Glen Grant 15 Year
$96.99
Well, this is a clever addition to the range, isn't it? Fifteen years old and 50%. Wow. Colour us happy. If the team at Glen Grant realizes that higher abv in whisky like this has an appeal (mostly for textural reasons), why keep the rest of the range at 43%? Apparently, there are people out there that prefer their whisky at lower strengths. We've never met one, but I guess they're out there. Does that count as cryptozoology?
Anyway, let's celebrate the good! Great distillery, good expression, nice age statement, and a robust strength that suits the profile. Well done.
50% abv
Bladnoch Vinaya
$75.99
This NAS Bladnoch is bottled at 46.7% after maturing in 1st Fill Bourbon and Sherry casks.
Producer Description
"Matured in a unique combination of 1st fill Bourbon and 1st fill Sherry casks for notes of fresh apple, sweet floral grass and hints of chocolate.
‘Vinaya’, a Sanskrit word meaning respect and gratitude, pays homage to the original founders of the distillery who paved the way, as Bladnoch looks forward to an exciting new era of production and innovation."
Dumangin Whisky La Piautre
$70.00
After three years of primary maturation, this French Single Malt was then shifted into an ex-Ratafia Champenois cask for 15 months. Incredibly exciting for not only being one of the very few French Single Malts on the market, but also one that's been decked out in a fancy finish. Beyond singular.
As for proper notes...all we know so far is that maverick producer Gilles Dumangin says this one is 'oily and opulent.'
345 bottles. Natural colour and non-chill filtered. 46.3%
Tomintoul 10 Year
$78.99
Tomintoul's flagship bottle, the 10 Year Old, shows off "The Gentle Dram" with all of its crowd-pleasing magic. If you are looking for a heart of Speyside style whisky, this is a good one to grab. 40% ABV.
Producer Description
"Matured exclusively in hand selected American oak ex-bourbon barrels. Tomintoul 10 Years Old is a delicate well-balanced single malt with honey and citrus combing to create a sweet, fruity and vanilla flavour profile.
A fan favourite in the Tomintoul range, our 10 Years Old has been awarded gold medals for its taste by some of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world."
Ardnamurchan AD Single Malt
$77.99
Ardnamurchan is unquestionably one of the most exciting young distilleries in Scotland. The whisky is rough-and-tumble old school highland malt. In other words, exactly what we love in young whisky. Expect a wee bit of peat with this one.
Producer Note
"Our Single Malt whisky comprises an equal proportion of peated and unpeated malt. The cask makeup is 65% ex bourbon barrels from Kentucky and 35% ex sherry casks, Oloroso and PX, from Jerez."
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 46.8% abv.
Moonbroch BenRiach (Peated) 13 Year
$209.99
This Peated Benriach single cask has been selected and bottled by indie bottler Moonbroch. After being finished in a cask that previously held red wine, it has been bottled at 46%.
Rest & Be Thankful Finglassie 2017
$85.99
Finglassie is what the Inchdairnie distillery calls their peated stocks. We've only seen one or two of them so far - Inchdairnie was only founded in 2015 - so it's hard to say what the distillery profile will be, but it was probably a smart decision to release this is a small batch bottling, as opposed to single cask releases. We're probably getting a closer approximation of what we can expect in future releases. The peated ones, anyway.
This 5-year-old was matured in ex-Islay Bourbon casks (so...introducing a bit of the Islay style of peat perhaps?), and finished in ex-Oloroso butts.
Natural Colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 46% abv.
Eau Claire Rupert's Whisky
$41.99
From the Distillery
"A little out there, in the best way. Made with Double Gold–winning Rupert’s Exceptional Canadian Whisky and finished with real maple syrup, this is a bold Canadian classic, whisky with a touch of maple.
Smooth, easy-going, and made for sipping.
40% Abv
Loch Lomond Single Grain Unpeated
$49.99