Aberlour 18 Year Old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 50 cl 43%

On the nose it appears creamy and fruity with honey, ripe apples, orange and a gentle sweetness. The palate opens with juicy fruit notes before the sherry influence becomes clear with sultana raisins, vanilla and a deep, rich sweetness. The texture is full and rounded, and a few drops of water can help reveal the more subtle layers of fruit, spice and sherry.

A harmonious, rich and well‑balanced 18‑year‑old single malt that combines Aberlour’s fruity DNA with pronounced sherry character and a long, satisfying finish.

Distillery: Aberlour
Age: 18 years
Country: Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
50 cl
Other: 

There is whisky you drink. And then there is whisky that drinks you. Batch 46 is deep red, dense and insistent, a Speyside sherry bomb drawn straight from the cask with no dilution and no filter. It does not ask permission.

Please note: Discontinued 2013 version with the yellow banderole.

The Expert's Description

Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 46 is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured exclusively in 1st fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Butts and bottled at 60.4% cask strength. It is non-chill filtered and carries no age statement, as each batch is assembled by taste rather than by calendar.

A'bunadh means the original in Gaelic, and the name points to a specific story. During building work at the distillery an old bottle was found hidden beneath the floorboards, wrapped in a nineteenth century newspaper. The contents were analysed and the style recreated: rich, sherry matured, powerful and free of modern processing. That principle has driven the series ever since, batch after batch.

Aberlour sits in the village of the same name at the foot of Ben Rinnes, where the Lour Burn joins the River Spey. Using nothing but first fill Oloroso casks is what gives Batch 46 its colour, its weight and that intense fruit character.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark fruits leap out first: plums, black cherries and overripe raisins. Beneath them sit orange, gingerbread and a vinous sweetness from the sherry oak. With a little water it opens up to show vanilla, malt and a suggestion of overripe banana. It is lively but never scrappy.

Palate

Intense and full from the first second. Bittersweet dark chocolate meets dried fruits, pepper and a warm oak tannin. Add a drop of water and it turns creamy, rounding towards caramel, cherry and cinnamon. Something shifts, the hard edge goes and leaves something far more welcoming.

Finish

Medium to long with bittersweet notes of dark chocolate, pepper and wood. A subtle nuttiness creeps in at the end. Warm and rounded.

Specifications

Name: Aberlour a'bunadh Batch 46 Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 60.4%
Distillery: Aberlour
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 60.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Spanish Oloroso Sherry Butts
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Bottled: 2013
Edition: Batch 46
EAN no.: 5010739261523

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Fruity · Spiced · Oaky · Creamy · Dark Chocolate

Investment Potential

Medium. Batch 46 is discontinued, and the early batches in the series grow harder to find as they get drunk. The 2013 banderole makes the bottle easy to date, and it is precisely the identifiable older batches that collectors go after.

Did You Know?

Every batch of a'bunadh is a fresh assembly, so the strength varies from release to release, typically between just under 59 and a little over 61 per cent. That also means two batches can taste noticeably different even though the recipe and cask type are identical. It is one of the few series where whisky people collect batch numbers rather than vintages.

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Symingtons Choice is not a range you can subscribe to. These are the casks the family has set aside for themselves, and they are bottled when they are ready, not when the calendar says so.

The Expert's Description

Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Years Old Symingtons Choice is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st fill Oloroso sherry cask and bottled at cask strength, 57.9%. Cask no. 4 gave 339 bottles, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

A first fill Oloroso cask is among the most active casks available. Over sixteen years it lays on dried fruit, nuts and spice in thick layers, and the strength of 57.9% holds it all together rather than letting it spread out.

Auchroisk was built in 1974 to supply malt for the J&B blend, and the distillery’s bright, citrus-driven style is almost entirely covered here. It is the sherry that speaks, with the spirit holding the structure underneath.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Deep and dark. Raisins, dates and orange peel first, then walnut, dark chocolate and a dry spiced oak note. The alcohol is evident but not sharp.

Palate

Powerful and concentrated. Dried fruit and sherry sweetness hit first, then nuts, cinnamon, black pepper and a dry tanned oak note arrive. At 57.9% there is real weight, and the whisky takes water well.

Finish

Long and dry. Dark fruit, nuts and spiced oak that hold on for a long time and leave a lightly bitter chocolate note.

Specifications

Name: Auchroisk 2008/2025 Signatory 16 Years Old Symingtons Choice Single Speyside Malt Whisky 57.9%
Distillery: Auchroisk
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 57.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Oloroso sherry cask no. 4
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: 2025
Number of bottles: 339
Edition: Symingtons Choice

Flavour Profile

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

Did You Know?

Symingtons Choice is named after Signatory’s founding family and consists of casks the family has selected from their own warehouse. The range appears irregularly and in small quantities, because it is not governed by a release schedule but by when the individual casks are judged to be at their peak.

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When this cask was filled in 1993, almost all of Aultmore’s production went into Dewar’s White Label, and nobody thought of the distillery as a name in its own right. Twenty-eight years later things look different.

The Expert's Description

Aultmore 1993/2022 Càrn Mòr 28 Years Old Celebration of the Cask is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured for twenty-eight years in a hogshead and bottled at 47.4%. The cask gave 233 bottles, and the whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Twenty-eight years in a refill hogshead is a slow maturation. The cask does not give much colour, but it gives time, and it is the time that creates the soft, honeyed texture and the deep fruit found only in old whisky.

The strength of 47.4% shows how much has evaporated along the way. Càrn Mòr is Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers’ range of single casks, and Celebration of the Cask is the house’s line for the oldest and rarest casks in the warehouse.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft and deep. Honey, ripe pear and tropical fruit first, then vanilla, wax and an old, dry oak note. There is a fine mineral edge that Aultmore keeps even after this long.

Palate

Soft and oily. Honey and ripe fruit open, then vanilla, candied citrus and a dry, spiced oak arrive. At 47.4% there is good weight, and the texture is thick in the way only many years of maturation give.

Finish

Long and soft. Honey, fruit and a dry oak close that lets go very slowly.

