Hear ye hear ye! We have a brand new selection of Master of Malt Single Cask Series Bottlings, so flock to MoM Towers my fellow whisky-lovers – you don’t want to miss out on this lot…
Our Single Cask Series is bigger than ever, with a whopping 36 new whiskies for our Single Cask Series!
Who wouldn’t want to savour the joy of a single cask whisky? The following editions have spent years maturing in a specific cask and now each idiosyncrasy is ready for you to interpret and enjoy. Each and every bottling here is truly unique. Once that cask is emptied, there is no more, people!
The newest releases from your humble independent bottler (and award-winning online retailer – although we don’t like to talk about that much) have been sourced from some of the finest distilleries around, including: Macallan, Glenlivet, Caol Ila, Invergordon and Springbank!
All 36 of the new independent bottlings are listed below. I don’t even know how you’re going to narrow down your choices from such a range, but I’m willing to bet you’ll give it your best shot… Enjoy!
Allt-a-Bhainne 22 Year Old 1995 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Through vanilla essence there’s soft foam bananas and lots of toffee. Fresh malt and barley sugar emerge. A little baking spice is present throughout.
Palate: Plenty of tropical fruit, honeydew melon and green banana mostly, is joined by a funkier element from damp oak. Drying spice simmers underneath while a note of walnut oil develops.
Finish: Fiery cinnamon and allspice fizz away as the dram concludes.
Overall: Soft and ripe with a hearty helping of complex spice.
Auchentoshan 24 Year Old 1993 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Moss, earth and antique oak aromas balance lively sweet notes of cola cubes, orange soda and cinnamon gum. More succulent elements from warm buttery popcorn, golden cereals and Galaxy Honeycomb Crisp round things off, along with a sprig of mint leaf.
Palate: Apricot yoghurt, creamy vanilla and a hint of butterscotch are tempered by prickles of ginger spice. Sandalwood and bitter herbs form the backdrop.
Finish: Nuttier tones emerge in a lengthy, malty finish.
Overall: Plenty of welcome distillery character and a couple of pleasant surprises makes this a winner.
Auchroisk 7 Year Old 2010 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Clearly a fruity little number, raspberries and strawberries, and underneath them a layer of toffee.
Palate: Sweet and fruity, oranges and red cherries, but also fiery and peppery with lots of powerful new-make character.
Finish: More pepper and fruit, fades quite quickly.
Overall: Fruity and fiery young whisky.
Aultmore 11 Year Old 2006 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Vanilla ice cream and dried barley. A hint of hoppy oiliness to it.
Palate: Bright citrus and burnt sugar, followed by a touch of oak-y smoke.
Finish: Beeswax and toasted almonds.
Overall: Quite mellow and enjoyably sweet, with herbaceous notes to be found underneath.
Aultmore 11 Year Old 2006 (59.2%) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: This smells grassy to begin with lots of new-make character, then sweeter green apple notes emerge followed by a meaty whiff.
Palate: Very full texture, lots to get your teeth into, citrus orange and lemons notes with that meaty bass rumble in the background.
Finish: Spicy with a lick of sweetness at the end, long and lingering.
Overall: Deceptively powerful with lots of character.
Aultmore 20 Year Old 1997 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Starts off particularly savoury with beeswax, oak, baked earth and red chilli. Soon enough notes of kirsch emerge.
Palate: Much more fruity on the palate, with orange, sultana and blackcurrant Fruit Pastilles appearing early on. Peppermint leaf notes later on.
Finish: Liquorice root, fragrant cedar, stem ginger and blackcurrant once again.
Overall: Herbaceous and fruity in equal measures.
Balmenach 15 Year Old 2002 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Smells fruity, stone fruit mainly, with vanilla and a saline seaweed-like note.
Palate: Light body, very very fruity, pears and apples, with a sprinkling of demerara sugar, then spicy liquorice notes.
Finish: Quite persistent with the liquorice coming through strongly at the end.
Overall: A light, fruity and enormous fun.
Bruichladdich 13 Year Old 2004 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Cream cheese, ripe apricots and icing sugar meet malty, charred and rooty undertones. Crystallised lime, a touch of coconut milk and candied orange emerge among warming ginger and acacia honey.
