Whisky News — Tuesday, 17 March 2026
Gavin Ranton
🥃 DRAM MASTER DAILY — Tuesday, 17 March 2026
────────────────────────────── KILCHOMAN'S FIRST 20-YEAR-OLD GOES TO A LUCKY NORSE COLLECTOR The Islay distillery drew a winner for Cask No.1, filled on the exact day Kilchoman opened (December 14, 2005). That cask, now 20 years old, went to Henrik Mork in Oslo. The draw raised £20,000 for local Islay charities—RNLI and the Sick Children's Fund. Smart move: making it a draw meant the bottle stayed within reach of the community that built the distillery. Murray's Take: Kilchoman proved you can restart farm whisky on Islay and keep it honest. ──────────────────────────────
DALMORE'S 17-YEAR-OLD ARRIVES FOR MOTHER'S DAY Just in time for March 15th, Dalmore released a 17-year-old sherry-finished single malt. American oak ex-bourbon barrels, then finished in three Amoroso, Apostoles, and Matusalem PX casks from González Byass. The flavour profile reads like Sunday lunch: Seville orange, toffee, dark chocolate, cinnamon. £175 gets you bottle engraving too. Murray's Take: Three sherry cask styles in one bottle—either it's chaos, or it's genius, depending on how it blends. ──────────────────────────────
LONDON'S FIRST DECADE-AGED WHISKY LANDS The London Distillery Company released its "Ten Times Around the Sun"—a 10-year-old single malt, 51.4% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon. Only 220 bottles. This is the capital's first modern single malt to reach a decade, marking the actual revival of London distilling. The liquid survived the distillery's closure in 2019 and is proof that someone was planning the long game. Murray's Take: Ten years in an ex-bourbon cask is patience. Surviving a company closure and still releasing it on time is faith. ──────────────────────────────
MACALLAN DISTILS PARIS INTO A BOTTLE Macallan's fifth "Distil Your World" entry is a tribute to Paris, made with Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell and the Roca brothers of El Celler de Can Roca. Sherry and bourbon casks, 47.2% ABV, notes of buttered pastries, brioche, and gentle spices. Launching April 2026. It's a high-concept release—you're meant to taste patisseries and Parisian streets. Whether the whisky actually delivers that is a different question. [No Murray's Take — Diageo brand] ──────────────────────────────
TOMATIN MARKS YEAR OF THE HORSE WITH 817 BOTTLES Tomatin brought out its annual Lunar New Year release: a 2011 single cask bottled at 56.5% ABV from a first-fill Pedro Ximénez sherry butt from Jerez. 817 individually numbered bottles at £95 each. Orange zest and dried cranberries on the nose; honeycomb, toffee apples, and candied almonds on the palate. Limited, numbered, and tied to an actual cultural moment instead of a made-up marketing angle. Murray's Take: Respecting the calendar beats respecting trend cycles. ──────────────────────────────
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FACT-CHECK STATUS: PASS — 5 sources verified
- Kilchoman: https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/08/kilchoman-runs-prize-draw-for-first-20yo-whisky/
- Dalmore: https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddrink/foodnews/the-dalmore-17-year-old-a-perfect-mother-s-day-gift/ar-AA1WZmbh
- London Distillery: https://thewhiskeywash.com/whiskey-news/london-distillery-company-launches-first-10-year-old-single-malt-whisky/
- Macallan: https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/02/macallan-launches-distil-your-world-paris/
- Tomatin: https://www.luxuriousmagazine.com/whisky-industry-news-round-up-march-2026/
