The world’s official whisky glass celebrates the double winner of this year’s Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Awards

Frances Crawford, the winner of both the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and McIlvanney Prize, was presented with a giant Glencairn Glass trophy.

It has been a year of firsts for this year’s Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival which has been sponsored by the world’s official whisky glass, the Glencairn Glass, for the last seven years. It’s the first year Bloody Scotland had an all-woman shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. The first year four of those women made it onto the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize and now – for the first time ever – the same author has won both The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize.

Congratulations to Frances Crawford whose novel A Bad, Bad Place (Transworld) has swept the board this year, only two months after picking up the McDermid debut prize at Harrogate.  Frances was presented with a giant Glencairn Glass trophy at the Bloody Scotland Festival in Stirling over the weekend (18^th – 20^th September).

Kirsty Nicholson, Marketing Director at Glencairn – sponsors of The Bloody Scotland literary prizes with The Glencairn Glass, said:

‘This has been a truly remarkable year of firsts for Bloody Scotland and we are delighted to celebrate Frances Crawford’s extraordinary achievement. Winning both the Debut and McIlvanney Prizes is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to her exceptional storytelling talent. It is particularly wonderful to see Frances’ journey come full circle, having won our Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition in 2023. A huge congratulations on this well-deserved success – we cannot wait to see what comes next!’ 

Frances Crawford started writing late in life. She secured a scholarship to study Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow and credits her tutor, Louise Welsh, with encouraging her to take her short story and develop it into a novel. She graduated aged 60 with MLitt (Distinction).  The short story won the Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story competition in 2023. A Bad, Bad Place was published to great acclaim in February 2026 and will be published in paperback on 31 December.

Both of the prestigious literary prizes are awarded as part of the annual Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival which takes place every September. Based in Stirling, Bloody Scotland has brought hundreds of crime writers – new and established – to the stage along with enthusiastic festival attendees since 2012, with exciting events covering a range of criminal subjects from fictional forensics and psychological thrillers to tartan noir and cosy crime.

For further details visit: www.bloodyscotland.com and www.whiskyglass.com

About Glencairn Crystal:

The award-winning Glencairn Crystal Studio has been at the cutting edge of high-quality decanter and glassware design, innovation, and creativity for over four decades. Regarded internationally as one of the finest crystal decanter and glassware specialists, the family run Scottish company has hand crafted prestigious decanters often for the rarest and most luxurious spirits ever released.

Glencairn Crystal also produces the Glencairn Glass which is recognised as the world’s official whisky glass. The glass recently celebrated its 25th birthday and the company now sell over 5 million glasses across the globe each year.

Last year, Glencairn Crystal was honoured with the Kings Award for Enterprise – the fourth time in the company’s history it has been awarded this prestigious accolade. The business was recognised for its excellence in the category of Innovation.

www.glencairn.co.uk

PLANTSVILLE, Connecticut — October, 2026 — Good Bottle Auctions launched its Pink October campaign. For every bottle consigned during October 2026, the company will donate $1 to the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation (TBBCF).

The auction house has also turned its website, GoodBottleAuctions.com, pink for the month.

“We’ve gone pink for October because everyone has someone, they love whose life has been touched by cancer: a mother, father, sister, brother, child or friend,” said Robin Sousa of Good Bottle Auctions. “So, let’s get together and go pink. Our consignors already trust us with bottles they’ve spent years building. This month, every one of those bottles also helps fund cancer research. We chose the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation because it’s local to us, and because it gives 100 percent of contributions directly to research. By choosing a local partner, we can give back to the community we live in while making a nationwide impact on finding a cure for this disease.”

How it works

• Consign any bottle with Good Bottle Auctions during the month of October
• Good Bottle Auctions donates $1 per bottle to TBBCF, at no cost to the consignor
• The final total will be announced and donated by mid-November

Collectors can start a consignment at goodbottleauctions.com/appraisal-form or by calling 860-378-8808.

About Good Bottle Auctions

Good Bottle Auctions was established in 2024 and is based in Plantsville, Connecticut. It is an auction house for rare and collectible spirits and fine wines. Its goal is to make buying and selling transparent, secure and rewarding, through expert guidance, superior customer service and lasting client relationships. Learn more at goodbottleauctions.com/about-good-bottle-auctions.

