Let’s put on our lab coats this week and take a look at how wood builds flavour. It’s always interested me, and having a daughter in the house studying chemical engineering means there’s now someone to ask when the explanation stops making sense, which it does fairly early on.
Vanilla is the obvious place to start. It turns up in just about anything bourbon-matured, and the compound behind it is vanillin. There is some vanillin in untreated oak, but not much. Most of what you taste is made when the cooper puts a flame to the inside of the barrel and the heat starts breaking down the lignin. Toasting works heat slowly into the wood, charring is fast and fierce, and between them they take the wood apart into the compounds we end up describing as vanilla, clove, smoke and toasted almond.
The coconut note works the same way, except it comes from a pair of compounds that are already in the oak, and American white oak carries far more of them than European oak does. The drying finish is tannins sticking to the proteins in your saliva, exactly as they do in a cup of tea left too long.
There’s a good deal more going on in there, which you can read about in the full article.
Sláinte,
Mark
What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week
Three Ships 9YO Single Cask – WhiskyBrother Exclusive (63.7%)
PX sherry, raw leather, stewed fruits and wet tobacco on the nose. A gorgeous, coating mouthfeel carries those flavours through, with wisps of smoke weaving between the fruit. A splash of water brings ginger, baking spices and more woodiness to the fore. Dangerously drinkable, but at 63.7%, don’t let that fool you!
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The Fellowship Pour
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“Blind buying a new whisky is always a gamble, but when the local whisky enthusiasts give a thumbs up, the Blind Buy pays off, punches way above its price tag, what a flavourful dram.” — Dieter K. | Ballechin 2013 Vintage NWW Exclusive
“The signature Ardbeg peat is perfectly complemented by the burn of the ginger beer. Combined in a tall glass with loads of ice makes for a phenomenal summer drink.” — Marco E. | Ardbeg 10 Year Old & Ginger Beer
The Fellowship Challenge: Cask Chemistry
For this edition of The Fellowship Challenge, let’s get into the chemistry behind the cask. No easy points for knowing that oak gives whisky vanilla notes.
Questions
1. Toasting and charring a cask alter the chemistry of oak. Which pairing correctly matches a wood component with an important flavour compound associated with its thermal degradation?
A. Lignin — vanillin
B. Cellulose — whisky lactone
C. Ellagitannins — furfural
D. Oak lipids — syringaldehyde
2. American white oak is often associated with coconut-like notes in whisky. Which compounds are primarily responsible for this characteristic?
A. Cis- and trans-β-methyl-γ-octalactone
B. Vanillic acid and syringic acid
C. Furfural and 5-methylfurfural
D. Castalagin and vescalagin
3. A whisky matures in an oak cask for years, yet the original oak ellagitannins may be absent or present only at very low levels in the bottled spirit. What best explains this?
A. They remain entirely within the wood because they are insoluble in ethanol
B. They are converted into other compounds through oxidation and subsequent reactions during maturation
C. They are selectively removed by the charcoal layer during every seasonal temperature cycle
D. They evaporate preferentially through the cask staves because of their high volatility
4. Why can a heavily charred cask produce a different maturation profile from a cask that has only been toasted, even when both are made from the same oak species?
A. Charring changes the surface chemistry, creates a carbon-rich layer and alters the distribution of thermally generated compounds
B. Charring removes lignin entirely, leaving cellulose as the only source of flavour
C. Toasting generates only volatile compounds, whereas charring generates only non-volatile compounds
D. Charring prevents oxygen from interacting with the spirit, making extraction the only maturation process
5. During maturation, the concentration of ethyl acetate can increase through processes involving ethanol oxidation and reactions between acids and alcohols. Which statement best describes the underlying chemistry?
A. Ethanol reacts directly with oak lignin to form ethyl acetate in a single reaction
B. Acetic acid reacts with ethanol to form an ester, while oxidation can contribute to the supply of acetic acid
C. Oak ellagitannins break down into ethanol and acetic acid, which then combine
D. Cellulose hydrolysis produces ethyl acetate directly, without requiring alcohol or acid chemistry
As always, scroll down to the bottom for the answers.
