The Danish west coast has a smoke of its own. It doesn't smell of iodine or hospital corridors, but of heather fires, toasted grain and a little sweetness, and it comes from peat and heather cut close to the distillery in Stauning. In a 5 cl bottle, one dram is enough to make the room smell like a campfire.

Expert's Description

Stauning RØG Miniature is a Danish Smoked Double Malt Whisky matured in American oak casks and 1st fill Madeira casks and bottled at 43% in a 5 cl bottle.

RØG is Stauning's newer take on smoked whisky and replaces Smoke, which was a pure Single Malt Whisky at 47%. The name is simply the Danish word for smoke, and the idea was a smoke that supports the flavour instead of drowning it. At Stauning, a Double Malt means Single Malt and malted rye working together in the same whisky. Both the barley and the rye are grown in Denmark, floor-malted at the distillery and dried over Danish peat and heather. The spirit is distilled twice in Stauning's 24 small pot stills, fired directly by open flame, and then matures on site. The American oak adds caramelised sweetness, while the Madeira casks bring fruit and depth on top. The whisky is non-chill filtered and natural in colour, so a little sediment can settle in the bottle.

Stauning was started in 2005 by a group of friends on the west coast of Jutland. RØG was named Best Danish Blended at the World Whiskies Awards 2026. 5 cl is just enough for one proper dram, or for a RØG Highball if you'd like to take the long way round.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft campfire smoke and toasted grain, with a warm, inviting sweetness just behind.

Palate

Gentle stone fruit and caramelised oak, then fine, warming spice. The smoke is there throughout, but it sits behind the fruit rather than in front of it.

Finish

Soft and rounded, with a light smokiness that lingers for a good while.

Specifications

Name: Stauning RØG Miniature Danish Smoked Double Malt Whisky 5 cl
Distillery: Stauning
Region/Country: Denmark, Western Jutland
Type: Danish Smoked Double Malt Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 5 CL
Cask Type: American Oak Casks and 1st Fill Madeira Casks
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Distillation Method: Double distilled in Pot Stills heated by direct fire
EAN: 5744002861614

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Stone Fruit · Caramel · Spiced

Did You Know?

The embossed S on the bottle is made of nine lines, one for each of Stauning's founders. You can both see it and feel it, even on the miniature.

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Out on the west coast, where the rye stands thick and the wind doesn't care who's in the way, grain goes straight to whisky with no detours. Here it comes in a small 5 cl bottle, ready to open, pour and let the smell of fresh rye bread fill the room.

Expert's Description

Stauning R.Y.E. Miniature is a Danish Rye Whisky matured in new American oak casks and bottled at 48% in a 5 cl bottle.

This is Stauning's R.Y.E. in miniature form, the rye whisky the West Jutland distillery has built its name on. Rye has been grown in Denmark for more than 2,000 years, and here it gets to be the star: Danish rye and barley, both floor-malted at the distillery itself. The spirit runs twice through Stauning's 24 small pot stills, which are heated by open fire. It's an old-fashioned and awkward way of doing things, but it gives the whisky a toasted, lightly caramelised side. It then spends three to four years in new American oak casks, and the oak adds vanilla and a peppery edge on top of the rye's spicy character. The whisky is non-chill filtered and natural in colour, so a little sediment can show up in the bottle.

Stauning was started in 2005 by nine founders, and the first bottles reached the market in 2011. R.Y.E. has won gold at IWSC 2024, among other medals. 5 cl is enough for one proper dram, or two small tastings if you're sharing.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh rye bread straight away, then wine gums and a touch of pepper.

Palate

Dried fruit and ripe cherries, held up by peppery oak. Vanilla and citrus peel soften things along the way.

Finish

Peppery at first, then long, fruity and gently sweet.

Specifications

Name: Stauning R.Y.E. Miniature Danish Rye Whisky 5 cl
Distillery: Stauning
Region/Country: Denmark, Western Jutland
Type: Danish Rye Whisky
ABV: 48%
Size: 5 CL
Cask Type: New American Oak Casks
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Distillation Method: Double distilled in Pot Stills heated by direct fire
EAN: 5744002861355

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Fruity · Vanilla · Peppery

Did You Know?

The fire under Stauning's stills can reach around 650 degrees. That fierce heat is what gives the rye whisky its toasted, almost caramelised notes, and it's a technique most distilleries dropped long ago.

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Late summer on Jutland's west coast. Barley and rye stand golden by the fjord, and the wind off the North Sea is in no hurry at all. Stauning bottled that mood as HØST, and this version fits in a coat pocket.

Expert's Description

Stauning HØST 5 cl is a Danish Double Malt Whisky matured in 1st fill Bourbon casks, heavily charred new American white oak casks and 1st fill Port barriques, bottled at 40.5%.

It's the same whisky as in the full-size bottle, just 5 cl of it. Enough for one proper dram, a way to get to know Stauning's style before committing to 70 cl, or a small gift. HØST is Danish for harvest, and it's the distillery's front door to its range.

Double Malt here means two whiskies married together: Stauning single malt and malted rye whisky. All the grain is Danish rye and barley from two local farms, floor-malted and dried at the distillery, and both grain and water are sourced within cycling distance. The spirit is double distilled in 24 small, direct-fired copper Pot Stills.

Maturation happens on site. The whisky rests in 1st fill Bourbon casks and heavily charred new American white oak, and a small share has spent time in 1st fill Port barriques. Bourbon and charred oak bring vanilla, toffee and warm spice, while the Port pulls in red berries and cherry. HØST is non-chill filtered, so a little sediment in the bottle is perfectly normal.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla, beeswax and citrus lead. Cookie dough, sour cherry and marzipan follow, with cinnamon, candied orange and light floral notes far in the back.

Palate

Soft and round at first, with a slight tingle on the tongue. Meadow honey, toffee, apple and red berries, and warm, spicy rye underneath.

Finish

Syrupy, with cinnamon, toasted oak and a touch of vanilla. The spice is what lingers longest.

Specifications

Name: Stauning HØST Double Malt Whisky 5 CL
Distillery: Stauning
Region/Country: Denmark, Western Jutland
Type: Danish Double Malt Whisky
ABV: 40.5%
Size: 5 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Bourbon casks, heavily charred new American white oak casks and 1st fill Port barriques
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled in 24 small direct-fired copper Pot Stills
EAN no.: 5744002861362

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Floral · Soft · Lightly spiced · Vanilla

Did You Know?

HØST was made as Stauning's front door. Co-founder Alex Munch has described it as the distillery's new first introduction to the house style, with the rye up front.

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In Alexandria, right at the southern end of Loch Lomond, the copper stills come in two shapes. Some have the classic swan neck, others rise straight up without the bend you expect. Both end up in the same bottle, and after 18 years in American oak the result is baked apple and a soft drift of wood smoke.

Expert description

Loch Lomond 18 years is a Highland Single Malt Whisky matured in three types of American oak casks and bottled at 46%.

Master blender Michael Henry puts it together. The style rests on blending whisky from straight neck pot stills with whisky from more traditional swan neck stills, aiming for fruit, honey and soft smoke, a character Loch Lomond says you will only find in its own single malt.

All 18 years were spent in American oak of three kinds: bourbon, refill and re-charred. American oak usually brings sweetness and soft vanilla, and you can taste it: toffee and baked apple lead the way.

The bottle has collected medals along the way: gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021 and at the International Spirits Challenge and The Scotch Whisky Masters in 2020, and The Whisky Exchange named it Whisky of the Year 2024.

Tasting notes

Nose

Green apple and grapefruit first, then honeysuckle and ripe oak.

Palate

Toasted oak and cigar box. Green fruit follows, apple and gooseberry, over a base of toffee.

