DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 10 07 2026

Isle of Harris Distillery Launches Signature Single Malt After a Decade of Distilling

Isle of Harris Distillery has released Isle of Harris Whisky, a new signature single malt Scotch that will anchor its expanding whisky portfolio. Priced at £50, the core expression goes on sale first at the distillery shop in Tarbert on 14 July before rolling out online and internationally.

The lightly peated whisky is matured in a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. According to the brand's official tasting notes, it carries flavours of butterscotch, floral sweetness, and gentle spice. It joins The Hearach and The Oloroso under a restructured range aligned more closely with the Isle of Harris name.

The distillery opened in 2015 and has now completed 10 years of whisky distilling and maturation. That milestone has allowed it to build the stock reserves needed to support consistent global supply and future innovation.

Ron MacEachran, executive chairman of Isle of Harris Distillery, said: "The Isle of Harris Single Malt Whisky emphasises how far we've come as a distillery over the last 10 years. From the outset, our ambition has been to create spirits that share the story of our island with the world."

MacEachran said the launch supports long-term international growth. "By aligning our whisky more closely under the Isle of Harris name, we're building on the global recognition already established through Isle of Harris Gin," he explained.

Shona Macleod, distillery blender at Isle of Harris Distillery, said: "With Isle of Harris Whisky, we wanted to create a spirit that feels both distinctive and approachable, without losing any of that sense of place. The combination of bourbon and Oloroso casks brings warmth, sweetness and gentle spice, while the light peat adds depth without overpowering the spirit."

The distillery will host a ceilidh on 14 July to mark the release. Celebrations continue at the HebCelt festival in Stornoway on 15-18 July, where visitors can sample the whisky neat or in a highball. Bottles will be available online from 22 July via harrisdistillery.com. A wider rollout begins in August across UK speciality retailers and key international markets, including the US, Germany, and France.

The Hearach and The Oloroso will continue under the Isle of Harris Single Malt Scotch Whisky umbrella, with updated labelling, new gift boxes, and a revised naming structure.

Murray's take: Ten years to get here. That's the real story. Isle of Harris opened in 2015 with gin funding the bills while whisky stock matured, and now the distillery has enough aged spirit to launch a core expression, restructure its range, and plan global distribution. £50 for a first-fill bourbon and ex-Oloroso matured single malt from the Outer Hebrides is fair pricing — not cheap, but not a land grab either. The cask combination is conservative. First-fill bourbon gives sweetness and vanilla; Oloroso adds dried fruit and spice. Lightly peated means the spirit speaks, not the smoke. The decision to align the range under the Isle of Harris name is smart. The gin already has global recognition; the whisky benefits from that halo. The 14 July ceilidh launch followed by HebCelt festival sampling is exactly how a small island distillery should build a market — locally first, then online, then international. The US, Germany, and France as first international markets tells you where they see the appetite. This is a distillery that has waited patiently. The question now is whether the liquid justifies the decade.

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Gordon & MacPhail Releases Its Final Talisker Bottling — a 39-Year-Old Single Cask at £1,250

Gordon & MacPhail has released a 39-year-old single malt Scotch whisky from Talisker Distillery, marking the last time the Talisker name will feature on a Gordon & MacPhail label. The whisky forms part of the independent bottler's Connoisseurs Choice Heritage Range and is limited to 451 bottles worldwide.

The single cask expression was distilled on 3 March 1987 and matured for 39 years in a refill Sherry butt. It was bottled at a cask strength of 51.4% ABV on 30 April 2026. The retail price is £1,250 per bottle. It is one of the distillery's oldest expressions ever released.

The launch honours the vision of George Urquhart, described by whisky writer Charles MacLean as "the father of single malt." Urquhart launched the Connoisseurs Choice range in 1968 to give enthusiasts the chance to discover whiskies from distilleries seldom seen as single malts. The range has since featured more than 2,000 bottlings from almost 100 Scottish distilleries. To mark the release, Gordon & MacPhail has revived the original black label design used on the earliest Connoisseurs Choice bottlings.

Stuart Urquhart, operations director at Gordon & MacPhail, said: "This release marks a poignant moment for us, as after several decades where bottlings from Talisker Distillery have been absent from our Connoisseurs Choice range, we are now releasing a final single cask bottling from this top distillery. Thirty-nine years in a refill Sherry butt has given this whisky exceptional depth without ever losing Talisker's signature character. For collectors and whisky enthusiasts alike, this is a rare opportunity to own the final piece of our history with this distillery."

