Iona McGeachie

Douglas Laing & Co. revealed Scallywag 18 Year Old, a limited-edition addition to its Scallywag Speyside Blended Malt Scotch Whisky range. The whisky was finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks from Jerez in southern Spain, to give a rich flavour of dark cocoa, juicy black cherries and espresso. Read More 

Johnnie Walker introduced Red Soul, a sweeter and smoother take on Red Label aimed at non-whisky drinkers. The new expression uses the same ageing cask reserves as Red Label but delivers a more mellow flavour profile. Read More

Speyside distillery Glen Moray announced it will launch Forbidden Fruit next month, a single malt finished in Calvados casks. The release joins Phoenix Rising and Twisted Vine in the distillery’s Xperience Collection. Read More 

Bruichladdich in Islay is celebrating 25 years since its resurrection with Old Skool, a 10-year-old single malt. The whisky is the first of three limited-edition anniversary releases this year and was distilled using 100% Islay-grown barley from 14 growers within nine miles of the distillery. Read More 

Murray McDavid unveiled Aficionado, a new Vintage Collection of rare, carefully selected single malt Scotch whiskies for collectors and connoisseurs, featuring 34-year-old expressions from Mortlach and Bowmore, alongside a 35-year-old from the now closed Speyside Imperial Distillery. Read More

The Netflix series, Peaky Blinders, has launched its own limited-edition Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  Created by American spirits platform Barrel Global in partnership with Banijay Rights, the entertainment company behind the TV series, the bourbon is finished with Irish whiskey oak staves – a nod to the show’s smuggling storyline. Unfortunately it’s not available in Europe, only in  the United States and Canada.  Read More 

The Dalmore introduced The Dalmore Aged 17 Years, the newest addition to its Principal Collection. The single malt is matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in a trio of sherry casks – Amoroso, Apostoles, and Matusalem – sourced exclusively from The Dalmore’s century-long partnership with González Byass. Read More

Brother’s Bond Bourbon, the celebrity whiskey brand founded by The Vampire Diaries stars Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, has launched in the UK. The brand supports regenerative farming through every bottle sold and is expanding the use of regenerative grain in its production. Its four-grain range includes a 7 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond and a Regenerative Grain expression. Read More 

Australian distillery Starward is bringing its limited-edition Lagavulin cask-finished single malt to the UK. The whisky was matured in red wine barrels before being finished in peated casks from Lagavulin on Islay, marrying bright red berry and spice notes with earthy coastal peat. Read More

The Spirits Embassy launched a rare new whisky lineup: The Imperious Whisky Reserve. The UK retailer’s debut collection features eight cask-strength single malt and single grain whiskies, each aged more than 30 years in ex-Bourbon casks. Read More 

Tamdhu is marking the Chinese Year of the Horse with its 2026 annual limited edition single malt. Tamdhu Year of the Horse 2026 is bottled at 53.8% ABV and matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry‑seasoned oak. Read More

Lagavulin Distillery in Islay unveiled its first new core range whisky in nine years: Lagavulin 11 Year Old Sweet Peat. Launching first in the US, the 43% ABV single malt is aged exclusively in first-fill American oak ex-Bourbon casks. Read More  

Redbreast added a fifth release to its Iberian Series: the Moscatel Wine Cask Edition. The limited edition single pot still Irish whiskey is finished for 16 months in Moscatel casks from Bodegas Quitapenas in Málaga. Read More 

The London Distillery Company (TLDC) revealed Ten Times Around the Sun, set to become London’s first 10-year-old single malt. Made with Quench spring barley and matured in a single ex-bourbon cask (#007), the release is accompanied with artwork marking its decade-long journey illustrating ten full solar orbits. Read More 

The Macallan launched a limited edition single malt in partnership with the James Bond franchise. Celebrating 55 years since the release of Diamonds Are Forever, the whisky has been matured for 18 years in hybrid casks made from Sherry-seasoned European and American Oak. Read More

Ardbeg unveiled a cask-strength version of Ardbeg Ten single malt, available to the distillery’s dedicated fanbase, the Ardbeg Committee. The whisky offers aromas of toffee, tar, fennel and sea spray, along with sweet sooty notes of peat moss, malt and smoked cinnamon on the palate. Read More  

The Whisky Exchange released its first four expressions of the new Zodiac series. Featuring bottles for the horoscope signs of Pisces, Aries, Taurus and Gemini, the whiskies in the collection, including Ardmore and Dailuaine, have all been selected to reflect the characteristics of each star sign. Read More 

Brother’s Bond Bourbon landed in the UK, following a distribution partnership agreed with Maverick Drinks. Founded by actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, the Brother’s Bond portfolio includes a Bottled in Bond 7 Year Old Straight Bourbon, Regenerative Grain Straight Bourbon, Straight Bourbon, and American Blended Rye Whiskey.  Read More 

Highland Single Malt Whisky, The Dalmore, launched a new permanent addition to its core portfolio: The Dalmore 17 Year Old. The whisky is finished in an exclusive trilogy of rare sherry casks: Amoroso, Apostoles, and Matusalem, from their century-long partnership with sherry producer González Byass. Read More

Tasmanian whisky distillery, Lark, revealed a new luxury single malt portfolio featuring four distinctive expressions: Fire Trail, Devil’s Storm, Ruby Abyss and Cinder Forest. The design of the new collection is inspired by Tasmania’s wild landscapes and the soaring spirit of the skylark. Read More

