It’s been a busy month for South African whisky, with four releases that caught my eye — and a nice mix of young, experimental whisky and some seriously mature stuff.
New SA Whisky Releases
First up is the Metanoia WhiskyBrother Single Cask Exclusive, which I was lucky enough to try at The Only Whisky Show a couple weeks back. It was excellent — one of the local drams that really stood out for me.
It’s an unpeated single malt from Metanoia in the Klein Karoo, initially matured in a Rupert & Rothschild red wine cask before being transferred into an Oloroso sherry cask that had previously held Oloroso for 50 years. Bottled at 56.5%, with just 194 bottles produced.
At R1,590 a bottle, WhiskyBrother’s pricing makes it an interesting proposition. It’s young whisky, but there’s plenty going on — Kenny and Andy are clearly enjoying themselves with these cask combinations.
Then there are two 23-year-old Bain’s releases, both using Nederburg wine casks.
The Bain’s 23 Year Old Nederburg Chardonnay Cask Finish spent its final five years in seasoned French oak Chardonnay casks from Nederburg, less than 10km from the James Sedgwick Distillery — a nice bit of geography. Bottled at 46.3%, 1,668 bottles, R3,850. Citrus, stone fruit, honey and vanilla, alongside the oak and spice you’d expect from a 23-year-old Bain’s.
The Bain’s 23 Year Old Nederburg Pinotage Cask Finish is the more interesting of the two, at least from a South African angle. Two years in Pinotage casks from Nederburg, with the wine bringing ripe red fruit, earthiness and tobacco. Only 540 bottles, bottled at 52.7%, R4,200.
I tried both at the show and preferred the Chardonnay, but the Pinotage has the better story. Using a distinctly South African grape to finish a 23-year-old whisky is exactly the kind of thing that gives local whisky its own identity.
And then there’s the Boplaas 15 Year Old, their oldest release to date.
A single-cask South African single grain, made with yellow maize and matured for 15 years in the Klein Karoo, aged in Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey ex-bourbon casks. Only 530 bottles, priced at R1,300, and the first 200 went fast through the Boplaas Club.
Boplaas is worth watching. Fifteen years in the Klein Karoo does a lot to a whisky, and the climate, grain and brandy casks together give it a character Scotland just can’t produce.
Four releases, four different takes on South African whisky. There isn’t a formula yet, and that’s not a bad place for an industry still finding its feet.
Sláinte,
Mark
What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week
Bunnahabhain 30 Year Old 46.3% – Following up on last week’s Bunna in the bush, is this beauty! I was fortunate enough to attend a tasting led by Julieann Fernandez, master blender at CVH Spirits (Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory/Ledaig) who is in South Africa on a whirlwind tour. We tasted our way through various whiskies from their stable, and finished on a high note – the Bunna 30 year old, opened by Pedro Dias from Truman & Orange. Rich palate, including stewed fruits, sherry, honeycomb and wood spices. It’s spent its time in the cask well, delivering a real treat. Definitely one to sip and savour over a couple hours if you’re able to.
I must give a shout out to Sav Cardillo too – Bottega’s hospitality and food were excellent, as usual. If you haven’t been to one of their whisky dinners, make a plan, you won’t be disappointed.
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.
“A very special bottle and dram, at a very special bar: Talking To Strangers on Loop Street in Cape Town.” — Lee G.
“The beauty of whisky is that it can transport you to the past, reminds you of people who have passed and reminds you to treasure those who are still with you.” — Luben N.
The Fellowship Challenge: Silent Distilleries
1. Which distillery was known as Clynelish until a second Clynelish distillery was built next door in 1968?
A) Brora
B) Glenugie
C) Banff
D) Convalmore
2. Port Ellen is one of Islay’s most famous “ghost” distilleries. In which year did it originally close before eventually being revived?
A) 1975
B) 1979
C) 1983
D) 1988
3. Which Lowland distillery, famous for its triple-distilled spirit, closed in 1993 and was subsequently revived by Ian Macleod Distillers?
A) Littlemill
B) Rosebank
C) St Magdalene
D) Inverleven
4. Littlemill Distillery was unusual in that its still design allowed it to produce three different styles of whisky. Which of the following was NOT one of its styles?
A) Littlemill
B) Dumbuck
C) Dunglass
D) Loch Lomond
5. Which silent Speyside distillery was once owned by Diageo and was demolished in 2011, with only the distillery’s pagoda-style kiln roof and some warehouses remaining?
A) Convalmore
B) Dallas Dhu
C) Glen Mhor
D) Imperial
Scroll to the bottom for the answers!
