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As summer beckons, we’ve brought summer fruits via Jerez, Veneto, and Great British whisky making! Plus a cult world blend, and Michelin-starred action.

The Lakes Signature: English whisky has come of age. Perhaps none more so than The Lakes. Distilling single malt since 2014, their Whiskymaker's Reserve range included the World Whiskies Awards’ World's Best Single Malt in 2022. Signature leads directly on from that range’s seven limited releases. The Lakes have a proactive and demanding approach to maturation - they tinker, taste, intervene, move cask positions, recask spirit, blend during maturation, marry for over a year etc. to build and layer flavour.

Ichiro's Malt & Grain World Blended Whisky: When we think of Japanese whisky, Suntory and Nikka usually come to mind. Ichiro Akuto, however, is the multi-award winning rock star founder of Chichibu (the first new Japanese distillery in 35 years when it started producing in 2008) who’s done more than anyone to disrupt that duopoly and lead a new wave of independent Japanese whisky makers. This is his ‘world blend’, bringing together whiskies from America, Canada, Scotland, and Ireland, alongside Chichibu!

Kingsbarns Balcomie: Kingsbarns distillery was built by the Wemyss family and opened in late 2014. It produces a light, floral and fruity spirit thanks to slow fermentation and slow distillation with a high, early cut point. Here, that’s been aged exclusively in American oak oloroso sherry butts selected to complement that fruity character. Balcomie is part of the core range alongside Coaltown (ex-peated casks), with but representing a departure or variation from Kingsbarns' signature Doocot style (90% bourbon, 10% STR red wine).

Glencadam Riserva di Amarone: Founded back in 1825, Glencadam was purchased by family owned Angus Dundee in 2003. It’s located in Brechin, a few miles from the coast between Aberdeen and Dundee. It'sknown to produce a light spirit thanks to plenty of reflux, and can be both floral and notably creamy. Riserva di Amarone has a pronounced Amarone Italian red wine cask finish, after starting out in bourbon casks, all aged in the distillery’s traditional dunnage (traditional stone walled and earthen floored) warehouses.

Highland Park 16 Year Old - Between You And I: Founded in 1798 (officially licensed 1826), Highland Park is celebrated for its unique lightly peated heather smoke character. Here it's teamed up with the best Swedish chef outside of Sesame Street. In fact, Björn Frantzén is the only chef with 3 restaurants that each have 3 Michelin stars. That’s one hell of a foodie collaboration! Aged largely in fresh Swedish oak casks (said to give a distinctly nutty spiciness, and a distillery first), a handful of bourbon, and sherry casks are also used.

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The Glencadam distillery was founded back in 1825, and though it was mothballed at the turn of the millennium, family owned Angus Dundee (who also own Tomintoul) purchased it in 2003 and had it back up and running within a couple of months of the ink drying! It’s located in Brechin, a few miles from the coast between Aberdeen and Dundee, proudly reinstated a 4.3m water wheel in 2021, and has been open to visitors since 2025.

Glencadam is known to be light thanks to plenty of reflux, and can be both floral and notably creamy. Riserva di Amarone has a pronounced Amarone Italian red wine cask finish, after starting out in bourbon casks, all aged in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses (think stone walled, earthen floored, casks stacked no more than three high – perfect maturation environment, but less cost effective than modern racked warehouses).

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The Glencadam distillery was founded back in 1825, and though it was mothballed at the turn of the millennium, family owned Angus Dundee (who also own Tomintoul) purchased it in 2003 and had it back up and running within a couple of months of the ink drying! It’s located in Brechin, a few miles from the coast between Aberdeen and Dundee, proudly reinstated a 4.3m water wheel in 2021, and has been open to visitors since 2025.

Glencadam is known to be light thanks to plenty of reflux, and can be both floral and notably creamy. Riserva di Amarone has a pronounced Amarone Italian red wine cask finish, after starting out in bourbon casks, all aged in the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses (think stone walled, earthen floored, casks stacked no more than three high – perfect maturation environment, but less cost effective than modern racked warehouses).

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Kingsbarns distillery was built (within a picturesque late 18th century farmstead near St Andrews) by the Wemyss family, known for their Wemyss Malts independent whisky bottlings as well as Darnley’s Gin. It opened in late 2014, producing a light, floral and fruity spirit thanks to slow fermentation and slow distillation with a high, early cut point. Here, that’s been aged exclusively in American oak oloroso sherry butts selected to complement that fruity character.

Balcomie is part of the core range alongside Coaltown (which uses ex-peated casks and featured in Pour & Sip back in 2024), but both represent a slight departure or variation from their signature/flagship Doocot style (which is aged in 90% bourbon and 10% STR wine casks, replacing their inaugural ‘Dream to Dram’ whisky which used the same casks but was much younger).

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When we think of Japanese whisky, the distilleries and brands of Suntory and Nikka usually come to mind. Ichiro Akuto, however, is the multi-award winning rock star bottler, blender, and founder of Chichibu (the first new Japanese distillery in 35 years when it started producing in 2008) who’s done more than anyone to disrupt that duopoly and lead a new wave of independent Japanese whisky makers.

The Ichiro's Malt brand actually pre-dates his distillery, and was used to bottle the final casks from his grandfather’s closed distillery of Hanyu, which became the stuff of – extremely valuable – legend. (Incredibly, Ichiro rescued these casks from being reprocessed into shochu when the family business was sold!) In this set we have Ichiro’s fascinating ‘world blend’, bringing together whiskies from America, Canada, Scotland, and Ireland, alongside Chichibu!

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English whisky has come of age. Perhaps none more so than The Lakes. Distilling single malt since 2014, their Whiskymaker's Reserve range included the World Whiskies Awards’ World's Best Single Malt in 2022. Signature leads directly on from that range’s seven releases, becoming the first permanent version of their sumptuous sherry-led style. “I don't know anybody else in the world who's doing this", said whisky writer Dave Broom on how they’re using wood.

So erm… what is it they’re doing? The term they use is ‘élevage’, which if you’re not a Cognac or wine buff may need some elaboration… Simply put, they don’t just leave the whisky in the casks, they tinker, taste, intervene, move cask positions, recask spirit, blend during maturation, marry for over a year etc. It's a proactive and demanding way to build and layer flavour (that can also be seriously rewarding).

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New whiskies. Unreleased whiskies. Sought-after whiskies. Islay whiskies. A Norwegian whisky? Unpeated through to heavily peated. May is huge!

Aberargie Inaugural: One of the most exciting releases of 2026 hit shelves in March, and widely sold out. Why? It’s the first ever Aberargie. Built by the Morrison family on their own farm, they grow all the barley they use. Yes, it’s another (of still only a tiny handful) exciting single estate farm distillery, and they’ve already been calmly distilling since 2017! Inaugural uses 52% Golden Promise (heritage) and 48% Laureate (modern higher yielding) barley, and a 50:50 split of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks.

Bunnahabhain 15 Year Old An Cuan Garbh No. 1 - The Westering Home Collection 2026: This one couldn’t be hotter off the press! Unpeated and finished in White Port (made with white grapes – think citrus and toasted nut notes) casks. A match made in heaven for often nutty, subtly coastal Bunnahabhain – An Cuan Garbh being Gaelic for ‘the rough seas’. Part of the second series in the Westering Home collection, this is a release of 7,571 full-sized bottles worldwide.

Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2026: Not officially released until 22 May 2026, this special Big Peat marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Fèis Ìle (the annual Islay festival of music and malt, with a little more emphasis on the latter…). Big Peat is of course a legend in its own right, known to include Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and more, and even a teeny smidge of Port Ellen (now we really are talking legendary!) Here it's also had a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask finish. Still smoky and unapologetic, but richer and more indulgent.

Kilchoman Maury Cask Matured: This limited edition – only released in March 2026 – is full maturation in Maury wine casks. (Since 2021, for those wondering). Think kind of Port-style fortified wine from southern France, made with at least 75% Grenache Noir grapes. Strawberry jam and honeyed dates notes. Bold stuff from Kilchoman, a family-owned distillery we love, founded in 2004. All the malt they use is peated to a hearty 50 PPM (phenol parts per million), but distilled to preserve some lighter citrus character.

Bivrost Yggdrasil 2025: From the northernmost distillery in the world, at 69.39°N. Arctic whisky. Bivrost literally means ‘shaking road’ in ancient Norse, and is the Viking term for the Northern Lights. Yggdrasil is their ‘core whisky’ but it’s released annually. Distilled between 2018 and 2021, this release used Pilsener Malt (Planet and Popino Nordic barley) as well as some heavily peated malt. Lager and Old English ale yeasts are used, as well as glacial meltwater. It was matured in oloroso sherry seasoned, in-house charred casks.

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Time to mix it up. How about Norwegian whisky? From the northernmost distillery in the world, in fact, at 69.39°N. Arctic whisky. Aurora Spirit distillery sits beneath the Lyngen Alps and produces spirits under the name Bivrost, literally meaning ‘shaking road’ in ancient Norse. It’s the Viking term for the Northern Lights, the magical path between earth and Åsgård. Cool, right? Yggdrasil is their ‘core whisky’ but it’s released annually.

