There are a ton of great whisky documentaries out there, and a handful of whisky-centric movies. One of my favourites is a great movie made in the late 1940s.
Whisky Galore: The Shipwreck That Became a Comedy Classic
In February 1941, the cargo ship SS Politician ran aground off the Hebridean island of Eriskay, carrying thousands of cases of Scotch bound for America. Wartime rationing had already left the island dry, so when word got out about the cargo, islanders saw their chance and took it — an estimated 24,000 bottles were “salvaged” before Customs officers arrived from the mainland to search houses, with a few islanders eventually jailed for their trouble.
It’s the kind of true story that barely needs embellishing, and novelist Compton Mackenzie — who’d been living on nearby Barra since the 1930s — turned it into Whisky Galore, published in 1947. The ship became the fictional SS Cabinet Minister, and Eriskay became the islands of Great and Little Todday.
Two years later, it hit the screen — and that’s really where the story earns its place in whisky folklore.
Whisky Galore! (1949)
The movie, produced by Ealing Studios and directed by Alexander Mackendrick (his directorial debut) was shot on location on Barra (the very same island where our author had lived for a while), with real islanders in the cast, and Mackenzie himself appearing on screen as Captain Buncher.
The plot is simple: an island runs dry, a ship runs aground with 50,000 cases of whisky aboard, and the islanders set about liberating as much of it as they can before the local Customs man catches up with them. But the whisky is really just the spark. What gives the film its heart is everything that happens around it — a proper community, with its own gossip, rivalries, and unspoken rules, suddenly handed a shared cause worth rallying behind.
A couple of funny scenes that spring to mind: the islanders white-knuckling it through a full Sabbath with a ship full of whisky sitting in plain sight, and the footprints leading into the whisky cave — dead straight on the way in, staggering all over the place on the way out.
The mischief makes the movie — it’s a village of ordinary people pulling together to outwit the authorities for something as daft and human as wanting a drink.
A remake of the movie was made in 2016, and while I enjoyed it too, the heart and spark felt dialled down a bit, resulting in a more polished film that’s lacking when compared to the original.
It’s a tradition for me now, to plop down on the couch with a healthy glug of whisky around the festive season, and lose myself in the islanders mischief all over again. Consider joining me this year.
Sláinte,
Mark
References:
“‘Whisky Galore!’ Review: An Innocuous But Unmemorable Remake” — Variety
“The True Story Behind Whisky Galore!” — Scotch Whisky magazine
“Whisky Galore: The story of a close-knit community” — Historic Environment Scotland
“Whisky Galore! (1949 film)” — Wikipedia
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What’s In Mark’s Glass This Week
Rhino Whisky 43% – A bottle I was gifted recently.
It’s an easy-going Speysider — gentle, soft and pretty approachable. One for when you just want a dram, without having to think too hard about it. The rum cask presence is there, but subtle. Careful though, you blink and the bottle’s fill-level will have dropped drastically.
And with 5% of proceeds going to support rhino conservation, through the Rhino Orphanage, it’s a worthy addition to your shopping cart. Plus, the next time you’re asked by your partner why you’ve poured another double, you can just say “I’m saving the rhinos!” #winwin #doitfortherhinos
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.
“Started with this 2026 release in my glass (25th anniversary release since the distillery’s revival in 2001) in preparation for the FWM Bruichladdich Redux Tasting. Definitely fruit forward with orange, hints of peach and apricot. Medium finish. My personal favorite distillery on Islay when I visited in 2024, and I’m always on the lookout for some of their special releases.” — Georgie M.
“Impromptu drams on a beautiful Sunday afternoon” — Nischal B.
Industry News
Pappy gets pricier: Van Winkle’s 2026 MSRPs jump up to 30% — and may still be too cheap
The Van Winkle family announced the 2026 collection on Thursday with the steepest price rises in years: the 13yo Family Reserve Rye and the 15yo both climb to $299.99 (from $229.99 and $239.99), the 23yo holds at $499.99, and the six-bottle set now lists at $1,869.94 — up 13% on last year and 110% since 2022. Mark Littler’s analysis makes the uncomfortable point: with the 23yo trading at $2,580–$2,860 on the secondary market, even the new MSRPs remain a fraction of street value. The queues aren’t going anywhere.
