We're back with the Scotch Malt Whisky Societies May 2026 outturn review. This month features 23 new bottlings, and it's festival season! The new outturn features the largest creators collection yet, The Five Regions, celebrating whisky from the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, Campbeltown and Islay.
We think we tried all of this months releases, but if there are any mid month surprises we'll attempt to review those as we get further into February. 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...
1.304 - Glenfarclas Distillery
Name: Sanlúcar sunset
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-PX hogshead
ABV: 57.4%
Age: 13
Price: £100.00
The nose opens with Irn Bru, candied ginger, cherry syrup, raisins, and toffee apples. We’re also finding butterscotch and Tizer. The palate has a fizzy texture, decent viscosity, but it’s very sweet, lots of brown sugar, gingerbread, toffee pops, and some chocolate. It’s very American oak in style, very sweet, the bourbon flavours are almost more prominent than the sherry. It’s tasty, but a bit simple.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: We appreciate its Glenfarclas, but even so the price feels rough.
3.364 - Bowmore Distillery
Name: Smoked lavender
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 56.0%
Age: 21
Price: £230.00
The nose opens with TCP, fudge, caramel, seaweed, a hint of salt and mild pepper notes, alongside some gingerbread and vanilla extract. It’s more caramel-forward than we’d expect, with a light smoke in the background. The palate is a bit zingier, fresher berries, lots of lemon juice, soy sauce, lots of ginger, red currants, and possibly the thinnest mouthfeel we’ve had this outturn. It’s like watered down smoky raspberry juice, massively disappointing, and a heavy black pepper finish that’s burning our chest.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: The price of whisky is coming down across the board making this feel too expensive.
3.365 - Bowmore Distillery
Name: Sweet seduction
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 55.2%
Age: 21
Price: £230.00
The nose opens with smoked mackerel, red currants, strawberry laces, thyme, and lemon balm. We’re also finding more of a peppery alcohol spice than the previous bowmore. There’s a good amount of caramel coming through too but it feels a bit one dimensional. The palate has a decent texture upfront, but then thins out into nothingness. There’s a bitter, slightly burnt forest floor taste, mixed with salted crackers and sugar syrup. We’re really disappointed, we love Bowmore, especially well aged Bowmore, but this is a travesty.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: For comparison Thompson Brothers last released at 21yo Bowmore for £160.
8.54 - Tamdhu Distillery
Name: Mentholated Mechanic
Flavour Profile: Spicy & Sweet
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Ex-Bourbon barrel
ABV: 59.5%
Age: 9
Price: £55.00
The nose has lots of orchard fruits, lots of apple and pear, maybe even a bit of apricot, moving into simple sugars. It’s very clean, fruity, sweet, some white chocolate nice, perhaps a bit of orange too. The palate has flat lemonade, thin sugar syrup, Milky Way bars, a little tonic water, and some menthol notes on the finish. It feels thin, but also weirdly drinkable, it’s like we’re drinking 48% whisky.
Score: 6/10
Value: One of the more reasonably priced bottles in the outturn.
8.56 - Tamdhu Distillery
Name: Eau d'archive
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso butt
ABV: 58.9%
Age: 10
Price: £72.00
The nose opens with some chocolate coins, tomato ketchup, salted venison, black cherry and a bit of rancio. It’s fairly sherry forward, but also quite well integrated.. it feels like full maturation (which we believe it is). It’s a more savoury sherry, and this carries through to the palate with salted caramel, crystallised ginger, dark chocolate and a finish that falls away too quickly. There’s also some beef bovril that lingers on. It’s consistently decent but not overly interesting.
Score: 6/10
Value: The fact that this is full maturation makes the price easier to swallow.
28.118 - Tullibardine Distillery
Name: A belter for America
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso butt
ABV: 61.0%
Age: 10
Price: £39.00 (35cl)
The nose opens with sweet red berries, sawdust, mild vanilla, cherry jam, and light caramel aromas. It’s fairly pleasant, although not particularly exciting. It’s got a good balance of alcohol though, very easy to nose. The palate has a decent texture and some upfront underripe berries, more cherry, more vanilla, it’s basically the same as the nose notes. The alcohol is also fairly well integrated. There’s a bit of astringency on the finish but overall it’s a pleasant, drinkable dram. Better than a lot of other Tullibardine's we’ve had from the society.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: This feels a touch more than we'd want to pay for a 35cl bottle.
29.306 - Laphroaig Distillery
Name: Smoked black pudding
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 53.2%
Age: 27
Price: £499.00
The nose opens with a lot of menthol, think polo mints, vapour rub, and really light peat smoke - the age definitely shows. There’s also iodine mixed into plenty of sweet and sour red fruits, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, all with a bit of dirty earth behind them. The palate has a decent mouthfeel, there’s a sugar syrup texture here, and much more of those ripe red fruits coming through, following into vegetation, more iodine, medical gloves and a bit of bitter chocolate on the finish. It feels like the sherry has perhaps overwhelmed the Laphroaig spirit, but it’s a solid whisky no doubt.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Nice to see older 29s come down in price. It's just a shame they're still too high.
