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Scotland's Whisky Producing Regions  LowlandSpeyside Highland The Islands Campbeltown Islay Did you know that the biggest export market for Scotch Whisky by volume is France? |
Made Exclusively for Oddbins Ardbeg Almost There Benromach Organic Macallan 10 year old |
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Inspired by the Musella winery's visit to Bruichladdich, this 13 year old whisky was chosen for Additional Cask Evolution in their own Recioto wine barrels. A uniquely Italian style from the Veneto region, the sweet wine is made by the 'passito' method where grapes are air dried for several months to concentrate flavours, sweetness and encourage Noble Rot. There is not a trace of smoke to be found, only the perfume of perfection created by two artisan producers. The sophisticated Islay single malt whisky and the perfect dram for wine drinkers. 
Distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2007, the nine year old ‘Almost There’ from Ardbeg offers peated malt whisky lovers the opportunity to explore and enjoy the whisky’s development over the past year since ‘Still Young’ and to see its progress in the final steps on the path to ‘peaty maturity’ at ten years old. On the palate there is menthol, violet scented sweets, with a coffee and dark chocolate coat, before a long, creamy finish with a hint of pine nuts. It is non chill-filtered for maximum texture and mouthfeel.
Benromach Organic Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the first bottled single malt ever released to be fully certified organic by the Soil Association. To ensure that no previous non-organic spirit had been put in the barrels before, the casks were virgin first fills, thus this whisky has spent a relatively short amount of time in barrel to develop strong char, vanilla and caramel flavours. The palate has sweet vanilla and toffee flavours, with hints of green apples and orange peel plus a rich resinous note.
The Macallan 10yo is majestic and powerful, an archetypal Speyside. Macallan only use superior 'Golden Promise' barley malt, using 90% of Scotland's annual crop. Orange rind, sweet dumpling and Christmas cake all combine on the nose and palate and are followed by butterscotch notes. This malt makes a great gift if you're not certain of someone's tastes, as it is full and smooth without the distinct iodene / peatiness of an Islay malt. 
A vatted, or pure, malt whisky, Monkey Shoulder is made by combining three single malts from separate distilleries. The name is derived from the name for the old injury incurred by the malt men at the distillery who turned the malting barley with a shiel (a kind of large wooden spade). Thankfully machines do this now, but this whisky has been named in honour of the passion these men had. The nose has light and delicate vanilla with floral and soft honey aromas. The palate is smooth and rounded with hints of malty sweetness, marmalade and barley sugar. The finish is monumental!
A soft and delicate Speyside, this is a dram, that once tasted, you'll wonder why you've not had it before. It has plenty of fruitiness and fresh vegetal aromas, but there is also enough depth present to keep you interested to the bottom of the bottle. The small Knockdhu/AnCnoc distillery has one large and tall spirit still with a long worm that produces a light, floral and estery new make spirit. The spirit was then matured in a combination of ex-Sherry and ex-Bourbon hogsheads for a minimum of twelve years.