Scotland Official Bottlings
The Story
of La Maison du Whisky began in 1956, when Georges Bénitah decided to turn his passion into a profession: selling whisky and fine spirits. In the period after WWII, when most distilleries had ceased to operate, the whisky market was limited. The range of products available was dominated by Canadian, American and Irish whiskeys, and above all blended scotch. This period saw the arrival on the international scene of leading brands such as Johnnie Walker, Black & White, Dewars and White Horse, followed a few years later by Chivas — all of which were considered luxury goods. Single malts were yet to reach the French market.
Read moreETHEREAL
65th Anniversary
Scotland, Blended Malt – 49%, 70cl
Limited edition of 2430 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
This year,
Compass Box has created an entire Artist range for La Maison du Whisky. We had no doubt the project would inspire John Glaser — the man behind the Artist Blend — as we clearly speak the same language. The ARTIST #11 – Pentalogy collection is designed to be a work in its own right, presented in five separate acts. Created by the talented whisky maker James Saxon, the range features five whiskies, each with its own evocative name. In tribute to the theme of origins, the names are directly inspired by the Aristotelian philosophy that encourages finding the right balance of virtue and the rejection of all excess. This quest for harmony and balance is a perfect reflection of a master lender’s work. Designed by John Glaser, Pentalogy features a rich blended grain (Generosity) blended from old single grains, three blended scotches — one peaty (Fortitude), one fruity (Confidence) and one beautifully textured (Wisdom) that illustrate whisky’s full range of aromas — as well as a prestigious blended malt (Wonder) composed of very old single malts.
For the first time in the Artist range, no age statements will be included on the label, in keeping with Compass Box tradition. Some of these bottlings are nonetheless composed entirely of whisky aged for over 25 years. To illustrate the range, French artist Charlotte Massip has esigned a huge fresco divided into five labels that form a whole. Through the magic of collage, she brings together old and new, modern and antique, and embodies the pioneering role blends have played in whisky’s history and Compass Box’s avant-garde vision.
In the 1960’s,
the arrival of single malts in France led Georges Bénitah to step up his exploration of the market, making numerous trips to Scotland to meet with producers. The historic store in the 8th arrondissement of Paris then opened in 1968. Which is to say, La Maison du Whisky as we know it today was founded on the discovery of single malts. The fi rst catalogue, released in the same year, presented whiskies from just a dozen distilleries, all from Speyside. As well as Glen Grant, Strathisla, Miltonduff and Glenfi ddich, these included Aberlour, Glenlivet and Glenfarclas. For this reason, the three casks we have been lucky enough to select this year echo the same fi rst single malts sold at 20 Rue d’Anjou.
Today, Aberlour is the most famous and popular single malt in France, thanks in part to the many incredible sherry casks released from its vaults. The cask of Aberlour 16 year old available in this year’s catalogue is fully in keeping with the distillery’s tradition and reveals a sherry of rare elegance.
Read moreABERLOUR 16 YO 2005
Sherry Hogshead
Speyside, Single Malt – 56.7%, 70cl
Cask #214040 – Sherry Hogshead
Limited edition of 243 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
GLENFARCLAS 10 YO 2011
Sherry Butt
Speyside, Single Malt – 59.8%, 70cl
Cask #1173 – Sherry Butt
Limited edition of 304 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
GLENLIVET (THE) 27 YO 1994
First Fill American Oak Barrel
Speyside, Single Malt – 45.5%, 70cl
Cask #43880 – Bourbon Cask
Limited edition of 132 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
“We were so blown away by these bottlings we bought almost the entire stock”
Opened in July 1995,
Arran is the first new distillery of the modern era. Until then, no new distilleries had been built in Scotland since Tamnavulin in 1966. Barely a month later, Georges Bénitah and his son Thierry visited Arran to meet the founders Harold Currie and his son Andrew. Incidentally, it was during this visit to the Arran visitor centre that La Maison du Whisky selected a Ledaig 1974 Dark Oloroso (which the Currie family owned a cask of), which would go on to become a cult classic.
