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It's May! As we enter the month in which Islay holds its annual festival of music and malt, we've once again made the famous whisky island the focus of our set. That doesn't mean everything is peated though, and we've rounded the set off with a curveball from the Highlands aged in casks that previously held a famous Italian wine...

Kilchoman Batch Strength: A new release matured in a combination of re-charred red wine casks, oloroso sherry butts, and bourbon barrels. It’s bottled at 57% ABV for a “colossal” single malt with all the rugged power of the farm’s bull Rory.

Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie - Scottish Barley: Bruichladdich’s flagship unpeated single malt release, made with 100% Scottish barley. It’s bottled at a hearty 50% ABV, which is a chunk higher than equivalent releases from almost any other distillery (usually 40-46%). This bottling strength is said to help bring the barley notes to the fore.

Islay Whisky 8 Year Old (That Boutique-y Whisky Company): The very Best Small Batch Islay Single Malt 2024! So say the knowledgeable folk who judge Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards. Launched at the tail end of 2023, this Islay 8 Year Old is part of their new ‘core range’.

Mac-Talla Mara: An intense cask strength nod to Islay whisky’s maritime ‘from the sea’ character, matured in American oak casks and bottled with neither chill-filtration nor added colour. Mac-Talla reflects the Morrison family’s connection to the island and its whiskies spanning five generations.

Tomatin 12 Year Old 2010 Italian Collection - Barolo Cask: Hold on, this isn’t from Islay! Nope, here’s something entirely different. A limited edition released towards the end of last year as part of a trio of Italian red wine cask finished whiskies. While the Amarone and Marsala releases were intriguing, we couldn’t resist bringing you the Barolo cask.

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Hold on, this isn’t from Islay! Nope, here’s something entirely different to round off this May’s box. A limited edition single malt released towards the end of last year as part of a trio of Italian red wine cask finished whiskies. While the Amarone and Marsala releases were intriguing, we couldn’t resist bringing you the Barolo cask.

Sometimes known as the King of Wine, Barolo is made entirely from demanding nebbiolo grapes in a demarcated area of Piedmont, with lengthy ageing. At its best it’s arguably the finest wine in the world. This Tomatin was distilled 6 December 2010 and spent over a decade in ex-bourbon casks before being moved into Barolo wine casks 10 February 2021 for over two years, and was bottled 5 June 2023.

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It’s been almost two decades now since independently-owned farm distillery Kilchoman became the first new distillery on Islay in over 120 years. No longer the newest, nor a newcomer, Kilchoman is a beloved and long since established part of the Islay whisky landscape.

Although still traditional and small scale compared to their neighbours, the Wills family have nonetheless managed to expand multiple times, doubling capacity between 2018-2019 not just of their distilling operation, but also their in-house floor maltings, with further plans afoot right now. That’s alongside growing around 350 tonnes of different barley varieties themselves each year on their 230 acres of good barley growing ground. Batch Strength is a new release matured in a combination of re-charred red wine casks, oloroso sherry butts, and bourbon barrels. It’s bottled at 57% ABV for a “colossal” single malt with all the rugged power of the farm’s bull Rory.

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Bruichladdich’s flagship unpeated single malt release, made with 100% Scottish barley. That’s right, Islay isn’t all about peat. It’s also bottled at a hearty 50% ABV, which is a chunk higher than equivalent releases from almost any other distillery (usually 40-46%). This bottling strength is said to help bring the barley notes to the fore.

Barley, in case you hadn’t noticed, is still a real focus here – as it has been for all the Bruichaddich releases we’ve enjoyed in Pour & Sip – even if it’s not 100% Islay or 100% organic (although it’s still partly both). Head Distiller Adam Hannett works with an ever-increasing range of casks as well as changing profiles and varieties of carefully traced barley to put together a core release refreshingly described as not absolutely consistent, but always with the signature fruity and floral Bruichladdich house style.

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The very Best Small Batch Islay Single Malt 2024! So say the knowledgeable folk who judge Whisky Magazine’s World Whiskies Awards. With competition from the likes of Lagavulin’s 15 Year Old Islay Jazz Festival 2023 release, which also picked up a gold medal, being named Category Winner is a mighty impressive feat for That Boutiquey Whisky Company.

 Launched at the tail end of 2023, this Islay 8 Year Old is part of their new ‘core range’, offering five different similarly packaged 70cl bottles of whisky you should be able to buy again and again. This is in contrast to their usual single cask, super limited edition approach, although being independent bottlers (and as the award above indicates) this is still small batch whisky put together about 1,000 litres at a time.

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Mac-Talla is the Scottish Gaelic for ‘echo’, and this brand of independently bottled Islay single malts is said to reflect (get it?) the Morrison family’s connection to the island and its whiskies spanning five generations. Notably Stanley P. Morrison purchased Bowmore distillery in 1963 (although that doesn’t mean that’s where this single malt hails from!), the sale of which – as part of Morrison Bowmore Distillers – to Suntory was completed in 1994.