Industry News
Scotland’s next space whisky is a satellite full of it.
University of Glasgow scientists, working with Japanese partners, plan to send whisky samples and wood chips into orbit aboard a CubeSat — nicknamed “Space Puffin” — deployed from the ISS’s Japanese module after a ride up on a SpaceX resupply mission, targeted for 2028. Cycling between extreme heat and deep freeze on every 90-minute orbit, the wood “will breathe faster than on Earth,” says Dr Gilles Bailet, who hopes the environment could eventually yield “very bold” whiskies — and reckons bringing back “a litre of whisky” from a follow-up project is possible within three to five years. The Space Puffin samples themselves stay up for five years and never come home.
— The Daily Pour
The Scotch Whisky Association appeals the English whisky GI.
Less than a month after Defra approved a geographical indication for English whisky, the SWA — joined by the Irish Whiskey Association and the Welsh Whisky Association — has filed a formal appeal with HM Courts & Tribunals Service. The objection isn’t to English whisky having a GI at all, but to wording that would let an English “single malt” be mashed and fermented away from the distillery that distils it — “watering down the definition of single malt,” in the SWA’s view. England now has around 70 distilleries sitting on an estimated £1bn of maturing stock, and in a twist, two English producers (Spirit of Birmingham and Bristol’s Circumstance Distillery) have filed appeals from the opposite direction, arguing the approved wording unfairly blocks them from using the term. A follow-up to the GI approval we covered in September — this fight is now headed to a tribunal.
— The Spirits Business
Yamazaki 25 takes a fourth straight Japanese Whisky Trophy at the ISC.
The International Spirits Challenge 2026 handed Suntory’s Yamazaki 25 the Japanese whisky Trophy — the house’s fourth consecutive win in the category (Yamazaki 25 in 2023, the 12 in 2024, the 18 in 2025) — while Hakushu 18 Peated Malt and Hakushu 25 collected Double Golds and Suntory was named Japanese Whisky Producer of the Year for the seventh year running. Chief blender Shinji Fukuyo credited the “uncompromising pursuit of quality” passed down since Shinjiro Torii. Japanese whisky’s awards-season dominance shows no sign of loosening.
— The Whiskey Wash
India’s Radico Khaitan pushes Rampur into UK airport duty-free.
The distiller behind Rampur and Sangam World Malt has secured listings at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham airports — a combined 170 million passengers last year — with Rampur Double Cask, Asava and Barrel Blush among the expressions on shelf. The numbers behind the push are striking: Q1 FY27 gross profit up 27.7% to ?826.8 crore (about US$86m) and premium volumes up 53%, with the company openly planning a Scotch whisky division next. Indian single malt’s march into global travel retail continues.
— The Spirits Business
WhistlePig joins the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. The Vermont-founded rye specialist has become the KDA’s newest “Craft” member, citing its production facility in Meade County, Kentucky and a Louisville tasting venue. For a brand that built its identity on Vermont farm provenance, formally planting a flag in bourbon country is a notable shift — and a sign of how much of the “craft rye” category’s liquid future runs through Kentucky.
— WhiskyIntelligence
GlenWyvis: destroyed documents and a November court date.
The community distillery’s troubles have moved from the balance sheet to the Court of Session. In the dispute between founder John McKenzie and chairman David Graham, an August ruling by Lord Lake ordered GlenWyvis to disclose two documents plus a sworn statement — and the company has now said some of the paperwork was “destroyed for cost and space-saving.” The next hearing is set for 4 November. A grim new chapter in a saga we’ve been following since the administration filing.
— Whisky Monkeys
Uncle Nearest’s receiver says he is close to selling the US business.
