Speyside Whisky

Tamdhu is well-known and much-adored for its excellent use of sherry casks, and those of you with a penchant for single malt with heavy sherry influence will be delighted to know that the distillery's 15 Year Old expression continues that theme. This one has spent is maturation in oloroso sherry casks, resulting in generous helpings of dark fruit and Christmas spice.

Nose: Charred pineapple, earthy barley and a hearty slice of dense fruitcake, then some toasty oak warmth, orange zest and fennel.

Palate: Still packing heavy dried fruit notes, with a hint of orange oil and dried apricots cutting through. Earthy vanilla appears later on with touches of cedar, leather and cinnamon.

Finish: Warm and sweet, with waxy peels, clove, chocolate ice-cream and oily walnut.

Polished copper colour. Orange cake, juicy malt then fruit mince pie and gobstopper. Aeration adds oatmeal biscuit to the aroma list. Almost chewy in texture - a sublime harmony of honeyed malt and light Christmas pudding at mid palate; then buttered raisin bread, followed by hints of caramel fudge and grassy freshness late in the fade. Woody to end, though still good vibrancy. Distinguished by its subtle staying power.

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It's the sixth batch of Balvenie?s much-loved Tun 1509 series! This batch is a no age statement vatting of 21 casks from distillery, with a mixture of refill sherry butts, bourbon barrels and DoubleWood refill sherry butts. The Speysider was married in Tun 1509 for three months before bottling at 50.4% ABV. If you are so inclined, the presentation tube even comes with a breakdown of the 21 casks used to create the whisky, for your perusal.

Nose: Rich on the nose with soft brown sugar, toffee, blossom honey and ginger oak spices.

Palate: Beautiful depth on the palate with a touch of maple syrup, candied orange and runny honey.

Finish: Sweet and malty on the finish alongside swathes of oak vanilla and a spicy layer.

A nod to the history of Speyside, Benriach Temporis is peated, as they did back in the 1970s. It's been matured in a mix of bourbon barrels, virgin-oak casks, and Pedro Ximenez and oloroso sherry casks, adding in layers of fruit and spice on top of Benriach's honeyed peat smoke character.

46% ABV l 700mL

Made using barley grown on Macallan's Speyside estate, distilled once a year in a single week, this single malt has been matured exclusively in sherry seasoned oak butts and hogsheads. Warm, comforting aromas of cinnamon, dried fruits, sweet lemons and caramel fill the nose, and the palate initially offers notes of warm spice, dry oak and fresh figs. Sweet orange and dried fruit flavours develop slowly, alongside delicate citrus and sweet toffee.

Macallan Estate is presented in a striking box inspired by the landscape of Speyside. Featuring an inlay of hand-cut slate, this unique box reflects the sense of place found in the whisky.

A'Bunadh is arguably the benchmark for heavily sherried cask-strength Speyside, with a nose that shows spice, praline and orange and a palate that combines dark chocolate, ginger, vanilla, cherries and dried fruit leading to a finish with notes of exotic spice and a better future for mankind.

Nadurra, meaning "natural" in Gaelic, is The Glenlivet’s range of small-batch expressions made using traditional 19th-century techniques. The Nadurra First Fill is drawn from casks made of American white oak which have never before been used to mature Scotch whisky. These oak casks, which distillers at The Glenlivet have favoured since the early 1900s, impart hints of creamy vanilla to this wonderfully rich single malt. You’ll really taste the effects of that white oak, beautifully complemented by sweet pear, tropical pineapple, ripe banana and citric sparkle. This is a cask-strength single malt that represents the skill of our team and the tradition of The Glenlivet. And unlike most modern whiskies, this one is non-chill filtered, so it’s very richly textured. It’s an expression that will appeal to the intrepid whisky lover.

59.17% ABV l 700mL

This unique single malt has been distilled from peated malted barley and has been fully matured in quarter casks. A smaller cask allows for more interaction between the wood and the spirit, giving the whisky a great depth of flavour and aroma in a shorter period of time. Bottled at 46%, non chill filtered and natural colour, this is an extraordinary, full-flavoured dram.

Tasting Notes

NOSE: Elegant waves of wood smoke intensify to burning heather with a delicious contribution of ripe orchard fruits. Subtle hints of peaches, cinnamon sugar and a slight herbal note of fresh barley give an added contrast to the unique, rich peat character.

COLOUR: Bright summer gold.

PALATE: Intense peat smoke mellows to smouldering peat embers infused with green pear and nectarine notes. Nutty oak and vanilla pods combine with a touch of white pepper and a twist of lime to give a crisp, smoky finish.

Founded in 1998 by WM. Teacher & Sons, The Ardmore distillery has continued to uphold traditional distilling methods, using only the aromatic smoke from natural, Highland peat fires to dry its malted barley.  

This 12 year old single malt was initially matured in American white oak bourbon casks before being transferred to Port pipes for a finishing period. Its time in the Port pipes has imparted wine-like sweetness to the whisky, with further hints of juicy grape and flamed orange peel along the way

A sumptuous peaty number from Benromach owned by the independent bottlers Gordon & MacPhail. This is very bourbon forward with aromas of apricot custard pastries and tobacco smoke leading to billowing peat smoke and toasted coconuts on the palate that has a finish that is long, spicy and fruity.

A 21 year old from the Aultmore distillery.

Gorse and heather filtered waters of the Foggie Moss and malted barley free from peat smoke go into this beauty from the Aultmore distillery

Bottled from a refill hogshead at 46%.

The Original Ten encapsulates the signature smooth and multi-layered character of Benriach. Three cask matured for at least ten years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks and virgin oak, to create layers of luscious orchard fruit, sumptuous honeyed malt and toasted oak, all interwoven with a subtle trace of smoke. The perfect introduction to our signature style and richly layered Speyside Single Malt.

In the early 1970s, Benriach broke convention in Speyside by returning to distilling batches of whisky in the old, 19th century style, using malted barley smoked with Highland peat. This wood rich Highland peat imparts distinctly sweet and smoky notes into Benriach peated whiskies. Benriach The Smoky Ten has been crafted from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit and three cask matured for at least ten years in a combination of bourbon barrels, Jamaican rum casks and toasted virgin oak. The whisky is then expertly married together to create sublimely smooth layers of sunripe fruit, aromatic smoke and toasted oak spice, lingering into the perfectly balanced sweet and smoky finish.

Nose: Toasted coconut, aromatic smoke and a touch of greengage.

Palate: Cinnamon, ginger and dry smoke, shortly followed by maple syrup and peach.

Finish: Waves of fresh vanilla, salted butter and toasted barley.