The Glenlivet Cask Master’s Collection, A New Era Of Speyside Smoothness

The Glenlivet, the definitive Speyside single malt, is proud to launch The Glenlivet Cask Master’s Collection, a new aged range of 14, 16, and 19 Year Old expressions. This collection celebrates the mastery and vision of Cask Master Kevin Balmforth, showcasing The Glenlivet’s iconic smooth style. This new collection of aged single malts are exclusively available in Global Travel Retail (GTR), offering shoppers with passion for adventure the opportunity to discover something new. 

Drawing on over 200 years of whisky making expertise passed down through generations of cask masters, Kevin Balmforth has meticulously selected the finest casks to create a trio of beautifully rounded, well-balanced whiskies with an abundance of fruity notes that capture the very essence of Speyside, the heart of Single Malt Scotch whisky.  

The Glenlivet Cask Master’s Collection features three distinct expressions: 

• The Glenlivet 14 Year Old: Matured in American and European Oak, this expression offers a harmonious balance of flavour, with notes of baked apple and citrus zest, delivering a smooth and complex experience. The crystal waters of the Livet are reflected in the pack’s crystalline blue colour gradient. 

• The Glenlivet 16 Year Old: Aged exclusively in 100% American Oak casks, The Glenlivet 16 Year Old is a perfect pairing of whisky and cask, resulting in a sweet and creamy profile with notes of creamy toffee and ripe plum. The Speyside sunset inspires the pack’s bold red gradient. 

• The Glenlivet 19 Year Old: The pinnacle of the three and marking a first for the brand, The Glenlivet 19 Year Old features a selective finish in Scottish Oak, paying tribute to The Glenlivet’s terroir. Alongside maturation in American and European Oak, the Scottish Oak finish brings notes of stewed apples and blackcurrant spice, for a rich yet smooth drinking experience. Scottish Oak trees grow slowly due to the local climate, reaching maturation between 120 and 150 years. This not only makes Scottish Oak very rare, but it also means the grain is tight and porous, contributing to the rich spice flavours in the whisky. The pack design is inspired by the changing hues of the forests of Scotland, where the Scottish Oak resides.  

Kevin Balmforth, The Glenlivet Cask Master commented: “With these three distinctive expressions, we have concentrated on what makes our Single Malt Scotch Whiskies stand out: the mastery of the makers, the character of our stills, and above all, the smoothness of our liquid. By honouring our heritage while continuing to push the boundaries of flavour with carefully selected casks, we’ve curated a collection that is a quality expression of Speyside whiskies.”   

The Glenlivet Cask Master’s Collection also marks the reveal of an elevated and distinctive evolved contemporary design for The Glenlivet. The refreshed packaging includes a new brand monogram together with on-pack wave graphics, reflecting the meaning of The Glenlivet (‘The Valley of the Smooth Flowing one’). The new look honours The Glenlivet’s rich legacy, drawing inspiration from the flowing waters of the River Livet, the source of its exceptional character. 

The Glenlivet Cask Master’s Collection is now available exclusively in Global Travel Retail locations worldwide.

It’s the final issue of the year! It’s been a curious year in the world of whisky — turbulent, sure, but with many achievements along the way. In our 2025 issues, we’ve travelled the world through a glass, charting the whisky industry as it grows and changes. We look forward to sailing the good ship Whisky Magazine into 2026 with you aboard.

Our cover star for our last issue of 2025 is Adam Hannett, the recently appointed master blender for Bruichladdich. Although Hannett has worked with the Islay distillery for years, it hasn’t all been straightforward. He walks Alwynne Gwilt through his journey in whisky.

The sparkle of the new year beckons in our New Year’s bottling, Cask No. 59.85: We’ll take a cup of kindness yet. This Highland whisky offers memories of lino cuts, putty and modelling compound followed by sugared almonds and rich tea biscuits.

The Winter Series returns this year capturing the magic of the season in four single malt bottlings. From the crisp chill in the air at Hallowe’en to the joyful celebrations of Christmas, Hogmanay and Burns Night, we’ve showing off the season in all its flavours. 

The sparkle of the new year beckons in our New Year’s bottling, We’ll take a cup of kindness yet. It’s a time for new beginnings and for raising a glass to 2026 with this Highland offering from distillery 59.

Read more about The Winter Series here.

Tasting Notes

The nose started inauspiciously with childhood memories of lino cuts, putty and modelling compound, but eventually opened up to sugared almonds, rich tea biscuits with butter and honey, cinnamon toast and sweet, roasted malt. The palate, sweet and nutty, suggested chocolate hazelnuts and brazils, pralines, almond flakes, coffee-flavour chocolate honeycomb sticks, and maple syrup. The reduced nose turned jammy – jammy dodgers, chocolate swiss rolls, strawberry jam brioche and chocolate ice cream, with side orders of champagne and old books. The palate now became smoother and more rounded – bourbon biscuits, raspberry and coconut chocolate bars and vanilla milkshake, with hints of wood and spice in the aftertaste.

