Appearance: Showing a brilliant old-brass colour courtesy of the bourbon wood and that unique concentration through the ageing process.

Nose: this whisky jumps out of the glass with notes almost reminiscent of a great White Burgundy. Crushed river stones and struck flint alongside golden delicious apple and herbes de provence come across on the nose.

Palate: The palate is gentle as one would expect from the lower ABV but it is oily and viscous with a sensation of scented candle followed by sea salt, delicate earthy peat and a return of that golden delicious apple note.

Finish: Extremely long and gentle with the initial notes of crushed stones mingling with sea salt and stewed orchard fruit.

Wine Advocate (96)

Wine Advocate (98)

Founded in 1817, legendary Lowland distillery Bladnoch is one of the oldest distilleries in the country and the oldest operating Lowland distillery since the closure of Littlemill which held both titles.

Situated west of the village of Wigtown in the Gallovidian countryside, Bladnoch has the distinction of being the southernmost distillery in Scotland - closer to Belfast than Edinburgh - and its spirit in some ways bears a semblance to the softer malts of Ireland, though it eschews the triple distillation practiced by its Irish cousins and other Lowland neighbours.

The classic house style of Bladnoch is gentle and combines a fruit-forward malt profile with elements of spice and earth which celebrate a variety of wood types including the classic PX and Oloroso sherries, with a number of exceptional expressions thriving in less intrusive Bourbon wood for those who prefer the character of the distillate to shine more clearly.

A stop-start attempt to reopen the distillery under independent ownership faltered in the early 2010s but in 2017 the stills at last roared back into life and with new packaging and a vision for the future Bladnoch made a strong statement of intent that they were ready to take centre stage as the top player in the Lowlands. In 2019 they took another step in reinstating Bladnoch as a premier single malt when Dr Nick Savage took over as Master Distiller after previously serving in the same post with none-other than The Macallan.

Extremely rare on the cask market, we have secured a number of new make casks filled in 2019 & 2020 into world class bourbon barrels, sherry hogsheads and a very limited number of Oloroso & PX butts. All produced under the stewardship of Dr. Savage offered below £12 IB per bottle they are incredible value and with the future of the Bladnoch brand being rosy as it is, they offer remarkable upside.

This twelve-year-old Highland Single Malt was distilled in 2008 at the Blair Athol Distillery along the banks of the River Tummel. Drawn from a single, undersized 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel previously used by the Koval Distillery, it is a youthful pale golden colour with bright aromatics of red apple and pear as well as fine vanilla and warm baking spices. A generous, well-balanced highlander from one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland dating back to 1798, this is a personal favourite and a fitting first bottling of the Stiùbhart Single Cask Selection. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 58.9% without chill filtration or added colouring.

A single cask Islay malt matured in undersized ex-Bourbon barrels previously used to mature Bourbon whiskey at the Koval Distillery, showcasing Caol Ila’s classic oily maritime qualities with aromas of sweet, earthy peat, sea breeze and iodine alongside pungent, warming spices evoking cinnamon, cumin, smoked pepper and cardamom. A finish laced with eucalyptus and dried mint makes for a restrained, finessed Islay with a long, dynamic finish. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 58.1% without colouring or filtration.

The second bottling from the Stewart Whisky Company in their Stiùbhart Single Cask selection, released in March 2021 at 13 years of age in a limited run of just 132 bottles.