— The Whiskey Wash
English whisky wins its GI — and picks a fight with Scotch on the way
After a six-year campaign, the UK government confirmed on 11 September that “English Whisky” becomes a protected name under the Spirit Drinks GI Scheme — 70-plus distilleries, exports to 30-plus countries and roughly £1bn of stock maturing. The rules deliberately diverge from Scotch: non-oak casks are allowed (if declared), mashing and fermentation can happen at partner breweries, and bulk export for overseas bottling is permitted — a single-malt definition the Scotch Whisky Association calls “entirely inconsistent with the reputation of single malt whisky”. Meanwhile rebel English distillers (Circumstance, and Retribution — yes, the same Retribution profiled in Worth Reading below) quit the English Whisky Guild fearing the category was being defined too early. Tom Pattinson’s original reporting has all the drama.
— Barley Magazine
“I did not give Glenlivet permission”: the SA Women’s March ad backlash deepens
The fallout from The Glenlivet’s pulled Women’s Month advert — which used the images of 1956 Liberation March leaders Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Lillian Ngoyi and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn, plus Madikizela-Mandela’s voice, to market Glenlivet 18 — has escalated. The leaders’ families and two legacy foundations have rejected the brand’s 28 August apology as one that “completely misses the mark”, demanding a written apology, transparency on Pernod Ricard’s internal investigation, direct engagement with chairman Alexandre Ricard, and a referral to the Advertising Regulatory Board. Williams-De Bruyn, who marched at 18: “I did not give Glenlivet permission to use my image or legacy.”
— The Spirits Business
Southern Glazer’s pays $12.5m to settle a US bribery investigation
America’s largest wine and spirits distributor has agreed to pay US$12.5 million and adopt new safeguards after acknowledging that former employees made improper payments — cash, gift cards, flights, golf trips, resort stays and luxury goods, with falsified documents to match — to chain-store retail staff in California and beyond in exchange for favouring its products. CEO Wayne Chaplin says the conduct “will not be tolerated” and SGWS will cooperate with any related criminal prosecutions. A story every whisky brand routed through the US three-tier system will be watching.
— Shanken News Daily
Scotch’s deepest slump since the 1980s — seen from Seoul
Whisky maturing in Scottish warehouses has more than tripled in a decade to roughly 1.4 billion litres — about three years of current global consumption — tipping the industry into its worst downturn since the 1980s: a significant number of distilleries have cut output by a third or more, and some forecasts suggest up to a quarter of Scotland’s ~160 distilleries could end up for sale. The fresh angle comes from Korea, the market that helped drive the 2021–23 single malt boom: only 67.2% of Koreans in their 20s and 30s drank at all in the past month (down 4.9 points on 2024), drinking occasions are down to 6.4 a month, and 62.6% now say they’d rather have “good alcohol occasionally” — quality over quantity. US per-capita alcohol consumption, for good measure, is down 11% on 2019.
— Seoul Economic Daily
SA Whisky News
Boplaas cleans up at the 2026 Michelangelo Awards — its 12 Year Old Rum Cask the highest-rated whisky at the show.
The Klein Karoo distiller’s 12 Year Old Rum Cask Whisky took Double Gold as the highest-rated whisky at the 2026 Michelangelo Wine & Spirits Awards (1,400+ entries) — adding to its Best South African Grain Whisky title at this year’s World Whiskies Awards — while the 21yo Potstill Brandy claimed the Grand Prix of Spirits (best spirit at show) and the Overall Brandy Trophy for the second consecutive year, part of a haul of four Double Golds and nine Golds across the range.
I chatted with Daniel Nel (Distiller and Head of Marketing at Boplaas) about the recent wins and this is what he had to say:
“It took some time since my involvement in 2018 to get the cask management just right to bring out older and interesting releases. As I’ve said many times before, our biggest advantage when it comes to spirits is our climate (low humidity and big variation in temperature) and the casks that we use. For instance, the 2005 batch Potstill Brandy, which has now been awarded the best brandy in South Africa for the second time (two different bottlings), was aged in old Red Muskadel barrels, which kept the brandy youthful and fruity, which people want in a brandy.
The 12YO Rum Cask is a winner in the whisky category and keeps winning accolades locally and internationally. I think I won’t change the cask recipe on that whisky, and it will be an annual release of one cask per year. It also sells extremely well, with our 2026 cask selling out instantly.
