Spirit of the Bear is part of a trio of Travel Retail market releases from Highland Park in 2018. This is a no-age-statement single malt that was matured in sherry seasoned American oak casks, and bottled at 40% ABV. We assume that the bear-based spirit which the name refers to is that of the strong, noble type that Vikings saw in the creature, rather than the picnic basket stealing and fedora hat wearing spirit we know bears for today.

Nose: Peat is up-front, though swiftly moves on to brioche dipped in coffee and fresh honey.

Palate: Orange peel and stem ginger. Still enjoyably smoky, though now with hints of floral barley in tow.

Finish: Sandalwood and vanilla malt.

Double matured Dalwhinnie here. This addition to the 2022 Distillers Edition sees the Highland single malt matured in oloroso seasoned American oak casks, which brings a touch of tropical notes to this whisky.

Double matured in ex-bourbon and Spanish oak casks.  Intense and balanced, with a hint of sea air.

Old Pulteney is based in the thriving metropolis of Wick, popn 6777. It's a stones throw from the sea, and is known for its seasidey, coastal flavours. 

The latest iteration of Benromach's cask strength offering - this one from a small selection of 48 casks and served at its natural cask strength. As the colour suggests - there's plenty of stewed fruit, citrus and Christmas spice flavours that intermingle nicely with just a lick of warming peat.

Commercial description...

"Every batch we create of our 10-year-old Cask Strength represents the direction in which we are taking The GlenAllachie" - Master Distiller, Billy Walker. 

Demonstrating the impact of exceptional cask management, the tenth edition of our highly-sought after release embodies this philosophy and stands proudly alongside its award-winning predeccesors.

Each striving to better the last, Batch 10 is a true illustration of the artistry and expertise that creates every drop of our liquid gold. To deliver our classically Sherried profile, Billy hand-selected Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso casks to be married with spirit maturing in red wine barriques and medium toast/medium char American virgin oak barrels. The result is a well-balanced, yet complex malt with distinctive notes of dark fruits and layers of warming sweet spice.

Presented in its purest form at natural cask strength of 58.6%, without added colouring or chill-filtration.

Tasting notes

Colour

Intensely rich Mahogany.

Nose

Waves of honeycomb, orange zest and treacle, with fig syrup, mocha and poached orchard fruits, followed by cinnamon and butterscotch.

Palate

Lashings of cocoa, heather honey and baking spices, followed by dried red berries and Black Forest gâteau, with maraschino cherries and anise on the finish.

This heavily peated single malt Scotch whisky is jam packed with coastal air and bonfire ember notes with plenty of power behind it. Not for the faint of heart, this one.

Colour - Glows like a barley field of shimmering gold

Nose - Elegant and refined. Soft delicate honey notes are entwined with vanilla spice, creamy caramel and cinnamon. Then suddenly… the growl of bonfire smoke, sea spray, cardamom and tar rope hits you. The beast is awake!

Taste - You can feel its immense power as it pours onto your palate like a violent thunderstorm. You need to brace yourself. Its “natural strength” is untamed and ferocious. Yet, seconds later - this beastly peaty, fiery spirit is soon soothed by the warmth of your tongue. Almost immediately a calmness, a stillness pervades as seductive notes of moist banana cake, thick treacle, mocha with whispers of sweet pineapple , ginger and cumin finally come into play to give you an unforgettable aftertaste. Everyone has a little beast in them - this one more than most.

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.

Founded in 1898 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 is matured in quarter casks, barrels and puncheons, hence the name, and these various casks have imparted plenty of fruit and caramel flavours.

Some of the casks are matured in warehouses that are located further inland. The conditions here affect our maturation climate and help create a rich and smoky tasking style of whisky that we call Land Cask.

It's called Dark Oak for a reason and that reason is maturation in a combo of oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximenez sherry and bourbon casks. Auchentoshan are famous for their light, triple distilled, Lowland style... but here it combines beautifully with the wood influence and the result is a single malt packed full of stewed fruit and warming Christmas spice notes.

Founded in 1998 by WM. Teacher & Sons, The Ardmore distillery has continued to uphold traditionl distilling methods, using only the aromatic smoke from natural, Highland peat fires to dry its malted barley.  The Ardmore Legacy celebrates these age old traditions with a liquid that is peated yet light, sweet and uplifting.

Quietly assured and extra-mature, this is a whisky that opens slowly with real finesse to reveal an exquisite structure. rich in body, yet still full of delicate Cardhu character. The freshness of the nose, with its cleansing fruit, is a foil to the rich treat in store as the palate delivers all the comforting, melting richness of a fruity liqueur chocolate truffle and a complex, rich, sweet, spicy finish to match.

Nose: Macerated fruits; pears, plums, cherries. Hints of pineapple develop a light, green, gooseberry-like edge. 

Palate: A smooth and sweet taste, yet with light and lively acidity. Soft, delicate, fruity core with rich, chocolate-edged flavours. Warming overall.

Finish: Exciting and complex, the conclusion is long, smooth, gently drying and rich in cocoa.

Distillery notes

Tropical and mature, with the texture of melted chocolate and one of the finest finishes a single malt can bring, this stunning whisky calls for quiet admiration. Round and velvety, yet developed and fresh. Smoothed over by time, but with a beating heart.

AROMA
Leatherwood honey and spicy gingerbread followed by juicy prunes and fresh lemon peel

PALATE
Velvety in texture, bursting with dark chocolate, tropical fruit and spices

FINISH
Long and mellow, with notes of creamy vanilla and citrus

Andalucia is an autonomous region in southern Spain. Its capital is Seville but, more important than this city, is Jerez de al Frontera; the home of sherry (the word being an Anglicism of Jerez). Master Distiller Robert Fleming, carefully chose the best sherry butts from the ancient dunnage warehouses at Glencadam to create Reserva Andalucia. Once married together with bourbon casks, it was finished in Oloroso sherry butts from Andalucia. The fruitiness of the Glencadam spirit is balanced with sultana and sweet spice notes.

This core release single malt from the a lesser known distillery in the Highlands is finished for six-to-nine months in Oloroso Sherry casks before being bottled imbuing the whisky with lovely stem ginger and dried orange peel notes.