Across the whisky regions of Scotland (five if you do not count the Islands, six if you do) there is a wide array of distilleries, styles, and rare whiskies produced. The Whiskey Wash Shop has an expansive range of rare scotch whiskies from each region. So, today I thought I would put together a selection of some of the most intriguing scotch whiskies from each whisky region of Scotland.
The five whisky-making regions of Scotland are the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Islay, and Campbeltown. Some scotch whisky fans do not count the Islands as a distinct region, instead including them with the Highlands and Lowlands. In this article, I will be defining the Islands as its own region. Let’s get started.
CAMPBELTOWN: Glen Scotia 1973
Glen Scotia is one of the three working distilleries in Campbeltown. Once known as ‘The Whisky Capital of the World’, with over 20 active distilleries in 1885 when visited by Alfred Barnard, Campbeltown saw a marked decline. Today, only Glen Scotia, Springbank, and Glengyle remain.
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Campbeltown whiskies are renowned for their combination of heavy oak with salty sea air. The profiles are unlike anything else found in Scotland. In Serge Valentin’s (WhiskyFun) exploration of Glen Scotia whiskies, the prevailing notes have been “fruity, fresh, salty, grainy, grassy, pears, vanilla, smoky.”
Glen Scotia was established prior to The Pattinson Crash, which is held responsible for the closure of many Campbeltown distilleries. Today, the distillery is an award-winning producer with a core range including a 15 Year Old, and 18 Year Old, a 21 Year Old, and a 25 Year Old.
This Glen Scotia whisky was distilled in 1973 and bottled in 1999, the same year that Glen Scotia reopened under Loch Lomond Distillers following two periods of closure in the 1980s and 90s. The whisky demonstrates resilience on the part of Glen Scotia; the distillery could have easily been permanently closed during the 1980s due to The Whisky Loch. Thankfully, Glen Scotia survived, and is a continued presence in Scotland’s smallest whisky region.
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There were two versions of this bottling release: one bottled in 1996 and one bottled in 1999. Combined, they have only appeared at auction 59 times.
Presented in a striking green glass bottle with an impressive fill level, this bottle is available via The Whisky Wash Shop for $708 (£525).
HIGHLANDS: Clynelish 12 Year Old Ainslie & Heilbron, c.1965
Clynelish has a fascinating history. The distillery as we know it today opened in 1967. However, Clynelish was a distillery in its own right for many years before that. Clynelish was originally in 1819 by the first Duke of Sutherland and ran (fairly) smoothly until it was mothballed in 1931.
Almost 30 years later, the distillery reopened. Again, things ran smoothly until 1967. Now is where it gets confusing. In 1967, owner DCL built a second distillery right next to the first one, also called Clynelish. Then, in 1968, the original distillery was mothballed. However, in 1969, the original plant then reopened as Brora. The new plant continued as Clynelish.
According to our research, this Clynelish 12 Year Old was bottled by Ainslie & Heilbron in the 1970s. This means that the whisky inside hails from the original Clynelish Distillery, now named Brora. Serge Valentin has had the opportunity to sample Clynelish whisky from the old distillery. He describes the profile as “orange, fresh, bitter, wax, peated, fruits, caramel, oil resinous, maritime.”
Due to the origins, these bottles have always been highly sought after by whisky collectors and those interested in scotch whisky history. The whisky chronicles the relationship between sister distilleries, Clynelish and Brora, now both active once again.
This historic bottle is available on The Whiskey Shop for $1,890 (£1,403).
ISLANDS: Tasliker 30 Year Old, Bottled 2011
Located on the remote and beautiful Isle of Skye, Talisker Distillery was the first on the island and has perhaps become synonymous with the location. The distillery was founded in 1830 by the MacAskill brothers and had a history as turbulent as its surroundings are rugged, marred with ownership changes. It was also the victim of a fire in 1960, which forced a two-year closure.
Thankfully, Talisker recovered and opened a visitor center in 1988. Ten years later, the distillation equipment was also upgraded. Today, Talisker Distillery is owned by Diageo. Its unique ‘Made By The Sea’ single malt and the beauty of the island attracts over 180,000 visitors per year, according to Diageo. This is a 211% increase in visitor numbers since 2019.
Talisker’s profile is, according to Serge Valentin, full of “peat, pepper, lemons, apples, liquorice, maritime, oysters, austere, salt.”
The Talisker 30 Year Old was first launched in 2006, an impressively aged single malt from the brand at the time. This is the 2011 release, bottled at 45.8% ABV and with the classic screen-printed map of Skye visible on the bottle.
This bottle has only sold at auction 83 times since its first appearance in 2008. You can buy the bottle here for $1,184.
