I also liked the more viscous mouthfeel with this whisky - it felt 'expensive' and luscious - a top speyside with a difference to boot - thanks for the gr8 review
A very luxurious and enjoyable style of whisky. I doubt they'll all be this good... but I'm very excited about trying the rest of the Flora & Fauna range now. Cheers 🥃
Thanks Hernton. I really like Blair Athol 12 too. Probably one of the best Flora and Fauna. I have a full set of these so eventually I'll get around to reviewing them all 🙂
Thank you for the Linkwood review as it had peaked by curiosity. The CB Orchard House is artfully crafted and glad to hear maybe 1/3 of it's compo is Linkwood. Clynelish and Linkwood blend seem to work like a magic. I don't have access to F&F but do have a backup of Clynelish 14 and will most likely get a backup bottle of CB Orchard House. Good stuff!
Thanks Rohit. Orchard House is blending done right. Playing to the strengths of the components and combining them with other malts that compliment those features. If you're lucky you end up with something great that can't be done with single malt. We need more of that to show people that blends aren't just for cost cutting. Clynelish is a favourite of mine too. I need to get around to reviewing the 14. I'm also really hoping that the Clynelish in Diageo's 2022 Special Releases won't be ridiculously expensive...
@@WhiskyLock I am with you on the blends when they are done right. I look forward to your Clynelish 14 review. It's been good to me having gone through a couple of bottles. I am glad to hear Diageo has included Clynelish 12 in the special release line up for 2022. I will be looking out for that one especially when some of them show up in my market.
I was just having a Linkwood (G&M 16y) with a good whisky buddy who stopped by yesterday. We both really liked it. I think it is one of the distilleries I will probably try to get examine more closely 🙂
Yes absolutely. If it wasn't for the Compass Box being closely related but more to my liking then this would be a purely positive review. Linkwood is a great distillery, probably one of the better Flora&Fauna, and worth looking out for 🙂
I'm very interested in SMWS. Honestly I don't like their paid membership approach. Most Independent Bottlers don't require you to pay to access their products. But they release lots of interesting stuff. At some point I will probably sign up and review a bunch of their bottles. Any tips or recommendations for picking good ones?
@@WhiskyLock lol, you’ll see why there’s a membership fee. As I said, these are hand picked by geeks with a lot of experience and passion for whisky. I was able to get a GlenScotia 7 year old that was far better than anything the distillery puts out, even the 25 year? Best value for money that I’ve experienced by far. So glad I signed up! Cheers
@@WhiskyLock Scott with Scotch test dummies does a separate RUclips for SMWSA where he reviews their bottles… they do not give distillery names but a number system that’s easy to look up online out of respect for the distilleries. Being who you are with your great platform, ask a lot of questions. I am privileged to share this with you, you will not be disappointed… A Revelation!
Haven't seen much F&F here in NY. But we are seeing Murray McDavid bottlings of some Diageo blend filler like linkwood and Dailuaine. Unfortunately they're usually 46%, age stated and way overpriced. MM also has a habit of dual maturation, which may hide the distillery character. I've not explored much Compass Box except the Flaming Heart, which I jokingly say is my favorite Caol Ila. I do expect that the future will be blended, for affordable bottles. Once we start seeing age statements from the NEW craft distilleries the prices will a lot more than this @45. Still not a big fan of Diageo but I'm also not a fan of 40% single malts taking up shelf space. Blend filler is just that. The F&F releases are at least "special" releases. The contradictory whisky market is a tad annoying. I had no idea this journey was about disappointing corporate multinationals. I was hoping to find a simple explanation as to why there are so many choices and such a wide range of prices.
A shame that you don't have access to F&F. They're not Grade A stuff but most are worth a try. We have something in common about the dual maturation thing. Everyone loves good cask influence but sometimes (a lot of the time) I just want to taste the spirit itself. You're probably right that blends, especially blended malt, will grow to have a larger share of the affordable market soon. That and I think the discerning customer base coupled with rising prices will grow the market for well made, higher strength NAS. Not a huge fan of Diageo either. Especially after after recent price hikes and continued efforts to make whisky an exclusive luxury product. But while F&F exists, that's one good thing we can thank them for.
You're right Ryan. If you're after maximum quality then not many distilleries consistently match what you get from IB. I do think that bottlings like Flora & Fauna have their place and can be worth a look. Although I'm sure that the price for this has gone up even since I bought it and if Diageo continue to hike prices then more and more of their bottles are very soon going to be priced out of consideration.
@@WhiskyLock I joined SMWSA a couple weeks ago, unbelievable quality and value for money… check it out, I’ve told Ralfy about it also. It’s not to be missed for anoraks like us!
I also liked the more viscous mouthfeel with this whisky - it felt 'expensive' and luscious - a top speyside with a difference to boot - thanks for the gr8 review
A very luxurious and enjoyable style of whisky. I doubt they'll all be this good... but I'm very excited about trying the rest of the Flora & Fauna range now. Cheers 🥃
Great review. I've only tried the Blair Athol 12 and I really enjoyed it.
