How to enjoy professional cocktails at home

Peter Ranscombe puts Drinks-At-Home, a nationwide cocktail delivery service, through its paces. HATS off to wine merchants and bottle shops for helping us to enjoy our favourite vinous treats during lockdown, but there are still a few drinks that it’s hard to get right at home. Draft beer for one – no matter how good…

Read More

Tullibardine launches first tasting pack

A DISTILLERY has launched its first tasting pack, featuring whiskies flavoured using different types of cask. Tullibardine has assembled 50 millilitre samples of the four whiskies in its signature range. Its “Sovereign” single malt is matured in former bourbon whiskey casks, while the other three whiskies in the pack spent time at the end of…

Read More

Plans for Benbecula distillery unveiled

ISLANDERS could soon be sipping a locally-made whisky instead of collecting bottles from the beach if plans for a distillery on Benbecula are given the go-ahead. Father-and-son team Angus A MacMillan and Angus E MacMillan, who set up the Uist Distilling Company, will submit plans for a £6.5 million unit at Gramsdale. They say the…

Read More

Organic distillery fills ‘Hope lies in dreams’ casks

A DISTILLERY on the Morvern peninsula is marking 2020 by launching 60 limited edition casks. Nc’nean, named after the Gaelic queen of the spirits, will stencil each of the barrels with the phrase “Hope lies in dreams” to mark the coronavirus pandemic and its impact. The casks will be filled with spirit distilled this year.…

Read More

Distillery buys Bonnie Prince Charlie’s island hideout

North Uist Distillery has bought Nunton Steadings on Benbecula, where Bonnie Prince Charlie hid following the Battle of Culloden. Master distiller Jonny Ingledew and creative director Kate MacDonald now want to turn the steading into a distillery and visitors’ centre. They want to make whisky from locally-grown bere barley, as well producing their Downpour gin,…

Read More

Charlie MacLean’s sons launch whiskies

SCOTCH expert Charlie MacLean’s sons have launched two whiskies to raise money for clean water projects in Madagascar. Just 168 bottles of MacLean’s Pillage, a blended malt, and 299 bottles of MacLean’s Spillage, a blended Scotch, will go on sale at 10am today at www.royalmilewhiskies.com and should bring in £100,000 for Argyll-based charity Feedback Madagascar…

Read More

Whisky casks go digital

RESEARCHERS at the University of Strathclyde have developed a computer simulation to help whisky distillers fill their casks without spilling any spirit. As well as the computer program, the engineers built a cask-filling test rig and achieved 99% consistency when filling a 200-litre cask in less than one minute. Inconsistent cask filling can lead to too…

Read More

Johnnie Walker unveils paper whisky bottle

THE world’s biggest Scotch whisky brand will go on sale in paper bottles from next year. Johnnie Walker has unveiled what it bills as the world’s first plastic-free, paper-based spirits bottle. The bottle is made from sustainable-sourced wood and can be recycled after it’s been used. Ewan Andrew, chief sustainability officer at Diageo, the company…

Read More

Glasgow Distillery expands exports after bank deal

THE Glasgow Distillery Company has borrowed £5.5 million from Barclays to help grow its overseas sales. The distillery will lay down more spirit to turn into whisky after signing a deal to sell drinks to Russia. Distribution deals covering Belgium and Luxembourg are also being developed. Europe is already the firm’s biggest overseas market, with…

Read More

Whyte & Mackay clocking up 29,000 miles for charity

WORKERS at whisky maker Whyte & Mackay aim to walk, run, row and cycle almost 29,000 miles at home to raise cash for charities. They are trying to raise £50,000 over the next eight weeks for good causes, including the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). As well as employees from the UK, funds will…

Read More