Let me share an excerpt of the brilliant documentary, Neat: The Story of Bourbon
When Dad rolled out the 6 millionth barrel, Julian Van Winkle gave me as a gift to my Dad this bottle of 20-year-old Pappy.
So I take the bottle and I open it up and I pour a little bit in his glass, pour a little bit in my brother’s glass, pour some in my glass.
And I go to put the stopper back in the bottle. And he looks at me and he gives me this weird look and he says, “What on earth are you doing?”
I said, “Dad, I don’t understand.” I said, “This is a really, really good bottle of bourbon.” I said, “It’s really being sought after.” He said, “I’m aware of that.”
I said, “So what I’m thinking is I’m just saving it so that we can do some more toast later on.”
He says, “Never, ever do that with friends and family. There will always be more old barrels of bourbon being made.”
He says, “Look at me and look at your brother.” He says, “We’re the fragile part of this whole thing.”
— Freddie Johnson
Every now and then, someone says something so simple that it sticks with you. This is one of those quotes. Nine months later, both Freddie’s father and brother were gone. I’ve always liked the quote because, although it’s about whisky, it never really felt like it was only about whisky.
Last week, after losing our next-door neighbour of almost twenty years, those words came back to me. We would stand at the fence and have a good catch-up chat every couple months, he’d proudly tell me about the latest bottle of duty-free whisky his wife had brought back on her travels and on the rare occasion, we’d have a dram together. He was simply… there. A familiar face across the fence. A wave while hanging up the laundry. The sort of neighbour who quietly becomes part of the rhythm of life without you ever really noticing it.
There’s something slightly unusual about whisky. It’s one of the few things we enjoy that operates on a completely different timescale to our own. Casks quietly mature for decades, and many of us have bottles we’re deliberately saving for “one day”. Against that backdrop, it’s easy to forget how quickly the people around us can become part of our lives—and how suddenly they can be gone.
That’s probably why I’ve enjoyed the Fellowship Conversations series so much. Yes, they’re about whisky. But they’re also about sitting down with people while we still can, hearing their stories in their own words, and capturing a little of what makes them who they are.
Sláinte,
Mark.
What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week
Old Mull (1980s, no abv specified) – Feeling nostalgic, I dug around in one of the whisky cupboards and pulled out this oldie. No abv, no barcode, so this puts it as an early 1980s bottling as barcodes only started making a regular appearance on whisky bottles around the mid-80s.
According to the interwebs, Old Mull is a historic Scotch whisky brand originally created in the late 19th century by Glasgow merchant John Hopkins & Co. It is named after the Isle of Mull off Scotland’s west coast and has been bottled and managed under Donald Fraser & Co., a subsidiary tied to later corporate owners including Invergordon Distillers and Whyte & Mackay. Old Mull likely featured Tobermory and Speyburn malts, perhaps even Oban – all distilleries licensed to the company at one time or another.
A sweet, toffee-apple nose, with a bit of mustiness. Coats the mouth nicely, there’s some waxiness to it, red fruits, some icing sugar sweetness that fades fast on the finish. Blends from pre-2000s just hit different. I’m enjoying this.
Tickets Giveaway – Last Chance To Enter
Whisky Tasting Fellowship × The Only Whisky Show
Win a Pair of
Thursday-Night Tickets
Choose between Johannesburg or Cape Town.
How to Enter
- Subscribe to the newsletter, if you haven’t already.
- Email us your answer: What whisky would you most like to try at the show — and why. Remember to tell us whether you’d like to attend the Johannesburg or Cape Town show.
- Refer a new subscriber and earn an additional entry.
The Fellowship Pour
Your whisky. Your glass. Your story. Send us a photo, share the moment, and add your pour to the growing Fellowship community. The submissions keep rolling in, and they’re great.
“When Glen invites you for a Sunday brunch. Sláinte!” — Fernando P.
“The monks started the story. I just finished the bottle.” — Mark W.
Fellowship Conversations: Mitch Bechard
Mitch Bechard has spent nearly two decades introducing people to whisky—from life as a global brand ambassador with Diageo and William Grant & Sons to building his own Speyside-based whisky touring company, CopperCairn. Today, he also co-runs the independent bottler Turas Mòr, co-hosts the Not Another Whisky Podcast, and has pulled back the curtain on the industry in his candid memoir, Not Another F@cking Whisky Book.
