Same herd, but this one stood closer to the fire. Kyloe Peated Finish takes the malt-led blend and rests it in casks that once held peated whisky — the result smells of outdoors.

Expert description

Black Bull Kyloe Peated Finish is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 50% without chill filtration.

The release builds on the same malt-dominated base blend as standard Kyloe, then adds a finishing period in casks that carry peat smoke. It is not a blend of peated spirit from the ground up, but a blend where smoke is applied at the end. The method gives a drier, ashier smoke than the oily peat associated with the southern Islay malts.

Duncan Taylor has kept the 50% and the decision to skip chill filtration, and it shows in the texture. The smoke has body to rest on rather than standing alone.

Tasting notes

Nose

Pale gold with a dry, smoked aroma. Dark malt, green apples and brown sugar sit beneath the smoke.

Palate

Heavily smoked, yet creamy and layered. Salted nuts, citrus and a balanced sweetness that keeps the peat in check.

Finish

Long and warm, both salty and sweet, with apple, cinnamon and clove and a clear smoky trace at the end.

Specifications

Name: Black Bull Kyloe Peated Finish Blended Scotch Whisky 50%
Distillery: Black Bull
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Kyloe Peated Finish
EAN no.: 5056510006587

Flavour profile

Smoky · Salty · Creamy · Spiced · Fruity

Did you know?

A peated finish means the whisky has rested in casks that previously held peated whisky. The cask gives back its remaining peat character, which is why the smoke here reads drier than in whisky distilled from peated malt.

See our full range of Black Bull
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Thirty years is a long time to wait for a blend. The casks stood still while the world outside changed, and the result is a whisky where nothing is in a hurry any more.

Expert description

Black Bull 30 Years is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 50%.

This is the oldest standing release in the range and comes from Duncan Taylor Ltd. in Huntly. Both the malt and grain components have spent thirty years in wood, which is unusual for a blend, where the grain share is normally used young. The weight sits on Highland malt, and the 50% keeps the aromas together despite the long maturation.

The release marks Sir Nick Faldo's three world championships and three Masters victories, and the number thirty runs through both the age and the story. It is a blend where the cask has been allowed to work at length without taking command of the spirit.

Tasting notes

Nose

Handsome gold with a full aroma of fruitcake, almond and a hint of roses.

Palate

Beautifully balanced with warm winter spices and a whole cocktail of citrus fruit that keeps the profile fresh despite the age.

Finish

Fine and lightly spiced with notes of dried fruit that linger.

Specifications

Name: Black Bull 30 Years Blended Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50%
Distillery: Black Bull
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 30 years
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5056510005306

Flavour profile

Spiced · Fruity · Elegant · Mature · Citrus

Investment potential

High. Thirty years across both malt and grain is an unusual resource to commit to a blend, and the release is limited in scale. Older Black Bull bottlings have appreciated since launch.

Did you know?

Grain whisky is rarely matured this long, because it is traditionally treated as the filler in a blend. That is precisely why thirty year old grain has become one of the most sought-after categories among enthusiasts.

See our full range of Black Bull
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Highland cattle do not step aside for weather. Neither does the whisky with the bull on the label — 50% and eighteen years in oak give a blend that holds its ground against whatever you put it next to.

Expert description

Black Bull 18 Years is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 50%.

The range comes from Duncan Taylor Ltd. in Huntly, an independent bottler with one of Scotland's better stocked cask inventories. Black Bull stands apart from most blends through its bottling strength, where competitors typically land at 40%. The recipe leans on Highland malt, and both the malt and the grain carry eighteen years.

The brand itself is a tribute to the golfer Sir Nick Faldo, whose career Duncan Taylor has marked with several bottlings. The Black Bull name comes from Scottish Highland cattle, whose hardiness the range borrows.

Tasting notes

Nose

Deep gold in the glass with a delicate aroma of dried fruit, creamy yoghurt, Turkish delight and sweet oak.

Palate

Open and direct, but full of character. Apples, pastry, cinnamon and clove, carried by the 50% without burning.

Finish

Long and intense with clear, creamy notes of spice and vanilla.

Specifications

Name: Black Bull 18 Years Blended Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50%
Distillery: Black Bull
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5056510005290

Flavour profile

Spiced · Fruity · Creamy · Powerful · Oaky

Investment potential

Medium. Age-stated blends at this strength form a small category, and the Black Bull range has drawn steady collector interest since Duncan Taylor revived the name.

Did you know?

Duncan Taylor was founded in Glasgow in 1938 as a cask and warehousing business. The reason the company now holds one of Scotland's oldest private cask stocks is that for decades it bought casks with no concrete plan to bottle them.

See our full range of Black Bull
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Something happens to a blend when it puts on winter clothes. Christmas Reserve arrives in festive dress, yet the heart of it is the same calm, honeyed Speyside tone the house has traded on since 1827. A dram for the dark hours, once the tree is decorated and the house has gone quiet.

