talkTV: Jubilee Drinkies!

The platinum Jubilee bank holiday is here! Time for fun frolics and fiestas. Here is an eclectic mix of fabulous booze that will suit all kinds of celebrations.

Soave, 2021

Made for M&S by Casa Girelli in the Veneto, which is the home of Soave, this is a really lovely, refreshing, pear-scented Soave for a ridiculous price. Soave is named after the production area rather than the grape used to make it, which will always be Garganega. It was a style famous before Pinot Grigio but it’s coming back with a bang. Their £7.50 version is even lovelier. 

Find it at M&S for £5.50 in store.

Nerello Cappuccio, 2020

Cappuccio means hood and it describes the shape of the vine leaves that cloak the grapes to protect it from the hot sun. A Sicilian variety that loves the volcanic soils of Etna particularly, this is a grape that used to be used in blends a lot but is now finding its feet as a single varietal. Usually deep in colour with lots of fruit but not too heavy or tannic, this is a textured red that works well lightly chilled. It’s part of the M&S ‘Found’ range championing less known grapes. 

Find it at M&S for £7

The Society's Exhibition English Sparkling Wine NV

Produced exclusively for The WIn Society by the well-loved producer Ridgeview who are based in Sussex, this fizz is a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, the three champagne grapes. With notes of baked apple and topasty spice, it’s apple pie in a glass!

The Wine Society, £24

What is Cognac and What Should I Try?

Words by Colin Hampden-White

From VS, VSOP, XO and vintage, there is a lot of confusion around Cognac. Some Cognac seems to be very reasonably priced, and yet others, without seemingly any rhyme or reason, are excruciatingly expensive. It is about time The Three Drinkers explained and cleared up Cognac.

The various letters are names of age statements for Cognac. Below is how they stack up:

VS: Meaning “Very Special” and can also be called ✯✯✯ or Three stars. This is Cognac which has been aged in barrels for at least two years.

VSOP: Meaning “Very Superior Old Pale” or Reserve. This is Cognac which is a blend of barrels of which the youngest is at least four years old.

Napoleon: This is Cognac which is at least six years old.

XO: Meaning “Extra Old”. This is Cognac of which the youngest in the blend is at least ten years old. This came into force in April 2018, so if you have a bottle of XO from before then the youngest Cognac in the blend had to be six years old.

XXO: Meaning “Extra Extra Old”. This has Cognac in the blend which is at least 14 years old.

Hors d’âge: Means “Beyond Age”. This is a designation given by the Cognac governing body, which is equal to XO, but is used by brands as marketing to sell products that are high quality and beyond the official age statements.

Vintage: Some Cognacs have a vintage date on them. This is the date of distillation. Many Cognacs do not put the bottling date on them, so it is difficult to define the actual age of the Cognac inside.

I drink quite a bit of Cognac and have a few favourites I’d like to share. These are of all price points and ages. I hope you find something that suits your palate and pocket.

VS

Courvoisier VS

This is a great starter for Cognac. It isn’t the most complex, but it still has lots of flavour, can be found in most shops and is a classic. It was the Cognac of choice for Napoleon who took huge amounts of it with him in exile. It goes well on the rocks and mixes well too, especially with ginger ale or tonic.

Size: UK 700ml // US 375ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £29.95 // US $19.99

VSOP

Rémy Martin VSOP

One of the most popular VSOP Cognacs around it is very consistent and well worth the little extra. This is a Cognac that both mixes well giving any cocktail a good dollop of rich Cognac flavours, but can also stand on its own without ice. With berry fruits on the nose and lots of honey and vanilla, dried fruits and a little spice on the palate, there is good complexity putting this at the top of my VSOP list.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £36.95 // US $49.99

XO

There are lots of styles of XO. I am choosing two very different styles here. One which is big and rich and the other refined and finessed. The two show how different Cognac can be.

