Smokehead Rum Rebel Islay Single Malt
$93.99
Rumoured to hail from Ardbeg Distillery, this whisky is bottled at 46% after finishing (presumably) in Rum casks. Lots of mystery here!
Oban Distillers Edition 2021
$159.99
Distilled in 2007, this Oban single malt was bottled in 2021 after finishing in ex-bodega Montilla Fino casks. This is the first time we've seen a Distillers Edition bottling, the year it was actually distilled.
Producer Description
"2007 Oban double-matured in ex-bodega Montilla Fino cask wood for a rich fruitiness and maritime flavours that bond with the fresh, sweet aromas and tastes of the regular release in an explosive, rich and deep expression of Oban. Part of our 2021 Distillers Edition range. Limited quantities worldwide."
Laphroaig 25 Year Old 48.9%
$679.99
Laphroaig 25 is always one of the year's highlight releases. The flavour profile tends to shift a bit year to year, but there's simply no debating the fact that the quality remains uniformly sky-high. But what else would you expect? This is Laphroaig, after all. The 2017 edition was matured in a mix of second-fill Oloroso sherry and Ex-Bourbon barrels. Bottled at 48.9%. 90.54pts Whiskybase!
XOP Caol Ila 40 Year
$2,999.99
Distilled in 1980, this 40 year old Caol Ila matured in a Refill Hogshead before bottling at 54.6%.
Producer Description
"This XOP Single Cask Single Malt from Caol Ila Distillery has spent 40 long years maturing in a Refill Hogshead. It was distilled in September 1980 and bottled in June 2021. Bottled at a natural Cask Strength of 54.6%, only 206 bottles exist globally."
XOP Glen Grant 35 Year
$1,249.99
Distilled in 1985, this 35 year odl Glen Grant was matured in a Refill Hogshead before bottling at 55.5%.
XOP Craigellachie 25 Year
$1,049.99
It isn't often that we see mature casks of Craigellachie anymore. This 25 year old was distilled in 1995 and matured in a Refill Sherry Butt before bottling at 53.7%.
Producer Description
"This XOP Single Cask Single Malt from Craigellachie Distillery has spent 25 long years maturing in One Refill Sherry Butt. It was distilled in September 1995 and bottled in June 2021. Bottled at a natural Cask Strength of 53.7%, only 219 bottles exist globally."
Cadenhead Original Auchentoshan 12 Year
$147.99
An 11 year old from one of Scotland's most underrated distilleries*. As much as the term 'underrated' can be applied to a fairly mainstream brand, anyway. This one was matured in ex-Bourbon and bottled at 46% without chill-filtration or messing with its color.
*Curt's humble two cents (and worth only half that).
Cadenhead Original Glen Keith 22 Year
$334.99
Bottled at 46% after maturing 22 years in an ex-Bourbon cask under the Cadenhead Original Collection. 88.82% Whiskybase
Jura 21 Year The Tide
$259.99
From the Jura website: "Matured in American white oak ex bourbon barrels and finished in hand-selected virgin American white oak casks."
Words alone can't express how happy we are that this whisky hasn't been shuffled through half a dozen or so cask types before bottling, as is usually the way with Jura (and a few other brands under the family's umbrella). Ex-Bourbon maturation and more than two decades of slumber tell us that this saline little malt from the Isle of Jura's only distillery should be a real cracker. We also appreciate the 46.7% bottling strength.