Whisky from The Glenlivet is known for its generous, fruity style, but did you know that in the past, its spirit was always lightly peated? The Speyside distillery has just launched the third bottling in its ongoing Nàdurra range, following the First Fill and Oloroso expressions. The new whisky was finished in casks that used to contain heavily peated whisky, which wraps a subtle layer of smoke around the fruit.

Alan Winchester, master distiller at The Glenlivet

Glenlivet’s master distiller Alan Winchester said that the distillery only started to phase out its use of peat after World War II, when...

After a difficult start to life, Benriach has emerged from the shadows and is now a highly regarded Speyside distillery. It closed after just two years in 1900, with a 65-year gap until it reopened in 1965. But since Billy Walker bought Benriach with the help of a consortium in 2004, the distillery has gone from strength to strength, with a clutch of well-received releases. Benriach brand ambassador Stewart Buchanan led our latest Whisky Exchange tasting, giving plenty of inside info on what goes on – with a few drams along the way, of course.

Benriach Distillery was bought by...

Diageo whisky ambassador Colin Dunn

Colin Dunn has done more than most to get people switched on to whisky. After a spell with Suntory, he moved to Diageo in 2008, educating drinkers about the delights of the company’s numerous single malts, as well as the Johnnie Walker range. Here he talks about his life in whisky…

‘When I first tried the Classic Malts, I was amazed how different they all were, and how I needed to know more about them – it was like Howard Carter opening the tomb of Tutankhamun ’

‘ I’m not Scottish, but I’m Cornish , so...

Happy Glenfarclas 105 Day everyone!

Now, while this maj not be the most well-known of whisky-related holidays – those honours go to World Whisky Day and International Whisk(e)y Day – the 105th day of the year (14 april) is an excellent excuse to grab a dram of Glenfarclas’s sherry monster.

When it comes to my formative whisky experiences, my first encounter with Glenfarclas 105 is leader of the pack – it is the first whisky that I remember. At the tender age of five years old (almost six – I have been told that I was very concerned with that...

Oban was one of the first whisky distilleries I visited; it was more than a decade ago, but I remember it well. Situated on Scotland’s west coast in the heart of the Highland town of the same name, Oban is one of the most popular whisky tours in the country, and with good reason.

Oban Distillery is located in the middle of the eponymous town

Little Bay is this much-loved distillery’s latest whisky, and to celebrate, The Whisky Exchange is giving one person the chance to experience a trip to Oban for themselves. All you need to do to be in...

Finding good whisky is difficult. I don’t mean on the shelves – despite loud online debates to the contrary, there has never been such a range of different, great-tasting drams available – but finding a cask of whisky that is not only really good but also for sale is really hard.

Fortunately, there are still independent bottlers out there who have contracts and relationships set up which let them get their hands on excellent spirit, and some of them will even let us have the occasional cask all to ourselves. Today’s guardian whisky angel is Gordon & MacPhail, owner of...

Spirit production in Britain has come a long way in the past decade. Previously just a bastion of whisky and gin , today you’ll find  aperitifs , cider brandy and even marc made on the island. Founded in west London in 2009,  Sipsmith  is widely credited as being the pioneers of the revival, with its range of gins , vodkas and liqueurs . It has been followed by a wave of new producers, each with their own style, story and ethos.

Sipsmith started the British spirits revival in 2009. From left: master distiller Jared Brown with founders Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall

Gin...

It’s time for april’s drinks of the month! We have the usual malt and spirit offers, and new for this month: sparkling wine.

The Malt of the Month is Royal Brackla 16 Year Old . Launched in 2015 as part of Bacardi’s Last Great Malts series, it’s finished in first-fill sherry casks, adding a richness to the sweet, spicy and slightly smoky whisky. It is nearly £7 off at £64.95 for the whole of the month.

Royal Brackla 16 Year Old, 40%

Tasting Notes by Stuart P

Nose : Clean, bright aromas of fresh fruit – green apple, melon and...

The Whisky Exchange has learned of a startling development that could turn the whisky industry on its head – within 12 months, every spirit produced in the EU will need to declare its age on the label . The new directive comes into force in spring 2017, and is expected to have a far-reaching impact on the industry. The new ruling is the result of lobbying from consumer groups for greater transparency in food-and-drink labelling.

The leaked EU report that could change the spirits industry forever

Distilleries will have just one year to adjust to the legislation, and the effects will be far-reaching....

Peat has always been a divisive subject among whisky drinkers. For every individual who craves that salty, smoky hit that peaty whisky provides, there’ll be another who shies away and heads for a gentler, fruitier dram. Well, peat haters should look away now, as this post is all about the latest release from Speciality Drinks’ Elements of Islay range: Peat .

The latest addition to the Elements of Islay range: Peat

We first wrote about Peat here , so without covering too much of the same ground, Peat is the first ongoing release in the Elements range and is a...

I’ve had a fascination with aquavit for a long time. Admittedly, I’m a fan of caraway-flavoured spirits in general, as explored in my kummel post. Last month I took a trip to Norway to visit Arcus Gruppen’s distillery near Oslo to see how Linie is produced.

