Glenglassaugh Sandend

Founded in 1875 – but with a typically tumultuous history that follows whisky’s more general boom and bust periods – Glenglassaugh was closed in 1908 before being largely rebuilt in 1960, only to close again in 1986. In 2008 it came to life again however, and it would later become a stable mate of Benriach and Glendronach where it eventually got its chance to shine as a cracking single malt.

Sat above the cliffs near the town of Portsoy (the name of another of their releases), this coastal distillery overlooks Sandend Bay. This whisky, which takes its name from the bay, is aged in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and manzanilla (a type of dry, coastal sherry) casks. It was named Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year in 2023, comes in a jaw-droppingly gorgeous bottle, and at 50.5% ABV is really rather good value too!