Hey — it's Tim.
Big one this week. InternetWines is running some serious deals including Redbreast Cask Strength at 40% off, Ardbeg just dropped the cask strength 10 everyone's been asking for, and there's a tariff situation brewing that could push scotch prices up later this year. Plus I'm officially building a whisky lounge in my basement and documenting the whole thing here.
Let's get into it.
Bottles Worth Grabbing (via InternetWines.com)
Quick heads up — InternetWines doesn’t ship to every state, so check their shipping policy before browsing - you wouldn’t want to find bottles you’ve been looking for just to find out they don’t ship to you. And if you are ordering, grab 3+ bottles if you can. Shipping costs per bottle drop significantly when you bundle — it’s one of the easiest ways to save money that most people overlook.
Redbreast 12yr Cask Strength Irish Whiskey
The gold standard of Irish pot still whiskey, cranked up to full cask strength. Exotic fruit, baking spice, vanilla, and toasted oak — rich and layered but never harsh. This is the bottle Irish whiskey fans chase.
ABV: 58.1% | Cask: Bourbon & Oloroso Sherry
Price: $69.97
Typical Market Range: $107–$125
Savings: You're looking at roughly 37–44% off what most places charge
Who's this for: Everyone who likes Irish whiskey even a little bit. The standard Redbreast 12 is honestly overpriced for what you get — but the Cask Strength? This is the best regularly available Irish whiskey on the market. Period. And at this price, it's insanely cheap. Don't think about it, just grab it.
Macallan 12yr Sherry Oak 110 Proof Single Malt Scotch
The classic Macallan 12 Sherry Oak you already know, but bottled at a bolder 55% ABV. Sticky dates, dark chocolate, espresso, cinnamon, and stem ginger — all the signature Macallan richness with noticeably more intensity and depth.
ABV: 55% | Cask: Sherry Seasoned European Oak
Price: $99.97
Typical Market Range: $120–$128
Savings: Around 17–22% off typical retail
Who's this for: Let's be real — almost every whisky in Macallan's core range is overpriced. This one is still a little pricey, but we're in shouting distance of reasonable. If you want to see what a well-presented Macallan actually tastes like, this is it — at a price you can stomach.
Yellow Spot 12yr Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey
A 12-year single pot still Irish matured across three different cask types — not just finished, fully matured. Honey, coffee, crème brûlée, toasted oak, and a sophisticated dried fruit finish. One of the best kept secrets in Irish whiskey.
ABV: 46% | Cask: Bourbon, Oloroso Sherry & Malaga Wine
Price: $99.97
Typical Market Range: $120–$135
Savings: Roughly 20–26% off what you'd normally pay
Who's this for: It's a little pricey for most people, no getting around that. But if you already know you love Green Spot or the other Spots in the range, the extra complexity here may be worth the premium. The Malaga cask influence adds a layer you just don't get anywhere else in Irish whiskey.
Lagavulin 8yr Single Malt Scotch
Don't let the younger age statement fool you — this is intense, full-on Islay peat at 48%. Charred chocolate, sea spray, clean smoke, and a punchy finish. Some argue it's even peatier than the famous 16-year-old.
ABV: 48% | Cask: Refill American Oak
Price: $54.97
Typical Market Range: $70–$87
Savings: Roughly 21–37% off depending on your market
Who's this for: Anyone who likes Islay whiskies, and especially Lagavulin fans. Hot take — the extra ABV elevates this one above the more prestigious 16-year-old. More punch, more energy, and at nearly half the price. Fight me.
What's the Whisky Community Drinking?
Dramface — Ardnamurchan AD/10 2025 Release
Ten years in, Ardnamurchan's first official age-statement release delivers exactly what fans have been hoping for — honeyed fruit, coastal minerality, and a purity of spirit that punches well above its age. Archie Dunlop called it a microcosm of everything this distillery does so well.
Score: 7/10 ("Very Good Indeed")
My take: Ardnamurchan has been one of the most exciting new distilleries in Scotland for years, and this is the bottle that proves the hype is deserved. At 46.8% ABV, non-chill filtered, and around $70 — this is what happens when a distillery focuses on making whisky instead of making marketing campaigns. If you can find one, grab it.
Whiskyfun — Dornoch 5yo Refill Bourbon (Cask #124)
Serge Valentin sat down with a stack of Dornoch releases and came away seriously impressed. This 5-year-old from a refill bourbon cask delivered lemon, caramel, nougat, and a splendid oiliness that had him brushing against the 90 mark. From a tiny distillery run out of the Dornoch Castle Hotel in the Scottish Highlands.
