kirkland Lowland Single Malt Whisky. Costco is doing the Lord’s work.
Most disappointing: Bruichladdich Black Art 10.1. Where’s the magic?
Worst pour: Kavalan Solist Moscatel. The less I think about this whisky, the better.
I can’t stop talking about: Tamdhu 16 (2006) La Maison du Whisky. Liquid memories of our honeymoon.
The Auditor
Best pour: Savanna HERR Japoniani 2006 12 Year
Hampden once again battled for my top spot with Savanna, one of my other favorite disitlleries. This bottling of Savanna took the top spot this year as aged HERR is a rarity and a funky bright beautiful expression of weird rum.
Most surprising: Holmes Cay Infinity
An incredibly expensive ($1,500) old blend of 13 rum distilleries from 7 different countries including closed distilleries, with a fancy box and book to boot. I expected this to be a dud as some of these ultra-premium offerings are. Howver, it shocked me with its depth and savory array of flavor. A truly incredible expression.
Most disappointing: Dropworks Funk Drop
I know I may sound like a broken record here, but man, the rums coming from the UK just do not agree with my palate.
Worst pour: Nectar of the Daily Drams Le Galion 2 Year 2020
There is a trend in Europe, of indendendent bottlers taking high ester rums and giving them short finishes in aggressive casks in Europe. These are often awful and this was the case here as well, taking a great base distillate in the Le Galion and shoving it into a new oak barrel for 2 years did it no favors. An awful combination of flavors.
I can’t stop talking about: Alambique Serrano Cartier 30
2024 for me was once again filled with incredible expressions bottled by Alambique Serrano. However, this unaged fresh pressed cane juice offering from them took the prize as the best thing they’ve released so far. Nutty, cherry, fruity, and with spices, it’s one of the best rums I’ve had and simply an incredible expression.
DemiTastes
Best pour: McCarthy’s 6 Year Rum Cask Matured Single Barrel #701 Picked by & for Single Malt Frontier and The Whiskey Lodge. Yes, I’m biased, as it’s my first barrel pick, but we’ve been watching this barrel for 3 years, and I have never and will never get any compensation for the pick. This was and is purely for the love of the thing, and I made sure my first pick was something that would be worthy of being my whiskey of the year, and it certainly was. 9+/10 — There’s a few really solid runners up in American Single Malt Whiskey, enough to make it worth a top 5 or top 10 list on my own blog, so I’ll do that later.
Most surprising: Two Stacks Dram in a Can Irish Whiskey. Sure, it’s a blend of single malt, single grain, and single pot still, and I usually go for single malts. And I for sure wasn’t expecting that perfect application of just a touch of peat. And who knew a canned whiskey could be GOOD? This has become an actual bathtime/hot-tub indulgence. No possibility of glass breakage to worry about! Don’t get me wrong it’s not world-changingly good whiskey, but it’s a solid 6/10 and I’m not mad about that.
Most disappointing: Thanks to a meetup this year, I tried more Johnny Walker Blue expressions than I even knew existed. Johnny Walker Blue has always been a poor value in my opinion, and way over hyped. I pretty much feel like it’s whisky for people with more money than taste, to put it bluntly. Some of these expressions were admittedly pretty good, like Johnny Walker Oldest. But just as many of these were probably extra expensive, and still just fine. They ranged from 5/10 to 7/10, usually around a low-to-mid 6/10. Bottles included several older vintage JW Blue Labels (meh), JW Oldest (the best of the bunch), JW Blue The Casks Edition (meh), JW Blue Ghost and Rare (pretty good), JW Blue Legendary Eight (good).
Worst pour: Pendleton Midnight. Even despite the pretty low price point, it’s just a boring whiskey, and in my mind earned my lowest rating of the year (though I haven’t formally rated it). This is a Canadian Whiskey at a fairly low price point so my hopes weren’t especially high. Even so, I found this especially disappointing given that the finish in American Brandy barrels, which sounded interesting, seemingly added not much at all except a weird sweetness. 4/10 — I even tried Jeppson’s Malort for the first time this year, and at least that was interesting (and far less bad than people say).
