 Welcome to Whisky Focus where you can
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You will find news of the latest new
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- 1st
December 2021
Glen Scotia Named Scottish Whisky
Distillery Of The Year 2021
For a second time this year,
Campbeltown-based Glen Scotia has been
recognised for its whisky-making
abilities after scooping yet another
prestigious award.
The distiller has been named the
Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year
at the Scottish Whisky Awards, an
accolade it receives just seven months
after being crowned as the ‘Best in
Show’ at this year’s San Francisco World
Spirits Competition for its Glen
Scotia 25-Year-Old expression.
- 1st
December 2021
The Oxford Artisan Distillery Red
Red Rye
The Oxford Artisan Distillery
has unveiled its fifth batch of
Oxford Rye Whisky, Red Red Rye, a
triple-matured rye whisky with a
rich, wine influence., hence its
name.
- 29th
November 2021
Midleton Distillery Visitor
Experience €13 Million Redevelopment
Irish Distillers today unveiled
detailed plans for a massive €13 million redevelopment of its
distillery experience at Midleton
Distillery, Co. Cork, which will
transform the
attraction into a world-class whiskey
destination. The ambitious redevelopment
plan will deliver new whiskey tours
and experiences as well as new
shopping, bar, café and restaurant
facilities.
- 26th
November 2021
Forest Flow Sculpture Marks
Replanting Of Fettercairn Ancient
Forest
Scottish land artist Rob Mulholland
has unveiled a flowing and
shimmering new sculpture marking the
replanting of a ancient forest near
the Fettercairn distillery and the
rolling foothills of the Cairngorms.
- 26th November 2021
Tamdhu Whisky & Jamón Tasting At
London's Brindisa Delicatessen
Tamdhu Scotch single malt whisky has
teamed up with London's Borough Market's
famous Spanish delicatessen - Brindisa -
to host special whisky and jamon tasting
experiences this December.
- 24th
November 2021
The Balvenie The Tale of The Dog and
The Creation of a Classic
The Balvenie has unveiled two rather
rare aged additions to its The Balvenie
Stories Collection - The Balvenie The
Tale of the Dog 42 Year Old Year Old a
domestic market release and
The Balvenie The Tale of the Dog 46 Year
Old Year Old a global travel retail
release, launching alongside the two
rare aged
expressions in The Balvenie Stories
line-up is The Balvenie The Creation of
a Classic.
- 22nd
November 2021
Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter
Glenmorangie A Tale OF Winter is a
13 year old Marsala wine cask
finished winter warmer from the
creative folks at Glenmorangie.
- 19th November 2021
Midleton Very Rare Dair Ghaelach
Kylebeg Wood
Midleton release the fourth
instalment of their so far
outstanding Dair Ghaelach series of
virgin Irish oak finished Single Pot
Still whiskey's.
- 19th
November 2021
J.G. Thomson & Co’s Collection From
The SMWS Owners
The owners of The Scotch Malt Whisky
Society has launched a new spirits
brand, J.G. Thomson & Co, which has
launched its first collection of small
batch spirits including a bold Jamaican
rum, a citrus dry gin, three blended
malt Scotch whiskies featuring Sweet,
Smoky and Rich expressions, and two
exceptional limited edition aged
whiskies - one a 23 year old blended
malt, the other a 1972 blended grain.
- 17th
November 2021
Glencairn Ruby Tribute Blended
Whisky To Be Auctioned For Charity
To mark their 40th anniversary
family-owned and run Scottish
glassware company, Glencairn Crystal
are auctioning an extraordinary
piece of whisky history for charity,
The Glencairn Ruby Tribute Blended
Scotch Whisky.
- 16th
November 2021
Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Cask
Strength
Bunnahabhain has launched an
annual-edition cask strength 12 Year
Old whisky inspired by visitor
tastings in the distillery’s iconic
‘Warehouse 9’. The Bunnahabhain 12
Year Old Cask Strength 2021 edition
is bottled naturally coloured, non
chill-filtered and at a cask
strength of 55.1% ABV.
- 12th
November 2021
Tamdhu Quercus Alba Distinction
Tamdhu unveil Quercus Alba
Distinction, a First-Fill American
oak Oloroso sherry cask matured
limited edition which is said to
deliver warming cinnamon and
vanilla, with sharp citrus and
cherry flavours. A rich and luscious
palate brings plum, dates,
chocolate, and subtle oak notes.
