DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 20 August 2026

By Murray

Bowmore Unveils Captivo Collection With Design Studio Snarkitecture

Bowmore has launched the Captivo Collection, two 20-year-old single malts created in partnership with New York design studio Snarkitecture. The collection went live on Bowmore.com on 19 August, with wider retail and travel retail rollouts to follow.

Captivo Oak Voyage matured for two decades in American oak ex-Bourbon casks, then American oak Oloroso sherry butts. Bottled at 50.8% ABV, £312. Official notes: dark cherry, candied orange, Manuka honey, cool eucalyptus, toasted oak, and a delicate whisper of campfire smoke.

Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit is a global travel retail exclusive. Spanish oak Oloroso sherry and American oak ex-Bourbon casks, with an Oloroso sherry hogshead finish. Bottled at 51.8% ABV, £320. The brand describes tropical fruit, cracked black pepper, soft oak, smoked toffee, and a lingering finish of sweet peat smoke with charred mango.

Snarkitecture co-founder Alex Mustonen travelled to Islay for the project, drawing inspiration from the island and the Bowmore No.1 Vaults, one of the world's oldest maturation warehouses. The bottle designs feature "portal" motifs. This is Snarkitecture's first venture into whisky.

Dr Calum Fraser, master blender for Scotch and Irish at Suntory Global Spirits, said: "These beautifully aged whiskies are intentionally designed to reward exploration and reveal layers of flavour over time."

Oak Voyage reaches Harrods from 1 September, followed by the US, Asia, Northern Europe, and Canada. Sherry Cask Pursuit arrives in select global travel retail later in 2026.

Murray's take: A design studio that has never worked in whisky, flown to Islay to sit in a warehouse older than most countries, and asked to build a portal. That's either a genuine creative collaboration or an elaborate packaging exercise. The liquid says it's the former. Two 20-year-old Bowmores at different ABVs and different cask regimes, each with its own design language, is a proper release. The travel retail exclusive at 51.8% is the one to seek out. You won't find it at Harrods.

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Koopers Whiskey Launches Texas Oak Bourbon — 8-Year Barrel Proof in Texan White Oak

Koopers Whiskey has released Texas Oak Bourbon, an eight-year-old barrel-proof straight bourbon finished in toasted Texas-grown white oak. Limited to 360 bottles, it goes on sale at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, 22 August, both online and at the brand's Ledbetter, Texas tasting room. Suggested retail: $70 per 750ml.

The bourbon was distilled in Indiana at MGP Ingredients using a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. It spent eight years in charred American white oak before a second maturation in toasted casks from Standard Cooperage in Blanco, Texas — the state's first cooperage. Bottled at barrel proof, 114.8.

Master Blender Troy Kooper said: "Texas Oak Bourbon was conceived as a showcase for oak, not as an afterthought to the whiskey. We selected barrels of mature eight-year-old bourbon with a solid core of sweetness, structure, and grain character, then transferred them into toasted Texas-grown white oak casks to amplify what was already working and add a distinctly local voice."

The finishing casks add cinnamon spice, pecan, and a more layered finish. Official notes: toasted caramel, Texas pecan, maple syrup, orange peel, dark cherry on the nose; baked apple, stone fruit, cinnamon, brown sugar on the palate. Two casks produced the entire 360-bottle run.

Murray's take: Sourced MGP bourbon finished in Texas-grown oak from the state's first cooperage. That's a real story about place, even if the place isn't where the whiskey was distilled. The 114.8 proof is unfiltered and uncut. At $70 for 360 bottles, it's priced like a small-batch experiment, not a luxury release. Two casks. One cooperage. One Saturday morning in Ledbetter. If you're in Texas, go taste it.

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India's Food Safety Regulator Inspects Pernod Ricard Plant in Wider Alcohol Industry Probe

India's Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) inspected a Pernod Ricard factory in Bengaluru last week and collected liquor samples, according to four sources speaking to Reuters. The inspection is part of a wider investigation into India's $40 billion alcohol sector, where Diageo has already faced scrutiny.

