Organic single malt from the brilliant Benromach Distillery, which was distilled back in 2011 and left to mature in virgin American oak casks until 2019. They use organically certified Scottish barley for this expression. An innovative, delicious tipple, this one.

Nose: Toasty oak with warming hints of cinnamon and ginger, balanced by juicy apricot and white grape.

Palate: Banana bread and coffee, with continued ginger heat. Layers of runny caramel as it develops.

Finish: Subtly peppery, with just a whisper of floral smoke lingering.

One of four official bottlings from the Craigellachie distillery released in 2014. A stunning 23 year old with plenty of bold fruit, complex herbs, refined oak and a touch of sulphur.

Nose: Lemon, orange and pineapple up front, backed up by warm oak and golden barley. Oak notes become increasingly toasty as it goes on.

Palate: Salted caramel, creamy vanilla and more orange zest. Cinnamon, nutmeg and a subtle whiff of sulphur give it plenty of depth.

Finish: The sulphur lasts, but it's not overpowering - the sweet spices bring balance to the long finish.

Family-run indie bottler Blackadder has played a significant role in championing cask-strength single malts to whisky lovers since 1995. This mature release from Tamdhu highlights the very best from the distillery. In the glass you'll find notes of marasca cherry, orange zest, honey-nut bar and baking spices.

Thanks to years of closure over the past century, Glenglassaugh is a distillery with two types of whisky: very young or very old. This is one of the latter drams, bottled as part of the third batch of single casks released by the distillery. Matured in a cask that previously contained Massandra ? a Crimean fortified wine, similar to sherry ? and bottled in November 2016, it's a rich and dark dram, packed with dried fruit notes.

This warm mahogany whisky has an aroma of a depth complex fragrances from apples, vanilla, and ripe fruit and a whiff of orange zest on the nose and the palate is creamy with caramel, fruit, citrus, and a touch of dark chocolate. The finish is satisfyingly long.

Glen Deveron is the name that the Macduff distillery uses for its official bottlings. 

The nose is brimming with orchard fruits and cereal leading to a palate of green apple and subtle peat notes.

Part of the Exceptional Cask Series, this Highland single malt Scotch whisky from Aberfeldy has been aged for 19 years. With an oloroso sherry finish, this small batch expression of 2,256 bottles was bottled at 43% and boasts plenty of nutty fruit character.

Chosen from casks that were laid down in 2012, this brand new 'Cuvee' expression sees GlenAllachie's whisky given a secondary maturation in hand-chosen French and Italian wine casks. The distillery's spirit, with heather honeyed tones is joined by pastel fruits and red berries, hints of ginger and caramel biscuits. A burst of orchard fruit and citrus can be found, with plum syrup and more berries in the finish.

Cask types: 70 % Bourbon Barrels / 5 % Oloroso Sherry / 25 % Fino Sherry

Date Bottled: 21.9.2022

Strength: 49,2 % abv

Number of bottles: 1.260

The whisky has been matured in ex-Sherry and Bourbon Casks and is bottled at 46% Vol without chill filtration or the addition of any colouring.

As one of the first of the new wave of distilleries to reach maturity, we are delighted to share our oldest age statement with you every year. We hope that you will continue to join us in celebrating our whisky and Lochranza Distillery as the years continue to go by, and we celebrate each year with a new release of our oldest Single Malt.

Here’s to 25 years of making great Arran Single Malt!

Arran 25yo Tasting Notes
Nose – Rich oak with a gentle nutmeg note. Sweeter aromas of baked ripe figs, sultanas and black cherries.  

Palate – Fruit cake with toasted almonds and cinnamon. The juicy zestiness of oranges and mandarins mellows perfectly with manuka honey, muscovado sugar, baked apricots and an interesting white pepper note that provides even more complexity.

Finish – Creamy and spicy with dark chocolate, walnuts and dark fruits compote.

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.

SAMAROLI ISLAY
SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our eye - or better our nose - dwells on this youngster, allowing us to bottle yet another iteration of our philosophy of Islay, the queen of Scotland. We stand before a young, arrogant and daring Caol Ila. Despite its youth, the mastery conferred by wood presents us with a slightly peaty note. In addition, we sense shy hints of yeast, butter and smoked meats reminiscent of our hearth after last night’s fire is spent. And now almond, hazelnut and candied fruit. 

