We’re back with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s October 2025 outturn, and it’s a big one: 31 new whiskies. The headline news is the launch of a refreshed set of flavour profiles, with the former twelve categories distilled (excuse the pun) into eight new concise profiles:
- Red - Dried Fruit & Spices
- Purple - Ripe Fruits & Honey
- Pink - Fragrant & Floral
- Orange - Sweet & Zesty
- Sand - Toasted Oak & Vanilla
- Light Green - Smoky & Fruity
- Dark Green - Bold & Peaty
- Blue - Coastal & Maritime
This outturn also debuts the Creators Collection: Peat Plants 2, a quartet of older peated drams from Bowmore, Laphroaig, Ledaig and Caol Ila. Rounding things out is a Halloween-themed release of four bottlings, drawn from a mix of distilleries and cask types, all aged between 11 and 13 years.
All the bottles from the outturn were available at the preview, but some 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...
1.296 - Glenfarclas Distillery
Name: Mistletoe and Whisky
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 58.7%
Age: 13
Price: £98.00
The nose opens with lime juice, a little milky chocolate, and a little coffee too. It’s got a rich, dark treacle note - not overly Glenfarclas in style but pleasant enough. The palate has a good texture, red berries, black cherries, cocoa nibs, and ginger. It’s quite good actually, good integration, good level of alcohol, tasty whisky.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Disappointingly this is a few pounds more expensive than last month's release.
1.299 - Glenfarclas Distillery
Name: Jazz Porridge
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 60.1%
Age: 11
Price: £79.00
The nose has white chocolate, malt loaf, porridge oats, fresh milk and bread dough. With a swirl in the glass we’re getting some orchard fruits, but it feels drier and biscuiter than expected. The palate has a good texture, sweet orchard fruits, orange zest, and bitter oak towards the finish. There’s some chocolate buttons but it’s fruiter than the nose let on. It’s fine but we’re not going to remember it tomorrow
Score: 6/10
Value: Still not cheap, but better value than this month's other Glenfarclas.
3.360 - Bowmore Distillery
Name: Tarred and Heathered
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-PX barrique
ABV: 54.8%
Age: 21
Price: £225.00
The nose has tarry ropes, soft burnt sponge cake, menthol cigarettes, warehouse must and some raisins. It feels a bit disjointed, the PX has layered ontop of the older Bowmore spirit and suffocated it somewhat - there’s still a soft smoke here but it’s fighting with a slightly sour, dried fruit profile. The palate has a nice texture, and lots of upfront cherries, raisins, toffee and menthol. It’s not the Bowmore we wanted, but it’s drinkable.
Score: 6/10
Value: Priced competitively against other indie bottlers releases.
8.50 - Tamdhu Distillery
Name: This Cow Enjoys Swimming
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-PX Butt
ABV: 61.7%
Age: 8
Price: £65.00
Sulphur, funk, a little foostiness, it's challenging for us. There’s some baking spice and roasted meats, and a bit of egginess too. The palate has a very similar profile, lots of cured meats, sulphur, red currants, black liquorice, and burnt nuts. This sherry cask has gone wrong for us personally, really not enjoyable.
Score: 5/10
Value: The price of these Tamdhus are starting to creep up.
9.304 - Glen Grant Distillery
Name: Citric Synthesis
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 57.0%
Age: 17
Price: £93.00
The nose is really tight, with a little ginger cake, a little wood polish, but we’re nowhere near 17yo on this - it noses like a 10 year old. There’s also butter biscuits and light apple flesh notes. The palate has decent texture, with brown bread, a little toffee, and lots of candied ginger. This would have been spicy and dry back in the old days. Disappointing for a distillery we love.
Score: 6/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice, but it's not a bad price given the age.
11.67 - Tomatin Distillery
Name: Intense Sherry - Be Warned!
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 61.0%
Age: 9
Price: £65.00
The nose has a bit of a funk, stripped wood, sour nuts, cured meat, copper piping, tree sap, raw ginger and a tiny hint of brown sugar. There’s a real spiritous note in the background here too. The palate has lots of ginger cake, chocolate buttons, flamed orange, copper coins, sour plums.. it’s a bit off for us but we can see the quality spirit so some may enjoy it more.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: £10 more expensive than last month's release.
16.98 - Glenturret Distillery
Name: Meaty Wallop
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: Refill toasted butt
ABV: 57.0%
Age: 12
Price: £74.00
The nose opens with popcorn, something a bit buttery, alongside brown sauce, mackerel, liquid smoke and sweet earth. The palate has more of a savoury kick, some cured meats, more brown sauce, a dollop of ketchup, salted caramel and treacle. More sherry on the palate, but it works quite well. Pretty good actually, the sherry has integrated well.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Not a terrible price for a hit of peat.