Whisky critic Serge Valentin called the release "yet another marvel." He added: "It is rather splendid to see the old black CC labels again, the ones in use during the 1970s. I also find that there is something exceedingly chic about releasing malts at 39 years of age, rather than waiting a few more months in order to display '40'."

According to the brand's official tasting notes, the nose opens with fragrant raisin and clove spice, followed by tangerine zest, walnut, and prunes. The palate offers jammy figs with strawberries and cracked black pepper, while the finish is full and spicy with lingering citrus and a hint of ash.

Talisker Distillery, Distilled 1987 is available to purchase from gordonandmacphail.com.

Murray's take: The end of an era, and Gordon & MacPhail knows it. The Connoisseurs Choice range built the modern independent bottling category. George Urquhart's idea in 1968 — bottle single malts from distilleries people couldn't easily find — seems obvious now. It wasn't then. Talisker leaving the range is significant because Talisker is a Diageo-owned distillery, and Diageo has been tightening its grip on which independent bottlers can access its spirit. This 39-year-old cask, distilled in 1987 when relationships were different, is the last G&M will offer. The choice of a refill Sherry butt is telling. Refill means the cask's influence is gentle — the spirit drives, not the wood. After 39 years, that's the right call. A first-fill Sherry butt would have overwhelmed Talisker's maritime, peppery character. At 51.4% ABV, the whisky has lost serious volume to evaporation over nearly four decades. 451 bottles from a single butt is a small outturn for that age. £1,250 is expensive, but it's a final bottling from a historic independent bottler's relationship with a iconic distillery. You're buying closure, not just whisky. Serge Valentin's point about 39 vs 40 years is sharp — there is something more honest about not rounding up. The black label revival is the right touch. It connects this bottle to the range's origins rather than dressing it up as something new.

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Cù Bòcan Creation #8 — First Peated Scotch Matured in Canadian Ice Wine Casks

Experimental single malt brand Cù Bòcan has released Creation #8, which Tomatin Distillery claims is the first known peated Scotch whisky to be matured in ice wine casks. The limited edition expression is bottled at 46% ABV, limited to 3,600 bottles, and priced at £45.

Creation #8 uses a dual cask maturation combining rare Canadian ice wine casks and Spanish Verdejo casks. The ice wine casks were sourced from family-owned Canadian winery Pillitteri, while the Verdejo casks came from French-owned Spanish winery Belondrade.

Ice wine is a sweet dessert wine made from grapes left to freeze on the vine before harvesting, pressed at around -7°C to yield a small amount of highly concentrated sugary juice. Verdejo, a white wine from Spain's Rueda region, is known for its fresh, zesty, and herbal character.

The 18-year-old spirit from the ice wine casks contributes notes of apricot jam, candied peach, and pineapple syrup, while 16-year-old spirit from the Verdejo casks introduces citrus, herbal, and grassy characteristics. Reflecting the brand's experimental approach, the spirit was filled into the Verdejo casks just weeks after they were emptied.

Jamie Muir, distillery manager at Tomatin, said: "Our Cù Bòcan Creations series is all about going beyond convention, creating genuinely distinctive whiskies that excite and intrigue. Marking the oldest release in the series to date, Cù Bòcan Creation #8 is a pioneering single malt, marrying our gently peated spirit with the bold sweetness of Canadian ice wine casks, something we believe has never been done before with a peated Scotch."

He added: "Equally the Verdejo casks and the experimental decision to fill them shortly after emptying have also introduced a vibrant citrus and herbal dimension. The blend of these two cask types make Creation #8 a truly surprising dram."

The bottling is natural in colour and non-chill filtered. It is available through Tomatin Distillery's website and specialist whisky retailers in the UK and worldwide.

Official tasting notes describe the nose as sweet fruit with gentle smoke woven through — baked apples, apricot jam, candied peach, and heather smoke. The palate is silky and sweet, then turning fresher and slightly smoky, with honeycomb, pineapple syrup, and lime zest. The finish delivers sweet wine and fruit fading into smoky honey, citrus peel, and soft oak spice.

