Bottles

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Dating back to 1967 and bought by whisky distillery entrepreneur Billy Walker in 2017, Speyside’s GlenAllachie was initially built to produce whisky for blends. Now, however, with its new ownership, it’s perhaps better known for its lively single cask expressions. This single malt could almost be seen as a statement of intent from Walker, a sign of things he hopes to mature now he’s at the GlenAllachie helm. The 12 year old has been matured in a mix of Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso and virgin oak casks, resulting in fruit-forward deliciousness.

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WhistlePig is fast becoming a flagship American rye whisky brand, celebrated for its experimental approach and passion for flavour. Located at a farm in rural Vermont, the team is working towards a 100% grain-to-glass operation. In the meantime, it’s bottling blends of its own liquid, and rye bought in from Canada (this is a 100% rye that hails from over the border). It’s bold, unapologetic and mouth-filling – a delight from start to finish. We can’t wait to see what’s to come!

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The Laphroaig Distillery is situated on the south coast of the Hebridean island of Islay – and it’s developed something of a cult following. In particularly high demand with peat lovers is the producer’s 10 year old cask strength bottlings. It does exactly what is says on the tin – ‘cask strength’ means it’s been bottled at the exact ABV the whisky came out the cask (in this instance, bourbon barrels). The 12th batch weighs in at 60.1%, so don’t be afraid to add a splash of water after an initial nose and taste!

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Though Bunnahabhain is based on Islay, home of smoky, peated whisky, the distillery is actually known for its fabulous unpeated expressions! This 12 Year Old was first launched back in 1979, so it has truly stood the test of time. Its maturation is spent in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, so there’s a gorgeous balance of spice and sweetness thanks to the cask influence workingalongside the more savoury coastal notes in the distillate.

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A fascinating limited-edition expression from the Lake District’s very own The Lakes Distillery. Founded in 2011 by Paul Currie (he also set up the Isle of Arran Distillery), the producer has always been about the pursuit of flavour – a philosophy shared by master blender Dhavall Gandhi. To make orange wine, peel from Andalucían oranges is macerated in said wine. The Lakes team then used it to season first-fill American casks! After its full maturation, the whisky was transferred to these casks for a finishing period, which gives it its oily character and distinct flavour. Delicious and unusual stuff.

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Legent is the delicious result of a collaboration between Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe and House of Suntory chief blender Shinji Fukuyo, debuted in March 2019. The bourbon, with a mashbill of corn, rye and malted barley, is initially aged in charred virgin white oak. After that, portions are finished in California red wine casks and sherry casks before being blended and bottled! You’ll find classic bourbon notes alongside spicy and tannic flavours from the cask. An awesome blend of Kentucky and Japan in one bottle.

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It’s surrounded by some of Australia’s leading wine regions, which informs a lot of its whisky making – including Nova. This expression was matured in casks that previously held Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Casks are watertight but not airtight, meaning they can ‘breathe’, drawing liquid into the staves. When the whisky follows the wine, it picks up some of the character of the previous contents – expect big, bold fruit notes.

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A cask-finished Irish single malt from Teeling, which returned its distilling to Dublin back in 2015. This is the third release in its Brabazon series, named after the Brabazon family who were based in Dublin’s Newmarket area for over 300 years. The series explores fortified wine cask maturation, so the distillery teamed up with a family-owned winery in Jerez which specialises in Pedro Ximénez grapes for this one! Naturally, the 14 year old whiskey was finished in the winery’s own Pedro Ximénez casks, so it’s all dried berries and orchard fruit in here.

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Over in Speyside, you’ll find The Balvenie Distillery based in Dufftown. While Balvenie (and Speyside in general) isn’t typically known for peated whisky, back in 2002 former distillery manager Ian Millar trialled drying barley with peat for the first time, seizing an opportunity when he found a week’s gap in the distillery’s production schedule. And so, the aptly-named The Week of Peat expression was born!
Released as part of The Balvenie Stories range, the 14 Year Old is full of the hallmark distillery notes of honey and vanilla, with a fragrant dose of peat smoke giving it something a little different.

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Mackmyra was founded in 1999 as the first distillery in Sweden at the time, and it never shies away from a unique cask finish! Grönt Te (which translates to ‘green tea’) was made in collaboration with Japanese tea specialist Yuko Ono Sthlm, and the single malt was finished in casks that were freshly seasoned with a blend of Oloroso sherry and green tea leaves. The result is wonderfully fresh and herbaceous, with the cask influence subtle but effective.