Review / Cutty Sark Centenary Edition

The popular blended Scotch whisky brand of Cutty Sark is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and has released a commemorative whisky - the Cutty Sark Centenary Edition. The whisky is bottled at 23 years of age and features a pocket of stock distilled in 1999 that was matured in ex-Port casks. These were selected and married by Master Blender Stephen Woodcock.

The Cutty Sark brand was created in March 1923, allegedly following a lunch between the owners of the famous London wine and spirits merchants Berry Brothers & Rudd (Francis Berry and Hugh Rudd) and Scottish artist James McBey. It was named after the Cutty Sark, the famous tea clipper, and legend has it that McBey started drawing the logo of the boat on a napkin.

Review / Gladstone Axe 'American Oak' & 'The Black Axe'

These two new whiskies are a pair of Scotch blended malts from wine and spirits company Biggar & Leith. The Gladstone Axe 'American Oak' and the Gladstone Axe 'The Black Axe' are designed to be 'a modern twist on classic Scotch' and are named after four-times UK Prime Minister William Gladstone. The brand and both blended malts have been created by Elwyn Gladstone, the founder of Biggar & Leith and the great great great grandson of William Gladstone.