This is always our favourite post 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.
However, some time ago we decided 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 come out of the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions in 2022, the whisky world responded with some excellent releases. It has been difficult to select just ten to be honest, given that we have sampled close to 150 whiskies this year.
The Speyside distillery of Craigellachie has revealed a new range of single malts and the first whisky in that range. This Craigellachie 13 years old Armagnac Cask Finish bottling kicks off the Craigellachie Cask Collection. The series is designed to show off the distillery's heavy style of single malt, which is created through the use of traditional worm tub condensers. The concept will see whisky finished in barrels from other spirit producing regions that use similar traditional methods. Initial maturation was in re-fill and re-charred American oak ex-bourbon barrels. The whisky was then transferred to French oak Bas-Armagnac brandy casks sourced from a distillery in the Gascony region of France.
The Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Ltd. were set up in Glasgow in 1938 with the plan to bottle and blend whisky for export to America following the Prohibition period there. They are now based in the town of Huntly, close to the Speyside whisky region of Scotland. Duncan Taylor are reported to have one of the largest privately held collections of rare whisky casks in the world and bottle approximately 200 different whiskies a year. Their range is extensive and has numerous branches to it, which are detailed below. For more information on Duncan Taylor, their whisky and the different ranges, check out their website www.duncantaylor.com.
We were delighted to receive a small package last week, which contained samples of some of the new releases from across their ranges - we thank Karen Law of Duncan Taylor for this. Normally, we may not write about these, as they are such limited releases, but the parcel contained a number of lesser known distilleries that we are not so familiar with and as such, therefore haven't written much about them. It's always good to try new things, right? If you like the sound of any of them, then don't hang around as none of their bottlings ever seem to stay on the shelves for long. They can be found in specialist whisky retailers.
Craigellachie is located in the heart of the Speyside whisky region in Scotland. It can be found on the edge of the village of the same name and sits at the point where the River Spey and River Fiddich join. Craigellachie was founded in 1891 by Alexander Edward and Peter Mackie, and they commissioned the reknowned architect Charles Doig to design and construct it. The most famous feature of his design at the distillery are the huge floor to ceiling windows of the stillroom. Problems with the construction and cashflow meant that the distillery did not start production until 1898.