ISLAY: Caol Ila 1974 20 Year Old Hart Brothers
Caol Ila is located on Islay, the home of peated whisky. The distillery was built next to Port Askaig in 1846 by Hector Henderson. Its name means ‘the Sound of Islay’, named for the body of water that it overlooks.
Something of a hidden gem (despite its port side location) for much of its early existence, Caol Ila received a full makeover in 1972, when the old distillery was demolished and a new, six-still plant was built. Caol Ila subsequently became the largest producer on Islay. Today, Caol Ila has a distilling capacity of 6.4 million liters of alcohol per annum.
According to Serge Valentin, Caol Ila whisky is full of “peat, fresh, apple, smoke, liquorice, tea, lemon grassy, pepper, salt.”
This Caol Ila whisky was distilled in 1974 and bottled 20 years later by Hart Brothers. One of the first things I noticed about the whisky was its very light color, which is interesting after more than two decades in the cask. This gives way to a number of speculations about the cask type: was it a less active cask? First, second, or third-fill?
What we do know is that this was some of the first whisky to be distilled following Caol Ila’s major upgrade in the early 1970s.
I also love the understated label on this bottle. Completely unassuming, yet with incredible whisky inside.
Another incredible rarity, this bottle has appeared at auction just 30 times since its first appearance in 2011.
This Caol Ila 1974 20 Year Old Hart Brothers is available on The Whiskey Wash Shop for $735.
LOWLANDS: Rosebank 8 Year Old, Bottled 1980s
Rosebank Distillery, Falkirk, was revived in 2023, 30 years after the closure that devastated lowland whisky fans. Nicknamed ‘The King of the Lowlands’, Rosebank’s gentle spirit was long-lamented by those with a taste for it. Serge Valentin’s distillery profile for Rosebank mentions “lemon, tea, apples, grapefruit, grainy, grassy, cide, honey.”
During the long period of closure, Rosebank fans were sustained on several independent bottlings, and some rare very official bottlings like this Rosebank 8 Year Old, bottled in the 1980s.
Bottled under license by The Distillers Agency Ltd, this Rosebank 8 Year Old represents one of the very few whiskies bottled by the distillery during its lifetime. This one, in particular, is in fantastic condition with an impressive fill level given its age.
Sold just 104 times at auction, this Rosebank whisky is highly sought after. A piece of Rosebank history that would look fantastic in a whisky cabinet next to one of the modern releases, such as the Rosebank 32 Year Old Legacy.
The Rosebank 8 Year Old is currently listed on The Whiskey Wash Shop for $1,299 (£964).
Rosebank Distillery has a fascinating history, complete with stolen stills, missed opportunities, and a horde of loyal fans. Find out more about the history of Rosebank here.
SPEYSIDE: Glenfarclas 25 Year Old Biohazard Cask Strength
This one is a little left-field, but (I think) absolutely brilliant. We have all heard of whisky brands collaborating with luxury carmakers (think Bowmore x Aston Martin), glassmakers (The Glenturret x Lalique), and artists (The Macallan x Sir Peter Blake). But, a collaboration with a video game is far more unique.
In 2021, Glenfarclas announced a collaboration with the survival horror game, Resident Evil, or Biohazard, in celebration of the game’s 25th anniversary. The Glenfarclas whisky was bottled at 25 years old, and a cask strength of 51.6% ABV.
This collaboration was something of a surprise to many, especially in the era of the aforementioned ‘luxury’ collaborations. However, Glenfarclas x Biohazard catered to fans at a unique intersection between gaming and whisky.
There was almost no promotion surrounding the Glenfarclas Biohazard release, meaning that it has flown under the radar somewhat. In addition to this, Glenfarclas confirmed that only 630 of these bottles were produced, available exclusively in Japan.
That is why we are super excited to have one listed on The Whiskey Wash Shop for $1,477 (£1,096).
Glenfarclas Distillery is a Speyside institution and has been under the ownership of the Grant family for five generations, and 160 years. The distillery is known for producing ‘sherry bombs’, whisky that is richly sherried thanks to Glenfarclas’ maturation program.
Serge Valentin of WhiskyFun uses the following words to summarise Glenfarclas’ profile: “sherry, caramel, honey, chocolate, toasted coffee, apples, oranges, apricots.”
Exploring The Whisky Regions of Scotland
If you are just starting out of your scotch whisky journey, and you are unsure as to which region will suit your palate the best, our very own Davis Gonnella has you covered. With his unique approach to tasting whiskies from all regions of Scotland, Davis can help you figure out which profile is your favorite, and perhaps which region you should next pay a visit to.
Read more here.
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