Our Top 10 Whiskies of 2021

This is always one of our favourite posts to write each year. The Top 10 is something we first began way back in 2009 and within it we celebrate the finest new whisky releases of that calendar year. Our first selection crowned Benromach 10 years old as our Whisky of the Year. We decided some time ago to no longer give a top prize. Instead, each of the ten whiskies that we have chosen is a winner in its own right and for differing reasons.

As the world continued to do battle with the Covid-19 pandemic, the whisky world seemed to respond with some excellent releases. The adversity and uncertainty acted as inspiration for some of the companies to bottle some of their best whiskies of recent times. It has been difficult to select just ten to be honest.

Allotment Drams / Aber Falls 2021 Bottling & Redbreast Pedro Ximenez Edition

We have two more episodes from our Allotment Dram whisky review series for you. Both whiskies have been recently released. Firstly, Matt is at the plot and takes a look at the Aber Falls 2021 Bottling, the first of an expected annual series from the Welsh single malt distillery. Watch to discover more about the distillery and the whisky, before finding out Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.

Then on his next visit Matt opens and samples a small bottle of the new Redbreast Pedro Ximenez Edition, the latest product from the popular Irish single pot still brand. Again learn more about the release as well as his tasting notes and thoughts.

To keep up-to-date with our Allotment Drams and other videos, or to subscribe to our Youtube channel, please click here.

#AllotmentDram

 

Review / Aber Falls 2021 Bottling

This whisky is the new core product from the north Welsh distillery of Aber Falls. The Aber Falls 2021 Bottling is just the distillery's second ever single malt expression and follows the Inaugural Release from earlier this year. The three year old single malt features whiskies matured in ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry, plus virgin oak casks. These have then been married together by Dr. Kirstie McCallum, the Master Blender for Aber Falls. It is bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in the UK via Tesco supermarkets (Wales only), online retailer Master of Malt and from the distillery website www.aberfallsdistillery.com. A bottle will cost £26.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (Sept 10, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 

Review / Aber Falls Inaugural Release

This bottling is the first ever single malt whisky from the Aber Falls distillery in north Wales. The Aber Falls Inaugural Release features some of the very first barrels of single malt produced at the distillery back in 2018. This was the first whisky distilled in north wales for 100 years. It has been matured in a combination of three cask types - European oak first-fill ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, American virgin oak barrels and rare European oak ex-orange wine casks. These have then been married together by Dr. Kirstie McCallum, the Master Blender of Aber Falls. The Aber Falls Inaugural Release is bottled at 46% ABV and is limited to just 2,000 bottles. Each bottle was sold for £45.

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (May 14, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.