Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | June 21, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news.
 
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The American whiskey brand of Russell's Reserve has released a 15 year old limited edition bourbon. The Russell's Reserve 15 years old has been created by Eddie Russell, the Master Distiller for the brand, who personally handpicked the barrels for inclusion. It follows a similar 13 years old expression that was released a couple of years ago. 
 
Russell's Reserve was created by Eddie in 1998 to celebrate his father's legacy, the Bourbon Hall of Famer Jimmy Russell. The new whiskey is bottled at 117.2 Proof/ 58.6% ABV and will be available in the USA and Asia from early July. A bottle is due to cost US$250.
 


The Islay distillery of Bruichladdich has announced two limited edition bottlings that will be exclusive to travel retail - the Classic Laddie Sherry Cask Edition and the Bruichladdich Twenty One. Both will be exclusive to Changi in Singapore, one of the world's busiest airports. This will involve a boutique pop-up store and tasting bar in Terminal 4 of the airport until June 30.
 
The Classic Laddie Sherry Cask Edition adds a different dimension to the popular Classic Laddie expression with extra maturation taking place in ex-sherry casks from the bodega of Fernando de Castilla. It is presented in a new bottle which is made of 60% recycled glass and is 32% lighter than the previous bottle used. It also come with no secondary packaging. The whisky is bottled at 50% ABV and will cost €70.

The Bruichladdich Twenty One is the latest addition to the distillery's Luxury Redefined range of highly aged whiskies. It uses spirit made with 100% Scottish barley and has seen its lengthy maturation in a combination of ex-American whiskey and ex-sherry casks. The bottle is housed in Bruichladdich's pioneering sustainable outer packaging made from recyclable paper pulp. The whisky is also bottled at 50% ABV and will cost €250.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | June 14, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The popular Canadian whisky brand of Crown Royal has announced the release of its first ever single malt. The Crown Royal Single Malt Canadian Whisky is the brand's first venture into the world of single malt and pays homage to its Canadian roots. The spirit has been distilled at the Valleyfield distillery in Quebec from 100% malted barley grown in Canada's cold climate and unique topography. The whisky is bottled at 45% ABV and will be initially available in North America through selected retailers. The cost will be US$55/ CA$75.



The Speyside distillery of Glen Grant has revealed a new permanent set of whiskies named The Glasshouse Collection. The trio represent the oldest permanent expressions to be released by the distillery. They also represent the final bottlings created by legendary Dennis Malcolm OBE, the legendary Master Distiller who is due to retire shortly after over 60 years at Glen Grant. 
 
The collection is inspired by James 'The Major' Grant - a key figure in Glen Grant's history. He was an avid plant collector and travelled the world during the Victorian era, bringing specimens back to Scotland to grow in a huge greenhouse. The different names refer to how the light changes during the day in the glasshouse.

The Glasshouse Collection consists of three whiskies and celebrates the enhanced ageing properties of Glen Grant spirit. The Glen Grant 21 years old: First Light is bottled at 46% ABV as is the Glen Grant 25 years old: Golden Hour. The Glen Grant 30 years old: Twilight is bottled at 48% ABV. All are non-chill filtered and of natural colour, and have been matured in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.
 
The availability is different for each bottling. The Glen Grant 21 years old is available in UK retailers now and will cost £250. The Glen Grant 25 years old is exclusive to London retailer Berry Brothers & Rudd until July 11, after which it will be available through selected UK retailers. A bottle will cost £735. The Glen Grant 30 years old will appear later in 2024 with the retail price to be confirmed. A wider world release is also expected at some point.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | June 7, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The Speyside distillery of Benromach has announced the latest addition to its experimental Contrasts series - the Benromach 10 years old Virgin Oak. The series presents Benromach's gently peated single malts with a twist. This edition has been matured in barrels made from fresh American oak and used for the first time. It is a limited edition and released at 46% ABV - it is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The Benromach 10 years old Virgin Oak is available via selected specialist retailers globally and www.benromach.com. A bottle will cost £60.
 
"Having matured for a decade in Virgin American Oak casks, the result is a liquid packed with fruity aromas from the offset, followed by zesty citrus and sweet butterscotch flavours. It’s a cracking dram and perfect for whisky enthusiasts looking to explore something a bit different."
Keith Cruickshank | Distillery Manager at Benromach.


