The trophies worth adding to your cabinet.
Single malt scotch was around long before the start of the 21st century, but there has certainly been a plethora of new and noteworthy releases over the past 25 years. Longstanding distilleries have added new expressions with innovative cask finishes, there have been special single-barrel releases, new bottlings arrived from long dormant ghost distilleries that still have stock aging in warehouses, and a surge of younger distilleries have finally had whisky old enough to release.
We compiled a list of the greatest single malt scotches released since 2000, including some that might have arrived before that but were repackaged and revamped over the past 25 years. “Greatest” is a subjective term, of course, but for this list it means single malts that had some impact on consumers, the industry, or the general trajectory of the category. That means there might be some included that you don’t particularly care for—and that’s okay, because even if a certain whisky isn’t your favourite, it still might have made a mark on category.
I have been writing about scotch, and many other styles of whisky, for a decade. During that time, I have tried hundreds of expressions from major distilleries around the world, along with many craft operations, and have gotten to sample whisky from nearly every country that makes it. I also judge whiskey and other spirits for two competitions—the John Barleycorn Awards and New York World Wine and Spirits Competition—and write about spirits in all categories for numerous media outlets, so I’ve had a chance to hone my palate over the years.
I chose the single malts on this list by considering a few factors. As explained before, the whisky’s impact on the category played a part, but quality and flavour were of utmost importance, and availability was also taken into consideration. That being said, there are some whiskies on this list that are incredibly difficult to find, and extremely expensive if you do, but they made the list because of their significance and flavour. Take a look and see how many you’ve been able to try, and how many you should add to your whisky wish list.
Jura is a small island off the west coast of Scotland, located between the much better known Islay and the mainland. The eponymous distillery there has a range of single malts, including this whisky, which was aged for 14 years in a combination of bourbon and rye barrels. That latter type of cask is relatively uncommon in Scotch whisky, but it gives this dram a subtle hint of spice underneath its toffee, vanilla, citrus, and dark chocolate core.
Beverage conglomerate Diageo owns many different distilleries across Scotland, including Royal Lachnagar, which is not as well known as others in its portfolio. This whisky was offered as part of Diageo’s Special Releases collection in 2021, a 16-year-old single malt aged in European and American oak refill casks that have given it a light, fresh, citrusy character. It’s bottled at a strong 57.5 percent, so go ahead and add a bit of water if you’d like to open up the palate.
This whisky was released in 2021 to commemorate master distiller Robert Fleming’s 30th year with Tomintoul, a distillery located in the Highlands region of Scotland. The whisky was aged for 20 years in a bourbon barrel before being transferred to an Oloroso sherry cask for another decade, giving it notes of chocolate, apple, raisin and spice. There have been several other editions of this whisky in the years since, so you can compare them to this first release to see how they differ.
Diageo’s Prima & Ultima collection is an annual release which includes some truly excellent whiskies that you have likely never seen (or tasted) before. This is a great example—a single malt distilled at the Linkwood distillery in 1981, well before it was reopened in 2008, that was aged for 12 years in refill casks and then put into Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry-seasoned oak for more than 25 years. That double maturation has resulted in a truly special whisky that is warm with spice, dark chocolate and dried fruit notes on the palate.
Glenglassaugh is a small coastal distillery that was mothballed for numerous years and off the radar of many whisky drinkers for nearly just as long. It reopened in 2008 and was acquired by Brown-Forman in 2016, and more recently relaunched its core lineup. Portsoy is the standout expression of the bunch, a non-age-statement single malt aged in bourbon, sherry and port casks, combining the best influences of those three very different types of wood.
Royal Brackla is one of Bacardi’s key whisky distilleries, but it doesn’t get as much attention as others like Aberfeldy and Craigellachie. That should change with the release of this 21-year-old expression, part of the revamped lineup of core whiskies. It was finished in three different types of sherry casks—Oloroso, Palo Cortado, and Pedro Ximenez—providing a range of flavour notes that make this royal dram stand out from other similarly aged whiskies.
The Glenlivet is one of the most popular whiskies in the world, but the distillery is generally not known for making smoky single malts. This expression of Nadurra is the exception to that rule, however, a cask-strength (61.5 percent ABV) malt that was finished in barrels previously used to age heavily peated whisky. The result combines the Glenlivet’s house style of citrus, vanilla and spice notes with a gentle but noticeable smokiness.
This is another expression in Diageo’s Distillers Edition series. It’s a 2009 vintage from Islay distillery Caol Ila that was finished in Moscatel barrels, a type of sweet wine that is similar to sherry. The smoke from the peated barley used to make the whisky is still present, but it intermingles with a range of dried fruit, cherry, and spice notes, bringing a unique twist to the house style from this beloved distillery.
Oban is a small distillery that is one of Diageo’s core operations, with a portfolio anchored by a 14-year-old expression. This release is a year older than that one, but really stands out—it was matured in European oak butts and American oak hogsheads, and then finished for more than four years in Oloroso and Palo Cortado sherry casks and bottled at cask strength of 55.3 percent ABV. There’s a wisp of smoke on the palate, along with big notes of sweet fruit, caramelised brown sugar, black pepper, rum raisin and cinnamon, and a nice amount of heat on the finish.
This 25-year-old whisky is the oldest expression in the Isle of Arran lineup, a lesser known distillery that deserves your attention. This is a rare single malt with just 3,000 bottles released globally. The whisky was distilled in 1995, the same year the distillery began production, and aged in sherry and bourbon barrels for a quarter century. Look for notes of citrus, honey and dried fruit on the palate, with oak and chocolate on the finish.
