This snowy winter many of Scotland’s most celebrated Islay distilleries dropped a slew of brand new releases to warm our bellies for spring. Some are limited time offerings or special editions, but others are entirely new permanent labels to their core portfolios—sapling branches sprouting from celebrated whisky trunks. The latter are momentous, because while historic distilleries are much more likely to play with second finishes and longer maturations to gauge public reaction, establishing new core bottles shows they mean business.
Admittedly we have a special affinity for Islay, one of Scotland’s most respected single malt regions and easily its most celebrated island for whisky making. Our love for the Queen of the Hebrides launched from a dock behind Ardbeg almost a decade ago and has only grown over multiple visits. On that blessed grey afternoon we found ourselves under a soft rain, parkas pulled tight as the Ardbeg team brought out a parade of bottles to sample, including their An Oa expression. Soon a small fishing boat pulled up; a bearded fisherman stumbled out, carrying nets bulging with scallops, urchins and other coldwater delicacies he’d plucked from the ocean floor. As the fisherman from central casting shucked oysters and cut out urchin gonads for us to feast upon, the drizzle fell into our Glencairn glasses and true astonishment hit.
Before then, the smoky, and at times medicinal, notes of Islay whisky did little to stir our loins. But there on that pier, those flavors bonded with the regional seafood like friendship and pizza, tickled by the cool rain pattering on our hoods and naturally proofing our drams in hand. Not to be dramatic, but the moment was an epiphany, and henceforth, these unique Islay flavors opened a new door in our perception of spirits.
Bowmore Sherry Oak Cask Collection: 12, 15, 18 + 21 Year Old Single Malts
“The new collection represents a new chapter for Bowmore on our journey to become the most collectible single malt in the world,” Simon Brooking, Bowmore’s US National Ambassador, tells Maxim, adding how the new collection represents the Islay distillery’s increased commitment to premiumization and desirability. “We were excited to showcase how Bowmore remains a leader in flavor by taking one of the signature elements of Scotch whisky aging and creating a full collection of sherry-aged whiskies of varied age statements. We’re very proud of the layers of flavor expression on display with this new collection.”
One of the key aspects to Bowmore’s unique output is their commitment to maintaining their own floor malt barn, in which malters turn the barley over manually every four hours for a truly hand-crafted experience—something Bowmore has done since its founding in 1779. It’s just one of the reasons the distillery’s juice is so coveted. Years ago when working on a piece on collector-grade spirits we interviewed Sukhinder Singh, co-founder of the esteemed Whisky Exchange, about his favorite. He shared that, in his opinion, the single malts from Bowmore in the 1960s “were the finest whiskys ever made.” Lofty praise.
Bowmore is known for using a variety of casks for aging, including Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez Sherry, Heaven Hill ex-bourbon barrels, mizunara oak and even the occasional wine barrel. But as the name implies, the Sherry Oak Cask Collection highlights Bowmore’s specific use of Spanish/European sherry-seasoned oak. And while we enjoyed the trio, the 18 Year Old hit different.
“What I like most about the 18 Year Old Bowmore Sherry bottling is that it opens the door to a whole other world of flavors,” Brooking reveals. “On the nose, the sweetness of the Pedro Ximenez finish invites the participant to explore the more decadent corners of Bowmore. Freshly ground cocoa beans, treacle toffee, date oil and fresh pineapple with a subtle sea salt earthiness. And then you take a sip and it’s a foil-wrapped holiday chocolate orange followed by moist sultanas, aniseed spice. It has a wonderfully fruity finish with incredible depth and complexity.”
The Ambassador explains how all the expressions start life as a 50/50 marriage of their single malt matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and Spanish Oloroso casks that are then finished for approximately 12 to 18 months with a selection of Butts and hogsheads-sized casks as follows: The 12 Year Old finished in refilled Spanish Oloroso, the 15 Year Old finished in first-fill Spanish Oloroso, the 18 Year Old finished in refilled Spanish Pedro Ximenez; and the halo 21 Year Old finished in first-fill European oak Pedro Ximénez.
