Bottles

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The Teeling family’s Dublin whiskey connections run deep, having established a distillery back in 1782. Two centuries later, the family were also the first to break Irish Distillers’ monopoly (at the time they owned both of the only surviving Irish whiskey distilleries) when John Teeling converted an old potato alcohol plant into the Cooley distillery in 1987, and later revived Kilbeggan too before selling them to Beam Suntory in 2012.

It would be John’s sons, Jack and Stephen, who finally brought Teeling whiskey back to Dublin and in 2015 founded the first new distillery in the capital in 125 years! Since then, Teeling has collaborated with the craft beer maestros at Galway Bay Brewery by providing the casks for their 200 Fathoms Imperial Stout. The Teeling whiskey in this set was then finished for three months in those 200 Fathoms Imperial Stout casks on their return!

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Despite only launching their first whisky in 2022, Lochlea is already a Pour & Sip favourite. We also recently mentioned them in our September tasting cards when we considered ‘single estate distilleries’. Lochlea is an independent family owned farm and distillery, making single malt exclusively from the barley they grow and harvest themselves.

Last year we enjoyed their bourbon cask matured Spring seasonal release ‘Sowing Edition’, but here we have something altogether more Autumnal that’ll do very nicely for Christmas too. ‘Fallow Edition’ (as the fields are left fallow to regenerate in Autumn after a busy harvest) is matured exclusively in sherry casks: 55% in pedro ximénez, 45% in oloroso. Its gorgeous rich hue is of course all natural too. A sherry bomb edition of this fruit-forward spirit.

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Founded in 1967, GlenAllachie was scarcely ever seen as a single malt, contributing to blended whiskies instead. That changed when ‘The GlenAllachie Distillers Company’ led by master distiller Billy Walker bought the distillery from Chivas Brothers (Pernod Ricard) in 2017. Walker made his name rejuvenating GlenDronach, BenRiach and Glenglassaugh (and adding capital letters to the middle of some of their names!)

By 2018 GlenAllachie’s new single malt was launched, and in 2021 the fourth batch of their cask strength 10-year-old was named World’s Best Single Malt at Whisky Mag’s World Whiskies Awards! Matured in Pedro Ximénez, oloroso, red wine and fresh oak casks, they’re now up to Batch 11 and Billy still finesses every batch. It’s bottled at natural cask strength (also natural colour without chill-filtration), and if you fancy a bottle it’s had a smart redesign too.

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Tomatin Distillery was established back in 1897, with limited batches of intriguing lightly peated spirit released under their Cù Bòcan (say ‘coo bawc-can’) brand since 2013. It’s named after a local legend about a ghostly dog that wanders the Scottish Highlands, but disappears into a cloud of smoke when it’s touched.

You may remember that last year we enjoyed Cù Bòcan’s first rum cask release. Creation #6 uses rum casks too (although from Jamaica this time), but also features whisky matured in rich Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. Three words folks: rum and raisin! And some subtle smoke, of course. Sounding pretty good, huh? It’s bottled at natural colour without chill-filtration.

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It’s incredibly exciting to be able to bring you this. Daftmill’s one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, and – like Lochlea last month, and Ballindalloch in Sep – grows all the barley for their whisky on their own farm. Of the three, Daftmill is the smallest, was founded earliest (2005), and waited the longest before releasing their first whisky (12 years). And it’s been a sensation. Early releases sold out instantly.

This is a slightly larger release of 7,500 bottles from 27 bourbon barrels, but production on Francis & Ian Cuthbert’s sixth generation family farm remains tiny, only making whisky during a few short months when farmwork is quieter, filling as few as 100 casks a year. The barley here is Publican, grown in field 43ac, harvested by John & Sandy 28-29 Aug 2009, distilled late 2011, bottled 2024. Pioneers of truly traditional whisky-making. (If that’s not a contradiction in terms.)

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Jura – or Diùra in Scottish Gaelic, meaning ‘deer island’ – is home to around 200 people and 6,000 red deer. You need two ferries to get a car there from the mainland, and if you do there’s only one road. And yet this is the home of one of the best-selling single malt whiskies in the world (number one in UK off trade).

We’re not sure who had the reins on this one, but Whyte & Mackay (who also own Dalmore and Fettercairn) have expertise in abundance with master whisky makers Gregg Glass (Richard ‘the Nose’ Paterson’s long term successor), and Dr. Kirstie McCallum, plus Jura’s new whisky maker Joe Ricketts. This is the first in a new series to showcase and amplify elements of the distillery’s house style and bottle them at natural colour, without chill-filtration, and at a higher strength. A soft, fruit sipper matured in bourbon casks, and finished in Oloroso sherry casks.