- 12th
November 2021
Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection
£100,000 Showcase
Gordon & MacPhail Private
Collection Showcase is a one-off
collector’s item, a collection of 17
single malt whiskies, and it is now
available to buy at the eye watering
price of £100,000.
- 10th
November 2021
Ballot For New Limited Edition
Jameson 21 Year Old
Jameson Irish whiskey is
bringing 2021 to an end with the
introduction of a rather special
limited-edition release of the
world’s favourite Irish whiskey.
They have bottled 2,301 bottles of
Jameson 21 Years Cask Strength 2021
Batch which will be available for
Irish whiskey fans to purchase via
an online ballot to mark the end of
the year.
- 9th
November 2021
Caisteal Chamuis Island Blended Malt
Scotch Whisky Review
Review of the new no age
statement Caisteal Chamuis heavily
peated Island blended malt Scotch
whisky, a blend of single malt
whiskies distilled on the islands of
Skye, Orkney & Islay which has been
finished in First-Fill American
Bourbon casks. Definitely one for
the peatheads, a delicious new sweet
peaty blended malt that could rival
some of the best quality big Islay
peaty single malt drams out there
such as Ardbeg or Kilchoman.
- 8th
November 2021
anCnoc 2009 Vintage Review
Review of anCnoc 2009 Vintage
matured in a combination of
First-Fill Spanish oak butts and
American ex-Bourbon oak barrels,
a deliciously enjoyable
smooth easy drinking anCnoc with
sugars, spice and all things nice.
- 5th
November 2021
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Licensed
Dram Amazon Exclusive
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old
Licensed Dram Limited Edition is a
First Fill Double Oak matured single
malt, meaning it is a combination of
First Fill ex-American and
ex-European cask matured Glenlivet
whisky.
- 4th
November 2021
Bowmore No Corners to Hide 23 Year
Old and 32 Year Old
Bowmore No Corners To Hide series
launches with 23 Year Old and 32
Year Old limited editions, both were
matured in ex-bourbon
American oak hogsheads and both were
finished for 2 years in Essencia barriques.
The two new divilish drams are
exclusive to travel retail.
- 4th
November 2021
The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich
Cacao
The Macallan Harmony Collection Rich
Cacao, the first limited
edition whisky in an innovative new
series of single malts,
a rich sherried dram matured in a
combination of of European and
American oak casks is said to bring
together the worlds of chocolate and
whisky.
- 1st
November 2021
Bimber The Spirit of the Underground
Collection Release No.2
Bimber unveil the second instalment
of their The Spirit Of The
Underground whisky series, the next
four stops for the London based
distillery is Victoria, London
Bridge, Paddington and Chancery
Lane.
- 1st
November 2021
Yamazaki 55 Year Old Travel Retail
Exclusive
Suntory introduces the oldest
expression of Yamazaki Japanese
single malt to date, the Yamazaki 55
Year Old and as you can imagine you
will need deep pockets if you want
to taste this one. Bottled in 2020,
the Yamazaki 55 will be available to
select Global Travel Retail with
bottles found in London, Paris,
Hainan, Hong Kong, Taipei,
Amsterdam, Seoul, Delhi, Istanbul,
Dubai and Singapore.
- 26th
October 2021
Chivas Regal 12 Year Old Gets A New
Look
Chivas Regal has unveiled a
new look for its flagship Chivas
Regal 12 Year Old Scotch blended
whisky, a move which has been
conceived with sustainability at its
heart which is good to hear as
Chivas 12 is one of the world’s
biggest-selling Scotch whiskies.
- 25th
October 2021
Glengoyne Wetlands Single Cask
Release
Glengoyne release First Fill
European Oak Sherry Hogshead Single
Cask whisky in partnership with the
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust with
proceeds of the whisky going to the
WWT, with the proceeds from the sale
of each bottle going towards the
creation of more wetlands across the
UK.
- 25th
October 2021
The Effects Of Climate Change On The
Scotch Whisky Industry
As one of Scotland’s main
exports, Scotch whisky is enjoyed
the world over. Now, a new study
commissioned by Glengoyne Highland
Single Malt Scotch Whisky has
revealed we shouldn’t take a good
dram for granted, as projected
temperature increases and changes in
rainfall patterns threaten
distillery production over the next
fifty years.
