The archive

In 1846, Glasgow distillery owner Hector Henderson picked a little bay on the Sound of Islay for his distillery site. He named it for the sound itself, using the Gaelic Caol Ila, and it was across this sound the little puffer ships made their round trips to the mainland – slowly helping to establish the distillery as the biggest on Islay.

Distilled on Islay on the 31st of May 2011 as a full-bodied peaty spirit, this single malt was matured in bourbon cask #313406 for 8 years and finished in a hand-selected ex-Amarone wine cask from Veneta Botti, Veneto. Bottled on the 23rd of July 2019 at cask strength.

This cask yielded 293 bottles and is a rare Islay single malt whisky.

On the palate, experience mossy notes with hints of pineapple and brown sugar.

Enjoy a dram on us! With every bottle purchased, receive a complimentary 2cl sample, selected at random from our current stock.

REVIEW by Felipe Schrieberg on Forbes.com

Description: This Edinburgh independent bottler has been experimenting with kookier maturation lately. Here, this single cask Caol Ila has been finished in an Amarone wine cask finish. 

Nose: I’m going to enjoy this. Steak, fried mushrooms, and mangoes. The complex sweetness and the smoke is thick and promising. 

Taste: Many disparate elements join harmoniously after introducing themselves. Caol Ila’s gentle smoke is not overpowered by the wine element and vice versa, and is brought together by lovely saltiness that is also overlaid with papaya and maraschino cherries.

Overall: A tasteful fruity and smoky slap to the face. This is exactly the kind of whisky I love best. 

Score: 9/10

Blair Athol was founded on the moorland south of Pitlochry in 1798 and is know for its floral and fruity spirit. An ancient source of water, the Allt Dour (Gaelic for “the burn of the otter”), flows through the grounds of the distillery from the slopes of Ben Vrackie in the foothills of the Grampian mountains.

This Highland single malt was distilled on the 5th of December 2005 and bottled on the 24th of July 2019 at cask strength.

Matured in bourbon cask #3657A, this 13 year old was then finished in an ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry octave, hand selected from Tanoaria Josafer, Portugal.

This octave yielded only 65 bottles and is a rare Highland single malt whisky.

On the palate, expect apricot, star anise and raisin flavours.

Enjoy a dram on us! With every bottle purchased, receive a complimentary 2cl sample, selected at random from our current stock.

Glenlossie Distillery was founded in 1876 near Elgin in Speyside, with its own platform at the Elgin-Perth railway. The distillery is well-known for producing a light and delicate spirit with fruity sweetness, using water from the Bardon Burn for production. 

This bottle of Glenlossie Vintage 2010 whisky was distilled on the 8th of October 2010 and bottled on the 11th of April 2019 after 8 years maturation.

This eight year old Bourbon-matured spirit was finished in the finest first-fill ex-Tawny Port cask.

Our Port Casks are sourced direct from a family-owned bodega near Porto in Portugal. Tawny Port is Port matured for a longer period in the cask, giving more toffee flavours than a Ruby Port whisky.

On the palate, expect flavours of honeycomb, tobacco and red fruits.

For generations this little-known Speyside distillery has lent its distinctive flavour to one of the world’s most famous blends. Fortunately for all Scotch lovers, today Glen Elgin whisky’s honey-sweet character is available to sample in its own right. Founded in Fogwatt, Speyside by bankers in 1898, Glen Elgin produces an exceptionally fruity spirit with sweet and malty notes. 

This 11 year old Bourbon matured spirit was finished in the finest first-fill ex-Tawny Port casks.

Cask #800180 was distilled on the 9th of January 2008 and bottled on the 11th of April 2019 for an 11 year maturation and yielded 252 bottles.

Our Port Casks are sourced direct from a family-owned bodega near Porto in Portugal. Tawny Port is Port matured for a longer period in the cask, giving more toffee flavours than a Ruby Port whisky.

On the palate, expect flavours of toffee, walnut and figs.

Bronze Medal - 2019 Independent Bottlers Challenge

Glenlossie Distillery was founded in 1876 near Elgin in Speyside, with its own platform at the Elgin-Perth railway. The distillery is well-known for producing a light and delicate spirit with fruity sweetness, using water from the Bardon Burn for production. 

This ruby port finish single malt Speyside whisky was distilled on the 8th of October 2010 and bottled on the 10th of April 2019 at cask strength at the distillery.