This half-century-old expression from Glenfarclas, a historic family-run distillery, came out in 2022 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of chairman John Grant’s entry into the whisky business. Glenfarclas 50 is a pricy single malt bottled at 50 percent ABV, with notes of toffee, dark chocolate and citrus on the palate. Less than a thousand bottles were released—if you find one and can afford the splurge, you won’t be disappointed.
This whisky is part of Old Pulteney’s Coastal Series, a collection that is meant to highlight the distillery’s close physical and ethereal connection to the sea (its nickname is the Maritime Malt, after all). After initial maturation, the whisky is finished in casks previously used to age Pineau des Charentes, a kind of sweet fortified French wine. There’s a bit of salinity and spice on the palate, along with a pleasant fruity sweetness that brings together notes of citrus, apple, and grape.
The Glenallachie distillery expanded its core lineup with this 15-year-old whisky in 2019. It was a welcome addition, and one that master distiller Billy Walker says truly encapsulates the distillery’s DNA. The whisky was aged in two different types of sherry casks—Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso—which gives it a substantial mouthfeel and notes of raisin, fig, caramel and molasses on the palate. This whisky is a nice middle point in the portfolio between the 10- and 25-year-old expressions that anchor either end.
This single malt had the honor of winning the Whisky Exchange’s “Whisky of the Year” award in 2023. It was aged for 16 years in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for a full two years in sherry casks, before being bottled at 46.3 percent ABV with natural colour and no chill filtration. Ledaig 18 is a peated expression, so expect strong campfire smoke notes on the palate along with a bit of salinity, pepper spice, dried fruit, and espresso notes from that lengthy sherry cask aging.
Islay distillery Bruichladdich is known for making some of the most heavily peated whiskies you can find as part of its annual Octomore series. But the core expression, the Classic Laddie, is actually an unpeated whisky that is a “classic” for a reason. This non-age statement expression is a blend of whiskies aged in variety of cask types, and the end result is a single malt that you can sip on its own or mix into a highball, with notes of vanilla, oak, citrus, honey and caramel on the palate.
This 18-year-old expression from Highland distillery Loch Lomond has been around for a while. It’s a fantastic well-aged whisky produced using both straight and swan neck stills, and aged in three types of barrels—first-fill, refill, and re-charred. There’s a soft touch of smoke on the palate, rounded out by notes of orchard fruit, vanilla and leather.
Rosebank is a distillery in Scotland’s Lowlands region that closed its doors in the early ’90s, but Ian Macleod Distillers rebuilt it and started production again recently. This 31-year-old expression comes from casks that were filled in the before times, obviously, but there’s a freshness and vibrancy to the liquid that belies its age. There are notes of citrus, vanilla, spice and milk chocolate on the palate, and at 48.1 percent ABV just a bit of heat to lengthen the finish a bit.
Bunnahabhain is another Islay distillery, but perhaps one that is not as familiar to whisky drinkers as the big players like Laphroaig and Lagavulin. The whisky that comes out of this distillery is fantastic, however, and includes this award-winning 18-year-old expression. Don’t expect any smoke, because this is an unpeated whisky that is finished in sherry casks, adding notes of toffee, roasted nuts, and spice to the oaky, warming palate.
Glengoyne replaced its 17-year-old single malt with this version which was aged for an extra year in 2012. This is an excellent example of a sherry cask-matured scotch whisky from a lesser known distillery, entirely matured in first-fill sherry butts. Look for notes of marzipan, baking spice, fresh fruits and dried fruits on the palate, and see how this differs from similarly aged whiskies from the Macallan or the GlenDronach.
Torabhaig opened in 2017, making it the first whisky distillery to operate on the Isle of Skye in 200 years that isn’t named Talisker. It has been releasing young whiskies over the past few years that show the progression towards a 10-year-old expression, and one of those is called Cnoc Na Mòine. This peated single malt was partially aged in sherry casks, a first for the distillery, and is bottled at 46 percent ABV with no colour added or chill filtration. Expect notes of pepper, gentle spice, cedar, and leather according to the official tasting notes.
Springbank is located in Campbeltown, which is the smallest scotch whisky region in the country. This 15-year-old expression is entirely matured in sherry casks, but there’s a bit of peat in the mix as well to counterbalance the sweet and spicy dried fruit notes on the palate. Think tobacco, prunes, raisins, and burnt orange all mixed together, in the best way possible, and that should give you an idea of what you can expect from a sip of this worthy whisky.
Islay distillery Bruichladdich is known for its heavily peated Port Charlotte lineup, and its even more intense annual Octomore release which includes some of the smokiest whisky you can find. But the core expression, the Classic Laddie, is unpeated—as is Bruichladdich Eighteen, part of the new Luxury Redefined series. There’s also a 30-year-old expression, but quite honestly this younger whisky is the better of the two. It was aged mostly in ex-bourbon barrels along with some sauternes and port casks, and the palate is full of notes of honey, oak, caramel, spice and a bit of leather.
This 15-year-old expression joined the Tamdhu lineup about five years ago. The Speyside distillery ages the whisky in American and European oak Oloroso sherry casks, and bottles it with natural colour and no chill filtration at 46 percent ABV. The liquid is a dark orange-copper colour, and the palate screams sherry cask with notes of baked apple, cinnamon, black pepper, and dried fruit for days. This is another single malt that sits in that sweet spot of maturation and is arguably better than anything twice its age.
Aberfeldy has long been the home of Dewar’s, one of the most popular blended scotch whiskies in the world. But the distillery’s single malts are fantastic on their own, including the newest member of the family: this 25-year-old release. It was aged for the majority of those years in refill hogsheads and butts, and then finished for more than a year in Oloroso sherry casks. That gives it a strong sherry character, but it’s far from a sherry bomb and still retains that signature honey note that defines the distillery.
Fettercairn released this nearly half-century-old single malt a few years ago in 2020. The whisky was aged in bourbon barrels for 42 years and then put into tawny port pipes for its final four years of maturation. This ultra-aged whisky followed 16 and 22-year-old expressions from the distillery, doubling the amount of maturation time of the latter. There is a strong tropical fruit character on the palate, along with balanced notes of spice and sweetness. If you are going to spend money on just one exceptionally rare single malt, consider this one.
This quarter-century-old single malt joined the Glen Scotia lineup in 2017. The Campbeltown distillery first matured the whisky in American oak casks, and then married and aged it in first-fill bourbon barrels for an additional year. It’s non-chill filtered, allowing a complex palate to shine through with notes of fruit, spice, citrus, vanilla, and some of the maritime influence the distillery touts—all of which arguably justify its high price tag.
The Last Drop’s mission is right there in the name—this company is focused on finding and bottling the literal last drops of various spirits, from Cognac to rum to single malt scotch whisky. Case in point is this 1967 vintage from Glen Garioch which was aged in a “bourbon-style remade hogshead cask,” according to the brand. The resulting whisky has notes of honey, apple, spice, and just a hint of smoke on the palate.
The Dalmore has been releasing its 30-year-old expression for a few years now, and the 2024 release is worth seeking out. This is a very limited release, with less than 1,000 bottles available globally. Initially aged in American ex-bourbon barrels, the whisky was then finished in a combination of Colheita and tawny port casks from Graham’s Port.
The Glenrothes had a 25-year-old single malt in its lineup previously, but it was completely redesigned and re-released a few years ago. According to the brand, the key to the new whisky’s character is that it is matured in a high proportion of first-fill sherry-seasoned casks along with a combination of American and European oak. The resulting whisky is luxurious, with notes of milk and dark chocolate, baking spice, toffee, tropical fruit, and a flash of citrus on the palate.
Pernod Ricard relaunched the Longmorn single malt lineup with new 18 and 22-year-old expressions. The younger is the superior whisky (although both are excellent), aged for nearly 20 years in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and hogsheads and bottled at a strong 57.6 percent ABV. There are notes of toffee, hot honey, mulled cider, salted caramel, butterscotch, and pear on the palate. If you’re new to Longmorn, or just haven’t thought about it in a while, give this whisky a try and you’ll be happy you got reacquainted.
This is another new ultra-aged single malt that deserves a mention for its high quality, which is not always the case with whisky aged for more than a few decades. This is a very expensive release that arrived in limited numbers, but if you get a chance to try it you won’t be disappointed. The whisky comes from a single cask and has layers of complexity that seem to have been augmented by a half century in oak. Look for notes of tropical fruit, leather, tobacco, cocoa, fruit leather, and a touch of licorice on the palate.
This whisky, part of Glenfiddich’s Grand series, is a 31-year-old single malt that spent 22 years in American oak and its final nine years in French Bordeaux wine casks. The use of those barrels is a first for this popular Speyside distillery, and the results prove that it was worth it. This is a heavily tannic whisky but not drying, with rich notes of berries, roasted nuts, cocoa, espresso, and vanilla syrup on the palate. Compare this against others in the series to see how each cask finish alters the core Glenfiddich character.
For many years, Craigellachie’s main function was to produce whisky that went into the Dewar’s blend, but it has come into its own in the single-malt category. This release, a cask-finished version of its core 13-year-old whisky, gives the liquid an additional year of maturation in French Bas-Armagnac barrels. The result is a fascinating blend of citrus, vanilla, and spice flavours on the palate that have been given a boost of tropical-fruit, almond and toasted-coconut notes.
BenRiach is another distillery that has been given renewed life and attention since its acquisition by Brown-Forman in 2016, not that it wasn’t producing good whisky before then. This release, part of the newly revamped portfolio from a few years back, is a combination of peated and unpeated whisky that has been aged in four different types of barrels: bourbon, sherry, virgin oak, and Bordeaux red wine casks. Twenty-one years seems to have been the right amount of time to coax maximum flavour from the liquid, with notes of smoke, honey, molasses, and spice on the palate.
Independent bottler Gordon & Macphail released this 74-year-old whisky produced at the Glenlivet distillery a few years ago. There are less than 200 bottles available of this extremely old and rare expression, and the palate is remarkable for its elevated age, with notes of tobacco, leather, tropical fruit and a whiff of smoke picked up from nearly three-quarters of a century inside a sherry cask.
Islay distillery Bowmore released two whiskies as part of its Timeless Series. The 29-year-old expression was distilled in 1991 and 1992 and matured in both American ex-bourbon barrels and European sherry-seasoned oak casks. Tasting notes for this whisky describe a “warming peat character with notable hints of fruitcake and cocoa with a hint of sea salt” on the palate. There is also a 33-year-old available in global travel retail.
