There's a quiet stubbornness to Denmark's west coast – wind, rye and salt air, and a small distillery that decided twenty years ago to make Danish whisky without asking anyone's permission first. This miniature gift set is the fastest way to understand why Stauning still gets talked about in that company.

The Expert's Description

Stauning Miniature Gift Set Høst R.Y.E. RØG is a tasting set with three Danish whiskies from Stauning Whisky in West Jutland, each bottled in 5 cl miniatures.

Stauning was founded in 2005 by nine friends with no whisky-making experience whatsoever, but plenty of stubbornness. Since then it's grown into Denmark's best-known whisky distillery, still the only one in the country to floor-malt its own rye and barley and distil on traditional copper pot stills built in the Scottish tradition. The grain is grown locally within a bicycle-ride of the distillery by Ringkøbing Fjord, and every step, from field to bottle, happens under one roof.

The three whiskies in this box each show a different side of Stauning. Høst is the house's soft and approachable double malt, R.Y.E. is the distillery's signature product and the very foundation of the range, and RØG is the newest addition to the core lineup – a smoked double malt that brings peat and heather into the glass. Together they make for a quick, hands-on introduction to what Danish whisky can be.

Tasting Notes

Høst

Soft and fruity, with ripe peach, caramel and dark berries, rounded off by a touch of port wine and light floral notes from maturation in American oak with port casks.

R.Y.E.

Spiced and full-bodied, with freshly baked rye bread, dark fruit and toasted oak, unfolding into a long, sweetish finish from ageing in new American oak.

RØG

Smoky and earthy, where peat and heather sit over dried fruit and dark chocolate, carried by the malted rye that gives the whisky its depth.

Specifications

Name: Stauning Miniature Gift Set Høst R.Y.E. RØG
Distillery: Stauning Whisky
Region/Country: West Jutland, Denmark
Type: Danish Whisky Tasting Set
Contents: Stauning Høst Double Malt Whisky 40.5%
Stauning R.Y.E. Rye Whisky 48%
Stauning RØG Smoked Double Malt Whisky 43%
Size: 3x5 CL
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5744002861836

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Spiced · Smoky · Grain-forward · Versatile

Did You Know?

RØG is the newest addition to Stauning's permanent range and is often called a smoky twist on Høst – the two whiskies share their malt base, but RØG is brewed with peat- and heather-smoked malt from West Jutland's own landscape.

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In Ireland's Boyne Valley, a stone's throw from the 5,000-year-old Newgrange monument, sits a distillery that insists on doing things the hard way. Boann is a family project through and through – not a factory, but a place where the grain is still Irish, the water is their own, and every bottle carries the name of a river rather than a brand.

The Expert's Description

Boann Legacy Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey is an Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey matured across seven different cask types and bottled at 40%.

The whiskey is built on a complex mash bill of malted and unmalted barley, with oats and rye added in – the kind of mixed grain recipe that once defined Irish Pot Still whiskey, before the style nearly vanished during the 20th century. Boann Distillery is one of the first in over 50 years to properly revive that tradition. The spirit is triple distilled in copper stills built specifically for the distillery, before being split across seven cask types: Bourbon, Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, Palo Cortado, Amontillado, Moscatel and French oak, sourced from some of the world's finest wine and cooperage regions.

Behind the bottle stands the Cooney family, who spent more than 50 years in the Irish drinks trade before building their own distillery from scratch in 2015. Legacy is named for exactly that – an inheritance, both the distillery's own and that of Irish whiskey as a whole, gathered into one bottle where seven casks meet and become something new.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toffee apple and classic sherry warmth meet ripe orchard fruit, with a playful hint of sweet cola gummies sitting underneath.

Palate

Silky and easy from the first sip. Honey and caramel form the soft core, lifted by a light floral note and a fresh squeeze of citrus, while candied ginger and Pot Still spice arrive late without ever disturbing the easy-drinking charm.

Finish

Medium in length, warm and gently spiced, with a lingering sweetness and a quiet dusting of Pot Still pepper on the way out.

Specifications

Name: Boann Legacy Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
Distillery: Boann Distillery
Region/Country: Boyne Valley, County Meath, Ireland
Type: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Seven cask types – Bourbon, Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez, Palo Cortado, Amontillado, Moscatel and French oak
Distillation method: Triple distilled
EAN no.: 5391528256297

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced · Round · Sweet

Did You Know?

Boann's copper stills are custom-built with nano-technology in the neck and lyne arm, giving the spirit up to six times more copper contact than a standard still – a detail the distillery uses to fine-tune the purity of its own house style of Pot Still whiskey.

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The Sleat peninsula on Skye has held only one whisky distillery at a time for nearly 200 years – first Talisker, and since 2017, Torabhaig too. Here, where the sea batters the cliffs and peat runs deep in the ground, a whisky is made with roots firmly planted in the island's rough character. This bottle isn't just another vintage: it was made to mark 30 years of Mac Y as one of Denmark's most dedicated spirits importers.

Expert's Description

Torabhaig Signature Reserve Mac Y 30th Anniversary Single Cask is a Skye Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a first-fill American oak bourbon cask combined with a first-fill European oak hogshead, bottled at 55%. It's one of the very first single cask releases Torabhaig has ever put out, created specifically to mark Mac Y's 30th anniversary in 2026.

At the heart of this bottle sits that European oak hogshead: heavily toasted and hand-built by Spanish master cooper Juan Pino. The cask was seasoned with Oloroso sherry for 24 months before it received Torabhaig's characteristic peated new-make spirit. The whisky was distilled in 2020 and has now, in the anniversary year itself, found its way into the bottle.

The malt behind this whisky is peated to over 100 ppm – an unusually heavy smoke level, even for an island whisky. That intense peat is carefully balanced against the bourbon cask's spiced sweetness and soft vanilla notes, which in turn play off the sherry cask's dried fruit and bright acidity. The result is a whisky with real depth: smoky, yet refined, powerful, yet elegant.

Tasting Notes

Nose

A bold, classic island character greets the nose first: maritime smoke, sea salt and tar sit heavy and unmistakable. The smoke runs deep, yet stays remarkably well balanced from the very first sniff.

Palate

Intense and full-bodied on the tongue. Charred cask and a rich, almost barbecue-like sweetness open things up, spiced by the toasted oak. Right in the middle, a surprising, fresh streak of mint and lime cuts through.

Finish

Long and pleasant. As the heavy smoke slowly lifts, the palate is left with delicate notes of ash and a deep sweetness from dried fruit – a beautifully balanced close.

Specifications

Name: Torabhaig Signature Reserve Mac Y 30th Anniversary Single Cask Single Malt Whisky Skye
Distillery: Torabhaig
Bottler: Mac Y
Region/Country: Skye, Scotland
Type: Skye Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 55%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: First-fill American oak bourbon cask combined with a first-fill European oak hogshead seasoned with Oloroso sherry
Distilled: 2020
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Signature Reserve – Mac Y 30th Anniversary

Flavour Profile

Peated · Maritime · Sherry-matured · Spiced · Powerful

Investment Potential

High. This is one of Torabhaig's very first single cask releases, tied to a uniquely hand-built cask from a renowned Spanish cooper and to Mac Y's landmark anniversary. Torabhaig has established itself in just a few years as one of the most talked-about new island distilleries, and early single cask releases like this one tend to become highly sought-after among collectors.

Did You Know?

Torabhaig is only the second licensed distillery ever built on Skye – the first since Talisker opened its doors in 1830, nearly 190 years earlier.

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Where the Clyde bends past old shipyards just outside Glasgow sits one of the Lowlands' last surviving distilleries. Auchentoshan does something almost no other Scottish distillery bothers with: they distill three times instead of two, and locals have long called the result their "breakfast whisky" – that's how light and gentle it is.

The Expert's Description

Auchentoshan 12 Years is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 40%.

