Known as the Maritime Malt, this 12-year-old carries the full salty, rugged character of Scotland's northernmost mainland coast.

Expert Review

Old Pulteney 12 år Single Highland Malt Whisky 70 cl 40% is a Single Highland Malt Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40% ABV.

Old Pulteney 12 Years Old is an iconic single malt whisky from the north of Scotland, known as the Maritime Malt. It is produced at Pulteney Distillery in Wick, close to Scotland's rugged coastline, where sea air seeps into the warehouses and shapes the whisky's character throughout maturation in ex-bourbon casks.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose is fresh and saline, with citrus, apple and a light sea breeze.

Palate

The palate is clean and lightly sweet, with honey, citrus and a touch of salt.

Finish

The finish is medium-long, dry and salty.

Specifications

Name: Old Pulteney 12 år Single Highland Malt Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Old Pulteney
Region: Highland, Scotland
Type: Single Highland Malt Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: ex-bourbon casks
EAN No.: 5010509060028

Flavour Profile

Maritime · Citrus · Fresh

Did You Know?

Pulteney Distillery is located in Wick, once Europe's busiest herring port, and the whisky takes its name from the town's historic harbour district, Pulteneytown.

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One cask, 114 bottles, and a Danish importer who sat and waited for seven years. The spirit ran off the stills on a July day in 2016 in an industrial park in the west of Glasgow, and exactly seven years and ten days later the cask was emptied. Timing like that is rarely an accident.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow 2016/2023 Mac Y Selection 7 Years Old is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon cask and finished in Virgin Oak, bottled at 55.8%. Cask 16/844 was distilled on 17 July 2016 and bottled on 27 July 2023, yielding 114 bottles selected by the Danish importer Mac Y.

Just over three years went by in the first fill bourbon cask, where the spirit picked up vanilla, coconut and a light cereal sweetness. Then came almost four years in new charred American oak. Virgin Oak has never held spirit before, and it works fast and hard: cinnamon, nutmeg, burnt sugar and a drier tannic edge shift the whole profile. Seven years does not sound like much, but in virgin oak seven years can do more than twice that in a refill cask.

Glasgow Distillery uses malted barley and water from Loch Katrine, ferments for more than 72 hours and distils slowly in traditional copper pot stills. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Freshly planed oak and warm cinnamon bun first. Behind that come vanilla, toasted coconut and a hint of yellow fruit, mostly pear with a little pineapple. There is also a drier pencil shaving note that virgin oak casks tend to give.

Palate

Sweet and spicy at once. Burnt sugar, nutmeg and baked apple meet a firm oak tannin that tightens things up mid-palate. At 55.8% it runs warm but the body holds. A few drops of water draw out more honey and calm the wood a little.

Finish

Long and woody, with pepper, toasted oak and a faintly bitter cocoa note. The sweetness lets go slowly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow 2016/2023 Mac Y Selection 7 Years Old Virgin Oak Single Malt Scotch Whisky 55.8%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 55.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and finished in Virgin Oak, cask no. 16/844
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 17 July 2016
Bottled: 27 July 2023
Number of bottles: 114
Edition: Mac Y Selection
EAN no.: 5714772002067

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Vanilla · Oaky · Fresh · Cask Strength · Fruity

Investment Potential

Medium. A single cask with only 114 bottles, released into one market, is hard to find again once it has gone. Bottlings from Glasgow Distillery’s early years have also drawn steadily more attention as the distillery has established itself.

Did You Know?

The water for 1770 comes from Loch Katrine in the Trossachs, the same loch that has supplied Glasgow with drinking water since 1859. The city built an aqueduct system running more than 50 kilometres to fight cholera, and today that same water runs through a malt distillery on the western edge of town.

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Hungarian dessert wine and Scottish malt whisky are not an obvious match. Yet a Tokaji barrique sat waiting in a Glasgow warehouse, and for the final months before bottling the whisky was allowed to stretch out in it. You can smell that somebody took a chance.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Mac Y Selection Tokaji Finish is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon casks and finished in a Tokaji barrique, bottled at 52%. Cask 18/968 was distilled on 3 February 2018 and bottled on 25 October 2022, giving 303 bottles for the Danish importer Mac Y.

Tokaji is a Hungarian sweet wine made from botrytised grapes, and its casks are used only very rarely for Scotch. Where a sherry cask brings dark fruit and nuts, Tokaji pulls towards apricot, honey and a tart marmalade note that leaves the whisky brighter and fresher than a typical finish. The bourbon wood underneath keeps the vanilla and cereal sweetness in place.

The whisky was distilled at Glasgow Distillery, where the mash ferments for over 72 hours before slow distillation in copper pot stills. Neither chill filtration nor colouring came anywhere near the bottle.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dried apricot and orange marmalade first, with honey and a little yellow plum behind. Then the bourbon cask brings vanilla and a light pastry note, close to a Danish. A fine acidity runs through it all and stops the sweetness turning sticky.

Palate

Sweet and juicy to begin: apricot, honeydew melon and candied lemon. Mid-palate the oak and white pepper tighten up and a faintly waxy texture appears. The 52% gives body without heat. After a few minutes in the glass a dried mango note steps forward.

Finish

Medium length. Honey and citrus peel first, then drier oak and a touch of ginger. The sweetness fades calmly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Mac Y Selection Tokaji Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky 52%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 4 years
ABV: 52%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and finished in a Tokaji barrique, cask no. 18/968
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 3 February 2018
Bottled: 25 October 2022
Number of bottles: 303
Edition: Mac Y Selection
EAN no.: 5714772001978

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Honeyed · Fresh · Spiced · Cask Strength · Vinous

Did You Know?

Tokaji was for centuries the most sought-after wine in Europe. Louis XIV is said to have called it Vinum Regum, Rex Vinorum, the wine of kings and the king of wines. Casks like these almost never turn up in Scottish warehouses, and when they do it is usually because a small distillery fancied trying something the big ones cannot be bothered with.

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Two whiskies from the same distillery that were never meant to meet. One peated and finished in Bordeaux red wine casks. The other triple distilled and finished in Ruby Port. Somebody opened both and poured them together, and what came out makes more sense than it should.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 Years Old is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Bordeaux red wine casks and Ruby Port casks, bottled at 57.5%. It brings together two different malt whiskies, both made at Glasgow Distillery, released in the distillery’s Small Batch Series at 1,925 bottles.