Palate: A thick, rich sweet opening of toffee pennies, Seville marmalade and earthy vanilla is cut through by more warm spice and flickers of sea salt.
Finish: White wine acidity is drying in a finish that almost leaves a salt rim on your tongue.
Overall: A great example of how to utilise a Sauternes cask and deliver unpeated Bruichladdich brilliance.
Bruichladdich 15 Year Old 2002 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Stewed dark and dried fruits, a hint of blueberries, black olives and pickled walnuts lead with plenty of sea salt. Camphor, dusty oak and a little herbal liqueur element add depth.
Palate: Sweet Sherry shines initially: seedless raisins, blood orange and plum compote with hazelnuts and brown sugar in support. Sooty notes, tannic antique wood and drying nutmeg complete the bittersweet palate.
Finish: Cognac-soaked sultanas and a touch of menthol tobacco linger.
Overall: Classic Islay sea and smoke blends with a Port from your grandparents’ old drinks cabinet.
Bunnahabhain 26 Year Old 1989 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Ripe banana and melon, with a dash of pineapple syrup provide a sharp, fruit beginning. Aromas of lemon meringue and apricot yoghurt emerge among refined phenols and a drying oak edge. A big hunk of malt and must is present throughout.
Palate: A waxy, resinous and slightly funky palate possesses lime peel, peat oils and hazelnuts, among a blend of saline and honey. Syrupy vanilla and barley water are lifted by juicy and mouthwatering spice in the mid-palate.
Finish: Long and delicate, with a flash of more sharp fruity notes
Overall: A total gem from the typically distinctive Bunnahabhain.
Caperdonich 1995 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Mmmm what a rich smell: tobacco, walnuts and fruitcake.
Palate: Dark spices and muscovado sugar, oily, meaty texture with an earthy wild edge to it.
Finish: Peppery finish, long with a little sweetness coming through on the end.
Overall: A whisky with dark secrets.
Caol Ila 6 Year Old 2011 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Soft, sweet and salty with just a hint of smoke from wood ash. Rock pools and oysters form the core. Prominent breast malt notes and honeyed cereals complement exotic fruit, pineapple, and a sprig of wild thyme.
Palate: A little brine and caramel temper a ripple of fierce ginger spice. A milky latte with vanilla syrup and white chocolate shavings brings balance.
Finish: The coastal notes make a late rally among lingering rich spice.
Overall: Really quite impressive stuff here, this drama captures the essence of Caol Ila but has enough of its own personality to match.
Caol Ila 17 Year Old 2000 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Kelp in seawater, dried grass and olive brine bring green notes and salinity initially. Smoked bacon and oak char emerge with medicinal elements to add more classic distillery character. Burnt buttered toast, a touch of fresh malt and drying oak come later.
Palate: Layered and complex, the palate balances peppercorn spice, wood ash, hickory and bitter herbs at first. Dried citrus peels add bite with crystallised ginger. There’s even a touch of black liquorice and anise.
Finish: Slightly astringent with a finishing touch of grassy peat.
Overall: Caol Ila as you know it with a few twists. Sit with it and watch it unfold.
Dailuaine 15 Year Old 2002 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Ginger, brown bread, a hint of copper, blackberry jam.
Palate: Hazelnut, blackcurrant, spicy clove and cinnamon, fresh orange and waxy peels.
Finish: Coffee bean, apricot, a touch of Turkish delight.
Overall: Intriguing as ever from the Dailuaine distillery.
Dalmore 14 Year Old 2003 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Sultana, dusty oak and new leather, hints of fresh pear drenched in honey.
Palate: Hugely chocolatey, though pear notes still shine through. A hint of hoppy bitterness.
Finish: Fizzy oak, foam bananas and greengages.
Overall: An interesting look at Dalmore’s less sherried side.
Fettercairn 21 Year Old 1996 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Richly fruity at first with apple and orange, though a hint of candle wax develops underneath.
Palate: Ripe plum, aniseed, rye crackers and melted butter on crumpets.
Finish: Star anise and rum-raisin ice cream.
Overall: Loads to love here from Fettercairn.
Glen Elgin 22 Year Old 1995 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Lots of cask influence here – creamy vanilla and oak spice. Salted caramel covers apricot skin and hints of apple blossom. There’s faint white chocolate there too.
