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Scotch Single Malt Whisky

Single malt Scotch whisky is Scotland's original whisky. It was traditionally made in the Highlands in the 18th and 19th century only from malted barley. In contrast, Lowland whisky was often made from other grains including oats, wheat, and later maize (corn). Until the Excise Act of 1823, much single malt Scotch whisky would have been made and sold illegally. The passing of this act paved the way for the commercialisation of the industry when famed illicit distilleries like George Smith's Glenlivet went legal.

This led to a boom in distillery building that continued until the 1890s. A series of regions emerged which produced whiskies in a distinct style: Islay, Island, Speyside (previously known as Glenlivet), Campbeltown, Highland and Lowland. Much of this character came from the fuel used for malting the barley. In the case of Islay, it would have been the island's plentiful peat, resulting in a smoky, medicinal taste, whereas Speyside's good railway connections would see it adopting anthracite, a kind of smokeless coal.

By the 1870s, however, most Scotch whisky for export would have been a blend of characterful Highland single malts and Lowland grains. These were pioneered, aged and marketed by shopkeepers like John Walker of Kilmarnock, Chivas Bros of Aberdeen and Arthur Bell & Sons of Perth. These merchants also imported rum, Port, sherry, Madeira and other wines, and had discovered that single malt Scotch whisky did something extraordinary when aged in seasoned wood. In whisky's illicit years, it would have been drunk unaged or even flavoured with herbs and spices but eventually whisky came to be generally regarded as an aged product. Since a court ruling of 1909, Scotch whisky, both malt and grain, has to be aged for a minimum for three years.

Now to be labelled as a single malt Scotch whisky, the spirit has to be made only from malted barley, batch-distilled in copper pot stills (usually twice though there are some triple-distilled single malt Scotch whiskies), aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks in Scotland, and bottled at no less than 40% ABV. The industry is governed by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). Within these strict parameters, however, each distillery produces a unique style through differences in fermentation techniques, distillation, wood ageing etc. On the whole, the regional styles like Islay or Speyside owe more to tradition than anything intrinsic to where they are made.

While for much of the 20th century, Scotch whisky drinkers would have drunk blends, often mixed with soda water, single malts were highly prized by aficionados, though usually only seen as independent bottling from merchants like Gordon & MacPhail of Elgin. In the 1960s, however, Glenfiddich in Speyside began bottling and marketing its single malt Scotch whisky internationally. Its success led to others making this leap such as Glenfarclas, Macallan and Glenlivet. Single malt Scotch whisky as we know it had arrived.

Many of the distilleries built during the boom years of the 19th century have since closed down but in the 21st century Scotch whisky grew rapidly once more and there are now more than 130 malt distilleries in operation. These range from tiny farm operations to vast factories of whisky. Despite the global fame of single malt Scotch whisky, however, the majority of production is still used for blends which make up around 85% of global sales. The success of single malt Scotch whisky has inspired distillers all over the world with countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Australia and America all making single malts that, while distinctive, owe much to the original.

In the 19th century, characterful malt whiskies would have often been drunk mixed with hot water, honey and spices in the form of toddies. Nowadays, most are drunk neat or with a little water but we're starting to see a return to mixing with certain malt whisky cocktails like the Smokey Cokey, a blend of Lagavulin and Coca-Cola, gaining a cult following.

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength (Batch 8)

70cl, 57.2%
GlenAllachie

Batch 8 joins the growing line of celebrated GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength whiskies. For this edition, master distiller Billy Walker has chosen whisky aged in oloroso and Pedro Ximénez…  More info

GlenAllachie 10 Year Old Cask Strength (Batch 8)
$66.22

Glenfarclas 10 Year Old

70cl, 40%
Glenfarclas

From the renowned Glenfarclas Distillery, this delicate whisky is a wonderful expression of the Speyside style. Matured in 100% Oloroso sherry casks, it offers far more complexity than you’d expect…  More info

Glenfarclas 10 Year Old
37
$39.73
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Bladnoch Vinaya

70cl, 46.7%
Bladnoch

A no-age statement Lowland single malt from Bladnoch, Vinaya has been matured in the delicious duo of first-fill bourbon and first-fill sherry casks. It's all about florals, chocolate, and spices in…  More info

Bladnoch Vinaya
11
$48.81
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Laphroaig 10 Year Old

70cl, 40%
Laphroaig

Laphroaig 10 Year Old is really smoky and iodine rich. This has to be one of Scotland's most characterful drams. Laphroaig is known for their medicinal malts, and the classic 10-year-old is no…  More info

Laphroaig 10 Year Old
454
$40.09
$38.47
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The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival

70cl, 46%
GlenDronach

The Revival has been revived! The GlenDronach's 15 Year Old Revival was a much-loved expression, though was sadly discontinued in 2015 by the distillery, citing lack of maturing stocks. However,…  More info

The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival
37
$68.26
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Royal Brackla 11 Year Old 2011 Single Cask (Master of Malt)

70cl, 60.6%
Brackla

The Brackla distillery was bestowed its regal prefix in 1835 by King William IV and, almost 200 years later, we got our hands on a big old refill butt of its royally delicious single malt. Distilled…  More info

Royal Brackla 11 Year Old 2011 Single Cask (Master of Malt)
1
$50.90

Glenfarclas 35 Year Old

70cl, 43%
Glenfarclas

A rather magnificent single malt from Glenfarclas, matured for a generous three and a half decades! With a decadent, full-bodied profile, and heaps of classic sherried character, the gang at…  More info

Glenfarclas 35 Year Old
$840.61

Bowmore 21 Year Old Aston Martin - Masters' Selection

70cl, 51.8%
Bowmore

A cracking collaborative effort between the Bowmore Distillery and Aston Martin – the first release in the Masters' Selection series! This 21 year old single malt was created by the teamwork of…  More info