Finish

Long and dry. Dried tea and tobacco leaf, a light medicinal peat smoke, and mild wood smoke at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Loch Lomond 18 years
Distillery: Loch Lomond
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak in three types: bourbon, refill and re-charred
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distillation method: Pot stills with straight necks and traditional swan neck stills
EAN no.: 5016840239215

Flavour profile

Fruity · Lightly smoky · Honeyed · Oaky · Tobacco

Did you know?

Loch Lomond has a malt distillery, a grain distillery and a cooperage on the same site, so the casks come from the distillery's own workshop. Few Scottish distilleries can say the same.

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Somewhere under Bouze-lès-Beaune, tunnels run into the Burgundian rock, cold and damp and threaded with springs. Old sherry casks have sat down there for more than eight years, slowly working on French malt. The box says the village lies halfway between the Andalusian vineyards and the Scottish Highlands. Fair enough.

The Expert's Description

Michel Couvreur Hexanobile is a French Blended Malt Whisky matured in old sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

This is a blend of malt from three different French distilleries, which sets it apart from the rest of the Couvreur range. Most of his whiskies begin life as Scottish spirit shipped to Burgundy for maturation. Hexanobile was distilled in France too, and it is the house's first fully French cuvée. The malts spent more than eight years in old sherry casks in the cellar at Bouze-lès-Beaune, and the casks have held four styles of sherry: fino, Pedro Ximénez, amontillado and oloroso.

It is bottled by gravity alone and without filtration. No pumps, no filters, just what comes out of the casks.

The house is named after Michel Couvreur, a Belgian wine merchant who settled in Burgundy in the 1950s. He held that oak and wine do the real work of turning grain spirit into whisky, and that sherry and barley get along beautifully. Hexanobile is that idea in a bottle, only with French spirit instead of Scottish.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dried figs, candied grapes, honey and sherry. Give it time in the glass and walnut, almond and beeswax appear, along with gentle spice and a hint of blond tobacco.

Palate

Soft and silky, sweet with caramel and candied fruit. Cocoa and mild spice follow, then an old, slightly oxidised sherry note. A lively acidity keeps it from getting heavy.

Finish

Long and warm, with coffee, cocoa, walnut and dried fruit, and a faint oxidative edge that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Hexanobile
Distillery: Three French distilleries
Bottler: Michel Couvreur
Region/Country: Burgundy, France
Type: French Blended Malt Whisky
Age: Over 8 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Old sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
EAN no.: 3760150951375

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Dried fruit · Walnut · Caramel · Spicy

Did you know?

The box describes Bouze-lès-Beaune as "appropriately named". Say it out loud in English and you will see why.

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Berries arrive first, warm and dense like jam straight from the pot. Then the smoke drifts in, slowly, the way embers flare when a grill gets some air. Octomore 17.2 is malted to 81 ppm and should smell like a fire station, yet the Port casks have slipped a velvet glove over the whole thing.

Expert description

Octomore 17.2 is a 5 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky, matured in French oak casks, finished in Port barriques and bottled at 59.5%. It comes from Bruichladdich and is the second release in Octomore Edition 17, this year's instalment of the distillery's super heavily peated series, which went on sale on 1 September 2026.

17.2 and 17.1 begin in the same place: one batch of 100% Scottish mainland Concerto barley, malted to 81.0 ppm. After that the two part ways. 17.1 spent its entire life in 1st fill bourbon casks. 17.2 took a more winding road through the wood.

For the first four years the spirit sat in 2nd fill French oak casks that had held Californian red wine and then bourbon. The final year was spent in 1st fill Port barriques. According to Bruichladdich, Octomore has never been matured in that exact combination before.

The casks put the fruit at the front of the queue. Red wine oak and Port bring strawberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, while the smoke turns drier and more like embers than medicine. The distillery itself describes less smoke on the nose but smoke running through the whole structure. The whisky is non-chill filtered, free of added colour, matured entirely on Islay and reduced with Islay spring water.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe red berries and a soft, jammy sweetness. Raspberry and blackcurrant preserve, floral hints of Turkish delight, toasted oak, clove and aniseed. The smoke is dry and recalls the embers of a wood fire more than phenols. Behind it sit barley flour, fresh linen, leather and a touch of coastal iodine, and with time coconut and ginger appear in the glass.

Palate

Supple and viscous. It coats the tongue at once with wine-poached berries and spiced fruit: strawberry, blackberry, cassis, then barley sugar and dark syrup. The peat builds slowly, peppery and earthy, while lemon zest and lime oil brighten everything. Oak tannin and a steady warmth keep it balanced.

Finish

Long and round. Raisins, toasted oak and sweet malt slide into dry, salty, maritime notes and a little char. When the fruit has faded, peat smoke and gentle spice remain.

Specifications

Name: Octomore 17.2 Islay Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 5 years
ABV: 59.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 2nd fill French oak casks, previously red wine and bourbon, finished in 1st fill Port barriques
Peat level: 81.0 ppm
Barley: 100% Scottish mainland barley, Concerto
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Octomore Edition 17.2

Flavour profile

Heavily peated · Berry fruit · Port-influenced · Spicy · Maritime

Did you know?

Ppm is measured on the malted barley before distillation, not on the whisky in the bottle. Still, it is a useful yardstick: according to Whisky Advocate, 17.2 carries about twice the peat of a Port Charlotte 10 and roughly four times that of a Highland Park 12.

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The smoke arrives first, and it's easy to be fooled into thinking that's all there is. Then comes vanilla, then pear drops, and last the salt of Loch Indaal, cutting straight through it. Octomore 17.1 is the reference bottle of the year, and it carries its 81 PPM with surprising calm.

Expert description

Octomore 17.1 is a 5 year old Islay Single Malt Whisky, matured for its entire life in first fill bourbon casks and bottled at 59.7%.

Bruichladdich on Islay is behind Octomore, and 17.1 is the bottle the distillery itself uses as the yardstick for Series 17. The .1 release is matured in bourbon casks every year, which lets you taste what barley and peat do when no other cask gets in the way. It came out on 1 September 2026.

The barley is Concerto, grown on the Scottish mainland and peated to 81.0 PPM. That is roughly twice as much as Bruichladdich's own Port Charlotte 10 and about four times as much as a Highland Park 12.

The casks have held bourbon once before, and they give vanilla, sweetness and a hint of coconut, which helps keep the smoke in check. Before bottling, the whisky is reduced with spring water from Islay.

Tasting notes

Nose

Vanilla milkshake and crumbly fudge, then green apple and a breath of sea spray. Dry peat smoke and toasted oak sit underneath. Give it a few minutes in the glass and yellow cherry, iodine, lemon balm and bay leaf appear.

Palate

Warm custard and pear drops open things up. Then the smoke builds in waves, dry and earthy, with the glow of smouldering oak and ash. Roasted hazelnuts, campfire marshmallows and a cool touch of menthol turn up along the way.

Finish

Salt cuts through the sweetness and sharpens the edges. In the end, a bit of sweet peat and campfire smoke lingers.

Specifications

Name: Octomore 17.1 5 year Islay Single Malt Whisky 59.7%
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 5 years
ABV: 59.7%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks
Peated malt: 81.0 PPM
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: 17.1 in Octomore Series 17

Flavour profile

Heavily peated · Smoky · Vanilla sweet · Maritime · Citrus fresh

Investment potential

Medium. Octomore is released as an annual series in limited quantities, and the .1 bottle is the reference that collectors like to have in the row.

Did you know?

In Series 17, only 17.3 uses barley from Islay itself. It was grown in a single field, Irene's Field on Octomore Farm, two miles from the distillery, and peated to 132.1 PPM. 17.1 uses barley from the Scottish mainland instead.

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In Formula One the fastest part of the car is often the part nobody sees. A shaped floor, a millimetre of curve on a wing. Glenfiddich took that idea into the warehouses in Dufftown, split sixteen-year-old whisky across five kinds of cask and brought it all back together.