The first part is peated and took its finish in casks from Bordeaux, which lays dark berries and a drier tannic edge into the smoke. The second is triple distilled and unpeated, finished in Ruby Port, giving red fruit, sweetness and a fuller texture. Because every drop comes from the one distillery, the whisky is still a Single Malt.

The water comes from Loch Katrine, the mash ferments for more than 72 hours, and distillation runs slowly in copper pot stills. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark berries first, blackberry and preserved cherry, and behind them a dry earthy smoke closer to cold ash than a bonfire. There is vinous sweetness too and a streak of liquorice. The smoke is clear but it does not fill the whole glass.

Palate

Sweet and full to start: raspberry, redcurrant and a little dark chocolate. Then the smoke arrives from the side along with black pepper and a drier tannin from the red wine wood. At 57.5% the body is generous, and a pleasant tension between sweet and smoky runs the whole way through.

Finish

Long and in two halves. The fruit lingers first, then a drier note of ash and pepper takes over and releases slowly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow 2018/2022 Red Wine & Ruby Port Cask 4 Years Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.5%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 4 years
ABV: 57.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Bordeaux red wine casks and Ruby Port casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Traditional and triple distillation in copper pot stills
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 1,925
Edition: Small Batch Series
EAN no.: 5714772002074

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Vinous · Spiced · Cask Strength · Full Bodied

Did You Know?

Glasgow Distillery runs peated, unpeated and triple distilled production within the same year. Most Scottish malt distilleries stick to one style, but here the recipe is deliberately switched so there is something different to build with when the casks are brought together. This bottle is a direct result of working that way.

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Twenty-five years as a Danish whisky importer deserves more than a speech. Mac Y picked a peated cask from Glasgow that had spent its final months in Ruby Port and marked the anniversary with 482 half bottles. Smoke and red fruit in one glass. There is a reason that cask was chosen.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st fill ex-bourbon cask and finished in a Ruby Port barrique, bottled at 55.3% in 50 cl format. Cask 17/803 was distilled on 12 October 2017 and bottled on 4 November 2021, yielding 482 bottles.

The spirit is peated, and that matters: Glasgow Distillery only runs peated malt for part of the year, so the volume is limited from the outset. The bourbon cask laid down vanilla and coconut, and the Ruby Port cask stacked red fruit and sweetness on top. That combination gives the whisky its unusual balance of sweet smoke and berries.

The bottling was created for Mac Y’s 25th anniversary in September 2021, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet peat smoke first, close to a toasted marshmallow held near a fire pit. Then rich chocolate cake, freshly planed oak and a note of rolling tobacco. Further back sit cracked leather and a hint of preserved cherry.

Palate

Rich and smooth. Strawberry and raspberry open, then sponge cake, cocoa and milk chocolate with coffee beans in the background. The smoke lies underneath as a warm floor rather than a point. At 55.3% there is body without hard edges.

Finish

Long and layered. Full red fruit, a smoked barbecue note and dried dark fruits that release slowly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow Mac Y 25th Jubile Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 55.3%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 4 years
ABV: 55.3%
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and finished in a Ruby Port barrique, cask no. 17/803
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 12 October 2017
Bottled: 4 November 2021
Number of bottles: 482
Edition: Mac Y 25th Jubile Release
EAN no.: 5060411501232

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Chocolate · Cask Strength · Vinous

Did You Know?

Mac Y started in 1996 in Frederiks in central Jutland as a hobby that got out of hand, and in its early years imported mainly whisky from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Canada, Kentucky and Japan. Rum arrived after 2000, and today the house covers everything from port and armagnac to absinthe. This anniversary bottle marks the first quarter century.

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There is something nerve-wracking about a first release. Everything the distillery has learned sits in that one bottle, and there is no earlier batch to hide behind. The Morrison family had not distilled for over 30 years when they fired up the stills on the farm at Aberargie. This is the answer to whether it was worth the wait.

The Expert's Description

Aberargie Inaugural Release is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon casks and 1st fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, bottled at 48.2%. It is the distillery's first single malt, distilled in 2017 and bottled in 2026, and the first whisky created from grain to bottle on the family's own land.

The barley is grown on the farm’s 300 acres and splits 52% Golden Promise and 48% Laureate. Golden Promise is an older variety with lower yield and more cereal character, Laureate a modern and efficient one, and the combination gives both depth and a clean, clear malt profile. Maturation is divided evenly between American bourbon casks and Spanish sherry casks from Miquel Martin, with every cask shipped whole to protect the aroma in the wood.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured. It was released to specialist whisky retailers worldwide in March 2026 and marks the Morrison family’s return to distilling after a break of more than three decades.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Baked apple and golden pastry first, close to sugared puff pastry. Behind come fresh barley, vanilla and a light tropical note of mango and pineapple. The sherry casks add a layer of dried fruit and a subtle spiced sweetness.

Palate

Clean and malty with clear cereal character. Honey and citrus open, then soft oak and a natural sweetness from the barley. The sherry portion lays in raisins and a mild spiced depth without taking over. At 48.2% there is good body and a neat balance between fruit and wood.

Finish

Medium length and clean, with malt, oak and a herbal, lightly dry close that keeps the mouth fresh.

Specifications

Name: Aberargie Inaugural Release Single Malt Scotch Lowland Whisky 48.2%
Distillery: Aberargie
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 48.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and 1st fill Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Inaugural Release

Flavour Profile

Malty · Fruity · Honeyed · Fresh · Sherry Matured · Spiced

Investment Potential

Medium. First releases from new distilleries carry built-in scarcity: there will never be more of this exact bottling, and they often become sought after if the distillery goes on to do well. Aberargie is also barley-to-bottle on its own land, which makes the bottle interesting beyond the historical marker.

Did You Know?

The Morrison family is one of the longest established names in Scotch whisky, yet they had not distilled themselves for more than 30 years before Aberargie came on stream. The farm sits just outside Perth, and the barley grows literally outside the warehouse door, something very few Scottish distilleries can claim.

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Five centilitres is enough to work out whether a distillery is for you. This small bottle holds the Glasgow Distillery house style in undiluted form: bright, fruity and bottled at 46% with no filtration and no colouring. An honest sample, not a splash in a plastic cup.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow The Original is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks and bottled at 46% in 5 cl format. It is the distillery’s core release and carries the subtitle Fresh & Fruity, which describes what happens in the glass rather accurately.

