Whisky Weekly Digest — Week 41, 2026

I was staring at the wall in my office, racking my brain for inspiration for this week’s digest post, and caught sight of something I’ve had on my wall for over a decade – a limited release of Charlie MacLean’s whisky flavour wheel, produced for Whisky Live Paris 2014, gifted to me by the man himself when we were both in Campbeltown back in 2016.

The Whisky Flavour Wheel

For those who haven’t seen one before, a flavour wheel is a vocabulary guide for your nose. Broad categories in the middle – sweet, fruity, spicy, smoky – getting more specific as you work outward. It doesn’t tell you what’s in the glass, but it can help you dial in on what you’ve already found.

The first whisky flavour wheel was built by Pentlands Scotch Whisky Research, now the SWRI, at the end of the seventies, so companies trading spirit meant the same thing by the same word. It still lists off-notes and taints alongside the good stuff, because a distiller needs to catch those. MacLean sat a Pentlands sensory course in 1992, found the wheel there, and set about making a version that worked for drinkers rather than blenders. It reached readers a few years later through Whisky Magazine, which he was founding editor of, first in The Nosing Course, a booklet he wrote with Michael Jackson that ran across the magazine’s first five issues. It’s been the Whisky Magazine Tasting Wheel ever since, and it’s the version most people have seen. Eight sectors, split between flavours that arrive during fermentation and distillation, and the two that come from the cask.

When it comes to a wheel, it definitely isn’t a “one size fits all” scenario. Over the years, new ones have sprung up, tackling different styles of whisky.

The Council of Whiskey Masters uses MacLean’s wheel, in addition to one they built themselves to cover bourbon. The thinking behind that is pretty simple: the traditional Scotch wheel isn’t necessarily the best fit for bourbon. There are descriptors on it that you’re unlikely to need when tasting bourbon, while some of the flavours bourbon tends to lean towards don’t get quite the same attention. A group of the Council’s bourbon graduates put their wheel together in late 2024. (Side note: local SA legend, Andy Watts, sits on that council’s board.)

The Canadian wheel created by Don Livermore is probably the most interesting of the bunch. He deliberately put something other than flavour in the middle. Instead, the starting point is yeast, grain and wood, and you work your way out from there to see what each contributes to the whisky. Yeast takes you towards fruit and floral notes, but also some of the less welcome soapy and sulphury characters. Wood brings in the cask-driven flavours, while grain accounts for much of the rest, with rye playing a particularly important role in the spice department.

It’s designed specifically around Canadian whisky, but I like the thinking behind it. Is that fruit coming from fermentation? Is the spice coming from the recipe? Is that vanilla coming from the barrel? Asking where a flavour comes from is a more useful habit than hunting for the right word on a wheel, whatever happens to be in your glass.

So how do you actually use one? Taste the whisky in front of you first, then read the tasting notes on the bottle/website if there are any, then reach for the wheel if you’re stuck for a word. Once you’ve read honey, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon, you’ll find honey, orange peel, vanilla and cinnamon, and you’ll never know what you’d have found on your own.

When you do go to the wheel, start in the middle. Get to fruity, then ask what kind, and stop when you run out of certainty. If the wheel says pear and you think pear drops, write pear drops. A beginner is using it as a map, something that supplies words for smells they can’t yet name. After a while it becomes a quick reference, the thing you glance at when a flavour is nearly there. Eventually you won’t need it at all.

Four worth a look

• Charles MacLean / Whisky Magazine – the standard consumer wheel.
• Scotch Whisky Research Institute – the original, built for the trade, off-notes included. The wheel sits inside the SWA’s tasting toolkit PDF.
• Council of Whiskey Masters Bourbon Flavor Wheel – why one wheel can’t cover everything.
• Dr Don Livermore’s Canadian Whisky Flavour Wheel – grain, yeast and wood at the centre.

