A Cardhu with the warmth and spice to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, and the delicacy to rule them: this Speyside single malt is a cornucopia of orchard fruit, freshly-baked crumble, a touch of caramel on the side and a drying finish.

From the distillery.

This exquisite single malt has been crafted from a combination of unpeated and peated spirit and four cask matured for at least twenty one years in bourbon barrels, sherry casks, virgin oak casks and Bordeaux red wine casks. During long maturation Benriach’s sweet Speyside smoke mellows and integrates with the fruit, malt and oak. After twenty one years, rich layering develops into an elegant honey smoke, enriched through multi-layered cask maturation. The whisky from each cask type, imbued with particular flavour characteristics, is then expertly married together to create a rich and elegant single malt, layered with lush orchard fruit and toasted pine wood with a honey smoke finish. All in perfect balance.

NATURAL CASK-IMPARTED COLOUR     ABV 46%

Glen Garioch use virgin North American white oak casks for the entirety of the maturation for their Virgin Oak release. These US casks are preferable to European oak in some ways due to the lower tannin levels, plus the big vanillin component works exceptionally well with the malt.

This whisky is a big toffee, vanilla and chocolate number with spice and cloves to balance and leading to a long sweet finish.

Tis malt is a light and easy drinking whisky and shows a large influence from the American oak cask in which it has peacefully aged for 15 years.

Nose: Gentle, balanced with orchard fruits, oak, blossom, orange too, creamy vanilla, toffee.

Palate: Creamy and soft with a prominence of fruit and malt. Balanced, some toffee, caramel, citrus.

Finish: A long, soft finish.

The oldest of three Royal Brackla single malts launched in 2015. Distillation at Royal Brackla is slow, with plenty of reflux and this whisky is matured in Oloroso Sherry casks. The result is a rich whisky with notes of dark chocolate, anise and sweet summer berries.

Dry sherry aromas mingle with stewed raisin and roasted hazelnut, complemented by a fresh citrus edge.

Creamy milk chocolate and orange zest flavours lead to spiced stewed fruits.  The finish is fruity with lingering citrus.

Distillery - Aberfeldy
Bottler - Distillery Bottling
Bottling series - Exceptional Cask Series
Bottled - 2019
Stated Age - 20 years old
Casknumbers - 6,7,8,9,10,18,120
Number of bottles - 3600
Strength - 43.0 % Vol.

Part of a series of single cask whiskies released to celebrate the spectacular landscape around Glenlivet, Ladderfoot is a sherry-matured 16-year-old single malt with rich notes of ginger, raisins, cinnamon, victoria plum and dark chocolate layered on top of Glenlivet’s classic orchard fruit and toffee character.

Ladderfoot takes its name from the eponymous farm situated at the bottom of the Ladder Hills. Many smugglers would have passed Ladderfoot on the ‘whisky road’ from the Braes o’Glenlivet to Fettercairn and the markets beyond, a long but quiet path that allowed them to deliver their illicit whisky to thirsty customers untroubled by the law.

Still owned by Ian Macleod, this Southern Highlander is noted for its emphasis on sherry casks and unpeated malt. In this example from Douglas Laing, expect Glengoyne's typical clean, crisp barley combined with aromas of barley sugar sweets, gingerbread biscuits and new leather, followed by flavours of sponge cake, green apples and honey. 48.4% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. 366 bottles from a refill hogshead REF - DL14574.

A old age Speysider from Inchgower, independently bottled by Douglas Laing after 25 years  spent in a sherry butt REF - DL14183. An outturn of 242 bottles at 51.5% ABV.

Nose: Sweet and barley-rich initially, then comes tangerines, brown sugar and a damp oak style.

Palate: Lots of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) running to vanilla essence and stewed fruits.

Finish: Long – detect golden syrup, a slight floral character, milk chocolate and barley.

This was Tomatin was distilled in the Highlands in December 2008. 

It spent a decade in a single refill hogshead REF - DL13774, and was bottled by Douglas Laing in November 2019 with an outturn of 384 bottles at 48.4% ABV.

Nose: Big and richly defined in Malted barley, gentle spices and fruit.

Palate: Hits big with cereal, honey, vanilla and even a hint of salt.

Finish: Dark molasses mix interestingly with all the aforementioned (FHL).

Released during the distillery?s 200th year, this Highland single malt was distilled before Teaninich underwent significant expansion.

Reflecting its older style of production, the whisky makes an excellent aperitif or a partner to Asian cuisine. Initially sweet and zesty, this dram layers herbal notes under its toffee, lemon and apple flavours.

55.9% ABV

This ultra-rare single vintage Dalwhinnie has an astonishing bright intensity for its age and comes uniquely from refill American oak hogsheads, all of which were casked in 1989. Three decades of maturity have bought a fine elegance to the vibrant distillery character, allowing its moorland aromas to peak. The result is smoothly sweet, yet also surprisingly peppery