thewhiskymill

Distillery: Pittyvaich

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 52.10%

Age: 28 Year Old

Maturation: Refill American oak hogsheads

Bottle Size: 700ml

Like the 25-year-old edition, this malt comes from long guarded casks that were only very recently bottled, taking it up to 28-Year-Old territory, and it’s even better for it. Whiskies like this one are usually held within certain circles and not put out into the public domain. So not only is this whisky wonderfully vibrant in its overall flavour, it’s a chance to get your hands on a bottle of whisky usually reserved for millionaires, diplomats and royalty.   

Flavour Profile: Nose

The nose is met with eager, fresh barley, baked apple, ginger cake & green banana, too. A subtle turn follows, winding into vanilla & custard territory & then emerges into a burst of tart fruit flavours.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Energetic & zesty, the palate experiences orange juice & hot cinnamon first. Baked apple, almond & coconut continue the journey to a sharp, menthol closure.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Delicate & gentle. There is a distant wisp of smoke & white pepper leading to a slowly drying but long & enduring finish.

Distillery: Inchgower

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 55.3%

Age: 27 Year Old

Maturation: Refil American oak hogsheads

Availability: 8,544 bottles released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

As well as producing whisky for various blending houses, Inchgower are pretty astute at making single malts bottled under their own name. Take this 27-Year-Old bottle, made available in 2018 as part of Diageo’s Special Release series. It’s a phenomenal expression, matured in American oak casks and bottled at cask strength. The palate has plenty of character, with a wealth of notes including oak, apples and nutmeg. A truly unique offering.

Flavour Profile: Nose

Dry and flavoursome overall, the tasting is reminiscent of a dusty barn, filled with barrels of fresh, ripe fruit, sawdust and hay. Notes of walnuts, burnt toffee and vanilla enter too with a surprising tone of sweet melon at the finish.

Flavour Profile: Palate

A surprisingly sweet start of fruit compote soon gives way to a cooler, pricklier experience. Dry and crisp developing into a pithier, charred bitterness with an undercurrent of dark chocolate and at points grapeskin acidity.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Dry and crisp developing into a pithier, charred bitterness with an undercurrent of dark chocolate and at points grapeskin acidity.

. Hearty and comforting and rich in promise.

Distillery: Glenkinchie

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Lowland

Strength: 57.2%

Age: 24 Year Old

Maturation: Refill European Oak Butts

Availability: 5,298 bottles released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

As a Lowland whisky distillery, Glenkinchie often punches well above its weight. In 2016 they bottled this 24-Year-Old single malt as part of Diageo’s Special Release series, their oldest ever cask strength. It has a fruity, sherry palate thanks to the barrels used in maturation and a beautiful medium, peppery oak finish. 

Flavour Profile: Nose

Mouthwatering notes of granny smith apple ahead of dried apricot & honeycomb.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Opening with sweet white chocolate, the palate reveals nashi pear, grassy malt & slowly travels through oaked & earthy spices.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Long & warm. Christmas spices & chopped wood with rich cocoa tannins round off with the slightest hints of burnt butter & a final bittersweetness.

Distillery: Auchroisk

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 51.20%

Age: 25 Year Old

Maturation: Refill American Oak hogsheads & refill European oak butts

Availability: 3,954 bottles released

Bottle Size: 700ml 

A relatively young distillery (est. 1971), Auchroisk has proven it can mix it with the “auld” boys. The fantastic 25-Year-Old, which appeared in Diageo’s 2016 Special Release series, is a prime example of this fact. It has a fresher, more fruity taste thanks to the sherry casks used in the maturation process, and has a zesty, floral finish. 

Flavour Profile: Nose

Commencing as a light and precise experience, this soon deepens to evoke damp wood, forest fruit, almond oil and gentle spices.

Flavour Profile: Palate

An abundance of creamy toffee alongside vanilla, nutmeg and distant pear drops begins the adventure, soon progressing to heavier spices and a drier nuttiness with a pleasing chewy texture.

Flavour Profile: Finish

The finish is sustained and succulent with ginger sponge cake, liquorice and pistachio covered dark chocolate.

