Hepburns Choice Whisky

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  Auchroisk 2009/2019 Hepburns Choice 10 years old Rum Finish Single Cask Malt Whisky 70 cl 46%

  Item no.: 22227865479-1106-197142

  Rum and Speyside are not an obvious pairing. The rum pulls the whisky towards molasses and baked banana, and that suits a spirit which already brings the fruit.

  The Expert's Description

  Auchroisk 2009/2019 Hepburns Choice 10 Years Old is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky finished in a rum cask and bottled at 46%. The cask gave 182 bottles, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

  A rum cask finish typically lasts from a few months to a couple of years. The rum’s sugarcane character lays molasses, brown sugar and baked fruit over the whisky’s own profile, without removing the underlying malt character.

  Hepburns Choice is Hunter Laing’s range of single casks from younger whisky, often with a finish. Auchroisk was built in 1974 to supply malt for the J&B blend, and the distillery’s bright, citrus-driven style gives the rum cask something to work with.

  Tasting Notes

  Nose

  Sweetness first, with molasses and brown sugar clearly to the fore. Vanilla, banana and a light citrus note from the spirit sit beneath.

  Palate

  Sweet and full. Molasses and baked banana open, then vanilla, a lightly spiced oak note and a dry close to the sweetness arrive. At 46% the body is good, and the whisky holds its balance.

  Finish

  Medium and sweet. Molasses, vanilla and a dry, lightly spiced close.

  Specifications

  Name: Auchroisk 2009/2019 Hepburns Choice 10 Years Old Rum Finish Single Speyside Malt Whisky 46%
  Distillery: Auchroisk
  Bottler: Hunter Laing
  Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
  Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
  Age: 10 years
  ABV: 46%
  Size: 70 CL
  Cask type: Finished in a rum cask
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: 2009
  Bottled: 2019
  Number of bottles: 182
  Edition: Hepburns Choice

  Flavour Profile

  Rum Finish · Sweet · Molasses · Banana · Vanilla · Fruity

  Did You Know?

  Hunter Laing was separated from Douglas Laing in 2013, when brothers Fred and Stewart Laing divided the firm between them after decades as partners. Fred took the cask stock and the independent bottlings with him, and in 2019 the family opened their own distillery, Ardnahoe, on Islay’s north-east coast.

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  • 1pcs.
    67,00EUR
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  Ben Nevis 2011/2023 Hepburns Choice 11 years old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%

  Item no.: 059763-615-927

  A sherry butt holds around five hundred litres, twice what an ordinary cask carries. That means less wood surface per drop and a slower, more measured maturation. Eleven years does not sound like much, but in a butt they count differently.

  The expert's description

  Ben Nevis 2011/2023 Hepburn's Choice 11 years is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a sherry butt and bottled at 46 % without chill filtration and without added colour.

  The cask was filled in 2011 and drawn in 2023, yielding 880 bottles. That is a high outturn, but it follows from a cask of that size, and it also means the bottling actually reached an audience rather than vanishing within a week.

  Hepburn's Choice is a range from Hunter Laing, the family firm behind Ardnahoe on Islay among others. The range consists purely of single casks bottled at 46 % without filtration or colouring, and it is intended as the honest working series of the house rather than as prestige releases.

  Tasting notes

  Nose

  Dried fig, walnut and a dry sherry note. Behind it sit malt and a suggestion of orange peel.

  Palate

  Full and dry with raisin, cocoa and spiced oak. The Ben Nevis weight keeps the sherry in check rather than giving way to it.

  Finish

  Long and dry with nut, dark chocolate and a warm note of spice.

  Specifications

  Name: Ben Nevis 2011/2023 Hepburn's Choice 11 år
  Distillery: Ben Nevis
  Bottler: Hepburn's Choice
  Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
  Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  Age: 11 years
  ABV: 46 %
  Size: 70 CL
  Cask type: Sherry butt
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: 2011
  Bottled: 2023
  Number of bottles: 880
  Edition: Single Cask

  Flavour profile

  Sherry matured · Dry · Nutty · Full bodied · Spiced

  Investment potential

  Medium. The bottling comes from one cask and cannot be remade, but the 880 bottles make it less scarce than most single casks. The Hunter Laing ranges hold a steady position among collectors of independent bottlings.

  Did you know?

  Hunter Laing was split off from Douglas Laing in 2013, when brothers Stewart and Fred Laing divided the family firm between them. Stewart took the single cask stocks with him and later built Ardnahoe on Islay.

  See our full range of Ben Nevis Whisky
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  • 1pcs.
    127,25EUR
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  Caol Ila 2010/2020 Hepburns Choice 9 years old Sherry Butt Finish Single Cask Malt Whisky 70 cl 46%

  Item no.: 22227865479-1106-197278508

  Nine years is enough time to let peat smoke settle in. Hepburns Choice matured this Caol Ila in bourbon casks and finished it in a sherry butt – the classic double maturation, a reminder that it is the combination of time and wood that shapes a whisky.

