Scottish Whisky

This was a surprise when it was released in 2018 as the distillery was closed from 1993 onwards and finally dismantled in the early 2000s. It was matured in refill American oak hogsheads and bottled at a cask strength 52.1% and the result is a lively vibrant expression with pastry, green apples and coconuts at the fore. Always a pleasure to sample  malt from a ghost distillery knowing that nothing quite like it will ever be produced again.

Aged for 20 years exclusively in sherry casks. Full flavoured and meaty as you'd expect from Mortlach.

From Diageo's 2020 Special Releases comes a cracking Cardhu single malt! This 11 year old expression was drawn from refill, new, and ex-bourbon American oak, resulting in a wonderfully honeyed flavour profile. Appropriately, continuing the Rare by Nature theme introduced in the 2019 Special Releases, the label features a rather handsome bee on it!

Nose: An orchard fruit-led delight, with oodles of crisp apple, pear and even some grapes coming through. Over time, the fruit turns a little more tropical, especially juicy pineapple and Galia melon. Rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, pencil shavings and a gentle cinnamon prickle add to the fruit.

Palate: Densely creamy and mouth-filling, with icing sugar adding to the fruit-forward palate. There's marmalade on toast, raisins and gentle white pepper in there, too.

Finish: Medium-long, with more of that pepper and cinnamon warmth cutting through.

Overall: A classic Speysider, and the perfect late-summer sipper.

A 21 year old blended malt from the MacNair's Lum Reek range, produced by the GlenAllachie Distillers Company. Built around a blend created by Billy Walker of peated Islay and Speyside whiskies, alongside with GlenAllachie single malt, this expression packs a satisfying peaty punch. It features whisky drawn from a combination of Oloroso, virgin oak and red wine casks.

Nose: Matured oak and cigar box, with a good whiff of woody smoke gliding through.

Palate: Cedar spices, milk chocolate, apricot, earthy peat, black pepper and a hint of charcoal.

Finish: Thyme honey, bonfire embers, dark chocolate tart.

The Glen Elgin 18 YO Special Release 2017 is a limited release of 5352 bottles. This is a special release in an unusual way - this is something of a yeast experiment. For this whisky the distillery used both the conventional cerevisiae yeast and the more unusual (in the whisky world) pombe yeast . Pombe is Swahili for beer, and this is a yeast known from East Africa.

The Glen Elgin 18 YO Special Release 2017 is a vatting of two batches. One part made using the pombe yeast and matured in ex-bodega sherry casks. The other part made using standard yeast and matured in refill European oak butts.

Nose: A deep and rich fruitiness is the first that greets my nose. It seems almost Japanese in style. Complex and clean. Apples, green and fresh on one hand and ripe and baked on the other. Freshly baked gourmet bread with a butter and floral honey spread.

Taste: Creamy, rich and most certainly full-bodied. A bit off-kilter but in a charming way. It could very well be the yeast used that has me confused and amused. Still very fruity, but not just apples now, I also get ripe banana and hints of honey melon and bitter oranges. Dry-ish.

Finish: Medium to long finish. Still fruity - which is not surprising. Creamy and rich all the way.

The folks at Tomintoul have raided the warehouse and unearthed a stunning 45 year old expression! This single malt was distilled back in April 1973 and initially aged in a bourbon barrel before being moved over to an Oloroso sherry hogshead to continue maturing. It was bottled in September 2018 with an outturn of just 240 bottles.

Nose: Clean Sherry influence on a sweet malty layer. Intense waxy aromas merge with hints of orange citrus and Christmas pudding.

Palate: Richly mouth-filling as notes of nuts, chocolate, mocha coffee bean and spicy oak tannins vie for supremacy.

Finish: Dry and spicy with a rich and enduring final?.

Aged for 15 years in hand-picked oak barrels, this Speyside single malt Scotch whisky was distilled using peated malted barley at Tomintoul Distillery, giving that self-acknowledged 'Peaty Tang' uncommon in its region.

Bottled at a smooth 40% ABV, this release marks something of a follow up from this little beauty, only this edition has a declared age statement.

