From a deeply underrated distillery, this Allt-a-Bhainne bottled by the Stewart Whisky Company under their Stiùbhart Single Cask label is a glorious example of what happens when a cask is simply allowed to mature as it should. A natural cask strength of just 44.9% after 24 years makes it clear that this was maturing at an accelerated rate, losing a lot of alcohol and water but the phenolic oils that remain have led to an extremely concentrated whisky; a masterclass in bourbon-wood maturation.

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.

Experience the exquisite Benriach Speyside Single Malt 25YO NV – a remarkable representation of the Speyside region’s ability to produce an extraordinary malt. Distilled at the world-renowned Benriach Distillery, nestled in the heart of Speyside, Scotland, this sublime single malt benefits from a meticulous crafting process and time-honoured traditions.

Matured for 25 years under the watchful eye of their Master Blender, the spirit is aged in an assortment of barrels, conferring complexity and depth to its flavour profile. Upon the palate, one can indulge in a medley of honeyed fruits, caramelised nut and a hint of dark chocolate, finishing with a spicy oak undercurrent.

Crafted for the seasoned malt enthusiast, the Benriach Speyside Single Malt 25YO NV encapsulates the quintessence of high-quality Speyside Malts. Encased in a beautiful presentation box, it offers an unparalleled tasting experience, sure to impress any whisky connoisseur.

We are thrilled to have secured a small parcel of 2011 casks from this rising Speyside superstar and to be able to present them with recent regauges carried out just this past August and compelling prices which combine to suggest excellent upside for the next ten-plus years.

Halliday Wine Companion (97)

The price of this wine reflects the piercing brilliance of the bouquet and, in particular, the palate. There is some residual sugar, but the acidity totally obscures it. If you buy it, keep some bottles for a minimum of 10 years, allowing the treasure trove of secondary flavours to be liberated.

Whisky Base (93)

n/a

Colour: Full, rich dark gold.

Nose: Full, complex aromas with dried berries and sherry-infused malty tones

Palate: Sweetness akin to a fine, aged cognac with incredible oloroso depth and freshness. Fruit, nuts, marzipan and Christmas cake warming spice.

Finish: A whisky you never want to end and it almost feels as if it won't, the finish goes on forever with spice, decadent dark cocoa and forest floor. A final flourish of spiced demerara rum leaves you longing for more.

Colour: Autumnal, red gold.

Nose: Fresh sweetness with fruity Turkish delight with a power akin to the first whiff from a freshly opened bag of Java coffee beans.

Palate: An undeniably decadent sweetness on the palate with salted caramel, dark cocoa and Oloroso-soaked raisins. Sherry comes through with excellent power, bringing with it Sherry and spicy demerara notes.

Finish: Lingering and persistent with alternating layers of sweetness and dry roastiness and peppery spice. Extremely complex and enthralling.

A special, limited edition release from one of Scotland's most iconic distilleries, this fabulous bottling celebrates the long history of Glenfarclas and its independent ownership under the Grant family, the distillery's custodians since 1836. A classically sherried, balanced and refined Speyside, everything we have come to expect and love about Glenfarclas, this is a must have for the collector and a treat for the drinker. A vatting of casks from the past 50 years this combines the best of the mature stock lying in Glenfarclas' historic warehouses with the vibrance and verve that makes the younger bottlings so thrilling and complex. A beautiful rewarding whisky by any measure and a must-have collector's item to boot!

Colour: Amber with dark-gold highlights.

Nose: Complex yet refined with tempting aromas of marmalade, nuts, freshly ground coffee and chocolate.

Flavour: Full-bodied and robust with some oaky tannins courtesy of its exceptional age in sherry barrels.

Finish: Powerful but never overbearing with exceptional balance. Intense and long in the mouth with beautiful finesse and freshness.

One of the hottest commodities on the cask market over the past year is assuredly The Glenrothes. Stablemate to Macallan and Highland Park and under the masterful guidance of Gordon Motion who took the reins in 2009, there are few Speysiders which have the reputation for longevity and excellence as The Glenrothes. After a rapturous reception to our recent offering of the 2011s and a follow up of 2012, we are pleased that we can offer a last butt of 2013 to our customers as well.

Glenrothes is best known as a sherry-aged Speysider and this cask shows why that reputation is so justified; taking the best elements of the wood and developing into a thoroughly impressive malt. Having spent the last decade in first fill butts and taking on some remarkable characteristics as well as impressive depth of colour, they are nothing short of blue chip casks in the early days of their trajectory.

Stored at Glenrothes distillery since distillation, this has not been regauged hence the cask being listed with OLA details but a sample drawn has indicated excellent colour extraction and a recent regauge of the 2011 casks we purchased registered RLA 262.5 which is par for the course on a 1st fill Sherry butt and we would expect this to be regauged in the coming weeks between 262 and 285 RLA or thereabouts with an ABV in the low to mid 60s, indicating excellent longevity.