The distillery sits at the foot of the Kilpatrick Hills just outside Glasgow and has been making whisky since 1823. What sets Auchentoshan apart is its triple distillation – a method historically found almost nowhere else in Scotland outside the Lowlands, and more commonly associated with Ireland. The spirit runs through three copper stills instead of the usual two, producing a lighter, cleaner distillate that then matures in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks for at least 12 years. The name Auchentoshan comes from the Gaelic Achadh an Oisein, "corner of the field", and the distillery also goes by the nickname Glasgow's Malt Whisky, thanks to its closeness to the city.

The distillery is now owned by Suntory Global Spirits, who took it over in 1994 through Morrison Bowmore Distillers. During the Second World War, one of Auchentoshan's warehouses was hit by a German bomb, and production stood still for several years before resuming in 1948. The soft, lightly sweet character that still defines the whisky today has made it a natural first stop for anyone new to single malt.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Toasted almonds and a lightly caramelised sweetness meet fresh citrus notes and a touch of honey.

Palate

Soft and rounded, with vanilla, mild caramel and a hint of nuttiness balanced by a light citrus tartness.

Finish

Short to medium, warm and gently spiced, with a lingering nutty sweetness and a touch of ginger.

Specifications

Name: Auchentoshan 12 Years
Distillery: Auchentoshan
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Bourbon and Sherry Casks
Distillation method: Triple Distilled
EAN no.: 5010496001769

Flavour Profile

Soft · Nutty · Lightly Sweet · Creamy · Delicate

Did You Know?

During a German bombing raid in 1941, one of Auchentoshan's warehouses was completely destroyed. The crater left by the bomb was later dug out into a pond that still sits on the distillery grounds today.

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Bouze-lès-Beaune sits deep in Burgundy, a long way from Scotland's peat smoke and the sun-baked bodegas of Jerez – and yet both worlds meet right here, in the cellar Michel Couvreur dug beneath the hillside. The whisky crosses the Channel young and peaty, and only really becomes itself after years spent in the dark alongside casks shipped up from Andalusia.

The Expert's Description

Michel Couvreur Candid is a French Blended Malt Whisky, distilled at undisclosed Scottish distilleries and matured in sherry half-casks in Burgundy, bottled at 49%.

Candid carries the subtitle "The New Disclosure Expression" – a reworking of the house's earlier Disclosure bottling. The spirit arrives in France as a peaty, iodine-driven malt whisky and is then laid down exclusively in half-casks that previously held Pedro Ximénez Sherry. Part of the maturation happens in the driest section of the cellar, and the rest is moved to the humid part, where the air is denser and ageing slows down. That's the whole point of Michel Couvreur's method: the cask does most of the work, not the distillate.

The house was founded by Belgian-born Michel Couvreur, who originally traded Burgundy wine before he began, in the 1970s, bringing Scotch malt whisky home and letting it mature further in his own wine cellars. Since his death in 2013, the tradition has been carried on by his son-in-law Cyril Deschamps and cellar master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen, who still travels to Jerez for the best used sherry casks and drives them back to Burgundy himself.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dried fruit and a touch of iodine meet toasted almonds and a whisper of smoke, with a sweet, almost cake-like depth from the sherry casks.

Palate

Round and full-bodied, with raisins, a light buttery sweetness and an underlying peatiness that keeps it grounded.

Finish

Long and spiced, with a dry Sherry character and a lingering, mineral smokiness.

Specifications

Name: Michel Couvreur Candid
Bottler: Michel Couvreur
Region/Country: Scotland (distilled) / Burgundy, France (matured and bottled)
Type: French Blended Malt Whisky
ABV: 49%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Sherry half-casks
Edition: The New Disclosure Expression

Flavour Profile

Peated · Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced · Rich

Did You Know?

Michel Couvreur never used brand-new casks. He sourced used sherry casks himself in Jerez and drove them back to Burgundy personally, so they arrived as fresh as possible – a practice still carried on today by cellar master Jean-Arnaud Frantzen.

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Linkwood sits a little apart on the edge of Elgin, where the distillery's two stillhouses have quietly built a reputation as one of Speyside's most sought-after – and least seen – malts. Most of what comes off Linkwood's stills ends up in Johnnie Walker and White Horse, never under its own name. When a single cask does make it into a bottle, it's almost always an independent bottler who found it.

The Expert's Description

Linkwood 2012 Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel and bottled at cask strength, 59%.

Among whisky people, Linkwood is often called a "top dressing" malt – the kind of spirit blenders keep back to add an extra layer of finish and lift to their blends. Because Diageo, who own the distillery, so rarely release Linkwood as a single malt, it's the independent bottlers who have kept the name alive among enthusiasts. Signatory Vintage sourced this cask from the 2012 vintage and let it mature for ten years before drawing it straight from the cask in 2023, without colouring or chill filtration.

The cask is a 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel, meaning it held no other whisky before Linkwood – giving a cleaner, more direct read of both the grain and the wood than a refill cask would. At 59% there's plenty of power in the glass, and it's up to the drinker to find the balance with a little water.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Freshly cut hay and green apples meet a creamy vanilla note from the cask, with a hint of honey and a touch of grain underneath.

Palate

Delicate malted barley and ripe pear, carried by soft vanilla and a peppery warmth that makes the cask strength obvious.

Finish

Long, dry and lightly spiced, with a lingering note of citrus peel and good oak that stays with you.

Specifications

Name: Linkwood 2012 Signatory Vintage Cask Strength Collection
Distillery: Linkwood
Bottler: Signatory Vintage
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 Years
ABV: 59%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Distilled: 2012
Bottled: 2023
Number of Bottles: 143
Edition: Cask Strength Collection

Flavour Profile

Cask Strength · Vanilla · Malty · Fresh · Spiced

Investment Potential

Medium. Linkwood is one of the most sought-after "top dressing" malts among blenders, yet it rarely reaches the market as a single cask under its own name. With only 143 bottles from this specific cask, drawn at cask strength by a respected bottler like Signatory Vintage, it holds real appeal for collectors chasing closed and under-exposed Speyside distilleries.

Did You Know?

After Linkwood reopened in 1945, it was run for years by the Gaelic-speaking distiller Roderick Mackenzie, who was so convinced that even the cobwebs in the stillhouse affected the character of the spirit that he refused to let anyone touch them.

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Where sherry casks give Kavalan darkness and body, the bourbon casks reveal a brighter, more direct side of the distillery.

Expert Description

Kavalan Bourbon Oak Matured is a Single Malt Whisky from Taiwan, bottled at 46%.

The whisky is matured exclusively in American bourbon casks from Kavalan Distillery in Yilan county. This cask type typically gives lighter colours and a more pronounced vanilla and coconut character than sherry casks, showing a different facet of the distillery's style.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Vanilla, coconut and ripe tropical fruit.

Palate

Sweet and round with caramel and light honey.

Finish

Medium length and warm.

Specifications

Name: Kavalan Bourbon Oak Matured
Distillery: Kavalan
Region/Country: Yilan, Taiwan
Type: Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
EAN no.: 4710085218752

Flavour Profile

Sweet · Round · Tropical · Warm

Did You Know?

American bourbon casks, under US law, can only be used once for bourbon production, making them widely available and popular for maturing whisky worldwide, including at Kavalan.

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There was a time when almost every American home bar had a bottle like this one standing out in the open, not tucked away, ready to pour straight from the neck thanks to its built-in spout. Seagram's Seven Crown was the everyday whiskey people reached for without thinking twice, and this oversized bottle was practically the symbol of that habit.

The Expert's Description

Seagram's Seven Crown is an American Blended Whiskey bottled at 40%, here in the large 1.75 litre format with a carrying handle and built-in pourer, a bottle that was as much a piece of bar furniture as it was a whiskey.

Seven Crown was created by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and grew into one of the best-selling whiskey brands in American history, with sales peaking at around 32 million cases a year in the early 1970s. It is a blended whiskey, combining a smaller share of straight whiskey with neutral grain spirit, a style built for easy, uncomplicated drinking rather than sipping complexity. The label still carries the old crest with the crown and the line "Distillers since 1857", a nod to the Seagram name's Canadian origins, long before the brand became an American household fixture.

