Small Batches from Single Malts of Scotland | 48% ABV

Where to look as the bubble pops?

It’s true. There’s a bubble. And it’s slowly bursting, revealing potential “deals” to entice you to spend your hard-earned money.

But where should you spend it? The latest offers are coming hard and fast, spamming your inbox and social media feeds like an infectious disease. Just like the Borg, sometimes resistance is futile.

But for those with steadfast resolution and a prime directive towards quality malts, you’re waiting. But waiting for what? Sure, there’s an easy path forward in our receding whisky loch in malts that you’ve tried, but what if you haven’t tried that particular whisky or bottler before? Money doesn’t grow on trees, and if it did, you’re unlikely considering the Single Malts of Scotland (SMOS for short) Reserve Casks lineup because you’re a Bentley-banging bougie bugger.

This lineup, and dare I say budget lineup, provides curated small-batch single malts at an approachable, but sufficiently punchy standard 48% abv. My personal favourite strength range is in that 50-54% abv range so while this is on the lower side of the spectrum, it’s not far off and doesn’t factor into my decisions. Good whisky is good whisky after all.

In my market, these SMOS Reserve Cask bottles are priced at an inflection point, smack in the middle of likely neutered OB bottles and cask strength IB bottles. Looking at UK pricing, it appears these are riding a similar balance point so if you’re considering your purchasing, this bottler should be on your list, especially if a discount or sale is available.

Single Malts of Scotland, an Elixir Distiller’s brand, has been releasing cask strength and small batch releases for a while now. Elixir, founded by brothers Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh, has been releasing independent bottlings of malt whisky since the early 2000’s.

The Reserve Cask product line is a small-batch release of several single malt casks and released at a consistent 48% abv. They are lumped together under “parcel” batch names, allowing one to track and compare batches over the years. I personally enjoy the stated angel’s share on the front label, providing a unique touch that differentiates these releases from others and providing a tidbit that whisky chasers love.

Review 1/7

Ardlair 11 yo, (unpeated Ardmore), Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 8, 3 sherry butts, 2010-2022, 48% ABV
CAD$130 (£70) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Pure & simple*

Nose

Greek yogurt lactic. Peaches in whipped cream. Freshly cracked pepper.

Palate

Pure sweetness, just like simple syrup. Very creamy mouthfeel. Rich vanilla and some mild spices. Lightest touches of those peaches here, but this is all about the sweet creaminess.

The Dregs

This is a simple whisky. Simply great, despite being simple. And you could have fooled me with the sherry butts here. This whisky is pale as a white wine and has none of those sherry overtones. It’s all oak, oxidation, and time. This is my second Ardlair ever (first here) and the clear similarities in the uber creaminess and gentle flavors is so very good.

I’m not a fan of the genericness of the peated Ardmore releases, but these Ardlair - yes please. They should be making and releasing more of this unique and delicious whisky.

Score: 6/10

Review 2/7

Benrinnes 12 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 9, 5 refill sherry hogsheads, 2009-2022, 48% ABV
CAD$100 (£54) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Oozes vibes*

Nose

Rich inviting warmth. Leather chair supping on a rye-based Old Fashioned. Flame-singed orange rinds.

After a while, as I’m sure you do too, I have begun to understand or link distillery traits to certain notes. In Benrinnes’s case, I generally find a hot dustiness or hot cinnamon, not unlike sprinkling cinnamon powder on a hot pan and catching the first flash of those toasted cinnamon spices wafting up. I’m catching those notes here.

Palate

What a wonderfully balanced entry and this 48% strength is sitting perfectly in the bullseye. Rich flavors and rich warmth. Glacée cherries. Requisite baking spices. Gingersnap cookies. This is a sweeter-style sherry which works well with the spices making this a sweet and spicy moreish dram.

The Dregs

A quintessential Benrinnes in sherry. If you’re a fan of this distillery, or even if you haven’t had a whisky from this Diageo distillery, this is a good one to start with. It has that classic Benrinnes backbone of spices and heat but is perfectly complimented with the sweet sherry overtones. This transports you to a leather armchair, dark walls, tungsten lights, and slow jazz playing quietly in a corner. The world melts away.

Score: 7/10

Review 3/7

Dailuaine 10 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 9, 6 hogsheads and 1 barrel from various vintages, 2006-2010-2011, 48% ABV
CAD$95 (£52) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 5/10

**Average.**
***TL;DR***
*Bright and slightly sour*

Nose

Brightness in a glass. Melon. Baked pears. Vanilla and honey. Cinnamon overnight oats. Creamy custard.