The Northern Irish distillery of Echlinville has announced the release of the first ever whiskeys produced at their distillery. The Echlinville - The Beginning features two whiskeys, one single malt and one single pot still, and these have been double distilled and produced using barley grown, harvested and malted at the distillery's farm in Co. Down. It is a true field-to-bottle whiskey and Ireland's first single estate distillery.

Both whiskeys are bottled at seven years of age and at 50% ABV. There are just 750 sets. The single malt has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and virgin oak casks, while the single pot still has seen full maturation in ex-bourbon barrels. The bottles are presented in a wooden casket and are available from selected specialist retailers in Ireland and the UK, plus from the Echlinville distillery on the Ards Peninsula, Co. Down. A set of Echlinville - The Beginning will cost £350/ €395.



The Islay distillery of Ardbeg have released one of their oldest and rarest single malts to date - Ardbeg The Abyss. The spirit was distilled and filled to ex-bourbon casks in 1989 - a time when Ardbeg was undergoing financial struggles and sporadic production as a result. The whisky was transferred to heavily charred French oak barrels in the mid-2000s and have remained there ever since. 

Ardbeg The Abyss consists of just 400 bottles and is released at its natural cask strength of 48% ABV. The whisky has been nurtured and selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg. It will be available via Ardbeg Embassy retailers and Moët Hennessy Private Client channels, plus via www.ardbeg.com and the distillery visitor centre on Islay. Each bottle will cost £21,250/ €25,000.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 31, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The Northern Irish single malt brand of Bushmills has announced the latest addition to its awrd-winning and prestigious Causeway Collection - the Bushmills 23 years old Madeira Cask. The whiskey will be exclusive to the global travel retail market, starting with a one month period of exclusivity at London Heathrow until the end of June.
 
The new whiskey has been matured in first-fill ex-Madeira fortified wine barrels, sourced from the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic, for the full term of 23 years. This is highly unusual in the whisky world as such casks are often only used for finishing. The casks were filled in June 2000. The Bushmills 23 years old Madeira Cask is bottled at the natural cask strength of 53.8% ABV and will cost $US507/ €440/ £390.
 
"I chose this single malt aged exclusively in ex-Madeira casks for its distinct profile, bursting with summer fruits, sweet peach and roasted nuts. Having spent 23 years maturing in these casks, I am confident this one will be hugely popular… its luscious sweetness is basically summer in a glass!"
Alex Thomas | Master Blender at Bushmills.



The Islay distillery of Laphroaig has announced the second bottling in its experimental Elements Series that explores different production and distillation techniques. Laphroaig Elements 2.0 takes spirit with a extended fermentation time (115 hours compared to the regular 55-hour time). This has created extra fruity flavours in the whisky that sit alongside Laphroaig's traditional peat smoke.

The Elements 2.0 has been matured in ex-bourbon barrels and is bottled at the natural cask strength of 59.6% ABV. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The new whisky is available in selected specialist retailers in the UK and from the distillery shop on Islay. A bottle will cost £170.
 
"Our Laphroaig Elements Series is all about blending years of traditional whisky making with new, progressive techniques. Laphroaig Elements 2.0 is an unexpected fruitier whisky with the same peaty character people know and love – made possible by over double the typical fermentation period."
Barry MacAffer | Distillery Manager at Laphroaig.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 24, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The award-winning Islay blended malt of Big Peat has announced a special limited edition for this year's Fèis Ìle festival. Big Peat The Thropaigeach Edition has seen the whisky finished in ex-rum casks that were hand-selected by the blending team at brand owner Douglas Laing & Co. The bottle-only release, which is designed to reduce secondary packaging, features a bespoke design of Big Peat dressed as a pirate to portray the rum and tropical themes.

There will be various sampling events for the whisky during the forthcoming Islay Festival and more details can be found at www.douglaslaing.com. The Thropaigeach Edition has been released in limited quantities and at 48% ABV. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour, and will be available in selected markets including Asia, Europe and the UK. A bottle will cost £65/€75.



The Highland distillery of Tomatin have announced a new addition to their single malt core range - the Tomatin Sherry Cask 12 years old. The new whisky has seen full maturation in ex-sherry casks sourced from Jerez in southern Spain and has been created by Scott Adamson, the Master Blender for Tomatin. It has been bottled at 40% ABV and will be available in selected markets globally. It is also the first bottling to feature a revamped packaging design. A bottle will cost £52. For further information - please click here.




