The Whisky Exchange has dropped three new exclusive bottlings to mark the start of 2026, spanning Scotch whisky, American bourbon and Jamaican rum.
The limited collection comprises an experimental single-cask Torabhaig from the Isle of Skye, a punchy single-barrel bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company, and a sherry-cask-aged Hampden Estate rum that leans fully into the distillery’s famously characterful style.
Each is bottled at high strength, ideal for slow, winter-warming sips…
While Hampden is best known for its exuberant, high-ester Jamaican rums, sherry cask maturation is a relatively recent avenue of exploration for the distillery.
This single pot-still rum, bottled at 64.6% ABV, was aged in a sherry cask from Bodegas Fundador, secured specifically for the retailer. The influence of the cask is an intriguing counterpoint to Hampden’s unmistakable house style, layering dried fruit richness over a base of tropical fruit, sugarcane grassiness and that unmistakable Jamaican funk.
The most overtly experimental of this trio is the Torabhaig 2018 Scottish Oak Single Cask, limited to just 251 bottles, at 58.7% ABV. Distilled at Torabhaig, Skye’s second licensed distillery, the whisky was finished for 16 months in a rare Scottish oak cask.
Scottish oak is rarely used in whisky making, largely because it’s difficult to work with. Unlike the tall, straight American oak favoured for bourbon, Scottish oak tends to be shorter, knotty and irregular. That challenge is part of the appeal here, adding a further layer of local identity to a distillery already rooted firmly in its island home.
The result is a peated whisky with well-integrated smoke, complemented by baked apples and the suggestion of well-worn leather.
From Scotland to Kentucky, the Bardstown Bourbon Co 8 Year Old Single Barrel is bottled at a formidable 64.6% ABV, with just 144 available.
On the palate, winter flavours take centre stage – brown sugar, stewed fruit and a thread of spicy, herbal rye. Underpinning that flavour is a mashbill of 78 per cent corn, 10 per cent rye and 12 per cent malted barley, sour mashed and fermented for three days in open-top fermenters. Distillation took place in a 36-inch column still with a doubler, before the spirit was filled into a single 53-gallon new American white oak cask with a #3 char.
“It’s perhaps the best whiskey we’ve tasted from Bardstown to-date,” enthuses The Whisky Exchange.
After nearly a decade of development, Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition marks the debut release in the distillery’s new Rare Wood Collection and the first (and most likely last) Midleton whiskey finished in casks made entirely from Irish sweet chestnut sourced from County Waterford’s Cappoquin Estate. Crafted from select Single Pot Still whiskeys initially…
The Macallan has just announced the Carta Nautica Collection, a new four-bottle series of single malt whiskies. As befits its Spanish moniker, Carta Nautica follows the journey of oak from North America to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and onwards to Scotland. The collection draws on casks that have held bourbon and sherry, with…
Ah, brunch. Breakfast’s more sociable cousin, the only acceptable way to order a cocktail before noon: there’s no doubt in our mind that it’s the most important meal of the day. And you can forget eggs and coffee – London’s best spots make a strong case for dedicating the whole afternoon to our favourite event…
The Whisky Exchange has dropped three new exclusive bottlings to mark the start of 2026, spanning Scotch whisky, American bourbon and Jamaican rum.
The limited collection comprises an experimental single-cask Torabhaig from the Isle of Skye, a punchy single-barrel bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company, and a sherry-cask-aged Hampden Estate rum that leans fully into the distillery’s famously characterful style.
Each is bottled at high strength, ideal for slow, winter-warming sips…
Hampden Estate HLCF 2023 Sherry Cask, £150
While Hampden is best known for its exuberant, high-ester Jamaican rums, sherry cask maturation is a relatively recent avenue of exploration for the distillery.
This single pot-still rum, bottled at 64.6% ABV, was aged in a sherry cask from Bodegas Fundador, secured specifically for the retailer. The influence of the cask is an intriguing counterpoint to Hampden’s unmistakable house style, layering dried fruit richness over a base of tropical fruit, sugarcane grassiness and that unmistakable Jamaican funk.
Torabhaig 2018 Scottish Oak Single Cask, £99.95
The most overtly experimental of this trio is the Torabhaig 2018 Scottish Oak Single Cask, limited to just 251 bottles, at 58.7% ABV. Distilled at Torabhaig, Skye’s second licensed distillery, the whisky was finished for 16 months in a rare Scottish oak cask.
Scottish oak is rarely used in whisky making, largely because it’s difficult to work with. Unlike the tall, straight American oak favoured for bourbon, Scottish oak tends to be shorter, knotty and irregular. That challenge is part of the appeal here, adding a further layer of local identity to a distillery already rooted firmly in its island home.
The result is a peated whisky with well-integrated smoke, complemented by baked apples and the suggestion of well-worn leather.
Bardstown Bourbon Co 8 Year Old Single Barrel, £125
From Scotland to Kentucky, the Bardstown Bourbon Co 8 Year Old Single Barrel is bottled at a formidable 64.6% ABV, with just 144 available.
On the palate, winter flavours take centre stage – brown sugar, stewed fruit and a thread of spicy, herbal rye. Underpinning that flavour is a mashbill of 78 per cent corn, 10 per cent rye and 12 per cent malted barley, sour mashed and fermented for three days in open-top fermenters. Distillation took place in a 36-inch column still with a doubler, before the spirit was filled into a single 53-gallon new American white oak cask with a #3 char.
“It’s perhaps the best whiskey we’ve tasted from Bardstown to-date,” enthuses The Whisky Exchange.
All three bottlings are available exclusively from The Whisky Exchange, both online and in-store, while stocks last. Follow The Luxe Review on Google News.
First pour: Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition is one of 2026’s most desirable whiskeys
After nearly a decade of development, Midleton Very Rare Irish Chestnut Edition marks the debut release in the distillery’s new Rare Wood Collection and the first (and most likely last) Midleton whiskey finished in casks made entirely from Irish sweet chestnut sourced from County Waterford’s Cappoquin Estate. Crafted from select Single Pot Still whiskeys initially…
The Macallan Carta Nautica Collection charts a new course for Scotch whisky icon, led by a 38 Year Old
The Macallan has just announced the Carta Nautica Collection, a new four-bottle series of single malt whiskies. As befits its Spanish moniker, Carta Nautica follows the journey of oak from North America to Jerez de la Frontera in Spain and onwards to Scotland. The collection draws on casks that have held bourbon and sherry, with…
The Best Bottomless Brunches in London Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Ah, brunch. Breakfast’s more sociable cousin, the only acceptable way to order a cocktail before noon: there’s no doubt in our mind that it’s the most important meal of the day. And you can forget eggs and coffee – London’s best spots make a strong case for dedicating the whole afternoon to our favourite event…
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