Palate: Sweet white fruit, grapes mostly, and a little sherbet lemon lead among plenty more oak which brings a pleasant drying quality. Prickling white pepper spice adds heat among some honeyed cereal and golden barley.
Finish: Long, gentle and relaxed.
Overall: Lovely stuff from Glen Elgin. It’s well-balanced and boasts length and complexity.
Glen Keith 24 Year Old 1993 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Grassy and fresh, with tangy nectarine and yellow plum in the background.
Palate: Soft oak, fragrant barley, tropical fruit juice and fresh grapefruit.
Finish: Tingly peppercorn and cassia spice lasts.
Overall: Tropical fruit galore! Yesss!
Glen Moray 10 Year Old 2007 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Red apple, new leather, honey and a hint of grist.
Palate: Remember those marshmallow-filled ice cream cones? Yeah, those. Also more red apple and spicy bourbon.
Finish: Suddenly becomes savoury with oak, buttered corn and nutmeg.
Overall: Really impressive stuff, and from a relatively young whisky.
Glencadam 6 Year Old 2011 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: A layer of marzipan icing and a few spearmint leaves provide an interesting opening. Fresh malt notes soon take hold and are joined by foam banana sweets and musty oak.
Palate: Hot, youthful spice crackles through a palate that is soothed by honey, lemon peel and brown sugar, with hazelnut chocolate in support.
Finish: The spice broadens and becomes gingery. It remains for a while with melting chocolate for company.
Overall: It’s a dram that needs time to settle, but once it does there’s plenty to enjoy.
Glendullan 7 Year Old 2010 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Brown sugar, fresh lavender, cut oak and walnut.
Palate: Vanilla and fresh orchard fruit notes develop on the palate, though savoury oak sticks around.
Finish: A subtle whiff of earthy smoke and continued vanilla pod notes.
Overall: A youthful but flavoursome single malt from Glendullan.
Glenlivet 27 Year Old 1989 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Quince cheese, black fruit and dark caramel combine initially. Jamaican ginger cake, antique leather and sweet leaf mulch rise underneath with brown sugar and Earl Grey.
Palate: Spiced oak, tobacco leaf and more dusty leather combine with black treacle, bramley apple and dried fruit. Bitter smoke wafts through the mid-palate.
Finish: Long, resinous and slightly salty.
Overall: I’m not saying this comes highly recommended, but I wish I had all the bottles from this cask to myself.
Inchmurrin 23 Year Old 1995 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Initially quite delicate and then lots of vanilla with some spicy cinnamon notes.
Palate: In a word, creamy, in three words, very extremely creamy, but there are also floral honeyed notes layered with ginger and warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: Long finish with a peppery kick at the end.
Overall: Decadently creamy grain whisky.
Invergordon 11 Year Old 2007 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Initially quite delicate and then lots of vanilla with some spicy cinnamon notes.
Palate: In a word, creamy, in three words, very extremely creamy, but there are also floral honeyed notes layered with ginger and warm spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: Long finish with a peppery kick at the end.
Overall: Decadently creamy grain whisky.
Laphroaig 14 Year Old 2004 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: BBQ smoke and charred oak, slowly giving way to hints of floral malt and toasted brioche.
Palate: Sweet at first with milky coffee and pear drops. Soon it comes back to robust peat and roasted fruit.
Finish: Charcoal and pumpkin spice.
Overall: Smoky as ever, but well-balanced with fruit and spice.
Linkwood 11 Year Old 2006 (58.7%) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Hay, fresh linen, a hint of funky apricot and almond paste.
Palate: Almond yet again, now paired with cherry (somewhat amaretto-esque). Slightly bread-y at points
Finish: Continued buttered bread with just a hint of brown sugar sweetness.
Overall: Enjoyably nutty, though quite refreshing too.
Linkwood 11 Year Old 2006 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: A lot of complex, malty elements are prominent among apple pie and brown sugar notes. A touch of summery floral aromas emerge through interesting and complex hints of balsamic vinegar and an Armagnac-like earthiness. Pipe tobacco makes a late appearance.
Palate: Heaps of dried earth, oak ash and fireplace embers provide an intriguing opening with spicy cardamom brings depth too. Dark chocolate and roasted coffee beans help the palate progress before a hint of dried apricot arises.