Distillery: Talisker

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Island

Strength: 50.70%

Age: 41 Year Old

Maturation: Refill American oak, Finished In Manzanilla casks

Availability: 2000 bottles released globally,  1 available at The Whisky Mill

Bottle Size: 700ml

The second release of the Talisker Bodega series, this outstanding whisky clearly displays Talisker's maritime heritage whilst elegant fruit notes are enhanced by second maturation in 100 year old Manzanilla sherry casks from Delgado Zuleta, one of Jerez’s oldest sherry producers.

Flavour Profile: Nose

Cautious, with slight prickle at first, then sweet, smoky-peat wafts of treacle toffee, smoke with iodine. Rich, sweet fruit. Ripe figs. Raisins. Fire and brimstone. 

Flavour Profile: Palate

Great to drink at natural strength, the taste seamlessly moves from sweetness through saltiness to pepper and finally, smoke The mouth-filling texture is rich and smooth beginning with the sweetness of soft-fudge, then a balancing saltiness gradually yields to a peppery heat. The expected chilli-pepper kick at the back is gloriously unmuted. 

Flavour Profile: Finish

Long, hot, smoky, and delicious, with mouth-cooling Sichuan pepper in the aftertaste amid lingering threads of peat smoke

Distillery: The Cally

Whisky Type: Single Grain

Region: Scotland

Strength: 53.3%

Age: 40 Year Old

Maturation: Not Specified

Availability: 5,060 released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

This Cally 40-Year-Old is only the second-ever single grain whisky to make it into a Special Series. Distilled in 1974, in the now-defunct Caledonian distillery near Edinburgh, it is one of the oldest whiskies on the market and will quite literally never be repeated. Not only does it tick every box in the nose, texture and finish, but its rarity means that you’re taking home the whisky equivalent of pure gold.  

Flavour Profile: Nose

Full of classic grain whisky character The Cally opens with freshly varnished wood & polish. Soon after comes some maturity, lighter notes pepper & spice with a beautiful salted caramel richness.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Warming & intense. Thick toffee & burnt sugar up front with sea salt & butter baked apples. Raisin turns into fruitcake as it develops in the glass, with bitter caramel, oak, dates & cinnamon.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Creamy vanilla does take centre stage but if you look for it you'll find lots of spice, cinnamon & allspice, becoming lighter & fading through nutmeg to a nicely sour end.

Distillery: Teaninich

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Coastal Highland

Strength: 55.90%

Age: 17 Year Old

Maturation: Refill American oak hogsheads.

Bottle Size: 700ml

This 17 Year Old Special Release from the east coast highland distillery, Teaninich, has received widespread praise from whisky specialists the world over. Matured in oak hogsheads and sherry butts the palate is particularly zesty, with a sweet, gentle oak finish, perfect as an aperitif with those whose conversation you savour.    

Flavour Profile: Nose

Opening with citrus fruits the palate is friendly & approachable. There's a spicier edge in the shadows, speaking of cinnamon & nutmeg, which opens the door for the late entrance of almond & vanilla.

Flavour Profile: Palate

The initial buzz of citrus is swept away with a prickle of spice & lemon cake. A sharper oak takes shape giving weight to a hint of wine gum & ripened fruit.

Flavour Profile: Finish

A long, warming finish that reflects stewed peach, spicy oakwood, a pinch of white pepper and leaves a delectable brown sugar sweetness.

Distillery: Pittyvaich

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 49.9%

Age: 25 Year Old

Maturation: Matured in refill American oak hogsheads & ex-bourbon barrels

Availability: 5,999 bottles released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

Established in 1975 and closed in 1993, the product of this short-lived Speyside distillery is rarely seen as a Single Malt Scotch Whisky and this bottling has lived longer than the distillery itself. The refill American Oak hogsheads and first fill ex-bourbon barrels create a complex, attractive and slender whisky, ideal for after-dinner contemplation.

Flavour Profile: Nose

Fragrant cereal and an essence of violet petals begin the sweet aromatic journey. There's a syrupy, yet creamy and mild peppery nature which steps back to reveal a high sharp note.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Intertwined with fruit skins, florals and malt, the palate embraces a heavy and rich natural waxiness at the end.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Light oak notes overlay white and dark chocolate tones for the tempered finish.