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A new whiskey from Daddy Rack AKA J. Arthur Rackham, a Brit who's spent over 50 years in drinks, fulfilling his dream of creating a Tennessee whiskey when Daddy Rack launched in 2021 (we featured it in Pour & Sip that summer). Now he’s released a rye, which by law must contain at least 51% rye, but this is 95% rye! (5% malted barley for necessary enzymes, but no corn.)

As a Tennessee whiskey it must be filtered through maple charcoal after distillation (the Lincoln County Process), but all Daddy Rack whiskeys are further mellowed by a second light maple charcoal filtering after they’ve aged in barrels. The lighter than usual char of these barrels, and their position within the rickhouses, are all part of Rackham’s specification with each batch a blend of 20 selected barrels. “A bartender's dream”, and at cask strength an “uncut diamond”.

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Balvenie is a famous and much loved distillery, founded in 1892, and one of only a few that still runs its own traditional floor maltings (although it only accounts for up to 15% of their malt requirements). In a world where cask finishes have become standard practice, it’s also worth acknowledging true innovators.

Former Balvenie Malt Master David C. Stewart MBE (he recently stepped back and has been replaced by his apprentice Kelsey McKechnie) began experimenting with cask finishes back in the 1970s, first released one in the early 1980s, and by 1993 their famed DoubleWood 12 Year Old launched, all before pretty much anyone else had joined the party. This 14 Year Old was matured in American oak casks before being finished in Caribbean rum casks (as opposed to sherry casks like the DoubleWood) and has been part of the range since 2010.

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The artist formerly known as The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) has ceased production in Oxford, is upping sticks, and is moving to Yorkshire where they’ll double down on their commitments to regenerative farming and the use of heritage grains, as well as focusing on whisky. All the farmers Fielden work with follow their way of farming developed by archaeobotanist John Letts: they plant a mix of heritage grains in clover, never use chemicals, and nurture the soil. In their words they “farm fields full of life, for whisky full of flavour.”

A natural evolution of TOAD’s batch released rye whiskies, Fielden Rye is made with 90% maslin (a mix of rye and wheat that varies field by field) and 10% malted barley, with heritage rye probably making up about 70% of the mashbill. It’s aged in American oak casks and a selection of ex-wine casks (including Sauternes and Moscatel).

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Douglas Laing has long been one of our favourite independent bottlers, consistently getting it right over the years as they bring new whiskies and stories into the world. Established in 1948, the family owned company is now onto its third generation with director of whisky Cara Laing taking the reins. From their ‘Remarkable Regional Malts’ range, Rock Island is a blended malt crafted from single malts whiskies exclusively hailing from the Scottish islands including Orkney, Arran, Jura and Islay.

You’re of course expecting a tasty, sea sprayed, slightly smoky, maritime malt here. This special edition combines that character with an unusual Tequila cask finish! You’ll see a small handful of Tequila cask matured whiskies these days, but it was only in 2019 that these casks were permitted by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

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Wait nearly 100 years for a single malt distillery in Edinburgh, and two pop up at once! Holyrood in 2019, then Bonnington in 2020. However, Bonnington’s owners had already been tinkering in a pilot distillery (trialling malts, yeasts, fermentations, cut points etc.) That allowed them to release Edinburgh’s first single malt in nearly a century in 2022. It was a John Crabbie & Co release (yes, as in the alcoholic ginger beer brand!) John Crabbie, born in 1806, didn’t just do a good line in ginger wine.

Like many greats of the age he came from a grocer family and started blending his own whiskies. He also founded North British grain distillery in Edinburgh alongside Andrew Usher and William Sanderson. Bonnington will continue Crabbie’s whisky legacy, but this affordable limited release arrives under the distillery’s own name and is matured exclusively in PX sherry casks.

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Glendronach, founded in 1826, has become synonymous with rich, sherried goodness. This reputation was built under the custodianship of previous master distiller Billy Walker, and has continued following Brown Forman’s purchase of the distillery in 2016 under the expert eye (and nose) of master blender Dr. Rachel Barrie. High quality Spanish sherry casks are used with Pedro Ximénez (think intense raisin-y goodness) and Oloroso (dry and nutty) sherry casks both contributing to the signature style.

The distillery’s had a colourful history including being partly destroyed by a fire in 1837, being the largest duty-paying distillery in the Highlands in 1862, being a key malt in Teacher’s blends, and then being mothballed for 6 years between 1996 and 2002. Today it’s a much-loved single malt and they’ve just given the bottles a handsome redesign too.

