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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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Glenfiddich and Hendrick’s among auction highlights

RARE bottles, exclusives tours and even a vintage-style Morgan sports car are among the lots up for grabs during drinks maker William Grant & Sons’ #Standfast charity auction week, which will raise money for The Ben Scotland and The Drinks Trust. The two charities are supporting hospitality workers affected by the coronavirus lockdowns throughout the…

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Mexico’s first whisky reaches Scotland

A NEW whisky will hit Scotland next month – and it comes from Mexico. Abasolo is the first Mexican whisky to go on sale in the UK. It’s made from Mexican corn and was produced in the Central American country’s first purpose-built whisky distillery. Destileria y Bodega Abasolo is one of the highest in the…

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Skye’s the limit for Talisker on father’s day

TALISKER has teamed up with malts.com to offer children the chance to buy their dads something a wee bit different this father’s day. Bottles of Talisker’s 10-year-old single malt whisky from Skye will be accompanied by an enamel mug. “An enamel mug is a great vessel to enjoy Talisker, with the sea salty notes and…

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Aberfeldy distillery names new manager

A JOURNEY that began with a summer job in a whisky shop in Inverness has led John MacKenzie to become the manager of Aberfeldy distillery in Perthshire. MacKenzie, 43, takes over from Carol More after serving as her second-in-command since 2013. He joined Royal Brackla distillery near Nairn in 2006 and passed his general certificate…

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