10 great whiskies for Father’s Day
From top shelf treats to delicious and affordable blends, bourbons and single malts, Barley’s pick of the bottles guaranteed to keep your dram-loving dad sipping in style – all of them just a click away!
Woven Superblend
From the Leith lads who are raising blending to an artform again. The bottles are beautiful, in a hipster, Hoxton hotel kind of way, and the liquid is superb (and meticulously sourced). Superblend, which came from a desire to create a ‘super-band’ whisky, is an international, all-star line-up. There’s American whiskey, lending sweetness and spice, smoothed out with some old Irish; bright fruit comes from the Scotch, with Germany bringing the funk. Add in some Japanese malt and a finish from the English. The result? A bright fruit pastry drenched in fermented molasses. Rock on.
46.1%, £50
That Boutique-y Whisky Company 21 Year Old Irish Whiskey
Released this spring as part of the gimmick-free indie bottler’s New World Whisky range, this magnificent dram was matured for over two decades in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks. It’s full of honeyed malt, dried fruit, toasted oak, fig and baking spices, brought together in a symphony of flavour. The label features the beloved Connemara Pony. Craic-ing.
45.8% £99.95
Ardbeg Smokiverse
In a galaxy, far, far away… on Islay, to be precise. Ardbeg Smokiverse is an earth-defying experiment born from high gravity mashing – a first for the distillery, released last month for Fèis Ìle. This fiery, tropical taste-tornado will certainly transport your tastebuds to a fruity new dimension. It’s got satisfying smoked bubblegum notes, alongside toasted sourdough, plus that trademark peaty punch (only a bit sweeter than usual). Just before re-entry to earth, your mouth will experience a luscious muscovado sugar rush on the finish. Truly out of this world.
48.3%, £92.95
Heart Cut #12 Nc’nean
The acclaimed indie bottler’s first Scotch whisky collaboration arrived earlier this year and it’s a wonderfully fruity single malt from Nc’nean, the organic distillery located on the west coast of Scotland. Bright and inviting, like a garden party on a summer’s afternoon, this dram is replete with lemon balm and sherbet lemons, accompanied by a tropical medley of papaya and guava. Finishing in a Madeira cask gives notes of dried raspberries and rum and raisin ice cream. It’s a refined, elegant whisky, with a gorgeous amber hue. The limited number of bottles available are going fast, so grab one while you can.
54%, £61.25
Tamdhu 21 Year Old
From the Moorish motifs and gold-leaf latticing of the elegant box and cage it comes in, to the octagonal bottle and deep amber glow of the liquid, this could only be a Tamdhu, the Speyside maker steeped in southern Spain, from where it exclusively sources its Oloroso sherry casks for maturation. This very limited ‘coming of age’ 21-year-old release is a luxurious and deeply satisfying single malt, with layers of chocolatey sherried oak, sultanas, velvety toffee and warm cinnamon on the nose. The mouthfeel is epically indulgent and intense -think Christmas cake made from plump, sherry-soaked raisins, syrupy, candied oranges, and warming spices. If you really want to spoil your father, give him this.
47.5%, £299
Myken 5.5 Year Old, Ocean Spirit 2023
When it was built Myken Distillery was the most northern distillery in the world, producing the first ever Arctic whisky. Situated on a tiny island 32 km from the Norwegian mainland, Myken, led by founder Roar Larsen, produces a malt just as rugged as its surroundings. Aged in a first-fill Bourbon barrel, this single cask balances an ample and sweet body with flecks of tangy, coastal spray. Bottled at cask strength, a touch of water brings out precise notes of orchard fruit and a satisfying oiliness on the palate.
65%, £111
Bladnoch 8 Year Old
Matured in two types of American oak red wines casks to create a single malt which offers up strawberries and cream with herbal pinecones on the nose, strawberry jam, polished oak and nutmeg on the palate, and a very long, sugary and warm finish. The 8-year-old is the perfect entry level Bladnoch expression for any dads looking to try a quintessential Lowland whisky.
46.7%, £59.95
Buffalo Trace Bourbon
The flagship bourbon from the venerable Kentucky distillery is a consistently reliable workhorse that delivers a pleasing fruity, sweet (but not too sweet) flavour for a very reasonable price. Made from corn, rye and malted barley and aged in new oak barrels in historic old warehouses, Buffalo Trace has oodles of vanilla, barrel char and spicy complexity. The finish is full of sweet spices, cinnamon gum and toffee. A whisky cabinet stalwart for great highballs or straight-up sipping on the rocks.
40%, £23.95
Elements of Islay Fireside
This is a limited release blended malt from the Elixir stable, comprising whiskies from two mighty Islay distilleries (Caol Ila and Bunnahabhain) and matured in heavily re-charred hogsheads. As you’d expect from its provenance, there’s plenty peaty smoke in the complex symphony of flavours, with a subtle sherry influence. Further notes of charred oak, dark chocolate and tobacco tantalise, before the long smoky finish unfurls with hints of red fruit, candied orange, and bonfire smoke.
54.5%, £84.95
The Macbeth Collection Act II Servant, 14 Year Old Clynelish
‘The night’s torch has been snuffed out, wax gathering in the holder. A new dawn. Dreams of happier times.’ So run the notes by Dave Broom for the Servant, a 1600-bottle release from Act II of the Macbeth Collection. It’s a teasing and apposite description, as whisky aficionados worship Clynelish for the distinctive candlewax textures of the liquid. This one – shouldering its supporting role in the series with aplomb – has been fully matured for 14 years in first-fill bourbon, and delivers a buttery toffee sweetness and beeswax chewiness. Delicious.
55.1%, £140
