Whisky news round-up: Deacon Blue, festivals, and more

Peter Ranscombe sticks his tongue in his cheek to round-up the latest news from the world of whisky. THE National Whisky Festival of Scotland returns to Edinburgh tomorrow. The festival is back at Summerhall, the arts centre in the former Royal Dick Vet School near the Meadows. Gareth Croll, the festival’s co-ordinator, said: “It’s such…

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Scottish Whisky Awards winners are unveiled

THE winners of this year’s Scottish Whisky Awards have been revealed. Raasay carried off the top prize after being named as Scottish whisky distillery of the year. The Hebridean site also carried off the prize for tourism destination of the year. Glenmorangie was the big winner in the tasting competition, carrying off seven medals, including…

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Whisky news round-up: Caskshare, Stannergill, and more

Peter Ranscombe serves up another irreverent dram of whisky news. FORGET the cost-of-living crisis – there’s still life in the whisky market. Caskshare received so much demand for £1,625 bottles of a rare Springbank 30-year-old single malt that it’s opened a ballot for the chance to buy one of the 135 bottles. John Robertson, managing…

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Borders Malt & Rye

Borders Malt & Rye undergoes the taste test from drinks blogger James Robertson. I AM a proud Scotsman and equally proud of our national drink – whisky – but I do have a confession in that I love American bourbon and rye. So when a sample of the new whisky from the Borders Distillery landed…

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Finn Thomson unveils his first whiskies

Richard Bath meets Finn Thomson, who is continuing his family’s whisky connection by setting up his own independent bottling company. I FIRST heard about Finn Thomson through a mutual friend, over a dram in a remote bar in Ardnamurchan. As someone whose day job includes being the editor of both Scottish Field, where whisky coverage…

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Whisky round-up: Halloween special

Peter Ranscombe takes a light-hearted look at how Scotland’s whisky industry is preparing for Halloween and beyond. THE Scotch Malt Whisky Society is holding its first Halloween party on Thursday at its bar on Edinburgh’s Queen Street. A clairvoyant and a tarot card reader will take up residence in the first floor library, while black…

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Whisky news round-up: Leith, Royal Mile, and more

Peter Ranscombe takes another light-hearted look at the latest whisky news. FANCY helping to invent new whiskies? Then Port of Leith has the answer. The £12 million vertical distillery – which is being built next to Ocean Terminal in, erm, the port of Leith – is launching a “quality control division” for its fans. Members…

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REVIEW: Lagg Distillery’s maiden single malt

James Robertson reviews the maiden whisky from Lagg Distillery on Arran. LAGG Distillery, the sister distillery owned by Isle of Arran Distillers, has launched its inaugural limited release single malt. A heavily-peated whisky matured in ex bourbon barrels, batch one has been highly anticipated and it does not disappoint. Lagg is located on the southern…

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What’s up with whisky: A Tale of Two Elchies

Mark Littler returns with his monthly look at the world of whisky auctions. WELCOME back, and welcome to September. This month we come to you with tales of the Elchies as we chat about the split that is appearing in the whisky bottle market. As we begin autumn, there are signs of softening across areas…

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Whisky round-up: awards, auctions, new releases, and more

Peter Ranscombe unwraps a bumper round-up of light-hearted news, releases, and more from the world of whisky. ANNANDALE distillery is toasting a brace of prizes from the Scottish Enterprise Awards. The Globe Inn on Dumfries’ high street, which the distillery took over in 2019, was named as the “best fine dining restaurant in South West…

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