Bottles like this one were sold by the millions for home use and bar service in the decades after the Second World War, and the handle-and-pourer format was built specifically for pouring straight from the bottle without any fuss. Today it is the kind of bottle collectors look for more for the history and design than for what's left inside.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft brown sugar and a touch of vanilla meet a mild grainy sweetness, with no sharp edges.

Palate

Round and lightly sweet, with caramel and a hint of honey carried by a mellow grain character.

Finish

Short and warm, with a last trace of vanilla that fades quickly.

Specifications

Name: Seagram's Seven Crown 1.75 L
Bottler: Joseph E. Seagram & Sons
Region/Country: USA
Type: American Blended Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Size: 175 CL

Flavour Profile

Sweet · Soft · Vanilla · Light · Grainy

Did You Know?

The built-in pourer set into the neck wasn't just a novelty — it was designed so you could pour straight from the oversized 1.75 litre bottle without a separate stopper or decanting into something smaller, exactly the kind of practical detail that made Seven Crown a fixture of the American home bar.

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Some bottles never tell the whole story themselves. Half the label on this one has peeled away, the rest has yellowed behind decades on some bar shelf, and yet the name Haller's S.R.S. still peers out through the cracks – an echo from an America that poured its whiskey out of half-gallon jugs and never thought twice about it.

The Expert's Description

Haller's S.R.S. Special Reserve Stock is an American Blended Whisky bottled at 43%. Behind the name sits the now-defunct brand W.A. Haller Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and according to the original label, the whiskey is made up of 30% straight whiskies with a stated age of 8 years, blended with 70% grain neutral spirits – a completely ordinary recipe for the budget and bar blends of its era, where the goal was a smooth, easy-drinking whiskey rather than a complex sipping experience.

The bottle is a Half Gallon at 175 cl, a size that was common on the American market through the 1960s and 70s, when a larger bottle simply meant better value for the home bar or the local watering hole. The glass's base markings and the absence of a barcode point to a bottling from roughly that period. Haller's S.R.S. is discontinued today, and the brand changed hands between several different American producers over the decades, which makes it hard to say with certainty which distillery stands behind this particular bottle.

The label carries a small crowned coat of arms reading "Duke of Haller" alongside the year 1894 – a classic marketing trick from the golden age of American whiskey, when brands would borrow noble symbols and invented lineages to lend an ordinary blend a veneer of tradition and prestige.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft and fairly neutral, with a touch of grain and a mild sweetness, typical for a blend built on a high share of neutral spirit.

Palate

Round and lightly sweet, without sharp edges – several people who have tasted older bottles of Haller's S.R.S. describe it as surprisingly smooth and well suited to a classic Manhattan.

Finish

Short and mild, with a faint grain and caramel note that fades quickly.

Specifications

Name: Haller's S.R.S. Special Reserve Stock Blended Whiskey
Bottler: W.A. Haller Company
Region/Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Type: American Blended Whisky
ABV: 43%
Size: 175 CL

Flavour Profile

Mild · Smooth · Lightly Sweet · Round

Did You Know?

The small crowned emblem at the top of the label reading "Duke of Haller" was a common trick in the American whiskey industry in the early 1900s: brands invented a noble past for themselves to seem more exclusive, even when the whiskey behind the label was an entirely ordinary blend made for everyday drinking.

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There was a time when almost every American home bar had a bottle like this one standing out in the open, not tucked away, ready to pour straight from the neck thanks to its built-in spout. Seagram's Seven Crown was the everyday whiskey people reached for without thinking twice, and this oversized bottle was practically the symbol of that habit.

The Expert's Description

Seagram's Seven Crown is an American Blended Whiskey bottled at 40%, here in the large 1.75 litre format with a carrying handle and built-in pourer, a bottle that was as much a piece of bar furniture as it was a whiskey.

Seven Crown was created by Joseph E. Seagram & Sons and grew into one of the best-selling whiskey brands in American history, with sales peaking at around 32 million cases a year in the early 1970s. It is a blended whiskey, combining a smaller share of straight whiskey with neutral grain spirit, a style built for easy, uncomplicated drinking rather than sipping complexity. The label still carries the old crest with the crown and the line "Distillers since 1857", a nod to the Seagram name's Canadian origins, long before the brand became an American household fixture.

Bottles like this one were sold by the millions for home use and bar service in the decades after the Second World War, and the handle-and-pourer format was built specifically for pouring straight from the bottle without any fuss. Today it is the kind of bottle collectors look for more for the history and design than for what's left inside.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Soft brown sugar and a touch of vanilla meet a mild grainy sweetness, with no sharp edges.

Palate

Round and lightly sweet, with caramel and a hint of honey carried by a mellow grain character.

Finish

Short and warm, with a last trace of vanilla that fades quickly.

Specifications

Name: Seagram's Seven Crown 1.75 L
Bottler: Joseph E. Seagram & Sons
Region/Country: USA
Type: American Blended Whiskey
ABV: 40%
Size: 175 CL

Flavour Profile

Sweet · Soft · Vanilla · Light · Grainy

Did You Know?

The built-in pourer set into the neck wasn't just a novelty — it was designed so you could pour straight from the oversized 1.75 litre bottle without a separate stopper or decanting into something smaller, exactly the kind of practical detail that made Seven Crown a fixture of the American home bar.

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Every summer, Islay fills with smoke, music and whisky people from every corner of the globe – that's Fèis Ìle, the island's own festival for the peat-loving crowd. Big Peat has marked it with a special release every year since 2013, and in 2026 the festival turns 40. Beneath this year's mosaic label sits a peated whisky that's been left to rest a little longer, in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks.

Expert's Description

Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2026 Pedro Ximénez Sherry Casks is an Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks and bottled at cask strength, 52.6%. The bottle's full name is Friends of Fèis Ìle 2026, Douglas Laing's contribution to the island's legendary whisky festival in its anniversary year.

Big Peat isn't tied to a single distillery. Douglas Laing in Glasgow blends single malt whisky from several of Islay's distilleries into one whisky that gathers the island's peated character into a single bottle, without disclosing the exact sources. For this release, the father-daughter team behind the house, Fred and Cara Laing, let the blend rest further in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, and every bottle is then signed by hand. The casks lay a layer of figs, dates and roasted coffee over the earthy Islay smoke, while the whisky is neither coloured nor chill-filtered – so whatever the cask gave it stays in the glass.

The label is a small work of art in itself: a mosaic portrait of Big Peat's bearded mascot, built from thousands of faces submitted by fans around the world. It makes the 2026 release as much a tribute to the community around the festival as to the whisky itself.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Earthy Islay peat leads the way, followed by sweet bonfire smoke, sticky figs, dates, dark-roast coffee and a hint of sea air.

Palate

Toasted walnuts and cocoa meet a velvety sweetness from the Pedro Ximénez Sherry, while medicinal peat and charred oak keep things balanced.

Finish

Long and warming, with a dry Sherry richness and a lingering, coastal smokiness that stays in the mouth.

Specifications

Name: Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2026 Pedro Ximénez Sherry Casks
Bottler: Douglas Laing & Co.
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 52.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Pedro Ximénez Sherry Casks
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Friends of Fèis Ìle 2026

Flavour Profile

Peated · Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced · Rich

Investment Potential

Medium. Big Peat's annual Fèis Ìle releases tend to become sought-after among collectors, and this one carries extra weight as an anniversary bottling for the festival's 40th year, plus Fred and Cara Laing's hand signature on every bottle.

Did You Know?

This year's label is a mosaic portrait of Big Peat's iconic bearded face, built from thousands of small portraits submitted by whisky fans from all over the world.

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There's something about an old Chivas bottle that makes time slow down for a moment — the silver-embossed box, the heavy cap, a small label on the back still speaking of import rules from another era. This isn't just a whisky. It's a fragment of Aberdeen, sealed away in a cupboard for decades.

