Set 1
Set 1
Cragganmore, 12 Y
Speyside
John Smith, Scotland's most experienced distiller at the time, built the Cragganmore distillery in 1869. The spirit stills, which he designed himself, stand out because of their unusual shape. He himself designed them at the time to produce a lighter end product. The heavier alcohols condense, fall back into the still and do not end up in the final product. This explains the enormous complexity of the Cragganmore malt. Whisky journalists Michael Jackson and Dave Broom both chose Cragganmore as their big favorite in this price range.
40% Vol.
Cardhu - Gold Reserve
Speyside
Cardhu comes from one of the oldest of the Speyside distilleries, which have nestled in foothills near the River Spey for 200 years. The Cardhu Master Blender has carefully selected casks to create a mouth-wateringly sweet malt whisky with a quietly spicy finish. Gold Reserve is fruitier and warmer than the classic 12 year old, its initial sweetness is cut by crisp orange zest followed by a subtle mineral dryness. Cardhu Gold Reserve is a great choice as a sweeter aperitif.
40% Vol.
Glenkinchie, 12 Y
Lowland
The distillery was once named Kinchie, but is known as Glenkinchie since 1837, and is situated not far from Edinburgh – resulting in the nickname “The Edinburgh Malt.” Whisky from the Lowland region is known for its light and floral character. After comprehensive testing, the Classic Malts distillers unanimously decided that 2 years of extra aging in American oak gives Glenkinchie a richer profile, without losing its essential Lowland character. This Scotch single malt is also used in many Johnnie Walker whiskies.
43% Vol.
Dalwhinnie, 15 Y
Highland
Located 326 metres above sea level, the Dalwhinnie distillery is Scotland's highest distillery. In 1897 the distillery was built under the name Strathspey and in 1905 the name changed to Dalwhinnie. Due to its location, it used to be a resting place for cattle traders. The distillery has undergone little change in the more than 100 years of its existence. Dalwhinnie speaks of "The Gentle Spirit" when one talks about the malt. This 15-year-old Single Malt matured in Bourbon barrels.
43% Vol.
Talisker, 10 Y
Isle of Skye
Talisker, founded in 1830, is the only distillery on the island of Skye and was founded by the brothers Hugh and Kenneth MacAskill. Although there are occasional slight shifts in emphasis, the connection between peat smoke, maritime influences, sweetness and white pepper remains a golden combination. Since the introduction of the Classic Malts in 1988, Talisker has rightly been a favourite of many, who appreciate this explosive and complex character. For them, this whisky is also known as "The golden spirit of Skye".
45.8% Vol.
Clynelish, 14 Y
Highland
In the north of Scotland, not far from the small town of Brora and coast of the North Sea, stands Clynelish distillery. It was built in 1968 and stands right next to the former Brora distillery – which closed in 1983, but was founded from 1819. Clynelish matures in bourbon casks and is mainly used for blended whiskies. This Scotch single malt is a signature component of Johnnie Walker, 18 Y Gold Label. Only a few percent of production is released as single malt: a robust Highland whisky with a subtle smokiness.
46% Vol.
Set 2
Set 2
Singleton, 12 Y
Speyside
Over half of Scotland’s malt whisky distilleries are found on Speyside, and Dufftown distillery is at the centre of this fertile region, caught between mountains, rivers and sea. It’s situated in the burgh of Dufftown, which has been dubbed the world capital of malt whisky. The unmistakable taste of The Singleton comes from a selection of European oak and American oak casks. It is a rich, smooth single malt and a perfect introduction into Scotch whisky.
40% Vol.
Caol Ila, 12 Y
Islay
Caol Ila was almost completely demolished in 1969 to make room for a newer, more modern distillery, which opened in 1974. The Caol Ila spirit ages almost exclusively in refill casks. This 12-year old Scotch single malt features a powerful flavor profile. On the nose and palate, the complex, smoky character shines. This whisky is at the heart of all Johnnie Walker blends, but also comes highly recommended for whisky drinkers that prefer the iconic Scotch single malts of Islay.
43% Vol.
Knockando, 12 Y
Speyside
The Knockando distillery (1898) is located on the river Spey. Knockandu does not bottle at a predetermined age, but only when the right maturity has been reached. The distillation date is indicated on the bottle. For the aging process, Bourbon casks and a small proportion of Sherry casks are used. The proportion of Sherry casks is limited so that they do not predominate in the taste. Only natural ingredients are used. The end result is a subtle, fruity single malt that has all the characteristics of the best Speyside malts.
43% Vol.
Oban, 14 Y
Highland
The Oban distillery is located on the west coast of Scotland in an unusual location, both on the coast and in urban areas and is one of the country's smaller distilleries and just as old as the city in which it is located. Because the distillery is sandwiched between other buildings, it has never been modernised. You don't see Oban as a single malt that often, but he has a very high reputation with Connaisseurs. The Oban, 14 Y is part of the Classic Malts by Diageo.