The expert's description

Ballantine's Christmas Reserve Limited Edition is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 40 %.

Christmas Reserve is the house's festive release, a limited December bottling built on the same blending school George Ballantine founded when he opened his grocery shop in Edinburgh in 1827. The backbone is Speyside malt from Miltonduff and Glenburgie, two distilleries Ballantine's has drawn on for decades, and the source of the blend's soft, faintly floral centre.

The Christmas dressing is more than decoration. This one is made for the December shelf and disappears again once the new year has turned, which is exactly the sort of bottle that ends up standing unopened in the cabinet. Malt and grain whisky are married here, and the grain gives the round, almost creamy texture that lets it drink well without water.

Tasting notes

Nose

Flower honey and ripe apple first, then vanilla and a dry cereal sweetness. Behind it sits a hint of almond and pale oak.

Palate

Soft and round with caramel, pear and light cinnamon. Malt steps forward halfway through and lends a little weight before the grain settles as a creamy film.

Finish

Short to medium, dry and malty with a last note of honey and oak.

Specifications

Name: Ballantine's Christmas Reserve Limited Edition
Distillery: Ballantine's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Edition: Christmas Reserve Limited Edition
EAN no.: 5000299603161

Flavour profile

Soft · Honeyed · Fruity · Creamy · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

George Ballantine was 19 when he opened his first shop in Edinburgh. He sold groceries for years before whisky became the main business at all, and the firm received a Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1895.

See our full range of Ballantine's Whisky
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A little pig grins out from the label, and the name is a play on the classic hogshead cask, the roughly 200-litre barrels whisky matures in right across Scotland. Behind the playful front sits a blend that never reveals where it comes from, yet speaks for itself in the glass.

The expert's description

Hogshead Fine Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky with no age statement and no disclosed distilleries, bottled at 43%.

The whisky is composed entirely of malt whisky from several Scottish distilleries, a large share of which is thought to come from Islay, rounded out with a gentler base likely from the Highlands or Speyside. Neither the source distilleries nor the bottling company are named on the bottle, which is common for this type of accessible blend that relies on its flavour rather than its pedigree.

In the glass the colour is light amber, and the style is considerably milder than the name and the presumed Islay component might suggest. This is a whisky built to be broad and welcoming rather than uncompromising.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh oranges and a touch of black pepper meet gentle smoke and mint, with a faint yeasty note underneath.

Palate

Soft, sweet smoke moves into sherry sweetness and fruit candy, with a small maritime whisper in the background.

Finish

Medium length, with grapes, sweet liquorice and dark bread, before a light fruit acidity lingers as the last impression.

Specifications

Name: Hogshead Fine Old Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5021944020768

Flavour profile

Smoky · Sherry matured · Fruity · Soft

Did you know?

The hogshead cask takes its name from the old British volume unit "hogshead", equal to roughly 63 US gallons; in whisky production the casks are typically recycled from American bourbon-making before switching over to Scotch whisky maturation.

See our full range of Hogshead

In 1837 the last whisky production in the Scottish Borders shut down. It took 181 years before anyone tried again. This bottle is among the first things the new distillery in Hawick sent out into the world.

Expert description

Borders Malt & Rye is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 40%.

The release is the first in The Borders Distillery's Workshop Series and appeared in 2022. The name says what it is: a marriage of malt whisky and rye, an unusual combination in Scotch whisky, where rye has historically played a very small part.

The Borders Distillery opened in 2018 in Hawick and was the first Scottish whisky distillery in the Borders since 1837. The Workshop Series is the house playground, where grain types and cask types are tested while the proper single malt is still maturing.

Tasting notes

Nose

Spiced rye bread crumb with cinnamon, dill and a pale malty sweetness underneath.

Palate

Dry and peppery from the rye, met by caramel from the malt and a stroke of vanilla. There is a fresh, almost minty edge.

Finish

Medium and dry with spice, grain and a lightly sweet tail.

Specifications

Name: Borders Malt & Rye Blended Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: The Borders Distillery
Region/Country: Scottish Borders, Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Workshop Series WS:01
EAN no.: 5060947341203

Flavour profile

Spiced · Dry · Grainy · Fresh · Malty

Did you know?

The Borders Distillery occupies a former electricity works building from the early 1900s in Hawick. The town is best known for knitwear and cashmere, not whisky — until recently.

See our full range of The Borders Distillery

Apples, pears and a whisper of honey in a whisky that has followed Glasgow drams since the 1800s.

Expert description

Teacher's Highland Cream is a Blended Scotch Whisky from William Teacher & Sons, bottled at 40% ABV in a generous 100 cl bottle.

The blend was registered as a trademark in 1884 and built its reputation as a robust, malt-heavy blend, with the Ardmore distillery in Aberdeenshire, founded by the Teacher family in 1898, forming the backbone of the whisky ever since. The brand is now owned by Beam Suntory, yet the recipe still follows the tradition of a full-bodied, malt-forward blend.

