BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF ‘ON TOUR’ TRAVELING TASTING EXPERIENCE THIS FALL 

The complimentary experience will bring the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery to fans across Missouri, Colorado and Texas, with three new city stops and one returning favorite

FRANKFORT, KY (August 27, 2026) – Buffalo Trace Distillery announces today the return of its immersive traveling tasting experience: Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour. Now in its second year, the tasting and retail experience will visit four U.S. cities: Branson, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas; and Denver, Colorado, bringing the Distillery experience to fans beyond its Frankfort, KY home.

Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour brings the spirit of the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery on the road, inviting bourbon fans across the country an opportunity to taste its whiskeys, hear its stories and experience a piece of Buffalo Trace Distillery closer to home. Led by expert hosts, guests are guided through four distinctive pours while gaining a deeper understanding of the craftmanship, history and character behind each whiskey.

With each pour, guests will explore the details that shape the whiskeys, from mashbills and tasting notes to maturation techniques and other elements that give each expression its distinct character. The experience also features an exclusive retail offering of custom, city-specific barware created for each tour stop, offering guests the opportunity to take home a collectible piece of Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour while supplies last.

“The heart of Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour is bringing Buffalo Trace closer to our fans and creating more opportunities for them to experience the Distillery beyond Frankfort,” said Erica Bovard, Senior Brand Director, Buffalo Trace Distillery. “We were thrilled by the response to last year’s tour and are excited to build on that momentum by returning to familiar markets and reaching new ones. It is a chance to share our whiskeys, our stories and the craftsmanship behind them with the people who make Buffalo Trace what it is.”

Each stop on Buffalo Trace Distillery On Tour will offer a total of 14 complimentary tasting experiences spread out over four days with staggered afternoon and evening time slots. Each session will feature a guided tasting lasting approximately 75 minutes and a lineup of popular brands including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, Weller Antique 107, and the new Sazerac Rye 100 Proof.

The dates and locations for each city are as follows:

• Branson, Missouri at Big Cedar Lodge – October 1-4
• Kansas City, Missouri at The Bauer – October 8-11
• Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas at The Laurel – October 14-17
• Denver, Colorado at Church Ranch Event Center – November 12-15

“Some of the best memories are made around a table, sharing a sip of Buffalo Trace Bourbon with people you enjoy,” said Ed Bell, Sazerac Homeplace Director. “The response to our first On Tour showed us there’s something meaningful about creating those moments outside the Distillery, and we’re excited to do it again in new locations. Whether guests are longtime Buffalo Trace fans or just beginning to explore bourbon, we hope they leave having discovered more of what makes Buffalo Trace Distillery and its brands so special.”

Tickets are complimentary, but advance reservations are required. Registration opens Wednesday, September 2 at 10 a.m. ET/9 a.m. CT, with a limit of four tickets per person. Must be 21 years of age or older to attend. Availability is limited, and tickets are expected to go quickly. Those interested can find tickets here.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery  

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and it is a National Historic Landmark, as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site. The Distillery has won more than 40 distillery titles since 2000 and garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. Its William Larue Weller, Stagg, Eagle Rare 10, and Thomas H. Handy received Gold Awards at the 2025 International Wine & Spirits Competition and its flagship Buffalo Trace Bourbon received a Master Medal at the 2025 Global American Whiskey Masters. Buffalo Trace Distillery has a deep commitment to supporting charitable initiatives. Nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about the Distillery’s efforts are encouraged to register their charity here. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery, visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

As we count down to the launch of our next release from Aberargie Distillery, we’re pleased to offer you a first look at the bottles that will soon join our range. Launching on 15th September, these two new whiskies mark the beginning of our Expressions Range.

Every whisky at Aberargie begins in the fields that surround our distillery. From the barley we grow to the casks we carefully select, each decision is made to better understand how every element influences the character of the spirit.

The Expressions Range explores the individuality of two remarkable barley varietals: Golden Promise and Laureate. Rather than bringing them together, each whisky has been crafted to let a single barley variety speak for itself, revealing the distinctive character and flavour profile it brings to the glass.

This is the next chapter in our journey to showcase the true influence of barley, bottled with purpose and shaped from field to bottle.

GOLDEN PROMISE

The Golden Promise Edition celebrates a barley variety renowned for its rich flavour and historic importance in Scotch whisky. Matured with a 68% influence from first-fill bourbon casks, alongside carefully selected first-fill sherry casks which make up the remaining 32%. This cask make-up highlights Golden Promise’s naturally structured and indulgent character, revealing layers of buttery pastry, baked orchard fruits and gentle spice.

