The label says Westport and Highland, and keeps quiet about the rest. What it does reveal is who chose the cask: an Italian oenologist in Treviso, who moved this whisky into a wood that once held Marsala and then bottled it at full strength, no water added.

Expert description

Westport 2004/2019 Wilson & Morgan 15 year Marsala Finish is a Highland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky finished in a Marsala cask and bottled at 59.5%.

It belongs to Wilson & Morgan's Barrel Selection series and comes from one single cask, number 900095, which filled 265 bottles. The whisky was distilled in 2004 and bottled in 2019 after fifteen years in wood, and it goes into the bottle at the cask's own strength.

Westport is a brand name rather than a distillery, and the label does not say which distillery made the spirit. Wilson & Morgan has used the name for sherry-matured releases too. What the whisky sat in during its first years is not stated; at the end it was moved into a Marsala cask.

Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily. On the back label, Wilson & Morgan describe its influence as light-handed but obvious. The nose recalls a refill sherry cask, while the palate is dry, almost austere, with nuts and pepper leading.

Wilson & Morgan is based in Treviso, north of Venice, and has bottled Scotch whisky since 1992. Founder Fabio Rossi comes from a family of wine merchants and trained as an oenologist in Conegliano, which explains the house habit of finishing malts in sherry, port and Marsala casks. The Marsala bottlings have become something of a signature.

Tasting notes

Nose

Winey, nutty and a little sour. On the first sniff it could pass for a refill sherry cask, almost traditional.

Palate

The Marsala cask shows itself clearly but with a light touch. Biscuity and very dry, almost austere, with pepper and nuts up front before a fruity, slightly sharp attack.

Finish

Strength and spice keep building all the way out, and the finish ends warm and peppery rather than soft.

Specifications

Name: Westport 2004/2019 Wilson & Morgan 15 year Marsala Finish Highland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky 59.5%
Bottler: Wilson & Morgan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 59.5%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Finished in Marsala cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2004
Bottled: 2019
Number of bottles: 265
Edition: Barrel Selection
EAN no.: 8033749406057

Flavour profile

Dry · Nutty · Spicy · Winey · Fruity

Did you know?

Marsala owes its strength to an Englishman. When the wine merchant John Woodhouse landed in Sicily in 1773, he added local brandy so the wine would survive the voyage home.

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Legend has it that when Ireland's great poets wept, their tears took on the glow of whiskey. Walsh Whiskey borrowed the story for a name and a style, and here it is bottled at a full 54.6%. Pear drops and candied fruit come first, followed by an herb garden in full bloom.

Expert description

Writers Tears Cask Strength Vintage Release 2022 is a Pot & Malt Irish Whiskey matured in American oak bourbon casks and bottled at 54.6%.

This is the 12th edition of Walsh Whiskey's annual Cask Strength series from Carlow. The 2022 vintage is a closed chapter, while the series carries on with new releases. The full run was 7,920 bottles, with 2,100 going to the USA and 5,820 to the rest of the world. Every bottle is individually numbered and signed by Bernard Walsh, the man behind Writers Tears.

Inside is a vatting of Single Pot Still and Single Malt Irish Whiskey, both triple distilled and matured in lightly toasted American oak. Single Pot Still is made from malted and unmalted barley together, Single Malt from malted barley only, and the label shows both grains side by side. Marrying the two is the whole idea behind Writers Tears, which draws on the pot still and malt blends of the 19th century. Bourbon casks tend to add sweetness and toffee, which suits the creamy finish well.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sweet and fragrant, with pear drops and candied fruit.

Palate

The sweetness opens into an herb garden in full bloom: heather honey, fennel spice and cinnamon. The flavours build in waves, and the body is full.

Finish

Creamy, chewy toffee that lingers with a warmth like a summer's evening.

Specifications

Name: Writers Tears Cask Strength Vintage Release 2022
Distillery: Walsh Whiskey
Region/Country: Ireland
Type: Pot & Malt Irish Whiskey
ABV: 54.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Distillation method: Triple distilled
Bottled: 2022
Number of bottles: 5,820
Edition: Vintage Release 2022 (12th edition)
EAN no.: 5099811090923

Flavour profile

Fruity · Herbal · Spicy · Sweet · Full-bodied

Did you know?

In the 19th century, a master blend of pot still and malt whiskey, both distilled in copper pots, was known as the champagne of Irish whiskey. That is the style Walsh Whiskey set out to bring back with Writers Tears.

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Where Loch Indaal beats against the walls and part of the warehouse sits below the waterline, one of Islay's most recognisable drams matures. Bowmore 12 Year is where most people begin their journey into the island's peat smoke — and where many keep returning.

Expert's description

Bowmore 12 Year is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in ex-bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 40%. The flagship expression and first step in the core range from Bowmore, Islay's oldest distillery, founded in 1779. A classic permanent expression — not a limited edition, but a whisky that has stood the test of time and defined what an accessible Islay malt tastes like. Bowmore is one of the few distilleries still running its own traditional floor maltings, where barley is peated to around 25 ppm — notable but never as aggressive as Ardbeg or Lagavulin. This moderate smoke level is a major reason why Bowmore 12 Year is often called the ideal entry point to Islay. The whisky matures in a combination of ex-bourbon and sherry casks in the legendary No. 1 Vaults, one of the world's oldest maturation warehouses.

Tasting notes

Nose

Light and inviting. Honey and citrus at the front, wrapped in Bowmore's characteristic mild peat smoke. A touch of vanilla and fresh flowers.

Taste

Well-balanced with warm honey, plum and a restrained peat smoke. The sherry cask contributes dark fruit and gentle spice; the bourbon cask provides sweetness and vanilla.

Finish

Medium length, clean and lightly smoky. Honey and sea salt linger — a satisfying, classic Islay finish.

Specifications

Name: Bowmore 12 Year Single Islay Malt Whisky
Distillery: Bowmore
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Single Islay Malt Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon and sherry
EAN no.: 5010496080818

Flavour profile

Peated · Fruity · Honey · Maritime · Balanced

Did you know?

Bowmore still operates its own traditional floor maltings — one of fewer than ten distilleries in Scotland to do so — producing a portion of its own peated malt on site.

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Somewhere in the hills around Rylane in County Cork, a poor labourer wandered from farm to farm, taking whatever work the farmers had for him. For one of those jobs he never received any pay. Instead, he was given a song — and that song has outlived them all.

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There's a certain kind of whisky you want when it's dark by four o'clock and there's a bowl of clementines on the table. Stauning took their spicy rye from the west coast of Denmark and gave it a rest in casks that once held French orange liqueur. It ends up smelling a bit like December.

Expert's Description

Stauning R.Y.E. Grand Danois Winterdrop is a Danish Rye Whisky finished in casks from a French orange liqueur producer and bottled at 40.6%.

Winterdrop is Stauning's new winter release. The idea is to put out a new bottling every year for the cold months, and Grand Danois is the very first one. It's a Limited Release, so it won't be a permanent fixture on the shelf.

It starts from the distillery's signature R.Y.E., made from local Danish rye and barley that's floor-malted on site and run through small pot stills heated by direct fire. The standard R.Y.E. matures in new, heavily charred American oak and has that classic rye mix of pepper and rye bread. For Grand Danois, the whisky was finished in casks from a French orange liqueur producer, and you can tell. Orange peel and citrus sit on top of the rye spice, and at 40.6% it's a good deal softer than the regular 48% R.Y.E. It has enough character for someone who's tried a lot of whisky, and it's still easy going for someone who's only starting to work out what they like.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Orange peel and vanilla up front. Bright citrus follows, with some toasted oak further back.

Palate

Soft on the tongue. Ripe cherry and vanilla sit in the middle, while the rye pushes warm spice out around the edges.

Finish

Toasted oak and bittersweet orange peel linger, with a little warmth from the spice right at the end.

Specifications

Name: Stauning R.Y.E. Grand Danois Winterdrop
Distillery: Stauning
Region/Country: Denmark, Western Jutland
Type: Danish Rye Whisky
ABV: 40.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Finished in Orange Liqueur Casks from France
Non-chill Filtered: Yes
Distillation Method: Pot Stills heated by direct fire
Edition: Winterdrop, Limited Release
EAN: 5744002861904

Flavour Profile

Citrus · Spiced · Sweet · Soft

Investment Potential

Medium. This is the very first Winterdrop and a Limited Edition. The first release in a new annual series is often the one collectors of Danish whisky want on the shelf once more editions come along.