Expert description

Glenfiddich 16 year Aston Martin F1 Release No. 2 is a Speyside Single Malt Whisky matured in 1st fill bourbon barrels, port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks and Fino sherry butts, bottled at 43%.

This is the second bottling from the partnership between Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Formula One Team. Malt Master Brian Kinsman built it with Adrian Newey, the team's Managing Technical Partner and the designer behind some of the most successful cars the sport has seen. Kinsman's take is that real performance usually comes from what you can't see at first glance, and he set out to make a whisky that works the same way.

The backbone is whisky from 1st fill bourbon barrels, where Glenfiddich's familiar orchard fruit and soft vanilla come through, rounded off by a final spell in bourbon casks for extra sweetness. That base was then married with selected parcels that had each been fully matured or finished in one of four other cask types. Port pipes bring dark fruit and weight. Oloroso adds stewed fruit and a nutty edge. Wine casks layer in more fruit, and a small measure of Fino sherry pulls the whole thing drier so the sweetness never takes over.

Release No. 1 from 2025 used American oak only and leaned bright and dessert-like. Release No. 2 is darker and has more going on. The collaboration is planned as an annual series, and no bottle count has been published.

Glenfiddich sits in Dufftown in the middle of Speyside and is still owned by the family behind William Grant & Sons, who founded the distillery in 1887.

Tasting notes

Nose

Stewed fruit, almost compote, lifted by floral top notes. A little marzipan, then polished leather, like the seats of an old car.

Palate

Soft and silky. Buttery toffee, caramelised cane sugar and fresh apple and pear, before dry oak tannins step in and keep the sweetness honest.

Finish

Long, with oak and a sweetness that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich 16 year Aston Martin F1 Limited Edition Release No. 2
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon barrels, port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks and Fino sherry butts
Distillation method: Double distilled in copper pot stills
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Aston Martin Formula One Team Limited Edition Release No. 2
EAN no.: 5010327345079

Flavour profile

Fruity · Toffee · Marzipan · Sherry influence · Oak

Did you know?

The very first spirit ran from Glenfiddich's stills on Christmas Day 1887. William Grant had built the distillery with his children in little more than a year.

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Most Bruichladdich bottles tell you everything: which field the barley grew in, which casks the whisky slept in. This one keeps quiet. Behind the matte black glass sits whisky from casks filled before the distillery reopened in 2001, and only one man knows what went into the blend.

Expert description

Bruichladdich Black Art 11.1 24 year is an unpeated Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in casks that Bruichladdich keeps secret, bottled at 44.2% ABV.

This is the 11th edition of Black Art, released on 1 November 2023. The whisky was made from pre-2001 casks that have spent 24 years maturing on Islay. Barley and cask types are undisclosed, and the recipe is known only to Adam Hannett at Bruichladdich. That is close to provocative from a distillery that otherwise spells out every detail about barley, farms and casks. Hannett has a free hand, and the result cannot be repeated.

It is bottled without chill filtration and without added colouring, and it sits deep amber in the glass. The casks are not revealed, but the flavour speaks for itself: dried fruit, oak and spice dominate, and the sweetness is closer to fruit cake than anything pale and light. It is sold out at Bruichladdich itself, and the series is released just once a year.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and leather open, with a touch of citrus and then a fresh sea breeze. Next comes the sweet, floral side: poached pear, rosehip syrup, black cherry and ripe mango. With time in the glass, oak, honey and warm spice appear.

Palate

Dates, raisins and leather meet oak from the first sip. Then butterscotch, praline and a hint of coconut and fresh citrus. Halfway through it turns towards sweet apple and pear, toasted oak, dark plums and marzipan, and the spice spreads with every sip.

Finish

Long and rounded. Oak and dried fruit lead, followed by Christmas cake notes: sultanas, figs, marzipan and lingering honey.

Specifications

Name: Bruichladdich Black Art 11.1 24 year Islay
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 24 years
ABV: 44.2%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2023
Edition: Black Art 11.1
EAN no.: 5055807417778

Flavour profile

Unpeated · Dried fruit · Fruity · Spicy · Oak · Marzipan

Did you know?

Black Art was created by Jim McEwan, who retired in 2015. When Adam Hannett took over the series he was handed the recipe and, by his own account, put it aside. It had to be his own Black Art.

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Eighteen years is a long time to leave a cask to its own devices. Outside the warehouse walls Islay has changed, while the casks listened to the Atlantic and kept their own counsel. Not one of them has ever left the island.

Expert's Description

Port Charlotte 18 year 2026 Edition is a heavily peated Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in bourbon, sherry, Virgin Oak and red wine casks and bottled at 52.3%.

It's made from 100% Scottish mainland barley, peated to 40 PPM, and comes as a limited release of 8,000 bottles. Everything happened on Islay: distilled, matured and bottled at Bruichladdich. This is the third year running with an 18 year old Port Charlotte, and each edition has had its own cask recipe.

The starting point was three types of cask: 40% first fill bourbon, 15% second fill sherry and 15% Virgin Oak. Part of the sherry-matured spirit was then moved into first fill red wine casks from the Rhône for five years, followed by two years in second fill bourbon, and that makes up 20% of the blend. The last 10% spent its time in refill sherry and wine casks. Everything was then married together for bottling.

Adam Hannett at Bruichladdich wanted casks that could carry full, dark flavours without flattening the distillery's elegant style. The red wine casks add dark fruit and spice around the smoke, while the bourbon keeps things bright.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Tropical fruit arrives straight away, followed by gentle wood smoke and warm spices. Underneath sit honey and soft apricot.

Palate

The sweetness is thick and toffee-like, with tropical fruit running through it. Then it turns earthier: old leather, charred oak and roasted almonds, before the peat smoke steps forward.

Finish

The peat smoke lingers, with a hint of minerality from the maturation on Islay.

Specifications

Name: Port Charlotte 18 year 2026 Edition
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 18 year
ABV: 52.3%
Size: 70 cl
Cask type: 40% 1st fill bourbon, 15% 2nd fill sherry, 15% Virgin Oak, 20% finished in 1st fill red wine casks from the Rhône (5 years) and then 2nd fill bourbon (2 years), 10% 2nd fill sherry and wine casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 8,000
Edition: 2026 Edition

Flavour Profile

Heavily peated · Smoky · Tropical fruit · Toffee · Spicy

Did you know?

The red wine casks come from the Rhône. Adam Hannett picked them because wines from there have deep colour, firm tannins and the ability to age for decades.

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Red Syrah from an organic vineyard in the Northern Rhône, and peat smoke from Islay. On paper it sounds like a clash. Port Charlotte spent ten years teaching the two to get along, and they do it at 54.4% without anyone raising their voice.

Expert description

Port Charlotte SYC:01 10 year 2013 is a heavily peated Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in bourbon and Syrah casks and bottled at 54.4%.

It is the seventh release in Port Charlotte's Cask Exploration Series and the first where Syrah takes the lead. The spirit was distilled at Bruichladdich in 2013 from 100% Scottish barley, malted to 40 ppm. It started out in bourbon casks, 75% first fill and 25% second fill, which gave it vanilla and soft oak to build on.

Then it moved into first fill Syrah casks from an organic and biodynamic winery in the Northern Rhône. Four years there left red berries and spice sitting right on top of the peat. A final year in bourbon casks followed before bottling in 2024.

Non-chill filtered, with no added colour, and reduced with Islay spring water. Everything from barley to bottle happened on the island.

Tasting notes

Nose

Caramel and strawberry first, then red apples and apricot jam. The peat smoke sits just underneath, in no hurry at all.

Palate

Toasted oak and barbecue smoke. Fresh mango and brown sugar follow, with a bit of ginger to keep things awake.

Finish

Long and smoky. Brazil nuts, coconut and cocoa, and right at the end a hint of seaweed.

