Whisky Brands

A 14-year-old limited-edition Balvenie which finished its maturation in casks which had previously held Caribbean rum. Expect vanilla and toffee notes as the rum contributes extra sweetness to the flavours.

Released in late 2010, this Arran 14 year old replaced the old 12 year old. Neither coloured nor chill-filtered, Arran 14 year old is bottled at a sensible drinking strength of 46%, for which the management deserve maximum kudos.

Released to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of Lagavulin distillery by John Johnston in 1816, this eight-year-old is big and smoky, with sweet spice that becomes apparent with a drop of water. Inspired by the visit of Alfred Barnard to the distillery in the 1880s when he tried an 'exceptionally fine' eight-year-old from the distillery, this is a fitting tribute for the milestone.

Oban Little Bay is married in the smallest casks available at the distillery, 200-litre ex-bourbon barrels. This has resulted in a rich whisky with notes of stone fruit, spice and honey.

A sweet and rounded 15 year old dram from Glengoyne, made using air dried barley and about as unsmoky as a whisky can get. It's a rich mix of 1st fill sherry and bourbon matured whisky, rounded out with some refill casks.

Non Chill-Filtered is an interesting variant on Aberlour's usual 12 year old whisky, not only changing the proportions of different whiskies that are used to make the expression, but also leaving it un-chillfiltered. This means that it retains the full body and flavour of the whisky from the cask, although it may go cloudy if water is added or it gets cold.

A young peated Highlander from the excellent Ardmore distillery, this has been finished in quarter casks to speed up maturation. Gold Medal in its category at the World Whisky Awards.

The 100-proof edition of Benromach 10 Year Old, presented in the distillery's new packaging. The original has been a huge hit since its introduction at the end of 2009.

The Bowmore Darkest has flourished since it gained a 15 year-old age statement. The sweet sherry notes take precedence over the peat here.