Did You Know?

Grand Danois simply means "the great Dane" in French. It's also the French name for the dog breed known in English as the Great Dane. That fits a Danish rye whisky that's spent time in French casks.

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Eighteen years is a long time to sit still in a warehouse on the edge of the Atlantic. The tide has rolled in and out along Islay's south coast more than 12,000 times while the casks lay in the dark and let the smoke settle. It never left. It just made some new friends.

Expert's Description

Laphroaig 18 Year Old is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured for 18 years in ex-bourbon American oak barrels and bottled at 48%.

This bottle has had a bumpy ride. It first appeared in 2009, replacing the old 15 Year Old that the then Prince Charles was famously fond of. Around 2015 Laphroaig simply ran short of old enough stock, and the 18 was quietly pulled from the range. Collectors cleared the shelves of whatever was left. Almost ten years later it came back, now in a white carton with Distillery Manager Barry MacAffer's signature on the back.

It all starts on Laphroaig's own malting floor, where part of the barley is still turned by hand and dried over fires of Islay peat. The spirit is double distilled and filled into barrels that once held American bourbon. Then it stays put. No sherry, no finish, no detours. The same kind of cask from the first day to the last.

The cask explains most of what's in the glass. American oak pulls out vanilla, honey and ripe fruit and takes the edge off the peat, so it no longer kicks the door in the way it does in the 10 Year Old. Laphroaig's own words on the box promise sweetness, gooseberry and apple, leather, seaweed and intense peat. It's unmistakably Laphroaig. Just a more patient one.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet peat smoke, like a campfire burning down to embers, with soft vanilla and toffee underneath. Gooseberry, freshly cut leather and seaweed left to dry in the sun on the beach.

Palate

Full and slightly oily. Cinnamon and warm apple tart arrive first, followed by orange, honey and ginger. Tobacco and smoke sit underneath as a foundation rather than a lid.

Finish

Long. The fruit lingers, then fresh mint and a woody, spicy peat smoke with a faintly salty edge that hangs around for quite a while.

Specifications

Name: Laphroaig 18 Year Old
Distillery: Laphroaig
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 18 years
ABV: 48%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-bourbon American oak barrels
Distillation method: Double distilled
EAN no.: 5010019001061

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Peaty · Vanilla · Fruity · Maritime · Herbal

Did You Know?

When Bessie Williamson arrived at Laphroaig in 1932, it was as temporary help in the office. She never left. She inherited the distillery from its owner Ian Hunter in 1954 and went on to run it herself, and she is widely regarded as the first woman in the 20th century to manage a Scotch whisky distillery.

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Fifteen years in a warehouse on the south coast of Islay, where the wind comes in off the sea carrying salt. That's long enough for the smoke in a Laphroaig to loosen its grip a little. Not by much. Just enough that you suddenly notice the grapefruit hiding behind it.

Expert's Description

Laphroaig 15 Year Old is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured for 15 years in American oak ex-bourbon casks and bottled at 46%.

It's had a bumpy ride. The 15 Year Old first hit the shelves in 1985 and quickly picked up a loyal following. In 2009 it was pulled from the range and replaced by an 18 year old. For the distillery's 200th anniversary in 2015 it resurfaced as a limited release at 43%, then vanished again. In June 2026 it came back for good, as a permanent part of the range alongside the 10 Year Old and the 18 Year Old. And with a bit more muscle this time, at 46%.

It starts with peated malt. Part of the barley is still turned by hand on the distillery's own malting floors and dried over Islay peat smoke, before being double distilled in Laphroaig's copper stills.

All of the maturation has happened in American oak that previously held bourbon. No sherry, no finish, no tricks. The bourbon casks bring vanilla and a soft, yellow fruit sweetness, and the long years do the rest. The medicinal edge gets rounder, and the smoke folds in with citrus, peach and spices like clove and coriander. Laphroaig's master blender, Dr Calum Fraser of Suntory Global Spirits, has said they waited patiently for the whisky to be ready before bringing it back.

The whisky is non-chill filtered with no added colour. On the box, Laphroaig sums up the flavour in three words: citrus, clove, smoke. Which is actually spot on.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh orange peel and grapefruit come first, a bit like peeling the fruit right over the glass. Underneath sits dry hay and a thin line of barbecue smoke. Give it a few minutes and vanilla appears, along with a single clove.

Palate

A broad wave of sea salt and smoke, oily and rich like smoked mackerel. Then cracked black pepper, cinnamon, clove and ground coriander. Towards the end it lifts, and juicy peach and ripe grapefruit take over.

Finish

Long and smoky. Your mouth waters, and the salty and the sweet keep pulling in opposite directions, in the best possible way.

Specifications

Name: Laphroaig 15 Year Old
Distillery: Laphroaig
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: American oak ex-bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
EAN no.: 5010019001719

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Citrus · Maritime · Spicy · Vanilla

Did you know?

The name Laphroaig comes from Gaelic and means something along the lines of the beautiful hollow by the broad bay. The pronunciation, La-Froyg, is printed right there on the label, so nobody has to guess.

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Macallan sits half-buried in a hillside above the River Spey, its turf roof rolling like the Easter Elchies countryside around it. For two centuries the people inside have agreed on one thing: the sherry cask calls the shots. With 110 Proof, they have finally turned the volume up.

Expert description

Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak 110 Proof is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured for 12 years in sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez and bottled at 55%.

Picture the classic Sherry Oak 12 Year with most of the water left out. The standard bottling is brought down to 40%, while this one stops at 55%. The name comes from the American proof system, where the number is simply double the alcohol percentage. Less water means more of what the casks put in: a denser, almost oily texture and a sherry character that coats the whole mouth.

The casks are predominantly European oak, with a small share of American oak. They are seasoned with sherry in Jerez de la Frontera, shipped to Scotland and filled with new make spirit from Macallan's famously small copper stills. European oak brings more tannin and darker fruit than American oak, and you can taste it here: dates, cherries and cocoa rather than vanilla and honey. All of the colour comes from the wood, with no caramel added.

110 Proof first appeared in 2025, when the only way to buy it in Europe was through the British chain The Whisky Shop or directly from Macallan. In autumn 2026 it reached more markets, and it now sits in the Sherry Oak Collection alongside the 18, 25 and 30 year old.

Tasting notes

Nose

Sticky dates and cherry compote lead the way. Cinnamon and crushed cacao nibs follow, with dried orange slices adding a tart edge to all that sweetness.

Palate

Full and warming. Rich oak and sultanas, then stem ginger, star anise and mandarin. Further in, espresso beans dipped in dark chocolate.

Finish

Long, with dark treacle toffee and mocha, and a sweet cinnamon that refuses to leave.

Specifications

Name: Macallan 12 Year Sherry Oak 110 Proof
Distillery: Macallan
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 55%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Sherry seasoned oak casks from Jerez, predominantly European oak with some American oak
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: Sherry Oak Collection
EAN no.: 5010314314934

Flavour profile

Sherry matured · Fruity · Spicy · Powerful · Chocolatey

Did you know?

110 Proof is an American measurement. Under the old British system, where spirit was supposedly tested by checking whether gunpowder soaked in it would still ignite, 100 proof equalled roughly 57.1%. In British terms, this whisky would only be about 96 proof.

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Most whiskies are shaped by the cask. This one was shaped by the soil. A windswept field on Orkney, a farm in Wiltshire where the sowing follows the moon, and organic fields on the Scottish mainland. Three barleys, fifteen years, one first fill bourbon barrel at a time.

Expert description

Bruichladdich Greener Still 15 year is an unpeated Islay Single Malt Whisky, matured for its entire life in 1st fill bourbon casks and bottled at 51.6%.

It's part of Bruichladdich's 25th Anniversary Limited Release and the third anniversary bottling of 2026, following Old Skool and Yellow Submarine III. It was launched in August 2026. It's also the fourth chapter of the Still series, which the distillery hadn't touched in almost 20 years. Back then, Blacker Still, Redder Still and Golder Still were all about the casks. This time the barley takes the lead.