Specifications

Name: Port Charlotte SYC:01 10 year 2013 Islay Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 year
ABV: 54.4%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill and 2nd fill bourbon casks, then 1st fill Syrah casks, finally bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2013
Bottled: 2024
Edition: Cask Exploration Series SYC:01
EAN no.: 5055807418775

Flavour profile

Peated · Smoky · Berry fruit · Spicy · Wine cask

Did you know?

The name Port Charlotte comes from a distillery in the village of the same name, built in 1829 and closed in 1929. Bruichladdich revived the name for their heavily peated whisky, but the spirit is distilled at Bruichladdich, a few kilometres away.

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A cheeky chappy from 1930s Glasgow lives on in a glass. Citrus, caramel and exotic fruit dance through this light Lowland blend.

Expert description

The Epicurean is a Lowland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, assembled by the Scottish bottler Douglas Laing purely from malt whisky sourced from several Lowland distilleries and bottled at 46.2% ABV.

The concept behind The Epicurean tells the story of a fictional 1930s Glasgow man, a real cheeky chappy and true connoisseur who valued good company as much as good taste, a spirit reflected in the blend's accessible, charming style.

The whisky belongs to Douglas Laing's series of "Remarkable Regional Malts", each representing a Scottish region, and The Epicurean is the house's take on the best of the Lowlands.

Tasting notes

Nose

Barley-rich, citrus-fresh notes with a touch of florals and herbs.

Palate

Sweet sugar, burnt citrus peel, mixed spice and ripe peaches.

Finish

Medium, gently sweet and light, with a closing hint of honey.

Specifications

Name: The Epicurean
Bottler: Douglas Laing
Region/Country: Lowlands, Scotland
Type: Lowland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.2%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN: 5014218794540

Flavour profile

Citrus · Caramel · Exotic fruit

Did you know?

Douglas Laing named each of its "Remarkable Regional Malts" after a Scottish personality type, and The Epicurean represents precisely the connoisseur who loves fine food and drink.

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Somewhere between the vineyards of Andalusia and the Scottish Highlands, a Burgundy village sits on top of a maze of cold, damp tunnels cut into the rock. Sherry casks line the walls, and Scottish malt has been left down there to take its time.

Expert description

Michel Couvreur Overaged N.S. is a Blended Malt Whisky from Burgundy, matured in sherry casks and bottled at 52%.

The spirit was distilled in Scotland. Which distilleries supplied the malt is not stated anywhere, and that suits the house just fine. The label says only that it is a vatting of several very old whiskies, matured with sherry casks in the house's own cellars in Bouze-lès-Beaune. There is no age statement on the bottle, though retailers put the malt at somewhere between 12 and 27 years.

Michel Couvreur was a Belgian who came to Burgundy in the 1950s to work with wine. In 1978 he set up his whisky business in old cellars in Bouze-lès-Beaune. He died in 2013, and his apprentice Jean-Arnaud has carried the work on.

Couvreur's view was that oak, more than the spirit or the distiller, is what turns grain spirit into whisky. The house says as much on the box: whisky happens when a grain distillate slowly takes on the character of oak that has held great wines. Here, the wine is sherry.

N.S. on the box marks the stronger bottling at 52%, where the standard bottle in the range sits at 43%. The colour is natural.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried flowers and light tobacco come first, then prunes and dried cherries. Behind them sit Jerez-style sherry, rich almond and a hint of honey.

Palate

Fruity and powerful. Dark chocolate, Christmas cake and cinnamon, with orange blossom and a peppery edge at the end. If there is smoke, it is a whisper.

Finish

Long and warm. The sherry lingers, and the pepper stays on the tongue.

Specifications

Name: Michel Couvreur Overaged N.S. Blended Malt Whisky Burgundy
Bottler: Michel Couvreur
Region/Country: Burgundy, France
Type: Blended Malt Whisky
ABV: 52%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry casks
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 3760150950170

Flavour profile

Sherry-matured · Dried fruit · Spicy · Nutty · Powerful

Did you know?

The village is called Bouze-lès-Beaune, and on the box the house itself calls the name aptly chosen. Say Bouze out loud and booze is not far away.

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Walk up the track towards Ben Rinnes and you will find a distillery at the foot of the hill that has never minded borrowing timber from across the Atlantic. Billy Walker has made the cask the star of the show here, and this bottle shows it with just one barrel, picked for Denmark.

Expert's Description

GlenAllachie 12 year 2014 Single Cask Chinquapin Virgin Oak is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Chinquapin Virgin Oak cask and bottled at cask strength, 63.6%.

This is a Single Cask bottling from cask no. 802189, and the box states in bold type that it was specially selected for Denmark. The whisky was distilled on 14 July 2014 and bottled in August 2026 after 12 years. The cask yielded just 280 bottles, so supply is limited. In the glass the colour is a deep, rich mahogany.

Chinquapin is a North American oak that grows in the Ozarks of Missouri. Billy Walker first took an interest in the wood through conversations with Andrew Russel, who runs Speyside Cooperage, and GlenAllachie has since used it in several releases. A virgin oak cask has never held another spirit or wine, so it gives far more to the spirit than a refill cask does. Here that shows up as baking spices, mocha and a dry, herbal edge of fennel, while heather honey and vanilla keep the sweeter side in balance. At GlenAllachie, picking the cask is never an afterthought. It is the whole point of the place.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toasted aniseed, mocha and honeyed sweetness open things up, followed by orange zest, caramelised brown sugar and dried orchard fruits.

Palate

Baking spices, heather honey and mocha lead the way. Fennel, hazelnut and vanilla buttercream come through behind them.

Specifications

Name: GlenAllachie 12 year 2014 Single Cask Chinquapin Virgin Oak
Distillery: GlenAllachie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 63.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Chinquapin Virgin Oak cask, Single Cask no. 802189
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 14 July 2014
Bottled: August 2026
Number of bottles: 280
Edition: Single Cask selected for Denmark
EAN no.: 5060997780731

Flavour Profile

Spicy · Mocha · Honeyed · Nutty · Cask Strength

Investment Potential

Medium. A single cask of just 280 bottles, bottled specifically for the Danish market by a distillery now known for its cask experiments, makes for a bottle that will be hard to find again.

Did You Know?

GlenAllachie runs four stills and two separate spirit safes, one for each set. That is quite unusual, and it suits a distillery that has spent recent years doing things a little differently from its neighbours around Aberlour.

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Speyside usually talks in sweetness. Near Aberlour, a thread of campfire smoke has found its way into the conversation, and it hangs on behind the dark sherry fruit long after the first sip. Cask number 3916 spent eight quiet years in GlenAllachie's warehouses before it was picked out for Denmark.

Expert's Description

Meikle Tòir 8 year 2018 Single Cask Oloroso Sherry Hogshead is a peated Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in an Oloroso Sherry Hogshead and bottled at cask strength, 58.8%.

Meikle Tòir is GlenAllachie's peated brand, and the name is Gaelic for a big pursuit. The malt is peated to 44 PPM, with peat from St Fergus on the Scottish mainland, which the brand describes as rounded rather than coastal. The first Meikle Tòir Single Casks only appeared in 2025, so the series is still finding its feet. This one was distilled on 7 June 2018, spent all eight years in the same Oloroso Sherry Hogshead, cask no. 3916, and was bottled in August 2026. Just 364 bottles exist, selected specially for Denmark.

Oloroso is the dry, nutty style of sherry, and it shows. Dark chocolate, mocha and dried fruit sit alongside the smoke instead of being flattened by it. The colour is a deep chestnut, with no colouring added and no chill filtration, so what reaches the glass is close to what left the cask.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Smoked orchard fruit, think apples and pears hung a little too close to the fire. Dark chocolate and mocha follow, then orange zest, heather honey and finally campfire smoke.

