DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 5 August 2026

The Lost Close Releases 30-Year-Old North British Grain Whisky

The Lost Close, an underground whisky attraction off Edinburgh's Royal Mile, has released its third bottling — The Lost Close No. 3, a 30-year-old single grain whisky from the North British Distillery. Distilled in December 1995 and matured for three decades in a single refill hogshead, it is bottled at 44.6% ABV with an outturn of 238 bottles. Priced at £135, it is available exclusively at the venue. The cask was selected in partnership with Chris Cusiter, the former Scotland international rugby player who now heads independent bottler CASC Whisky Ltd. Tasting notes describe a clean, estery nose of green apple and underripe pear, a palate of butterscotch, toffee, and fresh coconut, and a citrussy finish. North British was founded in 1885 as a co-operative to challenge the grain whisky monopoly of the Distillers Company Limited.

Murray's take: Thirty years in a refill hogshead is a long time for grain whisky — most of it goes into blends within a decade. The fact that this cask survived long enough to be bottled as a single grain expression is the story, and £135 for a 30-year-old single cask is genuinely accessible in a market where 30-year-old single malts routinely clear £500. The Lost Close venue gives it a retail channel that bypasses the allocation lottery entirely. You can only buy it there. That's a distribution model, not a limitation.

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Kavalan Wins TWSC 2026 Best of the Best Single Malt

Kavalan's Solist Oloroso Sherry Single Cask Strength Single Malt has been named Best of the Best Single Malt at the Tokyo Whisky & Spirits Competition 2026 — the Taiwanese distillery's seventh world championship title at TWSC and its fourth consecutive Best of the Best honour. The expression is matured in Spanish oloroso sherry casks and bottled at single cask strength without colouring or chill filtration. "We are especially delighted that our Solist Oloroso Sherry Cask, one of Kavalan's most iconic expressions in Asia, has earned this recognition," said YT Lee, chairman of King Car Group, Kavalan's parent company.

Murray's take: Four consecutive Best of the Best titles is not a streak — it's a pattern. Kavalan's tropical climate accelerates maturation, which means their cask strength expressions punch above their age statements, and the Solist Oloroso has been their most consistent competition performer. The TWSC is an Asian-judged competition, and Kavalan's home market advantage is real. But the same expression has also medalled at European and American competitions. The question for Kavalan is no longer whether their whisky is good. It's whether they can keep sherry cask supply flowing at the scale their awards profile demands.

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Jim Beam Launches Creator Campus for Digital Creators

James B. Beam Distilling Co. has launched Creator Campus, a programme inviting podcasters, musicians, filmmakers, and digital creators to produce original work at its Clermont, Kentucky distillery. Announced on 4 August 2026, the initiative opens a portion of the 200-year-old distillery grounds as a creative workspace. Selected participants get access to distillery spaces for recording podcasts, filming content, producing music, and hosting collaborative retreats. Applications are now open to both emerging and established creators.

Murray's take: This is a marketing play dressed as a cultural programme, and that's fine — the two aren't mutually exclusive. Jim Beam's brand equity is built on Kentucky heritage and scale production. Opening the campus to creators generates content that no advertising budget can replicate: authentic, platform-native, and distributed through the creators' own audiences. The risk is that the content feels sponsored without the substance to back it up. The opportunity is that a distillery is inherently a more interesting filming location than a studio. Whether the programme produces anything worth watching depends entirely on who they select.

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That Boutique-y Whisky Company Drops Seven Summertime Specials

Atom Brands' That Boutique-y Whisky Company has released a batch of seven single cask and small batch whiskies spanning Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Japan. The Summertime Specials range includes a 21-year-old world whisky blend finished in sherry casks (£74.95, 475 bottles), a 17-year-old Bowmore from a refill ex-bourbon barrel (£89.95, 343 bottles), a 12-year-old Inchgower finished in PX octaves (£59.95, 336 bottles), a 12-year-old Clynelish from a rejuvenated hogshead (£59.95, 350 bottles), and a 35-year-old Girvan single grain from a single refill barrel (£89.95, 202 bottles). Cask strength editions of the Inchgower (55.2% ABV, ~98 bottles) and Clynelish (54% ABV, ~314 bottles) are also available at £74.95 each. All are bottled at 45.8% ABV except the cask strength versions. Available direct-to-consumer from Master of Malt and through Maverick Drinks' international distribution partners.

Murray's take: That Boutique-y Whisky Company has built its reputation on bottling whiskies the official distillery ranges don't — and this batch is a masterclass in that approach. A 35-year-old Girvan single grain at £89.95 is the standout on price-to-age ratio alone; single grains of that vintage from official bottlers routinely cost three to four times that. The Bowmore 17 from a refill barrel is the one for Islay drinkers who want the distillery's fruit-and-smoke character without the sherry dominance that defines the official range. The cask strength Inchgower and Clynelish are tiny outturns — under 100 and just over 300 bottles respectively — so those will vanish quickly. The world whisky blend is the wildcard: Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Japan in one bottle, finished in sherry. At £74.95 it's either a bargain or a curiosity, and the only way to find out which is to open one.

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Thompson Brothers 22-Year-Old Highland Park Review

Independent bottler Thompson Brothers has released a 22-year-old Highland Park, matured in a refill sherry butt and bottled at 55.9% ABV. The outturn is 336 bottles, priced at £150. The whisky opens with classic Highland Park territory — dark chocolate and espresso — before veering into unexpected territory: Nutella, peanut butter brittle, and a coastal, mineral saltwater note on the nose. The palate delivers coffee and honey before what reviewer Phil Dwyer describes as a "genuine cacophony" — rose water, Turkish delight, fresh basil, dill, and a chive-like note. The finish is long, chewy, and darkly intense, building toward Italian amaro and French vermouth dryness. Dwyer scored it 9 out of 10.

Murray's take: Highland Park's house style — heather honey, moderate peat, sherry influence — is so well-established that bottlings which break from it feel like a different distillery. A refill sherry butt rather than a first-fill means the cask hasn't imposed the standard sherry sweetness, and what's left is the spirit speaking in a register you rarely hear from Orkney. £150 for a 22-year-old single cask from a distillery with Highland Park's reputation is fair pricing. The Thompson Brothers have built their name on finding casks that show a distillery from an angle the official range doesn't. This one does exactly that.

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