18.79 - Inchgower Distillery
Name: Fairytales of New York
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 56.4%
Age: 17
Price: £92.50
The nose has a bit of funky, meaty, slightly chocolatey sherry thing going on. There’s warm roasted nuts, sour cherry jam and some chocolate here too. The palate continues that trend, cured meats meet melted chocolate, roasted nuts and a little pepper in the background. It’s quite sherry forward but not too sweet, a decent dram but pretty one dimensional.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a bad price given the age, distillery and cask type.
28.107 - Tullibardine Distillery
Name: Fresh from the Lathe
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill American oak STR barrique with new toasted heads
ABV: 57.8%
Age: 12
Price: £75.00
The nose has copper coins, orange marmalade, red kola, sawdust and something a bit like new make. It’s quite funky on the nose - a little rough. The palate has more metallic notes, dark chocolate, ginger spice and black pepper. It’s really spicy, really unbalanced, a bit of a disappointment.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice,
29.297 - Laphroaig Distillery
Name: Beachside Smokehouse
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 59.0%
Age: 26
Price: £455.00
The nose has stripped metal, wood chips, burnt newspaper, lemon balm, tobacco, chocolate buttons and dried earth. The palate has a nice upfront lemon acidity balanced with some wood sugars, marshmallow, light medicinal peat smoke and a bit of peppery spice on the finish. It’s pleasant, not particularly interesting but a dram we’d drink it if given.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Given the fall in prices of older whisky, we were hoping that this would be cheaper.
29.300 - Laphroaig Distillery
Name: Spirit of Halloween
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-American oak PX hogshead
ABV: 57.5%
Age: 11
Price: £89.00
The nose has iodine, seaweed, burnt toast, wet pebbles, singed newspaper and fresh vanilla pods. Very stereotypical bourbon cask Laphroaig.. not too much sherry influence coming through. The palate has charred oak, salty sea water, and the PX starts to appear with some dried fruits, raisins, sultanas and prunes. The palate feels a bit more disjointed than the nose, but it’s still quite tasty.
Score: 7/10
Value: Good price for the distillery.
39.296 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: Fruit Shop, Flower Shop, Confectioner's
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 51.5%
Age: 16
Price: £88.00
The nose is light, almost feels thin, but we’re getting some fresh cut grass, lime, buttercream, and some peach rings as well. We’re also finding some runny honey. The palate has a decent texture, but falls away quickly. There’s more bourbon cask flavours of caramel, fudge and toffee, strawberry boiled sweets and simple vanillas too. It’s forgettable - thin and disappointing.
Score: 6/10
Value: Priced competitively against other indie bottlers releases.
39.318 - Linkwood Distillery
Name: Sing Thy Name!
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 60.4%
Age: 13
Price: £73.50
The nose opens with shortbread dusted with caster sugar, butter biscuits, oak chips and confectioners sugar. The palate has more of a personality, brown sugar, chocolate buttons, a little lime leaf and malt biscuits. Another forgettable bourbon cask that isnt doing it for us.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a bad price when compared with other indie releases of Linkwood.
41.185 - Dailuaine Distillery
Name: Dancing Dirty
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 57.1%
Age: 12
Price: £65.00
The nose opens with fondant icing, butterscotch, melon liqueur, toffee apples, a little powdered sugar and lemon sherbet. There’s a kick of alcohol behind this, nipping at your nose hairs. The palate has a nice texture and comes through with lots of caramels, toffees, chocolates and a bit of black pepper. There’s a sour apple note on the back palate, and a little lemon custard peers through. It’s tasty but too spicy, if we had more time we’d explore a watered down version.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a bad price given the age, distillery and cask type.
42.88 - Tobermory (Ledaig) Distillery
Name: Ocean Blossom
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Highland
Cask Type: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 57.0%
Age: 19
Price: £135.00
The nose has salty fish, sour lemons, dry earth, distilled vinegar, crusty bread, white sugar, salmon skin and olive oil. It’s quite coastal, maritime, with a light peat in the background. The palate has a nice arrival, salty sea water, sponge cake, more lemon, seaweed, hessian cloth and butterscotch. It’s a pretty good Ledaig, it’s got a bit of spice but is integrated, balanced and damn tasty.
Score: 8/10
Value: On the expensive side all things considered, but we can't deny the quality of the liquid.
46.157 - Glenlossie Distillery
Name: On A Beach Boardwalk
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 53.2%
Age: 14
Price: £80.00
The nose has buttery pastries, whipped cream, a hint of raspberry jam, almond marzipan, and a handful of hazelnuts. Really quite pleasant on the nose, well balanced. The palate has a nice texture, creamy custard, a little biscuity but there’s also some red currants, a little toffee, and caramel. It’s well balanced, integrated and overall a really good sherry finish.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Not a bad price considering the cask finish.