The relationship between the young distillery and La Maison du Whisky is unique and still going strong 26 years later. With the talented Euan Mitchell at its helm since 2003, Isle of Arran has become a leading brand in France, available in over 1,500 independent spirits retailers. We are delighted to be celebrating this long partnership with three cask strength bottlings that pay tribute to the last three decades. Each expression has its own style: a 25 year old single bourbon cask for the 1990s, an 11 year old sherry cask for the 2000s and an 8 year old peated whisky for the 2010s. The latter also makes reference to Arran’s future, as its sister distillery Lagg, which is located in the south of the isle, has produced a fully peated single malt since 2019.
In the 1970’s,
La Maison du Whisky introduced France to single malts such as Caol Ila, Springbank and Bowmore. We also imported the first bottles of Lagavulin. But, at the same time, another revolution was also getting under way: independent bottling.
Gordon & MacPhail and Signatory Vintage, founded in 1895 and 1988 respecitvely, are indisputably the two leading independent bottlers operating today. For decades, their selections have repeatedly found acclaim among the most discerning connoisseurs. Their place in the world of whisky was confirmed when Gordon & MacPhail bought Benromach in 1998 and when Signatory Vintage bought Edradour four years later.
Read moreBENROMACH 10 YO 2011
First Fill Sherry Hogshead
Speyside, Single Malt – 60.1%, 70cl
Cask #37 – First Fill Sherry Hogshead
Edition limitée à 311 bouteilles
Une exclusivité LMDW
EDRADOUR 17 YO 2003
First Fill Sherry Butt Finish
Highlands, Single Malt – 57%, 70cl
Cask #926 – First Fill Sherry Butt Finish
Limited edition of 674 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
BALLECHIN 18 YO 2003
First Fill Sherry Butt Finish
Highlands, Single Malt – 59%, 70cl
Cask #808 – First Fill Sherry Butt Finish
Limited edition of 718 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
“Since then, various microdistilleries have claimed the title”
La Maison du Whisky
is lucky enough to have had a close relationship with the Scottish group International Beverage for more than 20 years. First as a client, then as the distributor for Balblair from 2001 and for Pulteney from 2011. A strong connections binds these two distilleries together. Both are located in the very north of Scotland, in particularly windy, arid and little-visited regions and both have always welcomed us on our visits with open arms and a rare level of hospitality. Film enthusiasts will likely known Balblair as one of the leading protagonists in Ken Loach’s fi lm The Angels’ Share. Founded in 1790, it is also one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland.
Read moreBALBLAIR 33 YO 1988
Bourbon Cask
Highlands, Single Malt – 54.4%, 70cl
Cask #2249 – Bourbon Cask
Limited edition of 102 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
OLD PULTENEY 17 YO 2004
First Fill American Oak
Highlands, Single Malt – 55%, 70cl
Cask #227 – First Fill American Oak Cask
Limited edition of 228 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
Did you know?
Ken Loach’s film “Angels’ Share” was shot in part at the Balblair Distillery.
In 2004,
Billy Walker, former master blender for the Scottish group Burn Stewart Distillers, bought Benriach, a very niche distillery at the time used primarily for blends. A year later, he entrusted its distribution to La Maison du Whisky. We immediately fell in love with the many diff erent vintages and new-make spirits held in its vaults. The most impressive expressions, often aged in bourbon casks, stood out for their characteristic notes of exotic fruit, most notably a series of casks dating from 1976 that introduced the distillery to enthusiasts around the world. Inspired by Andrew Symington’s experience with Ballechin, Benriach began exploring peated malt. The result was immediately hailed as one of the finest peated expressions produced outside Islay. And it is a peated Benriach aged in a port cask—another of the distillery’s specialties—that is on off er in this catalogue.
