Highland Park 18 yo Macbeth A Whisky Collection The Thanes Series Young Siward

 

 

 

50,8°

Distillery : Highland Park - Islands

Refill Hogsheads

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers 

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Peated around 20 ppm

 

 

 

Still part of the Macbeth collection, whose somewhat crazy ambition is to offer a specific bottling for each character in the famous tragedy, this Highland Park illustrates the character of the young Siward. However, the whisky is not young, it is 18 years old, which is not bad, and has been aged in Refill Hogsheads, which will allow the distillate to reach its full potential. 650 bottles have been released.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

Light heather on rocky ground, bushes, dry earth, and honey. Of course, there is a subtle hint of peat, but above all a mellow vanilla, with ripe plums, banana, and a generous zest of lemon. Iodine adds depth, traces of saltiness. On the palate, the honey is thicker, accompanied by fruit and nuts, dried herbs, malted cereals, candied ginger and a touch of aniseed, or peppermint. Long and powerful finish, melt-in-the-mouth biscuits filled with honey, limestone and peat, cut hay, various spices. 

 

In Short, 

A very typical Highland Park, but gentler than usual, with lots of fruit and honey, subtle peat and mild mineral notes. It's always very pleasant to drink, this is a distillery I'm very fond of. Apart from its exuberant fruitiness, there's nothing particularly special about this one. It's a shame the price is so high, otherwise I might have bought a bottle. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

                                           Lunariae - The Doll's Dream

Benrinnes 12 yo Macbeth A Whisky Collection The Household Series Soldier

 

 

 

53,5°

Distillery : Benrinnes - Speyside

2d Fill Sherry Butts

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers

Limited Edition 

Single Malt 

Bottled in 2024

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

More news about this crazy venture undertaken by Livingston and Elixir Distillers, which is to release an original bottling for each character in the tragedy of Macbeth. Here we have a 12-year-old Benrinnes, matured in Refill Sherry Butts, which yielded a total of 2,400 bottles.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

It is very creamy and mellow, with egg custard, pastry cream, raisins, runny caramel, dates, beeswax, melted butter, mandarin orange, and a few subtle red berries. Overall, beautiful balance. On the palate, it offers melt-in-the-mouth toffee, apple compote, ripe mirabelle plums, soy sauce and, once again, a hint of red berries. The spices are subtle but add complexity, with cinnamon, rosemary and pepper. The finish is woody, long and quite powerful, caramel, treacle, milk chocolate, dried meat, redcurrants. A few cereals. 

 

In Short, 

It's a lovely little bottling, with sherry enhancing the character and identity of the distillery, and the fairly high alcohol content adding power. Typical of Benrinnes, it has a rounded, mellow flavour. The price seems fair to me, and fans of this profile should take an interest. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Bjorn Winther - The Ghost

Tormore 2003 Legacy Casks 21 yo c. 647

 

 

 

48,4°

Distillery : Tormore - Speyside

1st Fill Bourbon Barrel

Original Bottling 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

Another addition to this extensive range, launched in 2025, named Legacy Casks, which brings together around twenty single cask bottlings showcasing the Tormore distillery, recently acquired by Elixir Distillers. Here is a 21-year-old whisky matured in a first-fill bourbon cask, with a total of 226 bottles produced.

 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Delicate mineral notes, white grape, Williams pear and white peach, citrus zest, lemon and grapefruit, creamy vanilla, generously buttered toast, all wrapped up in an elegant and refined woodiness. On the palate, the vanilla is lighter, the pear more delicate, the grapefruit more discreet, giving way to almond, lychee, caramelised pineapple tart and a few candied fruits. Spices barely noticeable. The finish is quite good but not very intense, sunflower oil, ripe mirabelle plums, toasts sprinkled with brown sugar, salted butter caramel. 

