DUMBARTON DISTILLERY 31 Year Old 1987 Sovereign Exclusive Cask #15477

A glorious 1979 vintage bottled at 50.5% from a refill hogshead for The Sovereign series. Dumbarton 31 Year Old 1988 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whisky. Rare example of the lost Scottish distillery. Single cask refill barrel #15477 distilled March 1987 bottled September 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series. Selected and bottled exclusively for The Whisky Barrel. 207 numbered bottles. This golden whisky has a nose of apples, blueberries, and molten toffee. The palate is soft and sweet with notes of salted caramel, forest fruits and marzipan. The finish is medium length, with a hint of lingering pepper.

£125 / us$157 / €147

Buy Dumbarton 31 YO »

Dumbarton Distillery is a lost Lowland grain distillery opened by Hiram Walker in 1938 on the site of the former McMillan shipyard. The distillery sat on the banks of the River Leven and River Clyde in Dumbarton and was equipped with one continuous still manufactured in Cincinnati. It was one of the largest grain distilleries in Scotland however it closed in 2002 with most of its buildings demolished by 2008. Spirit was produced primarily from maize with water originating from Loch Lomond with spirit destined for Ballantyne’s blends. Single cask bottlings have been released by Hunter Laing & Co.

Just Landed!
Talisker 44 Year Old Forests of the Deep

A maritime delight from the Isle of Skye! Released today on World Oceans Day, this beauty of a malt was created in collaboration with ocean conservation group, Parley, to celebrate and help preserve the natural beauty and wonder of the world’s oceans. A great whisky for a great cause – seems like it’s also a great excuse to nab a bottle.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

View all Talisker Whisky →

Talisker 44 Year Old
Forests of the Deep
in support of Parley

Nose: sea salt, seaweed, smoke, toffee.

Palate: smoky, salt, white pepper.

Finish: particularly long and waxy.

£3,800.00
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Rock Island blended malt is a part of the Remarkable Regional Malts collection from Douglas Laing. It was created using single malt from Scottish Islands, showcasing their maritime, salty and slightly peaty character.  This limited-release from the Rock Island range was finished in Ex-Mezcal casks for 12 months, creating a unique spirit with heightened smokiness and amplified saltines.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Opens with Scottish sea salt and roasted Mexican agave, balanced by tangy gooseberries and fresh floral notes.

PALATE: Barley-sweet and super smooth, moving to earthy, light smoked style alongside barbeque meats.

FINISH: Oceanic and elegant, with citrus fruits, juicy blackberries and honeycomb.

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DOUGLAS LAING REVEALS ROCK ISLAND MEZCAL CASK EDITION

Independent Scotch Whisky distillers, blenders and bottlers, Douglas Laing & Co, today unveil a new Limited Edition: Rock Island Mezcal Cask Finished Island Malt Scotch Whisky.

Strictly limited to no more than 1,500 bottles, the new release is said to be “perfect for summer” and carries vibrant green, blue and orange colourways complemented by warm gold foil detail. Bespoke agave plant illustrations feature alongside the classic Rock Island oyster, symbolising the meeting of contrasting cultures: “From the idyllic shores of Scotland’s west coast” to “the sun-drenched Mezcal distilleries located in the heart of Mexico”.

The original Rock Island Malt Scotch Whisky is a marriage of Single Cask Single Malts distilled only on Scotland’s Whisky islands of Orkney, Arran, Jura and Islay. The resulting spirit is said to “boast a complex balance of maritime flavours, revealing waves of sweet, salty, smoky and earthy notes”, and accordingly has been decorated with a number of high-profile industry awards over the years, including Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

In creating the new Rock Island Mezcal Cask Finish, the family firm subjected the classic Rock Island recipe to a secondary maturation period in ex-Mezcal casks. Meaning “oven-cooked agave”, Mezcal is a Mexican spirit derived from the agave plant. The heart of the plant is first cooked underground, then the smoked juices are left to ferment, before being double distilled and matured in oak casks to create the final, smoky spirit.