30.129 - Glenrothes Distillery
Name: Party on, pasty dudes!
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill American oak ex-PX hogshead
ABV: 60.8%
Age: 9
Price: £58.00
The nose opens with blackcurrant cordial.. and not too much else - it’s very tight and isn’t giving away too much. There’s some tablet, sugar paper, honeycomb and lavender. The palate has a nice texture, lavender syrup, milk chocolate, cherry jam, and spiced raspberries, lots of ginger lingering on the finish. It’s a very “purple” dram to us, all of those flowers and fruits. It’s a decent dram, some interesting flavours, but you have to work for them.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Not a bad price considering the distillery and cask finish.
30.130 - Glenrothes Distillery
Name: Mellow fellow
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill American oak ex-PX hogshead
ABV: 60.6%
Age: 9
Price: £58.00
The nose opens with a little blueberry, fizzy raspberry, it’s very sherbety, but then with rougher spirit notes behind. It’s quite citrus forward, lots of lime and even a bit of kiwi… some green apple too. The palate has some apple, brown sugars, milky chocolate and a bit of berry sweetness in the background. It’s better than the other Glenrothes, however it still feels like an underachiever.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Like this months other 30, this is not a bad price considering the distillery and cask finish.
39.311 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: Scoop, Dunk, Wrap
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.6%
Age: 13
Price: £75.00
The nose is grassy, light caramel aromas, pine needles, lime zest, and green apple skin. We’re also getting pencil shavings, .. and not much else. The palate has a thin texture, with simple apples, peaches, some caster sugar and vegetation. It’s .. totally fine, but one we won’t remember trying tomorrow.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a bad price for a Linkwood of this age.
50.121 - Bladnoch Distillery
Name: Buen provecho
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 58.5%
Age: 7
Price: £58.00
The nose opens with brown sugar, toffee, treacle, plums, .. it’s very very sherry forward, but also in good balance. The palate has a bit of upfront spice, but moves into Coca Cola, cinnamon, vanilla icing and o overall it maintains a nice, sugary texture. It’s actually really solid, it’s all sherry, no Lowland character in sight, but it’s very tasty. You should probably buy this.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Cheaper than the distilleries own comparable releases.
53.521 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Smoky umami heaven
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 59.1%
Age: 12
Price: £94.00
The nose opens with a real lactic, yoghurty, almost Bruichladdich like character. Pickled onions, chives, cheesy, truffle pecorino, not classic Caol Ila in the slightest. There is a decent amount of smoke here too. The palate has mushroom soup, buttermilk, honeycomb, burnt leaves and chive oil notes, it’s quite savoury, veering into meaty territory. It’s also very peppery, a little too peppery for us. There’s a nice sweetness lingering on the finish. It’s got some really interesting flavours and it’s definitely a dram to explore.
Score: 7/10
Value: More expensive than other comparable Caol Ila releases from the SMWS.
60.55 - Aberfeldy Distillery
Name: A Number From Down Under
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd Fill HTMC barrel
ABV: 59.4%
Age: 11
Price: £70.00
The nose opens with confectionery, candy, toffee, vanilla, quite a lot of bourbon influence, brown sugar, it’s simple yet quite approachable. The nose has a nice texture to it. There’s also some red apple skin on the nose too. The palate has a nice viscous texture, lots and lots of freshly cut apple segments, dark brown sugar, even a bit of dark chocolate. It’s got a chili heat warmth, but it’s not too bad. A good bourbon cask, lots of sweetness, some fruit.. one to throw the cork away and enjoy.
Score: 7/10
Value: Given the cask finish it's not a bad price.
66.260 - Ardmore Distillery
Name: Post-bonfire bath bomb
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd fill 300L cabernet sauvignon barrique
ABV: 51.3%
Age: 27
Price: £199.00
The nose opens with a gentle vegetal peat, pear skin, soft vanilla, margarine, with some singed wood and quite a thick nose. The palate has a mixture of fresh fruits, grape Schloer, lemon juice, pepper, and a soft vegetal, slightly vanilla scented peat smoke. The name of this dram is "gentle" for us, not overpowering in one way or another, well balanced flavours and alcohol, with nice lingering fruitiness on the finish.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Nice to see older whisky at a more affordable price point.
78.98 - Ben Nevis Distillery
Name: The wooden mountain of dubious disguise
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st Fill HTMC hogshead
ABV: 57.6%
Age: 13
Price: £80.00
The nose has a bit of a gingerbread and sawdust profile, a little Irn-Bru, satsumas, lemon balm and orange peel. The palate has a decent texture, vanilla fondant, orange popsicles, carrot cake, ginger spice, and.. more orange on the good length finish. It’s like Sunny D if it had a shot of alcohol dropped in it. Not overly Ben Nevis, but a solid dram. We’re between a 6.5 and a 7, it’s quite a single profile but it does it well.
Score: 7/10
Value: The price is in line with other IBs.
