Former rugby star has made whisky his business

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions rugby player Chris Cusiter has put his love of whisky to the fore with a new life and career in California. How did you make the transition from Scottish rugby to the American whisky industry? A friend who works in whisky in California planted the seed when my…

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Scotland’s craft beer scene is booming with these gems

Craft beer is seemingly at an all time high right now and nowhere is that more apparent than here in Scotland. There are now over 100 breweries operating north of the border for the first time in over a century according to CAMRA. Scots craft beer giants Brewdog have recently announced plans to open a…

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A handy guide to enjoying the perfect whisky

It’s the age-old question debated among whisky lovers around the world: what makes the perfect dram? With such a range of flavours and styles of single malts across Scotland, there is a great deal of variation even among whisky aficionados. We asked John MacDonald, distillery manager at Balblair, based in Edderton on the Dornoch Firth, for his opinion…

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Book review: Japanese Whisky by Brian Ashcraft

What’s the story? Japanese whisky has been around for less than a century, and this book by Brian Ashcraft, with Idzuhiko Ueda and Yuji Kawasaki, highlights the rapid growth in the industry, revealing the secrets of the master distillers of the Far East. It features never-before-published archival images and interviews chronicling the forgotten stories of…

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Distillery receives a trio of honours at world awards

A Scots distillery has been toasting its success at the recent World Whiskies Awards. Loch Lomond Group’s single malts triumphed across a range of categories at the 2018 World Whiskies Awards, including a trio of prestigious Best in Class accolades. The Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old Single Malt, which is produced at the group’s…

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Celebrating the joy of Scotch whisky in Australia

My involvement with whisky is pretty intense. I am the state manager for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for Western Australia, and I work for an importer who brings whisky into Australia. I run my own whisky blog called SquidgyAsh the Whisky Fiend, and along with co founding Dram Full Australia, I am also in…

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Artist Carne Griffith’s whisky art is neatly done

Fine artist Carne Griffith is taking the art world by storm with his signature style and striking images created using intricate layers of whisky and ink. There’s many an artist who will have imbibed a dram or two to help their creative juices flow. What is less common than an artist drinking the alcohol, however,…

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It’s treble tops for Tullibardine at spirits awards

A whisky is celebrating after it netted a hat-trick at the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Tullibardine has been awarded three medals at the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, with two of its aged finishes – 20 Years Old and 25 Years Old – and Tullibardine Sovereign recognised for excellent quality at the esteemed awards ceremony. Awarded 93…

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Distillery marks 50 years with first release since takeover

The GlenAllachie Distillery has released its first ever bottling since its takeover last year. Billy Walker, the master distiller who last year led a consortium in the purchase iof the GlenAllachie Distillery, near Aberlour in Speyside, is releasing a special bottling of limited edition whiskies as his first product launch from the site, after examining…

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The most incredible ‘secret’ collection of whisky

Secret Scottish whisky bars come in all shapes and sizes.  The whisky bar in the officers’ mess at 45 Commando’s Arbroath headquarters is one of the whisky world’s hidden gems. From the outside, it  looks like a fairly utilitarian modern building. In fact, the single-storey building at RM Condor near Arbroath looks like a supersized suburban…

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