Ledaig Rioja Cask
Tobermory was founded in 1798 on the Isle of Mull. The distillery’s main output falls under the Tobermory brand and is used in some blends like Black Bottle, but they also produce a smaller mount of peated single malt sold under the name Ledaig, the original name of the distillery. The Ledaig Rioja Cask is the first in the Sinclair Series, launched in 2020. Regardless, this peated single malt is aged in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in ex-Rioja casks.
Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve
The Glenlivet was founded in 1824 by George and John Smith, and has remained almost continually open for over two centuries apart from a few years during World War II. Currently owned by the Chivas Brothers Group under the Pernod Ricard corporate umbrella, it is currently the largest selling scotch in the United States and second biggest in the world. While a minority of the distillery’s 10.5 million liters per year output goes into Chivas Brothers blends, the vast majority goes into single malts like the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve. The bedrock of the Signature Collection, this single malt is matured in oaks with a selection of first-fill American oak casks.
Deanston Virgin Oak
Deanston is relatively new for a distillery in Scotland, being converted from the a cotton mill that was almost two centuries old when converted to a distillery in 1966. Since that time, Deanston has created a number of blended and single malt whiskies, albeit with occasional bouts of stoppage due to diminished demand or other factors. There are 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills, which produce a total of 3 million liters per year, offerings ranging from a core line of aged and unaged whiskies. It is also the only distillery currently in Scotland to be self-sustaining from an electrical standpoint, powered by a hydro-electric facility on site. The Deanston Virgin Oak is part of their core line up. Matured at first in ex-bourbon barrels like a majority of scotches, it is then finished for 9-12 months in fresh virgin casks from Kelvin Cooperage in Kentucky, a family operation that got their start by the River Kelvin in Glasgow, Scotland. While using virgin oak is normal for bourbon in the United States, it is very rare to see in scotch production.