In this Fellowship Conversation, Mitch explains why the best whisky experiences rarely happen in tasting rooms, how he judges a distillery by its people as much as its spirit, and why some of Scotland’s most memorable drams come from places visitors almost drive straight past. We also dive into the realities of life as a whisky ambassador, why authenticity matters more than polished marketing, and hear a few stories that prove whisky adventures don’t always go according to plan.
Pour yourself a dram and join the conversation.
— Read the Interview
Industry News
Jameson becomes the NFL’s official spirits sponsor
Pernod Ricard’s Jameson has signed a multiyear deal to become the official spirits sponsor of the NFL — a first for Irish whiskey in big-league American sport, and a statement of intent for the brand’s US ambitions in a soft whiskey market.
— PR Newswire
Tsingtao enters whiskey with Great Northern Distillery partnership
China’s biggest beer exporter is getting into Irish whiskey. Tsingtao Brewery has signed a long-term agreement with Dundalk’s Great Northern Distillery to distribute GND’s Irish whiskeys — aged 3 to 21 years — through its vast China network, with a dedicated blending team tailoring styles to Chinese palates. Tsingtao also plans to build its own whisky distillery in China with technical support from GND (capacity: 8m litres pot still, 12m litres column). GND chairman John Teeling called Asia “the next great growth market for Irish whiskey.”
— The Spirits Business
MGP’s whiskey sales plunge — but Penelope holds the line
The clearest data point yet on the American whiskey glut: MGP Ingredients’ brown-goods (sourced whiskey) sales fell 59% in Q2. Its Branded Spirits segment fared far better at US$59.6m (down just 1% year-on-year), led by Penelope Bourbon. A tale of two markets: bulk whiskey oversupply, premium brands resilient.
— Business Wire
Glasgow Distillery toasts the Commonwealth Games with city-wide bar collab
To mark the Games’ return to Glasgow (23 July–2 August), The Glasgow Distillery launched “Global Games, Glasgow Spirit” — exclusive serves built on its portfolio (including Glasgow 1770 single malt) at beloved independent venues like Òran Mór, Howlin’ Wolf, Malone’s, Bag O’Nails and Cùl Cùil, backed by a series of short films celebrating the city’s bar scene.
— The Whiskey Wash
Scotland’s newest mega-warehouse goes paper-free from day one
Royal Elizabeth Bond, the independent cask storage facility at Dalmeny near the Forth Bridge, has assigned every cask a QR-coded “Digital Deed” recording contents, ownership and warehouse history — an industry first, landing in the wake of the BBC’s cask-investment fraud exposés and the 2025 WOWGR reform. With planning consent for 800,000 sq ft of new-build storage, capacity is headed for around 1.1 million casks. (Mark: It’s taken long enough for this technology to be applied to whisky. The marketing departments must be wringing their hands – no more stories to spin about “we discovered a long-lost parcel of casks in the dark corner of the warehouse”.)
— WhiskyIntelligence
The Fellowship Challenge
Three Truths & A Lie
It’s back! Can you pick out which of these is a lie? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.
Distillation & Spirit Character
A. Replacing a still with an exact replica can still subtly alter the spirit produced.
B. Copper continues removing sulphur compounds throughout the distillation run.
C. Taller stills always produce lighter spirits than shorter stills.
D. The rate of distillation can influence reflux and therefore spirit character.
SA Whisky News
I’m happy to bring you the scoop on the third Metanoia Distillery release for 2026! It’s a WhiskyBrother Metanoia Single Cask Exclusive, bottled at 56.5%.
Produced from SAB malted barley, initially matured in a Rupert and Rothschild red wine cask then transferred to an Oloroso cask (50yr old Oloroso matured, not seasoned) in late 2024, allowing for a ~20 month finish in sherry.
Needless to say packed with flavour and exhibiting a complexity far beyond it’s age.
“It has been a pleasure to witness the journey of Metanoia Distillery and to play a small part in their story through this exclusive release. As a proudly South African whisky company, we have always believed in supporting and championing authentic local producers.
This bottling reflects the passion and perseverance required to build something meaningful from the ground up and we are proud to share this moment and look forward to seeing what the future holds for Metanoia.”
— Marc @ WhiskyBrother
The whisky will be available at the Metanoia stand for tasting at The Only Whisky Show on Thursday 13th August. Any you can also buy yourself a bottle (or 2) for R1590 each and get Andy and Kenny to sign it at the show.