  Expert's description

  Caol Ila 2010/2020 Hepburns Choice 9 Years is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks with a sherry butt finish, bottled at 46% without chill filtration and with natural colour. 797 bottles.

  Hepburns Choice is a series from Langside Distillers – a Scottish independent bottler specialising in single-cask bottlings from a wide range of distilleries. The series is named after the Scottish whisky enthusiast and writer Hepburn.

  The bourbon cask provided the structural base – vanilla and fresh fruit – and the sherry butt added the winey layer on top: raisins, honey and spice. Caol Ila's smoke binds it all together.

  Tasting notes

  Nose

  A soft opening with bourbon sweetness and light sherry fruit, behind which Caol Ila's salty smoke and seaweed wait. Raisins and a hint of cloves.

  Palate

  Soft and balanced. Bourbon vanilla and sherry fruit meet peat smoke and a touch of salt. Good body and light preserved-fruit notes from the finish.

  Finish

  Medium-length with persistent smoke and a sweet sherry close that slowly fades.

  Specifications

  Name: Caol Ila 2010/2020 Hepburns Choice 9 Years Sherry Butt Finish
  Distillery: Caol Ila Distillery
  Bottler: Langside Distillers (Hepburns Choice)
  Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
  Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  Age: 9 years
  ABV: 46%
  Size: 70 CL
  Cask type: Bourbon casks with sherry butt finish
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: 2010
  Bottled: 2020
  Number of bottles: 797
  Series: Hepburns Choice
  EAN no.: 5060354272848

  Flavour profile

  Peated · Sherry-matured · Fruity · Creamy · Balanced

  Did you know?

  A sherry butt is the largest standard cask in Scotch whisky tradition, holding around 500 litres against a standard bourbon hogshead's 250. The larger cask gives a slower and more subtle influence, which is why sherry butts are used for finishing.

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  • 1pcs.
    107,00EUR
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  Inchgower 2012 Hepburns Choice 10 year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 46%

  Item no.: 059763-6599117

  Some whiskies shout their pedigree from the label. This one from Inchgower prefers to let the liquid do the talking. This particular release from Speyside shows a side of the distillery worth slowing down for.

  Expert's description

  Inchgower 2012 Hepburns Choice 10 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46% is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky and bottled at 46%.

  This bottling comes from Hepburn's Choice, released as part of the Hepburn's Choice range.

  The whisky was distilled in 2012.

  Tasting Notes

  Nose

  Honey, barley and a soft citrus lift.

  Palate

  Soft vanilla, malt and light spice.

  Finish

  Medium length, clean and lightly spiced.

  Specifications

  Name: Inchgower 2012 Hepburns Choice 10 Year Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
  Distillery: Inchgower
  Bottler: Hepburn's Choice
  Region/Country: Speyside
  Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
  Age: 10 years
  ABV: 46%
  Size: 70 CL
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: 2012
  Edition: Hepburn's Choice

  Flavour Profile

  Fresh · Spiced

  Did you know?

  William Hepburn, after whom this range is named, worked in the Glasgow whisky trade for more than 50 years and taught his grandson Stewart Laing the craft from the ground up.

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  • 1pcs.
    80,25EUR
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  Mortlach 2009/2019 Hepburns Choice 10 Years Old Langside Distillers Single Speyside Malt Whisky 46%

  Item no.: 22227865468-20190

  Some whisky persuades you gently, and some insists. Mortlach clearly belongs to the latter category.

  Expert's Description

  Mortlach 2009/2019 Hepburn's Choice 10 Year Old is a Single Cask Speyside Malt Whisky matured in a refill hogshead and bottled at 46%.

  Hepburn's Choice is named after the directors' late maternal grandfather, William Hepburn, and was originally bottled by Langside Distillers, now continued under Hunter Laing. Only 375 bottles of this Mortlach were filled, all without chill filtration or added colour.

  Tasting Notes

  Nose

  The nose offers vanilla, citrus peel and honey.

  Palate

  On the palate there is honeycomb and fresh citrus acidity, while creamy vanilla adds a final twist.

  Finish

  The finish is soft and lingering.

  Specifications

  Distillery: Mortlach
  Bottler: Hepburn's Choice (Langside Distillers / Hunter Laing)
  Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
  Type: Single Cask Speyside Malt Whisky
  Age: 10 years
  ABV: 46 %
  Size: 70 CL
  Cask type: Refill Hogshead
  Non-chill filtered: Yes
  Natural colour: Yes
  Distilled: 2009
  Bottled: 2019
  Number of bottles: 375
  Edition: Hepburn's Choice

  Flavour Profile

  Fresh · Soft · Vanilla-sweet · Floral

  Did You Know?

  Mortlach distils its spirit 2.81 times through six stills of varying sizes – a method no other Scottish distillery has dared to copy.

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  • 1pcs.
    87,00EUR