Speyside Whisky

A 15-year-old expression of Old Balantruan, the peated line from Tomintoul distillery. Bottled at 50% ABV, this is a laid-back beast of a whisky; big peat smoke rolls around the mouth along with softer Speyside flavours - vanilla, toffee and a touch of woodiness.

This limited edition Tomintoul has spent the last 18 months of its 12 year maturation in Olorose Sherry casks which has given it a well rounded, creamy richness whilst staying true to its soft style.

Aged for 15 years in hand-picked oak barrels, this Speyside single malt Scotch whisky was distilled using peated malted barley at Tomintoul Distillery, giving that self-acknowledged 'Peaty Tang' uncommon in its region.

Bottled at a smooth 40% ABV, this release marks something of a follow up from this little beauty, only this edition has a declared age statement.

16 year old Tomintoul described as the gentle dram and that it is indeed. The whisky is a testament to the master distiller Robert Fleming, a fourth generation distiller. An excellent, light floral whisky, and at an absolute steal of a price.

Aged for at least a quarter of a century in ex-bourbon American oak casks, this Speyside single malt is a gentle giant. Floral and fruity with a touch of spice

Tomintoul have marked the fiftieth anniversary of spirit flowing from its stills with this stunning release composed of whiskies from each decade. Casks were chosen from 1965, 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2005 by Master Distiller, Robert Fleming, producing 5,230 individually numbered bottles.

Tomintoul ?With A Peaty Tang? has been made with peated malt barley to give it a deep smoky flavour. This makes ?Peaty Tang? very unusual, most distilleries in the Speyside region do not use peat.

The folks at Tomintoul have raided the warehouse and unearthed a stunning 45 year old expression! This single malt was distilled back in April 1973 and initially aged in a bourbon barrel before being moved over to an Oloroso sherry hogshead to continue maturing. It was bottled in September 2018 with an outturn of just 240 bottles.

Nose: Clean Sherry influence on a sweet malty layer. Intense waxy aromas merge with hints of orange citrus and Christmas pudding.

Palate: Richly mouth-filling as notes of nuts, chocolate, mocha coffee bean and spicy oak tannins vie for supremacy.

Finish: Dry and spicy with a rich and enduring final?.

The Glen Elgin 18 YO Special Release 2017 is a limited release of 5352 bottles. This is a special release in an unusual way - this is something of a yeast experiment. For this whisky the distillery used both the conventional cerevisiae yeast and the more unusual (in the whisky world) pombe yeast . Pombe is Swahili for beer, and this is a yeast known from East Africa.

The Glen Elgin 18 YO Special Release 2017 is a vatting of two batches. One part made using the pombe yeast and matured in ex-bodega sherry casks. The other part made using standard yeast and matured in refill European oak butts.

Nose: A deep and rich fruitiness is the first that greets my nose. It seems almost Japanese in style. Complex and clean. Apples, green and fresh on one hand and ripe and baked on the other. Freshly baked gourmet bread with a butter and floral honey spread.

Taste: Creamy, rich and most certainly full-bodied. A bit off-kilter but in a charming way. It could very well be the yeast used that has me confused and amused. Still very fruity, but not just apples now, I also get ripe banana and hints of honey melon and bitter oranges. Dry-ish.

Finish: Medium to long finish. Still fruity - which is not surprising. Creamy and rich all the way.

A 21 year old blended malt from the MacNair's Lum Reek range, produced by the GlenAllachie Distillers Company. Built around a blend created by Billy Walker of peated Islay and Speyside whiskies, alongside with GlenAllachie single malt, this expression packs a satisfying peaty punch. It features whisky drawn from a combination of Oloroso, virgin oak and red wine casks.

Nose: Matured oak and cigar box, with a good whiff of woody smoke gliding through.

Palate: Cedar spices, milk chocolate, apricot, earthy peat, black pepper and a hint of charcoal.

Finish: Thyme honey, bonfire embers, dark chocolate tart.

From Diageo's 2020 Special Releases comes a cracking Cardhu single malt! This 11 year old expression was drawn from refill, new, and ex-bourbon American oak, resulting in a wonderfully honeyed flavour profile. Appropriately, continuing the Rare by Nature theme introduced in the 2019 Special Releases, the label features a rather handsome bee on it!

Nose: An orchard fruit-led delight, with oodles of crisp apple, pear and even some grapes coming through. Over time, the fruit turns a little more tropical, especially juicy pineapple and Galia melon. Rhubarb and custard boiled sweets, pencil shavings and a gentle cinnamon prickle add to the fruit.

Palate: Densely creamy and mouth-filling, with icing sugar adding to the fruit-forward palate. There's marmalade on toast, raisins and gentle white pepper in there, too.

Finish: Medium-long, with more of that pepper and cinnamon warmth cutting through.

Overall: A classic Speysider, and the perfect late-summer sipper.

Aged for 20 years exclusively in sherry casks. Full flavoured and meaty as you'd expect from Mortlach.

This was a surprise when it was released in 2018 as the distillery was closed from 1993 onwards and finally dismantled in the early 2000s. It was matured in refill American oak hogsheads and bottled at a cask strength 52.1% and the result is a lively vibrant expression with pastry, green apples and coconuts at the fore. Always a pleasure to sample  malt from a ghost distillery knowing that nothing quite like it will ever be produced again.

46% vol - FIRST FILL BOURBON

Benromach Cara Gold Malt is a limited release made using a combination of Cara Gold malted barley and our standard lightly peated malt. Matured in first-fill bourbon barrels, it offers perfumed and tropical fruit notes, leading to pepper and toasted malt with a hint of butterscotch, and a vibrant, sweet smoke finish.

From the Whisky Cellar

The heavy new-make style of Aultmore lends itself perfectly to Sherry cask maturation and here is whisky from this very distillery, distilled in October 2011 and bottled in August 2021, that spent its entire maturation in a first-fill Oloroso Sherry Butt made from American (not the typical Spanish) Oak.

Colour: Burnished Copper.

Nose: Creamy mocha, barley sugar, dark fruits and butterscotch.

Palate: Condensed milk, fresh roasted Arabica coffee beans, California raisins and peanut brittle.

Finish: Mouth-filling and sweet with a creaminess that lingers long.

Bottles: 739.