The recipe is 45% biodynamic barley, 30% organic barley and 25% Bere. The biodynamic share comes from Yatesbury House Farm in Wiltshire, a carbon-positive farm. In 2021 Bruichladdich used that barley to make the world's first biodynamic Scotch Whisky, and it's one of the few exceptions to the distillery's Scottish-barley-only rule. The organic barley is grown on the Scottish mainland without artificial fertilisers or sprays, something Bruichladdich has done since 2003. The last quarter is Bere, an ancient barley variety the distillery has worked with since 2005. This Bere was grown on Orkney together with the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Everything was distilled, matured and bottled on Islay, and Islay spring water was used to bring the whisky down to bottling strength. The 1st fill bourbon casks bring vanilla and a soft sweetness without taking over, so the barley stays in front: florals, ripe fruit and a rich, malty body. Master Blender Adam Hannett puts it simply: each of the three parcels brings something different, whether that's texture, spice or fruit.

The bottle is opaque green, and it doesn't come in a tin. That's a deliberate choice to cut down on packaging.

Tasting notes

Nose

Lavender and honeysuckle up front, followed by pear, baked apple with cinnamon and a hint of lightly toasted oak. Leave it in the glass for a while and you'll get apricot and a touch of dry grass.

Palate

Soft, almost creamy. Ripe pear, malt and honey with a sharp flash of citrus. Caramel with a hint of chocolate in the middle, then a pinch of pepper that reminds you it's 51.6%.

Finish

Velvety and fairly long. Vanilla, dry oak spice and a fresh, salty coastal note at the very end.

Specifications

Name: Bruichladdich Greener Still 15 year
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 years
ABV: 51.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: 25th Anniversary Limited Release, fourth release in the Still series

Flavour profile

Floral · Fruity · Honeyed · Vanilla · Unpeated

Investment potential

Medium. It's a limited 15 year old anniversary release that brings back a series collectors already know, and it sold out on the distillery's own web shop shortly after launch. The number of bottles hasn't been published, so it's hard to say how scarce it will become.

Did you know?

In 2020 Bruichladdich became the first Scotch Whisky distillery to be certified as a B Corp. It's an independent standard that measures how a company treats its staff, its community and the environment. In a way, Greener Still is that certificate in a bottle.

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When you're accused of hiding weapons of mass destruction, you can either issue a denial or bottle a whisky. Bruichladdich bottled a whisky. A few years later a stray yellow submarine turned up off the coast of Islay, and it got a whisky too. Two decades on, the sub has surfaced once more.

Expert description

Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III Reclassified 14 year is an unpeated Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in 1st fill bourbon barrels and 1st and 2nd fill French red wine casks from Bordeaux, bottled at 54.2%.

It's the second limited release marking 25 years since Bruichladdich was brought back to life in 2001, and the third chapter of the Whisky of Mass Distinction series that started in 2005 and returned in 2018. The backstory is hard to beat. In the early 2000s, US military intelligence had the distillery flagged as a possible weapons site. Bruichladdich played along, and when a Ministry of Defence submarine went astray and was found off the island in 2005, the name of the next bottling wrote itself.

The maturation profile is inspired by the recipe behind the very first Yellow Submarine. 75% of the whisky spent its time in 1st fill bourbon barrels, 25% in red wine casks. Back in 2005 those were Spanish Rioja. This time they're 1st and 2nd fill Bordeaux casks. The spirit is made from 100% Scottish Appaloosa barley, grown on the mainland and malted without peat. Bourbon brings honey, vanilla and a soft creamy base, while the Bordeaux casks add ripe fruit, toasted nuts and warm spice. Non-chill filtered, no added colour, reduced with Islay spring water. Master Blender Adam Hannett calls it one of those whiskies that makes you smile as soon as you nose it.

Yellow Submarine III was released on 1 June 2026 in limited quantities.

Tasting notes

Nose

Honey-sweet oats and buttery shortbread up front. Hazelnut and praline follow, with nutmeg and a gentle nip of ginger underneath.

Palate

Smooth and full despite the strength. Fresh orange zest and honeysuckle open, then crisp apple and pear. It rounds out into crème brûlée, finished with a pinch of sea salt.

Finish

Long and lingering. Honeyed sweetness, warming spice and toasted hazelnut that stay with you.

Specifications

Name: Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine III Reclassified 14 year
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 14 years
ABV: 54.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 75% 1st fill bourbon barrels and 25% 1st and 2nd fill Bordeaux red wine casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: Whisky of Mass Distinction part III, 25th anniversary
EAN no.: 5055807422185

Flavour profile

Unpeated · Fruity · Nutty · Honeyed · Spicy

Investment potential

Medium. A limited anniversary release in a series collectors already follow, and it sold out quickly at several major retailers.

Did you know?

The real submarine was collected by the Ministry of Defence, but an exact replica still stands in the distillery grounds on Islay today.

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On the western shore of Islay, facing the grey water of Loch Indaal, stands a distillery that once fell silent. In 2001 the stills were fired up again. Twenty-five years on, Bruichladdich looks back with a bottle that could have come straight off a 1980s shelf. The whisky inside is anything but old-fashioned.

Expert's description

Bruichladdich Old Skool 10 year is an Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in 1st fill bourbon casks and 1st fill Sauternes casks and bottled at 50%.

It is the first of three limited releases marking 25 years since the distillery was brought back to life. The label borrows its look from Bruichladdich's own bottlings of the 1980s, a deliberate glance over the shoulder. Every grain of barley was grown on Islay by 14 local farmers, all within roughly nine miles of the distillery. For Bruichladdich that is the point: barley has a sense of place, and you should be able to taste it.

There is no peat here. The spirit is double distilled and spent ten years mostly in 1st fill American oak bourbon casks, which bring vanilla, coconut and soft caramel. A smaller parcel went into 1st fill Sauternes casks, and that is where the floral sweetness and ripe apricot come from. The casks were married, then reduced with Islay spring water to 50%, with no chill filtration and no added colour.

The bottle itself contains around 60% recycled glass. Bruichladdich has not published a bottle count, but this is a limited release, and several UK retailers sold out within weeks of the March 2026 launch.

Tasting notes

Nose

Ripe apricot and nectarine lead, followed by red plum and vanilla custard. Underneath sits a gentle, salty sea breeze, a quiet reminder of where it was made.

Palate

Rounded and slightly oily. Stone fruit and citrus zest, barley sugar and stewed pear. The oak adds creamy coconut and caramelised vanilla, while clove, ginger and toasted almond give it warmth and a bit of grip.

Finish

Apricot jam and toasted coconut linger, with barley sugar and dry toasted oak fading out last.

Specifications

Name: Bruichladdich Old Skool 10 year
Distillery: Bruichladdich
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 50%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 1st fill bourbon casks and 1st fill Sauternes casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Edition: 25th Anniversary Limited Release
EAN no.: 5055807422161

Flavour profile

Fruity · Sweet · Unpeated · Bourbon cask · Maritime · Lightly spiced

Did you know?

The label on Old Skool carries a map of Islay printed with the names of the farmers who grew the barley for this very whisky. 14 of the distillery's 19 farming partners on the island made the cut.

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A coconut split open in the shade, juice running down your wrist, lime cut on a wooden bench. Not the vocabulary you normally reach for with Speyside. But Macallan spent six releases hunting flavours already hiding inside the wood — and this is the last of them.

Expert Description

Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Fresh Coconut is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in first fill American oak casks and bottled at 46.3%.

It is the sixth and closing chapter of The Harmony Collection, and the only one in the series where Macallan's Whisky Mastery Team chased a single flavour note instead of building around an age. Nothing coconut is added anywhere. The note comes from oak lactones, a compound occurring naturally in American white oak of the Quercus Alba species, which gives coconut, vanilla and butterscotch when the wood is toasted the right way.

That is why the entire wood selection was cut to fit one purpose. Only first fill American oak casks were used — some previously holding bourbon, some sherry seasoned. The bourbon casks lift the bright coconut and citrus, while the sherry seasoning lays body and roundness underneath. No age statement on the bottle, because it is the composition that decides here, not a number.

The colour is entirely natural and sits close to King Coconut, the golden-orange Sri Lankan coconut the distillery itself points to. The bottle reached the market on 4 August 2026 alongside the TimeSpirit dining menu at The Macallan Estate, developed with the Roca brothers of El Celler de Can Roca.

