Inbox | The Week's Whisky News | September 20, 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 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. 

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 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. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (July 28, 2023)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (January 27, 2023)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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. 

Inbox / Whisky News Round Up Part 2 (September 9, 2022)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (April 29, 2022)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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. 

Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (April 9, 2021)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 27, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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 the news from this week ...

Review - Glen Scotia 11 years old Sherry Double Cask Finish

This 11 years old Sherry Double Cask Finish is a new limited edition single malt from the Campbeltown distillery of Glen Scotia. The new whisky is created using first-fill ex-bourbon barrels that were filled with Glen Scotia's unpeated spirit in 2008, which were then split between ex-Oloroso and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a finishing period. It is unusual as Glen Scotia normally has a small amount of peat. These casks were then married back together in ex-bourbon casks for a short period, before bottling at 11 years of age and at the natural cask strength of 54.1% ABV. The whisky is also non chill-filtered and of natural colour. 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 13, 2020)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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. 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 the news from this week ...

Allotment Drams - Glen Scotia 25 years old & Benriach The Original Ten

 

We have two more episodes for you from our Allotment Drams series, our whisky review videos that are recorded in the surroundings of our north London allotment. Firstly, watch as Matt talks about and samples the Glen Scotia 25 years old from Campbeltown. Listen to find out a bit about Campbeltown's whisky heritage and Glen Scotia's part in it, plus his thoughts and tasting notes of this whisky that sits at the pinnacle of their core range.

 

On his next visit, watch as Matt talks about the brand new Benriach The Original Ten, part of a totally revamped core range with new packaging for the Speyside distillery. Find out about the inspiration behind the redesign and the new whiskies, before he then gives his thoughts and tasting notes on The Original Ten - the entry point in to the new range of single malts.

#AllotmentDram

 

 

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (October 25, 2019)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (June 21, 2019)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. 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.

Our Top 10 Whiskies of 2018

Another year has passed and it is time for one of our favourite blog posts - our top 10 whiskies from last year. Everyone will have a different opinion about what should and should not be on such a list. Our list is simply our favourites with no criteria, such as price or availability applied, or agenda.

2018 saw seemingly more whiskies released than ever before. New distilleries bottled their first ever products (Cotswolds and Eden Mill), established brands put new whiskies in to their core ranges (Aberlour and Glenlivet amongst others), classic whiskies were re-released (BenRiach and GlenDronach) and some distilleries celebrated landmarks with anniversary bottlings (Balcones and Benromach). The competitions that we both judge on saw record levels of entries, reflecting this vibrancy at the moment.

As with previous years it has been a struggle to narrow our choices down to just ten. We have sampled many nice whiskies, reviewing numerous of them. As with the last couple of years, we have decided to again list the final ten in alphabetical order, rather than ranking them.

Distillery Visit - Glen Scotia

Glen Scotia is a single malt distillery located in the town of Campbeltown at the end of the Mull of Kintyre peninsula. The town was once a major centre for Scotch whisky production with over 30 distilleries operating during its Victorian heyday. 

Now only three remain – Glengyle and Springbank being the other two. Earlier this year we were invited for a private tour of Glen Scotia with Iain MacAlister, the Distillery Manager.

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Glen Scotia sits a couple of streets back from Campbeltown's largest curving natural harbour. In an unassuming side road is the distillery. It was founded in 1832 by members of the Stewart and Galbraith families and is currently operated by Loch Lomond Distillers, who have been involved since 1999. In 2014 it was taken over by Exponent Private Equity and they set about rescuing the ailing distillery.

Discovering Campbeltown's Lost Distilleries

Inside the former warehouse of Hazelburn.

In Victorian times, Campbeltown was the whisky capital of Scotland. Renowned author Alfred Barnard traveled there while writing his seminal book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom in 1885 and found over 30 distilleries to visit. Now, there are just three. On a recent visit to the town we went on a walk with a local guide around some of the former sites and discovered what went wrong.

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Whisky is engrained in the history and heritage of Campbeltown. There is evidence of it on almost every street and around every corner it seems. Located at the end of the Kintyre peninsula, Campbeltown was once a giant of the Scotch whisky industry. Old buildings remain and road names refer to past distilleries that are long gone. You cannot help but feel a bit of sadness as you walk around.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (March 16, 2018)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, 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.

Our Top 10 Whiskies of 2017

Well, it is that time again - the time when we reveal our Top 10 whiskies from the previous year.  This always proves to be one of the most fun posts to write and one of our most popular with readers.  It also allows us some time to reflect on what has happened during the whisky year.  Personally we attended over 70 events or whisky shows, numerous press trips and distilleries, and sampled and reviewed nearly 100 whiskies.

2017 seemed to be a year that continued the innovation and experimentation of 2016. This saw big brands and smaller producers alike pushing the boundaries and released a wide spectrum of products to an ever-growing consumer base.  Some of these products have impressed us and are included in our Top 10.  Could they become modern classics? Only time will tell.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (September 8, 2017)

Welcome to Inbox.  For those new to WFE, 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 - Glen Scotia 25 years old

This whisky is the new super premium bottling from the Campbeltown-based distillery of Glen Scotia. The Glen Scotia 25 years old is the oldest expression in the current single malt range from the distillery and was launched at the recent Campbeltown Festival. The core range also includes the Double Cask, 15 years old and Victoriana expressions. The whisky has been matured in American oak casks that were then hand selected by Michael Henry, the Master Blender of Glen Scotia, and then transferred to first fill ex-bourbon casks.  It has been bottled at 48.8% ABV and is available through selected specialist whisky retailers worldwide. A bottle should cost £250.