Hennessy XO

A big, rich brooding Cognac with lots of dark dried fruit flavours, bitter chocolate and coffee. It serves well with a lot of ice in a balloon glass or big wine glass on a hot sunny day, as well as neat by a fire after dinner on a cold winter evening and pairs beautifully with cigars. Hennessy is the best-selling Cognac by volume in the world and this expression shows why. The term XO was created in the 19th century especially for this Cognac.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £162  // US $324.99

Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot XO

Frapin is known for making elegant Cognacs with finesse and Frapin Chateau de Fontpinot is an excellent example of the house style. It is a single state Cognac and one of the best XO Cognacs in the Grand Champagne region. With lots of fruity and floral aromas and flavours it still has richness, but a refined quality throughout.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: £175  

Delamain Pleiade Ancestral

Delamain are known for long aged Cognacs with intensity, but also delicacy. This expression has plenty of both with great complexity. There are lots of summer flowers and rich baked fruit flavours with a touch of spice and vanilla custard. Only 180 bottles were produced making it a rare Cognac. When Delamain reduce the spirit before bottling, they do it very gently by adding a mix of water and spirit which has had time to marry and therefore doesn’t shock the delicate Cognac when it is reduced in alcohol for bottling.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £475  

Hermitage 50 Year Old

This is one of the most impressive Cognacs I have ever tasted. It won the trophy medal for Cognac at the IWSC I judged in 2021 beating Cognacs which were even older than this dating back to the 19th Century. There is so much complexity with chocolate, coffee, rich dark dried fruits, and also soft floral notes and delicate spice. It’s definitely a Cognac to savour.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: £485  

Hennessy Paradis

This expression of Hennessy was created in 1979 by Maurice Fillioux who was a master blender at Hennessy. He used a selection of eaux-de-vie (new spirit) which had been laid down by his grandfather. Typical of the house style this is a rich Cognac, but also has fresh floral notes and blossom. There is plenty of spice with cinnamon and pepper, a little honey and dried citrus peel. It is very well balanced and has a long finish.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £995 // US $1799.99

Frapin Cuvée Rabelais

My favourite Cognac of them all. Not a Cognac for every day, and not a Cognac I could afford to buy, but having tasted a generous sample I am now playing the lottery again. If you can afford this level of Cognac, then this is for you. There are other Cognacs I have tried at this price point, and they are very very good, but this one somehow just pips them to the post. There is an elegance like no other, and flavours which hark back to the century before last. Dusty books and old mahogany furniture. Soft spice and very gentle fine oak. Sandalwood and a touch of beeswax lie underneath light floral notes from a summer meadow. The Cognac is very complex and increases in complexity as it is left to air and oxygen interacts with it. They say one should drink a drink the way you want it. And should you want to mix this with coke, I certainly wouldn’t stop you I hope you enjoy it. But for me, this is a singular pleasure.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £7500

One last word

Not strictly in the Cognac category, but there is another spirit which has caught my attention lately. Typically an unchanged, and great recipe for many years Grand Marnier has been a blend of Cognacs, bitter orange essence and sugar. They have now created some very special expressions.

Grand Marnier Révélation

This expression is made from some very aged Grande Champagne Cognacs and Bigaradia essence. There are aromas of vanilla and nuts with intense honeysuckle floral notes. On the palate there are dried fruits including apricots and bitter orange peel which continue long into the finish.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £615

Grand Marnier Quintessence

This limited edition from Grand Marnier takes the finest Grand Champagne Cognac infused with orange using Grand Marnier’s double parfum Method. It is hugely complex and includes Cognacs from 1875, 1906, and 1955. There are lots of toasted orange and nuts on the nose followed by peach on the plate along with floral notes.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £1895

If you enjoyed this make sure you check out 4 Things You Need To Know About Cognac or One Drink, Three Ways: Remy Martin VSOP Cognac!

