MY SINGLE MALT WHISKY PICKS FOR 2021

 LOOKING AHEAD TO 2021

2020 has left behind many a scar on the Whisky industry, especially on the Scotch Whisky Industry. Scotch Whisky is the world's number one internationally traded liquor, with export value reaching a record £4.91 billion in 2019, an increase of 4.4% compared to 2018, even as other problems set in, significant among which is the 25% tariff imposed by Trump on Single Malt Scotch Whisky and Scotch Whisky liqueurs in October 2019. 

The global lockdown imposed by the coronavirus has hurt the UK and its export markets. Operational sites have either downed shutters or scaled back activity to meet safety norms. Market distortions could cause Scotch Whisky to become less competitive across the spirits category in the UK and if companies are unable to resupply overseas markets, this could lead to a loss of market share against competitor whiskies (e.g. American, Canadian, Japanese, Indian and Irish), which have continued to produce and export throughout the crisis. 

Now that the virus is slowly being brought under control, there are many brands out there waiting for exposure. The severely impacted industry is expected to limp back on an arithmetic scale through 2021. New distilleries are almost set for their first releases, though I find it disturbing that they are priced on the higher than average side. It wasn’t easy coming down to 15 must have single malts for 2021. These are my picks, though not in any specific order.

The Macallan Edition No. 6

The character, class and quality of The Macallan rich spirit lie on what they call their six pillars. They include curiously small stills, amongst the smallest on Speyside. Their unique size and shape give the spirit maximum contact with the copper, helping to concentrate the ‘new make’ spirit and provide rich, fruity and full-bodied flavours. Today, there are 24 of these copper spirit stills, each holding an initial ‘charge’ of only 3,900 litres. Their carefully selected cut ensures production of their signature viscous mouth-feel, full-bodied and robust richness along with their fruity aroma and flavour. All these tie in to a single-minded and long-term focus on pursuing luxury brand positioning, especially in the US and the Far East.

Their exceptional oak casks are, indubitably, the single greatest contributor to the outstanding quality, natural colours and distinctive aromas and flavours of The Macallan. All colour in The Macallan whiskies, bottled by the distillery, is natural, the result of the interaction of the ‘new make’ spirit with the oak of the maturation casks.

The sixth and final release in the The Macallan Edition series, Edition No. 6 takes its inspiration from the natural wonders of the legendary River Spey and The Macallan Estate, where each and every cask of The Macallan is matured before being hand-selected for use by our expert whisky makers.

All of the five distinct casks types used to create Edition No. 6 have been hand-picked by The Macallan Whisky Maker Steven Bremner. He drew inspiration from unique stories related to the river and surrounding landscape. The American and European oak casks have been selected to create a flavour profile that will deliver a multifaceted experience; from the appealing rich brass natural colour, to the layers of aroma, followed by the deep and rewarding flavour.

Colour: Antique brass

Nose: Rich fresh fruits, nutmeg, ginger, chocolate, toffee, vanilla, and oak.

Palate: Plum and sweet orange, cinnamon, nutmeg, balanced oak, toffee, and oats.

Finish: Long fresh fruit with spices turning to creamy chocolate and toasted oats

Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky NAS 75cl 46% ABV

Amrut Distillery scooped up two special category awards at the 2019 Bartenders Spirits Awards. Indian Amrut Distillery’s Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky bagged a gold medal and seized the “World Whisky of the Year” award at the 2019 Bartenders Spirits Awards that took place in San Francisco, on May 19. Amrut Distilleries also picked up “World Whisky Producer of the Year”.

Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky gets its name from the fact that it uses two barleys: Indian and Scottish – with the latter being peated. It comes from Amrut Distilleries, the Bangalore-based company which introduced the first single malt from India to the UK in 2004. Amrut’s Indian barley comes from the Punjab and the distillation takes place in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3000ft. The barley from Scotland is also distilled in Bangalore and both are matured there separately. After they have reached their peak,  the two whiskies are married in the bourbon casks in proportions which give both a subtle peat flavour and a rich fruity flavour from the Indian barley. This is bottled at 50% abv to reflect the depth and finish of the whisky.

This rare combination of Indian and Scottish elements means Fusion has a really excellent mouthfeel and palate, combining oak, a hint of vanilla, fruit and the sublime peat. The public obviously agreed with Murray when Fusion was launched in June 2009: the first consignment was sold out within few weeks of its release. The next batch was completely pre-ordered before it even reached the UK.