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

Looking to share a bit of the good stuff? Let them choose their next favourite Society whisky with one of our NEW gift certificates – available for spending in our online shop. Choose from one of our available selection or customise your amount. Best of all? Available now for instant delivery!

Your gift certificate will be sent via email at the time of your purchase. If you’re not quite ready to give your gift, you can choose to have it sent to you and share it with your recipient at a time of your choosing. Alternatively, you can enter the recipient’s email address, and it will be sent directly to them immediately after purchase.

Whisky purchases are reserved exclusively for members. Non-members can use certificates to purchase individual membership or our membership with a bottle product.

BUY GIFT CERTIFICATE

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

Warm their winter with a Highland masterpiece

Crafted in the rugged beauty of Highland Perthshire, Strathearn Batch 02 is a whisky built for fireside stories and slow December nights. Enhanced by richer Bourbon-cask influence, this rounded, creamy, beautifully balanced release delivers festive flavours of honey, orange zest, dark fruits, and toasted nuts.

Made to be savoured long after Christmas.

LEARN MORE & SHOP

Rhubarb, custard and Highland smoke: Cù Bòcan’s new Creation #7 whisky marks 20 years of peat at Tomatin

Cù Bòcan, the experimental single malt crafted at Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands each winter, has launched its boldest release yet – Creation #7 – celebrating two decades of peated whisky production at the distillery.

Inspired by the lightly-peated spirit historically produced at Tomatin more than a century ago, Cù Bòcan uses unusual cask combinations to craft exceptional whiskies which push the boundaries of flavour and challenge the ordinary in whisky maturation.

Creation #7 – the anticipated seventh edition in the Creations series – has matured in rare Pineau des Charentes Rouge and American virgin oak casks, resulting in a distinctive flavour profile of rhubarb, custard, heather smoke and sweet oak spice.

Drawing on Tomatin’s experience in using fortified wine casks, including in the recent French Collection, blender and global brand ambassador Scott Adamson selected the Pineau des Charentes Rouge casks to add a new dimension to the Cù Bòcan range.

He said: “Creation #7 is Cù Bòcan’s most limited Creations release to date and is more than a whisky but an invitation to explore. The Pineau des Charentes Rouge casks are rarely used in Scotch whisky maturation and influence the lightly peated spirit to unlock nostalgic and unexpected flavours.”

Cù Bòcan Creation #7 marks 20 years of peated spirit production at Tomatin, a seasonal ritual that has closed the distillery’s calendar since 2005. Cù Bòcan’s distillation coincides with incredibly low water temperatures, allowing for faster distillate condensation and resulting in a slightly oilier mouthfeel in the new make spirit.

The new release is presented in Cù Bòcan’s bespoke bottle, housed in a vivid pink and yellow carton — a visual nod to the dram’s rhubarb and custard profile. Its engraved contours echo the wisp of Cù Bòcan’s signature smoke and the staves of the casks that shaped it.

Natural in colour and non-chill filtered, Cù Bòcan Creation #7 is bottled at 46% ABV and is available from today (24 November 2025) on Tomatin Distillery’s online shop and in specialist whisky retailers throughout the UK and worldwide, priced at £45 RRP. Only 3,000 bottles are available worldwide, 1,400 of which are in the UK. For more information, visit https://tomatin.com/cu-bocan.

Cù Bòcan Creation #7 tasting notes

Nose: Rhubarb crumble with custard, ginger and cinnamon. Almond croissants with apple and toffee. Heather smoke and musk.

Palate: Whisp of smoke followed by toasted brioche, butter shortbread, strawberry and raspberry.

Finish: Long with a mineral edge.

About Cù Bòcan

Cù Bòcan is a Highland single malt distilled, matured, and produced at the Tomatin Distillery near Inverness, renowned for its portfolio of brands including Tomatin Highland single malt, The Antiquary, Talisman and Big T.

Peat has been part of Tomatin’s story since its founding in 1897, when the distillery drew on local supplies to fire its stills. Though production shifted to an unpeated style mid-century, Tomatin revived peated runs in 2005 — sparking the birth of Cù Bòcan.

In 2005, the decision was made to produce a peated single malt and for the last week of production that year a batch of optic barley peated to 15ppm was used to produce about 60,000 litres of lightly peated spirit which was filled into a variety of different cask types.

Then, on September 3rd 2013, this lightly peated whisky produced at Tomatin was released as Cù Bòcan – a single malt at 15ppm matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry, and virgin oak casks. Since then, the Cù Bòcan brand has grown with a number of vintage releases as part of the brand’s limited-edition collection.

Cù Bòcan – ‘ghost dog’ in Gaelic – is named after a spirit thought to haunt the distillery’s hometown of Tomatin.