- 25th
October 2021
Bunnahabhain Moves Towards Net Zero
Emission Distillation Process
Bunnahabhain is set to become the
first Islay distillery with a Net
Zero Emission Distillation process,
the distillery's new £6.5m Biomass
Energy Centre will save 3,500 tonnes
of carbon per year.
- 22nd
October 2021
Café Drambuie At Heathrow Terminal 3
If you will be passing
through Heathrow airport Terminal 3
this month look out for a new
Café Drambuie retail activation
which welcomes passers-by to its
‘coffeehouse with a whisky twist’
café retail concept, where visitors
can try three tempting cocktail
serves: Drambuie Iced Espresso,
Drambuie Iced Coffee and Drambuie
Coffee Tonic.
- 21st
October 2021
The Glencairn Glass Short Story
Competition 'A Crystal Clear Crime'
Calling all you budding crime short
story writers, the Glencairn Glass
has launched its first ever crime
short story competition with the
theme: 'A Crystal Clear Crime'.
Is there a William McIlvanney short
story crime writer amongst you. They
say that a dram or two has inspired
many of the best writers over the
years, perhaps you are one of them!
- 20th
October 2021
Emma Walker Named As The New Master
Blender For Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker, the world’s
best-selling Scotch Whisky, has
announced that Dr Emma Walker will take
over from Dr Jim Beveridge OBE as
Johnnie Walker Master Blender. Jim
is set to retire at the end of this year
after more than 40 years at Diageo, the
last 20
of which as Master Blender. Jim will
remain with the business until the
end of the year when he will hand
over the reins to Emma who will
officially hold the title of Master
Blender from 1 January 2022.
- 20th
October 2021
Diageo Opens Carbon Neutral Lebanon
(Bulleit) Whiskey Distillery
Diageo has opened its first
carbon neutral whiskey distillery in
North America, located at Lebanon,
Kentucky, the new distillery will
produce Bulleit bourbon whiskey as
its first and lead brand using 100%
renewable electricity, zero fossil
fuels for production and virtual
metering technology
- 15th
October 2021
Malt Whisky Yearbook 2022 Review
Review of the Malt Whisky Yearbook
2022, a book which focuses on the
facts & figures, history, recent
events and the latest bottlings from
the malt whisky distilleries around
the world but focuses in more detail
on the distilleries of Scotland.
This 17th annual edition of the whisky facts packed book
has been fully revised
and updated by Yearbook editor
Ingvar Ronde.
- 13th
October 2021
Glen Moray 1998 Barolo Finish
Warehouse 1 Review
Review of the Glen Moray 1998 Barolo
Finish, the second of three whiskies
from Glen Moray's Warehouse 1
Collection scheduled for 2021.
Another deliciously rich sweet Glen
Moray Warehouse 1 dram and the
flavour pleasure experience it
offers is no doubt helped by
bottling it at cask strength, the
best in the series so far.
- 8th
October 2021
Jura 18
Year Old Review
Review of the Jura 18 Year Old,
matured in American White Oak
ex-bourbon barrels and finished in
Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux red wine
barriques, undoubtedly Jura, with
very subtle Jura peat smoke present
from nose to finish, it is a wee bit
shy on the nose but the juicy palate
and long finish more than makes up
for it, the 44% ABV bottling
strength simply adds to the flavour
pleasure.
- 7th
October 2021
Jura 12
Year Old Review
Review of the ex-bourbon cask
matured and Oloroso sherry cask
finished Jura 12 Year Old. It has a
wee touch of saltiness which is a
nod to Jura's coastal home and a
subtle thread of Jura's unique peat
smoke which runs from nose to finish
along side the the balance of sherry
and bourbon cask influences has made
this a very enjoyable dram.
- 6th
October 2021
Highland Park Cask Strength Release
No.2 Review
Review of Highland Park Cask
Strength Release No.2 a marriage of
whisky of various ages which has
been matured predominantly in sherry
seasoned European and American oak
casks and a small quantity of
ex-bourbon casks. Smooth and
delicious, a perfect balance of
gentle honey smoked sherry and
bourbon cask Highland Park and the
cask strength simply adds to the
flavour pleasure, an outstanding
Highland Park. Highly recommend!