Great Gins for the Jubilee

As the long bank holiday celebrating her Majesty's platinum jubilee rolls around, our thoughts turn to street parties and boozy celebrations. Will you be getting festive with fizz? Patriotic with Pimm’s or raising spirits with whisky, gin, rum and the rest? Of all the spirits, gin is the most quintessentially British, so we’ve picked out eight Jubilee-tastic gins to celebrate the Queen (and our extra time off work) this long weekend. 

Beefeater London Garden Gin

This gin is so good, it needs its own royal security. Inspired by the famous botanical Chelsea Physic Gardens that were said to inspire Beefeater’s original recipe, this stunning sipper has all the citrus and zest of classic Beefeater with luscious, lemon verbena, basil and thyme notes. Classic and classy. A great garden gin for your garden party!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £25

Cotswolds Distillery Jubilee Gin

This limited edition, regal looking tipple tastes as good as it looks in its royal purple bottle. It’s gin with a British summer twist as bramble fruit bursts from the glass, buddying up with the juniper without being cloying. You can sip this alone thanks to its creamy mouthfeel and it's awesome with a rhubarb tonic. Garnish with blackberries for a right royal knees up.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £34

Windsor Great Park Gin

Distilled from Windsor Great Park Vineyard’s award-winning Chardonnay using herbs and flowers grown in the royal Savill Gardens just next door, this booze is bursting with botanical beauty. Think fresh herbs and elderflower in a shower of lemon citrus. Rich and creamy to boot, you could sip this alone. Very smart label too. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £35.95

Buckingham Palace Gin

A more floral and savoury twist on a classic London Dry, this super refreshing sip is made with twelve botanicals foraged from the Queen’s own palace garden including hawthorn and mulberry. Flavoursome but subtle, this gin gets extra points for its posh, perfume-like bottle too! A great gifting option, though a tad pricey.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 42%
Find here: £40

Whitley Neill Gin, Jubilee Edition

If you’re looking for a brilliant, benchmark London Dry Gin, this is it. Pure spirit on those nose with gentle juniper and a slick of moreish saltiness. This is a gin for gin purists not keen on the extra bells and whistles. The iconic mirror and flags bottle will grab attention too. Well worth a place at the party. 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find here: £25

Hortus London Dry Gin

For the price, you can’t knock it. Hortus is Lidl’s own gin brand and this is a decent London Dry that’s pretty classic in an attractive bottle. Compared to some of the others it’s not as smooth or as complex but a punchy tonic will cover any sins. Throw in some fresh fruit and you’ll be laughing. A pocket friendly choice when you need a few for that street party! 

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £15.99

Sainsbury's Limited Edition, Blackfriars Scottish Raspberry & Rhubarb Gin

Rhubarb crumble in spirit form! This limited edition sipper is a good choice for those not so keen on juniper who want to jump on the gin train. Not one for the purists, it’s very heavy on the rhubarb with a ripple of raspberry, but tastes bone dry and is terrific with tonic. Serve with a small stick of rhubarb or a handful of raspberries with lots of ice.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £16

M&S Jubilee Gin  

This is a gin liqueur rather than a straight gin so as expected, it’s very sweet like strawberry candy and not very gin-like at all. In fact, you really can’t taste any juniper. Having said that, it’s gotta lotta bottle appeal. Pour it over your summer pudding or sip it cool over ice with a fruit tonic and it's a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 20%
Find here: £16

Pinkster pink Gin

Don’t let the colour put you off - Pinkster pink gin is well worth a try. It gets its pink hue from fresh raspberries which are steeped in the gin. The use of fresh fruit rather than flavourings leads to a subtle, smooth gin with just the right amount of raspberry making for a perfect G&T (or two!). Try it with fresh raspberries and mint as a garnish and you won’t look back!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: UK £35

Beefeater London Dry Gin

First made by James Burroughs in 1820, Beefeater London Dry Gin is still made using exactly the same recipe today. It’s fresh with big juniper character and strong bursts of citrus, and for its price point, it is an exceptionally good gin. Try it with a good quality tonic and a slice of lemon or orange!

