Whisky.de Award

The 12-year-old Glenallachie forms the heart of the series in the new design. It matured in former sherry casks (Pedro Ximenénz and Oloroso) and in new, unseasoned oak casks. Under the direction of Billy Walker, the former Master Distiller of famous distilleries, Glenallachie has been given a new lease of life. A total of four different bottlings have now been created for the new Core Range. Uncoloured, non-chill-filtered and matured in a wide variety of cask types.

The Ardnahoe Cask Strength is the first cask strength edition from the new Islay whisky distillery. Distillery Director Scott Laing and Distillery Manager David Livingstone created the Single Malt with the team using traditional methods. Peaty Islay water was taken from Loch Ardnahoe and two traditional worm tubs (the only ones on Islay) were used in the production process. The slow distillation takes place in two copper Pot Still stills with exceptionally long lyne arms, which prevents the mash from burning during distillation. The limited bottling is matured entirely in hand-selected ex-bourbon casks to allow the character of this Ardnahoe Single Malt to fully develop. The Islay whisky was bottled after 5 years of maturation at 60.9% vol, non-chill-filtered and without colour. With Ardnahoe, the Laing family has fulfilled a long-awaited wish to have their own distillery and is launching another impressive whisky on the market with Cask Strength Edition No. 1.

With the Aberlour a'bundah Sherry Cask Collection Edition 1, the Speyside distillery presents a milestone in the history of A'Bunadh bottlings. This limited edition honours the distillery's tradition and craftsmanship and is the first of three annual bottlings dedicated entirely to sherry cask maturation. The new collection represents the soul of Speyside whisky and explores the transformative influence of sherry cask maturation. The first bottling is a cask-strength feast for the senses, with juicy fruit notes, sherry and sultana spice and an almost syrupy long finish in every dram, resulting from maturation in first-fill sherry casks and a finish in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks. The Aberlour Distillery was founded in 1879 by James Fleming in the heart of Scotland's Speyside. His guiding principle "Let the Deed Show" still characterises the distillery's self-image today. It is known for full-bodied Single Malts with a pronounced sherry cask character. The A'Bunadh Collection is bottled in small batches and is not chill-filtered or coloured. A'Bunadh means the original in Gaelic.

This Talisker belongs to the Distillers Edition of the Classic Malts of Scotland. The Single Malt matured for at least three months in Amoroso Seasoned American Oak Casks. The smoky, spicy and sometimes pungent character of the distillery is wonderfully complemented by sweetness and complexity.

Ondjaba Whiskey comes from Namibia and is made from a very special grain. One of the grain varieties is mahangu (pearl millet), which is a staple food for the majority of Namibia's population. The malt is dried over elephant dung instead of peat, as is usual in Scotland. The whiskey is matured under the hot Namibian sun in fresh oak barrels and the company's own former wine barrels. This further development of the original is then matured in gravino casks from the Erongo Mountain Winery, a type of port wine cask.

The Glenfarclas 105 with 12 years age statement appears for the first time with an official age statement. The legendary 105 Cask Strength, originally released in 1968 as the world's first commercial cask strength whisky, is known for its powerful, full-bodied character, intense sherry flavour and natural 60% alcohol volume. Glenfarclas, a family-run Scottish distillery with a long tradition of sherry cask maturation, is presenting this edition exclusively for the German market as part of The Hourglass Limited Edition. For this release, the whisky has been matured for 12 years in carefully selected Oloroso sherry casks, resulting in exceptional depth, complex sherry sweetness and warming spice. The striking golden hourglass design on the outer packaging is derived from the golden numerals and emphasises the distillery's masterful cask selection and the enduring heritage of its traditional Dunnage Warehouses.

With Between You & I, the Highland Park distillery presents the first bottling in a new and strictly limited series. Created in collaboration with the Swedish three-star chef Björn Frantzén, this Single Malt Whisky combines the craftsmanship of the Orkney distillery with culinary creativity. Between You & I is a whisky that invites you to get to know and experience it for yourself. Instead of fixed tasting notes, the focus here is on individual interpretation. An innovative approach from the Orkney distillery. The bottling is designed to stimulate dialogue between whisky lovers and invite them to talk shop. Björn Frantzén, known for his unique combination of Nordic ingredients, French cooking techniques and Japanese philosophy, has been awarded three Michelin stars. As the first taster of this bottling, his impressions not only shaped the character, but also inspired the design and packaging of the Between You & I whisky. After 16 years of maturation in unseasoned Swedish oak casks, a first for Highland Park Distillery, sherry-aged European and American oak and ex-Bourbon casks, the Between You and I Single Malt has become a smooth yet complex whisky, with a variety and depth of flavours to discover.

The Laphroaig matured for a quarter of a century in ex-bourbon casks, carefully selected and blended by the master distiller. A quarter of a century of maturation means that the peat smoke flavours fade into the background and combine harmoniously with the oak and vanilla notes of the casks to create an elegant Single Malt Whisky from Islay. This bottling from 2023 is interestingly somewhat fruitier than the previous vintages. The tasting video contains a bottle from a series bottled in earlier years.

With the Wood Finish Series, Glencadam introduces an impressive edition of cask finishes that are neither coloured nor chill-filtered and bottled at drinking strength. The PX Sherry Cask Finish was first matured in American oak bourbon casks and then refined in sweet Pedro Ximénez sherry butts.

Glenmorangie, active since 1843, is one of Scotland's best-known distilleries. Its particularly tall stills ensure an elegant, fruity and smooth house style. The distillery is regarded as a pioneer in terms of cask innovation and flavour diversity. Glenmorangie's "A Tale of..." series was launched as a creative platform for unusual bottlings that stand out from the classic portfolio in terms of theme and flavour. Each edition tells its own story - be it of cakes, forests or, as here, exotic spices. This series is aimed at connoisseurs who are curious, open-minded and enjoy experimental barrel art. With "A Tale of Spices", Glenmorangie presents a tribute to the diverse world of oriental spices, which was bottled in Moroccan wine casks. In addition to these barriques, Pedro Ximénez sherry and heavily charred virgin oak casks were used. The aim was to capture the profound complexity and warmth of spices in a natural way through targeted cask selection.