In a 9 October filing with the federal court in Eastern Tennessee, receiver Philip G. Young Jr. said he expects to confirm a buyer shortly for “substantially all assets” — chiefly the Nearest Green distillery in Shelbyville and its equipment — after a May letter of intent with an anonymous buyer lapsed and he reopened talks with three other parties. No bids or buyer names are public. Once a deal is agreed, Young plans a Chapter 11 filing so the buyer can take the assets without the liabilities; the French vineyards sale is done but needs French government approval, and the Cognac chateau may go to auction. The receiver warns of ongoing harm to the brand and its workforce if a buyer isn’t found soon.
— The Spirits Business
New Releases
Bowmore revives The Devil’s Casks — a 10yo now, a 22yo by ballot.
More than a decade after the original 2013–15 series became a cult sherry-bomb, Bowmore is bringing the name back. The new Devil’s Casks 10 Year Old (56.6%) is matured in first-fill Oloroso and finished in first-fill PX, priced at £70 and exclusive to The Whisky Shop from 16 October. The headline act is the Devil’s Casks 22 Year Old (59.6%, £380) — drawn from two casks set aside after the original series and given roughly ten extra years, with a final refill-Oloroso finish; buyers of the 10yo can enter the ballot from 31 October, and both go on sale at the distillery from 1 December.
— Whisky Monkeys
Yamazaki Refill Spanish Oak marks a century of the distillery’s Spanish-oak story.
Suntory’s new limited edition is matured exclusively in refill Spanish oak — a quieter, more spirit-forward take than the first-fill sherry monsters — bottled at 48%, non-chill filtered and natural colour, and limited to 3,000 bottles at £215/€255/US$285. It rolls out from 1 November across 20 countries (UK stockists include Harrods, The Whisky Exchange, The Whisky Shop and Master of Malt, with the US, China, Taiwan and South Korea on the list). Expect it to evaporate on contact.
— The Whiskey Wash
Glengoyne Teapot Dram returns — Batch No. 12. The distillery-exclusive throwback to the old dramming tradition is back: NAS, 59.2%, all first-fill sherry (European-oak Oloroso butts and hogsheads plus sherry hogsheads), non-chill filtered and natural colour. 3,300 bottles at £125, available only from the distillery shop and glengoyne.com since 8 October.
— The Whiskey Wash
Clydebuilt relaunches with a revamped trio of 10-year-olds.
The Ardgowan Distillery Co. has rebranded its Clydebuilt range around three 10yo single malts, all chosen by whisky maker Laura Davies, all NCF and natural colour: a Speyside 10 Sherry Cask Matured (46%, sherry butts plus PX/Oloroso hogsheads from José y Miguel Martín, £45.99), a 10 “100 Proof” Sherry Cask (57.1%, £63.99), and the limited Highland 10 Candlebrae (48%, American-oak ex-bourbon, £55) — wrapped in new Clyde-map packaging.
— The Spirits Business
Filey Bay closes out the Sherry Cask Reserve series with #7.
Spirit of Yorkshire’s seventh — and final — annual Sherry Cask Reserve marries full-term ex-PX and full-term ex-Moscatel casks of its single-estate, regeneratively farmed barley spirit, under whisky director Joe Clark. 46%, non-chill filtered, natural colour, 2,000 bottles at £85, through specialist UK retail, the Hunmanby distillery shop and selected export markets. English whisky’s quiet achiever signs off a series that tracked its whole coming-of-age.
— Whisky For Everyone
Indri’s Diwali Collector’s Edition 2026 goes ruby port.
The Haryana distillery’s annual festival bottling is matured in ex-ruby-port casks this year, bottled at a punchy 58.5%, with 180 numbered bottles allocated to the UK at £200 through specialist retail this month. Indri’s Diwali editions have become one of Indian whisky’s genuine collector events — last year’s didn’t hang around.
— Global Drinks Intel
Deanston bottles a Virgin Oak 60th Anniversary.
A second cask-strength Virgin Oak marks the Highland distillery’s 60th birthday, landing as a retailer exclusive through The Whisky Exchange. Deanston’s entry-level Virgin Oak has long been a budget favourite; the anniversary edition gives the recipe the full-fat treatment.
