Bladnoch 13 Years (2024)

The Swiss from Freespirited have proclaimed the "Cheers Revolution" with their 0.0% Malt Blend, an initiative for alcohol-free alternatives to popular spirits, ideal for festive occasions when the desire for alcohol is lacking. This cutting-edge concept pursues absolute individual freedom in beverage selection. The noble aim of creating an alcohol-free option for "whisky-based long drinks" is intriguing, even though it's not a whisky but rather an innovative alternative with malt distillate.

With its Huntress Series, the sustainable Highland distillery Nc'Nean keeps putting a single building block of its production into the spotlight. For the Malted Teacake it's the yeast – a strain borrowed from brewing Belgian-style malty ales that gives this whisky its buttery, malty signature. Maturation from 2017 to 2022 in STR Red Wine, Bourbon and Oloroso casks, bottled in January 2026 at 48.5 % ABV.

What a find! From the Steinhauser distillery on the shores of Lake Constance comes this single cask bottling that spent five years in a cognac cask – and clearly thrived in it. Cask no. 910 delivers a single malt at 58% ABV that instantly lifts the spirits with its blend of power and elegance.

Rum meets smoke – sounds like a Caribbean bonfire, but it's actually the latest creation from Rüdenau. For the Signature Edition Seventeen, St. Kilian matured their spirit in Jamaican, Mexican, and Barbadian rum casks as well as rhum agricole casks, letting the peat smoke tag along for the ride. The result? A single malt that acts like it just returned from a beach holiday – sunglasses on, incense stick in the luggage.