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £16 // US $24.99

Crazy Lassi Gin

Inspired by the fusion of British and Indian cultures through food, Crazy gin follows the same idea and pushes flavours that people wouldn’t normally associate working together in their gin. Botanicals of turmeric, coriander and black pepper inspired by base ingredients of Punjabi cooking, along with the more British botanicals of juniper and pomegranate are harmoniously joined together before the whole gin is fat washed with ghee to make for a beautifully flavoursome, really smooth gin that does just what it intended.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: £39.95

London No. 1 Gin

Whether sipping neat or mixing this gin into a cocktail, you will not be disappointed. It’s a quadruple-distilled, small batch gin flavoured with botanicals including cinnamon, angelica, bergamot and gardenia. Check out its subtle blue hue - that’s bound to be a conversation starter during your Jubilee party!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 47%
Find here: £29.77

For more gin-spiration, check out The Best Gins for a G&T or The Most Popular Gin Cocktails!

English sparkling wine to celebrate the Jubilee

With the Platinum Jubilee around the corner, it feels ridiculous to reach for Champagne when we have properly world class fizz on our doorsteps. English sparkling wine has come of age with even the most ‘basic’ bottles now really packing a punch in terms of flavour and complexity. This is thanks partly to more and more stocks of ‘reserve’ wines, which is wine from previous vintages held back deliberately to add to more recent, non-vintage blends. These older, reserve wines tend to add the toasty, brioche and apple pie crust notes to sparkling wine that we have come to love in the traditional method of sparkling wine. Here are some top English sparkling wine picks that should be on your radar.

Hampshire

Hattingley Valley, Classic Reserve

Hattingley Valley winery is found in rural Hampshire where the first vines were planted in 2008 and the first wines released in 2013. Made by multiple award-winning female winemaker Emma Rice with 53% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir and 16% Pinot Meunier grapes, the Classic Reserve is Hattingley’s most widely available and most loved wine. A non-vintage sparkler based on the somewhat challenging 2015 vintage, this is the wine that gives you a true flavour of the Hattingley house style: Golden with fine bubbles, elegant notes of brioche, nougat and a touch of oak with a characteristic hedgerow note on the finish.

Find it at Waitrose for £30 a bottle.

Hambledon Classic Cuvée

Established in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest vineyard and can be found nestled in the home of Cricket at Hambledon in Hampshire. Their Classic Cuvée is again, a blend of all three traditional grapes, (56% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir, 17% Pinot Meunier). Grapes are handpicked on the estate and this cuvée uses the 2017 harvest as a base with 20% reserve wines added, giving it the characteristic toasty richness that Hambledon has become famous for. Hambledon also does fantastic tours, tastings and events. 

Find it at Majestic for £34.99 (or £23.99 as part of a mixed 6 case)

Sussex

Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 2018

Rathfinny has an enviable position on the sunny, south-facing slopes of England’s South Downs in Alfriston, Sussex. It has quickly made a name for itself as one of England’s finest wine producers. Blanc de Noirs is a sparkling wine made only from black /red grapes which in this case are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and these wine grapes came from just one single harvest in 2018, which has been dubbed the vintage of the decade. Rathfinny has a style that is rich but precise with a fantastic, lean, mineral character. Seriously elegant and will keep for a while. Rathfinny is another great place for a vineyard picnic too!

Find it at Lea & Sandeman for £38.95 (or £36.95 when in a case of six) 

Kent

Balfour Brut Rosé 2018

A renowned winery located on the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, the Balfour sparkling brut rosé was the first ever English wine to win a gold medal and the Trophy at the International Wine Challenge. This 2018 vintage wine is only ever made in tiny quantities from a single vineyard and it has a special story. The estate has belonged to the Balfour-Lynn family for three generations, but it was Richard and Leslie’s idea to plant vines at Hush Heath in 2002, with a view to making a pink sparkling wine like their favourite ever Champagne: Billecart Salmon Rosé. Their thinking was “If we can’t sell it, we’ll drink it”. But they did sell it and the rest is history. It’s a great place for lunch and a tasting with a lovely walk around the vines and the apple trees too. 

