This lavish, brooding whisky is the outcome of recently retired Master Distiller Jim McEwan’s playful experiments with wine-barrel aging. A rich and expressive nose of currants, dates and sultanas wrapped in vanilla and spice, like whisky-soaked Christmas cake. Tastes like total indulgence: wine and chocolate with a fruity core reminiscent of cognac and honeyed toast sprinkled with nuts. The finish is marathon-long. At 50% ABV, it’s a powerful dram best appreciated with a spot of water.
Aromas of malting room, tangy orchard fruit, honey and lemon with vegetal overtones. A generous, creamy palate of vanilla sugar and spice-stuffed apples with an elegant woodiness.
From a limited release of just 9000 bottles, this Dominican rum is packed with character. Aromas of vanilla custard, apricots and leather with an underlying freshness suggestive of green leaves. Flavours of figs, sultanas, vanilla and spice. Long and creamy without any heaviness.
A smooth and impressive unseated Islay malt with aromas of candied ginger and orange peel, honey and nuts. Fresh and complex, tasting of cactus pears and salted toffee, exotic spices and again, a distinctive nuttiness.
A rich, delicious dram from Islay’s oldest licensed distillery. Dark chocolate, dried fruit and pervasive funk with a slightly disorienting freshness like cucumber or melon. Preserved cherries and bitter cocoa on the palate along with charred marshmallows. The overall experience is like chewing on fruit-studded spice cake that was left to season overnight in the bog. Truly weird in a good way.
The limited-release Cairdeas, meaning “friendship” in Gaelic, is mellowed in the distillery’s oldest warehouse, which dates back to the mid-1800s. The whisky rests just short of 12 years, partially in Amontillado casks, in a consistently cool, damp climate and emerges fresh and outdoorsy, smelling of smoke and seawater, tangerines, green melon, charred oak, cinnamon and soap. On the palate it’s full and deeply peated with vanilla, salted mango and hints of melon.
A special treat for whisky aficionados, this limited-release of cask strength 2004 Caol Ila bottled by esteemed Scottish whisky merchants Gordon & MacPhail pushes the boundaries of deliciousness. A boisterous sherried nose of ripe pear, lemon oil and sweet, smoky hay is followed by a series of flavour waves. You couldn’t shut this 61.4% ABV whisky up even if you tried, but you can tame it with a split of water.