LAUREATE

The Laureate Edition showcases a newer generation of barley, selected for its resilience and exceptional flavour potential. With a 68% influence from first-fill sherry casks, balanced with 32% first-fill bourbon maturation, this whisky brings forward Laureate’s vibrant and elegant profile, with notes of candied orange peel, dried fruits, ripe orchard fruits and a lasting honeyed finish.

Visit Aberargie Distillery HERE

A Piece of History

Our 46 Year Old Single Cask at The Balmoral

Distilled in 1979 and matured for 46 years in refill Bourbon Barrel #1729, this remarkable one-of-one Glengoyne Single Cask is a whisky that can never be recreated.

Selected in partnership with SCOTCH at The Balmoral and now available by the dram at SCOTCH bar, it brings together two Scottish icons and a story more than four decades in the making.

In this film, Robbie Hughes and Ross Barr revisit the journey behind this extraordinary release, from its beginnings in 1979 to its new home in Edinburgh. Along the way, they explore what makes this whisky so special: its rarity, its character and the fact that no one could ever have predicted where its journey would end.

An iconic hotel and a world-class Highland distillery.

Slàinte Mhath,

Team Glengoyne

The overlooked superstars of whisky

At its simplest, a blended whisky is one which combines whiskies of two types or places, but that obscures how diverse and interesting a category this is. Grain whiskies are generally lighter and more delicate, so in addition to reducing cost, they also allow a blender to balance flavours with greater precision. This explains in great part the dominance of blended whisky today – more control for less money. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s inferior, as smaller outfits like Compass Box, Thompson Bros or Woven demonstrate. That’s without touching on Irish or Japanese whisky traditions, or indeed blended malt whiskies, where only single malts go into the final blend. Blends contain worlds – thankfully that’s territory well worth exploring.

Learn more

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 613: Auchentoshan 26 Year Old 1991 Claxton’s

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another one of his favorite Lowlander. Unless you have only recently discovered Mark’s blog and Ramblings, you know very well that Auchentoshan has captured his heart. A few weeks ago, he was given a lovely bottle by his friend Manny, and Mark is now very happy to bring to try it. It is an Auchentoshan from 1991 that matured for no less than 26 years in a sherry cask, bottled at cask strength by independent bottler Claxton’s in those distinctive square bottles.

https://youtu.be/WrEtinliUs4

Where Craft Meets Creativity: James B. Beam Distilling Co. Launches Creator Campus

New open call gives podcasters, musicians and multidisciplinary creators the opportunity to create original work in one of America’s most iconic whiskey destinations.

CLERMONT, Ky. (August 2026) – James B. Beam Distilling Co. (JBBDCo.), home to American whiskey brands including Jim Beam®, the world’s no. 1 bourbon, Knob Creek® and Basil Hayden®, today announced the launch of Creator Campus, a new initiative that invites podcasters, musicians, filmmakers, digital creators and storytellers to apply for the opportunity to develop original work at its historic Clermont, Kentucky campus.

Rooted in more than 200 years of American whiskey-making tradition, Creator Campus transforms a portion of the JBBDCo. campus into a dedicated creative environment where heritage and contemporary culture intersect. Selected participants will receive access to the distillery’s expansive grounds and distinctive spaces to bring projects to life – from recording podcasts and filming content to producing music and hosting collaborative retreats.

More than a production space, Creator Campus offers an immersive experience at the home of Jim Beam®. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the distillery through whiskey tastings, educational experiences, restaurants, special releases and signature events, including the Clermont Supper Club series, while drawing inspiration from the craftsmanship, people and traditions that have shaped the Beam family legacy for generations.

WHY JAMES B. BEAM DISTILLING CO. IS LAUNCHING CREATOR CAMPUS

For decades, the James B. Beam Distilling Co. campus has welcomed visitors from around the world to experience the history and craftsmanship behind the spirit. With Creator Campus, JBBDCo. is expanding that legacy by creating a place where today’s creators can produce original work in an authentic setting unlike a traditional studio.

As creators increasingly seek distinctive, real-world locations that inspire storytelling and collaboration, Creator Campus offers access to one of America’s most iconic distilleries as both a creative workspace and cultural destination. The initiative reflects JBBDCo.’s ongoing commitment to craftsmanship, hospitality and bringing people together through meaningful experiences.

“At its core, JBBDCo. has always been about craft – making something meaningful to be shared, bringing people together,” said Freddie Noe, eighth-generation master distiller at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. “Creator Campus builds on that tradition by opening our doors in a new way, inviting creators to draw inspiration from this place as I have and create something entirely their own.”

HOW TO APPLY  

Creators interested in applying can visit HERE to learn more and submit an application.  Emerging and established creators including podcasters, musicians, filmmakers, digital creators and storytellers are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to bring their creative vision to life at the James B. Beam Distilling Co. campus.