Find it at Waitrose for £39.99

See what else Helena has been tasting with talkTV here.

Have you tried the Queen's Gin?

Are you still looking for that perfect sip for the Jubilee weekend? Could there be a more fitting choice than sipping on a gin from the Queen’s very own garden?! We don’t think so!

It turns out that during the reign of James I, planting Mulberry trees became a very popular tradition in England that is still upheld today, and 40 different species of these trees can be found in the Palace gardens. It is these mulberry leaves, along with 11 other botanicals including lemon verbena, hawthorn berries and bay leaves that are used to produce this special gin with nearly every botanical being taken from the grounds of Buckingham Palace itself.

The gin is a premium small-batch London dry gin and can be found at the Royal Collection Trust shops for £40 a bottle. For those, who are lucky enough to be invited to the palace, you may be able to sip it while you socialise. For those of us still waiting for our invite to rock up in the post, try mixing the gin in a simple G&T. We’d recommend Franklin & Sons Natural Indian Tonic Water with a slice of lemon for the perfect thirst-quencher. 

Producer: The Queen (kind of)
Size: 700ml
ABV: 42%
Price: £40

Pop Your Corks For English Sparkling Wines

Words by Aidy Smith

It’s no secret that English sparkling wines have continued to develop a solid reputation across the country over the past decade. With over 800 vineyards and 178 wineries calling the United Kingdom their home, we’re now at a point where English sparkles are no longer a ‘surprise’ but are becoming an increasingly embraced phenomenon. 

For the factually curious amongst us, let’s backtrack for a second and look at how far English sparkling wine has come. In 2010, they overtook still wine production in the UK and now sit at 64% of total output. Industry folks are now familiar with the style itself, but production rates are still a little unknown, so I decided to delve a little deeper.

I’d like you to clear your mind for a second and take a guess at how many bottles you think could be produced each year. Could it be 500,000? Perhaps 1,000,000 at a stretch? Well, the latest figures show that a staggering 10.5 million bottles were produced in 2019, a colossal increase from the 5.9m in 2017.

But why are our bubbles so good?

Let’s start with the biggest link, the soil. Millions of years ago various parts of England were in fact directly connected to Champagne and as you might have guessed it’s those parts which have the best reputation for producing our sparkles. The soils are full of chalk and rich with minerals giving the grapes a unique and distinct character.

Then there’s the temperature – a steady increase of warmer and drier summers over the years due to climate change has resulted in better vine growth, quality of grapes and has placed us at the sweet spot for producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – the 3 major grapes for both English sparkling wines and coincidentally, champagne too.

It would seem that the two have quite a lot in common, especially their production methods which see the same lengthy process of maturation, taking anywhere from 15 months to 2 years. But while champagne has sat atop the pecking order for as many years as one can remember, our crown jewel bubbles are beginning to knock them off their perch.

English wine in the world

Year on year we’re seeing an increase of awards and the highest-ranking medals being presented to English wine producers. In fact, to date, no other country has achieved accolades on such a consistent level during such little time.  We’re now at a point where English sparkling wine is continuously beating both Champagne and Prosecco in universal competitions and when placed in front of some of the most renowned wine experts for blind tastings, they always seem to come top of the pile. There have even been occasions where some of the most reputed and recognised names in the champagne industry have listed English sparkling wine as their top choice when battling the two varieties against one another in a blind competition.

So what should you look out for?

Our most cherished English sparkling wine seems to be produced mostly down south, so look out for those from Kent, Sussex, Hampshire or Surrey.  In terms of variety, much like your favourite champagnes, you can expect Brut (dry), one of my personal favourites being Hambledon’s Premiere Cuvée Brut. We also have a stunning range of rosé brut, of which you simply cannot miss a producer called Gusbourne. Jenkyn Place serves up a cracking Blanc de Noir with Hoffman & Rathbone producing a beautiful Blanc De Blanc. While produced a lot less, you may even find a Millésime or Demi-sec floating around too. 