Distillery: Linkwood

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 50.3%

Age: 37 Year Old

Maturation: Refill American oak hogsheads & Refill European oak butts

Availability: 6,114 bottles released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

The Speyside distillery, Linkwood might be better known for their Old Peculiar and Cask strength selections. But in 2016 a special release came along that blew whisky specialists away. This 37-Year-Old bottle is an elegant, well-matured dram that is an absolute joy to savour. It has been matured both American hogshead cask and European oak butts to create a smooth, chocolaty effect on the palate.  

Flavour Profile: Nose

It is a gentle unveiling of aromas. Fresh fruit & a handful of malted barley begins, before the entrance of soft vanilla & white rose.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Deliciously sweet & enticing like warm cinnamon doughnuts, developing into rich berry & an appetising dryness of black tea, ginger & clove.

Flavour Profile: Finish

Comforting, long & warming, flavours of spiced chai emerge leaving the palate with an outro of late tannins.

Distillery: Glen Elgin

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 54.8%

Age: 18 Year Old

Maturation: From two batches, one using pombe yeast in ex-bodega casks & the other using the more conventional cerevisiae yeast in refill European oak butts.

Availability: 5,352 bottles released globally, 1 available at The Whisky Mill

Bottle Size: 700ml

Producing whisky in a Speyside distillery comes with a lot of expectation. Good thing is the team at Glen Elgin know just how to handle it - by producing amazing single malts like this 18-Year-Old bottle (1998). It’s unique in that it is made from two different yeasts, before being distilled in both sherry and European oak casks, an experimental process that has paid off in spades.

Flavour Profile: Nose

Inherently interesting, the opening is mild, sweet & rich, perhaps from the Pombe yeast. A tone of Greek yoghurt & honey ensues with delicious notes of violet & blackcurrant.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Still creamy & somewhat honeyed, a burst of sweetness prevails. Honeycomb, fresh apple & brown sugar characterise the mid palate as spice builds with a succulent array of clove, cinnamon & orange peel.

Flavour Profile: Finish

A medium length finish encompasses crunchy nut brittle & a dry anise laden spice. Wafts of wet campfire & dried apple dissipate into a lingering sweet oak conclusion.

Distillery: Cragganmore

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Speyside

Strength: 55.70%

Age: Non Age Statement

Maturation: Refill and Rejuvenated American oak hogsheads, Ex Bodega European oak

Bottle Size: 700ml

Known for their unique tastes and master distillers, Cragganmore are one of the big hitters in Speyside’s rich and vibrant whisky industry. This cask strength vintage 2016 bottle was distilled in 1985. It’s incredibly rare, and presented in a signature rounded bottle unusually different to other scotches.

Flavour Profile: Nose

Softly fresh, with traces of beeswax then orange zest and fruit salad on a malty base. With time, a beautifully balancing spicy and acidity appears. Much later, it's clean and dry, with dried herbs and a marzipan sweetness.

Flavour Profile: Palate

In the mouth there's a smooth, rich texture with a sweet start, intense and fragrant. Soon, it becomes cedar-dry and aromatic.

Flavour Profile: Finish

The finish is long, warming and cleansing, growing charred, rounded and drying.

Distillery: Clynelish

Whisky Type: Single Malt

Region: Highland

Strength: 46%

Age: NAS

Maturation: Ex-Bourbon American Oak, refill and Ex-Bodega European Oak Butts and Rejuvenated or refill American Oak Hogsheads

Availability: 2,946 bottles released globally

Bottle Size: 700ml

Master blender Jim Beveridge hand-selected the casks which were used for this Select Reserve, which can only mean he must have had the time of his life when selecting if he can remember any of it. It’s from the Clynelish distillery in Brora, a patch of Scotland that produces some of the most stunning single malt whiskies around. It has a thick, comforting palate with a spicy finish. Although you’re free to drink it where you like, it’s ideal for those winter months, ideally in front of a log fire in a cottage overlooking a sprawling loch! 

Flavour Profile: Nose

A complex malt that moves smoothly from waxy high notes of rich fruit through to sweet butterscotch.

Flavour Profile: Palate

Big, full, creamy and intensely sweet, full with fruit, malt and an abundance of toffee

Flavour Profile: Finish

Liquid chocolate orange and a trace of smoke and little salt on the tip of the tongue