Crafted in Bengaluru, India, Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky has a very heavy, thickly oaked and a complex nose. You can also smell some curious barely-sugar notes in there shrouded in soft smoke. Though the delivery of this single malt whiskey is controlled at first, it is massive. The smoke on the nose turns into a warm, full-blown peat as vague sherry trifle notes with oaky vanilla are introduced. It also has barley-fruitiness to make for a bit of a free-for-all. For extra food measure, the flavours develop into a really intense chocolate fudge middle which resonates through the palate. There is a slight struggle at the finish as the mouthfeel gets a bit puffy with dry peat and oak. There is a molasses sweetness to see the malt through to a satisfying end, though. The spices, rather than lying down and accepting their fate, rise up and usher this extraordinary whisky to its exit.

Colour: Golden yellow

Nose: Fresh and tinned fruit – peaches, mangos, apricots, plus spicy cinnamon and clove, joined by aromas of Earl Grey tea and just a touch of smoke and sea spray.

Palate: A real hit of fresh fruit and citrus-orange notes, with black pepper and cinnamon adding a zingy layer of spice. Rich and refreshing; absolutely delicious.

Finish: The spice and fruit linger for a long time.

Balvenie Caribbean Cask 14 YO 43% ABV

Located in Dufftown, in northern Scotland, The Balvenie is situated near and owned by the same parent company as Glenfiddich. It manages to maintains a personality all its own, however.       

The Balvenie is a particularly interesting Scottish distiller, and offers a range of whiskies with distinct Speyside character. It grows its own barley, maintains an old-school malting floor from a pre-industrialisation age, keeps a coppersmith on staff to handle its stills and employs a cooper to make and maintain its own barrels and casks. Plant to bottling, if it happens to Balvenie whiskies it happens on-site.

David C. Stewart, the malt master, has made a nearly 60-year career taking advantage of the distillery’s on-site cooperage to age and finish distinctively sweet and honeyed variations of Balvenie Scotch in an astonishing variety of barrels and casks. In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II named Stewart a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to Scotch whisky industry.

In the case of the Caribbean Cask finish, Stewart made his own blend of West Indian rum, aged it for a time in casks and then eventually replaced it with Scotch. The whisky had spent at least 14 years in traditional oak barrels before finishing in the rum casks. In keeping with the Speyside style, this single malt is grassy and rich without being overly smoky or peaty. The rum-cask finish, then, brings a touch of sweetness and vanilla to the proceedings.

Colour: Light amber.

Nose: Black pepper, banana, salted caramel hard candy, hot buttered rum.

Palate: You can taste the barley, but almost as an after-thought. This is not Scotch that hits you in the face. It’s relatively sweet, reminiscent of brown sugar and English toffee.

Finish: Long and warm.

Glenfiddich Distillery Edition 15 YO 51% ABV Travel Retail 1.0L

Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky has revealed stunning new packaging on their 15 Year Old Distillery Edition Scotch Whisky. Evocative imagery of the Glenfiddich Distillery is featured along with a bespoke foot label – all wrapped in a beautiful smoky grey and gold gift tube further enhancing the premium feel for the discerning whisky drinker.

This is a higher-strength single malt Scotch whisky, crafted with Glenfiddich’s century-old traditions. After at least 15 years maturing in traditional American oak and Spanish oak, it is bottled non-chill filtered at 51% ABV to protect its subtle flavours. Unique floral and peppery notes are released as it fades into a sweet, velvet, warm finish.

Colour: Deep gold autumn barley.

Nose: It needs time to develop in the glass. It has a clean, delicately floral and creamy aroma with hints of freshly ground black pepper. There are two sides: the fruity and the malted barley. On the former it’s pears, almost a cider or mead perhaps, with tones of honey and vanilla; tangerines and dried apricots. On the latter there’s just the touch of summer straw in dusty barns. It’s not massively complex, but it’s expressed very well. And again, just feels clean and precise. With a little water, the fruity and vanilla sweetness of Glenfiddich is released.