Specifications

Name: Aultmore 1993/2022 Càrn Mòr 28 Years Old Celebration of the Cask Single Speyside Malt Whisky 47.4%
Distillery: Aultmore
Bottler: Càrn Mòr
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 28 years
ABV: 47.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 1993
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 233
Edition: Celebration of the Cask
EAN no.: 5060109229356

Flavour Profile

Old Malt · Honeyed · Tropical Fruit · Waxy · Soft · Dry Oak

Investment Potential

{'en': 'Twenty-eight year old single malt from one cask is a limited category, and with only 233 bottles no more exists. Aultmore has drawn increasing attention as a distillery since official bottlings reached the market, and old independent casks from before that attention are harder to find year on year. Bottles like these are typically drunk rather than kept, which steadily reduces the number.'}

Did You Know?

Càrn Mòr sits under Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers, which the Morrison family runs from Perthshire, where they have also built the Aberargie distillery. Celebration of the Cask is the house’s range for the oldest casks in the warehouse, and every release comes from one cask, with number and bottle count printed on the label.

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On the banks of the river Tay, where salmon fishers stand in the water from first light, sits an old country house hotel with its own whisky on the shelf behind the bar. Ballathie House Hotel is not a distillery. It is a place that had a bottling made for itself, and that sort of bottle tends to be forgotten by everyone except the people who have been there.

The expert's description

Ballathie House Hotel 8 years is a Single Speyside Highland Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 40 %.

The bottling was made by Inverarity, a Scottish whisky house that has been behind a number of hotel and house bottlings over the years. Ballathie House Hotel sits in Perthshire on the Tay, known for its salmon fishing, and the bottle was made as the house own, not as a commercial release for the wider market.

It belongs to that category of Scotch whisky which exists in limited quantity and rarely resurfaces once it is gone. Eight years in cask gives a young, clean malt profile where the character of the spirit itself still reads clearly through the oak.

Tasting notes

Nose

Young and clean. Barley, pale bread and peeled pear, with a single note of vanilla from the cask.

Palate

Light and malty with honey and a hint of lemon peel. The oak stays discreet and lets the barley do the talking the whole way.

Finish

Short and dry with a last malty warmth.

Specifications

Name: Ballathie House Hotel 8 år
Distillery: Ballathie
Bottler: Inverarity
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks

Flavour profile

Light · Malty · Fresh · Soft · Dry

Investment potential

Medium. Hotel bottlings like this one are made in small quantities for a single venue and are rarely repeated. That makes them hard to track down again, and they hold a solid position with collectors of Scottish house bottlings.

Did you know?

Ballathie House was built in the 1850s as a country mansion and has been a hotel since 1971. Salmon fishing on the Tay remains the main draw, and the hotel holds its own beat on the river.

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Andalusia makes more than sherry. In Montilla-Moriles south of Cordoba they ripen Pedro Ximenez grapes under a sun that makes the rest of Spain look cool, and the result is a wine most whisky people have never heard of. Balvenie brought the casks home.

The expert's description

Balvenie 12 Montilla Wine Cask is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in European oak casks seasoned with Montilla wine and bottled at 47.3 %.

The release belongs to A Collection of Curious Casks, where Balvenie puts the spotlight on cask types the distillery does not normally use. Montilla is a Spanish dessert wine made from Pedro Ximenez, so the casks carry a sweetness close to sherry but with different acidity and a lighter fruit expression.

The whisky was selected by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie, who took over the baton from David Stewart, and it is hand filled in Speyside. Twelve years in European oak gives weight and spice, while the Balvenie honey character still sits clearly underneath.

Tasting notes

Nose

Flower honey, pale sugar and lightly toasted oak. A vinous note sits behind it, more fresh than heavy.

Palate

Sweet caramel first, then vanilla, dried apricot and warm spice. The higher strength gives it structure and keeps the fruit in place.

Finish

Fresh and balanced, with fruit and wood taking turns at a steady pace.

Specifications

Name: Balvenie 12 år Montilla Wine Cask
Distillery: Balvenie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 47,3 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: European oak casks seasoned with Montilla wine
Edition: A Collection of Curious Casks
EAN no.: 5010327526386

Flavour profile

Fruity · Honeyed · Spiced · Vinous · Full bodied

Investment potential

Medium. The Curious Casks series is made in limited parcels and not repeated, and Montilla casks are rare in Scotch whisky. That makes the release interesting to collectors following the Balvenie experiments with cask types.

Did you know?

Montilla-Moriles lies so far inland that the grapes often reach more than 15 per cent natural sugar without any added spirit. A Montilla PX can therefore be sweet without being fortified, unlike sherry.

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The cooper toasts the cask over an open fire and the wood turns from pale to honey gold. That smell is what this bottle is built around: warm timber, burnt sugar and a little smoke off the coals, long before anyone pours whisky in.

The expert's description

Balvenie 12 The Sweet Toast of American Oak is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in American oak, finished in new toasted oak casks and bottled at 43 %.

The bottle belongs to The Balvenie Stories, a series where every release is tied to a specific story from the distillery. Here the story is the cooperage. The whisky takes its first maturation in traditional American casks and then moves into new, heavily toasted oak where the sugars in the wood have been caramelised by the heat.

The second cask type is what matters. New oak gives quickly and generously, and the toasting turns the natural sugars in the timber into vanilla and caramel notes. Bottling at 43 % keeps the texture in place without letting the wood take over the whole glass.

Tasting notes

Nose

Warm vanilla, burnt sugar and pale caramel. Underneath sits a hint of coconut and freshly planed timber.

Palate

Sweet and wood driven with toffee, vanilla and a light peppery edge. The malt holds back the sweetness and gives it a little resistance.

Finish

Medium with toasted oak, caramel and a dry, warm close.

Specifications

Name: Balvenie 12 år The Sweet Toast of American Oak
Distillery: Balvenie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak, finished in new toasted oak casks
Edition: The Balvenie Stories

Flavour profile

Vanilla · Caramel · Oak driven · Soft · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

Balvenie is one of the last distilleries with full-time coopers on its own site. They repair and rebuild casks there, and it is exactly that kind of cask this release is built around.

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Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily most people know from a veal sauce rather than from whisky. BenRiach put it in as the third cask type anyway, and it is decisions like that which make the range worth following.

The expert's description

BenRiach The Smoky Twelve 12 years is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky matured in bourbon casks, sherry casks and Marsala casks and bottled at 46 %.

