Bonnington Sherry Cask – 70cl

This is single malt from a distillery that only started making spirit in 2019, and it wears its youth with confidence. Bonnington Sherry Cask is a young whisky, matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and bottled at 47%, at natural colour and without chill-filtration. What you get is bright, sweet and unpolished in the best sense.

The story behind it is the real draw. Bonnington sits in Leith, and it is the first single malt distillery in Edinburgh in more than a century, revived under the Crabbie name by Halewood. Leith was once a whisky hub, and Bonnington is deliberately picking that thread back up. This early release was a small run of roughly 250 cases, which for a distillery still finding its feet makes it a genuine snapshot of a new Lowland maker at the very start.

On the nose, sweet sugar and pick-and-mix confectionery over fresh oak and green wood, red fruit sitting just behind. The palate is fresh and lively: subtle red fruit and sugar-dusted berries, with the PX cask lending sweetness rather than heaviness. The finish brings wood and gentle tannin, with a faint salty note at the very end. It is young and it does not pretend otherwise, but there is real charm in catching a distillery this early. Best enjoyed neat while you take its measure.

How to Serve

Neat in a Glencairn to judge it fairly. A very small drop of water can round the edges, but it does not need much. Tulip glass for nosing.

Where to Drink It

Black Rock in Shoreditch, the right crowd for a new distillery. Soho Whisky Club, for the curiosity value. Boisdale, if you want the Scottish setting.

Food Pairings

Keep it simple and savoury: a wedge of mature cheddar or a few slices of cured ham, which give the young, bright spirit something to push against.