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Part of The Macallan Masters Decanter Series created to showcase the beautiful range of The Macallan’s natural colour, No.6 delivers classic Macallan character in a celebration of richness and spice.

Raisin, dates and figs dominate whilst sultana and toffee apples add texture and depth. The weight of flavour from the raisins is dark and rich with great viscosity. Dry ginger and soft cinnamon hint at the edges the edges. Dark chocolate is majestic, vanilla sweetness lingers in the background. Heavy and sumptuous. A rich fruit cake of raisin, dates and figs, apples, sultanas, orange then ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and hints of clove. Oak notes are like velvet, soft and chic. Silky smooth with a long and full finish.

A perfectly balanced blend of Scottish heather and honey, with delicate notes of unripened pear and a hint of oak. A delightful blend of soft vanilla with honey and blooming heather, well rounded with a slight smoky sensation emerging. Medium finish, slightly dry with lingering heather/honey overtones, and the faintest touch of smoke.

Spier Estate’s flagship wine comes from west and northwest-facing slopes of the Helderberg is the place where all the vines were grown, and all within a 10km radius, and produce only 6,000 bottles yearly. Decomposed granite soils retain water well, allowing for slow ripening and heightened mineral complexity. The area benefits from the cooling effect of the nearby Atlantic.

The balance, and the refined elegance of this blend, with its long finish, is the result of a growing season that goes down in my books as textbook perfect. A properly wet winter, some spring rain and a dry, mild summer allowed for longer hang-time, followed by quick picking.

Grapes are handpicked, De-stemming and hand-selecting all adds to a great taste, in the end. Every detail is crucial. The components were mostly fermented in small 600L roller fermenters for quite a long time on the skins, giving it time to settle and come into its own. Malolactic fermentation was done in barrel – a period of about 24 months on the lees in barrels. The difference grapes are then tasted, blended and sent back into the barrel for 4 to 5 months, before racking and bottling. This wine will show best at 10 years after harvest, and will complement rich red meat dishes like ribeye, beef roasts and smoky barbeque fillet steaks.

There’s superb balance between sugar and natural acidity. With all the grapes being of Helderberg origin, we were able to achieve consistency in style. Cabernet Sauvignon was everything we wanted it to be – and more – so we gave it dominance in the blend. Adding Cabernet Franc from a younger vintage in the final blend contributes a freshness and element of surprise.

Tim Atkin: 92Pts

Part of The Macallan Masters Decanter Series created to showcase the beautiful range of The Macallan’s natural colour, M is born of a collaboration between three masters of their crafts to create a completely individual spirit.

Fashioned in the highest-grade crystal, each handcrafted M decanter unites proven tradition with originality, drawing on over 150 years of Lalique mastery and dedication in its refinement and flawless clarity. Its six striking facets are Baron’s homage to The Macallan’s Six Pillars; reflecting our deep-rooted heritage at the heart of the decanter’s unique design ethos and the vibrant natural colour of the whisky itself. Drawing on some of the richest and rarest casks maturing at the distillery, this is a complex and intense whisky. With a rich rosewood colour derived from the sherry seasoned Spanish oak casks that have nurtured this special whisky through its maturation process, M delivers a complexity and sumptuous intensity rarely experienced in a single malt.

Dried fruits ripen, then soften. Vanilla accompanies green apple hand in hand. Ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon create an ensemble in the background, with strong notes of polished oak and a depth of resinous, juicy oranges. The palate opens rich in wood spices, slowly showing all their viscosity. Wood smoke flits in and out. The heavier raisin and sultana flavours take over, meandering to a long full finish.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label sets the standard, a blend of the rarest malts from hand-selected casks across Scotland. Its flavors are influenced by the smoke of the west and the rich, sweet whiskies of the east. The whiskies that compose Blue Label are especially selected for our individuality from some of the rarest stocks in the Johnnie Walker reserves; only one in 10,000 casks is deemed to be of sufficient character for selection.

