Scotland’s first ‘vertical distillery’ takes shape

CONSTRUCTION has begun at Scotland’s first “vertical distillery”. Foundations have been laid for the £12 million Port of Leith distillery. The site sits next door to the Ocean Terminal shopping centre and the Royal Yacht Britannia. The 40-metre tall tower will include a double-height whisky bar at its summit. The project is the brainchild of…

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A very special whisky – from The Wine Society

Peter Ranscombe tastes the first whisky from the society’s reserve cask selection. WITH a name like “The Wine Society”, it may not be the first place you’d think to look for a bottle of Scotch. But the society – or “The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society” to use its Sunday name – has form when…

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A week in whisky: Online, online and – erm – online

AS LIFE moves online once more, Scotland’s distillers are making the most of virtual opportunities. A team of 200 members of staff at Whyte & Mackay walked, ran, rowed or cycled 50,000 miles to raise £114,841 for mental health charities. Workers in Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, the United…

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A Week in Whisky: Home delivery continues

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up what’s been going down in the whisky scene in Scotland and beyond. Holyrood Distillery in Edinburgh may be having to shut its courtyard bar in line with the latest coronavirus restrictions, but its collection and home delivery service is continuing. Offers include its picnic gin package It’s also still offering socially-distanced tours…

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Caithness distillery picks its name

SCOTLAND’S most northerly mainland whisky distillery has revealed its name – “8 Doors Distillery”. Kerry and Derek Campbell, who were granted planning permission last year, expect to open the distillery in John o’Groats next year. It will be the Caithness village’s first distillery since 1837. They are launching two “clubs” – both named after the…

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‘Whisky Galore!’ bottle bought by maritime museum

A BOTTLE of Scotch salvaged from the ship that inspired Whisky Galore! has been bought by the Scottish Maritime Museum. The unlabeled bottle of blended whisky was salvaged from the SS Politician, which ran aground off the Isle of Eriskay in 1941. George Currie, a diver from Orkney, recovered the bottle from the wreck in…

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A Week in Whisky: Thinking outside the box

EVENTS operator The Whisky Lounge has unveiled its first online festival. Its “Whisky Festival in a Box” will be broadcast live from the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery on 16-18 October. The festival consists of seven themed tasting sessions – “Scotch #1, Scotch #2, World, Asian, English, Indie and Peated” – with each session accompanied by…

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Glencairn marks 20th birthday with coloured glasses

GLENCAIRN Crystal Studio is marking the 20th anniversary of its eponymous glass by launching a range of colours. The family-owned company released a limited edition black Glencairn glass last year and has now added blue, gold, green and red glasses to its line-up. The five colours are going on sale individually and as a six-pack…

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A Week in Whisky: ‘Pat’s’ collection goes under the hammer

THE largest whisky collection ever to come up for auction starts going under the hammer today. More than 9,000 bottles have been assembled by “Pat”, an anonymous collector, and are together expected to fetch $5 million (£3.9m). The first batch will be on sale at WhiskyAuctioneer.com until 5 October. Iain McClune, the website’s founder, said:…

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Whisky expert unveils ‘a taste profile for everyone’

THE Whisky Cellar founder Keith Bonnington has released a series of ten unique single casks bottled under his company’s new “Private Cellars Selection” label. The casks include a mixture of barrels, hogsheads, butts and a quarter cask, with just 2,100 bottles being filled. Bonnington, who has worked in the whisky industry for 18 years, said:…

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