TOP 10 WHISKIES £50-£100

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 48%

Two of the things that single malt fans like the best are peated whisky and sherry casks, so this 10-year-old Laphroaig Sherry Oak Finish is a nailed-on winner if ever we saw one.

Introduced to the distillery's core range in spring 2021, Laphroaig 10-year-old Sherry Oak Finish begins life in refill sherry and bourbon casks, before spending the last 12-18 months of its maturation in Oloroso sherry casks to add extra complexity to the flavour profile. Like the distillery's Quarter Cask, Laphroaig 10-year-old Sherry Oak is bottled at the higher strength of 48%. A must for fans of full-on Islay whisky.

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Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 50.8%

Bunnahabhain Abhainn Araig is the distillery's special edition bottle for the Islay Festival Feis Ile 2022. Abhainn Araig is the name of one of the tributaries of the river Margadale, the distillery's water source.

This Bunnahabhain Abhainn Araig was matured in a mix of ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks, along with some Pedro Ximenez sherry octaves - the tiny casks made by splitting a single sherry butt into eight separate mini casks. Bunnahabhain Abhainn Araig has been bottled at 50.8% without colouring or chill filtration and should be an absolute belter.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Chocolate, powdered ginger  and cigar box.

Palate: A velvety rich texture , initially creamy milk chocolate then sweet raisins and dried raspberries. As the PX develops balsamic vinegar and honeyed macadamias come through.

Finish: Deep and rich, with dark toffee and a final spicy burst of cinnamon.

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 54.6%

This 2008 Glen Moray Manzanilla Finish is the third and final instalment of the distillery's small batch cask strength Warehouse 1 series for 2021.

This 13-year-old Glen Moray is a small batch of casks from the 2008 vintage that began life in ex-bourbon casks before being transferred into four Manzanilla sherry casks for finishing. Glen Moray 2008 Warehouse 1 Manzanilla Finish is a limited edition of just 1240 bottles released at cask strength (54.6%) without colouring or chill filtration.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Initially very soft, evoking sweet ripe pears, green apples and fresh cut grass. Lively and vibrant with background hints of camomile tea.

Palate: Notes of clean fruit are soon enveloped and eventually give way to drier oak spices. A luxurious mouthfeel entices you back in for more where you find some of the herbal tea-like characteristics that were present on the nose.

Finish: Long & lingering with savoury, almost salty flavours as expected from Manzanilla.

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 43%

A relaunched Glengoyne 15-year-old, which returns to the distillery's range in Autumn 2022 after a gap of several years.

This reimagined Glengoyne 15-year-old is made up of first fill bourbon (20%) first fill sherry (25%) and refill casks (55%) and has been bottled at a palate-friendly 43%.

That sounds like a cask recipe for success to us, this should be a terrific dram.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Appearance: A light amber hue.

Nose: Expect malt flour, fresh hay, dried fruits, citrus and Rosehip.

Palate: Clean with a gentle sweetness, a hint of tropical fruit, candied lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and apple pie.

Finish: Pleasant dry finish with gentle spice and lingering oak.

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 60.1%

The 2023 edition of Bunnahabhain 12-year-old Cask Strength, which is a small batch edition bottled without colouring or chill filtration at its natural cask strength.

Bunnahabhain 12-year-old Cask Strength debuted in 2021 to general acclaim and has gone from strength to strength ever since - literally, in fact, as this edition is the most powerful yet at a mighty 60.1%.

These batches have a very generous proportion of sherry casks in the mix, and doubtless this will be another huge hit.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Deep mahogany.

Nose: Floral and nutty with notes of marzipan, hazelnut, almond cream and morello cherries.

Palate: Roasted nuts and spice lead the way with cinnamon and cloves fading to reveal soft notes of butterscotch, toffee, sultanas and a gentle hint of coffee.

Finish: Lingering notes of cloves, hazelnut and cocoa.

Peated Single Malt Scotch Whisky
70cl / 52.1%

Peat's Beast Cask Strength (or Batch Strength as it is now called) is a mystery peated single malt Scotch whisky - not necessarily from Islay, mind, but if it tastes good that doesn't really matter.

This cask strength variation of Peat's Beast has been bottled without colouring or chill filtration, and at a natural strength of 52.1% Peat's Beast Cask Strength carries all the smoky impact of its standard strength sibling with a hefty extra kick. A robust, earthy, dram with a powerful phenolic punch.

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Signatory Vintage 70cl / 57.1% / 100 Proof

A small batch Aultmore 2007 17-year-old Speyside single malt whisky bottled in 2024 at 57.1% without colouring or chill filtration by Signatory Vintage for their Exceptional Cask 100-Proof Editions.

This 17-year-old Aultmore 2007 was matured in first fill Oloroso sherry casks and has developed a rich dark amber color during its 17 years of maturation. For those who appreciate high strength sherried Speyside whisky, this expression is a must-try, and looks like exceptional value.

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Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 44%

Jura 18-year-old is a relatively recent welcome returnee to Isle of Jura distillery's core range, having been reintroduced in 2017 after an absence of almost a decade.

Bottled at 44%, the whisky for Jura 18-year-old has been matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in Bordeaux red wine barriques, adding a layer of rich cooked red fruit flavours to the palate.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Rosewood gold

Nose: Bold red fruits, toffee, crème anglaise and cinnamon.

Palate: Warm spice and rich black forest fruit, bolstered by cooked raspberries and strawberries and a hint of chocolate.

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 48%

It is a tradition for Laphroaig's Distillery Managers to pass on their skills and traditions to the next generation to create the richest ever Laphroaig.

John Campbell has created Laphroaig Lore to carry on this tradition.

Laphroaig Lore is drawn from a selection of aged casks making it a rich deep malt with distinctive smoke, peat and seaside minerality.

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail 70cl / 46%

Gordon & MacPhail's splendid Distillery Labels look amazing after their recent revamp and the strength has been upped to 46% - what's not to love?

This Linkwood 15-year-old is another of G&M's specialties - a top class distillery that rarely gets officially bottled as the vast majority of its output goes into owner Diageo's blends.

Thankfully Gordon & MacPhail's long-standing relationships with distilleries mean that they're able to get their hands on a supply of these casks - or even to send their own casks to be filled with new make from the distillery and mature them in their own warehouses. This Linkwood 15-year-old has seen a bit of sherry and should be absolutely delicious.

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Tasting Notes

Nose: Rich sherry aromas mix with hints of ripe summer berries

Palate: Smooth and well-balanced delicate cinnamon and clove flavourings.

Finish: Subtle charred Oak.