The whisky is built on the peated spirit of the distillery and matured, somewhat unconventionally, in three cask types. Bourbon gives vanilla, sherry gives dark fruit, and the Marsala wood adds a nutty sweetness different from both sherry and port.

The combination has given the whisky an almost creamy, soft structure with layers of ripe fruit, aromatic smoky sweetness and warming oak spice. The two extra years over the Smoky Ten read as more depth rather than as more smoke.

Tasting notes

Nose

Powerful smoky notes with vanilla, toasted orange peel and roasted almond.

Palate

Dark chocolate, fruit, brown sugar, smoke and cocoa. The structure stays creamy and soft despite the smoke.

Finish

Persistent with a full smoky flavour and warming oak spice.

Specifications

Name: BenRiach The Smoky Twelve 12 år
Distillery: BenRiach
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks, sherry casks and Marsala casks
Edition: The Smoky Twelve 12 år
EAN no.: 5060716140259

Flavour profile

Smoky · Creamy · Dark fruit · Nutty · Spiced

Did you know?

Marsala comes from the town of the same name on the west coast of Sicily and was developed by English merchants in the 1700s as an alternative to port and sherry. The casks remain rare in Scotch whisky.

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That Boutique-Y puts cartoons on the label and batch numbers instead of cask numbers. Beneath the slightly unserious surface sits a very serious approach to finding casks from distilleries that otherwise never appear under their own name.

The expert's description

Benrinnes 11 years Batch 11 That Boutique-Y Whisky Company is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky bottled at 49 % in a 50 centilitre bottle.

Benrinnes sits at the foot of the mountain of the same name near Aberlour and is owned by Diageo. The distillery has for decades sent almost all of its production into blends, and official bottlings are rare. That is why independent houses like this one are the most practical route to tasting the place.

That Boutique-Y numbers its releases in batches rather than stating cask numbers, and each batch is made only once. This one gave 241 bottles, and the 50 centilitre format is the house standard.

Tasting notes

Nose

Barley, orange peel, apple and light nutmeg.

Palate

Soft and spiced with more nutmeg, ginger, fruit, citrus and peach.

Finish

Full of dried fruit, honey and almond.

Specifications

Name: Benrinnes 11 år Batch 11 That Boutique-Y Whisky Company
Distillery: Benrinnes
Bottler: That Boutique-Y Whisky Company
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 11 years
ABV: 49 %
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: Batch 11
Number of bottles: 241
Edition: Batch 11

Flavour profile

Spiced · Fruity · Malty · Honeyed · Nutty

Investment potential

Medium. The batch was made once in 241 bottles and is not repeated. That Boutique-Y has a steady following among collectors, and the labels are collected in their own right.

Did you know?

Until 2007 Benrinnes used an unusual system with three stills in series, a partial triple distillation. It gives a heavy, almost meaty spirit that blenders have valued for decades.

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Eleven years in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel is the simplest recipe there is. No finish, no detours — just an active cask and a spirit big enough to carry it.

The expert's description

Benrinnes 2013/2025 Lady of the Glen 11 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel and bottled at 56.4 % cask strength.

Cask no. 311808 was filled in 2013 and emptied in 2025, yielding 214 bottles. The whisky is neither chill filtered nor coloured.

Where the house's 10 year old from 2013 was given a spell in Tawny Port, this one is kept purely in bourbon wood. That makes it a rare and honest portrait of what the Benrinnes spirit looks like when nothing is trying to dress it up.

Tasting notes

Nose

Vanilla, coconut and light honey. Behind the sweetness sit ripe pears and a hint of a warm bakery.

Palate

Full and creamy with vanilla pod, banana and spiced oak. The 56.4 % gives a firm but rounded bite, and the texture is clearly oily.

Finish

Long and warm with honey, oak and a sprinkle of white pepper.

Specifications

Name: Benrinnes 2013/2025 Lady of the Glen 11 years old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 56.4%
Distillery: Benrinnes
Bottler: Lady of the Glen
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 11 years
ABV: 56.4 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First fill ex-bourbon barrel, cask no. 311808
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2013
Bottled: 2025
Number of bottles: 214

Flavour profile

Cask strength · Vanilla · Creamy · Fruity · Bourbon matured

Did you know?

Lady of the Glen bottle every single cask by hand at their warehouse in Fife. That is also why outturns rarely pass 300 bottles — there is a physical limit to what a small team can manage.

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A snake sheds its skin but keeps its venom. Black Snake works on the same principle: every time a portion is drawn off, something stays behind in the cask, and the next release inherits it.

Expert description

Blackadder Black Snake Vat No. 17 Third Venom is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in First Fill Bourbon and an Oloroso Sherry Butt and bottled at cask strength, 59.6%.

The series runs on a solera-inspired system. The whisky first matures in first fill bourbon casks and is then moved into an oloroso sherry butt. From there a share is bottled while the rest is topped up with fresh bourbon-matured whisky. That means a remnant of the very first Black Snake is always present, and every bottling carries a little of all the ones before it.

Vat No. 17 identifies the cask, and Third Venom records that this particular cask has been drawn from three times. Blackadder does not disclose which distilleries the malt comes from, which is standard practice for the house's vatted releases.

Tasting notes

Nose

Full sherry straight away, followed by vanilla, spiced oak and dark fruit. At cask strength the concentration on the nose is considerable.

Palate

Powerful and oily. Caramel, dried fruit, spice and roasted nuts arrive in layers, and the alcohol carries all of it without cutting.

Finish

Long, warm and layered with clear sherry character and the intensity cask strength brings.

Specifications

Name: Blackadder Black Snake Vat No. 17 Third Venom Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 59.6%
Bottler: Blackadder
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 59,6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First Fill Bourbon and Oloroso Sherry Butt
Bottled: March 2021
Edition: Black Snake Vat No. 17 Third Venom
EAN no.: 5055030611905

Flavour profile

Sherried · Spiced · Powerful · Nutty · Dark fruit

Investment potential

Medium. The Black Snake series is released in small numbered vats, and the early Venom bottlings have become hard to find. The concept has a steady following among collectors of independent bottlings.

Did you know?

Robin Tucek, the man behind Blackadder, declined to patent the method behind the house's Raw Cask releases. His explanation was that nobody else would dare filter as roughly as he does.

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The last of three sister casks from the same February day in 2000. This one was left two years longer than the others, and the difference shows: more spice, more depth, less hurry.

