These brand new Scotch whiskies underwent a striking 20‐month cask finish

Thursday, 24 September 2026 at 12:45

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A finishing period of a few months is nothing special in the whisky world. But what happens when you refine a whisky to perfection and then rest it for another 20 months in a wine cask? Turntable Blending House did exactly that with its three latest tracks and the results are seriously tasty. Meet Turntable Track 08, 09, and 10.

Scotland’s Turntable Blending House has unveiled Track 08 Black Betty, Track 09 Modern Love, and Track 10 Brown Sugar. These are three limited edition blended Scotch whiskies, each bottled at 52.5% ABV.

That’s where the similarities end. For the finishes, Turntable turned to Ruby Port, Madeira Bual, and Moscatel casks. After blending, each whisky was laid to rest for a full 20 months in those wine casks, resulting in three distinctly different profiles. Here’s the lineup.

Turntable Track 08 Black Betty gets a striking red hue from these casks

Let’s start with Track 08 Black Betty. For this whisky, Turntable brought together various single malts from Speyside and Islay. Think generous fruit and sweetness, with a lick of coastal smoke.

Then came the twist: the complete blend spent another 20 months in Ruby Port hogsheads. That’s long enough to leave a serious imprint. According to Turntable, the Port casks even gave the whisky a natural reddish tint. Expect flavors of strawberry jam, rich fruit, and cigar spices, with the peated Islay component providing a smoky counterpoint.

What’s in Turntable Track 08 Black Betty

34% Loch Lomond from a 1st fill bourbon cask
20% Glenlossie from a hogshead
17% Balmenach from a 1st fill rye barrel
15% peated Caol Ila from a virgin oak barrel
14% Glen Moray from a 2nd fill bourbon cask
20-month finish in Ruby Port hogsheads
Bottled at 52.5% ABV

How Turntable Track 08 Black Betty tastes

Nose: strawberry jam, ripe red fruits, and sweet spice
Palate: jammy fruit, sweetness, cigar spices, and gentle coastal smoke
Finish: fruity and spicy with a subtle smokiness that lingers

The Caol Ila is particularly intriguing. It makes up just 15% of the blend, yet its peaty character keeps Black Betty from becoming all sweetness after 20 months in Port.

Turntable Track 09 Modern Love features impressively old whisky

Track 09 Modern Love takes a completely different tack. No peated Islay whisky as the headline act here—this is a lighter blend with a relatively high portion of mature grain whisky.

And by mature, we mean truly old. Every drop of grain whisky used for Modern Love is over 20 years of age.

The base blend already carried ripe fruit and zesty citrus, according to the makers. It was then finished for 20 months in Madeira Bual hogsheads.

Bual is a relatively rich style of Madeira. Even so, Turntable wanted to ensure the casks wouldn’t overwhelm the original whisky. The finish was meant to layer in more fruit and sweetness while preserving that fresh citrus lift.

What’s in Turntable Track 09 Modern Love

31% Teaninich from a 1st fill bourbon cask
25% Girvan from a 1st fill bourbon cask
17% Royal Brackla from a hogshead
15% Invergordon from a 1st fill bourbon cask
12% Blair Athol from a rye barrel
All grain whisky used is over 20 years old
20-month finish in Madeira Bual hogsheads
Bottled at 52.5% ABV

How Turntable Track 09 Modern Love tastes

Nose: ripe peach, orchard fruits, vanilla, and fresh citrus
Palate: peach, white chocolate, vanilla, syrup, and summer fruits
Finish: bright and fruity with citrus, soft sweetness, and a gentle spice

Turntable even offers an eyebrow-raising serving suggestion for this whisky. They call Modern Love so fruity and easy-drinking that it’s perfect for breakfast.

At 52.5% ABV, we personally wouldn’t set an early alarm for it.

Turntable Track 10 Brown Sugar marries 22% smoky Ledaig with Moscatel

That leaves Track 10 Brown Sugar. Fans of boldly smoky whisky will likely linger over this bottle.

A full 22% of the whisky is Ledaig: the peated spirit produced at Tobermory Distillery on the Scottish Isle of Mull.

Turntable used a peated Ledaig matured in a sherry puncheon to bring notes of sea air, smoke, and tobacco to the blend. Set against that are several much sweeter malt and grain whiskies.

As if the contrast weren’t bold enough, the finished blend then spent 20 months in Moscatel barriques.

What’s in Turntable Track 10 Brown Sugar

34% Loch Lomond from a 1st fill bourbon cask
22% peated Ledaig from a sherry puncheon
16% Strathclyde from a 1st fill bourbon cask
15% Tamdhu from a 1st fill bourbon cask
13% Tullibardine from a virgin oak barrel
The blend is 50% malt whisky and 50% grain whisky
All grain whisky used is over 20 years old
20-month finish in Moscatel barriques
Bottled at 52.5% ABV

How Turntable Track 10 Brown Sugar tastes

Nose: dark smoke, tobacco, peach, nectarine, and sweet fruit
Palate: sooty smoke, an oily edge, creamy peach, ripe nectarine, cinnamon, and brown sugar
Finish: long and smoky with sweet stone fruit, dark smoke, and lingering spice

On paper, it might sound like a pretty unusual combination. Dark, almost sooty smoke alongside creamy peach and sweet Moscatel isn’t exactly the most obvious pairing.

But that’s exactly the contrast Turntable set out to explore with Brown Sugar.

Whisky spotlight from Whisky EXchange	Price
Octomore 17.1	144 pounds
Octomore 17.2	159 pounds
Octomore 17.3	201 pounds

Turntable sends whisky lovers in three different directions

What really stands out with these new releases is how long Turntable kept the whiskies in their finishing casks. Twenty months is anything but a brief kiss from a wine cask.

For Black Betty, that means Ruby Port set against peated Islay whisky. Modern Love marries Madeira with grain whisky over 20 years old. And in Brown Sugar, sweet Moscatel has to find harmony with 22% smoky Ledaig.

Which of the three sparks the most curiosity will probably come down to how much smoke you like in your glass. One thing is certain: with these three tracks, Turntable hasn’t just hit repeat on the same old tune.

Made possible with support from Turntable Spirits. No alcohol under 18.