Industry News
An £80m English whisky distillery inside a Victorian prison — Bodmin Jail gets the green light
Cornwall Council has approved plans for The Bodmin Jail Distillery, part of Swiss private equity group Spirit Capital’s £80m (US$109m) restoration of the former Cornish prison — closed in 1927, reborn as a museum and hotel in 2020. The purpose-built grain-to-glass distillery will make Cornish whisky from locally grown grain (plus gin and vodka), restore the Grade II-listed Governor’s House and Chaplaincy, and add two tasting rooms and a speakeasy cocktail bar. Construction starts within months; opening expected 2027. Spirit Capital also recently bought Ireland’s shuttered Killarney Brewing & Distilling site.
— The Spirits Business
Lark comes of age — exports up 69%, first shipment into China
Tasmania’s Lark Distilling closed FY26 with net sales up 15.1% to AU$18m: exports surged 69% to AU$1.8m, travel retail climbed 43%, and the company made its first-ever shipment into China — it now sells in ten Asian markets. The balance sheet took AU$36.2m in non-cash writedowns, but Lark is debt-free with AU$14.3m cash, a new Pontville distillery commissioned and a whisky bank of 2.4 million litres. CEO Stuart Gregor: “FY26 was the year Lark truly came of age.”
— The Spirits Business
Rémy Cointreau hands India to Monika Alcobev — Bruichladdich included
The French group has appointed BSE-listed Monika Alcobev Limited as its exclusive distributor and marketing partner across India, covering Rémy Martin, Louis XIII, Cointreau, The Botanist — and Bruichladdich’s single malts. Monika Alcobev’s revenue grew 27.5% to ~US$31.5m in FY2026, and India’s imported-spirits market has compounded at 16% a year since 2019 (IWSR) — the subcontinent remains the industry’s favourite growth story despite its tax turbulence.
— Vino Joy News
Whiskystats H1 2026: a turning point, and an “hourglass economy”
The market-data firm’s 2026 H1 Insights Report, published Monday, finds the secondary whisky market finally stabilising: Q2 trading value beat its year-on-year comparison for the first time since the 2022 peak, reaching the €25m mark. Growth is polarised at the extremes — entry-level and ultra-premium thrive while the middle tier is squeezed. A Yamazaki 50yo Club Natsume set a Japanese-whisky auction record at over €900,000 ($1m), while the Macallan Time:Space 1940 (?€175,000 primary price) finally cleared at €111,320 after failing to sell five times — a sobering reality check for primary pricing.
— WhiskyIntelligence
A £10 Golden Ticket, a £25,000 whisky — Loch Lomond raises £14,230 for golf
Loch Lomond’s Golden Ticket campaign across The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale and the AIG Women’s Open sold 1,423 tickets at £10 apiece, every penny donated to The R&A Foundation. The draw’s winner — Andrew from Liverpool — takes home one of just 100 bottles of Loch Lomond 50 Year Old (valued £25,000), matured half a century in first-fill bourbon and oloroso sherry casks.
— The Whiskey Wash
New Releases
Midleton Very Rare 2026 Edition
The 43rd annual vintage of Ireland’s prestige blend — the sixth created by Master Distiller Kevin O’Gorman — draws on five distillate styles including a rare barley/malted-barley grain component, all American oak, bottled at 40% ABV, around £199.
— WhiskyIntelligence
GlenDronach × Gleneagles “A Moment of Reflection” 14 Year Old
First of a three-part “Moments from The Glorious Playground” series with the Gleneagles hotel, created by Dr Rachel Barrie: 14 years old, 46% ABV, non-chill-filtered and natural colour, £160 — from 1 September exclusively at Gleneagles’ Still Room shop, with 100 bottles offered by online ballot. Further editions follow in 2027 and 2028.
— Whisky For Everyone
GlenDronach Aged 56 Years — the distillery’s oldest ever
A big week for Forgue: Dr Rachel Barrie also unveiled the GlenDronach Aged 56 Years, the sherried Highland house’s oldest-ever release, and talks through how you steward casks laid down more than half a century ago into a flagship bottling.
— The Spirits Business
Bowmore Captivo Collection — two 20-year-olds designed with Snarkitecture
Islay’s oldest licensed distillery launched the Captivo Collection on 19 August with New York design studio Snarkitecture: Captivo Oak Voyage (20yo, 50.8%, £312 — ex-bourbon then American-oak oloroso butts; on Bowmore.com now, Harrods from 1 September) and Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit (20yo, 51.8%, £320 — a global travel-retail exclusive landing later in 2026). Co-founder Alex Mustonen’s “portal” artwork draws on the island and the No.1 Vaults — the studio’s first whisky project.