Palate: At full strength the smooth, warming flavour is centred around a delicious creamy spiciness. Identical to the nose in many respects, with the two sides of fruitiness and malted barley. More citrus notes, with tangerines, lime juice, as well as sultanas and dried apricots. Those malty notes are a little more restrained, and instead some of the heat of the wood takes over. Bitter chocolate. Pepper. And maybe some feints in the form of digestive biscuits and honey once again. After adding a little water, the softer vanilla and gentle luscious fruit flavours come through.

Finish: Lingering, sweet and velvety warm.

A Coppersmith’s Art: Glenfiddich is one of the few distilleries to employ an onsite coppersmith to build and tend to all our stills. Rare and highly skilled, they’ve only had three coppersmiths since 1957. Their stillman once judged the heat of the stills by expert ear. He would swing a wooden bung hung from the rafters with string, into the side of the still. A hollow sound and the liquid wasn’t in danger of overflowing. After decades spent mastering their craft, their coopers instinctively understand how the very best quality wood can imbue their precious single malt with extra rich layers of character that perfectly complement the velvety, peaty flavours found in their Vintage Cask. To ensure the quality of their wood, they’re one of the last distilleries with their own on-site cooperage. They think it makes all the difference.

At just over £50 for a one litre bottle, it’s a superb purchase. It showcases just how tasty Glenfiddich can be, even being one of the world’s biggest whisky brands. It’s great that there’s some honest pricing still out there.

Suntory Yamazaki 12 YO

Suntory is the oldest whisky making company in Japan. Its origins stretch back to a small shop, started in 1899 by Torii Shinjiro, which specialized in selling imported wines. Today, it is the country’s largest and most recognizable producer of quality whisky. Yamazaki 12 Year black box was introduced to the market in 1984 and was the first seriously marketed Japanese single malt whisky. Now, Yamazaki is an internationally coveted brand, winning award after award. You know you have quality when you have Yamazaki.

This bottle was distilled at Yamazaki – the country’s oldest distillery – and features the new box black box that was unveiled in 2018. 

It has been said that it was the Yamazaki 12 Year Old that propelled Japanese whisky to international fame after it picked up a Gold award at the International Spirits Challenge 2003, and has gone from strength to strength after that award.

The whisky first came onto the market in 1984, but it wouldn’t be recognised for its quality, poise and sheer excellence until some years later. Today, it is without a doubt one of the best Japanese whiskies in the world (hence why it’s the second best-seller) and it has become a staple for millions of whisky fans around the globe.

Each year, the Yamazaki distillery releases a new edition of the 12 Year Old and while the label and box can change, the incredible liquid inside remains the same. This whisky has now picked up more awards than one would care to count and that only goes to highlight it’s supreme quality.

Rich sherried fruits, subtle spices and a plethora of other intriguing notes can be found in a glass of this exceptional whisky. A must for every whisky enthusiast.

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or Single Malt Scotch Whisky 46% ABV 75Cl

Nectar d’Or whisky was born from the memory of entering a pastry shop for the very first time. It’s about that first moment of finding your senses deliciously overwhelmed, breathing in the sweet scents and wishing you could take a bite of every creamy, flaky treat you see. In Nectar d’Or you can taste it all.

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or Single malt Scotch whisky is a bourbon-cask matured whisky finished in Sauternes wine casks over the next two odd years. This wine comes from vineyards in the Sauternais sub-region in France, located in the Graves section of Bordeaux and owned by LVMH, which also owns Glenmorangie. Nectar d’Or means “golden nectar,” as “Or” is the Scottish Gaelic word for “gold.” 

To create it, they take the delicate, fruity spirit of their giraffe-height 26-foot tall stills and age it in American oak bourbon casks. Having reached a class similar to the renowned Original 10 YO, it is decanted into casks that once held Sauternes sweet white wine. Casks used in the production of white dessert wine are loaded with sugars, and these naturally find their way into Nectar D’or whisky.

The outcome is like a silky dessert-filled daydream of white chocolate swirled with lemon cream, crème caramel, almond croissants... all balanced by a soft drumbeat of spice. Each sip is like sending your senses on holiday to a French patisserie.

All of these facts add up to great news for connoisseurs who like their whisky sweet and fairly complex. Along with sweet flavours from the wood, there comes a nice deep golden colour– hence the appellation that calls attention to the colour of this whisky. It has a very impressively smooth, velvety texture, which is all the more impressive given that the liquid isn’t as old as it was previously.

