Glenturret: The Exciting New Range

Words by Colin Hampden-White

There is now a crystal clear direction for one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland. Founded in 1763, Glenturret has had many owners, and in recent times was owned by the Edrington Group of Macallan fame. With the Macallan leading the way for Edrington and Highland Park also a favoured brand, one sometimes felt Glenturret was a little left behind. In 2018 the distillery came on the market and was bought by the Lalique Group with another independent shareholder.

It has taken a couple of years to perfect, but the resulting first-rate rebranding of Glenturret is complete with new style liquids to match. The new bottles and labels are very smart and clearly aimed at the premium and even super-premium markets. Fortunately for Glenturret, the liquid in the bottles lives up to the challenge set down by the chic packaging containing it.

Read on to find out more about the range:

Triple Wood

The range starts with a non-age statement: Triple Wood. It is a well-balanced, fruity whisky with a mix of casks used for maturation. Ex-bourbon and ex American sherry casks are used, which is quite normal, alongside European ex-sherry casks. This gives a great mix of vanilla and spice and has both sweetness and dry oaky notes in equal measure. At £49.95 it throws the gauntlet down to the premium market, and I’m sure the market will love it.

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy here: £51.49

The Glenturret 10 Year Old

On to the age statements and we start with a 10 year old. With a peating level not quite as high as Islay expressions, but high enough for peat lovers, this dram is smoky and fruity, with touches of vanilla in the background. What makes this whisky intense and allows the transfer of flavour seamlessly is the higher than usual ABV of 50%. For a whisky towards the bottom of the range this is a great choice and continues to show the strong direction the brand has decided to travel.

ABV: 50%
Size: 700ml
Buy here: £50.95

The Glenturret 12 Year Old

From the 10 we move to a 12 year old. This is more of a traditionalist’s whisky. A classic blend of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks it is harmonious and gives lots of complexity. At 46% the flavour still has intensity but allows the complexity to shine. With lots of Christmas cake and buttery flavours mixing with fresh orchard fruits and ginger spice, this is sure to please.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Buy here: £75

The Glenturret 15 Year Old

After the 12 we come to a 15 year old. This takes off from where the 12 left us and turns it up a notch. With toffee apple and spicy flavours, and intense lemon on the edge of the palate, it has lots of flavour all delivered with a near cask strength ABV of 55%. A dram for those who like a little power and age.

ABV: 55%
Size: 700ml
Buy here: £120

The Glenturret 25 Year Old

Unusually there is no 18 year old, or even 21 year old. We jump straight to a 25 year old. With only 204 bottles produced, this is something special. It is very complex with aromas of soft oak and vanilla joined on the palate by sponge, Tarte Tartin and soft spices of cinnamon and touches of nutmeg. At 44.5% there is enough power to deliver the flavours, but it is gentle enough to let all of them shine. We’re moving into pricier territory here at nearly £1,000 RRP.

The Glenturret 30 Year Old

We finally come to the 30 year old. A grand old whisky that quite rightly tops the range. With tropical fruits, vanilla and more orchard fruits, and pears becoming distinctive, there is lots of fruit in this old whisky. There are also toasty oaky notes to balance the fruit and round off the dram. Oonly 750 bottles have been produced and priced at £1,600, this clearly opens the super-premium door, and runs through it with confidence.

ABV: 45.7%
Size: 700ml
Buy here: £1,600

Overall, the range of these expressions looks to offer something to all levels of whisky drinkers. There is a non-age statement, a smoky whisky, a traditionally-styled 12 year old and a near cask strength 15. It would be nice to see an 18 or 21, but the 25 year old certainly makes up for it. Between the 25 and the 30 year olds, there’s really something special. With the gaps in age statement, one feels there is more to come from Glenturret, and if they are anywhere near as good as the first offerings out of the stable, then there are exciting times ahead.

If premium whisky is your thing, then we have more whisky to salivate over. Tamdhu is also challenging the order of things and you can read about it here.

Around the World in 6 Whiskies

Words by Katie Groves

Katie Groves, the new bar manager at whisky lover’s heaven ‘Milroy's’ in London Soho, is lamenting the lack of travel but consoling herself with a whisky tasting tour from around the world. Here are her suggestions for creating your very own world whisky flight. All aboard!

