Teeling has cleverly exploited Ireland’s whiskey regulations that specify maturation in wooden casks, not just oak, to release the first chestnut-cask Irish whiskey in the U.S. Crushed cloves, wet rocks, mint chocolate, vanilla seeds, dark roast coffee beans, Brazil nut, and antique leather on the nose. Partaking unshackles gingerbread, treacle, clove, black coffee, black fruits, and plain chocolate. Dark, gothic whiskey from a shadowy part of the warehouse to devour at midnight. (846 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

There’s a bounty of nuts here—almond, walnut, and pecan—along with vanilla, nougat, poached pear, and some beeswax notes. Initially the palate is citrus-loaded, with zesty grapefruit peel and cut orange wedges, but it quickly succumbs to drying oak tannins, showing a bit of heat as toasty oak, bitter chocolate, and cinnamon carry the finish. (12,500 bottles)

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2020)

This pale-gold whiskey has a bright and refreshing nose with lots of floral character, apricot, vanilla frosting, apple tart, and gentle background spices. Lemon meringue pie, sugary sweetness, stone fruits, vanilla, orange citrus, and an undertow of spice that mingles higher in the mix by the end: a mirror image of its fragrant aromas. The Method & Madness experimental range is delivering some wonderfully characterful whiskeys that are worth hunting down. (2,500 bottles) (€92)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

As with previous batches, this was matured in a mix of Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry butts, puncheons, and quarter casks. The nose offers quite subtle sherry, malt, vanilla, dark chocolate, and black treacle. The palate is notably spicy, with hot ginger, black pepper, cloves, and cinnamon, along with sherry, cocktail cherries, more dark chocolate, and bitter coffee. Long, oaky, spicy, and drying in the finish.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2020)

This whiskey’s lush qualities are immediately evident on the nose, which is redolent of Mexican chocolate, cedar spice, fresh dark berries, raisin-studded stollen, and balsam boughs. Without water, oak dominates the palate, but add a few drops and much more unfolds: grape cough syrup, blackcurrant jam, mocha, and rich spice, with more blackcurrant, allspice, pepper, and lingering herbs on the finish. There’s lots to unpack here, all of it good. Editors' Choice

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2020)

With a delicacy often missing from single pot still, this shows melon fruitiness, white grape, and rose water, with spice markets, cinnamon breakfast cereals, and wafting barbecue scents. Apple, pear, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and ground almond mingle with velvety smooth caramels. An impressive Dublin-distilled pot still debut from Teeling, with its diverse cask mix for the 1:1 ratio of unmalted and malted barley to develop texture and complexity. (6,000 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

A great introduction to Bowmore’s single malts, and one of the best 12 year old single malt scotches around. The nose offers tropical fruit, sweet smoke, a hint of brine, new leather, and floral notes. Peaches, honey, vanilla, and more full-on smoke on the rounded palate. Brine, cocoa powder, citrus fruits, and fading woodsmoke in the finish.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2020)

This whiskey shows no reticence in asserting a unique and frankly thrilling personality from first sniff: tea leaves, coconut, brown sugar, saline, raspberry, plum, cinnamon, incense, and the freshness of a cedar-filled forest rush out of the glass. Such layered complexity—belying its 18-month age statement—carries ably into the palate, which is fruit-filled with dark plums and berries, lush with dark chocolate and baking spice, and tannic with oak and tea leaves. The well-balanced finish showcases dark chocolate, sandalwood, subtle spices, and cigar wrapper. Very approachable. (600 bottles)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2020)

A lovely nose of overripe pears and baked apple is drizzled with caramel and toffee sweetness, then veers into bakeshop notes of sticky-bun pastry. The rich, mouth-coating palate piles on more sweet fruit and tarte Tatin, with flavors of mocha, peanut chocolate bars, and lemongrass lending complexity. Drying tannins, toasted almond, and sandalwood bring home the finish. Best Value

Reviewed by: Jeffery Lindenmuth (Spring 2020)

Made with a mashbill of malted barley, malted wheat, oats, and rye, aged in new charred oak, and finished in a port-style wine cask. The result of this complex recipe is an equally complex sensory experience, with tropical and candied fruit on the nose, including dried mango slices, pineapple chunks, raspberry and blackberry jelly candies, and grape jam, as well as matcha, rose petals, and dark chocolate. Floral flavors run almost to soapy, but are tempered by cedar, layered spice, nuts, chocolate, and tobacco. A lovely finish, with persistent dark fruit, spices, and lengthy bitter-sweetness.