Distilled between 2018 and 2021, during which time they were working with a local brewery (mashing is now in-house), this release used Pilsener Malt (Planet and Popino Nordic barley) as well as some heavily peated malt. Lager and Old English ale yeasts are used, as well as glacial meltwater. It was matured in oloroso sherry seasoned and in-house charred casks. In a Viking longhouse. With average temperatures of 0.6°C!

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Usually when you see an exciting or unusual style of wine cask used in whisky, the spirit has only spent its final months or perhaps a year or two max in that cask. A finishing period. Not so here. This limited edition – only released in March 2026 to great excitement – is full maturation in Maury wine casks. (Since 2021, for those wondering). Think kind of Port-style fortified wine from southern France, made with at least 75% Grenache Noir grapes. Strawberry jam and honeyed dates notes. Bold stuff from Kilchoman, a distillery we love, founded in 2004.

Family-owned, they grow up to 440 tonnes of barley on Islay each year and run their own traditional floor maltings. Although this is largely reserved for their 100% Islay releases. All the malt they use is peated to a hearty 50 PPM (phenol parts per million), but distilled to preserve some lighter citrus character.

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If the Aberargie, Kilchoman, and Bunnahabhain were keeping you relentlessly up to date, this one’s a taste of the future! Not officially released until 22 May 2026, this special Big Peat marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Fèis Ìle (the annual Islay festival of music and malt, with a little more emphasis on the latter…). Big Peat is of course a legend in its own right.

The forerunner and first of Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, it’s an Islay blended malt known to include Ardbeg, Caol Ila, Bowmore and more, and even a teeny smidge of Port Ellen (now we really are talking legendary!), bottled at natural cask strength without chill-filtration. Usually, sherry cask finishes are reserved for the popular Christmas limited editions, but here we have specifically Pedro Ximénez sherry casks used. Still smoky and unapologetic, but richer and more indulgent.

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A single malt that’s not officially released until 4 May 2026, this one couldn’t be hotter off the press! Last May we featured a peated Bunnahabhain (pronounced ‘BOO-na-HAven’), which the distillery has increasingly produced since the 1990s. It’s still best known, however, as one that flies the flag for unpeated whisky on the isle of Islay. That’s just what we have here. Unpeated and finished in White Port (made with white grapes – think citrus and toasted nut notes) casks. A match made in heaven for often nutty, subtly coastal Bunnahabhain – An Cuan Garbh being Gaelic for ‘the rough seas’.

Bunnahabhain was founded way back in 1881, and is located on the north east of the island, on the shores of the Sound of Islay with views across to Jura. Part of the second series in the Westering Home collection, this is a release of 7,571 full-sized bottles worldwide.

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Simply one of the most exciting releases of 2026. This hit shelves in March, and widely sold out. Why? As the name suggests, it’s the first ever Aberargie. Built by the Morrison family (who bring us Old Perth and Mac-Talla, and are former owners of Bowmore) on their own family farm, they grow all the barley they use. Yes, it’s another (of still only a tiny handful) exciting single estate farm distillery! Everything except malting happens on site, and they’ve already been calmly distilling since 2017.

Technically a Lowland malt, it lies on the Highland border and they’re forging their own path. Descending lyne arms, long fermentations, wide cut points, and flavoursome heritage grain create a fruity, oily, rich spirit. Inaugural uses 52% Golden Promise (heritage) and 48% Laureate (modern higher yielding) barley, and a 50:50 split of first-fill bourbon and sherry casks.

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This month things are getting fruity, but in five quite different ways, from impressively aged Scotch single malts to a taste of Canadian 100% corn whisky!

Scapa 10 Year Old: Founded in 1885, Scapa had intermittent production from the mid 90s into the 21st century. This contributed to a decade-long wait for the return of age statement releases. Thankfully, the reborn range is here! All American oak barrel matured, bright, luscious, and tropical in tone, leaning into the Scapa’s historic long fermentations, juicy new make spirit, and fruity character. Uniquely, the wash still is an old Lomond still with the plates removed, and a purifier on the way to the condenser.

Canadian Corn Whisky 6 Year Old (That Boutique-y Whisky Company): Part of the indie bottler and blender's ‘core range’, each of which has a deer on the front label of the 70cl bottles. Except this one. Which has a moose. Because Canada. Yes, this is something a little different. We usually see corn in bourbon (which must be at least 51% corn). This is corn whisky (Canada uses the spelling ‘whisky’, as opposed to ‘whiskey’ most common in America). 95% corn and, unusually, 100% oloroso sherry cask!

Glen Moray Forbidden Fruit: Something brand new (released Feb 2026) that comes complete with some tongue in cheek humour. Back in 2018 Glen Moray accidentally got themselves in hot water over a cider cask release that fell foul of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) regulations. Don’t worry for them here though. Forbidden Fruit was instead finished in casks that previously held yummy Calvados, in this case distilled from just apples (as opposed to pears). Super fruity - one for highballs in the sun.