Then, being in a family business that champions quality over quantity, we get to taste the best wines, fortifieds and spirits from all over the world, which helps immensely. My father always says: ‘You can’t make a world-class product if you haven’t tasted one.’ We really know what quality should be. Being a 6th-generation business, we really think long term in every aspect of the business and products. Hopefully my kids can bottle casks that I’ve put away in my lifetime.”
Mark: I’m not surprised the rum cask did well at the awards. I have a bottle of it bottled at 60% (thanks to an order placed through the Friday Whisky Mafia), and it’s something really special!
New Releases
GlenAllachie goes where no Scotch has gone: Sintéis Part IV, matured in Mongolian virgin oak
The fourth chapter of Billy Walker’s cask-exploration series is the first Scotch matured in Mongolian virgin oak (Quercus mongolica — century-grown, naturally felled) to get a global release: a 10-year-old 2015 raised in bourbon barrels, split into PX and Oloroso sherry casks, then married and finished in the rare wood. Cask strength 58.5%, natural colour, non-chill filtered, £75.99 — from the distillery now, global rollout in the coming weeks. Walker admits the wood’s “unforgiving nature” left “little precedent to work from.”
— Dramface
Glen Scotia summons The Griffin: Icons of Campbeltown Release No. 4
The penultimate chapter of Glen Scotia’s folklore series honours the half-eagle, half-lion guardian carved into Campbeltown’s 14th-century market cross: a 12-year-old unpeated single malt, ex-bourbon matured and finished in Vin Santo casks, bottled at batch strength 53.8%, non-chill filtered and natural colour — £80, available now from the distillery and specialist retailers globally. Master blender Ashley Smith calls her team “the guardians of Glen Scotia’s whisky”; buyers via the website are entered to win a Campbeltown trip.
— Mark Littler
Master of Malt invents a distillery-that-isn’t: The Islay, a “continuous single cask” brand
The retailer’s new own-brand launches with three undisclosed-distillery Islay bottlings named for the island’s geology — Basalt 16yo (£99), Red Sandstone 20yo (£149.95) and Quartzite 30yo (£499.95), all 46.3% — with a twist: when a cask sells through, a “sister cask” of the same age and character takes over under the same name. Whisky director Dr Sam Simmons is chasing “unmistakably Islay… minerality, underlying sweetness and maritime peat”. A retailer brand built for continuity rather than collectability — it will be interesting to see whether drinkers buy the concept.
— The Spirits Business
Ardbeg goes dark down under: Dark Reserve for The Whisky Club
A members-only bottling for Australia and New Zealand’s biggest whisky club: a marriage of bourbon casks and “the darkest and most intense” sherry casks Ardbeg says it has ever used, bottled at 49.4% — a spiritual successor to 2016’s cult Dark Cove. Embassy previews run from 24 September; the members-only sale opens 2 October at AU$150/NZ$145 (~US$107). One for SA members with antipodean connections.
— The Spirits Business
Rare Find’s Autumn 2026 collection — four sherried single casks, on sale Wednesday
Gleann Mór’s quarterly drop lands at stockists on 17 September: a Clynelish 8yo refill sherry hogshead (61.0%, 305 bottles, £69), a Ben Nevis 12yo with 26 months in a first-fill Oloroso quarter cask (56.6%, 167 bottles), a Laphroaig 14yo finished 15 months in a Bodegas Barbadillo Oloroso hogshead (56.2%, 217 bottles) and a Mortlach 16yo from 28 months in European-oak Oloroso (54.6%, 268 bottles) — all cask strength, natural colour and non-chill filtered.
— Mark Littler
Fragrant Drops North British 33yo — a 1991 single grain for £79.95
The Leith-based indie (George and Rachel of the Keeble Cask Company) bottles a 33-year-old North British single grain from bourbon oak at 41% — £79.95 for three-decades-plus of maturation. Aged grain remains the quiet value corner of Scotch, and this is the category in miniature.
— WhiskyIntelligence
Caol Ila marks the Islay Jazz Festival with “The Drummer” — a 19-year-old in ex-Bulleit casks
The second in Caol Ila’s jazz trilogy (after last year’s The Guitarist), released 7 September for the 27th Islay Jazz Festival that ran this weekend: a 19yo given an unusual three-stage American-oak maturation finishing in ex-Bulleit bourbon casks, bottled at 52% — £275, exclusive to the distillery’s visitor centre.
