Islay

A vibrant young Laphroaig whose maturation has been speeded up by ageing in quarter casks. This shows soft sweetness and a velvety feel when first tasted, then the intense peatiness so unique to Laphroaig comes bursting through. A terrific whisky and great value.

Bowmore 12 year old has a place in many hearts as Islay's 'medium-peated' malt. A pronounced iodine character with plenty of pepper, the current 12 year old bottling is a welcome return to the classic Bowmores of the 1960s and '70s, with the emphasis on tropical fruit and smoke. A deserved runner-up in our Whisky of the Year 2014-15 blind tasting.

Bowmore's Small Batch is matured in first and second fill ex bourbon casks, resulting in a sweet, spicy and smoky whisky. This is a lighter example of Bowmore and an excellent starting point for Islay whiskies.

The new presentation of an old Bowmore favourite, the no-age-statement Legend.

Laphroaig 10 year old is a full-bodied, smoky gem, with a residual sweetness and a hint of salt amid the seaweedy, peaty characters before a long warming finish. A classic dram.

A giant leap forward for Bunnahabhain 12 year old, this edition was launched in summer 2010 with a jump in strength to 46.3% and a declaration of no chill-filtration and no added colouring. Enormous credit goes to Burn Stewart for giving punters what they want without jacking up the price too much and we earnestly hope that this will be a massive success. Bravo!

The 17-year-old release of Islay Mist, an Islay-led blended whisky, tempering the smokiness of the island malts with whisky from the mainland. The brand takes inspiration from the special blend served at the first Lord Margadale's 21st birthday in the 1920s.

Bruichladdich's Scottish Barley is made entirely from Scottish-grown barley, trickle distilled and then matured in American oak. The distillery class it as their signature bottling.

For peat lovers, Ardbeg 10 Year Old is probably the highest-quality 'entry-level' single malt on the market, and the distillery many Islay connoisseurs would choose as their favourite. A whirlwind of peat and complex malty flavours.