Value for Money Winners

The Highland malt AnCnoc is produced by the Knockdhu distillery. Supposedly they do not bottle under their own name to avoid confusion with Knockando. Today we have the 12 years and youngest bottling of the core range in the glass.

Since 2015, The Hielan 8 Years has been the entry into the standard range of single malt whiskies from the Glendronach distillery. By the way: Hielan is a Scottish word that refers to the mountainous part of Scotland that lies to the north and west of a line that runs roughly from Dumbarton via Ballater and from there to Nairn.

You hear a lot of good things about distilleries from the Scottish coastal town of Campbeltown in recent years. It's hard to have a conversation about Glen Scotia without someone steering the topic towards Springbank, which everyone agrees is better in every way. Is that really true?Double Cask is an NAS Scotch with Glen Scotia single malt matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and aged for up to a year in Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks. Up to one year - a wild time specification.

Since 1991, the Rare Breed has been part of the core range of the Wild Turkey distillery. The Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a blend of 6, 8 and 12 years whiskeys, and gets bottled uncut.The mashbill contains 75% corn, 13% rye and 12% malted barley - which leads us to expect a sweetish, slightly spicy whiskey. Like all bourbons, the Wild Turkey must also mature in a new, freshly burned out Virgin Oak barrel. The barrel was burned out to Char 4 level, also called Alligator Char. Char 4 is the highest char level.

Bunnahabhain Stiuireadair was created as a tribute to the sea and sailors, because without the sea and without a ship it is almost impossible to get from the island to the mainland. So we expect something very maritime.As the first NAS (No Age Statement) Whisky from Bunnahabhain, the Stiuireadair was chosen as the entry point. Matured in first- and second-fill sherry casks, we would not be surprised if there was a strong resemblance to the Bunnahabhain 12 Years.

Everyone knows it or has at least seen it in the spirits section of a well-stocked supermarket. Regular offers invite you to buy the Talisker 10 and we like to buy it and contribute to it being the best-selling whisky of the Talisker distillery.On the bottle in the new design, the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland can be found in overdramatic images. The look runs like a red leitmotif through the other bottlings of the distillery, such as the magnificent Talisker 18 Years.

Arran Distillery was established on the Isle of Arran in the mid 90's. Some of the casks were stored at Springbank until the recent expansion of the warehouses. The casks are now on site and a second distillery (Lagg) has been built. Today we taste the 10 years Core Range bottling.

Under the name Bulleit Diageo distributes a bourbon brand whose exact origin was unclear for a long time. With the 10-years bottling they offer one of the few core range Bourbons with an age statement.Until 2013, Bulleit was (allegedly) distilled by Four Roses for Diageo. Then in 2017, a Bulleit distillery was built in Kentucky. In between, there was also a Bulleit visitor center at the former Stitzel-Weller Distiller. What is no secret is the recipe for Bulleit: 68% corn, 28% rye and 4% malted barley.

With Wilder Seas, Talisker has released a special limited bottling that not only impresses with its maritime character, but also with its sustainable mission. In collaboration with Parley for the Oceans, the sale of this edition is intended to help protect over 100 million square metres of marine space.

The building was originally a cotton mill before it was converted into a distillery in 1965. Today, whisky flows here instead of lengths of cloth - and around 15% of the production ends up in our glasses as single malt.

The Readbreast 12 from the Midleton distillery in County Cork in Ireland is a single pot still. This means that not only malted but also a proportion of unmalted barley is used in the mash. Malting barley produces enzymes that enable the yeast cultures to convert sugar into alcohol.Like all the other whiskeys in the Redbreast series, the 12 years was also triple distilled in copper stills. The Single Pot Still was matured in Spanish sherry casks and American bourbon barrels.

In recent years, the small distillery in the north-west of Scotland's Speyside has gained more and more popularity. The Benromach 10 offers a good and affordable entry.Benromach, now part of the independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, is committed to traditional craftsmanship. They believe that making whisky by hand guarantees real character. Benromach only uses first-fill casks for their whiskies: for the 10-years, 80% are bourbon barrels and 20% Spanish sherry casks. The pleasantly simple and uncluttered packaging and bottle design runs through all age groups.

Islay? Obviously peated Single Malt. At least that was the expectation when we first heard about Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie. It turned out to be just the opposite. After we had entered the batch code of the bottle on the Bruichladdich homepage - thanks to transparency - we received a list of detailed information about the casks used, the barley processed and the year of bottling. Even though the whisky comes without an age statement, this can be roughly calculated.

Springbank has been the talk of the town in recent years. Now that prices have slowly normalised, one could almost dare to buy a bottle of the 10 years or even reach for the cask strength? However, if you want to get to grips with the Campbeltown region, there is - alongside Glen Scotia - the Campbeltown Loch Blended Malt, which is released almost every year. Today we have the 2023 version in our glass.

When it comes to honest, unadulterated whiskies, the Wolfburn Langskip is a real insider tip at a very good price. The still young Wolfburn distillery, based in the far north of Scotland near Thurso, brings a statement to the glass with this strong representative that experienced connoisseurs in particular will appreciate: blunt, direct, sweet - and full of character.

The Midleton distillery's 12-years Redbreast bottling is bottled annually in cask strength batches in addition to the 40% strength bottling. The cask strength bottling is also triple distilled in copper pot stills and matured in a combination of bourbon matured American oak casks and oloroso sherry matured Spanish oak casks before being bottled with no added colouring and non-chill filtered. Did you know? The robin is one of the few small birds that also winters in Ireland. The bird species is the eponym for this Irish whiskey.