Since then, the family have relaunched brands such as Old Perth which we’ve previously enjoyed in Pour & Sip, and have also built a distillery in Perthshire called Aberargie which opened in 2017. Back to Mac-Talla though – Mara is an intense cask strength nod to Islay whisky’s maritime ‘from the sea’ character, matured in American oak casks and bottled with neither chill-filtration nor added colour.

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Spring has sprung, and we're getting ready to enjoy five new whiskies from Scotland, Kentucky, and even Bristol. Prepare to discover new grain types, yeast strains, and lesser-spotted cask finishes! 

Ledaig 12 Year Old 2008 Amarone Cask Finish: A peated Ledaig single malt, limited to just 2,753 bottles available either only at the distillery itself or on Master of Malt (which powers Pour & Sip!). The final year of its 12 years of maturation was spent finishing in amarone wine casks, adding a dose of rich, spicy tannins to the sweet, smoky, and distinctly maritime whisky

Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old: One of Diageo’s six ‘Classic Malts’, Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old is a great introduction to the gentle, yet complex whisky from the Highland distillery, known for a honeyed sweetness.

Circumstance Single Grain Estate Whisky: The first core whisky release from the Bristol-based distillery, created from four different types of organic grain (malted barley, unmalted barley, malted rye, and malted wheat), three different brewing yeasts, and matured in three different types of casks (bourbon, new European oak, and oloroso sherry).

Aberfeldy 15 Year Old - Cadillac White Wine Cask Finish: A limited-edition Aberfeldy, finished for six months in Cadillac white wine casks, known for its sweet, aromatic wines for a rich, sweet, fruity whisky here.

Angel's Envy: A fantastic Kentucky bourbon finished in Port casks, with the rich fruit notes of the cask finish working wonders with the sweet, vanilla-forward notes of the bourbon itself.

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While very common in Scotch whisky, cask finishing is somewhat less common when it comes to bourbon. Angel’s Envy, however, is a fantastic Kentucky bourbon that’s finished in Port casks. The rich fruit notes of the cask finish work wonders with the sweet, vanilla-forward notes of the bourbon itself, thanks to an initial maturation in charred American oak barrels.

The whiskey is named after the ‘angel’s share’, which is a much more poetic way of naming the annual rate of whisky lost from the cask during maturation due to evaporation. The term originated in Scotland and Ireland, where the angel’s share is around 2% – contrasting to the much higher 5% found in Kentucky! Looks like the angels are pretty envious across the pond.

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This limited-edition Aberfeldy was finished for six months in Cadillac white wine casks, sourced from a sustainable 40-hectare estate. Found just south of Bordeaux, Cadillac AOC is a region known for its sweet, aromatic wines and sun-kissed sloping terrains. It’s a finish that complements Aberfeldy’s sweet, honeyed whisky beautifully.

The distillery is known as the ‘Golden Dram’ because its water source, the Pitilie Burn (which translates from Scots Gaelic to ‘small river’), contains deposits of alluvial gold, which is still panned today! In keeping with the theme, Aberfeldy’s hallmark flavour is rich honey, thanks to lengthy fermentation times – so you can expect a rich, sweet, fruity whisky here

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A seemingly unlikely duo, a cardiologist and an ex-Diageo brand ambassador created Circumstance distillery. Based in Bristol, Liam Hirt and Danny Walker started experimenting with distillation back in 2007, opening their first distillery, Psychopomp, in 2013, while the larger Circumstance distillery came in August 2018. Fermentation and yeast are a big part of Circumstance, and fermentation times are measured in days rather than hours; some take two weeks to finish.

This is the first core whisky release from the distillery, created from four different types of organic grain (malted barley, unmalted barley, malted rye, and malted wheat), three different brewing yeasts (saison, Bavarian, and mead), and matured in three different types of casks (bourbon, new European oak, and oloroso sherry). The result is a balance of spice, sweetness, and citrus fruit.

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One of Diageo’s six ‘Classic Malts’, Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old is a great introduction to the gentle, yet complex whisky from the Highland distillery. While Dalwhinnie whisky is known for a honeyed sweetness, it begins life as a heavy, sulphury new make spirit, thanks to the use of worm tub condensers.

As Dalwhinnie takes the title of coldest distillery in Scotland, with an average temperature of 6°C,  condensation in the worm tubs is extremely quick, meaning less copper contact and therefore more heavy elements in the whisky. 1987 saw the traditional worm tubs removed, but the taste just wasn’t the same and so eight years later the distillery was refitted and the tubs were reinstated. It takes 15 years in casks for Dalwhinnie spirit to evolve into the sweet, sticky whisky we know and love, which is why this is the entry level offering from the distillery.

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A very cool opportunity to try a whisky that’s not easy to get hold of! This is a peated Ledaig single malt from Isle of Mull’s Tobermory distillery, limited to just 2,753 bottles available either only at the distillery itself or on Master of Malt (which powers Pour & Sip!). The final year of its 12 years of maturation was spent finishing in amarone wine casks, adding a dose of rich, spicy tannins to the sweet, smoky, and distinctly maritime whisky.