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Kingsbarns distillery was built by the Wemyss family, known for their Wemyss Malts independent whisky bottlings and also Darnley’s Gin. It opened in late 2014, producing a light, floral and fruity spirit with slow fermentation and distillation, and an early cut point. Ordinarily this would be filled into first-fill bourbon barrels as well as some STR (shaved, toasted and recharred) red wine casks, the latter being a speciality of the late, great consultant Jim Swan we’ve seen used elsewhere by Nc’Nean, Penderyn, Cotswolds, Lindores Abbey and Milk & Honey in Pour & Sip over the years.

Here, however, Coaltown (named after the mining village near Wemyss Castle, the family’s ancestral home) has been matured entirely in casks that previously held peated whisky. The barley is entirely unpeated, so the elegant, subtle smoky influence is imparted solely by the casks.

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Named after the company’s chairman Paul P. John, this established Indian spirits producer turned its hand to single malt in 2007 with the first bottles hitting the shelves in 2012. Alongside Amrut especially, Paul John has helped to firmly establish India on the malt whisky map, picking up countless awards over the years.

Brilliance is unpeated (although the distillery does also produce peated whiskies), made with Indian 6-row barley from the Himalayan foothills, and matured in bourbon barrels for 3-5 years. While that may sound on the young side, maturation in Goa’s tropical climate is very different to Scotland! The ‘Angels’ share’ lost to evaporation is far higher (around 8-10% a year compared to around 2% in Scotland), with climatic conditions driving more intense interaction between spirit and wood within a shorter time.

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A brand new Islay distillery! Well, it was founded in 2017, but its inaugural release only appeared in May 2024, followed by this (their first core release) in Sep. The distillery was built by top independent bottler and blender Hunter Laing (from the same family as Douglas Laing who we’ve also featured previously, but the company was split between brothers Stewart and Fred back in 2013 and are now separate).

Working with Jim McEwan (legendary former Bowmore and Bruichladdich master distiller) to build the distillery and perfect their craft, Stewart Laing and his sons Andrew & Scott are producing classic peated (40PPM), fruity Islay spirit. Worm tub condensers (rare in distilleries these days, and unique on Islay, but loved by whisky fans) are used to ensure the desired texture and complexity. Matured in a combination of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.

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Rare white heather is thought to be lucky in Scotland, a bit like a four leaf clover. Created by celebrated master blender Billy Walker (mentioned on the Glendronach card), this whisky contains a significant amount of his GlenAllachie single malt alongside Highland malt, a small percentage of peated Islay malt, and a foundation of well-aged grain whisky.

These were initially matured in various bourbon and sherry casks, before being married together and placed into Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons, as well as Appalachian fresh oak casks (that had no prior contents). Every part was aged for at least 15 years, with malt whiskies making up a pleasing 57-60% of the blend. White Heather was a popular blend back in the 1970s (including a ‘deluxe’ 15-year-old) that Walker remembered fondly and was excited to recreate for the modern age.

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Glen Moray, founded in 1897, is a classic fruity, ‘toffeed’ Speyside single malt from Elgin. Well respected and appreciated by whisky fans for their always affordable and more than solid core ranges, they also release special treats such as this. Back in 2021 (wow, time flies!) we featured a whisky from their ‘Curiosity’ range, which has since been replaced by the Warehouse 1 collection as the home of Glen Moray’s cask explorations and more limited releases.

These are presented at natural cask strength and natural colour, without chill-filtration. While the distillery was a trailblazer for wine finishes dating back to the 1990s (albeit best known for their innovative use of white wine casks), this whisky spent its entire maturation in Rioja red wine casks for a deep, full-bodied sipper.

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Sherry casks play some role in every other dram in this set, and Glengoyne is another distillery known for using a significant amount of sherry casks as well as bottling at natural colour. Here comes the curve ball, though. Released this year, here’s a Glengoyne that uses no sherry casks whatsoever. White Oak is matured in first-fill bourbon and fresh oak casks with a low level of char. The idea is that the character of their slowly distilled spirit is allowed to shine through, and it’s already won gold medals at the International Spirits Challenge and the San Francisco Spirits Awards.

Founded in 1833, the distillery was purchased by Ian MacLeod in 2003, and famously lies on the Highland line. In fact, while the stills and most of the distillery buildings are in the Highlands (making it a Highland whisky), the maturing casks just over the road are actually sat in the Lowlands!