I’m away on holiday with my family this week, so the digest might be a bit smaller than usual. I’ll leave you with my thoughts and impressions from my Thursday attendance of The Only Whisky Show last week.
I’ve been to every TOWS since it launched, and it never disappoints. The selection of whiskies is broad enough that there is something for everyone, and the under-the-counter drams are always special.
And then there’s the masterclasses, where Marc and his team go to great lengths to bring in people in the whisky industry from overseas to share their insight and whiskies.
Olaf Meier from SMWS took us through a series of fantastic single casks, none of which are available locally, including a The Vaults Exclusive, that he muled here from Edinburgh.
Ronan Currie’s dive into The GlenAllachie was interesting too, especially when you take into account that he’s going to be responsible for the whiskies produced there, as Billy Walker steps back. I hope to interview Ronan shortly, and will make a point to discuss succession planning, and keeping Billy’s vision alive, while still allowing Ronan space to put his touch on the whiskies too.
Unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time to attend Kevin O’Gorman’s masterclass, but those who did came away really impressed. Here’s to chatting to Kevin soon.
The international attendees aren’t limited to those presenting masterclasses, as we have some regulars like Shilton Almeida, from Milk & Honey, who keeps coming back, entertaining and enlightening attendees in equal measures. The Christmas Treat and Apex Terroir Negev Desert where two very different beasts, I love the variety from them.
Top drams I tried on the Thursday night in Joburg: the SMWS Glenlivet had the best nose of the night – I could have at with that for hours! The Single & Single Bruichladdich that WhiskyBrother will be releasing soon was superb, as was the Metanoia WhiskyBrother Single Cask Exclusive. The GlenAllachie 35 year old in the masterclass was worth more the MC ticket price – a real treasure!,
And of course, there’s the local contingent – Metanoia, JSD (Three Ships & Bain’s), Boplaas and Helden. The first hour on the floor was spent at these 4 stands, and I left feeling optimistic about the direction SA whisky is heading in general.
Kenny and Andy are producing fantastic spirit at Metanoia – the Friends release and the WhiskyBrother Exclusive both hit it out the ballpark.
The Bain’s 23 year old Chardonnay Cask Finish was a treat, as was it’s companion, the Bain’s 23 year old Pinotage Cask Finish. Both mark the oldest Bain’s spirit to be released to date. Personally, I preferred the Chardonnay Cask Finish. And then their was the Bain’s distillery exclusive – a 17yo MMC cask finish. You can literally taste the bubbles bursting on your tongue! I need to make a plan to get a bottle.
And I heard promising news about James Sedgwick Distillery. Nothing that can be revealed as yet, but if it happens I reckon Three Ships and Bain’s will be back on everyone’s radars again.
My chats with Daniel Nel from Boplaas (try their new 15 year old, it’s very good) and Pieter van Helden from Helden Distillery were also fruitful. I walked away from the local stands feeling as though the SA whisky scene is starting to take proper shape. Here’s to the next few years of growth and maturation.
Sláinte,
Mark.
What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week
Bunnahabhain Staoisha 57.1% – I really enjoy it when Bunna leans heavily into peat, and this was no exception. I didn’t keep proper notes when tasting though. I just enjoyed the dram while soaking up the bush, the hippos at the dam, the whispers between my family in the hide, pointing out the wildebeest as they came down to the water.
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.
“Can Rodriguez sing? That was the chat while we were enjoying this dram listening to Sugarman. Well, I like Tom Waits and Bob Dylan, so that’s a definite ‘yes’ from me.” — Gary H.
“A lovely evening dramming with the CT chapter of the Friday Whisky Mafia.” — Vernen P.
Industry News
The Glenturret cracks down on fake whisky cask sales
Scotland’s oldest working distillery has launched a brand-protection drive with specialist firm The Online Eye after “multiple cases” of casks being mis-sold as Glenturret whisky. MD John Laurie: “Where our name is used to mislead consumers or investors, we will act firmly and decisively.” A pointed marker amid growing scrutiny of the unregulated UK cask-investment sector.
— The Whiskey Wash
William Grant & Sons buys The Famous Grouse from Edrington
Scotland’s best-selling Scotch has changed hands: Edrington has sold The Famous Grouse to William Grant & Sons, the family firm behind Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Monkey Shoulder. The blend slots neatly into WG&S’s entry-level portfolio while Edrington doubles down on its luxury tier — Macallan, Highland Park, Glenturret. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
— The Whiskey Wash
Diageo offers buyouts across its entire Korea business as after-work drinking fades
Diageo Korea has offered voluntary redundancy to its whole workforce — up to 36 months’ salary plus 20m won — as the hoesik after-work drinking culture retreats and Korean whisky imports fall 20.4% by volume in the first half. A sobering data point from the market that was Asia’s Scotch darling only three years ago.