Think back to very early 2020, when some of us may have had a tiny sulk about something like a cancelled holiday. There was an inkling that something bigger was about to happen, but we were still in a dream-like stage of mourning cheap wine on sunny terraces, gorging on tagine under the stars or sinking cold pints in a random European bar. Surely this would all blow over soon?

Mere weeks later, and the whole world was changing fast. In collective lockdown madness, we were mostly doing 3 things: baking bad banana bread, freaking out over Zoom and panic-buying British apocalypse essentials: pasta, toilet roll and alcohol, apparently.  Our home alcohol shelves, bars, or cabinets had never looked so desperately empty, but you couldn’t order off Majestic, Tesco’s queue was too big and that old bottle of Bell’s had never looked quite so appealing.

Drinks Nostalgia

Several months, drinks and meltdowns later and we’ve nearly made it through 2020. Holidays (or lack of) may have lower priority now, but we are all still dreaming of our favourite escapes. Keeping calm and carrying on can take up a fair bit of effort, and I don’t know about you, but I’m still reminiscing about slurping on gelato, guzzling cold beer like there’s no tomorrow and lapping up the sunshine like a lazy cat.

What can we do instead? The pleasures of meeting people from another culture and tasting their food and drink can never quite be replicated from home, but here’s the next best thing. (It’s known as the water of life, so that’s got to be something good!) So, kick your feet up and enjoy a flight around the world with these delicious and diverse whiskies. We all know that our sense of smell and taste, just like music, can be one of our most powerful tools for nostalgia and imagination, so pour that dram, get some records on and enjoy some downtime like it’s 2019…

All aboard! Around the world in 6 whiskies

Nikka Days - Japan

Like the food, whisky and just about everything else, Japan is famed for its beautiful label designs. This striking sunny box says lazy days at the beach and this easy-going whisky delivers just that. This is Nikka’s most recent release for the happy price-point, casual whisky drinker market and consists of grain and malt whiskies from their two contrasting distilleries: Miyagikyo and Yoichi.

Miyagikyo’s Coffey still grain whisky is creamy and vanilla-sweet; their malt is floral and honeyed, while Yoichi distillery produces a single malt that is coastal and lightly peated.

Blending these creates glowing notes of apricots, yellow plums and peach, subtle buttery malt and just a whisker of peat to tie all those lighter flavours together. A well balanced, shelf-staple blend that will convince all your friends to like whisky (try a highball)

Find Nikka Days at Master of Malt here for £38.83

Starward Solera- Australia

This whisky from Victoria-based Starward distillery lives up to its dreamy packaging. This is a colourful and complex single malt with an autumnal spectrum of spiced, fruity and earthy notes. Just breathing in those intense deep aromas hits you with a happy stick! This was aged in ex Apera wine casks (Australia’s answer to sherry), and bottled at a mellow 43%. A perfect whisky for wine and sherry fans who want to feel like they’ve jumped on a plane to languish in Australia’s wine-indulgent climate. Onward, ho!

Find Starward Solera at Master of Malt here for £47.25

Paul John Classic - Goa

With its vibrant array of cultures, sublime beaches and intense humidity punctuated with monsoons, Goa is a place like no other. This whisky will take you there: think ginger and cardamom, cacao powder and lime zest, sea salt caramel and a wave of heat from its no-messin’ high strength (55.2%!) Made from Indian 6-row barley and aged in ex-bourbon casks, this sure is a unique dram, putting India firmly on the map for great single malts. 

Find it at Master of Malt here for £55.96

Mackmyra Grönt Te - Sweden

This elegant single malt is the years-in-the-making brainchild of master blender Angela D’Orazio, who teamed up with Japanese tea specialists Yoko Ono Sthlm to create this expression. The whisky was aged in casks seasoned with a blend of three teas that had been infused into a neutral liqueur, creating fragrant herbs, spices and delicate green notes. A beautiful result, which enmeshes Swedish and Japanese culture – and doubles up on those antioxidants from this sustainability-conscious distillery.

Find it at Master of Malt here for £52.95

Kavalan Concertmaster Port Finish - Taiwan

Since opening in 2005, Taiwan’s first single malt distillery has gone from strength to strength, picking up multiple top awards along the way. Aged under Taiwan’s intense seasonal climate, this whisky had an initial snooze in ex-bourbon casks before final aging in port pipes. The angels’ share here is a greedy 10 – 12%, which means fast maturation and bottling young. But its complexity belies its age. Enjoy the notes of strawberry, black pepper, spiced chocolate and dried mango. A unique and juicy whisky so mellow that you could pretty much pour it on your breakfast cereal.