- 6th
October 2021
Tullamore D.E.W Rouge 13 Year Old
Travel Retail Exclusive
Perhaps a sign that we are returning to
some kind of normality, William Grant &
Sons has announced the launch of a new
limited-edition, travel retail exclusive
expression, Tullamore D.E.W Rouge, a 13
Year Old Irish Single malt whiskey which
has been finished in French Bordeaux Red
Wine casks.
- 5th
October 2021
Bushmills Causeway Collection 1991
Madeira Cask & 2000 Port Cask
Bushmills distillery unveils two new
limited release additions to their
Causeway Collection, Bushmills 1991
Madeira Cask and Bushmills 2000 Port
Cask. Both expressions will be
available exclusively in Great
Britain.
- 4th
October 2021
Distell Malt Collection 2021
The Distell Malt Collection 2021 is
a rather reduced collection this
year but it still offers whisky
drinkers something which hopefully
should be rather special, there is
only four limited edition whiskies
in this year line-up a Deanston 2008
Oloroso Cask Matured, Tobermory 2004
Oloroso Cask Matured 17 Year Old,
Ledaig 1999 Pedro Ximenez Cask
Matured and Bunnahabhain 2011 Aonadh.
- 1st
October 2021
Diageo Special Releases 2021
Diageo has unveiled its Special
Releases 2021 line-up, this years
highlights includes a Lagavulin
26 year Old, a young fiery, full-on
peppery Talisker 8 year old and of
course the Diageo Special Release
stalwart Lagavulin 12 year old, said
to be a perfect expression of this
Islay distillery’s character.
- 1st
October 2021
Scallywag Winter Edition Cask
Strength 2021
Douglas Laing unveil the second
seasonal cask strength winter warmer
from their Scallywag Speyside
blended malt whisky range, Scallywag
Winter Edition Cask Strength 2021
which has matured exclusively in a
combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximinéz Sherry butts and offered at
a flavoursome natural cask strength
of 53.1% ABV.
- 1st
October 2021
Glenmorangie Transforms Its Boutique
Highland Hotel
If you ever fancied spoiling
yourself with a luxury few days away
from it all Whisky Break then
Glenmorangie have just the thing for
you, the Highland whisky maker has
transformed its boutique Highland
hotel into a sensory playground,
where guests can immerse themselves
in its delicious and wonderful
world.
- 30th
September 2021
Oxford Rye Whisky Batch 4
These
Oxford Rye batch releases seem to be
coming thick and fast since the
inaugural release back in April this
year, the Oxford Artisan Distillery has
just announced the release of The
Graduate, the fourth batch of Oxford Rye
Whisky and its largest bottling run to
date.
- 29th
September 2021
Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon
Kentucky Owl The Wiseman Bourbon is
the first Kentucky straight bourbon
whiskey produced and distilled by
Kentucky Owl in collaboration with
the Bardstown Bourbon Company, both
located in The Bourbon Capital of
the World — Bardstown, Kentucky.
- 28th
September 2021
The GlenAllachie Wood Finish Range
Batch 3
The GlenAllachie today unveiled the
third batch of limited release single
malt whiskies in their Wood Finish
Range, this latest instalment in the
ongoing range consists of 3 single malt
whiskies - The GlenAllachie 11 Year Old
Pedro Ximénez Wood Finish, The
GlenAllachie 12 Year Old Ruby Port Wood
Finish The GlenAllachie 13 Year Old
Madeira Wood Finish.
- 24th
September 2021
Highland Park 15 Year Old Viking
Heart
Highland
Park has added a new permanent 15 Year
Old expression to their core range.
The 15 Year Old contains
a high percentage of first-fill European
oak sherry seasoned casks which is said
to deliver
a warm, dry spicy note whilst first-fill
American oak sherry seasoned casks back
this up with notes of vanilla and crème
brûlée. A small proportion of refill
casks allow the DNA of Highland Park
whisky to shine through, namely its
gentle heather peat and lightly fruity
character.