The character is defined by a deep maltiness up front, which softens into a sweeter profile of fruit and honey, helping make Teacher's one of the best-selling blends in the UK for decades.

Tasting notes

Nose

Apples, pears and a sweet hint of honey over a solid malt base.

Palate

Deep maltiness up front, developing into sweeter notes of ripe fruit and honey.

Finish

Medium length, with warm sweetness and a hint of dried fruit.

Specifications

Name: Teacher's Highland Cream
Distillery: William Teacher & Sons (core malt from Ardmore)
Region/Country: Highland/Scotland (blended)
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 100 CL
EAN no.: 5010093210007

Flavour profile

malt-forward · fruity · honeyed

Did you know?

William Teacher started out selling whisky from his wife's grocery shop in Glasgow in 1830, long before the Highland Cream name was registered in 1884.

See our full range of Teachers

Watt Whisky operates from Campbeltown, the same town home to two of Scotland's most respected distilleries. This 19 year old blended malt shows what the house can do when the cask is given a long time to speak.

The expert's description

Watt Whisky 19 år Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 44,9% is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, matured in Sherry butt and bottled at 44.9%.

The whisky was distilled in 2001 and bottled in 2020 by Watt Whisky from a sherry butt, with an outturn of 630 bottles. The long maturation has given a deep, full-bodied blended malt, unchill-filtered and with natural colour.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark fruit, sherry and a hint of toasted wood.

Palate

Full-bodied with raisin, caramel and spiced oak.

Finish

Long and warm with lingering sherry tones.

Specifications

Name: Watt Whisky 19 år Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 44,9%
Distillery: Watt Whisky
Region/Country: Campbeltown, Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 19 years
ABV: 44.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2001
Bottled: 2020
Number of bottles: 630

Flavour Profile

Sherried · Full-bodied · Spiced

Did you know?

Watt Whisky was founded by siblings Mark and Kate Watt and is based in Campbeltown, a town once called the whisky capital of the world with more than thirty distilleries in operation.

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White Heather traces its roots back to the 1950s, but it is only under Billy Walker and GlenAllachie that the brand has truly come into its own. This 15 year old blended scotch brings together malt and grain whisky from the Highlands, Speyside and Islay under one roof – then matures it all further in GlenAllachie's own cellars.

Expert's description

White Heather 15 Year Old is a Blended Scotch Whisky at 46% ABV, composed of malt and grain whisky from distilleries across the Highlands, Speyside and Islay, including GlenAllachie's own stocks, and further matured at GlenAllachie in a combination of American oak and sherry casks.

The brand was originally created by Campbell Distillers in the 1950s but lay dormant for decades until Billy Walker and the GlenAllachie Distillers Company revived it in 2017 and relaunched it in 2021. Today, White Heather is a standalone blended brand drawing on the same cask philosophy that has made GlenAllachie's single malts well known.

What sets this 15 year old apart from many other blends is the secondary maturation in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons alongside Appalachian virgin oak – a combination that gives the whisky far more depth than the blended scotch category usually offers.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft and inviting, with honey, ripe apples and a hint of sherry sweetness hinting at the active casks used in maturation.

Palate

Round and gently spiced, with caramel, walnuts and a delicate fruitiness from the sherry and PX puncheons.

Finish

Gentle and medium in length, with a dry, faintly oaky close from the American oak maturation.

Specifications

Name: White Heather 15 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: White Heather
Bottler: GlenAllachie
Region/Country: Scotland (Highlands, Speyside, Islay)
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak and sherry casks, secondary maturation in Pedro Ximénez/Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian virgin oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060568324647

Flavor Profile

Honey · Sherry sweetness · Caramel · Ripe apples · Gently spiced

Investment Potential

Medium. As a blended scotch, White Heather is not primarily a collector's investment, but the revived brand story and the connection to Billy Walker and GlenAllachie make it interesting to follow as the brand's reputation continues to grow.

Did You Know?

The name White Heather comes from a Scottish tradition holding that white heather brings good luck – a fitting name for a brand that, after decades of dormancy, has been given a fresh chance under GlenAllachie's wing.

See our full range of White Heather

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In Scotland, some distilleries never shout about themselves — they let the whisky speak. Long John is one of them.

Expert's description

Long John 12 År Finest Scotch Whisky i Keramikkande 43% is a Blended Scotch Whisky, matured in sherry and bourbon casks and bottled at 43%.

The whisky comes straight from Long John's own warehouse.

The bottle is presented in a classic Scottish-style ceramic jug, making it a striking addition to any collection.

Tasting notes

Nose

On the nose you meet soft malt, light caramel and mild sweetness.

Palate

On the tongue you find light caramel, spice and mild sweetness.

Finish

The finish is short but concentrated, with light oak and soft malt.

Specifications

Name: Long John 12 År Finest Scotch Whisky i Keramikkande 43%
Distillery: Long John
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 75 CL

Flavour profile

Fruity · Soft · Classic

Did you know?

