Collection
All whiskies
Buying whisky at Mood4Whisky starts here: this collection brings our entire whisky range together, from approachable single malts to rare single casks. You will find whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Wales, England, Denmark and Japan, from distilleries such as Tomatin, Penderyn and Thy and from independent bottlers such as Cadenhead and Duncan Taylor. Every bottle is personally selected and has a place on the M4W Flavour Compass, so you can quickly see what to expect in the glass.
Read more about this collection
More about [title]
If you already know the flavour you are after, go straight to a profile: Smooth & Fruity, Rich & Sweet, Spicy & Lively or Smoky & Powerful. Prefer to search by origin? Via Country of origin you can explore what each whisky country has to offer. Unfamiliar terms on a label can be looked up in the M4W Whisky Glossary.
How do you choose a whisky from the full range?
Start with flavour, not price or age. Choose the profile on the M4W Flavour Compass that best matches what you enjoy, then narrow down by country, style or budget. For something approachable, look at the Penderyn Dragon Range or Compass Box Orchard House, for example. If you are after something rare, the single casks from Cadenhead and Duncan Taylor offer bottlings that exist only in limited numbers.
What is the difference between single malt, blended malt, blend and single grain?
A single malt is made from malted barley at a single distillery, such as the whiskies from Penderyn or Kingsbarns. A blended malt combines single malts from several distilleries; Compass Box The Peat Monster is an example. A blend mixes malt and grain whisky, as in Silkie and W.D. O'Connell Union Road. Single grain comes from one distillery but is made (partly) from other grains, such as the W.D. O'Connell 10 Year Old Single Grain.
Why is there a new make spirit among the whiskies?
Kingsbarns New Make Spirit is the clear distillate as it comes off the still, before any cask maturation. Legally, it is therefore not yet whisky: in Scotland a spirit must mature for at least three years in oak casks before it may be called Scotch whisky. That is exactly what makes it an instructive bottle: next to a matured Kingsbarns you can taste precisely what the cask adds in colour, vanilla and roundness.
What does an age statement on a whisky bottle mean?
The number on the label is always the age of the youngest whisky in the bottle, counted as time spent in the cask. A Tomatin 18 YO therefore contains no whisky younger than eighteen years; time in the bottle does not count. If no age is given, it is called NAS (no age statement). That says nothing about quality: many modern whiskies, such as the Sakhrani editions, are composed for flavour rather than age.
Which whisky makes a good gift if you do not know the recipient's taste?
Choose an approachable, balanced profile: whiskies from Smooth & Fruity or Rich & Sweet appeal to most people, including those with less experience. If the recipient enjoys bold flavours such as smoked fish or a strong cheese, Smoky & Powerful is a logical choice. For a connoisseur, an exclusive bottling such as the Duncan Taylor SC Glentauchers Den Haag is a gift with a story of its own.