TOP 10 WHISKIES £50-£100

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail 70cl / 43%

A 13-year-old Caol Ila bottled at 43% by Gordon & MacPhail for their Discovery Range of great value, accessible single malt whiskies. The Discovery Range is colour-coded, with this Caol Ila 13-year-old's grey packaging indicating a Smoky flavour profile.

We were so impressed when trying the whiskies from the Discovery Range that we could not believe the RRP. In our opinion, these Gordon & MacPhail bottlings are better than a lot of whiskies at twice the price, and are a must for anyone looking to get into single malt whisky.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet vanilla and dried cured meat aromas with peat smoke undertones are complemented by banana and apricot.

Palate: Ripe banana, kiwi with vibrant hints of fresh citrus.

Finish: Long sweet and smokey.

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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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Dark Amber.

Nose: Aromas of sweet toffee leading to notes of cracked black pepper and peat smoke. Rich forest fruits develop with dark chocolate and dried banana.

Palate: Creamy and sweet with ripe apples and an undertone of charred oak. Dark chocolate develops and leads to toasted malt and orange peel with a subtle hint of smoke.

Finish: Medium creamy finish with soft smoke and dried fruit.

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

A very smart Kilchoman whisky glass gift pack comprising a full bottle of the distillery's flagship Machir Bay peated Islay single malt whisky, which is a mix of predominately ex-bourbon casks with a small percentage of sherry casks in the assemblage.

This marvellous Kilchoman Machir Bay Islay whisky gift pack comes in a gift box with a pair of very cool Kilchoman branded whisky tumbler glasses and makes the perfect present for a peaty whisky fan, or just a great treat for oneself.

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Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Distillery bottling 70cl / 48.3%

The second release as part of Balvenie's Stories Range tells the tale of retired distillery manager Ian Millar's eagerness to experiment.

This 14-year-old heavily peated whisky has all the classic Balvenie sweet and citrus notes along with the lovely peat smoke from a unique process. 

The story behind this bottling is when Ian Millar spotted a 1-week gap in production at Balvenie. it was then decided that they would produce a peated whisky for this week of the year. Hence the name, The Week of Peat.

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Japanese Single Malt Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 43%

Suntory's Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve is a Japanese single malt whisky from the famous Yamazaki distillery - Japan's first proper single malt whisky distillery, established in 1923.

Introduced in 2014 to replace the iconic Yamazaki 12-year-old, Yamazaki Distiller's Reserve is composed of a mix of different ages of Yamazaki single malt, matured in a  combination of casks including sherry wood, wine casks and Japanese Mizunara oak. A fresh, fruity, multilayered whisky with hints of Mizunara's unique floral, incense-like spices.

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Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky 
Bottled by: Gordon & MacPhail 70cl / 43%

A 10-year-old heavily peated Bunnahabhain bottled by Gordon & MacPhail for their splendid Discovery Range, which gives whisky lovers a tour of various flavour profiles and characters and showcases what Gordon & MacPhail are good at.

The Discovery Range is colour-coded for easy recognition, with this Bunnahabhain 10-year-old's grey packaging indicating a Smoky flavour profile. As ever with G&M, the prices are profoundly reasonable, and the whisky's quality will delight new fans and experienced quaffers alike.

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Tasting Notes

Nose: Vanilla, toffee and light fruitcake with peat smoke.
Palate: Hints of sea salt, zesty lemon, sweet candied lime and liquorice.
Finish: Smouldering bonfire.

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

Tomatin's 14-year-old Highland malt was introduced into the distillery's core range in 2014 and has been an ever-present ever since.

This 14-year-old Tomatin began life maturing in ex-bourbon barrels before a finishing period in 50-year-old tawny port pipes for a hint of cooked red and black berry fruits, and is bottled at the higher strength of 46% for extra oomph. If you're a fan of port-finished whisky you have to try this one.

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

Edradour's enormously popular Caledonia 12-year-old made its first appearance in 2009 and has been a mainstay of the range ever since.

This Edradour is a tie-in with Scottish singer-songwriter Dougie Maclean and is named after his most famous hit song Caledonia, written in 1977 and still a much-loved unofficial Scottish anthem today.

Bottled in 2022 at 46% without colouring or chill filtration, this delightful 12-year-old Edradour Caledonia started life in bourbon casks before what must have been an extremely impactful finishing period in Oloroso sherry casks, judging by the (natural) colour.

A must for Edradour fans.

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Nose: Sultanas and figs balanced with honey.

Palate: Liquid Christmas cake, toasted almonds and just a hint of orange spice. Just a little water opens up the depth and complexity as the fruitiness and Oloroso sherried wood comes to the fore. The result of traditional, time tested distillation processes rolls over the tongue like syrup.

Finish: Gently warming, spicy and dry from a time long forgotten.

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 57.2%

The eighth edition of Glenallachie's 10-year-old Cask Strength, one of the surest bets on Speyside - you'll remember that Batch 4 of this delicious dram scooped the gong for World's Best Single Malt Whisky at the 2021 World Whisky Awards.

For Glenallachie 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 8, the maestro Billy Walker has married a batch of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks, tempered with small quantities of virgin oak and Rioja red wine casks, with the assemblage being bottled without colouring or chill filtration at its natural strength of 57.2% (equivalent to the old 100-proof, coincidentally enough).

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Tasting Notes

Official Tasting Notes

Colour: Intensely Rich Mahogany.

Nose: Bursting with mocha, nutmeg and walnut oil, with notes of heather honey, sweet raisins and dried red berries.

Palate: Lashings of cinnamon spice, molasses and honeycomb, followed by ginger and dark chocolate, with hints of nutmeg and fennel on the finish.

Island Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distillery Bottling 70cl / 56.2%

A heavy-duty cask strength edition of Arran distillery's Machrie Moor peated single malt whisky.

Arran distillery continues to progress is leaps and bounds, and this fancy recent packaging upgrade really suits them.  This peated cask strength Machrie Moor Arran will be perfect for your whisky hipflask on a cold day.

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