Flora and Fauna Blair Athol 12 Year Old

Of the Flora & Fauna collection's many bottlings, only 11 remain commercially available today — a scarcity that has made the range increasingly sought-after among collectors and connoisseurs. Launched in 1991 by United Distillers (now Diageo), the collection was created to showcase single malts from distilleries whose spirit was otherwise destined entirely for blended Scotch. The name itself was never official — it was coined by the late whisky writer Michael Jackson, inspired by the charming illustrations of local wildlife and plants that grace each label.

Founded in 1798 in the Highland town of Pitlochry, Blair Athol is one of only seven working Scottish distilleries established in the 18th century. The distillery takes its water from the nearby Allt Dour burn — meaning "burn of the otter," a detail immortalised on the Flora & Fauna label — and has been owned by Diageo since 1997 via a lineage that runs through Arthur Bell & Sons and Guinness. As the principal malt component in Bell's Blended Scotch, virtually all of Blair Athol's output goes into blends, making the 12 Year Old Flora & Fauna one of the very few chances to experience it as a single malt. Matured in ex-bourbon and first-fill ex-sherry casks, it delivers a rich, full-flavoured dram with notes of dried fruits, warm spices, orange peel and a long, drying finish.