Found on the Isle of Mull, back in the day Tobermory was originally called Ledaig (pronounced “Led-chig”), which is now the name of the distillery’s peated releases! The Ledaig distillery was founded in 1798 by John Sinclair, and it opened and closed a few times until Tobermory Distillery was opened in 1990.

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Seeing as St. Patrick's Day falls in March, we've filled this month's box with four Irish whiskeys! Plus a Mortlach, because who doesn't love a splash of Scotch? Get stuck into some classic styles and new releases in this one.

J.J. Corry Anfa No.2: Created in partnership with Drinks by the Dram, the second edition of this blended whiskey is full of fresh fruit notes, wrapped up in wave after wave of vanilla and honeycomb.

Sailor's Home Stormchaser: This release brings together triple-distilled Irish single malts aged in virgin oak and bourbon casks, with two pretty unique cask finishes: craft Irish stout barrels, and Madeira casks.

Dingle Lúnasa: This is the fourth release in the nine release-strong Wheel of the Year series, this is a triple-distilled single malt, initially aged in bourbon casks before it was finished in casks that previously held bourbon from the Widow Jane distillery, bottled at a generous 50.5% ABV.

Jameson Single Pot Still - Five Oak Cask Release: Jameson's first single pot still whiskey since the 1960s, released in 2022 and matured in five different barrel types: bourbon and first-fill sherry casks, as well as three types of virgin oak made from Irish, European, and American oak.

Mortlach 15 Year Old - Distillery Labels (Gordon & MacPhail): Gordon & MacPhail's Distillery Labels series was created to honour the bottler’s long-standing relationships with over 100 distilleries across the country, and here it's celebrating Mortlach, matured in first-fill and refill sherry casks.

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In 2022, for the first time since the 1960s, Jameson released a single pot still whiskey – and this is it! Single pot still is a style of Irish whiskey made up of a mash bill of malted and unmalted barley which is then triple distilled in copper pot stills within a single distillery.

It’s the signature taste (defined by a rich, textural spiciness) of Irish whiskey, and the one that made Jameson famous, but the fall of Irish whiskey during the 20th century saw Jameson cease its production. The revival goes all out, matured in five different barrel types: bourbon and first-fill sherry casks, as well as three types of virgin oak made from Irish, European, and American oak.

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Gordon & MacPhail has been maturing and bottling Scotch whisky for over a century, and the Distillery Labels series was created to honour the bottler’s long-standing relationships with over 100 distilleries across the country – in this case, Mortlach! Though Mortlach is a Speyside distillery, it’s far from the light, fruity flavours the region is known for.

A unique distillation process, where the spirit is distilled 2.81 times between a total of three stills, and the use of traditional worm tub condensers (a long, coiled copper pipe (aka, the worm) in a large vat of cold water) gives Mortlach a heavier style of spirit and a distinctive meaty, oily character. It pairs particularly well with sherry casks, showcased here with a 15-year maturation in first-fill and refill sherry casks.

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When Dingle Distillery was first established in 2012 it was the first independent whiskey distillery in Ireland in over 150 years! This is the fourth release in the nine release-strong Wheel of the Year series, Lúnasa, first released in summer 2023. The release pays homage to the mother of Lugh, a god of Irish mythology, who is said to have died of exhaustion after preparing Ireland’s fields for farming.

The whiskey itself is a triple-distilled single malt, initially aged in bourbon casks before it was finished in casks that previously held bourbon from the excellent Widow Jane distillery in New York. It was bottled at a generous 50.5% ABV, so the creamy, chocolatey, spicy notes are allowed to really shine.

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First launched in late 2020, Sailor’s Home is based in Limerick, Ireland, and takes its name from a welcoming shelter built in 1856. This provided a shelter for the seafarers from far and wide who were travelling through the port. With that in mind, this is the aptly-named Stormchaser edition, which brings together triple-distilled Irish single  malts aged in virgin oak and bourbon casks, with two pretty unique cask finishes: craft Irish stout barrels, and Madeira casks.

While Sailor’s Home doesn’t have its own distillery, Irish whiskey veteran Dr Jack Ó’Sé was enlisted as master whiskey maker. He’s responsible for blending top Irish whiskeys to create the Sailor’s Home editions – and with decades of experience, he does so very well.

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The first edition of J.J. Corry’s Anfa was hugely popular, and so it’s back for round two! Created in partnership with Drinks by the Dram (which powers Pour & Sip, alongside Master of Malt), the blended whiskey is full of fresh fruit notes, wrapped up in wave after wave of vanilla and honeycomb. The name comes from the Irish word for 'storm', a nod to Ireland's windswept coasts.

J.J. Corry was the first new bonder in Ireland for over 50 years when it opened in 2018. As a whiskey bonder rather than a distillery, it doesn’t produce the liquid itself but instead sources it from top distilleries all over the country, before maturing, blending, and bottling it, bringing back a wonderful Irish tradition that was almost lost to history.