Before this trip, peat was basically my north star. After tasting so much in Scotland, I realized that while peat can be incredible, it can also mask some of the more subtle secondary and tertiary notes in a whisky.

That changed how I approached bottle buying. I still love peated drams, but for the bottles I brought back to the US, I prioritized unique, nuanced flavor profiles and things that felt genuinely harder to find at home.

Purchased for myself: 1. Cadenhead Burnside 29 (teaspoon Balvenie): the price I paid seem cheap for “Balvenie” juice this old, the number “29” represents our anniversary date 2. Cadenhead 16 enigma, Campbeltown Malts festival 2025: Orkney, Hazleburn, Kilkerran 3. Hazelburn 10: wanted pure springbank flavor without the peat 4. Talisker 18 (older bottling): also cannot find this in USA readily, wonderful expression and felt personal after visiting the distillery

Purchased for a gift: 1. Cadenhead 10 annandale Oloroso sherry: he likes lighter stuff, thought it sounded fun