Aquavit (also spelled ‘akvavit’) is a flavoured spirit produced throughout Scandinavia, with a small amount made in Germany, too. To be called aquavit under EU law, it must have a minimum strength of 37.5% abv and the predominant spice must be either caraway or dill, in a similar way that juniper must be the main...

With a year of 200th birthday celebrations behind them, you’d think that the folks at  Laphroaig might want to have a rest. That’s not their style, and they have kicked off 2016 with a new ongoing release – Laphroaig Lore .

The idea behind Laphroaig Lore comes in two parts – the taste and the name. The former  comes from Laphroaig’s tagline: ‘the most richly flavoured of all Scotch whiskies’. While Laphroaig is typically pretty rich – smoky and intensely flavoured – there isn’t a whisky in the lineup designated ‘the most richly flavoured of all Laphroaig whiskies’. With the release...

Today is the start of Whisky Live London (tickets still available here ) and that means that last night marked the announcement of the winners of the World Whiskies Awards 2016 .

The World Whiskies Awards judges – if you look very carefully you can see the top of my head

I’ve been a judge for the awards for the past two years, and have been waiting patiently since the beginning of februari to find out which whiskies have won this time. The judging process began back in december, when the panel of judges received packs of anonymously labelled samples...

Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day, and while I will inevitably drink a pint of Guinness and a shot of Jameson , I try to spend the day looking at another side of Irish drinks. Last year I delved into the world of Irish cream liqueurs , but this time I’ve decided to step further back into Ireland’s drinking history and look at the original Irish spirit – poteen aka poitín .

These days, whiskey is the best-known spirit produced in Ireland, but back before commercial distilling, poteen was what people made and drank. Poitín, pronounced ‘potcheen’ and often anglicised as poteen...

After a whisky-heavy beginning to our tastings calendar, we jumped away from Scotland for something more exotic – Plantation Rum .

Alexandre Gabriel and the TWE Spirit of the Year, Plantation Barbados XO

We were joined for the evening by founder and master blender Alexandre Gabriel, who brought with him a wide range of rums to demonstrate the various different ideas that drive Plantation. If you’d like to learn a bit more about the company, have a read of this post from earlier in the year, but today I’m going to focus on the rum.

In short, Plantation is an...

‘If it has been done before, we are not interested in doing it.’ An apt motto when you learn that it comes from Corsair , the US-based distiller that has turned more than a few heads with its unconventional releases using diverse ingredients such as pumpkin , quinoa and vanilla beans .

Corsair president/distiller Andrew Webber (left) and owner/distiller Darek Bell

Based across two sites – one in Nashville, Tennessee and the other further north in Bowling Green, Kentucky – Corsair was founded by childhood friends Darek Bell (a graduate of the now-defunct Bruichladdich Distilling Academy) and Andrew Webber. They...

Our fortnightly London tastings follow a theme, often a single type of spirit or a range of products from one brand. Sometimes it coincides with the launch of a new product, as was the case for our recent Elements of Islay tasting with occasional blog contributor Oliver Chilton , where we were treated to the first public outing of the brand’s new blended malt: Peat .

Elements of Islay was launched in 2008 by our sister company Speciality Drinks. Selected by Oliver, for the past eight years, the Elements range has been a series of cask-strength single malts from Islay distilleries, each...

The big Champagne houses are some of the best-known brands on the planet – the likes of Krug , Bollinger and Moët et Chandon . But there is another side – the world of growers’ Champagne .

Growers’ Champagne accounts for less than 20% of all Champagne production

People are surprised when they learn that most Champagne houses don’t grow the majority of their own grapes, but it’s true. The big names rely on the hard work of the small growers to supply them with the raw materials they need for their bottles of fizz. But there are plenty of...

Easter is just a few weeks away, so for the sweet-toothed among you, we have an ideal  Spirit of the Month  for you:  Rumchata Cream Liqueur . It’s been a huge hit in the US since its 2010 launch, and outsells cream-liqueur champion Baileys in several states.

Rumchata is a blend of Caribbean rum , real dairy cream from Wisconsin, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and other secret spices. It’s based on horchata , the popular Latin American drink made with rice, sugar and vanilla, and once opened, it will keep for up to six months, too.

It was very popular when we...

For mars’s Champagne of the Month , we’ve chosen an iconic pink Champagne: Laurent-Perrier Rosé. One of the first non-vintage rosé Champagnes when it was launched in 1968, it has become instantly recognisable around the world. Noted for its curved bottle inspired by those of the late-16th and early-17th centuries, and unrivalled fruity flavour.

Champagne Laurent-Perrier is situated in Tours-sur-Marne, a few miles outside Epernay

Laurent-Perrier was founded in 1812 by André Michel Pierlot, whose son, Alphonse, later inherited the estate. It received its name in 1887 when ownership passed to Mathilde Emilie Perrier, the widow of Eugène Laurent, Pierlot’s...