Find it at Milroy’s here for £64.94

Banana bread Manhattan - England

Since we mentioned Banana Bread, we couldn’t resist telling you about a bottled cocktail version; the Banana Bread Manhattan! Made by Liquid Intellect, it combines rye whiskey and vermouth, infusing them with natural banana bread flavours (what is this strange magic?). Pour it over ice cream or just stick it on ice. It’ll take you straight back to Grandma’s kitchen. Where else would you rather be?

Find the Banana Bread Manhattan at Master of Malt here for £25.50

If you liked this, try The Best of Whyte and Mackay, Which Rye Whisky should I try? or find our more about this shipwreck whisky auction. Also, don’t forget to visit Milroy’s in person for a huge selection of drams from all around the world or check out their website for details of virtual and live whisky tastings!

Whisky Just Hatched from the other Side of the World!

Words by Colin Hampden-White

With a title like that, one would assume that I am about to write about yet another Australian or even Tasmanian whisky. But this whisky is one of those rarities which comes from New Zealand.

The distillery is relatively new, being established in 2015 in the Cardrona Valley in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Founded by Desiree Whitaker and run by her and her family, the distillery is of a reasonable size with five stills. Two built by Forsyths in Speyside, a Carl continuous still, a Carl finishing still and a 600 litre copper gin still. As well as whisky they also produce gin, vodka and liqueurs.

They recently released their first whisky, “Just Hatched”. This first release was released at cask strength and is a marriage of whisky from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and marks the distillery’s spirit coming of age at over three years old.

As with all new whiskies the proof is in the pudding. So far they have won a gold medal at the IWSR, New Zealand’s best single malt at 12 years and under at the World Whisky Awards, and their gin was listed in the World’s 50 Best Gins.

How does the whisky taste?

The nose shows the whisky has a good degree of complexity for a young whisky with aromas of scones and cream with sweet Winegum fruit in the background. With a little air, the scones become sponge cake as the vanilla builds up and there are zesty lemon aromas. The palate is sweet with honey with a florality like honeysuckle flowers. Vanilla fudge is the base with nuts and a touch of spice on the edge of the palate. There are also some mixed citrus flavours keeping it all fresh. The finish brings out the cereal notes and the fresh citrus becomes more like boiled sweets. A little dry oak brings the finish to a close.

The whisky is certainly complex for a three year old whisky. If I’d tasted it blind I would have never guessed its age. It is very easy to drink for a cask strength whisky and very moreish. 

Just Hatched

There are new expressions being released all the time, a pinot noir cask finish was released last year, and they recently released a pink gin matured for four months in pinot noir casks from the Felton Road distillery. A portion of the sales going to cancer charities.

ABV: 64.4%
Size: 350ml
Buy it now for £73.95

If you have a penchant for new whiskies being released from outside Scotland, then Irish whiskey from Roe & Co is one to read about.

Hit for Six: The Best of Whyte and Mackay

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Whyte and Mackay are experts at blending, especially with Richard Paterson at the helm as master blender. Although they own four distilleries, until recent years it has only been the Dalmore that has had the big budgets spent on it. Over the last few years things have been changing. First of all, the whiskies from Jura distillery got a complete make-over and a completely new range introduced. Immediately one could see a huge improvement. This improvement must have been in development for many years, with Richard laying down the right stocks to implement the plans we have now seen. 

Next to receive a revamp was Fettercairn, a whisky brand that has had its fans and detractors in the past, and with expressions varying in quality from Fior to Fasque. The recently released new range is quite a different story. It has expressions at all ends of the age statement range, from 12 years old all the way up to 50 years old, and quite a few in between. Lastly there is Tamnavulin. Here they have released some incredible old whiskies. I recently tasted a 1973, 45 year old as part of my judging for the IWSC awards, and it did exceptionally well amongst great company.

Away from the single malts, the great blending company that is Whyte and Mackay continue to experiment with blended whisky and a new brand called Whisky Works. This is led by a brilliant blender whom Richard Patterson brought to Whyte and Mackay a few year ago: Gregg Glass has a great blending background having worked previously for blenders extraordinaire, Compass Box. (See us chat to him in Episode 5 of The Three Drinkers do Scotch Whisky).