The brand is named after John 'Long John' MacDonald, an unusually tall Scot who ran the Ben Nevis distillery in the 19th century and lent his name to the blend.

De Luxe sat twelve years in cask while Bell's outsold every other blended whisky in Britain. The bottle holds 75 centilitres, which on its own tells you how far back we are. That measure left the shelves when the EU harmonised bottle sizes.

The expert's description

Bell's De Luxe 12 years is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 43 % in a 75 centilitre bottle.

De Luxe was the older and better dressed version of the standard blend. Twelve years in cask and 43 % instead of the usual 40 gave it more weight and a clearer malt core, and it was sold as the gift bottle rather than the everyday one.

Arthur Bell & Sons started as a grocery business in Perth in 1825, and the blend was built around Blair Athol in Pitlochry, still known as the home distillery. The firm is part of Diageo today, and De Luxe has been out of production for many years.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey, dried apple and a clear malt sweetness. Behind it sit vanilla and a touch of spiced oak.

Palate

Fuller than the standard blend, with caramel, nut and a warm note of spice. The extra three per cent reads clearly in the texture.

Finish

Medium, dry and malty with a last note of oak.

Specifications

Name: Bell's De Luxe 12 år
Distillery: Bell's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 75 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Edition: De Luxe

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Nutty · Spiced · Soft

Investment potential

Medium. The bottling is discontinued, and the 75 centilitre format left the European market in the 1990s. Older blends from the big houses have started drawing collector attention, precisely because so few were ever put away.

Did you know?

In 1988 Bell's put a Christmas decanter into production with a new design every year, and those porcelain bottles are a collecting field of their own today. Some Scottish households keep a whole shelf of them unopened.

See our full range of Bell's Whisky
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Where the single malt edition honours the poet alone, this blend takes it a step further, combining Arran's own malt with select drops from other Scottish distilleries.

A blended whisky created as a tribute to Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns.

Expert Description

Arran Robert Burns is a Blended Scotch Whisky built on a foundation of single malt from the Lochranza distillery, bottled at 40%.

Combined with a few specially selected whiskies from other distilleries, Arran creates a high-quality blend meant as a broad, accessible tribute to Robert Burns's legacy, rather than a single-distillery deep dive.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light and inviting with a trace of sweetness.

Palate

Dry, light and soft with notes of sweet apple and liquorice.

Finish

A gentle trace of peat smoke in the background.

Specifications

Name: Arran Robert Burns
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5011311092269
Serving suggestion: In a standard whisky glass, ideally as a light everyday dram

Flavour Profile

Light · Soft · Fruity · Lightly smoky

Did You Know?

A blended whisky like this can contain malt and grain whisky from several different distilleries — giving the blender far more freedom to create a specific flavour profile than a single malt allows.

See our full range of Arran

This version of Family Reserve comes from an earlier label generation – a small piece of whisky history for anyone curious about how the bottle has evolved over the years.

Expert's Description

Grant's The Family Reserve Old Version 3 is a Blended Finest Scotch Whisky, composed by William Grant & Sons – the same family-owned company behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie.

This release represents an earlier label or bottle design generation of the Family Reserve blend, which has gone through several visual updates over the years while the underlying blend style has remained the same light, accessible character.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light fruitiness, caramel and a hint of honey.

Palate

Soft and light, with vanilla, caramel and a hint of spice.

Finish

Short to medium length, mild and lightly sweet.

Specifications

Name: Grant's The Family Reserve Old Version 3 Blended Finest Scotch Whisky 70cl 40%
Producer: Grant's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Finest Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour Profile

Light · Soft · Fruity · Accessible

Did You Know?

Grant's has periodically updated the label design on the Family Reserve bottle over the years, making older versions interesting to collectors of whisky packaging and history.

See our full range of Grant’s

Nordic oak instead of American or European – Grant's third release in the Cask Edition series draws inspiration from forests closer to our own backyard.

Expert's Description

Grant's Cask Edition No. 3 Nordic Oak Cask is a Blended Scotch Whisky where part of the blend has been given extra maturation or a finish in casks made from Nordic oak, instead of the more traditional American or European oak.

The whisky is bottled at 40% in the large 100cl bottle, building on Grant's well-known, accessible blend style with a lighter, spiced twist from the Nordic oak.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Softly spiced, with a hint of fresh wood and light vanilla.

Palate

Round and light, with caramel, a hint of pepper and a dry, spiced oak.

Finish

Medium length, dry and lightly spiced.

Specifications

Name: Grant's Cask Edition No. 3 Nordic Oak Cask Blended Scotch Whisky 100cl 40%
Producer: Grant's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Cask type: Nordic Oak Cask
ABV: 40%
Size: 100 CL

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Soft · Dry · Light

Did You Know?

Nordic oak grows more slowly than American oak, giving denser wood with a different pore structure – this can give whisky a more spiced, dry character than the classic bourbon and sherry casks.

See our full range of Grant’s

Same Nordic oak, smaller bottle – Cask Edition No. 3 also comes in the more everyday-friendly 70cl size.

