ralfy review 965 Extras - Opinion on new distilleries in 2023
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- Опубликовано: 20 фев 2023
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Would be great to see you visiting Ardnamurchan distillery and record few videos like you did at Springbank.
Hello, Ralfy and greetings from the Emerald Coast of Florida. I appreciate your wisdom, sir. If these new distilleries are serious, they will only produce integrity whisky. That is the only kind I purchase for my home bothy. If they will not provide integrity, I will not give them my coin.
I always enjoy the extras the most. So much information, thanks once again Ralfy.
What I've read online(trust at your own risk) is that Inchdairnie is only planning on its first Single Malt release as of 2029! I've got a sample of their heavily peated style from Independent Bottler Cooper's Choice to try in the meantime, hoping for promising things.
No mention of Rasaay? Haven't seen it in the states yet but very interested to see what they put out.
To be fair Ralfy has reviewed Rasaay already
Great extras!
Eden Mill to my knowledge haven’t distilled any whisky for a few years now. The new owners are building at a new site in Guardbridge which will open in 2024.
We might be Malt Muppets... but at least we're honest.
Lots of great info here and I agree. You're right that Nc'Nean shun peat for environmental reasons. I put my foot in it when I reviewed one of their early batches and suggested that their spirit would work well with peat and received a comment from them telling me that won't happen (oops 🙂). My thoughts are why not make a peated malt alternative that's more environmentally friendly? Ball is really in their court.
Aber Falls do make 46%+ releases but it's much harder to find than the widespread 40% release. Which IMHO is worth a look for £20. But again I agree that a new distillery putting themselves in that low margin, low integrity position is extremely concerning. A contract to supply supermarkets is a deal with the devil. They can do better and I hope they do.
Also agree about Annandale. Going for maximum craft, tiny batch, cask strength only for £80+ right from day 1 isn't going to encourage anyone. I have tried some of their whisky (I have a couple of months worth of new distillery reviews coming out in a few weeks) and some is quite good but bloody hell is it expensive for 3yo!
Cheers! 🥃
Thank you for the video, good stuff. A small request for these and similar videos would be to include the spelling of the distilleries name when introducing those less known. Scottish pronunciation can be tricky and I couldn't get some of them.
I bought a bottle of Adnamurchan a month or two ago. I enjoyed it so much I now picked up one more from the same batch + 3 others. I really enjoy them, and will continue to keep an eye on that distillery. Haven’t tested the cherry finished yet, but looking forward to it this weekend 😊
Hello Ralfy! I would like a review of Raasay. It's young yes! but I find it very interesting! Thank you!
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Waterford is the Dom Pérignon of whisky.
I'll let you figure out what that means. ;)
This is not a compliment IMHO
@@bradl2636 you're right.
Consumers are muppets. That's what they want you to be. What was that saying... "first they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they attack you, then you win".
I am all about cask influence. But even I love Daftmill. Even at those high prices I am buying. such a wonderful fruity whisky.
Kilchoman is getting better and better.
A bunch of new distilleries in Europe, too.
Single malt whisky is doing well.
I've been looking for my socks for weeks after trying Deanston 18 ! 8o)
I was suspicious about a Wolfburn bottling made for one of the ferry companies that cruise the Baltic Sea between Finland and Sweden, sure it´s young but it has loads of character and taste! Also soon it is finally time for my UK trip, looking forward to visit some whisky shops!
A few personal thoughts from me on new distilleries to add to the debate -
Cotswolds - ranges from good to stunning - recent oloroso Spanish oak is sublimely good.
Circumstance - everything, repeat everything has been superb (quirky, novel, brave but brilliant)
White Peak - ranges from average first release to very good (loved rum cask finish).
Raasay - a few too many releases to start with, now slowed down hopefully - unpeated versions the best.
Torabhaig - improving with every bottle - cask strength versions are great.
I was also very impressed with Cotswold when I visited in November. I bought an Ex-Bourbon, a peated Ex-Bourbon and their distillery exclusive, an Apple Brandy Single cask. All delicious stuff.
I bought an Again Dearg last summer at the distillery and it was very pricy... £95 for a 50cl but it was a very interesting whisky to drink.