Sláinte,
Mark

Sources:

• University of Waterloo – LCBO commission, copyright in 170 countries
• Whisky Magazine – Pentlands origin, MacLean’s 1992 simplification
• SWRI timeline – 1979 date, off-notes and taints, trade purpose
• SWA Whisky Tasting Toolkit – the SWRI wheel, consumer-facing
• The Whiskey Wash – The Nosing Course, first five issues
• Council of Whiskey Masters – bourbon wheel
• Scotchwhisky.com – Livermore on inverting the wheel
• Spirits Hunters – yeast, grain and wood; rye and spice

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What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week

Boplaas Single Malt Whisky 10 Year Old Port Cask 46% – Daniel from Boplaas sent through a sample of their latest release, a single malt finished in Boplaas Cape Vintage and Tawny Port casks, for me to review.

Nose: Sweet and fruity, with citrus, lemon drops and a touch of cocoa.

Palate: Lovely buttery mouthfeel, with almonds, unripe peach, cocoa powder and some dried fruit.

Finish: Fading baking spices with a pleasant nuttiness that lingers as the whisky tapers off.

Impressions: Enjoyable, but I find myself preferring the bolder flavour profile of the Boplaas rum cask whiskies. They have a little more punch and character for my palate.

Disclosure: Some whiskies featured in the Weekly Digest may be samples or bottles provided by producers, importers, distributors or retailers. Receiving a sample does not influence my tasting notes or review, nor does it guarantee a positive review or inclusion in the Digest.

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.

“Awesome dram at Wild About Whisky … worth the pit stop.” — Mark A. | The GlenAllachie 12 Year Old @ Wild About Whisky

“What brilliant whisky from an unexpected corner of the world, Perth duty-free. Bruichladdich in bourbon casks, with industrial backbone and plenty of fruit and at such a good price for Islay! Close to my perfect mix.” — Tim B. | Bruichladdich Organic Barley 16 Year Old

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SA Whisky News

Metanoia Distillery Announces 2nd Global Travel Retail Release for 2026

Following on from the great success with Metanoia’s first GTR release earlier this year, they’re at it again.

This Big Five Duty Free single cask lands at Cape Town International next week and at OR Tambo later this month.

A Karoo single malt whisky matured in a Rupert & Rothschild red wine cask (2 years), then finished in a 40-year-old PX hogshead (2 years). Bottled at 46.3%, natural colour, non-chill filtered, priced at R1,670 a bottle.

Only 356 bottles exist worldwide. Once they’re gone… they’re gone.

I asked Andy Watts to send through some tasting notes and he kindly obliged:

Appearance

• Deep amber with ruby highlights, natural colour showing the influence of red wine and aged PX sherry.

Nose

• Rich layers of dark fruits: figs, dates, and black cherries.
• Hints of red berries from the wine cask.
• Notes of walnut, polished oak, and old leather.
• Subtle spice: cinnamon and nutmeg, with a touch of cocoa.

Palate

• Full and rounded mouthfeel at 46.3%.
• Sweet dried fruits (raisins, prunes, sultanas) balanced by redcurrant tartness.
• Toffee, treacle, and dark chocolate.
• Oak spice and gentle tannins give structure, with a hint of espresso adding depth.

Finish

• Long, warming, and elegant.
• Lingering notes of molasses, berry compote, and aged sherry richness.

I’m really happy for Kenny and Andy, their whiskies are quite literally taking off! (Excuse the pun.) It does make it hard for fans who don’t get to fly overseas often to get their hands on a bottle, but that’s what whisky mules are for, right?

This is also a good opportunity to remind you: the Friends of Metanoia WhatsApp group will always get first notice on distillery activities and releases, so it’s worth joining. Get in touch with me and I’ll give you the details if you would like to be added.

Boplaas Single Malt Whisky – 10 Year Old Port Cask

A limited release from Boplaas, this 10-year-old single malt was made using malted barley imported from Scotland. The whisky spent its first five years maturing in bourbon casks before a lengthy five-year finish in a combination of Boplaas Vintage and Tawny Port casks. Only 400 individually numbered bottles were released, with each bottle signed by Daniel Nel.