— The Whiskey Wash
Douglas Laing XOP North British 35 Year Old — 167 bottles
Single grain distilled at North British in July 1988 and left in a refill hogshead for 35 years: natural cask strength of 43.1%, no colouring or chill-filtration, just 167 bottles worldwide at £154.17 in the Xtra Old Particular range. Old grain remains the value corner of the ultra-aged market.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Reviews Roundup
Kanosuke 7yo 2018 “Brush Stroke” (57%, TWE exclusive, peated) — 90/100
A rare ~50ppm peated single cask (156 bottles) from Japan’s southernmost distillery — “an oriental take on bourbon-matured Springbank,” with flashes of Shizuoka and a Campbeltown accent. The same post rates the sibling Meikle Tòir 7yo at 87.
— WhiskyNotes
Bruichladdich Greener Still 15yo (51.6%) — 9/10
Thijs on the third and final 25th-anniversary release: a vatting of organic, biodynamic and Bere barley parcels, all first-fill bourbon — “barley-forward… this was never going to disappoint.”
— Words of Whisky
Laphroaig 14yo 1973 Averys of Bristol (40%) — 93/100, week’s top score
A single cask bottled by John Avery in 1987: old-style peat wrapped in tobacco, worn leather and fading tropical fruit. Ruben: “with just a few more degrees it could have been propelled even higher.”
— WhiskyNotes
Talisker 15yo Dornoch Castle 2026 (57.1%, 240 bottles) — 88/100
A Thompson Brothers selection at 100 imperial proof for the Dornoch Castle Whisky Club: classic peppery-coastal Talisker, with the second-fill Port finish “fairly anecdotal — just as we like it.”
— WhiskyNotes
A merry cargo of Tomatins — 18 drams, topped by a 90-point 1984 Shinanoya
Serge works through eighteen Tomatins: the Tomatin 1984/2016 for Shinanoya (44%) heads the field at 90 — “magnificent old-school Highlander” — with the OB 18yo oloroso (46%) at 88 and a Cadenhead 10yo 2008 (54.9%) and James Eadie 9yo 2015 (56.2%) both on 87.
— Whisky Fun
A dozen secret Speysiders — and a 91-point 49-year-old
Star of the session: Highland Single Malt 49yo 1976 (45.1%, Thompson Bros for Dornoch Castle’s 25th anniversary, 140 bottles) at 91 points and five stars — “absolutely gorgeous exotic fruit juice… splendid bottle.” Ralfy’s North Star collab “Bothy” 11yo (54.1%) takes a solid 87.
— Whisky Fun
The Chamberick 5yo First-Fill Bourbon (53.5%) — 8.5 & 3yo “Pineau Peek-a-Boo” (54%) — 8.3
Tiny bottlings (38 and 41 bottles!) from Dutch micro-distillery The Chamberick — releases that exist partly because Thijs himself suggested partial-cask bottling to founder Laetitia de Hoog. Small-producer charm at its best.
— Words of Whisky
Ben Nevis 7yo “Bedford Park” (58.7%) — 8/10
Ogilvie reflects on a year of life changes over an auction-won indie Ben Nevis that colleague Broddy acclaimed a year earlier — both land on 8/10 for the ~£50 bottling.
— Dramface
Glencadam 11yo 2015 Royal Mile Whiskies exclusive (58.5%) — 7/10
First-fill bourbon, 258 bottles, £79.95: “solid bourbon cask whisky from a distillery that doesn’t get enough love” — it noses older than its years; a few pounds cheaper and they’d have bought one.
— Two WhiskyBros
Woodrow’s of Edinburgh pair: secret Lowlander 11yo & Glen Elgin 14yo — both 7/10
“A Lowland Distillery (near Pencaitland)” 11yo 2014 (58.6%, oloroso and PX bloodtubs, £81.95) is a sherry-bomb Glenkinchie in all but name; the Glen Elgin 14yo 2012 (59.2%, ruby Port barrique, £84.95) is bold Port-forward stuff with the spirit holding up.
— Two WhiskyBros
Bourbon Corner
Bardstown Bourbon Co. 2026 Discovery & Lochs of Jura — 99 points at IWSC
Two fall annuals at US$139.99, nationwide from 21 August: 2026 Discovery (112.8 proof) blends 7-, 10- and 11-year Kentucky bourbons finished four months in Garryana oak; Lochs of Jura (104 proof) is a bourbon-and-rye blend finished 32 months in Isle of Jura ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks — and just took 99 points at IWSC 2026, the highest North American score this year.
