Review - Tullamore DEW Phoenix

The Phoenix is a new cask strength whiskey that is a blend of pot still, single malt and grain whiskeys.  It has a high percentage of ex-sherry cask maturation within the blend and this has then seen a finishing period in virgin American oak casks. The Phoenix was launched during the Summer to celebrate the second anniversary of the new distillery at Tullamore, which began production in August 2014.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 25, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created 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.

Review - Ardbeg 21 years old

The Ardbeg 21 years old is a limited edition single malt that was released in September to members of the Ardbeg Committee, a group operated by the brand for its fans.  The whisky is one of the oldest to be released by the distillery in modern times and was created from some of the last remaining casks from the mid-1990s.  After this time the distillery was closed for some time before current owner LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey) took over. The casks were selected by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation at LVMH, and Mickey Heads, the Distillery Manager at Ardbeg and Chairman of the Ardbeg Committee.

Distillery Visit - Leven

Nestling deep within Diageo's Leven global supply plant is something special and unexpected - the Leven Distillery or PLDA (Process Liquid Development Area) as it is less romantically known.  It is Diageo's least known and smallest whisky making facility, and their 29th that produces single malt.  Leven distillery has quietly been going about its business of innovation and experimentation since production began in 2013.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 18, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created 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.

The Whistler 7 years old & 10 years old

The Whistler is a new range of Irish single malt whiskeys from the independent distillery of Boann. The distillery itself is nearing completion and not yet in production, but this stock has been purchased from the Cooley distillery under agreement.  This has then been aged for the last two years by the Cooney family, the owners of Boann.  In addition to the two whiskeys reviewed here, there will also be 5 years old and 10 years old Cask Strength bottlings.

Is Rum The New Whisky?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 10/11/16.

A few weeks ago, someone asked me about which spirit would be the ‘next whisky’. By that they meant, which spirit would come out of the shadows in a similar way that whisky started to do about ten years ago? Whisky has become the ‘new Cognac’. My prediction skills have never been good, but after some discussion we came to our conclusion – rum.

Review - Tomatin Caribbean Rum, Cabernet Sauvignon & Oloroso Sherry Cask Finishes

These whiskies are a trio of new limited edition single malts from the Highland distillery of Tomatin.  They are designed to demonstrate the distillery's experimentations with different types of casks - the 9 years old Caribbean Rum, the 14 years old Cabernet Sauvignon and the 21 years old Oloroso Sherry. All are bottled at 46% ABV and will be available in selected specialist whisky retailers worldwide.

Visit - Cambus Cooperage

The Cambus Cooperage. (Image © Pat Roberts)

Cambus is a cooperage that rebuilds and regenerates whisky casks for the portfolio of Diageo's single grain and single malt distilleries in Scotland.  The cooperage, which is one of the most modern such facilities in the world, is built on the site of the old Cambus single grain distillery from which it takes its name.  The Cambus distillery was demolished in 1993 and the cooperage opened in 2011.

Why Is Old Whisky So Expensive?

* This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post UK on 4/11/16. 

When details of the latest super premium Scotch single malt were released earlier this week, they seemed to cause quite a stir across social media platforms and the whisky drinking community. Comments such as “looks nice but way too expensive”, “outrageous pricing” and “what a rip-off” were vented, but were frankly predictable.

But do these comments have an element of correctness, or are they simply naïve and showing a lack of understanding about the economics of the whisky industry? Why are old whiskies priced as they are?

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 4, 2016)

Welcome to this week's Inbox.  For those that have recently discovered us, Inbox is our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our email inbox. It was created 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.

Review - Black Bowmore 50 years old 'The Last Cask'

The Last Cask is the fifth and final edition of the fabled Black Bowmore series. The first expression appeared in 1993 and was followed by a further two bottlings in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Then after a hiatus of over 10 years, the fourth edition was launched in 2007. Now nine years later the final installment is released. As with the previous Black Bowmores in the series this whisky was distilled in 1964, shortly after the famous Islay distillery switched from coal-fired stills to steam.