I have to admit, I am guilty of spending about a 100 for a bottle of the inaugural release of Arran's Lagg of just 3 y/o... But, to be honest, I did it with idea to support Arran so to say, rather than anything else.
Awesome episode🙏
Big shout out to Dingle! Love what Graham & Fay are up to there.
Excellent video! I haven’t heard of most of those new distilleries (US-based so they may not be on the shelves yet.) One distillery I noticed missing was Lagg, any take on it?
I am halfway down a fantastic bottle of AD 09/22 but am giving up alcohol for Lent. It will be a tough challenge !
Good luck!
What about isle of rassay?
Kingsbarns? I´m looking forward to when they can put out an age stated core range after having tasted their "Dream to Dram".
I would say Raasay and Lagg are doing some very interesting stuff, I've been impressed with the bottles I've tried, to my taste anyway. Although whether Lagg is a 'new' distillery in the true sense is up for debate I expect!
This is a really good extra: very informative regarding new distilleries.
I am a proud Pat Pal and have recently increased my support. Whilst respecting Ralfy’s right to his views (& others), I would like to come to the defence of Waterford. I have tasted Waterford’s output and bought the Cuvée and a farm specific expression.
I watch their occasional video outputs, which very much focus on the farmers they do business with. I would recommend the recently released video on sourcing Irish peat: it really is geeky!
Mark Reynier is a marmite type guy however it’s worth remembering he was CEO at bruichladdich and was instrumental in turning that business round. He was obsessed with terroir there and transparency. Waterford is bruichladdich on steroids in terms of how the whole transparency theme. The codes on the bottles, the videos. It is an information over load if you want to take it all in. The information on the peated expressions is quite fascinating.
Ralfy, can you give any explanation why Lagavulin prices are going up more than other Whisky? Lagavulin 16 has just gone up to $200 a bottle here in Australia. It has almost doubled in price in about 6 years or so.
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12:53 Recommendations!
Very much enjoy Torabhaig Allt Gleann.
The only one I am familiar with is High Coast from Sweden. We got the Hav Single Malt expression here. Non-chill filtered, no color added and 48% ABV. Unfortunately, NAS. It is well worth what I paid and I bought extras, average price $45. Matured in virgin oak and first-fill Bourbon. Very dry, very light peat and a real lip-smacker. I hope our stores keep up with this distillery.
What about Ardnahoe? I visited there and got really interested on what I saw. They have 6-7 year old whiskies there and they are not selling just because they can. Looking forward to taste something when they release it.
Cheers to you.
There are basically two ways to drink whisky, with water, or as water.
My grandma use to drink beer, wine, bourbon and mixed drinks until she was 90. So i subscribe to that life to eat butter and eat meat. She out lived most doctors.
@Ralfydotcom-Text- watching you year after year is my prize. Thank you Really. I am here for you if you ever need a good bourbon or dinner in the USA.
I think your decision to review YOUNG distillery NAS is a good one. We should give ourselves the gift of understanding what’s coming down the road in years ahead. OTOH… I’m suspicious of OLD distilleries pushing out volumes of NAS… I’ll give a pass to the odd one… but I think you get where I’m coming from. Honestly it’s stunning how many distilleries have still not got the memo on integrity bottling.
What was that about new owners at Waterford? Can’t find info on that. Kingsbarns and Cotswalds are worth a mention. As a seasoned malt mate I do have new distillery fatigue now. Generally too highly priced for the novelty and too many in the market. I pay attention to Kilkerran, Lagg, and Kingsbarns to an extent but on the whole I’m ignoring them, spending my £70+ on established distilleries or indies, and seeing whose still around at 7-8+ years.
I predict that in 5-10 years time the majority of bottles bought by real whisky enthusiasts will be from the new distilleries such as Ardnamurchan, Lochlea, Lindores, Kinsbarns, Wolfburn, Glen Wyvis, Lagg, Torabhaig, Raasay, Glasgow, Ardnahoe, etc, plus the slew of excellent new English distilleries.
I hate when people use the phrase 'real enthusiast/real fan.' What makes someone a real fan? I think any distilleries that came after 2017ish are going drift off to nothing. The old new dstilleries like Ardnamurchan will be well positioned to continue producing great whisky. The rest will dissappear. Distilleries still to come don't have a chance of survival IMO.
I challenge your prediction to be utterly wrong...