SMWS August 2026 Outturn
Two WhiskyBros score the full SMWS August outturn — an Ardnamurchan wins it
The brothers worked through all 22 casks of the Society’s August (UK) outturn:
- 149.23 Ardnamurchan 10yo “Beware the Lurkin Gherkin” (64.3%, first-fill bourbon, £88) takes outturn winner at 8/10 — “an absolute pleasure to nose… a great example of 10 year old Ardnamurchan.”
- Chasing at 7/10:
- 44.200 Craigellachie 10yo,
- 48.188 Balmenach 8yo (£52 — “you wouldn’t go wrong picking up a bottle of this”),
- 76.166 Mortlach 20yo (£170) and
- 78.101 Ben Nevis 8yo.
New Releases
Glenfarclas 190 — a 190th-anniversary sherry monster
Family-owned Glenfarclas marks 190 years with a limited edition vatted from spirit distilled across five decades, drawn from ex-sherry casks from a family-owned Jerez bodega, and selected by distillery manager Callum Fraser and MD Douglas Belford. 51.4% ABV, non-chill filtered, natural colour, 15,000 bottles, £95. UK specialist retailers first, then selected global markets.
— Whisky For Everyone
Aberargie “Expressions” — two single malts, two barley varieties
Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers has announced Aberargie’s second-ever release: the Laureate Edition (32% first-fill bourbon / 68% first-fill sherry) and Golden Promise Edition (68% first-fill bourbon / 32% first-fill sherry), both 48.2% ABV, arriving September 2026. Designed to be tasted side by side to show what barley variety alone does to flavour.
— The Whiskey Wash
House of Hazelwood Calm Waters 1992 — 30+ year blended malt, 297 bottles
William Grant & Sons’ House of Hazelwood has released Calm Waters 1992, a Speyside blended malt of more than 30 years married from first-fill and refill sherry butts, inspired by the River Spey. 52.1% ABV, just 297 bottles, £950, available now from the brand’s website with international rollout to follow.
— The Whiskey Wash
Strathearn Batch 03 — Douglas Laing’s Highland craft distillery, sherry-forward
The third single malt from Strathearn, vatted from just 31 casks — ex-bourbon, virgin oak and ex-sherry, with a heavier sherry emphasis than Batches 01 and 02 — selected by head distiller Angela Brown. 50% ABV, non-chill filtered, natural colour, £65, available now via selected UK retailers and select global markets.
— Whisky For Everyone
The Macallan closes the Harmony Collection with a coconut pair
The sixth and final Harmony release — Inspired by Fresh Coconut (46.3%, domestic markets) and Inspired by Toasted Coconut (global travel retail) — launched on 4 August at £140 each. Both are matured in sherry-seasoned American oak and ex-bourbon casks to coax out a coconut character rarely seen in Macallan, presented in packaging made from discarded coconut fibre. Fresh Coconut is available via themacallan.com, Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.
— The Whiskey Wash
Glenfiddich The Voyage Collection — a new permanent travel-retail range
William Grant & Sons has unveiled a four-strong travel-retail-exclusive line curated by Malt Master Brian Kinsman: Warehouse Eight Solera, a 12-year-old rum cask finish, a sherry cask finish, and an 18-year-old Port cask finish — Glenfiddich’s first single malt finished in Port pipes. All arrive in refreshed packaging drawing on five generations of family archives. Airport shelves only.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Reviews Roundup
Port Askaig Sherry Cask (50.5%) — 8.9 / Port Askaig 100 Proof (57.1%) — 8.8
Thijs Klaverstijn on Elixir Distillers’ 2026 pair: “An absolute winner. And for that price too!”
— Words of Whisky
Glenfarclas 23yo 2003 red-wine hogshead (51.6%) & Glasgow 10yo 2015 Manzanilla (55.2%), Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection — both 7.5/10
Fitting reading in the week of Glenfarclas’s 190th: “really solid red-wine-matured Glenfarclas… a little hot for the age, but really good whisky” at a fair £160 for 23 years (228 bottles). The £65 Glasgow is the value pick — “you will struggle to find a 10yo cask-strength release from the distillery cheaper.”
— Two WhiskyBros
The Teuchter Batch 2 — Clynelish 10yo, Decadent Drinks (47%) — 7/10 “Very Good Indeed”
Archie Dunlop finds “all that classic Clynelish character in spades… teetering on an 8.” Refill bourbon hogshead, around £49 — already sold out online, so hunt the secondary shelves.
