Burnside 14 year old Woodrows of Edinburgh Single Cask #900018 Single Speyside Malt Whisky 52%

Burnside sounds like a distillery on a burn somewhere in the glens. It isn't one. The name is a cover, and underneath sits a Speyside whisky that spent its last three of fourteen years in a cask that once held Ruby Port.

Expert's Description

Burnside 14 year Ruby Port is a Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a refill hogshead, finished in a 1st fill Ruby Port Hogshead cask and bottled at cask strength, 52%.

It comes from Woodrow's of Edinburgh, a bottler based in Edinburgh, and belongs to their Warehouse Reserve range in the Curators' Cut Edition. The whisky is drawn from one single cask, number 900018, filled on 27 April 2011 and bottled on 14 October 2025. Only 292 bottles exist.

Burnside is a brand name, not a distillery. Behind it sits a teaspooned Balvenie: malt from Balvenie in Dufftown with a small dash from another distillery added, so it can legally be called a Blended Malt and sold without Balvenie on the label.

The cask story is short. Around eleven years in a refill hogshead, a cask that has been used before and lets the spirit speak without a heavy hand of wood. Then three years in a 1st fill cask from Ruby Port, the young, red, fruity style of port wine. That cask still has plenty to give, and it shows in the berries and sweetness. Nothing has been coloured or chill filtered.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Heather honey first, then ripe summer berries and a hint of milk chocolate. Light and elegant.

Palate

Silky and layered. Milk chocolate, raspberries, strawberry jam and orange zest, with figs and toffee underneath. A touch of hazelnut at the end.

Finish

Medium to long. The jam lingers, and the baking spices stay sweet and quiet.

Specifications

Name: Burnside 14 year Ruby Port
Distillery: Balvenie
Bottler: Woodrow's of Edinburgh
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 14 years
ABV: 52%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Hogshead cask, finished for 3 years in 1st fill Ruby Port Hogshead cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 14.10.2025
Number of bottles: 292
Edition: Curators' Cut Edition
EAN no.: 5060769810611

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Port-finished · Sweet · Smooth · Lightly spiced

Did You Know?

This bottle has a twin. Cask 900019 was filled on the very same day, 27 April 2011, and got the same three years on port, only tawny instead of ruby. Both were bottled on 14 October 2025.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Burnside 14 year Ruby Port

What does teaspooned mean, and is Burnside a Balvenie?

Burnside is a brand name, and what's in the bottle is a teaspooned Balvenie. A small amount of malt from another distillery has been added to the Balvenie whisky. That means it is no longer a single malt but a Blended Malt, and Balvenie doesn't have to appear on the label. Woodrow's doesn't print Balvenie on the bottle, so you can't read it off the label yourself.

What's the difference between the Ruby Port and Tawny Port versions of Burnside?

The port cask. Ruby is the young, red, fruity style, and here it brings raspberries, strawberry jam and milk chocolate. Tawny has spent longer in wood and leans more towards nuts. Casks 900018 and 900019 were filled and bottled on the same dates, so it's the port that sets them apart.

How should you drink Burnside 14 year Ruby Port?

Neat, or with a few drops of water. At 52%, a little water opens up the red berries and the hazelnut without thinning the whisky out. A tulip-shaped glass gathers the aroma best. See our range of whisky glasses.

What goes well with Burnside 14 year Ruby Port?

Dark chocolate is the safest bet, as it meets the milk chocolate and jam in the whisky. Fresh strawberries or raspberries work too, and so does a hazelnut cake.

Is Burnside 14 year Ruby Port a good gift?

Yes, especially for a whisky friend who likes port casks and a good story. There are only 292 bottles, and the teaspooned backstory gives you something to talk about when the bottle is opened.

Who is Woodrow's of Edinburgh, and what is Warehouse Reserve?

Woodrow's of Edinburgh is an independent bottler in Edinburgh that bottles at cask strength, without chill filtration and without added colour. Warehouse Reserve is the range of casks they found themselves or finished in fresh wood. Burnside belongs here.