— The Whiskey Wash
Royal Lochnagar goes after-dinner: The Pursuits Edition, a Cognac-finished 26-year-old
A rare aged statement from Deeside: 26 years old, finished in French oak ex-Cognac barrels, 840 bottles at £900, exclusive to Royal Lochnagar and other Diageo distillery visitor centres — each with a handmade leather “pursuits pouch” from Ayrshire leathersmiths Crawford Henderson.
— Whisky For Everyone
Reviews Roundup
I’m mixing it up a bit this week, with reviews from new sources, like A Scot on Scotch, Whisky Saga and My Annoying Opinions, along with our regular pool.
HIP Whisky Bowmore 13yo (46%) — “the refined, classy side of Islay… you simply can’t go wrong at £2.50 a dram”
Glasgow’s Neill Murphy on the new HIP Whisky range — indie single casks sold in 20cl bottles as a deliberate affordability play in a struggling market. The refill-bourbon Bowmore 13 costs £20 for the 20cl: “spirit-led, well-crafted, and delicious.” An idea worth importing.
— A Scot on Scotch
Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 14 (58.3%) — 86/100 — and it’s on SA shelves right now
The same 90/10 bourbon/Oloroso recipe as ever at 45ppm, but darker and more perfumed than Batch 13, with tropical fruit sweetness underneath. Local relevance: Wild About Whisky has this exact bottling at R1,225 (see Available Now below).
— Whisky Saga
Thompson Bros Ardbeg 2008 16yo (57.1%) — a perfect 10, “a clear example of Ardbeg’s character”
Mark Bostock hands full marks to the Dornoch brothers’ 25th-anniversary single cask — 200 bottles from a refill butt, distilled 29 October 2008: chargrilled citrus, bonfire ash, crushed-oyster minerality and cured meats, the quiet butt leaving the distillate to do all the talking. “A great example of an older age statement and cask strength Ardbeg.”
— The Whiskey Wash
Longrow 100° Proof 2026 (57.1%) — 87/100, “dark, earthy and unexpectedly restrained”
Springbank’s peated make, four-ish years in refill bourbon then two-plus in ex-Rioja Pinot Noir casks: earthy and wine-tinged, with less smoke than the label suggests. Øhrbom also spots the oddity that the back label reads “Batch No. 2” despite a string of prior releases — Campbeltown quality control at its most charming.
— Whisky Saga
Laphroaig 14yo 1998 (Signatory for Binny’s, 56.2%) — 85 points, a throwback barrel pick
A single bourbon hogshead (#5564) bottled in 2012 for the Chicago retailer, reviewed from the writer’s own bottle — a relic of the era when Laphroaig-heavy US store picks were something ordinary drinkers could actually afford.
— My Annoying Opinions
A first-ever Royal Brackla session — three indies, topped by Liquid Art at 8.8
After nearly 13 years of blogging, Thijs reviews his first Royal Bracklas: Liquid Art’s 10th Anniversary 2007 (51.7%) leads at 8.8 — “delicious single malt”, buttery with an Orval-like funk — with Thompson Bros’ 2014 12yo vatting of two first-fill bourbon hogsheads (55.5%, 606 bottles) close behind at 8.7 (“quite a stunner… and for that price too!”) and Best Dram’s sherry-drenched Cawdor Springs 2016 10yo (54.2%) at 8 — “balance? Nah… it is a LOT.”
— Words of Whisky
Compass Box Nectarosity (46%) — 6/10, “you absolutely cannot beat the price”
Archie Dunlop works through the ~US$45 blend — 64.3% malt built on Linkwood, Clynelish and Balmenach — and lands on “a ‘fun’ sweet dram and easy daily sipper”. Not a heart-stealer, but a value data point in a market short of them.
— Dramface
Berry Bros & Rudd pair: Blair Athol 14yo Viognier and Spirit of Yorkshire 9yo Moscatel — 7/10 apiece
The Bros take on two wine-cask BBR single casks — the 2011 Blair Athol from a Viognier cask (#308064) and a 2017 Spirit of Yorkshire from Moscatel wood — and find both solid, characterful and fairly priced, without either threatening the top shelf.
— Two WhiskyBros
Isle of Harris Single Malt (46%) — 8/10, a gentle door into peat
Mark Bostock rates the Hebridean distillery’s signature bottling (~$62; Heaven Hill and Buffalo Trace bourbon casks plus Oloroso, natural colour, non-chill filtered): “the peat is very gentle with only a subtle echo of smoke… an option for those seeking a mild introduction to peated whiskies.”
