Whisky News — 24 February 2026
Murray
🥃 DRAM MASTER DAILY — Monday, 24 February 2026
AUCHENTOSHAN RELEASES TRIPLE DISTILLED 18 YEAR OLD AT £90 Auchentoshan — one of Scotland's few triple-distilled single malts — has released an 18 Year Old matured entirely in ex-bourbon casks. The expression is the oldest permanent bottling in the distillery's current range. Triple distillation produces a notably lighter spirit base which takes on vanilla and orchard fruit from extended bourbon cask maturation. Murray's Take: Auchentoshan rarely gets the credit it deserves as a style outlier in Scotch. Triple distillation is genuinely rare in Scotland and the 18 shows what the extra distillation pass adds over time.
SCOTCH WHISKY PRICE INDEX SHOWS SHIFT TO MID-RANGE BOTTLES A price index compiled by specialist retailer Masters of Malt shows consumer spending in Scotch whisky has shifted toward the £40–£75 bracket in 2025, with premium bottles over £150 seeing flat growth and entry-level under £30 declining. The report suggests consumers are trading up from value but pulling back from extreme premium. Murray's Take: The £40–£75 bracket is where the genuine value in Scotch sits — it's good news that consumers are finding it.
EDINBURGH'S DEVILS ADVOCATE BAR EXPANDS MALT LIST TO 500 Edinburgh whisky institution The Devils Advocate has expanded its single malt list to 500 expressions, adding a dedicated section for independent bottlers and distillery exclusives. The bar has also launched a weekly tutored tasting programme at £45 per session including three drams. Murray's Take: A 500-bottle malt list is a legitimate statement of intent. The tutored tasting programme is exactly how whisky bars should be converting the curious into the committed.
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