Tasting Note
Glenrothes’ spirit generally sports a clear barley-driven aromatic profile the key to this cask’s appeal is the classically oily, muscular structure that has become a hallmark of Glenrothes’ extremely age-worthy spirit over the years. The sherry wood is working wonders inregards to the develoment of a complex, decadent flavour profile as well as colour; a not insignificant element of the overall experience, so be sure.

Falstaff (100)

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, faint brightening on the rim. Notes of dried herbs, suede and sage mixed with blackberry confit, candied violet and a hint of dark pesto. Powerful, juicy, pronounced fruit component, fleshy without being opulent, silky, sustainable tannins, has enormous length, mineral, fine savoury nuances of anise, a hint of nougat, black forest berry fruit on the finish, despite its youth already seductive.

James Suckling (100)

This has a very complex nose, offering so many facets of spices and fragrance with florals and orange peel, as well as crushed stones, ripe black cherries, blackberries and dark cherries, earth, chocolate and more. The intensity and power here is very tightly held and it has a build of such precise tannins, which carry very intense and assertively ripe blackberries, dark cherries, ripe plums and blueberries. So much on offer here. This has a very bold, intense feel. Exceptional vintage. One of their finest. Try from 2028. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (99)

Australia's finest single-vineyard site? I think so. With its core of gnarled shiraz vines planted circa 1860 and its picture-perfect location alongside the Gnadenberg church, it is a much adored and discussed vineyard which has been producing stellar wines since the first single-vineyard Hill of Grace was released in 1958. Today, those original vines are bolstered with its 'young' 100+ and 35+yo kinfolk and aged in 83/17% French/American oak hogsheads (29% new) for 18 months. Grace by name, grace by nature; it's a perfectly framed, elegant snapshot of pristine fruit, site and season. Precisely ripened berry fruits are underscored with notes of Chinese five-spice, sage, jasmine, licorice, mocha, blackberry pastille, charcuterie, wild flowers and cherry clafoutis. Pitch-perfect and elegant on the palate, the tannin-acid architecture tuned and sympatico with the pristine ancestor-vine fruit and a very long, silken finish that resonates with style and place. My goodness it's lovely.

James Suckling (97)

Such a luxuriant, elegant and complex young wine, this is the younger-vine material from Hill of Grace Vineyard (27-year-old vines in 2015). Multidimensional with brown spices, such as cloves and allspice, dried sage, orange peel, red berries, camphor wood and roses. A succulent palate with elegance and focus, offering blue plums and a very fine core of tannin to support such intense, vibrant fruit. Light, espresso-washed chocolate flavors lie across the fine, long and polished tannins that shape the fresh, balanced finish. A great wine that shows the DNA of the Hill of Grace terroir in a humbler mode. Beautiful now, but this will age for more than two decades. Glass-stopper closure.

Halliday Wine Companion (98)

The vines were 26yo in '16, too young for inclusion in Hill of Grace, notwithstanding its undoubted quality, matured for 14 months in French hogsheads (30% new). There's not a single hair out of place in a perfectly framed, medium-bodied shiraz. Bred in the purple.

James Suckling (98)

So much forest-flower character to this on the nose, together with bark, mushroom, tile, and blackberries. Dried plums, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and composed, with a compact palate. Fresh five spice. Pepper and clove at the finish. Fantastic. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink or hold. Glass stopper.

Wine Advocate (98)

The 2018 Hill of Roses Shiraz is sourced from a block within the Hill of Grace vineyard that was planted in 1989 with the intention of being a nursery bloc. The planting there is known as the Post Office Block. While the vines are, at this stage, too young to be considered for inclusion in the Hill of Grace, the wine is considered special and warranting its own bottling. Personally, I feel the young vines lend an energy and vigor to the wine, and I like the red fruited clarity that it shows each year. It matured in a combination of new (25%) and seasoned (75%) French oak hogsheads for 18 months prior to release. The nose and the palate are totally aligned: red licorice, raspberries, crushed rocks, red velvet, sage, squid ink, aniseed/anise, quartz and brine. There's the telltale black tea and minerality of the Eden on show, too. This is a sensational wine. This is texturally svelte and seamless (the nod to red velvet above is a textural observation). I love it. If ever I was going to fall for this wine, it would be here, in this clear-spoken, gracefully enunciated 2018 vintage.

The Real Review (98)

Deepish red colour with just a trace of purple in its rim, the bouquet is pungent raspberry, squashed overripe raspberry, classic Mt Edelstone. The wine is succulently fruit-sweet: gorgeously extravagant fruit floods the palate. It's almost jammy, the fine but persistent tannins just pulling it together on the finish so the aftertaste and follow-through are clean and balanced and refreshing. Lush fruit flavour, astonishing texture, very old-viney, a very impressive Edelstone. A stand-out vintage for this wine.

