Braeval 14 Year Old 2010 (cask 127) - Infrequent Flyers (Alistair Walker)

With over 20 years in the industry in his own right, Alistair Walker is also the son of Billy Walker (master distiller and owner of GlenAllachie, formerly of Benriach, Glendronach and more). Having previously worked at Burn Stewart and BenRiach Distillery Co., Infrequent Flyers is very much Alistair’s own baby. An independent bottler releasing quality single cask whiskies, often (as the name suggests) from lesser known distilleries. As ‘chief cook and bottle washer’, Alistair selects all the casks and can be particular about what (and when) he buys and bottles. He also recasks some whiskies, leaning on his previous experience.

For example, this whisky was finished in an oloroso sherry puncheon, yielding 653 bottles. Braeval certainly fits the bill for ‘lesser known’. Built in 1973 and mothballed for six years in the early 2000s, it’s rarely seen as a single malt even from indie bottlers.