Palate

Sandalwood, black cherries and campfire smoke arrive first. Ginger, dried fruit and mocha come after.

Finish

The smoke lingers with mocha, warm spice and dried fruit, and a touch of nuts at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Meikle Tòir 8 year 2018 Single Cask Oloroso Sherry Hogshead Speyside
Distillery: GlenAllachie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 58.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso Sherry Hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 7 June 2018
Bottled: August 2026
Number of bottles: 364
Edition: Single Cask selected specially for Denmark, cask no. 3916
EAN no.: 5060997780809

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry-Matured · Dark Chocolate · Spiced · Cask Strength

Did You Know?

GlenAllachie made its first peated spirit in 2018. This whisky was distilled on 7 June that year, which makes it part of the brand's earliest vintage.

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The smoke in this bottle doesn't come from Islay. It comes from peat cut at St Fergus on Scotland's north-east coast, softer and sweeter than the kind most people expect from a peated malt. Here Billy Walker's team has set it against brand new oak instead of Sherry, and that changes the conversation between smoke and cask completely.

Expert's Description

Meikle Tòir 7 year 2019 Single Cask Virgin Oak is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a virgin oak cask and bottled at cask strength, 61.9%.

It was distilled at GlenAllachie near Aberlour on 17 May 2019 and bottled in August 2026 after seven years in cask. Cask number 2716 yielded 288 bottles, and the label states that this release was selected specially for Denmark. Meikle Tòir is pronounced mee-kuhl tor and means big pursuit. It's the name for the peated side of GlenAllachie, a project Billy Walker started in 2018. The spirit is made from peated malt dried over mainland peat from St Fergus, and this one sits at 47 PPM. That's clear smoke, but nowhere near extreme.

The first single casks in the range were Sherry casks. This one starts from a different place: fresh oak that has held nothing before. Virgin oak gives up more wood and spice than a used cask, and you can read it in the label's notes of cinnamon, baking spices and sandalwood. The whisky is non-chill filtered with no added colour, so it keeps the golden mahogany shade the cask gave it.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Cinnamon, grilled honeycomb and poached orchard fruits lead the way. Baked orange, salted caramel and baking spices follow, with sandalwood and toasted hazelnuts underneath.

Palate

Roasted almonds, mocha and cinnamon buttercream open the palate. Then come toffee, poached orchard fruits and grilled honeycomb.

Specifications

Name: Meikle Tòir 7 year 2019 Single Cask Virgin Oak Speyside Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: GlenAllachie
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 7 years
ABV: 61.9%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Single Cask, virgin oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 17.05.2019
Bottled: August 2026
Number of bottles: 288
Edition: Specially selected for Denmark. Cask no. 2716
EAN no.: 5060997780793

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Spiced · Sweet · Nutty · Fruity

Did You Know?

GlenAllachie's peated production runs for only about six weeks a year and yields roughly 100,000 litres of alcohol. The rest of the year the distillery makes unpeated whisky.

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Apple orchards in Normandy, a river in Ireland, and a cask that has travelled between the two. In this bottle the Boyne Valley meets Pays d'Auge, and Irish whiskey picks up a soft, fruity polish from French apple brandy.

Expert description

The Whistler Calvados Cask Finish is an Irish Blended Whiskey finished in Calvados casks and bottled at 43%.

It comes from Boann Distillery in Drogheda, Co. Meath, a family-owned distillery in the Boyne Valley. The base is a blend of 35% Single Malt Whisky and 65% Grain Whisky, both matured for at least four years in ex-bourbon casks. The blend was then moved into ten-year-old French oak casks from Château du Breuil in Pays d'Auge, Normandy, where it rested for at least 15 months. The whiskey is triple distilled, non-chill filtered and carries no added colouring.

The cask does most of the talking. Apple and pear from the Calvados sit on top of the creamy vanilla left by the bourbon casks, and the malt keeps the whole thing from turning too sweet. The bottle belongs to The Whistler's Cask Finish Series, an annual limited release. It won Gold at the World Whiskies Awards 2020.

Tasting notes

Nose

Apple drops and fresh citrus zest up front, then creamy toffee. Further down come banana, apricot, melon and red raspberries.

Palate

Ripe peach leads, followed by pear and a bright citrus zest. The malt arrives from behind, with creamy vanilla underneath.

Finish

Long and creamy. Pear and citrus zest linger for a good while.

Specifications

Name: The Whistler Calvados Cask Finish
Distillery: Boann Distillery
Region/Country: Co. Meath, Ireland
Type: Irish Blended Whiskey
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks, finished in Calvados casks from Château du Breuil
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Triple distilled
Edition: Cask Finish Series
EAN no.: 5391528252145

Flavour profile

Fruity · Creamy · Calvados-finished · Soft · Fresh

Did you know?

The brand is named after Pat Cooney, who whistles his way through the day at the distillery. That is why the box says "Sit and whistle a while" above the name, and why the back carries little musical notes.

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Barley and rye both grow beneath the Lomond Hills in Fife. A young distillery between Kinglassie and Glenrothes uses the two together, and what ends up in the glass tastes of pepper, toasted wood and toffee rather than anything you'd expect from Scotland.

Expert's Description

Inchdairnie RyeLaw Vintage 2018 Appalachian Wood is a Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky made from malted rye and malted barley, matured in new charred oak casks and bottled at 46.3%.

RyeLaw is Inchdairnie's flagship. Vintage 2018 is the second release, following Vintage 2017, which made its debut in 2023. Each vintage gets its own oak origin. This one comes from the Appalachian forests of the eastern United States, which is what the Appalachian Wood variant on the label refers to. According to the distillery, the change made for a spicier and more complex whisky, with longer maturation than the first release.

The mash bill is 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley, both grown in Scotland. The label says the rye comes from a single farm and the barley is spring barley. The grain is hammer milled, mashed and fermented outdoors. Distillation is double, in pot stills, with the second run in a Lomond Hill still the distillery designed itself. Scotland has no rye whisky category, so RyeLaw is officially a Single Grain Scotch Whisky, even though rye is the main grain.

Maturation is a single stage: new charred oak casks in Fife, from 2018 until bottling in 2025. New charred oak brings vanilla, caramel and baking spice, plus a dry, tannic finish. That suits the pepper of the rye, and it's where this differs from a whisky matured in used casks. The bottling has no added colour and no chill filtration.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Wood and rye spice lead, with clear oak underneath. Vanilla custard and caramel sit on top, and with a little time orange peel and marzipan come through.

Palate

Peppery rye from the first sip, then drying oak. Behind the pepper there's ginger, clove and a layer of dark treacle.

Finish

Long and dry, with pepper and oak spice. Soft toffee notes settle in at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Inchdairnie RyeLaw Vintage 2018 Appalachian Wood Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Inchdairnie
Region/Country: Fife, Scotland
Type: Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: New charred oak casks from the Appalachian Mountains
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled in pot stills, second distillation in a Lomond Hill still
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2025
Edition: Vintage 2018 Appalachian Wood
EAN No.: 5060916320222

Flavour Profile

Peppery · Spiced · Oak · Toffee · Vanilla

Did You Know?

RyeLaw means hill of rye. The name comes from the Ryelaw farm close to the distillery.

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Most people picture rye in Kentucky or Pennsylvania. A young Fife distillery chose it for its very first release instead, mashed from malted rye, fermented outdoors and run through a Lomond Hill still.

Expert's Description

RyeLaw Vintage 2017 Ozark Wood is a Lowland Scottish Rye Whisky matured in new, charred oak casks from the Ozark Mountains and bottled at 46.3%.

This is the first release from InchDairnie in Fife. The label says Scottish Rye Whisky, while shops often file it as Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky. The reason is the mash bill: 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley, all made at a single distillery. Scotland has no legal definition of rye whisky, so it lands in the single grain category even though rye is what you taste.