Palate

There’s a drying, slightly souring lemon pith-like note that forms the backbone of this whisky. Offshoots of vanilla extract and pear. Slight trace of honey and oats, granola adjacent if you will. The finish is medium in length and is a decline of sweet vanilla and some trace peppery heat.

The Dregs

This one just doesn’t do it for me neat, but I think this would make a fantastic cocktail whisky where the addition of soda, sweeter components, or citrus wedge would balance the sour out and provide a very well-balanced cocktail that isn’t overly sweet. It’s not for me, but it might be just your ticket!

Score: 5/10

Review 4/7

Glen Elgin 13 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 8, 8 hogsheads, 2008-2022, 48% ABV
CAD$85 (£46) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 8/10

**Something special.**
***TL;DR***
*Richly decadent*

Nose

Lemon vanilla pound cake. Honey. Freshly sliced oranges. Lemon biscotti. This smells rich and decadent.

Palate

Orange-infused white chocolate (never tried it, but it fits so perfectly here). Orange oil. Lemon vanilla pound cake again from the nose. Dashes of cinnamon and clove spice balance out the rich citrus and vanilla notes. Mouthfeel is rich and nicely weighty.

The finish is a lovely decrescendo of the orange and lemon notes, with some cinnamon and drying elements that beg you to refill your glass.

The Dregs

It says hogshead but tastes like ex-bourbon to me. This is a gorgeous whisky that smells very rich and decadent and tastes well deserving of a solid 8 score. This is a whisky I’d happily pour anyone and I’m very excited to have this in the stable. Great stuff, simply great.

Score: 8/10

Review 5/7

Glen Garioch 10 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 9, 5 casks (unknown type), 2012-2022, 48% ABV
CAD$95 (£52) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 4/10

**Some promise.**
***TL;DR***
*Funky, but just not for me*

Nose

Oat cakes. Peanuts and toasted almonds. Malted rye. Something sour and funky riding underneath that I can’t quite get my finger on, but it’s not tickling my pleasant bone. It’s like a mix of a well-past-it’s-prime sourdough starter, where it’s starting to turn greyish and the secreted liquor on top is giving you the warning signs that things are about to turn belly up.

Palate

Oat cakes drizzled with honey. Heavily toasted rye bread. Firm rye-like spices. Chili pepper heat. This is all roasty toasty spicy notes. Quite spicy in fact, despite the strength. The finish is frustratingly short and dominated by the toasted rye bread and chili spices.

The Dregs

Fun fact: I strongly dislike oat cakes. I don’t understand the market for those cardboard-tasting wafers of leftover gruel. Yuck. Seriously, add some salt. And flavour. And texture. Actually, just make them better. In all aspects.

So when this whisky hits like ‘roid overdosed oat cakes, I had to take a step back. I had to re-evaluate. How should I score this? You know what? Screw the score, I’ll score it according to my tastes and preferences and you can judge if my tasting notes are up your alley or not.

Because this ‘Geery is sure not up my alley. And while I’m at it… this is the final oat cake that broke the camel’s back. Our Dougie raves about Glen Garioch, but after trying it here (strike one) and here (strike two), and finally with this independent rendition, I won’t be buying another. I’ve given it an honest try but I think this single malt is just not for me. But it might be for you; so if that’s the case, please disregard this grumpy codger!

Score: 4/10

Review 6/7

Orkney (Highland Park) 13 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 8, 2 sherry butts & 2 ex-bourbon barrels, 2008-2022, 48% ABV
CAD$115 (£63) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Earie reviewed a close cousin to this “Secret Orkney”, a SMOS Reserve Casks Parcel No. 11, back in early 2024. For what it’s worth, and for you to judge my perspectives appropriately, Earie awarded it a prestigious 7/10. I agree wholeheartedly with his tasting notes (I have that bottle) and I would award it a 6/10 on my personal scale and this should allow you to judge this earlier release as well.

Score: 6/10

**Good stuff.**
***TL;DR***
*Grunge band of Orkney*

Nose

Bright and fresh smelling. Fruit compote, baked plums. Underlying grubbiness that’s a cross between the finesse of heather smoke and burning railway ties. Peppermint chocolate ganache.

