Some master what others can't see. Glenfiddich's Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, returns for a second release in the Aston Martin Formula One™ Team partnership — a whisky built the way a race-winning car is built: through relentless refinement, layer by layer.
This 16 Year Old expression is a marriage of whiskies matured in first-fill bourbon barrels and fine wine and fortified wine casks, then finished in sequence across four further cask types — Port pipes, Oloroso sherry casks, wine casks, and a final, delicate rest in Fino Sherry butts. Where last year's Release No. 1 was shaped by American oak wine casks and second-fill bourbon, this new edition adds a fourth layer of cask influence — deeper, richer, and more complex still.
On the nose, rich stewed fruits unfold alongside marzipan and polished leather. On the palate, mellow toffee sweetness meets caramelised cane sugar, balanced by dry oak tannin. The finish is long, oaky, and quietly assured.
Bottled at 43% ABV, this is Glenfiddich at its most awarded — with more accolades since 2000 than any other single malt Scotch whisky across the IWSC and ISC, two of the industry's most prestigious competitions.
Tasting Note by Glenfiddich:Nose: Rich stewed fruits with a beautiful array of floral top notes. Hints of marzipan and polished leather. A drop of water accentuates the fresh, ripe fruits.Palate: Mellow and silky smooth with a creamy buttery toffee sweetness. Caramelized cane sugar with a lovely counterbalance of dry oak tannin.Finish: Long lasting oaky sweetness
The Aberfeldy 16 Year Old is a luxurious expression, brimming with copious amounts of honey, fruitcake, and dark chocolate. This lavish blend offers a deeply satisfying, rich finish that lingers on the palate. Initially matured in a combination of first-fill, re-fill, and re-char Bourbon casks, it receives a final touch of elegance with a six-month finishing period in premium first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks, adding layers of depth and complexity.
Tasting Note by Aberfeldy:Sherried and full like fruitcake, with dabs of rich dark choclate and a soothingly rich, mouth-coating finish.
Bunnahabhain distilled this whisky in 1999. Ten years later, it was moved into an Amontillado sherry cask, then Oloroso, then Manzanilla — three casks applied in sequence rather than simultaneously, each one following the last. Seven years of sequential finishing followed the initial ten years of maturation, for twenty-three years total.
Bunnahabhain is one of the few distilleries on Islay producing unpeated whisky. This bottle carries no peat. It is bottled at cask strength, 53.3%, non-chill filtered, with no added colour.
This release is one of 4,002 individually numbered bottles from the Feis Île 2024 release, Bunnahabhain's annual festival bottling. It is not part of the distillery's standard core range.
Tasting Note by Bunnahabhain:Nose: Freshly baked almond pastries are met with sweet berries, creamy fudge, rose petals and a hint of desiccated coconut.Palate: Fresh vanilla pods, butterscotch and creamy strawberries are balanced with honeyed cashews, wood spice and a gentle hint of tobacco.Finish: Dry finish with pine needles and blackcurrants
The Original Cask Strength is Laphroaig in its purest form, delivering the full power of Islay’s land, sea and air. Matured for 10 years in charred American oak barrels, this expression is drawn directly from the cask, barrier-filtered only to remove char particles. It is unchill-filtered and bottled at natural strength, showcasing the distillery’s uncompromising character.
Batch 16 stands as the most powerful release in the Cask Strength family. Bottled at 58.5% ABV, it balances peat smoke and maritime salinity with layers of sweet orchard fruit, vanilla, spice, and the oily richness that defines Laphroaig.
Tasting Notes by Laphroaig:Nose: Sweet apples and caramelised pastry, with cereal, tanned leather and vanilla, lifted by Islay peat smoke.Palate: Vanilla and sea salt intermingled with freshly ground black pepper, pork crackling and savoury peat.Finish: Gentle spice, charred oak and smoked mackerel carried on an oily mouthfeel.
