Speyside Whisky

A new addition to the 'Discovery' range from Gordon & MacPhail, this expression comes entirely from American oak casks from the GlenAllachie distillery in Speyside, Scotland. This wood profile is typified by creamy custard, fruity notes of apple and banana, and a flavour of blossom honey. A great example of this traditional style, and a distillery that is very rarely seen independently bottled like this.

TASTING NOTES
Perfumed green apples with dried banana and lime zest. Soft milk chocolate gives way to salted almonds and vanilla pod. Smooth and creamy custard combines with lemon posset and malted biscuit. Blossom honey undertones develop alongside subtle white pepper. Medium-bodied with spice.

To craft The GlenAllachie Wine Cask Series, Master Blender Billy Walker first expertly matured our spirit in the finest American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, before transferring the whisky into hand-selected European wine barriques for secondary aging. Billy added a distinctive twist to this release by ultimately blending four exceptional wine cask finishes into one unique expression: The Cuv?e Wine Cask Finish.

A French term, ?Cuv?e? is used in the wine sector to reference a blend that typically comprises more than one variety of grape. Likewise, our 9-year-old Cuv?e is a marriage of spirit from several fine wine casks sourced from the world-renowned regions of Bordeaux, Languedoc and Valpolicella.

The character development of each individual barrique was carefully monitored, before the whiskies were expertly blended together by Billy. The resulting golden liquid offers up elegant stone fruits, hints of toasted almonds and zesty orange peel on the palate.

This limited expression is bottled unchilfiltered for flavour with no added colouring at 48% ABV.

48% ABV

GlenAllachie Cask Strength Batch 8 is a blend of Pedro Xim?nez and Oloroso sherry casks, with a small amount of Virgin Oak and Rioja casks. The resulting whiskey exudes indulgent notes of ripe plums, dark chocolate and sticky raisins, all combined with the classic GlenAllachie honey charm.

A limited edition bottling of Scallywag blended malt from Douglas Laing, released in celebration of the company's 70th anniversary. The fact that this expression is a 10 year old blended malt is not a coincidence - in dog years, it would be 70 year old. The cheeky fox terrier on the label even has the monocle to prove it.

46% ABV

One of four official bottlings from the Craigellachie distillery released in 2014. A stunning 23 year old with plenty of bold fruit, complex herbs, refined oak and a touch of sulphur.

Nose: Lemon, orange and pineapple up front, backed up by warm oak and golden barley. Oak notes become increasingly toasty as it goes on.

Palate: Salted caramel, creamy vanilla and more orange zest. Cinnamon, nutmeg and a subtle whiff of sulphur give it plenty of depth.

Finish: The sulphur lasts, but it's not overpowering - the sweet spices bring balance to the long finish.

43% vol

FIRST FILL BOURBON AND SHERRY CASKS

Only ever matured in the highest quality oak casks, this fifteen year old single malt whisky gives cracked pepper, charred oak, apples, dark chocolate and forest fruits with rich sherry notes and a touch of smoke.

AROMA
Aromas of sweet toffee leading to notes of cracked black pepper and peat smoke. Rich forest fruits develop with dark chocolate and dried banana.

PALATE
Creamy and sweet with ripe apples and an undertone of charred oak. Dark chocolate develops and leads to toasted malt and orange peel with a subtle hint of smoke.

FINISH
Medium creamy finish with soft smoke and dried fruit.

This whisky tells a different story of The Macallan spirit and casks, but more than that it tells a story of rarity. Less than 100 casks maturing at The Macallan distillery have contributed to the creation of this out of character whisky. These mysterious casks remained untouched in the dark warehouses of The Macallan under the watchful eye of our Master Whisky Maker, until he felt they were ready to be released.

Smoky Macallan is rare - there is very little in existence - and once used these casks will be no more. Unexpected and distinctive in flavour with full bodied richness from the Macallan spirit, Rare Cask Black is an unusual smoky spirit that tells a story of creativity and innovation.

Balvenie is the young, strident upstart compared to it's owner and next door neighbour Glenfiddich. The Balvenie team get to experiment a little with their whisky, using weird and wonderful types of wood and new strains of barley etc. The Balvenie Double Wood is their best, and No. 1 whisky.?It's a rich amber in the glass - not quite to the extent of Hugh Hefners velvet drapes - but a warm and inviting hue all the same. The nose is sweet and lifted - bourbon wood doing the job here. Jersey caramels, jaffa, orange zest, and cinnamon buns dominate. It's mellow and sweet on the palate - with great honey-roasted cashew flavours, orange cake and marzipan notes. It finishes remarkably long for a 40% whisky.

Glen Deveron is the name that the Macduff distillery uses for its official bottlings. 

The nose is brimming with orchard fruits and cereal leading to a palate of green apple and subtle peat notes.

Since 2002, the Balvenie distillers have dedicated one week a year to distilling whisky with 100% peated barley, resulting in the Peat Week bottlings! This is the second release in the series - a 14 year old single malt distilled in 2003, showing off hearty helping of rich smoke.

Nose: Toasted oak with a hint of heather, stroopwafel and coffee, flamed orange peel and dry cedar.

Palate: Butterscotch, roasted apricot, a light touch of floral malt, grows enjoyably spicy as it develops.

Finish: Earthy peat lingers alongside runny honey notes.

Glenfarclas 105 60% Score 9.07 Came First Speyside tasting July 2009. Masala and zabaglioni on the nose, vanilla fudge, bicycle tyres, buttery, ironing, woody tobacco, vegemite and toffee. Strong sweet palate, cointreau liquor, macintosh toffee, mint. Rich finish, floral, smoke, good length. RWS/DMM