— Vino Joy News
A bespoke whisky firm is Scotland’s StartUp of the Year
Leith-based Tailored Spirits Co. — founded in 2024 by Adam Harding, Carl Johnstone and Tom Costello — took both Overall StartUp of the Year and Food & Drink StartUp of the Year at the UK StartUp Awards’ Scotland final, with judges citing £2.35m turnover from a team of eight. It goes on to the UK national final at Ideas Fest in September.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Halewood sells Crabbie’s ginger beer — and sharpens its whisky focus
Halewood Artisanal Spirits has offloaded Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer to Brookfield Drinks (completed 7 August, terms undisclosed) as it doubles down on spirits. What stays: the Crabbie Scotch whisky name, the Bonnington single malt distillery in Leith, and Welsh whisky Aber Falls — a portfolio quietly rearranging itself around whisky.
— The Spirits Business
US spirits slide keeps slowing — volume decline narrows to 6.5%
WSWA’s SipSource data shows combined US wine and spirits volumes down 6.5% in the 12 months to June — the third straight month of narrowing, with spirits (-4.9%) faring far better than wine (-8.2%) and the on-trade (-2.5%) outperforming retail (-7.3%). June was also the first month of 2026 in which all three age demographics posted positive revenue growth. “The decline hasn’t reversed, but it’s clearly decelerated.”
— The Spirits Business
New Releases
GlenAllachie 21 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 7 — Billy Walker’s “finest yet”
Batch 7 tops the Speyside distillery’s core range: full bourbon-barrel maturation followed by an extended secondary spell in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso puncheons and hogsheads, bottled at 51.9%, natural colour and un-chillfiltered, £297.99 — at the distillery and online now, global rollout to follow. Billy Walker: “I believe this is the finest expression of our 21-year-old we’ve released to date.”
— The Spirits Business
Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2026 Edition — 230 bottles at full strength
Two of Scotland’s global ambassadors in one first-fill bourbon cask, hand-picked by Malt Master Brian Kinsman: 14 years old, bottled at a natural 61%, just 230 bottles at £120, exclusively through Royal Mile Whiskies from August — or by the dram at Edinburgh’s Glasshouse while the Tattoo drums roll.
— The Whiskey Wash
Glasgow Distillery unveils three Glasgow 1770 releases for 2026
Bourbon Cask Batch 2 (8yo, 54%, 1,600 bottles), Ruby Port Finish Batch 2 (7yo, 54%, 1,200 bottles) and a first-ever Sherry Cask batch finished in Ximénez-Spínola casks (6yo, 55%, 1,600 bottles) — all £59, on sale from Wednesday with international allocations including Germany, the Netherlands and Canada. Honest age statements at honest prices from the city’s single malt revivalists.
— The Whiskey Wash
The Macallan 110 Proof — the Sherry Oak 12 turned up loud
The Macallan has released 110 Proof, a Sherry Oak Collection bottling matured 12 years exclusively in sherry-seasoned oak and presented at 110 proof (55%) — sticky dates, cinnamon spice and stem ginger, now available direct from The Macallan Online Boutique. The Harrods boutique gets a sibling story: this is Macallan leaning into strength.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Living Souls 41 Year Old Blended Whisky Batch #4 — four decades for £119
Batch #4 of the 1984 blend continues one of the quiet bargains in old whisky: 41 years in cask, natural colour, non-chill filtered, £119 at Tyndrum Whisky. Passionfruit, dried mango and lychee over gentle ashy smoke — “a quiet tropical shoreline at dusk.”
— WhiskyIntelligence
Kavalan Mizunara Oak Single Cask Strength — a peated and unpeated pair from Taiwan
Kavalan has launched a two-strong mizunara-cask collection — one peated, one unpeated single malt — dressed in twelve butterfly label variants by Japanese artist Takahide Komatsu, with a hand-painted, signed “collector’s double set” for the completists. On sale now through official Taiwan channels. Chairman YT Lee: “Mizunara oak is one of the rarest and most demanding casks in whisky making.”
— The Spirits Business
Ardara Single Malt 2026 Edition — Donegal’s turf-peated malt returns
The second single malt from Sliabh Liag Distillers’ Ardara distillery: triple-distilled, heavily peated with local turf in the traditional way, vatted from ex-Oloroso (63%), ex-bourbon (35.7%) and virgin American oak (1.3%) casks. 46%, NCF, natural colour, €90 — with a 60.9% cask-strength sibling at €130.
— Whisky For Everyone
The Dalmore 14 Year Old Semisecco Marsala Finish — 1,100 bottles from the dunnage
The 2026 entry in the Distillery Select Series: ex-bourbon maturation finished for 21 months in ex-Semisecco Marsala casks from Sicily, bottled at 53.7%, NCF and natural colour — unusually honest presentation for a Dalmore. £350/US$475, general global release 31 August with Dalmore Guild members buying early.