Johnnie Walker has partnered with acclaimed fashion designer Robert Wun to celebrate the Year of the Horse. Wun has created the striking packaging for this year’s limited-edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label Lunar New Year release, unveiled ahead of celebrations beginning on 17 February. Read More

House of Hazelwood launched a 36 Year Old sherried whisky as part of its new Warehouse Reserve series. This blended malt offers notes of maraschino cherries, coffee beans and treacle. The release is limited to 150 bottles and available to the house’s friends by invitation. Read More 

Dundee Distillers unveiled a new design for its Glencadam single malt. The design features hand-drawn illustrations by Andrew Davidson, showcasing how the distillery would have looked in its founding year of 1825. To celebrate the refreshed look, the team at Dundee Distillers released a 17 Year Old whisky, finished in Calvados casks, limited to 6,360 bottles. Read More 

Here at Glencairn, we launched our annual Crime Short Story Competition, closing on 31st March. In partnership with the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, we’re inviting experienced and novice writers to submit an original crime story up to 2,000 words long, for a chance to win £1,000. Read More 

Stirling Distillery announced its work with Heriot-Watt University to test whether aluminium bottles could replace glass for its whisky. The project will examine how whisky responds to aluminium when stored, as a potential future alternative to glass. The findings will be shared with the wider Scotch industry to support meeting the net-zero goals set by the Scotch Whisky Association. Read More 

The Glenlivet returned to its Small Batch Collection, with a 17 Year Old, 19 Year Old and 20 Year Old. Each release in the collection is bottled at cask-strength and named after the flavour profile imparted by the cask combination. The collection is available for purchase globally and from The Glenlivet’s home in Speyside. Read More

Elixir Distillers released The Elixir Trails series, featuring the first instalment of The Whisky Trail. Curated by Sukhinder Singh, the new series is available now from The Whisky Exchange and each bottle features a QR code that links to the detailed stories behind the liquid. Read More 

Lochlea launched its oldest expression so far; a limited edition 7 Year Old. This single malt whisky has been blended from seven distinct first-fill Bourbon casks and presents an aroma of stewed apples, with notes of tropical fruits, fresh oak, buttery pastry, cereal, spice and tart green apple slices on the palate. Read More 

Rita Greenwood of William Grant & Sons has been named the first female chair of the Scotch Whisky Association Council. Greenwood has worked in Scotch for over 20 years, and will lead the council, made up of 16 representatives from member companies, for the next two years. Read More 

The Whisky Exchange unveiled three January exclusives: a Scottish oak–matured Torabhaig single malt, an eight-year-old whiskey from Bardstown Bourbon Co., and a 2023 Jamaican rum from Hampden Estate. Read More 

Edrington’s Highland Park revealed a limited-edition cask-strength single malt made with 100% Orkney peat-smoked barley. Highland Park Cask Strength: Heather is the distillery’s most peated expression to date showcasing Highland Park’s signature heathered peat, responsibly sourced from nearby Hobbister Moor. Read More

Royal Salute launched its 21 Year Old Lunar New Year Special Edition, Ignite the New Year, to mark the Year of the Horse. The limited-edition gift pack features artwork by award-winning British artist Emily Carter. Read More 

Following the sell-out success of last year’s release, Teeling has reintroduced its Christmas Batch Irish whiskey to Dublin and Cork airports. The triple-distilled malt and grain blend underwent dual fermentation using white wine and distiller’s yeasts, before being finished in a combination of Port, red wine and Sherry casks. Read More

Isle of Raasay Distillery launched The Raasay Way: a two-day immersive experience of hands-on, behind-the-scenes whisky-making. Guests take part in milling, mashing, running the stills and making spirit cuts, before blending and bottling their own personalised Raasay whisky to take home. Read More 

Wearing a Santa hat and kilt, Harrison Ford delivered a festive message celebrating Glenmorangie Highland single malt Scotch whisky which follows on from the Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign this year.  Its twelve episodes told the story of Ford reluctantly shooting an advertisement for Glenmorangie, before being won over by its craft, people and whisky.  Read More 

For the first time, spirits retailer The Whisky Exchange, has awarded its Whisky of the Year for 2026 to an English single malt. Wire Works Bourbon Barrel from White Peak Distillery in Derbyshire impressed judges in a blind tasting dominated by Scottish contenders. Read More 

Benriach partnered with generative artist Stefano Contiero to release a 31 year old single malt, the first in its new Shades of Smoke collection. Distilled in 1994, the Speyside whisky highlights the gentle side of Benriach’s smoky style. Read More

Twin whiskies distilled on the same day in 1994 at Glendronach Distillery were revealed in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s latest Creators Collection release. The limited-edition Diptych pair explores symmetry and contrast through two 30 year old single casks from the same origin. Read More

Independent bottler, Rare Find, closed its 10th anniversary with a 42 year old single cask single malt from Caol Ila Distillery. Taken from refill hogshead #1288, the whisky celebrates the company’s roots, returning to the distillery that produced its very first bottling. Read More

The Glasgow Distillery announced a new limited-edition collaboration with The Whisky Shop. Glasgow 1770 The Whisky Shop Exclusive is a 9 year-old peated single malt matured for three years in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and then six years and three months in a virgin American white oak hogshead from Kentucky’s Kelvin Cooperage. Read More