Today our focus is on the latest releases from Mark and Kate at Watt Whisky, bottled late 2025 and early 2026. As always there is a whole series of affordable bottlings – later we’ll cover more of them.
Ben Nevis 11 yo 2015 (53,7%, Watt Whisky 2026, bourbon barrel, 300 btl.)
Nose: pretty bright, with oranges, green apples and peaches, as well as a light hint of wax candles and sheep wool. Some linoleum and vegetal oils, as well as some berry eau-de-vie, grassy notes and white pepper. No dirty notes, no tropical notes either, just a very natural spirit.
Mouth: nice oiliness, with lemony sweets, citronella and zesty notes. The lemon / chalk combination is perfect, with a slight impression of effervescence. Green banana and peach. Then mild hints of horseradish and IPA beers. Diverting towards grapefruit, but also a hint of vanilla custard.
Finish: quite long and a bit more peppery. Clean malty notes, medium fruits and a light austerity.
Compact and youngish, but totally on point. Overall just a clear-cut Ben Nevis, albeit without any pronounced tropical fruits that you find in older examples.
Strathmill 10 yo 2014 (56,4%, Watt Whisky 2025, hogshead, 310 btl.)
Nose: not lightyears apart from the Ben Nevis, you know. A similar waxy / chalky / beer-like quality, along with lots of citrus notes, some vanilla cream and a mild yeasty edge. Green banana, green apple and gooseberries.
Mouth: quite pungent, on sunflower oil, white pepper, lemon zests, unripe pears and ginger. Then some bready barley notes in the middle, along with grassy notes, more pilsner and hints of clove. Some harsh edges, although there’s also a cotton candy note in the background.
Finish: medium, with grainy notes, citrus zest and ginger.
Another bright whisky with a certain austerity to it. It stays one or two steps behind the Ben Nevis in terms of integration and uniqueness though. A nice apéritif whisky. Score: 83/100
Campbeltown Blended Malt 9 yo 2016 (57,1%, Watt Whisky 2025, bourbon barrel, 252 btl.)
Nose: wet pebblestones on the beach, hay and drops of sunflower oil. Also lemon juice or rather lemon cake with frosting. Maybe green banana peelings. Then also a drizzle of spring honey. Mildly toasted oak in the distance.
Mouth: slightly sweeter than expected, with an onset of pears and vanilla custard. Even a creaminess, nougat and salted caramel sweetness. Some oak warmth and Christmas spice on top of citrus notes and ripe melons. A light alcoholic edge.
Finish: quite long, with more toasted wood, hints of burnt sugar, with meaty hints and a sweet fruitiness underneath.
The nose had some of that rugged Campbeltown funk, but it gets less outspoken (and less accessible) on the palate. I’m guessing there’s Glen Scotia at the base. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Tyndrum Whisky for instance. Score: 84/100
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 6 yo 2019 (57,1%, Watt Whisky 2025, sherry hogshead, 330 btl.)
Nose: a lot of dry ashy notes, along with coastal air, hints of burnt popcorn and smoked strawberries. Then a whiff of new bycicle inner tyre and mild hints of bandages. Back to meaty campfire notes, toffee and roasted nuts, as well as some copper coins.
Mouth: sharper than expected, with lots of pepper, burnt wood, graphite oil and antiseptics. Some roasted nuts and red berries underneath, but lacking a bit of sweetness and body. Then moving towards lemon acidity and fresh tarmac, as well as plenty of salt and barbecue ash.
Finish: very long, with punchy peat and ashes, tarry notes and salt liquorice.
Good fun to explore this robust, deep smokiness. I think it could have benefited from a sweeter style of sherry or perhaps simply more time in the cask. Score: 85/100