Whisky

Back in the 1880s Alfred Barnard, author of The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom, enjoyed an 8 year old Lagavulin he described as "exceptionally fine". As part of their 200th anniversary celebrations, the distillery have therefore decided to recreate an 8 year old! It's bottled at an exciting 48% abv and was matured in refill European and American oak casks.

Nose: Salted popcorn, honey-roasted nuts, tarry ropes and light hints of freshly-chopped cedar. A touch of burnt sugar sweetness lingers.

Palate: Smokey peat appears first on the palate, followed by coriander seed, barley sugar, cumin powder, smoked kipper and marzipan.

Finish: Layers of apple crumble, toasted almond and ash. Another kick of cooking spices right at the end.

Originally released for the Travel Retail market, this 10 year old Bowmore single malt is a marriage of Spanish oak Sherry casks and hogsheads, resulting in a fine balance between classic coastal Islay smoke and Sherried sweetness.

Nose: Salted pretzels, fruitcake and a pinch of cinnamon.

Palate: Flamed orange peel, sea salt, Cadbury Bournville.

Finish: Spiced rum warmth, with layers of toasted malt.

The yearly Diageo Special Releases always pack some surprises and it's fair to say an unpeated Caol Ila is probably one of them. This single malt Scotch promotes the distillery's lesser-known side as a sherry-forward Caol Ila that swaps smoke for elegant sweetness. It was matured for 15 years in refill and rejuvenated American-oak hogsheads and ex-bodega European oak butts before it was bottled at a cask strength 59.1% ABV.

Nose: Opens with marmalade-laden buttery toast, milk chocolate and fresh orange notes, before red cherry, strawberry and raisin comes through. Lashes of vanilla and a suggestion of spearmint, too.

Palate: Leads with more of that creamy chocolate, fruity yoghurt and honey. Peach is in there too, and in with all the oiliness is a pine-like quality.

Finish: Yoghurt-covered almonds with some liquorice and, yes, some distant smoke.

Overall: It's an viscous drop that packs a creamy-fruity punch.

A wonderfully balanced expression from the core Caol Ila range, this 18 year old is malty and thick with notes of Caol Ila smoke and phenols, a lovely Islay single malt without extreme levels of peat.

Nose: Aromatic, darkness. Herbal, vegetal. Grassy, creamy malt.

Palate: Big, refined sweetness, leafy. Well integrated oak, smoke, oily, peat. Barley.

Finish: Long, herbal notes, gentle smoke, soft peat. Oily wood.

Matured in second-fill Oloroso Sherry casks and American oak ex-bourbon barrels for 25 years, a well-aged release of this incredibly popular heavily-peated single malt from Islay. Laphroaig aged for quarter of a century and bottled, without chill filtration, at 48.9% abv.

Nose: Vanilla, wood spice, smoke and a little TCP (but certainly not a head banger), some smoked bacon, with a little dried fruit character.

Palate: Very creamy full texture, peppery, spicy, iodine, saline, still plenty of smoke here, green apple fruit.

Finish: Very long and layered, peppery.

The newest, oldest whisky to join the core range. This supreme expression proves unequivocally that age cannot tame Ardbeg's smoky power. But it can yield some of the most complex and majestic flavours ever to burst forth from Ardbeg Distillery.

Bottled from incredibly rare casks filled during some of the Distillery's darkest days, this is Ardbeg at its most intricate, balanced and beguiling.

Majestic aromas of smoked cream and earthy bonfires are masterfully interwoven with layers of pine and fragrant candle wax. Hot pepper rises on the palate, twisting around lemon sherbet sweetness, while hints of carbolic soap and tar flow into a long aftertaste characterised by delicate aniseed entwined with lingering cream and fudge.

Non chill-filtered with a strength of 46%

A smoky, tropical whisky from Smokehead, matured in ex-rum casks, that offers notes of medicinal peat, sweet caramel, burnt pineapple and caramelised bananas.

This expression from the famously unpeated Islay distillery is a sequel to the original Toiteach, crafted using Bunnahabhain M?ine, the distillery's peated spirit. It's name, Toiteach A Dha (pronounced 'Toch-ach ah-gha'), translates to 'Smoky Two' in Scots Gaelic and combines a higher proportion of sherry casks than the original. Presented free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring,

The Bowmore 27 Year Old Port Cask of the Vintner?s Trilogy is meticulously double matured with a luxurious balance of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke from the home to the world?s oldest Scotch maturation warehouse, the legendary No. 1 Vaults.

Double matured, first for 13 years in ex-bourbon barrels, then for 14 years in port pipes resulting in a deep mahogany and perfectly balanced liquid with notes of sweet, spice, salt and peat smoke.

Non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength to preserve the full flavour.

48.3% ABV l 700mL

Sti?ireadair ( pronounced stew-rahdur) is a tribute to the sea and its influence on their distillery and the whisky they distill.  Our blender has carefully selected casks with spirit of varying ages from our shoreside distillery warehouses, to create this distinctive dram, with its rich characterful heart, typical of Bunnahabhain.

Matured in Sherry casks, it has scents of dried fruit, caramel, and vanilla with a nutty, creamy taste and long fruity finish.

Eirigh Na Greine (pronounced "ae-ree ne gray-nyuh" and meaning "Morning Sky" in Gaelic) is an intriguingly complex marriage of vibrant Bunnahabhain single malts, including some of the finest ex-red wine cask-matured Bunnahabhain whiskies.

The Master Distiller has perfected the recipe to showcase Bunnahabhain's signature taste, which consists of roasted nuts, dried fruits and hints of sea salt and smoke. This complex bouquet has been further enhanced by the sweet, rich and spicy aromas imparted by the Italian and French red wine influence.

Only a small batch of Bunnahabhain Eirigh Na Greine is bottled every year.

Caol Ila is one of Islay's best loved distilleries and this 12 year old is their entry level bottling. This expression is light and fresh with that distinctive Caol Ila smoke and notes of zesty limoncello. A prefect introduction to the joys of Islay malt and the mercurial qualities of peat smoked whisky.

Cladach means 'coastline' and this whisky is a blend of Diageo's coastal distilleries; Inchgower, Clynelish, Talisker, Oban, Caol Ila and Lagavulin. As you would expect from so many distilleries, there is a superb variety of casks in the final mix first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks, refill American oak hogsheads, refill European oak butts and ex-bodega European oak butts. 

The nose is driven by gentle savoury smoke, seaweed and petrichor before citrus, vanilla and caramel all appear and lead you to a palate that is much smokier and offers darker fruits and licorice. A delightful coastal number offered at a robust abv.

This whisky is a return to the days when Bunnahabhain made big peaty whiskies. Ce?banach means 'Smoky mist' in Scots Gaelic,  and this dram certainly packs a rich, smoky profile that classic Islay fans will love. It was matured in ex-bourbon casks and bottled without chill-filtration.

The Vintner's Trilogy from Bowmore showcases the impact of lengthy wine-cask-finishes on the terrific Islay single malt. The 26-year-old expression began its maturation in ex-bourbon barrels for 13 years, before being moved over to French oak barriques (that previously held wine) for the remaining 13 years.

Nose: Bonfires on the beach (with some grilled pineapple) leading into earthy smoke. Fruity coffee, too.

Palate: Chewy raisins and smoked oak, with a whiff of brandied cherry. A coastal tang develops.

Finish: Salted chocolate and quince jam.