What’s better than a distillery releasing a new whisky? A distillery releasing more than one new whisky, of course! Below we’ll cover a few distilleries across the UK who were particularly prolific with their whisky output last month. We’ve also got two different well-aged whiskies from a Scottish whisky makers. While they’re not from the same distillery, they’re equally exciting!
On top of this, we’ll cover an English blend celebrating barley, an island distillery honouring their local flora, and a well-loved Speysider looking forward to the new year.
ABERLOUR
The Chivas Brothers-owned Speyside distillery has released an incredibly limited, well-aged single malt.
The Aberlour 50 Year Old is bottled at 45.2% ABV and comes presented in a bespoke, handcrafted cabinet made from 12 different oak staves, inspired by the casks used for the whisky’s long maturation.
The whisky itself showcases a bounty of mouthwatering descriptors: ripe apricot, cantaloupe melon, and toasted hazelnut on the nose; tangy orange marmalade, creamy vanilla fudge, and syrup-soaked ginger on the palate; all of which lead to a long and sweet finish.
Only 20 decanters of this precious whisky have been released. It is available now through specially selected retailers with an RRP of £31,000. An incredibly limited number of bottles have also been made available for global travel retail.
BALLANTINE’S
One of Chivas Brothers’ best-selling brands have unveiled the third is a five part series of ‘ultra-limited’ 40 year old blended whiskies.
Ballantine’s The Moment follows the previous two expressions - The Remembering and The Waiting - in paying tribute to the skills and knowledge passed down through generations of Ballantine’s master blenders. Like the other releases, The Moment is limited to 108 bottles.
While the exact make up of the blend is unknown, well-aged Miltonduff is said to be at the heart of this whisky. Caramelised red apples and cinnamon-spiced banana loaf lead the nose before freshly baked pear tart, orange zest, and milk chocolate come to the fore on the nose.
Each decanter in this Masterclass Collection comes presented in a hand-finished wood veneer cabinet and features a folded paper panel created by Scottish artist Kyla McCallum.
Ballantine’s 40 Year Old The Moment is available now from selected retailers for US$13,000.
BRUICHLADDICH
Islay’s Bruichladdich Distillery have released not one but three unique whiskies this month.
Firstly, there’s the Laddie Rye. As the name suggests, this is a whisky made using Islay-grown rye as well as barely. The rye grain adds notes of ginger and pepper to the distillery’s floral and fruity character. Bottled after 7 years in bourbon and virgin oak barrels at a strength of 50% ABV, the Laddie Rye is currently a US exclusive release with an RRP of US$60.
Further experimentation has come in the form of the Bruichladdich X4+18. This is a quadruple distilled, 18 year old single malt that is the first entry in a four-part series from the distillery. This isn’t Bruichladdich’s first foray into this unusual distillation method and we’re convinced this will be as popular as previous releases.
(For more information on this whisky, check out our previous article (“Once, Twice, Four Times a Whisky: Bruichladdich Launch Experimental 18 Year Old Scotch”).
Finally, Bruichladdich have revived their Black Art range for a series of travel email exclusive whiskies. Kicking off the new series is Black Art Sapero. As with previous Black Art expressions, the cask make up of this release is a closely guarded secret, but we do know it’s 19 years old and bottled at 47.8%. It’s a truly enigmatic dram!
THE HEART CUT
Indie bottler The Heart Cut have take a slight detour from showcasing less-known distilleries to put together this English blended malt. The Heart Cut x BARLEY is crafted from casks taken from five leading English distilleries: Copper Rivet, The English, Cotswolds, White Peak and Adnams.
The blenders used information from 5,000 entries to their online Whisky Matchmaker to help find the perfect flavour profile for this whisky. Based on the user’s preference for sweeter and slightly spicy drams, this whisky features notes of strawberry jam, vanilla cream and cinnamon buns.
This small batch blend is also the first part of a three part series that celebrates the main grains used in whisky making. As the name suggests, this whisky is a celebration of barley, while the forthcoming releases will focus on corn and rye.
The Heart Cut x BARLEY is bottled at a delightful drinkable 46% and is available now from selected retailers.