Expert description

Braeval 2000/2023 Signatory Vintage 23 Years is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky from Refill Oloroso Sherry Butt #6391, bottled at cask strength, 60.4%, without chill filtration and without added colour.

The whisky was distilled on 16 February 2000 and bottled on 3 April 2023 as part of Signatory Vintage's Cask Strength Collection. The cask gave 603 bottles.

Braeval, formerly Braes of Glenlivet, sits high in Speyside and is one of those distilleries found almost only in independent bottlings. High age combined with a quiet oloroso cask gives fruity complexity rather than heavy sherry sweetness.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and toffee apples with clove and lime zest on top.

Palate

Flower honey and baking spice with dried apricot, walnut and a firm oak core. Powerful, but never coarse.

Finish

Long and spiced with nuts, dark honey and a dry, warm close.

Specifications

Name: Braeval 2000/2023 Signatory Vintage 23 Years Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 60.4%
Distillery: Braeval
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 23 years
ABV: 60,4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Oloroso Sherry Butt #6391
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 16/02/2000
Bottled: 03/04/2023
Number of bottles: 603
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour profile

Sherried · Spiced · Fruity · Nutty · Powerful

Investment potential

Medium. 23 years, a single cask and 603 bottles from a distillery that does not release single malt itself. Signatory's Cask Strength Collection sees steady demand from collectors.

Did you know?

Oloroso sherry is aged oxidatively, that is, in contact with air, which gives nut and dried fruit rather than fresh grape notes. That is why oloroso casks are the most widely used sherry type for whisky.

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62 percent is not a number you hand anyone unprepared. In return nothing has been filtered out, no colour added and no water poured in — you get the contents of the cask as they were when the bung came off.

Expert description

Braeval 2009 The First Edition 14 Years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a Refill Oloroso Butt, bottled at cask strength, 62%, without chill filtration and without added colour.

The First Edition is the series from Andrew Laing and Edition Spirits, where single casks from across Scotland are selected and bottled without compromise. Andrew Laing is the son of Stewart Laing and carries the family tradition of independent bottling forward under his own name.

Braeval is a high-lying Speyside distillery whose spirit is light and floral. Fourteen years in a refill oloroso butt adds nut and dried fruit without covering the spirit, and the high strength makes the profile dense and concentrated.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried apricot and walnut with pale honey, cinnamon and a stroke of freshly cut oak.

Palate

Dense and spiced with raisin, almond and baked apple. The alcohol is pronounced, but the fruit holds its ground.

Finish

Very long and dry with nuts, spice and a warm oak note.

Specifications

Name: Braeval 2009 The First Edition 14 Years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 62%
Distillery: Braeval
Bottler: The First Edition
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 14 years
ABV: 62%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Oloroso Butt
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2009
Edition: The First Edition

Flavour profile

Sherried · Spiced · Nutty · Fruity · Very powerful

Investment potential

Medium. A single cask bottling from a smaller series and a distillery without an official range. Releases from Edition Spirits appear in small volumes.

Did you know?

The Laing name runs through three generations of independent bottlers in Scotland. The family businesses have been divided several times over the years, and today different branches of the family each run their own company.

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White port in a whisky cask is a rarity. As a full sixteen year maturation it is close to unheard of. The colour alone tells you somebody took a chance here.

Expert description

Braeval 2010 Little Brown Dog 16 Years is a Single Speyside Malt Whisky fully matured in a White Port Barrique and bottled at cask strength, 57.3%.

The whisky was distilled on 2 February 2010 and bottled on 11 February 2026. Unlike most wine cask releases, the spirit spent its whole life in the port cask rather than taking a short finish, and that changes the result fundamentally: the fruitiness of the cask is woven into the whisky rather than laid over it.

Little Brown Dog has made experimental cask types its calling card. The bottler describes the colour as Jurassic Park Amber, which says something about both the hue and the house tone.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honeydew melon and clear jelly sweets with fresh hay. Bright, summery and almost playful.

Palate

Green apple peel, tarte aux poires and quince jelly in fine balance. The white port cask brings a refined fruitiness and a vinous elegance.

Finish

Long and fruity with quince, pear and a dry, lightly spiced tail.

Specifications

Name: Braeval 2010 Little Brown Dog 16 Years White Port Barrique Single Speyside Malt Whisky 57.3%
Distillery: Braeval
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 57,3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: White Port Barrique, full maturation
Distilled: 02/02/2010
Bottled: 11/02/2026

Flavour profile

Fruity · Wine matured · Fresh · Elegant · Powerful

Investment potential

Medium. Full maturation in a white port barrique is an unusual cask history, and Little Brown Dog releases appear in very small runs.

Did you know?

White port is made from white grapes and fortified in the same way as the red. It is rarely used for whisky maturation, partly because the casks are hard to source in the sizes the whisky industry works with.

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The name tells you everything and nothing. Breath of Speyside is Adelphi's way of saying the distillery cannot be named — but that the whisky comes from one of the region's good addresses and has sat for thirty years.

Expert description

Breath of Speyside 1992/2023 Adelphi Limited 30 Years is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Refill Bourbon and bottled at natural cask strength, 50.3%.

The whisky was distilled in 1992 and bottled in 2023 in a run of 194 bottles. Adelphi uses the Breath of Speyside name when the contract with the distillery does not allow the source to be disclosed, and the series has over time become one of the house's more sought-after.

Thirty years in refill bourbon casks is an exercise in patience. The cask gives only slowly, and in return the whisky has time to develop the waxy, complex character that only long maturation in a quiet cask delivers.

Tasting notes

Nose

Cedar wood and gooseberry with cola and aniseed. Aromatic and a little unconventional for the region.

Palate

Red berries and pink pepper with menthol and a fine, cool fruit acidity. The texture is soft despite the thirty years.

Finish

Long and warming with gentle oak, white pepper and a hint of citrus.

Specifications

Name: Breath of Speyside 1992/2023 Adelphi Limited 30 Years Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 50.3%
Distillery: Breath of Speyside
Bottler: Adelphi
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 30 years
ABV: 50,3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Bourbon
Distilled: 1992
Bottled: 2023
Number of bottles: 194
Edition: Breath of Speyside

Flavour profile

Fruity · Spiced · Elegant · Mature · Aromatic

Investment potential

High. Thirty years of age, 194 bottles and Adelphi's name on the label. Releases in this bracket typically sell out shortly after launch and are hard to find again.