The whisky is unpeated and double distilled. The bourbon casks give vanilla, coconut and a soft cereal sweetness, while the Virgin Oak lays in spice and a drier edge so the profile never turns cloying. There is no age statement; the distillery bottles when the casks are ready rather than when the calendar says so.

The mash ferments for more than 72 hours and distillation runs slowly in copper pot stills using water from Loch Katrine. Neither chill filtration nor colouring is involved.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Pear and green apple first, clear and fresh. Beneath sit vanilla, desiccated coconut and a light honey note. There is a fine cereal thread too, close to warm porridge oats.

Palate

Soft and lightly creamy. Vanilla and baked apple arrive first, then a brief spicy tightening from the new oak, cinnamon with a little white pepper. The 46% gives good body for a bottle this size.

Finish

Short to medium. Vanilla, malt and a dry oak note that lets go cleanly without bitterness.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow The Original Fresh & Fruity Single Malt Scotch Whisky 5 cl 46%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 5 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060411500952

Flavour Profile

Fresh · Fruity · Vanilla · Soft · Malty · Spiced

Did You Know?

The number 1770 is not the founding year of the current distillery but of the original Glasgow Distillery, which opened that year. When the modern distillery was built it became the first malt distillery inside Glasgow itself for more than a century, and the name was chosen to tie the two together.

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A third pass through the stills takes something away. That is the whole point. The heavy oily compounds are left behind, and what comes out is softer, lighter and cleaner at the edge. Five centilitres is plenty to hear the difference.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow Triple Distilled is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks and bottled at 46% in 5 cl format. The distillery calls it Smooth & Vibrant, and it is triple distilled, a technique that has all but vanished from Scottish malt production.

On the third distillation only the lightest and purest part of the spirit is collected, and the heavier fatty acids stay behind in the still. That gives a whisky with less oily body but more clarity in the fruit. The bourbon casks lay in vanilla and coconut, and a smaller proportion of Virgin Oak tightens things with spice.

The whisky is unpeated, non-chill filtered and free of colouring. The water comes from Loch Katrine and fermentation runs beyond 72 hours before distillation.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright and clean: lemon peel, white flowers and a hint of pear. Vanilla sits underneath as a soft floor, and there is a note of damp sponge cake. No smoke, no weight.

Palate

Silky to begin, with cream, honey and fresh apple. Then a light chalky minerality arrives with a touch of white pepper from the oak. The body is lighter than in a double distilled malt but it is not thin.

Finish

Short and clean. Vanilla, citrus and a final breath of malt. It disappears neatly without leaving bitterness.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow Triple Distilled Smooth & Vibrant Single Malt Scotch Whisky 5 cl 46%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 5 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Triple distilled
EAN no.: 5060411500976

Flavour Profile

Soft · Fresh · Creamy · Citrus · Light · Vanilla

Did You Know?

Triple distillation is standard in Irish whiskey but rare in Scotland. Only a handful of Scottish malt distilleries do it routinely, with Auchentoshan in the Lowlands and Hazelburn from Springbank in Campbeltown the best known. Glasgow Distillery runs it for a substantial part of the year and has made the technique part of its identity.

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Smoke from the Lowlands is a rarity. For decades the region stood for the light and floral while peat was left to the islands. Glasgow Distillery decided to do it anyway, and laid the smoke down in Pedro Ximénez casks where it found sweetness to lean against.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow Peated is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Virgin Oak and PX Sherry casks and bottled at 46%. The distillery calls it Rich & Smoky, and it is their peated core expression, made from peated malt during part of the production year.

The cask choice is what makes it. Virgin Oak gives spice, cinnamon and a drier wood edge, while the PX Sherry casks lay in a thick, almost syrupy sweetness: raisins, dates and dark sugar. The smoke sits between the two and comes out rounder for the company than it would have on neutral wood.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured, and bottling at 46% was chosen to keep the body intact. The water comes from Loch Katrine and fermentation runs beyond 72 hours.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet smoke first, closer to singed raisins than a bonfire. Behind it come dates, dark sugar and a note of burnt orange. There is a layer of cinnamon and dried ginger from the new oak as well.

Palate

Full and sweet. Raisins and molasses open, then the smoke steps in as a dry earthy floor. The spices arrive last: cinnamon, clove, a touch of chilli. The texture is thick and slightly clinging, which is the PX cask signature.

Finish

Long. Smoke and dark sweetness go hand in hand, and a drier, almost coffee-like bitterness lingers at the end.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow Peated Rich & Smoky Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Virgin Oak and PX Sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060411501218

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry Matured · Sweet · Spiced · Full Bodied · Dried Fruit

Did You Know?

Glasgow Distillery launched Makar Gin long before the first whisky was ready. It is a common strategy at new distilleries: the gin can be sold immediately and pays the bills while the whisky sits maturing for years. Without the gin, 1770 would probably have had a harder time reaching 2018.

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For more than a century nobody distilled malt whisky inside Glasgow. The city had shipyards, cranes and a proud industrial past, but no copper stills. This bottle is the one that broke the silence, and it comes from an industrial estate rather than a glen.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow The Original is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks and bottled at 46%. It is the distillery flagship and carries the subtitle Fresh & Fruity, the bottle everything else in the range is measured against.

The malt is unpeated and the spirit is distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills after a fermentation of more than 72 hours. That long fermentation is no accident: it develops fruity esters, and those are what you meet as pear and apple in the glass. First fill bourbon casks add vanilla and coconut, while a smaller proportion of Virgin Oak lays in spice and structure.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured. The water comes from Loch Katrine, and there is no age statement, as the distillery bottles when the casks say so.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh pear, green apple and a touch of melon. Vanilla follows along with toasted coconut and a soft cereal sweetness, close to white bread straight from the oven. Clean and inviting, with no hard edges.

Palate

Soft and lightly creamy, with baked apple and custard first. Mid-palate the new oak tightens things with cinnamon, nutmeg and a drier wood note. The 46% gives enough body that the whisky handles a few drops of water without turning watery.

Finish

Medium length. Vanilla and malt linger, and a dry, lightly spiced oak note arrives at the end.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow The Original Fresh & Fruity Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill ex-bourbon and Virgin Oak casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled in copper pot stills
EAN no.: 5060411501201

Flavour Profile

Fresh · Fruity · Vanilla · Soft · Malty · Spiced

Did You Know?

