TOP 10 WHISKIES £50-£100

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

The new Benromach 15-year-old has landed. This whisky has been exclusively matured in first-fill casks for fifteen years. Expect cracked pepper, charred oak, apples, dark chocolate & forest fruits.

The Benromach 15-year-old has won numerous awards since it was first introduced in 2015. Having tried this whisky ourselves on a number of occasions we understand why!

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Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46%

This is the big brother of the Glendronach 15-Year-Old.

It lacks the playful fruity balance of its younger sibling but makes up for it with more richness, intensity and a more opulent and luxurious flavour profile.

A dram of stunning quality that blows the competition clean out of the water.

Limited to 2 per customer / Bottled 2021.

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Tasting Notes

Appearance: Bright deep gold with a tawny centre.

Nose: Sweet aromatics of fudge and Muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.

Palate: Rich dark and seductive. Remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classic aged Oloroso sherry and toasted walnut bread combined with chocolate orange.

Conclusion: Tremendously complex and long.

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46.3%
 
One of Bunnahbhain's flagship bottlings, the distillery's 18-year-old is richly-sherried without being cloying or over-powered. This whisky carries its 46.3% strength lightly while still packing plenty of sweet sherry flavours and the faintest whisper of earthy peat. A very elegant dram.

It's amazing to think that it's now over a decade since Bunnahabhain (and sister distilleries Deanston and Tobermory) dropped chill filtration and colouring and upped the strength of their official bottlings to 46.3%. How the brand's fortunes have improved since then, with Malt Whisky Yearbook reporting a 160% increase in sales in the last ten years. It really shows the value of listening to your customers.

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

Bowmore 15-year-old (formerly known as Bowmore Darkest) is one of the better finished whiskies around these days, keeping it simple with a straight-forward secondary maturation period (usually around three years) in sherry casks.

The peat and sherry complement each other so well - on the palate you'll find the usual balanced Bowmore peat smoke, then a lovely rich, sweet finish and a slight teasing of tropical fruit.

This lovely bottle of Bowmore 15 is handsomely presented in a gift box with an accompanying glass decanter, so is perfect as a gift for a whisky fan or as a treat for yourself.

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Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail 70cl / 45%

We are starting to see a lot more indie bottlings of Ledaig and this is good news for any Ledaig fans.

Batch 20/074 is a 2008 Ledaig bottled in 2020 by G&M for their new and improved Connoisseur's Choice range.

This one is part of their wood finishes. Initially matured in refill sherry hogsheads before being finished in Hermitage casks for 3 years.

We can't get enough of these Connoisseurs Choice whiskies.

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Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet smoky top note with summer berries and lemon zest.
Palate: Smooth and creamy with black pepper, raspberry and apple flavours.
Finish: Medium-bodied, sweet and smoky.

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46%

An anniversary edition from one of our very favourite Speyside distilleries, Glenfarclas, who have taken their pick of several decades worth of superb casks from their warehouses to craft this special edition marking 185 years since the distillery was officially licensed in 1836.

Glenfarclas 185th Anniversary is a limited edition for the UK, with just 6000 bottles released at a strength of 46%. A rich, sherried dram that combines the heft of long ageing with the freshness of youth.

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Tasting Notes

Official Notes By George Grant

“Due to my grandfather’s foresight, here at Glenfarclas we are very fortunate to have casks in our dunnage warehouses from 8 different decades, from the 1950s to the 2020s. Some of our ware-houses even predate the 185th anniversary we are celebrating, as ‘uisge beatha’ was being made at Glenfarclas a good few years before a licence was held. To mark 185 legal years we have selected some of our finest casks from across the decades and put together a whisky with old, rich, sherried flavours that remain fresh and vibrant in your glass. Here’s to the next 185 years! Slàinte.”.

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

As with other mid-aged Islay whiskies, this Caol Ila 18 year old has really mellowed nicely with age. The peat is still there but it just sits nicely in the background.

Caol Ila 18 starts smoky-sweet on the nose then drinks smoothly, showing a sweet yet sour character. The long-lived finish evokes a distant, smouldering beach bonfire.

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Tasting Notes

Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 46.3%

Ledaig 18-year-old first appeared in 2015 and has helped cement the burgeoning reputation of Tobermory's peated single malt whisky ever since. We recommend it to all peat-lovers, as it displays a complexity that might surprise anyone who's only previously tried younger Ledaigs.

Ledaig 18-year-old is initially aged in ex-Bourbon casks before being finished in ex-Sherry casks for a final flourish. Expect hints of over-ripened apricots, toasted nuts and sherry - all infused with Ledaig's smoky, sweet and peppery character.

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Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Signatory Vintage 70cl / 59.7% 

A single hogshead cask of 2007 Ledaig, the peated whisky made by Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull.  This has been bottled by Signatory Vintage at 13 years old for their Cask Strength Collection with an outturn of 572 bottles at 59.7%.

When Ledaig first started getting popular it was with 3 to 5-year-old sherry monsters, so it's great that we can now taste it at a medium-term age from hogsheads that give Ledaig a more subtle platform, allowing the spirit character shine through.

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: The Alistair Walker Whisky Company 70cl / 59.9%

Release number 20 is from another lesser-known distillery, Allt-A-Bhainne. This distillery is another Speyside workhorse with the majority of its spirit going into the blended whiskies for Chivas Brothers.

The reason why we love indie bottlers so much is that you get to try bottlings like this from the lesser know distilleries that rarely get bottled as a single malt. This is a delightful whisky that has lots of depth and really gets you thinking.

This Allt-A-Bhainne was distilled in 2005 and aged in a single refill puncheon #69290 until it was bottled 14 years later at a natural cask strength of 59.9% with a yield of just 643 bottles.

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Tasting Notes

By Alistair Himself

Colour: Burnt amber.

Nose: Fruity and floral, with hints of almonds and sweet popcorn, and nutty undertones.

Taste: Lots of depth. Honey and caramel, nutty, with cereal notes - crunchy nut cornflakes. Cookies and cream.

Finish: Mid-length, creamy, with a spicy finale.