Master of Malt has released a five-strong limited-edition whisky collection to coincide with this summer’s international football tournament, which spans English, Scottish and Irish whiskies, drawn from the Tonbridge-based retailer and independent bottler’s own cask programme. With outturns ranging from just 66 to 350 bottles per release, the range is positioned as a celebration of the tournaments that have shaped a generation of supporters, with label artwork by in-house designers Ben McKeown and Chris Gunter taking visual cues from the kits of Italia ’90 and France ’98.
Adnams 9 Year Old – English Rye Whisky
A single-cask English rye from Adnams in Southwold, Suffolk, one of the country’s most quietly accomplished craft distilleries and a benchmark producer in the category. Matured in a French oak wine cask and bottled at 46.6% ABV, the nose and palate lean into orange cream, ginger, Victoria sponge and honey, creamy, gently spiced and notably approachable. Limited to 340 bottles.
An English Distillery 12 Year Old – English Single Malt
A cask-strength single malt from an undisclosed English distillery, matured in a bourbon cask and bottled at a robust 54% ABV. Bold and structured, neat, it opens out generously with water to reveal melon rind, molasses, ice cream and waffles. A persuasive case for the seriousness of mature English single malt. Llimited to 240 bottles.
A Highland Distillery 12 Year Old – Highland Single Malt
An Oloroso-matured Highland single malt from an undisclosed distillery, bottled at 46.3% ABV. The nose is fruity and nutty with a friendly, sherried lift; the palate brings roasted nuts, sultanas and a balancing thread of salt and sweetness. Beautifully composed and eminently drinkable. Limited to 350 bottles.
Ben Nevis 27 Year Old – Highland Single Malt
The headline release of the collection and the rarest. Distilled at Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William in December 1998, the month Scotland last appeared at a World Cup, this single cask has matured through refill and refill PX hogsheads before being disgorged in March 2026. At 47.5% ABV, the nose offers layered oak, spice and herbal notes; the palate moves through tropical fruit, melon rind and molasses, finishing with the kind of graceful complexity that older Ben Nevis is increasingly prized for. Limited to just 129 bottles.
Irish Whiskey 8 Year Old – Double Cask
A blend of two casks from an undisclosed Irish distillery: a 13-year-old red wine barrique and an 8-year-old first-fill bourbon barrel, married and bottled at 43.4% ABV. Fresh and fruity on the nose, with fleshy sweetness, oak and tannin on the palate, finishing on grapes, melon and vanilla custard. The smallest outturn in the range and limited to just 66 bottles.
The Master of Malt Independent Bottlings Football Special Edition range is available exclusively at masterofmalt.com now