Bowmore 21 Year Old Aston Martin - Masters' Selection
2
$712.22

Balvenie 16 Year Old French Oak

70cl, 47.6%
Balvenie

A fascinating release from Speyside's superb Balvenie Distillery. This expression was initially aged in American oak casks, before being transferred over to casks that previously held Pineau from…  More info

Balvenie 16 Year Old French Oak
$124.31

Ardbeg 10 Year Old

70cl, 46%
Ardbeg

A phenomenal whisky packing powerful peaty deliciousness, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is a favourite of many whisky lovers around the world. Produced on the Kildalton Coast of Islay, this single malt matures…  More info

Ardbeg 10 Year Old
404
$43.71

Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old

70cl, 46.3%
Bunnahabhain

In what will be seen as a positive move to whisky connoisseurs, Bunnahabhain has decided to bottle Bunnahabhain 18 year old without chill-filtration and without colouring.  More info

Bunnahabhain 18 Year Old
57
$130.43
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A Secret Islay Distillery 31 Year Old 1990 Single Cask (Master of Malt)

70cl, 52.6%
Master of Malt

This is a true secret. Which distillery is this from? We don't know. This isn't one of those 'we can't disclose for commercial reasons' deals. This 31-year-old single cask from Islay gives away some…  More info

A Secret Islay Distillery 31 Year Old 1990 Single Cask (Master of Malt)
$305.63

Glenfarclas 15 Year Old

70cl, 46%
Glenfarclas

A wonderfully sherried 15 year old dram from Glenfarclas, boasting oodles of dried fruit notes. It’s bottled at 46% ABV simply because this was the strength that George Grant’s grandfather preferred…  More info

Glenfarclas 15 Year Old
139
$74.33
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Tamdhu 18 Year Old

70cl, 46.8%
Tamdhu

The talented folks at Tamdhu know all about producing deliciously sherried single malts, and have a wealth of casks at their disposal. Here we have a limited edition 18 year old expression, matured…  More info

Tamdhu 18 Year Old
1
$142.64

Glenmorangie 18 Year Old Extremely Rare

70cl, 43%
Glenmorangie

Part of Glenmorangie’s Prestige Range, this 18 year old spent its first 15 years in American white oak bourbon casks. After this time, 30% was transferred to Oloroso sherry casks where it spent its…  More info

Glenmorangie 18 Year Old Extremely Rare
131
$114.07

Isle of Raasay Single Malt

70cl, 46.4%
Raasay

It's the flagship single malt from the Isle of Raasay Distillery, the first legal distillery to operate on the eponymous island. Peated and unpeated Raasay spirits are individually matured in a…  More info

Isle of Raasay Single Malt
5
$53.96
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The Ileach Cask Strength

70cl, 58%
The Ileach

A great Islay single malt from an unnamed distillery. The Ileach always scores well with the critics, this cask strength edition was awarded a mindblowingly high 97 points by Jim Murray in his 2010…  More info

The Ileach Cask Strength
40
$47.07

Dalmore 12 Year Old

70cl, 40%
Dalmore

Launched in late 2008 to replace the previous 12 year old, this single malt from the Dalmore distillery is a toasty, coffee-rich dram with beautifully spice notes and a thick mouthfeel. Very rich for…  More info

Dalmore 12 Year Old
142
$57.01
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Glenfarclas 105

70cl, 60%
Glenfarclas

Glenfarclas 105 is a superb cask strength whisky, with a history that can be traced to 1968. When the original incarnation was released that year, Glenfarclas became the first distillery to release a…  More info

Glenfarclas 105
99
$54.76

Benriach The Twelve

70cl, 46%
Benriach

From Benriach's 2020 relaunch of its cracking core range comes The Twelve, a 12 year old Speyside single malt mature in a trio of casks - namely sherry casks, bourbon casks and Port casks! This…  More info

Benriach The Twelve
18
$39.64
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Glenfarclas 12 Year Old

70cl, 43%
Glenfarclas

Lots of sherry and fruit in this, Glenfarclas 12 was originally bottled for export and travel retail markets. In 2006, it was named the "Best Sherried Whisky" in the Single Malt World Cup, and in…  More info

Glenfarclas 12 Year Old
54
$42.73

The Glenturret 12 Year Old (2021 Release)

70cl, 46%
Glenturret

Matured in a combination of American and European oak, its the 2021 release of 12 year old single malt from The Glenturret Distillery! An indulgent balance of spiced fruits and creamy vanilla,…  More info

The Glenturret 12 Year Old (2021 Release)
6
$66.17
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Highland Park Cask Strength - Release No.3

70cl, 64.1%
Highland Park

The third installment of Highland Park's Cask Strength series is here! Master whisky maker Gordon Motion opted for a higher proportion of Orkney peated malt than previous releases, resulting in a…  More info

Highland Park Cask Strength - Release No.3
3
$60.01

Glenrothes 13 Year Old 2009 Single Cask (Master of Malt)

70cl, 60.4%
Glenrothes

Some say the number 13 is unlucky, but not for this little gem from Glenrothes. Plus, why would they call it a baker's dozen if it was unlucky, who doesn't want an extra loaf? Distilled in 2009, the…  More info

Glenrothes 13 Year Old 2009 Single Cask (Master of Malt)
$61.09

Darkness 8 Year Old

70cl, 47.8%
Darkness

At the core of this Darkness expression is an eight year old single malt Scotch whisky which has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels. Following that, the whisky is moved over to custom-made Oloroso…  More info

Darkness 8 Year Old
22
$50.90
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