The box deserves a mention of its own. The paper contains waste coconut fibres, and its black colour comes from charcoal burned from surplus coconut shells in an emission-free process. No black dye brought in from outside — the same principle as the whisky.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh coconut first, then lime zest and orange. Mango and papaya sit behind it, and underneath it all vanilla, almond and a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon.

Palate

Sweet lime and lemon meet vanilla sponge and desiccated coconut. Icing sugar and coconut milk make it creamy, while sweet oak and dried tropical fruits keep it from turning soft.

Finish

Coconut and floral honey, light and warm, with a flowery note that lingers longer than 46.3% would suggest.

Specifications

Name: Macallan Harmony Collection Inspired by Fresh Coconut
Distillery: Macallan
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
ABV: 46.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: First fill American oak casks of Quercus Alba, previously used for bourbon and sherry seasoning
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Edition: The Harmony Collection, sixth and final release
EAN No.: 5010314314859

Flavour Profile

Coconut · Tropical · Fruity · Vanilla · Lightly spiced

Investment Potential

Medium. This is the closing bottle of a series many collectors have followed since the first release, and a complete Harmony set needs exactly this one. Macallan is also the most traded whisky at auction worldwide, which keeps demand steady on limited editions from the distillery.

Did You Know?

The coconut flavour in whisky has a laboratory name: cis-whiskylactone. The compound was first isolated in whisky, hence the name, and it sits considerably denser in American white oak than in European oak. Macallan, a distillery that built its entire reputation on Spanish sherry casks, turned to the opposite wood to get hold of it.

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Off a quiet road through Keith stands a distillery most drinkers have never heard of. Strathmill has spent over a century filling casks for J&B's blend, its own name almost never making it onto a label. This time, one cask gets to speak for itself.

The expert's description

Strathmill 2015 Little Brown Dog is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Cream Sherry Hogshead of American oak and bottled at 54.6%.

Strathmill in Keith is one of Speyside's most overlooked distilleries. For decades it has mostly filled malt for J&B's blend, and even Diageo has only put its name on a bottle a handful of times, most recently in the Flora & Fauna series. Little Brown Dog Spirits, the independent bottler from Aberdeenshire, found a cask from 2015 that stood apart from the rest of the parcel: rounded, clean and easy to drink, without the full sherry weight you'd expect from a cream sherry cask. The whisky spent its entire maturation in the same Cream Sherry Hogshead of American oak, giving a gentler, more integrated sherry character than casks with a heavier, more Spanish-style profile.

The bottle was released in July 2026 as part of a seven-bottle batch from Little Brown Dog. Like all their single cask releases, it's bottled at cask strength, natural colour and non-chill filtered. Only 286 bottles were filled from this one cask.

Tasting notes

Nose

Old oak furniture and rowan jelly on the nose, spiced with a touch of Grand Marnier - candied orange peel and a hint of cognac warmth.

Palate

The palate carries creamy custard doughnut and tart pink grapefruit, with the sherry showing through as a port glaze toward the middle.

Finish

The finish turns dry and mineral, like a cool white wine, followed by a fizz of pear soda and a last touch of nutmeg spice.

Specifications

Name: Strathmill 2015 11 year Little Brown Dog Single Cask Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Strathmill
Bottler: Little Brown Dog Spirits
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 11 year
ABV: 54.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Cream Sherry Hogshead, American oak
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2015
Bottled: July 2026
Number of bottles: 286

Flavour profile

Sherry-matured · Fruity · Creamy · Spiced

Investment potential

Medium - Strathmill is rarely bottled as a single malt, and only 286 bottles exist from this one cask. Little Brown Dog has built a solid reputation among collectors of independent bottlings in just a few years, which adds to the appeal of this kind of rare release.

Did you know?

The label nods to the pied wagtail from Diageo's official Flora & Fauna edition of Strathmill - one of the few times the distillery has ever been allowed to stand alone on a bottle.

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Speyburn sits tucked in a valley so narrow that the sun rarely reaches the distillery's pagoda roof. This 10-year-old is the distillery's handshake to the whisky world.

Expert's Description

Speyburn 10 Year Old is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Speyburn distillery, matured in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, bottled at 40%.

The distillery, founded in 1897, is known for its distinctive pagoda roof silhouette and a light, fresh style that makes the 10-year-old one of the most accessible Speyside malts on the market.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Fresh malt and green apple meet a light sweetness of honey and vanilla.

Palate

Soft and easy-drinking with citrus, malt and a hint of spice.

Finish

Short to medium with clean malt and a lightly sweet close.

Specifications

Name: Speyburn 10 Year Old
Distillery: Speyburn
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: American oak ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks
EAN No.: 5010509021067

Flavour Profile

Fresh · Light · Fruity · Approachable

Did You Know?

Speyburn's distillery was founded in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, making it one of the youngest Speyside distilleries from the Victorian era.

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Twenty-four days to Christmas, and there's still snow on the peaks out west, while in the rickhouses around Bardstown and Lawrenceburg the oak has been doing its quiet work all year. Twenty-four doors, twenty-four stories – from bourbon houses with roots back to nineteenth-century Kentucky to rye whiskeys with a bit more bite and pepper. This calendar is a journey through the American whiskey landscape, one dram at a time, all through December.

Expert's Description

Bourbon & Rye Whiskey Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl is a bourbon and rye whiskey advent calendar with 24 different American whiskeys from the Danish spirits house Mac Y, in miniature bottles at 2cl each and bottled at an average of 51.38%.

Behind the doors sits a wide cross-section of the American whiskey landscape. Blanton's Original and Blanton's Gold Edition come from the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky – a house Mac Y has imported from since 2004. David Nicholson 1843 and David Nicholson Reserve trace back to a recipe said to have been created in the back room of a St. Louis grocery store in 1843. Ezra Brooks appears in no fewer than five expressions, including a port-cask-finished 99 Bourbon Port Finish and an Old 7 Year Straight Rye that Mac Y has had bottled as their own Signature edition. Minor Case contributes a sherry-cask-finished rye, and Penelope – founded in 2018 by Mike Paladini and Danny Polise and named after Paladini's daughter – appears in four expressions, all four bottled as exclusive Julekalender 2026 editions found nowhere else. Rebel brings both classic Kentucky style and wine-cask finishes in cabernet sauvignon and sherry oloroso, while the Rossville family spans a bottled-in-bond Straight Rye at six years and 100 proof up to a 7-year Union expression that tops the whole calendar at 117 proof. Yellowstone, a name dating back to 1872 and produced today at Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky – founded by brothers Paul and Steve Beam, descendants of the old Dant whiskey family – rounds things off with a rum-cask-finished expression at 100 proof, a Select and a Single Malt. Ezra Brooks, Rebel, David Nicholson, Yellowstone, Rossville and, since 2023, Penelope too all sit under the same roof, MGP/Luxco, so without it ever appearing on a label, a large part of the calendar's 24 doors are related to each other.

Mac Y itself started as a hobby in 1995/96 in Frederiks near Viborg, when brothers Søren and Jens Nørgaard, together with Kjeld Bitch, founded the company. Their first warehouse was an approved, tax-monitored space fitted out in an old bathroom, and the first two pallets of Deerstalker blended whisky were driven out to local retailers by hand on a startup budget of 30,000 kroner. Today the warehouse covers 3,000 square metres, and Mac Y is also behind the Danish Rum & Whisky Festival, held every November.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The calendar's 24 bottles make very different first impressions. Some open soft, with caramel, vanilla and ripe grain, while others – especially the Rossville family's rye expressions and Ezra Brooks' Straight Rye – send up a dry, peppery spice, and the higher the proof, the more oak comes through in the nose. The wine-cask finishes from Rebel and Ezra Brooks add a layer of dark fruit and gentle sweetness on top.

Palate

On the palate the spread continues: soft, wheat-forward expressions like Penelope Wheated and David Nicholson 1843 sit in contrast to the more powerful bottles, where Rossville Union 7YO at 117 proof and Penelope Barrel Strength bring more oak spice, tobacco and dark caramel.

Finish

Short and light on the milder bourbons, longer and more peppery on the rye expressions from Rossville and Ezra Brooks – and on the wine-cask finishes, a last hint of red wine or sherry often lingers.

Specifications

Name: Bourbon & Rye Whiskey Advent Calendar filled with 24 x 2cl
Bottler: Mac Y
Region/Country: USA
Type: Bourbon & Rye Whiskey Advent Calendar
ABV: 51.38%
Size: 48 CL (24 x 2cl)

Flavour Profile

Versatile · American · Spiced · Sweet · Oak-driven

Did You Know?