The saline plane surprises us in terms of equilibrium and harmony. Suggestions of herring and anchovy, a classic marina scent with flashes of the mineral. Those caper bushes descending towards the Sicilian sea are now evoked. To the right the Pillars of Heracles. To the left, the mysterious and intriguing East. There is a narrow border between the ocean and the sky which is lighter and therefore easy to identify. Some may say that Brittany is where we can best learn to distinguish this.

A.W.B. 

COMPOSITION: 3 casks of Caol Ila 2013 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1104
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI SPEY
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Our iteration of this year's Speyside. An elegant and sensual colt within our 2023 stables. A princely efflorescent malt carrying our nose to a whole host of places: the scent is Moorish, Latin perhaps, or rather Byzantine… smacking of the stone walls of Otranto, that bridgehead from Italy and what was left of the Western Empire, to the dazzling Constantinople. And immediately our mind is jolted back to the monasteries of Asia

Minor where myth, faith and search for self began in the mists of time.Then a great vegetable garden lush with plants all destined for the kitchen: aubergine, sweet pepper and mint; now lavender, an unknown number of flowers in full summer, powder and peach. All a prelude to an abundant satiating and fulfilling palate. A rich and dense spirit whose specific gravity is noteworthy. Leaving grooves on our tongue which, as second follows second, are filled with piquant and surprising meaning. We remain seated in a corner of the ballroom as we look on at the glitter of the gowns and envisage nights of passion between whiskies. Thoughts and fears entwine and perhaps darken us a little. Salento is a large herbarium made up of villages at the centre. Around them, the sea.

A.W.B

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BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Linkwood 2012 - Hogshead - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2013 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon
1 cask of The Speyside SM 2014 - Barrel - Refill Bourbon

BOTTLES PRODUCED: 810
ABV: 45%

SAMAROLI APPRENTICE
BLENDED MALT SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

An unusual young man appeared at Verrocchio's workshop one day in 1469, expressing his desire to learn and assist. Teacher and student relationships have always influenced emotions, passion, literature, and more. Aristotle and Alexander serve as a sufficient example. To educate means to bring forth. In today's information-saturated world, amidst all the noise, such a connection becomes vital. We embark on a new journey as we focus on nurturing young emerging talents, whom we shall refer to as apprentices. After exploring various options, we finally settled on Speyside. The aim is to grasp, learn, comprehend, understand, and acquire the essence of what stimulates the human intellect. Every dedicated student cherishes their mentor, but it should be reciprocated. This young spirit exhibits vibrant and fresh notes, with a malty introduction accompanied by hints of green apple, honey, yellow stone fruit, and a touch of citrus. It possesses liveliness and unpredictability, requiring time to settle down and allow the olfactory impressions to solidify upon savoring. Returning to Verrocchio, after witnessing his apprentice Leonardo's paintings, he never touched a brush again.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
3 casks of Fortrie 2017 (Teaspoon Macduff) - Hogsheads - Refill Bourbon
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1494
ABV: 43%

SAMAROLI ARCHITECTUS
BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY
BOTTLED IN SCOTLAND IN 2023

Ten labels would not be sufficient. Protagoras, Socrates, Anaxagoras, and all the great figures of ancient Greece were orchestrated by Pericles, the city's architect par excellence. They created the perfect polis that inspired love from every corner of the known world, although it also provoked hate from some. May Zeus grant me the opportunity to take vengeance upon the Athenians! With these words, Darius ordered one of his servants to repeat the phrase "Master, remember Athens" three times during each banquet.

Here we present a blend of single malt and grain whiskies aged in sherry oak casks, originating from various city-states of Scotland and their distilleries. We have chosen the title "Architectus" to provoke those who dare to taste this blend, marked by impertinence and hubris. It is agile, simple, and clear, crafted by carefully selecting the finest elements. Upon nosing, it delivers a shocking aroma, fruity and delicate. On the palate, it offers a magnificent combination of flowers, sweet fruits, dried fruits, toasted nuts, cereals, and sweet spices. The fragrance of the Scottish fields gracefully merges with the mischievous sherry notes, creating a seamless and majestic experience that unfolds towards the southern horizon. Enhanced by a gentle summer glow, we find ourselves immersed in its captivating aroma as the sun slowly descends beyond the hills. Who knows how long it will take for such a remarkable alignment of eminent humans to occur again? It seems that even two thousand years have not been enough.

A.W.B.

BLEND COMPOSITION:
1 cask of Tomintoul 2017 - Hogshead - Refill - Bourbon;
1 cask of North British 2012 (Grain whisky) - Sherry Butt
BOTTLES PRODUCED: 1392
ABV: 45%