Expert's Description

Chivas Regal 12 Year is a Blended Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 43%. This particular bottle comes from an original bottling for the German market, imported by Übersee Spirituosen-Import GmbH of Hamburg — a company that fades from the record later in the 1970s, once Seagram Deutschland took over distribution. The back label's wording, "Ausländisches Erzeugnis," was a legal requirement on all Scotch whisky sold in West Germany until the end of 1983, and combined with the importer's name it points to a bottling from the 1970s, possibly earlier.

The blend is created by Chivas Brothers Ltd in Aberdeen, a company whose roots trace back to 1801, when brothers James and John Chivas ran a well-stocked grocery and wine merchant's shop in the city. At its heart, then as now, sits Strathisla Distillery in Speyside — the oldest working distillery in the Highlands, founded in 1786 — whose rich, fruity malt ties the blend together. The box carries relief-printed scenes of Scottish Highland life, a style that disappeared from the packaging during the 1980s, and the bottle is sealed with its original screw cap rather than the cork that later became standard.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Honey and ripe apples meet a hint of resin and old timber. There's a depth here rarely found in today's 12 Year bottling — a touch more sherry character, likely because blends of that era typically carried a higher proportion of older whiskies than the stated age suggests.

Palate

Soft and rounded, with baked fruit, dried apricot and a whisper of cinnamon. Custard-like sweetness meets a light citrus edge reminiscent of lemon peel, with a warm, spiced undercurrent of clove sitting beneath it all.

Finish

Long and gentle, closing with vanilla and a dry, faintly smoky note that speaks of an old, well-used cask.

Specifications

Name: Chivas Regal 12 Year
Distillery: Chivas Brothers Ltd
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 75 CL
Cask type: Oak casks
Natural colour: No
Bottled: 1970s

Flavour Profile

Honey · Dried Fruit · Spiced · Soft Oak · Classic

Investment Potential

Medium-High. This specific 1970s bottling for the German market has long been discontinued and is consistently sought after by collectors in both the UK and continental Europe — it typically changes hands for several times the current recommended price of the standard bottling, partly because the box, cap and label style document a period of Chivas history that no longer exists in production.

Did You Know?

The "Ausländisches Erzeugnis" wording on the back label isn't just decoration — it was a legal requirement for all Scotch whisky sold in West Germany right up until 1983, and today it's one of the most reliable ways collectors date old Chivas bottles.

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There's something steady and unhurried about the valley outside Dufftown, where the distillery has stood since 1887. William Grant built it with his own hands and named it Glenfiddich – Valley of the Deer in Gaelic. This 12 Year Old is still the distillery's signature malt, the one people keep coming back to.

Expert Description

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in American bourbon casks and Spanish sherry casks, bottled at 40%.Yellow danish taxstamp, 1990´ies.

The whisky is made from malted barley, double distilled in traditional copper pot stills, using water drawn from the distillery's own Robbie Dhu spring just outside Dufftown. Fermentation happens in Douglas fir washbacks rather than the more common stainless steel, giving a longer, slower process that pulls extra fruitiness out of the spirit.

After a minimum of 12 years in cask, the bourbon- and sherry-matured whiskies are brought together by Malt Master Brian Kinsman in large oak marrying tuns, where they're left to settle before bottling. Glenfiddich 12 Year Old is part of the distillery's permanent core range, not a limited release – it remains the world's best-selling single malt whisky.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh and fruity, with clear notes of pear and green apple, backed by honey and a touch of malt.

Palate

Soft and gently sweet, with butterscotch, creamy vanilla and a mild spice held together by delicate oak.

Finish

Short to medium, with a hint of citrus and warm spice that slowly gives way to soft wood.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon Casks and Sherry Casks
Non-chill filtered: No
Natural colour: No
Distillation method: Double distilled
EAN: 5010327000176

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced · Soft Oak

Did You Know?

It was actually Glenfiddich that, back in 1963, took the leap and began marketing single malt whisky internationally, at a time when almost all Scotch was sold as blended. Without that move, the "single malt" category as we know it today would look very different.

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High in the Scottish Highlands, where winter cold slows every drop through the stills, Cù Bòcan's spirit is distilled each January.

This time, the lightly peated malt met something Tomatin had never tried before – icy Canadian dessert wine and crisp Spanish white wine, both in the same bottle.

Expert Description

Cù Bòcan Creation #8 is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, dual-matured in Ice Wine casks and Verdejo casks and bottled at 46%.

The whisky is the eighth release in Cù Bòcan's Creations series, Tomatin's experimental sub-brand that finds a new, unusual cask type for its lightly peated malt every year.

Creation #8 is also the oldest release in the series to date. The spirit matured in Ice Wine casks is 18 years old, while the portion aged in Verdejo casks is 16 years old. The two parts are then married into the finished whisky.

The Ice Wine casks come from Pillitteri, a family-owned Canadian winery known for sweet, concentrated ice wine pressed from grapes frozen solid on the vine.

The Verdejo casks were sourced from Belondrade, a Spanish winery in the Rueda region. The casks were filled with Cù Bòcan spirit just weeks after the wine was emptied, a deliberate choice to capture the wine's character as vividly as possible.

The whisky is non-chill filtered and naturally coloured. Only 3,600 bottles have been produced, presented in a distinctive electric purple and neon green bottle whose twisted shape echoes both smoke and cask staves.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh and fruity with a whisper of smoke. Fruit salad, pear and peach mingle with candied citrus peel, pineapple and lime zest, while green grapes, herbs, soft oak, almond and an earthy peat note sit underneath.

Palate

Lively and sweet-fresh, with tropical fruit, lime, green grapes and citrus marmalade. Honey and soft oak add body, while a gentle smoke trails along in the background.

Finish

Medium in length, fresh and lightly smoky, with citrus zest, green fruit, pineapple and spiced oak fading into a clean, fairly dry close.

Specifications

Name: Cù Bòcan Creation #8 Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Tomatin
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ice Wine casks and Verdejo casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Number of bottles: 3,600
Edition: Creation #8
EAN no.: 5018481102002

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Citrus-fresh · Spiced

Did You Know?

The name Cù Bòcan means "ghost dog" in Gaelic, referring to a legendary creature said to have once haunted the village of Tomatin.

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At the foot of Ben Rinnes in Speyside sits a distillery that rarely gets top billing. Benrinnes mostly fills casks bound for blends, not bottles with its own name on the label. So when the spirit does step out on its own, it's worth paying attention.

Expert description

Benrinnes Murray McDavid Craft Cask Batch 3 Madeira Finish is a Speyside Single Malt Whisky finished in Madeira casks and bottled at 44.5%.

The bottle belongs to Murray McDavid's Cask Craft series, where the independent bottler puts the cask itself in the spotlight rather than the age statement. This Benrinnes spirit has been moved into Madeira barriques from Justino's in Madeira, batch #MAD-03, letting the sweet, oxidative wine notes work their way into the whisky. There's no age statement on the label, and the whisky is bottled without chill filtration or added colouring, so what's in the glass is exactly what came out of the cask.

Benrinnes distillery mostly supplies spirit for blends such as Johnnie Walker and J&B, and official single malt releases from the distillery are few and far between. That makes this Madeira finish a rare chance to meet the distillery's character on its own, without sharing the stage with other malts in a blend.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Redcurrants and orange blossom arrive first, followed by honeyed cereal and a touch of stone fruit.

Palate

Creamy caramel with a hint of honey, while sweet spice and ripe orange unfold as it opens up.

Finish

Medium length, with vanilla, floral honey and a last trace of what the Madeira cask has given along the way.

Specifications

Name: Benrinnes Murray McDavid Craft Cask Batch 3 Madeira Finish Single Speyside Malt Whisky 44.5%
Distillery: Benrinnes
Bottler: Murray McDavid
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 44.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Madeira barrique from Justino's, Madeira (finish, batch #MAD-03)
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Cask Craft Batch 3
EAN: 5060353304793

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Floral · Sweet · Spicy

Did you know?