— WhiskyIntelligence
The Gospel bottles Australia’s first “bottled-in-bond” whisky.
The Melbourne rye specialist’s first new core-range release in almost six years, The Gospel Bonded Rye meets the requirements of the US Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 — one distiller, one distillery, one season, at least four years in a bonded warehouse, bottled at 100 proof (50%) — a first for Australian whisky. It’s 100% unmalted rye from a single farm in South Australia’s Murray Mallee, promising toffee apple, caraway and chai spice, at AU$140 (±US$98) from the distillery and select independents since 12 October. “This is the most deliberate whiskey we’ve ever made,” says co-founder Andrew Fitzgerald.
— The Spirits Business
Reviews Roundup
Bothy by Ralfy 11yo blended malt (North Star Spirits, 54.1%) — 87/100 for the 1,320-bottle charity release from YouTube’s favourite Manx reviewer: “Really enjoyable, good complexity and of course you’re supporting a good cause.”
— WhiskyNotes
Highland Park 16yo “Between You and I” (Björn Frantzén collab, OB, 48%) — Ruben Luyten is cool on Orkney’s chef collaboration, matured mainly in virgin Swedish oak: “Certainly not a classic Highland Park… Not a three-star whisky.” The Swedish oak, he finds, “casts a clear shadow over the original character.” Unusually, no score given — which rather is the score. A useful counterweight to the launch fanfare we covered in Week 40.
— WhiskyNotes
7x Thompson Bros — Ruben works through a seven-strong Dornoch line-up, topped by a Glen Ord 25yo 2001 (41.2%) at 90/100 — “highly drinkable, with some rather unique fruity notes and balanced dryness” — with a Glentauchers 20yo 2006 (51.9%, 88) off a 20-month active bourbon-wood finish close behind, and a Glenburgie 17yo (87) called out as a price-beater. The Bros’ hit rate remains absurd.
— WhiskyNotes
Benromach 12yo Exclusively Sherry Cask Matured (OB, 46%, £45) — Dramface’s Wally Macaulay lands on 7/10, “Very Good Indeed”: “Restrained sherry, but perfectly pitched… This is a cracking malt for the asking price.” Worth noting for SA readers: WhiskyBrother currently stocks Benromach’s Peat Smoke and 15yo (see Available Now).
— Dramface
Torabhaig The Distillers’ Series — Iona’s and Niall’s First Editions — Thijs Klaverstijn rates Iona’s (60.9%, first-fill bourbon + refill sherry butt) at 8.7 — “good texture, decent complexity, nice balance… pretty unique” — and Niall’s (59.3%, first-fill bourbon + refill rum) at 8.6, which “started fast and furious, impressing from the very first sniff,” even if the palate reads “more pedestrian.” Skye’s young gun keeps over-delivering.
— Words of Whisky
Ardnamurchan AD/ Tokaji Cask Release (52%) — a rare miss for the west-coast darling at 7.4/10: “This Ardnamurchan just didn’t deliver.” Local relevance: this exact bottling is on WhiskyBrother’s shelf at R1,390 right now — taste before you case-buy.
— Words of Whisky
Myken “Echoes of Islay” 8yo (Norway, 47%) — unpeated Arctic-island spirit matured in an ex-heavily-peated Islay cask, 295 bottles: 86/100 — “dark and sooty endings… a distinctly darker and spicier experience than the nose suggests.” A neat companion piece to this week’s Nordic-auction long read (see Worth Reading).
— Whisky Saga
Bourbon Corner
Manhattan loses its only whiskey distillery. — Great Jones Distilling Co. has closed its doors to the public, with the decision following “a thorough review of the current beverage industry trends” — a sobering data point for urban distilling’s post-boom reality.