The Speyside distillery of Glen Moray have added two new limited edition expressions to their award-winning Warehouse 1 Collection. This series showcases some of the more unorthodox barrels that are maturing at Glen Moray. The Glen Moray Peated Rioja Finish (pictured, above right) mixes the distillery's rare smoky spirit with some of its earliest experiments with red wine casks. It is bottled at 11 years old and was distilled in 2012. The natural strength is 58.8% ABV.
 
It is joined by the Glen Moray Rioja Finish (pictured, above left) is eight years old and sees the classic Speyside spirit combined with red wine casks. It was distilled in 2015 and is bottled at the natural strength of 59.8% ABV. The casks for both releases were sourced from the famous Rioja wine region in northern Spain. Both whiskies will be available in selected world markets including France, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and USA. The prices and exact quantities were not revealed in the press release.



The Ayrshire field-to-cask farm distillery of Lochlea have announced the forthcoming release of the Lochlea Cask Strength Batch 2. This second batch is both older and features different casks to the inaugural release from last year. The batch features a cask make up not seen before in previous releases from the distillery - ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry (60% of the marriage) and ex-Oloroso sherry (28%) butts, plus STR ez-wine barriques (12%). 
 
The new whisky is bottled at 60% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available in selected specialist whisky retailers in the UK and other markets. Bottles will be available from early June and will cost £66.50 each.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 17, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The Irish whiskey brand of Redbreast has announced the final bottling in its Dream Cask Collection and it is the oldest release yet. The Redbreast Dream Cask Zenith Edition is a 38 years old single pot still whiskey and was distilled in 1985. Initial maturation in American oak ex-bourbon casks for 27 years before being transferred to a single first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry cask in 2013 for a secondary maturation. 
 
The new whiskey will be one of the last that Billy Leighton, the legendary Master Blender Emeritus of Redbreast, works on. The Redbreast Dream Cask series was first released in 2017 and has seen annual bottlings. The Zenith Edition is bottled at 45.3% ABV and will be available to Birdhouse members from May 20. For further information - click here. A bottle will cost €1,000.

 

Diageo have announced details of their annual Fèis Ìle bottlings, which are always highly anticipated. This year sees three limited edition single malts - one from Caol Ila and two from Lagavulin. 
 
The Caol Ila 13 years old Fèis Ìle 2024 Edition (pictured, above) has matured in French oak ex-Ruby Port casks sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal. These were hand selected by Eva Cumming, the Distillery Manager at Caol Ila. It has been bottled at 54.5% ABV and there are just 1,404 bottles. Each will cost £185 and will only be available from the Caol Ila distillery, starting on Caol Ila Day (May 27) until sold out.


The Lagavulin 10 years old Fèis Ìle 2024 Edition (pictured, above) features rare heavily peated spirit and has been matured in a combination of re-fill and heavily charred casks plus first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. It is released at 56.7% ABV and there are just 1,800 bottles. Each will cost £175. 
 
The final whisky is the Lagavulin Skies of Fèis Ìle (pictured, below), which is a 29-year-old single malt. Maturation has been in a single heavily charred American oak ex-Amoroso sherry hogshead. The cask is expected to yield just 250 bottles, each of which will be hand-filled and signed by Jordan Paisley, the Distillery Manager at Lagavulin, at the distillery on Lagavulin Day (May 25). The price will be £2,500 per bottle. You can pre-order your bottle via www.malts.com.





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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 10, 2023

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news. 
 
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The Islay distillery of Ardbeg has announced details of a forthcoming rare bottling that celebrates the regeneration of the distillery at the turn of the millenium. Ardbeg Y2K is a 23 year old single malt distilled in 2000 through a historic 50-year-old still, which was decommissioned shortly afterwards in 2001. The whisky is the brainchild of Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Ardbeg.
 
The year 2000 was a pivotal year for Ardbeg and saw it finally return to full production following the takeover by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997. Prior to this, the distillery had struggled during the late 1980s and 1990s until it was renovated and rejuvenated under the new ownership. The new whisky will form the first part of a series that tells the story of this time.