Boplaas produces relatively small quantities of its single malt, with only two casks released each year and around 5,000 litres produced in total. Previous single malt releases have included whisky matured in Grand Constance casks from Groot Constantia, as well as Vintage Port and Tawny Port casks, so this latest release sits nicely within Boplaas’s experimentation with different South African wine and fortified-wine casks.

The whisky brings together dried fruit, honey, white peach, citrus and chocolate, with a subtle smoky note in the background. The finish is long and smooth, with warm oak spice coming through.

Bottled at 46% ABV, priced at R1,500 a bottle.

You can grab a bottle here.

My tasting notes (less detailed than Andy’s!) are in the In The Glass section above.

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Industry News

Edinburgh’s Holyrood Distillery pauses production indefinitely
A week after GlenWyvis called in administrators, another young Scottish distillery has pulled the handbrake. Holyrood — Edinburgh’s first single malt distillery in nearly a century when it opened in 2019 — has halted spirit production indefinitely, with co-founder Rob Carpenter pointing to nervous consumers and an industry running at roughly a third of normal capacity. The visitor side stays open: around 40,000 visitors a year walk through the doors, and tourism now accounts for about half of Holyrood’s revenue, which tells its own story about where the margin in young Scotch currently lives.
— The Spirits Business

Suntory in talks for up to 15% of India’s Allied Blenders and Distillers
The Japan-meets-India story of the fortnight: Suntory is reportedly negotiating a strategic stake of up to 15% in Allied Blenders and Distillers, India’s third-largest listed spirits maker (market cap around £1.6bn, 38 production sites, with the promoter group holding roughly 79%). The logic writes itself — Suntory’s premium portfolio currently does only about $150m in India, and ABD brings exactly the mass and mid-premium distribution machine it lacks. Still unconfirmed negotiations at this stage, per Economic Times reporting out of Mumbai, so file under “watch closely” rather than “done deal”.
— The Drinks Business

Inside GlenDronach’s £30m expansion: six stills for the first time since 1967
A first proper look inside GlenDronach’s completed expansion, with the new kit now six production runs in: Brown-Forman’s £30m-plus project takes the Highland sherry stalwart from 1.4m to roughly 3m litres of capacity via a new 27,000-litre full lauter mash tun, ten additional washbacks and — for the first time since 1967 — a brand-new pair of copper stills in their own still house, elevated replicas fitted with heat-recovery systems. The slow 60-hour fermentation regime survives the upgrade. Sherry-bomb supply: secured for the 2040s.
— Whisky Saga

Glenfiddich redraws the stag: a full global rebrand for the world’s best-selling single malt
William Grant & Sons has unveiled a new global visual identity for Glenfiddich — the stag icon now framed by the 1887 founding year, a cleaner sans-serif wordmark, and the embossed Grant family crest with its “Stand Fast” motto — all positioned, in the brand’s own words, as a “British luxury icon” play. Malt Master Brian Kinsman and global brand MD Will Peacock both front the announcement; packaging starts rolling onto shelves from April. When the biggest single malt on the planet changes its face, every design team in the industry takes notes.
— WhiskyIntelligence

India’s single malt boom gets another entrant: Alcobrew launches Gamber Valley
Delhi-based Alcobrew Distilleries has launched Gamber Valley, a new Indian single malt in two expressions (priced at Rs 13,000–16,000 and Rs 7,000–10,000), initially into Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh with Rajasthan, Odisha, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Delhi to follow. After Amrut’s Kranthi and Rampur’s steady premiumisation, the message from India keeps getting louder: the single malt revolution there is a crowd, not a curiosity.
— RetailIntel

Luss turns one: Loch Lomond Group’s lochside visitor play pays off — 55,000 through the doors
While older distilleries pause production, Loch Lomond Group’s Luss Distillery — opened quietly in October 2025 and officially launched by First Minister John Swinney in January — closes its first year with more than 55,000 visitors, nearly 5,000 tastings and tours, a five-star Tripadvisor rating and a Net Promoter Score of 94, with Americans making up 8% of all visits. Birthday week (9–16 October) brings free bottle engraving and 25% off experiences. Read it alongside the Holyrood story above: in young Scotch right now, the margin lives in the visitor centre.
— WhiskyIntelligence

