The long road to Islay
Planes, trains and automobiles as Dave Broom leaves County Cork for the pleasures of Port Ellen.
Planes, trains and automobiles as Dave Broom leaves County Cork for the pleasures of Port Ellen.
With Port Ellen, Brora and Rosebank set to reopen, Dave Broom looks at the broader context.
An innovative Irish whiskey project opens up a new world of traceability and flavour profiles.
Dave Broom acquires a new t-shirt, and with it a sudden realisation of time passing.
If you’re buying whisky at auction it will pay to do your own research, says Dave Broom.
The construction and early life of the Islay distillery is part cautionary tale, part inspiration.
A new release from Martell in the US says much about the rise and rise of single malt Scotch.
Scotch brands and classic cocktails are failing to inspire bartenders, says Becky Paskin.
The surge in new Scotch distilleries has some striking similarities to the Victorian whisky boom.
Rare Scotch whisky has moved out of the reach of many, but there’s still pleasure to be had.
Rarity has many facets, writes Dave Broom, including the decision to share the rare.
What do Lidl’s cut-price whiskies have in common with Diageo’s latest batch of collectors’ items?
As the Islay distillery’s manager marks 10 years at the helm, Richard Woodard looks back.
Dave Broom wonders why whisky doesn’t embrace the floral flavours found in ancient Scottish spirit.
In Scotch whisky and in the wider world, says Richard Woodard, nothing lasts forever.
A Brighton bat walk stirs thoughts of silent stills and dormant distilleries in Dave Broom.
Tales of the Cocktail is exhausting, enthralling – and increasingly embracing Scotch whisky.
Cult bottles spark furious bidding wars and soaring prices. But just who is being greedy here?
Reflecting on a busy Islay Festival 2018, Becky Paskin presents her ultimate survival guide.
Why Scotch marketers should beware swapping one dead language for another.
Whisky-scented moustache wax is another attempt by Johnnie Walker to grab the attention of hipsters.
The world has changed since Marty McFly first graced our screens; it has for whisky at any rate.
Two great figures of Port and Scotch whisky, connected by their personal prejudices.
Whisky is complex and there’s no room for ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ attitudes, says Dave Broom.
Clichés are rooted in truth, says Dave Broom, so don’t ignore them – but look beyond them.
The very best of whisky exists on a ‘higher level of bullshit’, writes Dave Broom.
We delve further into the plans to revive the two cult distilleries after nearly 40 years.
Plans to revive the Islay distillery have been submitted to the local council for approval.
Retail figures also include liqueur and RTD sales, blended Scotch brand The Famous Grouse claims.
Whisky from the lost distillery sits at the heart of the new Johnnie Walker Ghost & Rare edition.
The first in a new series of bottlings from the lost Islay distillery is a 39-year-old malt.
The currently silent Islay distillery will be set up to produce various styles of whisky.
The Lagavulin manager will leave her post to bring the cult Islay malt back into production.
The two cult distilleries will restart production by 2020 in a £35m investment by owner Diageo.
The complete set from 2001 to 2016 could fetch up to £25,000 at Bonhams in Edinburgh.
Counterfeit copies of western brands don’t just disappoint consumers – they can kill them.
A passionate advocate of Scotch single malt, his name will always be associated with a shop in Soho.
The latest moves on ‘Whisky Island’, including new, revived and expanding distilleries.
Counting down the big news items that made the headlines on Scotchwhisky.com this year.
Now just an empty shell, the Falkirk distillery could be producing spirit within two years.
Special Releases pricing has soared in recent years – but how and why? Let’s crunch some numbers…
The biggest news items of the year, as featured on the pages of Scotchwhisky.com.
With poor ferry links and crumbling roads, ‘whisky island’ faces a number of challenges.
Recalling a year of shocks, surprises, new whiskies, fake bottles and controversy.
Investigating the history of the 1926 single malts that sold for US$1m-plus at auction.
After years of record-breaking increases, there are signs that the market may be softening.
As auction prices soar, does whisky’s secondary market have a serious counterfeit problem?
Did the Jack Daniel’s owner overpay in spending £285m on BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh?
Under new owner Lalique, the team at the Perthshire distillery has a familiar look.
Macallan Edition No 2 celebrates distillery’s collaboration with restaurant El Celler de Can Roca.
The oldest release from Port Ellen distillery is among Diageo’s 2016 Special Releases.
For the first time, Port Ellen and Brora are absent from Diageo’s annual Special Releases.
Collection of 42 bottles joins rare Dalmore and Port Ellen in Hong Kong auction this weekend.