Ardbeg Y2K has been matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, and is bottled at 46% ABV. It is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The new whisky will be available via UK specialist retailers and www.ardbeg.com from July. However, interest for buying a bottle can be currently registered on the website. A bottle will cost £670.


 

The SMWS have released a 40-minute documentary exploring the influence of sherry casks on Scotch whisky - Scotch and Sherry: A Flavour Odyssey. The film follows the journey of a cask from the oak forests of Galicia in northern Spain to the cooperages and sherry bodegas of Jerez in the south. Along for the journey are Richard Goslan, the Editor of the Society's Unfiltered magazine, and Euan Campbell, the Head of Whisky Creation at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society
 
The 40-minute documentary charts each stage of a sherry cask's life and introduces the people that make the casks and the sherry. The latest Drop & Dram pack has been released to accompany the film and features three sherry cask matured single malts for £35 - to purchase this pack click here.

The film will be screened each Saturday during May at the Society's Glasgow venue in Bath Street with further special screenings at their Edinburgh venue in Queen Street (May 16 and 23) and at The Machrie Hotel on Islay during the Fèis Ìle festival (May 29 and 30). Alternatively, you can watch via YouTube by clicking below. 
 
 



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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | May 3, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news ... 
 
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The Islay distillery of Ardnahoe, which is owned by Hunter Laing & Co and began production in 2018, has announced the release of its inaugural bottling - the Ardnahoe Inaugural Release 5 years old. It is the first new whisky from a new distillery on Islay since Kilchoman in 2009. Ardnahoe, which translates as 'height of the hollow' from Scots Gaelic, sits on the rugged northeastern coast of Islay and makes a mid-range peated style of spirit.

The Inaugural Release 5 years old marks the beginning of a series of whiskies that Ardnahoe will launch during 2024. It features barley malted at Port Ellen Maltings on the island and is peated to a level of 40ppm. The whisky is bottled at 50% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. The bottle will be available from May 10 via www.ardnahoedistillery.com, and shortly afterwards in specialist retailers in the UK and beyond. The cost will be £70.
 
"This is a very proud moment for the Laing family. Our passion and knowledge about Scotch whisky has endured for three generations now and it is a momentous milestone to be releasing our very own, traditionally crafted single malt whisky from our own distillery on Islay."
Scott Laing | Business Development Manager at Hunter Laing & Co.

 
 

The Isle of Harris distillery has released four new batches of its Scotch single malt - The Hearach Batches 9 to 12. This follows the inaugural release of last September which saw the previous eight batches sell out in 4.5 hours. The Hearach is the Scots Gaelic name for the Isle of Harris. The new batches are larger and designed to get more people tasting the whisky.Batches 9, 10, 11 and 12 are all bottled at 46% ABV and are both non-chill filtered and of natural colour.
 
Each batch release differs due to alterations in individual casks types used for maturation, barley peating levels, marrying times and distillers’ cut-points on the still. The four bottlings feature individual maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon, ex-Oloroso sherry and ex-Fino sherry casks before a 12-week marrying period. There are 12,000 bottles available in each batch and are available in specialist whisky retailers in the UK and 20+ markets worldwide, plus via www.harrisdistillery.com. A bottle will cost £65.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | April 26, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news ... 
 
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The Islay distillery of Kilchoman have launched their annual release of Loch Gorm. The expression, which is named after a small, dark loch near the distillery is the only regular expression matured solely in ex-sherry casks. The Kilchoman Loch Gorm 2024 Edition consists of 23 ex-Oloroso sherry butts filled with spirit distilled in 2014. The whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and will be available worldwide in specialist whisky retailers. A bottle will cost £82.
 


The peated Highland single malt of Cù Bòcan, which is made at the Tomatin distillery near Inverness, has announced the sixth bottling in its Creations Series - the Cù Bòcan Creation #6. The series uses unorthodox cask combinations to create unique flavour profiles. In this case these are 9-year-old ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and 10-year-old ex-Jamaican rum casks, which have been fused together. There are just 8,400 bottles and they will be available in selected world markets. It is released at 46% ABV and will cost £60.
 


The Lowland distillery of Bladnoch has launched the Bladnoch 2024 Single Cask Collection, a series of six single cask single malts curated by Dr. Nick Savage, the Master Blender for the brand. It marks the final set in a five-year series. The details of the bottlings are listed below. The whiskies are available from www.bladnoch.com and in selected world markets including Australia, Germany and Taiwan.

