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Compass Box divides opinion — boundary-pushing innovators to some, fancy bottles and marketing to others. Orchard House is their fruit-forward blended malt, and it's exactly what it promises: bright apple, pear and pineapple over golden syrup and buttery pastry, finishing on fruit and vanilla buttercream. A genuinely easy-drinking showcase of Scotch's lighter side — but is bright and breezy enough to win me over?
Lochlea keeps cropping up. This young Ayrshire distillery only started in 2018 but already does things differently — growing its own barley on the estate for control over the whole process. The farm-to-bottle care shows: pear and orange marmalade, an oily palate of golden syrup, buttered soda bread and almonds, and a long, peppery-barley finish. A genuinely impressive dram for such a young name.
After the Barrel Reserve made an impression, I was keen to dig deeper into Arran. The 10 year old sits at the heart of the range and brings sherry casks into the mix — supposedly their signature style. It's fresh and herbal: green apple, pear and lemon zest over sweet malt, with cinnamon and hazelnut on a clean medium finish. A real step up — and quintessential Arran?
Laphroaig divides people like few others — you love the medicinal peat or you stay well clear. The standard 10 has converted thousands; this cask-strength version cranks everything up. Expect a wall of bonfire smoke, TCP, iodine, seaweed and tar at a hefty 58.5%, with a long, gloriously smoky finish. The classic turned up to maximum volume — brave or foolish?
Special releases come thick and fast these days, but Fèis Ìle bottlings still pull me in. This 2024 Bunnahabhain is a 14 year old port-cask release from Islay's annual festival. The port shows gloriously: raspberry, strawberry and dark chocolate, jammy and rich at a hefty 58.7%, with that signature coastal salt lingering through a long finish. Something a little special — and absolutely stunning.
Ardbeg commands real respect among Islay devotees, and Uigeadail — named after the loch that feeds the distillery — is often called one of the finest in the core range. It's a powerhouse: earthy, medicinal peat smoke at a warming 54.2%, lifted by a layer of sherry-cask richness, with a long, gloriously smoky finish. Big boots to fill — does it live up to the hype?
Campbeltown has always intrigued me — once the whisky capital of Scotland with 30-odd distilleries, now down to three. Glen Scotia is one of them, and the 15 wears its origins proudly: a maritime nose of sea air and brine, a gently saline, warming palate, and a long coastal finish laced with spice and oak. A proper Campbeltown dram — was it worth the wait?
There's something quietly rebellious about Bunnahabhain. While the rest of Islay shouts about peat, this remote distillery lets sherry and coastal character lead. The unpeated 12, their flagship, is rich and inviting: nutty dried fruit — raisins and figs — Christmas-cake spice and a whisper of coastal salt, all remarkably smooth at 46.3%. Proof Islay can do far more than peat bombs.
Here we are again. Aberlour - my Achilles' heel, as I've said before. The distillery where it all started for me, the one I keep returning to even when I know I should probably explore elsewhere. But this time is different. This time I'm trying something I've been genuinely excited about: the A'bunadh Alba.
GlenAllachie's 12 impressed me with Billy Walker's vision for the place — transformed since 2017 from quiet blend-fodder into a cult single malt. The 15 doubles down: an unashamedly sherried wave of raisins, dates, figs, caramel and dark chocolate, with cherry cordial and orange marmalade before a drier finish. Big, bold Speyside in the GlenDronach mould — does the extra age earn its keep?
Sometimes a whisky takes you by surprise. I thought I had Speyside figured out — sweet and fruit-forward — but Benromach 10 is a throwback to an older, increasingly rare style of the region. Toffee apple and sherried dried fruit meet a lovely oily texture and a whisper of smoke, finishing dry and gently spiced. Classic Speyside with a characterful twist — and a real bargain.
I've a real soft spot for Fettercairn — they tread the line between classy and affordable rather well, and drew one of the biggest crowds at Whisky Live. The 16 is a step up, and a fine showcase of the distillery's signature tropical fruit: pineapple sweetness, stewed orchard fruit and a long finish of winter berries and ginger. Little wonder it's since joined the core range.