The distillery sits in Hillington, an industrial area in the west of Glasgow, between warehouses and businesses. There are no whitewashed walls, no pagoda roof and no burn running past. That was a deliberate decision: the whisky was to be made in the city, not in a postcard version of Scotland.

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A third of the production year goes to this style. It is not a side project or a trial, it is a deliberate decision to use a technique almost every other Scottish malt distillery has put down.

The Expert's Description

1770 Glasgow Triple Distilled is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill and refill ex-bourbon casks plus Virgin Oak and bottled at 46%. The distillery calls it Smooth & Vibrant and runs triple distillation for a third of the year.

The malt is Concerto, a barley variety widely used in Scottish distilling, and the water comes from Loch Katrine. The third distillation removes the heavier oily compounds so that only the lightest and purest part of the spirit is collected. Most of the maturation happens in bourbon casks, while a smaller share, around five to eight per cent, comes from new American white oak barrels supplied by Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky.

The result is a whisky with less fat and more clarity. Neither chill filtration nor colouring is involved, and there is no age statement.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Shortbread and light honey first, then double cream and a hint of lemon peel. There is a fine bakery quality to it, close to freshly baked biscuits, and a warm drier wood note sits at the back.

Palate

Round and lightly creamy, with honey, vanilla and juicy apple. The body is lighter than in a double distilled malt but it is not thin, and a warm spicy wood edge arrives mid-palate. Clean and well balanced the whole way.

Finish

Medium and soft. Honey and malt linger, and a warm oak spice note closes things quietly.

Specifications

Name: 1770 Glasgow Triple Distilled Smooth & Vibrant Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46%
Distillery: Glasgow Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill and refill ex-bourbon casks plus Virgin Oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Triple distilled in copper pot stills
EAN no.: 5060411501225

Flavour Profile

Soft · Creamy · Fresh · Honeyed · Light · Spiced

Did You Know?

The new oak barrels for this whisky come from Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville, Kentucky, a cooperage originally founded in Glasgow in 1963 that later moved to the United States. The casks therefore travel from Kentucky back to the city where the business began. It is a coincidence, but it makes a good story.

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On the banks of the Pitilie Burn, where people still crouch down and wash the gravel looking for gold, sits a distillery that has been making honeyed malt since 1898. Aberfeldy calls its whisky the Golden Dram. The colour is only half of what they mean.

Expert description

Aberfeldy 12 Year Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks alongside refill, re-char and sherry casks, bottled at 40%. It anchors the core range and is almost always the first Aberfeldy anyone tastes.

The distillery stands in Perthshire, just outside the town of Aberfeldy. John Alexander and Tommy Dewar started building it in 1896, barely a few kilometres from where their father was born, and spirit was running by 1898. The plan was never modest: Aberfeldy would supply the heart malt for the blends that John Dewar & Sons built its name on. That job never went away, which is why it took surprisingly long for the single malt to get proper attention in its own right.

The barley malt is unpeated, so there is no smoke here at all. The spirit runs through two wash stills and two spirit stills, double distilled, then spends twelve years in wood. American oak from the bourbon industry supplies vanilla, coconut and the pale honey note Aberfeldy is known for. The sherry casks lay dried fruit and a little spice over the top. Re-char casks are older casks burnt out again on the inside, and they pull the sweetness back up without making the whisky heavy.

Tasting notes

Nose

Pale heather honey and vanilla arrive first, then peeled green apple and pear. Behind that sits a dry toasted note, roughly like toast pulled a moment before it turns too dark, and a lift of orange peel.

Palate

Soft and round without going slack. Honey and malt carry the whole thing, orange and pear keep it fresh, and a light cinnamon spice arrives in the second half. At 40% it is mild, but it is not thin.

Finish

Medium length. The honey hangs on, the spice ebbs away slowly, and a dry malty note is the last thing left.

Specifications

Name: Aberfeldy 12 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Aberfeldy
Region/Country: Highlands, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak ex-bourbon casks, refill casks, re-char casks and sherry casks
Distillation method: Double distilled
EAN no.: 5000277000982

Flavour profile

Honey · Fruity · Malty · Soft · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

The Pitilie Burn that feeds the distillery genuinely carries gold. People still pan the gravel along its banks, and Aberfeldy has spent years using that gold as the image for what ends up in the bottle.

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The Tay valley is green, wet and fairly quiet. Aberfeldy works the same way: no smoke, no rush, just time in wood. By sixteen years the distillery's pale honey has picked up something darker, and the whisky starts to seem like one that has slept long and slept well.

Expert description

Aberfeldy 16 Year Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill, refill and re-char bourbon casks and finished for roughly six months in 1st fill Oloroso Sherry casks, bottled at 40%. It sits at the top of the core range, above the 12 and below the rarer releases.

The buildings outside the town of Aberfeldy were drawn by Charles Doig, the man behind the pagoda roofs on a good share of Scotland’s distilleries, and the Dewar brothers bought the land from the Marquis of Breadalbane. The distillery opened in 1898 with one purpose: to feed the heart malt into the house blends. Bacardi has owned the place since 1998, and it is really only in that period that Aberfeldy has been built up as a single malt brand in its own right.

The malt is unpeated, so there is no smoke here either. The cask history runs in two stages. First sixteen years in American oak, where the mix of 1st fill, refill and re-charred bourbon casks gives vanilla, honey and a lightly toasted note. Then half a year in 1st fill Oloroso casks, and that is the stay that lays fruitcake, dark chocolate and orange peel across the top. The sherry never quite takes over, but it shifts the centre of gravity noticeably.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey and orange, then a dry clove-like spice a moment later. Ginger sits behind it, together with raisins and a hint of cake batter.

Palate

Fuller than the age and the 40% would suggest. Fruitcake, marzipan and milk chocolate first, then orange turning steadily more bitter. The spice is soft and nutty rather than sharp.

Finish

Long and mouth-coating. Dark chocolate and bitter orange hold on while the sweetness pulls back, leaving something close to dry.

Specifications

Name: Aberfeldy 16 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Aberfeldy
Region/Country: Highlands, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill, refill and re-char bourbon casks, finished in 1st fill Oloroso Sherry casks
Distillation method: Double distilled
EAN no.: 5000277000579

Flavour profile

Sherry matured · Honey · Fruitcake · Orange · Spiced

Did you know?

Aberfeldy was built as a supplier, not as a star. For close to a century almost everything it made went straight into blends, and the first official single malt from the distillery only reached the market in 1991.

