Ruadh Maor 2014/2026 - 11 y.o. - 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead #69 (Best Dram)

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 56.9% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Ruadh Maor combines Glenturret's peated distillery character with maturation in a First Fill Oloroso Sherry Hogshead. Distilled on 30 September 2014, the whisky matured for eleven years in cask number 69. Best Dram bottled it on 14 January 2026 at its cask strength of 56.9%; this single-cask release comprises 337 bottles. The whisky is non-chill-filtered and contains no added colouring.

Ashy peat smoke and nutty sweetness shape the interplay between the spirit and the sherry cask. The smoke is restrained on the nose but becomes more pronounced on the palate. The long finish combines peat with initially sweet, nutty impressions and becomes increasingly dry.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose reveals subtle smoke alongside dark sweetness and nutty notes.
• Palate: The sweetness is more pronounced on the palate. An impression of ashy peat smoke gives way to hazelnut and a light walnut note; towards the end, the ash becomes more prominent again.
• Finish: The finish is long and remains peaty. Sweetness and nuts linger at first, before it becomes increasingly dry.

Distillery/Bottler:

Glenturret Distillery produced this peated Highland malt under the name Ruadh Maor. This smoky variant was introduced in 2009 and subsequently produced each year alongside the unpeated spirit. Previously, a large proportion of production was destined for blends, in which the heavily peated whisky also played an important part. The shift towards the distillery's own single malt range changed this demand. The distillery announced a move away from peated malt for 2025 and the removal of peated bottlings from its core range from 2026. This Ruadh Maor, distilled in 2014, therefore comes from the earlier production period.

Best Dram is the brand of independent bottler Michel Reick, known as Whisky Druid. He has released selected single-cask bottlings under this brand since 2014. He visits Scotland's whisky regions to select casks; the range also includes whiskies with various cask finishes. For this Ruadh Maor, Best Dram is responsible for the bottling, while the spirit comes from Glenturret.

Facts: