It’s time for another round-up of some Whisky Marketplace favourites, and it seems that after February’s leaning towards world whisky, we are now firmly back in the wilds of Scotland. Our staff picks this month are still a diverse selection of single malts, each being of a different region and a strikingly different character.

Our four selected whiskies trace a path the length of the country, taking us from an old-school smoky Campbeltown malt, upwards through the Highlands for a splash of something relaxed and honeyed, then crossing Loch Alsh to the Isle of Skye for a peppery classic and finally on up to distant Orkney to finish our little journey with a whisky of many charms.

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The name Glenfiddich is perhaps the most widely recognised of all single malt brands around the world and while it is seen in the vast majority of bars, it is also widely overlooked and disregarded by many whisky lovers. This is a real shame considering that all distilleries offer at least a few gems to discover and equally there is always something to be learnt from revisiting the big names, regardless of their price, availability and past experiences.

This revamped Glenfiddich 21 year old “Gran Reserva” has been finished in Caribbean Rum casks for a short period of only four months, which could be a good thing for those previously stung by, or perpetually dubious about, the benefits of extra maturation. That being said, it appears Rum finishes don’t quite induce the rolling of eyes or recoiling of noses that several other casks choices tend to, and are often regarded as being rather successful.

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BenRiach whiskies from the mid 70′s is deservedly held is high regard within whisky circles. The official single casks from 1976 first attracted people’s attention in 2004 and subsequent bottlings have only gone on to solidify their reputation. They regularly show delicious tropical fruit driven profiles but, on the whole, those released have managed to avoid intrusive oakiness.

This 1975 example was bottled for Bert Bruyneel’s label “Asta Morris” in 2011 and was, unsurprisingly, greeted with considerable praise on release. You will struggle to find a bottle of this one, but the quality is indicative of similar casks that are continuing to hit the market, not least Bert’s own releases from the late 70s.

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It is no secret that opening a new distillery is a hugely demanding and expensive project and with this in mind, it should come as no great surprise that some distillers are choosing to release their output as soon as possible. The current, almost unprecedented interest in whisky is making this a viable way of generating revenue from young spirit, which can only be a good thing for those interested parties who wish to follow a distillery’s product as it matures.

While this all seems fairly win-win on the surface, it must be said that these young releases are not always much more than a curiosity. On one had they can sometimes be spirity and rough with obvious signs of immaturity and on the other, they can feel hurried along by very active oak, adding a veneer of maturity but at the expense of individuality. Obviously, personal taste is always key and the vibrancy of even the more suspect bottlings can charm, fitting the mood on certain occasions. Sometimes though, when the spirit character is right and the maturation is well handled, they can be truly excellent.

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Caol Ila is often regarded as a safe bet amongst whisky lovers. The spirit distilled at this, Islay’s largest distillery, is perhaps some of the most consistent in overall quality of any currently produced. Berry Bros and Rudd have a similarly reliable track record as an independent bottler and continue to release casks which even at their worst are highly interesting curiosities, and when at their best are simply superb.

There are many Caol Ila whiskies available, especially single casks bottlings, and in recent times those from the early 80s have received much praise, indeed Berry Bros and Rudd have released a number of excellent examples themselves. With that in mind, each new encounter with a bottling such as this 1983 is cause for interest and I must confess a degree of heightened expectation.

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Since being purchased by Billy Walker’s BenRiach distillery company, GlenDronach distillery has gone from strength to strength. The single cask releases we have seen over the last few years have shown just how stunning some of the stock resting in the distillery’s warehouses really is. Many awards have been won and praise has been heaped upon Glendronach from just about every respected whisky commentator and reviewer.

The name of the distillery alone instantly evokes images of rich, heavily sherried whisky abounding in both complexity and character, with single casks from 1972 being particularly spectacular examples of just this style. The Glendronach 31 year old Grandeur shares this maturation but is a vatting of several sherry casks, bottled in 2010 and at a natural cask strength of 45.8%.

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Bruichladdich can be somewhat controversial and here at WhiskyMarketplace we have certainly tasted drams from the distillery that draw varied opinions.  These have tended to be part of the distillery’s wide range of the extra matured (finished, ACE’d etc) bottlings though, and it’s fair to say that they are frequently a hit and miss affair for many whisky lovers.

This is the first 10 year old entirely distilled by the current owners and it is a great pleasure to see the new output reach this significant age.  My honest hopes were to find a Bruichladdich whisky that reminded of the original predominately bourbon matured releases seen shortly after re-opening, and could at least be considered of similar quality.  Since reopening in 2001, we have seen the Laddie team weather those undoubtedly challenging first nine years and, in releasing this landmark 10 year old, solidify the future of this charismatic rhinns distillery.

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So here it is, the first instalment of our Staff Picks. Each month we hope to bring you several interesting, high quality bottles that we feel deserve your consideration. They will vary in price and type from generally affordable to moderately expensive and from our old favourites through to newly issued bottlings and, from time to time, the quite rare and unusual.

This time around we are singing the praises of a cracking young Japanese Whisky, a star of the Irish Whiskey Pot Still revival and two wine influenced beauties from Scotland and Wales. It’s quite an eclectic group with each being both interesting and of considerable quality.

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Welcome to The WhiskyMarketplace Blog!  Before we get to the interesting stuff (whisky, of course) it seemed like a wise idea for us to outline the values integral to ensuring that this blog is fair, varied, honest, informative and most of all, an enjoyable read for you, the whisky lover and buyer.

Impartiality and positivity are important values to us here at WhiskyMarketplace.  This blog intends to be purely impartial, honest and always a place of open views.  Reviews will be the true opinion of the writer, without intending to court favour from companies or organisations.

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