I've long had a soft spot for Speyburn. A distillery that for many years you could only catch a glimpse of while driving past outside Rothes, but which has now finally opened its doors to visitors. When I read Allt om Whisky's interview with distillery manager Euan Henderson, I recognized myself right away.
Henderson says exactly what I've been thinking: Speyburn is one of Speyside's hidden gems, a bit like its neighbour Longmorn, where he himself worked before. A small distillery with big character and a fantastic spirit, quietly working under the radar. "A blender's dream", he calls it.
What makes the story extra nice is the family connection. Euan's father is Iain Henderson, a well-known name in Scotch whisky and closely associated with Laphroaig. Euan basically grew up at distilleries like Glenlivet and Bladnoch, and was already helping his dad at the age of nine.
The whisky itself is very much about green apples, old worm tubs and a maltings that has sparked new ideas. If you haven't tried Speyburn yet, I really think you should give it a chance - especially if you like fresh, appley Speyside at a friendly price.
Each year since 2012, the International Whisky Day has been celebrated on the third Saturday of May. It was devised by Scottish writer and taster Blair Bowman. Around this occasion, Infobae published a report gathering opinions from several Argentine bartenders on how younger people's relationship with this spirit is changing.
The central idea is that whisky is no longer associated only with older people. Those who drink it today do so with more knowledge, value quality, and enjoy it in various ways: neat, with soda, or in cocktails. According to those interviewed, cocktails are the main bridge into whisky. Emilio Torres, of Enero Costanera, says they add depth, structure and identity to the drinks.
Classics mentioned include the Old Fashioned, the Manhattan, the Whisky Sour, the Rob Roy, and the Penicillin, which combines honey, ginger and lemon. Ezequiel Cunzolo, of Porte Bar, also points out that some distilleries produce malts aged 12, 15, 18 and even 25 years in sherry casks.
I enjoyed this read because it doesn't treat whisky as something solemn. Starting with a cocktail and then daring to try it neat seems like a very reasonable path, and I'm sure many of us got here that way.
Taxes are not the most glamorous whisky topic, but this one affects what ends up on shelves and in glasses. In September, Scotland's First Minister John Swinney publicly urged the UK Government to cut spirits duty in the Autumn Budget, after meeting the Council of member companies of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).
In its Budget submission to the Treasury, the SWA asked Chancellor John Healey to cut spirits excise duty. It argues that the current system taxes Scotch and other spirits up to four times more than beer, cider and wine, calling it "a broken model for Scotland". It also says a 17% rise in excise duty over three years has reduced Treasury revenue while adding pressure on producers.
The SWA points out that hospitality businesses rely on spirits for 38% of their total profits, and that the request is part of a wider call from spirits producers across the UK. Swinney said it was clear that duty rises have placed undue pressure on the industry, and SWA Chief Executive Mark Kent said a cut would have a tangible impact on producers large and small.
The industry did also welcome improvements in market access to the United States and India in 2026. Personally, I will be watching the Budget closely: whether duty actually falls will tell us a lot about how seriously the sector's argument is being taken.
Ahead of next month's UK Autumn Budget, the Scotch Whisky Association has sent its submission to HM Treasury, and its message is short: cut duty, raise revenue, boost the nation.
The association's Chief Executive, Mark Kent, argues for three things. First, a cut in excise duty on spirits. Second, correcting the tax gap between spirits and other alcohol such as beer and cider, which he says has become more stark in recent years. Third, support for growth and investment in domestic production so the industry can serve export opportunities, with India, the US and China named as key markets.
Kent describes the current treatment of spirits duty as a super tax. The submission as published does not give specific duty rates or job figures, so it reads more as a statement of direction than a detailed costing.
Whatever you think about the politics, it is a useful reminder that the price on a bottle of whisky is only partly about the liquid inside. Taxes make up a large share of what people pay, and policy decisions made in a Budget speech can reach all the way to the bar shelf. I will be curious to see what actually appears in the Budget.
On 8 October the Scotch Whisky Association, the Irish Whiskey Association and the Welsh Whisky Association put out a joint statement saying an appeal has been lodged against the approval of a Geographical Indication for English Whisky.
The three groups say they had hoped for a resolution that would protect the integrity of the Single Malt category while still letting the English GI go ahead. According to the statement, they even offered compromises to the English Whisky Guild along the way.
Their remaining concern is not the English GI as such but how it was approved. They point to inconsistencies in the process and in what it could mean for future practice, and they want high-quality definitions to underpin the Single Malt category.