— Breaking Bourbon
Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged 2026 (112.1 proof) — “as good as Maker’s Mark gets”
The 2026 Cellar Aged blends 11-, 12- and 14-year wheated bourbon (70/16/14), US$175 for 700ml, at select US retailers from 1 September before heading to the UK, Germany, Korea, Japan, Australia and travel retail. Bourbon & Banter rates it “Bar” — try before you buy at that price.
— Bourbon & Banter
1792 XV (124.2 proof, 15 years) — Barton’s oldest ever, airports only
Barton 1792’s first cask-strength and oldest-ever release, US$250 per litre bottle, exclusively via global travel retail. Breaking Bourbon praises rich charred-oak complexity, docking it only for a slightly dry, bitter finish.
— Breaking Bourbon
Wild Turkey Austin Nichols Archives “Gold Foil” (120 proof, 16 years)
Bruce Russell’s tribute to the collector-coveted 1980s “Cheesy Gold Foil” bottlings launches Wild Turkey’s new Archives Collection: 4,161 bottles, debuting in Australia at AUD$499 with Russell touring Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney from 30 August.
— The Whiskey Wash
Koopers Whiskey Texas Oak Bourbon (114.8 proof, 8 years) — 360 bottles at $70
An MGP-distilled 8-year straight bourbon finished in toasted Texas-grown white oak from Standard Cooperage — the state’s first cooperage. Just 360 bottles from two casks, on sale 22 August online and at the Ledbetter, Texas tasting room.
— The Whiskey Wash
Silk Velvet Single Barrel (105 proof, 7 years) — a revived 1880s Kentucky name
The resurrected Henderson, Kentucky brand — sourced from Green River — earns Bourbon & Banter’s “Bottle” rating at US$79.99: big spice, chocolate depth and rich fruit, a marked step up from the 6-year.
— Bourbon & Banter
Available Now — Local Online Retailers
Let’s kick off with the 4 new SA whisky releases:
- Metanoia WhiskyBrother Single Cask Exclusive — 56.5% | R1,590 — Buy at WhiskyBrother (194 bottles — in stock)
- Bain’s 23 Year Old Nederburg Chardonnay Cask Finish — 46.3% | R3,850 — Buy direct from James Sedgwick (1,668 bottles; the first 300 individually numbered bottles sold via the distillery’s online bottle wall)
- Bain’s 23 Year Old Nederburg Pinotage Cask Finish — 52.7% | R4,200 — Buy direct from James Sedgwick (449 bottles; the first 200 numbered bottles on the wall — early numbers going fast)
- Boplaas 15 Year Old Single Grain — 46% | R1,300 — Buy at Boplaas (530 bottles; the first 200 went through the Boplaas Club)
And let’s take a look at a selection across the top whisky retailers in SA:
Bottega
Buffalo Trace 8 Year Old Barrel Select — bottled for the Bottega Whiskey Club (45%) — R445. A single barrel selected for Bottega and bottled with an age statement you won’t find on standard Buffalo Trace — at standard-bottle money. At R445 this is the value pick of the week’s local arrivals. Get it here.
- Allt-a-Bhainne 22 Year Old Batch 5, That Boutique-y Whisky Company (500ml, 47.1%) — R2,000
- Amrut Peated Single Malt (46%) — R1,125
- Balmenach 15 Year Old Batch 5, That Boutique-y Whisky Company (500ml, 50.1%) — R1,400
- BenRiach 27 Year Old 1994 (cask 1857) Cask Edition Smoky — PX Puncheon (53.7%) — R8,895
- Bunnahabhain 12 Year (46.3%) — R1,160
- Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old Cask Strength — 2023 Edition (60.1%) — R2,365
WhiskyBrother & Co
- Isle of Raasay Hungarian Oak Cask — R1,790
- Isle of Raasay Unpeated Rye Cask — R1,890
- Isle of Raasay Peated Bordeaux Wine Cask — R1,890
- Metanoia Single Cask Exclusive — R1,590 (see featured releases above)
- Balmenach 10yo 100 Proof Signatory — R1,395
- Edradour 10yo Sauternes Small Batch — R1,490
- Ben Nevis Heavily Peated 7yo 100 Proof Signatory — R1,395
- Meikle Tòir 5yo Chinquapin One — R1,090
- Meikle Tòir 5yo Sherry One — R1,090
Malt of the Month: Deanston Virgin Oak.
