A new release from Cù Bòcan, the experimental single malt crafted each winter at Tomatin Distillery in the Scottish Highlands, aims to prove that “patience pays off in the most unexpected ways”.

Creation #9, which is its oldest expression yet, is bottled at 46% ABV and is a whisky inspired by the sweet and salty taste of cinema popcorn and designed for a whole new occasion to enjoy a dram.

Sweet at first and salty on the finish, Creation #9 offers a flavour combination that has you reaching for another handful. That same playful indulgence carries through to the pack’s striking popcorn box aesthetic which evokes classic cinematic nostalgia and makes it the perfect companion for movie night.  

The ninth instalment in Cù Bòcan’s limited-edition Creations series, Creation #9 draws its distinctive flavour from an unlikely pairing of American virgin oak and Manzanilla sherry casks, continuing the brand’s drive to defy expectations of what a peated Scotch can taste like. 

At over 17 years old, the larger share of the spirit spent its entire life maturing in American virgin oak casks, which are rarely used for such a lengthy maturation. The result is slowly built layers of vanilla, honey and caramel sweetness.  

The remaining spirit spent 13 years in refill hogsheads before a four-and-a-half-year finish in Manzanilla sherry casks. Made from Palomino grapes in Sanlúcar de Barrameda on Spain’s Cadiz coast, Manzanilla is a pale, bone-dry fortified sherry whose casks carry a signature salinity, layering salted caramel, toasted almond and coastal freshness into the spirit. 

Together, the two casks create the sweet and salted popcorn note that defines Creation #9.  

Jamie Muir, distillery manager at Tomatin, said: “Creation #9 set out to prove that patience pays off in the most unexpected ways.  

“The American virgin oak has given the single malt its deep, sweet backbone, but it’s the Manzanilla sherry cask that elevates the expression, bringing in the salty, savoury edge that balances all the sweetness. 

“The result is one of the most unexpected flavours we’ve crafted. It’s exactly the kind of discovery that makes the Creations series so exciting, and the perfect excuse for a movie night.” 

Creation #9 arrives in a bold red-and-white carton with sharp, diagonal detailing reminiscent of a classic popcorn box, a playful nod to the whisky’s stand-out flavour. Its engraved contours echo the wisp of Cù Bòcan’s signature smoke and the staves of the casks that shaped it.