The single malt whisky Lagavulin 16 Years is the best-selling bottling of the Islay distillery. Every now and then, there are even supply bottlenecks, which is rather unusual for a classic malt. Is the Scotch really that good?We can no longer count how many bottles it is now. It may even be the 6th or 7th. We often hear that Lagavulin 16 has lost some of its quality. We absolutely do not see it that way. We have had at least consistent quality over the last 12 or 13 years. But perhaps the competition has become stronger, so that the Islay malt no longer stands out so much?

The independent bottler Adelphi has been a staple of high-quality whiskies for many decades. To meet the high demand, they opened the Ardnamurchan Distillery in 2014, returning to their roots as distillers. Recently, a Blended Malt has found its way into Adelphi's portfolio with Maclean's Nose. With a malt content of 70%, and bottled following Adelphi's classic philosophy of no added coloring or chill filtration, "the Nose" aims to impress.

If whisky bottles could talk, the Royal Brackla 10 years from James Eadie would probably whisper in a charming Highland accent: ‘Try me, you won't regret it!’.

The 8 years Tullibardine - # 2 in Signatory Vintage's 100 proof series - was distilled in 2015, bottled in winter 2023 and sold out within hours, as did the other 2 bottlings in the series. And rightly so? At 57.1% ABV, the alcohol content of the bottlings corresponds exactly to the minimum level at which gunpowder soaked in alcohol ignites - or 100 British proof.

The Glentauchers distillery in Speyside is one of the lesser-known but not exactly small distilleries. This is primarily because there is no visitor center, and most of the production is used in blended whiskies. Besides its own core range bottling, there are occasionally independently bottled Glentauchers malts. Today, we sampled the 11-years from the 100 Proof series by Signatory Vintage. The latter is very popular with us, and we were looking forward to this dram.

The 2022 single malt whisky, bottled by Feinkost Reifferscheid, hails from Scotland's Isle of Islay, a region renowned for its robust and smoky whiskies. As an independent bottler, Feinkost Reifferscheid has once again demonstrated its expertise with this release.

The 2023 Islay Single Malt Whisky, bottled by Feinkost Reifferscheid, is a characterful release without an age statement (No Age Statement), boasting a robust alcohol content of 56.0% ABV. As an independent bottler, Feinkost Reifferscheid has once again delivered a whisky that embodies the quintessential traits of the Isle of Islay.

Malts from three German distilleries (Swabian Alp, Black Forest, Lake Constance) were married together. Some of these were previously matured in former Islay casks and the oldest of the three components was allowed to mature for over 12 years in bourbon casks. The malt was then finished in ex-Tawny port casks.

The Deanston Distillery, located on the banks of the River Teith in the southern Highlands, is known for its unfiltered character and use of Scottish spring water. The Cask Hound has selected a special cask from the 2012 vintage and bottled it in 2024 after twelve years of maturation. The promise: pure Highland essence without compromise.

Malts of Scotland is known for its bold and characterful releases, and this one is no exception: a Craigellachie at 61.2% ABV, straight from the cask, unfiltered and untouched. After 11 years in the cask, this Speyside whisky has turned into a true sherry bomb.

So this one is going to be tough to translate. The great team at 82 Chapters in Newcastle have released some special bottles in the past. Today we have a Community Exclusive bottling with a very pun-y marketing. This 10 years single malt from the Dailuaine distillery is dedicated to their brand ambassador Phil. As such, the german texts about it (and also the bottle's label) are riddled with puns where the name Phil in inserted instead of similar sounding syllables. Let us see if we are able to get this into english, as well. The malt has been matured for 9 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, and was then finished for a year in a First Phil Moscatel cask.

Rum finishes are like the bell bottoms of the whisky world - sometimes totally trendy, sometimes highly controversial. In 2024, they are definitely in the spotlight, and the Deanston 2012/2023 11 Years from Best Dram shows why. This independent bottler has once again managed to deliver an affordable bottle that will delight novices and connoisseurs alike. But beware: rum finishes are a bit like blind dates - they can be sweet and exciting or just plain meh. This one? Clearly a fruit bomb with a wow effect.

Last month, the madmen from 82 Chapters to Newcastle released a new bottling. This time a single cask from a secret distillery in Scotland's Speyside. It's our first bottle by this independent bottler from Germany. We are beyond excited.A total of 259 bottles are the result of the first fill bourbon cask with which something naughty must have happened. Because otherwise, how would they have gotten these flavours into the Whisky? Bottled at cask strength, the Single Malt Whisky with the unicorn can also be enjoyed slightly diluted with water.

Imagine sitting on the terrace on a warm summer evening, the sun low in the sky and amber-coloured gold sparkling in your glass. The Fettercairn 2006/2024 from Malts of Scotland is just the whisky to turn such moments into unforgettable experiences. This independent bottling from the Scottish Highlands is not only a delight for the senses, but also a real value-for-money wonder.

The Scottish Speyside is known for its diverse and complex whiskies, but the Craigellachie 2013/2024 Margaux Cask sets new standards. This exclusive bottling from the independent bottler Berry Bros & Rudd combines the striking characteristics of the Craigellachie Distillery with the sophistication of a Margaux cask.

The North British 1991, a 31-years single grain whisky from the famous Lowland region of Scotland, is a highlight for lovers of matured whiskies. Bottled by the independent bottler Hogshead Imports at 46.7% vol., this whisky presents an exciting journey through intense aromas and layers of flavour. But does it live up to the promise of its impressive age?