For many, with the general cost of living going up, interest rates through the roof, those 2-3 bottles every month has gone down to perhaps one or even every other month. That time when we will only buy the new and exciting integrity bottles or stick to independent bottlings of distilleries which have no official releases, is now!
I have to say that I’m going to continue to support Annandale. I do appreciate they are expensive , but they make wonderful whisky, which tells me the casks are top dollar. I’d love to get peoples opinion on their whisky. Slainte mhath 🥃👍
Gotta give Ballindalloch credit for holding back their inaugural release until they feel ready.
As far as I'm aware, Scotland's first single-estate-sourced barley, single malt. Apparently they're trying to release in 2023
Hope to hear your opinion on the fruit bombs that are Kingsbarns and Glen Wvyis at some point…
Wolfburn !! & decent prices too
Wolfburn should be thinking about age statements soon. My first bottle of Aurora was very well priced but I'm embarrassed by what I paid for the Langskip.
I learned to hold the line on overpaying for new make.evwn though they need the return on investment it's not worth drinking at 30-50% more then other NAS CS offering from Tomatin, Glengoyne or Benromach for example.
Hello Ralfy your friends at North Star have dropped a Tarot blend called 'The fool' but I think you'd be nuts not to try it, £29 & 57.3% Grain 80% & Malt 20% young obviously but packs a lot in
for a good price point, it would go down well in America. They had a misprint on the label over age as it didn't tally, was it a joke? I'd be surprised if no one noticed.
What about Fitzwilliam? Is there anybody who has already tried it? This is a new Irish brand.
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15:06- YES!!
Hi Ralfy.
Have you ever tried Danish whisky? A new distillery have just released their first release, it's called "Sall" whisky
Raasay review?
Regarding Scandinavian Distilleries I would say Smögen is better than High Coast. For anyone interested :)
High Coast i Sweden is producing great whisky, much better then some of the new ones from Scotand wich is sad as you say, i hope they will change the way they think i Scotland.
Any news on Harris? If their Whisky is anywhere near as good as their Gin it will be amazing!
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FYI, Ralfy mentioned some new distilleries which most would not have heard of.
*Lindores Abbey* Est. 2017. Scotland, Lowlands. My Rating: 8.5/10 (Lovely Whisky. Point taken off for bottling NAS).
*Torabhaig* Est . 2016. Scotland, Isle of Skye. My Rating: 7.5/10 (Good solid start and tasty whisky).
*Nc/nean* Est. 2017. Scotland West Highlands. My Rating: 3/10 (Woke messaging more important than the whisky).
*Hentstone* Est. 2017. England, Shropshire.
*Aber Falls* Est. 2017. Wales, Abergwyngregyn (No, a cat hasn't just run across my keyboard).
*Annandale* Est 2014. Scotland, Lowlands. My Rating: 5/10 (Expensive NAS cask Strength experiments).
*Ardnamurchan* Est. 2014. Scotland, Western Highlands. My Rating: N/A (I wish they would bottle a few editions of single cask types like exclusively Ex-Bourbon for instance. Everything seems to be vattings of different type casks).
*Glasgow* Est.2015. Scotland, Glasgow.
*Kilchoman* Est. 2005. Scotland, Islay. Rating: 9/10 (MWYB 2023 now has this in main distillery listing so "officially" no longer a new distillery!!!)
*Abhainn Dearg* Est 2008.
*Daftmill* Est. 2005 Scotland, Lowlands. Rating: No idea, Cannot buy anything.
Nice summary for us in the colonies where word on these has been scarce
@@bradl2636 You're very welcome.
Abergwyngregyn vs. cats? The cat doesn't stand a chance 😆
Ralfy, malt mates!
I have no fully formed opinion about any of them, maybe with the exception of Ardnamurchan, having sampled a rather small number of their bottlings.
I can say I find them rather pricy!
Most of them will not survive the current market, for what my opinion is worth.
On a side note. I just opened a '21 bottle of compass box hedonism and to my dire disappointment it is notably corked!!
First time that I see that in one of my bottles!
My question is, what do I do?
Will a polyethylene bag work, as it certainly does with corked wine, or will it rob the whisky of esther-bond flavours as well?
The whole nuisance is a mega bummer and I 'd appreciate any experienced insight!
