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For two decades, Wemyss Malts has been the independent bottler that names its single casks after flavours and builds its blended malts around a mood. Now the Fife family has put its own castle on a label, launched its first dedicated range of age-stated single malts, and opened it with a distillery independent bottlers rarely get to work with.

The Wemyss Castle Collection debuts with a 10 Year Old Glenglassaugh, fully matured in ex-sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV, at natural colour and without chill filtration. Only 250 cases are available worldwide. It lands in the UK on 5 November 2026 at £54 for a 70cl bottle, and it is the first entry in a series Wemyss plans to grow over the coming years with single malts from distilleries across Scotland. Much of the spirit was bought as new make and matured under the eye of Production Director Isabella Wemyss, who selected this release herself.

The key facts

Release: The Castle Collection, Series No. 001

Distillery: Glenglassaugh (Highland, Sandend Bay, Aberdeenshire)

Bottler: Wemyss Malts

Age: 10 years

Cask type: Ex-sherry casks (full maturation)

ABV: 46%

Presentation: Natural colour, non-chill filtered, small batch

Outturn: 250 cases worldwide

Price: £54 (70cl)

Release date: 5 November 2026 (UK)

What is the Wemyss Castle Collection?

The Wemyss Castle Collection is a new, ongoing series of independently bottled, age-stated single malt Scotch whiskies. Wemyss (pronounced “Weems”) has released age-stated whisky before, but only as one-off single casks. This is the first time the company has gathered age-stated single malts under one dedicated, recognisable range.

The name comes from Wemyss Castle on the coast of Fife, the family’s ancestral seat and the emblem that has sat on Wemyss Malts bottles since the start. It is also where Mary, Queen of Scots first met Lord Darnley, which gives the castle a rather better story than most brand logos.

The stated aim is simple: well-matured whisky from individual distilleries, at prices that let drinkers explore. Wemyss has confirmed further releases are already in development, each one presented to show the character of the distillery it comes from.

From new make to bottle: how Isabella Wemyss built release 001

The detail that sets this collection apart is when Wemyss got involved. Rather than buying mature stock ready to bottle, the company acquired much of the spirit as new make and filled and managed the casks itself. Isabella Wemyss identified the spirit at distillery level, chose the casks and decided when each whisky was ready.

That matters because, for an independent bottler, maturation is where most of the flavour is decided. Owning the whole journey from filling to bottling means the person signing the label also chose the wood, and Isabella’s signature is literally on the front of this one.

She frames the collection as a response to a more curious kind of drinker, one who wants to know how a whisky was made and what shaped its flavour, rather than shopping by age or region alone. In her words, some of the most exciting decisions happen long before a whisky reaches the bottle.

Why Glenglassaugh is the right opening act

Glenglassaugh sits on the Moray Firth coast between Sandend and Portsoy, just outside the Speyside boundary in the Highland region. It was founded in 1875, but its history is one of long silences: the distillery was mothballed from 1986 until 2008, when it was revived and reopened.

That gap is exactly why Glenglassaugh is uncommon in independent bottlings. There was simply no spirit being laid down for more than twenty years, so the stock that exists today comes almost entirely from the post-2008 era. A 10 year old from an independent bottler is a genuinely unusual sight on the shelf.

The house character is coastal: ripe orchard and stone fruit with a fresh, saline edge from the distillery’s position right above the bay. Since 2016 the distillery has been part of Brown-Forman’s Scotch portfolio alongside Benriach and The GlenDronach, and its own core range was relaunched in 2023 with a coastal identity built around Sandend Bay.

Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old: tasting notes

We have not tasted this bottling yet, so the notes below are from Wemyss Malts and the bottle label.

Wemyss Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old (Wemyss Malts’ notes)

Nose: Dried fruit, toffee, caramel, a fresh coastal lift

Palate: Dried fruit and caramel layered with warming oak spice, balanced by the distillery’s sea-air freshness

Finish: Long and warming, with oak spice and a gentle maritime note

ABV:46% | Cask type: Ex-sherry, full maturation | Price: £54

The pairing makes sense on paper. Full sherry maturation tends to bring the dried fruit, toffee and spice, while Glenglassaugh’s lighter, fruit-forward coastal spirit should stop it from becoming heavy. At 46% and non-chill filtered, there is enough strength and texture for the cask and the spirit to both be heard.

