We're back with the Scotch Malt Whisky Societies August 2026 outturn review. This month features 22 new bottlings, including a few lesser seen distilleries such as Mortlach and Glendullan.
We've heard there may be a few mid month surprises so we'll attempt to review those as we get further into the 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...
4.403 - Highland Park Distillery
Name: An autolytic Orcadian
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 59.6%
Age: 20
Price: £160.00
The nose opens with honeycomb, toffee, a little dried earth, caramel and some raisins as we sit with the dram. It’s got more of a sherried character interestingly, even though it’s only been in bourbon wood. The palate has sponge cake with caramel, runny honey, earthy peat smoke, black peppercorns and a bit of buttercream. There’s a real spice towards the finish of the dram, overpoweringly so. It’s nice, but it’s not quite there for a 20yo Highland Park.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Secret Orkney releases are a good way to get Highland park at a better price.
10.306 - Bunnahabhain Distillery
Name: Mesquite on the foreshore
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 58.1%
Age: 12
Price: £87.00
The nose opens with.. not a lot. Tight, menthol, fish bones, seaweed, saltwater and a subtle hint of kiln smoke. The palate has a nice texture upfront, but more of a sour note, milk bottles, white pepper and chili heat. It’s way too hot, and has thrown us off. There’s some milk bottles, fish oil tablets and cheap vanilla essence. It just feels overly alcoholic and unbalanced to us.
Score: 6/10
Value: The price is in line with what most other indie bottlers would charge for this.
29.313 - Laphroaig Distillery
Name: Jaffa baklava
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: American Oak 2nd Fill PX Barrel
ABV: 58.5%
Age: 10
Price: £95.00
The nose opens with red currants, strawberry jelly, smoked almonds, a little bit of bunt toffee and antiseptic in the background. There’s a fair amount of sherry coming through, copper coins, chocolate coated ginger and burnt pine. The palate has a decent texture, some copper, ginger juice, black pepper, smoked caramel and antiseptic. There’s a fair amount of warm spice on the finish, a mixture of black and pink peppercorns. It’s a decent Laphroaig but the sherry is a bit overpowering for us.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Good price for the distillery.
39.331 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: A barrique on a barque
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Madeira Barrique
ABV: 60.5%
Age: 11
Price: £65.00
The nose opens with pencil shavings, meaty jus, cherries in syrup, and brandy snaps. There’s definitely a bit of a funk here, slightly mouldy strawberries and raspberries. The palate has a good texture, some clove and cinnamon spice, pickled strawberries, basil leaf, and freshly grated ginger. There’s a bit of meatiness here, cured pork, and some black pepper crust. It’s just too hot and too funky.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Good price given the distillery, age and cask type.
41.191 - Dailuaine Distillery
Name: Zingy stardust
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon + 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogsheads
ABV: 57.2%
Age: 13
Price: £65.00
The nose opens with strawberry sour patch kids, red kola, icing sugar, cherries in syrup, and a handful of chocolate coated raisins. The sherry cask has definitely taken over the bourbon casks in the mix. The palate has a bit of a thin texture, with more cherry and raisins, strawberries in whipped cream, a bit of black pepper and a bit of menthol too. It’s a little over sherried and a little peppery, not bad but just unbalanced.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: A good value bottling of Dailuaine from the society.
44.200 - Craigellachie Distillery
Name: Masala dabba
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
ABV: 58.4%
Age: 10
Price: £65.00
The nose opens with cumin and cardamom, freshly ground chilis, malt loaf and a little foost.. it’s definitely got some of those meatier Craigellachie notes punching through the bourbon cask. The palate has a decent mouthfeel, more citrus, lemons, but kicks in with smoked bacon frazzles and pink peppercorn spice. It lingers with some brown bread and fryer oil. Technically this is a 7, if you like this meatier, savoury style.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good price for the distillery.
48.188 - Balmenach Distillery
Name: Knickerbocker glory story
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 56.9%
Age: 8
Price: £52.00
The nose opens with peaches, brown butter, white chocolate chips, vanilla bean and freshly cut apple. It’s very sweet, fruity, with a bit of rich oak in the background. The palate has a big hit of peach, lemon juice, brown sugar, more milk chocolate and some fizzy apple candy. There’s a bit of black pepper spice that creeps up towards the finish but there’s also a lovely creamy vanilla ice cream flavour that lingers on the finish. A really solid young bourbon cask, you wouldn’t go wrong picking up a bottle of this.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good to see the society offering more whisky near the £50 mark.