Finish: Mulch and must linger with plenty of damp hay and a hint of exotic fruit.
Overall: Fascinating and fantastically Linkwood. Bittersweet brilliance.
Macallan 29 Year Old 1989 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Quiet, almost understated, but gradually notes of dusty apple skins and peach fuzz emerge. It’s like an XO Calvados almost. Dark grains, sticky toffee and black coffee tones form the backdrop.
Palate: Intense spices, ginger and cinnamon, ripple through cooked apples, tobacco leaf and earthy vanilla pod. Thick, pronounced malt elements and bittersweet red fruit are present too.
Finish: Drying, with touches of red grape and very old oak.
Overall: A must-try Macallan.
Port Charlotte 13 Year Old 2004 (Bourbon cask) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Soft white fruits, orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream bring sweetness to tarry, medicinal notes and earthy peat. Lavender and heather bring depth.
Palate: A mix of bonfire smoke and punchy wood spice form the core from which sticky cherry pudding, bitter walnuts and cured meats emerge, with a little floral violet.
Finish: Drying with lingering ashy peat.
Overall: A charming Port Charlotte with good distillery character.
Port Charlotte 13 Year Old 2004 (Burgundy cask) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Bacon crisps – all varieties of bacon-flavoured crisps, but Frazzles stand out in particular. Dig a bit deeper to find cooked red berry and sandalwood, but it’s mostly delicious Frazzles.
Palate: A burst of brown sugar, supported by Curaçao and melon. Soon enough, charred oak warmth builds up.
Finish: Still smoky, with a touch of toasted coconut lending subtle sweetness.
Overall: FRAZZLES.
Port Charlotte 13 Year Old 2004 (Sauternes cask) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Driftwood and sea breeze. Sweeter hints of carrot cake and mince pie really have to fight to get through.
Palate: Smoke appears at the fore and persists throughout, but you’re suddenly greeted with a great whack of damson and brown sugar.
Finish: Sweet festive spices last.
Overall: Plenty of smoke and enough sweetness to keep it interesting
Springbank 21 Year Old 1996 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Through aromas of bitter marmalade, blueberries and earthy malt comes ginger in syrup and Werther’s Originals. Salted gammon and salami tones emerge with thick BBQ char and burnt festive spice creating a meaty, smoky undertone.
Palate: Black fruits, dark chocolate and toasted nut appear initially. The spice is more refined, with aromatic cinnamon, among some wood smoke. Tanned leather, mulch and oaky tannins blend with liquorice and old Chartreuse underneath supplying the classic funky distillery character.
Finish: Dry, earthy and with a touch of salinity and jammy dried fruit.
Overall: Springbank fans know what they like – and this it. Don’t pass it up.
Strathmill 11 Year Old 2006 (58.3%) – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Barley-forward, with hints of cider apple and pine.
Palate: Lemon peel, grist, vanilla and peanut shells.
Finish: Quite short, with almond and mint lasting.
Overall: One of two tasty Strathmill 11-year-old whiskies, with this one leaning more on the savoury side.
Strathmill 11 Year Old 2006 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Pear drops, grapefruit, herbaceous hops and buttery pastry.
Palate: Surprisingly soft for a whisky bottled at 58.9%. Honey, orange oil, hay and toasted sesame seeds.
Finish: Biscuit dough, cloudy lemonade and peppery malt.
Overall: Particularly sweeter than the other Strathmill 11 year old we bottled recently.
Strathmill 21 Year Old 1996 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: So sweet: honey, vanilla and toffee with just a touch of dried apricot.
Palate: Spicy, pungent and creamy, like eating spicy custard (much nicer than it sounds), full texture but with a grassy citrus note that keeps it refreshing.
Finish: Long and creamy, with a lingering vanilla ice cream note.
Overall: Lovely balance between richness and freshness.
Tomatin 17 Year Old 2001 – Single Cask (Master of Malt)Nose: Honey and spice (and all things nice), cinnamon, vanilla, and cloves.
Palate: Light body, peppery, some red chilli with vanilla and milk chocolate.
Finish: Clean, dry and peppery.
Overall: Vibrant, spicy and complex.
Sam