The releases keep on coming and I have a few favourites: Fettercairn has released a sumptuous 16 year old, The Dalmore a new sherry cask select 12 year old, Jura a winter edition and a red wine cask finish cask edition, and one of my new all-time favourite young blends: an 11 year old blended Scotch from Gregg Glass under the Whisky Works brand. 

With all these new expressions coming out of the woodwork (literally), I took a little look at their back catalogue and one of my all-time favourites to see if it still stood up. Thankfully, all the efforts being placed in new expressions are certainly not taking their focus away from my favourite expression from The Dalmore: King Alexander III. This brought me to six whiskies from White and Mackay, blended and single malt, and both new and old. I highly recommend them.

 Jura Winter Edition

This is a warming and rich whisky initially matured in ex-bourbon casks and finished in ex-sherry casks. The idea for this whisky was to bring flavours more associated with mainland whiskies to the coastal flavours of an island whisky. The casks give warm spices and indulgent apple pie flavours. A real winter warmer. There are also hints of tropical fruit on the palate and vanilla with a touch of cinnamon. If you like mulled drinks and Christmas cake you should love this. Exclusive to Tesco for now in litre size bottles perfect for sharing. 

ABV: 40%
Size: 1000ml
Buy it now for £45

Whisky Works Quartermaster 11 year old 

From the experimental mind of Gregg Glass, this 11 year old blended whisky marries grain from the highlands of Scotland with single malts from the Speyside region. The single malts have been through four (hence the name of the whisky) different maturation and finishing methods giving plenty of complexity. Rum barrels were used to mature the grain whisky, and then they were finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The malt whiskies were matured in a mixture of American white oak and sherry butts from Jerez. There was a limited release of only 2,134 bottles and, at the time of writing, still on sale at Mast of Malt.

ABV: 48.4%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £68.95

The Dalmore 12 year old Sherry Cask Select

The Dalmore is well known for having a close relationship with Spain as the whisky is often matured in ex-sherry casks. This expression celebrates this relationship and as Richard Paterson says “between the union of the Scottish highlands with the warmth of the Andalusian sun”. Firstly the whisky is matured for ten years in ex-bourbon casks and then two years in ex-sherry casks from bodegas with whom Richard has personal relationships in Jerez. These casks are made from both American and European oak and are then seasoned with a unique blend of aged Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximénez casks. The result is fabulous; unctuous and complex with distinct flavours of sundried fruits and fresh Scottish orchard fruits. Plenty of fudge and caramel back up the fruit and with a spicy finish, this is a brilliantly concocted 12 year old dram. 

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £45 (on special offer at time of writing)

Fettercairn 16 Year Old

This is a very interesting expression from Fettercairn released at the beginning of summer this year. Not many whiskies are distilled using chocolate malt (heavily kilned barley, more commonly seen in craft brewing)! The other I can bring to mind is the excellent Glenmorangie Signet. The Fettercarin is initially matured in first-fill American oak bourbon casks, before being put in sherry and Port casks, and is bottled at 16 years of age. There's plenty going on here, and it's all impressive stuff. One wonders why more brands aren’t using chocolate malt. This is a very different whisky from Signet although the chocolate malt lends some familiarity. If you like Signet, then you will love this.

ABV: 46.4%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £73.26

Jura Red Wine Cask Finish

This expression has been matured in ex-bourbon casks before being finished for 18 to 24 months in red wine barriques. It is incredibly well-balanced and rich with berry flavours and dried raisins. There are also creamy caramel and vanilla flavours and a touch of cinnamon spice. These sound like bold flavours, yet the whisky remains delicate. A great expression to try for those wanting to experiment a little with new whiskies. For the moment, this can be found in the UK in Sainsbury’s in a one litre bottle and is brilliant value.

ABV: 40%
Size: 1000ml
Buy it now for £40

The Dalmore King Alexander III

As mentioned before, this is one of my favourite whiskies. Richard Paterson uses six different types of sherry casks, blended together, to create this rich and moreish dram. With loads of dried fruit and spice, complex manuka honey and fudge, it is an indulgent treat. I’d suggest this drinks well not just after a rich meal but during the meal. It would match well with roasted meats just as well as with chocolate puddings or crème brulé. A whisky for indulgent foodies.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £174.90

There we have it, six of the best from Whyte and Mackay. Now that didn’t hurt did it!