I find this one interesting because it shows how much a few words on a label matter. For a drinker, the phrase single malt feels settled, yet each country's rules can quietly shape what ends up in the bottle. I will be following how the appeal plays out, and I would love to hear how people in other whisky-producing countries see the question of regional definitions.
The Deanston Distillery in the Scottish Highlands is turning 60 and marking it with a whole week of celebrations. In 1966 the site was converted from a cotton mill into a whisky distillery, and that unusual history is exactly what makes Deanston appealing to me.
The festivities run from 11 to 17 October 2026. On Wednesday, 14 October, there is a Community Day with free tours and tastings for residents of Deanston, Doune and Callander, former colleagues and local groups. There is also a big open day for everyone; it is worth checking the exact date on the distillery's website beforehand.
The programme includes behind-the-scenes tours, tastings, live music, a Master Distillers' tasting that moves through four eras of the distillery, and tours led by current and former managers. Visitors can also see the old weaving mill where Deanston has been maturing whisky since 1966. Limited-edition anniversary bottlings are on sale too.
There is a special offer for anyone turning 60 in 2026: until 21 March 2027 they can bring one guest along to a free tour or tasting. Tickets are sold through the distillery's website, and some events have limited spaces.
According to a Central News Agency report from June 4, Grand Hotel released a limited-edition '2026 Yuanshan Grand Banquet Whisky' on June 1, and more than 60% of it sold within four days. Inquiries have kept coming in both in person and online.
The spirit takes its inspiration from the Golden Dragon Rooms, which reopened in 2026 after renovation, and aims to share Taiwan's stories and culture with guests from around the world. The base is OMAR single malt whisky from the Nantou distillery of Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corporation, blended with several kinds of oak casks. The core is bourbon casks from Scotland and the Netherlands, with Irish bourbon casks and new Australian oak added. Passion fruit casks from Puli and lychee liquor casks from Changhua bring fruity notes, while 10-year bourbon casks and 15-year PX sherry casks add layers of depth.
The label centers on the Golden Dragon Fountain, with golden roof ridges, cloud and water patterns, and pine and bird motifs. Separately, duty-free operator Sheng Heng Chang has teamed up with the Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Factory to release two Kinmen kaoliang liquors exclusive to duty-free shops. The theme is 'Refining the Azure Sky, Clouds Surging Like the Sea,' and one of them is blended with liquor aged for more than ten years.
What I find interesting is that this whisky doesn't simply copy the Scottish approach. It uses local Taiwanese fruit casks to put the character of the place directly into the spirit. With Taiwanese whisky drawing more attention on the international stage, experiments that connect a hotel, a distillery and local fruit are worth watching.
The Hioki-Kanosuke Distillery Festival 2026, co-hosted by Kosho Brewing and the Kanosuke Distillery in Hioki City, Kagoshima Prefecture, will take place on Sunday, 25 October. It runs from 10:00 to 16:00 and will go ahead even if it rains.
The venues are Kosho Brewing's Hioki distillery warehouse and the Kanosuke Distillery, both free to enter. At each venue you can have one free tasting pour, and there are whisky seminars, a cocktail bar, food trucks, live music, distillery tours and a hands-on bottling experience. There is also a special feature opening the Kanosuke aging warehouse to visitors.
The limited bottle is the highlight. The "Kanosuke Single Malt Distillery Festival 2026 Limited Bottle" is 700ml and costs 16,500 yen (tax included), sold by lottery. Applications run from 11 October to 25 October, results are announced on 1 November, and each person may buy up to two bottles. This year a 200ml mini bottle appears for the first time, priced at 4,950 yen (tax included). It goes on sale on the day at the Kanosuke Distillery on a first-come, first-served basis, limited in quantity and to one per person.
Free shuttle buses run from JR Ijuin Station to the venues, and a loop bus connects the two sites. Anyone who is driving should note that they cannot taste the whisky.
Events where you can take your time visiting Japanese craft distilleries are not that common, so I am personally happy that a mini bottle is being offered. A size that is easy to pick up also seems like a good fit for anyone who wants to try Kanosuke for the first time.
Source: Hokkaido Shimbun Digital (distributed via PR TIMES)
The end of a distilling project is always a little sad. Owl Distillery, producer of Belgian Owl Single Malt, is having its stock auctioned in several online sales through the Antwerp auction house Auctim. The distillery was founded in 2004 and relied on Belgian barley, the terroir of the Hesbaye region, and traditional single malt production.
