CLYDEBUILT WHISKY REVEALS PACKAGING TRANSFORMATION AND STREAMLINED RANGE

Leading independent Scotch whisky bottler Clydebuilt today unveils its new visual identity, refreshed packaging and updated range of Single Malts.

The new design features a sleek bottle etched with a map of the River Clyde and its surrounding area, paired with foiled and embossed labelling, and a giftbox carrying the same map alongside a range of premium finishes.

Sustainability shaped the project throughout, from a lightweight bottle to FSC certified materials. Additionally, the giftboxes were produced by McLaren Packaging, a local firm based in Inverclyde, and all labels were printed in Scotland’s central belt.

Ardgowan Distillery, the brand home of Clydebuilt, has been distilling its own spirit since June 2025, six years after the company first launched the Clydebuilt range in 2019.

The brand was named in honour of the River Clyde’s famous shipbuilding heritage, where the ‘Clydebuilt’ classification once marked a vessel as a benchmark of quality and craftsmanship.

The Clydebuilt range launches with an ongoing core range of two heavily Sherried Single Malt Scotch whiskies, plus one limited release American oak matured bottling:

• Clydebuilt 10 Years Old Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (46% ABV; UK RRSP £45.99)
• Clydebuilt 10 Years Old 100 Proof Sherry Cask Matured Single Malt (57.1% ABV; UK RRSP £63.99)
• Clydebuilt 10 Years Old Candlebrae Single Malt (48% ABV; UK RRSP £55)

The Sherry Cask Matured expression is a Speyside Single Malt, aged in a combination of traditional Sherry butts and European oak Pedro Ximénez (PX) and Oloroso hogsheads from the José y Miguel Martín bodega.

A bolder counterpart to the Sherry Cask Matured, the 100 Proof was laid down in the same combination of casks before being bottled at 57.1% ABV in line with the historic British definition of 100 proof: the minimum strength at which gunpowder would still ignite.

With a name created to signify its waxy qualities, Candlebrae is a Highland Single Malt matured for a decade in quality American oak casks, allowing a natural sweetness and rounded flavour profile to develop over time.

Whisky Maker Laura Davies, whose industry experience spans more than 14 years, oversaw the selection of every cask used and developed all three expressions.

Each whisky is bottled without undergoing chill filtration or adding artificial colouring, preserving its natural character and texture.

Commenting on the launch, Davies said:

“Clydebuilt gives me the freedom to select casks from across Scotland with real character and individuality. These three expressions each offer something unique, from the depth of the Sherry maturation and the elevated strength of 100 proof whisky to the softer, waxy sweetness of Candlebrae. Bottling them without colour or chill filtration lets that character come through honestly. We have more exciting plans already underway, but for now, we’re very proud of these three whiskies and the direction in which we’re taking Clydebuilt.”

Ardgowan’s Sales & Marketing Director, David Keir, added:

“The refreshed branding gives Clydebuilt the premium presentation its whisky has long deserved. The eye catching design brings greater clarity and confidence to the range, while the map of the Clyde links every bottle to the place it was created. We believe this refined offering will resonate with drinkers well beyond Scotland and the wider UK. It’s a brand we’re proud to be building, and one we see growing further internationally in the years ahead.”

Ardgowan has continued to back the Clydebuilt brand through a challenging period for the wider industry, investing £5m in mature malt whisky stocks in 2025 and committing a further £4m this year.

The refreshed Clydebuilt range will begin rolling out through the specialist retail channel from today, with prices starting at £45.99.

A list of UK stockists and international distributors is available here.

ABOUT CLYDEBUILT SCOTCH WHISKY:

Some of the greatest ships in the world were built on the River Clyde and so, over time, the word ‘Clydebuilt’ came to stand for craftsmanship, integrity and pride. The Clydebuilt brand was inspired by that exceptional legacy: a fitting tribute as Ardgowan Distillery, the home of the brand, is situated on the Firth of Clyde near Inverkip.

While Ardgowan Single Malt continues to slumber for many years, Whisky Maker Laura Davies applies the same meticulous approach to Clydebuilt. This is a boutique range of thoughtfully selected and matured Scotch whiskies that honour the spirit of the Clyde, emulating and upholding the attention to detail and the pride in quality of those that came before.