If you’d like to try whiskies that have been finished in wine casks having been matured in ex-bourbon initially, then why not give these whiskies a go. 

Blended Scotch v Single Malt Scotch Whisky: What Should I Buy?

Words by Colin Hampden-White

Whisky is made of three ingredients; grain, water and yeast. Malt whisky uses malted barley which is barley that has been brought to the point of germination by soaking, then drying, before it is then used to make the malt whisky. Whisky can be made by using other grains like wheat or maize too and this creates grain whisky. Blended whisky is a mixture of grain whisky and malt whisky. In the case of blended Scotch whisky, the whisky must contain 15% of malt whisky, all the whisky must be aged in oak barrels (casks) for three years, and it must also be over 40% abv.

The difference is relatively simple, but a preconception that blended whisky is not as good as malt whisky needs to be unpicked. 90% of the whisky produced and sold globally is blended whisky, and 90% of that blended whisky is inexpensive supermarket whisky. This leads to the idea that blended whisky is not as good as malt whisky which, for the majority of whiskies, is true; it will be aged for less time and the barrels used will generally be not as high quality as those used for malt whisky. However, there are blended whiskies that are just as good as malt whiskies and sometimes quite a bit better.

The concept of the blend is to be harmonious. They can still have their own character, but, using the analogy of an orchestra, single malt is like a solo instrument, i.e. a violin, whilst a blend is like the whole orchestra playing together. One of my favourite whiskies is a blend:  Johnnie Walker Black Label, which requires around forty different whiskies. 

There are whiskies for everyone at all levels. Here are three of my favourite blends and three of my favourite malts at three different price points. What they all have in common is that they are excellent whiskies, and at the different price points the blends can equal the quality of the malts, and vice versa.

Blended Scotch Whisky

Johnnie Walker Black Label

Johnnie Walker Black Label is my go-to whisky. It is brilliantly complex with an underlying fruity base, lots of caramel and vanilla flavours, but also a hint of smoke running through the whisky too. In 2020, Johnnie Walker celebrated its 200th birthday! It is incredible to think it has been two centuries since John Walker founded this whisky brand, which has gone on to become world-famous. As part of the festivity surrounding this milestone, a limited edition bottling of Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old was released, designed in collaboration with fashion house Alpha Industries. It contains the same whisky as the regular 12 and is the same price, but I think the bottle gives it a little extra panache. 

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £29.95// US $29.99

Chivas Regal 18 year old

A richly indulgent blended Scotch whisky from long-time favourite, Chivas. The Chivas Regal 18 Year Old was personally created by Master Blender Colin Scott, including over 20 single malts from around Scotland, Colin is about to retire this year, but his legacy will live on in this excellent blended whisky, you can even see his name on the presentation box. Definitely no stranger to awards, this one. It even took home the International Wine & Spirit Competition 2014 Trophy for Blended Scotch Whisky! A great whisky to sip and savour, but also rather good for cocktails if you fancy giving them an upgrade.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £59.83 // US $99.99

The Tweeddale 28 Year Old – The Evolution

This is the oldest of the Tweeddale range to date. This delicious blended Scotch whisky boasts an impressive 28 year old age statement and a flavour profile packed full of cooked fruit, festive spice notes and lifted oak. If you’d like to experience a blend that has youthful sweet fruits, but also impressive oak balance and has older whisky flavours running throughout, then this is a sure-fire bet.

ABV: 52%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £139.95

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Highland Park 12 year old – Viking Honour

Highland Park's spectacular 12 Year Old expression had a full-on Viking make-over in 2017, (the 18 Year Old is also getting a redesign, too). Stylish new livery and matching sub-name (Viking Honour) aside, the malt remains the same, it is complex with a certain sea air quality and salinity balanced by honey. This is a single malt with lots of character and I’d have it as my solo instrument any day.

ABV: 40%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £29.95 // US $54.99

Talisker 18 Year old

Talisker comes from the Isle of Skye on the west coast of Scotland, this expression has spent 18 years in casks, some of which used to hold Bourbon and some Sherry. The whisky is sweet and smoky with spicy flavours intermingling with the smoke and it has serious credentials. Back in 2007 it won the Best Whisky in the World category at the World Whisky Awards. For me, this is one of the best value versus price single malt whiskies in the world.

