Co-created by one of Scotland’s most awarded Master Distillers, Jim McEwan, together with Cape Byron Distillery Co-founder and distiller Eddie Brook are two new Australian takes on a classic Scottish single malt. Many readers will already know of Jim McEwan who has more than fifty years of experience in the whisky business, having worked at Bowmore for 38 years, before overseeing the rebirth of Bruichladdich and most recently helping to get new Islay distillery, Ardnahoe, off the ground. Two editions are on offer: A Chardonnay barrelled limited edition, and this, the Cape Byron 'Original', aged in Scotland's traditional vessel of choice: American oak x-Bourbon casks. Says Brook, “They go together like a match made in heaven. [The whisky is] not overly dominated by the oak, it’s letting the spirit sing, and we’re seeing this marriage.” What partly accounts for the distinctive style is that the pair have resisted the temptation to use smaller barrels to ‘accelerate’ the ageing process. It's the opposite approach of most Australian distillers. “...We’ve got this climate that gives us faster maturation. Now that’s great, but it can also get too much, you can get too much tannin and then over-oaking in your whisky, ” Brook explains. "To avoid this, we only mature in full format barrels, between 200 to 300 litres in size". Specially designed warehousing facilities further offset Byron’s temperature extremes. According to McEwan, another factor is the distillery's proximity to the coast. “Walk down the barrel room... you’re getting that marine character and influence coming through" he says. "That moisture is falling on the oak staves, and slowly but surely, there’ll be a residue of salt and eventually as the whisky moves in and out, as the temperature increases, the alcohol will expand and it will touch the salt, and pull it back, and that brings a unique marine freshness to the spirit – quite different from anything else...” No surprise that McEwan reckons fans of Bruichladdich might taste some similarities in the Cape Byron spirit. “They’re not dissimilar. There’s no peat, [Eddie’s] using American oak, I used a lot of American oak Bourbon casks as well. I’ve used wine casks – and you’ve got all the wine casks there. There’s a similarity there between what I was doing in Islay and what Eddie’s doing here." As for the taste? Can't say there are many like this - either here or abroad - but you can appreciate why McEwen draws comparisons with Bruichladdich. Cape Byron's Original is a creamy, near voluptuous malt that defies its age. Peaches and cream come through with sweet barley and shortbread on the nose. The co-mingling of dried mango and juicy malt with the Bourbon vanilla aspects is nicely done, and there's a spicy edge adding vibrancy. At the finish, more peaches and cream, dried mango and a little grilled pineapple, pepper and coastal freshness develop. It's a whisky less about overt complexity, all about generous mouthfeel and precocious flavour. No doubt that equation will change over time. Right now, the creative forces behind the project have guaranteed one of the more compelling Aussie releases in recent years. Matured for three years in 200 litre ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon casks. 47% Alc./Vol. Non chill filtered. Batch 001 tasted. Notes from the producers... The colour of a Byron Bay sunset. The palate offers soft vanilla, creme brulee and biscotti characters, layered over distinct notes of pear, coconut and buttery macadamia.

From Scotlands biggest-selling single malt producer comes a whisky that was never meant to leave the shores of the USA. With the history making, limited-edition Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve, the distillery has done something its never done before.Created in Dufftown at the heart of Speyside and exclusively finished in virgin American oak, Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve delivers the balance and sophistication of Scotland with a sweet kick of Kentucky. After spending 14 years in ex-Bourbon barrels, the whisky was then meticulously transferred into new American oak barrels built especially for Glenfiddich by the Kelvin Cooperage in Louisville Kentucky.Having originally been founded on the banks of the River Kelvin in Glasgow in 1963, Kelvin Cooperage packed up shop and moved to Kentucky in 1991. Perhaps it was no coincidence that they made the move at the same time as the Scotch industry was in the middle of a massive downturn, with many distilleries putting down minimal spirit or even worse getting mothballed. Regardless, the decision to move was a good one, allowing them to focus their energy on being closer to the source of the casks that make up around 90% of the Single Malt industry. And the oak that was selected for Glenfiddich was as close to the source as you could get. Bent into place, toasted and then charred to exact specifications, its created the perfect cask complement, adding an even deeper complexity to the worlds most awarded single malt.The result?One of the most delightfully enjoyable Glenfiddichs weve ever tasted: you could spend an entire night just nosing it! Bottled at 43%, youll find sweet pineapple, shortbread and roasted almonds on a divinely creamy chewy palate; lemon meringue, lychee and flaming marshmallows on the nose; and a soft lingering finish of Jersey Caramels, chocolate-orange swirl and lightly buttered toast.Weve tried, tested, and deemed it delicious, and finally the Clubs first Glenfiddich Whisky of the Month since 2016 is here. At $120.00 this is a Glenfiddich with a big Bourbon soul, and one youll want sitting on your whisky shelf. This one-off bottling is exclusive to the Club in Australia, and the first and only time youll see an official Glenfiddich 14 Year OldBourbon Barrel Reserve outside the USA, all thanks to the mighty buying power of Australias biggest whisky community. Limited stocks are remaining, so be very quick: Sign Up Free now to get your hands on a bottle.

