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New Releases: Summer Festival Bottlings
Glen Scotia 11 Year Old Campbeltown Malt Festival 2023
To commemorate this years Campbeltown festival, Glen Scotia present this lightly peated whisky which has been matured a decade, before a year-long finish in white port casks. The high-tech bottle includes a QR code, which will transport you to Campbeltown for a sensorial journey with distillery manager, Iain McAllister, and whisky writer, Becky Paskin. Bringing the heights of the festival to your living room.
Expect notes of stone fruits, clove and lemongrass on the nose, with a palate full of spiced orchard fruits, molasses, caramel, sandalwood and sea salt. The finish is warm, long and fragrant.
Bunnahabhain Feis Ile 2023 Canasta Cask
For Feis Ile 2023 Islay icons Bunnahabhain have released two extra-special expressions. The first has been fully matured in rare Canasta sherry casks to elevate Bunnahabhain's unpeated, classically sherried style. The casks previously held a mix of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherries, with a balance of Oloroso imparting flavours of spice, and the PX adding layers of complexity, richness & sweetness. The result is a distinctively special dram, fitting for the best of celebrations.
Expect aromas of caramelised fruits, roasted nuts, honey and waves of mixed spice. The palate opens with bursts of sweet maple syrup, leading on to flavours of vanilla, dried figs, poached pears and hints of chocolate orange. A long and sweet finish follows, with a touch of red apple and custard.
Bunnahabhain Feis ile 2023 Manzanilla Cask 1998
The second, more grand, release from Bunnahabhain was initially laid down within American oak casks in 1998, before being finished in first-fill Manzanilla sherry casks for a further seven years. Manzanilla sherry is famed for its coastal, nutty characteristics, which pair beautifully with Bunnahabhain's shared flavour. The result is a warmly welcoming dram, with notes of salt & spice. Aged for 25 years total, fitting for the best of celebrations.
Expect aromas reminiscent of almond croissants leading to rose petal, grapefruit and mixed spice notes, with a touch of woody incense. On the palate we find waves of Bunnahabhain's signature coastal flavours of sea air and seaweed, alongside notes of dried fruit, creamy fudge, red apple and star anise. An aromatic close finishes this spectacular dram, with a lasting touch of sea salt.
Ardbeg Heavy Vapours
Islay fan-favourite distillery Ardbeg have released one of their most distinctively Ardbeg expressions ever for 2023's Ardbeg Day. This experimental limited-edition bottling is named Heavy Vapours due to the fact that they have foregone the usual purifier during distillation, which has allowed the heaviest vapours to rise up the still and condense back into the liquid - resulting in their most intense, aromatic and smoky flavour. The bottle and giftbox display a playful design by illustrator Dilraj Mann, who has also created an accompanying graphic novel available via a QR code on the label.
Expect pungent and aromatic aromas reminiscent of a farmyard, along with sweet smoke, creosote and smoked artichoke. On the palate, the dram is spicy and smoky with flavours of coal dust, cardamom, peppermint and eucalyptus, followed by hints of aniseed sweets and antiseptic lozenges. The finish is a long one, lingering with an almost anaesthetising sensation.
Note: This bottling has now sold out on The Whisky Shop, but you will find plenty on our The Whisky Shop Auctions site, along with plenty more 2023 festival bottlings.
