1995 Vintage Whisky

After Glendronach's Christmas 2011 UK exclusive 1995 PX Puncheon release flew off our shelves we were rather keen on getting some more. So keen that we ended up buying a whole cask - #4682. Distilled on November 8th 1995 and bottled in March 2013 this is a big, chewy, sherried masterpiece. Fantastic Whisky.

This Isle of Jura 1995 is part of the distillery's 'Boutique Barrels' series of single casks, bottled at full cask strength. This 'Bourbon Jo' edition has been finished in 'small batch bourbon cask', according to the label.

Isle of Jura Boutique Barrels

A potent, yet floral single cask bottling of Bowmore. A drop of water is advisable to release the full spectrum of peaty, fruity flavours.

Something of a curio, this one - a cask strength single malt from Springbank distillery, with more than a hint of smoke about it, suggesting it might actually be one of the distillery's other single malts. Strong and youthful, this is an assertive dram with notes of flax, wet peat, hay and pear eau de vie.

A 17 year old Laphroaig bottled by The Whisky Agency as part of their 'Fights' series (the beautiful label features a tiger catching the tail feathers of a peacock). Distilled in 1995, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and bottled in 2012.

A very special wine-finished Dalmore released as a follow-up to 2010's Mackenzie bottling, and with the same mission - to raise money for the upkeep of Castle Leod, the Mackenzie clan's ancestral seat.

A very desirable 1995 Wild Turkey in extremely fancy packaging, this long-aged bourbon from one of Kentucky's finest distillers has been hand-selected by Master Distiller Jimmy Russell himself and comes in rather arresting wood and copper packaging.

An interesting bottling by Springbank, specially for the Springbank Society. This 1995 vintage whisky has been matured in a "Fresh Sherry Pipe" for 14 years and was bottled in 2010.

A 1995 vintage Glenfarclas, bottled in 2012 as part of the 9th release of Family Casks. This has spent about 17 years in a sherry butt, and has a twist on the regular Glenfarclas sherried character.

Cask strength young Springbank from a fresh sherry cask is always a wondrous thing. This is an old bottling from a few years ago and should be delightful.

A special release of Lagavulin 1995 bottled at 48% for the Friends of the Classic Malts in 2008 from first fill European oak sherry casks.

A single sherry cask of Blair Athol 1995 bottled for Diageo's Managers' Choice series in 2009. A medium-full biscuity dram, with background notes of syrup and fudge.

A 13yo single cask Glendullan bottled at full strength for the Managers' Choice series. Glendullan is another distillery we didn't see much of on this side of the pond, but malt from what is one of Diageo's larger distilleries has recently emerged in the US under the Singleton banner. Interestingly, this is marked as having come from a rejuvenated cask - kudos to Diageo for this extra snippet of clarity.

A 1965 vintage whisky from Bruichladdie, bottled by Gordon & Macphail for Italian distributer Turatello at 24 years old.

Mahogany-coloured cask strength Macallan from a single Sherry Hogshead: this looks like an epic dram for the sherry-heads. Selected as the Winter edition of the 'Easter Elchies' seasonal cask series, for which it looks just about perfect.

Part of the Annie Leibowitz collection in Macallan's Masters of Photography series, this 1996 vintage whisky was matured in an American Oak butt and is paired with a photograph of New York's iconic skyline, appropriately called 'The Skyline'.