With 23 stills, Tomatin is Scotland’s largest distillery. But since most of the output goes for blending, it is not widely known as a single malt. scottish whisky

From the highest distillery in Scotland, set in the windswept Grampian mountians with their unlimited supply of fresh spring water, comes this delightfully gentle, delicatley smokey malt. Dalwhinnie is one of the six ‘Classic Malts’ carefully selected to best represent each of the main whisky producing regions of Scotland. They embrace the the full diversity of regional tastes and styles. Dalwhinnie is a gentle, delicate malt from the wild and windswept Highlands. It is subtle, smooth and a delicately smokey malt with a honey finish. scottish whisky

The Isle of Skye is home to one distillery, Talisker at Carbost overlooking Loch Harport. The whisky has a full peppery, sweet flavour with explosive intensity and a good dose of warming peat-smoke. A great dram on a cold day. scottish whisky

Colour: Pale gold. Tasting notes, undiluted: Nose: Sharp, perfumed with hints of dry grass. Hint of lavender and heather. Palate: Sweet and cloying with spicy flavours – cumin. Hay and pine wood elements. Warming. With water: Nose: Spices and aromatic – coumarin with herbal notes. A touch of coconut and a toffee sweetness developing. Palate: Sweet with smoky hints. Some ripe fruit notes – bruised apples. Drying with some floral flavours. Body: Strong – needs a little water. Finish: Dry grass and floral notes. Cask Type: Refill Bourbon Barrels. Style: Powerful – a dash of water reveals the true distillery character. scottish whisky

The most westerly point of Argyll, Islay and Jura occupy a special place in Scotland’s history, home to MacDonald, ‘Lords of the Isles’, as well as to the famous blend of Bowmore’s Whisky Distillery. The fields and hills hold an abundance of wildlife

Floral with a sweet and sour palate heading to a dry and spicy finish. Miyagikyo is located on the island of Honshu to the west of the city of Sendai, two hours by high-speed train to the northeast of Tokyo. Built in the foothills of the Miyagi prefecture, at the heart of a region famous for its waterfalls and many hot springs, the distillery is a true haven of peace. After three years of research, this site was chosen for its pure air and high humidity levels, ideal for ageing in barrels. The environment is similar to that of the Cairngorms region in the heart of Scotland. Only the cherry trees remind you that you are indeed thousands of miles from the Highlands. The contrast between this green leafy environment and the ultramodern distillery is striking. Here everything or practically everything is computer-operated. The malt is imported from Scotland or Australia. The barrels are stored in traditional cellars with just two floors, as the distillery is situated in the middle of an earthquake zone. Miyagikyo, using large stills, produces a spirit that is rich and fruity with elegant aromas. In 1998, a grain distillery with two coffey type stills – four columns in total – was built on the same site as the malt distillery. One of the two stills dates from the 19th century. It is a real museum piece. This magnificent copper column produces traditional grain whisky from maize and not wheat, as is often the case now in Scotland. japanese whisky

Colour: Deep Amber. Tasting notes, undiluted. Nose: Rich fruitiness with burnt sugar and candy floss aromas. Charred oak and smoky elements also present. Palate: Smoky with sherry and bruised apple notes. Malty and creamy flavours detectable. With water Nose: Peaty and phenolic aromas with fruity elements combined with a floral/perfumed edge. Sherrywood also present. Palate:Smoke and earthy notes with sherry and wine flavours developing. Rich spices – liquorice and treacle. Body: Rich and coating. Finish: Sweet with sherry and hints of smoke. Cask Type: First Fill Sherry Butts. Whisky Style: A traditional Speyside – balanced fruit and smoke elements with a rounding sherry character. There has probably been whisky made on the Macallan site, on a small hill overlooking the Spey near Craigellachie , since the late 1700s. The first licenced disllation at Macallan is said to have taken place in the earliest days of legalised production, in 1824. The distillery changed hands several times throughout the 19th century and in 1894 the distillery was bought by Elgin merchant, Roderick Kemp ( who also owned Talisker on Skye). Due to demand for the whisky the distillery has been modernised and extended over the years. In the 1950s the output was trebled and further increased in the 1960s. Warehousing was also increased at this time. In 1990 a vast cask warehouse was built – at the time the largest single roof warehouse in Europe. scottish whisky

Ardbeg Ten Years Old is a very special bottling for the Ardbeg distillery as it is the first non-chill filtered whisky in the Ardbeg range. Chill filtering isn’t a bad thing, in fact it created real consistency of product when the whisky industry was a little more ‘hap-hazard’ than it is today. Ardbeg Ten Years Old is whisky with none of the goodness taken out and as good as straight from the cask. Who would believe that back in 1981, the distillery fell silent and was mothballed? Fortunately in 1997, to the delight of fans all over the world Glenmorangie plc rescued Ardbeg and a team of dedicated souls set about repairing and reviving the distillery (not to mention repainting it!). Now, once again Ardbeg flows freely. scottish whisky

Bowmore 16 Years Old is a limited edition from a selection of only 39 Oloroso sherry casks. The hand crafting of this exceptional malt started back in 1990: the barley was carefully malted, hand turned and traditionally peat kiln dried at the distillery. After fermentation and slow distillation the spirit was laid down to mature in Bowmore’s famous vaults below sea level. This 1990 vintage compliments the bourbon matured 1989 vintage released in 2005 and demonstrates beautifully the influence of different cask types on Bowmore Single malt. The result is a Bowmore light teak in colour; the aromas are big, rich and complex – dark chocolate, raisins and sweet figs are bound together with that distinctive Bowmore smokiness. On the palate it is warm and delicious, full of rich fruit cake flavours with a slight salty spiciness. The finish is long rich and elegant. scottish whisky

Colour: Amber. Tasting Notes, undiluted: Nose: Intense fruits – apples, bananas and pears. Slight fragrant/floral note with subtle sherry aromas developing. Palate: Sweet with malty and heather notes. Rich fruit cake flavours with a subtle sherry influence. With water: Nose: Apple skins with some gorse/bracken aromas and a toasted maltiness. Palate: Malty initially with spices and nutty flavours developing. Some creamy and chocolate elements. Body: Light to Medium. Finish: Malty with nutty flavours. Cask Type: Refill Sherry Casks. Whisky Style: Lighter in style, displaying more ‘distillery’ character. There has probably been whisky made on the Macallan site, on a small hill overlooking the Spey near Craigellachie , since the late 1700s. The first licenced disllation at Macallan is said to have taken place in the earliest days of legalised production, in 1824. The distillery changed hands several times throughout the 19th century and in 1894 the distillery was bought by Elgin merchant, Roderick Kemp ( who also owned Talisker on Skye). Due to demand for the whisky the distillery has been modernised and extended over the years. In the 1950s the output was trebled and further increased in the 1960s. Warehousing was also increased at this time. In 1990 a vast cask warehouse was built – at the time the largest single roof warehouse in Europe. scottish whisky