50.124 - Bladnoch Distillery
Name: Vitality and maturity
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 59.4%
Age: 7
Price: £55.00
The nose opens with flint, sawn wood, chopped strawberries, red kola and a bit of rancio. There’s also a herbal tinge here, it’s like a mixture of basil and thyme, maybe a bit of cheap olive oil too. The palate had a decent texture, some sweet raspberries, but also a lot of beefy notes, Bovril, coffee revels, chocolate coated macadamia nuts and chili heat on the finish. It’s a lot of sherry, and not particularly enjoyable sherry for us.
Score: 6/10
Value: We speak to members who like seeing bottles closer to the £50 mark, and they will no doubt be happy to see this.
53.532 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: What's not to like?
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 58.8%
Age: 11
Price: £82.00
The nose opens with newspaper clippings, barley sugars, quite punchy peat, but it’s really challenging to get into.. it’s really restrained. There’s seashell and mild iodine but we’re grasping at straws. The palate has more of a coastal character, salt water, sweet vanilla, seaweed and chili spice. It’s a fine bourbon cask Caol Ila, too tight on the nose but the palate is solid.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: We'd have liked to have seen this a little cheaper, but Islay whisky carries a premium.
58.65 - Strathisla Distillery
Name: A roly-poly in the hay loft
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Oloroso Hogshead
ABV: 57.0%
Age: 14
Price: £82.00
The nose opens with a little bit of ginger, Irn bru, toasted oak, macadamia nuts and light strawberry aromas that make themselves known if you keep your nose in the glass. It’s not the most expressive nose though. The palate has more fruit, strawberries, raspberries and maybe even some plums, mixed with hot caramel and lots of ginger spice. It’s a bit warm, not the best sherry maturation of the outturn, it’s giving a little heartburn as it goes down.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a distillery we see often, and not a bad price.
59.108 - Teaninich Distillery
Name: Veritably vivacious
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Highland
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon & 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon + 1st Fill Ex-Oloroso Hogsheads
ABV: 57.4%
Age: 14
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with toffee pops, fudge and milk chocolate. There’s a bit of cinnamon too, maybe a clove in the mix. Dark chocolate and toasted coconut follow. It’s more on the bourbon cask side for us. The palate has a decent mouthfeel, cola bottles, lightly roasted coffee, lime zest, ginger powder and grapefruit bitterness as the finish develops. For us the nose is better than the palate, the palate lets this down a bit.
Score: 6/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice.
64.177 - Mannochmore Distillery
Name: Taste of Summer
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 48.0%
Age: 9
Price: £48.00
The nose opens with fuzzy peach, fresh apple, a little air freshener, mild vanilla and some digestive biscuits. There’s also a little caramel and foam banana. The palate has a soft arrival, more foam banana, light caramel and vanilla. It’s pleasant, although there’s a bit of bitter grapefruit on the finish. It’s not too bad at the 48%, but it’s definitely lost a bit of oomph, this at 52-54% could be great.
Score: 6/10
Value: We appreciate that's it's less than £50 we just wish it was a higher ABV.
68.141 - Blair Athol Distillery
Name: The cooper and the croze
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Toasted Oak Barrique
ABV: 54.3%
Age: 14
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with candied ginger, sweet oak, salted caramel, sawn wood, and barley sugars. It’s fairly woody on the nose, a little bit overpowering in that sense. The palate has big red chewing gum, dark chocolate, coffee gelato and some honey roasted peanuts. It’s quite an interesting dram, the nose is a bit flat, overoaked, but the palate has more character. This is one that we’re a bit torn on but we’ll settle on a 6.5/10.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Given the distillery, cask and age we won't complain about the price.
73.176 - Aultmore Distillery
Name: Nonchalant nibbles
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 55.7%
Age: 14
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with warm butter, dusty cupboards, vanilla slices and a little fudge. It’s fairly tight, quite hard to get much out of. The palate has vanilla bon bons, lemon juice, sponge cake, custard, gingerbread and orangade. It’s a little spicy, more of a chili heat, and overall quite simple and one note. There’s much better bourbon casks this month.
Score: 6/10
Value: If you shop around you'll definitely be able to get an equivalent bottle a little cheaper.
76.166 - Mortlach Distillery
Name: Anyone for cricket?
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 50.9%
Age: 20
Price: £170.00
The nose opens with caramel, flint, limoncello, strawberry angel delight and some brown sugar. It’s got a little malt/biscuitiness appearing too. The palate has lemonade, smores, creme brulee, and lots of ripe banana. The mouthfeel is decent, there’s some oiliness here. The finish is a good length. It doesn’t scream Mortlach, but it’s still a solid dram.
Score: 7/10
Value: Not cheap, but not a terrible price for indie cask strength Mortlach.