Further information on Ardgowan Distillery Company can be found at ardgowandistillery.com

TASTING NOTES:

Clydebuilt 10 Years Old Sherry Cask Matured – 46% ABV

·       Colour: Rich amber.

·       Nose: Dried fruits, toasted almonds and oak shavings.

·       Palate: Notes of heather honey, raisins, cinnamon and cloves.

·       Finish: Lingering tones of marzipan and sweet spice.

Clydebuilt 10 Years Old 100 Proof Sherry Cask Matured – 57.1% ABV

·       Colour: Deep bronze.

·       Nose: Cinnamon apple pie, cocoa powder and raisins.

·       Palate: Flavours of dark chocolate, cherries and grated nutmeg.

·       Finish: Satisfying, with a golden syrup sweetness.

Clydebuilt 10 Years Old Candlebrae – 48% ABV

·       Colour: Rich golden.

·       Nose: Baked apples, waxy citrus peel and freshly cut grass.

·       Palate: Honey glazed apricots, whipped cream and spiced oak.

·       Finish: Enduring tones of pear drops and spiced candle wax.

2026 RELEASE

THE MACALLAN RARE CASK

The Macallan Rare Cask is distinguished by a precious and elusive character. Only a small fraction of the thousands of casks reviewed each year at The Macallan Estate display the rich raisin sweetness sought for The Macallan Rare Cask releases. These exceptional casks are carefully identified and selected by our Whisky Mastery Team as exemplars of this distinctive character.

The unique, naturally present yet rarely found sweet raisin flavour imparted by European oak is incredibly elusive, delivering a rich, satisfying, velvet finish. This distinct, intense raisin character can only be revealed through the repeated assessment of every cask over the course of its lifetime.

The Macallan Rare Cask 2026 release is a multi-faceted single malt whisky offering an indulgent, sensorial experience defined by depth, richness and complexity. Each facet reflects the craftsmanship, mastery and heritage behind each cask.

From the rarest casks, where time and sherry seasoned European oak quietly shape character, emerges a single malt Scotch whisky of deep, natural beauty.

Only a small fraction of the thousands of casks reviewed each year at The Macallan Estate display the rich raisin sweetness sought for this single malt. This multi-faceted single malt offers an indulgent, sensorial experience defined by depth, richness and complexity.

The Macallan Rare Cask 2026 Release is now available from The Macallan Online Boutique and The Macallan Estate Boutique.

COLOUR

Ruby Mahogany.

AROMA

Soft notes of vanilla with rich raisin, followed by a sweet fusion of fresh apple, lemon and orange.

PALATE

An intense sweet raisin dominates before giving way to vanilla and dark chocolate, with layers of light citrus zest.

FINISH

Long, rich and velvety.

PURCHASE RARE CASK 2026 RELEASE

Glen Elgin 2012 – The Ghost Train of Dunphail

DISTILLED 4th July 2012 AND BOTTLED 13th July 2026

A firm favourite amongst the team at Lady of the Glen, Glen Elgin never fails to deliver. This idiosyncratic single malt known for its fruity and complex character lends itself well to secondary cask maturation. In this case we have a 6 year finish in a fine ex-tawny port barrique from Josafer near the city of Porto.

The tasting revealed Turkish delight, walnuts, baked apple and a subtle meaty note of Parma ham. A long finish offers lively spices, blueberries and honeyed oak.

LEARN MORE

2026 Little Book “Chapter 10 – All The Wiser” Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey

$149.99

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

ralfy review 1152 – Glentauchers 12yo @57.1%vol: (Signatory)

Bottle of The Macallan 1926 Sells for £2.1 Million / $2.8 Million

Becomes the Second Most Valuable Bottle of Whisky Ever Sold at Auction

&

Establishes the Highest Price Ever Achieved for a Bottle of

The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926

At the First Auction Ever Held at The Macallan Estate, Scotland

Landmark ‘White-Glove’ Sale Achieves £3.3 Million / $4.4 Million

Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Global Head of Whisky & Spirits, fielding bids at the first auction ever to take place at The Macallan Estate

OCTOBER 2026, SCOTLAND – This afternoon, during an auction staged by Sotheby’s at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, a bottle of The Macallan 1926, featuring the Fine & Rare label, sold for £2,125,000 / $2,807,975, becoming the second most valuable bottle of whisky ever sold in sterling, but the most valuable bottle ever sold at auction when measured in US dollars.* Sotheby’s now holds the top three prices for any bottle of whisky sold at auction.

Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Whisky & Spirits, Sotheby’s, said: “Today’s result reflects the enduring fascination that The Macallan 1926 inspires among collectors around the world. More than a century after it was distilled, it continues to stand alone as the benchmark for rarity, provenance and desirability in whisky. Achieving the second-highest price ever paid for a bottle of whisky at auction, and setting a new record for a Fine & Rare bottling, at the first auction held at The Macallan Estate during the centenary year of the vintage itself, is a remarkable milestone in the history of whisky collecting.”

The world’s most valuable whisky led Live from The Macallan Estate, the first auction ever to take place at The Macallan Distillery. Comprising whiskies from The Macallan drawn almost exclusively from private collections worldwide, the sale – conceived to mark the centenary of the distillation of The Macallan 1926 in the same location where the auction took place today – brought together a selection of the brand’s finest and most sought-after single malts, spanning decades. Comprising 42 lots, the landmark ‘white-glove’ auction was 100% sold, achieving an above-estimate total of £3.3 million / $4.4 million (est. £2.4-3.2m), and becoming the second most valuable whisky auction Sotheby’s has ever held after The Ultimate Whisky Collection in 2019. 86% of the lots sold achieved prices above their high estimates.

Bottled in 1986 at 60 Years Old, the fabled 1926 vintage has long been the benchmark for collectible whisky, its extraordinary value driven as much by its rarity as by its enduring place in the history of Scotch whisky collecting.

After maturing for six decades, just 40 bottles of The Macallan 1926 were drawn from a single sherry seasoned oak cask (cask number 263) in 1986, representing the oldest vintage ever bottled by The Macallan. A maximum of 14 were decorated with the Fine and Rare label, 12 were designed by Sir Peter Blake, and a further 12 by Italian artist Valerio Adami. Two bottles were left unlabelled – one was later hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon (the first bottle of whisky to surpass £1 million when sold in 2018; the other is the last unlabelled Macallan 1926 in existence.

The Macallan Fine & Rare 60 Years Old 1926 is one of 14 bottles released in 2002 which became the foundation of The Macallan’s iconic Fine & Rare collection. This was the first of these celebrated 1926 vintage bottlings to return to auction since 2023, and the first Fine & Rare example to appear at auction since 2019, when Sotheby’s in London set a then world auction record of £1.5 million / $1.9 million. The £2.1 million achieved today establishes a new auction record for a bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare. In US dollar terms, the result exceeds the previous record set seven years ago by almost 50%, an increase of approximately $900,000.

The auction was an exclusive, invite-only event attended by 50 of the world’s leading whisky collectors, with additional participation from collectors around the world who chose to bid online and on the telephones via Sotheby’s staff in the room.

The sale began with a special presentation of The Macallan Romantica Collection – consigned directly by The Macallan and featuring exclusive liquid and packaging created specifically for Sotheby’s auction – which sold for £162,500 / $214,278. Proceeds will benefit three registered charities selected by each of the artists and their representatives, with the funds to be split equally between Graeae Theatre Company, London; Cancer Research UK, and Associazione VIDAS in Milan, Italy.

Jaume Ferras, Creative Director, The Macallan, added: “We are humbled by the response to the auction live from The Macallan Estate and the results achieved. It was a privilege to welcome Sotheby’s and guests to our home, and to see such appreciation for whiskies that represent different chapters in our history. We are especially proud that the sale of The Macallan Romantica Collection Artists’ Edition, which has raised funds for charities nominated by the artists Valerio Adami, Sir Peter Blake and Michael Dillon, giving this remarkable collaboration a meaningful legacy beyond the auction itself.”