New Releases

The Macallan sets sail for duty free: Carta Nautica 20 Years Old
A new travel-retail exclusive from The Macallan: Carta Nautica 20 Years Old (ex-sherry then ex-bourbon maturation, US$800/£593), launching with a two-week exclusive at Singapore Changi before wider GTR rollout, with maritime-chart artwork by Amy Genser. A sister 38-year-old (distilled 1987, 45.2%) heads to the distillery and boutiques. Announced 29 September.
— The Spirits Business

Isle of Harris goes transatlantic: a Hearach matured full-term in Pennsylvania rye casks
The Outer Hebridean distillery has announced a limited single malt matured for nearly a decade entirely in ex-Dad’s Hat straight rye whiskey casks shipped from Pennsylvania in 2016 — bottling lands in December at an expected 48% (final strength confirmed once marrying is complete), non-chill filtered and naturally coloured, first-come-first-served through the distillery’s own channels. Blender Shona MacLeod promises “crisp green apple and toasted oats… a soft peat smoke complements warming mixed spice and hints of black pepper.” Announced 5 October.
— WhiskyIntelligence

Kingsbarns opens a new annual series: The Cambo Collection, First Edition
The Fife Lowlander’s first 10-year-old statement in a new annual series: The Cambo Collection First Edition is matured in STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) casks, bottled at 46% and priced at a very reasonable £65, from 8 October via selected specialists. Distillery manager Peter Holroyd calls it a marker of how far the distillery’s spirit has come — Kingsbarns at ten is one of the quiet success stories of the Lowland revival.
— The Whisky Wire

Hibiki dresses Japanese Harmony in a 471-year-old kimono house
Suntory has launched the Hibiki Japanese Harmony x Chiso Limited Edition (43%, US$165/£125): the Kyoto kimono house Chiso — founded 1555 — redesigns Hibiki’s famous 24-faceted bottle, launching Suntory’s new “Masterpiece of Japanese Artistry” campaign with actress Anna Sawai as global ambassador. UK launch 1 October at Selfridges, Harrods, The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt. Same liquid, considerably better wardrobe.
— The Whiskey Wash

Tomatin bottles a 15-year-old PX single cask exclusively for UK specialists
Tomatin has unveiled a 2011 single cask for UK specialist retailers: 15 years old, full-term first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry butt (cask #37316), 58.8%, 608 bottles, £105, non-chill filtered at natural colour. Announced 30 September — a deliberate nod to the independent retail trade at a time when much of the industry is chasing global travel retail instead.
— WhiskyIntelligence

Filey Bay closes a chapter: Sherry Cask Reserve #7 is the series finale
Spirit of Yorkshire has announced the seventh and final bottling in the Sherry Cask Reserve series it began in 2020: ex-PX and ex-Moscatel casks, 46%, 2,000 bottles, £85, made from 100% homegrown, regeneratively farmed Yorkshire barley. Pre-orders are open now ahead of a mid-October release, with whisky director Joe Clark signing the series off. English whisky’s grown-up era continues.
— The Whiskey Wash

Teeling finishes its Small Batch in Venezuelan rum solera casks — for a cause
Teeling has partnered with Venezuela’s Santa Teresa 1796 on a Small Batch finished in hand-selected solera rum casks (46%, NCF), announced 24 September. A €100 commemorative set includes a tasting with master distiller Alex Chasko, and net proceeds from the first 100 sets go to GOAL’s Venezuela earthquake relief. Select European markets now, US early 2027.
— Irish Whiskey Magazine

SMWS Outturn No. 38 Has Landed

The Society’s South African branch finally launched Outturn No. 38 this week. And some sold out almost instantly.