Until 2007, Benrinnes used an unusual distillation method with six stills — two wash stills, two intermediate stills and two spirit stills — cooled by old-fashioned worm tubs rather than modern condensers. The method produced a heavier, more sulphury spirit, but was dropped in favour of conventional double distillation when the distillery was expanded.

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Some whiskies carry their age on the label rather than in the glass. This particular Glenkinchie still wears the label design the distillery retired years ago, from before its 12-year-old successor even existed.

Expert Description

Glenkinchie 10 Year Old Edinburgh Malt Old Version is a Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky bottled at 43%. This bottling belongs to the original 10 Year Old expression Diageo launched in 1988 as the Lowland representative in its famous Classic Malts of Scotland range, alongside names like Talisker, Oban and Lagavulin. Production of this 10 year old version continued until 2006, and it was officially discontinued in 2007 when a 12 year old expression took its place, making this a distinctly earlier generation than what sits on shelves today.

Glenkinchie sits in East Lothian, a short drive from Edinburgh, and earned its nickname "The Edinburgh Malt" precisely because of that proximity. The distillery has been running since 1837 and is known for housing some of Scotland's largest stills, which produces a lighter, more floral spirit than what most people associate with Scotch whisky. The barley grown on the surrounding farmland is said to mature quickly into the whisky's character, giving it the fresh, almost green style the Lowland region is known for.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Light and delicate with a clean, fresh aroma. There's a hint of freshly cut grass and a touch of dryness underneath, hinting at the classic Lowland style.

Palate

Soft and rounded with fresh, green notes and a touch of summer fruit. The body stays light, almost delicate, making it easy to enjoy without water.

Finish

Short to medium, with a delicate dryness that rounds off the experience nicely.

Specifications

Name: Glenkinchie 10 Year Old Edinburgh Malt Old Version
Distillery: Glenkinchie
Region/Country: Lowland, Scotland
Type: Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 100 CL
Edition: Classic Malts Of Scotland
EAN no.: 5000281003610

Flavour Profile

Light · Floral · Fresh · Green · Dry Finish

Did You Know?

When Diageo picked the six whiskies for its Classic Malts range in 1988, Glenkinchie got the nod for the Lowlands over Rosebank, a choice many whisky people at the time considered the more obvious one. Rosebank closed not long after, and today collectors treat that bottle as one of the great lost names, while Glenkinchie remained standing as the public face of the Lowlands.

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Beech forest meets north Jutland grain. Thy Whisky Bøg is the distillery's smoky expression – but not with peat. Here it is beech wood shavings from the Jutland forests that provide the character.

Expert description

Thy Whisky Bøg Core Expressions is a Danish Organic Single Malt Whisky bottled at 50% in a 5 cl bottle. Distilled from certified organic barley, floor-malted in-house and smoked with beech wood shavings – not peat. The result is a distinctly smoky whisky with a soft and natural smoke character that differs markedly from Scottish peated expressions.

Beech smoking is a Nordic tradition rooted in smoke ovens and food preservation. In whisky it gives a milder, rounder smoke than peat – with notes of forest floor and light resin rather than ash and sea air.

Tasting notes

Nose

Soft beech smoke with forest floor, honey and light fruit. Very different from classic peated whisky.

Palate

Rounder than expected. Smoke, malt and light nut in fine balance. Sweetness carries through the smoke.

Finish

Moderate with soft smoke and malt sweetness. Pleasant and natural.

Specifications

Name: Thy Whisky Bøg Core Expressions
Distillery: Thy Whisky
Region/Country: Thy, Denmark
Type: Danish Organic Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 50%
Size: 5 CL
Distillation method: Double distilled

Flavour profile

Beech-smoked · Soft smoke · Malt-sweet · Natural · Nordic

Did you know?

Beech smoking is used in Denmark to smoke meat, fish and cheese. Thy Whisky is one of the first distilleries in the world to bring this tradition directly into whisky production as the primary smoke source.

A green label, a little gold foil and not one word too many. Behind the quiet packaging sit seven summers in fresh charred oak and a bottling that never met a drop of water. Old Ezra comes out of Lawrenceburg, Indiana — a river town once known as Whiskey City, because nobody else in America handled rye quite like this.

The Expert's Description

Old Ezra 7 years Full Proof is an American Straight Rye Whiskey matured for seven years in new charred American oak casks and bottled at 57%.

It arrived in November 2022 as the rye counterpart to Old Ezra 7 years Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which had just been named Best Overall Bourbon at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition that same year. Old Ezra is the heavyweight branch of the Ezra Brooks family, and this was the first rye ever released under the name.

The whiskey is distilled and matured in Indiana at Ross & Squibb Distillery — the plant formerly known as MGP — and bottled by Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown, Kentucky. It says so in small print at the bottom of the label, and it is worth reading. Lawrenceburg has been distilling rye since 1847 and still supplies rye spirit to a sizeable slice of the American whiskey trade.

Two mashbills are married together here. One is built on 95% rye and 5% malted barley, and it carries the sharp, peppery rye edge. The other runs 51% rye, 45% corn and 4% malted barley, laying sweetness and body underneath. Between them they explain why the whiskey tastes unmistakably of rye while still coming across rounder than most people expect at this strength.

The casks are new and charred, exactly as the law demands of a Straight Rye Whiskey. Seven Indiana summers pull vanilla, caramel and dry oak spice out of that burnt layer, and because the whiskey goes into the bottle at cask strength, none of it gets diluted away again. Before bottling the spirit is charcoal filtered, the same treatment the whole Ezra Brooks range receives, which takes the roughest corner off without flattening the whiskey. Gold at both ASCOT and SIP in 2024.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dry oak and earthy rye spice lead. Then it loosens up: caramel, vanilla, a hint of dark cherry. Give it a quarter of an hour in the glass and tobacco and old leather come forward.

Palate

Spiced honey and toffee arrive first, soft and thick. Then the rye asserts itself properly with black pepper, cinnamon and a sharp streak of orange peel. The 57% is clearly there, but it warms rather than burns.

Finish

Long and dry. Oak, pipe tobacco and a peppery heat that sits around well after the glass is empty.

Specifications

Name: Old Ezra 7 years Full Proof Straight Rye Whiskey
Distillery: Ross & Squibb Distillery
Bottler: Lux Row Distillers
Region/Country: Indiana, USA
Type: Straight Rye Whiskey
Age: 7 years
ABV: 57%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: New charred American oak casks
Natural colour: Yes
Edition: Full Proof
EAN no.: 0088352139449

Flavour Profile

Spicy · Vanilla · Caramel · Oak · Tobacco · Cask strength

Did You Know?

The Squibb half of Ross & Squibb comes from William Squibb's distillery of 1869. In 1921 it was bought by George Remus, the bootlegger they called the King of the Bootleggers, and one of the figures F. Scott Fitzgerald is said to have had in mind when he wrote The Great Gatsby.

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The southern tip of Arran is not a gentle place to build a distillery. The wind comes straight off Kilbrannan Sound, and peat sits thick in the ground around Kilmory. That rawness is what Lagg has built its name on – and now it meets something entirely different: the pale, salty world of Sanlúcar de Barrameda.

Expert's Description

Lagg Manzanilla Sherry Finish Small Batch is an Islands Single Malt Scotch Whisky, first matured in 1st and 2nd fill Bourbon casks before being finished in 1st fill Manzanilla Sherry casks for over a year, bottled at 57.6%. It's the distillery's second small batch release, following 2025's Palo Cortado Small Batch, and another step in Lagg's ongoing exploration of unusual Sherry cask types for its heavily peated spirit. Manzanilla isn't like most other Sherries – it's produced exclusively in the small coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, where it matures under a protective layer of flor yeast right on the Atlantic. That gives it a paler, drier and fresher style than something like Oloroso or PX, with a touch of salt and almond rarely allowed anywhere near peated whisky. Peated to 50 ppm, non-chill filtered and free of added colour, Lagg hasn't held back – only 2,000 bottles exist of this release.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet syrup and maraschino cherry arrive first, carried by a gentle warmth that hints at what's underneath. Beneath it, a thread of smoke that never quite fades.

