Master of Malt anniversary whisky collection marks 40 years, these are our Best Buys

Master of Malt has launched a superb new series of single cask and small-batch spirits, to celebrate its 40th anniversary, complete with new label designs. The collection includes a 29-year-old Tobermory single malt, laid down in a single refill hogshead in March 1996, a 37-year-old grain whisky, and a 16-year-old whisky from Dailuaine Distillery, which began life in a refill Sherry hogshead in 2008, before transferring to a refill rum cask.

To preview these intriguing releases, the online drinks retailer and independent bottler hosted an exclusive tasting at London’s Dram Bar; on the table were the new 40th anniversary bottlings, plus the latest from That Boutique-y Whisky Company, &Whisky and more. 

The Luxe Review was on hand to experience this characterful collection. Our Best Buy recommendations and tasting notes follow….

Master of Malt relaunch collection

Celebrating 40 years in the drinks industry this October, Master of Malt is opening up these new bottlings to multiple markets for the first time, so availability should be wide. All are free from added colour and are non-chill filtered.  Whether you’re seeking an everyday dram or an anniversary toast, this collection has plenty to offer.

Blended Grain 37 Year Old 
54.7% ABV, £99.99
Best Buy: Mixing chewy toffee and toasted cereal notes, this is grain whisky operating at a very high level. A 1987 vintage, drawn from a refill barrel in 2025, its age is evidenced in the integration of flavours – vanilla, buttery brioche, and sweet shop candy sweetness. Highly recommended, limited to 274 bottles.

Dailuaine 16 Year Old 2008 Single Cask
51.1% ABV, £69.95
A marriage of refill sherry and rum casks has yielded a rich, textured Speyside single malt with dried fruits, honeycomb, and just a whisper of funky tropical esters. This whisky is indulgent, and complex, for the cash.

Tobermory 29 Year Old 1996 Single Cask
46.7% ABV, £199.99
Best Buy: One of my personal favourites from this drop – rich, smooth, and absolutely delicious. It offers vanilla and raisins on the nose, with tropical fruits and citrus on the tongue. A taste triumph, limited to just 268 bottles – it wears its price tag well.

Invergordon 13 Year Old 2013 Single Cask
66.6% ABV, £99.95
Distilled in 2011, this single Scotch spent 13 years maturing in a refill butt. A bold single grain with a high-octane ABV, it offers lashings of brioche pastry, banana, and peppery spice, with a creamy mouthfeel to soften the heat.

A Secret Speyside Distillery 10 Year Old
40% ABV, £34.95
Best Buy: The most affordable entry in the collection, this 10-year-old is fruity and round, with buttery pastry and hints of nutty chocolate. Dangerously drinkable, exceptionally affordable.

Blended Scotch Whisky 25 Year Old 
40% ABV, £74.95
This intriguing 1993 blend delivers warmth and sweetness in waves; molasses, candied tropical fruit, spiced fruit cake and a touch of ginger. It’s a fireside sipper with enough going on to keep you entertained all night long.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company: where quirk meets quality

TBWC’s latest core expressions add a worldly spin to the whisky narrative, each bottled at a uniform ABV and untouched by chill filtration or added colour.

Irish 21 Year Old
45.8% ABV, £99.95
This elegant dram blends ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry influences. Fresh fruits and honey dominate the nose, while the palate reveals malt sweetness and honeyed spice. Light but nuanced.

English Rye 8 Year Old
45.8% ABV, £44.95
Best Buy: Something of a standout for me. Toasted French oak and Islay-cask-matured single malt bring a fiery edge to this bold rye: black pepper, orchard fruit and a long, spiced finish. Note the Easter egg in the label art: the English longhorn has its horns horizontal, signifying a semaphore ‘R’ which here stands for Rye.

American Bourbon 10 Year Old
45.8% ABV, £59.95
Everything you want from a well-aged Kentucky bourbon – vanilla, charred oak, dark toffee, and a hint of boot leather. Smooth and full-bodied, it’s a crowd-pleaser in all the best ways.

&Whisky: Great whisky with roguish charm

This newer name on the block is turning heads with its expressive bottlings…

Saints & Sinners & Rebels & Rogues 21 Year Old
40% ABV, £89.95
If ever there was a whiskey to win over loyal Jameson fans, this is it. A Madeira-cask influenced Irish blend that dances on the tongue with honeycomb, baked apple, and hazelnuts. A graceful sipper with red berry brightness and a gingerbread heart.

Seaweed & Aeons & Digging & Fire & Overproof
50% ABV, £49.95
Best Buy: A love letter to Islay fans. Briny, smoky, yet surprisingly sweet and approachable, tasting notes speak of grilled pineapple, salted fudge, and vanilla. The extra ABV lends it punch and persistence.

Black Cannon Single Malt Scotch
40.4% ABV, £34.95
Theatrically black with retro-style labelling, this is a real eye-catcher. PX-cask sweetness, soft spice, toffee and fudge allow this crowd-pleaser to shine in cocktails, but it’s great neat too. Fearsomely dark, but devilishly drinkable.

Dalry Milk 16 Year Old

Finally, also offered as part of our tasting experience, but sadly no longer for sale, Dalry Milk 16 Year Old. What began life as an April Fool’s joke, this sweet North British single grain was an immediate hit until a cease and desist order landed from Cadbury.

Imagine melted milk chocolate bars distilled, aged in oloroso and palo cortado casks, and served with a grin. It’s like your childhood in a glass and a half.

Surely Master of Malt won’t try anything quite so audacious as this again? Will it? Watch this space…