Glenmorangie Signet stands out from the rest of the distillery’s portfolio due to the fact that it was made from a mashbill consisting of two different types of malted barley—and one of them is a chocolate malted barley. That’s not referring to actual chocolate, of course, but the way that the barley was roasted. That method brings deep flavours of roasted coffee beans and dark and milk chocolate to the palate, and the whisky was aged in virgin oak instead of used barrels which further contributes to its bold and assertive flavour.
Deanston is an under-recognised Highlands distillery making some seriously good whisky. This 15-year-old single malt is a limited-edition expression that was initially aged in hogsheads for 13 years before being finished in barrels used to age reposado and añejo tequila for a final two years, resulting in a subtle but effective agave influence on the whisky. There are notes of tropical fruit and vanilla on the nose followed by brown sugar, roasted nuts, orange and lemon citrus, espresso bean, and a touch of caramelised agave on the palate.
Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte series of whiskies is known for being very heavily peated but still quite complex. The collection got its oldest age statement to date recently when this 18-year-old expression was added to the lineup. At 40 PPM, it packs a very smoky punch, but nearly two decades of aging in sherry casks and French oak wine barrels has given it layers of fruit, spice, and oak notes as well.
Mortlach is known as the “beast of Dufftown” among some whisky fans. The distillery has a unique distillation process in which the whisky is distilled 2.81 times, which requires a bit of math and mental gymnastics to understand. This 30-year-old expression came out a few years back with an interesting combination of cask finishes: Bordeaux wine, Calvados, and Guatemalan rum. The whisky is fruity with rich tropical fruit and chocolate notes, and can certainly be enjoyed at other times besides midnight.
Daftmill 2010 Cask Strength is a 12-year-old expression from a small family-run distillery that was aged in 15 first-fill ex-bourbon barrels, which ultimately yielded 2,400 cask-strength bottles clocking in at 58.7 percent ABV. Honey is one of the first notes that leaps out at you on the nose, along with vanilla and apricot. Vanilla continues onto the palate but morphs into custard form, complemented by notes of fennel pollen, a hint of banana, a healthy dose of spice, and a bit of leather and oak.
Talisker 30 was first released in 2006 as part of Diageo’s Special Releases collection. It was relaunched in 2021 and is now a permanent annual release. The whisky was aged in American oak and bottled at cask strength of 49.5 percent ABV. Official tasting notes describe apple, stone fruit, and spice on the nose, followed by notes of smoke, green chili pepper, sweet pecan, bonfire embers, and a soft salinity on the palate. Happy hunting, because there were less than 3,000 bottles released this year.
This 1993 vintage Lagavulin was released in 2022 as part of Diageo’s Prima & Ultima collection. It is a 28-year-old whisky bottled at 50.1 percent ABV that was matured in two casks, one PX/Oloroso sherry seasoned butt and one refill American oak hogshead, with a yield of just 642 bottles. This was the standout of that year’s collection, bringing Lagavulin’s familiar peaty notes to another level with flavours like blueberry, molasses, caramel on the palate and fig, raisin and cherry on the nose.
Laphroaig is famous for its heavily peated whiskies, which often are described as having notes of iodine and seaweed. This whisky, distilled in 1987, is still quite smoky, but that’s not the only note here. The nose has minimal peat, with notes of vanilla, citrus and spiced pear leading the way. The palate opens up with papaya, clementine, vanilla custard, burnt toffee, and a touch of iodine and menthol, all backed by a softened but still predominant layer of smoke. At just under 50 percent ABV, there’s a little bit of heat here and the whisky is non-chill filtered to retain maximum flavour.
Even if you’re not an avid whisky drinker, you’re likely familiar with the Macallan, a distillery that matures nearly every drop of whisky in sherry casks. In 2016, it launched the Double Cask lineup which is aged in both American and European oak, and four years later it added this 18-year-old expression. The American oak is said to add notes of vanilla, while the European oak is supposed to contribute some spice. Together, along with the sherry influence, this results in a superb whisky with pleasant notes of oak and ripe fruit after nearly 20 years in casks.
The Glendronach is a Highland distillery that makes sherry cask-matured whisky that rivals the likes of the Macallan—and in some cases, might even be better. The 18-year-old expression is the peak age statement of the lineup, a rich and complex single malt aged entirely in Oloroso sherry casks sourced from Andalucía, Spain. That has imbued it with notes of molasses, dried fruit, spice, and vanilla, with a nice balance of sweet and dry.
Aberlour is a Speyside distillery that is known for its double-cask maturation process—essentially maturing whisky in two different types of casks and then marrying the liquid together, as opposed to a cask finish. In the case of the 16-year-old expression, the best in the core portfolio, that means the whisky is aged separately in both bourbon barrels and sherry butts, each type of wood imparting its own unique flavours. The result is a solid single malt that has a nice balance of vanilla sweetness and sherry spice, as well as just a touch of heat due to it being bottled at 43 percent ABV.
The Balvenie was one of the first distilleries to start finishing its whisky in secondary barrels, specifically with the introduction of DoubleWood 12 that spends some time in sherry casks. Not so for this 25-year-old expression, an immaculate whisky that is a combination (or marriage) of whisky aged for a quarter century in both American and European oak. There is a rich oakiness to the plate, but it remains bright and fresh with notes of pear, apple, citrus, butterscotch, and gentle baking spices.
