Honest, independent reviews and stories from one drinker working through 100 drams — the affordable, the everyday, and the worth-knowing.
Islands • Review • 3 October 2026
Diageo's 2022 Special Release takes Talisker in an unexpected direction: lightly peated and surprisingly balanced. Citrus and stone fruit lead over restrained smoke, with genuine coastal character throughout. Naturally coloured, non-chill-filtered at 55.1% ABV, this shows real skill in cask selection. A departure from typical Talisker, but executed with genuine confidence.
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I bought two boxes in Master of Malt's September Mystery Drop, the themed CVH round with the £13,000 Bunnahabhain 35 Year Old as the headline prize. Both boxes contained the exact same bottle: a Bunnahabhain 12. Here's the maths on how likely that actually was, what it means for the value case, and why it hasn't put me off the format one bit.
Master of Malt's Mystery Drop returns for a third time on 10 September, and this one's different: every bottle comes from Bunnahabhain, Tobermory, Ledaig or Deanston, with a £13,000 Bunnahabhain 35 Year Old as the headline prize. I bought into the last round, so here's what it actually feels like, whether it's worth your money, and why I think MoM keeps running it.
Glenglassaugh's coastal Highland distillery has truly found its voice with this triple-cask expression. Stone fruits, honey, and maritime character blend beautifully at 45% ABV with proper production ethics. After over two decades of silence, they've launched a flagship that shows real skill and ambition. Worth seeking out if you want something that stands apart.
GlenAllachie's peated Speyside is only five years old, but it doesn't taste it. The Sherry One brings dark chocolate, toffee, and peat smoke together with genuine complexity. Matured in bourbon then finished in PX and Oloroso, it's non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured at 48%. A proper whisky that punches above its age and price.
Ledaig is Tobermory's peated expression from the Isle of Mull, and this 10 year old has quietly built a cult following among those wanting proper island peat without eye-watering Islay prices. Non-chill-filtered, naturally coloured and bottled at 46.3%, it promises medicinal smoke, briny salt and bright citrus. Is the value-star reputation all hype, or does it actually deliver? Spoiler: it does…
Glenmorangie is a name even non-drinkers recognise, and the Quinta Ruban is their port-finished Highlander — now 14 years old after extending its time in ruby port pipes to four years. Port finishes can be hit or miss, so does this one earn its benchmark reputation? Expect dark fruits, chocolate-covered cherries and a silky, non-chill-filtered texture, with gentle spice keeping the sweetness honest.
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.
Highland Park's reputation precedes it — Orkney's finest, distilling since 1798, the 12 often held up as a benchmark for balanced, lightly-peated, sherried Scotch. In the glass: gentle heather smoke, honey and dried fruit, smooth and easy-drinking, with a medium finish of oak and lingering smoke. Reputations are made to be tested, though — does it earn its billing?
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?
If you've spent any time exploring whisky seriously, you'll know the feeling. You're standing in a bottle shop, or browsing online, and you see a name that rings a bell. Did I try that? Did I like it? Was it the one with the smoky finish or the sherry bomb? You can't quite remember, and you wish you'd written it down somewhere.
As the 2020s unfold, Scotch stands at a crossroads — a full-blown craft revolution, lost distilleries resurrected, and fierce global competition forcing Scotland to reckon with what comes next.
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