93.230 - Glen Scotia Distillery
Name: Caribbean dreams in Campbeltown
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Campbeltown
Cask Type: 1st Fill Bourbon hogshead
ABV: 57.5%
Age: 14
Price: £92.00
The nose opens with Aberdeenshire butteries, sea spray, dunnage funk, vanilla sponge, lemon peel and a little chlorine. The palate has a good amount of apple sweetness, vanilla drizzle, sugar syrup, salted caramel, fizzy lemon and a bit of peppery spice on the finish. The finish does linger for a good while, with some grated ginger spice lingering on. We’d like to spend longer with this, but it’s a solid Glen Scotia. 7.25 out of 10, but our scale doesn’t allow that so we’ll go with 7/10.
Score: 7/10
Value: The price is comparable with what the distillery would charge for it.
113.83 - Braeval (Braes of Glenlivet) Distillery
Name: Olive oil cake with honey syrup
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon barrel
ABV: 56.7%
Age: 15
Price: £85.00
The nose has lots of orchard fruits mixed with simple sugar syrup, barley water, digestive biscuits, runny honey, and light citrus. The palate has a decent texture, more orchard fruits, mainly pear now, like pear brandy, lemon water, a soft and gentle finish with some peach lingering on. It’s a well integrated, well balanced dram, almost too drinkable.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice.
122.90 - Loch Lomond (Croftengea) Distillery
Name: Kippers gripped in a lobster’s nippers
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd Fill Ex-Bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.5%
Age: 8
Price: £52.00
The nose is fairly tight upfront, but there’s a hint of fishiness, crab, seaweed, vanilla, wet pebbles, and more of a metallic aroma mixed into the medium peat. It’s a little reminiscent of Caol Ila. The palate has a nice, viscous texture, with lots of candied apples, ginger juice, sour limes, and some shisho leaf. There’s a spice that sits on your tongue, black pepper in nature, but overall there’s a lot of flavour to combat the spice. There’s some menthol appearing on the finish, and overall it feels older than 8 years - a little more refined.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good price for a hit of peat.
149.24 - Ardnamurchan Distillery
Name: A farmer in hospital by the sea
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 63.8%
Age: 10
Price: £90.00
The nose opens with salted caramel, light smoke, apple jam, peach puree, and a florality behind this. It’s got lots of citrus, limoncello, and a light lactic note too. There’s also some wet pebbles and the pick and mix aromas from the cinema. The palate has a good mouthfeel with a nice ashy peat at the end, with some fresh apple and pear, seaweed, a tang of orange and some clove spice. It’s a pretty decent Ardnamurchan, we’re not rushing to buy a bottle but it’s a solid whisky.
Score: 7/10
Value: Pretty much the standard price for cask strength Ardnamurchan.
156.7 - Glasgow Distillery Distillery
Name: No mean confection
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.2%
Age: 10
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with tangerines, apricots, icing sugar, light honey, and slightly herbal aromas, but overall it feels a little flat, soft perhaps. The palate has citrus, simple syrup, lemon water, woodworking shop, vanilla bon bons and a bit of cracked black pepper spice. There's a bit of artificial strawberry that peeks in towards the finish. It’s hotter on the palate than the nose. It’s perfectly drinkable, but nothing is really standing out for us.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: This definitely feels too expensive.
156.9 - Glasgow Distillery Distillery
Name: Breakfast in Seville
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 61.0%
Age: 10
Price: £80.00
The nose opens with light brown sugar, orange segments, buttercream biscuits, barley water and something a little confected in the background. The alcohol is here, but muted against the spirit. The palate has a nice texture, with more orange zest, digestive biscuits, chalk and a gingery spice that overtakes the finish. The finish does fizzle out quite quickly. Fairly inoffensive, but nothing to write home about.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Like this months other 156 this feel too expensive.
G7.22 - Girvan Distillery
Name: Run through wheat fields with naughty Teresa
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 59.5%
Age: 12
Price: £52.00
The nose has grain sweetness, varnish, polished wood, raw alcohol, and some farm field aromas. It feels too industrial on the nose, like it's not been aged long enough. The palate has a bit better integration, more toffee, caramel, sweetcorn, brown sugar and vanilla. It’s not been cooked long enough, we think anther 5-8 years or so would really help.
Score: 6/10
Value: Price wise this feels the society's answer to Signatories 100 proof grain releases.
Batch 39 - SMWS Blended Batch
Name: The Five Regions
Flavour Profile: nan
Region: All
Cask Type: bourbon, oloroso, PX & HTMC hogsheads and barrels
ABV: 50.0%
Age: 11
Price: £74.00
This gives us.. infinity bottle vibes. It feels confused, there’s sawdust, apple cores, sandy beaches, bonfire smoke, sour plum, green apple, saltwater and grape must. The palate has more upfront sweetness, but a loss of texture, there’s lots of citrus here, but it moves into dry, oaky, sawn wood flavours, and then finishes on kiwi and mango. No thank you.
Score: 4/10
Value: Difficult to judge the price without knowing what is in this.
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