Gavs last review of 2024

[@highlandhamish9330]

Awesome! The SB demis are superb

[@langtoun8235]

Cheers Gav and all the best for 2025.

[@ralpabetical]

I really enjoy your unique channel. You're a true whisky enthusiast with no artificial veneer. All the very best for 2025.

[@coppullcaveman]

All the best for the new year Gav and your reviews so far. I shall have a wee dram and hope your health improves soon. I cant tell you the actual cost but i wanted to buy a old retired case this year (which was extremely reasonable) to breakdown and make some ornaments for our house, it was only when speaking to a few people how much "new" bourbon cases are and the work that goes into being a cooper, it really is a art. Most distilleries have there own coopers that mend casks throughout their life but even the fact of how scare sherry casks are, they have resorted to buying bourbon casks and filling them with sherry to let it condition the casks, only for this to be "dispensed" months down the line (alot down the drain) The inner workings really interest me and the romance of how things have come to be as they are. Drinking and tasting is just an extension of the romance for me. Unfortunately its getting an expensive hobby and next year, i will have to seriously have a stern word with myself and limit my purchases from now. Im keeping within budgets but its the "only 300 bottles" marketing thats getting me which we all know, there is always more around the corner that will peak our interests.

[@timpowles7514]

Cheers for your reviews this year Gav and happy new year to you. Slainte.

[@fraserthistle4200]

Interesting thoughts on the future. I hope all the new distilleries survive. Time will tell . Thanks for all the reviews this year and best wishes for 2025.

[@jbar6284]

Interesting points about quantity and quality of casks, Gav. I don't know the answers, but a possible refinement of your point is: virtually all the new distilleries are boutique/small in scale. The real increase in production is in the form of existing/large distilleries increasing their capacities, sometimes double, and it's from there where the barrel quantity pressure may arise, although possibly spread to the new distilleries simply by means of scarcity/existing longer-term contracts for the larger producers. No-one wants to see distilleries closing, people losing jobs. Those bearing the costs are often not the ones who perhaps made mistakes in how the business was organised or oriented. Businesses that make such mistakes do nonetheless need to change, and sadly bankruptcies, etc. are often the form that that takes. I'm no advocate for "creative destruction" but change can't be avoided and businesses that fail to adapt, fail to change, may thereby go bust. There's arguable two phases to businesses going bust: there's the mistake(s) that led to failure, but there's also the failure to recognise and correct those mistakes in time before it became too late. Is that ego? Stubbornness? Organisational rigidity? The decline in quality of sherry-seasoned casks is an interesting puzzle. You're right, it's effectively a separate industry from bodegas producing sherry to drink--often they're separate companies, or sometimes separate branches of the same business--and one might argue that the growth of production of casks for the whisky industry has helped save the (overall) Jerez wine industry from the full effects of the decline in sherry consumption. The cost of sherry-seasoned casks has risen a lot at the same time as that decline in quality, although it's still only a small portion of the total cost of each bottle of whisky.

[@simongilbert2704]

your spot on ,, overkill on the market again , and the rest of the world is also making their own , so export sales ?? happy new year ;;

[@IRamOne_w]

ahhhh I love this, thank you! I was so impressed with handfill Springbank, Hazelburn and fantastic Longrow, it is nice to see that you appreciate it as well. All the best in New Year!

[@peathead4450]

Thanks for a year with great reviews, Gavin. Always interesting to hear your thoughts on the whiskies you're reviewing. And hope you'll have a great New Year! Slàinte mhath / Slàinte mhor

[@HerbBaird]

i grabbed 2 bottles from the demijohns back in September. Fantastic stuff. Also got a cage bottle of Hazelburn

[@mrnico]

All the best Gav