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The label does not say Aberfeldy. It says Pitilie, the name of the burn running past the distillery, and that is the kind of cover name independent bottlers use when a distillery would rather not see its own name on a bottle it did not fill itself.

Expert description

Aberfeldy Pitilie 9 Year Old from Dràm Mòr is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in a 1st fill Buffalo Trace barrel and bottled at cask strength 54.8%. It was distilled in 2015, bottled in 2024 as part of the Dràm Mòr spring releases and came out at 240 bottles from cask number 247.

Dràm Mòr is run out of Dumbarton by husband and wife Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald. They began as an export agency for Scottish brands and only moved properly into bottling at the end of 2019. The approach is straightforward: single casks, cask strength, no chill filtration and no added colour. You get the cask as it stood, with nobody tidying it up along the way.

The spirit comes from Aberfeldy in Perthshire, where the barley malt is unpeated and the stills run twice, so there is no smoke in this at all. Nine years is young for a Highland malt, but the finish in a 1st fill Buffalo Trace barrel does a lot of the work. American oak straight out of bourbon service is far more active than a cask on its third or fourth outing, and it pulls the whisky towards something creamy and sweet rather than sharp and youthful.

Tasting notes

Nose

Chewy caramel and vanilla first, opening slowly onto ripe peach flesh and old-fashioned wine gums.

Palate

The caramel carries on and turns sweet and creamy. Butterscotch and syrup sponge with a velvety custard laid over the top. There is power behind the 54.8%, but it does not bite.

Finish

Delicate and lingering. The layers melt together and settle softly rather than snapping shut.

Specifications

Name: Aberfeldy Pitilie 9 Year Old Dràm Mòr Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 54.8%
Distillery: Aberfeldy
Bottler: Dràm Mòr
Region/Country: Highlands, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 9 years
ABV: 54.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in a 1st fill Buffalo Trace barrel
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Distilled: 2015
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 240
Edition: Single Cask, cask number 247

Flavour profile

Caramel · Vanilla · Peach · Creamy · Cask strength

Did you know?

Dràm Mòr did not start out as a bottler at all. Kenny and Viktorija Macdonald spent years running an export agency for Scottish brands, and it was only in 2019 that the company changed its name and began buying and bottling casks itself.

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The label looks like a page torn out of a comic, and it is easy to miss what is actually in the bottle. This is twenty-one year old Aberfeldy. On the label the whisky writer Ian Buxton stands panning for gold in the Pitilie Burn, exactly where the distillery draws its water.

Expert description

Aberfeldy 21 Year Old from That Boutique-Y Whisky Company is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 48.9%. It was released in 2018 as Batch 2 in an outturn of 261 bottles and has long since sold out at the bottler.

That Boutique-Y Whisky Company is an independent bottler that started in 2012 and belongs to Atom Brands in England. They do not distil a drop themselves. They buy casks, bottle them in 50 cl format and commission illustrators for labels that usually hide an in-joke about the distillery. This one was their second Aberfeldy and the first to carry an age statement on the label.

The spirit comes from Aberfeldy in Perthshire, where the malt is unpeated and the stills run twice. At twenty-one years the pale honey the distillery is known for has drawn together into something denser and more syrupy, and the wood has had time to add both spice and a very faint smoky edge. The 48.9% is higher than the distillery's own official bottlings, and you feel it in the weight.

Tasting notes

Nose

Cinnamon and orange zest, with something behind it like the crust on a cake straight out of the oven. A very faint smoky edge sits on the outside, more old cask than peat.

Palate

Syrupy and rich. Pancakes with maple syrup, melted butter and small pieces of dark chocolate. The spice builds slowly and drags the whisky away from pure sweetness.

Finish

Long and spiced. The sweetness drops away and leaves a dry, almost savoury cooking spice with a touch of cayenne.

Specifications

Name: Aberfeldy That Boutique-Y Whisky Company 21 Year Old Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 48.9%
Distillery: Aberfeldy
Bottler: That Boutique-Y Whisky Company
Region/Country: Highlands, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 48.9%
Size: 50 CL
Distillation method: Double distilled
Bottled: 2018
Number of bottles: 261
Edition: Batch 2
EAN no.: 5052598134365

Flavour profile

Syrupy · Spiced · Fruity · Orange · Faintly smoky

Investment potential

Medium. Twenty-one years of age, 261 bottles and a batch long gone from the bottler make it hard to replace, and the labels from That Boutique-Y Whisky Company have a collector following of their own.

Did you know?

The half bottle is deliberate. That Boutique-Y Whisky Company bottles almost its entire range in 50 cl because they would rather people tasted a lot of different casks than spent the whole budget on one.

Browse our full range of Aberfeldy

Browse our full range of That Boutique-Y Whisky Company

At the foot of Ben Rinnes two burns run together, and right there sits a distillery whose founder had his life motto printed on the label. Let the deed show. No grand words, just do the work. This bottle is the distillery’s most straightforward answer to what it can do.

The Expert's Description

Aberlour 12 Years Old Double Cask Matured is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in traditional oak casks and Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 40%. The name says it: the whisky has rested in two different cask types, and the interplay between them is what the whole release is built on.

Aberlour's new make carries a distinctive crisp citrus character, and the sherry casks are there to complement rather than drown it. The bourbon and oak casks hold on to that freshness and a clear malt sweetness, while the Oloroso casks lay in raisins, orange and a soft spiced depth. The balance sits closer to Christmas cake than to a sherry bomb.

The distillery was founded in 1879 by the grain merchant James Fleming in the village of Aberlour, where the Lour Burn meets the River Spey. Every oak cask is chosen by the team behind the whisky, and the sherry casks are nosed through before they are filled.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Orange peel and honey first, over a clear malty floor. The sherry arrives as raisins and a streak of cinnamon, and a light nuttiness with a hint of soft caramel sits further back.

Palate

Soft and round from the first sip. Baked apples, malt and orange marmalade open, then dried fruit and a mild spiced warmth from the sherry casks. The 40% makes it easy to drink, yet there is still a decent layer of fruit to follow.

Finish

Medium length and soft. Malt, honey and a light dried fruit note that lets go calmly with no sharp edge.

Specifications

Name: Aberlour 12 Years Old Double Cask Matured Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 40%
Distillery: Aberlour
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Traditional oak casks and Oloroso sherry casks
Edition: Double Cask Matured
EAN no.: 3047100017849

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Fruity · Malty · Soft · Spiced · Honeyed

Did You Know?