 

In Short, 

Once again, a very beautiful expression. This range has definitely won me over, although here the alcohol content is a little light, and the slightly excessive richness hides the mineral notes. The balance is not perfect, and I have found other expressions in the same range that are a little better. However, it is still of excellent quality, and although the price is high, it is still attractive, so it would be worth considering purchasing. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Elles Bailey - Better Days

Caol Ila 2013 Signatory Vintage La Maison du Whisky Exclusive Bottling 12 yo

 

 

 

54,5°

Distillery : Caol Ila - Islay 

1st Fill Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm

 

 

 

The second representative of Chapter X of the Plume Collection, this Caol Ila spent 12 years, two months and one day in a first-fill sherry butt, resulting in an astonishing number of 666 bottles. It was included in the Itinéraires series for priority sale on the French market by La Maison du Whisky. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The sherry is perfect, mellow, complex, deep, balanced, dark chocolate, elegant woodiness, quince tart, apple jam sprinkled with cinnamon, candied red berries, roasted nuts, which blend beautifully with fireplace ashes, heather earth, soot and tar, charcoal and caramel, a few notes of iodine in the background, rich peat, wisps of black smoke. On the palate, chocolate fondant, fig jam, ripe apricots, blood oranges, fried bacon and, of course, thick peat, dotted with truffle and morel mushrooms. The finish is once again perfect, warm chestnuts, coffee grounds, hot asphalt, prunes, sandalwood, grated nutmeg. 

 

In Short, 

In my opinion, this is the best you can get from a relatively young Caol Ila aged in a sherry cask. It's very intense, yet not too strong, there's a certain balance, with woodiness, smoothness and a variety of fruits. What's more, the price is very reasonable. It's definitely worth buying if you're a fan of this profile, but you'll have to hurry. 

Score : 90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           BBO - Pull Me Under

Port Askaig 2008 Collection Itinéraires 16 yo

 

 

 

54,2°

Distillery Officially Unknown - Islay

Refill Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Elixir Distillers 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 35 ppm

 

 

 

The Port Askaig range was launched by Elixir Distillers, then known as Speciality Drinks, in 2009. The aim was to pay tribute to Islay whisky, and more specifically to Caol Ila, as most Port Askaig whiskies actually come from this distillery. I'm not entirely sure if this is the case here, but the profile matches, and La Maison du Whisky website is quite explicit on this point. This bottling was selected to be part of the Collection Itinéraires launched at Whisky Live Paris 2025. 280 bottles were put on sale. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

There are fruits in there, pear, quince, and even almond, but there is also everything that makes Islay what it is: fuel oil, diesel and coal, sea foam, coarse sea salt and sea spray, grassy peat, mineral notes, chalk, quartz, limestone, powerful and captivating smoke. There is also a good dose of lemon and vanilla. On the palate, it's more like clafoutis, fruit cooked with eggs, a thick layer of peat and dry herbs, a slight medicinal touch, powerful spices, pepper and cumin. Long and violent finish, digging deep into the earth, shortbread biscuits, candied fruit, seaweed and kelp, cold ashes, thyme and rosemary. 

 

In Short, 

For me, it's a classic Islay, certainly a Caol Ila, with everything you need to enjoy it, and some pleasant fruity notes. Perhaps there were a few staves from a sherry cask in the Refill Hogshead. That said, it's also possible that it's a Lagavulin, I could be wrong. In any case, if you like this profile, you'll have a good time tasting this stuff. Only the price is a little off-putting. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Sun Descends Alone - Once

Ledaig 2007 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength Collection Itinéraires 18 yo

 

 

 

54,9°

Distillery : Tobermory - Islands

1st Fill Sherry Hogshead 

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Peated around 37 ppm 

 

 

 

No one can say no to an 18-year-old Ledaig, especially one Single Cask and released by Gordon & MacPhail. What's more, this one has been aged in a first-fill sherry hogshead, giving it a fruity flavour. 316 bottles have been brought out of nowhere.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It :  

Redcurrant jelly, assorted fruit pastes, forest honey, soaked leather, and behind, the brand's typical dirtiness, charcoal, damp earth, fuel oil and soot, slate, a slight medicinal and camphor touch, dust, iodine full of seaweed, sea spray. On the palate, the same dichotomy: on one side, the roundness of sherry, candied fruit, quince jam, dried apricots, dates, apple crumble; on the other, thick peat, dry earth, reeds and bamboo, tar, a drop of ether. Spices are relatively restrained. Powerful, long and deep finish, with dried fruit becoming tropical, banana and pineapple, honey becoming floral, lavender and lilac, and spices more present. Salicornia, the tide, seafood, scallops. 

