Review #806 - Brave New Spirits North British 13 Year Single Cask
In March 2026, we had a chance to attend a tasting with Brave New Spirits, an independent bottler, as they launched their products in the United States. This Glasgow-based bottler was established in 2020, and they focus on bottling Scotch whiskies; they're also building Witchburn distillery in Campbeltown. Our tasting centered around releases in their 'Cask Masters' line - this is 1 of 6 reviews from the launch.
North British is a grain distillery in the Edinburgh area of Scotland. It's jointly owned by two of the big Scotch producers - Diageo and Edrington - and produces whisky used for famous brands such as Johnnie Walker and The Famous Grouse. This distillery is known for still using a higher proportion of corn in its grain whisky production, as opposed to the wheat that has become more commonplace in the industry; this supposedly adds a sweeter, more creamy element to their grain whisky.
While most North British grain whisky goes into those blends, you can occasionally find it bottled as a single grain via indie bottlers. This example from Brave New Spirits was aged for a total of 13 years, some (or all) of which was in a second fill sherry butt.
Brave New Spirits North British 13 Year Single Cask
Scotland - Single Grain
Price: USD 99 (2026)
Age Statement: 13 Years
Strength: 50.1% ABV
Cask Makeup: Second fill sherry butt
Details: Cask #248817; distilled May 19, 2011; bottled March 13, 2025; 721 bottles
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 50% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Creamy and sweet with vanilla and some breakfast cereal notes. Musty sherry builds over time, and we get some sweeter grain notes as well; it becomes increasingly musty with air time.
Palate: Sweet grain, brown sugar and cinnamon, and then a hint of glue; sherry is again in the background, and it adds a light funk. Rich golden grain notes build.
Finish: Oranges and cream - very sweet, but there are also tannins and some cinnamon spice. Vanilla, starch, rice water and dry oak... a hint of tobacco smoke at the end. It's a long finish.
Final Note: This grain whisky is pleasant enough, but it does suffer from some of that simplicity that we tend to see in single grains with relatively 'low' age statements. It's quite sweet with some grain notes and baking spices; the sherry was quite reserved at first, but opened up a lot more over time.
Our Rating: 6.0 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.19
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
