WHISKY MALT ISLAND

Distillery notes.

Thanks to the forestry commission, sawmill and cooperage in France, we use the finest virgin French oak casks to enhance our whisky.

Layers of complexity and flavour emerge from a maturation journey that begins in American White Oak ex bourbon casks before a portion of the whisky is split between six different virgin oak casks sourced from across various regions of France (Limousin, Troncais, Allier, Vosges, Jupilles & Les Bertranges).

The result is a fruity and spicy whisky with flavours of cr?me caramel, baked peach and sweet liquorice.

This eight year old expression was aged in ex-pot still Caribbean rum casks - a first for the distillery. It's a big whisky served at 57.9% with smoke, fruit and the distillery's trademark peppery spice and meatiness all singing in harmony. Smoke, molasses and stewed tropical fruits on the nose align nicely with the palate leading to a feisty, spicy finish.

Scapa call Skiren the honeyed tropical one because of its smooth, creamy sweetness with a hint of tropical fruit, citrus and coastal heather. It is exclusively matured in first-fill American Oak Casks, selected by Scapa artisans.

Nose: Delicate scented floral flavours with a hint of fresh pear. Sweet and fruity pineapple notes with a citrus tang.

Taste: Smooth and sweet, ripe honeydew melon slices, bursts of fruity pear and lemon sherbet.

Finish: Long, refreshing, shimmering sweetness.

This 18 year old single malt is part of a series of six Tobermory expressions originally bottled exclusively for Germany. Aged in bourbon casks, it has a light, fresh and floral nose accompanied by notes of oak, maple syrup and sea salt on the palate.

This is a 21 year old unpeated single malt from Tobermory, which has enjoyed 3 years finishing in oloroso sherry casks before being bottled. 

The nose offers clove-studded orange, dark chocolate, florals and vanilla leading to a palate of prunes walnuts and dark chocolate and a long spice and leather finish.

Bowmore No.1 is producing using single malt Scotch whisky drawn exclusively from first-fill bourbon casks, imparting a creamy sweetness which blends well with the robust Islay smoke that Bowmore is known for. 

40% ABV

Located on the Isle of Mull, the Tobermory distillery was founded in 1798. Renamed Ledaig in 1972 when it reopened after 42 years of closure, it was closed again in 1975 before reopening under the name Tobermory in 1989.

It produces two single malts, one unpeated, Tobermory, the other peaty (between 30 and 40 ppm of phenols), Ledaig. To develop the latter, the distillery obtains its barley from the Port Ellen malt house.

This version matured in Bordeaux wine barrels shows us a very gourmet side of this distillery, marked by notes of black fruits, ash and sweet spices.

Part of SV?s explorative trilogy of wine barrel-aged expressions. 

46% ABV

A 1996 vintage Ledaig single malt Scotch whisky from Tobermory, which has been given a finishing period in Oloroso Sherry casks. Interestingly, this expression has been made using some of the first peated whisky produced at Tobermory when they started distilling peated malt in 1996!

Peat-dried malted barley is married with naturally peat infused water from the distillery's private water source, a dark aromatic lochan, high in the mountains above the village of Tobermory. Matured in superior Oloroso sherry casks the result is a wonderfully peated single malt with an intense smoky flavorsome character.

The soft gold color of this Ledaig 1996 glistens before you. The nose is rich with fragant smoke, toffee caramel, apple with a hint of mint and a few citrus notes. A wave of crackling peat sets off rich flavor explosions on the palate, black pepper then bursts followed by a light sherry sweetness. The finish is smooth with a spicy salty tail, which disappears into the dark as the peaty embers glow into a smoky finale.

700mL | 46.3% ABV

The Tobermory 20 years old is an old Isle of Mull singel malt. This release is matured in ex bourbon casks followed by a sherry cask finish. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, non chill filtered and with no added colour.