Read moreBENRIACH 12 YO 2009
Peated Port Pipe
Speyside, Single Malt – 59.8%, 70cl
Cask #4834 – Port Pipe
Limited edition of 762 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
GLENDRONACH 27 YO 1993
Oloroso Sherry Puncheon
Highlands, Single Malt – 54.2%, 70cl
Cask #7274 – Oloroso Sherry Puncheon
Limited edition of 672 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
In the early 200’s,
La Maison du Whisky released a spring water from Islay dubbed Islay Water. Anthony Wills, the man behind this unique brand, is nothing short of a visionary. In 2005, he embarked on an even wilder project: the production of a new whisky on Islay. No new distilleries had opened on the island for over a century and it had long been assumed that the giants of peated whisky — Ardbeg, Bowmore, Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Caol Ila, Bunnahabhain, and Bruichladdich — would remain the keepers of the isle’s reputation for the rest of time. Although Bruichladdich’s reopening in 2001 had made quite a stir, it was not a new distillery in its own right. Kilchoman’s construction marked a new chapter in Islay’s history and in the world of farm distilleries and craft drinks in general. Controlling the entire production = process from start to fi nish and taking extreme care over the sourcing of its barley and peat, Kilchoman’s whiskies could not be more authentic. And its example has since been followed by numerous distillers across the world in response to enthusiasts’ increasing interest in transparency. La Maison du Whisky, who has supported the distillery since its foundation in 2005, has decided to celebrate the journey of this famous family-run business — directed by Anthony, his wife Kathy and his three sons — by selecting four whiskies that represent the last two decades: one bourbon barrel and one sherry cask from the 2000s produced with barley from the Port Ellen maltings, and a second duo from the 2010s produced exclusively from barley grown locally on Islay.
“To enthusiasts’ increasing interest in transparency ”
Scotland Independent bottlings
In 1978,
when La Maison du Whisky became the distributor for Gordon & MacPhail, its portfolio grew suddenly from 150 products to over 300! The huge number of whiskies available from the Scottish bottler included a plethora of Speyside single malts, including Glenlivet, Glen Grant, Linkwood, Longmorn, Mortlach and Strathisla, as well as malts from other regions, such as Balblair and Pulteney in the Highlands, and Scapa in the Orkney Islands. Most of these single malts were released in multiple expressions, notably the limited series aged for over 30 years and the vintages from the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. These distilleries were designed to produce whisky for blends and it was rare for them to release official versions.
Read moreGLEN GRANT 65 YO 1956
First Fill Sherry Butt
Speyside, Single Malt – 55.9%, 70cl
Cask #4451 – First Fill Sherry Butt
Limited edition of 100 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
For many decades,
selecting spirits has been a fundamental part of La Maison du Whisky’s work, a ceaseless quest for rare pearls that has driven our everyday activities. In the 1980s, we began a new chapter when we became bottlers ourselves. Taking our inspiration from the first Italian importers who were true pioneers in the 1970s, we began selecting outstanding casks from the best independent bottlers, most notably Gordon & MacPhail. Our first single casks bottled under our partners’ labels were aimed at just a handful of well-informed enthusiasts. Then, in 2011, our cask selection mission took on a new dimension when we decided, together with Signatory Vintage, to create our own range of independent bottlings dubbed the Artist range.
Read moreCreated in 1968,
Connoisseurs Choice is one of Gordon & MacPhail’s signature ranges, featuring bottlings from every region of Scotland.
The range’s identity has changed over the years. The first labels were red and black (black label), in the 1980s, they were embellished with shades of brown (brown label) and in 1996, they became creamcoloured and included a map of the region where the whisky was distilled (cream label).
Read moreIn the mid-80s’
Andrew Symington and his brother Brian worked at Edinburgh’s hotelcastle Prestonfield house. One of their tasks was to select whisky casks for the restaurant and bar. In 1986, Georges Bénitah met the pair at a tasting event at the prestigious landmark. Impressed with the quality of their selections, he imported a few casks of Prestonfield single malts to France. Two years later, in 1988, the Symington brothers set up independently and created Signatory Vintage in the Port of Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They specialized in cask strength single cask bottlings that were unchillfiltered, a practice that was still uncommon in Europe at the time. Of course, La Maison du Whisky supported the endeavour from day one. Whisky enthusiasts snapped up the bottlings and the Cask Strength Collection, which saw exponential growth for almost 15 years, conquered the planet.