Cheers!
I want to visit Scotland before I pass. I discovered that I was 24% Scottish and since I love Scotch, I would love to tour the distilleries. Do you have any recommendations of tour companies? Or how would I go about getting the most bang for my buck?
Was going to visit ardnamurchan next week when im in oban, but corran ferry being off is a right pain in the arse
I disagree with Annandale . I’ve been buying their 2015 oloroso and bourbon cask releases and can’t get enough. Their whisky is amazing and I’m sure others will discover. Expensive I agree, but I feel well worth it . The oloroso Smokey bottling is wonderful ! Have you tried it ralfy ? Slainte
Ralfy the Whisky Bothy-erer
Anyone question the massive massive investment behind Waterford? This is a £100m distillery.
Torabhaig review?
. . . yes.
A wee drop of alcohol didn't do ol winnie churchill any harm and he lived through two world wars and till he was 93! So here is to more whisky! Also ralfy what do you think about the channel: Whiskey tribe?
I think Winston’s longevity was more down to preservation through smoking and pickling.
Dornoch is the only new distillery I'm excited for and maybe Ardnahoe
Killowen is another that I'm excited about and they don't filtered their whiskey at all. strained only the way it should be and no kind of filtration
I'd love to hear your opinion on Daftmill. They waited very patiently and did not release anything prematurely, but hit the market with rather high prices, too. How do they look now they've been out for some time?
Ralfy did a whisky with them
Ralfy loves Daftmill, they get lots o' mentions
I've sampled their sherry cask strength bottle. Amazing dram, but eye watering price. Lower abv bottles have been hit-or-miss, but not horrible.
Fully agree on the price point of these new distilleries. I had an animated discussion at Annandale shop because of that…
A bit unfair on nc’nean…price are not so absurd if you think about how much it costs to be carbon neutral. Not the best but not as silly as Annandale…😂
I just did a survey of Scotch whiskies on sale in Gurgaon, near Delhi, but in a different state. Johnnie Walker: Red at £ 8.0, Black at £ 18, Double Black £ 24; Gold at £ 35, Chivas 12 at £ 18, Chivas 15 YO at £ 33, the 18 YO at £ 48. Ballantines Finest £ 12, 7 YO at £ 13. Single malts: Cragganmore at £ 29 (I bought one) all of which are at 42.8% ABV, 750 ml. Kilchoman MB £ 30, Sanaig £ 45, 700 ml. Glenfiddich 12 700 ml and Glenlivet 12 £ 28, 42.8% ABV, 750 ml. Aberfeldy 12 YO £ 30, Aberlour 12 £ 32, Ardmore 12 YO £ 24-25, Bowmore 12 YO 40% £ 25, Caol Ila 750 ml 43% £ 34, Copper Dog 12 YO 70CL £ 19, Glenkinchie 12 43% 750 ml £ 33, Talisker 10 45.8% £36, Skye/Storm NAS 700 ml £ 33. I have to check out some other stores as well.
Who besides us whiskynerds and crazy guys even knows about all the new young distilleries? The absolute majority of people who buy spirits do so in the supermarket, alongside their weekend shopping. And it will be a long time before the new distilleries are on the shelves there. I, for one, am naturally curious to see what all the numerous new malts from these new distilleries taste like. But jeez! I only have one liver and I can't just taste stuff that young! Instead, there are still sooo many great malts from established distilleries around the world to discover. And buying is another matter. The warehouses of us nerds are full to bursting anyway. No one can drink that in a lifetime anyway. Why should I buy young stuff?
RE Lindores.
Being in Perth, it's only about 20 mins away from me.
The standard bottling took me a while to get into but despite its youth, I ultimately enjoyed it and at around £40 isn't overly priced. I got a miniature of their new make from the distillery shop and it was very tropical. Big pineapple notes in it. Quite interesting sipping that alongside the standard malt to see how it develops in the cask.
Not sure I'd be spending £60+ on their other offerings just yet but I'm interested to see how stuff develops in the coming years with a bit of age.
One thing I do like is that for certain releases, they're only making them available to independent shops (as opposed to online) as a means to support smaller businesses.
