Whisky News — 19 February 2026
Murray
🥃 DRAM MASTER DAILY — Wednesday, 19 February 2026
KAVALAN WINS BEST SINGLE MALT AT WORLD WHISKIES AWARDS 2026 Taiwan's Kavalan has won the World Whiskies Award for Best Single Malt for the third time, with its Solist Amontillado Cask expression taking the top prize. The award marks another year of Taiwanese whisky outperforming traditional producing regions at major international competitions. Murray's Take: Kavalan winning a world's best single malt award is no longer news — it's a pattern. The industry that dismisses this is missing something important.
SCOTTISH CRAFT DISTILLERY CLOSURES HIT FIVE-YEAR HIGH The Scotch Whisky Association has reported that 2025 saw the highest number of craft distillery closures since 2020, with 11 small distilleries ceasing production. Rising energy costs, high financing rates, and the long lead time to a sellable product are cited as the primary factors. Several more are reported to be in financial difficulty. Murray's Take: The craft distilling boom was always going to have a correction. Making whisky is expensive and takes years. Not everyone who started a distillery in 2018 modelled that correctly.
ABERFELDY RELEASES 21 YEAR OLD DOUBLE CASK AT £160 Aberfeldy has released a 21 Year Old Double Cask expression, finished in ex-red wine casks after primary maturation in ex-bourbon. The expression is bottled at 43% with natural colour. Retail price £160 from specialist retailers and the distillery shop. Murray's Take: Aberfeldy is consistently underrated in conversations about Highland whisky. The 21 Year Old is a well-made expression at a fair price point for its age.
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