Commenting on the new innovation, Brand Manager Rebecca Fennell said:

“In 2019, an amendment to the Scotch Whisky Technical File was published, and for the first time ever, casks which had previously held Mezcal were permitted for the maturation of Scotch Whisky. Rock Island has a naturally smoky character, so for us, it was a fascinating experiment to subject the classic American Oak-aged recipe to a secondary maturation in these exotic casks. The resulting spirit has exceeded all of our expectations – it’s retained that archetypal Scottish sea salt and honeycomb quality, yet taken on an unmistakable roasted agave note, running to a signature lightly smoked finish.”

In line with the Douglas Laing family’s “as natural as it gets” ethos, Rock Island Mezcal Cask Edition is offered without added colouring or chill-filtration, and at a high alcohol strength of 46.8%. It is expected to retail at £60.00 / €70.00 and will be available from specialist retailers and online across Europe, Americas and Asia Pacific.

Tasting notes:

Nose: Opens with Scottish sea salt and roasted Mexican agave balanced by tangy gooseberries and fresh floral notes.
Palate: Barley-sweet and super smooth moving to an earthy, light smoked style alongside barbecued meats.
Finish: Oceanic and elegant, with citrus fruits, juicy blackberries and honeycomb.

ABOUT ROCK ISLAND

Instagram: @rockisland_whisky

Facebook: /dlrockisland

Rock Island joined Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts range in 2015, offering consumers the opportunity to taste the ultimate distillation of Scotland’s Whisky Islands, in one delicious glass. The multi award-winning Small Batch Scotch is a marriage of Single Cask Single Malts from Orkney, Arran, Jura and Islay. The truly unique spirit is celebrated for its beautifully complex flavour profile. The sweet, salty, smoky and earthy notes earn this maritime Malt the reputation of being the ultimate dram to pair with seafood. Rock Island is offered at high alcohol strength and always without colouring or chill-filtration. Since 2015, the core range has grown to encompass a 10 Years Old and Sherry Edition offering for specialist retail, plus occasional limited releases.

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING & CO.

www.douglaslaing.com

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky distillery, blender and bottler specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill-filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, the Ultimate Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions, encompasses The Epicurean Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky, Timorous Beastie (Highlands), Scallywag (Speyside), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Island (Islands) and Big Peat (Islay).

Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Provenance, Premier Barrel, Old Particular, Xtra Old Particular and XOP Black, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

Glen Moray 15 Years Old

The Periodical is a brand of North Star spirits created to use all those casks that yield a small amount of whisky, named from the frequency of the releases.  This particular release was distilled at Glen Moray Distillery, located in the Speyside region of Scotland. It was aged 15 years in an Oloroso hogshead and bottled at 50% ABV without chill-filtration or artificial colouring. Only 300 bottles were produced.

£49.90

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Great Old Grain Whisky

Big vintages. Big age statements. Great value

North British 30 Year Old

A 1991 vintage TWB exclusive bottled by our chums at The Golden Cask.  A single bourbon barrel #CG001 bottled at 49.0%. Packed with flavour and character. Dried sweet fruits, herbs, spices galore.

Buy – North British 30 Year Old 1991- £99 / $103* / €97*

North British Distillery was established on farmland to the west of Edinburgh in 1885 by Andrew Usher, John M. Crabbie and William Sanderson. Since then the city has expanded ever outwards and now the distillery resides in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh. North British opened in 1887 to guarantee supplies of grain whisky for its owner’s cordials and scotch whisky blending businesses. It is equipped with four Coffey stills to produce grain spirit at 94.5% alcohol and multi-million litres of spirit annually. Whilst most of its whisky matures in racked warehouses in the central Lowlands, a small number of casks spend at least eight years at the distillery in dunnage Warehouse No.1. Official releases are very few but excellent independent ones are available from Hart Brothers and Hunter Laing.

An Absolute Rarity in 10-Year Scotch and an Unbeatable Steal
Longmorn 10 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($74.99)
“This is nearly the perfect Speysider for me. … There isn’t a better $75 malt on the market today in my humble estimation.” — David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

Our recent haul of exclusive casks from Scotland has delivered us some truly wonderful whiskies, but this thrilling, 10-year-old Speyside unicorn from the beloved Longmorn distillery might just take the cake so far. First, we can’t overstate how difficult it’s been to source this distillery on the independent market, so even at a “mere” 10-year age statement, we’re dealing with true rarity. Moving to the actual quality of the spirit, it’s a jaw-dropping expression in its category that “exemplifies the dichotomy of elegance and complexity that the region’s best malts are known for,” as spirits buyer David Othenin-Girard puts it. The first-fill sherry butt will no doubt thrill fans of the style, as “it’s perfectly matched to the medium body of Longmorn’s profile,” according to David’s colleague Andrew Whiteley. Finally, factor in the unbelievable price, and we have a legitimate contender for whisky buy of the year. As part of the Chivas stable, Longmorn plays a critical role in the blended whiskies of that giant brand, but any serious aficionado knows that when the chance comes along to experience this malt in its pure, singular form, it’s not to be missed.

