DramMaster Daily Whisky News — 19 September 2026

By Murray

English Whisky Gets Protected Status — But the SWA Is Not Happy

English whisky has been granted Geographical Indication status, putting it alongside Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whisky as a legally protected category. The UK government approved the GI on 11 September after a six-year campaign led by the English Whisky Guild. There are now more than 70 distilleries producing English whisky, up from 46 in 2023, with maturing stocks worth an estimated £1 billion.

The rules require English whisky to be made from 100% UK-grown grain, distilled in England, matured for a minimum of three years in wooden casks up to 700 litres, and bottled at 40% ABV or higher. Two subcategories were approved: malt and grain, each with single and blended prefixes.

The sticking point is the single malt definition. Unlike Scotch, English producers can mash and ferment off-site in partnership with local breweries and still call the result single malt. The Scotch Whisky Association said it is "profoundly concerned" and that the definition "undermines the established definition of single malt." SNP MP Brendan O'Hara told the Commons the move "undermines centuries of craft," while Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael said he was "struggling to see what the government are seeking to achieve." Dan Szor, chair of the English Whisky Guild and CEO of Cotswolds Distillery, called it "a defining moment."

Murray's take: The SWA's objection is not about English whisky existing. It is about the word "single malt." Scotch built that term's reputation worldwide, and allowing off-site mashing and fermentation under the same label is a genuine dilution of what the phrase has meant for a century. The English Whisky Guild's defence — that Hicks and Healey used brewery wort in 2003 — is real history, but it is a thin basis for rewriting a definition that the rest of the UK adheres to strictly. Defra says it will publish the full specification on 1 October. Watch that space.

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Ardbeg 10 Cask Strength: 61.7% ABV and Reviewers Are Impressed

Ardbeg has released a cask strength version of its 10-year-old, bottled at 61.7% ABV. The whisky has been reviewed by The Whiskey Wash, whose reviewer described it as "the best Ardbeg I have tried in a very, very long time" and called it a return to form for old-school fans of the distillery.

The nose reportedly delivers smoked deli meats, honey, smoked hay, coastal brine, and powdered sugar. The palate, despite the 61.7% ABV, is described as briny and viscous with almost no burn. The whisky is bourbon cask matured, and the reviewer noted the peat level sits at what they called "perfect." The standard Ardbeg Ten, bottled at 46% ABV, remains the distillery's core expression.

Ardbeg was founded on Islay's south coast in 1815 by John MacDougall. The distillery closed in 1981 and ran part-time until Glenmorangie bought it in 1997 for £7 million. The Committee, Ardbeg's fan club, has grown from 3,500 members in 2000 to more than 200,000 worldwide.

Murray's take: A 10-year-old at 61.7% is a serious swing. Most cask strength releases sit in the mid-50s. Ardbeg pushing past 60% on a bourbon cask matured expression means the spirit has to carry itself on flavour, not cask influence. If the reviewers are right and the heat is controlled, this is the kind of release that reminds people why Ardbeg's Committee exists. The standard Ten at 46% is already one of the best value drams on Islay. A cask strength version at full power could be the bottle the fan base has been waiting for.

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NYISC 2026: Eight Single Malt Scotches Win Double Gold

The New York International Spirits Competition has announced its 2026 results, and eight single malt Scotch whiskies earned Double Gold. Every winner scored 96 points. The competition is judged entirely by trade buyers who taste blind and assess each entry "by its category and actual price as if buying it for their business." A Double Gold requires unanimous agreement from the panel.

The winners span from a £30 Speyside to a £481 Highland. Glen Moray Chardonnay Cask Finish took the $40-or-less band at £30, a 40% ABV no-age-statement expression finished in Chardonnay casks. Glenmorangie The Original 12 Years Old won the Highlands 11-20 years category at £34, the version Dr. Bill Lumsden relaunched in July 2024 when he raised the age statement from 10 to 12. Ardbeg Ten Years Old (£35) and Lagavulin 11 Years Old Sweet Peat ($70) both won in the Islay up-to-10-years band.

Glenfiddich 14 Year Old Bourbon Barrel Reserve (£41) took the Speyside 11-20 years slot. Nc'nean Huntress Malted Teacake (£85.95) won the Highlands up-to-10-years $71-100 band, a limited edition of 4,391 bottles at 48.5% ABV. The Glen Grant 18 Years Old (£100) won the 11-20 years $101-plus category. Glenmorangie The Altus 25 Years Old (£481) took the 25-plus-years band, a Madeira-finished expression launched in August 2025.

Murray's take: Eight winners at 96 points, all unanimous, judged by trade buyers who price everything blind. That is a stronger test than a journalist panel. The spread tells the story: a £30 Glen Moray and a £481 Glenmorangie both cleared the same bar. Glen Moray has been the quiet overachiever of Speyside for years, and a Chardonnay cask finish at supermarket money beating everything else in its price band is the kind of result that should make people look twice at the bottom shelf. The Ardbeg and Lagavulin double in the Islay category shows the trade still backs peat.

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Garrison Brothers Names Nancy Garrison Co-CEO as Texas Distillery Turns 20

Garrison Brothers Distillery, the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas, has named co-founder Nancy Garrison as co-chief executive officer. The appointment was announced on 17 September 2026 as the family-owned brand marks its 20th anniversary. She will serve alongside her husband Dan Garrison, guiding strategy, operations, sales, marketing, finance, and long-term growth.

Nancy and Dan Garrison founded the distillery in 2006 in Hye, Texas. Their first bottled bourbon entered the market in 2010. The distillery has since become one of the most recognised craft bourbon producers in the United States.

Nancy Garrison said: "Garrison Brothers has always been a family business built on heart, grit, and a deep love for Texas bourbon. As we celebrate 20 years, I am honored to step into this expanded role and help lead the company into its next chapter alongside Dan and our incredible team."

Murray's take: A co-founder stepping into the co-CEO role two decades in is either a succession plan or a recognition that the business has outgrown its original structure. For a family-owned Texas bourbon brand turning 20, it is probably both. Garrison Brothers built its name on single-barrel bourbon in a state that did not have a legal distillery when they started. The question now is whether the next 20 years look like the first — or whether the bourbon oversupply changing the market changes the plan.

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In the Welsh Wind Completes Welsh Whisky Trilogy with Meirion

In the Welsh Wind Distillery has released Meirion, the third and final expression in its Blended Welsh Malt Whisky trilogy. The whisky is available now from the Ceredigion distillery's shop and website, priced at £60 per 70cl bottle. It follows the earlier Brychan and Ceredig releases in the series.

Meirion is bottled at 46% ABV, peated, and non-chill filtered. It is built around three elements: a masala cask for fruit and spice, a light touch of peat, and more green malt than featured in the previous Ceredig release. The distillery describes the trilogy as an exploration of what makes a whisky "taste like nowhere else."

In the Welsh Wind is based in Ceredigion, West Wales, and has been building a reputation for experimental cask finishes and small-batch releases. The trilogy format has given the distillery a framework to test different production techniques across three linked expressions.

Murray's take: A Welsh whisky trilogy finished with a masala cask is not something you see every day. The green malt approach — using barley that has been germinated but not kilned to the usual dryness — adds a different flavour profile to the spirit before it ever touches a cask. At £60 for a 46% non-chill filtered blended malt, this is priced as a serious bottle, not a novelty. Whether the trilogy concept catches on with other distilleries is a separate question. In the Welsh Wind is small enough to experiment without answering to a corporate parent, and that freedom shows in the liquid.

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