I can’t stop talking about: Anyone who knows what I’m about knows that the real answer here is the entire category of American Single Malt Whiskey, to which I dedicated around 70 hours of the Single Malt Frontier podcast and at least 90% of my words spoken about whiskey this year. If I have to pick a single bottling, the RumCarthy’s pick (my “Best Pour”) definitely takes the cake for most words spoken about, hours broadcasted about, and articles written about.
To go beyond my home base in ASMW, the thing that most opened my eyes and about which I speak whenever the opportunity presents itself, is Killowen Barántúil. Killowen is a small craft Irish distillery making single malt, rum, and poitín with classic techniques and recipes adopted for modern distilling art, science, and craft. They use a direct-fired still and a worm tub condenser, and apply careful attention to every detail from grain to glass.
Barántúil is Killowen’s own distillate of Single Malt (as opposed to sourced), and even though it’s pricey, it’s incredible stuff. This expression really showed me what Irish Single Malt Whiskey is capable of, and is essentially the reason that I chose my podcast’s name, Single Malt Frontier, in a way that leaves the door open to covering craft single malts from other parts of the world.
Whiskery Turnip
Best pour: Springbank 32 Year (1990) Barley to Bottle Tour
I had the good fortune to spend several days in Campbeltown with my wife and some very good whisky friends. We stayed at Sprinbank’s Stillhouse guest house and toured basically every aspect of the facilities there besides the bottling hall. The best tasting we did involved this very old Springbank which had everything I wanted— tropical fruits, maritime brine, and dirty industrial character.
Most surprising: Glenburgie 39 Year (1963), Signatory Vintage Cask 4750
The surprise here was not that the whisky was good, and it was, but that I got to taste it at all. This was one of those pours you see on a bar menu or shelf and really have to hold yourself back from blowing a sizable chunk of your whisky/travel budget to try. I was fortunate enough to try the whisky thanks to the generosity of others, a generosity I hope to repay, and, as a result, no doubt next time I am in Singapore you will find me at the Swan Song again.
Most disappointing: Littlemill 25 Year (1989), Hart Brothers for North Sea Bottlers
I had high hopes coming into this Littlemill at a good friend’s 1989-themed whisky tasting, but found this bitterly disappointing… and actually a bit bitter. It was over-oaked and oddly chemical at times with a rather tepid set of flavors. The bottle and fill level all looked good and reviews online were very positive, but this ended up a disappointment.
Worst pour: Bruichladdich 18 Year (2005), Rest & Be Thankful Cask 899
I still do not know what happened with this whisky and assume the flavors must have changed from the time someone decided to bottle it, and then the actual bottling. It was remarkably pale colored after having spent 18 years in a rivesaltes hogshead, but also incredibly woody despite the pale color. It was as if the wood gave everything you don’t want and nothing that you did to the whisky— it was astringent, lactic, and the fruits felt unpleasantly artificial.
I can’t stop talking about: Whisky friends and travel.
I said the same thing last year and it remained true again— whisky friends and travel were defining parts of my year, whether meeting new friends or old friends in Singapore as I traipsed from Auld Alliance, to The Single Cask, to Swan Song. Or, whether it was a trip to Scotland with visits to Glenturret, Aberfeldy, and Campbeltown to drop off, pick up, pour, and delight in snacks, drams, and memories of all sorts. I have no idea what the next year brings, but I hope for more of the same.
ricebowl
Best pour: Bowmore Bicentenary. Opened and poured to celebrate the birth of our first child.
Most surprising: Glendronach Grandeur 29yr Batch 12 49.2%. Dense, earth, compote, cola, sanguine.
Most disappointing: Cascahuin Anejo 42% Mission 1530 French Oak. A bit disjointed.
Worst pour: Balvenie 12yr Double Wood 43%. A shadow of its former self.
I can’t stop talking about: Signatory Glen Grant 29yr 1967 51.8%. Marvelous.
RyeAmLegend
Best pour: King’s County 8 Year Single Barrel Bourbon
I had avoided Kings County mostly due to the use of smaller casks. Quarter and octave casks just haven’t been a hit for me. When this one was presented as a 53-gallon single barrel, I decided to ease my way into KCD by splitting 50:50 with a friend. Never again! Such a wonderful spirit that completely took me by surprise. I had been missing out and jumped straight to the top with the GOAT single barrel.