Colour: Deep gold in the bottle; a bit lighter “old” gold in the glass.

Nose: Floral notes combine with vanilla and honey to offer a very rewarding olfactory experience. Pinot Gris surfaces, along with white grape skins, almonds, and rose water. A citrus note seems to be floating in there, as well, although it is fairly subtle on the nose.

Palate: On the tongue, lime and orange zest greet the palate. Ex-bourbon casks add a bit of pepper to the sweeter floral nature of the nose. Apple blossom with citrus influence. Cinnamon dances around a pool of vanilla and golden raisins. Alcohol in the mouth feel is a little on the hot side for 46%, but this heat compliments a touch of peppery spiciness from the oak.

With the slight drop in price, this whisky is a must buy, though I must confess I was infatuated with the 12 YO.

Springbank 10 YO 46% ABV 70Cl

No distillery in Scotland is as self-contained as Springbank. From the malting of the barley, to the final stage of bottling, each and every step of the process is completed on site and is overseen and carried out by their expert team. This single distillery produces three different whiskies, all of which sell almost as soon as they reach the shelf.                              

After traditional floor malting, the malt goes through a kiln, where, depending on whether they are producing Longrow, Hazelburn or Springbank, it is dried over a peat fire, hot air, or a combination of both. Hazelburn is unpeated, Longrow heavily peated and Springbank mildly peated. For a distillery with just two wash and one spirit still, it produces just 750,000 litres of new make.

After due processing, Longrow is double distilled, Springbank two-and-a-half times and Hazelburn three, helping produce these three distinct malts.

The spirit is transferred into empty casks that have been carefully selected by skilled whisky experts. It is their choice of cask, combined with the location of the distillery and unique peninsular climate that contributes greatly to the distinctive flavours detected in their whisky. Springbank doesn’t add artificial colour to or chill filter their whisky.

Colour: yellow-gold

Nose: Sweet and sour, youthful. Pine-like, with hints of chocolate. Peat that is not overpowering. Fresh with morning grass and hay. A delicate citrus savoury tang. Left to oxidise, there was white-fleshed fruit like apples, pears, and even creamy banana. The sweetness is quite like creamy butterscotch.

Palate: Slightly sweet with new wood. The pine from the nose really comes through. The mouthfeel is fresh and oily. Over time, the whisky became nutty and very waxy, like cashews and almonds. Slightly savoury and salty. Mildly spicy with a white pepper burn with silky buttery honey that soothes the back of the throat. It is creamy, almost like a thick fudge, and hints of oats come through.

Finish: White and black pepper, spicy and warming. The mouthfeel remains very smooth with an oiliness and a medium-lingering peat and brine.

Glendronach 15 YO Revival 46% ABV 75Cl

Was sad to see the Glendronach 15 go into a recess in 2015, much like the brand through the ages. Had to make do with the 12 YO off and on and I, for one, am ecstatic that the 15 YO is back, although as the Revival.

The expression embodies The GlenDronach’s signature style of Spanish Sherry Cask maturation in fine Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía, quietly maturing and gaining in stature for 15 years in the dark and somewhat damp parking of their dunnage warehouses. Its inch perfect at 46% ABV, non chill filtered and natural colour.

Colour: Antique Bronze.

Nose: Cherry, figs, and raisins in honey combine with the malt to make it feel like rich chocolaty Christmas fruit cake. There is some espresso and cocoa on the back end. It’s fruity, with a mixture of orange zest and cherry.

Palate: The mouthfeel is silky. Hint of leather. The malted barley and the oak are well balanced, and you can’t have any one flavour without the other.

Finish: Quite long with a little marzipan, orange and caramelised dried fruit.

Mortlach The Wee Witchie 12 YO 43.4% ABV 75Cl

Mortlach is regarded as one of the best-kept secrets in Speyside, but Diageo has produced a plan that will hopefully increase production of one of the most ‘meaty’ single malts around. It is commonly known as ‘The Beast of Dufftown’.

Mortlach’s six stills produce Mortlach new make by feeding into each other in a complex way, and have unique shapes and sizes and end up as a 2.81 time distilled, un-peated whisky. They all use worm tube condensers, which give less copper contact than shell-and-tube condensers and therefore remove less sulphur.

