The atmosphere at The Craigellachie is magical this season, and there’s nothing like the joy of seeing everyone bond over a dram, sharing stories and experiences.
Join us as we dive into the latest additions on our shelves and let Calum, our Quaich Bar Manager, craft a bespoke whisky tasting tailored to your preferences, perhaps featuring some of our exciting new entries.
The New Distilleries
Strathearn
Strathearn Distillery is located in Perthshire and is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland, not much bigger than the size of the Quaich. This release has been hotly anticipated for a long time, and this year, we finally got it matured in ex-bourbon, virgin oak, and ex-sherry barrels. Expect rich malt notes with oak, honey, and buttercream.
Bonnington PX
One of the many new lowland distilleries, Bonnington, was born out of a desire to give one of the whisky world’s unsung heroes a new spotlight: John Crabbie. The inaugural release of Bonnington was highly sought after and went quickly, but we managed to grab a bottle of their second release. This has been aged in PX, so expect rich oak, vanilla, and dried fruits.
Highlands
Ardnamurchan Midge
Ardnamurchan is one of the most remote distilleries in Scotland, located on the peninsula of the same name at the far west of the Scottish mainland. At this time of year, they have to deal with a lot of annoying midges, so they decided to work in partnership with Smidge, a bug-repellent brand, to create this slightly smoky whisky.
Ben Nevis 5 year old
Signatory vintage this year seems to be releasing banger after banger of whisky, and this Ben Nevis is enough, though young is no expectation. This is heavily peated and matured in a refill oloroso barrel. Unfortunately, Ben Nevis does not have much official whisky coming from the distillery, so this is the perfect way to try an amazing whisky from one of Scotland’s most historic institutions.
For Peat’s Sake
Caol Ila 12 Boutique-y Whisky Company
This whisky comes from Boutique-y’s new limited-release range, which is friends with us here at the Quaich. It has been aged in an ex-rum barrel, and only 419 bottles were made. It has sweet smoke that leads into fruit from all over the world, leaving you with a taste of tinned peaches.
Ledaig 12 year old Amarone
This is a special version of the Ledaig 12 from Tobermory distillery having been finished for 18 months in a Amarone wine cask from Italy. This whisky is presented at natural cask strength of 57.5% which means it packs a punch but it’s not all just alcohol with sweet vanilla custard and honey notes balanced with sharp tannins and a distinct saline note intertwined with a peppery smoke.