Expert's Description

Grant's Cask Edition No. 3 Nordic Oak Cask is a Blended Scotch Whisky where part of the blend has been given extra maturation or a finish in casks made from Nordic oak, instead of the more traditional American or European oak.

The whisky is bottled at 40% in the classic 70cl bottle, building on Grant's well-known, accessible blend style with a lighter, spiced twist from the Nordic oak.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Softly spiced, with a hint of fresh wood and light vanilla.

Palate

Round and light, with caramel, a hint of pepper and a dry, spiced oak.

Finish

Medium length, dry and lightly spiced.

Specifications

Name: Grant's Cask Edition No. 3 Nordic Oak Cask Blended Scotch Whisky 70cl 40%
Producer: Grant's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Cask type: Nordic Oak Cask
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Soft · Dry · Light

Did You Know?

Nordic oak grows more slowly than American oak, giving denser wood with a different pore structure – this can give whisky a more spiced, dry character than the classic bourbon and sherry casks.

See our full range of Grant’s

Same classic Family Reserve, but in the large 150cl bottle – perfect for anyone who likes keeping plenty of their favourite on the bar.

Expert's Description

Grant's The Family Reserve is a Blended Finest Scotch Whisky, composed by William Grant & Sons – the same family-owned company behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie.

The whisky is bottled at 40% in the large 150cl bottle and is built on a blend of malt and grain whisky, giving a light, accessible and versatile character equally suited to enjoying neat or in a drink.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light fruitiness, caramel and a hint of honey.

Palate

Soft and light, with vanilla, caramel and a hint of spice.

Finish

Short to medium length, mild and lightly sweet.

Specifications

Name: Grant's The Family Reserve Blended Finest Scotch Whisky 150cl 40%
Producer: Grant's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Finest Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 150 CL

Flavour Profile

Light · Soft · Fruity · Accessible

Did You Know?

150cl bottles, also known as magnums, are often used for whisky meant to be shared at parties or larger gatherings, since they hold twice as much as a standard bottle.

See our full range of Grant’s

Grant's Family Reserve is the whisky most people think of when they hear the name Grant's – a classic, accessible blend that has stood the test of decades.

Expert's Description

Grant's The Family Reserve is a Blended Finest Scotch Whisky, composed by William Grant & Sons – the same family-owned company behind Glenfiddich and Balvenie.

The whisky is bottled at 40% and is built on a blend of malt and grain whisky, giving a light, accessible and versatile character equally suited to enjoying neat or in a drink.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light fruitiness, caramel and a hint of honey.

Palate

Soft and light, with vanilla, caramel and a hint of spice.

Finish

Short to medium length, mild and lightly sweet.

Specifications

Name: Grant's The Family Reserve Blended Finest Scotch Whisky 70cl 40%
Producer: Grant's
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Finest Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour Profile

Light · Soft · Fruity · Accessible

Did You Know?

Grant's iconic triangular bottle was designed in 1957 and remains one of the most recognisable bottle shapes in the whisky world.

See our full range of Grant’s

Compass Box has spent years fighting for the right to say what is in their bottles. It sounds like a technicality, but it is the heart of the house: if you believe a blend can be art, you have to be willing to show the recipe.

The Expert's Description

Artist Blend is a Blended Scotch Whisky from Compass Box, bottled at 43% and neither chill filtered nor coloured. It embodies the house mission of getting people to rediscover the pleasures of a well proportioned and artful blend.

Compass Box was founded in 2000 by John Glaser and works from a blending room in Richmond in London. The house owns no distillery but buys whisky from across Scotland and puts it together by flavour rather than by geography. That is a different method from the one the large blending houses use.

The nose and palate are full, round and generous, with toasted oak, vanilla and spice in both. The whisky is bottled without chill filtration, which is unusual for a blend in this bracket.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toasted oak and vanilla first, with a round cereal sweetness underneath. There is spice in it, cinnamon and a little nutmeg, and a clear malty weight that is more than you expect from a blend.

Palate

Full and generous. Vanilla and toasted oak open, then the spices arrive along with a soft fruit sweetness. At 43% the body is good, and the absence of chill filtration is felt in the mouthfeel.

Finish

Pleasantly spiced and tingling, with a fine fading sweetness and a wisp of smoke at the close.

Specifications

Name: Artist Blend Compass Box Blended Scotch Whisky 43%
Bottler: Compass Box
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Artist Blend
EAN no.: 5060632880505

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Vanilla · Oaky · Malty · Soft · Lightly Smoky

Did You Know?

Compass Box fell foul of the Scotch whisky authorities in 2015 for stating the age of the individual components in their blends. The rules say that if you mention an age it must be that of the youngest whisky in the bottle, so disclosing the full recipe was technically against them. The house has campaigned for the rules to change ever since.

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Chivas Brothers began as a grocer's shop in Aberdeen selling coffee, spices and a little whisky on the side. This bottle comes from the days when the house still put the word finest on the label and meant it literally.

