Perhaps we can help. We asked the girls of Glasgow’s Potstill’s women’s whisky club to pick their top ten whiskies, perfect for gifting or for drinking.
Geraldine Murphy, manager of the Potstill and creator of the women’s club, chose:
1. Tomatin Legacy
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdGeraldine says: “I chose this because the lovely fresh banana like flavours gives a lovely light sweetness to this soft whisky, perfect for an everyday dram.”
For fans of: Glenfiddich 12, Glenlivet 12
Price: Approx. £26
2. Scapa 16yr
Geraldine says: “Scapa is a great all rounder it got lots of flavour a little sweetness and a bit of spice but not too much of either to overpower this delicious dram.”
For fans of: Bunnahabhain 12, Oban 14
Price: £50
3. Potstill birthday bottling: Invergordon 26yr
Geraldine says: “Having already enjoyed a couple of drams of this already this festival season, I highly recommend this delicious wee dram. Being a single grain whisky not a malt, it needs a little longer to mature and let all those lovely vanilla flavours to develop. It was hugely popular at the Glasgow whisky festival.”
For fans of:Single grains
Price:£65
4. Kilchoman Loch Gorm
Geraldine says: “This one I recommend for peat-lovers. It’s definitely one for sitting by a warm fire and sipping at for an hour or so.
The sherry cask influence brings just enough fruitiness through to balance that big bold liquid charcoalness.”
For fans of: Lagavulin 16, Laphroig 10
Price: Approx. £60
5. Glengoyne Teapot dram ‘batch 3’
Geraldine says: “My final pick is the ultimate Christmas dram, a big punchy sherry cask matured whisky. At cask strength this really is a sherry monster, one of our favourites in the pub.”
For fans of: Aberlour A’bunah, Mortlach 16
Price:Approx. £60
Erin O’connor, bar worker in the Potstill and women’s club member, chose:
6. Tomatin Cú Bócan
Erin says: “Great value for money, this interesting little dram has a smokey nose that doesn’t mask the citrussy notes in the whisky, but instead compliments them.”
For fans of:Caol Ila 12
Price: Approx. £40
7. Springbank ‘Green’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdErin says: “Creamy and sweet, with a hint of coastal salt, this latest offering from Springbank is a cracker.”
For fans of: Benromach, Old Pulteney
Price: Approx. £60
8. Glendronach 15 year old ‘Revival’
Erin says: “Epitomises Christmas, my idea of liquid Christmas pudding, sweet rich - like treacle in your mouth.”
For fans of: Mortlach 16, Auchentoshan Three Wood
Price: £50
9. Arran Amarone Cask
Erin says: “Robust and rich with a dry rather than sweet chararcter. It has a heathery & chestnutty flavour which really encapsulates that feeling of Christmas.”
For fans of: Interesting wine casked whiskies
Price: £40
10. Tullibardine Sovereign
Erin says: “Light and sweet with a creamy body. Like sweet caramel porridge on a cold winters day.”
For fans of: Linkwood, Glenfiddich
Price:£35
All whiskies are available from www.masterofmalt.com/, www.thegoodspiritsco.com except for the Potstill birthday malt which can only be purchased from the Potstill.
• The Potstill whisky girls club was started by Geraldine Murphy after the Murphy family took over the Potstill bar on Glasgow’s Hope Street three years ago. Aimed at making whisky accessible to women in a friendly atmosphere, the group holds regular tastings with leading female figures from the whisky industry and makes regular trips distilleries and festivals. Find their Facebook page here