On 19 September 1995, new spirit was filled into a single Oloroso sherry cask at Craigellachie in Speyside. That was almost two decades before the distillery launched its single malt range in 2014. For thirty years the cask sat undisturbed in oak, monitored over time by Malt Master Stephanie Macleod, until she judged it ready. Built as the rock in the heart of Speyside in 1891, Craigellachie has always done things the old-fashioned way: worm tub condensers, oil-fired kilning, no chill filtration and no added colour. That uncompromising approach is the foundation of every bottle in the Exceptional Cask Series.
Cask #4573 was bottled straight from the cask at 56.9% ABV with no water added. It filled 426 bottles. There will never be more. Every one of them is at JPHA. For collectors and those who appreciate whisky of genuine provenance, this is as singular as it gets.
Tasting Note by Craigellachie:Rich orchard fruits, toasted cereal and creamy vanilla, with hints of aniseed, soft leather and a zesty orange peel finish.
Royal Brackla 19 Year Old is a Highland single malt Scotch whisky matured in oak before a finishing period in Oloroso sherry hogsheads. Oloroso is a dry, oxidatively aged sherry — it adds dark fruit and depth without sweetness. The whisky is bottled at 54.9% ABV, non-chill filtered, and naturally coloured. This release is part of the Exceptional Cask Series and is limited to 1,170 bottles. Royal Brackla was granted a Royal Warrant in 1833 by King William IV.
Tasting Note by Royal Brackla: Nose: Smooth vanilla sweetness with soft notes of creamy coconut and ripe honeydew melon, lifted by gentle hints of cinnamon and star anise. Palate: Full bodied and well rounded, with vanilla and coconut at the centre, layered with the lush fruitiness of honeydew melon and a warming weave of cinnamon spice and star anise.Finish: Long and vibrant, with lingering warmth, gentle spice and a clean sweetness that fades gradually.
Ode to the Dark is the richest expression in The Glendronach's Master’s Anthology, matured in exceptional Pedro Ximénez sherry casks and bottled at high strength. This bold single malt embodies depth and indulgence, blending layers of richness with The Glendronach’s renowned expertise in sherry cask maturation.
Tasting Note by GlenDronach:Nose: A symphony of mocha, black cherry and dark chocolate precede créme brûlée with raisin, brown sugar and ginger.Palate: Velvet layers of smooth espresso and crème caramel fold into black grape and mint chocolate ganache.
Every grain of malt in this whisky was turned by hand on The Balvenie's own malting floor.
The distillery has worked that floor since 1931, but it normally supplies only part of the barley Balvenie uses. For this limited edition Twelve Year Old, it supplied all of it. Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie built the whisky around that malt, so the character of the barley sits at the centre of the flavour.
The spirit matured for many years in American oak, which brings vanilla and gentle spice. It was then finished in ex-sherry bodega European oak butts from Jerez for added depth. It is bottled at 47.5%, a stronger bottling that holds on to more of the spirit's character. Try it neat first, then add a drop of water.
It comes in packaging designed by contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, in textured copper and verdigris tones inspired by The Balvenie's aged stills.
Tasting Note by Balvenie:Nose: Warm biscuit, honeyed creamy toffee, delicate ginger and aromatic oak.Palate: Mellow barley sugar sweetness, warming into crystallised ginger, delicate raisin and spice.Finish: Rich, velvety and smooth, with a lingering spiced warmth.
Part of A Collection of Curious Casks within The Balvenie Stories Range, this limited edition was hand-selected by Malt Master Kelsey McKechnie. It is matured for 12 years in European oak butts seasoned with a sweet dessert wine from Montilla, Spain, a cask style never before released by The Balvenie.
The Montilla wine cask accentuates The Balvenie’s signature honeyed richness with a balance of candied sweetness, vanilla oakiness, warming spice, and delicate fruit. Each bottle is drawn from a single cask and carries its individual cask number, representing both innovation and the continuation of traditional craftsmanship at the Dufftown distillery.
Tasting Notes by The Balvenie:Nose: Delicate, crisp and refined with vibrant barley sugar and runny honey balanced by toasted oak.Palate: Initial candied sweetness developing into rich vanilla oakiness with warming spice and dried apricots.Finish: Refreshing sweetness.
Part of Gordon & MacPhail's Discovery range, this 10 year old Auchroisk single malt has been matured in bourbon casks and bottled at 46% ABV. This Speyside whisky offers a delicate balance of flavours, featuring notes of vanilla, tropical fruit, and citrus, complemented by a subtle spiciness. With its creamy texture and bright aromas, this expression highlights Auchroisk’s classic style, making it an interesting choice for those exploring the diverse offerings of the Discovery series.
Tasting Note by Gordon & MacPhail: Nose: Vanilla is followed by apple and poached pear, toasted almonds give way to pineapple and hints of lemon blossom.Palate: Sweet and creamy honey combines with ripe banana and zesty orange. Apricot comes to the fore, balanced by cracked black pepper.Finish: Medium-bodied finish with lingering tropical fruit and oak.
Originally set aside to become a 12 year old single barrel, this whisky was found to have developed a subtle smoky flavour upon tasting, due to being distilled immediately after peat week, even though the barley used was unpeated. It matured for 14 years in some of Balvenie's finest bourbon casks.