43% Vol.
Royal Lochnagar, 12 Y
Highland
Three years after the construction of the Lochnagar Distillery at the great location at the foot of the Cairngorms Mountains, Queen Victoria moved into the adjacent Balmoral Castle. She visited the distillery. And so it happened that the distillery was given the title of "purveyor to the court". At the end of the 19th century a large part of the whisky was used for the blend Vat 69. Royal Lochnagar was very rare until 1980 and in the 60's it was even the most expensive whisky in Scotland.
40% Vol.
Lagavulin, 8 Y
Islay
The Lagavulin distillery was founded in 1816 and is located on the southern coast of Islay, where the' Lords of the Isles' reigned centuries ago and their fortress kept out strangers. Lagavulin celebrated their 200th anniversary with this Limited Edition, inspired by the visit that Alfred Barnard made to the distillery in 1885, when he tasted a whisky which he considered to be "exceptionally fine". The whisky matured on refill barrels of American oak.
48% Vol.
Set 3
Set 3
Kavalan - Classic Single Malt
Taiwan
From the moment its first whisky was released in 2008, Kavalan has been a major success. One of the highlights in the relatively young history of this Taiwanese distillery came in 2015, when one of its whiskies was awarded the title “World’s Best Single Malt Whisky.” Due to the warmer climate in Taiwan, Kavalan’s whisky matures at a different rate than it would in Scotland. A great example is the distillery’s flagship expression, Kavalan Single Malt. Sometimes ages simply doesn’t matter.
40% Vol.
Bain's Cape Mountain - Single Grain
South Africa
Bain’s Cape Mountain Single Grain is one of the only whiskies made on the African continent. Produced at James Sedgwick Distillery in South Africa, Bain’s was first launched in 2009 and is made with 100% South African grain. It is the brainchild of Andy Watts, only the 6th master distiller since James Sedgwick was founded in 1886. Bain’s Cape Mountain Single Grain has floral, banana and toffee aromas with vanilla, cocoa butter and light spices on the palate.
40% Vol.
Black Velvet - Reserve, 10 Y
Canada
This whisky was first produced in 1951. The brand was known at the time as 'Black Label', but after the first batch was sampled by Jack Napier, it was changed to Black Velvet. The Whisky is known for its velvety smooth taste. Black Velvet has been producing the 'Reserve' since 1991; as an 8 Year Old Whisky, now it has been aged for over 10 years, made by mixing the Rye of both aged and non-aged corn after which the mixture matures for 10 years, giving it a nutty and spicy character.
40% Vol.
Vink, 5 Y - Peated Port
The Netherlands
A 5-year aged whiskey from the relatively young Dutch brand Vink Whisky. This limited edition whisky is a piece of art by distillers Arthur and Allard. The whisky is a combination of a peated barley malt distillate aged in ex-Port casks and barley malt distillate aged in ex-Bourbon barrels. Both were allowed to mature for 5 years and then married together before being non-chilled filtered and bottled.
44.7% Vol.
Mackmyra - Svensk EK
Sweden
"Why are there no whisky distilleries in Sweden?” is the sentence that inspired the idea for Swedish Whisky. In Sweden we find one of the purest waters in the world and during the long summer days the barley develops a unique sweetness; one of the cornerstones of Swedish Whisky. The Swedish oak grows slowly in the harsh climate which gives the whisky a harder taste than the American oak. The barrels are roasted heavily, giving the Whisky more character.
46.1% Vol.
Säntis Malt - Sigel
Switzerland
For a long time, distilling spirits from grain was not allowed in Switzerland. When the ban was finally lifted in 1999, the beer brewers at Brauerei Locher set out to create the first Swiss single malt whisky ever – Säntis Malt was born. The distillery has picked up all kinds of awards since. Not surprisingly, the distillery/brewery is known for using old beer casks for maturation, like it does for its Sigel expression. The result is a wonderfully hoppy whisky that highlights the grains that are at the heart this single malt whisky.
40% Vol.
Set 4
Set 4
Yamazakura
Japan
Sasanokawa Shuzo is a Japanese producer of Sake and Shochu, which has been active since 1745. Since 1946, they have been buying Whisky from various Japanese Whiskybusinesses and make a blend of them. This whisky is a blend of Grain and Single Malt, whose producer does not mention where they come from. The name of the Whisky means Yama (mountain) and zakura (cherry tree). The Yamazakura Whiskies are almost impossible to find outside Japan.
40% Vol.
Nikka - Days
Japan
Nikka Days is a beautiful blended whisky with a fresh and subtle smoky taste profile. For the blend, single malt whisky from well-known Japanese distilleries such as Miyagikyo and Yoichi was used. Nikka is a legendary whisky producer founded by Masataka Taketsuru, also known as the 'Father of Japanese Whisky'. Nikka Days is a whisky Taketsuru can be proud of!
