Normally we try to catch up with Decadent Drinks’ Equinox & Solstice series once a year or so, but now it’s been a while since we had one. I believe the Winter 2023 was the last one. Instead of going over the 2024 releases, we’ll start with the newest Spring 2026 bottling and go over the 2025 bottlings.
Ardnamurchan 10 yo 2015 (48,5%, Decadent Drinks ‘Equinox & Solstice’ – Spring 2026, peated first-fill + refill barrel)
Nose: rather more mineral than peaty. There’s porridge, light citrus and herbal smoke, with light bready hints and a nice oiliness. Then seawater and dried pear, along with some lawn cuttings and a touch of gorse flowers. A nice gristy note too.
Mouth: some candy sweetness up front, almost simple syrup, along with biscuit dough. Then back to wildflowers, including a pleasant medicinal bitterness, smoked almonds and greengages. A garden bonfire and charcoal in the distance.
Finish: medium, slightly greener, still boasting some medicinal notes and mineral smoke.
A no-fuss quality whisky. A peated whisky may not be a typical choice for springtime, but the chiselled character and the clean bourbon character fits in well. If you insist on more springtime notes, turn it into a highball. Available from Decadent Drinks.
Longmorn 11 yo 2013 (48,5%, Decadent Drinks ‘Equinox & Solstice’ – Spring 2025, first-fill barrel, 404 btl.)
Nose: more classically spring, with lots of fruits. Quinces, melons, peaches, even pineapple. Also hints of honeysuckle and fresh linen, along with some bread dough. Hints of fresh bourbon wood too, a tad loud perhaps.
Mouth: very easy-going, with plenty of fruits again. Peaches, melons, now also hints of green banana and iced tea. Then it turns towards citrus peels and grapefruit, along with a hint of salted caramel, ginger beer and gristy malt.
Finish: medium, now more woody, with ginger, coconut and cereals.
Granted, a little middle-of-the-road for this bottler. That said, it’s pretty faultless and very easy to like. This seems to be sold out everywhere. Score: 85/100
Glen Ord 8 yo (48,5%, Decadent Drinks ‘Equinox & Solstice’ – Summer 2025, two refill hogsheads)
Nose: straightforward again, on peach nectar, pear juice and pineapple, with a good dollop of honey and citrus candy. Very light wax underneath. A bit of icing sugar and gentle vanilla.
Mouth: apricot jam, more pears and peaches, and even more honey. Rather syrupy, with a nice custardy note and brioche, along with mild oak spice. Then biscuits and a darker caramel sweetness after a while.
Finish: medium long, nicely fruity, with gentle pepper adding some depth.
Slightly more complex than the Longmorn, while also more seductive due to the honey / wax element. Very good for its age. Available from Decadent Drinks or Master of Malt for instance. Score: 87/100
Mannochmore 15 yo 2009 (48,5%, Decadent Drinks ‘Equinox & Solstice’ – Autumn 2025, refill hogsheads, 239 btl.)
Nose: the waxiness is dialed up here. Ripe yellow apples, along with white grape juice and pineapple. Getting quite greasy after a while. There’s also a hint of sweet mint as well as a coppery / varnished edge.
Mouth: nice and round. Peaches, plums and ripe melons, with a spicy note that makes it different from a summery fruitiness. Then some green tea, a hint of hay and more of this waxy character. A subtle hint of gingerbread and oak spice in the end.
Finish: quite long, getting slightly drier, with dried fruits, a little honey and some greener herbal touches.
Quite a bit richer than the others, and the waxiness is a real asset here. Available from Master of Malt or Royal Mile Whiskies. Score: 87/100
Glenlitigious 12 yo 2013 (48,5%, Decadent Drinks ‘Equinox & Solstice’ – Winter 2025, first-fill sherry hogshead, 243 btl.)
Nose: hints of oil paint and a little cedar, along with a hint of gingerbread. The oak feels rather charred, coming close to American bourbon whiskey at times. Then dark cherry, a little tobacco and brown sugar as well. Not very typical of the family distillery we have in mind.
Mouth: heavily toasted indeed. Dried berries and dark caramel notes are mixed with dark honey, but the toasted oak is taking the lead again. Cloves, cinnamon pastry and tobacco. Then a syrupy note, spiced orange and caramel.
Finish: long, still rather wood-driven, with caramel sweetness, leather, char and oak spice.
Nice enough on its own, but a bit of an outlier when you think of the distillery. A crossover of bourbon whiskey, sherry casks and Scotch. Available from Decadent Drinks or Master of Malt. Score: 87/100