Read moreGLEN KEITH 30 YO 1991
Cask Strength Collection
Speyside, Single Malt – 51%, 70cl
Cask #73658 – Bourbon Barrel
Limited edition of 200 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
CAOL ILA 26 YO 1995
Cask Strength Collection
Islay, Single Malt – 58%, 70cl
Cask# 708 – Hogshead
Limited edition of 250 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
GLENLIVET 14 YO 2007
Cask Strength Collection
Speyside, Single Malt – 65%, 70cl
Cask #900282 – First Fill Sherry Butt
Limited edition of 550 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
In 1998,
during one of La Maison du Whisky’s many visits to its warehouses in Leith, we noticed a vat where a 46% single malt was waiting to be filtered. We asked to taste the whisky and immediately fell for its oily, complex and rich charm. After a little hesitation, Signatory Vintage eventually agreed to our request to bottle single malts at 46% without chill-filtration. The Un-Chillfiltered Collection was born, a collection that today remains one of the bottler’s highest-selling ranges.
Read moreHIGHLAND PARK 23 YO 1998
The Unchillfiltered Collection
Orkney, Single Malt – 46%, 70cl
Cask #900366 – Hogshead
Limited edition of 300 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
BEN NEVIS PEATED 5 YO 2016
The Unchillfiltered Collection
Highlands, Single Malt – 46%, 70cl
Cask #202 – First Fill Hogshead Montravel
Limited edition of 350 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
GLENBURGIE 14 YO 2007
First Fill Sherry Butt
Speyside, Single Malt – 65%, 70cl
Cask #900081 – First Fill Sherry Butt
Limited edition of 550 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
Since 2004,
the Paris version of Whisky Live has continued to grow, attracting more exhibitors from around the world and visitors with a passion for malt, rum, and all types of spirits and mixology each year. (Skip paragraph) Today, Whisky Live Paris is undoubtedly the largest event dedicated to whisky and spirits tasting in Europe.
Read moreCAOL ILA 10 YO 2011
Whisky Live Paris
Islay, Single Malt – 46%, 70cl
Cask #310866 – First Fill Bourbon Barrel
Limited edition of 300 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
Douglas Laing,
another historic bottler, was founded in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing. After his death in 1982, his sons Fred and Stewart took over at the head of the company. The business initially specialized in blends, notably The King of Scots, as well as gifts. In fact, up until the late 1980s, whisky was mainly bought to be given as a present. During this period, Douglas Laing came up with lots of original gift formats, from ceramic decanters to bottles in the shape of golf caddies. As blenders, the Laing family had always access to a wide range of whiskies and still owns some very old casks, but it would not be until 1990 that it would step into the arena of single malts.
Read moreLEDAIG 23 ans 1998
Xtra Old Particular
Black Series
Highlands, Single Malt – 65.6%, 70cl
Cask #DL14202 – Refill Hogshead
Limited edition of 276 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
“When peat and sherry coexist in harmony, they create an incredibly rich alliance”
Established
in 1968,
Berry Bros & Rudd is Britain’s oldest wine and spirits merchant. Its store on 3 St James Street is a genuine museum of curiosities, where Lord Byron’s order books appear alongside the cargo records for the Titanic and the office of then-exiled Napoleon III. Moreover, a full three cellars house a number of incredibly prestigious bottles, many of which date back to the 19th century. In its early days, Berry Bros specialized in the trade of wine, port and sherry, but it has always owned whisky casks, which wealthy customers would come to have bottled for their own personal consumption. Bottlings of Highland Park and Laphroaig from the early 20th century are therefore notably on display at the store. In 1923, Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd created the famous Cutty Sark blend, one of the most famous whiskies in the world. In 1991, they recruited Doug McIvor, the former manager of Milroy’s of Soho, and successfully moved into whisky and rum bottling.
Read moreGLENTURRET RUADH MAOR 8 YO 2012
Peated Cask
Highlands, Single Malt – 63.1%, 70cl
Cask #468 – Sherry Butt
Limited edition of 698 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
BOWMORE 22 YO 1998
Hogshead
Islay, Single Malt – 50.6%, 70cl
Cask #803730 – Hogshead
Limited edition of 257 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
In 1999,
Sukhinder Singh sold his parents’ grocers in order to dedicate himself fully to his passion: selling whisky. Already a collector for a dozen years, he bought a small warehouse and set up the Whisky Exchange website. The site was an immediate success and quickly became famous beyond the borders of Britain.
