The Whisky Grotto

A Dominican rum, distilled in continuous stills and matured for an average of a decade using the solera system, the brand was started in Cuba in 1872, though eventually it emigrated, following the Castro revolution.

Nose: Thick, rounded. Demerara sugar, molasses. Toffeyed oak and vanilla.

Palate: Spiced, toasty, toffee, creamy.

Finish: Sweet and creamy, spiced.

Always triple distilled, now triple cask matured for an extra drop of smoothness. Matured in Sherry butt, Bourbon barrel and a Malaga cask giving a sublte sweetness & extra smoothness. A Travel Retail Exclusive product

Nose: Initial fruit notes of sweet pear that develop into zesty citrus peel with some dark fruits in the background. The American oak adds a rich wood spice contribution along with sweet notes of vanilla, chocolate and toasted oak. Hints of cinnamon and clove delicately work in balance with the sweet M?laga wine cask influence.

Taste: Luscious, with sweet orchard fruits and light hints of blackcurrants, plums and raisins. The spices slowly build adding depth with hints of clove and black pepper, layered over the oak tannins adding dark chocolate and liquorice. Lingering finish, with the spices slowly fading to reveal the fruits and oak.

Macallan's Triple Cask range was launched in 2018, taking the place of the Fine Oak range. This is the entry level expression from the series, matured for 12 years and drawn from a combination of European sherry seasoned casks, American sherry seasoned casks and American ex-bourbon casks.

Nose: Gingerbread, vanilla essence, wafts of buttered toast and clotted-cream-topped scones.

Palate: Raisins, sultanas and stem ginger. Citrus begins to develop on the palate, with a touch of dark chocolate.

Finish: Subtle cedar and honey linger on the palate.

A terrific single malt from The Balvenie. This Speysider was initially aged in traditional oak casks before it was finished in casks which previously held Caribbean rum, imparting some extra sweetness and warmth to the whisky. In fact, to create it, Balvenie malt master David C. Stewart made his very own blend of West Indian rums, filled it into casks, and then eventually replaced the rum in said casks with Balvenie's whisky! The fabulous result is a well-rounded whisky with notes of toffee, fruit and vanilla.

Nose: The aroma is rich with notes of tropical fruits, namely passion fruit, and creamy toffee.

Palate: Sweet vanilla forms a creamy palate with notes of apples and mangoes with a hint of orange in the background.

Finish: The finish lingers with a vanilla focussed character.

An indulgent smooth single malt matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks and aged Tawny Port pipes. These casks were sourced from well-known port producer W&J Graham's

Nose: Clove-studded orange, raspberry and prune.

Palate: Chocolatey at first, before waves of dried fruit and stem ginger notes appear. A touch of earthy bitterness develops later on, balanced by runny honey.

Finish: Roast chestnuts, gingerbread and tobacco.

Released for travel retail, the Auchentoshan Heartwood is made with triple distilled single malt Scotch whisky which has been matured in both Oloroso Sherry casks and bourbon casks, resulting in a very well balanced expression from the Lowland distillery.

This unpeated limited edition natural cask strength Caol Ila has been aged in ex-bourbon American Oak barrels that give it a rounded, mature character.

As clean and fresh as the pale sky that follows clearing rain, its intense flavours dance boldly across the tongue like flecks of foam over the wind-lashed waves.

A whisky that focuses on the richer side of Benriach's spirit, as well as it's darker smokier side. Aged for 12 years in a combination of bourbon, sherry and marsala casks, the peat smoke is complimented by dried fruit and vanilla from the bourbon and sherry casks, and rich, sweet fruit from the marsala.

Produced at the oldest distillery on the Isle of Skye, Talisker Single Malt Scotch Whisky has been made by the sea since 1830.

In fact, few single malts tell the story of their origin better. Its smell and taste instantly connect the drinker with the rugged coastal environment. Every sip is a taste of the Isle of Skye itself ? a powerhouse; challenging but adored, once discovered rarely left. Like a warm welcome from a wild sea. The intense character of Talisker comes from fresh water drawn directly from underground springs next to the distillery, two very distinctive wash stills and wooden worm tub condensers which, along with its unusual ABV of 45.8%, help set Talisker apart from other malts. Talisker Storm offers the drinker Talisker?s full maritime majesty, all unfettered elemental power and confidence.

This expression from Tanqueray uses its classic No. Ten gin, but with an additional boost of grapefruit and rosemary! The result is a zingy gin with a good citrus tang and fabulous herbal depth ideal mixed with a good Mediterranean tonic!

Don Papa Baroko is made on the island of Negros in the Philippines. It is the result of a blend with old rum distilled from molasses, known locally as "black gold" black gold, which comes from one of the many local mills on the island.

Don Papa Baroko has aged for several years in American oak barrels. The Master Blender then selects the most expressive casks, those which best reveal the fruity and vanilla notes.

The Bowmore 27 Year Old Port Cask of the Vintner?s Trilogy is meticulously double matured with a luxurious balance of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke from the home to the world?s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the legendary No. 1 Vaults.

Double matured, first for 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels, then for 14 years in port pipes resulting in a deep mahogany and perfectly balanced liquid with notes of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke.

Non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength to preserve the full flavour.

48.3% ABV l 700mL

Part of the Warriors Series originally launched for the travel retail market, Harald was matured in a mix of American and European oak casks and displays sweeter notes intermingled with spice and oak.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is incomparably rich and smoky, with velvety smooth breaking waves of powerful flavour.

Created from hand-selected casks of some of the rarest and most exceptional whiskies, there is no sensory experience quite like Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Hazelnuts, honey, sherry and oranges tumble in first, before releasing hidden secrets like ginger, kumquats, sandalwood and dark chocolate. A rich honey sweetness emerges, accompanied by hints of pepper and dried fruits, before an impossibly long, lingering, smooth finish of perfectly balanced, soft smoke.

Source - Johnnie Walker

Teeling Whiskey has released a new 30 YO single malt. This whiskey is the latest iteration of a now legendary batch of whiskey that has been aging in Teeling?s warehouse, and prior to that at the Cooley distillery, where it was originally crafted, for three decades.

This expression is the third release and follows it hugely successful 24-year-old and 28-year-old Teeling single malt siblings. The 30 YO is the oldest release in the series but according to Alex Chasko, Teeling?s Master Distiller, ?we have more Sauterne casks still filled with 1991 malt in the warehouse? so the 30 YO will be followed by even older expressions in the future. At the time the 24 YO expression was bottled, there were an additional 60 casks of whiskey remaining.