Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I’m sure you’ve noticed it; the years flying by. Even although we expect it, it’s a fright when there’s so much around to measure it. Like putting yourself on video over the years and witnessing yourself age. Fun. I suppose a positive side to time being in such a hurry however, is of course seeing our whisky mature.
When I first started sharing whisky online, there really were very few ‘new’ malts to speak of: Arran and Kilchoman were the ‘new kids’ back then and there was an occasional cameo from an outlier such as Abhainnn Dearg, before eventually being joined by Daftmill after a 12 year wait.
Fast forward to today and there are quite literally dozens more. If we count only new single malt distilleries in Scotland alone - founded since Kilchoman - we have 30 new brands on the market. That’s a lot to take in. But on the whole we’re pretty happy and I’m often amazed how much of our time - and whisky budget - is spent on releases from distilleries that didn’t even exist just a few years ago.
There are a couple of things to tackle, though. We have been asked to pay a little more for these whiskies, for a start, and the whisky has - unavoidably - been young. Still, we stepped up; curious, bright and eager. Mostly under the belief that, as the whisky became more mature, the prices would attenuate and get closer to that of their legacy-branded peers. Well, the time has come to see if that’s been proven true.
This vPub has been inspired by the amount of recent ten year old releases and the realisation that so many of these ‘new wave’ independent distilleries have reached a point in time where they can release a single malt whisky with a 10-year age statement. If I waited a few months more, I could possibly double the brands with such a thing, so the time to move is now - before we have just too many to cover in a single session.
As more appear we can look forward to future milestones, but I have a nice selection of single malt scotch whiskies, with a ten year age statement on the label, most of which are available to buy today. The problem?
Well, they now enter that competitive space where they’re seen as an expensive alternatives alongside those previously mentioned legacy brands. So, let’s take a deep dive into things and ask if it’s all worth it. I’ll kick off with a world-conquering 10 year old, and end on two which I believe to be the best value today. These are the benchmarks to which all the new bottles in between will be compared.
How do our newbies hold up?
I’d love to welcome you there.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Opening
2:21 - Live or on Replay?
3:18 - Brief intro to topic
5:46 - Welcoming in the Lounge
15:35 - The all-conquering Arran 10
23:05 - Prices - Legacy vs New Wave
32:58 - Wolfburn 10yo - better(!)
36:30 - Kingbarns 10yo
51:48 - Are the 'new' whiskies worth 33% more?
1:03:29 - Ardnamurchan 10yo (2024)
1:09:25 - When will 'new distillery' prices attenuate?
1:17:08 - Glasgow 10 year old (RMW single cask)
1:33:42 - When to get them open?
1:38:58 - Kilchoman Loch Gorm 10yo
1:50:04 - Bargain gem in 2025 - Laphroaig 10CS
1:51:12 - I think whisky is getting...better!
1:53:15 - Springbank 10 - still the OG
1:56:05 - The future is bright - for the variety and flavour
2:12:00 - Quiz at the End
Choose or update your Dramface Top 40 here: dramface.com/dramface-top-40
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5188931899359232
I’m sure you’ve noticed it; the years flying by. Even although we expect it, it’s a fright when there’s so much around to measure it. Like putting yourself on video over the years and witnessing yourself age. Fun. I suppose a positive side to time being in such a hurry however, is of course seeing our whisky mature.
When I first started sharing whisky online, there really were very few ‘new’ malts to speak of: Arran and Kilchoman were the ‘new kids’ back then and there was an occasional cameo from an outlier such as Abhainnn Dearg, before eventually being joined by Daftmill after a 12 year wait.
Fast forward to today and there are quite literally dozens more. If we count only new single malt distilleries in Scotland alone - founded since Kilchoman - we have 30 new brands on the market. That’s a lot to take in. But on the whole we’re pretty happy and I’m often amazed how much of our time - and whisky budget - is spent on releases from distilleries that didn’t even exist just a few years ago.
There are a couple of things to tackle, though. We have been asked to pay a little more for these whiskies, for a start, and the whisky has - unavoidably - been young. Still, we stepped up; curious, bright and eager. Mostly under the belief that, as the whisky became more mature, the prices would attenuate and get closer to that of their legacy-branded peers. Well, the time has come to see if that’s been proven true.
This vPub has been inspired by the amount of recent ten year old releases and the realisation that so many of these ‘new wave’ independent distilleries have reached a point in time where they can release a single malt whisky with a 10-year age statement. If I waited a few months more, I could possibly double the brands with such a thing, so the time to move is now - before we have just too many to cover in a single session.
As more appear we can look forward to future milestones, but I have a nice selection of single malt scotch whiskies, with a ten year age statement on the label, most of which are available to buy today. The problem?
Well, they now enter that competitive space where they’re seen as an expensive alternatives alongside those previously mentioned legacy brands. So, let’s take a deep dive into things and ask if it’s all worth it. I’ll kick off with a world-conquering 10 year old, and end on two which I believe to be the best value today. These are the benchmarks to which all the new bottles in between will be compared.
How do our newbies hold up?
I’d love to welcome you there.
Timestamps:
0:00 - Opening
2:21 - Live or on Replay?
3:18 - Brief intro to topic
5:46 - Welcoming in the Lounge
15:35 - The all-conquering Arran 10
23:05 - Prices - Legacy vs New Wave
32:58 - Wolfburn 10yo - better(!)
36:30 - Kingbarns 10yo
51:48 - Are the 'new' whiskies worth 33% more?
1:03:29 - Ardnamurchan 10yo (2024)
1:09:25 - When will 'new distillery' prices attenuate?
1:17:08 - Glasgow 10 year old (RMW single cask)
1:33:42 - When to get them open?
1:38:58 - Kilchoman Loch Gorm 10yo
1:50:04 - Bargain gem in 2025 - Laphroaig 10CS
1:51:12 - I think whisky is getting...better!
1:53:15 - Springbank 10 - still the OG
1:56:05 - The future is bright - for the variety and flavour
2:12:00 - Quiz at the End
Choose or update your Dramface Top 40 here: dramface.com/dramface-top-40
🎙️ New to streaming or looking to level up? Check out StreamYard and get $10 discount! 😍 streamyard.com/pal/d/5188931899359232