Remember, just because a whisky is old doesn’t mean it’s good—but sometimes it means it’s very good, as in the case of Ardbeg 25. The quarter-century-old expression from this Islay distillery is one of the best peated whiskies you will ever taste. All that time in oak barrels has slightly toned down the assertive smokiness that defines Ardbeg’s whiskies, but there is still enough to place it front and center. There is ample spice on the palate, along with vanilla, citrus, fruit, and of course the peat you’d expect.
Highland Park, located in the far-flung Orkney Islands of northern Scotland, is making some of the best single malt whisky you can find. It’s peated but not intensely smoky, and aged in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks to balance the flavor. The 18-year-old expression originally came out in the ’90s, but it was rebranded with the Viking Pride name in 2017 to highlight the roots of people from the region. This whisky is superb—not too old but far from young, with natural colour that comes from maturation in first-fill sherry-seasoned American and European oak casks. There are notes of spice, dried fruit, blackberry, vanilla, and smoke on the palate, making this the No. 1 whisky on this list.
A love letter to auto-inspired chrome and marble, St Kilda’s urban bolt hole hits the sweet spot between old-school glamour and modern pragmatism.
May 18, 2026
Sydney Dance Company’s latest triple bill channels movement as momentum, bringing together Rafael Bonachela, Fran Díaz and Melanie Lane at the Sydney Opera House
May 15, 2026
The line-up shows up a bevy of metals and colours, too, as well as two new calibres.
Omega’s latest watch is in a universe of its own.
The Swiss watchmaker just unveiled its new Constellation Observatory Collection today, the next step in its Constellation lineage and the first two-hand hour and minute timepieces to ever earn Master Chronometer certification. And if you were paying attention to any of the dazzling watches spotted at the Oscars this year, you would’ve caught a glimpse of the new line already: Sinners star Delroy Lindo rocked one of the models on the Academy Awards red carpet, giving us a pre-release preview of the collection.
Developed at Omega’s new Laboratoire de Précision (its chronometer testing lab open to all brands), the collection houses a set of nine 39.4 mm watches. The watches underwent 25 days of scrutiny there, analysed via a new acoustic testing method that recorded every sound emitted from the timepiece to track irregularities, temperature sensitivities, and more in the name of all things precision. (Details such as water resistance and power reserve are also thoroughly examined.) This meticulous process is all in the name of snagging that Master Chronometer label, meaning that the timepiece is highly accurate and surpasses the threshold for ultra-high performance. The Constellation Observatory Collection has now changed the game, though, thanks to its lack of a seconds hand.
“Until now, precision certification has required a seconds hand,” Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of OMEGA, said in a press statement. “The development of a new acoustic testing methodology has made that requirement obsolete. It is this breakthrough that has enabled us to present the Constellation Observatory, the first two-hand watch to achieve Master Chronometer certification.”
In addition to notching its place in history, the collection also debuted a new pair of movements: the Calibre 8915 and the Calibre 8914, each perched on a skeletonised rotor base. The former’s Grand Luxe iteration will appear on the 950 Platinum-Gold model in the collection, which offers up that base in 18-karat Sedna Gold alongside a Constellation medallion in 18-karat white gold with an Observatory dome done in white opal enamel surrounded by stars. The second Calibre 8915, the Luxe, will find its home on the other precious-metal models in the line, either made with the brand’s 18-karat Sedna, Moonshine, or Canopus gold seen across the case, the hand-guilloché dial, and, of course, the movement itself. (Lindo chose to rock the Moonshine Gold on Moonshine Gold iteration, priced at approximately $86,000, for Sinners‘s big night at the Oscars.) As for the Calibre 8914, it can be found in the collection’s four steel models.
Each model is a callback to myriad design features on past Omega models. That two-hand dial, for one, comes from the 1948 Centenary (the brand’s first chronometer-certified automatic wristwatch), while the pie-pan dial (seen in various blue, green, and golden hues throughout the line) and that Constellation medallion caseback both appear on watches from 1952. The star adorning the space above 6 o’clock also harks back to 1950s timepieces from Omega. And to finish off the look, you can opt for alligator straps in a variety of colours, or perhaps a gold iteration to match the precious-metal models; the brick-like pattern on the 18-karat Moonshine bracelet was also inspired by Omega watches from the ’50s.
We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled for any other Constellation Observatory timepieces (or any other unreleased models from the brand) at the rest of the star-studded events headed our way this year—perhaps the Met Gala?
Colorado’s barely known San Juan Mountains do a fine line in bespoke skiing experiences, luring alpine-sports cognoscenti and billionaire thrill-seekers alike.
“Though no one currently on staff is at liberty to say, billionaire actor Tom Cruise is a very average heli-snowboarder. But although no one currently on staff is at liberty to say, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos—the world’s second richest human—makes up for Cruise’s inability with his off-piste prowess. The pair have been clients of Telluride Helitrax, a heli-skiing outfit operating in the backcountry behind Telluride Mountain Resort, in remote south-west Colorado, since 1982. My source, a former guide who prefers to remain anonymous, admits he’s entertained a host of household-name One Percenters over the years.”
“Power billionaires aren’t going to the popular resorts any more,” he reveals over a happy-hour drink at a Telluride bar. “Luxury skiing these days, it’s all about exclusivity. No one with any clout shares snow, and at every resort, no matter how fancy, you have to share the slopes. But nowhere is more exclusive than the backcountry. That’s your billionaire’s playground. And no backcountry is more exclusive than San Juan backcountry.”