— The Whiskey Wash
Bourbon Corner
Bernheim Original Barrel Proof Batch A226 (115 proof) — “a straightforward, satisfactory sip”
Jordan Moskal on the 7–9-year wheat whiskey batch ($85): dependable rather than dazzling — the wheated workhorse doing workhorse things.
— Breaking Bourbon
Brown-Forman revives “Kentucky Boy” for Chris Morris’s half-century
A one-off honouring the master distiller emeritus’s 50 years of service revives a label Brown-Forman owned from 1923 into the 1940s: blended by Woodford Reserve’s Elizabeth McCall and Old Forester’s Caleb Trigo, inspired by Morris creations from Birthday Bourbon to Double Oaked, bottled at 50% and $100 — at select Kentucky retailers, the Old Forester distillery and DTC from 11 September.
— Shanken News Daily
Elmer T. Lee turns 40 — and Buffalo Trace bottles it uncut for the first time ever
Forty years after Elmer T. Lee created the modern single-barrel bourbon, Buffalo Trace honours him with the 40th Anniversary Edition: uncut, unfiltered single barrels at 124.8–138.6 proof, $99.99 — sold through a brand-new online “Bottle Draw” (register 15–17 September, draw 22 September, gift-shop collection from 28 September). The draw system itself is news — a response to years of gift-shop lottery complaints.
— Breaking Bourbon
Penelope Architects of Golf “Hole 1” — 9/10, the first swing of an 18-bottle series
Charles Steele tees off on the first release in Penelope’s new Architects of Golf collection — each “hole” a distinct batch exploring a different stave profile, honouring the golf-course origins of the fast-growing brand. Floral nose, pineapple cream, charcoal-to-chocolate-milk palate, and at $59.99 “clearly tailored for consumers”: a hole in one on value, seventeen batches still to play.
— The Whiskey Wash
Starlight 10 Year Reserve (114.2 proof) — 8/10, Indiana’s estate bourbon grows up
Charles Steele on the Huber’s Farm sweet-mash, double-pot-distilled ten-barrel blend (~2,000 bottles, $250): “a nice 10-year bourbon with strong earth tones more traditional of aged bourbons” — the estate-grown grain showing through.
— The Whiskey Wash
Redemption Single Barrel Bottled in Bond — Rating: B
Douglas Fraser rates the brand’s first bottled-in-bond single barrel a solid B — MGP-pedigree rye-recipe bourbon playing it straight under the bond rules.
— The Whiskey Reviewer
Available Now — Local Online Retailers
Not much change from last week, so I’ll skip this section this week.
Upcoming Events
The Whisky Experience at The Firs
Friday, 18 September 2026 | The Firs, Rosebank, Johannesburg | R390pp
An evening showcasing more than 70 whiskies from a wide range of producers, styles and countries, with live entertainment. Guests can explore and taste at their own pace from 6pm to 9pm. VIP access is also available at R1,500pp, offering a more intimate experience with a hand-picked selection of rare and exceptional whiskies, hosted by expert presenters.
Book via WhiskyBrother
Weird & Wonderful @ Queens
Friday, 18 September 2026 | Queen’s Lounge | R500pp
An exclusive tasting exploring five unconventional, experimental and unexpected whiskies that challenge the traditional boundaries of the category. Seating is limited and advance booking is essential.
Book via bar@queenslounge.co.za
Aberlour Whisky Tasting Experience
Tuesday, 22 September 2026 | Bottega Parkhurst, Johannesburg | R895pp
An exclusive guided tasting of Aberlour 12, 16 and 18 Year Old, alongside the richly sherried A’bunadh, presented by Prestige Brand Ambassador Taneal Van Der Merwe. The R895 ticket includes the four-whisky tasting, a 2-course meal and waiter gratuity. Tasting starts at 7pm at Bottega Parkhurst, 22d 4th Avenue. Limited seats available.
RSVP via email to parkhurst@bottegacafe.co.za
Highland Park Heritage Day Whisky Tasting & Spit Braai
Thursday, 24 September 2026 | The Whisky Shop, Fourways | R900pp
A Heritage Day afternoon featuring a guided tasting of Highland Park 12, 15 and 18 Year Old, followed by a traditional South African spit braai. The R900 ticket also includes a bottle of Highland Park 12 Year Old. Tasting starts at 1pm at The Whisky Shop, The Gantry Shopping Centre, Fourways.
