At the time of writing, 'Vinaya' is the distillery’s widest release since the Lowland project was resurrected by Australian, David Prior and Head Distiller Dr. Nick Savage in 2015. The name comes from a Sanskrit word meaning ' respect and gratitude'. Says Dr.Savage, “As we embark on the 204th year of Bladnoch, the launch of Vinaya feels particularly significant. It is important for us to show gratitude to the previous custodians of this historic brand and estate as we move forward into our most ambitious year yet.” As for the whisky, it's matured in first fill ex-Bourbon and first fill ex-Sherry casks, which is a new combination for Bladnoch. Pale gold in colour, Vinaya is a bit sleepy on the nose, but teases out light apple, pear and vanilla. It's a spritely and youngish tasting malt with a faint backdrop of orchard fruits, developing richness on the back palate but overall remaining relatively tight, crisp and brisk, placing this in the realm of aperitifs. It's also one of the most affordable in the line up, so if you're looking to introduce yourself to Bladnoch's house style, start here. 46.7% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.

Glenmorangie Master Distiller, Bill Lumsden, delivers one of the most consistently high-quality portfolios in Scotland. But it’s his ‘entry level’ product, the Glenmorangie 10 Year Old that sets the bar for the rest to follow. Jim Murray is rapturous about this expression declaring it to be “...one of the great single malts” rating it 94 points. Elegant swan-necked stills ( said to be the tallest in Scotland) are claimed to contribute to the lightness of the spirit. Maturation takes place in ex-Bourbon casks, made from oak sourced from Glenmorangie's own section of forest in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. Our tasting found delicate aromas of creme brulee, pineapple, pear drops, barley sugar, vanilla, cocoa and spice. The palate is medium dry, supremely soft and full of flavour. Vanilla custard, toffee, toasted coconut and cocoa are aided by a softly spiced, malty background. Hints of dried fruit emerge. The balance is very good and there's a lingering aftertaste of vanilla, cocoa and toasted coconut. Put simply, there’s an alluring delicacy and complexity to this whisky that seems to punch above its price point. 40% Alc./Vol.

The Dalmore story began in 1839 with Alexander Matheson who lived in the Highlands of Northern Scotland. Matheson found the rich peat and pure water sources of the Highlands to be the makings of a perfect whisky. He built a distillery in the area and produced small batches until 1886, when the Mackenzie family acquired his operation. When a member of the Mackenzie family risked his own life to save Scotland’s ruler, King Alexander III, from a charging stag, the grateful king offered a token of his appreciation by bequeathing the stag to the Mackenzie family as a symbol of valor and courage. And more than 130 years later, the stag head still appears on every bottle of The Dalmore. Today, Dalmore distillery has ten stone warehouses and eight pot-stills, several which date back to the late 1800s. Much of the distillery burned down during World War I while occupied by the U.S. Navy, but production resumed in 1922. The production process is meticulous and includes double distillations in copper pot-stills and aging in white oak and sherry wood casks.

The Tomatin (Gaelic meaning ‘the hill of bushes’) distillery was built in 1897 and is one of the highest distilleries in Scotland sitting nearby the Hill of Parting which is where the Jacobite clans settled after their defeat at Colloden. The distillery was founded by a Japanese company and it is currently owned by a different Japanese company Takara Shuzo and Okura. The water source for this distillery is All-na-Frithe a burn which is found locally. This helps the distillery produce 5,000,000 litres of whisky each year which makes it one of largest producers in Scotland. The still room has 23 stills in total. The Tomatin 12 Years Old is the flagship single malt of the Tomatin distillery, smooth and easy to drink this single malt is the start of a whisky journey of outstanding quality and flavour. After spending time maturing in traditional oak casks, this particular Tomatin spends the last six to nine months of its maturation exclusively in Oloroso Sherry casks.

Goodradigbee's Ironbark Red is a world's first innovation being the only single malt spirit matured in Australian Red Ironbark sourced from the New England Ranges, and in Goodradigbee's whisky maturation cubes, not barrels. The spirit is a rich, red and surprisingly complex spirit. It has a sweet honey and charred citrus flavour upfront, then moves to dark chocolate and golden syrup swiftly followed by subtle notes of seasoned wood and a nutty maltiness. The finish is powerful and succinct.

An unusual age statement is inspired by Alfred Barnard's visit to the distillery in 1887 which became part of his book, “The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom”. According to Diageo Director of Whisky Outreach, Dr. Nick Morgan, “At the end of the tour, he was given a taste of the whisky…he tasted an eight-year-old Lagavulin, which, of course, remember at the time was actually quite old…whiskies were considered to be venerable once they got around six years old in the 19th Century,” Morgan said in an interview with www.whiskycast.com. “He declared that whisky to be exceptionally fine, so our mission with this bottling was to find an exceptionally fine eight-year-old liquid which we thought Barnard would quite like if he were to be back here tasting it today.” Tasting note: Very pale straw gold showing considerable legs. Powerful and complex aromas include cocoa, sea spray, white pepper, dilute Elastoplast and lanolin followed by hints of citrus zest. Several minutes air contact accents the latent malt as well as dark chocolate. Concentrated but also surprisingly soft; almost creamy with grassy malt and a juicy vanilla, kelp and peppermint finish that goes long into the aftertaste. A departure from the 16, but terrific young malt. 48% Alc./Vol.

Glen Moray Sherry Cask Finish uses only the finest Oloroso casks to mature this extraordinary single malt. The Elgin Classic's unmistakable vanilla and light oak is still evident but, with vibrant dried fruit and earthy, nutty notes of the sherry, the finish is multi-faceted.

The Isle of Skye is renowned for its rich, varied landscape from its soft, serene shores to the dark, jagged peaks of the Cuillin mountains. Talisker Skye is the distillerys ode to these appealing contrasts, with a smoky sweetness, maritime notes, and a spicy edge.Best served in a Rocks Glass, neat or with a little water.

2014 marks another benchmark with "Torfa" - the first peated whisky from this revived distillery, fully matured in ex-bourbon barrels and peated to 20ppm. It takes its name from the Old Norse language with which the Scots dialect spoken in North East Scotland has an affinity and translates to “turf” or “peat”. Non-chill filtered. Natural colour. Retasted April 2018... Bright gold. White pepper and sweet earthy phenols combine with beeswax and biscuity malt; more cocoa / dark chocolate-like after extended time in the glass. A full bodied, succulent delivery with toasted barley, hints of fruit and a superb slathering of sweet peat. Melts in your mouth with near zero heat, the buzzing spices ricocheting through the finish. Uncomplicated but very pure. Beautiful malt. 50% Alc./Vol. First tasted April 2014... Pale straw gold. Opening sniff detects hints of vanilla wafer biscuit, dried grass and white pepper; more cocoa like after exposure as mild peat infuses dark chocolate, accentuating with time in the glass. Quite sweet but remains in check with the mid palate featuring juicy vanilla malt and the finish highlighting the peat as wet-wool / lanolin. Controlled spices add length and continue into an attractive choc-peat fade. Smokey, but in an accessible Caol Ila kind of way. Nicely done. 93 points

Tasting note: Matured in first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels for seven years before being transferred to smaller 125 litre Quarter casks for a further two years. The process amplifies the impact of the wood. Fumey alcohol gives way to hints of dried coconut, raisin chocolate, pine needles and a vaguely cider-like fruitiness. It's a big, chewy malt with a fabulous fanning flavour rush and impressive control. Summer pudding and vanilla come through on the finish before the aftertaste ends crisp and pleasingly astringent. Delicious. 56.2% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered.