We're back with the Scotch Malt Whisky Societies August 2025 outturn review. This month features 27 new whiskies, including a new wormtub-centric Creators Collection set as well as a few mid-month peat monsters.
All the bottles from the outturn were available at the preview, but more will be released mid-month. Check out our social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to get updates on the mid-month bottles and heads up on our other reviews.
The scores below are based on our initial impressions. For full disclosure, we won't spend as much time with a dram as we usually do for a full review, but we hope you'll find the scores useful.
- 10 - Perfection. One in a million
- 9 - Outstanding. Exceptional whisky.
- 8 - Great. Would seek this out.
- 7 - Good. Quality whisky.
- 6 - Above average. Happy to have a dram.
- 5 - Average. Drinkable whisky.
- 4 - Below average. Passable.
- 3 - Flawed. Noticeable negatives.
- 2 - Defective. Significant faults.
- 1 - Offensive. Pour it out.
Onto the bottles...
8.52 - Tamdhu Distillery
Name: Marble Chalice
Flavour Profile: Young & Spritely
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 59.8%
Age: 9
Price: £59.00
The nose opens with sponge cake, lots of vanilla cream, some peach schnapps, orange pith, lemon oils and a little digestive biscuit. the palate has a light texture and more of a pebbly, salt water sort of flavour. There’s also brioche, more citrus fruit peels and some grapefruit bitterness too. It’s warm, too warm perhaps, but bearable. Overall It’s a bit too warm and bitter for us, but there’s a few redeeming notes there.
Score: 6/10
Value: Reasonable value for a 9yo bourbon cask.
10.283 - Bunnahabhain Distillery
Name: The Maltster's Littoral Latte
Flavour Profile: Peated
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 56.7%
Age: 11
Price: £78.50
The nose has a host of roasted, salted nuts, honey roast ham, burnt plastic, clay, fired earth, and a little sweet pickle with a hint of maple cured bacon. The palate has a good texture, with more roasted nuts.. this time dry roasted peanuts, black peppercorns and the lightest mango note, settling into cured ham and barbecue sauce. The sweetness really comes through on the latter palate and it’s bloody good. Well balanced, well integrated, flavourful, aromatic, excellent Stoisha.
Score: 8.5/10
Value: Perhaps £5 higher than we'd like but it's very very tasty.
11.53 - Tomatin Distillery
Name: Ticks the Boxes
Flavour Profile: Spicy & Dry
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.9%
Age: 9
Price: £55.00
The nose had some white flowers, peach, light apple and mango. There’s a bit of spiced rum here too. The palate has a lot of upfront sweetness, but there’s also a lot of punchy peppery booze coming through. There’s lots of fruits on the palate but there’s a lot of grapefruit bitterness that’s keeping it quite dry and astringent. It’s fine, a little more sweetness would really help to balance it here.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: We can't complain value-wise.
18.70 - Inchgower Distillery
Name: Fruit Gummies at High Tea
Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: Refill HTMC hogshead
ABV: 56.9%
Age: 13
Price: £70.00
The nose has caramel, chalk, buttercream frosting, a little mint, hobknobs, and runny honey. The HTMC cask has given a lot of richer wood characteristics to this. The palate has more breadiness, simple white bread, a little butter, simple sugar syrup, toffee bon bons and a drop of rosewater. It’s thinner on the palate than we’d like and disappears a bit too quickly, but it’s quite nice.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Decent value, £5 cheaper would have been nice.
29.298 - Laphroaig Distillery
Name: Moss, Mackerel and Medicine
Flavour Profile: Heavily Peated
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 58.3%
Age: 11
Price: £89.00
The nose has sweet butterscotch doughnuts, horse manure, caramel, rubber gloves, fresh hay, burning plastic, petrol and a little saddle leather. The palate has more rich caramel and butterscotch flavours up front, mixed into earthy peat, manure, bitter coffee, salt crystals, tyres, pepper pith and tobacco. It’s on the edge of being too funky but the cask has done some magic and it’s a weird mixture of farmy, smoky manure and sweet caramel doughnuts. We’ll go 7/10 and let you decide.
Score: 7/10
Value: We expect this will go quickly.. sherried Laphroaig for £90 is a steal.
35.410 - Glen Moray Distillery
Name: Don't Hurry This One...
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso barrique
ABV: 55.8%
Age: 19
Price: £100.00
The nose opens with rancio, cured meats, cherry jam, cinnamon, red grape juice and a little pickle brine too. It's reminiscent of a well put together charcuterie board. The palate has a decent mouthfeel, cherry syrup, raspberry purée, moving into more bitter chocolate, dark fruits and a fair kick of sulphur which we're not particularly loving. There’s a bit of oak spice here but overall it’s quite well balanced, however we’re struggling to get over the sulphur.
Score: 6/10
Value: Great value for a 19yo sherried dram.
36.228 - Benrinnes Distillery
Name: The Snaking Coil
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill American oak px hogshead
ABV: 47.0%
Age: 28
Price: £220.00
The nose has lots of star anise, mellow clove, red apple, soft vanillas and oak. You can really tell the age from the nose, lovely, soft and mellow. The palate has more of the sherry coming through, red kola, fudge, cinnamon sugar doughnuts, caramel sauce, again the age is very apparent, well balanced, with a tinge of aloe vera and eucalyptus on the finish. It’s a tad thin... the age has thinned the palate's texture out, however it’s still delicious.
Score: 8/10
Value: Nice to see older drams at more reasonable prices.
39.319 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: The Honey Farmer's Flame
Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-moscatel barrique
ABV: 57.1%
Age: 13
Price: £75.00
The nose opens with cured meats, apricot brandy, a little plum, yellow pears and something slightly grassy with hints of white flowers. There’s also a damp wood thing going on. The palate has a decent mouthfeel, bringing fudge, toffee and grape must. The alcohol is in good balance and the finish lingers for a good while, but it’s a little insipid, not bitter, but there’s something a little off in the background. Richer than your standard Linkwood, it’s alright.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: We asssume the extra £5-10 is due to the moscatel cask
44.175 - Craigellachie Distillery
Name: Kiss Me Pedro!
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-PX hogshead
ABV: 56.4%
Age: 17
Price: £116.00
The nose has copper coins, orange zest, toffee pennies, nougat, pink peppercorns, lots and lots of the sherry cask coming through. The palate has lots of red currants, cherries, raspberries on the opening, but moves into more bitter, meaty, baby sick-like flavours towards the finish. The Craigellachie spirit starting to peek though. The mouthfeel is fine, and the spice is present but mellow, so it’s a decent dram but the latter palate and finish let it down.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: In line with other sherried 17yo's.
44.190 - Craigellachie Distillery
Name: Unleash the Serpent
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill #4 char bourbon hogshead
ABV: 56.7%
Age: 21
Price: £165.00
The nose has burnt rubber, charcoal, fresh hay, Szechuan peppercorns, wild raspberries, wet pebbles, engine oil and dried earth. It’s foresty. The palate has a good balance of texture and alcohol, and you can tell it’s had a good amount of age. There’s fresh raspberries, salty pebbles, dirt and red kola coming through. There’s some black pepper and aniseed coming through on the finish. It’s a well balanced walk in the forest, surprisingly balanced and not too funky for Craigellachie. We’re shocked, it’s good. Damn.
Score: 8/10
Value: We'd have liked to see this closer to £150.
46.160 - Glenlossie Distillery
Name: Full Scottish Desayuno
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bodega PX barrique
ABV: 58.7%
Age: 11
Price: £60.00
The nose has a little meatiness, roasted pork and beef bones, black pudding, black pepper, a bit of currant jam, potpourri and grape must. The sherry cask is apparent, but it’s not a sherry bomb, more classic sherry in style. The palate has a thinner mouthfeel than we’d like, buttered popcorn, Infact it’s very buttery, with some light cinnamon, rice cakes and a handful of caramel coated almonds. It’s a good sherry cask, relatively balanced, some meatier, old school flavours and aromas, but a little boring.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Good value here, especially for a bodega cask.
52.50 - Old Pulteney Distillery
Name: Saltwater Symphony
Flavour Profile: Oily & Coastal
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 55.7%
Age: 11
Price: £68.50
The nose opens with chlorine, preserved lemon, salt water, orange throat lozenges, with a bit of simple sugar and brewery wash. The palate has a thin mouthfeel, opening with salted caramel, butterscotch, porridge oats, golden syrup, .. infact it’s like a bowl of golden syrup porridge where you’ve added too much salt by accident. It’s a little unbalanced, but we can see some people really enjoying this.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Seems like decent value for this distillery and age.
53.473 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Two Kinds of Puffer
Flavour Profile: Peated
Region: Islay
Cask Type: Refill ex-red wine barrique
ABV: 58.4%
Age: 12
Price: £86.00
The nose opens with ashy peat, coastal salinity, light red fruit in the background, cherry, balsamic, wet rope, and sour plums appear for us. The alcohol has a bit of a prickliness but is pleasant. The palate has a soft peat smoke, sweet peat mixed with an earthy, ashy bonfire, barbecued pork, chamomile, and melted fat. It’s got more of a pepperiness on the palate, but it’s quite well balanced. The red wine cask hadn’t overpowered, but has added a nice top note to the dram.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: We'd have liked to see this at £80ish.
