This is comprised of whisky aged in a bourbon barrel, a 30 year old Matusalem sherry butt, and a Colheita port pipe. Figs and malt on the early nose; resinous, with tangerines, vanilla, and soft leather. Slightly thin on the palate, but very smooth, with spiced orange, dates, and coffee grounds. Dries very slowly in the finish, with persistent orange, a sprinkling of black pepper, and a suggestion of mouth-drying oak. (1,000 bottles per year for five years)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2017)

Triple distilled and fully matured in bourbon casks, this single malt has a sweet, soft, and inviting nose of crisp green apples, vanilla custard, and lemon butter biscuits. Soft lemon meringue pie on the palate. Sweeter orange breaks through with a little spice on the fringes, then hits its stride with dried fruits and baked apple. A final flourish of spice and candied peel rounds off this excellent whiskey. Value Pick

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2017)

So much wood, so beautifully integrated into dry straw, black fruits, and tart, pink grapefruit juice. Dry, with a farmy earthiness, and like the scotch hogsheads it was finished in, bigger than life. Icing sugar, red wine, and floral perfume. WhistlePig was the original U.S.-bottled Canadian 100% flavoring rye and after 4 years flexing in Vermont its muscles are enormous.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Spring 2017)

Think of walking in a prairie meadow at a state fair, the wind curving slight hints of grain, and then an explosion of cotton candy, marshmallow, and florals. Initial earth turns to powerful notes of smoked paprika, maple, salted caramel, and fried bread. Every note is pronounced and beautiful. A strong and long finish follows with an amalgamation of everything tasted, and then cinnamon appears out of nowhere. (Kentucky only)

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Spring 2017)

Delicately complex. Dried vanilla, pineapple, toasted coconut, tangerine, and cream. A kiss of honey and polished oak on the finish. Quite lovely and very versatile; it would make a delicious pre-dinner dram. (Julio’s Liquors and Loch & K(e)y exclusive)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2017)

This 42 year old expression was matured in a single American oak hogshead (#4606) and offers a lovely mature, fruity nose, especially peaches and pineapple, plus vanilla and marzipan. Smooth and rich on the palate, with sherry, hessian, and spicy pineapple. Dries steadily but satisfyingly, with a hint of smoky fruit. Another veteran classic from the team at Forres. (52 bottles) £1,400

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2017)

This year’s liquid missive from head distiller Brian Nation has a nose of caramel, macaroons, and beeswax with green, grassy notes. The first sip evokes barley sugar, which grows into a citrus glow, nourished by some green oak and a little white pepper. It has lovely poise this year, effortlessly lighter on the tongue than the 2015 or 2014 creations. The conclusion is slightly nutty with soothing oak.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2017)

Spicy and pleasantly sweet. Vibrant too, with cinnamon, peppermint stick, and caramel corn. Warming spice zing on the finish. Quite possibly at its peak age for flavor, maturity, and balance.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2017)

A blend of 7 and 12 year old bourbons, married in new toasted barrels. Vanilla, caramel-coated berries, orchard fruit, cinnamon, soft mint, and teasing toasted coconut-spiked chocolate. Dry, spicy oak finish. Nicely integrated. Excellent combination of youth and maturity.

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2017)

Quintessence is the first single malt to have undergone secondary maturation in five different types of California red wine casks: zinfandel, pinot noir, syrah, merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet sherry, ripe cherries, marzipan, and white pepper on the nose. Rich and mouth-coating; strong flavor of thick-cut orange marmalade, oloroso sherry, malt, and milk chocolate. The finish features gentle warming spice and lingering Jaffa orange. Plain chocolate and orange notes seem as though they are never going to end! £1,000

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2017)

Part of the Rare Vintage range, this was matured in first-fill sherry butts. Spicy sultanas and figs on the nose, plus a menthol note. Fragrant old hessian. The palate is initially malty-sweet, with sherried Christmas cake notes, then plain chocolate and raisins emerge. The finish is long, spicy, and drying in a leisurely manner, with the expected level of tannins for a whisky of this vintage.£620

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2017)

The distillery, founded in 1943, lies in Uttar Pradesh in the Himalayan foothills where they have been making whisky for 25 years. Chocolate, coffee, dried cranberry, and dark toffee notes. Across the tongue, chocolate-dipped dried fruit and citrus peel, apple, strawberry, raspberry, malt, and glimpses of cinnamon, ginger, and star anise. Great quality whisky, the flavor plateaus through to a medium-length finish of ginger with bitter cocoa notes.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2017)

Non-chill filtered and matured exclusively in bourbon casks. Very floral on the nose, with toffee and spicy new leather. Soft and slightly smoky in the mouth, with vanilla and spicy, ripe pears.  A touch of licorice leads into a long, slightly drying finish. (670 bottles)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2017)

This is a 9 year old from the OBSF recipe. Brings to mind intense cinnamon over fruit, sprinkled on pumpkin bread, cooked in kettle popcorn, with a scone. Then there’s an explosion of caramel: crème brûlée, salted German chocolate cake, glazed doughnut holes, and caramel-drizzled baked peaches. Hints of smoke, ginger, tobacco, and clove. A delightfully long finish carries a hint of cinnamon for a must-have quaff. (Maisano’s Fine Wine and Spirits exclusive)

Reviewed by: Fred Minnick (Spring 2017)

Soft berry fruits and roasted spices, draped in the wine flavors of the California Cabernet Sauvignon barrique. The flavors start softly, with rhubarb, apple, blackberry fruit, and Brazil nut before a spice steamroller rattles through, jettisoning licorice and star anise over cooked fruits. The reverberations of the spices continue through a dry finish. With the grain as a canvas, the wine’s colors work particularly well here.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2017)

The feedback loop is short when the guys who make the whisky also pour it for consumers. This “tweaked” version of Red Label blends home-distilled corn, rye, and single malt whiskies with a sourced base. Tweaking the proportions yields a brighter, bolder, and crisper whisky than the original, with soaring esters, fragrant flowers, succulent vanillas, and brisk spices.

Reviewed by: Davin de Kergommeaux (Spring 2017)

Subtly complex and nicely rounded. A bed of sweetness (caramel, vanilla) peppered with honey-kissed fruit, golden raisin, and a hint of marzipan. Pleasing oak grip and dried spice on the finish. A great value for such a high-quality bourbon. (Loch & K(e)y exclusive)

Reviewed by: John Hansell (Spring 2017)

Not the pimply youth you might be mistakenly expecting, this tongue-in-cheek release is impishly contemptuous of the regulations challenged by Glaser during the transparency debate. Lemon bonbon, heavy vanilla scents, beeswax boot polish, and white chocolate are well integrated with peat. The exotic fruits and citrus zest tumbling with golden syrup are knocked sideways by clove and pepper. Water provokes more sweet smoke. A dry, spicy, waxy finish remains. (3,282 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2017)