  • Single Cask 2024/01 - distilled 2017/ ex-sherry butt/ 57.6% ABV/ 219 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/02 - distilled 2007/ ex-bourbon barrel/ 52.6% ABV/ 170 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/03 - distilled 2017/ peated/ ex-canasta cask/ 58.3% ABV/ 676 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/04 - distilled 2008/ ex-bourbon barrel/ 51.2% ABV/ 237 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/05 - distilled 2006/ ex-sherry butt/ 49.9% ABV/ 660 bottles/ £160
  • Single Cask 2024/06 - distilled 2001/ ex-Amontillado sherry hogshead/ 50.1% ABV/ 281 bottles/ £450
 
 

The award-winning Glen Scotia distillery has launched its annual limited edition for the forthcoming Campbeltown Malts Festival, which will be held in May. The Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2024 Edition is a 9-year-old unpeated single malt that has seen initial maturation in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels. It has then been finished in rare ex-Fino sherry casks for six months. 
 
The bottling has been created by Michael Henry, the Master Blender for Glen Scotia. The new whisky is released at the natural cask strength of 56.2% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be available in limited quantities through whisky retailers globally and at the festival in Campbeltown. A bottle will cost £65.


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Inbox | The Week’s Whisky News | April 19, 2024

Welcome to Inbox – our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from arou…



Welcome to Inbox - our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to the WFE email. We started Inbox several years ago as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/ piece of news/ PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information. 
 
Here is a round-up of this week's whisky news ... 
 
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Ardbeg
 

The Islay distillery of Ardbeg has announced details of its annual Fèis Ìle bottling for Ardbeg Day, which will be held on June 1 this year. Ardbeg Spectacular represents the first single malt from the distillery to feature maturation in ex-Port casks. It is a marriage of traditional ex-bourbon cask Ardbeg and spirit matured fully in ex-Port barrels, and has been created by Gillian Macdonald, the Master Blender for Ardbeg.

Ardbeg Spectacular is released at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It will be initially available in the UK, Ardbeg visitor centre and via the brand website www.ardbeg.com from April 23. Bottles will then be available globally from late-April. The exact number of bottles in this limited edition has not been revealed, but each will cost £110/ US$135. The release will be supported by events around the world for Ardbeg Day.
 
"Ardbeg Spectacular is a high-flying spirit, very befitting of Ardbeg Day. Its years in bourbon and port casks create a spectacle of flavours, the like of which Ardbeggians will never have tasted before."
Gillian Macdonald.

 
Lochlea
 

The Ayrshire distillery of Lochlea has opened up its private cask scheme to the general public. The Private Cask Programme was previously by invitation only via a waiting list and offers purchasers the opportunity to follow the individual journey of their own personal cask. They can also sample their cask's spirit, visit their cask and attend a dedicated Cask Owners Day at the distillery.

Two cask types are available - first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and first-fill ex-Oloroso sherry hogsheads. All casks are kept under bond at the distillery for 10 years. After this time it can be stored for longer, bottled under the customer’s own personal label or sold back to the distillery. Lochlea’s Private Cask Programme is open for a limited period only. If interested, please contact the distillery team for more details via casks@lochleadistillery.com.

 
Strathearn
 

The Highland distillery of Strathearn has released its inaugural Scotch whisky - the Strathearn Single Malt. The distillery and brand are owned by independent bottlers Douglas Laing & Co., who took control of operations in 2019. Strathearn, which is located in Perthshire, was originally founded in 2013. The new whisky is formed of just 32 casks with a combination of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry and wirgin oak used.

Strathearn Single Malt is bottled at 50% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It has been created by Angela Brown, the Head Distiller at Strathearn. The whisky will be on sale through specialist retailers in the UK and Europe initially. Asia, Canada and the USA will follow in May. Each bottle will retail for £85/ US$105.
 
"This moment has been a long time coming. Our Strathearn Distillery team make a barrel of spirit per day. This may be a drop in the ocean compared to some distilleries, but for Strathearn, it is a proudly handcrafted drop that embodies the spirit of the distillery."
Cara Laing | Managing Director of Douglas Laing & Co.



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