Score: 88/100
My take: When the most prolific and respected palate in whisky gives a 5-year-old an 88, you pay attention. Dornoch is microscopic — we're talking 100-bottle releases — so you're unlikely to stumble across this at your local shop. But it's worth knowing the name, because this distillery is going places. If you ever see one, don't think twice.
Phil Dwyer (Whisky Wednesday) — Ardbeg 10 Cask Strength
The most anticipated Ardbeg release in years just dropped. Ardbeg's classic 10-year-old, now at a ferocious 61.7% ABV and non-chill filtered. Dwyer found it surprisingly nuanced — lime, smoked chilli, cigar leaf, dense earthy peat — and far more complex than the smoke-bomb he expected. His verdict: as good, if not better, than he imagined.
My take: This is the one everyone's been asking for — literally, the Ardbeg Committee has been requesting a cask strength 10 for over 20 years. If you know you like the 10, you’ll love this new cask strength version. It’s a touch pricey, but much more reasonable than the limited edition Ardbegs.
Worth Knowing: Why Higher Proof Is Almost Always the Better Buy
If you've been reading this week's deals, you might have noticed a pattern — every bottle on the list is 46% ABV or higher. That's not a coincidence. Here's why I almost always reach for the higher proof option, and why I think you should too.
You're the blender. A bottle at 55% ABV lets you dial in exactly the strength you want with a few drops of water. You can explore it at full strength, open it up a little, or bring it down to whatever your palate prefers on a given night. A bottle at 40%? That's all you get. You can't add flavor back in. Higher proof gives you options — lower proof gives you one speed.
There's literally more whisky in the bottle. This is the part people don't think about. A 40% ABV bottle is 60% water. A 55% ABV bottle is 45% water. You're getting significantly more actual whisky per dollar. When you factor that in, a higher proof bottle that costs a little more often ends up being the better value per unit of whisky you're actually drinking.
Above 46%, you're almost certainly getting non-chill filtered whisky. This is the big one. Chill filtration strips out the fatty acids and proteins that give whisky its body, texture, and mouthfeel. Distillers do it at lower ABVs because without it, the whisky goes hazy when you add ice or water — and that scares off casual buyers. But above 46%, that haze doesn't happen, so most producers skip the filtration entirely. The result? A richer, oilier, more viscous dram with more flavor intact. It's whisky the way it was meant to taste before someone in marketing decided cloudiness was a problem.
Bottom line: higher proof doesn't mean harsher. It means more control, more whisky, and more flavor. Once you start buying at 46% and above, it's really hard to go back.
What's Happening: Scotch Exports to the US Are Down 15% — And It Could Get Worse
The Scotch Whisky Association just released its 2025 export numbers, and the US market took a hit. Since the 10% tariff kicked in last April, export volume to the States dropped 15%. Full-year US exports fell 9.2% in volume and 4% in value, landing at £933 million.
Globally, the picture isn't as bad as it sounds. Total Scotch exports dipped just 0.64% to £5.36 billion — a big improvement over the 3.7% freefall in 2024. India is surging (up 15%, now the third-largest market by value), and the EU is still the biggest regional buyer overall. So Scotch isn't dying. It's just shifting where it goes.
Here's the part that should be on your radar: there's a potential 35% tariff on single malt looming in July. That's when the five-year suspension from the old Boeing-Airbus trade dispute expires. If that kicks in on top of the current tariffs, it would make the 25% tariff that cost the industry over £600 million between 2019 and 2021 look like a warm-up.
My take: The tariff situation is getting more complicated, not less. If you've been eyeing bottles from UK retailers like The Whisky World or Really Good Whisky, that window is still open — but I wouldn't sit on it forever. And for US retail prices, the math is simple: more tariffs mean higher shelf prices. If there's a bottle you've been putting off buying, the price today is probably the best you'll see for a while.
The Lounge Build - Weekly Update
I’m building out a whisky lounge in my basement. Been wanting to do this for a while and it’s finally happening.
The space just got framed. It’s not much to look at yet but here’s the plan: fireplace as the focal point, whisky shelves along the wall, leather chairs, leather couch, coffee table, a wet bar with a mini fridge, and a wine rack for the non-whisky drinkers.
I’m going to document the whole build in the newsletter — what I buy, what works, what I’d do differently. If you’ve ever thought about putting together your own space at home, hopefully this saves you some time and money.
That's it for this week. If you grabbed any of those InternetWines deals, let me know — just hit reply. Always curious what people are picking up.
And if you know someone who'd be into this, forward it their way. More people on the list means better deals, better content, and more leverage when I go knocking on doors for exclusive offers.
Talk next Thursday.
— Tim