Close-up of a copper brewing vessel used in beer-making, with a wooden and metal fixture on the side, in a brewing facility with a patio and greenery in the background.

A curated selection of old, rare and vintage whisky samples

A family business from the Highlands of Scotland, at The Malt Library we hand bottle samples of rare, old and vintage whiskies, with a particular emphasis on whiskies from lost and closed distilleries.

Our 30ml samples provide everyone with the opportunity to try outstanding and rare whiskies for a fraction of the price they would have to pay for a full bottle.

No subscription required – just brilliant whiskies, some of which you might never get the chance to try again.

Every 30ml sample that we sell is hand filled and hand waxed, and comes accompanied by a tasting notes card and presented in a fully recyclable box.

—

Rare whisky

for everyone

—

Above all at The Malt Library we are passionate whisky drinkers. We bottle what we drink and firmly believe that great whisky should be accessible to all.

Closed & Lost Distilleries

Closed/Lost/Ghost distilleries are at the heart of The Malt Library. We believe that they present special drinking experiences but importantly, they shouldn’t be experiences that command ridiculous prices

Never boring, always interesting

We’ll never bottle run of the mill, plain, uninteresting whiskies. Primarily because we don’t really find much enjoyment in drinking run of the mill, plain, uninteresting whiskies

Value

We steadfastly believe that our sample prices present excellent value that are a fraction of the price that a whole bottle would cost at retail or auction sites

Family Business

A father and son duo, we have been drinking and collecting whisky for over 35 years. The two of us bottle, package and ship every whisky that we sell.

No Subscription Required

There are a lot of whisky subscription sites out there. We aren’t one of them.

Hand filled & Hand waxed

Every sample that we bottle is hand filled and hand waxed and is presented alongside a tasting notes card.

  • A man with a beard and mustache wearing a beige cap and denim jacket sitting at a bar holding a bottle of Lone Star beer.

    Alex

    CO-FOUNDER

    Having been an avid craft beer drinker for the last 10 years my introduction to whisky was via the world of barrel aged and cask matured beers. I’ve rapidly fallen in love with whisky since and have developed a particular interest in preserving the legacies of lost and ghost distilleries.

    Favourite distilleries: Ledaig. Pulteney. Clynelish. Dornoch.

  • A man standing in front of a distillery display at Woleburn Distillery, holding a bottle of whiskey. The display includes a large barrel with the sign "Fill Your Own Bottle," and a smaller sign indicating the cost as £69.99, with details about the distillery and whiskey cask. The background shows industrial pipes and equipment, and there's a sign that says "Wash Still 5500 Litres." The man is dressed casually, wearing a black jacket, light-colored jeans, and sneakers.

    Chris

    CO-FOUNDER

    I grew up in Thurso which is as far North as you can go on the A9 overlooking the Orkneys. In my late teens I was introduced to harsh blended whisky, which put me off sampling any other type of whisky for over a decade. At this point I came across a wonderful 18 year old Highland Park and I was hooked…

    Favourite distilleries: Highland Park, Pulteney and the long lost Mosstowie.