Our Top 10 Whiskies of 2015

This year has been another productive year for the whisky industry.  Companies have developed more products to meet or drive consumer demand as the category continues to grow in both sales and consumption across the globe. We have been lucky to try some of them through this blog, including many of the major releases, and to attend numerous launch events and press trips during 2015. A huge thank you to all of the brands and PR agencies that continue to support us.

Top 10s are always subjective and potentially contentious as a result - everyone has differing opinions, but that is what makes the whisky industry so interesting.  Every blog seems to have a Top 10 but we were one of the first when we wrote such an article in 2009 - this is our seventh year of selecting our favourite whiskies and it remains one of our most visited posts each year.

Review - Diageo Special Releases 2015

The Diageo Special Releases are one of the biggest and most talked about annual whisky releases. Each Autumn, the largest producer of single malt in Scotland announces the line up.  The Special Releases programme has been running since the early 2000s and is designed to showcase some to the finest and rarest stocks in Diageo's portfolio, both from their current 28 single malt distilleries and those no longer in operation.  All the bottlings are at the natural cask strength, non chill filtered and limited edition.  The 2015 collection features nine whiskies.

Karen and Matt C were privileged to be invited to a small private tasting of the nine whiskies in London last month. The tasting was hosted by Dr. Nick Morgan, Diageo's Head of Whisky Outreach, and Maureen Robinson, one of Diageo's Senior Master Blenders. Both are part of the Special Releases selection panel. A huge thank you to both for the invite.