Visit Springbank’s tasting room and you’ll find distillery-only bottlings of all three whisky styles produced by the Campbeltown distillery. But it’s this malt that will probably attract the most interest. Glengyle was officially re-opened in 2004, and in recent years Springbank has released a work in progress each year. What makes this unusual is the fact that the maturing malt is held in a cask which is kept at least half full, and each year it is topped up with malt from 2004, through the solera method. This year, then, the oldest malt is six years old. The nose definitely suggests a work in progress, and is immature, rootsy, and meaty, though some orange and citrus fruit notes are there, too. On the palate there’s plenty to be encouraged by, with some spearmint and menthol, developing fruitiness, earthy peat, and distinctive salt and spice.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2011)

An intriguing whisky. Blueberry cobbler, crushed grape, maple syrup, nougat, and spice (cinnamon, nutmeg). The oak is polished and unimposing. Liqueur-ish. A nice contrast to its younger sibling, and it’s more polarizing because of its distinctiveness.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

The fifth peated release of Edradour. This one is aged in Marsala casks. Sweet, with clinging fruit and thumping raw smoke. Youthful, embracing, and fleshy in the middle, with ash, anise, and espresso that grow toward the finish. These Ballechin releases keep getting better. Reminds me of a young Islay whisky without the brine and seaweed.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

Certainly not the best Mortlach I’ve tasted, but it’s a solid effort and at a good price for a 21 year old. Nicely balanced — Lorne Mackillop’s hallmark — and somewhat reserved, too (for a Mortlach), with intriguing lime, kiwi, caramel, floral notes (on the nose), nutty toffee (especially on the palate), soaked barley, and charcoal, with a rather syrupy, mouth-clinging texture toward the finish. Worth a look.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

This young distillery’s fourth release, aged entirely in bourbon barrels. (This is the first one available in the U.S.) The two previous releases that I tasted and reviewed (the inaugural release and the Autumn 2009 release) were finished in sherry casks. I miss the sherry, to be honest. I think it softened the whisky, added a new dimension, and perhaps even masked some of the youth. Still, this is a very nice effort: brisk, vibrant, and bracing, with plenty of raw peat smoke and tar, along with pear, citrus, vanilla, licorice root, bourbon barrel char, clove, bitter chocolate, and suggestions of olive brine and high-end mescal.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

Springbank’s tasting room bottling of its triple-distilled malt will not disappoint any fan of the official bottling; all its rounded and honeyed characteristics are firmly in evidence here. The nose is soft and sweet, with praline and a touch of condensed sweet malt joining creamed vanilla. Without water, the malt is surprisingly robust and prickly. Dilute it, though, and it’s a very pleasant drink, with crystallized grapefruit, traces of hickory and menthol, some honey, and sweet candy. Later on, spice comes through, and the finish is long, fruity, and spicy. An interesting take, but not a radical departure from the official bottling.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2011)

A “branded” malt, meaning we don’t know which distillery this whisky came from. Fresh and quite fruity (peach, nectarine, golden raisin, orange, pineapple) with a nice underlying honey, vanilla, and caramel sweetness. Soft, gentle, malty finish. It’s clean, nicely balanced, and pleasant.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

Without water, this is an aggressive malt, sharp and acerbic. With water, it’s still more in your face than any official bottling. Where you tend to associate Caol Ila with oily, peaty, and maritime characteristics, this is altogether more feisty and ballsier, with a glance to the big three peaty distilleries in the south of Islay, and even a nod to its peppery cousin on Skye. On the nose there is peat, but it is tempered by dark chocolate; some citrus there, too. The taste is quite sharp, with bitter lemon, licorice, and sooty peat to the fore. Certainly an interesting take on this intriguing distillery, and far removed from last year’s relatively gentle 25 year old release, but there are questions over the balance, and whether it’s a better whisky is a moot point.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2011)

This distillery-only bottling strips away the sweet gloopiness of the standard 12 year old — and is all the better for that. The nose is soft and gentle, with rose petals and rose hips over a base of ripe plum and a touch of ginger cake. The palate is intriguing and holds the attention, with citrus fruits, bitter apple, spice, and a touch of peppermint. It is all very clean, sophisticated, and pleasant. The finish is long and warming, and the overall experience is highly enjoyable. Justified as a distillery-only bottling? Without a doubt.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2011)

Tobermory’s peated offering. Great to see Ledaig hitting its stride, with a brisk punch of peat and not chill-filtered. There’s a bit of a raw edge too, quite bracing but still plenty of soothing sweetness. Earthy peat smoke, ripe barley, honeyed vanilla, bourbon barrel char, black licorice stick, espresso bean, olive brine, and suggestions of beef jerky. In some respects, it even tastes younger than 10 years old, but I’m balancing that with bonus points for distinctiveness.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

Another whisky that will not disappoint fans of the brand, but it doesn’t do enough to bring any converts on board. The nose is fresh and sweet, with barley and ginger and not much else. The taste is perfectly acceptable, and at this strength better than the standard bottling. Water brings out a sweet malt and barley core, some gentle spice, and a rich sweetness.

Reviewed by: Dominic Roskrow (Spring 2011)

Somewhat sidelined thanks to the presence of Glenrothes and Glen Grant (not to mention Speyburn) in the same village, Glen Spey gets on with producing fillings for numerous Diageo blends (primarily J&B). As a result, it’s rarely seen as a single malt, with even independent bottlings pretty thin on the ground. This 21 year old is the color of old gold, and while the nose initially surprises with a hint of suet dumplings, there’s a rich and dangerously hedonistic sweetness behind, which is strangely hard to pin down. Coconut cream? Suntan lotion? Blackening butter in a frying pan? Eventually it appears to settle in the crème brûlée area, along with a fruity base (sweet, of course). There’s a light green note that suggests it might be distillery character coming through, but water suggests it’s new wood. In the mouth, there’s vanilla fudge and toffee, before a hint of muesli alongside dried mango. Overall it’s a bit like eating breakfast in a new ski chalet. Showy and impressive, but for me the wood’s in charge.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2011)

Sweet corn, along with caramel, vanilla, and more subtle ripe summer fruits (on the nose and palate). Light, slightly brash finish. Rather sweet, somewhat youthful tasting, straight-forward, and unpretentious. Not something I would be drinking neat, but it does fare better on the rocks. (The ice and cold water cut through and calm the sweetness.) I think a little more aging would add some depth, and balance some of the sweetness with more oak spice.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2011)

The lightness of the hue suggests a very slow maturation in refill casks, and while I tried hard to get to grips with this, I found the nose simply too discreet. There’s a hint of the burning bonfire which indicates the subtle smoke that underpins Cragganmore; there’s even some parma violet, dried berries, and a hint of sulfur. The palate picks things up a little, showing ferns, wet moss, Oolong tea, and dried apple, as well as citrus and — surprisingly — some just-lit cigar fuminess. It’s all rather understated, however. This is one of my top distilleries, but compared to the recent Special Releases and magnificent Friends of the Classic Malts bottlings, this is slightly underwhelming.

Reviewed by: Dave Broom (Spring 2011)