Whisky
Restoration of endangered Castletown Mill reaches new milestone in becoming distillery
The endangered 19th-century Castletown Mill in Caithness has marked a significant milestone in its transformation, becoming wind and watertight for the first time in decades. The historic grain mill, located near the Castle of Mey, has long been disused and dangerous, despite it being a prominent landmark at the edge of the town. King Charles…
Read MoreScottish star Ewan McGregor raises £135k for charity after auctioning off 150 bottles of whisky
Scottish actor Ewan McGregor has raised £135,000 for charity after auctioning 150 bottles of whisky from his own personal cask at Lochranza Distillery. Some 543 bidders from 28 countries placed over 7,000 bids on Ewan’s Cut with bottle number one achieving a hammer price of £4,350, setting a new record for the highest price ever…
Read MoreIsle of Harris Distillery releases second expression of The Hearach
The Isle of Harris Distillery has released the second permanent expression within The Hearach single malt range, The Hearach Oloroso Cask. It comes a year after the release of the long awaited first expression of Isle of Harris whisky which sold out in less than five hours – after more than 25,000 people queued online…
Read MoreA Tale of Two Islands: The latest drams from the Isle of Raasay and Lochranza distillery
Over the past few months there have been some new whisky releases, two of which James Robertson was lucky enough to have a chance to review. The first I am trying comes from the Isle of Raasay. I met with Alasdair Day, Co-Founder and Master Distiller at their spacious offices on Manor Place, Edinburgh…
Read MoreQ&A with Karuizawa’s Master Distiller, Yoshiyuki Nakazato
Founded in 1955 in Miyota, Japan, a small town with a humid continental climate located on the foothills of Mount Asama in the Nagano Prefecture, Karuizawa Distillery was known for its creative and high-quality small-batch sherry-cask releases. After closing in 2000, Karuizawa vintages were highly sought after, evidenced by the bottles sold on whisky market…
Read MoreScottish star Ewan McGregor to auction 150 bottles of whisky from his personal cask at Lochranza Distillery
Scottish star Ewan McGregor is set to auction 150 bottles of whisky from his own personal cask at Lochranza Distillery for charity. The rare 26 year old Arran Single Malt, matured in an ex-Sherry Hogshead cask, is one of the oldest whiskies ever produced by the distillery. McGregor first toasted the inaugural cask of the…
Read MoreThe Macallan releases rare 84 Year Old dram – its oldest ever whisky
The Macallan has released a rare 84 Year Old dram – the oldest whisky to come from the distillery. The whisky, from 1940, forms part of a collection to celebrate 200 years of the Speyside distillery, called TIME:SPACE. The 84 Year Old will be housed in a dual chamber bottle alongside a second single malt…
Read MoreCharity founded by whisky writer Charlie Maclean helps bring clean water to nearly 2,000 after first year
A fledgling Scottish charity founded by iconic whisky writer Charlie Maclean has provided clean water for life to 1,847 Madagascans after just a year. The Maclean Foundation (TMF) was founded in August last year by Lachlan, Ewan, and Jamie Maclean, and their father, Charlie. In its first year of operation, the charity has raised funds…
Read MoreThe Balvenie launches first in a trilogy of rare expressions
The Balvenie has launched the first in a trilogy of rare expressions that will form a new collecion to be released over three years. The first expression, which comes in at £42,500, is a single cask expression selected by Malt Master, Kelsey McKechnie and aged in a European oak refill butt first filled in 1973.…
Read MoreBeyoncé launches whisky after collaborating with a leading Scotch expert
Pop sensation Beyoncé has launched her own whisky, after collaborating with a leading Scotch expert. The star worked with Moët Hennessy, a subsidiary of LVMH, to create SirDavis, named after her great-grandfather Davis Hogue. Hogue was a farmer and a moonshiner in the American South during Prohibition. He stashed whisky bottles in the empty knots…
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