Compass Box Spice Tree

Let's forget the marketing blah-blah from Diageo for a moment - Mortlach is actually a damn good distillery. The unusual 2.81-fold distillation usually turns boring Speyside fare into complex, meaty whiskies. The "Beast of Dufftown" deserves respect. But with the Midnight Dusk, someone obviously forgot to pass this memo on.

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.

Ledaig is the smoky twin of the Tobermory distillery on the Isle of Mull – long a hot tip for anyone after peated whisky away from Islay. This release comes from independent bottler James Eadie's "Distilleries of Great Britain & Ireland Commemorative" series: distilled in 2020, bottled in October 2025, so just five years young, matured in one refill barrel and two refill hogsheads. Bottled at 52.6 % ABV cask strength and limited to 1,015 bottles. The second review by our tasters Florian and Lucas.

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.