78.101 - Ben Nevis Distillery
Name: Apples dumped on hay bales
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 61.1%
Age: 8
Price: £58.00
The nose opens with custard buns, apple pie, candy floss and some good quality Chardonnay vinegar. There not too much of a Ben Nevis funk but there’s definitely a bit of weight behind this. There’s also some floral fabric softener that appears when you leave your nose in the glass. The palate has a nice oily texture, cooking apples, cinnamon, lemon juice, crumble topping, brown sugar, it’s quite dessert like in a good way. A little spicy on the finish, but really quite enjoyable.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good price for 8yo Ben Nevis.
84.39 - Glendullan Distillery
Name: Symphony in yellow
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: Refill Ex-Bourbon Hogshead
ABV: 57.9%
Age: 17
Price: £115.00
The nose opens with a real meaty funk, slightly off cured meats, alongside grapefruit segments and even some spent coffee grounds. Quite a wild nose for a refill bourbon hoggie. The palate has the same meaty notes, cured unsmoked bacon, more coffee, brown sauce and a bit of peach in the background. There’s also some vanilla and lemon bon bons but it’s much more on the meaty, savoury side. It’s a bit unbalanced, flat in places, foosty in others, spicy in others.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Not a bad price for a distillery you don't often see.
100.54 - Strathmill Distillery
Name: Breakfast Aftershave
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon & 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon + 1st Fill Ex-PX Hogsheads
ABV: 56.7%
Age: 15
Price: £92.00
The nose opens with cold brandy butter, caramel, singed orange peel, digestive biscuits, caster sugar and a little pear flesh. It’s pleasant to nose, but it doesn’t jump out of the glass. The palate has a nice texture, thick and viscous, lots of caramel, chocolate and some raisins too. The sherry comes out a lot more on the palate, raspberry ripple ice cream, Campari and warming clove spice. Pretty solid whisky, a little warm on the finish but the bourbon mixed with the PX has worked well.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: The price is in line with what most other indie bottlers would charge for this.
121.126 - Isle of Arran Distillery
Name: Midnight Desires
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Sherry Hogshead
ABV: 60.7%
Age: 9
Price: £60.00
The nose opens with cherry jam, polo mints, cinnamon, dark chocolate and some strawberry laces. Saying that, it’s not overly confected, fairly rich, more caramel and sugar. There’s also some thyme and wood char coming though. The palate has a nice, oily texture, a little meatiness, honey roasted pork, sweet cherries in syrup, dark chocolate and ginger snap biscuits. It’s a little drying and sour towards the finish, singed orange peel and menthol cherry. Not our favourite society Arran.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Good price for a cask strength release from the distillery.
149.23 - Ardnamurchan Distillery
Name: Beware the Lurkin Gherkin
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon Barrel
ABV: 64.3%
Age: 10
Price: £88.00
The nose opens with sea salt, olive oil, mackerel fillets, caramel, honey butter and sweet vanilla custard. It’s an absolute pleasure to nose. It’s got a real expressive, viscous and oily nose. The palate has more salted caramel, more olive brine, a little black pepper, menthol, and some seaweed. There’s an underlying peat, it’s a little earthy, salty, coastal, but overall this is a wonderful dram and a great example of 10 year old Ardnamurchan.
Score: 8/10
Value: Pretty much the standard price for a single cask release of Ardnamurchan.
164.3 - Penderyn Distillery
Name: Strawberry Sweetshop Implosion
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Wales
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-STR Barrique
ABV: 59.8%
Age: 7
Price: £62.00
The nose opens with icing sugar, dust, lemon, iced gems and some vanilla fondant. There’s also some super sweet coconut yoghurt. It’s fairly one dimensional, confectionary led. The palate has pear drops, cream soda, Mr. Whippy ice cream and.. well just more pear. It’s very pear-forward, but it’s pretty solid. There’s a little too much spice on the finish for us.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Good price for a single cask Penderyn.
Batch 42 - SMWS Blended Batch
Name: Highland Peaty Potion
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: Ex-Bourbon & Oloroso & PX Barrels & Butts
ABV: 50.0%
Age: 10
Price: £58.00
The nose opens with some red apple skin, blood orange, wet leaves, watered down squash, lemon and a little peach too. It feels really weak, flat, watery apple juice with a bit of wet cardboard here. The palate has more expressiveness, more of that apple, fudge, a little strawberry, and very little peat until the finish, it gives more of a dirty water and ginger note. There’s a bit of tizer too. It’s drinkable but we’re a bit disappointed.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Not a bad price for those looking for a hit of peat.
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