The grain is hammer-milled, mashed through a mash filter instead of a traditional mash tun, fermented outdoors and distilled in a Lomond Hill still. The spirit dates from 2017 and came from just one week of production. It went into new, charred oak casks made from Ozark Mountain wood in the USA. New oak brings more vanilla and a firmer wood presence than refill casks, and here it works as a soft base under the rye's peppery spice. The origin of the oak changes from year to year, and the 2018 vintage, for instance, rests in oak from the Appalachians. The whisky was bottled in 2022, non-chill filtered and without added colour, and only 200 casks went into bottle for this inaugural release.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Rye spice leads, clear and upfront, with mellow oak resting on a layer of vanilla. The aroma is peppery and fragrant rather than sweet.

Palate

Pepper rolls in waves but is wrapped in a thick, oily mouthfeel. Sweet biscuit, cereal and dried fruit follow.

Finish

Sweet spice and ripe oak that linger.

Specifications

Name: RyeLaw Vintage 2017 Ozark Wood
Distillery: InchDairnie
Region/Country: Fife, Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Scottish Rye Whisky
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: New charred oak casks from the Ozark Mountains
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Distillation Method: Distilled in a Lomond Hill still
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2022
Edition: Vintage 2017, Ozark Wood
EAN: 5060916320000
No box included

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Peppery · Vanilla · Cereal · Dried fruit

Did You Know?

InchDairnie convinced the Scotch Whisky Association that rye had been used at some Scottish distilleries when Alfred Barnard toured them in 1886-87. That argument is what made it possible to call a Scottish rye whisky exactly that.

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This is not Islay, and it is not the Highlands either. At the foot of the Lomond Hills in Fife, a young distillery has fired up the peat, and the smoke settles over green Lowlands farmland like ash from a winter bonfire. The name is KinGlassie RAW. Smoke, no detours.

Expert description

KinGlassie 8 year RAW Edition is a Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46.3%.

It comes from InchDairnie, a Fife distillery founded by Ian Palmer, where the first new make ran from the stills on 21 December 2015. KinGlassie is named after the neighbouring village of Kinglassie and is the distillery's first single malt. RAW is also its first peated whisky, distilled in 2017 and bottled in 2025 as a limited edition.

The barley is grown in Fife and kilned over mainland Scottish peat to at least 50 ppm. The peated malt is only distilled for a short spell each winter, so the volume is limited right at the source.

All eight years were spent in ex-bourbon casks of American oak. No sherry, no finish. The bourbon wood brings vanilla and a little sweetness but leaves the smoke up front, where it belongs. It is non-chill filtered and carries no added colour.

RAW was released on 8 May 2025 alongside KinGlassie Double Matured, which spent five years in ex-bourbon casks followed by three years in first fill Amontillado sherry casks. They are the distillery's first ever single malt releases.

Tasting notes

Nose

Scorched heather and wet bonfire wood arrive first. Behind them sit chalk and flint, then slowly caramelised banana, lemon zest and toasted vanilla.

Palate

Ash smoke and black pepper, then smoked bacon and salted toffee that make it rounder than you expect. Green apple and ginger run alongside, and at the back you find sourdough crust, damp oak and a flash of citrus.

Finish

Dry and peppery. Spent coffee grounds and liquorice root linger.

Specifications

Name: KinGlassie 8 year RAW Edition Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: InchDairnie
Region/Country: Fife, Scotland
Type: Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 year
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2025
Edition: RAW Edition
EAN no.: 5060916320147

Flavour profile

Smoky · Peated · Malty sweet · Peppery · Citrus fresh

Did you know?

The distillery sits between two springs, Flowers of May and Goatmilk Hill. The hills behind it are the Lomond Hills, and InchDairnie is quick to point out that they have nothing to do with Loch Lomond.

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Once a year, when December closes in over Fife, somebody lights the peat. A few days of it, then it's over. The rest of the year Inchdairnie makes something quite different, but those days are where KinGlassie comes from.

Expert description

KinGlassie Double Matured 8 Year is a Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon and Amontillado casks and bottled at 46.3%.

It is Inchdairnie's first single malt. Ian Palmer founded the distillery, and the first spirit ran from the stills in December 2015. The name has mostly been tied to RyeLaw, the rye whisky, so a heavily peated single malt was not what most people expected. The bottle reached the market on 8 May 2025 alongside its sibling, KinGlassie Raw.

The barley is grown in Fife and peated to 50+ ppm with mainland peat from St Fergus in Aberdeenshire. The distillery runs this peated make only once a year, in December, for less than a week. The spirit is double distilled and double condensed, which gives it extra copper contact and strips out sulphur notes along the way. This bottle is from 2017.

The casks come in two acts. Five years in ex-bourbon American oak first, which gives vanilla and sweetness to build on. Then three years in Amontillado casks from Montilla, which add almonds, nuts and tobacco on top. The smoke doesn't disappear, it just gets company. The whisky is non-chill filtered and of natural colour. In 2026 it won Gold at the World Whiskies Awards.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sea spray and seaweed arrive first, then lemon, peach and a little smoky orange zest. Further down sit dried tobacco leaf and walnut.

Palate

Mineral and fresh, with peppery smoke building steadily. Strawberry and vanilla, ginger biscuits with pecan and a hint of leather.

Finish

Long and dry, with ash, peat smoke and a small bitterness at the end. Stewed fruit and ginger linger.

Specifications

Name: KinGlassie Double Matured 8 Year Fife Single Malt Whisky
Distillery: Inchdairnie
Region/Country: Fife, Scotland
Type: Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 8 years
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon casks and Amontillado casks
Peated malt: 50+ ppm
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled and double condensed
Distilled: 2017
Bottled: 2025
Edition: Double Matured
EAN no.: 5060916320185

Flavour profile

Smoky · Peated · Sherry-matured · Nutty · Fruity · Maritime

Did you know?

KinGlassie is also the name of a small village close to the distillery in Fife. The name comes from the Irish Saint Glaisne and roughly means church by the burn.

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Laphroaig sits right at the water's edge on Islay's south coast, where the seaweed smells of iodine and peat smoke settles into your coat. They've been making whisky here since 1815, and it has never once apologised for itself. For this bottle, though, they've left the door open a crack for something softer. Sherry.

Expert's Description

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Sherry Oak Cask Finish is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks, finished in European oak Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 48%.

The starting point is the classic Laphroaig 10 Year Old. After the bourbon casks, the whisky moves into hand-picked sherry casks and rests there for twelve to eighteen months. It arrived in 2021 as a permanent addition to the Laphroaig range, and the distillery calls it "the sweet one". That's relative, because the smoke is still very much there.

The spirit is the same as ever. Peated malt, part of it still malted on the distillery's own floors, then double distilled. The sherry casks add honey and fruit on top, but they don't take over. Laphroaig picks the casks to suit the peat, not the other way round. The result is full-bodied and round, with maple syrup and bacon sitting next to pine needles and sea salt.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet and smoky in the same breath. Manuka honey, grilled bacon and maple syrup come first, then tar and pine needles. Further back there's dark chocolate, cedar wood and a whiff of iodine.

Palate

Round and full. Dark chocolate, honey and vanilla meet a peat fire and toasted wood, with salt spray running underneath it all. The iodine stays in the background, a reminder of where the bottle comes from.

Finish

Long, sweet and spicy. Chestnut honey lingers well after the sip, and the smoke retreats slowly with a faint medicinal edge.

Specifications

Name: Laphroaig 10 Year Sherry Oak Cask Finish
Distillery: Laphroaig
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks, finished in European oak Oloroso sherry casks
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: Sherry Oak Cask Finish
EAN no.: 5010019000545

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry-matured · Honeyed · Maritime · Spicy

Did You Know?

The box tells you how to say the name itself: La-Froyg. There's good reason, as hardly anyone gets it right on the first try. The company behind it is still called D. Johnston & Co., after the Johnston brothers who founded the distillery.