— The Daily Pour
Little Book “The Infinite” Edition III (Jim Beam, 118.3 proof, $200) — Breaking Bourbon’s Nick Beiter rates the NAS blend of 7–23-year-old bourbons highly: “Edition III successfully evolves and builds off the past editions to an excellent end result.” Freddie Noe’s infinity-barrel project keeps compounding.
— Breaking Bourbon
31 Lengths 15yo Kentucky Straight Bourbon (100 proof, $1,500) — Ray Marcano reviews Hallowed Spirits Co.’s ultra-premium entry and calls it like it is: “It’s very good and collectors will pounce” — a bottle aimed at the display shelf more than the pour.
— Bourbon Obsessed
Left Bank bourbon is ageing on a river barge from Kentucky to New Orleans — a genuine throwback to the pre-rail era, when bourbon earned its character rocking down the Mississippi. Gimmick or terroir-by-motion, it’s the most charming bourbon story of the week.
— The Bourbon Flight
Old Overholt Extra Aged Cask Strength 11 Year 2026 Edition (125.6 proof, $109.99) — David Morrow scores Beam’s unfiltered Kentucky straight rye a 92/100: “A big, flavorful rye that’s bursting with spice.” Spring-2014 distillate at a barely-legal rye mash bill (~51%) — the most Overholt has ever asked of a shelf, and by this account worth it.
— The Daily Pour
Available Now — Local Online Retailers
What’s new on the shelves at South Africa’s online whisky stores this week, store by store.
WhiskyBrother & Co
Two fresh Diageo specials landed, joining a strong run of Islay, Taiwanese and Irish arrivals — all in stock.
- Oban 12yo Heart of the Harbour — R2,895
- Lagavulin 12yo Grain & Embers — R1,995
- Ardnahoe Infinite Loch — R1,295
- Ardnahoe Bholsa — R1,390
- Bruichladdich 14yo Single & Single — R2,650
- Kavalan Solist Oloroso Sherry — R2,900
- Dunville’s 12yo Exclusive — R1,950
- Metanoia Single Cask Exclusive — R1,590
Browse WhiskyBrother’s new arrivals
Mother City Liquor
The Suntory limited-edition wall is still standing, and a handful of American bottlings have joined the shelf:
- Milk & Honey Elements Rye Cask Finish — R1,749.99
- Widow Jane Apple Wood Rye — R1,299.99
- Rebel 100 Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon — R699.99
- Boulder Tawny Port Cask American Single Malt — R1,799.99
- Kilchoman 100% Islay 15th Edition — R1,899.99
- Johnnie Walker Blue x Rahul Mishra Diwali — R7,499.99
Browse Mother City Liquor’s new arrivals
Bottega
A GlenAllachie quartet leads Bottega’s latest arrivals — topped by a 35-year-old 1990 cask strength — alongside Diageo’s 2025 Special Releases, a Glenturret trio and two Four Roses single barrels.
- GlenAllachie 35yo Cask Strength 1990 (50.2%) — R29,995
- GlenAllachie 21yo Cask Strength Batch 7 (51.9%) — R5,245
- GlenAllachie 19yo Ex-Solera Sherry Cask, Masters of Wood (50%) — R2,895
- GlenAllachie 10yo Cask Strength Batch 13 (59.8%) — R1,295
- Talisker 14yo Special Release 2025 (53.9%) — R3,395
- Singleton of Glen Ord 17yo Special Release 2025 (55.5%) — R3,995
- Glenmorangie 12yo The Original — 2-bottle deal — R1,000 for two
Decanter
The newest listings bring Glendalough’s Irish pair, two Hepburn’s Choice single casks and a Highland Park Harald. Two recent arrivals are already gone: Springbank 5yo Proof 114 (R2,399.99) and Mars Kasei (R999.99).
- Highland Park Harald — R1,599.99
- Isle of Raasay While We Wait — R899.99
- Aberlour White Oak 2012 — R1,299.99
- Aberlour Suthainn Double Sherry Cask Solera — R2,899.99
- Hepburn’s Choice Tamdhu 11yo — R999.99
- Hepburn’s Choice Glenburgie 10yo — R899.99
Browse Decanter’s newest whiskies
Wild About Whisky
Waterford’s trio of cuvées leads the new arrivals, with several GlenAllachie editions listed but stock unclear.