Which is precisely why I am here. Australia’s considerable brigade of free-spending, snow-crazed executives may jet off to Vail and Aspen each northern winter for thrills, but it turns out some of the world’s most choicest ski experiences have been right under their noses—only a short helicopter ride, car journey or private jet flight from said resorts.
Packed into the ultra-rugged southern end of the Rocky Mountains, the San Juans are a little chunk of the Swiss Alps in the US—young, ridiculously spectacular formations known for their steep slopes, deep powder snow and Disney-esque triangular peaks, all bathed in 300-plus days of sunshine a year. And the region is augmented by unique, and select, backcountry options that rival anything currently in the upscale ski orbit.
Case in point: North America’s highest skiing setting, Silverton Mountain. Located in the heart of the San Juans, outside the tiny town of Silverton, the 4,111 m peak boasts 736 hectares of chair-accessible terrain set among what is reputedly the deepest, steepest snow in the nation. It also offers a further 10,000 hectares of private terrain, serviced by heli-ski operation Heli Adventures. This is the Shangri-La of skiing: every slope connoisseur has heard of it, though most wonder if it actually exists.
We arrive via the treacherous Million Dollar Highway, where a disturbing lack of guard rails sometimes causes travellers to plummet into the valley floor (the death toll, grimly, averages eight people per year). Silverton Mountain was bought in 2023 by Heli Adventures’ young co-founders Andy Culp and Brock Strasbourger. While private punters can book the hill in its entirety, starting from around $14,000 per day, plus extra for single heli-skiing runs, the destination is also open to the public from Thursdays to Saturdays through winter.
“Silverton is a bastion for the pure ski experience,” Culp says. “All that corporate consolidation that happened when ski resorts all over the world developed condos and real estate and got super-busy… well, it never happened here. You’re able to access Alaska-like terrain from an old rickety chairlift, but you’re an hour’s drive from a pretty major airport [Montrose]. And you can access snow that’s even better than most heli-skiing straight off your lift.”
There’s no radio-frequency lift passes when I arrive. In fact, I don’t get a lift pass at all. A discarded school bus doubles as the “second chairlift”; it picks me up and returns me to a yurt which serves as a restaurant and bar. “There’s a time and a place to hang out at The Little Nell [Aspen’s legendary après-ski bar] and the world doesn’t need more of that,” Culp says. “This is the new luxury. We also run a heli-ski business out of Aspen [Aspen Heli-Skiing] but this is where we come. You can’t put a price tag on what we have here.”
I drive away from the mountain, back along the perilous Million Dollar Highway, park my car and disappear into the San Juan National Forest with guide Kaylee Walden. This white-coated outback between Silverton and Ouray, dubbed “the Switzerland of America”, offers swathes of primo backcountry skiing terrain. The ski touring here is often likened to Europe’s iconic Haute Route—an emblematic trail between Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
The operator Mountain Trip offers a Colorado version of that feted circuit, on a multi-day traverse between secluded huts. All in all, there’s nearly 8,000 km² of national forest and 2,500 hectares of wilderness to explore, frequented only by the occasional intrepid enthusiast.
A wood-burning sauna is being prepared as I arrive at Thelma Hut, 4,500 m above sea level. Traditionally, US Forest Service huts were humble affairs, with rudimentary bunks, self-service kitchens, and food supplies brought in by skiers. This evening, however, a chef is preparing local bison across from an open fireplace as the sun sets through a floor-to-ceiling window against a horizon of white mountains. As he works, I walk out into the snow to study the twilight sky; beaming planets shine down on me, necklaces of tiny stars sparkle.
Back down to earth, upon my return to “civilisation”, we take a two-hour car ride to Telluride, probing through the San Juans. The small town is picture-postcard pretty, wedged at the end of a box canyon surrounded by Colorado’s tallest waterfalls, and hosts the highest concentration of 4,000-m-plus peaks in the state. Most of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places, including a bank that was robbed in 1889 by the outlaw Butch Cassidy.
While the locale offers everything from luxurious on-mountain dining options to 7-km-long runs, it’s the heli-ski enterprise that’s lured me. Telluride Helitrax holds sole rights to over 500 km² of completely deserted ski terrain, a few minutes’ flying time from town. The company runs a range of Eurocopters which guests can charter into Colorado’s best alpine basins, cirques and couloirs. “The range mightn’t be as expansive as Alaska,” says Telluride Helitrax program director Joseph Shults. “But the views, the terrain, the snow depth and quality is as good.”
I’m staying in a privately owned three-bedroom penthouse apartment, where a helicopter takes off each morning for convenience (when I’m done carving clouds, I move a kilometre up the mountain to the seven-bedroom, three-storey mountain retreat Hood Park Haven, valued at around $42 million). Telluride Helitrax uses an abundance of drop-off locations, all above the tree line, meaning everyone from intermediates to experts can be catered for.
During my three-day odyssey, I don’t cross a single other ski track, but it’s the peace that is most startling. In this pocket of montane paradise, there is, literally, not a single sound—a stark contrast to the whirling fury of the chopper that transports me. My experienced guide Bill Allen won’t reveal who’s come before Robb Report. “You’d know their names,” he says, grinning.
And so the San Juans remain a secret to all but a fortunate few. Of all the luxuries the ultra-wealthy enjoy in the skiing ecosphere, the promise of untouched snow is by far the most enviable. Here in Colorado is where the white gold truly lies.
