The wandering storm bird. Said to be the souls of lost sailors, these roaming aeronauts glide endlessly over the vast and sometimes inhospitable Southern Ocean. Seen as an omen of both good luck and bad, these occasional visitors to our shores perfectly embody grace endurance and fragility.

"One for no age statement naysayers... Eloquent & beautiful." - whiskyadvocate.com Back in 2015, Nikka announced they were discontinuing their age statement and No Age Statement (NAS) releases for the Yoichi and Miyagikyo labels and consolidating them into two new bottlings. These whiskies have now arrived in Australia. Two NAS versions that differ slightly to the previous versions now represent the entire portfolio. It was yet another move that triggered a buying rush. Reports have it that Tokyo is now pretty much out of age statement Japanese whiskies, unless you visit bars or auction houses. Nikka's reasons for the radical new strategy are now familiar. They simply have no old stocks to sell. Decades ago, both local and world demand for Japanese malts was low, so few barrels were being laid down for extended periods. Stefan Van Eycken, writing for www.nonjatta.com explains "...there were years, at both Yoichi and Miyagikyo distillery, when the barrels laid down for maturation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The ‘stock shortage’ is not an excuse or a PR stunt – it’s very real. Sources within Nikka have said that it is ‘likely’ that age-statement single malts will be brought back in 5 or 6 years’ time. No official statement to that effect has been made for the simple reason that doing so – in Japan – would be interpreted as a promise (which could come back to haunt them in 6 years’ time)." The dropping of age statements doesn't always translate into a drop in quality. Early reviews for both releases have been very positive. Evidently, Chief blender Tadashi Sakuma has risen to the challenge of creating a great assemblage from a restricted inventory.

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.

Double matured in port casks, this malt is a toast to the Scottish traders who braved the high seas and were instrumental in founding the port wine trade, shipping it to the world. 'Port Ruighe' (pronounced 'Portree') is the Gaelic spelling of the once bustling trading port on Skye. The Port finish combines Talisker's powerful maritime character with succulent sweet notes of rich berry fruits for a superb contrasting taste experience.

Talisker is one of Scotland's remotest distilleries which produces a dram with trademark smoothness. Their 10 year old has a powerful peat and sea-salt nose; smoky sweetness with malt flavours and developing warmth with a huge, peppery finish. One of the six classic malts of Scotland, this Whisky is best enjoyed neat or with a slight dash of water.

Dalwhinnie is the highest of all the distillers in Scotland and place so to take advantage of the cleanest springwater possible. Dalwhinnie has a smokey, floral aroma and a delicate palate of heather and honed malt. A serious Whisky, yet approachable to the beginners.

Deep, golden mahogany in colour, Dalmore has a fantastic nose of orange, marmalade and aromatic spice. Elegant and rich on the palate with concentrated citrus, oloroso Sherry with hints of sweet vanilla pod. An amazing and lingering finish.

Glenlivet is a Sherry-finished Speyside malt Whisky. Honey in colour, spiced on the nose and a smoky palate make this a gorgeously luxurious Scotch.

Dewars 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky is carefully prepared by putting the whisky back into the cask to mature a second time after blending (double-aging). This method allows all of the older and characterful whiskies to mingle before bottling with resulting flavours of nut and marzipan, to name a few.

Cosseted away in the finest, hand-selected oak casks and allowed to mature at its own sedate pace, this is one of the most remarkable, perfectly balanced malts of its kind. One of our rarest most exceptional bottlings, the stocks of Bowmore 18 Years Old may be limited but there's no end to its enjoyment.