- Waterford Peated Cuvée Fumo — R1,295
- Waterford Organic Cuvée Gaia — R1,295
- Waterford Biodynamic Luna 1.1 — R1,295
- GlenAllachie 18 — R2,695
- McConnell’s 5yo Irish Whisky Gift Pack — R579
Browse Wild About Whisky’s new arrivals
Whisky Library
A fresh batch of older and rare bottlings went up recently, with Bowmore and blended Scotch to the fore.
- Bowmore Voyage Port Cask — R10,999
- Bowmore Cask Strength Vaults — R7,999
- Bowmore 15 Mariner — R3,500
- Jameson Gold Reserve Special Reserve — R7,999
- Grant’s 25yo Rare and Distinctive — R6,999
Browse Whisky Library’s new arrivals
Whisky Emporium
A strong run of island malts and limited editions tops the newest listings, led by a GlenAllachie Billy Walker 50th Anniversary bottling.
- GlenAllachie 16yo Billy Walker 50th Anniversary Past Edition — R17,499.99
- Glenfiddich 19yo Aston Martin F1 Team Limited Edition — R7,499.99
- Highland Park 15yo Fire Edition — R6,499.99
- Tamdhu Year of the Snake 2025 Limited Edition — R5,999.99
- Metanoia Klein Karoo Signature Single Malt — R924.99
- Metanoia Klein Karoo Signature Rye — R924.99
Browse Whisky Emporium’s newest whiskies
Norman Goodfellows
Ardbeg deals lead NGF’s newest whisky listings, with a Campbeltown pair from Kilkerran and Glen Scotia, a new Macallan Harmony and three Loch Lomond bottlings. All in stock, with collection from selected stores.
- Ardbeg Collectors Combo (4 × 750ml) — R8,499 (was R9,995)
- Ardbeg Anthology 14yr & 15yr Combo (2 × 750ml) — R4,699 (was R5,499)
- Ardbeg Dolce — R1,749 (was R1,999)
- Macallan Harmony Collection Jing Phoenix Honey Orchid Tea — R3,999
- Glen Scotia Icons of Campbeltown 12yr No. 3 — R2,319
- Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 13 — R1,159
Navigate World Whisky
A Compass Box quartet and a Balvenie 14yo Golden Cask head NWW’s latest arrivals, alongside independent single casks from Wales, Belgium, Poland and Germany and a run of American bottlings.
- Balvenie 14yo Golden Cask (47.5%) — R6,950
- Compass Box Vellichor (44.6%) — R8,995
- Compass Box Ultramarine (51%) — R7,980
- Compass Box Metropolis (49%) — R6,795
- Compass Box Celestial (50%) — R6,590
- Penderyn 9yo 2013 Bourbon Single Cask, Antipodes (50%) — R3,465
- Braeckman 7yo 2015 Single Barrel Grain, Antipodes (56.3%) — R3,275
- Bimber 3yo 2016 Virgin Oak Single Cask, French Connections (58.5%) — R2,730
- Ralf Hauer 4yo Sherry Wine Cask, TBYWC (64.1%) — R1,965
- Neidhal Single Malts of India (46%) — R1,835
- Yellowstone Limited Edition 2024 — R2,995
- Remus Repeal Reserve Series VIII — R1,895
- Old Ezra 7yo Bourbon — R1,895
- Old Ezra 7yo Rye — R1,895
WhiskyShop
Fresh off their relaunched online store, the newest whisky listings lead with Diageo’s 2025 Special Releases, a Macallan Harmony pair and a strong showing of South African and Irish bottlings.
- Oban 12yo Special Release 2025 — R3,090
- Talisker 14yo Special Release 2025 — R3,599
- The Singleton of Glen Ord 17yo — R4,099
- Macallan Harmony Smooth Arabica — R10,000
- Macallan Harmony Jing Cherrywood — R10,000
- Macallan Amber (Ernie Button) — R6,999
- Metanoia Friends Cask — R1,215
- Metanoia Single Malt — R1,055
- Metanoia Rye — R1,055
Browse WhiskyShop’s newest whisky arrivals
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
Glenfiddich The Grand Ascent: 21 Years & Beyond
Wednesday, 21 October 2026 | The Premium Liquor Company, Cape Town | R2,000pp
The Underground Whisky Club hosts an evening exploring some of Glenfiddich’s most prestigious expressions in an intimate setting at The Premium Liquor Company. The tasting begins with the 21 Year Old Gran Reserva, finished in rum casks, and ascends through the 23 Year Old Grand Cru and the 31 Year Old Grand Château.
The evening also includes a showstopper pour that guests will be among the first in the country to taste. Starts at 18:30. Seats are limited, so RSVP to secure your place.
Book via WhatsApp or call 079 173 7368
The Macallan After Dark Experience
Thursday, 22 October 2026 | The Premium Liquor Company, Cape Town | R1,500pp
A late-night evening of The Macallan, music, roaming cocktails and premium canapés at The Premium Liquor Company. There’s no formal tasting and no rigid format: guests choose a complimentary bottle (The Macallan 12 Year Double Cask, The Macallan Sherry Oak, or Highland Park 15 Year) and enjoy it their way as the night unfolds. Starts at 19:00. This is a club members’ event; non-members who’d like to attend can get in touch via WhatsApp.
Book via WhatsApp or call 079 173 7368
GlenAllachie Whisky Tasting Experience
Tuesday, 27 October 2026 | Bottega Café, Parkhurst | R995pp
The Bottega Whisky Club presents an exclusive tasting of five GlenAllachie expressions: the new 10 Year Old Cask Strength (Batch 13), alongside the 12, 15, 18 and 21 Year Old. Hosted by Sav Cardillo and Fortune Maseko, GlenAllachie’s South African Brand Ambassador, at Bottega, 22d 4th Avenue, Parkhurst. Arrive 18:30 for a 19:00 start. The ticket includes the tasting, a two-course meal and gratuity for your waiter (extras excluded). Seats are limited, so book early.
RSVP via email to parkhurst@bottegacafe.co.za
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
Benriach Whisky Tasting
Thursday, 29 October 2026 | The Whisky Shop, The Gantry, Fourways | R650pp
An evening exploring the rich, complex world of Benriach, with a curated tasting of Benriach 12, Benriach Smoke Season, Benriach Quarter Cask and Glendronach 12. Your ticket includes a bottle of Benriach 12 to take home, food and a welcome drink. Arrival from 18:00 for an 18:30 start. Spaces are limited.
Book via WhatsApp or call 065 933 7646
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.
The Underground Whisky Club x Velvet Rose: A Burlesque Experience
Friday, 30 October 2026 | The Premium Liquor Company, Cape Town | R1,000pp
For one night, The Premium Liquor Company takes on a darker, more theatrical character as The Underground Whisky Club hosts an intimate evening with Velvet Rose. Burlesque performances run throughout a curated dinner, paired with bubbles, exceptional whisky pours and old-world glamour, in a setting closer to a private salon than a traditional show. Starts at 18:30. Dress code: formal. Places are deliberately limited; RSVP to Steven by 23 October.
Book via WhatsApp or call 079 173 7368
Whisky Live Festival 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
Worth Reading
Nordic Whisky at Auction: A Market Comes of Age
Built on DramX data spanning 4.8 million hammer prices across 30 auction sites: 11,608 Nordic lots since 2012, annual volume up from 88 lots (2014) to 1,876 (2024), and the number of Nordic distilleries at auction up from 9 to 38. Mackmyra leads by sheer volume (4,071 lots) while Aurora Spirit commands £110+ premiums — and the typical bottle price has fallen to around £38 from £50–65, which Øhrbom reads as core-range supply maturing rather than demand weakening. “Nordic whisky has moved from being a very small presence at auction to a more visible and available category.”
