Lots of New Stuff - Christmas is Coming! - Kilchoman Sanaig; Rare Ardbeg; New Isle of Arrans; New from Cu Bocan
Hello everyone
As the headline notes, Christmas must be coming given the number of new expressions heading into the world.The first one which
came to my attention this week is Kilchoman Sanaig. This is the 2026 expression which is at cask strength of 57.5% abv rather than the usual 46 % for Sanaigs. It‘s matured mainly in sherry casks again, oloroso casks from Bodega Jose y Miguel Martin in Jerez. They say it‘s „...packed full of rich dark fruits and mouth-watering barbequed smoke“. It‘s available in the UK and key European markets now but those further afield will have to wait a little bit longer. I‘ve asked for a sample and they‘re usually good at sending them so we‘ll see if it turns up and I‘ll do my own tasting notes. Price is around £75 – 80.
A rare Ardbeg is also with us - the last of their Vintage_Y2K trilogy. This one has been finished in tempranillo red wine casks from Bodega Numanthia. Now, the alert came in on Monday 12th October with availability through Ardbeg Embassies and selected whisky specialists then but you can also obtain it online via www.ardbeg.com from next week. This would be one I wouldn‘t expect to get a sample of so their tasting notes are: „Bottled at 48% abv, rich aromas of coffee and smoked fruit weave through notes of BBQ ribs and paprika. A sip revelas classic Ardbeg flavours in peat smoke, sweet chilli and mustard seeds. The finish is long, lingering and zesty, unfolding into lime pickle and tar.“ Intriguing, certainly! However, as it‘s shown on their website as coming soon and at £730 per bottle, it won‘t be gracing my whisky shelves anytime soon, delicious though it may be. Dig deep into your pockets, guys!
Samples which were promised to me are two newbies from Isle of Arran - Arran Signature Series 4 & Arran Barley Batch 002 and they did arrive earlier this week. The Arran Barley series is a range of Arran single malts crafted using malted barley grown on the Isle of Arran. This series was born from Isle of Arran Distillers’ close partnership with Bellevue Farm, run by the Currie family for six generations and from where the distillery sources barley from two 10-hectare fields beside the company’s newer Lagg Distillery. This 2026 Batch 002 release is the second in the Arran Barley range.
The Arran Barley Batch 002 (50% vol) differs from Batch 001 as it’s been produced using Concerto Barley as opposed to Optic Barley and 
it has been fully matured in first-fill bourbon barrels. Released annually in small batches, each edition is unique, with differences in barley varieties, harvest conditions, cask selection and available volumes ensuring every release offers something new to discover to those with discerning palates. Unfortunately I have no more of Batch 001 to compare. My notes are:
Appearance: Light autumn sun gold with lemon juice highlights. Tears swift at first then slower as it settles; medium spacing.
Nose: Vanilla custard and some ripe banana skin; soft spices and marshmallows; hint of toffee; sweet wood shavings; with water, softer, lighter and with a hint of orange zest.
Palate: Slightly tongue-coating medium mouthfeel; more oak on the palate than on the nose; sweet fruit, toffee; ground ginger and clove, malty biscuit.
Finish: Quite long and tongue-drying with dry spices and peppery on the tongue.
The second one is Isle of Arran Signature Series 4 Sherry Serenade also at 50% vol. As the name makes clear, there is plenty of sherry influence here, the spirit having been matured in three different tyes of sherry cask. The Signature Series is Arran’s four-part limited-edition range, created to showcase the diversity and depth of the distillery’s spirit while highlighting unusual, unique and exceptional maturation. Edition 1, in 2023, was Remnant Renegade, a marriage of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon remnant casks from across various warehouses in Lochranza. Edition 2 followed as Barrel Bonfire, an 11-year-old peated expression distilled using rare 42ppm malt, initially matured in bourbon barrels before a transfer into Koval quarter casks. Edition 3, Duero Discovery, showcased the influence of wine casks in 2025 with a 12-year-old unpeated dram matured for six years in bourbon barrels before a further six years in first-fill Spanish red wine casks sourced from the Duero region. Now we have Edition 4, the final one of the series, which explores the impact of the interaction between whisky and top quality sherry wood from Spain.