Did you know?

Adelphi often bottles anonymised whisky under names such as Breath of Speyside or Breath of the Isles. The practice exists because distilleries sell casks on the condition that their name is not used in marketing.

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Sometimes the label says less than it could. Burnside is one of those names used when a distillery does not want its real name on the bottle — but the character in the glass is unmistakable.

Please note: Burnside is the designation for so-called teaspooned Balvenie. It means a cask from the Balvenie distillery has had a minimal amount of spirit from another distillery added, typically Glenfiddich. This is done to prevent the whisky being marketed as an official Balvenie single malt, but it still clearly carries Balvenie's character.

Expert description

Burnside 14 Years Woodrow's of Edinburgh is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky from Single Cask #900019, bottled at cask strength, 52%, without chill filtration and without added colour.

The whisky was distilled on 27 April 2011, and the cask gave 330 bottles. Woodrow's of Edinburgh is an independent bottler based in Leith that buys and matures casks in its own bonded warehouse and bottles in small batches or as single casks.

The house philosophy is about bringing out the personality of the individual cask rather than smoothing it away. Natural colour, no filtration and cask strength are standard, and that makes the bottlings considerably more direct than most official releases.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey and malted grain with baked apple, vanilla and a trace of flower honey.

Palate

Full and sweet with honey cake, dried fruit and pale oak. The strength brings warmth without shouting.

Finish

Long and dry with grain, spice and a lightly bitter oak note.

Specifications

Name: Burnside 14 Years Woodrows of Edinburgh Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 52%
Distillery: Burnside
Bottler: Woodrow's of Edinburgh
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 14 years
ABV: 52%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Single Cask #900019
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 27/04/2011
Number of bottles: 330

Flavour profile

Honeyed · Malty · Fruity · Spiced · Powerful

Investment potential

Medium. A single cask of 330 bottles from a smaller bottler, and teaspooned names like Burnside have a steady following among collectors of Speyside malt.

Did you know?

The practice of teaspooning arose because distilleries wanted to sell casks without losing control of their own trademark. A single spoonful from another distillery legally turns the whisky into a blended malt.

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Helen Cumming raised a red flag over the farm whenever the exciseman came near. Two hundred years later Cardhu still stands in the same spot at Knockando, making the softest malt in Speyside.

Expert description

Cardhu 12 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 40%.

The distillery was founded in 1824 by John and Helen Cumming, and in 1893 John Walker & Sons bought it. Cardhu has been the heart of Johnnie Walker ever since, and the house style — light, honeyed and almost smokeless — is exactly what the blenders build on. The 12 year old is the flagship and has for decades been the bottle you hand a beginner without the enthusiast raising an eyebrow.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey, pear and pale meadow flowers. Behind them sits a dry malted cereal note and a hint of vanilla from the wood.

Palate

Soft and light, with poached pear, honey, cereal and a touch of cinnamon. There are no edges here — this is a whisky that slips down rather than demanding attention.

Finish

Short to medium, dry and malty, with a faint spiced warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Cardhu 12 years Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Cardhu
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
EAN no.: 5000267102573

Flavour profile

Soft · Fruity · Honeyed · Malty · Unpeated

Did you know?

Cardhu was the first Scottish distillery run by a woman. Elizabeth Cumming took over in 1872 and rebuilt the place completely — and she sold the old timber walls on to William Grant, who used them to raise Glenfiddich.

See our full range of Cardhu Whisky

Speyside has the most distilleries and the fewest extremes. This bottle does not try to be a particular house — it tries to be the region.

Expert description

Clan Denny Speyside Edition Small Batch Release is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 40%.

Douglas Laing married a small number of Speyside casks into one expression without disclosing the source. The region around the river Spey holds more than half of Scotland's working malt distilleries, and what they share is a style built on fruit, malt and soft sweetness rather than smoke. Small batch here means each release is limited and may vary slightly from one run to the next.

Tasting notes

Nose

Apple compote, honey and pale malt. Behind them sit vanilla, dried apricot and a light floral note.

Palate

Soft and malt-sweet. Pear, honey and pale caramel, with a touch of cinnamon from the oak. The mouthfeel is light and straightforward, without hard edges.

Finish

Medium, dry and malty, with cereal and a faint nutty warmth at the close.

Specifications

Name: Clan Denny Speyside Edition Small Batch Release Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 40%
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: Small Batch Release Speyside Edition
EAN no.: 5014218817898

Flavour profile

Soft · Fruity · Malty · Honeyed · Unpeated

Did you know?

Speyside was only formally recognised as a whisky region in its own right in 2009. Until then its distilleries were officially counted as Highland, which explains why so many old labels say Highland Malt on whisky that came from the Spey valley.

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An old warehouse in Ballindalloch, steam from short flat-topped pot stills and water from the Craggan Burn. This is Speyside as it was once bottled — in the big litre bottle with the yellow band.

Expert description

Cragganmore 12 years Old Version is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 40% in a litre bottle.

The release dates from the 1990s, when Cragganmore was still sold in the discontinued litre measure with a yellow duty band — a design collectors know and look for. The distillery was founded in 1869 by John Smith, who sited it close to the Strathspey railway, locally known as The Whisky Line. Cragganmore still uses worm tub condensers, which almost nobody else does, and that is a large part of the reason for the heavy, complex house style.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet heather and meadow flowers first, then honey, vanilla and a dry nutty cereal note from the years in glass.

Palate

Soft and finely woven. Malt, honey, sandalwood and a touch of sweet wood smoke, carried by a lightly oily texture the modern bottlings do not quite reach.

Finish

Long and malty with sweet hints, dried herbs and a faint smoked warmth at the end.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 12 years 1 litre Old Version Single Speyside Malt Whisky 40%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40 %
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks
Edition: Old Version litre bottle with yellow duty band

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Honeyed · Complex · Lightly Smoked

Investment potential

High. The litre measure is discontinued, the yellow duty band is no longer used, and 1990s bottlings are only available to the extent that people kept them.

Did you know?

Cragganmore was built where it was because John Smith wanted the railway close by. The Strathspey line was called The Whisky Line, and the distillery got its own siding — whisky out, barley and coal in, without touching the poor roads.