53.502 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Peat in the Pantry
Flavour Profile: Peated
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 55.6%
Age: 16
Price: £105.00
The nose opens with butter biscuits, wet cloth, fudge, butter beer, pickle brine, salted cod, fresh cut hedges and light vanilla in the background. The palate has a good milky mouthfeel, with ginger juice, buttercream icing, salted caramel, fish sauce, book leather, beeswax, juniper, Manuka honey and porridge. It’s got a lot of cask influence but the spirit has integrated well, it’s quite tasty. The extra age hasn’t softened the peat too much.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Decent value for a mid-teens Caol Ila.
59.98 - Teaninich Distillery
Name: Walk Past a Tapas Bar
Flavour Profile: Light & Delicate
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 54.7%
Age: 13
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with vanilla ice cream, wafer cones, strawberry syrup, a little cherry jam and a little bit of rubberiness too. Not too much sherry influence here, a lot less than we expected. The palate opens with more creamy vanilla, butter biscuits, black pepper, candied ginger, chalk and grapefruit juice. The sherry cask hasn’t done much, and it feels a bit off balance. Stale and chalky.
Score: 6/10
Value: This feels a little pricey for a 13yo Teaninich.
60.50 - Aberfeldy Distillery
Name: Colour Coordination
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill Australian Tawny
ABV: 57.0%
Age: 11
Price: £70.00
The nose has red currant studded cake, lots of vanilla essence, creamy custard, a little lemon water, red kola, cinnamon sugar, red berry coulis and Madeira. The palate has fizzy cola bottle red currant jam, ginger ale, cinnamon cookies, black pepper and butterscotch cream. We’re also finding chocolate orange, Armagnac and caramel. Now, we’re torn… this is damn tasty but there’s also a few flaws.. too peppery, palate is a bit thin, finish a tad shorter than we’d like, but we’re in a forgiving mood.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: In line with other bottlings of this distillery and age.
66.258 - Ardmore Distillery
Name: Wood-Smoked Walnut Gateau
Flavour Profile: Lightly Peated
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-shiraz barrique
ABV: 51.2%
Age: 26
Price: £195.00
The nose has French toast, preserved lemon, salt water, maple, marshmallows and smitterings of red grape in the background. There’s also potato waffles, dried earth and a mellow peat smoke in the background. The palate has a nice, soft texture with burnt kale, roast beef, charcoal, and red currant jam. It’s well balanced, with a bit of raw ginger and black pepper peeking through however they’re soft and integrated. It’s barbecue without the sickly sweet sauces. We can’t say the Shiraz cask has done too much, but it’s a solid old Ardmore
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Again, nice to see these prices heading downwards on older whiskies.
71.110 - Glenburgie Distillery
Name: Fresh Out the Oven
Flavour Profile: Spicy & Sweet
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso barrique
ABV: 61.2%
Age: 13
Price: £74.50
The nose has some sawn wood, orange and passion fruit syrup, rice paper, pilau rice, and baked bread rolls. There’s a pleasant sourness that sits on top of the nose, very orangey. The palate has a thin mouthfeel, but comes through with dark chocolate, copper, plum, red grapes, coffee beans and orange peel. It finishes quite bitter, but it’s got a decent balance. It’s fine.
Score: 6/10
Value: Pretty good price for a sherried 13yo.
76.157 - Mortlach Distillery
Name: Behold the Beast
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso butt
ABV: 54.3%
Age: 18
Price: £155.00
The nose has honey roast ham, fudge, white chocolate cookies, salami, soft olive brine, something a bit leafy too. It’s greener than expected, less beast, more matcha. The palate has rose water, raspberry jam, currants, and more salty, meaty flavours of cured pork as the palate develops. It’s got leather, paprika and wood varnish appearing too. It’s an interesting Mortlach, it’s thinner than we’d like but there’s a wide range of sherried characteristics to keep it interesting.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: There's a definite Mortlach tax here - this should be closer to £125 in our opinions.
78.90 - Ben Nevis Distillery
Name: Tempura Gâteau Train Ride
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 57.9%
Age: 10
Price: £72.50
The nose has engine oil, pressed oranges, caramac bars, a little honey, soft brioche bread and vanilla pudding. Much more subtle than we’ve come to expect from young Ben Nevis, and much more integrated alcohol wise. The palate has a decent texture, more orange and chocolate coming through, a little blackcurrant and toasted brown bread. It’s quite pleasant, perhaps a tad simple but quite drinkable. The finish is a tad too bitter for us though.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Reasonable value for younger Ben Nevis.