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Down the side of the box, in small slanting handwriting, it says "The powerful one". The rest of the bottle backs that up in fewer words: 58.3%, no water added, no chill filtration. Batch 017 was bottled in November 2023, and what lands in your glass is what came out of the casks, apart from a filter that catches flecks of charred wood. The smoke is blue, the seaweed is in your nose, and a thick sweetness runs underneath it all.

Expert's Description

Laphroaig 10 year Cask Strength Batch 017 is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured for ten years in charred oak casks and bottled at cask strength, 58.3%.

This is the distillery's original Cask Strength, and every batch stands on its own. Laphroaig doesn't blend one batch to match the last. The casks decide, and once they're emptied they're gone. Batch 017 went into bottle in November 2023. It's made from peated malt and nutty barley, with the peat smoke Laphroaig itself calls blue.

The only thing done to the liquid is barrier filtration straight from the cask, which takes out char particles from the burnt oak. It is non-chill filtered, and the strength has not been reduced. The charred casks add vanilla, nuts and toasted oak to the peat, while ten years on Islay bring the salt and the sea.

The distillery itself drinks it with a splash of water. The whisky goes slightly hazy, and the aroma and sweetness open up without flattening your palate.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet, lively and smoky with a flick of citrus. Candied apple slices, crème brûlée and sugary pastry, with iodine and peat fire behind them.

Palate

Sweet fruit first: stewed apple, vanilla cream and pears in syrup. Then salt, peat and crisp seaweed. Clove and cardamom arrive last, leaving a trace of liquorice behind.

Finish

Very long. Black pepper, old leather and a sweet, grassy smoke that slowly turns to tarry peat.

Specifications

Name: Laphroaig 10 year Cask Strength Batch 017
Distillery: Laphroaig
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 58.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Charred oak casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Bottled: November 2023
Edition: Batch 017
EAN no.: 5010019000828

Flavour Profile

Peaty · Smoky · Spicy · Maritime · Sweet

Did You Know?

Laphroaig is pronounced roughly "la-froyg", and the distillery prints that on the box itself, so nobody has to guess at the bar. It's more useful than it sounds, because the spelling trips up almost everyone.

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Hawick was making tweed and cashmere long before anyone thought about whisky. In 1837 the last distillery in the Borders shut its doors, and for almost two centuries the valleys stayed quiet. Then somebody lit the copper again, in an old Victorian building in the middle of town.

Expert description

The Borders First Release 8 year is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in 1st fill Bourbon casks, finished in Malmsey Madeira casks and bottled at 46%.

It is the first single malt from The Borders Distillery and the first whisky distilled in the Scottish Borders since 1837. Distilling began in 2018, so the eight years in the bottle cover almost the distillery's whole life. The release arrived in September 2026 and is limited to 10,000 bottles worldwide.

The barley comes from farms in the Borders, and the water is drawn from beneath the building itself. Fermentation runs for 72 hours, and the four copper stills are set up so the vapour meets as much copper as possible. That gives the light, fruity style the distillery has aimed for from the start.

The casks do the rest. 1st fill Bourbon casks are the foundation, adding caramel, vanilla, honey and a soft, rounded sweetness. A final spell in Madeira casks brings sultanas, warmth and extra depth.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey and vanilla lead, with a soft, rounded sweetness behind them that recalls caramel.

Palate

Rich sultanas meet bright citrus and sweet caramel. The sweetness is round rather than sticky, with fresh orchard fruit from the Madeira casks.

Finish

Warm and lingering, with hazelnut and buttery macadamia at the end.

Specifications

Name: The Borders First Release 8 year Lowland Single Malt Whisky 46%
Distillery: The Borders Distillery
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Whisky
Age: 8 year
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill Bourbon casks, finished in Malmsey Madeira casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2018
Number of bottles: 10,000
Edition: First Release
EAN no.: 5060395400460

Flavour profile

Fruity · Sweet · Madeira-finished · Soft · Nutty

Investment potential

Medium. It is the first single malt from the Borders in 189 years, in an edition of 10,000 bottles, and first releases from new distilleries tend to attract collectors.

Did you know?

Hawick was once one of the richest towns in Britain, built on textiles. The distillery sits in a restored Victorian building that used to house the town's power station.

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Glen Moray has been making whisky in Elgin since 1897. This Speyside starts out in American oak and ends its days in Spanish sherry casks, where dried fruit, nuts and warm spice move in.

Expert description

Glen Moray Sherry Cask Finish is a Speyside Single Malt Whisky matured in American oak casks, finished in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez and bottled at 40%.

Oloroso is the dark, dry style of sherry, and that is what the casks held before. The whisky gets its main maturation in American oak, which brings the vanilla. At the end it is moved into the sherry casks, which add dried fruit, nuts and dark chocolate. The result is a Single Malt Whisky where the sweetness of the oak is still there, but the sherry sits clearly up front. There is no age statement on the bottle.

The distillery is owned by La Martiniquaise, and this is an original bottling from Glen Moray itself.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit, cinnamon and toffee come first in the glass, with a soft vanilla note behind them.

Palate

Vanilla-tinged oak meets dark chocolate and nuts, and gradually warm spice unfolds across the tongue.

Finish

Long and spicy, with a faint tingle on the tongue.

Specifications

Name: Glen Moray Sherry Cask Finish
Distillery: Glen Moray
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez after maturation in American oak casks
EAN no.: 05060116321548

Flavour profile

Sherry-finished · Fruity · Spicy · Smooth

Did you know?

Glen Moray was not built as a distillery. The site in Elgin started out as a brewery, and whisky arrived in 1897.

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Port Askaig is where Islay starts for most people. The ferry from the mainland pulls into the small harbour on the east coast, and from here visitors fan out to the island's distilleries. The label says Gateway to Islay. Inside the bottle, thirteen years in a single Pedro Ximénez sherry butt, where dark, sticky sweetness has sat right up against the peat smoke.

Expert's Description

Port Askaig 13 year Juul's 100th Anniversary is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Pedro Ximénez sherry butt and bottled at 57%.

It was bottled for Juul's Vin og Spiritus to mark the shop's 100th anniversary, 1926-2026, by Elixir Distillers. The whisky was distilled on 14 March 2013 and has matured for thirteen years. Only 337 bottles were made. It is non-chill filtered and has no added colouring.

Port Askaig is a brand, not a distillery. Elixir Distillers of London has owned it since 2009 and picks its own parcels of Islay malt to bottle under the name. They don't say which distillery is behind the whisky, and that goes for this one too. The name comes from the village of Port Askaig, the island's ferry port.

The cask does most of the work. PX stands for Pedro Ximénez, a grape that is dried in the sun and turned into a very sweet, dark sherry. A butt is a large sherry cask of around 500 litres. According to the back label, the cask builds layer on layer of dried fruit and chocolate, set against clean, salty peat smoke and lemon peel.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peat smoke and dark chocolate come first. Then raisins, dates and treacle, a little soot and orange peel, and right at the bottom something close to leather.

Palate

Dark sherry fruit and caramel open, then the smoke takes over, heavy and dense. Figs and toffee, followed by black pepper, ginger and clove, and a touch of salt.

Finish

Long. Peat smoke, dark chocolate and dried fruit hang on, the spice arrives late, and in the end it's the salt from the coast that remains.

Specifications

Name: Port Askaig 13 year Juul's 100th Anniversary
Bottler: Elixir Distillers
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 year
ABV: 57%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: PX Sherry Butt
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 14.03.2013
Number of bottles: 337
Edition: Juul's 100th Anniversary
EAN no.: 5061035824332

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Sherry-matured · Dried fruit · Dark chocolate · Salty

Did You Know?