The Arran Single Malt Sherry Serenade is a 9-year-old unpeated expression matured entirely in first-fill Oloroso, Pedro Ximénez and Amontillado sherry casks. It‘s also bottled at 50% ABV and is a limited release of 13,971 bottles. My notes are:
Appearance: Light amber/tawny with tangerine highlights. Tears swift at first and close then slower but still quite close spacing.
Nose: Soft, sweet spices; tea and sherry-soaked raisins; baked orchard fruits; soft, mellow oak. With water a tiny touch of sulphur/struck match comes through; more dried vine fruits and candied citrus peel; toasted walnuts and saddle leather.
Palate: Medium mouth feel and very quickly mouth-drying; peppery, spicy – more clove and ginger. Less overt fruit on the palate than on the nose; some hazelnut notes; a dab of salt and bitter chocolate.
Finish: Quite long and very drying. Oak wood and drier sherry (despite the PX casks) with some salt.
I liked both but though I‘m an avid sherry cask fan, the one I only just preferred taste-wise was the Arran Barley Batch 002. The Sherry Serenade was more enticing on the nose, especially from the little sample bottle and the empty glass afterwards. I‘d be pleased to have both again, though.
Near the end now and news also came in this last week of a new expression of Cu Bocan, the lightly peated sirit from Tomatin distillery. 
This is their oldest yet at over 17 years old and is from a limited run of whisky each year. This is Creation #9, „...inspired by the sweet and salty taste of cinema popcorn ...“.
The ninth instalment in Cù Bòcan’s limited-edition Creations series, this one draws its distinctive flavour from a pairing of American virgin oak and Manzanilla sherry casks, an unusual combination. We are told, „...the larger share of the spirit spent its entire life maturing in American virgin oak casks, which are rarely used for such a lengthy maturation. The result is slowly built layers of vanilla, honey and caramel sweetness. The remaining spirit spent 13 years in refill hogsheads before a four-and-a-half-year finish in Manzanilla sherry casks. Made from Palomino grapes in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Cadiz coast, Manzanilla is a pale, bone-dry fortified sherry whose casks carry a signature salinity, layering salted caramel, toasted almond and coastal freshness into the spirit.“
“The American virgin oak has given the single malt its deep, sweet backbone, but it’s the Manzanilla sherry cask that elevates the expression, bringing in the salty, savoury edge that balances all the sweetness.“
Like other whiskies in this piece, Cu Bocan Creation #9 is of natural colour with no chill-filtration and bottled at 46% abv. You can find it on the Tomatin Distillery website but can purchase only from specialist retailers globally though there are only 3,800 bottles available. The release said it was available from the website and it‘s only when I looked on the website it says it‘s not available online. Maybe they sold out that allocation already. You‘ll find their tasting notes at https://tomatin.com/blog/whisky-lifestyle/cu-bocan-creation-9-where-sweet-meets-salty/ and it does sound tasty. Astoundingly, it‘s only £45 per bottle. Amazing for the age and limited nature of the bottling.
Lastly for this time, Glen Scotia is bringing the spooky folklore of Scotland’s smallest whisky-making region to its sister distillery, Luss, at Loch Lomond, for an exclusive Halloween takeover.
Running on Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November, the event features two tastings - a journey through Glen Scotia’s limited-
edition Icons of Campbeltown series, and a whisky experience exploring its core range. „Attendees at the Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown tasting will experience a line-up of single malts from the series and discover the inspiration behind each expression from the legendary folklore stories surrounding Campbeltown’s medieval market cross. Located in the centre of Campbeltown, and long shrouded in myth and lore, the carvings on the 14th century stone have inspired each annual ‘Icon’. Among them are the Dragon, the Wulver and, most recently, the Griffin for Release No.4 in the series - all mythical creatures who are said to have played a key role in Campbeltown’s legendary history.“ The other tasting features the core range of Glen Scotia Double Cask Sherry Finish, Glen Scotia 12 Year Old, and Glen Scotia Victoriana, one of my favourites. If you fancy a spooky whisky weekend, then these guys are for you. The tastings are good value at £19/person and £15/person respectively.
Well, apart from saying that my promised samples of this year‘s Octomores have never turned up (disappointing and goodness knows where they got to), that‘s all from me this time. Happy dramming whether you‘re in an autumn or spring hemisphere.
Slainte mhath,
Caroline
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