Longmorn 10 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) ($74.99)

K&L Notes: Even at this young age, a cask of Longmorn is a real rarity. Arguably the crown jewel of the Chivas portfolio, this wonderful distillery was once rather plentiful on the independent bottlers market. Gordon & MacPhail has been the most prolific bottler of this special distillery, likely owing to the fact that they still own the original trademark for the label, but in the last 10 years we’ve seen very little. Located outside the city of Elgin and a stone’s throw from their rival BenRiach, we only see the occasional distillery release stateside. The distillery was built in 1894 and just barely survived the subsequent crash in the whisky market. It likely owed its survival to immediate interest in the quality from blenders. It has four pairs of onion-shaped stills that produce a pure and complex spirit with great texture. Add an excellent sherry butt and you’ve got one of the deals of the year here. One of the most approachable and overtly enjoyable whiskies in the store at any price or age. This whisky was bottled without coloring or chill-filtration at an ABV of 56%.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022

I love Longmorn, and I’m always surprised how difficult it is to get. I guess Chivas is aware of how dang good this stuff is, and you just can’t make that much blended scotch without the stuffing from these gems. So anyway, we jumped on the chance to own a cask of Longmorn, and we’re all the more excited to see it was aged in sherry cask. Now this sherry cask isn’t very dark, but my god it has a ton of character—indeed, color and character are not always correlated. The color is pale gold. This one pops immediately with a huge apple orchard fruit character. It’s so pungent it can’t only be the fruit of the malt at this age, but rather that gorgeous, high-quality sherry coming through. After that we get a big vanilla bean, wild honey, candied citrus peel, honeydew, and a bit of candle wax. On the palate, it’s very rich and oily. More apricot and honey, but also now some earthy malt and hints of fragrant heather. With water the nose becomes darker and maltier, which is very unusual and welcome. A bit more sherry funk comes out as well, losing its absolutely pristine nose in favor of even more intensity. The palate is downright thick now, a strange trick of water and whisky, where by the perceived density increases despite the obvious physical fact that you’ve diluted the product. Absolutely unparalleled vibrancy adds to the picture with countless fruit and botanical aromas flowing freely now. This is nearly the perfect Speysider for me. It exemplifies the dichotomy of elegance and complexity that the region’s best malts exhibit. There isn’t a better $75 malt on the market today in my humble estimation. For those who want elegance and depth over power and punch, this is the real deal.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022

We rarely get to bottle Longmorn these days. While the world loves to talk about single malt, the fact is blends are still king, and Longmorn has been prized for over 100 years as a top-notch ingredient to add the stuffing to famous blends, from VAT 69 to Dewar’s and Chivas. In fact, due to its quality, Longmorn was one of the distilleries Nikka’s Masataka Taketsuru did a stint at in his legendary visit to Scotland. For years, you could find Longmorn without looking too hard at the independent bottling market, but it seems less and less is available today, certainly at reasonable prices. Official bottlings are hardly to be found, although they do exist. Fortunately for us, the Hart Brothers were able to come up with a first-filled sherry butt of 10-year-old Longmorn that checked all of our boxes. Bottled just shy of 11 years and with a beautiful golden amber hue, this famous malt offers a bushel of stone fruits and a full peck of apples, both fresh and baked. The slightest rancio notes sit behind all that fruit provided from a quality sherry butt. While not a bomb or wildly dark, it is listed as a first-fill butt, and frankly, it’s perfectly matched to the medium body of Longmorn’s profile. A warm and soft waxy character runs throughout, giving this a lovely texture and confirming the distillery’s critical role in the blending world. At 56% ABV it’s no slouch. With a little water, it almost louches so much oil comes out. The palate gets sweeter, and the texture is elegant and silky. The finish shows a dry tannin like the best red wines yet doesn’t lose that beautiful fruit from the first nosing. It’s a splendid cask and a screaming deal in the burning hot whisky market.