Selected participants will be chosen based on the originality of their ideas, their creative vision and their alignment with the collaborative spirit and storytelling that define the JBBDCo. brand.

Creator Campus is open only to content creators and influencers who are 21 years of age or older. Additional eligibility requirements and official terms and conditions apply.

About James B. Beam Distilling Co.

Founded by America’s first family of bourbon, the James B. Beam Distilling Co. has crafted genuine American Whiskey since 1795. Its portfolio includes globally coveted and award-winning whiskey brands including Jim Beam®, Basil Hayden®, Knob Creek®, Booker’s®, Baker’s®, Little Book®, Legent®, Old Tub®, Old Overholt®, Old Crow®, and Old Grand-Dad®. Maintaining the whiskey traditions of eight generations of family distillers while advancing the category through innovation, the Beam family has defined what American Whiskey could be and should be for more than 225 years. The James B. Beam Distilling Co. crafts American Whiskey with genuine, quality ingredients that are distilled and aged without compromise at its family distilleries in Clermont, Kentucky.

About Suntory Global Spirits

As a world leader in premium spirits, Suntory Global Spirits inspires the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Known for its craftsmanship of premium American whiskeys, including Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark®; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki® and Hibiki®; and leading Scotch brands including Laphroaig®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces leading brands such as El Tesoro® and Hornitos® tequilas and Roku® gin, and is a world leader in Ready-To-Drink cocktails, with brands like -196™ (minus one-nine-six) and On The Rocks™ Bartender Created Cocktails.

A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, Suntory Global Spirits is driven by its core values of Growing for Good, Yatte Minahare and Giving Back to Society, and aims to have a positive impact on the planet, consumers and communities. Headquartered in New York City, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information, visit www.suntoryglobalspirits.com.

Nikka “Taketsuru” White Label Pure Malt Japanese Whisky $64.99 View

The new blend from Nikka replaces the old “Black Label,” but continues to offer excellent quality. A blend of malt whiskies from Yoichi and Miyagikyo (and perhaps elsewhere), the new label does nothing to diminish the quality. This refinement of the original blend relies more heavily on the coal fired pot stills at Yoicihi than the gas fired stills at Miyagikyo. There’s an additional sherry element and a slightly reduced peated element. The blend remains extremely polished and satisfying offering a wide array of complex malt flavors. The age, while not indicated on the label, seems to have improved slightly from the previous blend offering a more integrated and complex profile that relies on balance and elegance as the key factors in the flavor profile. This is the quintessential “Pure Malt” which has become synonymous with Japanese Whisky even in the modern era.

Nikka “Yoichi” Japanese Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $102)  $74.99 View

Winner of the Whisky Advocate’s 2016 “Japanese Whisky of the Year” award, Nikka’s latest release from Yoichi distillery no longer carries an age statement, but it does bring a classically Japanese whisky profile back to the market. All the delicacy, grace, and subtle complexity is alive and well in this release, buried deep in a whisper of malt for those who take the time to let it be heard. The first sip is almost ghostly, but it’s the second and third return that yield the slightest hint of peat smoke, the creamiest of malts, and the lovely roundness of sweet stone fruit. This is textbook Japanese whisky: a flavor reserved so as not to overwhelm potential food pairings like sushi or other delicate offerings, yet a wonderful depth of flavor done with the slightest of hands. Yoichi is located on Japan’s Hokkaido island where such food pairings are prevalent. It’s definitely a single malt with a sense of place. The gentle smell and flavor of the sea linger long on the finish. This whiskey meets all the criteria of “Japanese whisky” defined by the Japan Spirits & Liqueur Makers Association. 45% ABV.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Our latest ‘Heresy’ release, Batch 42: Highland peaty potion casts a flavoursome spell, highlighting the sweet spot where peated and unpeated whiskies from the same Highland distillery meet. This 10-year-old single malt was created by maturing peated and unpeated whiskies separately in first fill bourbon barrels for seven years, providing texture, creaminess and marzipan. After that, we blended those whiskies and filled our new potion into a combination of fresh oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry butts, bringing layered dried fruits and molasses into the mix. The resulting release evokes campfires and barbecues making it a dreamy end-of-summer sipper for last-minute getaways.

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The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

What is a Vertical Whisky Tasting?

A great way to understand a distillery is to taste several of its expressions side by side. That’s the idea behind a vertical tasting. Rather than comparing different producers, you instead explore how one distillery’s character develops through maturation and cask influence. As whisky writer Dave Broom describes it, you’re discovering the distillery’s “DNA”, its unique thumbprint, and seeing how that identity evolves in different iterations.

