It’s no secret that at the Dram Team we love independent whisky bottlers. In fact, this month's whisky tasting set is dedicated to a couple of our favourite indie bottlers (check out August's Incredible Indies Whisky Tasting Set here).  

Independent bottlers find casks of whisky that showcase some of the best whiskies out there. And, they can be a real education. Independent releases often represent a completely different flavour, age, or even cask type than those released by distilleries' own brands.

You might already know some indie bottlers - many of which we’ve featured before in our tasting sets - Compass Box, That Boutique-y Whisky Company, Douglas Laing, The Firkin Whisky Co to name but a few. And, last year we wrote an article about some of the newer names you should check out (you can read that article here).

Given we're celebrating independent bottlers this August, we thought we'd take a look at five new and emerging whisky bottlers that we feel you should check out. 

Swell De Spirits

Swell De Spirits was founded by Michael, a Frenchman who loves the very best spirits. He's bottled an impressive range, from rum to cognac and armagnac - and, of course, whisky. Michael's releases are always big on flavour and character, and come with some beautiful label artwork.

You can find Swell De Spirit's releases here.

Chapter 7 Whisky

Founded by Selim Evin, Chapter 7 Whisky is inspired by literature. They've bottled a wide range of whiskies, in several different styles - from single cask, to blended. They have some great well-aged grain whiskies (which we're always big fans of here at The Dram Team), interesting cask finishes, and thought-provoking blends.

You can find Chapter 7's whiskies here.

Càrn Mòr

Càrn Mòr is part of family-owned Morrison Scotch Whisky Distilleries. We rate Morrison's brands highly, they're always great quality at very fair price points. In fact, we've written about Old Perth Cask Strength and Mac-Talla Mara as part of our 'Whiskies Under £50" series. Càrn Mòr is their range of small batch and single cask indie releases. And much like Old Perth and Mac-Talla they're always well priced.

You can find Càrn Mòr's whiskies here.

Uncharted Whisky Co

Uncharted Whisky Co was founded by a couple, Jack Breslin and Dana de Vos. Jack and Dana have been working in Scotland’s drinks industry for years. They've done it all in their time, from trading casks, to running specialist stores, and hosting tastings. Uncharted is their own dream, a range of single cask and small batch whiskies, inspired by stepping into the unknown and trying new styles. Each of their whiskies takes its name from a famous song, which is a nice touch.

You can find Uncharted's whiskies here.

Goldfinch Whisky Merchant

Goldfinch Whisky Merchant is a new independent bottler who has arrived on the whisky scene with a splash. They've launched not one, not two, but three collections of whisky. Their namesake Goldfinch collection is inspired by great sherry cask scotch, Paloma is inspired by Spain and uses rare Palo Cortado casks, and Kilnsman's Dram pays tribute to the role of the kilnsmen with sherried, peated, drams.

You can find Goldfinch's whiskies here.

Try more whiskies from Independent Bottlers by joining our tasting club

We hope you enjoy exploring these indie gems as much as we enjoyed writing about them. Look out for even more in our upcoming tasting boxes. And if you're not already a member, make sure to join the club!

Do you have a favourite independent bottler? We’d love to hear about your favourite finds!

We also write regular emails to our members, which is the best way to stay informed on upcoming subscription boxes, plus loads of other must-read whisky info. You can get on the list by signing up here.