ABV: 45.8%
Size: 700ml
Find here: UK £75.95 // US $169.99

Tomatin 30 Year old

Tomatin 30 year old is one of my favourite 30 year old whiskies, and that is before I consider the price. Finding a 30 year old whisky at under £300 today is pretty difficult, and this is one of the best whiskies of this nature. It is full of honey and spice but has a lot of tropical fruit to balance all the spice and pepper. There is plenty of complexity. Unlike the Talisker, there is no smoke, so if you’re not a fan of smoky whisky, then you should love this. It is indulgent and has finesse at the same time.

ABV: 46%
Size: 700ml
Buy it now for £299

I would be a happy chap if those six whiskies were the only whiskies I could drink from now on. None of them have outrageous levels of smoke or are too sweet and all have complexity. They are my perfect six pack. If you’re intrigued by Scotch and would like to discover some great bang for buck bottles, how about trying a few of these bottles?

This 80-Year Shipwreck Whisky Is On Auction

Imagine tasting a whisky that was salvaged from the bottom of the sea, plunging to the depths of the ocean over 80 years ago. Well, it’s possible. Every few years we hear of a new discovery across the world of wine and spirits, salvaged from long-forgotten shipwrecks. The latest to find its way back to surface is none other than the SS Politician which ran aground during WWII.

The ill-fated vessel was on its way to Jamaica from Scotland and carrying more than 28,000 cases of whisky when it hit the rocks by the Outer Hebrides. After several years of attempting to salvage its contents by the government, they gave up. The rugged shores were too treacherous to achieve such a mission, so the locals decided to take it upon themselves to claim the bounty. Named as ‘whisky rescue’ the actions of these folks were deemed upon as thievery by the tax collectors and eventually anyone proven to have lifted cargo from the ship was chased by HM Customs and Excise, given no duty had been paid on such bottles. For that reason, few have ever publicly come forward.  

Until now, more than fifty years after the controversial plunder attempt. But it wasn’t thievery that got these bottles to surface, it was a chap known as George Currie who was working on a subsea cable off the Hebridean coast when he hit pay dirt. Accompanied by his team of divers, a VAT 69, Ballentine’s and four bottles of Gibbey’s (no longer produced) saw the light of day after 80 years. All in perfect condition with their wax seal.

At the time of writing this article, the chosen auction bottle sits at £6,000 with just 4 days remaining on the auction. If you click here you’ll see what it eventually went for. In 2013 a very similar duo of aged whisky was auctioned together for £12,050, so it would seem the current value remains. 

A stunning Burgundy colour sits within the bottle with an airtight wax top and high-fill level, suggesting there’s been very little oxidation. Remembering that whisky doesn’t really ‘age’ within the bottle, you are still looking at an 11-year old scotch, but nonetheless, it has one hell of a story, doesn’t it?!

If you plan on bidding… good luck!

The Best Value Fruity Scotch Whisky

The showstoppers of Scotch whisky tend to be either powerful smoky whiskies or big rich sherry bomb whiskies. These extremes have their dedicated followers and certain cultures around the world have a preference for them. For example smoky whisky is particularly loved in Germany, and sherry cask matured whisky is loved in Hong Kong and China. However most whisky falls outside of these two styles, and it is fruit flavours which give them their popularity. Here are eight fruity whiskies which have great quality and are also fabulous value for money. They just happen to all begin with “Glen”.

Glen Moray Classic

This "Classic" expression is the entry level bottling from the Glen Moray distillery. It has made one of our top lists in the past and is probably the best value single malt Scotch whisky today. It is distilled in Speyside which is known for sherry cask matured whiskies, but like most of this list, although they are distilled in Speyside, they are still part of the highland region which has a fruity character at its core.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £21.90

Glenmorangie Original

The Original is the flagship single malt Scotch whisky from the Glemorangie Distillery in the Highlands. Matured in a combination of first-and-second-fill American white oak casks for 10 years, the expression is a benchmark for creamy, approachable fruity single malt. A long-running go-to dram for many whisky enthusiasts (including us here at The Three Drinkers), this stuff is brilliant as an aperitif, though more than suitable for enjoying on a cooler evening.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £32.95

Glen Grant 10 year old

A great beginner's whisky right here from the Glen Grant Distillery, produced in tall pot stills. This 10 year old Speyside single malt, having spent a decade in bourbon casks, boasts oodles of light, malty notes. A top dram for warmer weather, and full of lovely fruity orchard flavours with a little toffee and a touch of peat. It’s like eating a toffee apple at a summer BBQ.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £29.90

Glengoyne 10 year old

Completely unpeated which is unusual in the highlands, this Glengoyne is soft, fruity and very quaffable. A fine single malt! Not known to many, but Ian MacLeod, the owners of Glengoyne are creating great whisky and are beginning to really shout about it. It’s going to be found in more and more shops and I’m sure it’s going to be loved.

