When running a blog like this, it is always important to make sure that we make time to just enjoy drinking a whisky or two. No notes. Just a glass of the good stuff and some quality time. I’ve actually tried numerous new whiskies (new to me, anyway) over the Christmas break and found it refreshing to not go about jotting tasting notes and experiences down. That said, I have a few posts lined up now, but wanted to celebrate the better ones from last year, and as is now tradition, we’ve used the festive period to take a look back at our favourite whiskies of the previous year. Fire up the Pick Of the Pops theme…
10. Jura – Perspective No. 1
Jura has always had a special place in my heart as it was one of the more readily available single malts when I started getting into scotch. That said, the distillery is not without its critics and since their reset/rebrand of recent years, they’ve continued to put out more and more releases and experiments. The Perspective series seems to be a attempt to go back to basics and show off what the base spirit and barrels can achieve. At a higher ABV and fuller experience, this warmed the cockles and put a smile on face as I remembered the better elements of what got me into their whisky in the first place. Click here to read more.
9. Penderyn – Hiraeth
It has taken a while for me to get into Penderyn releases. My first few experiences with their flagship Madeira release really knocked me back, but as a proud Welshman, I’ve stuck with them and whilst some of their gold range whiskies are a step above, I think that they have really found their feet in the Icons of Wales releases. Their base spirit is almost always matured in Buffalo Trace casks to begin with before finishing in a different cask type or two. Having never had the opportunity (or deep enough pockets) to try the highly sought-after Bryn Terfel release (No. 5), this is my first experience with a bourbon-only matured Penderyn. It was glorious, in my opinion. Pretty linear in terms of tasting notes, but a classic and well-bodied malt that has now sadly sold out. Click here to read more.
8. Great Jones – Straight Bourbon
Your opinion of a whisky/whiskey can often be somewhat slanted by your experiences of when and where you were when drinking it. That said, I still believe that this is good bourbon whiskey outright, though it is a reminder of a special trip to the Big Apple. Not only did it provide bundles of that classic American white oak vanilla and spice character, but it was actually a good balance and well bodied. Throw into the mix that this is actually the first bourbon to have been legally made in Manhattan since the Prohibition era and the story adds to the appeal. Speaking of appeal: its quite the goo looking bottle and design too. Click here to read more.
7. Turntable – Smokin Riff
Whisky and music go hand-in-hand to make for good times, and this celebration of scotch blending mixes these two experiences well. The start of the year saw us sampling the first 3 core releases by the Turntable blending house and it was their more peated release that especially caught my attention. The team provided as much transparency as they could over their blend (distillery names, barrel types, and percentages of overall make-up) and whilst they’re not able to reveal the ages, the campfire notes and fruity body made for a fantastic combo. Throw in a rock reference and I am all over it. 🤘 Click here to read more.
6. Wormtub – Batch 1
A big whisky with a big taste from a big secret distillery. The Wormtub set of releases from Atom get their name from and celebrate the wormtub condensers used in whisky production and the series does this with unctuous sherry matured Speyside single malts. Now releasing their 5th batch of the Wormtub releases, the receipt of a Drinks By The Dram gift set early in the year meant that I was able to sample the whisky that kicked it off and gave them the impetus to release the new range. Dynamite stuff. Click here to read more.
5. Kiltmaker – Pleated To Sett
I think its fantastic when a collection of successful local businesses come together to combine their crafts and make something new. That’s exactly what has happened in Leith and has manifested intself in the Kiltmaker whisky. With the key whisky making elements made by the team at Woven, the bottling and design via The Leith Export Co, and the additional packaging cominfg from Kinloch Anderson kilmaters, this whisky is a real celebration. And who wouldn’t love a bespoke whisky clad in high quality kilt offcuts? A fantastic release to launch their series also great to see the smaller bottles being made available! Click here to read more.
4. Caol Ila – 17 Years Old by Saltire Rare Malt Whisky
I have not had a bad Caol Ila. The top end of the spectrum is great however, and with 17 years of maturation in a hogshead, this release by Saltire was always going to be a winner. The independent bottlers only launched their brand and products over the summer of 2024 and have already got quite the roster. At the time of writing, they are taking pre-orders for their 18th release! Their key features are to show off the quality of teenage single malts, housed in quality casks and bottled at a punchy strength that they feel best shows off the profile at their preferred strength of 48.8% ABV. All power to them. Here a peated powerhouse with a touch of class. Click here to read more.
3. Wire Works – Caduro
I mentioned it above, the first experience and location of trying a whisky can feature heavily in your opinions, and that is the case here with White Peak distillery’s first commitment to a flagship core release: Caduro. The whisky is named after a type of wire made at the wire works factory that now houses the distillery (hence the brand name of their whiskies) and the combo of the Evan Williams bourbon barrels and Portuguese STR casks have made for a punchy and fruity dram that is very satisfying – complete with their house-style lightly peated spirit. A super stylish bottle houses a flavoursome addition to the WU cabinet. Click here to read more.
2. Springbank – 10 Years Old
Not a new whisky by any means, but this entry marks the joy of revisiting an old friend and hosting my first whisky tasting event. This Campbeltown classic was the group’s favourite whisky of the night, and paid credence to the hype behind the bottling and its self-acclaimed moniker of being the whisky drinker’s whisky. A great mix of bourbon and sherry cask influence on a lightly peated malt that has great depth and complexity without being overpowering. A well-rounded crowd-pleaser for sure. Click here to read more.
1. Arran – Sauternes Cask
And again it is a great experience with a great whisky that makes for the entry at the top of this list. I have come to really enjoy the Arran releases and whilst I could easily have put the Amarone Cask in this top ten also, it was this Sauternes cask that stood out for me. You get to really appreciate the good malt base behind this malt but it is the sweet wine finish that complements it and adds more depth, fruitiness and an all-round lip-smacking profile that won me over. It is reasonably priced given the market, and sits at 50% ABV without feeling anything near that. Like I’ve said, it is the best fusion of whisky and wine flavours that I’ve had to date. Winner. Click here to read more.
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