James Fleming spent much of his fortune on the village rather than on himself. He paid for the town hall, the local hospital and the Penny Bridge across the River Spey, which locals could cross for a penny. The bridge still stands, and his motto, Let the deed show, still appears on every bottle.

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Adelphi is known for saying no. Of the casks they get offered, very few are approved to carry the name. Private Stock is the house blend, the place where they show what they can do with an assembly rather than a single cask.

The Expert's Description

Adelphi Private Stock is a Blended Scotch Whisky bottled at 40% by the independent bottler Adelphi. It is the house's own blend and differs from Adelphi's single cask releases by being assembled to hit a particular style rather than to show one cask's character.

Adelphi was founded in 1826 as a distillery on the Clyde on the edge of Glasgow. It closed in the early twentieth century and the name lay dormant for almost a hundred years. In 1993 it returned as an independent bottler when Jamie Walker, great-grandson of the former owner Archibald Walker, started the firm again. Donald Houston and Keith Falconer took over in 2004 and later built the Ardnamurchan distillery on the Scottish west coast.

Adelphi’s selection is famously strict: only a small fraction of the casks the house tastes make it through. Private Stock is the bottle where that philosophy meets everyday drinking.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright and straightforward. Malt, honey and a touch of green apple first, then vanilla and a light cereal sweetness. There is a clean thread running through it all, no sharp edges and no smoke.

Palate

Soft and malty. Caramel and baked fruit open, then a mild spiced warmth and a light nutty note. At 40% it drinks easily, and the texture is rounder than you might expect from a blend in this style.

Finish

Short to medium. Malt and honey linger, with a dry cereal note at the close. Clean finish.

Specifications

Name: Adelphi Private Stock Blended Scotch Whisky 40%
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Private Stock

Flavour Profile

Malty · Soft · Honeyed · Fruity · Light · Vanilla

Did You Know?

Adelphi today owns Ardnamurchan Distillery, which sits on the westernmost point of mainland Scotland. The firm went from being a distillery in 1826, to a pure bottler from 1993, to distilling again after 2014. Very few whisky houses have taken that road twice.

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When a new Scottish malt distillery sends its very first whisky out into the world, it usually goes to Britain or the United States. Ailsa Bay chose Denmark. It is a detail that tends to please Danish whisky people rather more than it probably should.

The Expert's Description

Ailsa Bay 21 ppm is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured first in small Hudson Baby bourbon casks and then in American white oak, bottled at 48.9%. It is the distillery's very first release, and it had its world premiere on the Danish market.

The phenol content sits at 21 ppm measured in the distillate, giving a clear but restrained smoke, roughly on a level with a Bowmore if you compare the experience rather than the figures. Sweetness was measured at 11 SPPM, the distillery’s own sweetness scale, and that is markedly lower than in the later Sweet Smoke release. This is therefore the drier and more smoke-driven of the two.

The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured. Ailsa Bay was built in 2007 by William Grant & Sons at Girvan in South Ayrshire, where eight stills can run several different spirit styles side by side.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoky and slightly medicinal on first impression, like a muted Islay. Then honey, liquorice and a floral sweetness take the edge off. Dry cereal and a trace of seawater sit at the back.

Palate

Spicy and smoky from the start, with honey and liquorice underneath. Floral notes come mid-palate along with a drier mineral streak that keeps the sweetness at arm’s length. The 48.9% is well integrated: there is strength, but it does not push.

Finish

Short to medium with a firm bite at the close. Smoke and sweetness leave together, and a dry ash note lingers.

Specifications

Name: Ailsa Bay 21 ppm Single Malt Scotch Whisky 48.9%
Distillery: Ailsa Bay
Bottler: William Grant & Sons
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 48.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Micro-maturation in small Hudson Baby bourbon casks, then American white oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: First Release
EAN no.: 5010327405629

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Spiced · Honeyed · Liquorice · Dry · Mineral

Investment Potential

Medium. This is the first whisky ever released from the distillery, and this expression is no longer in production. First releases from new distilleries often become sought after once the distillery finds its feet, and the Danish world premiere gives the bottle an extra twist on that market.

Did You Know?

Ailsa Bay has eight stills, and they were deliberately built in different shapes and sizes. That makes it possible to produce several different spirit styles at one distillery, something most Scottish malt distilleries cannot do. Ailsa Bay was originally built to supply William Grant blends with malt in many different characters.

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Some distilleries have never bottled a single drop under their own name. Allt-a-Bhainne is one of them. The entire output disappears into large blends, and if you want to taste the distillery on its own you have to go through an independent bottler. Here Signatory let a sherry cask sit for 21 years.

The Expert's Description

Allt-a-Bhainne 2000/2021 Signatory 21 Years Old is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Sherry Butt and bottled at 52.4% cask strength. Cask 6 was distilled on 26 July 2000 and bottled on 13 August 2021, giving 703 bottles in Signatory's Cask Strength Collection.

Allt-a-Bhainne was built in 1975 in Speyside by Chivas Brothers with one purpose: to supply malt for the company’s blends, Chivas Regal above all. The distillery is large, efficient and almost faceless to the outside world, and there are no official bottlings. That is why independent releases are the only route to the spirit.

A Sherry Butt holds around 500 litres, and because the cask is large, maturation runs slowly. Twenty-one years in a single butt with no chill filtration and no colouring gives depth and dark fruit without the over-extracted weariness a smaller cask can produce over the same period.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Prunes, figs and dark orange marmalade first. Walnut, cocoa and a dry resinous sherry note sit underneath. Given time in the glass, leather and a suggestion of old timber emerge, the kind of smell you know from a warehouse.

Palate

Full and dark. Raisins and bitter chocolate open, then spice and a firm oak tannin tighten things mid-palate. The 52.4% carries all of it without burning. A faint salinity in the background makes the whisky less sweet than the colour promises.

Finish

Long and dry. Dark chocolate, walnut and tobacco, with a final spiced warmth that lingers well past the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Allt-a-Bhainne 2000/2021 Signatory 21 Years Old Sherry Butt Single Speyside Malt Whisky 52.4%
Distillery: Allt-a-Bhainne
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 years
ABV: 52.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry Butt, cask no. 6
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 26 July 2000
Bottled: 13 August 2021
Number of bottles: 703
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Dark Fruit · Nutty · Spiced · Oaky · Cask Strength

Investment Potential

Medium. A 21 year old Speyside from one sherry cask, 703 bottles, from a distillery that does not bottle its own whisky. That combination makes the bottles hard to replace once gone, and there is no official version to fall back on.