Still available when I last checked:

• 135.74 “Tropical Mess” — 9yo Highland | 59.6% | R1,890 | 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel | 178 bottles
• Small Batch 34 “Smouldering Mojo” — 10yo blended malt | 50.0% | R1,990 | 1st-fill mezcal-seasoned barriques married with refill bourbon and sherry casks — the outturn’s wildcard
• 105.49 “Glazed Morning Newspapers” — 10yo Speyside | 63.9% | R2,150 | ex-bourbon hogshead finished in re-charred hogshead | 259 bottles
• 73.168 “Big Shed Energy” — 13yo Speyside | 55.4% | R2,190 | 2nd-fill ex-bourbon barrel | 214 bottles
• 100.46 “Strawberry Pop Tarts” — 12yo Speyside | 61.1% | R2,250 | ex-bourbon hogshead finished in 1st-fill ex-Shiraz barrique | 286 bottles
• 11.63 “Fly Cemeteries and Rain on a Chimney” — 12yo Highland | 59.5% | R2,450 | 1st-fill ex-bourbon barrel | 219 bottles
• 149.17 “To Sup By Starlight” — 9yo Highland (distilled 9 July 2016) | 61.7% | R2,790 | 1st-fill Spanish oak ex-PX butt | 638 bottles | one-per-member for the first week

Already sold out:

• 59.94 “Home for the Holidays” — 17yo Highland | 52.3% | R3,350 | ex-bourbon hogshead finished in 1st-fill ex-Oloroso | 190 bottles
• 3.361 “It’s Fruit Jim, But Not As We Know It” — 13yo Islay (lightly peated) | 52.5% | R3,390 | ex-bourbon hogshead finished in 1st-fill ex-Oloroso hogshead | 228 bottles
• 70.66 “Berry Butterscotch Soda” — 17yo Highland | 57.0% | R3,590 | ex-bourbon barrel finished in 1st-fill toasted oak barrique | 151 bottles

Browse the lot at the latest outturn page.

Reviews Roundup

Springbank’s budget pair: 5 Years 100 Proof — 8.7, and 12 Cask Strength Batch 29 — 8.6
Thijs Klaverstijn reviews the February 2026 Springbank 5 Years 100 Proof (57.1%, ex-bourbon) at 8.7 — “barley water but with a better (oily) texture and a distant smokiness” — alongside the 12 Cask Strength Batch 29 (56.6%) at 8.6: “very industrial in a way only Springbank ever is (there’s that diesel again).”
— Words of Whisky

GlenAllachie 19yo Masters of Wood Ex-Solera Sherry Cask (50%) — 90/100
Ruben Luyten opens the week with a genuine rarity: a GlenAllachie matured in ex-solera Oloroso and PX casks that had spent 50-plus years inside a working Spanish solera system before heading to Speyside. “A nice mix of bright fruity notes and more oxidative elements,” he writes, ranking it among the finest ex-solera matured whiskies he’s tried.
— WhiskyNotes

Bowmore, three ways, via The Whisky Agency — the 17yo 2008 tops out at 91/100
Ruben Luyten works through a trio of Whisky Agency Bowmores: the 17yo 2008 (49.2%, refill sherry hogshead, for Whisky Agents) lands a superb 91 — “pretty excellent. There’s no real sherry here but somehow it added some richness” — with the 20yo 2006 (51.9%, for The Nectar) at 90 and the 22yo 2004 (49.2%, first-fill barrel) close behind. His verdict on the set: “hard to pick a favourite here – all three are worth checking out.”
— WhiskyNotes

Clynelish 10yo Signatory Cask Strength (57.8%, hogshead #307816) — 88/100
Serge runs a “time warp” Clynelish session and the modern youngster holds its own: 88 points for the 2016/2026 Signatory Cask Strength Collection bottling, with a wry aside about changing fashions — “in the old days using new oak made no sense whatsoever for Scotch malt.” (Whisky Fun dailies have no permalinks until archived — the date anchor below may shift once the entry is archived.)
— Whisky Fun

Adelphi’s Summer 2026 Outturn, all six casks — a 3-year-old Ledaig steals the show
Drummond Dunmore rates the full Adelphi drop: Glasgow 10yo virgin oak (58.1%, £85) 5/10; Benrinnes 14yo oloroso butt (58.3%, £85) and Dailuaine 15yo PX hogshead (56.7%, £88) 6/10; Clynelish 10yo first-fill bourbon (53.7%, £80) and Glen Elgin 16yo oloroso hogshead (57.1%, £90) 7/10 — and the baby of the bunch, a Ledaig 3yo first-fill oloroso hogshead (58.8%, £60), also 7/10: “at three years old this drinks like a dram closer to 8-10 years, and the balance between cask and that ropey-tar Ledaig spirit that I love is deft and impressive.”
— Dramface