I was invited to an event there recently and was generally pleased with the experience. The new make was pleasant and they do use a lot of local barley with is nice. The history was interesting but they didn't go overboard with it. Their malts are a bit inconsistent but generally decent. I think with age they'll come into their own.
5:13 did that, you're the first one that comes up ...
No, I have to disagree with you regarding Lindores Abbey. I think they are doing an amazing job.
(OK, so I'm biased because, despite their limited edition bottlings, they still have enough to export small batches to Israel and at a very reasonable price).
Now, just how old could "The Casks of Lindores - Bourbon Barrel" (70cl, 49.4%) be?
They were established in 2017. So the releases could be three years old? Four years old maximum? BUT, it is superb whisky. Absolutely delicious stuff. Light, fruity, malty and very moorish. (Not a hint of nail polish remover which you tend to get with young under aged whisky). These bottles are being sold in the UK for £50. That's a bargain compared to other new distillery releases. Take Lagg for instance. I refused to pay for such a ridiculously high price.
I remember the three and four year old Kilchomans (and what about the Work in Progress Kilkerran editions?), which were frankly awful! They were sold at sensible prices because they were experimental. But Lindores actually tastes great!
Why are you complaining that Lindores are releasing different cask types? They are experimenting and allowing us to participate in that journey. What could possibly be wrong with that? Now, Torabhaig are doing the exact opposite by only releasing one type of cask to establish their signature. OK, so what? Each has their own way. Both Torabhaig and Lindores are releasing at sensible prices and will continue to get my money.
>Israel
@@the-np4mr ?🤔
Hi Reb… tried some Israeli whisky from the Milk and Honey distillery 5 versions… sherry cask was ok but disappointed in the others, but knowing the Israelis I bet they will be producing great stuff sooner or later. L’Chaim
@mikemorgan3891 If you can get hold of Golani Single Malt Whisky from the Golan Heights, or Yerushalmi peated Single Malt from Jerusalem, then you won't be disappointed.
@@RebMordechaiReviews Thanks Chavirli, I'll get an Israeli friend on the case.
Aber Falls owned by Halewood.
What about Ardnahoe? You didn't mention it...
. . . not yet.
Very informative and invigorating video Ralfy, thank you for that, very much appreciated! You also answered my question request concerning Waterford including information that I didn't have yet. Marc Reynier seems to be a role model business man as well ;)
Nc'nean are completely full of horseshit if you ask me, claiming to be " C02 neutral" while using "biomass"-energy, which simply means they're using energy generated by burning up some forest.
Boldly stating to not use peat for their product is the peak of misguided "wokeness", and only good for having a laugh, imo.
Never ever buying a bottle, E-V-E-R!
101% agreed. 👏👏👏
Dear Ralph’s, you didn’t mentioned Torabhaig. Also young and new. How about that?
thanks I think. What to do ❤❤❤
don't forget the gin of the queen :) may she rest in peace. cheers
What about Raasay?
Wolfburn?
Gotta be a little contrarian on Waterford. One of my favorite distillery visits in Ireland. I do get the irritation with the price for what is basically experimentation, I can't argue on that point. But having stood in their lab and tasted a variety of farms, I was blown away at how different the flavors were farm to farm, so I can't agree all the farms taste the same. Its definitely a more scientific approach they are taking, cataloging sub soils, terrain, and weather to see how barley develops flavor with an ultimate goal of marrying together the right combination for their flagship. As you said, it is dangerous when distilleries rush or try to look elevated before they're 100% there - but I think Waterford is worth keeping an eye on.
Doesn't justify the prices. There are plenty of quality distilleries doing experimental whiskies, that don't charge extortionate prices.
@@P0D1894 I've only seen a handful bringing back 100 year old grains. I haven't seen any doing the single farm process. If you're not into it, fair play...but I see great things coming down the road. I watched Wilderness Trail in Kentucky release young stuff with an eye on science at a high price and now they are one of the most respected distilleries in Kentucky. We'll see.
As a 4th generation farmer, "bringing back" or using ancient or heirloom varieties is not all that special, difficult or expensive. Imo it's an interesting experiment, a clever marking idea, but in the end it's not worth a £100+ price tag.
Totally agree with you. I also was really impressed from the 10 New Makes Ned let me try in 2019 visiting the distillery.