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2020)

This pale gold, limited-edition dram is named in honor of House Stark from the Song of Ice and Fire book series, better known by its television name, Game of Thrones. Designed for Highballs or pouring over ice, it offers a nose of vanilla sponge cake sweetness, dried grasses, green melon, spring blossoms, white pepper, and a faint trace of peppermint. It has a soft, caressing character, with melon, pulpy summer fruits, sour lemon, butterscotch, barley sugar, vanilla caramel, and a later supportive fizzle of spice. It concludes with a finish of sweet vanilla and fruits.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

Bottled in recognition of Sir Alex Ferguson’s remarkable thirteen league soccer titles, this scotch does him proud. Juicy citrus, aromatic spices, and vanilla pudding; the nose is enveloped with milk chocolate aromas and further spiciness. The blend was selectively finished in American rye barrels, and the flavors crescendo through orange, malt, chocolate, mint, and pepper, with some rye spices that usher in a lengthy, spicy finish. Blissfully good. Best Value

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

This is the fifth release of Ardbeg’s most heavily peated expression. The bold nose yields ashy peat, fish oil, hot lemon juice, black pepper, asphalt, and antiseptic cream. Oily and voluptuous on the sweet palate, with orchard fruits, honey, seaweed, and lots of moist peat. The finish is lengthy and very smoky, with chile, cinnamon, and barbecued meat.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2020)

A straight bourbon that was finished in barrels made with alternating charred and toasted staves. There’s plenty of wood char and pencil shavings on the nose, along with dry leaves, pine needles, tea leaves, orange peel, clove, nutmeg, cedar, sandalwood, menthol, and licorice. It’s chewy and, naturally, quite oak-forward in the mouth, with complex flavors of spice, dark cherry, black tea, and herbs—mint, licorice, sassafras, and cinnamon. More spice, semi-sweet chocolate, tea leaves, and well-integrated oak into the finish. (2,700 bottles)

Reviewed by: Susannah Skiver Barton (Spring 2020)

With its inventive limited editions and contemporary design, it’s worth paying attention to Royal Salute these days. Its first blend of aged grain whisky has aromas of peanut, caramel, ground pepper, rye crackers, vanilla pod, fresh oak, and stewed fruits. A rapid turnover of flavors: tangy orange shifts quickly to bitter orange, followed by clove, pepper, chocolate, and honeycomb, then chocolate orange, nougat, and marzipan. It’s an even better dram over ice.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

The ninth and final release in Diageo’s Game of Thrones series was aged in first-fill sherry-seasoned casks and finished in bourbon barrels. Vanilla and toffee, plus spicy oak on the nose, while the full sherried palate yields dry fruit, spicy citrus notes, almonds, more vanilla, and caramel. The leisurely finish presents wood spices and Jaffa oranges.

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2020)

Don’t get me wrong, this is delicious, but while the mizunara oak subtleties cannot match the intensity of the sherry influence on the nose, its flavor contribution to this multidimensional whisky is rather wonderful. Strawberry, sherry, fig, prune, and nuts on the nose and palate, enriched with fragrant spices, millionaire’s shortbread, vanilla tablet, base notes of pepper, and a finish of sherry, fig, and spice.

Reviewed by: Jonny McCormick (Spring 2020)

This expression was distilled from barley harvested on Islay in 2007 and 2009, and combines whisky aged in 43 bourbon barrels. Sweet peat, lemon juice, and sea salt on the nose, with honey, vanilla, and an herbal note. The palate opens with overt peatiness, followed by brine and lemon, plus vanilla and a hint of charcoal. Long in the finish, with ashy peat and sea salt. (1,440 bottles for U.S.)

Reviewed by: Gavin Smith (Spring 2020)