There’s always been a fondness in whisky circles for Mortlach attributed to Mortlach’s naturally heavy body, that provides both solid base-flavours and texture as well as an ideal spirit for sherry cask maturation. Other aspects of Mortlach’s production setup – restricting the airflow into the still to prevent the copper from removing heavy compounds, and the use of worm tubs at the terminus of every lyne arm – result in a spirit character that is best described as ‘meaty’.

Mortlach’s 12 year old expression, named ‘The Wee Witchie’ after the small No.1 low wines still which has a top that looks like a witches’ hat (integral to the 2.81 distillation process) is composed of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry cask matured whiskies. The resultant liquid is bottled at 43.4% ABV.

Colour: Marigold.

Nose: Leather, tobacco and a bit vegetative, dainty, airy and quite garden-fresh. Faintly mineral with a delicate saltiness.

Palate: Allspice, butterscotch, and savory ham. Ashy with buttercream and a bit of vanilla. Tinned fruit – peaches, apricots and mango.

Finish: Medium, tarter with grapefruit and lemon and a pleasantly fading dusty spiced oakiness.

Ardbeg 10 YO 46% ABV 1L

Ardbeg has an incredible reputation, worshipped around the world and has numerous trophies in its bag. Ardbeg uses the most phenolic malt in the business (i.e. the smokiest). The malt is peated to a level of 50ppm. All the malt used in the production hails from the maltings in the village of Port Ellen. At the Distillery it is crushed into grist by its signature iconic and extremely rare Boby malt mill, installed exactly one hundred years ago.

The water used to produce Ardbeg comes from Loch Uigeadail, three miles up the hill behind the Distillery. The water flows down the hill and runs into Loch Airigh Nam Beist – from there the burn takes it to Charlie’s Dam at the Distillery and from there it is piped into the Mash House.

The Oregon pine wash- backs at Ardbeg help impart an estery, carbolic flavour to the fermenting wash. Fermentation time at Ardbeg is longer than other distilleries because of the high phenolic content of the original malt. The distillation process is complex, where additional equipment like purifiers in the lyne arm capture heavy impurities and return them to the spirit still for further processing. The processed fluid ends up in an intermediate spirits receiver which also receives the lighter fluids from the initial phase of their distillation. This is how Ardbeg regulates its spirit to reach 62.5% ABV, ready for maturation for ten long years. Ardbeg thus manages its great balance and complexity because the heavy peat notes never at any time dominate, although they use very heavily peated malt.  

Ardbeg Ten Years Old is revered around the world as the peatiest, smokiest, most complex single malt of them all. Yet it does not flaunt the peat; instead, it gives way to the natural sweetness of the malt to produce a whisky of perfect balance. It is bottled non chill-filtered at 46% ABV. 

Colour: Light gold

Nose: A burst of intense smoky fruit escapes into the atmosphere ? peat infused with zesty lemon and lime, wrapped in waxy dark chocolate. Bold menthol and black pepper slice through the sweet smoke followed by tarry ropes and graphite. Savour the aroma of smoked fish and crispy bacon alongside green bell peppers, baked pineapple and pear juice.

Add water and an oceanic minerality brings a breath of cool, briny seaspray. Waxed lemon and lime follows with coal tar soap, beeswax and herby pine woodlands. Toasted vanilla and sizzling cinnamon simmer with warm hazelnut and almond toffee.

Palate: An explosion of crackling peat sets off millions of flavour explosions: peat effervesces with tangy lemon and lime juice, black pepper pops with sizzling cinnamon-spiced toffee. Then comes a wave of brine infused with smooth buttermilk, ripe bananas and currants. Smoke gradually wells up on the palate bringing a mouthful of warm creamy cappuccino and toasted marshmallows. As the taste lengthens and deepens, dry espresso, liquorice root and tarry smoke develop coating the palate with chewy peat oils.

Finish: Long and smoky with tarry espresso, aniseed, toasted almonds and traces of soft barley and fresh pear. 

Kilkerran 12 YO 46% ABV

The Mitchell family was the dominant force in Campbeltown’s distilling community in the 19th century. The old Glengyle distillery buildings in Campbeltown were no more than shells when the site was bought in 2000 by the Mitchells. Today, the interior of the main building has been filled by a modern, single level distillery. Glengyle reopened in 2004, sans trademark. The whisky was named Kilkerran, the original name of Campbeltown.