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.

A gentler, more feminine and food friendly expression that Islay lovers should get to know. Despite being the largest distillery on Islay (in terms of production anyway), nearly all of Caol Ila's output ends up in blends, so much so that until 2002 when the 12-year-old was released, independent bottlings were the only recourse for malt hunters. The distillery's gently fruity-smoky style sets it apart and comes down to the production process: "...although it receives the same spec of malt as sister distillery Lagavulin, Caol Ila’s distillation regime – longer fermentation, higher cut point, taller stills, helps to reduce the heavy phenols." Tasting note: Pale straw colour with a subtle green blush. Aromas of soft, sweet peat - smoked trout, a hint of lanolin and some baked citrus. Rounded, pure and impeccably clean from start to finish, the palate offers semi-sweet smoky-fruity-oily flavours counterpointed by super fine tannins. Perfect balance. Finishes long with salt, smoked fish and light lanolin through the fade. A gentler, more feminine and food friendly expression that Islay lovers should get to know. 43%Alc./Vol.

Johnnie Walker Gold Label Reserve is created using award-winning whiskies including fruity Highland malts and lighter Speyside malts for sweetness and spice, combined with those from the Scottish islands for our signature smoky finish.

"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.

"Very high quality & teasingly complex peated malt." 95 points - Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2022 If your single malt selections are dictated by budget constraints, this will be a no brainer (so long as you don't mind a bit of peat). Conceived in 2006, Bruichladdich revived the Port Charlotte label from the Lochindaal distillery, operational between 1829 to 1929, two miles south in the town of Port Charlotte. Historical accounts from legendary British documentarian Alfred Barnard knew Lochindaal to produce only heavily peated malts, so the PC style is a replica of sorts. It started as 'PC5' with yearly follow-ups culminating in this general release 10 year old. Delivering a knock-out mix of lanolin, smouldering pine, butter menthol and vanilla cream that even the peat shy will fall for, it's superbly integrated, zesty, complex - and incredibly, at 40ppm the peat is not overbearing; Perfumed aromatics and a 50% ABV attack include Fisherman’s Friend lozenge, farmyard, dried grass and butterscotch as well as lanolin, oatmeal biscuit and chimney soot, followed by a finish that's delicately salty with dusty cocoa and hints of black tea. Both affordable and unanimously praised, it's one of those rare malts you can't fail to be impressed by. Matured predominantly in first-fill American oak casks, along with second-fill American and second-fill French wine casks, it comes bottled non chill filtered. 50% Alc./Vol. [2016 edition tasted].

Compass Box Whisky's The Peat Monster combines smoky and peaty single malts from the island of Islay and the Isle of Mull with rich, medium-peated Speyside whisky. The result is, as you would except, a peaty and smoky delight with rich citrus notes of liquorice and spicy, sweet complexity. Balanced and highly drinkable this is a very approachable blended malt monster, but a monster nonetheless. Lovers of big, rich, smoky-peaty whiskies, this is for you.

Pure ingredients and the natural environment add to smooth and mellow character of our award-winning Tomintoul Speyside Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 'the gentle dram'. Tomintoul 'With A Peaty Tang' has been made with peated malt barley to give it a deep smoky flavour. This makes 'Peaty Tang' very unusual, most distilleries in the Speyside region do not use peat.

One glimpse of the sleek, black bottle indicates that this is something very special. Our Navy Strength Gin uses the same botanical mix as our classic London Dry Gin including Primrose, sweet cicely, nettle, rhubarb, milk thistle, rose-hip and Taylors of Harrogate green and jasmine tea, however is stronger and richer with an ABV of 57%. This creates a great body and intensity whilst still retaining our classically smooth finish. This gin continues the tradition of the Royal Navy’s ‘proof test’, whereby gunpowder can still ignite if gin is accidentally spilled upon it.