Browsing Posts by Author: Billy

It’s strange how quickly something becomes a yearly tradition. It’s only the second time we’ve given our Whisky and Spirit of the Year awards, but it already feels like a festive fixture. The core idea…

[If you missed it, here’s part one: What was a sherry cask?] These days, the vast majority of sherry casks used to mature Scotch whisky are specifically built for the whisky industry. They are still…

We’ve been fighting it, but now December’s upon us, it is officially Almost Christmas. With this curious state of being comes a number of things: tinsel becomes more appropriate, Christmas songs become legitimate radio fodder, and…

Once you start getting into whisky, one of the first things you notice is the various types of cask that the spirit is matured in. While they all have their own distinctive character, the most…

The folks at Glenfarclas are best known for producing whisky of a very specific style: sherry matured. They’ve done many releases with a nod to other styles, but the core of what they do is rich…

As mentioned on the blog previously, we’ve recently run a prize draw with our friends at Paul John: everyone who bought a bottle of Edited, Brilliance, Peated Selected Cask or the Classic Select Cask was entered…

The past decade has seen a huge rise in the popularity of smoky whisky. This jump is one of the main reasons why we’ve seen prices for Islay whisky shoot through the roof in recent…

It’s cold, it’s dark, people are starting to wear winter coats, and Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible has appeared. There’s still one thing missing: the Diageo Special Releases. While Rocky got a pre-pre-launch tasting a few…

Update: If you want to see all of the winners in stock then head to our Whisky Bible 2015 page. The latest edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible has hit the shelves, and in usual fashion, his…

If you have a look at The Whisky Exchange website today, you may notice a few differences. By which I mean we’ve totally revamped the site. We’ve been doing little tweaks over the past few…

We like parties at TWE, and one excuse for a shindig that we we get involved with every year is Diwali – the Festival of Lights. A celebration of the triumph of light over darkness, the sky…

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is just a couple of days away. We’ve been preoccupied over the past few weeks getting things ready, but with one day to go, I’ve had a moment’s respite to…

While we’re focused on The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show this week, life does continue after it. The show is not only an excellent thing in its own right, but is also the opening event of…

With The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show rapidly approaching, we have some work to do in our London shop to get ready. As such we will be changing our opening hours over the coming week to…

Time has rolled on a bit. It seems like only yesterday that I was a balding computer programmer, sat at a table in The Whisky Exchange shop in Vinopolis, confronted by 10 excellent whiskies. It was the…

Ever since the label leaked in the US this past April, the internet has been awash with rumours about a new whisky from Ardbeg. Finally, the details have been announced and we can let you…

There’s been talk about Diageo’s new Haig Club whisky for months, with much speculation and discussion about its celebrity connections, thanks to endorsement by Simon Fuller and David Beckham. One thing that’s been missing, however, is information about…

I like Glen Garioch. While their regular range is unchanging, other than when they release a new vintage, they do like a special edition. Following on the heels of the Wine Cask Matured from earlier…