Glengyle’s semi-lauter mash tun gives clear wort (from barley malted next door at Springbank) which is fermented in boatskin larch washbacks before distillation. Two stills, originally from the Ben Wyvis Distillery, were adapted and installed. The shoulders of the onion-shaped stills were rounded and, more importantly, the lyne arms were given an upward slant in order to produce a lighter, fragrant, whisky. The mill was bought from the Craigellachie Distillery in Dufftown. All other equipment was purchased new. The distillery began production in March 25, 2004, making it the first new distillery in Campbeltown in 125 years. 

The new Kilkerran 12 YO Single Malt is the first official core release from Mitchell’s Glengyle Distillery. Kilkerran is lightly peated, not chill filtered, and has no added colouring. The 12 YO uses a mixture of cask types: 70% of this has been matured in bourbon casks, and the remaining 30% in sherry casks. Bottled at 46% ABV, this whisky costs just £35. It is thus a hard-to-get whisky.

Colour: yellow gold. 

On the nose: a wonderful mix of gentle peat and intensely malted barley notes initially, which are meshed together perfectly. More mossy than ashy, more earthy than medicinal. Stewed apples. Cream cheese. Vanilla. Lemon drizzle cake. Herbal notes on the back-end, and coastal.

Palate: A creamy texture and a more substantial mouth feel than its appearance would suggest. There is pepper, but with a bit of sweetness, as in a sweet chili spread or a pepper infused marmalade, followed by slight citric notes and elements of cinnamon spice and vanilla. There are also hints of smoke and light medicinal notes.

Finish: Long, with a distinctive dry pepper capsaicin quality set against a slightly sweetish background note.

This is an excellent whisky, combining nuance and complexity with a light, fragrant style.

Highland Park 12 YO 43% ABV                              

Highland Park, one of only two distilleries in the Orkney Isles, is Scotland's most northerly whisky distillery. It was founded in 1798 by Magnus Euson. Until it was licensed in 1825 its production was illicit and Euson was assisted in evading the excisemen by a kinsman who was a Kirk elder, and hid the contraband under the pulpit. By the 1880s, Highland Park had an established reputation and at one time both the King of Denmark and the Emperor of Russia declared it to be the finest whisky they had ever tasted.

Highland Park 12 Year Old remains one of the gold- standard malts for other distillery bottlings to aspire to, one of the best all-rounders in the world of affordable malt whisky. Highland Park’s location as the northernmost distillery in Scotland on windswept Orkney opens it up to the harshest weather conditions for distilling whisky.  This Island distillery proudly underscores its north-of-the-law heritage with Nordic branding and continuing reminders of its illicit past.

Highland Park is one of the few distilleries to carry on the tradition of floor malting, a labour-intensive process where barley is spread across a floor and regularly hand-turned for even germination before being kilned with Orkney peat, a famously heathery peat saturated by eons of salt spray. Only about 20% of the malt used to make Highland Park’s whisky is floor malted; the remainder is unpeated and sourced from other suppliers. Most expressions, including Highland Park 12, are aged primarily in Sherry seasoned butts, puncheons and hogsheads made from Spanish and American oak. 

The first distillery bottling was in 1979 as a 43% ABV 12 YO, the locus of a core range of Viking names. This became the 40% ABV Viking Honour in 2017, though the 12 YO is still available. As one of the most complex of all standard expression whiskies, the Highland Park 12 Year Old has a little bit of everything. Try it at both full strength and with a little water. It does change quite a lot, becoming very soft and floral with water. As an aside, Highland Park matures superbly. In blends, it is said to be a catalyst, bringing its best to other malts.

Colour: Glowing amber. Ripe, rosy apricot with medium viscosity.

Nose: Notes of warm hay, citrus zest, white grape, orange blossom, and rose give an immediate impression of a late-summer garden. Peat aroma is very mild, expressing itself primarily as a kind of salty earthiness, like a flowerbed in full bloom after being fertilized with seaweed. Salted lemons, a whiff of charcoal smoke, crunchy green apples, tropical fruit chews, honey, dusty wood and fruity dark chocolate. It develops in the glass, picking up more fruit and slowly cutting the citrus notes.

Palate: Starts off with syrup sweetness, quickly moving on to sour and creamy wood, with more tropical chews, pineapple and smoked orange rind.

