3 days ago
The 13 best new Scotch whiskies for Father's Day - including £50 peated Speyside gem
Father's Day this year falls on Sunday 15 June, and if you're buying for a whisky loving dad or father figure then we've chosen some of the ebay new Scotch whisky releases that'll make ideal gifts.
From a budget-friendly new Glen Moray to a 25 Year Old Aberfeldy - who are flying high from multiple award wins - here are our top whiskies to buy this Father's Day.
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Tamdhu 21 year old
Speyside gem Tamdhu has recently launched a 21 year old whisky. The distillery, part of Ian Macleod Distillers, the family-owned whisky and gin company, has been creating fine whiskies on the banks of the River Spey since 1897.
This very limited 'coming of age' 21-year-old release, like all Tamdhu single malts, is fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks to deliver a flavour profile and entirely natural colour.
It is bottled at 47.5% ABV, unchill filtered and is a limited (on allocation) annual global release with a recommended retail price of £299 for a 70cl bottle.
Not only is this a special whisky, ideal for a gift, it's presented in an elegant green cut-work gift box whose Spanish-Moorish design reflects the Southern Spanish sherry casks used in the maturation process.
The display box, adorned with a metallic Tamdhu monogram, slides off to reveal the inner design case and a slide drawer with a tasting notes booklet. The closure is gold wood, decorated with a gold branded capsule.
Tamdhu 21 year old is priced at £299 and you can buy a bottle here.
Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 3
Award winning farm-to-cask Lochlea distillery has recently unveiled Cask Strength Batch 3 – the latest release in its annual series of limited-edition cask strength bottlings – and a first in flavour profile for the independently owned distillery.
This year's release marks a bold evolution in Lochlea's Cask Strength series, combining rich Oloroso sherry with distinctive Islay peat - a pairing never before explored by the distillery.
It also represents a significant milestone for Lochlea's master blender Jill Boyd, who joined the distillery in late 2024 and has led the selection and blending of Cask Strength Batch 3 from start to finish.
Cask Strength Batch 3 delivers a captivating nose of ripe red fruits and savoury BBQ smoke, followed by a rich palate of cherries and dark molasses lifted by warming ginger cake, toasted rye and charred wood smoke.
The long, layered finish lingers with baking spice, salty smoke, and oaky tannins intertwining with delicate floral notes of red roses to create a bold new take on Lochlea's signature style.
Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 3 is priced at £67 and you can buy a bottle here.
Glen Moray 12 Years Old Smoky
Glen Moray single malt Scotch whisky is tempting whisky fans to explore a distinctively different side to its classic Speyside single malt, with the unveiling of Glen Moray 12 Years Old Smoky.
'Smoky Twelve' is set to be a treat for both peat lovers and fans of Glen Moray's famously smooth and fruity spirit - and it will make the perfect gift for dram lovers on Father's Day.
This permanent new addition to Glen Moray's award-winning range is crafted in the traditional way at the whisky's historic distillery in Elgin, but uses peated barley to add subtle notes of sweet bonfire smoke to the spirit.
True to Glen Moray's reputation for exploration when it comes to the influence of wood on whisky's flavour, the new single malt is then matured in two different types of cask: American oak for notes of vanilla and caramel with a smooth bourbon undertone; and European oak, bringing stronger vanilla flavours, with tannins, pepper, fruit and gentle spice.
The result is a very special new dram: all the appeal of Glen Moray's wonderfully light and easy-drinking spirit imbued with the richness of peated malt and the deliciously complex flavours of maturation in two different types of wood.
Glen Moray 12 years old smoky is priced at £49.99 and you can buy a bottle here.
Aberfeldy 22 year old Oloroso Sherry cask finish
Located in Aberfeldy, the heart of Scotland, Dewar's Aberfeldy Distillery has recently celebrated 25 years since the opening of its visitor centre and immersive whisky experience.
To mark this milestone, the distillery is unveiling an exclusive commemorative release: Aberfeldy 22-Year-Old Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
This single malt is the latest addition to the Exceptional Cask Series - a collection of rare Single-Cask bottlings, Double-Cask expressions, and small-batch releases from Aberfeldy.
After maturing in traditional oak casks, the new release has been finished in rich Oloroso sherry casks from Jerez, Spain, imparting a beautifully balanced complexity while enhancing the signature character of Aberfeldy.
The result is a luxurious dram with sweet orchard fruits, succulent pear, and caramelised apples taking centre stage.
Aberfeldy 22 year old Oloroso Sherry cask finish is priced at £195 and you can buy a bottle here.
Lindoes Abbey Friar John Cor – Chapter III
Lindores Abbey Distillery has recently released the third chapter in its acclaimed Friar John Cor Congregation series: Friar John Cor – Chapter III.
This bold and complex limited-edition bottling continues Lindores' homage to the great Friar John Cor and his legendary distillation of 1494.
Chapter III is matured in a combination of ex-Bourbon barrels, Amontillado, and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry butts. After vatting, the whisky is allowed to marry in refill sherry butts,
enhancing its depth, richness, and harmonious balance of flavours. It is bottled at 60.2% ABV.
Lindoes Abbey Friar John Cor – Chapter III is priced at £70 and you can buy a bottle here.
InchDairnie KinGlassie
KinGlassgie Double Matured whisky
Fife-based Scotch whisky-maker InchDairnie distillery has launched its first Single Malt Scotch Whisky releases.
