Springbank 18 Year

The Lakes doesn’t just produce incredible sherry-led single malts, with notes of coffee cake, plums, and dark chocolate. They do so while making a conscious effort to minimize waste, improve energy efficiency, and leave a positive impact on the environment. And to that we tip our cap!

8,400 bottles made of this peated single malt and it's just delightfully quirky - you get this fascinating blend of red fruits (like currants and dried cherries) with honey and smoked almonds. Longrow's produced at Springbank and if you dig scotch finished in a port barrel, then you're buying in 3, 2, 1...

Kilkerran's the sister distillery of Springbank, and like Serena to Venus, this 8 year's got the pedigree. The peat is more noticeable, but there’s also a good pinch of salt, as well as some seaweed and hints of lemons, banana, and oak, mixed in. So like the younger Williams taking the Open in '99, this bottle's nose and finish are harbingers of great sips to come.

We could cut to the chase and say, "just buy it if it's available," Why? Because the way it balances sherry with just the right amount of fruit is what allows for a finish that'll taste like the tide ebbing off of the Davaar Lighthouse in Campbeltown. If you're into scotch, just flirting with scotch, or brand new to the category, this is a no brainer.

The 10 Year is a really good gateway into the Springbank multiverse - a little peaty and with some real flavor depth. It's smoky throughout, and the finish leaves some cider and toasty barley at the doorstep. This is pure O'Jays on Soul Train, i.e. mainstream with more than a fair share of deep cuts.

Let's start by addressing the monkey in the room - the name "Monkey Shoulder" comes from a strain malt workers would get from turning malted barley by hand. The injury would cause their arm to hang down a bit like a monkey's, and while that's not what makes it one of the world's best selling scotch whiskeys, it is... something? What's more important here is the realllllly malty, creamy delivery with nods of berry fruit you're gonna get with each sip. This is an all-around workhorse scotch y'all - hits are usually hits for a reason.

This is legitimately the holiday season in a bottle - like liquid fruitcake. This Highland Single Malt is finished in different styles of aged Sherry casks including Apostoles, Amoroso, and Matusalem Oloroso, which delivers the lingering taste of caramelised orange and rich dark chocolate. Think elevated Hallmark channel marathon in late November with your favorite fleece blanket.

This is one drinkable (Ron Burgundy voice) Scotch - sweet, creamy, with a backbone of black-pepper spice and a thick layer of peaty smoke. Distilled on the Isle of Islay at Bruichladdich distillery, a glass of this 10 Year will have you sounding like the dude in those Men's Warehouse commercials: "You're gonna like the way this tastes."