DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 12 September 2026

By Murray

English Whisky Wins Protected Status: 70 Distilleries, £1 Billion in Casks

English Whisky has been granted protected Geographical Indication (GI) status by the UK government, officially recognising it as a distinctive whisky category alongside Scotch, Welsh and Irish whisky. The application was led by the English Whisky Guild on behalf of its member distilleries.

There are now more than 70 distilleries producing English whisky, up from 46 in 2023. Bottles are exported to more than 30 countries. Industry estimates put the value of maturing stocks held in casks across England at around £1 billion.

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: "Standing proudly alongside Scotch, Welsh and Irish whiskies, this new protected status is recognition of English Whisky's distinctive character alongside the expert craftsmanship that goes into its production."

Morag Garden, English Whisky Guild CEO, called it "a landmark achievement for English Whisky and recognition of the quality and innovation across our growing industry." To use the protected status, producers must be verified under HMRC's Spirit Drink Verification Scheme.

Murray's take: Scotch has had GI protection for decades. Welsh whisky got it in 2014. English whisky has been making spirit since at least 2006, when the English Whisky Company opened its stills in Norfolk. The category has grown from a curiosity into 70-plus distilleries with a billion pounds of stock in warehouses. The GI gives English producers the same legal framework that protects Scotch from imitation. Without it, anything distilled in England could be called English whisky. With it, the term means something. The jump from 46 to 70 distilleries in three years tells you where the investment is going.

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Bruichladdich Octomore 17: Four Expressions, 81 to 132 PPM

Bruichladdich has released the Octomore 17 series, four heavily peated single malts from Islay ranging from 81 ppm to 132.1 ppm.

The series opens with 17.1, distilled from 100 percent Concerto barley grown on the Scottish mainland and malted to 81 ppm. It was aged for five years in first-fill bourbon barrels. 17.2 uses the same barley and peat level but spent four years in second-fill French oak casks previously used for bourbon, then a year in first-fill port barriques — a combination the distillery has not used before.

17.3 was made from barley grown in Irene's Field on Octomore Farm, the nearby land that gives the series its name. It was aged for five years across first-fill bourbon barrels plus second-fill Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein and Syrah casks. At 132.1 ppm, it is the most heavily peated of the four. For the first time, the fourth expression, 17.4, is available in the United States rather than as a distillery exclusive. It was malted to 108.2 ppm, aged for seven years in first-fill Oloroso sherry casks, and finished in French virgin oak barrels.

Master blender Adam Hannett said: "Octomore embodies Bruichladdich's purpose: to create thought-provoking whiskies that challenge industry norms and offer consumers something they cannot get anywhere else."

The first three expressions are available now from specialty retailers, priced from $205 to $280. 17.4 will be available from 1 October at $250 per bottle.

Murray's take: Octomore exists to prove that peat does not have to be a blunt instrument. At 132 ppm, 17.3 is more than double Laphroaig's 45, but the five-cask combination (bourbon, Ribera del Duero, Sauternes, Eiswein, Syrah) builds structure around the smoke rather than letting it dominate. The 17.4 getting US release is the practical news. Seven years in Oloroso plus French virgin oak should give it weight. The prices sit where Octomore always sits: expensive, but the production scale is small and the cask programme is labour-intensive.

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Saltire Rare Malt: Six Finalist Spots at the Scottish Whisky Awards

Fife-based independent bottler Saltire Rare Malt has secured six finalist spots at the 2026 Scottish Whisky Awards. The company, launched in 2024 by friends Nigel Heywood and Keith Rennie, is shortlisted for Independent Bottler of the Year and Excellence in Branding.

Four of its whiskies reached the tasting finals. Three of them — Aultmore 15 Year Old, Caol Ila 17 Year Old and Tamnavulin 17 Year Old — are finalists in the Single Cask Scotch 13 and Over category, taking three of the eight available places. Its Port Dundas bottling is shortlisted in the Single Grain and Blended Grain Scotch category.

The nominations follow Saltire being named Newcomer of the Year at the 2025 Scottish Whisky Awards. The business is based in Falkland, Fife, and works with whisky experts Hans and Becky Offringa, known as The Whisky Couple, to curate its single cask and limited-edition releases. Its bottlings now reach collectors and trade partners across Europe, North America, Asia and South Africa.

Keith Rennie, co-founder, said: "To have four of our whiskies in the taste finals — including three in the same single cask category — is particularly special, alongside recognition for our branding and a nomination for Independent Bottler of the Year."

Winners will be announced later this year.

Murray's take: A bottler that did not exist two and a half years ago taking three of eight finalist slots in a single cask category is not normal. The consistency across Aultmore, Caol Ila and Tamnavulin suggests the cask selection is deliberate, not lucky. The branding nomination alongside the tasting finals says they are building a label, not just flipping casks.

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Dingolfi Spirits: Glasgow's Norse-Themed Highland Single Malt

Glasgow-based Dingolfi Spirits has unveiled its flagship Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The company, incorporated in October 2025 and based at 48 West George Street in Glasgow, has released a whisky matured in ex-bourbon oak casks, bottled at 46% ABV, non-chill filtered, with a minimum of three years maturation.

The name comes from the Old Norse "Dingulfr," combining elements meaning "assembly" and "wolf" — The Assembly of the Wolf. The brand leans into Norse heritage and the meeting of Norse seafarers and Highland clans in the north of Scotland.

The official tasting notes describe a nose of toasted nuts, vanilla pod, honey and orchard fruits. The palate carries shortbread biscuits, baked apples, milk chocolate and Brazil nuts, with toasty wood spices. The finish is nutty and warming, with cacao, roast hazelnuts and espresso coffee.

The whisky is available via WhiskyCart.

Murray's take: A new Glasgow brand releasing a three-year-old Highland single malt at 46% is an entry-level play, and the Norse mythology packaging suggests the marketing is doing more work than the liquid at this stage. Three years is the minimum for Scotch. The spirit relies on ex-bourbon casks and non-chill filtration for character rather than age. The tasting notes read well on paper. The question for any new brand at this age is whether the spirit underneath the branding earns its shelf placement.

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Pappy Van Winkle 2026 Collection: Six Bottles, 10 to 23 Years

The Van Winkle family has announced the 2026 release of its annual whiskey collection, featuring six bourbon and rye expressions aged between 10 and 23 years. Produced by Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, the collection reaches US retailers, bars and restaurants through Sazerac's distribution network.

The lineup includes Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10-Year-Old, Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12-Year-Old, Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Bourbon 15-Year-Old, Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Bourbon 20-Year-Old, Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve Bourbon 23-Year-Old, and Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13-Year-Old.

The collection spans four generations of Van Winkle whiskey-making tradition. Allocated bottles routinely command significant secondary market premiums over their suggested retail prices.

Murray's take: Pappy is the annual event where supply and demand do not even pretend to meet. The bottles exist in small numbers, the secondary market absorbs the gap, and the release coverage functions as much as a price benchmark as a product launch. The 23-year-old is the trophy. The 10-year-old is the one drinkers actually pour. The rye, aged 13 years, sits between them. Nothing about the 2026 lineup changes the dynamics of scarcity that make Pappy what it is. The collection is the collection.

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