85.109 - Glen Elgin Distillery
Name: Seriously Scrumptious
Flavour Profile: Sweet, Fruity & Mellow
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bodega PX barrique
ABV: 56.3%
Age: 16
Price: £92.50
The nose has aloe vera, herbal aromas, brown bread, salted butter, cacao beans, bamboo, dry roasted nuts and a hint of mashed raisins. The sherry is very much not a sweet stlye, it’s earthy and herbal. The palate has more upfront sweetness, but in a richer dark fruit way, blackcurrants, plums, sultanas and even a bit of avocado. The mouthfeel is fine, and there’s some olive oil sort of flavours coming through. Quite funky, perhaps not to our palate but it’s a good dram.
Score: 7/10
Value: Reasonable value for a bodega cask 16yo.
93.225 - Glen Scotia Distillery
Name: Shoreline Fisticuffs
Flavour Profile: Oily & Coastal
Region: Campbeltown
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 59.2%
Age: 10
Price: £69.50
The nose opens with fried fish, salted caramel, vanilla essence, peaches, and brioche buns. There’s a little acidicty, gherkins, dill.. it’s like if you had a good old fish finger sandwich with tartare sauce. The palate has more of the fishy flavours, cheddar cheese, salt crystals, sugar syrup.. it’s quite unique for a Glen Scotia, we wouldn’t have picked this out blind at all. We’re unsure on this one, you should try it and see what you think.
Score: 6/10
Value: In line with other 10yo Glen Scotias.
112.144 - Loch Lomond (Inchmurrin) Distillery
Name: Almost Angelic
Flavour Profile: Juicy Oak & Vanilla
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 57.7%
Age: 9
Price: £55.00
The nose opens with candied orchard fruits, a little lemon peel, strawberry laces, a little white grape schloer, merengue and pear drops. Super fruity, a really inviting nose. The palate has a nice texture and we’re met with the inside of a sweet shop, lots of confectionery, vanilla bon bons and a little white chocolate. The problem here is the spice, the ABV is punchy on both the nose and the palate. Saying that, there’s enough flavour and aroma to battle that. Classic Inchmurrin.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good value as these Loch Lomond casks usually are.
121.118 - Arran Distillery
Name: Undulating Unctuousness
Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-sherry hogshead
ABV: 61.1%
Age: 9
Price: £64.50
The nose has Christmas written all over it.. Christmas cake, cinnamon, clove, ginger, red currants, cherries, cola, brandy.. we could go on but it’s so stereotypically sherried and similar to the other full maturation oloroso Arrans that we’ve tried from SMWS. The palate has a little more upfront acidity, underripe cherry, cinnamon bark, black pepper, ginger juice, orange lucozade, dark chocolate and a bit too much fiery spice. The nose was so good.. so so good, however the palate is just too unbalanced. Disappointing.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Good value for a sherried Arran.
138.26 - Nantou Distillery
Name: Top Banana
Flavour Profile: Juicy Oak & Vanilla
Region: Taiwan
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-charred bourbon
ABV: 56.9%
Age: 6
Price: £89.00
The nose smells like straight up bourbon whiskey, copper coins, caramel, orange peel, fryer oil, and cooking chocolate. Unexpected, very unexpected. The palate is a little thin, but there’s tons of orange, tea leaves, chocolate biscuits and lots and lots of oak spice - more clove like flavours. This is probably the best Nantou we’ve tried, atypical but quite tasty. A little too warming on the finish but we’re fans.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Pricey for a 6yo but in line with other releases from this distillery.
149.19 - Ardnamurchan Distillery
Name: Out With The Gherkin, In With The Brine
Flavour Profile: Peated
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.7%
Age: 9
Price: £84.00
The nose has cured ham, mustard, salted pretzels, antiseptic spray, sandy beaches and barley sugars. It’s fairly vegetal, earthy, but also has a good balance on the nose. The palate has lots of upfront salt.. it’s ready salted crisps, earthen pottery, black pepper spice and something a little horsey. The peat is more prominent on the palate, and there’s more of an alcohol bite coming through. An earthy, vegetal Ardnamurchan in a solid bourbon cask - if you like those flavours and aromas then you’ll like this.
Score: 7/10
Value: In line with single casks from this distillery.
G15.40 - Loch Lomond (Rhosdhu) Distillery
Name: Well-Packed Satchel
Flavour Profile: Spicy & Sweet
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.7%
Age: 10
Price: £50.00
The nose has jersey royal potatoes, caster sugar, coconut flakes, lemon peel and perhaps some baked Camembert with berry chutney. It’s a tight nose, a little musty, a little sweet, maybe some artificial bananas coming through too. The palate has more upfront sweetness, banana yoghurt, acidic, grapefruit, it’s quite bitter. It eases off on the finish, but we got taken by surprise. The nose gave us hope but the palate dashed it.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Good price, pity about the whisky...
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