Dufftown 34yo 1991 (51.1%, WhiskyLand/Decadent Drinks, refill barrel) — 88/100
Serge on a rare indie Dufftown of serious age: “you’d never guess its 34 years; magnificent.” At 88 points it comfortably outruns the distillery’s workhorse reputation.
— Whisky Fun

Holyrood Pitch (49.4%, sherry casks, £60) — 6/10, and suddenly a collector’s footnote
Reviewed the week before the distillery paused production (see Industry News), Fergus Mackay finds Holyrood’s heavily-sherried Pitch “rough as a belt sander and utterly singular” — a 6/10 that reads very differently now that nobody knows when the stills restart.
— Dramface

Bourbon Corner

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse 2026: Camp Nelson D (120.8 proof, $300)
The fifth release in Wild Turkey’s bourbon-terroir series comes from the 1946-built rickhouse standing at the highest elevation on the Camp Nelson property, drawing from six floors — unusual for the series — to balance fruit-forward sweetness against the rye-like spice its exposed, west-facing position breeds. “Camp Nelson D was the first rickhouse I ever worked in at Camp Nelson when I started as a union employee 45 years ago, so coming back to it for this release meant a lot to me,” says Eddie Russell. Non-chill filtered, barrel proof; select US retailers and the distillery visitor centre. Announced 6 October.
— The Bourbon Flight

Old Forester 2026 Birthday Bourbon (97 proof, 11 years, $200) — 4.5/5, one of the best in years
Breaking Bourbon rates the 212-barrel 2026 Birthday release — an 11-year 72/18/10 mash bill — among the strongest entries in the series for some time: “a rich, classic profile with a few twists produces one of the best Old Forester Birthday Bourbons in recent years,” the twists being cherry, lemon and candied ginger over that solid classic backbone.
— Breaking Bourbon

Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch (109.2 proof, $249) — “the class of releases”
Steve Coomes gives the 2026 LESB — a 14-year blend including 15- and 23-year components (31% OBSK, 49% OESK, 20% OESV) — his “Bottle” buy rating: “Four Roses’ LESB should be called September’s Bourbon, because it’s consistently the class of releases in what once was referred to as ‘bourbon release month.'”
— Bourbon & Banter

Old Elk’s 10-Year Collection — bourbon, wheat whiskey and wheated bourbon, all $69.99
Ed at Bourbon Obsessed works through the Colorado distillery’s decade-aged trio — straight bourbon (105 proof), straight wheat whiskey (103) and wheated bourbon (105), each $69.99: “their somewhat perplexing combination of youthful and pot still-like characteristics makes them quite flavorful and easy to drink.” No winner declared among the three — but at the price, these are the most accessible 10-year age statements of the season.
— Bourbon Obsessed

King of Kentucky returns: a 14-year single barrel at 125–135 proof, $399.99
Brown-Forman’s 2026 King of Kentucky draws from 99 barrels (51 from Warehouse I floor 3, 48 from Warehouse L floor 1), hand-filled, wax-dipped and numbered, with assistant master distiller Caleb Trigo fronting the release. Limited select-market release, announced 1 October.
— Breaking Bourbon

Fire takes three buildings at the historic Old Crow distillery site
A fire on 30 September destroyed three buildings — two of them brick rickhouses — at the old Old Crow distillery property in Kentucky, home since 2014 to David Meier’s Glenns Creek Distilling. No one was hurt, and no barrels or production stock were lost; the structures stood empty, and Meier was frank that “the buildings were a bit of a hazard and were in danger of collapse.” Still: a piece of 1800s bourbon history — a brand Jim Beam retired from production in 1987 — gone in an afternoon. Cause under investigation.
— The Daily Pour

Maker’s Mark goes exploring: Expedition 01, a three-oak bourbon for the airport shelf
The first in Maker’s new World Wood Collection — and its first-ever whisky finished with Japanese Mizunara oak staves: Expedition 01 finishes the signature wheated bourbon over Mizunara, French oak and American white oak (each finished individually, then blended), bottled at 95 proof in a 1-litre format at $84.99 — exclusive to global travel retail, from 6 October at JFK, Heathrow, Istanbul, Perth and Bengaluru.
— The Bourbon Flight

Available Now — Local Online Retailers

Rather quiet out there, so skipping it this week.