Officials collected whisky samples and sought documents during the plant visit. The probe signals heightened regulatory attention on the Indian alcohol industry, with FSSAI expanding its scope beyond Diageo to include Pernod Ricard, the world's second-largest spirits company.

Pernod operates in India through Royal Stag, Blender's Pride, and Imperial Blue — some of the country's highest-selling whisky brands by volume. Neither Pernod Ricard nor FSSAI has publicly confirmed the inspection. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Murray's take: India is the world's largest whisky market by volume, and Pernod Ricard is one of the two giants operating there. A regulatory probe that started with Diageo and now reaches Pernod is not a minor story. The $40 billion Indian alcohol sector is where the global volume growth is, and both FSSAI and the companies involved know that regulatory risk in this market can shift valuations overnight. The silence from both sides tells you this is serious. Watch this space.

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Canadian Whisky Wins Six Golds at World Whisky Masters 2026

The World Whisky Masters 2026, run by The Spirits Business and judged blind, awarded six Gold medals to Canadian whisky. Five Silvers were also handed out. The winners came from a broader spread of producers than Canada's reputation for big blends might suggest.

Gibson's Finest Bold took Gold — an eight-year-old blend at 46% ABV, made at Hiram Walker in Windsor, Ontario. Master blender Brian Kinsman built it to be mixed with cola, which is how roughly 40% of Canadians drink their whisky. Judges found stewed apples, caramel, burnt sugar, and cocoa. Around £19. Gibson's Finest Rare, the 12-year-old at 40% ABV, also took Gold, with a Silver for Gibson's Sterling.

Seagram's VO Black won Gold at 45% ABV, no age statement. Now owned by Sazerac after Diageo sold 19 brands for $550 million in 2018. Judges called it "a real crowd-pleasing whisky." Around £21.

WhistlePig PiggyBack 100% Rye — six-year-old rye at 48.28% ABV (96.56 proof, the 56 matching the birth year of the late Dave Pickerell, who helped develop it). Sourced from Alberta Distillers, bottled in Vermont. Around £43. WhistlePig Small Batch Rye 10 Years also took Gold — ten years old at 50% ABV, the bottling that launched the brand before the Vermont farm had a working still. Around £72.

Master of Malt Elbows Up completed the six Golds. A 24-year-old Canadian corn whisky from an undisclosed distillery, distilled in 2001, matured in a refill sherry butt, bottled at 67% ABV — a reference to Confederation in 1867. The name comes from hockey, Gordie Howe, and Mike Myers's March 2025 SNL appearance. Just over 900 bottles at £59.95.

Murray's take: Six Golds, three different production models. Two came from a Vermont company bottling Alberta rye. One from a British retailer who picked a single cask from a distillery it won't name. Three from long-established Canadian brands now owned in Scotland and New Orleans. Only the Gibson's pair and Seagram's VO Black are sold mainly to Canadians. That tells you who is actually buying Canadian whisky at the premium tier: everyone except Canadians. The Master of Malt Elbows Up at 67% ABV is the curiosity. A 24-year-old corn whisky from an unnamed distillery, bottled at Confederation proof, named after a hockey move that entered the Oxford English Dictionary three months ago. That's either the most Canadian whisky ever made or a very good marketing story. Probably both.

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Altamura Distilleries Appoints Kevin Schmudde as Head of USA

Altamura Distilleries, the Italian vodka brand, has appointed Kevin Schmudde as head of USA as it accelerates US distribution and commercial growth.

Schmudde brings more than 20 years of beverage alcohol experience, with senior positions at Constellation Brands, Palm Bay International, and Brown-Forman. He also served as CEO of Kindred Beer. He will lead Altamura's US business — commercial strategy, distributor relationships, state-by-state expansion, and building a national sales team.

Murray's take: An Italian vodka brand hiring a Brown-Forman and Constellation veteran is a straightforward play: they want someone who already knows every distributor in the country. The question is whether an Italian vodka can find space on a US back bar that's already crowded with premium vodka at every price point. The whisky angle here is thin, but the hiring pattern matters — premium spirits brands are investing in US leadership, which means they see growth ahead.

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