— Whisky For Everyone
Reviews Roundup
Kornog 8 Year Old 2018 “Amateur Spirit” — 90/100
Ruben scores the jury-selected Breton peater — chosen by a panel that included one Serge Valentin — a 90. “Really bright and balanced, reminding us of (older) Islay whisky like Bowmore.” France’s coastal malt keeps punching upward.
— WhiskyNotes
Living Souls X Thompson Bros 3 Year Old blended Scotch (46.15%) — 9/10
Mark Bostock raves about the indie collaboration of the moment: a 50/50 marriage of Thompson Bros’ sherried TB/BSW and Living Souls’ peated Ninety-Nine & One, around $67. “Challenging assumptions about age statements, this collaborative bottling shows how good blended whiskies can be.” The same Living Souls whose 41-year-old blend appears in New Releases above — a house covering both ends of the age spectrum.
— The Whiskey Wash
Cadenhead’s Authentic Collection pair: Dufftown-Glenlivet 16yo (50.2%) — 7/10 & Longrow 11yo 2015 rye-cask (55.9%) — 7.5/10
The Bros work through Cadenhead’s July outturn: the £85 bourbon-cask Dufftown is “a really solid mid-teens bourbon Speysider”, while the rye-barrel-finished Longrow — “good balance, integration and bags of flavour” — sold out on release at £75.
— Two WhiskyBros
Tomatin 1994 31yo (Archives / Whiskybase, 49.9%) — 8.9/10
Three decades in bourbon wood for under €300: pine resin, tinned pineapple and quince. “Layered, slightly austere at times (for its age) and beautifully fruity,” writes Thijs — celebrating a 31-year-old that hasn’t priced itself off the table.
— Words of Whisky
A trio of strange young Glenturrets — 77 to 79 points
Serge finds all three indie Glenturrets — Decadent Drams 12yo re-charred hogshead (54.3%, 79), The National Choice 8yo (58.5%, 77) and Watashi’s sherry-octave “Ruadh Maor” 12yo (60.3%, 78) — unexpectedly peaty and “shampoo-y”, in old FWP-Bowmore style: “Hurray, I’ve finally found a Decadent Drinks that I don’t like very much!”
— Whisky Fun
Springbank pair: 12yo Cask Strength Batch 29 — 90 & 15yo (2025 sherry-led) — 89
Serge weighs in on Batch 29 — the release we covered when it landed last month — and loves it: “perhaps a less complex 12yo CS than some others, but with a clearer line… perfect salinity.” The sherried 15 runs it close at 89.
— Whisky Fun
Bivrost Yggdrasil Arctic Single Malt (46%) — 6/10
Broddy Balfour on the Norwegian Arctic malt: “given the young age here, this drinks remarkably well… just quality whisky.” The world-whisky map keeps stretching north.
— Dramface
Many Hands — the first-ever Yorkshire blended malt (48%)
Cooper King and Spirit of Yorkshire join forces for a 1,922-bottle charity blend (£95): “we love this… Many Hands is delightful and packed full of flavour” — no score, as is Whisky For Everyone’s custom, but an emphatic thumbs-up for an English-whisky first.
— Whisky For Everyone
Tamdhu, OB vs IB: 2014/2025 Whisky Club Australia (—) — 87 & 34yo 1989 Gourmet Pool — 90
Serge’s Speyside head-to-head ends with the 34-year-old indie on top: “this liveliness, at such a venerable age… a style I’m particularly fond of.”
— Whisky Fun
Glen Keith 31yo 1994 (Archives / Whiskybase) — 90/100
“Very aromatic and totally seductive with this combination of orchard fruits and more tropical notes” — vintage Speyside elegance from the quiet workhorse, though the bottle has already sold through.
— WhiskyNotes
Thompson Bros Glen Scotia 2013 11yo single cask (57.1%) — 8/10
Bottled for the Thompson family’s 25th anniversary at Dornoch Castle Hotel — a 235-bottle first-fill barrel at $94: “I particularly enjoyed the sharp rhubarb note,” writes Mark Bostock.
— The Whiskey Wash
Bourbon Corner
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon 2026 — 141 proof, 16,000 bottles
The Texas heavyweight’s 12th Cowboy release launches at the Hye distillery on Saturday 12 September (first 1,000 bottles at 8am sharp), $249.99, nationwide from 1 October with 279 bottles online on 18 September. Master distiller Donnis Todd: “It comes on strong at first, but the depth of flavor quickly draws you in.”
— The Whiskey Wash
Bardstown Bourbon Mars Single Malt Japanese Blend, Distillery Reserve ($99.99/375ml) — 9/10, Double Gold (98pts) SF World Spirits Comp.