48.179 - Balmenach Distillery
Name: Nineties Birthday Party
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill HTMC hogshead
ABV: 51.4%
Age: 16
Price: £89.00
The nose feels watery and thin, we’re struggling to get much. There’s a bit of fudge and red kola, fizzy gummy sweets and candied nuts.. as well as a squeeze of ketchup. The palate has a disappointing mouthfeel but does have a nice mixture of sour cherry, sweet strawberry confectionery and a bit of peach too. It’s a very drinkable dram, one not to think about too much.
Score: 7/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice.
53.504 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Maritime Drift
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 52.8%
Age: 31
Price: £395.00
The nose is soft and gentle, sweet smoke, menthol, lots of coastal aromas, soft apple flesh, peach skin, and bonfire embers. Very gentle, very integrated, well balanced, a pleasure to nose. The palate has soft vanillas, custard creams, fish bones, lemon wax, warehouse must and a gentle earthy peat in the background. It’s a good dram, slightly more astringent on the palate but a well aged Islay malt.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Expensive, but good to see the prices of older whisky start to come down.
53.508 - Caol Ila Distillery
Name: Astral Projection
Flavour Profile: Bold & Peaty
Region: Islay
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-port Barrique
ABV: 56.7%
Age: 14
Price: £99.00
The nose has chippy brown sauce, malt vinegar, dried earth, seaweed, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, iodine, kerosene and a bit of wet earth. The palate has sweet and sour sauce, ketchup, smoked fish, dried anchovies, bitter chocolate and grape must. It’s a bit sour and salty.. not in a bad way but in a bit of a disjointed feeling. Some might like this more than us, but it’s decent whisky.
Score: 6/10
Value: We might sound like a broken record at this point, but it's a few pounds more expensive than the last comparable release.
59.105 - Teaninich Distillery
Name: Flower Displays
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 52.9%
Age: 12
Price: £64.00
The nose is tight, with pencil shavings, digestive biscuits, old carpentry workshops, sawdust and maybe a hint of wood resin. The palate has more of a chocolate and raisin sort of flavour, but it’s still quite woody, although there’s more brown sugar sweetness here. Just feels a bit unbalanced and forgettable.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: Not a bad price given the age, distillery and cask type.
59.85 - Teaninich Distillery
Name: We'll Take a Cup of Kindness Yet!
Flavour Profile: Toasted Oak & Vanilla
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 56.5%
Age: 13
Price: £73.50
The nose opens with wet cardboard, bread dough, pencil shavings, a little green apple skin and sour plums. There’s a mustiness that sits ontop of the nose that isn’t too pleasant. The palate has a decent texture but falls away quickly, dark chocolate segments, bitter coffee, and gingery spice. It’s too thin as the palate develops, and there’s not too much to redeem it.
Score: 5.5/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice, but we won't complain.
63.120 - Glentauchers Distillery
Name: A Pinch and a Punch
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso STR barrique
ABV: 61.7%
Age: 15
Price: £105.00
The nose opens with a little synthetic red fruit, strawberry laces, raspberry chewits, and some lime zest too. It’s fairly light and fruity, with a little maltiness in the background. The palate has a lot of those red berries upfront, red kola, cherry jam, a mix of synthetic sweet and sourness. Not overly complex but very drinkable, reasonably well balanced.
Score: 7/10
Value: This feels pretty expensive for a 15yo.
64.164 - Mannochmore Distillery
Name: Quince Charming
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 43.8%
Age: 28
Price: £195.00
The nose has a lot of sweet wood, warehouse must, old furniture and whipped butter. There’s also a lot of orchard fruits that feel like they’ve been juiced, light and delicate. The palate has lots of apples, pears and peaches, and is incredibly drinkable, but it’s not one to have after a higher ABV dram. Lots of strawberries and cream too. Very nice old whisky.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Not a bad price given the age of the whisky.
68.132 - Blair Athol Distillery
Name: One Warm, Sunny Autumn Day
Flavour Profile: Ripe Fruits & Honey
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 2nd fill ex-muscat barrique
ABV: 58.2%
Age: 14
Price: £79.00
The nose has Coca Cola, plums, ginger juice, raspberry coulis and buttery pastries. It’s not too bad, although very wine cask forward. The palate has a burst of fruit, lots of berries, blackcurrants, cherries and Vimto - it’s very juicy. It’s not too bad, although it does fall apart on the finish.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: Not a bad price given the interesting cask finish.