40% Vol.
Togouchi - Single Malt
Japan
Created by master distiller Taihei Yamamoto, this single malt is a marriage from ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. It was distilled at the Sakurao distillery in the Hiroshima region, which only opened in 2018. The whisky matured in an old railway tunnel nestled in the heart of a forest, repurposed as the warehouse for Togouchi. This dark storage space maintains a cool temperature throughout the four seasons and is an important contributor to the aromas and flavor of Togouchi.
43% Vol.
Mars Maltage - Cosmo
Japan
Mars Maltago Cosmo is a blended malt, consisting of both Japanese and Scotch whisky. It’s unknown from where the Scotch whiskies are sourced, but the Japanese whisky is produced at Mars Shinshu, a distillery with a decades long history. It lies at an altitude of almost 800 meters in the Japanese Alps. During winter time, temperatures drop to 15 degrees Celsius below zero. Mars Maltage Cosmo is a fine example of how the Japanese search for ultimate balance in their whisky.
43% Vol.
Akashi - Blended
Japan
This version of Akashi is specially produced for the European market using a mixture of Japanese and foreign-made malt and grain whisky. Akashi Blended is a product of the White Oak whisky distillery in Akashi. The distillery is operational just 2 months a year, which means that the batches are available in very limited quantities. This blend has been aged for about 5.5 years in oak barrels.
40% Vol.
Nikka - Super Nikka
Japan
The Nikka Super Rare Old takes a special place in the line-up of this Japanese whisky brand. It was first created in 1962 by founder Masataka Taketsuru, not long after the death of his Scottish wife Rita, to represent his deep love for her. Without her help he could never have accomplished his dream of making genuine Japanese whisky. A large portion of the Nikka Super Rare Old consists of malt whisky produced at the iconic distilleries Yoichi and Miyagikyo.
43% Vol.
Set 5
Set 5
Proper - No. Twelve
Ireland
When it first was released, Conor McGregor’s Proper No. Twelve whiskey sold out in an instant. It is a testament to the attention to detail that was given to the MMA fighter’s whiskey, which is much more than just an attention grab. In a short period of time Proper No. Twelve has already become a staple on the Irish whiskey scene. McGregor partnered with Bushmills distillery and its former manager David Elder. Together they created a triple-distilled, ex-bourbon matured gem of a whiskey, that turned heads the world over.
40% Vol.
Irishman - The Harvest
Ireland
The Harvest, previously called Founder’s Reserve, is a blend of 70% Single Malt and 30% Single Pot Still. Single malt whisky is made from malted barley, while for single pot still a percentage of unmalted barley is also added. This may not sound like much of a difference, but it massively influences the taste of whisky. The Harvest is triple distilled and matured in ex-bourbon casks. It won a Gold Medal at The International Spirits Challenge in London, and was rated 93 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible under it's former name.
40% Vol.
Connemara - Original
Ireland
Connemara is made at Cooley, the 1987 distillery on the east coast of Cooley Peninsula, County Louth, to stop the decline of the Irish Whiskey. Connemara is an ode to the forgotten Whiskey's of Ireland, when the barley was still dried above a peat fire. Connemara is therefore smoky and is the only Irish peated Whiskey. Connemara won the most prizes of all Irish Whiskey's.
40% Vol.
Redbreast, 12 Y
Ireland
Redbreast is a Single Malt Pot Still Whiskey; the best Ireland has to offer. This Whiskey is made at Midleton and is considered to be the heart of the blended Jameson Whiskey. The very best barrels are not in Jameson's blend, but are kept separate and marketed under the name Redbreast. It is the most highly regarded Irish Whiskey worldwide; Redbreast has won many prizes and is very popular among connoisseurs.
40% Vol.
Writer’s Tears - Copper Pot
Ireland
Even though the name might suggest otherwise, no writers were harmed in the making of this whiskey. Instead, the name Writer’s Tears draws inspiration from the many great Irish novelists, poets and playwrights from the 19th century. Writer’s Tears is a brand owned by the Irish Walsh Whiskey Distillery, but the whiskey is likely produced elsewhere. This Copper Pot expression is a marriage of Irish single pot still and Irish single malt whiskey. It’s triple distilled, non-peated and matured in charred American oak bourbon casks.
40% Vol.
Roe & Co - Traditional Irish Whiskey
Ireland
Roe & Co Irish Whiskey is a new blend named after George Roe, an iconic Irish whiskey maker from the 19th century. During this Golden Age of Irish whiskey, George Roe’s distillery in Dublin stretched over 17 acres. The new Roe & Co Irish Whiskey is a tribute to George Roe and offers a refined, subtle and smooth blend of malt and grain whiskey aged in bourbon casks.
45% Vol.