New/Guest Whiskies
These are the latest additions to the bar, from brand new releases to classic bottlings picked up at auctions, from distilleries and independent bottlers. Some will join the full list as permanent additions, but most will be one-offs – never to be seen again.
A Rare Find 9 Year Old Tarlogie Springs (Gleann Mor)
An interesting (and rare) find which may or may not be a 9 year old Glenmorangie. Tarlogie Springs is the water source that feeds Glenmorangie Distillery. Quite different to the official bottlings, this is rich and spicy with a dry finish.
Ardnamurchan AD 2019
Though technically not yet whisky, this stuff is too good to leave off our shelves. Ardnamurchan started production in 2014, but this spirit is made up of 2 x 3 ½ year old sherry butts and 1 x 2 ½ year old peated bourbon hogshead so not quite old enough to be called whisky thanks to the peated portion. Smoky and sweet with a long finish that belies its youth.
Ben Nevis 22 year old 53.8% (Berry Bros & Rudd)
Ben Nevis distillery, near Fort William, lies in the Shadow of Britain's highest mountain, from which it takes its name. 1 of 246 bottles this refill sherry butt exudes a fruity character.
Ben Nevis 23 Year Old “The Amber Light” (Thompson Bros)
Bottled to celebrate the release of “The Amber Light”, an excellent film about the social side of the whisky word. We have had a couple of outstangin Ben Nevii(?) recently, and this is no different. Rich, savoury and spicy.
Benrinnes 10 Year Old (James Eadie)
Another cracker from James Eadie, this time a 10 year old Benrinnes made from 3 casks. Chocolatey, biscuity, creamy and delicate.
Benrinnes 18 Year Old - 1998 (Gordon & MacPhail)
Tasty Benrinnes single malt, distilled in 1998 and independently bottled in 2016 by Gordon & MacPhail. Drawn from first fill Sherry hogshead, expect hints of rich fruits, spice and dark chocolate.
Benrinnes 18 Year Old 55.7% (Cadenheads)
A single cask Benrinnes bottled by Cadenheads. Spicy, sweet and intense.
Blair Athol 10 Year Old (James Eadie)
You don’t see much Blair Athol kicking about, which is a shame as this is a great, easy drinking dram. Light and fruity.
Bruichladdich 13 Year Old (Thompson Bros)
A single cask Laddie, bottled by the proprietors of the Dornoch Castle Hotel, home to one of Scotland’s finest whisky bars. Light, fruity with coastal notes and light smoke.
Caol Ila 10 Year Old (Berry Bros & Rudd)
A 10 Year Old Caol Ila originally bottled for a competition where you had to guess what whisky it was. We guessed wrong, but it is still a great whisky. Light and smoky with citrus and tropical fruit.
Caol Ila 18 Year Old Darkness! 67.3% (Master of Malt)
Finished for 3 months in specially coopered quarter Moscatel sherry casks and bottled at cask strength. Dark, smoky, rich and powerful.
Clynelish 14 Year Old (Chieftains)
2 casks of Clynelish filled in June 2004 vatted together and bottled in May of this year. Light, spicy and intense.
Craigellachie 7 Year Old Solaria 67.9% (Whisky Illuminati)
A sherry bomb to beat all sherry bombs, bottled at a frankly ludicrous 67.9%. This is part of a series, some of the spirit was left in the cask to mature longer, so it will be interesting to see how it changes with time. Spicy, intense, sweet and strong.
Cu Bocan Creation 1 Stout & Moscatel Cask
This peated Tomatin spirit is amongst the most interesting we’ve tried recently, aged in ex-Black Isle Brewery Stout casks and ex-moscatel sherry casks. Smoky, sweet, dark and intense. Delicious.
Dailuaine 2007 12 Year Old Sherry Cask 57.6% (Hunter Laing)
A single sherry casks bottled this year by Hunter Laing. Coffee, caramel and spiced dark chocolate.
The Darkness 8 Year Old
Sadly not named after the glam rock band from the early 2000s, this in an unknown 8 year old single malt finished in specially coopered octave sherry casks. These smaller casks impart a lot of flavour in a short space of time, giving rich dark chocolate and spice notes.
Deanston 2006 Fino Sherry Cask Finish 54.2%
12 year old juice, finished in ex-fino sherry casks. Very tropical, dried fruits and spice.
Glasshouse
A very interesting addition to the bar, this is a blend of grain and single malt from the same distillery (Loch Lomond). Designed for drinking in a Highball, but also incredibly tasty on it’s own. Light, fruity and sweet.
GlenAllachie 12 Year Old Sherry Cask (Douglas Laing)
Aged entirely in an ex-sherry cask, and bottled after 12 years by independent bottlers Douglas Laing for their Old Particular range. Dark, rich, spicy and fruity.
