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 no age statement release from Glencadam named after the year in which the distillery was founded. It's matured in bourbon barrels before spending a finishing period in Oloroso Sherry butts.

Nose: Mixed fruit - red fruit from the Sherry casks and tropical from the American oak - with creamy Glencadam character.

Palate: Sweet winter spice, vanilla, malt, cooked fruits and fruit salad.

Finish: Sweet and fruity.

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.

Matured in a combination of refill hogsheads and butts for three decades, this Dalwhinnie single malt is an elegant addition to Diageo's 2019 Special Releases. Aromas of raisins, leather, lemon and cinnamon-baked apples mingle with mint, grape jelly, honeysuckle, spring meadows and hay. The palate offers notes of summer flowers, vanilla toffee, delicate oak spice and slices of apple and pear, followed by zesty lemon, candied flowers, Crystalised ginger and buttery shortbread biscuits.

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.

This whisky was distilled in 1989, and spent 30 years in a bourbon barrel (DL13917)before being bottled in April 2020. Just 280 cask strength bottles were released for the Xtra Old Particular series at 52.8% ABV.

Nose: Rich, darkly malted, intriguingly spiced and fruity.

Palate: Warming and ginger spiced as the big palate opens showing later Muscovado sugar and the gentlest oak - all running to a stewed fruit and vanilla custard finish.

Macduff distillery is located near the mouth of the River Deveron, where the river meets the sea. Sheltered from the worst of the seaboard storms and winter winds, this tranquil spot has seen the creation of The Deveron malt whisky for many a decade. 

Using five small copper pot stills and unusual horizontal condensers that gently coax extra character from the spirit, The Deveron is a light, fruity and approachable spirit with some hints of nutty notes.

40% ABV

Released during the distillery?s 200th year, this Highland single malt was distilled before Teaninich underwent significant expansion.

Reflecting its older style of production, the whisky makes an excellent aperitif or a partner to Asian cuisine. Initially sweet and zesty, this dram layers herbal notes under its toffee, lemon and apple flavours.

55.9% ABV

Douglas Laing's Rock Island bottles the epitome of the Scottish Islands. The blend marries a plethora of Island whiskies, with malts from Islay, Arran, Orkney and Jura. The whisky has been bottled at a rather specific 46.8% ABV, and of course without colouring or chillfiltration. 

Nose: Wind-swept beaches, coastal peat and a hint of ash, complimented by touches of green fruit.

Palate: Yet more sea breeze, with oat cake crumbs, growing spicy notes of cracked black pepper and a deft whiff of peat smoke. Hints of vanilla here and there.

Finish: Salinity lasts on the finish along with peppery warmth.

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).

Its appearance is a very old cognac or brandy, its exquisite aroma and pungent nose is product of the complexities of alcohol and very mature malts. Its contemporary style makes the presence on the palate flexible and friendly. It is full and deep with a long breath. A lavish rum!

38% ABV

This was Tomatin was distilled in the Highlands in December 2008. 

It spent a decade in a single refill hogshead REF - DL13774, and was bottled by Douglas Laing in November 2019 with an outturn of 384 bottles at 48.4% ABV.

Nose: Big and richly defined in Malted barley, gentle spices and fruit.

Palate: Hits big with cereal, honey, vanilla and even a hint of salt.

Finish: Dark molasses mix interestingly with all the aforementioned (FHL).

A old age Speysider from Inchgower, independently bottled by Douglas Laing after 25 years  spent in a sherry butt REF - DL14183. An outturn of 242 bottles at 51.5% ABV.

Nose: Sweet and barley-rich initially, then comes tangerines, brown sugar and a damp oak style.

Palate: Lots of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) running to vanilla essence and stewed fruits.

Finish: Long ? detect golden syrup, a slight floral character, milk chocolate and barley.