Palate

Hot honey meets spiced red fruit and cherry syrup, while a salted minerality cuts through the sweetness and keeps everything tight.

Finish

Long, dry and warming, with ashy bonfire smoke and a faint brine that recalls the sea just outside the distillery's windows.

Specifications

Name: Lagg Distillery Manzanilla Sherry Finish Small Batch
Distillery: Lagg Distillery
Region/Country: Isle of Arran, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Whisky
ABV: 57.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: 1st and 2nd fill Bourbon casks, finished in 1st fill Manzanilla Sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Number of bottles: 2,000
Edition: Small Batch Release
EAN No.: 5037377000116

Flavour Profile

Peated · Sherry-matured · Salty · Fruity · Spiced

Did you know?

Graham Omand, Lagg's current distillery manager, learned the trade as a stillman at Arran's Lochranza distillery – under his own uncle, former master distiller James MacTaggart. That knowledge came with him seven years ago, when he set out to build an entirely new distillery from scratch on the island's southern tip.

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Some bottles are simply sold, and some bottles carry a family's story with them.
Glenfiddich Excellence 18 Year Old is the latter - a black and gold tribute to eighteen people who, across generations, have kept the distillery in family hands.
It's whisky as craft and legacy, bottled together.

Expert Description

Glenfiddich Excellence 18 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in oak casks and bottled at 43%.

This bottle is a discontinued release from Glenfiddich that no longer forms part of the distillery's core range. The label describes the whisky as "Pure Malt" - a term used before "Single Malt" became the industry standard, and one that hints at just how old this release is. Glenfiddich remains owned and run by the Grant family, and the distillery sits in Dufftown at the heart of Speyside, drawing its water from a single source, the Robbie Dhu spring.

The black bottle with its gold embossed detailing is unmistakable and a world away from Glenfiddich's more understated modern packaging. That visual style, combined with the fact that this expression is no longer bottled, turns this release into more than just another 18 year old single malt - it's a piece of the distillery's history.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe apples and pears meet a touch of honey and light spice, with warm oak sitting underneath it all.

Palate

Round and full-bodied with honey, vanilla and dried fruit - dates and candied orange peel - drifting into gently spiced oak.

Finish

Long and warming, with a dry, spiced oak finish and a last trace of sweetness.

Specifications

Name: Glenfiddich Excellence 18 Year Old
Distillery: Glenfiddich
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 Years
ABV: 43%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Oak Casks
Edition: Excellence
EAN No.: 5010327605210

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Honeyed · Spiced · Oak-Driven · Rounded

Investment Potential

High. This is a discontinued release that Glenfiddich no longer produces, and it now surfaces mainly through specialists in rare and old whisky. The iconic black and gold packaging and the older "Pure Malt" labelling make it sought after among collectors, and its value has risen noticeably as fewer bottles remain in circulation.

Did You Know?

The name "Excellence" pays tribute to the eighteen members of the Grant family who, across generations, have helped run Glenfiddich - hence the number 18 in the name.

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On the banks of Loch Lomond, where Scotland's lowlands meet the highlands, sits a distillery that refuses to play by the rules. Here, peated malted barley runs through a column still instead of traditional copper pots — and the result is a whisky that behaves like neither malt nor grain, but insists on its own path.

Expert's description

Loch Lomond Grainstorm Peated is a Highland Single Grain Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks and bottled at 46%.

The whisky is made exclusively from heavily peated malted barley, but because it's distilled in Loch Lomond Distillery's continuous column still rather than traditional pot stills, it's classified as single grain rather than single malt — a quirk that makes this bottle something of a genuine anomaly in Scotch production.

It's matured in a combination of first-fill and refill American oak bourbon casks under the eye of Master Blender Michael Henry, delivering a soft, fruity character with creamy vanilla and a whisper of smoke. The whisky sits in the distillery's permanent range and was relaunched under the Grainstorm name in late 2024.

Tasting notes

Nose

Clove and blackcurrant sit alongside citrus peel and a touch of freshly cut grass, with vanilla running underneath as a sweet current throughout.

Palate

Sweet, tangy peat meets green apple and lime citrus on the tongue, with aniseed in the mix. The smoke stays in the background here — more spice than bonfire.

Finish

The finish is crisp and dry, with a distant trace of peat smoke lingering long after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Loch Lomond Grainstorm Peated
Distillery: Loch Lomond Distillery
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Grain Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks (first-fill and refill American oak)
Distillation method: Continuous distillation (column still)
Edition: Grainstorm
EAN no.: 5016840260219

Flavour profile

Smoky · Fruity · Spiced · Vanilla-sweet

Did you know?

Loch Lomond is one of only two Scottish distilleries able to produce both single malt and single grain whisky under one roof. Their Coffey-style column still is shared with only one other whisky house in the world — Japan's Nikka.

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There's a bottle on Islay nobody will name a name for. Behind the bronze label with its hidden symbols sits a peated dram, born to mark the opening of Hunter Laing's own distillery, Ardnahoe. Scarabus means "a rocky place" in Old Norse - and that's about as much as the Laing family are willing to give away.

Expert's Description

Scarabus Cigar Malt is a peated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky, fully matured across Oloroso sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and Ruby Port casks, and bottled at 46%.

Scarabus Cigar Malt is the newest addition to Hunter Laing's Scarabus collection, and it stands apart from the other expressions through its cask composition. Where the original bottling sticks to a more classic maturation, Cigar Malt is matured simultaneously across three cask types - Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Ruby Port - each layering something different on top of the signature Islay peat. The source distillery is undisclosed, as is tradition across the whole Scarabus range, though the depth of the smoke and the oily texture hint at one of the island's better-known peated producers.

The name Cigar Malt is no accident. The whisky is built to hold its own against a bold cigar without either one drowning the other out - cocoa, roasted notes and a persistent smokiness give it the weight for it.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Rich and generous with candied orange peel, stewed red berries and almonds, while an earthy peat works through underneath.

Palate

Dry peat smoke layers with dark treacle, dark fruit and a gentle, toasted sweetness from the casks.

Finish

Long and warming, with a rounded sweetness that lingers well after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Scarabus Cigar Malt
Distillery: Undisclosed
Bottler: Hunter Laing
Region/Country: Scotland, Islay
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Oloroso sherry casks, Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and Ruby Port casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5060354289983

Flavour Profile

Peated · Sherry and Port matured · Dark fruit · Spiced

Did You Know?

The symbols on the Scarabus label are deliberately cryptic and draw on islander John Francis Campbell's invention, a sunshine recorder that tracked the hours of daylight on Islay - the same urge to measure the unmeasurable runs through the brand's whole "only those who seek shall find" philosophy.

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When Stewart Laing died in the spring of 2026, he left behind more than a distillery on Islay's north-east coast. He left one last bottle, composed to his own taste, boxed with a personal letter written in his own hand.

Expert Description

Ardnahoe Chairman's Selection is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured 6 years in sherry and bourbon casks and bottled at cask strength 60.2%.

This is a tribute release, composed to Stewart Laing's own specifications shortly before his death, and it carries his name as the final whisky he personally signed off on. Ardnahoe drew on older stock for this release and selected the distillery's most heavily peated spirit for the job - making Chairman's Selection the smokiest whisky Ardnahoe has bottled to date. The casks are predominantly first-fill sherry, topped up with bourbon, and the combination gives a depth not found elsewhere in the distillery's range. The whisky is neither chill-filtered nor coloured.

Ardnahoe was Islay's ninth distillery when the first spirit ran from the stills in October 2018 - the culmination of over 50 years in the whisky trade for Stewart Laing. The distillery runs Islay's only worm tub condensers alongside Scotland's longest lyne arms at 7.5 metres, giving the spirit weight and a creamy texture under the smoke from an early age.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Peated smoke arrives first, followed by sea salt air and a dark, rich cocoa note.

