Brands spanning gin, rum, Scotch whisky and liqueurs are carving a niche in the travel retail sphere. We present the best value for money expressions on the market.
SB presents the best value for money spirits in the travel retail market
The Spirits Business held its annual Travel Retail Masters last month, where an experienced panel of judges recognised the best bottlings in the business.
Looking across multiple categories, from Bourbon to gin, Scotch whisky to rum, a wide range of spirits were awarded the top accolades of Master and Gold medals for their quality.
The individual scores of each entrant have not been revealed, however these are 10 of the highest rated medalists in the competition, in no particular order.
While some expressions are not standard priced, our judges have given each brand listed here the seal of approval for offering excellent quality within their respective price categories.
Click through to the following pages to view the top 10 best value for money travel retail spirits of 2018.
Price: £32
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey scooped a Master medal for its “woody and buttery richness”.
One judge enthused: “It was beautifully balanced and had everything I look for in an American whiskey.”
Produced by Brown-Forman, Woodford Reserve is triple distilled in copper pot stills and then aged in charred American oak barrels in stone ageing warehouses.
Price: £20
In the Gin flight, Quintessential Brands’ Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin was praised for its potent spiced profile, which judges agreed would be delicious paired with Asian food.
One judge said: “The flavours weren’t subtle but it worked because the gin was obvious in its intent.”
Opihr Oriental Spiced Gin is crafted with a selection of botanicals, including spicy cubeb berries from Indonesia, black pepper from India and coriander from Morocco.
Price: £50.99
Jack Daniel’s Bottled-in-Bond was also awarded the top accolade for its “incredibly smooth” profile and flavour of “desiccated coconut”.
One judge said the whiskey was “well made and traditional, but so contemporary at the same time”.
Jack Daniel’s Bottled-in-Bond has been produced in accordance with the Bottled in Bond Act, which was passed into law by The United States Congress 1897.
The act requires whiskeys to be aged for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof at one distillery within a single season.
Price: £45.50
The Dubliner 10 Year Old Irish Whiskey received the Master accolade in the Irish whiskey flight.
A judge said of the expression: “This demonstrated excellence all the way through. It had an unctuous darkness and was very flavoursome, with a lot of fruit up front, but it still had that pepperiness that you’d expect. A really clever finish that’s distinct to the flavour.”
The 10-year-old release from Quintessential Brands has been aged entirely in Bourbon casks and bottled at 42% abv.
Price: £65.95
Master medallist Old Ballantruan Aged 15 Years was praised for its notes of “maple syrup and bacon”.
One judge noted: “It’s got a bit of salt and seaweed but also the sweetness of red pepper.”
Old Ballantruan is created at Angus Dundee Distillers’ Tomintoul Distillery. It is one of the few peated Speyside Scotch whisky brands and has a phenol content of 55ppm. The expression is non-chill-filtered and bottled at 50% abv.
Price: N/A
In the Rum round, El Supremo bagged a Gold medal after impressing with its notes of “sweet wine”, “balsamic and strawberries”, and “demerara sugar”.
Distilled in Paraguay, the range consists of a three-year-old, eight-year-old and a 12-year-old.
Price: £84.95
An impressive round of travel retail-exclusive Scotch whiskies saw a Master medal bestowed upon Glenmorangie The Tayne, which was described as “pure class”.
Glenmorangie The Tayne pays homage to a Spanish Galleon that is said to have sunk in Dornoch Firth, formerly known as the Firth of Tayne, in 1588.
The whisky is finished in Spanish Amontillado Sherry casks and bottled at 43% abv.
Price: £50.55
Brown-Forman’s BenRiach Peated Quarter Cask grabbed a Master medal for its notes “ripe pickles and gherkins”. One judge said the expression reminded her of a “decadent English breakfast”.
Launched in 2016, the whisky was made with peated barley and fully matured in quarter casks.
Price: £55
Fraternity Spirits-owned Tequila Corralejo 99,000 Horas stood up to the judges’ high standards, grabbing a Gold in the Tequila round.
“This reminded me of crunchy Fino lemon,” a judge said of Tequila Corralejo 99,000 Horas. “It has a slight creaminess and notes of candied agave with a really good length, which is balanced with a lovely saltiness.”
The 100% blue agave Tequila is rested in small (less than 200-litre) American oak barrels from Kentucky for 18 months.
Price: £38
A Gold was handed to El Diezmo Tequila Chocolate in the Liqueur round, praised for its aroma of fresh ginger – “this was a really well-made liqueur”, the panel noted.
Produced by Fraternity Spirits, El Diezmo Tequila Chocolate is bottled at 20% abv.
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