Most of this journey has been Scottish single malts, but today we head much further afield — to Canada. Bearface is distilled at an undisclosed location and finished in three oaks. It's an unusual beast: corn and brown sugar, toasted marshmallow and orange bitters, with a fiery, cinnamon-gobstopper finish. A world away from a Speysider — intriguing, if a touch mysterious. Does different mean good?
Benriach is one of the rare Speyside distilleries making both peated and unpeated spirit. Today it's 'The Twelve', their unpeated core expression. Rich maple syrup and a floral lift lead to torched orange, honey and gentle malt, before a long finish punctuated with pepper and ginger. A quietly confident, classic sherried Speysider in a crowded category — does it stand out?
My first encounter with Arran — the island's first distillery in over a century, built from scratch at Lochranza in 1995. The Barrel Reserve is light and fresh: lemon and sour green apple over a gentle malt base, bright and zippy, with a short finish of malt, vanilla and oak. A refreshing, unpretentious introduction — time to see what the fuss is about.
A first on my Centurion quest — an Irish whiskey. Redbreast Lustau is made at Midleton in Cork and finished in sherry butts. It's a rich, smooth pot-still dram: dark sherried fruit, liquorice and almond up front, plummy and peppery on the palate, with a long finish of peppercorn, allspice and that lingering liquorice. A change of country and style — and a real treat.
Glenfiddich is wrapped up in my childhood — every visitor to Elgin got the Dufftown tour. Project XX blends the cask picks of twenty experts into a single whisky. It's an intriguing mix: apple blossom and orchard fruit on the nose giving way to a woodier, fudgier palate, and a long, spicy finish with a bitter coffee edge. A clever idea — but does it work in the glass?
GlenDronach has been on a rollercoaster — closures, reopenings, big-name distillers, lauded old stock giving way to new. The sherried 15, the 'Revival', carries a lot of expectation. It delivers: an intense, fresh fruitiness of orange and cherry, an oily palate layered with peppercorn, clove and nutmeg, and a long marmalade finish. A benchmark 'sherry bomb' — does it justify the hype?
One glance tells you this is meant to be a 'fine' whisky — royal-blue foil, classy label, rich colour, all trading on a regal history out on the Cawdor Estate. Royal Brackla has the look, and the 12 has the depth too: Christmas-pudding dried fruit, syrupy plum and cherry, warm spice and a touch of chocolate. But at nearly £70, does it back up the price?
Ardnamurchan is one of Scotland's young 'challenger' distilleries, with an almost obsessive commitment to transparency — every detail of your dram is a QR code away. Happily, the whisky lives up to the principles: elegant smoke wraps around orchard fruit, creamy vanilla and a sharp peppery kick, with a long, warming finish. Complex and characterful for under £50 — one I genuinely loved.
As we start 2025, the first bottle I’m opening is another first for me - a special edition. All of the bottles that I have tried so far on this journey have been from core ranges from readily available distilleries. However, as I’ve gone down this rabbit hole with Loch Lomond today’s whisky is their 2024 Cooper’s Collection expression, the annual release from Master Blender Michael Henry.
This week I'm trying something a little different — an English single malt. There are fewer than 50 active whisky distilleries in England, around a third the number in Scotland, but that isn't the whole story: most of them, the Cotswolds included, are less than 10 years old (I could find only two releasing whisky before 2017!). A very young industry indeed.
Tucked among Speyside's household names sits the lesser-known Craigellachie, most of its spirit bound for Dewar's blends. But a precious portion is set aside as single malt — and the 13 has a reputation worth chasing. It's a weighty, characterful dram: tropical pineapple meets a savoury, meaty edge, a thick oily texture and burnt honey, with a wisp of smoke on the finish. Does it live up to the hype?
That striking turquoise bottle is one of the most recognisable on any shelf. A nudge to watch a certain film sent me back to The Classic Laddie — Bruichladdich's unpeated Islay flagship, bottled at a punchy 50%. Inside: orchard fruits, honey and a floral lift of heather. As much a statement of the distillery's transparency and ethos as it is a dram. Worth the hype?
A Christmas present to myself: the Tobermory 12, an enchanting island single malt from the Isle of Mull. It's full of intricate, distinctive character — orchard fruit on the nose, then citrus brightened with caramel and vanilla over a slightly oily body, into a medium, gently spiced finish. The distillery's history has been anything but smooth, yet the whisky it makes today is excellent.
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