HIGHLAND PARK
The iconic Orkney distillery have paid tribute to the island’s unique peat with their latest release.
Highland Park Heather is crafted from 100% Orkney peat smoked barley. The high concentration of heather on Orkney means the peat from the island is particularly aromatic, almost floral, in comparison to peat from other parts of the country. It’s unique character is one of the cornerstones of Highland Park’s signature flavour profile.
Bottled at a punchy 63.6% ABV, this is said to be the most pronounced expression of Orkney peat’s influence on Highland Park. As such, smoke is central to this dram’s flavour profile, but it’s by no means dominating. The official tasting notes speak of macadamia nuts, brandy butter, and marshmallow sweetness alongside peppery bonfire smoke that fades to a subtle, floral peatiness on the finish.
Highland Park heather is currently available in the US through Reserve Bar with an RRP of US$80, though a wider global release is expected to follow in the new year.
MACALLAN
Macallan recently unveiled the fourth entry into their esteemed Night on Earth series.
Titled The First light, this whisky is inspired by the first sunrise of the new year. To achieve this, the Macallan whisky makers combined spirit matured in sherry-seasoned European and American oak casks, as well as a small portion of ex-Boubon American oak barrels. The result is a refreshingly sweet dram with notes of berry compote, Manuka honey, and a mellow, oaky spice.
New Zealand-based artist Bonnie Brown designed this whisky’s packaging. Drawing from the same themes, he artwork depicts the sunset, celebration, and first new dawn of an Antipodean New Year’s Eve.
So if you think this will be the perfect dram to bring in the New Year with, you can get yourself a bottle now from Macallan’s website and selected retailers. RRP £99.
MIDLETON
The Spot Whiskies are among the most revered Irish whiskies, particularly among drinkers. Midleton have recently added distillery exclusive version of the Blue Spot to their range.
Blue Spot 17 Year Old was initially matured in bourbon casks before a final aging period in first fill madeira casks. Bottled at a cask strength of 58.3% ABV, this whiskey is bursting with aromas of baked apples, sweet vanilla and a subtle nuttiness from the madeira barrels. More of that nuttiness arrives on the palate, alongside pot still spices and zesty citrus notes.
Only 600 bottles of this stunning whisky have been release. It won’t be found in any retailers; this Blue Spot was bottled for the Midleton and Bow St. Distilleries as well as the Midleton Distillery Collection website. RRP £384.
TOMATIN
Tomatin launched two new whiskies this past month, one of which is the latest in the line of peated releases.
Cu Bocan Creation #7 follows the trend set by previous ‘creations’ by maturing Tomatin’s lightly peated spirit in a combination of two lesser used cask types. This edition utilises Pineau des Charentes Rouge and American virgin oak casks, resulting in a distinctive flavour profile of rhubarb, custard, heather smoke and oaky spices.
Joining this is a 10 year old Bourbon Cask expression. The distillery pride themselves on utilising a variety of cask types and combinations, so this is a lesser seen example of their spirit aged in classic American oak barrels, truly showing off the distilled’s character. Expect lemon sherbet, fresh green apples and toffee.
Both of these expressions are available now. The Cu Bocan Creation #7 can be found through selected spirits retailers and the Tomatin 10 year old Bourbon Cask is available at Waitrose or through Amazon.
WHITE PEAK
Derbyshire’s White Peak have released a duo of single malts this month.
Wire Works Gather 1 is the second whisky from the distillery released exclusively for in-store purchase at whisky shops around the country. It has been crafted from lightly peated spirit being matured in ex-bourbon barrels before a finishing period in Moscatel wine barriques from Portugal. This latter cask brings fruity, strawberry-like sweetness to the palate. Only 295 bottles were released, so get ourself down the high street if you’re keen on a bottle!
Preceding that release was the Wire Works Coastal Smoke. This release was finished in ex-Islay whisky casks to add an extra smoky dimension to the distillery’s lightly peated spirit. That said the smoke isn’t overwhelming, with plenty of softer flavours like vanilla cheesecake and macadamia nuts present. Bottled at 50% ABV with an RRP of £69.