Jim Murray has named an American whiskey as ‘whisky of the year’ for three years running.
Whisky lovers can take in four distilleries while island-hopping Scotland’s west coast.
The UFC fighter has launched the Irish blend just weeks ahead of the sports’ ‘biggest-ever’ bout.
The latest addition in Glenfiddich’s Experimental Series has been finished in icewine casks.
The whisky retailer will launch a new auction site in September, with rules to combat ‘flipping’.
A collaboration with Steven Klein, the new expression is inspired by the concept of ‘time’.
Only 150 bottles of The Glenlivet Winchester Collection’s third expression have been made.
The release honours the charity’s centenary and the bottler’s personal history with the RAF.
The multinational intends to produce a variety of different whiskeys with a new US production site.
The 26-year-old GlenDronach signed by the President-elect doubled its pre-sale estimate.
Only 768 bottles of limited edition Half-Century Blend will be available to purchase.
Maureen Robinson curates the annual Special Releases for the world’s largest Scotch whisky group.
The single cask range marks the start of construction of Ardnahoe, Islay’s ninth whisky distillery.
The range includes no-age-statement, 18-year-old and 19-year-old single cask whiskies.
From the US to Asia and the Middle East, the event will offer up to 100 whiskies to taste.
The festive bottling from Douglas Laing is a cask-strength edition of the Islay blended malt.
Crown Royal takes top spot and Kentucky, Ireland and Japan share the spoils in the 2016 edition.
Scotch returns to the podium in this year’s rundown, but an American rye is Whisky of the Year.
Work has begun on Dunyvaig Castle, a fortress built a stone’s throw away from Lagavulin distillery.
The Edinburgh experience is designed to be ‘one of the greatest whisky attractions in the world’.
The 60-mile trip involves cycling and kayaking to every distillery on Islay and Jura in three days.
A selection of ‘exceptional’ whiskies have been sold to raise funds for environmental charities.
Even more rare and ‘exceptional’ bottles have been added to Whisky.Auction’s charity auction.
The Kentucky distillery’s annual collection of limited edition Bourbon and rye is on its way.
The 1926 bottle with a label designed by Sir Peter Blake sold for US$843,200 in New York.
The Islay distillery will add two more stills in a bid to cash in on the buoyant malts market.
The distillery is launching a pop-up bar to celebrate its new limited edition Glenmorangie Spìos.
The distillery has collaborated with men’s fashion label Kestin Hare on the new range.
The 10-year-old Sherry cask-matured whisky is the distillery’s first in travel retail.
The Speyside distillery’s new expression is its third travel retail-exclusive release this year.
The Highland distillery has released 16- and 23-year-old travel retail-exclusive single malts.
The Scotch industry has donated rare and vintage whiskies to fund the Beatson Cancer Charity.
The high-strength Madeira-finished blended malt is adorned with a label echoing Madeiran art.
The miniature could contain some of the only whisky left from the lost distillery.
A bottle of the ‘world’s most valuable whisky’ is to be auctioned in Edinburgh this autumn.
The distillery’s stillhouse will be entirely dismantled and rebuilt under the plans.
The Elements of Islay producer intends to build a whisky distillery on the island’s south coast.
Collectivum XXVIII features spirit from all 28 of the company’s active malt distilleries.
Ian Macleod Distillers hopes to have the coveted Lowland distillery operational by 2019.
The 2018 limited release line-up is completed by a blend of six coastal single malts.
Mix of materials makes whisky packaging hard to process for reuse, says Recycling Association.
The new NAS single malt is the first permanent addition since Corryvreckan in 2009.
The latest Ghost and Rare blend celebrates the Highland distillery, which closed in 1985.
This year’s Islay Festival has a packed menu of distillery open days and cultural events.
The Islay distillery is to build a new still house to accommodate a total of four stills.
Almost 500 rare whiskies and nine casks will be offered for sale by Sotheby’s later this month.
Plans to resurrect the cult Lowland single malt are awaiting approval by Falkirk Council.
The highly anticipated but ‘worst kept secret in malts’ is revealed months ahead of release.
Elixir Distillers’ plans include ‘underground’ warehousing, floor maltings and a rum still.
The local council has green-lighted plans to refurbish the Highland distillery’s visitor centre.
Diageo’s plans to upgrade Cardhu distillery’s visitor centre have been approved.
Diageo’s 2015 Special Releases features some familiar faces, plus a rare 40YO single grain.
A former department store on Princes Street could become a multi-million pound whisky experience.
This year’s Ardbeg Day release is the distillery’s first whisky finished in ex-rum casks.