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Cragganmore is almost always sold at forty percent and twelve years. Every so often Diageo opens the warehouse door and lets it out at full strength — and then it becomes a different whisky entirely.

Expert description

Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 55.7% without an age statement.

The release belongs to Diageo's annual Special Releases and was made in 4,932 bottles. Cragganmore sits at Ballindalloch between mountain and sea, in the triangle of land locally called the Garden of Scotland, where barley is a natural crop and the Spey is Scotland's fastest flowing river. It was precisely that combination of barley, water and peat from the uplands to the south that made John Smith build here in 1869. At 55.7% the herbal, malted house style stands far more clearly than in the 12 year old.

Tasting notes

Nose

Concentrated heather and honey, dried herbs and a warm resinous note. Underneath sit malt, apple skin and a trace of wood smoke.

Palate

Powerful and dense. Honey, sandalwood, malt and candied citrus, with a peppery warmth from the strength and a dry herbal edge keeping the sweetness in check.

Finish

Very long and dry, with malt, herbs, oak and a slowly fading smoked warmth.

Specifications

Name: Cragganmore 2016 Annual Release Single Speyside Malt Whisky 55,7%
Distillery: Cragganmore
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 55.7%
Size: 70 CL
Number of bottles: 4,932
Edition: Annual Release 2016
EAN no.: 5000281046082

Flavour profile

Malty · Honeyed · Herbal · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

High. The outturn is 4,932 bottles, the vintage is bottled once and never repeated, and Cragganmore appears rarely in the series. Older Special Releases have risen sharply as they left the shelves.

Did you know?

Cragganmore sits in what locals call the Garden of Scotland — a fertile triangle between mountain and sea where barley grows well. John Smith chose the spot because everything a distillery needs lay within walking distance: grain, water, peat and a railway.

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Orange oil, cherry and blackberry jam. That does not sound like Craigellachie — until you notice the cask is a sherry butt, and that it has had twelve years to do its work.

Expert description

Craigellachie 2011/2023 Duncan Taylor 12 years Private Cask Bottling is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a sherry butt and bottled at cask strength of 52.4%.

The cask gave 667 bottles and belongs to Duncan Taylor's Private Cask line. The house is based at Huntly in Aberdeenshire and has since 1938 built one of the largest private stocks of Scotch whisky in the trade. Craigellachie condenses in worm tubs and makes a heavy, meaty spirit that needs an active sherry cask to find balance — here twelve years is enough to give colour and fruit without erasing the distillery.

Tasting notes

Nose

Intense and dark. Orange oil, juicy cherries, red grapes and blackberry jam, with dates, spiced cake, nutmeg and dark chocolate behind.

Palate

Full and rounded. Chocolate-coated raisins, fig syrup, rosehip jam and black cherries, joined by candied orange, malt, roasted coffee beans and cinnamon.

Finish

Long and intense, dominated by juicy oranges, honey, sherry and dried fruit with a touch of caramel and roasted notes.

Specifications

Name: Craigellachie 2011/2023 Duncan Taylor 12 years Private Cask Bottling Single Speyside Malt Whisky 52,4%
Distillery: Craigellachie
Bottler: Duncan Taylor
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 52.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry butt
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2023
Number of bottles: 667
Edition: Private Cask Bottling

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dark Berry · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 667 bottles from one sherry cask at cask strength. Sherried Craigellachie at this age is in demand, and Private Cask bottlings are never remade.

Did you know?

Duncan Taylor bought large parcels of Scotch casks in 1938 and set them aside. That stock is why the house can today bottle vintages many distilleries have used up themselves — they simply bought in while nobody else bothered.

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Distilled on the same day as its four-year-younger sister, but these casks were left standing. Four extra years in hogsheads sounds like little — in the glass the difference is obvious.

Expert description

Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory 24 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in two hogsheads and bottled at 47.4% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The casks are numbered 7227 and 7235, were filled on 21 May 1997 and emptied on 20 January 2022. The outturn was 369 bottles. The release belongs to Signatory's Cask Strength Collection, where the whisky goes into bottle at the strength the cask delivers. Dailuaine is one of those distilleries where almost the entire production disappears into blends, and twenty-four year old bottlings exist essentially only through independent bottlers.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe apples, pears and quince, with vanilla, malt and a mild spiced oak behind.

Palate

Silky with well-integrated alcohol. Sweetness and freshness first, then vanilla, malt and spiced oak, in a balanced and elegant mouthfeel.

Finish

Dry and harmonious, with the complexity and maturity stepping forward at the close.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 1997/2022 Signatory Vintage 24 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 47,4%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 24 years
ABV: 47.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogsheads no. 7227 and 7235
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 21/05/1997
Bottled: 20/01/2022
Number of bottles: 369
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour profile

Fruity · Malty · Vanilla · Spiced · Elegant

Investment potential

High. Twenty-four years in cask, 369 bottles and a distillery whose own bottlings barely exist. Old Dailuaine is increasingly traded among collectors.

Did you know?

Quince is a fruit you rarely meet in modern whisky, but it turns up in old Speyside malts from bourbon wood. It sits somewhere between apple and pear, and it is often a sign of a cask that has been allowed to work long and quietly.

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Dailuaine has enough body to take an oloroso butt without being buried in it. That is why the distillery has been so useful in blends — and why the sherry finish works here.

Expert description

Dailuaine 2008/2025 Signatory Vintage 16 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in an oloroso sherry butt and bottled at cask strength of 57% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The whisky was distilled on 9 April 2008 and bottled on 19 February 2025 from cask number 6, with an outturn of 681 bottles. The release belongs to Signatory's Cask Strength Collection. The combination of Dailuaine's fruity, malted base and the dark oloroso notes gives a whisky where sweetness and spice pull in different directions without fighting.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruits such as raisins and figs, alongside roasted nuts, dark chocolate and spiced oak.

Palate

Deep and balanced. Sweetness and spice in fine interplay, with a full, oily texture in which the alcohol is elegantly integrated despite the 57%.

Finish

Long and warm, with hints of coffee and leather.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 2008/2025 Signatory Vintage 16 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 57%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 57 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in oloroso sherry butt no. 6
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 09/04/2008
Bottled: 19/02/2025
Number of bottles: 681
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. 681 bottles from an oloroso finish at cask strength, from a distillery whose own bottlings barely exist. Signatory's Cask Strength Collection is followed closely by collectors.