Finish: Smoky wood, malt syrup, green pine cones and woody spice.

Lagavulin 16 YO 43% ABV          

Founded on Islay’s south coast and situated between Ardbeg and Laphroaig, legal distilling was started at Lagavulin in 1816. It gained wider publicity in the 1890s when owner and innovator Peter J. Mackie created the White Horse blend and co-founded Craigellachie distillery. Lagavulin is peaty, medicinal, pungent, smoky, a Band-aid factory in the throes of catastrophic meltdown, and when you really need it, nothing else will do.

All of Lagavulin’s distillate is made with heavily peat-smoked malt, giving its products that signature reek and pronounced maritime character that leads many to point to it as the canonical Islay whisky. So, when Lagavulin 16 Year Old joined the Classic Malts portfolio in 1989, the belief within owner UD [now Diageo] was that it would be the single malt which only the most dedicated drinker would attempt to conquer. Smoke, it was felt in those early days of single malt, was a step too far for most people.

What actually happened was that Lagavulin became a runaway success, to the extent that it had to be put on allocation. That its growth coincided with a period where mature stock was limited (the bad old days of the 80s and early 90s) didn’t help. Today, it runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, just to try and keep up with ever-growing global demand. The world has fallen in love with smoke and Lagavulin’s complex mix of seashore and moor, pipe smoke, Lapsang Souchong, bog myrtle and rich dark fruits is a destination for many.

Though fermentation times have been cut, introducing a cereal note to the new make, the second distillation remains extremely long, maximising reflux. Ageing is predominantly in refill casks.

Colour: Deep amber

Nose: Lapsang Souchong tea! One of the smokiest noses from Islay. It's big, very, very concentrated, and redolent of iodine, sweet spices, good, mature Sherry and creamy vanilla. Stunning.

Palate: Very thick and rich. A massive mouthful of malt and Sherry with good fruity sweetness, but also a wonderful sweetness. Big, powerful peat and oak.

Finish: Long, spicy finish, figs, dates, peat smoke, vanilla.

Glengoyne 18 YO 43%

A small farm-style distillery located under Dumgoyne, the most westerly extrusion of the Campsie Fells, Glengoyne has long punched well above its weight. It runs a combination of long (and very long) fermentations, while distillation in its three stills (one wash, two spirit) is extremely slow. All of the stills have boil bulbs, which increases the amount of copper availability, while the gentle heating of the wash and spirit also helps to maximise the amount of time the alcohol vapour can play with the copper. This maximising of reflux produces a gentle, sweet, and fruity new make.

There is however sufficient weight in the spirit to be able to balance with maturation in ex-Sherry butts – a signature of Edrington’s distilleries – which has been retained by Ian MacLeod.

Glengoyne distillery makes a point not to use any peat to dry the malted barley. As a result, its offerings tend to appeal to folks who like to avoid smoke, as well as peat. You’ll get none of that in here. What’s more, the whisky is quite dark for an 18-year-old, and there is no artificial coloring, whatsoever, indicative of the high quality sherry casks used. This said, this Glengoyne 18-Year-Old would be even better without chill filtration. Why? Because chill filtering tends to remove some of the more rough-and-tumble eccentricities in the wash that can actually be quite interesting, at least to whisky mavens.

Glengoyne distillery is a hop, skip and a jump north of Glasgow, and the destination is popular with tourists who are passing through Scotland and want to visit something close to the airport. Single malt bottlings began in the early 1990s, when Glengoyne was sold as 'the unpeated malt', while much was also made of the fact that, geographically, the distillery is in the Highlands while its warehouses, directly across the road, are in the Lowlands. Edrington considered it surplus to its requirements in 2003, selling it to Ian MacLeod for £7.2m. Its new owner has subsequently (and successfully) focused on developing the brand as a single malt.

Nose: Madagascar vanilla, honeycomb; butterscotch; cardamom; cocoa powder; orange gumdrops; Granny Smith apple skins; banana chips; white mustard seed. There’s also a bit of grassiness like in a Lowland whisky.

Palate: The mouth feel is better without adding any water. A big fudgey note right from the start – far more chocolate than is present in the nose. There’s a seamless integration of sherry and spirit, which combine to deliver a uniform malty sweetness that runs the gamut from toffee to marzipan to some pepper from the oak. This malt presence is far richer than one usually encounters in a whisky of the same class. A bit of potpourri comes through on the finish with a lovely spiciness, along with a milky Ceylon black tea tea note.

