Buy 20cl bottles to try new whiskies

In the UK whisky is bottled in 5cl and 70cl - and more recently a number of distillers are bottling in 20cl bottles, some boxed (example to the right)  making a prefect gift or for trying out different whiskies withought committing to full bottles which can retail (ouch!) for £40/$75 each.

High end aged whiskies (21 Years Old plus) are not always better

Single malts are often more complex when they are aged beyond 10 years (so a 15 to 18 year old can be a worthwhile purchase) but very rare and expensive whiskies beyond this age are not always superior.

Very impressive blends, and Island Malts, are found at 8 to 12 years old

The very smokey (heavily peated) Single malts loose much of their smokey impact as they age; blended whisky, because the more highly distilled grain whisky constituent softens the young malt component, is also an excellent product at these younger ages and, in fact, the ratio of malt to grain, and the quality of the malt, can be more important than an older age statement such as 18 or 21 years old.