ABV: 43%
Buy it now for £37.39

Glenfiddich 12 year old

This classic Speyside from Glenfiddich was the Winner of a Gold Medal at the 2007 International Wine and Spirit Competition and has been the best selling single malt in the world for several years. Aged for 12 years in American and European Oak casks this whisky has classic fruity apples and touches of honey. Macallan might be known as the king of Speyside, but this whisky should be an emperor.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £31.95

Glen Keith Distillery Edition

This Fairly unknown whisky is the first permanent no age statement single malt from Glen Keith that the distillery in Speyside has released. Matured in ‘traditional’ American oak casks and bottled at 40% ABV, the release of this laid-back malt is very welcome indeed. The distillery had a complete refurbishment a few years ago and now the liquid from the distillery is being bottled. Once a cult fruity Speyside whisky, it’s sure to regain that status.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £29.75

Glenlivet 12 year old

Excellent 12 year old single malt from the Glenlivet Distillery in Speyside, which enjoys its maturation in both European and American oak casks. It's an immensely popular expression which disappeared from shelves in 2015, but has since returned! A great example of the character of Glenlivet's whisky, boasting a bounty of orchard fruit, fragrant florals and honeyed malt notes carried on a creamy mouth feel.

ABV: 40%
Buy it now for £36.25

Glen Elgin 12 year old

A very soft and fruity 12 year old Speyside dram, distilled at the Glen Elgin distillery. Glen Elgin is very well known for having a very fruity palate, mixing orchard fruits with tropical fruits. It might be soft on the palate making it very easy to drink, but it is full of flavour and, although owned by Diageo, it’s not that well known. A little secret for those of us who love fruity whisky.

ABV: 43%
Buy it now for £41.45

To continue your exploration of whisky why not check out Sherry Bombs: The Best Sherry Matured Whiskies In The World or Wine Finished Whiskies: Where To Start

3 Simple, Smoky, Whisky Cocktails For Your BBQ

Words by Helena Nicklin

Ardbeg, one of our favourite Islay distilleries has created ‘Smoke Sessions’ video guides to barbecuing meat and smoky drinks with grilling legend DJ BBQ (you can read about those here). The cocktail recipes looked so good however, that we got the lowdown for you on how to make them. Here they are: three epic, seriously smoky whisky cocktails for your summer barbecue. You’re welcome!

Smoky Apple Cider

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ardbeg Wee Beastie
• 50ml apple cider
• 50ml ginger beer
• 25ml freshly squeezed lime juice
• Demerara vanilla sugar to taste

Method

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass with ice, then stir and strain into a tumbler or a jar. Garnish to your taste with a cinnamon stick, star anise or even a slice of red apple. Take this from summer to winter by making it in a batch, warming it up and serving with a ladle. Amini toffee apple, if you can find one makes a special garnish for halloween too.

Maple & Bacon Old Fashioned

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ardbeg Ten Years Old
• 15ml maple syrup (to taste)
• 3 dashes orange bitters

Method

Stir all the ingredients together and serve over a large cube of ice. You can have fun with the garnishes here: try a rasher of streaky bacon as a stirrer, add a spring of torched rosemary or simply, an orange twist. 

An Oa Bloody Mary

Ingredients:

• 50ml Ardbeg An Oa
• 100ml roasted tomato juice (find one with garlic and herbs if you can)
• 1 dash hot sauce
• 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
• 25ml lemon juice
• 12.5ml Pedro Ximenez sherry

Method

Combine all the ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and then pour again into a second mixing glass, straining the liquid as you do so. Repeat a few times until the mixture is super smooth and well blended. Rim your glass with celery salt and add your garnish. For this, we recommend dill or even grated horseradish. 

Like this? Read about Ardbeg’s Smoke Sessions with DJ BBQ here, or look at the best sherry matured whiskies or even best bang for buck sipping bourbon.