Simon Wittenberg gathers together some of the latest news and launches, making the headlines in the world of whisky.
Benromach Distiller’s Coverall Jacket
Benromach has come together with Derby-based Reworked 348 to create a limited edition ‘coverall’ jacket inspired by the clothing traditionally worn by distillery workers over past centuries.
Photography by Elise@reworked348.
Presented in an authentic black hue, the garment combines practicality with a smart and stylish twist, and for an added element of sustainability, each Benromach jacket has been individually deconstructed and reconstructed from workwear originally made in the 1990s.
The distiller’s coverall jacket is made from 100% cotton herringbone, with accents of Benromach red. It also boasts safety features, such as cuffs that can be both buttoned and rolled up, as well as cleverly concealed front buttons.
The Benromach Distiller’s Coverall Jacket (£130) is handmade to order from the Reworked website, with a small number of jackets available at the distillery’s visitor centre in Forres, Speyside.
For more information, visit www.benromach.com/reworked-348.
Bushmills 26 Year Old Crystal Malt
Bushmills, the world’s oldest licenced whiskey distillery on the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, has unveiled its new 26 Year Old Crystal Malt (46% ABV) priced at £850 per bottle, joining three other exceptional expressions in the brand’s Prestige Collection.
Produced using crystal malt barley, where the barley is subject to an unusual and special malting process, the sugars within the grain of this new whiskey have been crystallised, imparting intense caramel and creamy chocolate flavours that remained throughout the decades it has spent in oak.
Whisky connoisseurs will enjoy an extraordinary depth of flavour with a long, lingering finish.
For further details, see www.bushmills.com.
Cnoc Na Mòine, the Third Chapter in Torabhaig’s Legacy Series
Torabhaig, the Single Malt Distillery on the Isle of Skye, has unveiled Cnoc Na Mòine, the limited edition third chapter from its Legacy Series that charts the journey to a ten-year-old expression.
Cnoc Na Mòine, which in Gaelic means “hill of peat,” is an elegant single malt that showcases the impact of rich sherry casks on the elegant smoke and brine character of Torabhaig. These unique nuances help to make the peated spirit sing with elegance and finesse.
On the nose, Cnoc Na Mòine offers hints of dying embers and orange peel with a subdued peat smoke aroma, which gives way to vanilla and freshly sawn oak. The peat smoke is also evident on the palate before the light spirit brings in pepper, a balsamic acidity, and some gentle spices with fragrant touches of cedar and leather.
Torabhaig Cnoc Na Mòine is priced at £58/66.50EUR/$70 USD.
More information is available at https://torabhaig.com.
Craft Irish Whiskey x Soho Whisky Club
Craft Irish Whiskey, a global leader in premium Irish whiskey, has partnered with Soho Whisky Club, situated within The Vintage House in London.
The collaboration will see the iconic private club debut a fresh new look to offer visitors an enhanced tasting experience, which will be complemented by a modern and opulent cigar terrace.
The full range of Craft Irish Whiskey’s portfolio will also be on sale at the Soho Whisky Club for the first time, including unreleased whiskies not seen anywhere else.
In addition, two of Craft Irish Whiskey’s most popular offerings will be available, namely The Taoscán (the world’s first Port and chestnut-finished single malt whiskey) and The Donn, which in just two years since launch, have already become the most widely served Irish whiskies across Michelin restaurants in the UK and Ireland.
For more information, visit www.sohowhisky.club.
Glenfiddich x Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team
Glenfiddich and the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team announced the debut of an exclusive multi-year partnership at the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix in the USA.
To kick off the collaboration, the Speyside distillery has unearthed a rare cask from 1959, paying tribute to the year of Aston Martin’s debut in Formula One.
This unique 1959 liquid will be filled into a single commemorative bottle to celebrate the coming together of the two brands.
For further details on the partnership, see www.glenfiddich.com/aston-martin-f1.
Gordon & MacPhail Recollection Series
Gordon & MacPhail has unveiled the 2024 edition of its annual Recollection Series (also known as Series #3).
It is made up of six individual expressions, where the rare single cask, single malt whiskies originate from closed or long-time silent Scottish distilleries, such as Rosebank, Glenlochy Convalmore, Imperial, North Port, and Port Ellen.
The price ranges from £1,650 per bottle for an Imperial 1990 to a Port Ellen 1981, costing £10,000 at the other end of the scale.
To celebrate the arrival of this year’s Recollection Series, Gordon & MacPhail has partnered with the Emmy award-winning animation director and illustrator, Bruno Mangyoku, to create the artwork for the Recollection Series’ new packaging, which can also be bought separately.
For more information on Gordon & MacPhail or the Recollection series, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com.
