Simon Wittenberg gathers together some of the latest news and launches, making the headlines in the world of whisky.
Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 Edition
Glen Scotia has released its latest annual limited edition to commemorate the yearly Campbeltown Malts Festival in Scotland, which runs this year from the 19th to the 24th of May.
The Glen Scotia Campbeltown Malts Festival 2025 release is a non-chill-filtered, heavily-peated nine-year-old single malt bottled at cask strength (54.3% ABV).
This whisky, available at an RRP of £68, was laid down in first-fill bourbon barrels, before being finished for five months in the finest Ribera del Duero red wine casks hailing from Spain.
The result is an expression which boasts notes of ripe red fruits, blackberry and a touch of liquorice. Glen Scotia’s distinctive maritime style is also present, where hints of creamy vanilla are complemented by rich peat smoke.
For more information, see www.glenscotia.com.
Johnnie Walker Vault
The Scotch whisky brand has unveiled Johnnie Walker Vault. This is a new platform which highlights the craftsmanship of Master Blender Dr Emma Walker, and her talent of telling personal stories from a carefully curated selection of extremely rare whiskies.
The Vault holds 500 expressions at any one time, from rare, aged and ghost casks, which have been personally sourced and rotated by Dr Walker (below) to highlight the pinnacle of the 10 million barrels of Scotch available to the Master Blender.
With packages starting from £50,000, the newly launched luxurious Private Blend experience will see Dr Walker personally create unique made-to-measure blends for a select few according to their individual inspirations and palates. This will see the Master Blender hand-selecting meaningful expressions from the invite-only Johnnie Walker Vault and transforming these into deeply layered whiskies.
For further details, see www.johnniewalker.com/en/vault.
The Glasgow Distillery marks 10-year anniversary
The Glasgow Distillery commemorates a decade since the filling of its very first whisky Cask (Cask No. 1) on 5 March 2015. Three years later, the distillery revealed its flagship single malt, “Glasgow 1770 The Original.”
Since 2015, the business has gained recognition for its Small Batch Series—limited edition releases that highlight the versatility of three distinct whisky styles.
The latest expressions have resulted from experiments of peated whisky matured in Marsala wine, Islay and Madeira casks. Further bottlings are planned for later this year.
To find out more, visit www.glasgowdistillery.com.
The Hearach of Château Biac
The Isle of Harris Distillery has lifted the wraps off its latest whisky expression named The Hearach of Château Biac.
This rare single malt was created in partnership with the winemakers of the much-loved Château Biac in Bordeaux, France. It has been matured in French Oak barrels supplied exclusively to the Isle of Harris Distillery, which previously housed “Secret de Château Biac,” a sweet white wine dating back to the 17th century.
Bottled at 50% ABV and presented with a bespoke label and gift box, the result is a spirit that is non-chill filtered and free from artificial colouring. The lightly peated whisky offers summer notes of green leaves and sweet tomatoes, which give way to ripe pears with hints of dark plums and cherries. Only 720 bottles are available, priced at £125 each.
For further information, see www.harrisdistillery.com.
The Lakes Distillery Signature Single Malt
The Lakes Distillery in the picturesque Lake District, owned by Nyetimber, has unveiled its first permanent called Signature, breaking tradition and moving away from merely creating limited editions.
Non-chill filtered and bottled at 47% ABV, we sampled this English smooth whisky in the company of whisky maker Sarah Burgess (formerly of The Macallan) at an exclusive tasting at the rooftop bar of London’s Mandarin Oriental Mayfair Hotel.
The Lakes Signature single malt whisky offers glorious notes and aromas of rich, polished oak, dried fruits, pecan nuts, dark chocolate and a touch of orange zest. On the palate, connoisseurs will be treated to a combination of baking spices, sweet sultanas, raisins, and figs before stewed orchard fruits, a burst of citrus, and opulent notes of treacle intertwined with the depth of oak come to the fore. Available now priced at £85 per bottle.
To find out more, see https://lakesdistillery.com.
Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Rio de Janeiro Polo Edition
Royal Salute has announced the seventh addition to its established Polo Edition line-up, and this time, it commemorates the ‘Sport of Kings’ in the renowned Brazilian city.
Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Rio de Janeiro Polo Edition boasts a flagon dressed in a stunning green hue. It houses an exceptionally smooth blended malt whisky comprised of precious expressions from the Braeval Distillery that matured in first-fill casks and other malt whiskies aged in American Oak casks.
The Royal Salute 21-Year-Old Rio de Janeiro Polo Edition comes in a presentation box depicting a sun-kissed Copacabana beach, Sugarloaf Mountain, and luxurious golden accents as a nod to the renowned Brazilian flag. This latest release is available in limited quantities at specialist retailers globally from 1st April 2025 at an RRP from $190 USD (around £150).
For further details, see www.royalsalute.com.
Whisky 1901: Exclusive Insight into Whisky Cask Investment from Founder and CEO Aaron Damiano Sparkes
February 2025 saw an increase in the price of spirits and wine after the 3.6% rise in alcohol duty tax came into effect in line with the RPI measure of inflation, following the announcement in the Autumn budget last year.
Duty on different alcoholic beverages will increase depending on their strength. Despite experts calling for these tax hikes to be reversed or amended, the recent Spring Statement did not mention any changes to alcohol duty.
The current system discriminates between alcoholic beverage categories, with consumers who drink draught beverages experiencing a tax cut, whereas other alcoholic beverages received a significant tax duty increase.
Scotch is already the highest-taxed alcoholic product in the UK, an industry that contributes £7.1 billion in exports to the UK economy and supports more than 66,000 jobs.
This tax hike doesn’t just affect distilleries, the hospitality sector, and consumers, it also impacts the growing cask investment market – those wishing to explore and invest in alternative assets. Fortunately, cask whisky consistently outperforms many traditional investment options, particularly in the long term, and the value is not driven by economics alone, but by the maturation of the product itself.
Find out more about Whisky 1901 at www.whisky1901.com.
*Disclaimer*—Whisky cask investments are unregulated in the UK. Their value is variable and can go down as well as up. An investor may get back less than the amount invested. Information on past performance, where given, is not necessarily a guide to future performance.
The capital invested can fluctuate, and the price of casks can go down as well as up, and this is not guaranteed. Whisky 1901’s investments and services may not be suitable for all investors. This is not tax advice, and investors should still seek professional advice regarding any tax-related investments.