Did You Know?

The name Allt-a-Bhainne is Gaelic and means roughly the burn of milk. The distillery was built in 1975, during a period when Scotch was growing so fast that Chivas Brothers simply ran short of malt for their blends. A few years later the downturn hit, and many of the new distilleries from the 1970s were closed again. Allt-a-Bhainne survived.

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The distillery is called Knockdhu. The whisky is called anCnoc. The reason is mundane, another distillery had a name too close to it, but the upshot is that one of the Highlands most quietly capable distilleries has spent decades living under a borrowed name.

The Expert's Description

anCnoc 18 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in second fill Oloroso sherry casks and second fill bourbon casks, bottled at 46%. That both cask types are second fill is a deliberate choice: the wood gives less, but it gives it more slowly, and over 18 years the result is balanced rather than forceful.

The spirit from Knockdhu is bright, floral and lightly waxy, a style easily drowned by aggressive casks. Using second fill wood leaves room for the distillate's own character throughout the maturation. That is why the 18 year old does not taste markedly darker than the 12, it tastes deeper.

Knockdhu was founded in 1894 by John Morrison, who had bought the Knock Estate from the Duke of Fife two years earlier. The distillery stands near Knock Hill in Banffshire and is officially in the Highland region, though it is often mislabelled as a Speyside. It closed in 1983, was bought by Inver House Distillers in 1988, and production resumed in February 1989.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Honey, lemon peel and pale flowers first, very much the house signature. Behind them a light waxy note, candied orange and a trace of dried apricot from the sherry wood. Clean and precise with nothing heavy about it.

Palate

Soft opening with honey and malt, then spice and a drier orange note. There is a fine waxy texture carrying the flavour well, and the 46% gives body without taking over. The sherry sits underneath as depth rather than as fruit.

Finish

Long and clean. Honey, dried fruit and a lightly spiced oak dryness that lets go slowly with no bitterness.

Specifications

Name: anCnoc 18 Years Old Single Highland Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Knockdhu
Bottler: Inver House Distillers
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Second fill Oloroso sherry casks and second fill bourbon casks
EAN no.: 5010509880039

Flavour Profile

Honeyed · Floral · Fruity · Waxy · Spiced · Sherry Matured

Did You Know?

The argument over the name concerned Knockando, a Speyside distillery owned by a far larger group. The two names were close enough that Knockdhu had to find an alternative, and from 1993 the whisky was sold as anCnoc, Gaelic for the hill. Independent bottlers, however, still happily use the original name on their labels.

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Some whiskies want to impress. This one just wants to be good company. Bright, honeyed and without a single hard edge, the kind of bottle you open on a Wednesday evening without feeling you have used something up.

The Expert's Description

anCnoc 12 Years Old is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 40% from the Knockdhu distillery in Banffshire. It is the house core expression and the best place to meet the spirit: bright, floral and with a light waxy texture that is the distillery’s clearest signature.

Knockdhu works with a clean, pale spirit, and that puts demands on the casks. Let them get too active and the house style disappears. The 12 year old is therefore built to keep the distillate up front, with the wood as a frame rather than a lead role. The result is often described as a dessert malt, sweet without turning syrupy.

The distillery was built in 1894 by John Morrison near Knock Hill, where barley, spring water and peat were all within reach. It closed in 1983, was taken over by Inver House Distillers in 1988, and since 1993 the whisky has been sold under the anCnoc name.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft and aromatic. Honey and lemon set the tone, with pale flowers and a touch of green apple behind. A fine malty floor runs underneath it all, close to white bread.

Palate

Sweet to begin with honey, vanilla and ripe pear. Then a lightly spiced note arrives along with that characteristic waxiness, which lends more body than 40% would promise. Clean and straightforward the whole way, with no bitterness.

Finish

Short to medium. Honey and malt linger, with a dry citrus note at the close. It disappears neatly.

Specifications

Name: anCnoc 12 Years Old Single Highland Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Knockdhu
Bottler: Inver House Distillers
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5010509427067

Flavour Profile

Honeyed · Floral · Fruity · Soft · Malty · Light

Did You Know?

Knockdhu was the first distillery Distillers Company Limited ever built from scratch. It was completed in 1894 and so formed part of the great whisky boom of the late nineteenth century, a boom that collapsed a few years later. The distillery survived, though it later closed in 1983 and stood silent for six years before Inver House got it running again.

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The rye field lies three hundred metres from the stills. That is not a romantic turn of phrase, it is an address. At Arbikie everything is sown, harvested, distilled, matured and bottled on the same farm running down to Lunan Bay, and that makes this whisky something very few Scottish distilleries can imitate.

The Expert's Description

Arbikie 1794 Batch 22 is a Highland Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in new charred American oak casks and bottled at 48%. The batch yielded 2,490 bottles, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

The rye makes it a Single Grain rather than a Single Malt, since the term Single Malt is reserved for whisky made solely from malted barley. 1794 was the first rye whisky ever made in Scotland, and the name refers to the year distilling first took place at Arbikie. Maturation happens entirely in new charred oak, which is unusual in Scotland but entirely normal for American rye.

Every batch turns out differently, because weather, field and grain variety shift from year to year. Batch 22 carries a deep rich amber colour from the new wood and aromas of hedgerow berries, black tea and caramel. The Stirling family has been farming since 1660 and has been at Arbikie for four generations.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Hedgerow berries and black tea first, with a layer of warm caramel underneath. The rye reports in as dried dill and a peppery, almost green note. The new oak gives vanilla and a light resinous scent, more American than Scottish.

Palate

Spicy and dry from the start. The rye fills the mid-palate with pepper and a sweetish cereal character, while the charred oak lays caramel, cinnamon and burnt sugar on top. At 48% there is body enough to carry it without the whisky turning hard.

Finish

Long and spicy. Pepper, dried fruit and a dry woody close, where the rye hangs on longest.

Specifications

Name: Arbikie 1794 Batch 22 Highland Rye Single Grain Scotch Whisky 48%
Distillery: Arbikie
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: New charred American oak casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 2,490
Edition: Batch 22
EAN no.: 5060398440616

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Dry · Caramel · Berry · Peppery · Oaky

Did You Know?