Thanks Hernton. I really like Blair Athol 12 too. Probably one of the best Flora and Fauna. I have a full set of these so eventually I'll get around to reviewing them all 🙂
Thank you for the Linkwood review as it had peaked by curiosity. The CB Orchard House is artfully crafted and glad to hear maybe 1/3 of it's compo is Linkwood. Clynelish and Linkwood blend seem to work like a magic. I don't have access to F&F but do have a backup of Clynelish 14 and will most likely get a backup bottle of CB Orchard House. Good stuff!
Thanks Rohit. Orchard House is blending done right. Playing to the strengths of the components and combining them with other malts that compliment those features. If you're lucky you end up with something great that can't be done with single malt. We need more of that to show people that blends aren't just for cost cutting.
Clynelish is a favourite of mine too. I need to get around to reviewing the 14. I'm also really hoping that the Clynelish in Diageo's 2022 Special Releases won't be ridiculously expensive...
@@WhiskyLock I am with you on the blends when they are done right. I look forward to your Clynelish 14 review. It's been good to me having gone through a couple of bottles. I am glad to hear Diageo has included Clynelish 12 in the special release line up for 2022. I will be looking out for that one especially when some of them show up in my market.
I was just having a Linkwood (G&M 16y) with a good whisky buddy who stopped by yesterday. We both really liked it. I think it is one of the distilleries I will probably try to get examine more closely 🙂
Yes absolutely. If it wasn't for the Compass Box being closely related but more to my liking then this would be a purely positive review. Linkwood is a great distillery, probably one of the better Flora&Fauna, and worth looking out for 🙂
Just go for the Signatory Vintage Linkwood 13 Year Old 2008 Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 46% ABV unchillfiltered for more punch.
Sounds great. I have a lot of faith in Signatory 👍
Great review and comparison with Orchard House. Nice perspective.
Cheers 🥃👏
Thanks John. It's not that often that I prefer the younger offering but I think I do this time. Cheers 🥃
Look into the SMWS… It’s a Revelation!!
I'm very interested in SMWS. Honestly I don't like their paid membership approach. Most Independent Bottlers don't require you to pay to access their products. But they release lots of interesting stuff. At some point I will probably sign up and review a bunch of their bottles. Any tips or recommendations for picking good ones?
@@WhiskyLock lol, you’ll see why there’s a membership fee. As I said, these are hand picked by geeks with a lot of experience and passion for whisky. I was able to get a GlenScotia 7 year old that was far better than anything the distillery puts out, even the 25 year? Best value for money that I’ve experienced by far. So glad I signed up! Cheers
@@WhiskyLock Scott with Scotch test dummies does a separate RUclips for SMWSA where he reviews their bottles… they do not give distillery names but a number system that’s easy to look up online out of respect for the distilleries. Being who you are with your great platform, ask a lot of questions. I am privileged to share this with you, you will not be disappointed… A Revelation!
Haven't seen much F&F here in NY. But we are seeing Murray McDavid bottlings of some Diageo blend filler like linkwood and Dailuaine. Unfortunately they're usually 46%, age stated and way overpriced. MM also has a habit of dual maturation, which may hide the distillery character.
I've not explored much Compass Box except the Flaming Heart, which I jokingly say is my favorite Caol Ila.
I do expect that the future will be blended, for affordable bottles. Once we start seeing age statements from the NEW craft distilleries the prices will a lot more than this @45.
Still not a big fan of Diageo but I'm also not a fan of 40% single malts taking up shelf space. Blend filler is just that. The F&F releases are at least "special" releases.
The contradictory whisky market is a tad annoying. I had no idea this journey was about disappointing corporate multinationals. I was hoping to find a simple explanation as to why there are so many choices and such a wide range of prices.
A shame that you don't have access to F&F. They're not Grade A stuff but most are worth a try.
We have something in common about the dual maturation thing. Everyone loves good cask influence but sometimes (a lot of the time) I just want to taste the spirit itself.
You're probably right that blends, especially blended malt, will grow to have a larger share of the affordable market soon. That and I think the discerning customer base coupled with rising prices will grow the market for well made, higher strength NAS.
Not a huge fan of Diageo either. Especially after after recent price hikes and continued efforts to make whisky an exclusive luxury product. But while F&F exists, that's one good thing we can thank them for.
Better off with IB.. many offered integrity and cask strength? I’ll never buy a 43% whisky again, too many better options
You're right Ryan. If you're after maximum quality then not many distilleries consistently match what you get from IB.
I do think that bottlings like Flora & Fauna have their place and can be worth a look. Although I'm sure that the price for this has gone up even since I bought it and if Diageo continue to hike prices then more and more of their bottles are very soon going to be priced out of consideration.
@@WhiskyLock I joined SMWSA a couple weeks ago, unbelievable quality and value for money… check it out, I’ve told Ralfy about it also. It’s not to be missed for anoraks like us!
@@ryanmercer600 will do 🙂 Cheers Ryan
First one 👍🏻