Murray's take: First peated Scotch in ice wine casks. That claim is specific enough to be credible — ice wine casks are rare in whisky generally, and peated spirit in them is rarer still. Ice wine is expensive stuff. The grapes freeze on the vine, you press them at -7°C, and you get a tiny yield of intensely sweet, concentrated juice. The casks that held that wine carry residual sugar and fruit character that transfers to the spirit. Pairing that with peated Scotch is a gamble — peat and sweet wine could produce something muddled. The fact that they've used 18-year-old spirit in the ice wine casks and 16-year-old in the Verdejo tells you they wanted maturity to anchor the experiment. Young spirit in exotic casks often tastes like the cask and nothing else. At £45 for a 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, natural colour, 3,600-bottle release — that's honest pricing. The Creations series has been Tomatin's laboratory: Andean oak, rum casks, Oloroso. Each one is a different question. This one asks whether peated Scotch and ice wine can coexist. Filling the Verdejo casks weeks after emptying is the detail that matters — fresh wine casks carry more character than ones that have sat empty for months. Whether the answer is delicious or just interesting is what the glass tells you.

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International Whisky Competition 2026: Aberfeldy 25 Year Old Crowned Best Single Malt Scotch

The International Whisky Competition has announced its 2026 results, and the single malt Scotch categories tell a story of dominance. Five of the nine category winners come from distilleries owned by Bacardi's John Dewar & Sons. Aberfeldy took three titles, including the overall Best Single Malt Scotch, and Royal Brackla took three age categories. The competition judges its entries blind — the panel does not know the brand, country, or age of what they are assessing. Each whisky is scored individually on a 100-point scale.

Aberfeldy 25 Year Old won Best Single Malt Scotch, Best Single Malt Scotch 25 Year Old, and Best Highland Single Malt with 92.05 points. Tasting notes from the judges describe cocoa powder, caramel, cinnamon, fruit, malty cereal, vanilla coffee, smoke, peaches, and wild strawberries. The whisky is matured in refill casks before being finished for over a year in first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks. It is bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered. It retails at approximately £500 ($529).

Bruichladdich's Classic Laddie took Best Single Malt Scotch NAS (No Age Statement), though the distillery reinstated a 10-year age statement on the bottling in 2025. Bottled at 50% ABV without chill filtration or added colouring, it retails at $43 (£33). Master Blender Adam Hannett assembles each batch by hand, and Bruichladdich states plainly that it is not aiming for consistency between them.

Ardbeg Wee Beastie, a five-year-old peated Islay malt, won Best Single Malt Scotch Under 10 Years Old with 89.40 points. No second or third place was named in the category. Wee Beastie has now won this category several times over. It retails at $55 (£33).

Port Charlotte 10 from Bruichladdich won Best Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old with 91.65 points. The cask breakdown is published: 65% first-fill American whiskey casks, 10% second-fill American whiskey casks, and 25% second-fill French wine casks. It retails at $60 (£50).

Royal Brackla 12 won Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Year Old with 91.37 points. Royal Brackla was the first Scotch whisky ever granted a royal warrant, receiving one from King William IV in 1833. The unpeated spirit is matured in American oak and finished in Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at 46% ABV.

An unnamed Islay malt, entered under embargo as "New Product Under Embargo D," swept three categories: Best Single Malt Scotch 15 Year Old, Best Islay Single Malt, and Best Peated Scotch, with 91.80 points. The IWC has withheld the distillery, the brand, and everything else. What the awards tell us is that it comes from Islay, it is peated, and it carries a 15-year age statement.

Aberfeldy 16 Year Old Madeira Cask won Best Single Malt Scotch 16-17 Year Old with 88.00 points. This expression is sold only through airport duty free, part of a range of Madeira-finished Aberfeldys released exclusively into global travel retail by Bacardi. Malt Master Stephanie Macleod said: "Madeira is Aberfeldy's best friend."

Royal Brackla 18 won Best Single Malt Scotch 18 Year Old with 90.53 points, and Royal Brackla 21 won Best Single Malt Scotch 19-24 Year Old. The 21 uses all three sherry styles — Oloroso, Palo Cortado, and Pedro Ximénez — the most elaborately finished whisky of the nine winners.

Dewar's also took all seven blended Scotch categories this year. Malt Master Stephanie Macleod has now been named the competition's Master Blender of the Year for seven consecutive years.