Please note: The bottle carries a white Danish excise band.

Expert description

Chivas Brothers Oldest and Finest is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 43% in a 75 cl bottle.

The label calls it a blend of the house's oldest and finest Scotch whiskies, and the white Danish excise band places the bottle in a period when spirits were still banded on import into Denmark. Both the 75 cl format and the 43% strength have long since left the shelves. Chivas Brothers was founded in Aberdeen in 1801 and supplied whisky to the British royal household long before Chivas Regal became a name in its own right.

Tasting notes

Nose

Round and mature. Dried fruit, honey and pale caramel, with a dusty, old-fashioned note that only comes from time in glass.

Palate

Soft and oily. Raisin, orange marmalade and malt, with a layer of vanilla and a light nutty dryness beneath. The extra strength carries the flavour further than most modern blends.

Finish

Medium and dry, with malt, spice and a faint wisp of smoke right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Chivas Brothers Oldest and Finest Blended Scotch Whisky 43%
Distillery: Chivas Brothers
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43 %
Size: 75 CL
Edition: Oldest and Finest
EAN no.: 5000299274002

Flavour profile

Soft · Dried Fruit · Malty · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced

Investment potential

High. The release is discontinued, the 75 cl format is out of production, and bottles with an old Danish excise band are sought after precisely because they can be dated.

Did you know?

Chivas Brothers started life as a colonial grocer. James and John Chivas sold everything from French delicacies to exotic spices, and blending whisky began as a sideline because customers asked for something softer than the fierce single malts of the day.

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Five centilitres is enough to form an opinion. That is what the miniature is for, as a sample, as a place setting gift, or as the bottle that goes in a pocket when carrying a full one makes no sense.

The expert description

Famous Grouse Miniature is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 40% in a 5 cl bottle.

The contents are identical to the full size bottle: the classic Grouse blend that Matthew Gloag created in Perth in 1896 and named after the red grouse. The brand has been owned by William Grant & Sons since July 2025.

Miniatures like this get used for three things, trying a whisky without committing, setting one at each place at dinner, or taking one along where a full bottle would be absurd. Malt whisky, with Highland Park historically among the load bearing names, bound together with grain whisky, gives the same soft profile in small format.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and honey, with vanilla, nuts and a touch of citrus underneath.

Palate

Soft and round with a fruitiness that carries all the way, and ripe, lightly spiced undertones.

Finish

Short to medium, clean and lightly sweet with malt at the close.

Specifications

Name: Famous Grouse Miniature
Distillery: The Famous Grouse
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 5 CL
EAN no.: 50792511

Flavour profile

Soft · Fruity · Honeyed · Malty · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

Miniatures are a collecting field of their own. Some collections run to tens of thousands of bottles, and old miniatures from closed distilleries can be the only way to taste whisky that was never bottled at full size in that particular year.

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Behind every well-balanced blend sits a master blender who has tasted more casks than most drinkers will in a lifetime. This J&B release carries that philosophy into every glass.

Expert's description

J&B 15 Year Reserve JUSTERINI & BROOKS LTD Blended Scotch Whisky 43% is a Blended Scotch Whisky and bottled at 43%.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Malt, toffee and a whisper of peat.

Palate

Honey, malt and a light peppery spice.

Finish

Medium length with a soft smoky close.

Specifications

Name: J&B 15 Year Reserve JUSTERINI & BROOKS LTD Blended Scotch Whisky 43%
Distillery: J&B
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 75 CL
Edition: J&B Reserve

Flavour Profile

Rounded · Spiced

Did you know?

Justerini & Brooks was founded by the Italian Giacomo Justerini, who moved to London in 1749 to follow an opera singer and ended up founding one of Scotland's best-known whisky houses instead.

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Nobody keeps the half bottle. It gets drunk, packed in a bag or taken to the cabin — which is exactly why the old ones are hard to find in good condition.

Expert description

Cutty Sark Yellow Label is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 40% in a 37.5 cl bottle.

The yellow label has followed Cutty Sark since 1923, when the Scottish artist James McBey drew it for Berry Bros & Rudd's new blend. The half bottle format was made for travel, bars and gift sets, and for that reason very few were ever kept. The contents are the same pale, fruity blend of around twenty Speyside malts and grain whisky that made the bottle known worldwide.

Tasting notes

Nose

Pale and fresh. Grass, citrus and coconut, with vanilla and a trace of malt behind.

Palate

Light and soft. Vanilla, apple and cereal, with American oak and a mild spiced warmth. No edges, no smoke.

Finish

Short to medium, dry and fruity with a touch of oak.

Specifications

Name: Cutty Sark Yellow Label Blended Scotch Whisky 37,5 cl 40%
Distillery: Cutty Sark
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40 %
Size: 37.5 CL
Edition: Yellow Label
EAN no.: 5010493008785

Flavour profile

Light · Fresh · Vanilla · Fruity · Soft

Investment potential

Medium. Half bottles are rarely kept, so well-preserved examples with the old yellow label are less common than the corresponding full bottle.

