Oban Little Bay
While Oban has been distilling for over two hundred years, their geographic restraints have kept them from growing into a truly giant place of production. For many years, their single malts were relegated to the 14 Year and Distillers Edition. Therefore it was a welcome surprise when they introduced a new No Age Statement offering to their lineup in 2015, the Oban Little Bay. The Scottish Gaelic name for the town, An t-Òban, means “little bay”. The single malt is blended in 200 liter ex-bourbon barrels, the smallest barrels available at the distillery. This was at one point their travel retail exclusive.
Balcones Baby Blue
In less than 10 years since opening in 2009, Balcones has emerged rapidly on the whisky scene, named for the Balcones Fault that runs near Waco. Awarded the best American craft whisky distillery in 2016, the distillery sought to make a uniquely Texan expression of whisky in copper pot stills and has earned many industry awards. The Balcones Baby Blue is their flagship, derived from the blue corn native to the state. Balcones and founder Chip Tate parted ways in 2014 amid great contention, yet the creativity and commitment of the distillery appears undiminished as their offerings expand.
Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky
While not known for whisky on the international stage, South Africa has been the home of wine, gin, and beer for a great many years. The James Sedgwick distillery was founded in 1853 in Wellington but didn’t start to gain more attention until former English cricketer Andy Watts was made Master Distiller in 1991. Having trained at distilleries in Scotland, he saw the potential to further develop the distillery’s existing brand, Three Ships, throughout the 90s and early 2000’s. He launched Bain’s Cape Mountain in 2009, a single grain whisky made from South African maize. Named after Andrew Geddes Bain, Andy helped introduce South African whisky to the wider world. Thanks Andy!