The name Mac Y came about when the founders were sitting out on the Jutland heath playing with words from a well-known song – they combined a Scottish-sounding syllable with the letter Y, and that's how one of Denmark's major whisky and rum houses got its name.

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Twenty-four doors, twenty-four worlds. Behind one waits peat and sea spray from Islay, behind the next, apples from the Loire Valley, and behind a third, warm Goan air over Indian pot stills. The Mac Y Whisky Advent Calendar is a journey through whisky's landscapes, one dram at a time, all December long.

Expert's Description

Mac Y Whisky Advent Calendar 2026 is a tasting calendar with 24 different whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, England, France and India, bottled in 2 cl miniatures at an average strength of 46.9%.

The concept is a virtual advent calendar: behind each of the 24 doors sits a bottle, and a QR code on the bottom of the box opens a new door in Mac Y's online calendar every day in December, revealing the story behind that day's whisky. The line-up spans the breadth of Scotch whisky – from Islay-adjacent names like Caol Ila and Ledaig, through Speyside-leaning Speybridge, to Highland stalwarts such as Deanston and Tomatin – and sets them against newer voices in the whisky world: The Irishman from Ireland, Cotswolds from England, Armorik from Brittany and Paul John from Goa, India.

Several bottles were made specifically for the occasion. Beathan 2013 comes from a first-fill sherry butt as a private cask, while Caol Ila 2013-23 is drawn from a virgin oak cask selected exclusively for this calendar. Add two expressions each from Lindores Abbey and Bunnahabhain, a Torabhaig duo and Tomatin's experimental Cù Bòcan, and the calendar becomes as much an exercise in comparing styles as a countdown to Christmas.

Behind the calendar is Mac Y, a Danish spirits house based in Karup, Central Jutland, which has imported and distributed specialty spirits to Danish retailers, bars and restaurants since 1996 – and which imports several of the names in the calendar itself, including Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tomatin and Torabhaig.

Tasting Notes

Nose

There's no single aroma to expect here – that's the point. Some bottles bring smoke and sea salt from the Islay side, others honey and ripe apple from sherry- and port-influenced casks, and a few – Paul John in particular – sit somewhere between tropical fruit and spiced warmth.

Palate

In the glass, the calendar ranges from soft and light through heavily peated to the dense, wine-cask-driven expressions from Armorik and Cotswolds, where red wine and whisky meet in the same mouthful.

Finish

Short and fresh on the younger, unpeated entries, longer and more wood-driven where the sherry and port casks have had their say – none of the 24 days tastes quite like the one before it.

Specifications

Name: Mac Y Whisky Advent Calendar 2026
Bottler: Mac Y
Region/Country: Scotland, Ireland, England, France and India
Type: Whisky Advent Calendar
ABV: 46.9% (average)
Size: 48 CL (24 x 2 CL)
EAN No.: 5714772002531

Flavour Profile

Versatile · Peated · Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced

Did You Know?

Mac Y is also behind Cú Dhub – the world's only black Scotch whisky, created in Scotland in 1996 and since exported to whisky lovers around the globe.

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Campbeltown was once the whisky capital of the world, with more than thirty distilleries crammed along the coast of the Kintyre peninsula. Only two remain today, and Springbank is the one that never let go of the old ways. Same site, same family, generation after generation of the Mitchells. Hazelburn is the quiet one of the house's three styles, pale, fruity and free of smoke.

Expert's Description

Hazelburn 10 Year Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Ex-Bourbon Casks and bottled at 46%. It is made at Springbank Distillery in Campbeltown, where the Mitchell family has run production since 1828 and now stands at the fifth generation. The Hazelburn name is borrowed from one of Campbeltown's lost distilleries, which closed its doors over a hundred years ago, and the style is the palest and most fruit-driven of Springbank's three malts.

What sets Hazelburn apart from its two siblings is the triple distillation of unpeated malt, while Springbank itself is distilled two and a half times and lightly peated, and Longrow is double distilled and heavily peated. Hazelburn 10 Year is non-chill filtered and carries no added colouring, matured entirely in Ex-Bourbon Casks, which gives the whisky its pale gold hue and soft, fruity character.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Sweet and tropical from the first pour, baked pineapple, lemon sorbet and honeycomb, followed by dried orange peel and a touch of vanilla.

Palate

Sweetness meets a light vegetal note on the palate, green apples alongside a creamy body that recalls custard and shortbread.

Finish

The finish turns earthy and lingers, with salted caramel, fresh ginger, toasted coconut and a faint mineral edge.

Specifications

Name: Hazelburn 10 Year Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Springbank
Region/Country: Campbeltown, Scotland
Type: Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-Bourbon Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Triple distilled
EAN no.: 0610854000837

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Creamy · Honeyed · Lightly Spiced

Did You Know?

Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland that still carries out the entire process on one site, from floor malting its own barley to the finished bottle leaving the building.

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At the tip of the Kintyre peninsula, where the Atlantic hammers against Campbeltown's old quays, five generations of the Mitchell family have kept faith with a way of working the rest of Scotland abandoned decades ago. Springbank still does every part of the job itself, from the barley on the malting floor to the bottle on the shelf. Twenty-one years is how long it takes to turn that craft into something genuinely rare.

Expert Description

Springbank 21 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a combination of Port Casks, Bourbon Casks, Rum Casks and Sherry Casks, bottled at 46%. This is the 2026 Release of the distillery's annual 21 year old bottling, and this time Port Casks lead the way, making up 65% of the marriage, with Bourbon, Rum and Sherry Casks filling out the rest. The barley behind it is lightly peated and floor-malted on site by hand, a method only a handful of Scottish distilleries still practise. Springbank is also the only one of the three surviving Campbeltown distilleries to distil its namesake spirit two and a half times: twice through the standard process, then a partial third run that gives the spirit an oily, full-bodied character without weighing it down. The long stretch in Port Casks pushes dark fruit and a syrupy, date-like sweetness into the whisky, while the Bourbon, Rum and Sherry Casks add spice and a layer of smoky depth underneath. Nothing here is chill filtered or coloured, so what's left in the glass is purely the years and the wood talking.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe dates and a hint of sticky toffee pudding open things up, followed by thick treacle, stewed plums and a burst of blood orange zest. A quiet, sweet smoke waits underneath.

Palate

The smoke carries through onto the palate alongside smoked figs, caramelised brown sugar and a dryness like cigar box wood. Dark berries and a salty, almost cured-meat note give the whisky weight and direction.

Finish

Long and earthy, with banana bread and cinnamon lingering while the gentle smoke stays with you right to the end of the glass.

Specifications

Name: Springbank 21 Year Old Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Springbank
Region/Country: Campbeltown, Scotland
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: 65% Port Casks, 25% Bourbon Casks, 5% Rum Casks, 5% Sherry Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Distilled two and a half times
Bottled: 2026
Edition: 2026 Release
EAN no.: 610854000202

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Port-matured · Fruity · Spiced

Investment Potential

High. Springbank is among the most sought-after and allocated whiskies in the world, and the annual 21 Year Old, with its shifting cask make-up, quickly becomes a collector's bottle as the distillery's reputation and limited output keep demand high year after year.

Did You Know?

Campbeltown once had more than 30 working distilleries and was known as the whisky capital of the world, built in no small part by the Mitchell family who founded Springbank in 1828. Today only three distilleries remain in the town, and Springbank is the only one still carrying out the entire process, from malt to bottle, under one roof.

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Some names sound like a wet Aberdeenshire afternoon, and this one is no exception. On a farm outside Fetternear, Little Brown Dog has spent years gathering casks from across Scotland for a whisky built to be shared, not shelved. Four rounds in, the series is finally closing its doors.

Expert Description

Drookit Dug Final Batch from Little Brown Dog is a Blended Scotch Whisky made up of various casks and further matured in 2nd and 3rd fill Hogsheads, bottled at cask strength 45.1%. This is Batch 4, and the last one ever, in the now well-loved Drookit Dug series from independent bottler Little Brown Dog. The blend leans heavily on Highland malt, backed by grain whisky the bottler describes as considerably older than the 10 Year Old age statement lets on. Little Brown Dog won't disclose the full distillery breakdown behind the blend, but the character was set by the specific casks chosen for Batch 2, years ago.