Matured in Bourbon cask #8645, this eight year old Bourbon matured spirit was then finished in the finest first-fill ex-Ruby Port cask for over 6 months.  

Our Ruby Port cask was sourced from a family-owned bodega near Porto in Portugal. Ruby Port casks typically bring fresh, sweet red fruit flavours to the spirit.

This cask yielded 287 bottles and is a rare Speyside single malt whisky.

On the palate, expect nutty, fudge treacle and dried fig flavours.

Enjoy a dram on us! With every bottle purchased, receive a complimentary 2cl sample, selected at random from our current stock.

The Deanston distillery buildings date back to 1785 when it was a working cotton mill driven by the waters of the River Teith. In 1966, the buildings were converted into a distillery with a plentiful supply of water from the river that flows from feeder streams high in the Trossachs, through granite and peat beds, and is considered one of the purest rivers in Scotland. This Highland region is known for producing a medium body and sweetness with malty notes. 

This rare single malt Highland whisky was distilled on the 7th of June 2000 and bottled the 10th of April 2019. Matured in Bourbon cask #1858 and finished in Pedro Ximenez octave #1858A for 3 months. For this second batch, 50 litres were taken from the Bourbon barrel to be finished in an intense Pedro Ximenez sherry octave for over 4 months.

Our Pedro Ximenez octaves are sourced from a family-owned bodgega near Porto in Portugal. Pedro Ximenez is a very intense sweet, dark sherry. Octaves are small 50 litre oak casks that provide great levels of oak to spirit contact.

On the palate, expect flavours of raisins, dark chocolate and fig.

This single malt whisky was distilled on the 24th of September 2007 and bottled on the 10th of April 2019. 50 litres were taken from Bourbon Hogshead cask #6833 to be finished in an intense Pedro Ximenez sherry octave #6833A for 3 months. This is the second and final batch of this particular release. A unique whisky, as only 60 bottles were yielded from this octave.

Our Pedro Ximenez octaves are sourced from a family-owned bodgega near Porto in Portugal. Pedro Ximenez is a very intense sweet, dark sherry. Octaves are small 50 litre oak casks that provide great levels of oak to spirit contact.

On the palate, expect flavours of hazelnut, dark toffee and butterscotch.

Since 1897, single Malt whisky has been distilled at Glen Moray on the banks of the River Lossie, just outside Elgin, one of Scotland’s oldest towns. In its lifetime, the Speyside distillery has known only 5 distillery managers. Glen Moray is well-known for producing spirit with a light body and sweetness with spicy fruit and honey notes. With only 62 bottles, this is an extremely rare single malt whisky.

Distilled on the 1st of July 2008 and bottled the 10th of April 2019. 50 litres were taken from Bourbon hogshead barrel #5585 to be finished in a Pedro Ximenez sherry octave for 3 months. This was the 2nd batch from cask #5585A which was finished in the same octave.

Our Pedro Ximenez octaves are sourced from a family-owned bodgega near Porto in Portugal. Pedro Ximenez is a very intense sweet, dark sherry. Octaves are small 50 litre oak casks that provide great levels of oak to spirit contact.

On the palate, expect hints of pear drops, melon, cloves and tea.

Enjoy a dram on us! With every bottle purchased, receive a complimentary 2cl sample, selected at random from our current stock.

Named after a local burn, Linkwood is an active distillery located in Elgin, within the Speyside region. The distillery was officially founded in 1825, but its roots date back to 1821 when it would have been an illicit distillery.

Linkwood is synonymous with well-balanced distillates of medium body and sweetness encompassing fruity, floral, honey, malt and spice notes, making it a great example of a Speyside whisky.

This cask release is a Bourbon Hogshead #87. Distilled on the 13th of July 2006 and finished in a Pedro Ximenez Sherry Octave for 3 months. This was the second batch from cask #87 to be finished in the same octave. 

The octave yielded only 63 bottles because we took approximately 50 litres from the original Bourbon cask #87 to be finished in an intense Pedro Ximenez sherry octave. 

Our Pedro Ximenez octaves are sourced from a family-owned bodgega near Porto in Portugal. Pedro Ximenez is a very intense sweet, dark sherry. Octaves are small 50 litre oak casks that provide great levels of oak to spirit contact.

On the palate, expect hints of milk chocolate, butterscotch and banana.

Enjoy a dram on us! With every bottle purchased, receive a complimentary 2cl sample, selected at random from our current stock.