Independent whisky bottler Saltire Rare Malt has launched a new collection of limited-edition expressions. The Cigar Malt Series will be comprised of whiskies designed to complement premium cigars.

The first release from the collection is an 18-year-old single malt whisky distilled at Speyside Distillery, formerly the production site of SPEY whisky and now planned for redevelopment by Glasgow Whisky.

The whisky was aged in first-fill Pedro Ximénez and Bodegas Ximénez-Spinola casks, and selected by whisky experts Hans and Becky Offringa, known as 'The Whisky Couple', who have worked with Saltire to curate its collection. Hans and Becky's tasting notes for the whisky included "unripe pineapple, spicy oak, and maple syrup on pancakes", with "a maraschino cherry infused with Angostura bitters, milk chocolate, and a hint of liquorice in the finish".

Saltire Rare Malt founder and director Keith Rennie said: "We are so proud to announce the first release from our brand-new Cigar Malt Series. It’s an idea we’ve been discussing for a while, and once we saw the reaction from our trusted whisky experts Hans and Becky, we knew we had created something very special.

"Pairing the perfect whisky with the perfect cigar is one of life’s great pleasures, a ritual we know our loyal fans of Saltire Rare Malt will love. The visual beauty of the rich, copper colour combined with the complex, sweet, and fruity mouthfeel of the liquid makes for an all-round joyous sensory experience. One of the most exciting parts of what we do at Saltire is witness the reaction to our brand-new whiskies — we’re confident our whisky fans will adore this release."

Saltire Rare Malt launched in 2024, quickly selling out its three debut whisky bottlings.

The Saltire Rare Malt Speyside 18 Years Old Cigar Malt (48.8% ABV, RRP £162) is available now via www.saltireraremalt.com.