The richly layered Glenfiddich 15 Year Old single malt Scotch whisky is innovatively matured in three types of oak cask: sherry, bourbon and new oak, before being married in thier unique, handcrafted Oregon pine Solera vat. Year on year, this Solera vat is never emptied but is always kept at least half full creating a deliciously harmonious and intense whisky which gets more complex and intriguing every year.

Fresh, sweetly fruity and smooth-bodied, Caol Ila 12 YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky delicately balances a range of tastes. The clean, appetising nose shows subtle citrus fruit with just a puff of smoke. Firm and smooth, it begins sweetly then yields a fragrant smokiness and a sweet-smoky, lingering finish.

Lagavulin, pronounced 'Lagga-voolin' (meaning 'the hollow where the mill is') is distinctive and powerful. Once described as 'liquid bandaid' for its strong medicinal character, it is perhaps the most assertive, complex and intensely dry of all the Islay malts.The palate overwhelms like an ocean wave with powerful peaty, salty overtones that re-emerge on the finish. The taste sensation lingers long in the mouth. On a cold wet winters night, there is perhaps no finer tonic than a dram of Lagavulin.

The Quarter Cask is a strong, double cask matured, non-chill filtered malt from the iconic Islay distillery, Laphroaig. With a nose of burning peat embers and hints of coconut and bananas that is then followed by a palate that is deep and complex with smoky flavours. Still quite gentle with a hint of sweetness, this 48% Single Malt has a long, spicy and smoky finish that seems to last an eternity.

Complex, with distinctive butterscotch, sherried fruit and peat smoke aromas. Big, full-flavoured, with excellent balance, develops slowly, full of sherry sweet malty tones, and a touch peat smoke. The finish is long lasting and smooth, with a hint of spice and sherry sweetness. Overall combines the smoothness of our younger whiskies with the greater depth of our older expressions.

Co-created by one of Scotland’s most awarded Master Distillers, Jim McEwan, together with Cape Byron Distillery Co-founder and distiller Eddie Brook are two new Australian takes on a classic Scottish single malt. Many readers will already know of Jim McEwan who has more than fifty years of experience in the whisky business, having worked at Bowmore for 38 years, before overseeing the rebirth of Bruichladdich and most recently helping to get new Islay distillery, Ardnahoe, off the ground. Two editions are on offer: A Chardonnay barrelled limited edition, and this, the Cape Byron 'Original', aged in Scotland's traditional vessel of choice: American oak x-Bourbon casks. Says Brook, “They go together like a match made in heaven. [The whisky is] not overly dominated by the oak, it’s letting the spirit sing, and we’re seeing this marriage.” What partly accounts for the distinctive style is that the pair have resisted the temptation to use smaller barrels to ‘accelerate’ the ageing process. It's the opposite approach of most Australian distillers. “...We’ve got this climate that gives us faster maturation. Now that’s great, but it can also get too much, you can get too much tannin and then over-oaking in your whisky, ” Brook explains. "To avoid this, we only mature in full format barrels, between 200 to 300 litres in size". Specially designed warehousing facilities further offset Byron’s temperature extremes. According to McEwan, another factor is the distillery's proximity to the coast. “Walk down the barrel room... you’re getting that marine character and influence coming through" he says. "That moisture is falling on the oak staves, and slowly but surely, there’ll be a residue of salt and eventually as the whisky moves in and out, as the temperature increases, the alcohol will expand and it will touch the salt, and pull it back, and that brings a unique marine freshness to the spirit – quite different from anything else...” No surprise that McEwan reckons fans of Bruichladdich might taste some similarities in the Cape Byron spirit. “They’re not dissimilar. There’s no peat, [Eddie’s] using American oak, I used a lot of American oak Bourbon casks as well. I’ve used wine casks – and you’ve got all the wine casks there. There’s a similarity there between what I was doing in Islay and what Eddie’s doing here." As for the taste? Can't say there are many like this - either here or abroad - but you can appreciate why McEwen draws comparisons with Bruichladdich. Cape Byron's Original is a creamy, near voluptuous malt that defies its age. Peaches and cream come through with sweet barley and shortbread on the nose. The co-mingling of dried mango and juicy malt with the Bourbon vanilla aspects is nicely done, and there's a spicy edge adding vibrancy. At the finish, more peaches and cream, dried mango and a little grilled pineapple, pepper and coastal freshness develop. It's a whisky less about overt complexity, all about generous mouthfeel and precocious flavour. No doubt that equation will change over time. Right now, the creative forces behind the project have guaranteed one of the more compelling Aussie releases in recent years. Matured for three years in 200 litre ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks. 47% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Batch 001 tasted. Notes from the producers... The colour of a Byron Bay sunset. The palate offers soft vanilla, creme brulee and biscotti characters, layered over distinct notes of pear, coconut and buttery macadamia.