— Whisky Saga
Beyond the Celebrity Bottle: Why Gordon & MacPhail and Sir Kenny Dalglish Have Got This Right
A sharp essay on why the G&M “Vintage Moments” Dalglish collection — five vintages tied to moments in his life, £100,000, fifteen sets — works where most celebrity whisky doesn’t: the liquid is chosen to stand alone, with the story as frame rather than crutch. A useful lens for every celebrity bottling to come.
— The Whiskey Wash
Belfast is back in the whiskey business
Belfast once made roughly three-quarters of Ireland’s whiskey before Prohibition and the industry’s long decline closed the stills. Nearly 90 years on, McConnell’s (inside Crumlin Road Gaol) and Titanic Distillers (in the Thompson Dock pumphouse) lead the return, with Shortcross, Hinch, Copeland, Limavady and Carnlough in the frame. Belfast Whiskey Week founder Paul Kane: “This city was built on whiskey” — though many newcomers still sell sourced liquid while their own stock matures, and as Copeland’s Gareth Irvine puts it, “Ultimately, the liquid has to be good.”
— Barley Magazine
The Scotch Whisky Association’s Single Malt Appeal Rests on a Rule Not Everyone Shares
The perfect companion to this week’s lead news item: a ~2,000-word analysis of how Scotland, Ireland, Wales, the US and England each define “single malt” — and where each draws the line on which production stages must happen at the distillery. It turns out the rule the SWA is defending is less universal than Scotland assumes.
— The Whiskey Wash
And That’s a Wrap!
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Fellowship Challenge Answers & Notes
1. A — Lignin and vanillin
Lignin is a structural component of wood. Thermal treatment and subsequent reactions during maturation can produce aromatic compounds such as vanillin and syringaldehyde. Cellulose and hemicellulose degradation, meanwhile, contribute compounds including furfural and related furan derivatives. The chemistry overlaps, so these are associations rather than exclusive pathways.
Read more: Factors in Modulating the Potential Aromas of Oak Whisky Barrels: Origin, Toasting, and Charring
2. A — Cis- and trans-β-methyl-γ-octalactone
These compounds are commonly known as whisky lactones or oak lactones. They contribute characteristic woody and coconut-like aromas, with differences between the cis and trans forms. Oak species and processing influence their abundance, helping explain why casks can differ even before their previous contents are considered.
Read more: Analysis of lignin from oak casks used for the maturation of Scotch whisky
3. B — They are converted into other compounds through oxidation and subsequent reactions during maturation
Oak ellagitannins, including castalagin and vescalagin, can undergo oxidation and further reactions in the spirit. Researchers have identified whisky tannins derived from these transformations. The chemistry of the mature spirit therefore reflects not just what is extracted from the wood, but what those compounds subsequently become.
Read more: Isolation and Structure of Whiskey Polyphenols Produced by Oxidation of Oak Wood Ellagitannins
4. A — Charring changes the surface chemistry, creates a carbon-rich layer and alters the distribution of thermally generated compounds
Toasting and charring are different thermal treatments, not simply different points on a flavour-intensity scale. They change the wood’s chemical composition in different ways. Charring also creates a carbon-rich surface that can adsorb some compounds, while thermal degradation alters the material available for extraction into the spirit.
Read more: Effect of cask charring on Scotch whisky maturation
5. B — Acetic acid reacts with ethanol to form an ester, while oxidation can contribute to the supply of acetic acid
Ethyl acetate is an ester formed from ethanol and acetic acid. During maturation, oxidation and other reactions influence the availability of compounds involved in ester formation. The chemistry is more complicated than a single reaction, and ethyl acetate can also be present before maturation begins.
Read more: Wood Chemistry and the Maturation of Whisky