Whisky

This expression from the Ardmore Distillery in the Highlands was allowed a rather lengthy maturation - it was distilled in 1987 and rested peacefully for 30 years before being bottled! It was aged in ex-bourbon and first-fill ex-bourbon casks and presented at 47.2% ABV after three decades of slumber.

Nose: Dark chocolate, grassy malt, coffee and walnut cake, ash and a well done pear tarte tatin.

Palate: Peppery at first, with a pinch of red chilli flake, before diving back into dark chocolate territory. Some juicy hints of red apple, more pear and every a touch of melon crop up later.

Finish: Smoky on the finish with charred oak and BBQ pineapple.

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 rare bottling from the now discontinued, and beautifully packaged, Flora and Fauna range. This 12 year old was distilled at the Speyside based Strathmill distillery.

The nose is quite soft yet very fruity. A hint of grassy greenness with a nuttiness, there are notes of cut herbs and apples, hints of cut hay. The palate is silken smooth in delivery. Notes of winter spice and vanilla custard, there is a nutty oiliness which carries everything gentle. The finish is soft and slightly herbal with a peppered delivery.

Matured in distinctive Spanish sherry casks to create a rich and mellow flavour, each individual cask is hand-selected for its flavour profile by Malt Master, Brian Kinsman. Once selected, casks are married in unique Solera vat, allowing their complementary flavours to get to know each other and meld together to create a single malt of extraordinary consistency and quality. Deliciously smooth and silky, this expression has a sweet, spicy taste and a complex flavour that develops with each sip. A truly intriguing single malt.

Glenglassaugh Torfa with its peaty, phenolic nature, is a unique expression, and it is quite different to the usual style of whisky produced in the Highlands. Torfa, referring to the Old Norse word for peat, is a brooding, edgy character, whose personality is to be found at the darker end of the spectrum. Bottled at 50%, non chill filtered and natural colour. Looks Gleaming yellow gold. Smells: Vivid, sweet, sooty campfire smoke and sea air infuses zest of lime, apricot jam and ripe soft fruits; all gently warmed by hints of stem ginger and cracked black pepper. Tastes: An eloquent, sweet coastal peat smoke engulfs candied peel over melon, pineapple and roasted red apples. Oat biscuits, hints of heather honey and a gentle cigar box spice all combine to give a terrific balance to the expressive smoky character. Finishes: A heady, yet elegant harmony of distinct coastal peat and striking spiced fruit flavours.

Benriach have extended their pleasingly peaty Authenticus series with a 30 year old expression (following on from the 21 Year Old and 25 Year Old). A rich, smoky, well-balanced dram from the fantastic distillery.

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.

Glenmorangie's Tarlogan is their third expression in the Legends series that was originally released for the Travel Retail market. It's matured in a combination of ex-bourbon casks and virgin oak casks.

Glenmorangie Dornoch single malt scotch whisky is a real treat for whisky lovers. This Highland scotch is pale in colour and has exceptional earthy flavours, oak aromas and a floral aftertaste to die for. Matured in American bourbon casks and with a beautiful smooth finish, this single malt is like no other.

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

Cardhu is known for being an easy-drinking and sweeter style of whisky. Gold Reserve has been aged in toasted oak casks, which has led to notes of toffee apples.

40% 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.

The MacNair?s Lum Reek range, which comprises a non-age statement, 12-year-old and 21-year-old, is a combination of peated Islay and peated Speyside malt blended together with older GlenAllachie. It has been matured at The GlenAllachie Distillery near Aberlour in Speyside and vatted by Master Distiller Billy Walker, one of the most respected blenders in Scotland. All are bottled at natural colour, non-chill filtered and 46% ABV and above.

The Lum Reek peated whiskies are inspired by the famous Scottish toast ?lang may yer lum reek?, which literally means ?long may your chimney smoke? and is used to wish someone a long life and prosperity.

Lum Reek 12 Year Old is a peated blend that has been matured in a combination of red wine, Pedro Ximenez and ex-bourbon casks. Sweet peat smoke rolls off the nose in waves, accompanied by butterscotch and bittersweet mocha. The palate offers notes of heather, bog myrtle, butterscotch, toffee and sweet spices, wrapped in peat smoke.

46% ABV l 700mL