Did you know?

James McBey, who drew the label, was a respected Scottish etcher and war artist. The vivid yellow is said to be down to a misunderstanding at the printer — it was meant to be more muted, but Berry Bros decided to keep it.

See our full range of Cutty Sark Whisky

Port casks leave a clear mark. They tint the whisky reddish, pull it towards berries and plums, and can easily end up drowning everything else. Ruby Cask stays on the right side of that line.

The expert description

Famous Grouse Cask Series Ruby Cask is a Blended Scotch Whisky finished in ruby port casks and bottled at 40%.

Cask Series is the name for the releases where the classic Grouse blend gets an extra period in a cask with a past. Here it is ruby port, the fresh and fruity style rather than the nutty tawny, and the difference registers immediately. The base whisky is still soft and rounded, but the port wood lays a layer of red fruit and baking spice over the top.

The finishing period is short enough that the blend underneath still comes through. This is not a port whisky but a Famous Grouse with the port cask as an added voice.

Tasting notes

Nose

Baking spice first, soft vanilla, cinnamon and clove, and beneath it red berries, a touch of oak and a light sweetness.

Palate

Ripe stone fruit and red berries, plums and caramel, with light tannins from the port wood keeping the sweetness in check.

Finish

Medium to long, soft and sweet with fruit that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Famous Grouse Cask Series Ruby Cask
Distillery: The Famous Grouse
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in ruby port casks
Edition: Cask Series
EAN no.: 5010314306540

Flavour profile

Fruity · Sweet · Soft · Spiced · Berry

Did you know?

Ruby and tawny port come from the same grapes but are handled entirely differently. Ruby is aged briefly in large vessels and keeps its fresh, deep red fruit, while tawny spends years in small casks and turns nutty and brown. That is why a ruby cask pulls whisky towards berries rather than towards walnut.

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Fifty percent on a blend is rare today. It was not in post-war America, where 100 proof stood for something you did not have to apologise for.

Expert description

Cutty Black 100 Proof is a Blended Whisky bottled at 50% in a 75 cl bottle.

The 100 proof designation comes from the American system, where the proof figure is exactly double the alcohol percentage. The 75 cl format and the black label place the bottle in an earlier era, when the Cutty Sark house ran several parallel expressions for different markets. The higher strength gives more body and a longer finish than the ordinary bottlings from the same family.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt and dried fruit first, then honey, oak and a warm spiced note from the strength.

Palate

Full and powerful. Cereal, caramel and orange peel, with a dry oak edge and a peppery warmth that the fifty percent carries without burning.

Finish

Long and dry, with malt, nuts and a persistent spiced warmth.

Specifications

Name: Cutty Black 100 Proof Blended Whisky 50%
Distillery: Cutty Sark
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Whisky
ABV: 50 %
Size: 75 CL
Edition: 100 Proof
EAN no.: 721059207508

Flavour profile

Malty · Dried Fruit · Spiced · Full-bodied · Dry

Investment potential

Medium. The release is discontinued, the 75 cl format is out of production, and blends at 50% are a rarity outside American market editions.

Did you know?

The proof system comes from an old British method where spirit was poured over gunpowder and set alight. If the powder caught, the strength was proven — hence the word proof. The Americans later fixed the number at double the alcohol percentage.

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Named after Sir Walter Scott's 1816 novel, The Antiquary has stood for a soft, classic blended Scotch style since 1857 - this 15 year old expression draws extra depth from French red wine casks.

Expert description

The Antiquary 15 Year Old is a Blended Scotch Whisky at 43%, combining malt and grain whisky matured for 15 years, including in casks that previously held fine Bordeaux red wine.

The brand was founded in 1857 by the Hardie family and named after Sir Walter Scott's 1816 novel "The Antiquary". Since 1996, The Antiquary has been owned by Tomatin Distillery Co, which relaunched the brand in 2024 with a refreshed range, including this 15 year old expression.

The whisky is unpeated and shows an unusually soft, light flavour profile, where the wine casks lend a light fruity sweetness and complexity to the classic blend.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft grain and ripe red berries, with a touch of vanilla and a hint of dried flowers.

Palate

Silky and round, with notes of stewed red fruit, honey and a light nutty undertone.

Finish

Short to medium, mild and lightly sweet, closing on a trace of oak.

Specifications

Name: The Antiquary 15 Year Old
Distillery: The Antiquary (Blend), owned by Tomatin Distillery Co
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bordeaux red wine casks
EAN no.: 5018481101265

Flavour profile

soft · fruity · round

Did you know?

The Antiquary took its name from Sir Walter Scott's 1816 novel about an eccentric Scottish antiquities collector - a fitting literary reference that still graces the label more than 165 years after the brand's founding.

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Rum casks and Scotch whisky have travelled together since the trading ships began running the same route both ways. Here that connection is made concrete: a lightly peated blend that has ended its life in Latin American rum casks.

