Lagavulin Special Release 2022 The Flames of the Phoenix 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.3% ABV, Islay For whisky aficionados and collectors, Diageos annual Special Release is unmissable. The 2022 edition is arguably the best yet, and this stellar cask-strength selection from Lagavulin is a definite highlight. This is an elemental Lagavulin crafted from virgin oak and their smokiest reserves, in which rich, peaty casks lead saltiness, spice and smoke on their eternal dance with deep sweetness. This year, the decision was made to make as smoky a Lagavulin as we could. The approach did change slightly during liquid development when the virgin oak casks were added as a top dressing, just to add a little spice to the character which complemented the smoke beautifully.- Diageo Master Blender Dr. Craig Wilson/strong>

Oban Special Release 2022 The Celestial Blaze 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 57.1% ABV, The Highlands One of Scotlands classic distilleries, Oban holds a very fond place in the hearts of whisky lovers around the world. The 2022 Special Release is a celestial marriage of creamy smoothness, richly sweet fruitiness, light smoke, salt, and peppery spice.

"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.

Talisker Rare By Nature 8 Year OldSingle Malt Scotch Whisky 57.9% Abv Skye The Singleton is renowned for the smoothness and balance of its Whiskies, which match the liveliness and vigour of the leaping salmon in the fast flowing rivers of Speyside in Scotland. The Singleton Dufftown is particularly known for its elegant grassy and fruity aromas and tastes. 'A big taste, the first-ever release of Talisker finished in pot-still Caribbean rum casks.' Tasting Notes APPEARANCE Dry white wine, with pale yellow lights. Good beading. NOSE Mellow and mild overall, with hardly any prickle. The first impression is of honeycomb; spun honey, but also a trace of beeswax. Beneath this is a faint floral note of dry grasses or wallflowers, with fresh orchard fruits on an earthy base. A little water softens the nose and adds pear drop boiled sweets, making all the aromas more evident. BODY Light to medium. PALATE At natural strength the texture is creamy-smooth, the taste intense and sweet overall, and both drying and slightly coating as that hint of beeswax re-appears. With water the effect is smoother and sweeter, the intensity reduced. FINISH Quite long and warming with white pepper, becoming chilli in the aftertaste. Lightly drying, it leaves the palate tingling. A drop of water starts to tame the chilli-spice.

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.

"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].