With the peaty delights of Feis Ile now behind us, we return with another batch of whiskies recently revealed by a number of different distilleries. Read on for news on bold new releases, repackaged standards and an intriguingly produced rum.
ARDBEG
We’re not quite ready to move on from Islay just yet, however. In the days after Feis Ile wrapped up, Ardbeg revealed The Abyss. Drawing inspiration from the original release of the Ardbeg Corryvreckan, The Abyss is a 1989 vintage single malt matured in heavily toasted French oak casks.
Ardbeg have really gone in hard with the story telling aspect of this whisky, so much so that it even comes with a comic created by reputed artist Tradd Moore. The Abyss is expected to cost £21,250 and fans can register their interest on Ardbeg’s website.
To coincide with the release, to coincide with this release, Ardbeg have also released 1,000 limited edition bottles of the Corryvreckan. These contain the normal Corryvreckan liquid and feature unique artwork designed by Moore.
Read our article “Staring into The Abyss: Ardbeg & The 'Point' of Premium Whisky” for an in-depth look at The Abyss.
ARDNAMURCHAN
Many distilleries have used images of beautiful animals or mythical creatures as either part of their own branding or specifically for a new release. Ardnamurchan’s latest release, however, takes a more humble approach by honouring Scotland’s infamous biting beasties, the midge.
Titled The Midgie, this Ardnamurchan is part of a collaboration with Scotland’s
The UK’s leading insect repellent Smidge. While bugs and chemical repellent might not be the most mouthwatering things to have in mind when enjoying a whisky, we can assure you this is a cracking dram!
Matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, madeira and sauternes casks, this whisky offers notes of brandy snaps, smoked Manuka honey and and salted almonds.
The Midgie is bottled at 48% and is currently retailing around the £50 mark.
BUSHMILLS
Northern Ireland’s Bushmills have expanded their Causeway Collection with a 23 year old single malt. Distilled in 2000 before maturing in Madeira casks until bottling in 2024, this latest whisky will be available exclusively at duty free stores.
The Causeway Collection has featured some of the oldest Bushmills to have ever been made. However, Bushmills introduced 25 and 30 year old expressions to their core range earlier this year. Nevertheless, these whiskies still showcase some lesser-used cask types compared to their standard releases.
This 23 year old is bottled at an impressive 53.8% ABV and has showcases notes of sweet peaches and roasted nuts, with a long, drying finish.
GLEN GRANT
The Glen Grant have unveiled The Glasshouse Collection, a range that brings together the oldest whiskies included in the distillery’s permanent collection.
The Campari-owned distillery released a 21 year old in 2022. This will now be joined by 25 and 30 year old expressions and will retail for US$1,000 and US$3,000 respectively.
The Glasshouse Collection pays homage to the distillery’s founder James ‘The Major’ Grant, a devoted horticulturalist who grew exotic plants and flowers in his own glasshouse. It will also be the final series of whiskies to be released under the stewardship of master distiller Dennis Malcom OBE, who is retiring this year.
GLENMORANGIE
Glenmorangie have revealed the 4th edition on The Cadboll Estate series. Each whisky in this range is produced using barley grown on the eponymous estate owned by the distillery. The barley is grown to the exact standards requested by Dr Bill Lumsden.
The latest edition in this series is a 15 year old single malt matured in ‘designer bourbon casks’. In short, ‘designer’ roughly translates to American white oak casks that have been air dried and seasoned to Glenmorangie’s specifications.
Aromas of vanilla crème anglaise and marzipan lead to sweet spices and zesty lemon on the palate, with a lingering, slight menthol note on the finish.
MOUNT GAY
A quick detour to Barbados to discuss the latest limited edition rum from Mount Gay.
The reputed rum producer have revealed a rum made from spirit produced entirely in Coffey stills. These full copper, continuous column stills are less common in rum production. Mount Gay had a Coffey still onsite that had fallen into disrepair that was recommissioned in 2019. This release is the first using spirit from the reborn still.
The still gives a unique floral and fruity character to the rum. Aged in charred ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at 58%, we can expect notes of grapefruit, honey and cinnamon.
The Coffey Still edition is the seventh release in Mount Gay’s Master Blender Collection, a range of rums masterminded by legendary master blender Trudiann Branker.
SPEYBURN
Speyburn have revealed a fresh look for their core range, as well as introducing a new cask-finished single malt to their portfolio.
The rebrand features a new logo and subtle changes to their labels’ aesthetic. Most notably, their Bradan Orach expression has been renamed the Speyburn Bourbon Cask (their 10 year old remains unchanged). This is all part of the brand’s ambition to make their products more approachable to consumers.
Alongside this revamp, a Rum Cask edition has been introduced to their core range. Even though this is an exciting first for the distillery, it will sit nicely in their range with a competitive, entry-level price point. The 10 year old, Bourbon Cask and Rum Cask Speyburn are all expected to have an RRP between £20 and £35.
The Speyside distillery celebrated it’s 125th anniversary last year and this rebrand is a continuation of those celebrations. There are also plans to launched older, high end whiskies later in the year, though no information has yet been revealed.
SPRINGBANK
With many eyes of Islay towards the end of May, it’s easy to overlook the Campbeltown Malts festival that takes place in the preceding week. On the back of another successful festival, Springbank have launched a number of exciting whiskies.
Most eye catching of these was the 2024 edition of their remarkable 30 year old. Always a favourite on the secondary market, those opening their bottle will be treated to an entirely bourbon cask matured old-timer offering notes of tropical fruits, butterscotch and a very subtle peat smoke.
Equally intriguing but significantly more affordable, there is also the Springbank 12 year old cask strength. It’s always an eagerly anticipated release from the iconic distillery, and this year’s edition was no exception. Matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks, bottled at 57.2%, with an RRP of around £68, most retailers sold out of this whisky in minutes!
Finally, the group also continued Longrow’s renowned Red series with a 7 year old finished in French Pinot Noir casks. The Red range showcases Longrow’s heavily peated spirit in a number of unusual cask types, usually wine or sherry. This was another quick seller, so keep an eye on auction sites if you’re keen on a bottle.
TEELING
In what could be a landmark release in Irish whiskey history, Teeling launched a 40 year old expression last month. It’s certainly the oldest whisky to be released by the distillery and could very well be one of the oldest Irish whiskies ever
The 40 year old was distilled in 1983 and was matured in an ex-bourbon cask for four decades before being bottled at 42.2%. This release will join a 33 year old and a 37 year old in the Dublin distillery’s Vintage Reserve Collection.
Only 140 bottles of this precious liquid will be available. Initially it will only be available at the distillery, before rolling out to selected retailers.
WHITE PEAK
Finishing off south of the border, we turn to White Peak distillery for their latest Wire Works release.
The Derbyshire distillery produced a limited edition Amarone Wine cask expression. White Peak claim they have been curating a number of wine casks for both full and dual-maturation, with their latest release being the latter.
Wine casks can be particularly active and can have a lot of influence on a whisky. The rich and fruity notes imparted by the Amarone casks are perfectly complimented by White Peaks’ robust and lightly smoky spirit.
Only 662 bottles of this release were made available and it was bottled at natural cask strength of 54.1% ABV.
This is the first in a planned series of wine cask finishes, with Madeira and Moscatel editions expected to follow. However, there is no schedule for these releases; they will only be bottled when they’re ready.
