It's been a busy start to the summer with Europe besieged by heatwaves and America rediscovering its love for soccer.
What’s needed now is time to relax, time to cool off, time for a drink.
Luckily, we’ve collated our highest-rated spirits of the month for you to select that next summer sip from. These are the bottles that our Tasting Panel has tasted and rated, having documented everything they’ve encountered this month and then scoring them out of 100 according to The World of Fine Spirits’ methodology. These bottles are the zenith of the month’s experiences, the most delicious liquid on offer.
We’ve got a cross-section of the market, with a wide range of prices and styles. The list cuts across American and Japanese single malt blends, Caribbean rums, and releases from some cult Scotch distilleries. This month’s selection involves both core expressions to off kilter, limited, and rare sell-out releases.
Bruichladdich, Yellow Submarine [Reclassified]
Bruichladdich Yellow Submarine [Reclassified] arrived in 2026 to mark 25 years since the distillery’s revival.
The cult series springs from a genuinely strange episode: in the early 2000s, US military intelligence flagged Bruichladdich as a possible weapons-of-mass-destruction site, and a stray yellow Navy submarine later washed up off Islay.
This 14-year-old, bottled at 54.2% ABV, was matured in first-fill bourbon and first- and second-fill French red wine casks, nodding to the original.
Capreolus, Gooseberry Eau de Vie 2023
This is a crystal clear spirit distilled in Gloucestershire in 2023 by Capreolus, a distillery specialising in eau de vie and founded by Barney Wilczak.
This premium gooseberry eau de vie is fermented using local wild yeast and is double-distilled in a copper pot.
Reflecting the artisanal, locally-minded approach of Wilczak, who is also known as a forager, this release is limited to 254 bottles, sized at just 375ml.
Hibiki, 21 Year Old
Housed in its iconic 24-faceted bottle — said to represent the 24 seasons of the old Japanese lunar calendar — Hibiki 21 Year Old brings together malt and grain whiskies from Suntory’s three distilleries: the malts of Yamazaki and Hakushu, and the grain of Chita.
Every Hibiki 21 Year Old contains a portion of whisky matured in prized Mizunara oak.
It is a decorated expression and a benchmark for Japanese blending.
Hibiki, 30 Year Old
Standing as the oldest consistent offering in Suntory’s hallmark Hibiki blend, the 30 Year Old brings together malt and grain whiskies from three iconic Japanese distilleries.
Drawing from the award-winning Yamazaki, soft-water Hakushu, and Chita grain distilleries, it sits among the rarer and more coveted expressions in the range.
Capreolus, Hart and Dart Barrel Aged Gin
Taking its already acclaimed Garden Swift Gin and ageing it in rare mulberry wood barrels, Capreolus has created its Hart & Dart Mulberry Barrel Aged Gin.
Released in single-cask editions of about 500 bottles each, this aged gin consists of around 34 botanicals, including Sicilian blood orange zest and lime-tree flowers.
Made in Gloucestershire with sustainable production, this English gin is not to be missed.
Star Hill Farm, 2026
Best known for its Kentucky bourbon, Maker’s Mark launched Star Hill Farm in 2025 to showcase the underappreciated qualities of American wheat whisky.
This is composed of 27% wheat, 62% malted wheat, and 11% malted barley.
It’s notable for being entirely free of corn, a staple in the rest of Maker’s Mark’s output. Instead, the mash is composed of soft red, hard red, and hard white wheat, with a smattering of barley.
Capreolus, Damson Eau de Vie 2021
Another entry from Gloucestershire’s specialist eau de vie distillery.
Made from damson — reportedly with stones included, lending a bitter-almond note — this spirit from Barney Wilczak’s Capreolus distillery is fermented using wild yeast and distilled in a small copper pot.
Foregrounding artisan production in a tiny English distillery, it takes around 24kg of fruit per liter, and the 2021 vintage runs to just 379 bottles at 375ml each.
Russell’s Reserve, 13 Year Old
Another high-profile, hard-to-get release from Russell’s Reserve, the premium line from Wild Turkey named after father-and-son master distillers Jimmy and Eddie Russell.
This Kentucky Straight Bourbon uses the Wild Turkey mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley.
First released in 2021 and an annual fixture since 2022, the 13 Year Old returns each spring to high demand. Bottled at barrel proof, the ABV shifts between batches, but the acclaim holds firm.
The GlenAllachie, 2003 Cask Pedro Ximénez Puncheon
Bottled exclusively for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2026, with only 597 bottles, this is the latest single cask expression from the highly rated GlenAllachie Distillery.
At 22 years old, this 2003 cask (#40255) is wholly aged in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, true to master distiller Billy Walker’s trademark style.
Only made available during the festival and at the distillery, this bottle will be hard to get hold of. The Speyside single malt is bottled at cask strength, with no chill filtering or additives.
Black Tot, Master Blender’s Reserve 2022
Black Tot’s Master Blender’s Reserve 2022 is blended from rums of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad.
Master blender Oliver Chilton draws on historical rum styles, folding in Black Tot’s perpetual reserve carried over from the 2021 edition. The blend is then layered with precious flagons of original Royal Navy rum from 1970.
The result marries 50-year-old naval heritage with the best of the modern Caribbean.