Two copper stills from 1898 stand out in particular. They originally come from the former Caperdonich Distillery in Speyside, and hold roughly 11,000 and 8,000 liters. The original Caperdonich spirit safe is included as well.
The equipment will be auctioned from October 29 to November 12, 2026. It includes malt silos, a roller mill, mash and storage tanks, cooling stabilization and filtration equipment, a CIP cleaning system, a steam boiler, and a complete automatic bottling, labeling and packaging line from 2016.
The whisky auction comprises nearly 3,000 lots with around 20,600 bottles, including 5- and 10-year-old single malts, Pedro Ximénez finishes and single cask bottlings. It starts on October 29 as well. Details on more than 3,500 casks will follow separately.
According to the report, no buyer was found for the entire business, which is why the assets are now being sold individually. For collectors, the auction is probably a rare opportunity.
The Scotch Whisky Association reports that tariffs on Scotch whisky exports to the United States were removed on 24 July 2026, following an exemption that had been announced back in April.
The US is the most valuable export market for Scotch anywhere in the world, worth 933 million pounds in 2025, so the change matters a great deal to producers. The association's International Director, Ian Duddy, said the return of tariff-free trade benefits businesses on both sides of the Atlantic and gives companies more confidence to invest and grow their exports.
He also pointed to the wider chain that depends on the spirit: cooperages, farmers, hospitality and retail, in Scotland and in the US. The association thanked everyone involved, including King Charles III, whose recent State Visit it said had helped, and it plans to build on this progress with partners in both countries.
As someone who just likes reading about whisky, I find it a relief to see some good trade news for a change. Tariffs are one of those things that rarely show up in tasting notes but end up affecting what ends up on shelves and at what price. It will be interesting to see whether it changes the range of Scotch available in American bars this autumn.
This is a distillery I plan to follow. Kythe in Perthshire, Scotland, has started production, and the idea is to recreate qualities the founders love in older Highland whisky.
The first spirit ran from the stills on 2 July 2026, after construction began in 2024. The distillery sits on Hills of Bendochy Farm near Blairgowrie, in two converted farm buildings. Behind the project are Angus MacRaild, Jonny McMillan and Aaron Chan, and their shared interest in older whisky has shaped the whole site.
A few details that made me sit up:
- Planned output of around 60,000 litres of pure alcohol a year, with a one-tonne mash tun and stills of 6,000 and 4,000 litres.
- Floor-malted Maris Otter, mostly grown on the farm.
- Recycled brewer's yeast from Belhaven together with an M-strain distiller's yeast with roots in the 1950s. Fermentation takes place in wooden washbacks and normally lasts three to seven days, with room for trials of up to two weeks.
- A directly wood-fired wash still, while the spirit still is steam-heated. Both are connected to traditional worm tubs.
The casks will be bourbon and sherry, in the long run with an emphasis on refill casks that let the spirit speak. But the 2025 cask programme already included first fill bourbon, refill hogsheads, hogsheads that held oloroso and then cream sherry, and old sherry butts from solera ageing. The first official bottling is about eight years away, and maturation happens at the distillery.
There's no finished whisky to taste yet, only the choices of raw material, yeast, equipment and casks to examine. That's exactly what makes it exciting: how much of the old Highland character they're after will still be there when the first glass is poured?
A figure from the current Craft Spirits Data Project really made me think. At the end of August 2026 there were 2,131 active craft distilleries in the US, 6.6 percent fewer than a year earlier (2,282). For the first time, more operations closed than opened.
The American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) and Park Street presented the data at their annual economic briefing in Washington, D.C. They refer to calendar year 2025 and were collected directly from producers between June and August 2026.
Volume fell 8.0 percent to 11.7 million nine-liter cases, and value dropped 3.7 percent to 7.3 billion dollars. Craft spirits account for 4.2 percent of volume and 7.3 percent of value. Exports plunged 13.4 percent to 123,000 cases, and full-time jobs fell 25.6 percent to 21,285.
The associations cite leaner assortments at wholesalers that are reducing their inventories, shrinking export markets under tariffs, and the ban on direct-to-consumer shipping in most states. What I find interesting is that the share of tasting rooms in craft revenue rose from 14 percent in 2015 to 26 percent in 2025.
For whisky fans this is not just industry news. Many of the small distilleries we like to taste are apparently under pressure.