Finally, one of the biggest misconceptions is that English sparkling wines are too expensive when in actual fact they can hold a similar value to champagne. Not only do the entry level English sparkling wines retail at around £25, their quality rivals that of even established champagne houses.

Well, there you have it, the next time you’re looking for a bottle to celebrate or quite simply want a great glass of bubbles, give your native English sparkle a try!

Try These English Sparkles:

Black Chalk classic 2017, £38.99 from Vivino
Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Coeur de Cuvée 2015, £100 from The English Wine Collection
Gusbourne Rose Brut 2016, £48 from Vivino
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2018, £33.50 from Vivino
Hambledon Vineyard Classic Cuvée, £30 from Waitrose
Hambledon Vineyard Premiere Cuvée Brut, £45 from Waitrose
Hoffman & Rathbone Blanc de Blanc 2012, £52 from Hoffman & Rathbone
Hush Heath Estate Balfour Blanc de Noirs 2018, £40 Balfour Winery
Lyme Bay Brut Rose NV, £30 from Lyme Bay
Nyetimber 1086 Prestige Cuvée, usually £150 from Nyetimber
Rathfinny Blanc de Noir 2016, £34.50 from The Champagne Company
Ridgeview Bloomsbury NV, £22.49 (on offer) from Waitrose
Wiston Estate Cuvée 2015, £35 from Hennings Wines
Wiston Rose Brut, £28 from Waitrose

For more English sparkling wine recommendations, take a look at English Sparkling Wine to Celebrate the Jubilee or Your Wine Travel Guide to Kent.

The Most Luxurious Whisky in the World

Words by Colin Hampden-White

There are a lot of very expensive bottles of whisky on the market these days. Although nearly all of it is good, as one would expect, there are some that are extraordinary. Over the last few months, I have come across a few of those bottles and wanted to share them with you here. A lot of them may not be on the market, so will have to be found at auction, but they are all worth hunting down if you have quite a lot more to spend on a bottle or have a special occasion when splashing out is appropriate. I’ll start off in the hundreds to give a couple of more affordable bottles but will end up in the thousands. At whatever price point you’re looking at they are all incredible whiskies.

Bushmills 2000 The Causeway Collection

This comes from a collection of vintage Bushmills and is my favourite dram outside of Scotland this year so far. This one was completely matured in first fill ruby Port casks and bottled in 2021. It was also bottled at cask strength with no colouring or chill filtering allowing the whisky to express itself without any hindrance. This is a decadent whiskey with lots of jam on the nose with some dry tobacco and rich manuka honey. The palate has lots of confected red fruits and the jam then turns to marmalade. There are hints of tropical fruit in the background too. The finish is very long, and the red fruits continue with a little cigar and spice in the background.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 54.1%
Find here: £239.95

Whistlepig 13 The Boss Hog edition 2018

My favourite whiskey I’ve tasted in the North Americas this year has been This Boss Hog. It is an annual release from Whistlepig and is very sought after by those who like rye whiskey. This expression has been finished in Calvados casks making the 2018 edition stand out. The core flavour of the whiskey is apples, and the Calvados casks bring out the cooked apple flavours balancing the fresh red apple. Other flavours include Maple syrup, bitter chocolate, and spice. The typical rye peppery and oily aromas and flavours are still there so the rye fans aren’t going to be disappointed, but the fruit is rich and complex making this one of the best Whistlepig whiskies I’ve tried.

