The Whisky Cellar
The Whisky Cellar was founded in 2017, with Series 1 of the Private Cellars Selection being released in the 2nd half of 2020. The business is managed by Edinburgh based Keith Bonnington who utilised his more than 20 year experience in the Scotch Whisky Industry for maximum impact when launching the Private Cellars Selection.
For us at Select Scotch Whisky, we were impressed with the fantastic quality of the series 1 releases and counted ourselves fortunate to be able to work with Keith bringing these bottles to the Australian market. Each bottling in Series 1 is a fantastic representation of what the distilleries do, showcased with no-chill filtration or colour additions and at cask strength, making these releases as close to drinking from the cask as possible.
ABOUT THE WHISKY CELLAR
From the mouth of founder, Keith Bonnington, Keeper of the Quaich: "As soon as I took on my first ever role in the Scotch Whisky industry, nearly 20 years ago, I knew I was here to stay. It well and truly pulled me in and has never let me go – not that I want it to. Whisky has been a loyal companion in times of reflection, contemplation, concentration, sadness and celebration. It has always been treated with the respect it commands, thus it has offered me so many memorable moments. From travelling on business, to meeting customers in far away export markets representing large international brands, to sitting at home with a single cask sample from an unheralded distillery, I keep every ‘whisky moment’ locked away in a little chamber in my mind.
I am incredibly fortunate to have made a career from something I love and my own contribution to the industry was recognised in 2013 when I was bestowed the honour of becoming a ‘Keeper of the Quaich’. More fortunate still to have been able to access, from very reliable and established sources, a wide assortment of incredible casks for my own bottlings. At its heart, Scotch Whisky is for enjoying - whether that’s drinking it or collecting it. Personally, I buy whisky to drink and I try to select parcels of stock that fit a wide array of flavour preferences - I hope that comes across in this particular release.
People often ask me “what’s your go-to whisky?”, I always end up just rattling off a whole load of distillery names and not really answering the question. Whiskies suit moments, occasions and the company you are in at any given time. On balance, I have always veered towards a sweeter, fruitier style – Speyside in particular. However, nothing hits the spot after a rough day like a peaty beast of a malt from Islay. I don’t think I’d ever tasted Single Grain until one day a few years ago during my time at Edrington, trying an old North British (from 1988 or ‘89 as I recall) in the Great Western Road sample room, was incredibly memorable. I could taste the gentle vanilla, salted buttery notes for hours after and it was delicious.
This series is a culmination of my experiences in the industry. I think this would make a really interesting ‘tasting flight’, exploring different styles and an array of colour, aroma and flavour. I really do hope you enjoy drinking these whiskies as much as I did putting them together."
Browse our collection of The Whisky Cellars Whisky here...