The Stirling family has been farming since 1660, originally on the west coast. The land passed through seven generations before great uncle Bill moved to Lunan Bay on the Angus coast in the 1920s. The family has now worked that farm for four generations, and it is the same ground the rye for this whisky grows on.

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The first release in a series that never repeats itself, from the moment Traigh Bhan was set free for the very first time.

Expert Review

Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 1 is an Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in American oak and Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46.2%.

Batch 1 was the starting gun for the entire Traigh Bhan series, with a new batch released every single year since. This first release sets the tone for the rest of the series, with a deep sherry influence combined with Ardbeg's signature peat smoke.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoked pineapple and a hint of chilli open things up, followed by dark chocolate.

Palate

Smoke and wood in close interplay, with the peat carrying it all through with a light sweetness in the background.

Finish

Dry and smoky with a lasting woody sharpness that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 1
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 19 years
ABV: 46.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak and Oloroso sherry casks
Edition: Batch 1

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry-matured · Spiced · Fruity

Investment Potential

Medium. As the first release in the Traigh Bhan series, long sold out from the distillery itself, Batch 1 has become a reference point for collectors tracking the series batch by batch.

Did You Know?

Batch 1 is the release that set the standard for how a Traigh Bhan should taste, and many collectors still hold on to a bottle just to compare it against the later batches.

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A small whitewashed warehouse on the Islay shore, salt in the air, and a batch that exists only until the next one takes its place.

Expert Review

Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 5 is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak and Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46.2%.

Traigh Bhan means white beach, named after the small bay just below the distillery. The series is released in a new batch every year, and each one is its own irreplaceable blend that disappears from the shelf once the next arrives. Batch 5 brings together casks that give the whisky a depth not always found in Ardbeg's more widely available releases, without losing the distillery's trademark backbone of peat and smoke.

The whisky is non-chill filtered, so everything the casks gave it along the way is still in the glass.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Green peppers and a hint of smoked mango open things up, quickly followed by guava and a sweet whiff of maple syrup over crisp bacon.

Palate

Peat arrives first, warm and earthy, before the sherry casks unfold with dark fruit and a lightly salted caramel.

Finish

Long and smoky, with a finish of toasted nuts and a last trace of sea salt.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg 19 Year Old Traigh Bhan Batch 5
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 19 years
ABV: 46.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak and Oloroso sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Edition: Batch 5
EAN no.: 5010494980943

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry-matured · Fruity · Salty

Did You Know?

Traigh Bhan takes its name from a small white beach right below the distillery, a name mostly known only to the locals.

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Named after Islay's south-western tip, where the sea meets the peated hills.

Expert description

Ardbeg An Oa Single Islay Malt Whisky is composed in the distillery's purpose-built 'Gathering Room' vat, where whisky from different cask types — including ex-bourbon, new oak and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks — is blended before bottling, bottled at 46.6%. Ardbeg Distillery was founded in 1815 on Islay's south coast and is known as one of the island's most heavily peated producers, today owned by Moët Hennessy.

Tasting notes

Nose

The nose is smoky with tar, dark fruit and a hint of spice.

Palate

The palate offers smoke, caramel and a full sweetness.

Finish

The finish is long, smoky and warm.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg An Oa Single Islay Malt Whisky
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Single Islay Malt Whisky
ABV: 46.6%
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Smoky · Tarry · Full-bodied · Warm

Did you know?

The name 'An Oa' refers to the Mull of Oa, the south-westernmost tip of Islay, visible from the distillery.

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A pirate with no bottle in hand, and that absence alone is the whole reason collectors chase this release.

Expert Review

Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg! Committee Release French Label is an Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in used rye casks and bottled at cask strength, 51.8%.

The release was created to honour outgoing Distillery Manager Mickey Heads, who left the role after 13 years at Ardbeg. This "French Label" version is distinguished by the pirate on the label holding no bottle of Ardbeg, unlike the original release, which has made this particular variant especially sought-after among Ardbeg collectors.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Spiced rye and peat meet a dry, almost peppery sharpness from the rye casks.

Palate

Full cask strength gives an intense, spiced structure, where smoke and rye grain take the lead.

Finish

Long and dry, with lasting spice and smoke that stay on the palate.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg! Committee Release – French Label
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 51.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Used rye casks
Edition: French Label, cask strength

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Spiced · Rye-driven · Cask strength

Did You Know?

The original label shows a pirate holding a bottle of Ardbeg, while this French variant was released without the bottle, a single detail that alone turned it into a sought-after collector's edition.

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The pirate holds the bottle on this one, the original, and the version that came first of the two.

Expert Review

Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg! Committee Release is an Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in used rye casks and bottled at cask strength, 51.8%.

The release was created to honour outgoing Distillery Manager Mickey Heads, who left the role after 13 years at Ardbeg. This is the original Committee Release label, where the pirate on the front holds a bottle of Ardbeg in hand.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Spiced rye and peat in close interplay, with a dry sharpness from the rye casks.

Palate

Full cask strength gives an intense, spiced structure, with smoke and rye grain dominating.

Finish

Long and dry, with lasting spice and a smoky finish.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg Arrrrrrrdbeg! Committee Release
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 51.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Used rye casks
Edition: Committee Release, cask strength

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Spiced · Rye-driven · Cask strength

Did You Know?

This release is the original Committee Release label, with the pirate holding a bottle of Ardbeg in hand, unlike the later French Label variant where the bottle is left out.

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Named after one of the world's most notorious whirlpools, and just as violent and untamed in the glass as the current is at the coast.

Expert Review

Ardbeg Corryvreckan is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in French oak and ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 57.1%.

The name comes from the Corryvreckan whirlpool north of Islay, a natural phenomenon that mirrors the whisky's raw power. It's neither chill filtered nor coloured, letting the full cask strength show through from the first sip to the last.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bold black coffee meets dense, rich dark chocolate tones, with sweet autumn fruit like blackcurrant and cherry in the background.

Palate

Elegant, softly spiced oak ties it all together with heavy peat and a touch of salt that bites gently on the tongue.

Finish

Long, with a lingering salty edge that stays with you well after each sip.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 57.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: French oak and ex-bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5010494296280

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Salty · Spiced · Cask strength

Did You Know?

The Corryvreckan whirlpool the whisky is named after is considered one of the third largest tidal whirlpools in the world and can be heard for miles when it's at its wildest.

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