Photography: Kane Scheidegger (heli-skiing); Patrick Coulie (hut); Courtesy of Colorado Tourism Office (Hood Park Haven).
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
A modern classic in the making, combining naturally aspirated power with elegant restraint to deliver performance that feels as refined as it is visceral.
In a year when carmakers of all persuasions sheepishly extended hyperbolic electric targets, it’s fitting that the monastic puritans of Maranello—who, lest we forget, won’t finally yield to the sin of battery power until October with the Elettrica—opted to make combustion their major power play.
As an uncertain future of AI omnipresence barrels towards us, the 12Cilindri—an analogue, open-topped tribute to Ferrari’s late-’60s/early-’70s grand tourer, the Daytona—represents a defiant fade into the past, a pause for breath, a fleeting return to The Good Times when nascent technology provoked excitement rather than existential dread.
Guiding this automotive nostalgia trip is, as the nomenclature suggests, a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine, generating an unceasing wave of power as it sears towards the 9,500 rpm redline with relative nonchalance. That’s because the 12Cilindri is not a mouth-foaming attack-dog. It scales performance heights with the refinement of the finest Italian works of art; its “Bumpy Road” mode facilitates comfy al fresco GT cruising, and even the imperious powerplant is mannerly at most speeds.
For all the yesteryear romance, progressive technologies and engineering, such as a world-class 8-speed transmission, advanced electronic aids and independent four-wheel steering, are baked into the deal. The 12Cilindri’s clean, stark design somehow toggles between retro and modern; and while vaguely polarising, one can’t ignore its magnetic road presence.
In terms of aesthetics, Ferrari describes the 12Cilindri as being “ready for space”; in many ways, a fantasy vehicle that transports users to another dimension is probably what the world needs right now.
The Numbers
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Power: 610kW
Torque: 678 Nm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
0-100 km/h: 2.95 seconds
Top speed: 340 km/h
Price: From $886,800
At Le Bernardin, Aldo Sohm oversees one of the most formidable cellars in fine dining. But on the beach, he’ll happily drink a cheap rosé. The world-class sommelier explains why taste—and humility—matter more than price.
Aldo Sohm is one of the most accomplished sommeliers in the world. The 54-year-old Austrian heads up an oenophile’s empire on New York City’s West 51st Street, where he both serves as wine director at Michelin three-star Le Bernardin and leads his namesake wine bar, just across the road from the fine-dining institution. (He spends his time literally running back and forth between the two.) So it may come as a surprise that this man, who sips prized varietals all day, admits to the joys of a glass of Whispering Angel, a ubiquitous rosé that retails at stateside Target stores for US$22.99 (around $30) a bottle.
The context here is important; the aptly named Sohm is quick to clarify that he’s not about to start serving Whispering Angel as one of the pairings with chef Eric Ripert’s US$530 (around $750) eight-course tasting menu. But during a trip to the Caribbean for the Cayman Cookout food festival, Sohm’s wife requested a glass of rosé on the beach. When he went to fetch it, she specified that she wanted a cheap drop, not the fancy stuff that he likely would have grabbed. “I felt kind of gobsmacked, right?”
Sohm says as we’re sitting in the tasting room at Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. “Now, rather than just criticising, I have to admit: I got out of the water, and I tried Whispering Angel, too. It was delicious.”
Unlikely as it may be, this humility is perhaps the key to Sohm’s success. His lack of self-seriousness makes him an anomaly in the oftentimes highfalutin world of fine wine. Rather than shaming you for your preferences, Sohm will indulge your desires. Maybe, as in the case of his wife, you’re going to be right. More likely than not, you’re going to be wrong. He won’t simply tell you that, though; he’ll use his encyclopedic knowledge of wine to subtly steer you in the right direction, allowing you to come to that conclusion on your own. “You just wake up from your dream—and mistake—and realise that, ‘Oh yeah, he’s right,’” says Ripert, who has worked with Sohm for almost two decades.
Sohm intended to move to New York for only 18 months. Growing up in Innsbruck, in the Austrian Alps, he wanted to be a helicopter pilot. Like many childhood fantasies, that didn’t come to fruition, and he settled on something more practical, becoming a teacher at a hospitality school. Having overcorrected—“That was way too boring for me,” he admits—he switched to the more public-facing side of the industry, getting a job as a restaurant server. It was then, when he was about 21, that Sohm fell in love with wine. (Prior to that, he was a self-proclaimed Bacardi and coke guy.)
After studying wine on his own time, he began his formal sommelier education in 1998. He rose quickly through the ranks and was named the best sommelier in Austria in 2002, a title he defended the following two years and reclaimed in 2006. Amid that stretch, he sojourned to New York in 2004 with the goal of improving his English to compete in international competitions. It paid off: four years later, he won the top prize from the World Sommelier Association. But more than the accolades, Sohm had discovered a career. By then, he had joined Le Bernardin after stints at Wallsé, Café Sabarsky and Blaue Gans—all Austrian restaurants in Manhattan.
“Back then we had a very strong French sommelier community, and they controlled everything,” he says. “And it was an uproar because how come an Austrian sommelier came to one of the most French restaurants?” He proved his bona fides, and in 2013 Ripert and Maguy Le Coze, the co-owners of Le Bernardin, approached him with the idea of partnering with them in a wine bar. It was Ripert who suggested putting the connoisseur’s name on it.
