Before DoubleWood took over the shelf, this was the bottle people pointed at when someone asked for Balvenie. The broad cognac shaped bottle, the green label and a distillery that had not yet become a name everyone knew.

The expert's description

Balvenie Founder's Reserve 10 years Old Version is a Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks and sherry casks and bottled at 43 % in litre format.

Founder's Reserve was the Balvenie core bottling through the 1980s and 1990s, named after William Grant, who founded the distillery in 1892. It was phased out in the early 2000s when DoubleWood 12 took over as the entry bottle of the house, and it has not been in production since.

This is the older version in the distinctive broad bottle that looks more like a cognac bottle than a whisky bottle. The label calls the whisky a Highland Malt, which was common practice at the time, when Speyside was often treated as part of the Highland region rather than as a designation of its own.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey, pale cereal and peeled apple. A soft sherry note sits behind it along with a hint of almond.

Palate

Round and malty with honeyed sweetness, vanilla and a lightly nutty middle. The sherry is discreet and pulls mainly towards raisin.

Finish

Medium, soft and dry at the end with malt and a touch of oak.

Specifications

Name: Balvenie Founder's Reserve 10 år Old Version
Distillery: Balvenie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Highland Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 100 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks and sherry casks
Edition: Old Version in cognac shaped bottle

Flavour profile

Honeyed · Malty · Soft · Nutty · Lightly sherried

Investment potential

Medium. The bottling is discontinued and exists only in the quantities made at the time, and the litre format left the market along with intra-EU duty free. Discontinued Balvenie bottles in original condition are sought after by collectors.

Did you know?

William Grant built Balvenie in 1892 by reusing materials from the disused Balvenie New House, and the distillery still stands in the shadow of the 13th century ruins of Balvenie Castle.

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Edition No 6 was the last in Macallan's Edition series — and it signed off with one of the heaviest sherry cask compositions in the range. 74% sherry butt casks and 48.6% — not a rounding off, but a definitive statement.

Expert description

Macallan Edition No 6 is a discontinued Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from 2020, matured in 26% sherry seasoned hogsheads and 74% sherry seasoned butts and bottled at 48.6%. The Edition series was Macallan's annual limited edition range, combining the distillery's whisky with creative collaborations. Edition No 6 was created in collaboration with Master of Wood Stuart MacPherson and focused on the role of wood itself in whisky. The cask composition is heavy and sherry-dominated — and that is clear in the glass.

As the closing release in a well-known series, No 6 is particularly sought after by collectors. It is discontinued and no longer in production. Availability continues to fall.

Tasting notes

Nose

Toffee apples, plums and peaches in syrup with orchard blossom and vanilla. Prunes, beeswax and honeyed fruits with dark chocolate and toffee.

Palate

Sultana raisins and walnuts with creamy fudge, ginger and raspberries. Black pepper and cinnamon with sultanas and cocoa.

Finish

Citrus zest and candied citrus with Christmas cake spices. Medium length with lingering fudge and milk chocolate.

Specifications

Name: Macallan Edition No 6
Distillery: Macallan
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 48.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry seasoned hogsheads (26%) and sherry seasoned butts (74%)
Edition: Edition No 6 (2020, discontinued)
EAN no.: 5010314309886

Flavour profile

Sherry-dominated · Dark fruit · Spiced · Rich and deep

Investment potential

High — Edition No 6 is the closing bottle in Macallan's Edition series, discontinued in 2020, with high sherry cask concentration and strong collector interest. Bottles from the series continue to grow in rarity.

Did you know?

Edition No 6 was created in collaboration with Macallan's Master of Wood Stuart MacPherson, a specialist in cask selection and the influence of oak on whisky flavour.

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Eight years in cask, 43 percent and a name from Leith. Crabbie belongs to the blends that were drunk a lot and kept a little — which is exactly why the surviving bottles are interesting.

Please note: The bottle is supplied without a carton.

Expert description

Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured for at least 8 years and bottled at 43%.

John Crabbie & Co was based in Leith near Edinburgh and was as much a merchant house as a whisky producer. Age-stated blends were a quality marker in that period, and eight years meant even the youngest component had lost its edges. The 43% was standard for export bottlings and gives more body than today's 40%.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt, cereal and dried fruit. Behind them sit honey, pale caramel and a trace of old wood.

Palate

Soft and rounded. Raisin, orange, malt and vanilla, with a lightly spiced warmth and a dry edge from the grain whisky.

Finish

Medium, dry and malty, with nuts and a hint of smoke right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky without carton 43%
Distillery: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Dried Fruit · Cereal · Lightly Spiced

Investment potential

High. The release is discontinued, and older age-stated blends keep leaving the market as they get drunk.

Did you know?

Leith was Scotland's most important whisky port for more than a century. Casks were stored in warehouses along the quay and the blending houses sat close together — it was the harbour, not the distillery, that decided who could build a whisky business.