Serve neat in a tumbler with a glass of iced water on the side to fully appreciate the slow, intense, rich, deep and multilayered experience. Blue Label is the ultimate tribute to those who define themselves not by where they stand, but by where they are going. It has traditionally been enjoyed on holidays, birthdays, and moments of celebration and achievement; regardless of the occasion, it is a gift for those whose defining moment has yet to be defined.

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 year old single malt whisky gains its distinctive character from being matured in two wood types. To make The Balvenie DoubleWood, David Stewart MBE takes whisky that has spent at least 12 years in traditional whisky casks, American Oak ex-Bourbon barrels and hogsheads, and moves it to Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry casks for an additional nine months. Each stage lends different qualities to the resulting single malt whisky.

The traditional casks soften and add delicate character, the sherry wood brings depth and fullness of flavour and the final few months in our tuns allow the whiskies to marry harmoniously. Sweet fruit and Oloroso sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla. Smooth and mellow with beautifully combined flavours, nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a delicately proportioned layer of sherry. 

Introducing Aberlour 14, a new individual batch release that combines the makers careful craft with a deep understanding and respect for the natural maturation process. This approach retains the inherent character of the finest ingredients; imparting soft and gentle hints of blackcurrant and a rich creamy finish. It’s the perfect balance of nature and nurture; rich and spicy yet subtle and elegant.

In recognition of its quality, the new Aberlour 14-Year-Old has picked up several awards even before its launch – winning a coveted Double Gold medal at the prestigious International Wine and Spirits Competition 2020, and a Gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge 2020.

This 16-year-old Speyside single malt comes from the new Mortlach range, launched in 2018. Known as ‘the Beast of Dufftown’, Mortlach is distilled 2.81 times in a complicated process referred to simply as ‘The Way’. This single malt, dubbed the ‘Distiller’s Dram’, is matured in a mixture of refill and first-fill American and European oak sherry casks.

Rich and thick, with brown sugar syrup stirred into a bowl of dried raisins and apples. The sticky sweetness is tempered and balanced by gentle barrel char and sharp orchard fruit – unripe apples and crunchy pears. Dark oloroso notes build – sweet and savoury dried fruit – and dark chocolate sauce pools underneath. Hints of menthol and clove hide at the back.

Matur The Glenrothes has been awarded a quartet of gold medals at The Scotch Whisky Masters 2015. The honours include two Gold Medals for The Glenrothes Select Reserve and two Gold Medals for The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve. The Reserves are the heart of The Glenrothes range and have been created to give character, maturity and balance that deliver the best possible flavours.

The Glenrothes has been producing Speyside Single Malts since 1879. The Glenrothes’s distillery is in Rothes in the heart of Speyside which is acknowledged by connoisseurs as the source of Scotland’s finest single malts; indeed, it has the highest density of distilleries of any region. This is due to the unusually clement climate experienced in this area and the ample supply of soft water provided by the river Spey.

The Balvenie 25-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky from the Rare Marriages range is comprised of whiskies from a selection of individual European and American oak casks. Aged 25 years to create the most elegantly fruity expression. Best enjoyed neat, on the rocks or with a splash of water to expand the flavours.

Tasting Notes
Nose: Soft autumn fruits, runny honey, crystallized ginger and raw cane sugar. An underlying rich oakiness creates complexity and structure.
Taste: The initial bold vanilla oak flavours slowly dissipate to reveal layers of toasted marshmallows, fresh fruit terrine and cinnamon-infused apple tart
Finish: Exceptionally long-lasting sweetness

Chivas Ultis XX is the ultimate indulgence. Every bottle contains an exclusive blend of our rarest and most precious single malts, married with our signature single grain.  Not only was this whisky was created with five blended malt Scotch whiskies, but Master Blender Sandy Hyslop made this whisky in honour of his five predecessors who held crucial roles in Chivas history. The importance of this number can be seen in the five copper rings across the bottle’s neck.  Aged for 20 years, this is the ultimate blend to mark an occasion.