Size: UK 750ml // US 700ml  
ABV: 57.9%
Find here: UK £574.95 // US $1,199.99

Caperdonich 30 Secret Speyside Collection

We now come into the world of Scotch, and this is a rare whisky which I think is undervalued considering the distillery no longer exists, so as time goes on there is less and less Caperdonich in the world. This 30 year old is an unpeated Caperdonich and was matured in first fill bourbon casks which I think allow the whisky to show itself at its best. The nose gives of dark stone fruit aromas as well as dark honey and some confected orchard fruits leading to rich apricots and tropical fruits on the palate and some spice. The finish is very smooth and goes on for a long while.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 51.1%
Find here: £820

Balvenie 30

The Balvenie 30 is released in batches. Once one batch has run out, they find some more exceptional casks to blend another batch. The one I tasted recently and is in the link below is from 2014. All the releases are very consistent, and I’ve never tasted one that hasn’t been brilliant. This won best Speyside Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards, and Gold Outstanding at the IWSC in 2013, both of which I am a judge on. It is a rich and very well-balanced whisky with lots of heather honey and nuttiness. There is plenty of spice, which is a Balvenie trait, and the palate shows a hint of smoke as well as vanilla, honey and damp tobacco leaves.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 44.2%
Find here: UK £1800 // US $1999.99

Mosstowie 45 Year Old 1973 Cask 7622

Mosstowie was a whisky produced for a short time at the Miltonduff distillery when it had a Lomond still, so effectively is a ghost whisky never to return. Bottled by Signatory this is a great expression. It has lots of sweet honey and some gorse flower aromas leading to a grassy style of whisky on the palate but still retaining soft stone fruits at its core. The finish is fine with woody notes and a little citrus. A refined whisky which has held its abv well over the 45 years it has spent in a cask. Only 410 bottles of this were produced and when it’s gone it’s gone.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 51.6%
Find here: £1494.99 

Dallas Dhu 50 Year old 1969 (Gordon and MacPhail)

This is possibly the most astonishing whisky I have tasted over the last year. It is incredibly rich and complex, yet the tannin is so well balanced the whisky remains smooth with a great mouth feel and weight to it. The distillery closed in 1983 so Dallas Dhu is becoming rarer and rarer. This expression was matured in a refill sherry hogshead and only yielded 176 bottles when Gordon and MacPhail bottled it in 2019. My tasting notes for this were very long and as I left the whisky in the glass more and more aromas and flavours developed. The main ones being fruit cake with all the complexity that cake as, zesty orange and ginger spice, marzipan and toffee apples mix with a tiny bit of smoke. The tannins slowly build up bringing in wood flavours, and by the finish coffee, chocolate and heather flowers can be found.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43.1%
Find here: £6,913.72

Strathisla 65 Year Old 1953 (Gordon and MacPhail)

Another release from the oldest independent bottler in the world, Gordon and MacPhail. Gordon and MacPhail are well known for releasing very well aged whisky, and with this release they have excelled themselves. Matured in a first fill sherry butt and bottled in 2019 there were only 143 bottled produced. There are lots of dried fruits and sherry aromas and flavours all the way through this whisky with older flavours like antique furniture polish and cloves and pencil box aromas. The palate opens with berry flavours and complex spices and dark chocolate. Fruity coffee, dark berries and oak make up the finish with a little cigar box in the background.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43.5%
Find here: £12,500

Glenfarclas Family Cask Trunk

For any Glenfarclas fan, this is the ultimate collection and at the time of writing of the 60 made I found one left. I wish I could say I have tasted the entire collection from 1954 to 2003, but I haven’t, I have however tasted enough of them to experience the huge range of flavours, from delicate, fruity drams matured in a refill bourbon cask, like 1979 to massive sherry bombs with lots of tannin that are almost black in colour like 1971. Within the collection, there is just about every flavour imaginable, and even touches of smoke in some of the older expressions. The trunk comes with other accoutrements, such as a replica of the oldest painting of the distillery, the original, from 1791 hangs at the distillery, four coasters and three hand-painted leather-bound books which give tasting notes and distillery history. There are also four tumblers and four nosing glasses, and a water jug made by Glencairn Crystal. All in all, a marvellous collection which can be enjoyed over many World Whisky Days to come.

Size: 10000ml
ABV: 50.5%
Find here: £105,000

If you enjoyed this but are looking for an exceptional dram at a lower price point, have a read of The World’s Best Whisky or New and Exciting Whiskies to Try.