The expert description

Flatnöse Rum Finish is a Blended Scotch Whisky finished in Latin American rum casks and bottled at 43% in small batch.

The base whisky is the same light, peated blend from Islay Boys that the rest of the Flatnöse family is built on. The difference lies in the closing period in rum wood, which among other things has contributed exotic demerara notes, the dark, almost molasses-like sweetness familiar from rum made on cane syrup.

The rum cask makes the whisky softer and rounder without the smoke disappearing. It is bottled without chill filtration in small batch, so the contents can vary a little from run to run.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft and sweet with demerara sugar, a light smoky edge and a note of ripe banana.

Palate

Lively and lightly spiced with vanilla and demerara in the background, while the malt and smoke keep it from turning too sweet.

Finish

Medium and soft with syrup, spice and a final touch of smoke.

Specifications

Name: Flatnöse Rum Barrel Finish
Bottler: Islay Boys
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Latin American rum casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Small Batch
EAN no.: 5060406110227

Flavour profile

Sweet · Lightly smoky · Spiced · Vanilla · Soft

Did you know?

Demerara takes its name from a river in Guyana where the sugar cane grew along the banks. Today the word covers both a type of sugar and a style of rum, and it is the dark, molasses-like sweetness of that style the rum casks leave behind in the whisky.

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The islands along the west coast of Scotland were governed from the sea, not from land. That is the world the Flatnöse name points back to, and the whisky has been given the same direct character to carry.

The expert description

Flatnöse Blended Scotch Whisky is a lightly peated blend bottled at 43% in small batch.

Where the Islay Boys blended malt sticks to pure malt whisky, this release is a proper blend with both malt and grain. The grain gives softness and a cereal sweetness that malt alone does not deliver, and the smoke therefore has a rounder base to stand on.

The name is taken from Ketill Flatnöse, the Norse chieftain who in the late 800s was king over the islands along the west coast. Bottling happens in small batch and without chill filtration, so the contents can vary a little from run to run.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt and sweetness first, with an appealing note of smoke settling in underneath.

Palate

Pleasingly smoky, where pepper steps clearly forward alongside the smoke. The cereal sweetness sits below and holds it together.

Finish

Medium and dry with smoke, pepper and a final malty sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Flatnöse Blended Scotch Whisky
Bottler: Islay Boys
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Small Batch
EAN no.: 5060406110029

Flavour profile

Smoky · Malty · Spiced · Soft · Sweet

Did you know?

Very few blends are bottled without chill filtration. The process removes the compounds that can turn whisky hazy at low temperature, and it is used on almost every bottle at this level because haze gets mistaken for a fault. Islay Boys chose to skip it and explain why instead.

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A blended whisky that has been given time to become more than the sum of its parts. White Heather 21 Year Old is built on casks that each matured separately for eighteen years before being brought together for a final marriage in PX and Oloroso puncheons alongside Appalachian Virgin Oak. Only 2,000 bottles have been released.

Expert's description

White Heather 21 Year Old is a Blended Scotch Whisky, married in Pedro Ximénez puncheons, Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian Virgin Oak casks, bottled at 48% ABV.

The first eighteen years of the whisky's life were spent in used first-fill American barrels, sherry butts and second-fill barrels/hogsheads — a wide spread of cask types, each contributing its own character to the different whiskies in the blend. Only afterwards were they brought together and left to marry in three types of specialist casks, rounding off the story with one final layer of sweetness and spice.

The White Heather brand traces back to Campbell Distillers in the 1950s and was relaunched in 2021 with GlenAllachie and Billy Walker at the helm, giving this 21 year old one foot in tradition and one in present-day craft.

Tasting notes

Nose

A layered aroma where mature sherry sweetness meets notes from American oak and a hint of the fresh, robust character of Appalachian Virgin Oak.

Palate

Round and full-bodied, with sherry spice up front and an underlying sweetness from the puncheons that ties the many cask types together.

Finish

Long, warm and lightly tannic, with a closing dryness from the Virgin Oak casks.

Specifications

Name: White Heather 21 Year Old
Distillery: White Heather
Bottler: GlenAllachie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First 18 years in first-fill American barrels, sherry butts and second-fill barrels/hogsheads, then married in Pedro Ximénez puncheons, Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian Virgin Oak casks
Number of bottles: 2,000
EAN no.: 5060568320731

Flavour profile

Sherry sweetness · American oak · Spiced puncheon finish · Virgin Oak dryness · Layered complexity

Investment potential

With only 2,000 bottles of a 21 year old blended whisky from a respected name like GlenAllachie and Billy Walker, this release sits at the high end of investment potential. It combines age, a limited run and a relaunched historic brand — a combination collectors rarely tire of.

Did you know?

The White Heather brand originally dates back to Campbell Distillers in the 1950s and was only relaunched in 2021 — so this 21 year old carries the name forward from an era when blended whisky ruled the Scottish market.

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