SUPERHERO WHISKIES

Whether it’s for sharing, gifting or raising a glass, don’t forget Father’s Day NEXT Sunday (19 June). We’ve hand picked a special selection of 12 whiskies to celebrate our heroes on the day. Fly on over to our website now to view the selection OR keep on scrolling for some superhero highlights.

DAD DAY DRAMS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Stunning Quality and Value from a K&L Speyside Favorite
2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside
Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)
“These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight … when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes DOWN, we just can’t say no.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

The bounty of new K&L Exclusive casks coming through our doors is seemingly without end. The latest edition is from Craigellachie, a K&L-favorite Speyside distillery that has provided us with some of our most popular single casks over the years. This time they’ve not only brought their signature style in spades, but they’ve also trimmed the price to make this a surefire contender for the single malt deal of the year. Bottled at cask strength from a first-fill sherry butt, this is a spectacular expression of the style, as the distillery’s singular profile is a perfect match for the barrel’s influence. As spirits buyer David Othenin-Girard notes, “This is an absolutely wild whisky and definitely one for the lovers of a bit of funk.” It’s also one for lovers of unbeatable quality for price. Last year’s 16-year-old cask wowed our sherried Scotch fanatics, and this year’s 15-year-old iteration offers arguably higher quality and an absolutely more distinctive profile for a significant discount. Whether you’re a fan of Craigellachie, Speyside, or sherried single malts in general, this gem is an unequivocal must-have in any well-curated collection.

2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)

K&L Notes: Another stupendous sherried Craigellachie from Old Particular. Like last year’s 16 Year Old, this butt retains significant distillery character while not forgetting that it aged in a sherry butt for a decade and a half. The fabulous distillery just across the river from the famous Macallan distillery was once one of Speyside’s most undervalued. Now, due to repositioning and tariffs, even the entry-level distillery offerings seem out of reach in value terms, let alone their extremely well regarded “Exceptional Cask” bottlings, which have gone up in price 30-40% over the last year. We’ve managed, on the other hand, to lower the price of this exceptional malt by over $20 for something of equal or greater quality and just one year younger than the former offering. The bold, sometimes funky malt character of Craighellachie does wonders when married with sherry, and the resulting malt won’t disappoint sherry lovers, although it’s not the sweet, raisiny style some drinkers have come to associate with modern, sherry-matured single malts. Instead, it’s a deeply complex and slightly esoteric style that will appeal to drinkers looking for something more classical and contemplative.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 08, 2022

These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight. We don’t like to do the same thing year in and year out, but when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes down, we just can’t say no. This new one is a classic funky Craigie, which reminds us that this is one of Speyside’s most flavorful malts and loves to play against a great sherry butt. The color is deep gold. The nose offers that great Craigellachie funk, industrial and old school, which few modern malts offer. The sherry is there, but it doesn’t feel artificially vinous like some modern bottlings can. We get almond butter, roast pecans, bright red fruit, slight camphor smoke, wisps of engine oil, black olive, kirsch, and golden raisins. On the palate, it’s sweeter than expected, now offering some gorgeous dark chocolate, Figgie pudding, sweet candied plums, and a slight minty note on the finish. With water we add some nutty notes on the nose, but it stays pretty much in line. On the palate, there’s now a wonderfully rich, velvety texture and more tropical fruit. This is an absolutely wild whisky and definitely one for the lovers of a bit of funk, although I waffle on whether to add water or not. It’s not sulphuous though, so if you’re sensitive to that, I don’t think it will be a problem. I feel like this is a very underrepresented style that I wish we saw more of—even last year’s excellent 16-year was much more straightforward, and this one offers much more nuance.

JOHNNIE WALKER

BLUE LABEL
GLASS SET

70CL | 40%

£155

WAS £180

SAVE £25

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An impressive gift pack of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, joined by two elegant tumblers. Johnnie Walker’s signature dry smokiness reveals itself on the nose, followed by a velvety mouthfeel and an explosion of hazelnuts, honey, dark chocolate and spices on the palate.