“The range has more elegance and finesse than you would expect from a sherry cask-finished series,” Brooking concludes. “This is deliberate as we want to showcase our distillery character and the layers of flavor within Bowmore.” Bottled at 43 percent ABV (86 proof), the Bowmore 18-Year-Old Sherry Oak Cask is available now. $325 SRP
Ardbeg Ten Cask Strength Single Malt
More than 20 years after devoted #whiskyheads first began clamoring for its release, Ardbeg finally delivered a full-throttle, cask-strength edition of its iconic Ten. Considered by many the benchmark for smoky Islay single malt, Ardbeg Ten now arrives in its most intense form yet, bottled at a commanding 61.7 percent ABV. The release answers a request that has remained since a rare, highly coveted cask-strength Ten first appeared in Japan way back in 2003. For the distillery’s fiercely loyal Ardbeg Committee—counting more than 200,000 devoted members worldwide—it has remained a white whale. Now, under the guidance of whisky creation team Dr. Bill Lumsden, Master Blender Gillian MacDonald, and Distillery Manager Bryony McNiven, that wish has manifested into reality.
Matured in hand-selected American oak bourbon casks, including experimental barrels filled with new-make spirit at an unusually high strength, the single malt magnifies Ardbeg’s famed “peaty paradox,” where smoke collides with sweetness in dramatic harmony. The aroma is dense and elemental: tar, creosote, coffee grounds, and sea spray crash on your glass like coastal spray on the aforementioned Ardbeg dock, softened by flickers of toffee, vanilla and lime zest. A splash of water reveals classic herbal notes of fennel and bonfire embers. On the palate, the texture is mouth-filling and spicy, opening with a surprising burst of smoked cinnamon and paprika sweetness before unleashing soot, peat moss, and woodsmoke. Despite its power (this being the highest-strength ABV of any Committee Release to date), a malty, biscuity backbone keeps the dram in balance. The finish lingers, cooling and mentholic, with hints of eucalyptus and antiseptic lozenge. $90 SRP
The moment was an epiphany, and from hence forth these unique Islay flavors opened a new door in our perception of spirits.
Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat Single Malt
After nearly a decade without a permanent addition to its core range, Lagavulin introduces 11 Year Old Sweet Peat—a whisky designed to reveal a softer, more honeyed side of Lagavulin’s famed Islay smoke while remaining true to the house style. Aged for 11 years exclusively in first-fill American oak ex-bourbon casks, Sweet Peat draws its richness naturally from oak and malt, allowing its sweetness to step forward without muting the distillery’s maritime intensity. The maturation amplifies vanilla, toffee, and honeyed notes, creating a rounder interpretation of peat that feels both classic and crisply new. Another refreshing twist on a beloved house style.
Production adheres to Lagavulin’s time-honored methods: careful fermentation and slow distillation through its four squat, pear-shaped copper pot stills. The result is a spirit that balances weight and elegance, even punched up at 43 percent ABV (86 proof). According to Diageo Master Blender Stuart Morrison, who led the development of the expression, Sweet Peat “opens with gentle sweetness and salinity before the bonfire smoke and oak spice come into focus.” In the glass, the whisky builds from honeyed malt and toffee apple into a mid-palate layered with bonfire smoke and warming spice. It finishes with dark chocolate, soft vanilla and a steady drift of peat smoke. Present, but not overpowering. Crafted to appeal both to longtime devotees of Islay’s smoky intensity and to newcomers curious about peated Scotch, Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat proves that even one of Islay’s most revered names can cheekily reveal a sweeter side. $70 SRP
Bruichladdich Port Charlotte 18 Year Old 2026 Edition Single Malt
Established in 1881 by the Harvey brothers, shuttered in 1995, and then resurrected six years later, Bruichladdich’s acclaim grows from paradoxical ports. On one side there’s the fact that Bruichladdich gained fame for its core whisky being one of the rare Islay single malts that didn’t use peat, harkening more to its mainland cousins in Speyside and the Highlands. On the other is arguably Bruichladdich’s most famous expression, Octomore, which boasts the highest PPM (a way to measure phenols, or a whisky’s smokiness) known to mankind. Somewhere between these two poles sits its Port Charlotte label.