In 2002, he bottled his first whisky, a Glen Grant 31 Year Old Sherry Cask. After falling in love with the bottling process, he created the independent bottler Speciality Drinks, which would be renamed Elixir Distillers in 2017. A deeply knowledgeable expert and great collector, he develops unique connections with whisky producers, who provide him with a huge number of casks, which he bottles in The Single Malts of Scotland range.
Read moreIMPERIAL 21 YO 1998
The Single Malts of Scotland
Speyside, Single Malt – 46.4%, 70cl
Cask #103328 – Bourbon Barrel
Limited edition of 104 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
PORT ASKAIG 2011
Refill Sherry
Islay, Single Malt – 60.6%, 70cl
Refill Sherry Cask
Limited edition of 600 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
Founded in 2008,
Atom Brands owns Master of Malt, another great English-language whisky website. In 2012, this purely online player made a name for itself with the launch of That Boutique-Y Whisky, a range of single malts that broke from the traditional style codes of the whisky world, with brightly coloured labels and a comic-bookesque appearance. It was an immediate success and the range was exported to every continent in the world, Asia in particular, where it was a huge hit. In 2019, Atom Brands created the Wind & Wave range composed exclusively of peaty and marine whiskies. In 2020, we selected an outstanding Ardbeg 18 Year Old 2001. This year, we are offering a duo comprising an Ardbeg 14 year old matured in a 50-litre (octave) cask and a Laphroaig 17 year old Oloroso sherry finish.
LAPHROAIG 17 YO 2004
The Character of Islay
Islay, Single Malt – 49.7 %, 70cl
Cask #10324 – Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish
Limited edition of 72 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
ARBDEG 14 YO 2005
The Character of Islay
Islay, Single Malt – 49.1%, 70cl
Cask #10394 – Hogshead
Limited edition of 64 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
LEDAIG 12 YO 2009
Classic Malts
Highlands, Single Malt – 54.2%, 70cl
Cask #LG921T – Refill Bourbon Cask
Limited edition of 248 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
BENRINNES 23 YO 1997
Classic Malts
Speyside, Single Malt – 52.8%, 70cl
Cask #BE9721S – Sherry Cask Finish
Cask Limited edition of 180 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
But the UK doesn’t have a monopoly on the independent bottling market. In the 1970s, Italian retailers began bottling some outstanding single malts. Italy is a unique market for whisky in general, but especially for independent bottling, and is home to key players like Samaroli, Moon Import and Silver Seal. Hidden Spirits, which was founded in 2013, is a worthy heir of this great tradition. This year, we have been lucky enough to be able to select two whiskies, one a very empyreumatic Ledaig 2009 and the other a charming and far more accessible Benrinnes 1997.
In 2021, Belgium’s leading independent bottler The Nectar turned 15. The company, which is directed by the well-known specialists Jan Broekmans and his right-hand man Mario Groteklaes, shares the same philosophy as La Maison du Whisky, who has supported them since the start. The cask of Jura 29 year old selected for this catalogue is a celebration of this partnership and the respective anniversaries of our two companies.
JURA 29 YO 1992
The Nectar
Isle of Jura, Single Malt – 47.9%, 70cl
Bourbon Barrel
Limited edition of 136 bottles
LMDW Exclusive
Now celebrating its fifth year of existence,
the Artist Collective range is designed to be more accessible than its older sister, the Artist range, which is composed exclusively of cask strength single casks. Like the Artist range, the Artist Collective is deeply eclectic, bringing together single malts from all over Scotland. Unlike its counterpart, however, it focuses on small batches and blends of “sister casks”— casks from a single batch that are essentially of the same quality. Each bottling enables enthusiasts to discover a different facet of the world of single malts through a wide range of maturation techniques, bottling strengths and regions.
Read moreDiscover Scottish selection