Did you know?

A finish in oloroso is not the same as full maturation in sherry wood. The whisky sits in its main cask first and is moved across for the final years — enough to give colour and fruit, but not long enough for the cask to take over the distillery's own voice.

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Two hogsheads, twelve years and no treatment along the way. Signatory calls the range Un-Chillfiltered, but in practice it is just as much about what you refrain from doing.

Please note: Rust on the cap and wear to the carton label.

Expert description

Dailuaine 2009/2022 The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Signatory Vintage 12 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in two hogsheads and bottled at 46% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The casks carry the numbers 307385 and 307386. The whisky was distilled on 6 May 2009 and bottled on 4 February 2022. The range gathers hand-picked releases from distilleries across Scotland, where the whisky is allowed into bottle in its most untreated form. Dailuaine delivers a heavier spirit than most of its Speyside neighbours, and twelve years in hogsheads is enough to give balance without erasing the malted core.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and cereal-led. Green apple, malt and vanilla, with a light herbal note and a touch of citrus peel.

Palate

Clean and malty. Cereal, honey and baked fruit, with vanilla from the oak and a dry, lightly spiced middle. The texture is fuller than filtered whisky at the same strength.

Finish

Medium and dry, with malt, apple and a mild oak note.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 2009/2022 The Un-Chillfiltered Collection Signatory 12 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 46 %
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Hogsheads no. 307385 and 307386
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 06/05/2009
Bottled: 04/02/2022
Edition: The Un-Chillfiltered Collection

Flavour profile

Malty · Fruity · Vanilla · Clean · Dry

Did you know?

Six-digit cask numbers such as 307385 come from Signatory's own warehouse system rather than from the distillery. They make it possible to trace exactly which cask a bottle came from — one reason the house has such a loyal following among collectors.

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Ruby port is the most forward of the ports — young, dark and full of berries. Put on a Speyside spirit with body, it gives a whisky that does not resemble itself.

Expert description

Dailuaine 2011/2024 Coopers Choice Port Wood Finish is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak with a subsequent finish in ruby port wood and bottled at 53.5% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The whisky was distilled in April 2011 and bottled in 2024 by The Vintage Malt Whisky Company as part of the Cooper's Choice range. The cask carries the number 0720, and the outturn was 300 bottles. The Glasgow house has since 1992 selected single casks from distilleries across Scotland, and Cooper's Choice is their range for exactly that kind of find.

Tasting notes

Nose

Red berries, dark fruits and spices first, with vanilla and a touch of oak behind.

Palate

Full and balanced, with sweet shades of port, toasted malt and nuts. The cask strength carries the fruit without making it heavy.

Finish

Soft and long with touches of spice, chocolate and caramel.

Specifications

Name: Dailuaine 2011/2024 Coopers Choice Port Wood Finish Speyside Single Malt Whisky 53,5%
Distillery: Dailuaine
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 53.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak with ruby port finish, cask no. 0720
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 300
Edition: Single Cask

Flavour profile

Fruity · Red Berry · Spiced · Chocolate · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. A single cask with a port finish in 300 bottles from a distillery that almost never appears on its own bottles. Cooper's Choice releases are never repeated.

Did you know?

Ruby port is the youngest and most fruit-driven of the ports, where tawny is aged longer and moves towards nuts and caramel. The choice between the two decides whether a port finish pulls towards fresh berries or dried fruit — and it is rarely accidental.

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Dalmunach began distilling in 2015. This bottle comes from that very first year — and six years on it is already a historic release from a distillery nobody knows yet.

Expert description

Dalmunach 2015/2021 Lady of the Glen 6 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in an oloroso quarter cask and bottled at cask strength of 59.6% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The cask carries the number 22 and gave 157 bottles. Dalmunach opened in 2015 at Carron in Speyside on the site of the demolished Imperial distillery and is one of the most modern productions in Scotland. A quarter cask is only about a quarter of a normal cask, which gives far more contact between wood and spirit — an efficient way of getting cask character into a young whisky.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and intense for its age. Raisin, dark chocolate and orange peel, with a young, cereal freshness under the sherry.

Palate

Powerful and concentrated. Dried fruit, cocoa and spice, with malted cereal and a peppery warmth from the cask strength. The quarter cask has worked fast and left clear wood structure.

Finish

Long and dry, with dark fruit, nuts and a warm spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Dalmunach 2015/2021 Lady of the Glen 6 years Single Speyside Malt Whisky 59,6%
Distillery: Dalmunach
Bottler: Lady of the Glen
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 6 years
ABV: 59.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso quarter cask no. 22
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2015
Bottled: 2021
Number of bottles: 157
Edition: Single Cask

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Young · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. A release from the distillery's first production year in only 157 bottles. Early vintages from new distilleries often become sought after once the house later finds its form.

Did you know?

Dalmunach is built on the site of the Imperial distillery, demolished in 2013. The still house is laid out so that the eight pot stills stand in a formation meant to recall a sheaf of barley — an architectural nod to the grain the whole business rests on.

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Pedro Ximénez is the sweetest sherry there is — so sweet the grapes are dried in the sun first. Laid over seven years of young Speyside spirit, the result turns dark well ahead of time.

Expert description

Dalmunach 2016/2023 Coopers Choice 7 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and bottled at cask strength of 58.5% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The whisky was distilled in April 2016 and bottled in 2023 from cask number 1145, with an outturn of 396 bottles. The release belongs to the Cooper's Choice range from The Vintage Malt Whisky Company in Glasgow. Dalmunach opened in 2015 and is still so new that every bottling helps draw the picture of what the house style actually is.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and syrupy. Raisin, date and fig, with dark chocolate, coffee and a young, cereal freshness underneath.

Palate

Dense and sweet. Caramelised sugar, dried fruit and cocoa, with a peppery warmth from the cask strength. The PX cask dominates, but the young spirit pushes back with cereal and malt.

Finish

Long and sweet, with raisin, dark chocolate and a dry spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Dalmunach 2016/2023 Coopers Choice 7 years Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 58,5%
Distillery: Dalmunach
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 58.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, cask no. 1145
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: April 2016
Bottled: 2023
Number of bottles: 396
Edition: Single Cask
EAN no.: 5024720862804

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Sweet · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. A single cask in 396 bottles from a distillery with few releases behind it. Early vintages from new houses tend to become interesting later.

