Two Single Cask Meikle Tòirs Go Head-to-Head, and Both Put Octomore on Notice

There are moments in whisky when you stumble onto something that reshapes your expectations entirely. For me, that moment came while sitting down with two single cask Meikle Tòir PX expressions, pitting them against each other in a blind head-to-head.

What I walked away with was not just a winner between two exceptional drams, but a growing conviction that the peated whisky landscape has a serious value contender that more people need to know about.

The two bottles in question are remarkably similar on paper. Both are PX single casks distilled just one year apart in June 2018 and June 2019, respectively. The 2018 is a 7-year-old bottled in October 2025 at 60.1% ABV from cask number 11564, limited to 359 bottles. The 2019 is a 6-year-old bottled in August 2025 at 60.9% ABV from cask number 8718, with 355 bottles produced. Nearly identical specs, yet each cask tells its own story, which is exactly what makes single cask whisky so fascinating.

On the nose, both are identifiably Meikle Tòir. There is that signature incense note that I only get from Meikle Tòir’s peated expressions. Nobody else does that. The 2018 took the edge here, offering a gorgeous berry fruit character layered over sweet peat smoke, while the 2019 carried a slightly vegetal quality and an initial punch of heat that you had to wait through before the sweetness revealed itself.

On the palate, however, the 2019 fought back with a touch more syrupy sweetness. Both delivered phenomenal depth: ashy peat, incense, and that rich PX influence working in harmony.

In the end, I gave the overall nod to the 2018 with an 89 to the 2019’s 88, though I’ll admit I may have been harsh, given that I had just finished reviewing two outstanding Meikle Tòir Turbos right before this session. On any other day, both could easily land at 90.

Here is where things get interesting from a value perspective. These single casks come in under CA$160. Compare that to an Octomore, which often runs two to three times the price, and the math becomes almost laughable.

I will take these every day. Not only are they better in quality, in my opinion, but the price is half, if not less than half, sometimes. Octomore’s pricing has become absurd, and expressions like these Meikle Tòir single casks make that harder to ignore.

The bottom line is simple: you will not be disappointed if you buy either of these bottles. If you can find the 2018, it has a slight all-around edge, but the 2019 is phenomenal in its own right. For anyone chasing peated, sherried whisky without breaking the bank,Meikle Tòir’s single cask program deserves your serious attention. So let me ask you this: have you tried a Meikle Tòir single cask yet, and if so, how do you think it stacks up against the big-name peated malts?

To see my full tasting of both whiskies, check out my YouTube video.