72.123 - Miltonduff Distillery
Name: Big Moves and Subtle Details
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: HTMC New oak barrel
ABV: 58.7%
Age: 15
Price: £83.00
The nose has lots of Irn Bru, orange marmalade, grape must, cherry jam, ginger cake and raisins. It’s quite well balanced, good sherry integration and only a bit of spice in the background. The palate has lots of sour cherry, jammy fruits, blackcurrant cordial, and a bit of gingery spice on the back palate. The spice really ramps up on the finish and we’re left with a bit of heartburn. It’s good but it’s a bit warm on the palate.
Score: 6/10
Value: It feels like this should be in sherry for the price.
80.55 - Glen Spey Distillery
Name: Rum and Raisin Espresso Martini
Flavour Profile: Dried Fruits & Spices
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-oloroso hogshead
ABV: 59.6%
Age: 12
Price: £69.50
The nose is a bit tight but we’re finding blackberries, rosemary, shortcrust pastry, and a bit of new make spirit. You have to get deep into the glass but you’re fighting the alcohol. The palate has black pepper, blackcurrants, and bitter chocolate. There’s a sourness here, not unpleasant, but it takes over the palate. It’s quite one note, very blackcurrant, but also very spicy.
Score: 6/10
Value: Not a bad price given the age, distillery and cask type.
121.122 - Arran Distillery
Name: Maple-Smoked Salmon Burnt Ends
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Speyside
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 59.5%
Age: 8
Price: £57.00
The nose has something a little medicinal, hospital bandages, salt water, heather, iodine, seaweed and some burnt toast. There’s a good amount of bourbon cask sweetness also coming through. The palate has a nice mouthfeel, fairly acidic, lots of lemon and lime, lots of gentle smoke, more medicinal notes and whipped cream. A solid peated Arran, a little on the acidic for us but good, interesting whisky.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: Good price for some peated Arran.
128.33 - Penderyn Distillery
Name: Toffees in the Hedgerow
Flavour Profile: Fragrant & Floral
Region: Wales
Cask Type: Ex-tawny port barrique
ABV: 58.9%
Age: 11
Price: £84.00
The nose has a cream soda note, plasticine, vanilla bon bons, a little raw spirit and tizer. It’s got a good alcohol balance and is reasonably expressive. The palate has cherry clafoutis, creamy vanilla, a little toffee, but there’s a bit of industrial spirit character that’s putting us off. It’s quite warm on the palate although we can get past that. It’s a decent Penderyn, interesting but not our favourite - the casks haven’t quite gelled together.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: The price is in line with other single casks releases from the distillery.
135.68 - Loch Lomond (Inchmoan) Distillery
Name: Wisps of Tropical Fruit Smoke
Flavour Profile: Smoky & Fruity
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 57.9%
Age: 10
Price: £64.00
The nose has chlorine and horse manure. An interesting start. There also pickle brine, singed rosemary and something a little metallic. The palate has citric acid, lemon cleaning spray, vanilla buttercream and some sponge cake too. There’s a peat smoke riding through the finish. We’re torn.. this is a marmite dram, but we’re still straddling the middle. We’ll go with 6.5/10, but try it yourself and see.
Score: 6.5/10
Value: A few pounds cheaper would have been nice,
149.16 - Ardnamurchan Distillery
Name: Funk on Tiptoes
Flavour Profile: Coastal & Maritime
Region: Highland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon barrel
ABV: 63.3%
Age: 9
Price: £85.00
The nose opens with sweet and salty popcorn, melted butter, cream biscuits, toasted white bread, and something a bit vegetal - not peated but perhaps just distilled after a peated run. The palate has a nice texture, lots of lemon, salt water, whipped cream, icing sugar and cream soda. It’s a solid Ardnamurchan, the finish is a tad short and it can be overly spicy in places but it’s great whisky.
Score: 7.5/10
Value: The price is in line with other single casks releases from Ardnamurchan.
G17.1 - Starlaw Distillery
Name: Shades of Green
Flavour Profile: Sweet & Zesty
Region: Lowland
Cask Type: 1st fill ex-bourbon hogshead
ABV: 60.9%
Age: 11
Price: £49.50
The nose is light, a little kiwi, light vanillas, fudge, candied orange and a clear grain spirit style in the background. The alcohol isn’t too punchy, but it’s present. There’s also a touch of Irn Bru on the nose. The palate has creamy vanillas, custard cream biscuits, a bit of milk chocolate, ginger and orange, alongside a punch of alcohol and some more of that irn bru. It’s fine, it would benefit from another decade in the cask to really shine.
Score: 6/10
Value: A cheap way to get to try liquid from the distillery.
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