Whisky News — 5 March 2026
Murray
🥃 DRAM MASTER DAILY — Thursday, 5 March 2026
SPRINGBANK CONFIRMS 2026 LOCAL BARLEY RELEASE — BALLOT OPENS 28 MARCH Springbank has confirmed full details for its 2026 Local Barley expression: a 13-year-old matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, entirely from barley grown within 20 miles of the Campbeltown distillery. Retail price £95. Ballot opens 28 March and closes 11 April. One bottle per household. Murray's Take: Enter the ballot. Every year Springbank does something the rest of the industry should be embarrassed they're not doing.
NIKKA YOICHI WINS BEST SCOTCH-STYLE SINGLE MALT AT WWA 2026 Nikka's Yoichi Single Malt has taken the World Whiskies Award for Best Scotch-Style Single Malt — a category that has again sparked the annual debate about definitions and geography. The SWA has called for stricter category rules. Yoichi was also a strong performer in general single malt judging. Murray's Take: If a Japanese distillery consistently beats Scotland in Scotland's own category, the conversation should be about quality, not geography.
GLENFARCLAS 105 TOPS R/SCOTCH VALUE POLL FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR A thread on r/Scotch asking for the best cask strength bottle under £60 reached 1,400 upvotes, with Glenfarclas 105 taking the top spot. 60% ABV, rich sherry profile, consistent availability. Community consensus: it has been undervalued for twenty years. Murray's Take: The Reddit whisky community gets this one exactly right. Again.
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