Juniper Hill is a Murray McDavid Mystery Malt, a single malt from an undisclosed Highland distillery set in the hills close to the River Findhorn. Taking its name from the juniper bush, it offers whisky lovers the chance to enjoy a well-known Highland spirit presented in a new and unexpected way. Part of the fun of a Mystery Malt is in the tasting: the distillery is never named, leaving drinkers to judge the whisky purely on what's in the glass.

This is the third batch of Juniper Hill, released as part of Murray McDavid's Autumn 2023 Mystery Malt collection. The spirit was first matured in bourbon hogsheads, laying down a foundation of soft, sweet oak. Murray McDavid's Whisky Creations Team then finished it in an assortment of first-fill wine casks gathered from three of Europe's great wine regions, before bringing them together for bottling.

The Port casks come from Portugal's Douro Valley, home of the famous fortified wine, which is strengthened with grape spirit during fermentation to keep its natural sweetness. The Madeira casks hail from the Atlantic island of the same name, where the wine is traditionally aged in warm conditions, giving it a robust, rich character and lively acidity. Finally, the Barolo casks come from Piedmont in northern Italy, where this celebrated red is made from Nebbiolo grapes and is often called "the king of wines" for its power and structure.

Bringing these three very different wine casks together creates a whisky of real depth and complexity. The sweetness of the Port, the richness of the Madeira and the structure of the Barolo combine with the Highland spirit to create a layered, fruit-rich dram with plenty of warmth, a fine example of Murray McDavid's craft in the art of cask maturation.

Aged for 8 years and bottled in Autumn 2023, it is presented at natural cask strength of 53.5% ABV, natural colour and no chill filtration. Limited to 1,602 bottles.