Raasay NaSia Unpeated Ex-Rye Cask
$149.99
This cask was not merely selected by Canadian importer Gold Medal Marketing, but rather Andy bought it as a future, and patiently waited while it matured. This is unpeated Raasay, matured in an ex-Rye Whiskey cask from Woodford Reserve, the whisky has been bottled at 61.5%.
Producer Description
"These American ex-Rye Whiskey casks are from Woodford Reserve Distillery, KY where they use 53% Rye in their mash bill. The flavors emulate history's original Rye whiskies with strong, peppery, spicy flavors in a sea of fruit and butterscotch."
G&M Private Collection Glen Mhor 1982
$4,199.99
One of the lost Speyside triplets (alongside Glen Albyn and Millburn), Glen Mhor may be most recognized for being one of the component malts used to recreate the Mackinlay's Rare Old Highland Malt (you know... the Shackleton recreation from a few years back). It is a distillery that has never had the romantic draw that other lost gems like Brora, Port Ellen, or Rosebank have, but we are now 40 years past the last spirit run at Glen Mhor and the very little we ever see is now always extravantly priced and packaged. And a bottling such as this one is exactly the reason why. 93 points on Whiskyfun (one of only two or three sources we trust almost implicitly) should tell you all you need to know. With an endorsement like that, there should be a bloodbath for the few bottles we're getting. Refill Sherry Hogshead #72 yielded only 174 bottles.
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 50.8%
G&M Private Collection Benromach 1982
$2,519.99
This 39 year old Private Collection Benromach, bottled just shy of 40 years, was matured 19 years in a Sherry Cask before finishing for a further 20 years in a Burgundy Hogshead. At 60.2%, it has held its strength too. A sister cask to this bottling, also finished in Burgundy, is rocking 91pts on Whiskybase.
Independent bottlings of Benromach are extremely rare, there have been less than a dozen in the last 20 years, and a good chunk of them were by the distillery's owner Gordon & MacPhail. So why bottle a bunch of 39 year old Burgundy finished Benromachs (there appear to be at least 3) under Gordon & MacPhail? I suspect it is because these whiskies fall outside of the style the distillery is going for, and they didn't want to confuse these with the recent 40 year old releases, which have a more traditional style.
Nc'nean Organic Single Malt Scotch
$97.99
Nc'nean is one of the most fascinating distilleries going. Net zero carbon emission, entirely organic, socially aware, and now with legit 'of age' whisky. This core range single malt was matured in a mix of red wine, Oloroso sherry, and ex-American whiskey casks (we assume that means not ex-Bourbon, but don't quote us).
Natural colour, non-chill filtered, and bottled at 46% abv.
G&M CC Tomatin 1988
$1,149.99
This 1988 vintage Tomatin was bottled at 56.6% after maturing 32 years in a Refill American Oak Hogshead.
G&M Private Collection Glenburgie 1983
$2,349.99
At 38 years this is one of the oldest bottlings of Glenburgie we've ever seen. Distilled in 1983 and filled into a Refill American Oak Hogshead, the whisky has been bottled at 45.2%. I smell a future tasting coming!
Shinobu Newborn Japanese Single Malt
$119.99
This is bonafide, distilled in Japan, single malt... but is it whisky? Perhaps not yet... but it is getting closer. 50%
Producer Description
"Shinobu Single Malt Newborn Whisky" was born from the master distiller Ken Usami's artisanal beer-making skills and passion accumulated over 30 years. The whisky is made by manipulating Niigata's natural resources, known as the "three white treasures", consisting of snow, rice, and sake. It is also using the rare Japanese oak (mizunara) and malt. Aged for over a year in mizunara and first-fill bourbon barrels and blended by hand. It creates a unique purity and aroma, with a clear and robust body."
Boutique-y 8 Year Islay Single Malt
$70.99
Part of the new Boutique-y Core Range, bottled at 45.8% in a 700ml bottle too!
Producer Description
"Embark on a smoky and captivating journey with our young buck, on the 8 Year Old Islay single malt. This expression encapsulates the island's untamed spirit (I know). With every sip, wisps of peat smoke envelop the senses, reminiscent of bonfires on a cool coastal evening. From a marriage of refill casks, both ex-Bourbon hogsheads and ex-Sherry octaves. A small batch release of circa 1,000 litres each time Non chill-filtered, and natural cask matured colour."
About the Label
"Our label design settled for just the one deer, starting with a young buck, getting older, and more dignified, as the whiskies aged, finishing with the dominant stag who has been through some scapes in his life; older, wiser, and looks a little pissed with everything! Our Islay 8 Year Old starts the deer’s journey through life, with a young,fresh faced, innocent, buck, eager to please.
"We love the expressions onhis face. Boutique-y Whisky artist, Emily Chappell, has captured our brief so perfectly, and has injected her magic into it, as usual. The colours of the labels reflect the colour palette of the Aurora Borealis, while the ‘wave pattern’ across all of the labels symbolises the way the Aurora Borealis is always moving in the sky, if you’ve been lucky enough to see it."
Torabhaig Allt Gleann Single Malt
$104.99
Allt Gleann is the second release from Torabhaig Distillery on the Isle of Skye, and the first whisky from this distillery to find its way to Canada. It was produced from peated Laureate and Concerto Barly, fermented with Saspirit M-1 & Pinnacle MG+ yeasts, and matured in a mix of 80% first fill and 20% refill casks before bottling at 46%. The barley was peated to 77ppm with highland peat, with just 17ppm in the resulting spirit. The distillery's tag line is that their whiskies exhibit "well-tempered peat!" 89pts Whisky Fun!
Producer Description
"Our second release in The Legacy Series, Allt Gleann is named after one of two burns that feed the distillery. An evolution on the 2017 inaugural release, Allt Gleann introduces Laureate malted barley alongside Concerto, Safspirit M-1 yeast alongside Pinnacle MG+, and re-fill whisky barrels in maturation alongside first-fill bourbon barrels. There is a little more peat and added complexity compared to the 2017 inaugural release, elegantly showcasing the evolution of our spirit."