10- and 16-year Kentucky bourbon co-aged one year in-barrel with 5-year Mars Komagatake (umeshu cask) and Mars Tsunuki (sakura wood) single malts. “This is not bourbon, and even less a Japanese whiskey. It’s something new and very welcome.”
— The Whiskey Wash
Redemption’s first bottled-in-bond — Single Barrel Bonded Bourbon
The first BiB in the relaunched Higher Marques Collection: 6-year-plus MGP (Ross & Squibb) distillate at 100 proof, $49.99, going national in September — with the $399.99 Redemption 18 Year Old also returning this fall.
— Bourbon Obsessed
Chattanooga Whiskey debuts a Moldovan ice wine cask finish
The eighth Barrel Finishing Series release blends six mash bills — five malt-forward, one bourbon — aged 4+ years including over a year in Moldovan ice wine casks, 95 proof, $59.99. “We needed to pull out our most intensely flavored whiskeys — namely malt whiskey,” says founder Grant McCracken.
— Bourbon Obsessed
Breckenridge bottles a Colorado summer — Palisade peach whiskey
The Rockies distiller’s 72-proof peach whiskey made with Palisade-grown fruit is in Colorado stores now, national retail this fall. “From the orchard to the glass,” says founder Bryan Nolt — one for the porch, not the tasting mat.
— The Whiskey Wash
Wilderness Trail Family Reserve Cask Strength (111.3 proof) — 2/5
A dissenting note to close: Dan Trares finds the $59.99 high-rye sweet-mash release funky and grain-forward, only coming right on ice — “burnt toast with marmalade.” His verdict: “The wilderness was the best thing about this bottle — and I mean that as both a compliment and a warning.”
— Thirty-One Whiskey
Available Now — Local Online Retailers
I’m away on holiday this week, so will resume this when back. In the meantime, support our local retailers – the more they sell, the more they can bring into the country. Win-win.
Upcoming Events
Glenfiddich Whisky Tasting
Wednesday, 26 August 2026 | Bottega Parkhurst, Johannesburg | R1,195pp
An evening of luxury and whisky mastery presented by Muzi Mathe, featuring Glenfiddich 15, 16 Aston Martin Edition, 18, 21 Gran Reserva and 30 Year Old Suspended Time, paired with a 2-course meal. 18h30 for 19h00. Limited seats available.
RSVP via email to parkhurst@bottegacafe.co.za.
Bushmills Whisky Tasting
Wednesday, 30 September 2026 | Hyde Park, Johannesburg | R290pp
A guided tasting with Bushmills SA ambassador Muzi Mathe, featuring the 10, 14, 16 and 21 Year Old expressions from the historic Northern Irish distillery. 7pm at WhiskyBrother Hyde Park.
Book via WhiskyBrother.
1 October — Randpark Golf Club Whisky Festival
Thursday, 01 October 2026 | Johannesburg | R300pp
A new one for the calendar: 40+ whiskies in the Jacaranda Room & Terrace, 6–9pm.
Book via WhiskyBrother
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 via WhiskyBrother
Whisky Live Festival
Thu 5th to Sat 7th November, 2026 | The Galleria, Johannesburg | Pricing TBA
SA’s biggest whisky festival returns — details and booking links to follow.
Worth Reading
Let’s kick off with a nice tie-in to the Garrison Brothers new release mentioned earlier:
The Man Who Rode Past the End of the Map — Garrison Brothers
Dan Garrison’s unlikely journey from software marketing to building Texas bourbon from scratch, and how eight brutal years in the Texas heat shaped the 2026 Cowboy Bourbon: 141 proof, uncut and unfiltered, from 118 exceptional barrels. A good story about stubbornness, experimentation and what happens when you ignore the conventional bourbon map. There’s also a great video in the post that’s well worth watching.
— Garrison Brothers
What a set of kitchen scales taught me about the world’s best-selling Scotch — The Whiskey Wash
Mark Littler weighs every bottle in the Johnnie Walker core range and finds the liquid identical — but Blue Label’s glass comes in at 2,070g against Red Label’s 1,071g. “That mountain of glass at the base of the premium bottles is pure marketing.” A sharp little essay on what premium packaging actually sells.
— The Whiskey Wash
Why Is Pappy Van Winkle So Expensive? A Price Breakdown — The Whiskey Wash
Beth Squires digs into the economics behind Pappy’s retail-to-secondary-market chasm — production scarcity, Virginia’s ABC lottery odds, the Wright Thompson/Bourdain “Pappygate” origin story, and blind-tasting evidence for and against the hype. A properly reported investigation into why one bourbon broke the market.
— 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?
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Until next week, DRAM on!