Waterford founder, Mark Reynier, basically followed the same process when he organized a group of investors to reopen Bruichladdich. i.e. the initial editions of Port Charlotte were very pricey, but when the distillery produced the standard editions of PC, the prices came back down to earth. I’m hoping that the same thing happens at Waterford.
That is exactly what Finnish distilleries have done. Selling underage stuff with a huge price tag in a 0,5 liter bottles. Thank you but no thanks. I much rather choose a scotch whisky with an age statement cheaper. That would be ok if one is interested in those as a novelty but then comes the taste and it’s like drinking bad moonshine.
High Coast changed the bottling from 70 cL to 50 cL, and this turn me off.
@Ralfydotcom-Text- Thank you for the offer. I loved High Coast and thought they were serious about the products and have long term goals. I even emailed them to see if I can buy a cask but they never replied. I owned a few 50 cL bottles from the great king street series, and I was happy to see Compass Box moved away from the 50 cL bottles so that customers are more comfortable to buy the products, without worrying that volume was different in the same price range. Could this be a revenge on Compass Box because High Coast cannot use the Box Company as the name?
What prize was it? Just your kind words are enough already.
Tasmanian whisky is another region with overpriced, young and varied whisky riding on novelty imo. There is some very good stuff, but their prices are eye watering.
As an Australian I’m ashamed to say that most Australian whisky not only lack age statements, but also lack integrity bottling and labelling, not to mention eye watering prices that frankly I don’t find justified. Hard pass from me until they wake up. Sullivans Cove won an award (beyond my comprehension I’m afraid) and now every distillery in the land thinks they can command grail whisky prices.
@@bradl2636 it's a real shame, they've really leaned into the "boutique" business model. I presume its working on someone, they must be shifting the stuff. Tasmanian whisky needs a Kilchoman, of that analogy translates at all...
@@ThyCorylus The problem with most Aussie whisky is it's mostly NAS with no integrity disclosures on the bottles. That a fair chunk of it is young uninteresting garbage just makes it worse. They have obviously sucked in a lot of people, just not this person. Evidence that you never see any Aussie whisky overseas. I travel a lot. Whisky capital in terms of diversity is Tokyo - thats where all the Springbank is if folks are wondering - the last 30 years there I think I've seen one bottle from Australia out in the wild... ONE.
@@bradl2636 lots of very young NAS. The same with NZ whisky too.
Very interesting anecdote re. Australian distilleries internationally. They've tried to break into the UK market with Starward, but I don't think it's gained much traction. Strangely enough the English distillers seem to be taking note, prices for the most part aren't exorbitant and they're actually very good. I'd genuinely make Tokyo a stopover on my next international trip if I knew I could score a few bottles of Springbank.
As an aside I wonder the economic situation in Britain versus Australia might come into play. There is still ALOT of excess income floating around Aussie at present, Britain has been reeling for years now. Maybe, maybe not I guess. The availability and proximity of scotch won't help either.
A lot of these sound like the American Bourbon scene at the moment, too young and too expensive for their britches.
Waterford a disaster; Dingle and West-Cork anaemic borderline posers....but there is always room for improv (as in "improvement"...not "improvisation")
Dear Ralfy,
With all due respect, I am a bit confused. Waterford is probably one of the most transparent distilleries out there. And by the transparency I mean integrity. No chill filtration, no colouring, higher ABV and emphasising the importance of barley. These are the very things that you mention all the time in your videos. The quality of barley, the quality of the ingredients and the presentation.
To me, Waterford is all about these values. So once again, I’m surprised on your take here.
I know you receive hundreds of comments every day, but I wish you elaborated on this a bit so that I can better understand your thoughts on the distillery.
Cheers
Transparency is only one criteria by which to judge a distillery. They came in charging laughable prices for basically new make. With fancy bottles and lots of talk about terroir etc. Ultimately it's just more marketing than actually translating to stark differences in flavour.
. . . shame about their cask policy ! Waterford has been carelessly hyped.
What is your view on the Scottish Government proposal to attack the promotion of alcohol, by destructive alteration of existing Law's. A link to the scope of the incomprehensible eradication capability as far as Distillery investment and product support, can be found on page 1 of " We Love Stornoway ", in it's scathing editorial.
Stopped the video after Ralfy started going on about his bloody patreon pals again. Enough already! 🥱