Family owned and run for over 170 years, the Glenfarclas distillery has produced a slightly smoky, spicy Scotch with a rich long lasting finish. The 15 Year Old is golden amber in colour, the nose shows rich oak and a hint of peat smoke, with soft fruity characters. It is firm-bodied with a luscious glorious oaky finish, with a touch of smoke and sherry sweetness.

Johnnie Walker Aged 18 Years has rich sweet fruit aromas along with toffee caramel, vanilla and a hint of smoke. Its warming and sweet on the palate with dark fruits, malty cereal, smooth creamy vanilla, fragrant almonds and tangerines, and a gentle smoke developing. A lingering finish brings notes of dark chocolate, caramelised citrus peel and very light smoke.

The Macallan 12 Year Old Double Cask is the perfect balance of 100% sherry seasoned American and European oak, a marriage of 2 wood types. Smooth, sweet and balanced. The defining style is American oak - citrus and light oak balanced by the expected Macallan character of rich fruit and wood spice.

From Scotlands biggest-selling single malt producer comes a whisky that was never meant to leave the shores of the USA. With the history making, limited-edition Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve, the distillery has done something its never done before.Created in Dufftown at the heart of Speyside and exclusively finished in virgin American oak, Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve delivers the balance and sophistication of Scotland with a sweet kick of Kentucky. After spending 14 years in ex-Bourbon barrels, the whisky was then meticulously transferred into new American oak barrels built especially for Glenfiddich by the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville Kentucky.Having originally been founded on the banks of the River Kelvin in Glasgow in 1963, Kelvin Cooperage packed up shop and moved to Kentucky in 1991. Perhaps it was no coincidence that they made the move at the same time as the Scotch industry was in the middle of a massive downturn, with many distilleries putting down minimal spirit or even worse getting mothballed. Regardless, the decision to move was a good one, allowing them to focus their energy on being closer to the source of the casks that make up around 90% of the Single Malt industry. And the oak that was selected for Glenfiddich was as close to the source as you could get. Bent into place, toasted and then charred to exact specifications, its created the perfect cask complement, adding an even deeper complexity to the worlds most awarded single malt.The result?One of the most delightfully enjoyable Glenfiddichs weve ever tasted: you could spend an entire night just nosing it! Bottled at 43%, youll find sweet pineapple, shortbread and roasted almonds on a divinely creamy chewy palate; lemon meringue, lychee and flaming marshmallows on the nose; and a soft lingering finish of Jersey Caramels, chocolate-orange swirl and lightly buttered toast.Weve tried, tested, and deemed it delicious, and finally the Clubs first Glenfiddich Whisky of the Month since 2016 is here. At $120.00 this is a Glenfiddich with a big Bourbon soul, and one youll want sitting on your whisky shelf. This one-off bottling is exclusive to the Club in Australia, and the first and only time youll see an official Glenfiddich 14 Year OldBourbon Barrel Reserve outside the USA, all thanks to the mighty buying power of Australias biggest whisky community. Limited stocks are remaining, so be very quick: Sign Up Free now to get your hands on a bottle.