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Most people know the Crabbie name from ginger wine. Fewer know the Leith house also sold whisky — and that bottles from those days still turn up with the carton intact.

Expert description

Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured for at least 8 years and bottled at 43%.

John Crabbie & Co was founded in Edinburgh in the early 1800s and became world famous for its green ginger wine, but the house also traded and blended whisky. This release comes with its original carton, which makes a noticeable difference to a collector, since packaging was rarely kept. The 43% strength and the eight year age statement place it in an era when blends were still bottled with a little more body than today.

Tasting notes

Nose

Malt and dried fruit first, then honey, pale caramel and a dusty note from the years in glass.

Palate

Round and malty. Raisin, orange peel, cereal and a little vanilla, with a warm spiced edge from the 43%. The mouthfeel is softer than today's standard blends.

Finish

Medium and dry, with malt, nuts and a lightly smoked close.

Specifications

Name: Crabbie 8 years Blended Old Scotch Whisky with carton 43%
Distillery: Crabbie
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 43 %
Size: 70 CL
Edition: With carton

Flavour profile

Soft · Malty · Dried Fruit · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced

Investment potential

High. A discontinued release with an age statement and the original carton intact. Older blends carrying eight years on the label have become a niche collectors actively hunt.

Did you know?

John Crabbie began as a wine merchant and importer in Leith, Edinburgh's port. It was the harbour that gave access both to ginger from Asia and to the casks that later became whisky — two businesses grown from the same quayside.

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Thirty-five years in a refill butt. A whisky distilled before Signatory Vintage even existed, bottled to celebrate the company's 30 years as an independent bottler.

Expert description

Teaninich 1983/2018 is a 35-year-old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, distilled on 7 December 1983 and bottled on 12 December 2018 by Signatory Vintage at 57.5% ABV.

The whisky comes from a refill butt, cask no. 8070, and was bottled in just 575 bottles as part of Signatory Vintage's 30th anniversary celebrations. It is neither chill-filtered nor coloured, and the many years of maturation in the reused cask have given the spirit great depth without letting oak dominate.

At 35 years old, this Teaninich ranks among the rarest releases from the distillery, where most official bottlings are typically far younger.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe tropical fruit, beeswax and a delicate hint of old oak.

Palate

Silky smooth, with notes of honey, dried apricot and a light spiced warmth.

Finish

Long and elegant, with lingering sweetness and a touch of sandalwood.

Specifications

Name: Teaninich 1983/2018
Distillery: Teaninich
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 35 years
ABV: 57.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Butt, cask no. 8070
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 07/12/1983
Bottled: 12/12/2018
Number of bottles: 575
Edition: 30th Anniversary

Flavour profile

elegant · honeyed · deeply oaked

Investment potential

With just 575 bottles, an age of 35 years and status as an anniversary release from a renowned independent bottler, this Teaninich belongs to a category of rare single cask whiskies where demand has historically far outstripped supply.

Did you know?

Teaninich is today Diageo's third-largest malt distillery by production capacity, with an annual capacity of more than 10 million litres of pure alcohol.

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Mahogany in the glass. Warm spices in the air. Macallan Sienna carries its colour with pride — not a choice, but a promise of what sherry oak can do when given time to leave its mark.

Expert description

Macallan Sienna 1824 Series is a discontinued Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured exclusively in Spanish sherry casks — European and American oak — and bottled at 43%. It was part of Macallan's 1824 Collection, which used colour as a guide to intensity: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby. Sienna was the third most intense expression in the series, and its deep terracotta hue reflects a long and richly sherried life in cask.

The collection has been discontinued, making Sienna a sought-after bottle for collectors and Macallan enthusiasts. The powerful sherry-driven flavour notes are undeniable.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and orange marmalade with prunes, dates and dark chocolate. Rich sherry with cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of smoke.

Palate

Full and sweet with fig, raisin and caramelised orange. Warm spice with ginger, clove and dry oak.

Finish

Long and warm with dark chocolate, dried fruits and a soft oak bitterness. Sherry sweetness carries through to the last.

Specifications

Name: Macallan Sienna 1824 Series
Distillery: Macallan
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Spanish sherry casks (European and American oak)
Edition: 1824 Series (discontinued)
EAN no.: 5010314101206

Flavour profile

Sherry-matured · Rich dark fruit · Spiced · Discontinued collector's bottle

Investment potential

High — Macallan Sienna is from the discontinued 1824 Series and is no longer available from the distillery. Collectors and Macallan enthusiasts actively seek these bottles, and secondary market prices reflect the series' rarity and prestige.

Did you know?

The 1824 Series used the colour of the whisky as a sort of menu for intensity — no age statement, just colour as the guide. Sienna represented the second deepest shade in the series, and the colour came entirely from sherry cask maturation, not from colouring.

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