Mystery Malt is a new whisky series by the Thompson Bros, periodically released in numbered batches (No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, etc.), with each batch changing the whiskies on offer. The bottles become, quite literally, a visual question on a shelf or back bar—what is that whisky?
Each batch contains up to twenty-four different Single Malt Scotch whiskies, ranging in age from 4 to 29 years. The bottles are identical in appearance and all are bottled at 48.5% ABV, with no external indication of the whisky’s distillery or age. The true identity is only revealed upon opening, via a label beneath the black capsule and on the stopper. By scanning the QR code on the back of the bottle, you can see the possible whiskies on offer and the percentage of the batch they make up. As a general indication, the rarer and more expensive the whisky, the lower the percentage in the batch.
Every bottle is priced at £65, so each one offers the chance to purchase a whisky that could otherwise cost significantly more. Why? Because they would love for you to open the bottle, and hopefully enjoy drinking it too.
A special edition of four bottles was donated to The Distillers One of One 2025 Auction. The whiskies within—still a mystery until opening—ranged from 7 to 45 years old. The combined lot sold for a final price of £20,000 (or £5,000 per bottle), setting a record for the most expensive Thompson Bros bottle(s) ever sold, with the final hammer price donated to the auction’s charity.