Nose: rich and warm with molasses, golden syrup, mulled wine, nutmeg, walnuts, sultanas and dates

Palate: oak with caramelized oranges marmalade, vanilla, dried fruit, hazelnuts and dark chocolate

Finish: long and sweet with nuts, apricots and orange jam

46.3% ABV

When you look at the almost transparent color of this Ledaig, you know straight away that the cask will have no influence on its aromatic and taste palette. Both earthy and marine, it is also rustic and at the same time very elegant and easy to access that does not exclude complexity. It expresses in a way that could not be more natural all the paradoxes that make the reputation of this single malt from the Isle of Mull.

54.2% ABV

A vatting of four casks from an unnamed distillery on Orkney - making it either Highland Park or Scappa - and most probably the latter.

Released in 2013, Thorfinn is part of The Warrior Series, a collection of single malts created for Duty-Free to both introduce a key figure from Orkney’s Viking history and to demonstrate the impact of cask type on our whisky’s flavour, which is immense.

Created using a high proportion of first-fill sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, Thorfinn delivers a deep and complex array of flavours. Think fiery ginger fusing with sun-dried fruits and fistfuls of spice, all emboldened by our signature smokiness.

From the distillery...

The clue is in the name really. Cask Strength Release No. 2 is bottled straight from the cask, without adding water to reduce alcohol content, to deliver an extraordinary depth, complexity and balance of flavours.

Casks have a huge influence on the flavour, character and natural colour of our whisky as it matures, so our Cask Strength series presents our whisky in its purest form, giving you the freedom to enjoy our whisky, your way. Discover the taste and strength that suits your palate by experimenting with the amount of water you add to reach your optimum flavour.

For this second release in the Cask Strength series, Gordon Motion, our Master Whisky Maker, selected mainly sherry seasoned European and American oak casks, along with just a few ex-bourbon casks. You?ll find aromas of summer rose, ripe pear and fresh coconut gathering on a wave of aromatic peat smoke, followed by a wild harmony of sweet and spicy flavours - poached pear and rich almond cake, a drizzle of cloudy honey and a twist of salty liquorice. There?s the suggestion of toasted oak and intriguing notes of orchard fruits, black pepper and sweet aniseed linger, in a satisfyingly long finish. In a word (or three) we call it ?smoky peppered praline?.

Welcome to a whole new taste adventure?why not find out more by checking out the tasting video below?

We?ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney, since 1798. Age, experience and respect for tradition may define our whisky, but it?s Orkney that sets it apart. Something magic happens here and the result is the wild harmony of flavours found in our whisky.

ABV : 63.9%

Bottled straight from the cask, without adding water to reduce alcohol content, delivers the extraordinary depth, complexity and balance of flavours that?s now the established hallmark of our Cask Strength series. Release No. 3 is no exception.

This third release has been created using an expertly balanced combination of three cask types ? first-fill sherry seasoned American and European oak casks and a smaller quantity of refill casks for balance and depth. Using a higher proportion of Orkney peated malt, our Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion, has achieved an intensely smoky character, coming through first on the nose with aromas of smouldering peat and lightly charred oak, balanced by honey-glazed lemons and crushed aniseed.

Discover what best suits your palate by experimenting with the amount of water you add as you release this whisky?s distinctive notes of ripe mango, cloudy heather honey and whipped vanilla cream with a hint of aromatic violet. Pink grapefruit zest, freshly-baked sponge cake and a final gust of heathery peat smoke provide a long and distinctive finish.

64.1% ABV

A very interesting whisky from one of Scotland?s most northerly distilleries, the Orkney-based producer, Scapa! This whisky has been matured in American oak casks, before being finished in barrels that once held smoky, peated malt whisky. This is an excellent, lightly peated dram which serves as a stepping stone to the more powerfully smoky malts of the scotch world. Glansa is a nod to the Nordic history of Orkney, with the term meaning ?shine? in Icelandic and ?gloss? in Norwegian. On the nose, this dram opens up with sweet fruity flavours of pineapple, peach, mango and overripe banana, accompanied by a gentle peat smoke. The palate returns the peach and tropical fruit notes of the nose, adding vanilla and oak flavours with the same elegant smoke. The finish is long, smoky and spiced, with plenty of lingering flavour. A lovely little dram that will appeal to fans of both gentle and powerful whiskies.