Inbox / The Week's Whisky News (February 4, 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. 

Our Top 10 Whiskies of 2020

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 agenda or criteria, other than the whisky had to be released in 2020. 

2020 was a year like no other in our lifetimes. The effects of Covid-19 have impacted all facets of daily life and beyond. It has had huge implications for the whisky industry around the world too. But after a short hiatus in March and April, companies began to carry on with adapted plans and release new bottlings. Launch events, tastings and even whisky shows turned to the online format and have now become commonplace. 

Review - John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend

The Bicentennial Blend is one of three special bottlings by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, that have been created to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Celebratory Blend and the Blue Label Legendary Eight. There is also a special commemorative pack for the regular Blue Label bottling. The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Review - Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight

The Blue Label Legendary Eight is one of three special bottlings by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, for its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Celebratory Blend and the Bicentennial Blend, both released under the John Walker & Sons name. There is also a special commemorative pack for the regular Blue Label bottling. The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Allotment Drams - John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend and Midleton Very Rare 2020 Edition

 

We have two more episodes from our ongoing Allotment Dram series for you and both feature brand new whiskies that have just been released. Firstly, Matt looks at the John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend. This forms part of a commemorative set of whiskies that have been created for the Johnnie Walker 200th anniversary by Dr. Jim Beveridge OBE and his team of blenders at Diageo. Watch to find out about the special blend and Matt's thoughts and tasting notes.

 

Then on his next visit, Matt showcases the latest bottling in the legendary Midleton Very Rare series. This series of whiskeys has been described in the past as 'the pinnacle of Irish whiskey' and this one is the last created by the now-departed Master Distiller Brian Nation. Watch as Matt talks about what makes each release special, plus gives his thoughts and tasting notes. We hope that you enjoy both videos.

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#AllotmentDram

 

Review - John Walker & Sons Celebratory Blend

 

The Celebratory Blend is one of three special bottlings released by Johnnie Walker, the world's best selling Scotch whisky, for its 200th anniversary. The other two new whiskies are the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight and the John Walker & Sons Bicentennial Blend. The brand is also commemorating this year's significant date with a specially designed pack for the regular Blue Label bottling.  The three new whiskies are all limited editions and have been created by Jim Beveridge OBE, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his team of blenders at Diageo. John Walker opened his grocery shop in King Street, Kilmarnock in 1820 and began blending his own whiskies in the cellar.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (August 9, 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.

Review - John Walker & Sons Midnight Blend 28 years old

John Walker & Sons, the super premium branch of the popular Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky brand, has announced the fifth and final part of their limited edition Private Collection - the 28 years old Midnight Blend. The collection, which was first launched in 2014 and has been released annually since, is designed to champion the some of the oldest and rarest single malt and grain whiskies in Diageo's portfolio. They have been created by Johnnie Walker's Master Blender Jim Beveridge and his team.

Inbox - The Week's Whisky News (November 2, 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.

Review - John Walker & Sons Private Collection 2017 Edition

The 2017 Edition is the fourth bottling in the Private Collection range from John Walker & Sons, the super premium branch of the popular Johnnie Walker Scotch brand.  This new expression is entitled 'Mastery of Oak' and investigates how wood character and combinations of casking can influence whisky.  The Private Collection is created by Jim Beveridge, the Master Blender for Johnnie Walker, and his blending team at Diageo. The series was launched in 2014 and the three previous expressions have concentrated on smoky, rich fruit and light honeyed characteristics respectively.