— Dramface
Longmorn 1973 Gordon & MacPhail (55.8%, first-fill sherry hogshead) — 93/100
Ruben Luyten: “Simply at the pinnacle of this heavy sherry style, yet very elegant and vibrant… one of the highlights of the Limburg Whisky Festival.”
— WhiskyNotes
Edradour 12yo 2011 Oloroso Sherry Butts, Batch 1 (57.8%) — 87/100
Ruben Luyten on the first release in Edradour’s first-fill sherry series: “thick and oily… assertive — old-style GlenDronach comes to mind,” with a funky earthiness he counts as an asset. Timely for locals: Mother City Liquor currently lists two other Edradour casks (see Available Now below).
— WhiskyNotes
Longmorn 56yo 1968 Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Heritage (54.3%) — 94 pts
Top of Serge Valentin’s eight-Longmorn verticale marking Whisky Fun’s 24th birthday: “utterly magnificent… maltoporn alert.” First-fill sherry butt #5833, 200 bottles. (Date-anchor link; permalink changes once archived.)
— Whisky Fun
Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 84 (61.2%) — 9/10
A South African voice on a South African-shelf staple: Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod of Kenton on Whisky puts the perennial Oloroso sherry bomb through its paces. “I almost wish it didn’t live up to the hype… unfortunately, it really is that good.”
— The Whiskey Wash
Bowmore 2015 10yo (46%) — 8.9 / Fettercairn 2006 19yo — 8.7 / Tamdhu 2013 12yo — 8.3, all Cadenhead’s
Thijs Klaverstijn picks three from Cadenhead’s latest outturn and the Bowmore steals the show: “that improbable Bowmore mixture of gentle coastal peat with tropical fruits… a perfect example of what a 10-year-old Bowmore can be.” He also cheers Bowmore’s warehouses reopening to independent bottlers.
— Words of Whisky
Lagavulin 14yo Fèis Ìle 2026 — 7/10 / Laphroaig 13yo 2012 cask #802 Fèis Ìle 2026 — 8/10
The brothers work through this year’s festival bottlings, with the single-cask Laphroaig taking the honours.
— Two WhiskyBros
Glen Scotia 18yo 2022 Campbeltown Malts Festival (50.9%, heavily peated, refill oloroso finish) — 9/10 “Exceptional”
Fletcher Finlay on the 221-bottle festival release: “A time-machine that has made me smile from dram one to shaking out the last drops.” The 2026 festival releases ARE on SA shelves — WhiskyBrother (R1,450) and Wild About Whisky (R1,295) both stock this year’s editions.
— Dramface
Bourbon Corner
Bib & Tucker announces 8 Year Bottled-in-Bond Tennessee bourbon
A small batch honouring the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act: single distillery, single season, aged double the legal minimum, high-rye mashbill, charcoal-filtered via the Lincoln County Process before barrelling. 100 proof, US$65, rolling out across the USA for National Bourbon Month in September.
— Whisky For Everyone
Starlight Distillery Mizunara Finished Bourbon Batch #0003
Nick Beiter calls the 8-year, 110-proof Indiana release “a rich, delicious finished whiskey that’s worth its $150 price tag” — dark cherry, caramel and sandalwood from the Japanese oak.
— Breaking Bourbon
Town Branch 6-Year Wheated Bourbon
“Super approachable with light caramel, summer fruits and lightly toasted oak… showcases the distillery’s blending mastery.” Lexington’s Town Branch continues its quiet run of form.
— Bourbon & Banter
Eagle Rare 10yo (45%) — 5/10 “Average. In a good way”
A contrarian palate-check on the perennially hyped Buffalo Trace single barrel: Mason Mack finds “a simple bourbon for social sipping” — a useful antidote to shelf-price madness.
— Dramface
Old Grand-Dad 7-Year Bottled-in-Bond returns for year two
The James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s annual single-season BiB — this edition distilled and barreled in fall 2018 — brings the high-rye OGD recipe to 100 proof at a very friendly US$39.99. Vintage-inspired, once-a-year, and a natural companion to the Bib & Tucker BiB above for the September Bourbon Month shelf.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 11-Year Rye, 2026 Edition
The fourth annual edition of Beam Suntory’s revived rye flagship: distilled spring 2014, aged across three Clermont warehouses, bottled unfiltered at 125.6 proof, US$109.99. Rye’s premium wave keeps rolling.