The name Drookit Dug roughly translates as "soaked dog" in Scots, a nod to how much the strength has dropped over time rather than anything about the flavour. Since Batch 2, this liquid has simply been left to sit in quiet, tired Hogsheads, picking up extra oxidative and reductive character without pulling in more oak. The result is the richest, most settled version of Drookit Dug yet, still unchill filtered and free of added colour, sitting at a genuinely approachable strength for a cask strength whisky. Only 800 bottles were filled from this final batch, released in 2026.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Muscat grapes and toasted brioche lead the way, with a lift of pineapple cubes cutting through the sweetness.

Palate

Buttered toast and a creamy cookie dough sweetness arrive first, joined by a touch of beeswax for weight and texture.

Finish

The close is soft and sweet, carnation milk, runny honey and a whisper of candy floss that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Drookit Dug Final Batch
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 10 Years
ABV: 45.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Various casks, further matured in 2nd and 3rd fill Hogsheads
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Bottled: 2026
Number of bottles: 800
Edition: Final Batch

Flavour Profile

Honeyed · Toasted · Fruity · Full-bodied

Investment Potential

Medium – this is the last release ever in the popular Drookit Dug series from an independent bottler on a clear upward trajectory, and a series finale tends to draw extra interest from collectors, even though an outturn of 800 bottles keeps it from being genuinely scarce.

Did You Know?

Little Brown Dog is named after founder Andrew's own dog, who followed him on distillery visits for years and became the company's unofficial mascot until she passed away in 2022, aged 15 – but she lives on on every label, and two more "little brown dogs" have since joined the family.

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Some casks just sit there. Forgotten in a corner of the warehouse while decades roll by outside. That's what happened to the three casks that finally meet in this bottle - filled in the late 1970s and only woken up when two Scottish bottlers decided to pool their oldest treasures.

Expert's Description

Little Brown Dog x Living Souls 46 Year Old is a Blended Scotch Whisky built from three 1970s single casks and bottled at 41.2%.

The bottle is a collaboration between two of Scotland's newer independent bottlers: Little Brown Dog Spirits from Aberdeenshire and Living Souls from Glasgow. Little Brown Dog contributed a cask of malt from their neighbour Glen Garioch in the Highlands, distilled in 1978, while Living Souls added one cask each from the two closed Lowland grain distilleries Cambus and Carsebridge - both from their own backyard in Stirlingshire. The youngest cask in the blend was filled on 26 March 1979, which makes the whisky 46 years old and, by all accounts, the oldest either bottler has yet put their name to.

The whisky is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour, and the whole journey - distillation, maturation and bottling - took place in Scotland.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Creamy soda and fudge, with a touch of banoffee pie, like stepping into an old-fashioned sweet shop.

Palate

Ripe peach meets a gentle wisp of smoke, while pineapple adds a sweet, tropical counterpoint.

Finish

The pineapple carries all the way through into a long, balanced finish with no rough edges.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog x Living Souls 46 Year Old
Bottler: Little Brown Dog x Living Souls
Region/Country: Scotland
Type: Blended Scotch Whisky
Age: 46 Years
ABV: 41.2%
Size: 70 CL
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 1978-1979
EAN no.: 5061020380867

Flavour Profile

Sweet · Tropical · Lightly Smoky · Fruity

Investment Potential

High. The casks come from two closed Lowland grain distilleries that will never produce again, combined with a rare old Glen Garioch malt and a collaboration between two sought-after boutique bottlers. That particular combination will not come around again.

Did You Know?

The youngest cask in the blend was filled on 26 March 1979 - the same day Egypt and Israel signed their historic peace treaty in Washington.

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On the shore of the Dornoch Firth in the far north of Scotland, Balblair has been distilling whisky since 1790, one of the oldest working distilleries in the Highlands. Little Brown Dog took two casks of that spirit on a road trip to Normandy and back, and what came home smells as much of orchard fruit as it does of Highland malt.

Expert description

Balblair 2014 Calvados Cask Finish is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, finished in a Calvados cask and bottled at 56.1%.

It is Little Brown Dog's first release finished in a Calvados cask, and the story behind it is classic for the bottler: two 250-litre casks of Balblair were squeezed into one small Calvados cask, with room to spare that nobody expected. The angel's share was brutal, and the outturn suffered for it, but the liquid itself came good. Balblair's long fermentation gives a fruity, clear-wort spirit, and after first maturing in ex-White Port casks, this one spent a little over 18 months finishing in the Calvados cask before being bottled in May 2026. The finish lays a bright green apple character and a faint champagne-like lift over the fuller Balblair base, without ever taking it over. Only 290 bottles exist in total.

Tasting notes

Nose

Fresh lemon, ice cream wafer and green apple, lifted by a gentle sweetness from the cask.

Palate

Gooseberry and apple butter arrive first, followed by a spiced, stewed plum note.

Finish

Apple skins and a dry, champagne-like sparkle linger, closing on a small hit of green chilli.

Specifications

Name: Balblair 2014 Calvados Cask Finish
Distillery: Balblair
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 years
ABV: 56.1%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Ex-White Port casks, finished in a Calvados cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 5 April 2014
Bottled: 6 May 2026
Number of bottles: 290
Edition: Little Brown Dog's first Calvados cask finish

Flavour profile

Fruity · Apple Notes · Fresh · Lightly Spiced · Elegant

Investment potential

Medium. Only 290 bottles exist worldwide, and it marks Little Brown Dog's first release finished in a Calvados cask — a combination that has historically made the bottler's small batch releases sought after by collectors.

Did you know?

The Calvados cask was brought home from Normandy by Little Brown Dog themselves, and the label is designed around a Bayeux Tapestry theme to nod to that French connection.

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Behind the gates of Little Brown Dog's distillery in Fetternear, Bennachie rises above the barley fields — the hill that watched over Aberdeenshire long before anyone thought to make whisky here. That landscape is stamped on the label, and it's the character this bottle carries through.

Expert's Description

Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt 12 Years is a Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in bourbon and sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

Little Brown Dog is an independent bottler and micro distillery, founded in 2018 by vet Andrew Smith and farmer Chris Reid on a farm in Fetternear, Aberdeenshire. After eight years focused on single casks and small experimental releases, Aberdeenshire Single Malt is their first permanent core expression — a whisky designed to be bought again and again, not just tasted once.

The spirit is distilled at Glen Garioch, just ten minutes from Little Brown Dog's own bond. The Oldmeldrum distillery has been making whisky since 1797 and is known for its unpeated, malt-forward Highland style. Little Brown Dog has deliberately chosen not to put the Glen Garioch name on the label — they call themselves whisky makers in their own right, not just bottlers, though they're open about it if you ask.

Batch One is a vatting of 60% first-fill bourbon barrels and 40% oloroso and PX sherry casks, a mix of refill and first-fill wood — the same recipe used for the distillery's PPP release. The result is natural colour and never chill filtered, a balanced, old-fashioned style of unpeated Highland malt. Each batch runs to around 2,000 bottles, hand-numbered, and while the core recipe stays the same, the small batch-to-batch variation is something Little Brown Dog celebrates rather than smooths away.

The label is drawn from the silhouette of Bennachie, as seen from the gates of the distillery and bond, with forest and fields in the foreground. Look closely and you'll spot Peedie — one of the team's actual little brown dogs — hidden in the barley field, alongside a farm gate and an LBD cask. A QR code on the bottle, "Scan Yer Dram," links to a page with the full cask breakdown and the story behind this particular batch.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Stewed peaches meet apricot Danish pastry and preserved brambles — sweet and lightly baked, like a barley field on an autumn morning.

Palate

Toffee apple and a custardy texture with juicy pears, seasoned with fresh figs and a touch of sherried sweetness.

Finish

Orange marmalade and warm spiced cake fade into a last note of freshly roasted coffee, long and rounded.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog Aberdeenshire Single Malt 12 Years
Distillery: Glen Garioch
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Highland, Scotland
Type: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: 60% 1st Fill Bourbon Barrels, 40% Oloroso and PX Sherry Casks (Refill and First Fill)
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Number of Bottles: Approx. 2,000 (Batch One)
Barcode: 5065015785279

Flavour Profile

Sherry-Matured · Rounded · Fruity · Toffee-Like

Did You Know?

