The class winners on the World Whiskies Awards Scotland 2025 have been introduced lately. These category-winning whiskies will go on to compete within the international World Whiskies Awards this March following the completion of different regional competitions in locations such because the USA, France, Eire, Canada, Japan, and Remainder of World. On this characteristic on the latest outcomes, we flip our focus to the Small Batch Single Malt winners from Scotland.
Every whisky stands out for its distinctive character, categorized by age and area, showcasing the variety and depth of scotch whisky. From the mineral smokiness of a Highlands malt to the daring sherry influences of an Islay veteran, these winners clearly made waves on the 2025 World Whiskies Awards.
Glenlaird Calmly Peated 12 Yr Previous
Class: Small Batch Single Malt Scotch
Age: 12 Years & Underneath
Area: Highlands
Tasting Notes: Mild mineral smoke, inexperienced apple, liquorice, butterscotch sweetness, spice
BUY NOW: $70
Glenlaird 12 Yr Previous is produced by Stravaig Spirits, the impartial bottler additionally famed for its Tri Carragh vary. The Glenlaird vary, which additionally features a 10 Yr Previous expression, is a celebration of the Scottish Highlands.
The title ‘Glenlaird’ is a portmanteau of the phrases ‘Glen’ – the Scots Gaelic phrase for ‘valley’ – and ‘Laird’ – the historic title for an proprietor of those huge lands. In keeping with the model web site, “Glenlaird pays homage to those nice landscapes and traditions, showcasing the various vary of flavours that Highland Single Malt Scotch is thought for.”
Distilled at an undisclosed Highland distillery, the Glenlaird 12 Yr Previous is a small batch launch bottled at 48% ABV.
Every batch is chosen by way of blind tasting, guaranteeing that no biases are born from figuring out the origin of the only malt. The batches are additionally solely distinctive. As soon as they’re gone, they’re gone.
Isle of Raasay Dùn Cana — Sherry Quarter Cask Launch: Second Version
Class: Small Batch Single Malt Scotch
Age: No Age Assertion
Area: Islands (Non-Islay)
Tasting Notes: Dried fruit, sultanas, vanilla, toffee, roasted nuts, white pepper, sea salt, wooden smoke
BUY NOW: $95
Dùn Cana Sherry Quarter Cask Launch has grow to be a agency favourite of whisky fanatics for the reason that launch of the primary version, which was named ‘The World’s Finest Single Malt Scotch Whisky 2024’ by Forbes.
The second version whisky is known as after the best level on the Isle of Raasay, the distillery’s Hebridean residence. It’s crafted utilizing Isle of Raasay distillery’s signature distillation regime, which can also be used to provide ‘Na Sia’, the model’s flagship single malt.
Peated and unpeated malt is matured individually in ex-American rye casks earlier than being mixed and completed for six months in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry quarter casks. The usage of smaller quarter casks, which maintain roughly 125 liters, enhances the interplay between the whisky and the wooden, successfully accelerating the maturation course of.
Talking in regards to the whisky on the time of launch, Grasp Distiller Alasdair Day mentioned: “The Dùn Cana Sherry Quarter Cask Launch is a superb addition to our core product providing at Isle of Raasay Distillery, because it permits additional discovery into our model of whisky making while presenting the spirit with a distinctively totally different cask affect than our Signature Single Malt. We have been overwhelmed with the optimistic response final yr, promoting out in file time to our Slàinte Membership and rising international viewers. We sit up for bringing future editions of Dùn Cana to our loyal followers.”
Holyrood Distillery Ambir
Class: Small Batch Single Malt Scotch
Age: No Age Assertion
Area: Lowlands
Tasting Notes: Caramel, creamy fudge, Demerara sugar, Scottish pill, crimson fruits, vanilla, cornflakes, biscuit
BUY NOW: $75
Ambir, from Holyrood Distillery, showcases the facility of various malt sorts. Distilled from 4 various kinds of malted barley (chocolate malt, Vienna malt, crystal 240, and caramalt) Ambir was created to show “these velvety textures and candy flavours that you just get from utilizing specialty malts,” in keeping with the model.
The model web site states: “The mindset for Ambir was to create a deliciously sticky and candy single malt expression, utilizing our information of Specialty Malts and yeasts. A harmonious steadiness of candy malts, and fruity yeasts, wrapped in a blanket of warming, spicy vanilla from bourbon barrels.”
Fermented utilizing 10 totally different strains of yeast (which you’ll be able to see right here), the whisky was matured in a mix of first and second-fill bourbon casks, Spanish Oloroso butts, and Spanish Oloroso hogsheads.
The ensuing single malt shows a wonderful amber hue, therefore the title ‘Ambir’, from the Scots for ‘amber’.
Ambir is the third single malt launch from Holyrood Distillery. The second launch, Embra, was additionally honored on the World Whiskies Awards Scotland 2025.
Whisky Of Voodoo Masks Of Demise Batch #2
Class: Small Batch Single Malt Scotch
Age: 12 Years & Underneath
Area: Speyside
Tasting Notes: Candied almonds, rosewater, dried flowers, honey, poppy seeds
BUY NOW: $95
The Whisky Of Voodoo vary, by Courageous New Spirits, is a spread containing small batch single malt and single grain whiskies which are designed to “entice and enchant”. In keeping with the model web site, Whisky Of Voodoo is: “A spread of delectable drams is created to lure and fascinate its tribe! Casting flavour spells and incantation. With every drop, from casks and distilleries handpicked by a choose few, the Whisky of Voodoo conjures magic and thriller.”
Matured and completed in specifically chosen casks, every batch is bottled at pure cask energy.
Courageous New Spirits doesn’t declare the distillery of origin on the labels of those whiskies, however has revealed that Masks Of Demise Batch #2 is a ten Yr Previous single malt scotch from Dailuaine Distillery in Speyside. It was matured in bourbon barrels and bottled at 55% ABV.
Courageous New Spirits, a Glasgow-based impartial bottler and blender of Scotch whisky, was established in 2020.
The corporate shortly gained recognition for its progressive releases, together with the Whisky of Voodoo, Cask Noir, and Yellow Version manufacturers. In 2023, they expanded their UK distribution community by opening a brand new bonded warehouse in Glasgow.
Bunnahbahain 40 Yr Previous Uncommon Discover Gleann Mor
Class: Small Batch Single Malt Scotch
Age: 21 Years & Over
Area: Islay
Tasting Notes: Citrus, tangerines, Seville orange marmalade, apples, pastry drizzled in syrup, nougat, crimson berries, tropical fruits, shortbread, ginger, lemon
BUY NOW: $1,100
This 40 Yr Previous whisky distilled on the Bunnahabhain Distillery on Islay, was chosen and bottled by impartial bottler Gleann Mor for its Uncommon Discover vary. Specifically chosen by Greg Urquhart, the whisky is a vatting of 5 refill sherry casks from Bunnahabhain. It was distilled in 1980 and bottled at 45.2% ABV.
Gleann Mor Spirits has been bottling Uncommon Discover whiskies since 2015. Every Uncommon Discover whisky is exclusive and unrepeatable, making the releases inherently uncommon. In keeping with the Uncommon Discover Whisky web site: “From the tens of millions of casks maturing in Scotland, solely a small share are destined for single malt bottlings, and from these, solely the very best grow to be a Uncommon Discover.”
Bunnahabain Distillery is probably finest recognized for subverting the expectations of Islay by tending to steer clear of the normal heavily-peated whiskies related to the island. The distillery produces a lighter model of whisky and is notable for its sherry cask maturation.