— The Whiskey Wash
Available Now — Local Online Retailers
Giving this a skip this week – there’s just too much other whisky news to cover. (And I still need to find a better way to track new releases per site. If only online retailers would set up a feed of their new releases, it’d make things much easier!)
Upcoming Events
WhiskyShop’s American Evening Whisky Experience
Thursday, 06 Aug | 6pm | R650pp (includes a bottle of Woodford Reserve)
Enjoy a guided tasting of four premium American whiskeys, a welcome Old Fashioned, a Woodford Reserve Malt Martini, and an unforgettable evening of whiskey discovery. Book tickets
Helden Distillery National Women’s Day Special
Friday & Saturday, 8–9 August 2026 | Parys, Free State | R180pp
Celebrate National Women’s Day with a guided distillery tour and tasting, plus chicken strips & chips with gin on tap and whisky tasting flights. Book your tour or table at helden.co.za or call 072 335 7779.
The Only Whisky Show 2026
JHB: 13 & 14 August | The Galleria | R690pp
Book JHB
Cape Town: 20 & 21 August | CTICC | R690pp
Book CT
WhiskyBrother’s Helden Distillery Day Trip (Note: The date has changed)
Saturday, 17 October 2026 | Parys Free State | R1,490pp
A full-day experience at South Africa’s Helden Distillery with an in-depth tour led by founder and owner Dr Pieter van Helden — ideal for anyone who hasn’t visited a working distillery before. Book tickets
Worth Reading
“How Barley Impacts Flavour — a Laddie Lesson in Science” — Bruichladdich
Bruichladdich’s Jane Carswell walks through the distillery’s empirical case that barley variety, terroir and farming system genuinely shape flavour — from Orkney’s six-row Bere barley and its fattier mouthfeel to Islay-grown grain running up to 25% higher protein, biodynamic crops building their own chemical defences, and the Scotch Whisky Research Institute’s measured counterpoint. Pairs beautifully with Aberargie’s barley-variety Expressions launch above.
— Bruichladdich
“Whisky’s Funniest and Most Unbelievable Stories” — GreatDrams
A lighter long read for the weekend: the Balvenie “flattened dog” (a coppersmith apprentice, a whisky-smuggling copper tube, and rough justice), Islay malts prescribed as “health tonics” during Prohibition — complete with Winston Churchill’s doctor’s note for Johnnie Walker Red — and why Mexicans say “whiskey” instead of “cheese” for photos.
— GreatDrams
“Why Never Say Die Is Building an English Pub in the Heart of Bourbon Country” — The Whiskey Wash
A feature on the British-rooted bourbon brand (named for the Epsom Derby-winning Kentucky-born racehorse) planting a proper English pub at its Kentucky home — bourbon country through a British lens.
— The Whiskey Wash
And That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for all the support, comments, suggestions and inspiration that helped shape this issue of the Digest. What other community-related content would you like to see here?
Enjoyed the Digest? Don’t keep it to yourself—forward it to a whisky-loving friend and invite them to join the fellowship. The new newsletter signup page makes it quick and easy to come aboard ;-D
Until next week, DRAM on!
The Fellowship Challenge Answer
The lie is C.
It’s true that taller stills often encourage a lighter, more refined spirit because they generally promote greater reflux. But still height is only one piece of a much larger puzzle.
Spirit character is influenced by a combination of factors, including:
- Lyne arm angle – An upward-sloping lyne arm encourages more reflux, while a downward-sloping arm allows heavier compounds to pass into the condenser.
- Boil ball or reflux bowl – These increase internal reflux, helping create a lighter spirit.
- The shape and width of the still – The size of the neck, shoulders and pot all influence how vapours behave.
- The rate of distillation – A slower distillation generally increases copper contact and reflux, while a faster run can produce a heavier spirit.
- Copper contact – More interaction with copper removes sulphur compounds and can create a cleaner, fruitier new make.
- Spirit cut points – Where the distiller makes the foreshots, heart and feints cuts has a profound impact on the final spirit.
That’s why two distilleries with similarly tall stills can produce remarkably different new make spirit. The still is only one instrument in the orchestra.
Takeaway: It’s tempting to think one piece of equipment defines a distillery’s character. In reality, great whisky is the result of dozens of interconnected production decisions, with still shape being just one of them.