Whisky News — Friday, March 20th

🥃 DRAM MASTER DAILY — Friday, March 20th

────────────────────────────── GLENMORANGIE THE THIRTY PUSHES THE HOUSE FLAGSHIP TO THREE DECADES LVMH's Highland workhorse just released its oldest core-range expression. Thirty years in ex-bourbon, then two-thirds finished for 15+ years in Burgundy red wine casks. The result is a bridge between Glenmorangie's signature creamy vanilla backbone and wine-driven complexity. 46% ABV. EUR 850 (roughly $979 USD). Limited rollout starts end of March online and at London Heathrow. Murray's Take: Three decades is a statement — Glenmorangie proved the wine finish works at age, not just on youth. ──────────────────────────────

INDRI DIWALI COLLECTOR'S EDITION LANDS IN MARSALA CASKS Piccadily Agro Industries' Indian single malt gets a Sicilian detour. No age statement, matured entirely in ex-Marsala casks from Bodegas in Sicily, 58.5% ABV. 180 numbered bottles. £250 per bottle. The house was founded in Haryana; this is their first European finish. Expect honey, dried apricot, and the bitter-sweet grip that Marsala casks impose on spirit. Murray's Take: Indian whisky finishing in European wine casks is rare enough to be interesting — whether it's interesting enough to justify £250 is the question. ──────────────────────────────

BULLEIT SWAPS RYE FOR MESQUITE-SMOKED MALT For the first time in Bulleit's history, rye is out and mesquite-smoked malt is in. The mashbill reads 65% corn, 30% mesquite-smoked malt (smoked during malting, no additives), 5% malted barley. Six years minimum in barrel, bottled at 93 proof. $49.99. Limited one-time release, distilled November 2018, bottled Fall 2025. Designed to pair with barbecue—whether you believe whisky needs food permission slips is your call. Murray's Take: Swapping a foundational grain for smoked malt is a bigger move than marketing will admit; risky enough to respect. ──────────────────────────────

GARRISON BROTHERS LADY BIRD 2026: HONEY AND COGNAC OAK The Texas straight bourbon that donates to wildflower conservation is back with its 2026 edition. Four years in new American oak, then infused with Burleson's Texas Wildflower Honey for 8–9 months, finished three years in French Cognac XO casks. 114 proof. $179.99. A distillery release event runs Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Hye, Texas. $5 per bottle goes to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Murray's Take: The honey integration and cognac finish could tip into cloying; Garrison Brothers has the chops to avoid it. ──────────────────────────────

CONCLAVE WHISKY: POLI'S FORAY INTO SCOTCH-LIKE ITALIAN SPIRIT Poli Distillerie, legendary in grappa, just entered whisky. Conclave is distilled from peated and unpeated barley malt, aged five years in medium-toasted white oak. Award-winning already. The nose opens with vibrant grain, anise, and vanilla; the palate balances tannins against earthy peat—subtle, not heavy. This is not a novelty; it's serious spirit from a house with 200 years of craft. Murray's Take: An Italian grappa house making Scotch-like whisky is either vanity or vision. This one reads like vision. ──────────────────────────────

~275 words · ~2 min listen