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar debuted the following year, with a team that Sohm handpicked. Sarah Thomas was part of that opening crew, after meeting Sohm during a fateful dinner at Le Bernardin with her cousins. When her relatives divulged to him that she was a sommelier in Pittsburgh, he proceeded to serve a blind tasting to Thomas. “He didn’t say what I got right or wrong. He didn’t care about that,” she tells me. “He just wanted to hear me talk about wine, I guess. So I did.”
When he offered her a job at the end of the meal, she laughed. Sohm didn’t. Thomas promptly packed up and moved to New York. After she spent about nine months at the wine bar, Sohm promoted her to Le Bernardin, where she worked for another five years. When she decided to start her own business—Kalamata’s Kitchen, which aims to teach kids about other cultures through food—Sohm was one of her earliest investors. He may have found full-time teaching to be too banal, but it’s still a huge part of what he does now, identifying the next generation of stars and giving them the guidance to grow into their own—whether that takes them into the upper echelons of fine dining or beyond the white tablecloths altogether.
Overseeing two teams, at two very different spaces, feeds Sohm’s prodigious ambition. He’s on a mission to completely reshape the world of wine, from what’s in your glass to the glass itself to what you enjoy it with—say, Champagne with eggs. Along with his day jobs, he has partnered with the Austrian brand Zalto to create his own wineglasses. “As a sommelier, you criticise only, but you make nothing,” Sohm says. So, he also now wears the winemaker hat, producing a Grüner Veltliner under the Sohm & Kracher label, a relatively accessible quaff that’s a collaboration with his fellow countryman Gerhard Kracher. And in 2019 he added author to his résumé, releasing Wine Simple, a “totally approachable guide”, as the book’s subtitle puts it. He followed that up with Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings, to help you pick the right bottle for the right meal and the right moment.
“In wine pairings, you have three possible combinations,” Sohm says. “There’s the perfect pairing. Then sometimes you have flavours just going along… it’s like humans—they talk, they interact, but they never connect. And then there’s conflict.” It’s that first one he’s after every time.
Outside of the restaurant, the wine bar and the cellar, Sohm is an avid cyclist who owns six bikes, a number he admits is excessive—especially in New York City. Riding is what he credits with keeping him healthy, when so much of his time is spent eating and drinking—and drinking some more.
Still, despite the 18-year career at one of the world’s best restaurants, despite the top honours from his peers, despite the wine and the wineglasses and the wine books, Sohm doesn’t consider himself successful. Every day, he’s trying to figure out how he can self-correct. “I like what I do, so I go back home that night, think of things which I can improve,” he says. “I get annoyed when I make a mistake, but I improve the next day.”
His quest for perfection may never be over, but Sohm does concede that he’s happy—its own type of success. Sometimes he finds that happiness while sipping a glass of 1980 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, a bottle now so rare and coveted that he calls it “unattainable”. And sometimes, if to his chagrin, he finds it while drinking a mass-produced rosé on the beach.
Photography by Tori Latham
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
Available in a range of shades and intensities, this metallic tone is still a first-place choice.
Above: Awakening 02, Sebastien Durelli Designed exclusively for StudioTwentySeven, Sebastien Durelli’s Awakening 02 floor lamp is available in a limited run of eight examples. Handcrafted in Italy from cast patinaed bronze, the striking piece takes inspiration from the naturally sculpted landscapes of Iceland, specifically the country’s glacial lagoons. The organic boulder-esque shade is rugged and elemental—like an exploded rock wrenched apart by seismic activity—while the base is sleek and symmetrical, providing visual balance in a deep bronze finish. From around $65,300
Above: Orion, De La Espada When it comes to the Orion dining table, the draw is in the details. Designed by Anthony Guerrée for De La Espada, this piece features a central base crafted from a series of overlapping wood slats—a textured moment that creates visual equilibrium with its smooth, curved-brass counterpart. A bona fide visual anchor, the Orion can be paired with thin-framed chairs for a sneak-peek view or heftier seats that provide a surprising reveal when guests sit down to dinner. From around $20,870
Above: LS35A, Luca Stefano This showstopper by Milan-based designer Luca Stefano is all curves. A sexy lounge sofa, seen here upholstered in Pierre Frey mohair with canaletto walnut details, the LS35A is available for customisation, but we think that this mossy-gold hue is incredibly chic, evoking the muted desert tones popular during the ’60s and ’70s. Around $66,280, as shown
Above: Jazz, Tom Bensari Part of master woodworker Tom Bensari’s Manhattan collection for StudioTwentySeven, the Jazz bookcase is an ode to the designer’s love of music. With edges that curve like brass instruments and shelves that skip like riffs, this unit is meticulously hand-built in Poland from oak and olive wood, with custom veneered interiors according to the client’s preference and a glowing finish that takes on a golden tint in just the right light. Around $29,320
Above: Sleeper, Lucas Simões Last September at Christie’s in Los Angeles, Brazilian artist Lucas Simões unveiled his first furniture collection, Colendra. Presented in Lightness & Tension, an exhibition curated by roving gallerist Ulysses de Santi, Simões’s work is rooted in material exploration, as seen in the Sleeper chair, a curving steel form that suggests Brazilian midcentury modernism. A unique patina—which imparts the shimmery, rainbow-esque look of an oil slick—gives the piece a contemporary, artistic feel. Around $22,440
This article appears in the Autumn issue 2026 of Robb Report Australia New-Zealand. Click here to subscribe.
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