The latest outturn from Douglas Laing offers one of the oldest Inchgower's we've ever stocked, as well as one of the youngest. At just eight years old, this is proper, pure, young malt whisky. Expect something uncomplicated but very tasty from this East Speyside underdog. 46% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. 420 bottles.

Distilled - May 2011

Bottled - January 2020

Refill Hogshead - REF - DL13791

Nose: Milk chocolate buttons developing nicely to caramel and wood polish. 

Palate: Thick with lots of wonderfully vanilla'd fudge, warm sponge cake and spiced oak.

Finish: Long.... more of that spicy style (cinnamon) coupled with candied apples and barley (CSL).

Of all the distilleries in Diageo's portfolio, Glen Spey is the third smallest and remains one of the most obscure. Virtually all of its output goes into blends, in particular, J&B (which at the time of writing is the sixth biggest whisky brand in the world). Douglas Laing have bottled this rarity from a single refill hogshead REF - DL13903. Aromas of nutmeg and cinnamon arrive with a citrus zest while the palate promises strawberry candy, spiced oak, coconut shavings and milk chocolate.

One of 347 bottles

Distilled in 1972 and aged in a single sherry butt until August 2015, this is one of 565 bottles produced from cask number 3551. These bottles were released in the Winter 2015 batch of Family Casks.

A limited edition bottling from Benromach, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the distillery's reopening in 1998. This whisky was distilled in the first year after Benromach reopened, and has been matured in first-fill oak casks before being bottled at cask strength (56.2%). 

Tasting Note by The Producer

Pour your dram of Benromach 20th Anniversary Bottling and prepare your senses to encounter an experience as rare as this gorgeous whisky. First, lift your glass to the light and appreciate the beautiful deep amber hue created by lingering for many years in first fill oak casks as the whisky grew and matured in character. Take a short inhalation, appreciating the wonderful aromas without water. Enjoy the rich notes of fruit cake, mingling with sweet demerara sugar and vanilla. Underlying hints of zingy citrus and dark chocolate develop with a touch of warm spice.

This unique single malt has been distilled from peated malted barley and has been fully matured in quarter casks. A smaller cask allows for more interaction between the wood and the spirit, giving the whisky a great depth of flavour and aroma in a shorter period of time. Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and natural colour, this is an extraordinary, full-flavoured dram.

Tasting Notes

NOSE: Elegant waves of wood smoke intensify to burning heather with a delicious contribution of ripe orchard fruits. Subtle hints of peaches, cinnamon sugar and a slight herbal note of fresh barley give an added contrast to the unique, rich peat character.

COLOUR: Bright summer gold.

PALATE: Intense peat smoke mellows to smouldering peat embers infused with green pear and nectarine notes. Nutty oak and vanilla pods combine with a touch of white pepper and a twist of lime to give a crisp, smoky finish.

One of four official bottlings from the Craigellachie distillery released in 2014. A stunning 23 year old with plenty of bold fruit, complex herbs, refined oak and a touch of sulphur.

Nose: Lemon, orange and pineapple up front, backed up by warm oak and golden barley. Oak notes become increasingly toasty as it goes on.

Palate: Salted caramel, creamy vanilla and more orange zest. Cinnamon, nutmeg and a subtle whiff of sulphur give it plenty of depth.

Finish: The sulphur lasts, but it's not overpowering - the sweet spices bring balance to the long finish.

A nod to the history of Speyside, Benriach Temporis is peated, as they did back in the 1970s. It's been matured in a mix of bourbon barrels, virgin-oak casks, and Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks, adding in layers of fruit and spice on top of Benriach's honeyed peat smoke character.

46% ABV l 700mL

This whisky tells a different story of The Macallan spirit and casks, but more than that it tells a story of rarity. Less than 100 casks maturing at The Macallan distillery have contributed to the creation of this out of character whisky. These mysterious casks remained untouched in the dark warehouses of The Macallan under the watchful eye of our Master Whisky Maker, until he felt they were ready to be released.

Smoky Macallan is rare - there is very little in existence - and once used these casks will be no more. Unexpected and distinctive in flavour with full bodied richness from the Macallan spirit, Rare Cask Black is an unusual smoky spirit that tells a story of creativity and innovation.