We may have missed some kind of outlet sale at a Portuguese cooperage recently. The 2025 outturn from The Whisky Agency already included a series of Port casks, and the Spring 2026 batch also has a surprising proportion of these casks. A lot of them are made for friends, as they say on the label.
All of the whiskies have this typical rosehip tea colour. It’s clear they are very cask-forward, and by now you know Port casks aren’t our favourite. So if you are a fan of this style, I guess you can safely add a couple of points to each score.
Benriach 16 yo 2010 (49,3%, The Whisky Agency 2026, Ruby Port barrique, 162 btl.)
Nose: starts quite dark with roasted pecans, walnuts, a hint of dark chocolate and a moderate meatiness (which fades with airing). Ripe blackberries, prune jam and baked apples. Salted butter caramel and a subtle minty edge. Then heavily baked raisin biscuits and hints of herbal honey.
Mouth: as expected, more vinous, with herbal elements, blackberries and cranberries and light tannic notes. Then back to cherries and blood oranges. Mid-palate the herbal notes, cherry stalks and black peppercorns take the lead. Then getting drier, on tobacco leaves, a faint floral touch (rose) and plain kirsch.
Finish: quite long, with a leathery dryness, dark cocoa, bitter citrus rind and lots of dried fruits.
You get the typical Port cask influence that is rich and fairly robust on the nose and then clearly more vinous on the palate. Fairly well balanced but other bottlings are more to our liking today.
Tullibardine 19 yo 2006 (49,6%, The Whisky Agency for DeinWhisky.de 2026, Ruby Port barrique)
Nose: really similar to the Benriach, in fact. A lot of blackberries, black berries and stewed plums. Also fig jam and hints of caramel. Cocoa dusting. I would say this one is slightly cleaner than the Benriach, which brings out a nice syrupy sweetness as well. Overall perhaps also a tad more winey.
Mouth: vibrant, but also slightly sharper and more prickly. Dark fruits like blackberries and figs are joined by more juicy raspberries. Then chocolate brownies, a little tobacco and hints of roasted nuts. A drop of espresso in the end too.
Finish: good length, with the typical dark fruits, peppercorns and subtle herbal dry notes.
Tullibardine is one of these spirits that really lets the cask shine. Overall it’s slightly more elegant and vibrant than the Benriach, albeit still fairly vinous. This one is only available from DeinWhisky.de. Score: 86/100
Glen Garioch 13 yo 2012 (49,7%, The Whisky Agency for Villa Konthor 2026, Ruby Port barrique)
Nose: the nicest so far, perhaps the more characterful spirit stands out above the cask. It’s very juicy, perhaps closer to a sherry cask now. Lots of redcurrants, cherries, raspberries – the brighter side of the spectrum. Perhaps a hint of robust cognac and a hint of polished wood too. Earthy elements in the background, but overall higher pitched for sure and simply very beautiful.
Mouth: a bit darker now, with hints of roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate, along with a leathery theme. That said there’s still a good dose of red fruits and berries. Then also a fragrant aromatic side (faint potpourri) that works well here.
Finish: medium length, pretty much the same notes. Berries and subtle earthy notes.
Here’s a Port cask I could see myself buying. Really nice nose, elegant and balanced. Add to this some earthiness and fragrant character that makes it the highlight of this session so far. Score: 88/100
Isle of Jura 17 yo 2009 (51,8%, The Whisky Agency for Sansibar 2026, Tawny Port barrique)
Nose: clearly the most winey / balsamic expression of them all. Half a glass of Pinot Noir, the rest is cranberry juice and sour cherry. Strawberry & cream candy, as well as a hint of roasted nuts. Then heavily brewed tea, some clove and hints of wet earth. A wee hint of tobacco leaves too.
Mouth: very winey again, with more tea leaves, dark fruit jam and some mildly astringent herbal extract. Moderate tannins, clove again, with plums and grapes. Chocolate coated cranberries, or dark chocolate with a pinch of salt.
Finish: quite long, with high acidity berries, cocoa and salted liquorice.
A bit too high on the winesky scale for my taste. The good thing is that I seem to detect some distillery character underneath the Port influence. Not my style though. Score: 82/100