Palate

Not boring, that’s for sure. Chocolate covered cherries. Peppermint patties. Spicy hot honey. Candied ginger bite. Baked fruit tart. The finish is medium in length and is a mix of the spicy tones and slightly bitter chocolate tones.

The Dregs

So there you have it. Depending on your scoring proclivities, this could be a 6 (Broddy scale) or a 7 (Earie scale) whisky. A solid whisky without the Edrington-driven pricing schemes and suspect presentation. I would chalk this up to being a mood-driven whisky due to the interesting peppermint and spices combo with the sweeter elements, but this is a solid sherried Highland Park at a great price, delivering a great experience.

Score: 6/10

Review 7/7

Mannochmore 13 yo, Single Malts of Scotland, Reserve Casks Parcel No. 7, 6 hogsheads, 2008-2021, 48% ABV
CAD$95 (£52) paid, occasional batch-driven availability

Score: 7/10

**Very good indeed.**
***TL;DR***
*Silky and supple*

Nose

Rich and supple smelling. Lemon and vanilla custard. Sweet honey and caramel. Dried mango. No alcohol prickles, just pure olfactory goodness.

Palate

Silky and syrupy entry. Rich vanilla bean. Dried and sweetened mango pieces. Candied ginger heat. Apple strudel with white icing drizzle. Lemon zest. The finish is long and a decline of the ginger heat and vanilla icing sweetness.

The Dregs

This is so close to knocking on an 8’s door. It’s seriously good. I just wish the ginger heat were dialed back on the finish and had more of those delectable fruits on the finish - and that’s what ultimately dialed this back a point. It’s nitpicking and still freaking good, but I don’t hand out 8’s or 9’s easily and those whiskies have to earn it.

In my personal ranking of distilleries, Mannochmore is rapidly climbing the ranks and is very likely passing the more ubiquitous Linkwood. I generally find Mannochmore to be more consistently ‘up my alley’ whereas Linkwood can sometimes be a smidge “green” with the fresh cut hay/grass aspect that can sometimes pop up. Mouthfeel between the two can be a toss-up, although Mannochmore is not-statistically-significant in edging out ahead in viscosity.

This is a banger whisky. I’m waffling on an 8 now. Gosh darnit.

Score: 7/10

The Final Dregs

Thank you for sticking through a mega whisky review again. While it doesn’t bode well for Dramface or our editors when we write reviews that feature more than one whisky (as it doesn’t line up perfectly with our daily review publication schedule) it does provide something extra to you the Dramface reader and whisky aficionado.

A multi-person review of a whisky is immensely powerful, and second to that, are these multi-whisky reviews - especially those that do not feature donated sample-sized drams. While those are great, especially since it saves us reviewers thousands of dollars (pounds) from our own pockets each year, these multi-whisky reviews provide you with an appreciation of that particular whisky or bottler, enabling you to better place your hard-earned dollars on sure-fire bets. Especially when we spend thousands of dollars on whisky every year and turn around and provide our perspectives to you free-of-charge. This isn’t a money grab, just an acknowledgement that we put our opinions, conveniently wrapped around the guise of a “review” out there for the world to see, and spending where we see fit and putting words on paper when we see fit.

I was recently in a whisky tasting about independent bottlers, and the context matters here . An attendee, upon chatting, stated that the “Whiskyland” stuff was “simply bonkers” and “so good”, before we dug into whiskies from Gordon & Macphail, Moonbroch, Single Cask Nation, and Bedford Park. Call me a cynic, but price and pedigree do not, and let me reiterate, do not guarantee the quality and experience of a whisky. Shots fired, I know. But worthy shots nonetheless.

And those shots should help you calibrate yourself. I personally think the Whiskyland/Equinox & Solstice/Decadent Dram ecosphere to be priced quite dear so I was slightly choked to understand that person’s perspective given the upcoming evening processions; but I will say that everyone is entitled to their opinion. But just know that my opinion is always value-for-experience. In this world of rapidly expanding ‘inflation’, value is something we must always consider. If you’re not considering value-for-experience: good for you. Us plebs must consider the question.

As you can see from these reviews, and given my lower-than-average scoring proclivities compared to other Dramface writers, SMOS consistently bottles good whiskies - even releasing great whiskies depending on your tastes. In today’s day and age, that’s a guarantee you can take to the bank (as they used to say), or in this case, a statement you can use to guide you in purchasing.

Tried these? Share your thoughts in the comments below. BB

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