Tasting Note by Balvenie:Nose: Velvety sweetness, rich toffee and smouldering oak reveal crisp citrus aromas and ever flowing honey musk.Palate: Candied orange peel is grounded in woody, earthy flavours from beautifully roasted malt and deep vanilla oakiness.
Rémy Martin Coupe 300th Anniversary is a special release created to mark 300 years of the House of Rémy Martin. Crafted by Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau, it draws on the House’s Réserve Perpétuelle, continuing a lineage of anniversary Cognacs stretching back through previous Coupe releases.
Created from Grande Champagne eaux-de-vie, Coupe 300 combines mature character with freshness and complexity, reflecting three centuries of Rémy Martin’s Cognac-making heritage.
Limited to 6,724 individually numbered carafes worldwide, each bottle is presented in a bespoke wooden case with a numbered certificate, making Coupe 300 one of the defining releases of Rémy Martin’s 300th anniversary.
Tasting Note by Rémy Martin:Nose: Radiance and directness with aromas of candied orange, passion fruit, sandalwood, leather, mixed spices, undergrowth and a hint of floral notes. Rancio notes have retained freshness.Palate: Candied fruit, passion fruit, fig, exotic fruits, nuts, discreet oaky notes, elegance and tension, with a very long finish.Finish: An impressive structure, explosiveness and a refined fresh fruit expression with a persistence that prolongs the tasting experience for a long time.
Glencadam Reserva de Jerez is a beautifully crafted single malt, distilled in 2007 and matured in ex-bourbon American oak casks from the distillery’s historic dunnage warehouses. After careful selection, the whisky is expertly finished in Oloroso Sherry butts sourced from Jerez, Spain. This unique process imparts rich, complex flavours, bringing depth and character to the Glencadam Single Malt, with subtle influences from the sherry wood.
Tasting Note by Glencadam:Nose: Rich and pronounced with aromas of praline, roasted nuts, golden syrup and candied peels.Palate: Sweet layers of maple pecan Danish, sultanas, milk chocolate and heather honey bound with nutmeg and oak spices.Finish: Warming notes of apple strudel and custard tarts fading into a linger of sweet spices and espresso coffee.
Upon taking ownership of GlenAllachie, Master Distiller Billy Walker quickly made his mark by choosing Scottish barley, implementing a 160-hour fermentation, and overseeing a slow distillation process. With five decades of blending expertise, Billy's true mastery is evident in the distillery's 16 warehouses, which include casks from the 1970s. He handpicked a limited number of casks for the GlenAllachie 18 Year Old, which embodies the brand's rich and robust character with delicate notes of heather and butterscotch. This opulent Scotch whisky, refined in high-quality oak casks for 18 years, is presented at 46% ABV, unfiltered for chill, and retains its natural colour, exemplifying GlenAllachie's commitment to perfection.
Tasting Note by GlenAllachie:Nose: Toffee sauce, cinnamon spice and fresh vanilla pods, with attributes of cocoa, honeycomb and cherries.Palate: Bursts of marzipan, sultanas and rich dark chocolate, leading to wild honey, maraschino cherries and buttercream.
Founded in 1881 on the remote northern shore of Islay, Bunnahabhain sits at the end of a single-track road on the Sound of Islay, making it one of the most isolated and characterful distilleries in Scotland. Its unusually tall, pear-shaped stills with elongated swan necks produce a lighter, oilier spirit than its Islay neighbours, and the distillery is notably one of the few on the island to work with unpeated barley. Mineral-rich water drawn from the Margadale Spring, sea air rolling in off the Sound, and a philosophy of non-chill filtration without added colour define the Bunnahabhain house style across every expression.
Turas Math No.1 is the opening release in the Westering Home Collection, a three-part series rooted in the distillery's maritime heritage. The whisky is a marriage of two exceptional cask journeys, personally selected by Master Blender Julieann Fernandez. The first parcel was distilled in 2008 and spent its full 15 years maturing in Manzanilla Sherry casks from Jerez. The second parcel matured for a decade in refill casks before receiving a five-year finish in Amarone wine casks from the Veneto region of Italy. The union of these two paths produces a whisky of layered sweetness, coastal character and considered complexity, bottled at cask strength without chill-filtration or added colour. A compelling collector's release and an equally distinguished gift.
Tasting Note by Bunnahabhain:Nose: A burst of dark fruits including black cherries, plums, and blackberries, intertwined with cloves and roasted nuts.Palate: Fresh cinnamon pastries and treacle toffee blend with hazelnut, dried figs, and soft herbal notes.Finish: Warm spices linger on the palate, accented by a hint of sea spray.
These casks were part of David Stewart's initial experiment to finish The Balvenie in French Pineau casks. After a few years, the results were not as expected, so he explored using a different source of Pineau, resulting in the creation of French Oak 16. However, this batch continued to age in the original casks and was discovered by Kelsey after 8 years in Pineau. She found they had developed into something remarkable.
Tasting Note by Balvenie:Nose: Warming amber tones from toasted oak and delicate spice are immersed by smooth butterscotch and hints of ripe berries.Palate: Intriguing layers of spice and rich sweetness layer on creamy vanilla and honey before revealing gentle oaky tannins.