Further showcasing its reputation as a pioneer in flavour exploration in the whisky sector, the distillery launched KinGlassie Double Matured Aged 8 Years Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky and KinGlassie Raw Aged 8 Years Fife Single Malt Scotch Whisky back in May.
The two whiskies debuting comprise KinGlassie Double Matured and KinGlassie Raw, each providing a distinct take on the new KinGlassie range that ignites flavour discovery, revealing new dimensions in smoke.
KinGlassie Double Matured is priced at £78.95 and you can buy a bottle here.
KinGlassie Raw is priced at £78.95 and you can buy a bottle here.
The Maclean Foundation Raasay whisky
A new limited-edition single malt from the Isle of Raasay Distillery is the latest charity bottling from The Maclean Foundation – and every bottle sold will provide clean water for life to a person in Madagascar.
This five-year-old single cask whisky, matured in virgin Chinkapin oak and bottled at a cask strength of 61.1% ABV, is the third in a series of single malt releases by the charity, which was founded by whisky writer Charles Maclean MBE and his three sons – world record-breaking ocean rowers Ewan, Jamie and Lachlan Maclean.
As with previous Maclean Foundation whiskies – with Glen Scotia and Ardnamurchan – all profits will fund clean water boreholes in rural Madagascar through the charity's local partner, Feedback Madagascar.
Just 246 bottles are available, exclusively from Royal Mile Whiskies, priced at £115. You can buy a bottle here.
The Dram Team Scotch Whisky Tasting Map
This is an ideal gift for dads that want to taste whisky from all over Scotland. The whiskies in this special collection from The Dram Team include a stunning 'Grain Barn' 30 year old Scotch; a super-premium 17 year old Islay single malt; a decadent 21 year old Speyside Scotch icon and two world-class 18 year old single malts.
As well as 15 double measures of premium and super premium Scotch whisky, the set contains two Glencairn glasses, a distillery guidebook featuring more than 30 stunning images and a beautiful ready-to-frame distillery map.
You can also subscribe to The Scotsman via our Whisky Club and receive the Whisky Map of Scotland poster and a sample bottle of The Red Comyn, a ruby port cask-finished whisky, selected for us by our partners The Dram Team and Claxton's.
Find out more and subscribe here, or sign up to our Whisky Club here.
Buy The Dram Team Scotch Whisky Tasting Map, priced at £295, here.
Bladnoch Wave I: Time & Maturation
Wave I: Time & Maturation is the first expression in a five-part limited edition series by Bladnoch.
The Wave series demonstrates the marrying process of whisky casks, with each annual release revealing one of the five whisky making pillars used by master distiller, Dr Nick Savage.
The Wave Collection is the second series in the master distiller's collection. As the first expression in series, Wave I is the ideal candidate for whisky connoisseur dads who are looking to build up their whisky collection.
The dram option is the perfect pairing to accompany a bottle gifted for a collection, so whisky aficionados can taste the single malt and save opening their bottle for many years to come.
The full-size bottle of Wave I and dram size are available exclusively at Bladnoch Wave I: Time & Maturation full bottle price is £150 and the dram is £15.
Laphroaig Elements 3.0
The third instalment in Laphroaig's award-winning Elements series, this limited release was the result of a fire in the kiln that burned peat for longer and at higher temperatures than usual. Experimenting with heat brought out chocolate and coffee notes making this a very interesting whisky indeed.
Laphroaig Elements is an award-winning series of whiskies that delves into the artistry of production that makes Laphroaig's whisky so richly flavoured and characterful.
Tasting notes include: a nose of chocolate, charcoal and spice. On the palette there's bitter dark chocolate, peat, vanilla and butterscotch while the finish is long lasting and dry.
Bottled at 55.3% ABV, Laphroaig Elements 3.0 is priced at £170 and you can buy a bottle here.
Holyrood distillery Pitch
Edinburgh's experimental whisky makers, Holyrood Distillery, recently named Icons of Whisky 'Distiller of the Year' at the global round of the World Whiskies Awards, have unveiled their latest release, Pitch.
This is the final single malt in 'The Founding Series' that introduces the independent distillery's creativity and barrier-breaking approach to whisky making.
Think chocolate and hazelnuts from the malt, with the yeast specially selected to boost the chocolate notes, giving it a richer flavour.
The chocolatey spirit is then matured in Oloroso casks, dialling up nutty notes. It's like being chased by a fruit and nut bar determined to give you a giant hug.
Pitch explores the untapped potential of red wine yeasts in whisky-making.
Bottled at 49.4% ABV, it is priced at £64 and you can buy a bottle here.
Ardbeg Smokiverse
Marking 25 years of the Ardbeg Committee, Ardbeg's latest limited release will transport smoky malt lovers' tastebuds to a fruity new dimension.
Ardbeg Smokiverse is the Islay Distillery's first whisky crafted from a high-gravity mash, resulting in a distinctly vibrant, tropical and fruity spirit.
Ardbeg Smokiverse is priced at £95 and you can buy a bottle here.
Glenmorangie Lasanta 15
Glenmorangie Highland single malt Scotch whisky has reimagined Glenmorangie Lasanta, one of its most popular whiskies, to bring even more elegance to its rich spice and luscious sweetness.
Now aged for 15 years in a refined combination of bourbon and sherry casks, this delicious favourite in the Distillery's core range has been enriched with newfound complexity and finesse.
Glenmorangie Lasanta is priced at £58 and you can buy a bottle here.
