Search by flavour, not region
It can be hard finding the right bottle of whisky and tempting to just stick with an old favourite. How do you know if you’re going to like something new?
Well, wonder no longer because we’ve taken the guesswork out of shopping by dividing whisky into five flavour groups. To find the right one for you, take our fun quiz following the link above. The perfect dram awaits…
Smoky & Peaty
These kinds of flavours come from the barley being dried using smoke from burning peat producing flavours that run from bonfires to TCP and even smoky bacon Frazzles. Yes, really! It’s a style most commonly associated with Islay but peated whiskies are made all over Scotland and indeed the world.
70cl • 40%
This right here is a 10-year-old single malt from an undisclosed distillery on Islay, with 25% of it having been finished in first-fill oloroso sherry casks, and bestowed the decidedly descriptive name Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire. If those four words (and three ampersands) aren't quite enough of an explanation of what this expression is all about, here are a few more: stripped-back, smoky, complex, a bit sherried, balanced, coastal.
Fruity & Vanilla
Fruity aromas such as peach, pineapple and pear are produced during fermentation and carried over into the final spirit. The vanilla comes from American oak casks that previously held bourbon so you’re getting some of that sweet flavour in your finished whisky.
70cl • 43%
After laying silent for over two decades, the Glenglassaugh stills were fired back up in 2008, and in 2023, a brand new core range is ready! The distillery sits on the rugged north Aberdeenshire coast, nestled behind the beautiful surfer's haven, Sandend Bay. Master blender Rachel Barrie has fond childhood memories of time spent at Sandend and even learned to surf there, and now the bay is honoured in the form of this unpeated single malt. Matured in a combo of bourbon, sherry, and manzanilla casks, it's bursting with notes of tropical fruit and tablet, with delicate coastal salinity in the distance.
Rich Fruit & Nut
Rich fruit & nut flavours in your whisky is usually a sign that there’s been some sherry cask action along the line. This could be a subtle dusting of oloroso or a no-holds-barred sherry bomb, either way, you’re going to get a luxuriant beast of a dram.
70cl • 48%
Ever had a Scotch whisky matured in bourbon barrels and then finished in Grattamacco wine barriques? Well now's your chance thanks to GlenAllachie, which sourced the casks from Tuscany’s renowned Bolgheri area, adding beautiful red wine notes of juicy blackcurrant and sweet tannins to this single malt. As with every whisky in The GlenAllachie Wine Series, the casks were selected by master distiller Billy Walker and bottled at 48% ABV, non-chill filtered, and with no added colouring.
Fragrant & Floral
This is the lightest category of whisky with aromas of flowers, orchard fruit and herbs which would have been created at the fermentation stage. Then, rather than smothering them in bourbon or sherry cask, these delicate flavours have been accentuated by very careful ageing. While delicious neat, such whiskies work particularly well diluted in simple cocktails like a Highball.
70cl • 40%
This is a deliciously fruity introduction to the joys of one of the great names of Speyside, Glen Grant. It was produced under the watchful eye of Dennis Malcolm who has been working in Scotch whisky for over 60 years. He started at Glen Grant when he was just 15 years old!
Cereal & Oak
Some whiskies really taste of their raw materials, malted barley in the case of single malts, or malted barley and other grains in the case of blends. In this category, you’ll find malty, nutty and even porridge type flavours which meld beautifully with the coconut, vanilla and spice found in American oak casks.
70cl • 48%
This award-winning no age statement single malt from Glen Garioch (it’s pronounced Glen Geery - by the way) pays tribute to the distillery’s foundation way back in 1797. It’s non chill-filtered and bottled at a nice healthy 48% ABV which means there’s no shortage of flavour here.
