Boutique-y bottles five single cask whiskies
That Boutique-y Whisky Company (TBWC) has unveiled a five-bottle limited edition collection that includes a 33-year-old single grain from the Dumbarton Distillery.
The collection features five whiskies aged between nine and 33 years, selected from more than 300 samples.
Included in the collection are single malts from Islay, Speyside, and the Scottish Highlands, as well as a single grain whiskey from the now closed Dumbarton Distillery, and an Irish single malt from Bushmills.
All are bottled at 45.8% ABV, a deliberate homage to the historic British 80 Proof system.
TBWC’s head of whisky, Sam Simmons, and global brand ambassador, Dave Worthington, led the selection process.
Simmons said: “We are incredibly proud of this collection. These are five casks we kept coming back to – we knew we had something really special.
“This is the third series we’ve bottled at the old 80 Proof (UK). We believe 45.8% lets the spirit and the cask’s personality shine, while keeping everything balanced and genuinely drinkable. We take the liquid seriously, but we don’t think enjoying it has to be.”
The team is said to select casks by ‘tasting widely, debating thoroughly, and bottling only those that stand out for their flavour, balance and character.’
Worthington added: “For us, it’s about great whisky and great whisky should be accessible, delicious and fun. After tasting more than 300 casks, these were the ones that genuinely stood out. Or, put simply, they were just bloody delicious.”
The collection
The youngest of the limited bottlings is a nine-year-old single malt from Diageo-owned Glen Elgin Distillery, which has undergone second maturation in a Pedro Ximénez Sherry cask.
The expression offers aromas of candied orange peel, raisins and ripe red apples. On the palate, the whisky presents flavours of honey, nuttiness, a hint of fresh lavender, and sticky toffee pudding.
Limited to 438 bottles, the Glen Elgin has an RRP of £49.95 (US$67).
From Islay, the collection features a spicy and smoky 13-year-old single malt from Diageo’s Caol Ila Distillery.
Finished for two years in a fresh ex-American rye barrel, the whisky presents aromas of coastal air, sweet smoke, brine, and warming spice. On the palate, it reveals notes of oak, toasted almond, burnt sugar, and charred barbecue.
The 13-year-old Caol Ila yielded 327 bottles, each priced at £69.95 (US$94).
The only Irish single malt in the collection is a 22-year-old, triple-distilled whiskey from Bushmills. It was originally laid down in October 2002 and re-racked in January 2023 into an ex-Maury wine cask for extended finishing.
Aromatic notes of sweet, milky tea and shortbread are complemented by mango, milk chocolate, and syrupy sultanas on the nose. The palate reveals caramel, tropical fruit, plum, and cigar box notes.
Limited to 390 bottles, the whiskey retails for £249.95 (US$337).
The final single malt in the quintet, Glen Garioch 27 years old, has been aged since 1998 in a single refill Sherry butt, with an outturn of 198 bottles priced at £199.95 (US$270).
It presents aromas of polished oak, warmed vinyl, and overripe tropical fruit. On the palate, it offers a complex, oily profile with funky, ripe notes of oak, dried figs, aged leather, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, mango and papaya.
The oldest piece of the collection is a 33-year-old single grain whisky from Dumbarton Distillery. Distilled in 1992, the whisky has matured in a refill hogshead.
On the nose, the whisky presents aromas of sweet cereal, freshly baked shortbread, and vanilla wafers. The palate reveals flavours of tropical fruit, coconut, spearmint, pineapple and cedar.
The 33-year-old Dumbarton is priced at £124.95 (US$169) and limited to 242 bottles.
All five whiskies are offered in 700ml bottles and are now available from Master of Malt.
Last year, TBWC added three world whiskies to its core range.
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