Tobermory 21 Year Old: The distillery today distills and sells more of their Ledaig peated single malt than their eponymous unpeated single malt. Founded way back in 1798(!), it was only in 1996 that the clear delineation was thankfully established though! Tobermory, with higher cut points, is slightly oily, maritime, and green. Aged for an extraordinary 21 years, this whisky started in refill casks, before a long secondary maturation in oloroso sherry casks said to create flavours of foraged fruits from the Isle of Mull.

Deanston 15 Year Old Tequila Cask Finish: An experimental limited edition here, from a distillery founded in 1965 but housed in an 18th century cotton mill on the banks of the River Teith. The house style of spirit is said to be waxy, a rare and prized quality for blenders and malt lovers alike. As touched on above, not all casks are permissible for Scotch whisky, but since 2019 Tequila casks have been on the approved list. This will be the third we’ve featured in as many years (one of the others coming from Glen Moray).

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An experimental limited edition from Deanston here, a distillery founded in 1965 but housed in an 18th century cotton mill on the banks of the River Teith. It’s also powered using hydro energy from the river, just as Victorian industry in the area would have been, now selling excess electricity to the National Grid. The house style of spirit is said to be waxy, a rare and prized quality for blenders and malt lovers alike.

As mentioned on the Glen Moray card, not all casks are permissible for Scotch whisky, but since 2019 Tequila casks have been on the approved list. This will be the third we’ve featured in as many years (one of the others coming from Glen Moray), and once again their influence isn’t as extreme as you may imagine(/fear). A full two year finish in casks that previously held fruity, floral 100% agave Tequilas from the Jaliscan Highlands plays its part though.

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Tobermory distillery today distills and sells more of their Ledaig peated single malt than their eponymous unpeated single malt. Founded way back in 1798(!), historically the distillery went through periods of producing both peated and unpeated whisky, and even using both names, and it was only in 1996 that the clear delineation was thankfully established.

The Tobermory spirit, with higher cut points, is slightly oily and maritime with a green edge. Aged for an extraordinary 21 years, this whisky started in refill casks, before a long secondary maturation in oloroso sherry casks that were supposedly selected to create flavours reminiscent of foraged fruits from the Isle of Mull. And yes, the town and harbour of Tobermory with its brightly coloured houses is indeed also where the kids tv show Balamory was filmed.

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We featured Glen Moray towards the end of last year, but that was their Warehouse 1 range, whereas this is something brand new (released Feb 2026) that comes complete with some tongue in cheek humour. Back in 2018 Glen Moray accidentally got themselves in hot water over a cider cask release that fell foul of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) regulations. To this day, despite some loosening of the rules around other casks, cider casks are still verboten. Don’t worry for them here though. Forbidden Fruit was instead finished in casks that previously held yummy Calvados, in this case distilled from just apples (as opposed to pears).

When Glen Moray – a classic Elgin single malt – already tastes of green toffee apples, it's a no-brainer of a combo. Super fruity, and probably one for highballs in the sun if some nice weather would just break out…

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Part of independent bottler and blender That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s ‘core range’, each of which has a deer on the front label of the 70cl bottles. Except this one. Which has a moose. Because Canada. Yes, this is something a little different. We usually see corn in bourbon (which must be at least 51% corn, with rye or wheat usually included). This is corn whisky (Canada uses the spelling ‘whisky’, as opposed to ‘whiskey’ most common in America) made with 95% corn and 5% malted rye. Plus it’s matured, unusually, in 100% oloroso sherry casks!

The first Boutique-y bottles were unveiled at Maltstock 2012 (the Dutch relaxed whisky weekend). They added some colour and dare we say much needed fun to a whisky world stuck between the traditional and a narrow style of luxury-minded modern branding. That and some seriously tasty small batch whiskies!

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Founded in 1885, Scapa is a fascinating distillery based on the Orkney Islands, but always different in style to neighbours Highland Park. It was mothballed and then had intermittent production from the mid 90s into the 21st century, which contributed to a decade-long wait for the return of age statement releases. Thankfully, at the end of 2024 new 10, 16, and 21 year olds emerged.

The reborn range is all American oak barrel matured, bright, luscious, and tropical in tone, leaning into the Scapa’s historic long fermentations, juicy new make spirit, and fruity character. Uniquely, the wash still (for the first distillation) is an old Lomond still installed in 1959 – the only one of its kind used for whisky making today. Made to be adjustable, here all the extra plates are removed from the wide straight neck, and a purifier increases copper contact on the way to the condenser.