Bottles

Pour & Sip

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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!

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The branding of Tomintoul single malt includes the tagline “the gentle dram”, which tells you something about what they’re going for. Founded in 1965, their classic and multi-award-winning 10 Year Old was launched in 2002, a couple of years after current owners Angus Dundee bought the distillery (they also own Glencadam, and are established blenders and bottlers dating back to 1950). The village of Tomintoul is said to be the highest in the Highlands, and although the distillery is situated by the River Avon a few miles away, both are situated in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park.

Master distiller Robert Fleming (a fourth generation Speyside distiller) marked 50 years in whisky in 2024, over 30 of them spent at Tomintoul. We haven’t featured a Tomintoul since early 2021, and this malty, floral, softly fruity whisky is a wonderful way to ease ourselves into the new year.

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Pour & Sip’s first Romanian whisky, and we suspect yours too? Keeper of the Quaich (an honour that recognises outstanding commitment to Scotch whisky - in this case championing it in Romania) and Alexandrion Group founder Nawaf Salameh is out to put Romanian single malt on the map with the help of master distiller and whisky director Allan Anderson who brings over 30 years of experience in Scotch and Irish whiskies to the project.

Alexandrion is also one of Romania’s biggest wine producers, allowing them to utilise their own barrels for whisky maturation with full control over quality and supply. An enviable position. We knew we wanted to feature one of their Romanian wine cask finishes, with one standing out: Fetească Neagră, a quintessentially Romanian grape and wine. 100% Romanian barley is used, along with water from the sub-Carpathian hills.

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Glenfiddich’s one of the best-selling single malts in the world, and the single malt distillery with the biggest capacity. All single malts (and fans) owe them a debt of gratitude as it was their ‘straight malt’ release in 1963 that paved the way to single malt having global appeal. They were also the first to open their doors to visitors in 1969.

What’s more, the descendants of William Grant who established the distillery in 1887, are still the owners. They’ve remained true to their small stills (many still direct fired) from which you’d expect a heavy style, but early cut points mean Glenfiddich’s new make is full of bright, estery pears and apples. All of which means today they require a mind-boggling 43 stills! Glenfiddich 18 Year Old is matured in bourbon and oloroso sherry casks and sees those bright apples becoming baked toffee apples with chocolate developing.

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“Wait nearly 100 years for a single malt distillery in Edinburgh, and two pop up at once” we said in Nov. Here’s the other one! Truly one of Scotland's new wave of innovative distillers, this fruity, buttery beauty is the distillery’s third release. Established in 2019 in Edinburgh’s historic old town, they take influence from the city’s rich brewing history.

That’s certainly the case with Ambir, which features 4 speciality malts: Chocolate Malt, Vienna malt, Crystal 240 and Caramalt. Combined they make up about 17% of the mashbill, but these are malts with big flavours rarely seen in whisky so they make a big contribution. 10(!) different yeasts are also used, including Belgian ale yeast and even a little wine yeast. Maturation took place largely in first and second fill bourbon casks, with just over 10% in oloroso casks. Take all that together, and this is a sweet, fruity delight.

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Campbeltown was once “the whisky capital of the world”, but today there are only three distilleries. It’s the smallest whisky region in that regard (even with another three distilleries on the way), but always great to feature. This new limited release is unusual for a couple of reasons. Glen Scotia’s usually unpeated (they produce some peated spirit for a few weeks each year, much of which is lightly peated [17PPM], with some heavily peated [55PPM]), and is also rarely seen in wine casks. This is described as ‘medium’-peated, and has spent six months in Barolo red wine casks!

The inspiration for a whisky with “swirling smoke and rich red colour” is said to come from the Campbeltown Market Cross’ depiction of St. Michael slaying a dragon, but also the times when the community came together to fight historic blazes (not least at Dalintober Distillery in 1899).

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Craft distillers in the heart of Kentucky, Bluegrass was established in 2012 within part of a disused Lexington bread factory, releasing their first bourbon in 2015. With Kentucky ingredients, hand mashing, and their use of blue corn (the first Kentucky bourbon to do so), they built a following. Nevertheless, the 2023 news that they’d taken on Elkwood Farm 20 miles down the road where they can increase production 1,000% and grow their own heirloom blue corn and wheat on 62 acres of farmland was pretty incredible!

Toasted Oak uses a more classic mashbill of 75% (yellow) corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a standard 3 years in fresh, charred American oak casks, it rested in lightly toasted casks for 21 days. Doesn’t sound long, but these lightly toasted (but not charred) barrels give up wood sugars easily and quickly. Such finishes are increasingly popular.

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Estimated despatch 7 February

Undoubtedly one of the leading lights of English whisky, and also a whisky coming of age. White Peak distillery is named after their view in beautiful Derbyshire, while the whisky takes its name from the building’s original industrial use, reflecting the proud past of the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site (as do their stunning bottles).

Founded in 2016, they’ve used various casks, including STR (shaved, toasted and recharred red wine), but here the distillery’s oldest whisky to date has matured exclusively in first-fill bourbon casks. Allowing more space for the distillery character to shine is no bad thing when they’ve worked so hard on it. A small amount of peated barley is combined with unpeated (10PPM total), and a blend of yeasts are used including used brewer’s yeast from local brewers (Thornbridge, known for Jaipur IPA) with long 6-day fermentations for fruity esters.

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Founded in 1840, a number of distinctive features date to the time of ‘The Major’, aka James Grant, who inherited the distillery in 1872. It’s said he may have been the first man in the Highlands to own a car. He’s certainly responsible for the 22-acre Victorian Garden at the distillery, but also the tall, slender stills and their ingenious purifiers (one of the earliest examples of this uncommon bit of kit – essentially a small condenser attached to the lyne arm that returns heavier vapours back to the still just as they would have been heading to the actual condenser). This massively contributes to Glen Grant’s light character, with the still’s unique boil balls aiding further reflux. One of the first single malts to gain popularity outside the Highlands, and internationally, Glen Grant is easy-going at young ages, but also ages wonderfully. This very highly-awarded 18-year-old malt shows that.

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Once upon a time, five friends – Mikko, Jouni, Miika, Miko, and Kalle – were sipping American rye whiskey in a sauna. That’s when the idea hit them. Why was nobody making rye whisky in Finland when the country grew so much high quality rye? And so Kyrö Distillery Company was born in 2012. Their 100% malted wholegrain Finnish rye spirits have won many fans and awards since, are made with incredible attention to detail, and provide great concentration and depth of flavour both neat and in cocktails.

Since we last featured one of their double pot distilled whiskies their core range has expanded to include this Oloroso Malt Rye (initially matured in new American oak and bourbon casks, but then as the name suggests finished in oloroso sherry casks). A peated Kyrö is also now available, alongside the existing wood smoke and classic malt rye options.