Murray's take: Five of nine single malt titles and all seven blended categories. That's not a competition — that's a portfolio review. Bacardi's John Dewar & Sons operation has built a competition-winning machine, and Stephanie Macleod is the engine. Seven consecutive Master Blender of the Year titles tells you the consistency is real, not luck. The blind judging format means the panel isn't choosing Bacardi — it's choosing the liquid. The Aberfeldy 25 at 92.05 points is the headline. A 25-year-old finished for over a year in first-fill Oloroso, bottled at 46% — that's a whisky designed for competitions: enough age for depth, enough sherry for flavour, enough ABV for body. The interesting winner is the unnamed Islay 15-year-old that swept three categories. An Islay peated 15-year-old entered under embargo — Laphroaig re-released their 15 Year Old recently. That's a guess, not a fact. The travel retail win for the Aberfeldy 16 Madeira Cask is worth noting: a duty-free exclusive beating everything in its age bracket tells you that travel retail exclusives aren't afterthoughts anymore. Royal Brackla winning three age categories is the quieter story. Three sherry-finished expressions at 12, 18, and 21 — all gold, all different sherry styles. That's a range built with intent. The IWC doesn't publish entry counts per category, so we can't judge how competitive each field is. But winning blind is winning blind. The question for Diageo and LVMH is why their distilleries aren't showing up here.

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Indie Bottler HIP Debuts 200ml Flask-Style Collection at £19.50 a Bottle

Independent bottler HIP has launched its first release — a collection of four 200ml flask-style bottlings of whisky and rum, priced at £19.50 each. The inaugural collection is available in the UK from 9 July through specialist retailers including Luvians, Tyndrum Whisky, The Whisky World, and The Good Spirits Co.

The collection includes a 12 Year Old Tomintoul aged in a refill Sherry butt and bottled at 46% ABV; a 13 Year Old Bowmore aged in refill Bourbon barrels at 46% ABV; a 28 Year Old Invergordon aged in a first-fill Bourbon barrel at 46% ABV; and a 14 Year Old Foursquare Barbados Rum aged in Bourbon barrels at 53% ABV. All four are non-chill filtered and bottled without added colouring.

HIP was created in 2026 by Connor McCartney, who also works as business development manager for Stirling-based spirits distributor Kilninian Drinks. The name derives from both the flask-style bottles and what McCartney describes as an "against-the-grain attitude."

McCartney said: "I'm constantly out in the market, visiting retailers, building relationships and selling whisky. That gives me a front-row seat to what customers are buying, what's becoming more challenging to sell, and where genuine gaps in the market exist. One thing I kept noticing was the 200ml category. 200ml bottles have largely been overlooked by brands. The products available often felt uninspiring, uninteresting and on the whole a bit dull, coupled with the pricing rarely reflecting value."

He added: "With HIP, we're not changing what independent bottling is, we're changing the format of it and how people discover it. Our 200ml bottlings mean people can try more interesting whiskies, more often, with less cost, less commitment and risk."

London-based interdependent bottler The Heart Cut has also branched out into smaller formats, offering 30ml "pocket pours" individually and through The Slow Whisky Club subscription service. Leith Bond, the independent bottling arm of Port of Leith Distillery, introduced 100ml cans of its single grain Table Whisky earlier in July.

Murray's take: The 200ml format has been the forgotten size in whisky. Most brands treat it as a sample, not a product. HIP is treating it as the product. Four bottlings at £19.50 each — that's under £80 for a 12-year Tomintoul from a refill Sherry butt, a 13-year Bowmore from refill Bourbon, a 28-year Invergordon grain, and a 14-year Foursquare rum. In full-size bottles, those would cost you considerably more. The Tomintoul and Bowmore are the entry points; the 28-year Invergordon is the headline. Grain whisky at 28 years from a first-fill Bourbon barrel at 46% ABV for £19.50 in a 200ml flask — that's a genuinely interesting pour at a price that removes the risk. The Foursquare rum inclusion is smart. HIP isn't pretending to be a whisky-only brand. Foursquare is the best rum distillery in Barbados, and its 14-year Bourbon-barrel-aged expression at 53% ABV is a serious spirit. Including it tells you HIP is about quality liquid in small format, not just whisky in small format. The timing is right. Heart Cut's 30ml pocket pours and Leith Bond's 100ml cans signal a format shift. The whisky market has been moving toward smaller, more accessible entry points — subscription services, tasting sets, sample sizes. HIP's contribution is putting independently bottled, age-stated, cask-specific liquid into that format. The specialist off-trade distribution — Luvians, Tyndrum, The Whisky World — is the right channel. These are shops where customers already ask for recommendations. The question is whether £19.50 for 200ml reads as value or premium to that customer. For a 28-year-old grain, it's value. For a 12-year-old Tomintoul, it's less obvious. The format does the heavy lifting.

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