Finish: Medium in length, but would be longer at 46%. No matter. That Ceylon tea note lingers on the tongue (without milk), together with some white bread toast, and mild pepper. An herbal finish flirts with honey and toffee, and then goes green at the death, with thyme and nettle.

The cask presence waves in the direction of a Springbank’s dunnage warehouse dankness, before retreating back into dry, sunny, autumnal fields of a more rarefied spirit with an altogether cleaner composition. The combination of tastes and scents in the bottle is quite enchanting. The last wee bit of finish cannot help but reveal its Highland breeding. The rather solemn and circumspect finish is what boosts this dram up a little higher in overall estimation. There’s really nothing to dislike, and much to enjoy. 

The Glenlivet 14 YO Cognac Cask Selection 40% ABV

The remote and isolated Livet valley made it ideal for illicit distillation. This is where Glenlivet’s founder George Smith learned his craft. Hidden away from the Customs Officers and soldiers amongst the hills and abundant springs, George had time to distil slowly making a whisky that would soon become world renowned. With the passing of George Smith, the job of continuing his life’s work fell to his youngest son, John Gordon Smith.

When John’s second great-nephew Captain Bill Smith Grant took over the distillery in 1921, he was met by two challenges: The Great Depression and Prohibition in the USA. Captain Bill rose to meet these challenges head on. Even though production dropped during these tough years, the distillery emerged in a great position in the US market after the repeal of Prohibition.

That was when the Americans came forward, thirstier than ever for fine Single Malts. Glenlivet was in the perfect place to serve them a dram. One of their first major customers was the Pullman Train Company, who began serving miniature bottles on their routes, helping to spread this fine whisky across the continent.

Thanks to trains, planes and automobiles, the middle of the century saw The Glenlivet account for half of the Scottish malt whisky sold in the US. Word soon spread to all corners of the world. To this day The Glenlivet continues "Two-Gun" George Smith's vision to break traditions, set new standards and move things forward; selecting exceptional unique casks, finishes and liquids and delivering unique serves and cocktails to open up the world of single malt to all.

The Glenlivet 14 Year Old is their newest whisky. Featuring raisin-rich cognac and signature citrus notes married with creamy smoothness, the luscious liquid has travelled from bourbon and sherry casks to a selective finish in cognac casks. Bursting with sweet and fruity aromas, The Glenlivet 14 Year Old shines as a proud celebration of Speyside craft. Wander from the misty glens of Scottish Speyside to the rolling vineyards of France’s Cognac region at every sip.

It's surprising that it took this long for someone to crack out a brandy finish. We’ve seen everything from Chenin Blanc finishes to Mezcal finishes, and yet it took this long for a major market participant to put whisky in a barrel that previously matured cognac. This particular example was aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks before being “selectively” aged in cognac casks for around 6 months. The 14 year-old single malt is bottled at 40% ABV, includes added colour and is chill filtered.

Nose: Rich, nutty, and with a distinct brandy note. Not at all shy, but also not particularly complex. Brandy, a hint of green apple, a swath of malt, and middling caramel sweetness is all I can pick up. Still, the whole is round and complete and pleasant.

Palate: Thin bodied. Moderate tongue burn, considering the minimum ABV. Generally a reprise of the aroma, with a distinct grape-y brandy note, mildly sweet malt, a haze of barrel char, and a slight hint of green apple / green grape.

Finish: Medium length. Very consistent, this one. The notes are mostly continuations of the flavours from the palate. The brandy comes to the fore here, with a honey-and-raisin note that fades quickly, leaving barely-bitter tannins. Again, wholesome if uncomplicated.

With Water: A few drops of water initially shut down the aroma, necessitating a rest in the glass. The aroma comes back slowly – first with increased nose tickle and a vague green bramble note, and then a bit of caramel. On the tongue the body is a little weightier and the tongue burn lessened. The finish is a bit sweeter. Water is optional here – experiment if you’re curious.

A very straightforward by-the-numbers dram with a successful if uneventful brandy finish. It tastes exactly like you expect it to – Glenlivet with an extra couple of years of maturation and a glazing of grape-forward brandy. For $40, that’s a slam dunk.