Build Your Sample Set
Our 100 ml samples are over three times larger than standard 30 ml bottles, enough for two drams and a revisit.
Teaninich
North British
Invergordon
Glenallachie
Girvan
Braeval
Auchentoshan
Chain Pier
Girvan
Braeval
Loch Lomond
Auchroisk
The Speyside
Teaninich
Tamnavulin
Mannochmore
Inchgower
Glen Elgin
Blair Athol
Glenallachie
Tomatin
Tobermory
Ardnamurchan
Craigellachie
Craigellachie
SECRET Speyside
Scotch Whisky Regions
Scotland’s whisky regions each bring a different character. Use this guide to match what you enjoy now, or to explore something new.
- Speyside The most densely populated whisky region in the world, famous for fertile glens and the River Spey. Speyside whiskies are known for being frugal with peat and full of fruit. Apple, pear, honey, vanilla, and spice all have a role in expressions from this region, which are commonly matured in sherry casks.
- Lowland Lowland whiskies are produced in the south of Scotland, identified on the map as the area south of a line between Dundee and Greenock. These whiskies are diverse and growing in popularity, reflected in the significant growth of new distilleries over the past years.
- Highland This region, which also takes in the islands, has a huge diversity of flavours and characters. From lighter whiskies all the way through salty coastal malts, the Highlands offers a Scotch for all palates.
- Campbeltown Campbeltown whiskies are varied and full of flavour. Hints of salt, smoke, fruit, vanilla, and toffee mingle in whiskies of robust and rich character.
- Islay Islay (pronounced “eye-luh”) is a small island where a large share of the population is involved in whisky production. It is famous for fiery, heavily peated whiskies with an unmistakable coastal character.
Cask Types
Casks are reused many times. The fill number and the previous contents both change how a whisky develops in wood. This guide explains what those terms mean and how the main fortified wine casks shape flavour.
Cask Fill Levels
First fill means the first time a cask has held Scotch after being emptied of bourbon, sherry, port, or another wine. The wood is very active and still holds plenty of the previous liquid. First fill casks give fast, intense maturation with strong colour and clear flavour from the bourbon or fortified wine.
Second fill is the next time that same cask is used for Scotch. Some of the easiest-to-extract colour and flavour has already gone into earlier spirit, so the influence is gentler. Second fill casks mature more slowly and leave more room for the distillery’s own character to show.
Refill and later fills usually means the cask has already been used two or more times for Scotch. The oak now gives a light, background influence. These casks suit long aging and very spirit-driven styles. If a label simply says “Oloroso” or “Port” without “First Fill” or “Second Fill,” it may be on its third or later use.
Ex-Bourbon & Virgin Oak Casks
Ex-bourbon casks are American oak barrels that first held bourbon, then were shipped to Scotland. They bring gentle, classic sweetness – vanilla, honey, soft toffee, coconut, and light baking spice – while keeping the distillery’s character clear and bright.
Virgin oak is new oak that has never held bourbon or wine. It is very active, giving intense vanilla, caramel, sweet spice, toasted coconut, and firm tannin. It is usually used for short finishes or as one part of a vatting so the wood does not overpower the spirit.
Fortified Wine Casks
Fortified wine casks – from sherry, port, and Madeira – arrive in Scotland saturated with flavour and colour. Even a relatively short period in these casks can dramatically change a whisky.
Oloroso sherry is a dry, nutty style of sherry aged oxidatively. Oloroso casks add deep colour, dried fruits such as raisins and figs, walnuts and almonds, orange peel, leather, and warm spice. First fill Oloroso is the classic “sherry bomb” profile.
Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry is a very sweet dessert sherry made from sun-dried grapes. PX casks push whisky toward dark, syrupy sweetness: dates, figs, raisins, molasses, treacle, and chocolate, often with a thick, dessert-like texture.
Amontillado sherry begins life under flor like Fino, then ages oxidatively. Amontillado casks give a drier, more lifted profile than PX or heavy Oloroso – toasted nuts, dried citrus peel, chamomile, light caramel, and a touch of salinity that adds structure rather than heavy sweetness.
Fino sherry is a very dry, pale sherry aged fully under flor. Fino casks are rare in Scotch, and usually used for shorter finishes. They add subtle green almond and bread-dough notes, lemon zest, and a faint saline edge, with very little added sweetness or colour.
Port casks (including ruby, tawny, very old “super” tawny, and white port) bring a spectrum of fruit and nut character. Ruby port leans toward bright red berries and simple jammy sweetness. Tawny port adds dried fruit, nuts, caramel, and toffee. Very old tawnies are extremely concentrated, so a small influence goes a long way. White port is lighter and brighter, with stone fruit, honey, and citrus.
Madeira casks come from a heated and oxidised fortified wine. They tend to give cooked citrus, dried tropical fruit, honey, caramel, and nutty, tangy notes. Madeira can add both richness and a lively, extended finish.
Other Cask Types (Wine & Mezcal)
Not all casks come from bourbon or fortified wine. A growing number of malts spend time in other wine and spirit casks for distinctive accents.
Sauternes and other sweet white wines bring honey, apricot, peach, marmalade, and floral notes with a silky, dessert-like sweetness. French red wine casks (such as Bordeaux or Burgundy) add red and black fruits, subtle herbs and cedar, and a drier, more tannic grip that gives a wine-like structure.
Other wine casks – from regions such as Rioja, Tokaji, or Marsala – are used mostly for finishing, adding their own mix of fruit, spice, and sweetness on top of ex-bourbon or sherry maturation.
Mezcal casks are less common but distinctive: they can lend gentle smoke, roasted agave, mineral and earthy notes, layering an agave character over the malt rather than replacing it.