Plans for the multi-million-pound Edinburgh attraction have been approved by authorities.
Just eight whiskies will form the distiller’s annual Special Releases collection.
Work has begun to resurrect the Highlands distillery, as its original stills are sent for repair.
The city is to welcome a state-of-the-art whisky experience as part of a £150m investment.
The Scottish government is seeking investment to bring distilling back to Dallas Dhu.
All of Diageo’s Scotch operations will be affected by strikes resulting from a pay dispute.
Travellers to Heathrow will have the chance to buy the new single cask single malt whisky.
Famously smoky Islay distillery celebrates 200th birthday with two releases of special expression.
Travel retail exclusive 32-year-old commemorates the accession to the throne of King James VI.
Priced at £16,000, Tamdhu’s oldest ever release celebrates its 120th anniversary.
The 45-year-old single malt launches a series linked to Scottish myths and legends.
The House’s exclusive Scotch whiskies will be available from Amsterdam Schiphol for the first time.
A whisky scent bar and exclusive bottlings feature at the Middle East’s first Johnnie Walker House.
The Edinburgh attraction has reported its ‘biggest ever year’ as a result of the Brexit vote.
The amount of rare Scotch whisky sold at UK auctions has hit a record high.
The island distillery is changing its entire range of whiskies as it moves in a new direction.
The festival will bring the capital’s bars together for a celebration of Scotch whisky.
Celebrating the ever-popular author, seen through the eyes of his great friend, Charles MacLean.
Take inspiration from these travel titles for your next whisky adventure.
Gaz Regan recalls the day he was ‘asked to leave’ a bar – and the drink at the centre of the tale.
From Islay to Utah, the fare offered at top whisky destinations is on the up and up.
From Amos Milburn to Metallica, this is how whisky made its mark on music. Rock on!
For over 200 years, the Mint Julep has offered icy refreshment on sweltering summer days.
UK chefs and sommeliers are increasingly – and successfully – pairing whisky with their menus.
The Whisky Virgin wonders how seriously to take the preference of just one whisky critic.
This summer, leave the sunbed behind in favour of a net, a rake and some seafood foraging tips.
A selection of some of the best al fresco watering holes to enjoy a whisky tipple this summer.
If pre-1960s single malt was so wonderful, why isn’t it being made any more? The Prof answers all.
There’s always something new to learn about whisky, as the Whisky Virgin discovers.
With Thanksgiving approaching, our hapless Whisky Virgin sets out to learn about American whiskey.
Out to impress the rellies, our Whisky Virgin ponders which drams to crack open for Christmas.
The Whisky Virgin puts aside his preconceptions to discover the beauty of youthful Scotch.
The Virgin heads to Islay to find out if its whisky really is too intense for beginners.
The Whisky Virgin discovers the price of rare whisky, but its value is another question altogether.
A frustrating brush with the latest Ardbeg release leaves the Virgin with a fresh dilemma.
A search for ancestral roots leads the Virgin on a quest for Irish whiskey’s true style.
Our innocent Whisky Virgin has fallen in love at last – but, sadly, all is not sweetness and light.
Our Whisky Virgin’s quest for enlightenment leads him to an examination of Scandinavian whisky.
The compelling tale of one of the most infamous episodes in British corporate history – 30 years on.
These top tips will help you make the most of whichever whisky show you’re visiting.
From disturbed leylines to headless horsemen, distilleries have seen plenty of ghostly goings-on.
Scotch whisky personalities share their memories of how whisky has come to shape their Christmas.
We asked the experts which whiskies they’ll be sipping to ‘remember, remember the 5th of November’.
One of the world’s most famous collections of whisky has gone on display in the Netherlands.
Explore the growing world of American single malt with these imaginative – and tasty – whiskeys.
New Zealand’s craft distillers are determined to establish a distinctively Kiwi whisky style.
With the distillery’s last warehouses set for demolition, we look back at its history.
As technology advances, so too do the tasks and responsibilities of master distillers.
The traditional drinking vessel for Scotch whisky is now a medium for artistic expression.
More recently developed eco-friendly uses for whisky waste include powering distilleries and cars.
It hasn’t always been plain sailing for distillers on Scotland’s ‘whisky island’.
The popularity of single malt stretches back to the 1820s, when it was a royal favourite.
The region’s deep whisky roots encompass the likes of Ferintosh, Dalmore and Balblair.
Alternative grains are back in fashion as distillers add oats, rye and wheat to their pots.
It’s made for drinking, so why have some whiskies now become collectors’ items?
With over 40 new distilleries opening this decade, is Scotch on course to repeat history?
