Browsing Posts in: WHISKY & WHISKEY

The opening weekend of the Islay Festival isn’t normally a time for sadness, but yesterday saw the end of an era: Jim McEwan hosted his final warehouse tasting at Bruichladdich. While we don’t expect Jim to…

The end of May is a landmark in the whisky calendar – the Islay Festival, or Feis Ile, to give it its proper name. The whole island is involved, and even neighbouring Jura gets in on…

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show 2015 is a mere four-and-a-half months away. Tickets are selling well, with early-bird weekend passes down to the last handful, exhibitors are starting to confirm and things are generally going…

Last year, I received half-a-dozen samples of Dutch rye whisky. They varied considerably, in terms of cask type, age and number of distillations, but what they all had in common was the amazing amount of…

It’s seen takeovers, a 60-year period of inactivity and a welter of releases in recent years, but now Benriach has unveiled the latest chapter in its history: its new 10 Year Old. Benriach was taken…

Telecoms-project-manager-turned-distiller Phil Brandon founded Rock Town in 2010, the first legal distillery in Arkansas. While he’s based in downtown Little Rock, he spends a lot of time on the road, travelling around the USA and…

We run a lot of events through the year, from barrel-top tastings in our shop through to The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show‘s weekend of wonder, but every now and again we do something very different….

Such has been the success of their A’Bunadh bottlings, you could be forgiven for thinking that all Aberlour whiskies are big and sherried. While the distillery’s spirit is on the heavier side for Speyside, there are bottlings…

On Kentucky Derby day, there is only one drink you should be seen with: a Mint Julep. This year’s event takes place on Saturday 2 May, and at Churchill Downs racecourse in Louisville, where the…

There are few people who have been more influential in modern whisky than Jim McEwan. From managing Bowmore to restarting Bruichladdich, he has helped build a legion of dedicated fans. But, after more than five decades…

One of the favourite jobs at Whisky Exchange HQ is choosing whisky to become a TWE exclusive. Whether it’s from our own stocks of maturing casks or someone else’s stash, the opportunity to decide that a…

We recently managed to grab a few minutes before a whisky tasting with Ardbeg distillery manager Mickey Heads. Here’s what he had to say about life on Islay. ‘I was born in Port Ellen too…

If you’ve looked at a bottle of Laphroaig over the past few years, then you probably know why 2015 is a big year for the distillery – founded in 1815, as they proudly state on their labels,…

Whisky drinkers are well versed in the effect the choice of cask has on the spirit. American oak (usually ex-bourbon) adds notes of vanilla and toffee, while Spanish sherry casks deliver rich, nutty, fruit and…

In part one of this series, Ollie looked at the golden era of Bowmore whiskies. He now turns his attention to the 1980s and beyond, beginning with a tricky period for the distillery… 1980s For many…

The Whisky Exchange Shop at Vinopolis hosts lots of great events. However, there’s one pair of presenters who stand out from the crowd when it comes to putting on an evening to remember, creating tastings that…

Scottish rugby international Chris Cusiter talks to TWE about his new-found love of whisky, this year’s World Cup, and his post-career plans. What do you like about whisky? I love it; I love everything about…

The Whisky Exchange and boutique whisky blender Compass Box have a few things in common: we started out from one person’s idea, we’re based in west London and we have fewer employees than most people assume….