The Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd. is toasting impressive annual results, with 2015 showing a 25% growth in net profit. In a market perceived to have stalled, the results offer a more positive view of the category and a reflection of changing market dynamics. Driven by a 16% growth in brand sales and increased visitor numbers to Arran’s Lochranza location, ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: B This third and last look at the Wemyss Midsummer Single Cask 2016 release is a 1991 vintage Blair Athol whisky, bottled in 2015. So, it’s a 24 year old single malt, aged in an ex-bourbon barrel. Some describe Blair Athol as among Scotland’s oldest distilleries, pointing to a foundation in 1798. However, that distillery was ...

By Richard Thomas Rating: A- Ailsa Bay is less than ten years old, and once upon a time that would have made it one of the newest distilleries in Scotland. Not anymore, as the momentum of the booming world whisky scene has given rise to several newer Scottish distilleries. Even so, Ailsa Bay remains among the most interesting opened in ...

British drinks giant Diageo controls some 40% of the Scotch whisky market, so when that market sneezes, Diageo gets a nasty head cold. So it is based on last year’s sales. The crown jewel of Diageo’s whisky holdings, Johnnie Walker, reported a modest 1% sales increase, driven mostly by the pricier green, gold, platinum and blue brands. Selling more of ...

Check Out These Affordable And Recently Released Scotch Single Malts By Richard Thomas Unlike in the United States, when the hotly anticipated limited releases and many brand new items are often timed to come out in the autumn, new Scotch whiskies come out steadily all year around. Even people in the business sometimes find it a chore to keep an ...