Johnnie Walker Lunar New Year Limited Edition
Johnnie Walker has released a vibrant new Lunar New Year Limited Edition design for Johnnie Walker Blue Label, crafted by acclaimed Asian-American visual artist James Jean – one of the world’s most influential creators.
The vivid design for the Year of the Snake features an innovative and dynamic interpretation of 2025’s Zodiac animal, and follows on from last year’s hugely popular design for the Year of the Dragon.
Johnnie Walker Blue Label is crafted from some of the rarest whiskies found in the unparalleled Johnnie Walker reserves of maturing Scotch, including some irreplaceable casks sourced from long-closed ‘ghost’ distilleries.
For further details, see www.johnniewalker.com.
Longmorn 30 Year Old
The Longmorn Distillery from Elgin in Speyside, has unveiled its oldest expression to date, embodying 130 years of whisky-making. In what has already been a busy 2024 for the brand, the new 30 Year Old joins the 18 and 22 Year Olds launched earlier this year.
Longmorn 30 Year Old will be bottled just once a year in a single batch. It is a whisky with notes of rich caramel, honey, homemade raspberry jam, and dark cherries on the nose. These are complemented by hints of treacle cake, roasted walnuts, and dark fudge. The latest release is priced at £1,460 per bottle and is a worldwide release.
For more details, see www.longmorn.com.
Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais Edition 2
Following on from a successful first collaboration between Midleton Distillery and the renowned Taransaud cooperage, which Luxurious Magazine had the privilege of visiting last year in the Cognac region of France, the second release from the Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais series has now been launched.
Bottled at 48% ABV, and priced at an RRP of £4,388 (€5,000), the Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais Edition 2 expression has been crafted using a hand-selected blend of grain and single pot still whiskeys, matured over decades spanning the 1980s to early 2000s in American bourbon barrels, which were then married together and carefully filled into casks made of five-year air-dried oak from the forest of Tronçais (known as T5 casks).
This remarkable whiskey is presented in a hand-finished glass bottle, which retains the distinctive duck egg blue of the Midleton Very Rare collection. The bottle itself is housed in a wooden cabinet created by Manufacture Jacquemin, a third-generation traditional woodcrafts business based in the Jura Mountains in Eastern France.
For further information, visit www.midletonveryrare.com.
The Dalmore Portfolio Series
Following in the footsteps of the “Luminary Series”, The Dalmore’s latest project – the “Portfolio Series”, continues in the spirit of collaboration, with V&A Dundee and The Dalmore sharing a vision to support and showcase work by creatives.
First up is Fraser Gray, who studied at the University of Dundee Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, and is now based in Edinburgh. His work used in the partnership has been influenced by the buildings of The Dalmore’s distillery in Alness and the distinctive shapes of the stills.
There are three limited expressions in the debut edition of the Portfolio Series, with No.1 limited to 5,000 bottles, whilst No.2 is rarer still at just 2,000 bottles, and has been finished in specially selected casks from the Châteauneuf -du-Pape wine region.
Portfolio Series No.3 is the scarcest of the set, limited to only 1,000 bottles, where the whisky has been finished in select Bordeaux Cabernet Sauvignon casks, delivering exceptional character.
For further information, see www.thedalmore.com.
The Macallan A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera
The Macallan has launched the third addition to its “A Night on Earth” series, marking the finale of the distillery’s 200th anniversary celebrations. Named “A Night on Earth in Jerez de la Frontera” and priced at US$124 (around £100), this limited edition pays tribute to the location in Spain that is home to the Sherry-seasoned oak casks used by the distillery.
Created using a combination of European and American Sherry seasoned oak casks, the latest expression offers notes of sweet pastry, white grapes, and hints of fresh rosemary.
The outer packaging is furnished with vibrant colours depicting a crimson sky and a vivid sunset with Sherry wine vineyards.
For more details, visit www.themacallan.com.
Whisky 1901: Exclusive Insight into Whisky Cask Investment
Announced in the UK Autumn Budget, the alcohol duty is due to increase in February 2025, in line with the September 2023 Retail Price Index (RPI). This compounds the already significant taxation burden on Scotch whisky.
Consumers may find it more difficult to access their favourite whiskies and may have to pay higher prices for the bottles they do manage to find, given there will be increased duty at the bottling of a cask that will be passed forward to consumers. This could also have a ripple effect on the entire whisky industry, impacting jobs and revenue for distilleries, distributors, and retailers alike.
The shortage of whisky could lead to a change in the landscape of the industry.
Find out more about Whisky 1901 at www.whisky1901.com.
Disclaimer regarding whisky as an investment: The insight provided by Whisky 1901 is for informational purposes only, and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Whisky 1901 Limited is not a regulated financial institution, and any references to “investment,” “broker,” or “advice” are intended solely for descriptive purposes of Whisky 1901’s services and should not be interpreted as financial advice.
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