For 2026 the evolution of Bruichladdich’s moderately peated label reaches new depths with Port Charlotte 18 Year Old 2026 Edition—currently the oldest core expression in the lineup. Limited to just 8,000 units and bottled at a natural cask strength of 52.3-percent ABV, the 2026 Edition follows earlier 18 Year Old releases in 2024 and 2025. Each is subtly different in cask composition yet united by Port Charlotte’s signature 40 PPM peat intensity (compare that to Octomore, which can eclipse 300 PPMs). Distilled from 100 percent Scottish barley, the whisky was conceived, matured, and bottled entirely on Islay—an exercise in terroir inspired by the man who resurrected Bruichladdich in 2001, Mark Reynier. Reynier’s winemaking past can be seen in other terroir-obsessed projects of his, like Grenada’s Renegade Rum and Ireland’s Waterford Whisky.
Port Charlotte 18 Year Old’s complexity is driven by a meticulous cask program. The spirit began life in first-fill bourbon (40 percent), second-fill sherry (15 percent) and virgin oak (15 percent) casks. A portion of the sherry-matured whisky was then re-casked into first-fill Rhône Valley red wine barrels for five years before a final two-year finish in second-fill bourbon (20 percent), while the remaining component rested in refill sherry and wine casks (10 percent). The red wine influence lends unorthodox layers of dark fruit and warming spice that intertwine with the distillery’s maritime peat.
The nose is lead by apricot, honeycomb and honeysuckle before gentle wood smoke and spice emerge. The palate is rounded, delivering caramelized brown sugar, cinder toffee, and bonfire smoke, balanced by roasted almond, charred oak, and supple leather. A subtle salinity, born from nearly two decades maturing beside the Atlantic, remains through a long finish of citrus, vanilla custard, and smoldering peat. $199 SRP
Laphroaig Elements 3.0 Single Malt
This one came out in late autumn, but given our love for Laphroaig, we’ll let it slide it here. Established in 1815 and still one of the few distilleries to practice traditional floor malting, Laphroaig continues to hand-turn its barley and smoke it slowly over peat fires, preserving the island’s elemental character of salt, smoke, and surprising sweetness. Visiting the distillery itself is an aromatic celebration; the crisp Scottish air filled with the scent of peaty smoke, seaweed drying on the rocky shores, and an unmistakable salt licking the air. With this sense of base nature, it’s understandable Laphroaig named their experimental series “Elements.”
Now with Elements 3.0, the distillery leans into experimentation without losing its peated soul. The third release in the boundary-pushing Elements Series, Elements 3.0 explores the flavor impact of an unexpected kiln fire that burned longer and at significantly higher temperatures than usual. That intensified smoking period created a spirit markedly deeper, darker, and richer than the norm, ultimately revealing layers of chocolate and burnt caramel beneath Laphroaig’s signature peat.
Bottled at a robust 55.3 percent ABV, Elements 3.0 is as powerful as its origin story suggests. The nose opens with charcoal and peat, wrapped in maritime brine, before sweeter notes of vanilla, lemon zest, and butterscotch emerge. On the palate, a wave of phenolic smoke gives way to roasted cocoa, bitter dark chocolate, and a tangy undercurrent of blackberry, plum, and crème brûlée richness. The finish is unmistakably Laphroaig: iodine, leather and sooty chimney smoke. Following the success of Elements 1.0 and the award-winning 2.0, this latest release underscores Laphroaig’s commitment to understanding how even subtle production shifts can reshape flavor. $165 SRP
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.