Decanter (97)

Powerful but unobtrusive tannins – like an engine purring – support dark, perfectly ripe blackberry, mulberry and plum fruit, with hints of strawberry, red fruit leather and smoked charcuterie notes from the oak. Spice and dried herb nuances unfurl over three days, beautifully articulating the terroir and its 104-year-old vines through notes of black pepper, sage, tea tree, star anise, mint and cardamom. Ripe and refreshing redcurrant sustains the sweet, spiced fruit through the long, sinuous finish. Terrific purity, poise and panache. Released at £137.

Matthew Jukes (19+)

This is a genuinely outstanding Mount Edelstone, with glorious fruit and multi-layered complexity. The nose sings of the Eden Valley with a sage and black fruit cocktail of flavours, and the texture is pure velvet. This is a cracker of a wine and a classic Mount Edelstone to boot, and it is already bafflingly precocious. But don’t worry because behind the exultant volleys of pristine fruit lurks muscle and crunchy tannin that will propel this wine forward for two decades and more. As time ticks on I become more and more enamoured by Mount Edelstone and this is another release that will handsomely reward those who manage to track down stock.

We are pleased to have secured a number of 2021s in a year when many distillers are severely cutting their allocations of casks to the market and it is a particular coup's barrels specially selected for us; bourbon-sized barrels previously used for top-grade Oloroso sherry giving a smaller surface area than ex-sherry hogsheads, butts or puncheons. Therefore the whisky will develop relatively quickly, rewarding the years more profoundly than lower-quality, lower-cost refill barrels.

A unique pre-bottling limited time offering of one of the most legendary distilleries on earth, bottled by world-class independent bottlers, Samaroli. This Macallan has been (and currently still is) slumbering patiently in a single sherry cask since 1989 and will be bottled in an extremely limited run this February.

The peat is fine-grained, much more clearly highland peat than Islay or Coastal as it foregoes the iodine and TCP or boat oil, more reminiscent of an autumn bonfire somewhere in the distance. The sherry brings in the classic Macallan profile to work in perfect balance with that unique peat-inflected edge. A true masterpiece of the bottler's art. Just 690 crystal decanters filled at 47%.

COLOUR: Rich Autumn Gold.
NOSE: Warm and inviting scents of butterscotch meet aromatic heather, encapsulated by orange zesty charcoal Smoke.
PALATE: Satisfyingly, creamy and peppery with aromas of roasted nuts, nutmeg and clove, with hints of Madagascan vanilla, dark chocolate, honey, candied fruits and floral smoke.
FINISH: Long-lingering sweet, oaky spice.

Savour the full-bodied complexity of the Macallan Highland Single Malt Sherry Oak Cask 18YO Bottled 2023 NV, a distinguished spirit renowned globally. Matured exclusively in handpicked Spanish oak sherry seasoned casks for 18 years, this extraordinary dram embodies the Macallan's commitment to exceptional cask management from their Speyside distillery in the Highlands of Scotland.

The Macallan Highland Single Malt Sherry Oak Cask 18YO Bottled 2023 NV offers a symphony of sophisticated flavours. The nose will enchant you with the aroma of dried fruits, ginger, and toffee. Palate-wise, you're introduced to a balanced richness with notes of dried fruits and spice, complemented by hints of vanilla and dark chocolate. The finish is long lasting with a warming oak and a smooth velvety texture.

Hailed as a paragon of its kind, this whisky is the quintessence of The Macallan’s craftsmanship, promising a sublime taste experience.

The Mortlach Speyside Single Malt Sherry Finish 21YO Bottled 2020 1999 is a perfect representation of the renowned quality of the Mortlach distillery in Scotland. Richly matured for 21 years in American oak barrels and creatively finished in Oloroso sherry casks, this Scotch elicits a remarkable aroma and distinct flavour profile.

Noteworthy is the warmth of its sherry finish, a result of the maturation in traditional oak casks. The full-bodied spirit reveals tantalising hints of dark chocolate, dry fruits, and spicy undertones, resulting in an unforgettable palate. Taken in conjunction with a long, smooth finish, the Mortlach Speyside Single Malt Sherry Finish 21YO Bottled 2020 1999 speaks volumes about the distillery's commitment to incomparable quality and artisanal craftsmanship.

This fine whisky confirms Mortlach’s reputation for producing robust, complex spirits, a delight to both discerning connoisseurs and curious seekers of fine whisky globally.

James Suckling (98)

This has really transformed into a complex, bottle-matured riesling with lemon-rind, lemon-butter and toasty aromas. The palate is very smoothly arranged and the wine has taken on a glossy textural quality over the five years in bottle. The length and intensity here is so impressive. This is breathtakingly pure, yet complex and drinkable. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

Halliday Wine Companion (97)

2002 vines. Wigan is king of Eden Valley riesling and yet again one of the top releases of the year. Still a magnificent straw-green at just 5yo, it's at that magic moment where primary and secondary characters unite in equal measure. All the fresh lime and Granny Smith apple of youth, backed by rising buttery, spicy, roast almond maturity. Brilliant acid line charges an astonishing finish that lasts for 30 seconds. Yes, I timed it! For all it represents, this might just be the bargain of the year.