Track down these public collections of rare bottles for a glimpse of whisky’s storied past.
These are the hotspots to hit if you want to earn your drams the hard way.
It’s often not until a distillery’s demise that its worth is fully appreciated, says Dave Broom.
From stocking fillers to blowout experiences, we’ve got presents for whisky fans on every level.
Drink better during this season’s music festivals with these campsite-friendly novelty hip flasks.
Dave Broom explores how peat is cut and burned, and busts myths surrounding PPM and peaty water.
Edrington’s move to Glasgow brings to an end The Fair City’s long-standing association with Scotch.
Fill your glasses with cask-driven whiskies, overflowing with fruits, wood character and memories.
A deconstruction of the unique charms of this much-loved Islay distillery, now 200 years old.
Time to celebrate dads everywhere, and to share a glass of his favourite whisky with the old man.
Can the maverick Islay distillery maintain its independence after acquisition by Rémy Cointreau?
Twenty years on, recalling the night when spirit once again ran from Ardbeg’s stills.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement ignites anticipation for more Royal Wedding whiskies.
Are you a malt maniac or dram dunce? Put your brains to the test in our annual whisky quiz.
These are the whisky distilleries gaining a reputation for their Scottish gins.
Are you a whisky buff or novice? Test your knowledge in our annual whisky quiz.
Maintaining quality and consistency is vital when you’re selling millions of bottles a year.
With 10 whisky distilleries opening this year, Scotch is on track for unprecedented growth.
At least nine new whisky distilleries are set to open in Scotland in the next 12 months.
Go one better than a bottle of Scotch and give an alternative Christmas whisky gift this year.
The man who owned five Islay distilleries, who was also a great agricultural moderniser.
IMD’s managing director on rebuilding Rosebank and taking calculated risks.
As the retailer celebrates 60 years, LMDW’s CEO explains why whisky is more than just a business.
The chairman of Douglas Laing & Co. on blended malts, family ties and Clutha distillery.
From plots to assassinate Lenin to championing malts over blends, the dramatic story of ‘RBL’.
The English-born journalist and polemicist loved controversy, and Johnnie Walker Black Label.
Recalling the Queen’s late sister, a controversial figure noted for her love of The Famous Grouse.
The American writer and poet had a lasting, but devastating, love for Scotch whisky.
The Rat Pack reveller was known for his friendly, ‘drunky’ performances and fondness for J&B Rare.
A defining whisky experience led Hills to create the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
'Hal' Currie brought distilling back to the Isle of Arran after more than 150 years.
The Irishman’s work on continuous distillation transformed the world of Scotch whisky.
Flamboyance, fraud and 500 talking parrots: when boom turned to bust with the ‘Pattison Crash’.
The globe-trotting extrovert and born salesman was one of Scotch’s most colourful characters.
Great-grandson of The Glenlivet founder and survivor of both World Wars.
The little-known story of the man who wrote one of Scotch whisky’s most important books.
He was the man behind the distillery’s cult 1960s and 1970s bottlings – but how did he do it?
The ‘Whisky Baron’ overcame ill-health to create some of Scotch’s most successful blends.
Delve into the life of the forgotten hero behind the Craigellachie distillery, hotel and village.
Myths, escalating prices and how he was ‘trapped’ into collecting the legendary Islay single malt.
The coded labels, originally born out of necessity, have created a cult whisky range.
The life of a Laphroaig lover – and the difficulties of building such a huge collection today.
What started as a hobby turned into a sound investment for this Strathisla-loving Swiss.
How a memorable Macallan sparked a passion for rare whiskies – especially those of a certain age.
Inside the Frenchman’s astounding whisky collection, some of which dates back to WWII.
What started as a standard whisky tasting ended with a new found fixation collecting rare Ardbegs.
For nearly two decades, the closed distillery has been a fascination for the Dutchman.
The Hong Kong bar owner has developed broad tastes, from Hanyu to Laphroaig and Bowmore.
A rare look inside the German’s 25-year collection, including a series of 1960s Laphroaigs.
An endeavour to taste as many whiskies as possible uncovered a penchant for St Magdalene Scotch.
The Belgian electrician who came late to whisky, but indulges his passion to the full.
A chance encounter with a knowledgeable bartender was the beginning of a life-long love for whisky.
The Falkirk native is enchanted by Rosebank distillery, particularly bottlings by SMWS.
The winemaker’s fondness for rare Highland Park bottlings came about during a trip to Italy.
The rare whisky expert collects ‘anything and everything’ and has a fondness for unique bottles.