About the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation

Founded in 2006 in New London, Connecticut, the Terri Brodeur Breast Cancer Foundation honors Terri Brodeur, a young mother who died of breast cancer in 2005. The grassroots nonprofit gives 100 percent of gross fundraising dollars directly to research and covers its administrative costs through sponsors and volunteers. TBBCF has raised more than $7.2 million and awarded more than 70 grants to researchers at institutions including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering and Stanford University. Learn more at tbbcf.org.

Their Name. Their Big Peat.

Personalise their bottle. Order by 31st October.

Some gifts are made to be remembered. This one’s made just for them. For a limited time, put their name front and centre on a bottle of Big Peat. All the bold Islay character you love – smoky bonfires, salty sea air, and a long, lingering finish.

Up to eight characters. One unforgettable gift.

Order by 31st October for shipping from the week commencing 1st December. Limited availability. Make it BIG.

PERSONALISE YOUR BIG PEAT

ralfy review 1150 Extras – Understanding ‘guest oak’ whiskies.

DEWAR’S ABERFELDY DISTILLERY WELCOMES AUTUMN WITH MADEIRA FINISH EXCEPTIONAL CASK

As the colder months set in, Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery is welcoming the season with the latest addition to its ABERFELDY®  Exceptional Cask Series: ABERFELDY 27-Year-Old Madeira Double Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky.

A whisky made for slow sipping around the fire, this limited distillery exclusive brings together almost 21 years of ABERFELDY maturation in ex-bourbon barrels, finished in carefully selected Madeira casks for a further six years. The result is a richly layered single malt that combines ABERFELDY’s signature honeyed character with the distinctive roasted, nutty and caramelised notes associated with Madeira wine.

Madeira is a fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name, renowned for a unique ageing process that deliberately exposes the wine to heat and oxygen. This unusual method creates a distinctive balance of crisp acidity and soft sweetness, alongside flavours of roasted nuts, stewed fruit, caramel and toffee. It is these rich, complex characteristics that make Madeira casks a compelling partner for ABERFELDY’s naturally honeyed single malt.

For the ABERFELDY 27-Year-Old Madeira Double Cask Finish, Stephanie Macleod, Malt Master at ABERFELDY, carefully monitored the whisky throughout its finishing period, assessing the development of flavour and character in each cask until the desired balance was achieved.

Stephanie Macleod, renowned Malt Master at ABERFELDY commented:

“A great cask finish should feel like a natural extension of the whisky rather than something imposed upon it. Madeira brings a wonderful combination of rich, nutty sweetness and vibrant freshness, which works beautifully with ABERFELDY’s naturally honeyed character. With a whisky of this age, patience is particularly important, and we carefully monitor each cask until the balance is just right.”

On the nose, ABERFELDY 27-Year-Old Madeira Double Cask Finish is rich and inviting, a truly luxurious dram, displaying its age through deep, rich flavours enhanced by the influence of the Madeira cask. On the palate, robust notes of red apples drizzled with honey are complemented by hints of candied orange peel and a finish of sweet cinnamon spice.

Founded in 1898, Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery sits in the heart of Highland Perthshire, drawing its water from the Pitilie Burn, known for its rich deposits of alluvial gold. The distillery is renowned for producing a distinctive single malt characterised by its rich, honeyed and gently fruity character.

The ABERFELDY Exceptional Cask Series showcases the distillery’s spirit through carefully considered cask maturation and finishing, exploring the ways in which different cask types can complement and enhance ABERFELDY’s signature character.

With only 276 bottles available, ABERFELDY 27-Year-Old Madeira Double Cask can be purchased exclusively from Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery and its online store from today, October 20th, at an RRP of £600.

About Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery: Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery is the home of both ABERFELDY Highland Single Malt and DEWAR’S Blended Scotch Whisky. Established in 1898 by the Dewar family, the distillery was designed by revered architect Charles Doig, whose signature pagoda roof still dominates the skyline. Visitors can explore the distillery’s immersive tours, learn about the whisky-making process, and enjoy tastings of its acclaimed whiskies. DEWAR’S and ABERFELDY are part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

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Chichibu: Four New Expressions

Few Japanese distilleries inspire quite the anticipation of Chichibu, and this year’s releases offer plenty to discover. From the much-anticipated London Edition to the return of The Peated, a sherry-influenced release from Chichibu II and a marriage of whiskies from both distilleries, this collection showcases the remarkable character and versatility of Ichiro Akuto’s whiskies.

Chichibu London Edition 2026

It almost feels like it wouldn’t be The Whisky Show without a new Chichibu London Edition release to accompany it. Thankfully, the ninth edition of this absolutely delightful bottle is up to Chichibu’s impeccable standards, marrying 16 casks of single malt distilled at Chichibu I into one extremely pleasing whole. Apricot and peaches centre notes of honey, grapefruit peel, white pepper and rich vanilla custard in an elegant, expressive and fruit-forward release.

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Chichibu The Peated 2026 Edition

This is the first standalone release of Chichibu’s heavily peated single malt since 2022, crafted from malt peated to 50 PPM during the distillery’s annual peated production run. Matured predominantly in ex-bourbon barrels, alongside oloroso sherry casks and re-coopered hogsheads, it balances elegant peat smoke with gentle sweetness, offering toasted baking spices, burnt caramel, roasted almonds, honey, banana and lingering grassy smoke.

Chichibu Distillery II Hint of Sherry

Hint of Sherry is the second single malt release from Chichibu II Distillery. Lightly peated, it was aged for five to six years in a combination of ex-sherry casks and ex-bourbon barrels. Flavours of layered complexity are defined by notes of peat smoke, dark chocolate, raisins and candied citrus, followed by vanilla, honey and baking spice, and a lingering finish of sweet smoke and lapsang souchong.

Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu Double Distilleries

A marriage of single malts from the two Chichibu distilleries that finds a pleasing harmony between the original distillery’s fruitier character and the newer sibling’s richer, fuller style. A mixture of casks were used for maturation and the complexity and depth this brings can be appreciated in the whisky, as jasmine and peach lead to honey and creamy vanilla on the palate, before citrus and baking spices see out a long finish.

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THE MACALLAN CARTA NAUTICA COLLECTION

The Macallan Carta Nautica Collection is an exceptional release of whiskies matured in sherry seasoned oak casks before embarking on a second maturation journey in casks that previously held bourbon. This distinctive maturation approach brings together the unexpected, creating distinctive expressions.

The Collection is a crafted culmination of influences from different continents and cultures, each connected by an epic body of water: the Atlantic Ocean.

DISCOVER THE COLLECTION

Across its depths, the finest oak staves and casks have navigated the waves from North America. Some venture directly to Scotland, the rest destined for the shores of Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, where they are seasoned with sherry wine before finally reaching Scottish shores where our new make spirit will be transformed.

The Macallan Carta Nautica 20 Years Old will be available exclusively at Singapore Changi Airport from 28 September to 18 October 2026, before extending to key airport boutiques and select duty free locations around the world from 19 October 2026 onwards. There will be limited availability worldwide.

INTRODUCING

BENROMACH 25 YEARS OLD

The pinnacle of our signature range, Benromach 25 Years Old.

Exclusively matured in the finest Bourbon and Sherry casks, our TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD single malt delivers rich berry aromas complemented by toffee apples and soft smoke. Vibrant raisin and orange notes are followed by tropical fruit, dried banana and mature oak.

Bottled at 46% and non-chill filtered, the 25 Year Old is rich and incredibly well-balanced, while keeping the signature hint of smoke that Benromach is known for. Made by hand, this release marks a new milestone for the distillery and it’s a privilege to share it.

Benromach 25 Years Old is £250 and will be available to purchase online and at our Visitor Centre on the 22nd October.

Please note shipping is only possible to the UK for this release, but it will be heading to international markets very soon!

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Introducing The Oak & Maple Whisky Pub

Whisky Folk in Victoria have a brand new place to share drams.

THE VIDEO