Cù Bòcan rebranded in August 2019. It is an experimental Highland single malt that explores innovative maturation to create whiskies full of intrigue and surprise. It is made with lightly peated Scottish barley, distilled every winter in limited batches and matured in a variety of interesting casks to unlock unusual flavours.

A silky-smooth melody including an overture of croissants meets antique polished oak, roses, walnuts, confit melon and marzipan in Fruit Utopia. But there’s another waltz to be had, in the amaretto-infused mince pie notes of Skooshy Stroopwafel, a dreamy sipper with apricots, oranges and pears next to toasted almonds on brioche.

FRUIT UTOPIA

Age: 25 years

Cask: Bourbon & French Oak Hogsheads, Barrels & Barriques

For this unique small batch single malt release, our spirits team took inspiration from maturation techniques they encountered on their travels in the Cognac region. A more hands on approach, shaping the flavours through cask management and constant monitoring of the maturation. At twenty years of age, we combined selected bourbon hogsheads of Speyside single malt and filled the whisky back into custom toasted French oak barriques from Seguin Moreau cooperage. Following three months of intense maturation in these highly active casks, we combined the spirit again and filled into 2nd fill bourbon barrels, just freshly emptied of Speyside malts. The whisky was closely monitored every six months for a further five years to develop a silk-like texture and wonderful layers of fruity complexity.

On the nose, a prelude of bananas ripening in a room filled with Cognacs and Armagnacs on French-polished oak furniture. Hints of camphor, tobacco, dried apricots, peaches and pears lend a je-ne-sais-quoi of gravitas to the otherwise silky-smooth mood. The flavour was a smooth overture of croissants, red berries then a cornucopia of exotic fruits, dried apricots, an antique white wine and tobacco with a mentholic timeless classiness. Water flowed in like a melody bringing more delicious elderberry jam on freshly baked shortbread, antique polished oak, roses, waltnuts, confit melon and marzipan with a drizzle of blueberry sauce and melted butter. A grand finale on the palate offered a highly elegant assortment of lemon sponge cake covered in crème patissière, honey, lychee, clementine slices, desiccated coconuts and the soothing whispers of oak and age.

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SKOOSHY STROOPWAFEL

Age: 11 years

Cask: Bourbon
& European Oak PX

For this special small-batch single malt, we sourced some top-notch European oak sherry butts from our friends at Tonelería Juan Pino in the south of Spain. The butts were seasoned in the sherry triangle for 13 months with syrupy sweet PX wine, before coming to Scotland to be filled with a wonderfully fruity Speyside single malt, which we are now proud to present to you.

We were reminded of popping the cork of an orange muscat wine bottle, with those typical aromas of apricots, oranges and pears next to toasted almonds on brioche and fragrant exotic wood. At first on the palate we found tingling spicy fruit flavours before we had a sip of very pleasing hot mulled white wine made with fresh orange juice, star anise, honey and cinnamon. Following reduction, we opened a tin of amaretto-infused mince pies – sweet, spicy and tart yet perfectly balanced, with mellow almond notes emanating from the liqueur. To taste, this was like a pumpkin-spiced iced coffee and “skooshy” (a very ‘technical’ Scottish term for cream in a can) cream on a stroopwafel.

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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

Our final outrun of 2025 is here!

The Q4 Outrun is always a special time of year for us — the final release where we get to showcase some of our favourite casks, hand-selected, hand-bottled, and closely monitored right here in the warehouse. There’s something about walking past rows of casks and knowing that each cask has its own story — it’s a process that takes patience and attention.

We’ve got a distillery first for Lady of the Glen with a tawny port finished Glen Scotia. There’s a refined 21 year old Teaninich finished in a refill barrique. We have also bottled casks from Caol Ila, Dailuaine, Linkwood, Mannochmore and Royal Brackla.

Finally Gregor, Paul, Gavin and Alex would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Caol Ila 2015 10 Years Old
Dailuaine 2014 11 Years Old
Glen Scotia 2016 8 Years Old
Linkwood 2015 10 Years Old
Mannochmore 2014 11 Years Old
Royal Brackla 2011 13 Years Old
Teaninich 2004 21 Years Old

Please note that in order to better support our retail partners this outrun and future outruns are not being sold through our website. Links to stockists can be found via the tab on our homepage. All releases were bottled at our site in Dalgety Bay by hand.

Paul John 2017 Ex-Bourbon Milroy’s Exclusive #4127 58.2%

ALL THE WAY FROM INDIA, BOTTLED FOR US

India is emerging as a global distilling powerhouse. Incredible single malts are being crafted right across the country – including down in Goa, the coastal paradise that celebrated maker Paul John calls home. We teamed up with the distillery team to select our very own cask for bottling as a Milroy’s exclusive. We were spoilt for choice, but eventually landed on this delicious, unpeated ex-bourbon barrel. Distilled back in 2017, it offers an array of vibrant fruit and rich cereal notes. The perfect sipping treat on a grey December day.

Stocks are limited, so secure yours now.

BUY HERE