 

In Short, 

There are some real qualities here, particularly in the finish, where the sherry and the brand's profile finally come together. But before that, on the palate, I found them separate, which disrupts the balance of the profile. So it's not entirely successful, but it's still very good. In a word, it's Ledaig, very reputable. The price seems fair to me, and I think it will sell out soon, so those who are interested should act quickly. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Coloma - Inside the Night

Macallan 2004 Speymalt 20 yo c. 22606601

 

 

 

58,9°

Distillery : The Macallan - Speyside

1st Fill Sherry Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

It is rare to have a range dedicated solely to one distillery, but this is the case with the Speymalt range, created in 1998, which brings together bottlings from the Macallan distillery alone. This shows just how unique this distillery is, and how close the ties are between it and Gordon & MacPhail. This 20-year-old gem yielded 330 bottles and was selected to be part of the Collection Itinéraires launched by La Maison du Whisky on the occasion of Whisky Live Paris 2025.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It: 

Fruit soup, redcurrants, tomato, raspberry, but also dried fruit, dates, bananas, grapes, figs. Very elegant woodiness and a variety of spices, artisanal chocolate, candied ginger and creamy vanilla. Waffle and filled biscuits, pine resin. On the palate, it is very balanced, orchard fruits, exotic fruits, a touch of iodine, spring freshness, morning dew, liquorice stick, calisson d'Aix, apple crumble and egg flan. Very long and explosive finish, with a wide variety of fruits, from citrus to peanuts, candied lemon, mirabelle plums, dark chocolate and cashews. Acacia honey, coffee beans, elastic leather. A sage leaf. 

 

In Short, 

A particularly vibrant Macallan, with a wide variety of fruit flavours and the elegant woody profile that is the hallmark of this distillery. It is very sherry-like at first, then becomes increasingly balanced. It is obviously a must-have for any fan of this distillery or this type of profile, but unfortunately the excessive price is a deterrent to purchase. 

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Katarina Pejak - Slow Explosion

Aultmore 2011 Signatory Vintage La Maison du Whisky Exclusive Bottling 14 yo

 

 

 

61,7°

Distillery : Aultmore - Speyside

1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Hogshead Finish

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

 

 

 

The Collection Plume is the result of a collaboration between Signatory Vintage and La Maison du Whisky. It presents cask strength bottlings aged in first-fill sherry casks. This is now the tenth batch in the collection (Chapter X, as written on the label), and we have an Aultmore, a little-known distillery owned by Bacardi. Here, the time spent in a 1st Fill Pedro Ximénez Hogshead is only a finish, and we have no details about the initial maturation. 344 bottles are sold as part of the Itinéraires series.  

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

Sticky sherry, very fruity, full of caramel and treacle, fig jam, blood orange purée, a ladleful of cinnamon, dark chocolate, raisins and dried apricots, candied cherries, acacia honey, cloves, Aosta ham. On the palate, apple compote, cocoa powder, dates and prunes, light earthy notes, intense spices. Damson crumble. Rather long and woody finish, quite powerful, fruit paste, liquorice, chestnut cream, butternut tart, saffron. Fine vegetal touches, lichen, ivy. Traces of limestone. 

 

 

In Short, 

This is a fairly intense sherry, which is the hallmark of the collection. However, although the nose is very fruity and jammy, it lacks a little body, and the palate, while certainly rich, is a little dry. I like it, but it's certainly not the best in the collection. The price is reasonable, but I still think it's a little expensive for what it is. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Aynsley Lister - Need Her So Bad