The World's Best Value Whisky

Words by Colin Hampden-White

With so many whiskies being released each year it is hard to tell which are the ones that really punch above their price point. With the explosion of non-age statement expressions over the last ten years, the value proposition of whisky has never been better. Whisky fans the world over have come to realise that quality and flavour aren’t always about age.

There are of course countries where the whisky matures so quickly, that to have one which is older than the statutory three years is quite an accomplishment. I am thinking in particular about Paul John in India and Rochfort in Australia. Both are fabulous whiskies and I will write more on them later. This article is all about finding that incredible quality at a great price point. I’ve chosen six of my favourites, other people I am sure could add to this list, but I don’t think you’d go wrong if you picked up one of these in the shops.

Glen Moray Classic

Now, I accept this 1.75l bottle is not easy to find as you have to go to the distillery in Elgin to buy it, although some shops have stocked the odd one having first bought it at the distillery.

Once you take into consideration the size of the bottle, this works out at just £20 per standard 700ml, and it is amazing value. Full of orchard fruits, vanilla and honey, this is a classic Speyside. They say that with the microclimate at the distillery where the warehouses are, the whisky matures that little bit quicker than the rest of Speyside, which means this non-age statement whisky certainly tastes mature. This is a great gateway whisky into all things Glen Moray, and if you liked this I’d try the 12 and 18 year olds which are great value for their age.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: UK £21.85 // $34.99
Large sized bottle: 1750ml // £50

Filey Bay

This is the flagship expression from Filey Bay. Distilled in Yorkshire, this whisky is made using only homegrown barely at the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery. The whisky has intense apricot and peach flavours mixed with lots of ex bourbon-cask characteristics of vanilla and honey. This is very easy going for 46% and is one of the new breeds of English whiskies which are full of flavour.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £48.95 

Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon

This is a big step up from the standard Four Roses, and is well worth spending the extra on. It has a mixture of mashbills and is made in Lawrenceburg Tennessee. The skill is bringing all the different mashbills together and creating a whiskey with huge amounts of well balanced flavour. There are ten mashbill recipes at Four roses, and they use four of them to make this whiskey. It’s fabulous value for money with flavours of dark honey, spices, toasted oak and a little vanilla.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 45%
Find here: UK £29.90 // US $47.99

Wild Turkey 101

The 101 in Wild Turkey pertains to its alcohol strength. In the USA they have Proof rather than abv which is double whatever the European abv is. Hence 55.% abv and 101 proof. With the higher proof, this whiskey packs a punch, yet manages to remain smooth and balanced. The whiskey is at least six years old before it comes out of the barrel for bottling, adding to the extra punch of flavour. A great value bourbon with good age.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 55.5%
Find here: UK £29.95 // US £32.99

Nikka Coffey Malt Whisky

Over the last decade, we have seen the rise and rise of Japanese whisky, and we have also seen the prices rise at an astonishing rate. A less expensive way of making whisky which is usually reserved for making grain whisky is to use a Coffey still which has a continuous distillation. Here Nikka use a Coffey for their malted barley and the result is a rich, fruity and typically Japanese whisky and is a great place to start a journey into Japanese whisky. It’s still not the cheapest malt whisky in the world, but it isn’t expensive for Japanese whisky and is certainly worth it.

Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
ABV: 45%
Find here: UK £54.90 // US $99.99

J.P Wiser 18 year old

I tried this whisky a few weeks ago whilst in Ontario Canada where the whisky has been made since 1857 and started selling bottles in 1893. They sold only casks before that! It is a super smooth blended whisky with plenty of orchard fruits and a little cracked black pepper. A little fine oak comes through in the background and finish. If this were an 18 year old Scotch it would be at least 50% more expensive and therefore I think it is a great bang for your buck!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £40.95

If you enjoyed this, then why not have a read of The Best Whisky for Beginners or The Most Luxurious Whisky in the World