Just landed in the Whisky Foundation store: introducing new independent bottlings!

 

A few weeks ago, we told you about a few of our favourite whiskies in the Whisky Foundation store: Rest and Be Thankful bottlings. But this week, we’ve got news that’s even more exciting: we’ve got some incredible new independent bottlings available.

And we can’t wait to share them with you – we’ve been trying to get hold of some bottlings for you for ages now, and we’ve finally managed it.

So, why not read about the newest additions to our already impressive collection (if we do say so ourselves) and we’ll get back out there looking for even more new independent bottlings to add to the collection.

This week’s new independent bottlings:

Ardbeg 18 Year (Signatory, 1998)

We’re incredibly excited to have this 18-year Ardbeg (Signatory, 1998) in our store (and not just because we’ve been dying to try it ourselves).

It’s everything that a bold, in-your-face whisky should be.

It starts with a colossal whack of peat on the nose, followed by a citrusy, fruitiness that gradually mellows into notes of herbs and spices.

Then, as you take a sip, it hits you with another whack. Waves of salty peat crash against your palate, leaving behind deep, aromatic flavours of cardamom and curry.

But the finish is what this whisky is all about.

It’s long and bold and full-on. The peat is still making itself known, but now it’s also introducing vanilla and chocolate notes from the time this whisky spent in a first-fill bourbon cask (for sixteen years) that give way to the peat again.

It’s a real treat.

And, because it was bottled at cask-strength, Signatory only produced 280 bottles. We’re lucky enough to have a few in our store, but if you want one, you’ll have to be quick.

Talisker 25-year-old (Gordon & MacPhail, 1958)

We’re really chuffed to have this whisky as one of our new independent bottlings. Not only are we big fans of Gordon & MacPhail, but this whisky is a trip back in time, all the way to how whisky was made in the post-war era.

And boy, did they know how to make whisky back then.

On the nose, you get a harmonious fusion of peat and fruits that, in theory shouldn’t work. The two ideas seem discordant. And yet, as you give it a whiff, you get a hit of an incredibly complex aromas. Smoke and peat dance around herbs, fruits and flowers to give off a smell that is out of this world.

We’d be happy to just sniff it and then put the cork back in.

(That’s obviously a lie, but you know what we mean.)

Now, as you take a sip, you’re glad you didn’t decide to stop at just the nose. Peaty sultanas gradually build into fruits, spices and a syrupy sweetness. But not all at once, and not in a crass, in-your-face way. They start to slowly fizzle and build into their complexity.

And then, like any good Island malt, it has a long, smoky finish.

It’s good. It’s very good.

Very, very good.

Then again, it’s Talisker and Gordon and MacPhail. Did you really expect anything other than perfection?

(Note: we’re still waiting for this whisky to arrive before we can add it to the store. But we’re so excited about it, we had to tell you about it.)

Rosebank 30-year-old Magnum (Silver Seal, 1975)

First of all, can we talk about the sheer bravado of this whisky? Look at it. It’s a giant among whiskies, towering over every other bottle in our collection. (And when have you ever had a magnum of whisky?)

On the nose, it starts off citrusy and botanical. Chives, grass and clay make their way through your olfactory system delicately.

As you take a sip, it’s a sublime example of a Rosebanks; citrusy with huge hits of oranges, lemons and tangerines. Diluted a little, the whisky opens up to reveal candied fruits and just the faintest hint of smokiness, which build to a long, fresh and citrusy finish.

This whisky is really quite something.

It’s delicate, deliberate and sublime. It’s a work of art.

Have you signed up to our newsletter? We’ll be sending out news on all of the latest arrivals in the WF store every two weeks – including alerts when we’ve managed to nab an incredibly rare bottling – so make sure you sign up.