Most disappointing: Ardnamurchan AD/ Rum Cask (2023)
This is a high bar for a “Most Disappointing” dram but it just didn’t click the way I expected. I enjoy the molasses and high ester rums but found little of that imparted into the spirit itself. Just wasn’t for me.
Most disappointing: Bluegrass Distillers High Rye Single Barrel Bourbon
Night 5 of my blind whiskey advent calendar this year. Bottled turpentine. Far too young to bottle. Drain pour.
I can’t stop talking about: Old Potrero 17 Year Malted Rye
I have yet to review this one but I cannot wait to put pen to paper. Loved every bit of this bottle as it was a splurge purchase of mine last year.
Dustbunna
Best pour: Three-way tie between Bruichladdich 23yr ‘A Final Act of Creation’, Octomore 2.2 ‘Orpheus’, and Octomore 4.2 ‘Comus’.
2024 was full of amazing whisky for me, but the year may have peaked early with an epic local Octomore tasting in January where, in one night, I had the chance to taste all three of these (as well as revisit Octomores 6.1, 7.3, and 11.1.) Though all quite different, each one is outstanding and richly deserves its reputation, and the camaraderie of the evening itself elevated tasting them together to another level.
Most surprising: Cedar Ridge Quintessential ‘Pete & Sherri’ 6yr Iowa Single Malt.
I went to a large walk-around tasting put on by the ASMWC, celebrating American Single Malt. There were lots of great whiskies poured there, but I was smitten by this Iowan single malt release (a vatting of 6yr unpeated malt finished in Amontillado casks with 6yr peated malt in ex-bourbon barrels) that brought a singular, funky, complex character, reminding me strongly of Craigellachie. ASM is really coming into its own, and this was one of the best malts from Cedar Ridge I’ve tried so far.
Most disappointing: Brother Justus Cold-Peated Minnesota Single Malt.
I was really excited to try this new release, the first whisky to ‘cold-peat’ using local peat in direct contact with the spirit, without any smoke. It turned out to be a one-note bubblegum explosion, which I didn’t really enjoy. On the other hand, our local tasting group did make a surprisingly drinkable world blend mixing it with Kilkerran Heavily Peated.
Worst pour: Honestly, no truly bad pours this year…pretty astounding given I’ve tried over two hundred different whiskies since January, including my first OB Jura (the 12yr, which was…okay! And also oaky.)
I can’t stop talking about: American Single Malt.
As of December 18th, ASM is an officially recognized and regulated category of whisky in the USA alongside bourbon, rye, straight whisky, bottled-in-bond, etc. I’ve now got multiple favorite styles, distilleries to watch, and am experiencing diverse flavors in single malt coming out of America that begins to rival what made me fall in love with Scottish single malt in the first place, and it’s so exciting to watch that gain momentum.
Raygun
Best pour: Bruichladdich A Final Act of Creation – Not everything lives up to the hype: this does. Sweet, savory, herbal, and without flaw. Jim McEwan sure could pick ’em.
Most surprising: Penderyn 2004 The Black Book of Carmarthen – Hadn’t tried Penderyn until this year, and this one in particular got my attention. Nothing exotic, a simple ex-bourbon cask, but shows a distinctive distillery character. Got me interested in trying more from them.
Most disappointing: SMWS 19.90 Chilled Toddy (Glen Garioch 19) – Not terrible, but average at best. I expect more from SMWS.
Worst pour: No real competition in this category for me. House of Stuart was the easy call. Does the absolute minimum to be called Scotch, and tastes like it. No one should ever drink it neat.
I can’t stop talking musing about: The future of Scotch. There’s been a lot of news about sales going down. If US tariffs get reinstated, that will surely cause more pressure on sales. Bankruptcies at Mackmyra and Waterford are another illustration of the headwinds. The last decade or so has seen a wave of new distilleries and expansions at others in Scotland. Is the demand going to be there?
Malt Runners 