There's no actual tomato in this bottle, but Glen Garioch has a surprisingly green-fingered history: from 1977, the distillery piped waste heat from its stills into on-site greenhouses, growing up to 200 tonnes of tomatoes a year for sale locally.

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Caol Ila usually means smoke and brine in every drop. But once a year the distillery leaves the peat behind, and what comes out the other end almost always disappears straight into a blend. Little Brown Dog caught a rare batch of casks before that could happen.

Expert Description

Little Brown Dog Caol Ila Unpeated 12 Year Old is an Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in two Refill Bourbon Barrels and bottled at 57.3%.

Caol Ila is Islay's largest distillery, usually known for a lightly smoky, maritime style. Since 1999, though, the distillery has occasionally run an unpeated production, and it's exactly this rare unpeated spirit from 2013 that independent bottler Little Brown Dog, based in rural Aberdeenshire, has captured across two Refill Bourbon Barrels. The whisky was filled into cask on 27 December 2013 and bottled on 5 May 2026 after 12 years of maturation, in a small batch of 384 bottles. Little Brown Dog considered a Sherry finish, but deliberately chose to let the whisky stand entirely on its own, with no extra cask influence, so the distillate's own character could speak for itself. A high cutting point during distillation gives a spirit that is unusually elegant, sweet and delicate for Islay – a long way from the heavy, peated style most people associate with Caol Ila.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Pineapple chunks, white clover and candied clementine marmalade – fresh and lightly fruity, without a trace of smoke.

Palate

Passionfruit, creamy custard tart and juicy white grape juice give a sweet, gently creamy fullness.

Finish

Lemon sherbets, elderflower cordial and a touch of sea salt keep the finish fresh and lightly saline.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog Caol Ila Unpeated 12 Year Old
Distillery: Caol Ila
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 57.3%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Two Refill Bourbon Barrels
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 27 December 2013
Bottled: 5 May 2026
Number of bottles: 384
Edition: Small Batch

Flavour Profile

Unpeated · Fruity · Creamy · Elegant

Investment Potential

Medium. Unpeated Caol Ila is a rarity in itself, and with only 384 bottles from Little Brown Dog, a bottler that has built a strong reputation among collectors in a short space of time, there's real potential for rising demand as the bottle becomes harder to find.

Did You Know?

Little Brown Dog actually forgot to mention on the label itself that the whisky was unpeated – and had to add a round sticker reading "It's unpeated! No peat!" to every single bottle after the fact.

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Out past the tiny railway halt of Fogwatt in Speyside sits a distillery whose name rarely makes it onto a label, though its spirit has quietly shaped White Horse blends for a century. Little Brown Dog pulled this particular cask out of the shadows and gave it a wood that smells more of French vineyards than Scottish peat bogs.

Expert's description

Little Brown Dog Glen Elgin 2013 is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a refill Pineau des Charentes cask and bottled at cask strength 56.2%.

Glen Elgin is one of those distilleries that rarely trades under its own name. Most of what it produces disappears into the White Horse blend, and official single malt releases are few and far between. That makes independent bottlings the easiest route into the spirit, and Little Brown Dog keeps coming back to Glen Elgin in particular. The distillery still runs old-fashioned worm tub condensers, coiling the vapour through copper pipes submerged in cold water rather than modern shell-and-tube coolers. It's a heavier, meatier spirit as a result, one the LBD team say rewards a gentle hand with wood. Here they chose a single refill cask that had previously held Pineau des Charentes, the sweet French aperitif from the Charente region. Distilled in 2013, the whisky spent its entire maturation in that one cask, with no added colour and no chill filtration, so everything the wood gave it is still there in the glass.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Blackcurrant boiled sweets and apricot jam lead the way, with a trace of white tea and something faintly bakery-fresh underneath.

Palate

Rich Madeira cake unfolds on the tongue, joined by a splash of grenadine and a dry, cognac-like warmth that ties the fruit to the cask's sweetness.

Finish

Candied ginger and a light tamarind bitterness carry into the finish, closing on something green and freshly picked, almost like crushed rocket leaves.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog Glen Elgin 2013
Distillery: Glen Elgin
Bottler: Little Brown Dog
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 13 years
ABV: 56.2%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Pineau des Charentes cask
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Distilled: 2013
Number of bottles: 265

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Sherry-like sweetness · Spiced · Full-bodied · Rare cask type

Investment Potential

Medium. A single refill cask yielding just 265 bottles, combined with an unusual French cask type and Little Brown Dog's growing reputation among collectors, makes this an appealing bottle for enthusiasts chasing something rare.

Did You Know?

As teenagers, Little Brown Dog's founders were sent to stay with family for a summer in the Charente region of France. There they developed a taste for the local aperitif, Pineau, while spending long afternoons chasing grasshoppers through the vineyard meadows. That childhood memory is why this particular cask ended up in their collection years later.

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One teaspoon is all it takes to erase a name forever. That's one of Scotch whisky's stranger rules, and it's the story behind this bottle from a farm in Aberdeenshire, where two friends distil, mature and name their finds with a wink.

Expert description

Little Brown Dog Burnadjacent 1989 is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky matured in a Refill Hogshead and bottled at 47.6%. Behind the bottle is Little Brown Dog Spirits, an independent bottler and micro-distillery based on a farm in Fetternear, Aberdeenshire. The company was founded in 2018 by veterinarian Andrew Smith and farmer Chris Reid, who have since built their own small world around single casks, transparency about their process, and a healthy dose of humour in how they name things.

The name Burnadjacent is a joke with a serious backstory. This whisky is teaspooned — a tiny amount of another malt was added to the cask, which legally means neither the distillery's name nor its usual trade nickname can appear on the label. This spirit is understood to be Balvenie, traditionally nicknamed "Burnside" in the trade — hence Little Brown Dog's play on words with Burnadjacent. Balvenie itself doesn't appear anywhere on the bottle, but the connection has been confirmed independently by several UK specialist retailers.

The cask was filled on 15 November 1989 and left undisturbed ever since — 36 years in a single refill hogshead, giving the spirit time to develop the kind of tropical fruit character that only shows up after very long ageing. Bottling took place on 27 July 2026, with no reduction and no added colour, straight at cask strength, yielding just 321 bottles.

The bottle belongs to Little Brown Dog's rarer releases, one of the handful of single casks in their ongoing series of small annual batches, and it has already sold out quickly at several of the international retailers who received a share of the outturn.

Tasting notes

Nose

Kiwi and mandarin sit alongside the dusty scent of an old bookshop — the sweet, papery note you typically only find in genuinely old rarities.

Palate

On the palate it unfolds as peach iced tea, quickly followed by fresh mango and a touch of lime that keeps things light despite the age.

Finish

The finish is long and a little unexpected: pecan pie, a touch of sea salt, and a richness reminiscent of good olive oil that lingers well after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Little Brown Dog Burnadjacent 1989 36 Year Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery: Balvenie
Bottler: Little Brown Dog Spirits
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Blended Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 36 Year
ABV: 47.6%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Refill Hogshead
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 15 November 1989
Bottled: 27 July 2026
Number of bottles: 321
Edition: Single Cask

Flavour profile

Tropical · Fruity · Complex · Old

Investment potential

Medium. Just 321 bottles from a single cask, 36 years of maturation that can never be repeated, and an independent bottler with a growing reputation all point to a bottle likely to rise in standing and demand over time. It's already hard to find at the retailers who had it.

Did you know?

Little Brown Dog is named after one very real dog. Founder Andrew Smith's four-legged companion followed him everywhere on distillery visits and was known in the family simply as "the little brown dog." She passed away in 2022 at the age of 15, but still lives on in the logo and on the labels today.

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North of Keith, wrapped in a bog they call the Foggie Moss, a distillery has been quietly building a reputation for well over a century. Aultmore rarely gets to speak for itself – most of what it makes disappears into Dewar's blends before anyone notices. Every so often, though, a single cask gets pulled aside, and this time it's Cadenhead's turn to let it shine.

The Expert's Description

Aultmore-Glenlivet 15 Year Original Collection is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Manzanilla Sherry casks and bottled at 46%.