Palate

The smoke deepens into an earthy, glowing intensity, joined by citrus from the sherry cask, honeyed malt and stewed plums.

Finish

Long and dry, with ash from burnt-out peat embers, cracked black pepper and a touch of salted caramel.

Specifications

Name: Ardnahoe Chairman's Selection
Distillery: Ardnahoe
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 6 Years
ABV: 60.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Sherry and Bourbon Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Worm tub condensing (Islay's only) with 7.5-metre lyne arms
Edition: Chairman's Selection
EAN No.: 5060354290002

Distillery: Ardnahoe

Flavour Profile

Peated · Smoky · Sherry-matured · Complex · Spiced

Investment Potential

High. This is the final whisky Stewart Laing composed before his death, and only a strictly limited number of bottles have come to Denmark. The story and the personal signature make this a bottle collectors will hold onto - and prices on the international market have already climbed sharply since launch.

Did You Know?

Only 120 bottles of Chairman's Selection have been allocated to the Danish market - a fraction of an already tightly limited release.

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There's only one place on earth where this whiskey is born – Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky, where Kentucky's brutal summers and cold winters push bourbon and oak together harder than almost anywhere else on the property. From here, the whiskey is pulled straight out of the barrel, no water, no filter. This is Blanton's at its rawest.

Expert's Description

Blanton's Straight From The Barrel is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey matured in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at barrel proof of 64.25%.

This expression is uncut and unfiltered, dumped straight from the barrel with no adjustment to strength or appearance. It shares the same high-rye mash bill (Mash Bill #2) as the rest of the Blanton's range, but where Original and Gold Edition are cut down to 46.5% and 51.5% respectively, Straight From The Barrel keeps the whiskey's full, natural barrel strength.

For years this bottle was only available outside the U.S., mainly in Japan, where the rights to Blanton's belong to Takara Shuzo. Buffalo Trace Distillery still distills and ages every Blanton's expression, no matter where it ends up being sold. Since 2020, a small allocation has also reached the U.S. market, though it remains a bottle worth hunting for.

Because each bottle comes from a single barrel, the proof shifts from one dump to the next, typically somewhere between 125 and 135. This particular dump lands at 128.5 proof, and the barrel's dump date is printed right on the label, so no two bottles are quite the same.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark chocolate and caramel meet an earthy hint of walnut and hazelnut, with the heat to come already announcing itself.

Palate

The barrel proof unfolds into warm vanilla, oak and toasted nuts, spicy and intense, with a trace of butterscotch and honey underneath.

Finish

Long and warming, with spice and oak lingering well after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Blanton's Straight From The Barrel
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Region/Country: Kentucky, USA
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 64.25%
Cask Type: New charred American oak barrels
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural color: Yes

Flavor Profile

Full-Bodied · Spicy · Sweet · Oak-Driven

Investment Potential

Medium. Blanton's is one of the most collected bourbon names in the world, and Straight From The Barrel is the most concentrated expression in the lineup, recently named Best Single Barrel Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards. That said, it's a recurring part of Blanton's core range rather than a one-off release, which keeps the potential at medium rather than high.

Did You Know?

Blanton's was created in 1984 by master distiller Elmer T. Lee as his personal parting gift to the industry. It was the world's first commercially available single barrel bourbon, and it single-handedly created an entirely new category: super premium bourbon.

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There's only one place on earth where this whiskey is born – Warehouse H at Buffalo Trace in Kentucky, where Kentucky's brutal summers and cold winters push bourbon and oak together harder than almost anywhere else on the property. From here, the whiskey is pulled straight out of the barrel, no water, no filter. This is Blanton's at its rawest.

Expert's Description

Blanton's Straight From The Barrel is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey matured in new charred American oak barrels and bottled at barrel proof of 65.15%.

This expression is uncut and unfiltered, dumped straight from the barrel with no adjustment to strength or appearance. It shares the same high-rye mash bill (Mash Bill #2) as the rest of the Blanton's range, but where Original and Gold Edition are cut down to 46.5% and 51.5% respectively, Straight From The Barrel keeps the whiskey's full, natural barrel strength.

For years this bottle was only available outside the U.S., mainly in Japan, where the rights to Blanton's belong to Takara Shuzo. Buffalo Trace Distillery still distills and ages every Blanton's expression, no matter where it ends up being sold. Since 2020, a small allocation has also reached the U.S. market, though it remains a bottle worth hunting for.

Because each bottle comes from a single barrel, the proof shifts from one dump to the next, typically somewhere between 125 and 135. This particular dump lands at 130.3 proof, and the barrel's dump date is printed right on the label, so no two bottles are quite the same.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Dark chocolate and caramel meet an earthy hint of walnut and hazelnut, with the heat to come already announcing itself.

Palate

The barrel proof unfolds into warm vanilla, oak and toasted nuts, spicy and intense, with a trace of butterscotch and honey underneath.

Finish

Long and warming, with spice and oak lingering well after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Blanton's Straight From The Barrel
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Region/Country: Kentucky, USA
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 65.15%
Cask Type: New charred American oak barrels
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural color: Yes

Flavor Profile

Full-Bodied · Spicy · Sweet · Oak-Driven

Investment Potential

Medium. Blanton's is one of the most collected bourbon names in the world, and Straight From The Barrel is the most concentrated expression in the lineup, recently named Best Single Barrel Bourbon at the World Whiskies Awards. That said, it's a recurring part of Blanton's core range rather than a one-off release, which keeps the potential at medium rather than high.

Did You Know?

Blanton's was created in 1984 by master distiller Elmer T. Lee as his personal parting gift to the industry. It was the world's first commercially available single barrel bourbon, and it single-handedly created an entirely new category: super premium bourbon.

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In Bardstown, Kentucky's self-declared bourbon capital, a thirteen-metre copper still runs around the clock. Here, at Lux Row Distillers, a recipe dating back to 1957 gets to be raw, undiluted, and completely unapologetic.

Expert description

Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bottled straight from the barrel with no water added, at a barrel strength of 58.5%.

Where many barrel strength bourbons turn harsh and bracing at high proof, Old Ezra does the opposite. It's aged for seven years in new, charred American white oak barrels, and the result is surprisingly rounded even at 117 proof. The mash bill runs 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye, distilled according to a recipe tracing back to the birth of the Ezra Brooks brand in Kentucky. The whiskey is charcoal filtered after distillation for its trademark smoothness, but it's neither chill filtered nor coloured, so what lands in the glass is as close as it gets to what came out of the barrel.

Old Ezra 7 isn't an anniversary release or a one-off drop. It sits in Ezra Brooks' permanent lineup, and it's earned its keep, landing at number 7 on Whisky Advocate's Top 20 Whiskies list and picking up several double gold medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition along the way.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet caramel and vanilla meet toasted oak and brown sugar, with a hint of dark chocolate and baking spice underneath.

Palate

Rich and spicy, with brown sugar, cinnamon, and dried fruit carried by oak and a touch of black pepper that bites just enough without taking over.

Finish

Long and warm, with caramel, oak, and a last flicker of citrus that lingers as the alcohol fades.

Specifications

Name: Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength
Distillery: Lux Row Distillers
Bottler: Ezra Brooks
Region/Country: Kentucky, USA
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: 7 years
ABV: 58.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: New, charred American oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Mash bill: 78% corn, 12% malted barley, 10% rye

Distillery: Lux Row Distillers
Bottler: Ezra Brooks

Flavour profile

Spicy · Caramel · Oak · Full-bodied · Barrel strength

Did you know?

There has never been a real person named Ezra Brooks. The name was invented in 1957 by businessman Frank Silverman as a rival to Jack Daniel's, at a time when a name on the label signalled heritage and authenticity, whether or not the story behind it was true.

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Out in the fields around Mellerup, rye sways in the wind while Ragna glides quietly past on her steady route across Randers Fjord. It's the same rye that forms the backbone of this whisky — angular, earthy, with a strength that matches the landscape it comes from.

