Review - The Chita Single Grain Whisky

Renowned as innovators in Japanese whisky, Suntory have released their first single grain whisky into the International market designed as a new style of whisky for a new audience. Blended from spirit aged in wine
and Spanish oak casks alongside American white oak, Chief Blender, Shinji Fukuyo has created what Suntory describes as "a milder whisky with a clean, clear finish and unparalleled sophistication and complexity". It has been bottled at 43% ABV.

Review - Port Dundas 12 & 18 years old

These two whiskies are from the closed Glasgow single grain distillery of Port Dundas.  Occasional bottlings of Port Dundas have appeared from Diageo, the owners when the distillery closed, and independent bottlers in the past but this is the first time that the distillery has been presented as a range, albeit a limited one.  Two expressions have been selected from remaining stocks - 12 and 18 years of age - and these will be exclusive to the American market with no immediate plans to expand beyond that.  Both whiskies have been matured in American oak ex-bourbon casks.

Review - Bain's Cape Mountain Whisky

Bain's Cape Mountain is a single grain whisky that is produced at the James Sedgwick Distillery in South Africa.  It is named after a pioneering Scotsman engineer named Andrew Geddes Bain.  In the 1850s he was responsible for designing and building the Bainskloof Pass, which cuts through the mountains near to the distillery. The whisky is made using only South African grain and was the first ever South African single grain whisky to be released.  It was first released in 2009 and has since racked up a large amount of awards from competitions across the globe.

Review - Haig Club

Haig Club was one of the biggest and most talked about whisky releases of 2014.  It is a single grain whisky and launched the genre on a global scale with unprecedented coverage.  The term 'single grain' refers to whisky that is made at one location and from a grain other than barley.  This is usually maize or wheat.  The brand has been the subject of one of the biggest, if not the biggest, celebrity links in whisky history with the use of David Beckham and this has brought it much attention from media and consumers alike.

New release - Teeling Irish Single Grain

This is an innovative new product from The Teeling Whiskey Company, the award winning Irish independent bottler, which was released back in November. Single grain is predicted to be one of the big growth areas in 2014 but while Scotch versions increase, Irish examples are still very rare.  The Teeling expression joins an ever growing range of products released by the company - these include aged single malts, a 'hybrid' malt which sees Irish and Scottish whiskies blended together, and version of poitin (the famous Irish moonshine).