Distilleries

Benrinnes Distillery: Speyside's Meaty Secret

Flooded, burned and rebuilt on the slopes of the mountain that names it, Benrinnes makes Speyside's meatiest malt, almost all of it destined for blends. We have bottled around twenty casks of The B...

Laphroaig Distillery: Islay's Great Divider

Every independent bottler sells Laphroaig, and almost none of them are allowed to say so. The story of Islay's most divisive malt takes in a fatal vat of pot ale, a Prohibition loophole, a secretar...

Blair Athol Distillery: The Highland Heart of Bell's

Everyone has tasted Blair Athol; almost nobody knows it. Here is the story of the Pitlochry distillery behind Bell's, its nutty, sherry-loving malt, our dozen-plus single cask bottlings of it, and ...

Ardbeg Distillery: The £16 Million Comeback

A single 1975 cask of Ardbeg sold for £16 million; the whole distillery cost £7 million in 1997. The full story of Islay's great comeback — how Ardbeg makes its citric, tarry whisky, why independen...

Mannochmore Distillery: The Quiet Speysider Behind the Black Whisky

Mannochmore made Loch Dhu, the notorious black whisky, but its real story is a light, floral Speyside spirit that blenders have trusted for fifty years. We have bottled more than a dozen casks of i...

Lagavulin Distillery: Islay's Slow-Burning Legend

Lagavulin distils slower than anyone on Islay and makes you wait sixteen years for the result. Here is the full story of the Kildalton legend, and an honest answer to the question every cask buyer ...

Glentauchers Distillery: The Speyside Malt the Blenders Keep

Almost nobody writes seriously about Glentauchers, yet blenders prize it and independent bottlers compete for its casks. Having bottled it from 7 to 22 years old, we explain why this Ballantine's w...

The Glenlivet Distillery: The Malt That Made Speyside Legal

The Glenlivet guide: George Smith's pistol-carrying 1824 gamble, the 1884 court case over the name, lantern-shaped stills, what the whisky tastes like, and a clear-eyed look at Glenlivet casks and ...

Caol Ila Distillery: Islay's Quiet Giant

Islay's biggest distillery is also its quietest achiever, and our house malt. The complete Caol Ila guide from the bottler that has released more than 40 of its casks.

Glenfiddich Distillery: History, Whisky & Casks

Glenfiddich made the world drink single malt, yet independent bottlings of it are almost non-existent. Our guide covers the history, production, collectability and the curious case of Wardhead.