Did you know?

Pedro Ximénez grapes are laid out to dry in the sun before pressing, which is why the sherry turns almost syrupy. A PX cask gives more sweetness and darker fruit than oloroso — but also less of the dry nutty edge.

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Marsala comes from Sicily and is almost never used for whisky. That is exactly why a bottler like Cooper's Choice tries it — and why the bottle tastes unlike its neighbour on the shelf.

Expert description

Dalmunach 2016/2024 Coopers Choice 8 years is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American oak with a final finish in Marsala wine casks and bottled at cask strength of 57.5% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The whisky was distilled in April 2016 and bottled in 2024, with an outturn of 324 bottles. Marsala is a Sicilian fortified wine, far less used in whisky than sherry and port — it gives a nutty, lightly bitter fruit character unlike anything else. Dalmunach opened in 2015 and is among Scotland's youngest distilleries.

Tasting notes

Nose

Nuts and dried fruit first. Apricot, almond and orange peel, with a warm spiced note and young, cereal freshness underneath.

Palate

Full and lightly bitter in the good sense. Nuts, dried apricot and caramel, with a dry fruit edge from the Marsala cask and a peppery warmth from the strength.

Finish

Long and dry, with nuts, spice and a faintly bitter fruit close.

Specifications

Name: Dalmunach 2016/2024 Coopers Choice 8 years Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57,5%
Distillery: Dalmunach
Bottler: The Coopers Choice
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 57.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak with a Marsala wine cask finish
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: April 2016
Bottled: 2024
Number of bottles: 324
Edition: Single Cask
EAN no.: 5024720863283

Flavour profile

Nutty · Dried Fruit · Spiced · Fruity · Cask Strength

Investment potential

Medium. An unusual cask type in 324 bottles from a young distillery. Marsala finishes are rare enough to be remembered.

Did you know?

Marsala was originally created by an English merchant in the 1770s, who added alcohol to Sicilian wine so it would survive the voyage home. The same trick as port and Madeira — and the three cask types behave in related ways in whisky.

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Ximénez-Spinola is a small sherry house in Jerez working only with the Pedro Ximénez grape. Their casks rarely end up in whisky — but when they do, you can taste it.

Expert description

Dalmunach 7 years Murray McDavid PX Sherry Finish is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Ximénez-Spinola PX casks and bottled at 48.5% without chill filtration and without added colouring.

The release belongs to Murray McDavid's Benchmark Series and was made in 2,062 bottles. Murray McDavid was founded in 1996 and has made cask finishing its signature — the house buys casks from named wine and sherry producers rather than settling for generic sherry wood. Dalmunach opened in 2015, so everything that exists from the distillery is young.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dark and sweet. Raisin, date and dark chocolate, with a layer of young malt and cereal under the concentrated fruit.

Palate

Round and syrupy. Dried fruit, caramel and cocoa, with a lightly spiced edge from the oak. The 48.5% keeps the sweetness from turning heavy.

Finish

Medium and sweet, with raisin, nuts and a dry spiced close.

Specifications

Name: Dalmunach 7 years Murray McDavid PX Sherry Finish Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 70 cl 48,5%
Distillery: Dalmunach
Bottler: Murray McDavid
Region/Country: Speyside Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 48.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ximénez-Spinola PX cask finish
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 2,062
Edition: Benchmark Series
EAN no.: 5060353304625

Flavour profile

Sherried · Dried Fruit · Chocolate · Sweet · Young

Did you know?

Murray McDavid names the sherry and wine houses their casks come from. It sounds like a detail, but it is rare in the trade — most simply write sherry cask and leave the customer to guess at the quality.

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Some whiskies you can simply go out and buy. Others required you to be standing in a particular room on a particular evening. Douglas Laing turned 70 in 2018, and for the celebration a single sherry butt was emptied. Seventy bottles. Every one of them signed by hand.

The Expert's Description

Douglas Laing 70th Anniversary 20 Years Old is a Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a single Sherry Butt and bottled at 52%. It was created for the importers and staff who attended the company’s 70th anniversary celebration, never reached a retail shelf, and that alone explains a great deal about how few exist.

The Speyside distillery behind the whisky is undisclosed. That is standard practice when Douglas Laing bottles single casks sourced from distilleries that will not lend their name, and it is why the label reads Single Speyside Malt rather than a distillery name. The style, however, is unmistakable. Twenty years in Spanish sherry oak has pushed dark fruit and depth into the spirit without flattening Speyside's brighter malt sweetness. The cask yielded 70 bottles, hand filled and numbered, each label carrying the signatures of both Fred and Cara Laing.

Douglas Laing has been bottling whisky since 1948 and the firm remains in the family's hands. The 70th Anniversary was their own birthday present to themselves, and one of the rarest pieces of whisky history the family has ever released.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark ripe fruit leads: prunes, figs and long-steeped raisins. Behind that sit honey, orange peel and a dry nuttiness from the sherry oak. Give the glass fifteen minutes and vanilla arrives, along with a whisper of old leather.

Palate

Full and close to oily. Caramel and baked apple meet cinnamon and a touch of clove, with oak tannin keeping the sweetness on a short leash. The 52% reads as warmth rather than heat. A few drops of water do not break it apart, they round it out.

Finish

Long and dry. Dark chocolate, pipe tobacco and a nutty bitterness that hangs around well after the last sip. Right at the end the honey comes back.

Specifications

Name: Douglas Laing 70th Anniversary 20 Years Old Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky 52%
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Speyside Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 20 years
ABV: 52%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry Butt
Bottled: 2018
Number of bottles: 70
Edition: 70th Anniversary

Flavour Profile

Sherry Matured · Fruity · Spiced · Nutty · Full Bodied · Oaky

Investment Potential

High. One cask, 70 bottles, never released for general sale and signed by the family behind the firm. That combination makes the bottle genuinely hard to track down, and it has climbed considerably in value since 2018.

Did You Know?

Douglas Laing was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing. That year Scotch was still rationed after the war, and most of the whisky bottled in Scotland was shipped abroad to earn foreign currency for the British Treasury. The firm was born into a market where whisky was treated almost as a trading commodity, on a par with coal.

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