Expert description

Fjord Rye Whisky 8 Year is a Danish Rye Whisky, distilled in 2018 and bottled eight years later in 2026 at Brænderiet Enghaven, at a strength of 45.4%.

The bottle belongs to the Fjord series, an exclusive trio created for Whisky.dk around the story of the ferry Ragna and the short crossing between Mellerup and Voer. The rye is grown in Enghaven's own fields on the north side of Randers Fjord, where the farm — owned by the Moestrup family since 1881 — works on a grain-to-bottle principle. Rye gives this whisky a different character than the softer single malt from the same distillery: sharper, spicier and with a distinct edge. Only 13 bottles were filled from this batch.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose is sharp and spiced, with rye bread, black pepper and a hint of freshly cut hay, carried by a touch of oak.

Palate

The palate is dry and peppery, with notes of rye bread and caramel cut by a light tartness and a warm, spiced core.

Finish

The finish is long and peppery, with a dry, grainy aftertaste that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Fjord Rye Whisky 8 Year
Distillery: Brænderiet Enghaven
Bottler: Whisky.dk
Region/Country: Denmark (Randers Fjord, Jutland)
Type: Danish Rye Whisky
Age: 8 Year
ABV: 45.4%
Size: 50 CL
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2026
Number of bottles: 13

Flavour Profile

Spiced · Peppery · Grain-forward · Dry

Investment Potential

Medium — with only 13 bottles, this is the rarest release in the Fjord series, and Danish rye whisky remains a niche that collectors follow closely.

Did You Know?

The crossing between Mellerup and Voer dates all the way back to 1610, when it was originally sailed using a flat-bottomed barge known as a "kåg", rowed across the fjord by hand. Today, the modern Ragna covers the 470-metre crossing in just four minutes.

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On the banks of Randers Fjord, where the small ferry Ragna has crossed the water between Mellerup and Voer for generations, sits Brænderiet Enghaven. Here the grain grows in the fields outside, the water is drawn from the spring beneath the farm, and the whisky is born from the same unhurried rhythm that carries the ferry back and forth across the fjord.

Expert description

Fjord Whisky 8 Year is a Danish Single Malt Whisky, distilled in 2018 and bottled eight years later in 2026 at Brænderiet Enghaven, at a strength of 54.3%.

The bottle belongs to the Fjord series, created exclusively for Whisky.dk as a tribute to the ferry Ragna and its short but unforgettable crossing between Mellerup and Voer. Enghaven has been distilling whisky since 2017 and runs its production on a soil-to-bottle principle, growing its own grain in the surrounding fields and drawing its water from the spring beneath the farm. The farm has belonged to the Moestrup family since 1881, and that same rootedness runs through this single malt: straightforward, grain-driven and without unnecessary polish. Only 24 bottles were filled from this batch.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose opens with ripe grain and light honey, a touch of fresh apple and a whisper of vanilla suggesting time spent in oak.

Palate

On the palate it is round and grain-forward, with notes of honey cake, malt and a mild spiced warmth that unfolds slowly.

Finish

The finish is dry and faintly nutty, with a lingering sweetness that echoes the Jutland grain it came from.

Specifications

Name: Fjord Whisky 8 Year
Distillery: Brænderiet Enghaven
Bottler: Whisky.dk
Region/Country: Denmark (Randers Fjord, Jutland)
Type: Danish Single Malt Whisky
Age: 8 Year
ABV: 54.3%
Size: 50 CL
Distilled: 2018
Bottled: 2026
Number of bottles: 24

Flavour Profile

Grain-forward · Honeyed · Lightly oaked · Round

Investment Potential

Medium — only 24 bottles were filled from this batch, it was created exclusively for Whisky.dk, and Danish whisky from small farm distilleries like Enghaven is steadily gaining recognition among collectors.

Did You Know?

The ferry Ragna, pictured on the label, has sailed the route between Mellerup and Voer since 1963 and is named after the leaseholder's wife. The crossing itself is far older — in 1740, the widow Sophia Seefeld was granted a royal charter to operate a ferry here, making the route one of Denmark's oldest of its kind.

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Where the Lour Burn meets the River Spey, at the heart of Speyside's most classic whisky landscape, Aberlour has been distilling malt since 1879.

Expert description

Aberlour 18 Year Old Double Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from Aberlour is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon casks and oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, bottled at 43%. The distillery was founded in 1879 by James Fleming at the confluence of the Lour Burn and the River Spey, a location that gave the distillery both its name — 'mouth of the chattering burn' — and the soft, iron-free spring water still used in production today. Aberlour has been owned for decades by Chivas Brothers, part of the French drinks group Pernod Ricard, and is at the same time France's best-selling single malt whisky, a result of the distillery's long-standing ties to the French market. The 18 Year Old undergoes double maturation: the whisky first matures in ex-bourbon casks before a significant portion is transferred to oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, giving it its characteristic combination of soft sweetness and deep fruitiness.

Tasting notes

Nose

The nose opens with raisins, orange peel and a soft sherry sweetness, backed by dark chocolate and a hint of oak spice.

Palate

The palate offers dried fruit, walnuts and a smooth sweetness, with layers of cinnamon and an undertone of apple pie.

Finish

The finish is long and warming, with sherry, brown sugar and a closing hint of smoke.

Specifications

Name: Aberlour 18 år Double Cask Matured Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Aberlour
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 43%
Size: 50 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon and oloroso/Pedro Ximénez sherry casks
Non-chill filtered: No
Natural colour: Yes
EAN no.: 5000299620144

Flavour profile

Sherried · Fruity · Creamy · Spicy

Investment potential

Low – An 18-year-old double-matured single malt from one of Speyside's most respected distilleries, where the long maturation and the complexity of the sherry casks give it clear collector appeal within its segment.

Did you know?

According to an old Scottish legend, the monk St. Drostan hid in a cave behind what is now Aberlour's spring while fleeing Viking raids — the very same spring water the monk once drank from is still used in the distillery's production today.

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There's something sun-drenched about Islay's cliffs this year. Ardbeg has brought a taste of Sicily home to its rugged, windswept coast, and the result looks like an old Italian film poster painted in smoke, orange peel and sunlight.

Expert's Description

Ardbeg Dolce Islay is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon casks and Marsala Dolce casks and bottled at 47.8%.

This is Ardbeg's official release for Ardbeg Day 2026, the distillery's annual celebration during Fèis Ìle on Islay, built this year around the theme "La Dolce Vita" — a nod to the glamour of 1960s Italian cinema. The whisky brings together malt matured in Marsala Dolce casks, the sweetest style of Sicilian fortified wine, with classic bourbon cask-matured Ardbeg. The Marsala casks add a deep, dry sweetness of dried fruit and a slightly oxidative edge, while the bourbon casks keep the distillery's usual citrus brightness and smoke intact. It's a limited release, only available while stocks last.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe apricot and raisins meet orange marmalade, with a hint of roasted almonds and a distant, smoky peat in the background.

Palate

Dark chocolate and roasted nuts sit on top of Ardbeg's signature smoke, while the Marsala casks add a sweet, almost wine-like depth.

Finish

Long and smoky, with a trailing note of applewood smoke and a last touch of sweet fruit.

Specifications

Name: Ardbeg Dolce Islay
Distillery: Ardbeg
Region/Country: Scotland, Islay
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 47.8%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks and Marsala Dolce casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: Ardbeg Day 2026 "Cue The Smoke"
EAN no.: 5010494999860

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Sweet · Nutty · Spiced

Investment Potential

Medium-high. Ardbeg Day releases are among the most sought-after in the whisky world, often sold with a strict per-customer limit, and past releases like Smokiverse and the Anthology series have risen markedly in value since going out of stock.

Did You Know?

Ardbeg Day always falls on the last Saturday of Fèis Ìle, Islay's annual whisky and music festival — and in 2026 the whole celebration is built around a film-reel motif on the label, a nod to the 1960s cinema theme.

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