Glenallachie 13 Year Old Marsala Finish 65.1% (Lady of the Glen)
A wonderful independent bottling of Glenallachie by Hannah Whisky Merchants, this is a sweet fruity pudding of a dram, and you would not guess it was bottled at 65%!
Glenallachie 2007 Madeira Cask 60.8%
A limited edition bottling, matured entirely in wood which previously held Madeira dessert wine. Incredibly fruity, tropical and spicy.
Glenglassaugh Peated/Sherry Cask 53.5% (Bramble Whisky Co.)
The chaps down the road at Bramble have started bottling their own whiskies (to go alongside their excellent liqueurs and rum) and this is the first release. Distilled 2011 and bottled 2018, this is sweet, spicy, smoky and rich.
Glenglassaugh Peated/Sauternes Cask 56.1%
Matured for 8 years in a cask that previously held sweet Sauternes dessert wine and bottled for Nauticus, one of our favourite Leith pubs, to celebrate their 1st birthday this year. Sweet, smoky and intense.
Glen Goyne 10 Year Old (Douglas Laing)
An independently bottled 10 year old Glen Goyne. Try it side by side with the official bottling to see how they compare (we prefer this one). Honeyed, nutty and sweet.
Glen Keith 26 Year Old 54.0% Infrequent Flyers (Alistair Walker)
A ridiculously well-aged and tasty whisky from this little-seen distillery, bottled for the Infrequent Flyers range, showcasing rarely seen distilleries. Caramel, oak and spice.
Glen Moray Rhum Agricole
A new release from the Speyside distillery, finished for 2 years in Rhum Agricole casks from the St. James Distillery in Martinique. Light, fruity and spicy.
Inverleven 1989 (Gordon & Macphail)
A first appearance on our bar for this sadly lost distillery. Inverleven sued to be situated on the same site as the Dumbarton (also now closed) grain distillery before ceasing to be in 1991. They made a wonderfully complex Lowland malt. The stills are now in use at the Waterford distillery in Ireland. This was bottled in 2003. Light, malty, stewed fruits and spice.
Kilkerran 8 Year Old Sherry Cask Strength 57.1%
A beautifully dark and rich whisky, aged entirely in re-charred oloroso sherry casks and bottled at cask strength. Dried fruits, dark chocolate, and ginger biscuits.
Linkwood 9 Year Old (Infrequent Flyers)
A truly scrumptious sherry bomb of a dram from the increasingly reliable Alexander Walker Whisky Company. Rich, spicy and sweet.
Longrow 21 Year Old
21 year old Longrow? Yes please! This is the 2019 release and features around 60% sherry matured vs 40% bourbon matured stock. Wonderfully rich, oily and smoky.
Macallan Speymalt 2005 14 Year Old (Gordon & Macphail)
A heavily sherried independently bottled Macallan? Yes please. Dark chocolate, raisins and Christmas pudding.
Miltonduff 11 Year Old 61.2% (Adelphi)
You don’t see much Miltonduff bottled, but from this one we have no idea why, as it is delicious. Toasted malt, spice, bramble jam.
Mortlach 15 Year Old “Six Kingdoms”
Ignoring for a moment that this is the last of the range of novelty “Game of Thrones themed” releases from Diageo in 2019, this is a cracker of a whisky. “The beast of Speyside” in full flight here. Rich, savoury and complex.
North British 10 Year Old (Signatory)
10 year old juice from our local (grain) distillery. This one is favourite with the staff, least of all for the price. Light, sweet and biscuity.
North British 32 Year Old (Cadenheads)
A spectacularly well-aged single grain from the Edinburgh based distillery, bottled by Cadenheads. Dark, rich, spicy and fruity.
Orkney 16 Year Old 54.9% Infrequent Flyers (Alistair Walker)
Using our finest detective skills we have narrowed this down to either Scapa or Highland Park, though the former seems the most likely given the series name. Light, sweet and smoky.
Port Dundas 13 Year Old (Douglas Laing)
Another first on the bar from the sadly closed Port Dundas grain distillery in Glasgow. Whisky was produced here until 2010, when all Diageo’s grain production was shifted to Cameronbridge in Fife.As you’d expect from a young grain, light, creamy and sweet. Loads of vanilla.
Scarabus (Hunter Laing)
An NAS, unnamed Islay single malt bottled by Hunter Laing for Feis Ile 2019, launched at their shiny new distillery on Islay – Ardnahoe. Said to be an example of things to come, this is a great value, great tasting whisky. Light, smoky/meaty & salty.
Talisker 15 Year Old 57.3% Special Release 2019
A brand new Talisker for 2019, the 15 year old cask strength Special Release. Black pepper, sweetness, smoke and maritime notes.
Tomatin 2009 Rum Finish
Tomatin are producing some excellent whiskies at the moment, and this one is no exception. Finished in Caribbean rum casks for 1 year, expect tropical fruit, spice and sweet caramel.