The best 2024 Whisky Show bottlings - including Old Orkney, a classic Islay and an ‘exceptional Speyside’
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Award-winning retailer The Whisky Exchange’s flagship annual event Whisky Show is just around the corner, taking place from 6-8 September.
There will be a wide range of own-label and exclusive releases available at the event. These limited-edition whiskies pay tribute to the passion and enthusiasm that make up the whisky industry.
With this in mind, here’s our pick of the best whiskies to look out for during the 2024 Whisky Show, which can also be bought online.
This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.
Show bottlings 2024, inspired by #WeAreWhisky
This year’s show bottlings are personified in beautiful label art featuring members of The Whisky Exchange’s team and are inspired by The Whisky Exchange’s ongoing #WeAreWhisky campaign, celebrating the diverse global community of whisky drinkers, from industry luminaries to consumers and everyone in between.
This year’s Show Bottlings feature three limited-edition single malts from Ben Nevis, Caol Ila and Dailuane, with distinctive label art that features nine different colleagues from The Whisky Exchange, paying tribute to the brilliant people working every day to make the drinks industry and the world of whisky such a vibrant and positive community.
The Whisky Exchange’s Buying Director Dawn Davies MW, says: “This year’s Whisky Show bottlings are not only about great single malts; this year, they’re a chance for us to shine a light on some of the people at The Whisky Exchange.
“From familiar faces to those working hard behind the scenes to help guide our customers through the world of whisky. All of these bottles tell those stories, and we couldn’t be more excited to launch them at this year’s show.”
Ben Nevis 2013 10 Year Old Whisky Show 2024, £71.95
Bottling details: Sherry Butt #1276, 60.2% ABV, 70cl
The first showcase bottling, a single-cask whisky bottled by The Whisky Exchange for Whisky Show 2024, hails from Ben Nevis.
Crafting malt whisky from the highest water source in Scotland for nearly two hundred years, this classic Highland Scotch Whisky was matured in a Sherry Butt cask giving its profile an unmistakable richness.
Tasting notes: It offers creamy notes of fudge and beurre noisette on the nose, with caramelised orange and peach cobbler. The palate has caramel and warming cassia bark, with leather and baked fruits.
Dailuaine 2011 12 Year Old Whisky Show 2024, £69.95
Bottling details: Hogshead #316968, 53.1%, 70cl
Dailuaine is a distillery with over a century’s history in Speyside, this 2011 bottling is a proud addition to this year’s show lineup, selected for its exceptional quality.
Independent bottlings from Dailuaine are few and far between so this is one for fans of the Speyside distillery as it’s an exceptional dram.
Tasting notes: On the nose it shows pear and lemon bonbons with vanilla and peach, marmalade and roasted macadamias. The palate is round and chewy with beeswax, white chocolate and a spot of nutmeg.
Caol Ila 2008 15 Year Old Whisky Show 2024, £105
Bottling details: Refill Hogshead #318169, 53.2%, 70cl
Caol Ila’s classic Islay style of peated malt influences this distinct bottling, alongside salty coastal air in the unique maturation ‘breathing’ period.
An outstanding final addition to the bottlings, this single malt from Caol Ila was matured in a refill hogshead cask resulting in a sophisticated and mellow finish.
Tasting notes: You can expect a rich nose of chestnuts and frangipane tart leading to freshly lit bonfires and candied lemon peel. On the palate, dark smoky notes mingle with sweet almond paste and vanilla.
Beyond these exciting Whisky Show bottlings, there are also four exclusive releases celebrating Whisky Show 2024, including a standout single malt from Spirit of Yorkshire, and independent bottlings of outstanding whiskies from Thompson Bros, Decadent Drinks and Signatory Vintage.
Filey Bay 2018 IPA Cask, £125
Bottling details: 51.6%, 70cl
Cult distillery Spirit of Yorkshire creates whisky from barley grown on their own farm and brewed at their brewery, Wold Top.
This particular bottling has been finished in a cask that used to hold Wold Top’s Scarborough Fair IPA, offering a hugely fruity character and making this whisky a must-try.
Sutherland 6 Year Old Blended Malt, Thompson Bros, £84.95
Bottling details: 55.4%, 70cl
The Thompson Brothers not only make whisky at the Dornoch Distillery and independently bottle great spirits, but also create much-loved blends.
This particular blended malt whisky is a combination of whisky from Clynelish and Dornoch – it’s an exciting expression, featuring Dornoch distillery’s much sought-after single malt whisky as well as cult favourite Clynelish.
Old Orkney 2003 20 Year Old, Decadent Drinks, £250
Bottling details: 55.8%, 70cl
An exciting bottling from one of Orkney’s pair of surviving distilleries, bottled as part of Decadent Drinks’s revived Old Orkney label – a brand that hasn’t been used since the first half of the 20th century.
It has a classic style that’s quite different to the distillery’s modern releases, having been matured in an ex-bourbon cask. This has resulted in an austere and old-fashioned whisky that fits in perfectly with the historical nature of the Old Orkney brand.
Speyside (M) 2005 18 Year Old, Signatory Vintage, £235
Bottling details: 61.2%, 70cl
This mystery distillery whisky is bottled by Signatory Vintage, owners of probably the best-stocked warehouses in Scotland.
We can't say where this is from, but it's an 18-year-old whisky from a Speyside distillery that famously uses sherry casks to create some of the world's most sought-after whisky.
Full maturation in a single first-fill sherry butt and bottling at full cask strength of 61.2% gives this an intensity that you don't often find in the distillery's own bottlings. A must for fans of sherry bombs.