Established in 1887 by William Grant in Dufftown, Speyside, Glenfiddich remains family-owned across five generations and has long paired its tradition of independent craft with a genuine spirit of experimentation. The distillery's Malt Master Brian Kinsman has overseen the development of expressions that push the boundaries of what Speyside single malt can offer, and the 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve is one of the clearest demonstrations of his approach to cask management and finishing.
After fourteen years of maturation in ex-Bourbon American oak casks, which draw out the distillery's characteristic fresh fruit character alongside developing layers of vanilla and caramel sweetness, Kinsman transfers selected parcels to charred new American oak barrels for a final finishing period. The use of new wood at this stage, still unusual in Scotch whisky production, adds a deeper layer of toasted oak richness and spice that elevates the expression beyond a conventional Speyside profile. The result is a whisky with the freshness and fruit-forward quality Glenfiddich is known for, given additional weight and complexity by two distinct encounters with American oak. A distinctive Flagship Collection bottling and a well-considered gift for the whisky drinker who enjoys something a little off the beaten track.
Tasting Note by Glenfiddich:Nose: Deep vibrant vanilla notes with hints of citrus, caramelised brown sugar and cinnamon. Baked apple and ripe summer fruits and balanced with the rich oaky aromas.Palate: Beautifully rich and sweet with layers of creamy toffee, woody spices, candied orange peel and fresh toasted oak.Finish: Long lasting with lingering sweetness.
In terms of cask types, it begins its maturation journey in a blend of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. Then, 50% of the blend undergoes further refinement in first-fill Sherry casks, while the remainder is aged in first-fill Bourbon casks.
Notably, all Craigellachie expressions uphold a steadfast commitment to quality: they are non-chill filtered, free from caramel coloring, and bottled at a respectable 46% ABV. For those seeking a whisky of character and authenticity, Craigellachie is a notable choice.
Tasting Note by Craigellachie: The scents of oozing toasted marshmallows, fire-roasted pineapples, and baked apples sprinkled with cloves, along with the tang of cordite lingering in the background, make Craigellachie 13 Year Old remind one of Bonfire Night.
The Reserva PX represents one of the most intensely flavoured expressions in the Glencadam range, shaped decisively by the Pedro Ximénez Sherry butts sourced from Andalucía, Spain, in which it receives its final maturation. Produced at Glencadam's historic distillery in Brechin, Angus — in operation since 1825 — this small-batch release draws on single malt selected by the Master Distiller from the distillery's dunnage warehouses, where years of ex-bourbon maturation have laid a rich and fruited foundation for the PX cask to work upon.
Pedro Ximénez is among the most intensely sweet and concentrated of all sherry styles, and its influence here is profound — drawing out dark fruit, baking spice and confected richness that places this expression firmly at the indulgent end of the Glencadam spectrum. The result is a whisky of considerable depth and complexity, bottled unchillfiltered at natural colour. A collection-worthy release and a compelling gift for those who favour richness and character in their single malt. Glencadam Reserva PX Cask Finish was awarded the Best Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2024)!The Judging Panel described the whisky as showing; ‘Perfumed aroma with raspberry and blackcurrant jams and nutmeg. The complex palate features toffee, caramel, stewed apples, dates, nutmeg, and cinnamon.’
Tasting Note by Glencadam:Nose: Tangy and fresh with aromas of tropical fruits and citrus bound by a soft vanilla sweetness and baking spices.Palate: Bright and grassy with layers of pineapple, lemon curd and brioche with citrus zest highlights.Finish: Clean and crisp with notes of yellow fruits, vanilla pod and nutmeg spices.
Matured exclusively in hand-selected American oak ex-bourbon barrels, Tomintoul 10 Years Old is a delicately well-balanced single malt. This 10-year-old expression is a beloved favorite within the Tomintoul range and has earned prestigious gold medals for its exceptional taste in some of the world's most renowned spirits competitions.
Tasting Note by Tomintoul:Nose: Delicate and floral with aromas of acacia honey, vanilla, wholemeal toast and mellow wood spices. Palate: Sweet and honeyed with layers of creme caramel and toasted almond with highlights of lemon zest and a grassy freshness. Finish: Notes of buttery oak, citrus peels fading into a mellow cake spice linger.
