The Rare Find Autumn 2026 Collection is built around one idea: take distilleries whose spirit already carries natural weight, then pick casks that add texture instead of masking it. The Edinburgh independent bottler’s line-up is a Clynelish 8 at a punchy 61.0%, a Ben Nevis 12 at 56.6%, a Laphroaig 14 at 56.2% and a Mortlach 16 at 54.6%. Each is a single cask, bottled at natural strength with natural colour and no chill filtration. Prices run from £69 to £155 across 957 bottles, and the collection goes on sale on 17 September 2026 through selected specialist retailers.
The idea behind the collection: weight first, then cask
The four distilleries were chosen for house styles that lean heavy in different ways: the waxy Highland complexity of Clynelish, the oily depth of Ben Nevis, the muscular fruit of Mortlach and the coastal power of Laphroaig. These are spirits that can take a rich cask without folding.
Rather than reach for the same wood across the board, Rare Find split the approach. First-fill oloroso sherry does the work on the Ben Nevis, Laphroaig and Mortlach, layering in dried fruit and spice on top of spirit that can carry it. The Clynelish takes the lighter route, a refill sherry hogshead that lets the distillery’s own character stay in front.
James Zorab of Rare Find framed the aim as enhancing what these distilleries already do rather than overpowering it, choosing each cask to complement the spirit. The point, in his words, was to “reveal new dimensions of already remarkable spirits.”
The four whiskies and how they taste, as described by Rare Find
The Daily Whisky has not tasted these yet, so the notes below are the bottler’s own, reworded for clarity. Here is how the four compare on paper.
| Clynelish 8 | Ben Nevis 12 | Laphroaig 14 | Mortlach 16 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Highland | Highland | Islay | Speyside |
| Cask | Refill sherry hogshead, full maturation | 1st fill oloroso quarter cask, 26-mo finish | 1st fill oloroso hogshead, 15-mo finish | 1st fill European oak oloroso hogshead, 28-mo finish |
| ABV | 61.0% | 56.6% | 56.2% | 54.6% |
| Outturn | 305 bottles | 167 bottles | 217 bottles | 268 bottles |
| Cask no. | 312284 | 11122 | 22866 | 81 |
| RRP | £69 | £79 | £155 | £115 |
Clynelish 8 YO tasting note (Rare Find)
Nose: Victoria sponge and buttercream, berry compote, bourbon biscuit, burnt toffee
Palate: Sugar-dusted red and black berries, chocolate-dipped strawberry, a flick of white pepper
Finish: Sweet, mouth-coating fruit with light cask spice
ABV: 61.0% | Cask: Refill sherry hogshead | RRP: £69
Ben Nevis 12 YO tasting note (Rare Find)
Nose: Leafy sherry, ripe hedgerow berries, sultana, shortbread, buttery popcorn
Palate: Chocolate digestive, red and black berries, butterscotch, building cinnamon and pepper
Finish: Long, with ripe berry fruit and dark chocolate
ABV:56.6% | Cask: 1st fill oloroso sherry quarter cask, 26-month finish | RRP: £79
Laphroaig 14 YO tasting note (Rare Find)
Nose: Iodine, brine and driftwood, with camphor, rock pool, preserved lemon and sea spray
Palate: Medicinal peat smoke, salinity and layered iodine, alongside dried berries and bonfire embers
Finish: Long and coastal, drying
ABV:56.2% | Cask: 1st fill oloroso sherry hogshead, 15-month finish | RRP: £155
Mortlach 16 YO tasting note (Rare Find)
Nose: Vanilla buttercream and toffee, redcurrant jelly, cracked walnut, gingerbread, milk chocolate
Palate: Cinnamon and ginger spiced plum, balsamic strawberry, polished oak, orange oil, biscuit crumb
Finish: Balanced fruit oils and rich chocolate
ABV: 54.6% | Cask: 1st fill European oak oloroso sherry hogshead, 28-month finish | RRP: £115
Who Rare Find is
Rare Find is the single cask arm of Gleann Mòr Spirits Co., an independent bottler based in Edinburgh. The house approach is consistent across every release: source individual casks, bottle them at natural strength without added colour or chill filtration, and let each cask speak for itself. The Autumn 2026 collection is that approach applied to four distilleries picked for the weight already sitting in their spirit.
Price and availability
Prices span a wide range, which tracks with the distilleries involved. The Clynelish 8 is the entry point at £69, followed by the Ben Nevis 12 at £79, the Mortlach 16 at £115 and the Laphroaig 14 at £155. Outturns are small, from 167 bottles of the Ben Nevis up to 305 of the Clynelish, so the more sought-after casks are likely to move quickly.
The collection is on sale from 17 September 2026 through selected specialist retailers. Rare Find is UK-based, and its bottles regularly reach specialist shops across Europe, so readers outside Britain should keep an eye on their usual independent-bottling stockists as well as the Rare Find stockist list.
Which one to watch
If you want the collection’s headline dram, the Laphroaig 14 is it: Islay peat rounded out by first-fill oloroso, at 217 bottles and £155. For value, the Clynelish 8 at £69 and 61.0% offers a lot of waxy Highland character for the money. The Mortlach 16 is the pick for sherry-and-spice drinkers, and the Ben Nevis 12, worked in a quarter cask for over two years, is the most heavily cask-driven of the four.
We have not tasted these yet, so treat the notes above as Rare Find’s own. If samples come our way, a scored review will follow.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Rare Find Autumn 2026 Collection? It is a four-bottle set of single cask single malts from Rare Find, the Edinburgh independent bottler. The theme is spirit weight and texture: four distilleries known for full-bodied spirit, each matched to a sherry cask chosen to enhance rather than mask the distillery character.
What whiskies are in the collection? Four single casks: a Clynelish 8 Year Old (61.0%), a Ben Nevis 12 Year Old (56.6%), a Laphroaig 14 Year Old (56.2%) and a Mortlach 16 Year Old (54.6%). Three are finished in first-fill oloroso sherry, while the Clynelish is fully matured in a refill sherry hogshead.
How much does the Rare Find Autumn 2026 Collection cost? Prices run from £69 to £155 per bottle. The Clynelish 8 is £69, the Ben Nevis 12 is £79, the Mortlach 16 is £115 and the Laphroaig 14 is £155. All are 70cl bottlings at natural cask strength.
Where and when can I buy it? The collection goes on sale on 17 September 2026 through selected specialist retailers. Rare Find is UK-based but ships to specialist shops across Europe, so buyers outside Britain should check the Rare Find stockist list and their usual independent-bottling retailer.
Are the Rare Find Autumn 2026 whiskies cask strength? Yes. Every bottle is presented at natural cask strength, from 54.6% on the Mortlach 16 up to 61.0% on the Clynelish 8, with natural colour and no chill filtration, in line with Rare Find’s standard house approach.
What is Rare Find known for? Rare Find is the single cask label of Gleann Mòr Spirits Co., an award-winning independent bottler in Edinburgh. It specialises in individual casks from across Scotland, bottled at natural strength without colouring or chill filtration, often with limited outturns of a few hundred bottles.
Leave a Reply