🎬. Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post

THE ARDARA DISTILLERY RELEASES THE SECOND EDITION OF

ARDARA SINGLE MALT IRISH WHISKEY

The Ardara Distillery, home of Sliabh Liag Distillers, released the 2026 Edition of Ardara Single Malt Irish Whiskey on Saturday 8th August 2026 – the second release of the heavily peated Donegal single malt. To mark the release, the distillery opened its doors for free tours throughout Ardara Show Day, with tastings of the 2026 Edition taking place at the Ardara Show.

Ardara Single Malt Irish Whiskey began its journey last year on Ardara Show Day, where its first pour took place with the community that had been part of the distillery’s story from the beginning. Visitors to Ardara Distillery saw the three copper stills from Forsyths at work and heard the story of illicit distilling, the family recipe that inspired Ardara, and how that lost craft of Donegal smoky Irish whiskey had made its return.

The 2026 Edition is the second release of Ardara Single Malt, the whiskey created to reclaim a lost part of Donegal’s whiskey heritage: its smoke. A century ago, Donegal was known for making a smoky whiskey unlike any other. Barley was dried over burning turf and whiskey was made heavily peated, much of it outside the law. Then the law closed in, Irish whiskey turned smooth, and Donegal’s smoke faded from view. Ardara is committed to bringing it back, and that commitment has its roots in a family recipe.

Pictured is James Doherty with the very first bottles off the line for the second release of Ardara Single Malt

James Doherty, founder of The Ardara Distillery, said:

“At Ardara, we’re bringing back smoke. Six weeks before she died, my grandmother gave me the whiskey recipe that had belonged to my grandfather, an illicit distiller in Donegal. By then, the style he had made had almost disappeared. Irish whiskey had become smooth, and the smoky character once associated with Donegal was fading from memory. This whiskey is made his way: heavily peated, all grain in and triple distilled.”

“When we released the first Ardara Single Malt in 2025, we took the ambitious step of releasing 10,000 bottles, and we’re delighted with the way that whiskey has performed in Germany, France, the UK and the global Duty-Free market. We’re just about to ship Ardara to the USA. For us, that’s hugely encouraging. It shows that there is an appetite for this style of Irish whiskey beyond Donegal, and that the story we are telling about the return of smoky Irish whiskey is beginning to resonate around the world.”

Adding to this, James said:

“We want to bring back that love of smoky spirits, not by simply recreating the past, but by making the whiskey properly and giving that lost craft a place in the world again. That’s what my wife Moira and I set out to do when we started building the distillery here in the south-west of Donegal.”

“The second release of Ardara Single Malt is an important moment for us. It shows that what began with my grandfather’s recipe and our determination to reclaim Donegal’s smoke is now becoming an ongoing whiskey tradition of its own. The 2026 Edition is the clearest statement yet of our purpose: to reclaim Donegal’s lost whiskey craft and prove smoky Irish whiskey can stand with the best in the world.”

Ardara Single Malt is made using what the distillery calls The Ardara Method: heavily peated, all grain in and triple distilled. The malt is heavily peated to create its distinctive sweet, nutty smoke. All the grain is kept in throughout fermentation and into the wash still, building a fuller, weightier spirit with the character to carry the smoke. The whiskey is then triple distilled before resting in 6,000-litre Solera Vats for 72 hours. It is then emptied to 1,200 litres and filled into casks, creating an eternal link of continuity from the very first bottle to the last.

The result is a heavily peated Irish single malt with layers of sweet smoke, orchard fruit and rolled tobacco; powerful but not overpowering, smoky but not medicinal.

“There is a dragonfly on every bottle of Ardara, drawn from the ones found around the pond at the distillery,” James added. “A dragonfly spends most of its life underwater, out of sight, before breaking the surface and taking flight. For generations, Donegal’s smoky whiskey tradition was much the same: once a defining part of the place, then hidden from view as the style disappeared from Irish whiskey. We’re not just bringing that tradition back; we’re giving it a future.”

At 46% ABV, Ardara Single Malt opens sweet, fruity and nutty, with a hint of waxiness wrapped in sweet pipe smoke. Hot beignets and poached pears arrive first on the palate, before deepening into roasted coconut, almond, leather and rolled tobacco. Sweet smoke and campfire follow, giving way to a long, sweet baked-apple finish.

The 2026 Edition of Ardara Single Malt Cask Strength, bottled at 60.9% ABV, brings the same character with greater intensity: green melon and husky citrus on the nose, followed by beignets, honeyed pear, coconut, leather and rolled tobacco on the palate. A hint of menthol carries through to a smoky, earthy finish of baked apple and raisin.