Wild About Whisky
- Kavalan Oloroso Cask Strength SA Exclusive — R2,759
- Knob Creek Kentucky Straight Rye 7yo — R1,075
- Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon — R795
- Glenfiddich 18yo — R1,979
- Glenfiddich 15 Solera Reserve — R1,139
Mother City Liquor
- Milk & Honey Elements Rye Cask Finish — R1,749.99
- GlenAllachie 21yo 2005 (Cask #900273), Signatory Cask Strength — R5,999.99
- Edradour 12yo 2013 Burgundy Wine Cask — R2,149.99
- Edradour 10yo 2016 Sauternes Cask — R1,999.99
- Johnnie Walker Black Cask — R1,999.99
- Johnnie Walker Red Soul — R1,599.99
Whisky Emporium
- Glen Scotia 7 Year Old Campbeltown Malts Festival Release 2026 — R1,249.99 (was R1,289.99)
- Hazelburn 10 Year Old — R1,799.99
- Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 13 — R1,599.99
- Springbank 5 Year Old 100 Proof — R3,299.99 (was R3,499.99)
- Rosebank 30 Year Old 1990 — Release One (2020) — R33,499.99 (was R33,999.99)
- Bladnoch 17 Year Old California Red Wine Cask Finish — R2,299.99
Decanter Liquor
- Ledaig Sinclair Series Rioja Cask Finish — R949.99
- Hepburn’s Choice Tamdhu 11yo — R999.99
- Hepburn’s Choice Glenburgie 10yo — R899.99
- Deanston Virgin Oak — R719.99
- Aberlour White Oak 2012 — R1,299.99
- Ledaig 10yo — R999.99
WhiskyShop
- Glenfiddich 16yo F1 Aston Martin — R1,690 (was R1,790)
- Metanoia Whisky Live Exclusive — R1,699
- Indri Trini The Three Wood — R899
- O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey — R360
- Falkland Speyside — R590
- Redbreast PX Cask — R2,390
- Two Stacks Smoke & Mirrors Peated Single Malt — R1,333
Upcoming Events
McGregor Whisky Weekend
Friday–Sunday, 11–13 September 2026 | McGregor, Western Cape | Main event: Saturday 12 September
A weekend-long celebration of whisky in the village of McGregor, featuring over 60 whiskies to taste at the main event at Lord’s Winery, plus Friday evening masterclasses and tastings around the village. The main event runs from 1–5pm, with free transport between McGregor and Lord’s Winery. Most whiskies available for tasting will also be on sale on the day.
Book tickets via McGregor Whisky Weekend
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
Glen Scotia’s Ashley Smith on championing Campbeltown whisky — The Spirits Business
A long interview with the master blender (in post since late 2024): Campbeltown’s fall from ~30 Victorian distilleries to three, the award-winning 2026 festival bottling, managing stock after decades of mothballing, and the next Icons of Campbeltown release.
— The Spirits Business
Martin Markvardsen celebrates 20 years with Highland Park — Whisky Magazine
An exclusive with single malt’s longest-serving ambassador: from the Danish navy and boxing ring to mentorship by Jim McEwan, Michael Jackson and Charlie MacLean — and his frank warning that Highland Park’s Viking branding risked becoming “too cartoonish.”
— Whisky Magazine
Could American single malt have regions like Scotch? — The Whiskey Wash
Virginia Distillery Co.’s Amanda Beckwith — whose Blue Ridge Toasted Barrel Finish took Best American Single Malt at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards — makes the case for formally recognised US single malt regions: Pacific Northwest Garryana, Texas heat, New Mexico mesquite, Virginia’s mountain climate.
— 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!
The Fellowship Challenge Answers
1. A) Brora
The distillery now known as Brora was originally established as Clynelish in 1819. When a new Clynelish distillery was built next door in 1968, the original distillery was renamed Brora.
2. C) 1983
Port Ellen closed in May 1983 after a slump in demand left the distillery surplus to requirements. It remained dormant for more than 40 years before production resumed in 2024.
3. B) Rosebank
Rosebank was a famous Lowland distillery renowned for triple distillation. It closed in 1993, and production eventually restarted in 2023 following its acquisition and restoration by Ian Macleod Distillers.
4. D) Loch Lomond
Littlemill produced three distinct styles: the light and delicate Littlemill, the heavily peated Dumbuck, and the fuller-bodied Dunglass. Its unusual still design incorporated rectifying columns, giving the distillery considerable control over spirit character.
5. A) Convalmore
Convalmore was founded in Dufftown in 1894 and later became part of United Distillers. Production ceased in 1985, and most of the distillery buildings were demolished in 2011. Some warehouses and the distinctive pagoda kiln remain.
Related reading
- The Lost Whisky Distilleries of Scotland – Malts.com — a good overview of Brora, Littlemill and other lost distilleries.
- Port Ellen – Malts.com — background on Port Ellen’s closure, whisky and revival.
- Littlemill’s History — fascinating detail on the distillery’s unusual production methods.