Upcoming Events

Be sure to bookmark the Whisky Events page, and check back regularly for new events, dinners and festivals happening in your area.

Blind Tasting Challenge: Can You Guess the Whisky?
Friday, 16 October 2026 | Solera, The Woodstock Exchange, Cape Town | R450pp
Put your whisky knowledge to the test with five mystery drams served completely blind. Taste, analyse and score each whisky as you try to identify its style, origin, distillery or even the exact expression.

The evening includes five blind whisky drams, a guided tasting challenge, scorecards and tasting sheets, with a special prize for the highest scorer. Designed for whisky enthusiasts and curious drinkers alike.

19h00–21h00 | Solera, The Woodstock Exchange, 66 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town
Book via MotherCity Liquor

WhiskyBrother’s Helden Distillery Day Trip
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

Decanter presents The Macallan Timeless Collection Tasting Experience
Wednesday, 28 October 2026 | Sass The Venue, Bedfordview | R1,000pp
Decanter presents an evening with The Macallan, featuring tastings of Double Cask 12, 15, 18 and 30 Years Old, with a few surprise drams along the way.

Hosted by The Macallan Brand Ambassador Thami Banda, the evening includes the tasting experience and dinner. The event starts at 18h30 for 19h00, with limited availability.

Book via WhatsApp on 082 456 1071 or email info@decanterliquor.co.za
Book via Decanter

The Only Spirits Show 2026
Friday, 30 October 2026 | Hyde Park Corner Mall, Joburg | R250pp

A celebration of spirits beyond whisky, featuring tequila, mezcal, cognac, brandy, gin, rum and liqueurs, with more than 50 products available to sample. Each exhibitor will offer complimentary tastings, with selected products also available by the glass.

Book via WhiskyBrother

Whisky Live South Africa
Thursday, 5 – Saturday, 7 November 2026 | The Galleria | From R695pp
South Africa’s largest whisky festival, with General Access (R695) for the tasting hall, Combo (R1,095) for tasting hall + Master Class + 18 tokens, or VIP (R2,495) for the VIP Lounge, tasting hall, dinner, private bar and 20 tokens.
Book via Ticketpro

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Worth Reading

Japan’s bourbon-style whiskey is testing the boundaries of ‘Japanese whisky’
Water Dragon distillery in Shizuoka is making a corn-mash, new-charred-oak whiskey that legally can be called neither bourbon (wrong country) nor Japanese whisky (a year short of the 3-year rule) — a sharp lens on what category definitions are actually for.
— The Whiskey Wash

Who says the master distiller should make the whisky?
Torabhaig on Skye has handed creative control to its junior distillers — 23-year-old Iona Macphie’s chocolate-malt whisky and Niall Culbertson’s peaty rum-finished expression — and this ~2,500-word feature asks what that does to the cult of the master distiller. Named characters, a real thesis, classic Barley reporting.
— Barley Magazine

Why does Indian whisky mature so fast? The science of tropical aging
A proper science feature on tropical maturation — how heat and humidity drive wood extraction, and why India’s 10–12% annual angel’s share (versus Scotland’s 1–2%) compresses a decade of maturation into three years. Reads beautifully alongside this week’s Suntory–ABD and Gamber Valley news.
— The Whiskey Wash

Beyond Kentucky: bourbon finds its broader voice
How MGP in Indiana, Balcones in Texas and Wilderness Trail are building distinct regional identities rather than imitating Kentucky.
— Whisky Magazine

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!