DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 29 August 2026

By Murray

Jack Daniel's Goes Nationwide With American Single Malt

Jack Daniel's has announced the US-wide release of its American Single Malt Whiskey, previously available only in select duty-free markets. The expression uses 100% malted barley, is charcoal mellowed through sugar maple charcoal, aged in new charred American oak barrels, and finished in Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 90 proof (45% ABV), it carries notes of soft oak, fruit, cocoa, and dark chocolate-covered nuts and berries with a sweet sherry finish. It arrives in a 1-litre format at $74.99. Master distiller Chris Fletcher said: "We've seen a fantastic response from international travelers in recent years, and we're now thrilled to bring this special whiskey to friends across the country." The release coincides with the TTB's recognition of American Single Malt as the first new official whiskey category in over 50 years.

Murray's take: Jack Daniel's making a single malt is not a gimmick — it is a signal. The TTB formally recognised the category, and the biggest whiskey brand in the world immediately expands its reach. Charcoal mellowing applied to 100% malted barley before an Oloroso finish is a genuine hybrid. $74.99 for a litre at 90 proof is fair. Whether drinkers associate Jack Daniel's with single malt or see it as a novelty — given the duty-free track record, enough already do.

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Torabhaig Launches Distillers' Series — Handing the Still to the Makers

Torabhaig, the Isle of Skye single malt distillery, has launched The Distillers' Series, a collection that gives its distillers full creative control over production. The series debuts in September 2026 across 10 markets at an RRP of £75, opening with two expressions. For one month each year, the distillery hands operations to two of its nine distillers, who choose the malt, yeast, fermentation, and maturation. The first expression comes from Iona Macphie, who joined Torabhaig at 21 and distilled her whisky at 23 — the youngest distiller to complete the process. She built her whisky around chocolate malt, turning the wash "black as stout" for a rounded, rich spirit. Bottled at 60.9% ABV. The second, from Niall Culbertson, uses brown malt, dark crystal malt, and ex-rum casks for a bright, coastal profile. Bottled at 59.3% ABV. Each release is limited to 5,250 bottles globally, non-chill filtered, with no added colour. Whisky maker Neil MacLeod Mathieson said: "The stills are the same, the island is the same, but the story changes with every maker. That is exactly the point." Two launches are planned per year.

Murray's take: Most "distiller editions" are marketing exercises — a name on a label with a recipe tweaked by committee. This is different. One month a year, two distillers get the keys to the still house and the rest of the team steps back. Macphie's chocolate malt whisky at 60.9% is the kind of expression that only exists when someone young is given permission to chase a flavour they care about. £75 for a cask-strength single malt from a distillery that started in 2017 is confident pricing, but 5,250 bottles across 10 markets will move. Torabhaig is building a body of work, not just a core range.

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Silverthorn Reserve: Retired Sagamore CEO Launches Independent Whiskey Brand

Silverthorn Reserve, a new independent American whiskey brand founded by former Sagamore Spirit CEO Drew Thorn, has launched with a portfolio spanning blended bourbons, ryes, and cask-finished expressions. The Maryland-based venture sources whiskeys from Georgia, Indiana, and Kentucky, with production conducted in partnership with Sagamore Spirit and Old Line Spirits. Thorn spent a decade at Sagamore, serving as COO and CFO before becoming CEO. The brand name comes from his son, who as a child combined parts of his parents' maiden names — Silverman and Thorn. Thorn sources whiskeys aged 10 to 15 years, samples every barrel on arrival, and maintains a database of each barrel's characteristics. His Port Finish Rye uses a custom cask-conditioning system: a stainless steel rod with an atomizing tip sprays tawny port as a fine mist inside the barrel. The portfolio splits into three series: Blender's Art (10-year bourbon, rye, and bourbon-and-rye blends), Finisher's Art (Port Finish Rye with 10-year-old tawny port), and Single Barrel (13-year cask-strength rye and bourbon).

Murray's take: An independent bottler who built a port-misting rig out of stainless steel and CO2 is either obsessive or brilliant, and in whiskey those tend to be the same thing. Thorn is not buying barrels and slapping a label on them — he samples every one, builds a database, and runs lab-scale mock blends before scaling. The 13-year single barrel rye at cask strength is the one to watch.

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Glasgow Whisky Week Opens With 11 Bars and a £5 Floor

Glasgow Whisky Week runs from 27 August to 6 September, with 11 participating bars across the city. The festival is part of the wider Whisky Week 2026, Scotland's largest whisky trail, spanning Aberdeen (20–30 August), Glasgow (27 August–6 September), and Edinburgh (3–13 September). More than 50 venues participate across the three cities. A £9 wristband in advance (£12 once the festival begins) unlocks access to every participating bar, each of which partners with a distillery or brand to build an exclusive festival menu. Every bar pours at least one dram for £5 or less. Glasgow's lineup is anchored by The Pot Still, one of the city's best-known whisky bars. Distillery partners across the full festival include Glenfiddich, Springbank, Glengoyne, Glen Moray, Kingsbarns, Kilchoman, Wemyss Malts, Caol Ila, and Tamnavulin. Organisers Gregor Sey and Charlie Bain have announced plans to expand to London in November and New York in December 2026.

Murray's take: The genius of this format is the price floor. A fiver per dram removes the fear of trying something unfamiliar. Most whisky festivals charge £40-60 for a session ticket and then pour generously inside a single room. Whisky Week turns the entire city into the venue and lets you pay as you go. The printed guidebook with tasting note space is the kind of detail that makes it feel like a trail, not a pub crawl. The Pot Still anchoring Glasgow is the right call — it carries one of the deepest whisky selections in the country. Expansion to New York before the year is out is ambitious, but the wristband-and-trail format travels well. If you are in Glasgow this week, buy the wristband.

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Lindores Abbey Reshapes: New Export Director Amid Founding Family Transition

Lindores Abbey Distillery has appointed Chanel Liquori as director of export sales, adding an executive with more than two decades of international drinks experience to its team. Liquori's career has spanned New Zealand, Australia, Asia, the US, and the UK, including roles with Pernod Ricard and Bacardi. The Fife-based distillery, founded in 2017 by Drew and Helen McKenzie Smith on the site of the earliest documented whisky production in Scotland (1494), has been undergoing operational restructuring. A strategic review led to the disbanding of a non-core events business in summer 2025 and the elimination of a small number of roles. Reports have circulated that the founding family has stepped back from day-to-day operations. The distillery has pushed back against closure rumours, with management telling The Scotsman that the changes reflect "broader operational streamlining." The hire points to a push into international markets.

Murray's take: A distillery built on the site where Friar John Cor made whisky in 1494 should be unmissable. Lindores Abbey has the best origin story in Scotch whisky, full stop. But origin stories do not pay the bills, and the Scottish whisky downturn has not spared anyone. The founding family stepping back and a new export director coming in is the pattern of a distillery moving from start-up mode to commercial reality. The question is whether Liquori can open international markets for a young single malt that does not yet have the reputation of a Springbank or a Kilchoman. The heritage sells the story. The liquid has to sell the bottle.

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