The label: a return to the original Wemyss Malts look

The Castle Collection also brings back Wemyss Malts’ original logo. The label uses a parchment-style paper with perforated edges, designed to look as if it was torn from a sheet and applied by hand, with handwritten script for the tasting description and Isabella Wemyss’ signature.

Colour does the cataloguing. The deep red band at the base of the label signals a sherried release, and that red will carry through every future sherry-matured bottling in the series. Whiskies from other cask types will get their own colours, so collectors can read the wood at a glance and line the series up by cask style.

Who are Wemyss Malts?

Wemyss Malts was founded in 2005 by the Wemyss family, whose ties to Scotch go back further than the brand: John Haig built the Cameronbridge distillery on Wemyss land in 1824. The family also owns Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife and makes Darnley’s Gin.

As an independent bottler, Wemyss buys whisky from other distilleries and bottles it under its own name. The company is best known for its flavour-led blended malts and its single cask releases, which are named after the dominant aroma in the glass rather than the cask number. The Castle Collection adds a third pillar: age-stated single malts that put the distillery name front and centre.

Price and availability

The Wemyss Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old launches in the UK on 5 November 2026 at an RRP of £54 for 70cl. The total allocation is 250 cases worldwide, so stock outside the UK will be limited.

Wemyss Malts has not yet published euro or dollar pricing or a list of international markets. The safest routes are the Wemyss Malts online shop and specialist retailers that carry its single casks, many of which ship across Europe and beyond. With an outturn this small, it is worth acting early rather than waiting for it to appear in your market.

Is it worth £54?

On paper, this is a strong spec for the money. A fully sherry-matured, age-stated 10 year old at 46%, natural colour and non-chill filtered sits right in the price band of many standard distillery 10 year olds, but adds the rarity of an independent Glenglassaugh and a single person’s cask choices behind it.

It is for drinkers who enjoy sherried Highland malts with some freshness to them, collectors who like to start a series at No. 001, and anyone curious about a distillery that spent twenty-two years silent. If you are after heavy, dense sherry bombs at cask strength, this is pitched more towards balance than power.

We will be looking to get a bottle into a Glencairn glass. Until then, the release to watch next is Castle Collection No. 002, and which cask colour it brings to the label.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Wemyss Castle Collection? The Wemyss Castle Collection is a new series of independently bottled, age-stated single malt Scotch whiskies from Wemyss Malts. Named after Wemyss Castle in Fife, it brings single malts from different Scottish distilleries into one dedicated range. Much of the spirit was bought as new make and matured under Isabella Wemyss. The first release is a 10 Year Old Glenglassaugh.

What does the Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old taste like? According to Wemyss Malts, the Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old shows dried fruit, toffee, caramel and warming oak spice from its ex-sherry casks, balanced by a fresh coastal character from the distillery. The finish is described as long and warming, with oak spice and a gentle maritime note. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered.

How much does the Wemyss Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 cost? The Wemyss Castle Collection Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old has a UK recommended retail price of £54 for a 70cl bottle. Wemyss Malts has not yet announced official euro or US dollar prices. Retail prices in other markets will depend on local duty and taxes, and on how much of the 250-case allocation each market receives.

Where can I buy the Glenglassaugh 10 Year Old from Wemyss Malts? The whisky goes on sale in the UK from 5 November 2026 through Wemyss Malts and specialist whisky retailers. Only 250 cases are available worldwide, so international availability will be limited. Check the Wemyss Malts online shop and established specialist retailers that stock Wemyss single casks, many of which offer shipping across Europe and internationally.

Why are independent bottlings of Glenglassaugh so rare? Glenglassaugh was mothballed between 1986 and 2008, so no new spirit was produced for over twenty years. Almost all of the distillery’s available stock therefore dates from after its 2008 reopening, and very little of it reaches independent bottlers. That makes an age-stated 10 Year Old from an independent bottler like Wemyss Malts an uncommon release.

Who owns Wemyss Malts? Wemyss Malts is a family-owned independent bottler founded in 2005 by the Wemyss family of Fife, whose ancestral home is Wemyss Castle. Isabella Wemyss is Production Director and leads cask selection. The family also owns Kingsbarns Distillery in Fife. Wemyss is known for flavour-named single casks and blended malts, and now the age-stated Castle Collection.