Aultmore-Glenlivet is the distillery's old-fashioned name – back when many Speyside distilleries tacked "Glenlivet" onto their label to borrow a little of their famous neighbour's shine, and Cadenhead's still keeps the tradition alive on its bottlings. Most of what comes out of Aultmore's quiet stills goes straight into Dewar's blends, so a standalone release like this one is a rare find. The whisky was distilled in 2011 and has spent time since 2022 in fresh Manzanilla Sherry casks, where Aultmore's light, grassy spirit has taken on the dry, saline sweetness of the sherry. It's part of Cadenhead's Original Collection – the bottler's more accessible range, which still sticks to the house rules: no chill filtration and no added colouring, so nothing the cask gave the whisky has been stripped or dyed away along the way.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe nectarines and orange liqueur open things up, with a sweet macaroon note sitting just underneath.

Palate

Caramelised sugar and stroopwafel meet a warm ginger spice, while juicy peaches keep it fresh and light.

Finish

The finish is buttery with a touch of cocoa, before an unexpected smoked paprika and a cinnamon-laced syrup round it off.

Specifications

Name: Aultmore-Glenlivet 15 Year Original Collection
Distillery: Aultmore
Bottler: Cadenhead's
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Manzanilla Sherry Casks
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural Colour: Yes
Distilled: 2011
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Original Collection
EAN No.: 610854013127

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced · Sweet

Did You Know?

Aultmore has no visitor centre and barely gets a mention in Dewar's own marketing – it's one of Scotland's most tightly kept distilleries, even though its whisky was reportedly a key part of the deal when Bacardi bought John Dewar & Sons from Diageo in 1998.

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There are seven distilleries in Dufftown, and locals like to say the town stands on quite as many stills as it does hills. Most of what runs out of Dufftown's stills never sees a bottle with its own name on it — it disappears into Bell's, Dewar's and Johnnie Walker's blends, unnoticed and unnamed. Cadenhead's caught a little of it anyway, and let it sit in bourbon casks since 2009.

Expert description

Dufftown-Glenlivet 16 Year Old from Cadenhead's Original Collection is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured in Bourbon Hogsheads and bottled at 46%.

Original Collection is Cadenhead's ongoing range of single-distillery releases, all bottled without added colour or chill filtration at the same fixed strength. Dufftown itself sends almost everything it distils into blends, so a solo release under its own name is a rare find — most people who've tasted this distillery's character have done so without knowing it. The whisky was distilled in 2009 from unpeated malt, and has spent its entire life in bourbon hogsheads with no finish or additional cask change along the way. It was bottled in August 2026, carrying Cadenhead's usual plain label — distillery, age and strength, nothing more.

Tasting Notes

Nose

The nose opens with pear drops and baked apples, a dusting of icing sugar, and the soft vanilla warmth of a victoria sponge fresh from the oven.

Palate

On the palate, tinned peaches in syrup meet the almond sweetness of a bakewell pudding, a tart edge of lemon curd, and a touch of raspberry.

Finish

The finish settles soft, with sugared almonds and rolled oats, and a last trace of golden syrup that lingers.

Specifications

Name: Dufftown-Glenlivet 16 Year Old
Distillery: Dufftown-Glenlivet
Bottler: Cadenhead's
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Bourbon Hogsheads
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: August 2026
Edition: Original Collection
EAN no.: 610854013080

Flavour Profile

Fruity · Sweet · Soft · Lightly Spiced

Did You Know?

Dufftown started life as a corn mill before Peter Mackenzie and co. converted it into a distillery in 1895 — and today it's almost impossible to find a drop of its spirit carrying the distillery's own name on the label without going through an independent bottler like Cadenhead's.

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In the small town of Rothes, deep in Speyside, sits a distillery most people have never heard of, even though they have probably tasted it without knowing. Glen Spey brews almost exclusively for blends, and only rarely does a cask escape before it disappears into the mix. This time, Cadenhead's got there first.

Expert Description

Glen Spey-Glenlivet 16 Year Old Amontillado Hogsheads is a Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky matured on Amontillado Sherry Hogsheads and bottled at 46%.

This bottling comes from Cadenhead's Original Collection, the independent bottler's range of smaller releases that showcase a distillery's typical character without embellishment. The whisky was distilled in 2009 and has spent time since 2022 in fresh Amontillado Sherry Hogsheads, picking up its final colour and spice before being bottled in August 2026.

Glen Spey was founded in 1878 by James Stuart under the name Mill of Rothes, and just nine years later he sold the distillery on to the English wine and spirit merchant W. & A. Gilbey, making it the first Scottish malt distillery in English hands. Through a string of mergers it ended up with Diageo in 1997, its current owner. The distillery's two pairs of stills carry an unusual lantern shape fitted with purifiers, sending part of the vapour back into the pot and producing a lighter, cleaner spirit. That makes it ideal for blending, but it rarely gets bottled on its own. The vast majority of the output goes into the J&B blend, and official single malt releases from Glen Spey can be counted on one hand. The malt is unpeated, so there is no smoke to speak of.

As with every Cadenhead's release, the whisky is non-chill filtered and free from added colouring.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Rhubarb and custard meet a touch of red wine, while the scent of freshly picked apples and ripe pears calls to mind a late-summer orchard.

Palate

On the palate there are red apples, a sweetness reminiscent of mango sorbet, and a warm bite of ginger cake.

Finish

The finish is spiced with cardamom and cloves, while a light, bitter note of orange peel ties it all together.

Specifications

Name: Glen Spey-Glenlivet 16 Year Old Amontillado Hogsheads
Distillery: Glen Spey-Glenlivet
Bottler: Cadenhead's
Region/Country: Speyside, Scotland
Type: Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 16 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask Type: Amontillado Sherry Hogsheads
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Distilled: 2009
Bottled: 2026
Edition: Cadenhead's Original Collection
EAN: 6108540131365

Flavour Profile

Sherry-matured · Fruity · Spiced · Nutty · Dry

Did You Know?

The name Glen Spey-Glenlivet is a hangover from the 19th century, when a long list of Speyside distilleries tacked "-Glenlivet" onto their own name to borrow prestige from their far more famous neighbour. Glen Spey itself has only ever sent a handful of official single malt bottlings out into the world - the first one did not appear until 2001.

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The south coast of Islay doesn't invite you to linger. Wind cuts sideways off the sea, and somewhere behind the spray, Laphroaig is quietly doing what it's done since 1815.

Expert's Description

Laphroaig 10 Year Old Cadenhead's Original Collection is an Islay Single Malt Whisky matured in bourbon barrels and bottled at 46%. The release belongs to Cadenhead's Original Collection, a series built from only a handful of casks at a time so the bottler's own reading of the distillery's character comes through, rather than the house style of the official range. This whisky was distilled in 2015 and bottled in August 2026, giving it a full ten years in wood. The barley is peated malt, and roughly a fifth of it is still floor-malted on-site at Laphroaig, a labour-intensive method most distilleries of comparable size gave up decades ago. The peat itself is cut on Islay, and it's what gives the spirit its trademark tarry, iodine-like edge. Distillation runs twice through seven copper pot stills, with an unusually long foreshot on the second run that keeps the heaviest, oiliest notes out of the final spirit. Only bourbon wood is used here, so there's no sherry or finishing cask softening the profile — this is Laphroaig stripped back to peat, brine and distillate character.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Gooseberry and sharp green fruit meet a cool menthol lift, with the tarry, salted smoke Laphroaig is known for sitting underneath.

Palate

Bold and direct, lime oil and tart Bramley apple cutting through the smoke, while salt and a light iodine bitterness hold it in check.

Finish

Long and smoky, with a dry, ash-like close where the citrus freshness lingers a while after the last sip.

Specifications

Name: Laphroaig 10 Year Old Islay Single Malt Whisky Cadenhead's Original Collection
Distillery: Laphroaig
Bottler: Cadenhead's
Region/Country: Islay, Scotland
Type: Islay Single Malt Whisky
Age: 10 Years
ABV: 46%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon Barrels
Non-chill filtered: Yes
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Double distilled
Distilled: 2015
Bottled: August 2026
Edition: Original Collection
EAN no.: 610854013066

Flavour Profile

Smoky · Fruity · Fresh · Maritime

Did You Know?

Laphroaig is one of the very few whiskies in the world to hold a Royal Warrant, granted by the then Prince of Wales in 1994 and still displayed on the label today.

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

The Expert's Description

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

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

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

Tasting Notes

Nose

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

Palate

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

Finish

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

Specifications

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

Flavour Profile

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

Did You Know?

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

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