Juul's Vin og Spiritus opened on 29 October 1926 under the name S. Juul Vinhandel og Bodega. Throughout 2026 they are celebrating with special Single Casks, tastings and anniversary releases, and this bottle is part of the celebration.

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A blackcock perched on a Highland crag, peat smoke drifting low across the heather. The Famous Grouse made its name on a soft, round blend, but in Smoky Black the blender has put peat on the table. Not at full force, more like the warmth of a woodfire in a room that still has space for sweetness.

Expert description

The Famous Grouse Smoky Black is a Blended Scotch Whisky made with peated malt from Islay and Highland, bottled at 40%. It belongs to the Blender's Editions series, where the house Master Blender puts together a new selection of malt and grain whisky each time.

According to the label, Smoky Black rests on a secret blend of Islay malts and rare peated malts from Highland. The producer singles out peated Glenturret, which it describes as Scotland's oldest working distillery. The grain whisky gives the blend its soft, sweet base, and the peated malts add the smoke on top without taking over. The colour is adjusted with caramel.

Smoky Black arrived in 2015 as the successor to The Black Grouse. It has not been discontinued, and it suits anyone who wants smoke in the glass without starting with a Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Whisky.

Tasting notes

Nose

Round and aromatic, with soft smoke up front. A rich, warm sweetness sits behind it.

Palate

Dried fruit and spices, aniseed and cloves in particular, with the smoke as an even base. The body is soft, and the smoke never pushes.

Finish

Long and sweet, with the smoke lingering at the end.

Specifications

Name: The Famous Grouse Smoky Black
Bottler: Matthew Gloag & Son Limited
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
ABV: 40%
Size: 100 CL
Natural colour: No
Edition: Blender's Edition
EAN no.: 5010314302511

Flavour profile

Smoky · Peated · Soft · Dried fruit · Spiced

Did you know?

The black grouse on the label is a leftover from the name change. Before 2015 the bottle was called The Black Grouse, and when it got a new name and a new design, the bird stayed.

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There is almost always wind down at the southern end of Arran. Two fields at Bellevue Farm grow the barley, Lochranza in the north makes the spirit, and between them lies an island that went more than 150 years without a legal distillery. Now batch two has arrived, and this time it runs on a different barley variety.

Expert description

Arran Barley 10 year Batch 002 is an Island Single Malt Whisky matured in first fill bourbon casks and bottled at 50% ABV.

The whisky was distilled and matured at Lochranza on the Isle of Arran by Isle of Arran Distillers, and bottled in 2026. The barley is Concerto, grown at Bellevue Farm by the Currie family, who have worked the land for six generations. Arran normally buys its barley as malt from maltings on the Scottish mainland and mills it on site in Lochranza.

Batch 001 used the Optic variety and was matured in a mix of first fill bourbon and sherry casks. Batch 002 spent its whole life in first fill bourbon casks, and you can taste it: more vanilla and biscuity spice, less sherry.

18,000 bottles were filled. It is a recurring release, with a new batch each year, and every edition shifts with the harvest, the barley variety, the casks and the volume. The whisky is non-chill filtered and has no added colour.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh herbs and light citrus come first, followed by soft vanilla sweetness and a touch of aniseed.

Palate

Ginger biscuits and vanilla with citrus on top. The texture is thick and slightly oily, and it pulls the fruit further across the tongue.

Finish

Rich and warming, with a little aniseed and sweet spice.

Specifications

Name: Arran Barley 10 year Batch 002
Distillery: Arran
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Island Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 year
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Number of bottles: 18,000
Edition: Arran Barley Batch 002 Limited Edition
EAN no.: 5037377000666

Flavour profile

Fresh · Citrusy · Spicy · Vanilla · Oily

Did you know?

The label carries two sets of coordinates: 55.7030° N, 5.2907° W for Lochranza and 55.4995° N, 5.3188° W for the field at Bellevue Farm. About 20 kilometres separate them, and that is the whole distance from barley field to distillery.

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A stout spent nine months in three whisky casks. Then the casks went back to the distillery, and the whisky moved in behind it. What comes out at the other end tastes of chocolate, roasted coffee and a bite of mocha.

Expert description

Thornæs When in Stout is a Danish Single Malt Whisky from North Zealand, matured in Ex-Bourbon casks, finished in Stout Ale casks and bottled at 49%.

The idea came from a collaboration. Bryggeriet Kølster aged its own Stout Ale for nine months in three of the distillery's whisky casks, then handed them back. Thornæs wanted to use those casks to make a whisky that carries some of the stout's dark, full-bodied character.

The whisky is made from Danish organic barley malt, the malt type Evergreen Pale Ale. It begins in 125-litre Ex-Bourbon casks, which lend vanilla and sweetness. After that it moves into casks that previously held Stout Ale from Bryggeriet Kølster, and this is where the coffee and chocolate enter.

When in Stout belongs to the Crossroads series, where Thornæs combines lessons from earlier releases with new finds in the warehouse. A total of 482 bottles were made. The whisky may contain sediment from the stout maturation.

Thornæs is an organic distillery in Kagerup in North Zealand, founded in 2018. The groundwater comes from the area around Gribskov.

Tasting notes

Nose

Caramel and candied sugar. Soft and sweet at first, until something darker starts to show.

Palate

Dried fruit and vanilla up front, then chocolate and roasted coffee, which is the clearest mark left by the stout casks.

Finish

Sweet spices, more chocolate and a bite of mocha.

Specifications

Name: Thornæs When in Stout
Distillery: Thornæs
Region/Country: North Zealand, Denmark
Type: Danish Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 49%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon casks of 125 litres, finished in Stout Ale casks
Number of bottles: 482
Edition: Crossroads

Flavour profile

Chocolate · Roasted coffee · Dried fruit · Vanilla · Sweet spices · Caramel

Did you know?

The distillery began with a goal rather than a business plan: founder Torben Thornæs wanted to taste his own 12-year-old whisky before turning 60. He made that decision late in 2017, and Thornæs was founded the year after.

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Turquoise, yellow and a pineapple on the label. Underneath sits a Scottish blend that has been packed off on holiday with mango and pineapple for company. It is for people who would rather have ice cubes and sunshine than a heavy dram by the fire.

Expert description

Grant's Tropical Fiesta is a Blended Scotch Whisky Spirit Drink flavoured with natural mango and pineapple and bottled at 30%.

The base is Blended Scotch Whisky from William Grant & Sons, blended and bottled in Scotland and then infused with natural mango and pineapple flavourings. At 30% it falls below the 40% minimum for Scotch whisky, which is why the label says Spirit Drink rather than plain whisky. Think of it as a mixer's bottle, not a cousin to a Single Malt Whisky.

Tropical Fiesta is one of Grant's fruit-flavoured expressions, built for easy summer drinking. The producer's own serve is a highball: 5 cl over ice, topped up with lemonade or soda and finished with a chunk of fresh pineapple. The whisky is still in there, just standing a little further back.

Grant's has been family-owned since 1887, and the bottle still carries the family crest and the motto Stand Fast.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh and slightly zesty, full of tropical fruit. Ripe mango and pineapple lead the way.

Palate

Soft and mellow. Juicy fruit arrives first, sweet pineapple and mango, with the whisky keeping quietly out of the way underneath.

Finish

The fruit lingers for a while, then a faint touch of malt closes it off.

Specifications

Name: Grant's Tropical Fiesta Blended Scotch Whisky Spirit Drink
Distillery: William Grant & Sons
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky Spirit Drink
ABV: 30%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 5010327253916
Serving suggestion: 5 cl over ice in a highball glass, topped up with 15 cl lemonade or soda and garnished with a chunk of fresh pineapple

Flavour profile

Fruity · Tropical · Mango · Pineapple · Soft · Light

Did you know?

Hold the bottle up to the light and you can make out the Grant's crest and the words Stand Fast moulded into the glass itself, just below the label.

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