Book via The Whisky Shop
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 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
Auction & Market Watch
A Macallan 1949 at £15,000 — and 88 years of Glenlivet for £850: Scotch Whisky Auctions’ 183rd sale closes
The 4,645-lot sale closed Sunday 13 September, and the results (verified Monday on SWA’s own lot pages) tell a tidy story about where the money sits. The headline Macallan Fine & Rare 1949 52yo (distilled 28 May 1949, bottled 2002 from first-fill sherry hogshead 935, 41.1% — case “compromised by liquid and residue”) hammered at £15,000; the Michter’s Celebration Sour Mash 2025 (bottle 281 of 315, 57.6%, a marriage of seven barrels aged 12 to 30+ years) made £7,000; a Suntory Hakushu 1984 Distillery Treasured Pure Malt took £900. And the sale’s romantic pick, the pre-war Glenlivet 1938 Gordon & MacPhail (70° proof, label wear), went for just £850 — a lot of drinking history for the money.
— Scotch Whisky Auctions
The rarest Japanese whisky ever auctioned: a unique Karuizawa 1960 heads to Sotheby’s New York
Sotheby’s “Whisky & Whiskey” sale offers Karuizawa 1960 Cask #5627 “The Prototype” — one of only two bottles ever hand-drawn at full strength (58.3%) from the distillery’s oldest cask, distilled 1 February 1960 and bottled by final master distiller Osami Uchibori in 2012 — estimated at US$400,000–600,000. The same cask’s 41-bottle commercial release (at 51.8%) includes the Zodiac Rat that made £363,000 at Sotheby’s London in 2020.
— WhiskyIntelligence
A Port Ellen cask at €1 million — with permission to reach 50 years old
Fine Spirits Auction, France’s leading online spirits auctioneer, has opened bidding — in partnership with Diageo — at €1m (~£865,000) on 1979 Cask of Distinction No. 1145: a refill American oak hogshead filled on 15 February 1979, four years before the Islay distillery fell silent, now maturing at Royal Lochnagar. The buyer gets a rare dispensation to keep it in wood until 16 February 2029 — a 50-year-old Port Ellen — with an estimated 73 bottles at 51.4%. Charles MacLean’s official note calls it “as good a Port Ellen as I have ever tasted”. The same cask fetched £875,000 at auction in 2022.
— The Whiskey Wash
Worth Reading
Finlandia: rye, saunas and the spirit of Isokyrö
Gordon Thomson travels to the remote Finnish parish where Kyrö Distillery — famously conceived during a 2012 sauna session — makes 100% Finnish rye whisky in a converted dairy on the site of the 1714 Battle of Napue. Barrel-sauna “Sauna Stories” maturation, the new Game of Thrones pair (Whisky of Fire and Whisky of Blood), and a portrait of Nordic whisky’s strangest success story.
— Barley Magazine
The time for Retribution
Tom Pattinson profiles Somerset’s Retribution Distilling, whose founder Richard Lock has published a “Declaration of Intent” after six years of experimentation: gin and rum dropped, Somerset peat giving way to locally felled applewood smoke, heritage barleys (Plumage Archer, Maris Otter, Chevalier), week-plus fermentations and direct-fired stills he designed himself — plus a resignation from the English Whisky Guild (“£500 was better spent on half a ton of grain”). A 180-bottle chestnut-cask release lands mid-September.
— Barley Magazine
Inside one of the UK’s largest rare-bourbon collections
Rupert Hohwieler profiles Robert Streter, curator of the 500-plus-bottle Bourbon Bar at London’s JW Marriott Grosvenor House: a Prohibition-era Hill and Hill (distilled 1917, bottled 1933) poured at £1,200 per 25ml, a guest “liquor cabinet” programme, and a hand-built Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned trolley. American whiskey as museum practice — and hospitality theatre.
— The Spirits Business
“Islay in every drop”: Adam Hannett on filling Jim McEwan’s shoes
An interview with Bruichladdich’s master blender: growing up on Islay, joining the visitor centre at the 2001 reopening, learning at the elbow of Duncan McGillivray, and the push past 50% Islay-grown barley across Bruichladdich, Port Charlotte and Octomore — plus the detail that his first taste of whisky came as a teething baby, rubbed on the gums. His tip for what’s next: watch the Nordics. His desert-island dram: Port Charlotte 10.
— Whisky Monkeys
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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