When’s the last time you took a flight? Because, whether it was a jet-setting jaunt halfway around the globe or a brief domestic day trip, chances are you wandered through duty-free on the way to your gate. And, though you may have picked up a nice new pair of sunglasses along your way, or had a quick spritz of cologne, you likely walked straight past the selection of spirits.
And that was a mistake. Because, though a bottle may seem too cumbersome to stash in your carry-on, some of the rarest whiskeys in the world can be found amongst the fridge magnets and triple-sized Toblerones. Given the limited size of the sector, travel retail offers distilleries the chance to market small-batch, experimental offerings that only aficionados will appreciate; single-cask showpieces and spirits finished in alternative casks.
Of course, not every travel retail exclusive is worth your recently-exchanged money. Many airport expressions are too young, launched prematurely simply to populate the market and with prices hiked high for the sake of scarcity. But others are just the ticket; perfect souvenirs to bring out at your next wingding — and bottles that give the term ‘whiskey flight’ a whole new meaning. Here are nine of the finest.
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Ardbeg Smoketrails Manzanilla Edition Read More -
The Glendronach Boynsmill Aged 16 Years Read More
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Maker’s Mark City Series New York Edition Read More
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21 Year Old Midleton Very Rare Virgin American Oak Read More
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Benriach Smoky Quarter Cask Read More
Ardbeg Smoketrails ‘Manzanilla Edition’
- Proof: 92
- Price: $92.50
- Tasting Notes: Pine resin, brazil nuts and sea spray
Both the first-ever travel exclusive from Ardberg and the first expression bottled under the whisky maker’s new ‘Smoketrails’ banner, this non-chill filtered offering runs deep with flavors of bitter dark chocolate and buttery nuts. Manzanilla (a fortified wine comparable to sherry) infuses its casks with floral flavors and these notes, in turn, have seeped and steeped into this highly herbal whisky. Keep your palate primed for an unusual undertone: that oh-so-citrusy, musky scent of saddle soap.
The Glendronach Boynsmill Aged 16 Years
- Proof: 92
- Price: $112
- Tasting Notes: Baked apricot, sandalwood and walnut cream
A well-traveled, duty-free exclusive. Hailing from Aberdeenshire — but aged in casks flown in from Portugal and southern Spain — The Glendronach’s latest limited edition is a rich, reddish spirit that, whilst available at airports right now, is a whisky best saved for winter. There’s so much stone fruit and spice swirling around this whisky that it’s like swilling a Christmas cake — with hints of quince, nutmeg and plum pudding on the palate from initial velvety mouthfeel to full-bodied finish.
Maker’s Mark City Series ‘New York’ Edition
- Proof: 107.8
- Price: $95
- Tasting Notes: Nutmeg, caramel and fresh sawdust
Maker’s Mark will release three more ‘City Series’ edition bourbons by the end of the year. But this original expression (launched late last year alongside a ‘Sydney’ bottling) will be hard to beat. The result of more than a decade of wood-science experimentation, the brand’s Manhattan-inspired spirit was cooked up by tastemakers and New York natives, Erina Yoshida and Justin Ottervanger. It’s bolder and bigger than the Apple itself, and thrums with flavors of spice, oak and rich dark chocolate.
21 Year Old Midleton Very Rare Virgin American Oak
- Proof: 111
- Price: $617
- Tasting Notes: Chocolate honeycomb, orange zest and red chili pepper
Landing exclusively in London, Midleton Very Rare’s new ‘Virgin American Oak’ lives up to the brand’s vaunting name. The best of the four editions in the brand’s latest travel retail collection (launched in various European cities this April), Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman opted to age this particular 21-year-old Irish whiskey in oak — which suffuses the spirit with intricate spices, praline and salted caramel notes. It’s the least expensive bottle of the four, but that earthy woodland character and roasted coffee finish give it an edge.
Benriach Smoky Quarter Cask
- Proof: 92
- Price: $68
- Tasting Notes: Peppered malt, smoked nectarine and creamy pear
Highland peat is no normal mulch — it’s woodier and more robust. So, when whisky makers burn it to sweetly, smokily enhance their spirits, the resulting liquids brim with intense, tastebud-flustering flavors. Benriach’s travel-exclusive ‘Smoky Quarter Cask’ may have a light look (it’s a delicate olive gold in the glass), but that pale color belies a rich, smoky taste. Matured in 45-liter bourbon barrels, these small-sized casks mean more interaction between whisky and wood — allowing spiced vanilla, nutty oak and mellow smoke notes to take hold.
Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection ‘Vat 2’
- Proof: 86
- Price: $70
- Tasting Notes: Toasted bread, baking spices and candied peel
Four distinct expressions make up this new travel-exclusive collection from Glenfiddich. Aged using the ‘Solera Vat Process’ — during which casks are never fully emptied; simply refilled to overlay different generations of spirit on top of one another — each bottling also feels the influence of the wider drinks world, utilizing barrels that previously held bourbon, red wine or, for our favorite of the four, Spanish sherry casks. ‘Vat 2’ is exceedingly affordable for such an avant-garde whisky, and its leathery sweetness is tempered, with every sip, by a marmalade tartness.
Teeling 33 Year Old Very Rare Cask
- Proof: 104.2
- Price: $3,727
- Tasting Notes: Rum raisin, burnt toffee and gingerbread biscuits
You could spend this sort of money on a return ticket to New Zealand, but you’d be better off seeking out Teeling’s latest travel retail exclusive — a once-in-a-lifetime purchase created using some of the very oldest spirits in the whiskey maker’s warehouses. The palate is predominantly tropical, with rum notes soaking candied orange and dried fruits back to spicy life. But its most accessible aspect — and what makes this one the smoothest, sweetest bottle on our list — is the whiskey's biscuity, molasses-heavy heart.
Tomatin 45 Year Old Travel Retail Exclusive
- Proof: 83
- Price: $9,362
- Tasting Notes: Tropical fruits, salted caramel chocolate and tangy citrus
Only 250 bottles of Tomatin’s latest travel retail exclusive will be available worldwide — and each will come with a bespoke metal certificate signed by the brand’s master distiller, Graham Eunson. The whisky itself has been languishing for 45 long years in Spanish sherry casks, and has spent this half-century well; developing distinctive flavors of tangy Sanguinello blood orange and herbal bitters. Presented in an exquisite, custom-made Glencairn crystal decanter with a golden stopper, it’s a worthy cornerstone of any globe-trotter’s collection.
Jack Daniel’s American Single Malt
- Proof: 90
- Price: $100
- Tasting Notes: Vanilla, chocolate-coated nuts and rich raisins
This one may still be a month or two away from hitting airport shelves — but one of the first Jack Daniel’s forays into the single malt market will mark a big day in duty-free, and is well worth a mention. Matured in new, charred American white oak barrels for at least four years and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, this bottling contains 100% malted barley grain. Expect aromas of soft fruits and cocoa on the nose, with flavors ranging from chocolate-coated nuts to caramel-sweet berries. Make room on your bar; a new classic is about to touch down.