- 24th
September 2021
Method And Madness Rye and Malt
Review
Method And Madness Rye and Malt is
the first release of Irish whiskey
distilled at the Midleton Micro
Distillery, the innovative
experimental distillery located
within the Midleton Distillery in
County Cork and I loved it,
will this 60% rye to 40% malt mash
bill go into full production at
Midleton, I certainly hope so.
- 23rd
September 2021
Big Peat Christmas 2021
Well here it is, the annual
sign to whisky drinkers that summer
is coming to an end and Christmas is
now on the way, Santa's helpers at
Douglas Laing's Glasgow workshop
have been busy vatting and bottling
and have now unveiled this years
peaty festive offering, Big Peat
Christmas 2021 Edition.
- 22nd
September 2021
Kilchoman 100% Islay 11th Edition
Review
Review of the Kilchoman 100% Islay
11th Edition which this year is a
combination of 26 bourbon barrels
and 7 Oloroso sherry butts which
have been matured for a minimum of 9
years, the delicious sugary sweet
peat is the star of this show and
the touch of sherried fruit simply
adds to the delicious peaty
pleasure.
- 21st
September 2021
Redbreast Iberian Series Launches
With Pedro Ximénez Edition
Redbreast unveils limited edition
Redbreast Pedro Ximénez Edition
which joins the existing Lustau
Edition to form 'The Iberian Series'
which celebrates the brand’s
long-standing connection to some of
the Iberian Peninsula’s most
celebrated cooperages and
winemakers.
- 21st
September 2021
Loch Lomond Becomes Official Spirit
Sponsor Of Super League
The rugby fans amongst can expect to be
seeing more of Loch Lomond whisky as the
Loch Lomond Group have announced that
they are the new spirit partner of the
Betfred Super League, a partnership that
will run until the end of the 2024 Super
League season.
- 20th
September 2021
Rare Whisky Making A Strong Recovery
Following a subdued Rare Whisky
Market during 2020 due to Covid the
Rare Whisky Market is set to break
all previous records in 2021
according to whisky analyst, broker
and investment experts Rare Whisky
101.
- 17th
September 2021
Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Finished In
French Red Wine Casks Review
Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Batch 2921
finished in French Red Wine Casks
from the Côte Rôtie appellation is
the third limited edition in the
distillery's French Red Wine Cask
Collection.
- 15th
September 2021
Tamdhu
Cigar Malt
Tamdhu celebrates the launch of
First Fill European Oak Oloroso
Sherry Cask matured Cigar Malt with
a unique sherry cask inspired
humidor. The big sherried dram is
said to mirror the spice, aroma and
mouthfeel of aged tobacco leaves
used in only the best cigars.
- 14th
September 2021
The GlenAllachie 14 Year Old Oloroso
Wood Finish
The latest addition to The
GlenAllachie Wood Series is The
GlenAllachie 14 Year Old Oloroso
Wood Finish, a combination of first
and second fill American oak
barrels, finished for over two years
finishing in Oloroso puncheons.
- 13th
September August 2021
Tamdhu Batch Strength 6 Review
Tamdhu
has released the next instalment of
their Cask Strength series, Tamdhu
Batch Strength 6, and it is an
absolutely delicious big Oloroso
sherried dram, a pleasure
from nose to finish, some quality
sherry casks at play here and the
cask strength simply adds to the
flavour and pleasure experience.
Tamdhu is becoming one to watch for
fans of a big sherried dram going by
the quality of this, highly
recommended.
- 10th
September 2021
Glenmorangie Lighthouse Onsite
Innovation Distillery
The innovative and creative folks at
Glenmorangie, led by Director of Whisky
Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, have been busy
once again, today Dr Bill and his team
opened the doors to a new home for
Glenmorangie whisky creation where they can let their
imaginations run wild, a ground-breaking
innovation distillery within the
Glenmorangie distillery site which they
have named the Glenmorangie Lighthouse.
- 3rd
September
August 2021
Royal Lochnagar Scottish Ballet's
'The Sleeping Beauty Cask'
A unique single cask of Royal
Lochnagar whisky, laid down in 1994,
has now been bottled ready for
auction as part of Diageo’s
prestigious Casks of Distinction
range. Every pound raised at auction
will go to the Scottish Ballet
Endowment Fund. All bottling and
auction costs have been generously
donated by Diageo and Whisky
Auctioneer in support of Scottish
Ballet.
See
earlier Whisky News from 2021 >>>
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