Unveiled in May, the collection, conceived in honour of the centenary of The Macallan 1926, unites Sir Peter Blake, Valerio Adami and Michael Dillon. Each artist was commissioned to create an original work celebrating the passage of time from 1986 to 2026, interpreting four decades of maturation. The version created especially for the sale comprises three bottles filled at a bespoke strength of 42.6% ABV, deliberately selected to match the 1926 60 Years Old and distinct from the limited edition of 258 bottles released earlier this year at 48.6% ABV. Just two examples of each artist edition have been produced at this strength, with the companion set retained permanently in The Macallan Archive.

The second most valuable lot in the sale was a complete set of The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection, among the first true luxury collections in the whisky world, which realised £350,000 / $462,490.

A collaboration between The Macallan and renowned French crystal maker Lalique, the exclusive series of six limited-edition decanters containing some of the rarest and oldest single malt whiskies ever released, was released over a decade, from 2005 to 2016. The decanters have become highly sought after, both individually and as complete collections, which are far rarer to appear on the market.

Also presented for sale by The Macallan was The Reach 81 Years Old single malt, which achieved £131,250 / $173,434. Crafted from a single sherry seasoned oak cask and presented in a mouth-blown glass decanter, cradled by a bronze sculpture of three hands representing figures from the Distillery’s history, the release was originally unveiled in February 2022.

The version presented for sale today was distinguished by the deep red leather lining the display cabinet, in place of the cream leather lining featured on the original release – chosen especially to reflect the red thread that has run through The Macallan since the distillery was founded over 200 years ago.

Marking the first time the release has ever been offered by Sotheby’s, The Macallan in Lalique Golden Age of Travel Ocean Liner brought a triple-estimate £106,250 / $140,399. The 1937 vintage is one of the rarest bottles ever produced by the distillery.

Full results are available here.

*The price achieved in 2023 was £2,187,500 / $2,714,250.

Sir Peter Blake: Graeae Theatre Company

Since its official opening in 1980, Graeae Theatre Company has been an international leader and innovator in accessible world-class theatre. Graeae is founded on the mission to create theatrical excellence through the vision and practice of Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent artists.

Valerio Adami: VIDAS

VIDAS is a non-profit association based in Milan, Italy, that provides free and complete socio-health assistance and palliative care to people with incurable and terminal illnesses.

Michael Dillon: Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK – the world’s largest independent cancer research charity – funds scientists, doctors, and nurses to prevent, diagnose, and treat more than 200 types of cancer, and to provide open public information.

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building in New York City, featuring Marcel, 945 Madison Avenue – a new continental restaurant designed by Roman & Williams.

* Estimates do not include buyer’s premium or overhead premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and overhead premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

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

£60.00

A rare treat for fans of this crisp, fruity Speyside whisky, frequently exported when it’s not doing its day job as a key component of Dewar’s blend. In fact, this is one of three 15-year-old sibling releases from Aultmore, all beginning their lives in refill American oak and finished in casks that previously held different styles of Marsala.

Marsala is a sweet, amber-toned fortified wine named for its home, the port of Marsala in Sicily. Aultmore explores the influence of three of its many varieties in these limited releases, with each carefully monitored six-month finish emphasising a different side of the distillery’s complex character.

The Ruby Marsala Cask edition, finished in Marsala Rubino Dolce casks, plays to Aultmore’s fruity side, lacing the whisky with bold red fruits and tannins. Bottled at 46% abv, natural colour and non-chill filtered.

Vibrant and aromatic, with bold notes of ripe red cherries and juicy plums on the palate and a tangy, tannic note of pomegranate on the finish.

A 2003 Scapa single malt bottled exclusively for The Whisky Exchange, this was matured in first-fill American oak barrels for 19 years before bottling in August 2022. This is a rare whisky: one of the few official Scapa bottlings available when it was released, it was also our first ever shop exclusive and it’s bottled at cask strength. A fruity, sweet Orkney single malt, the palate offers notes of fresh apricots, orange marmalade and homemade fudge that linger in the finish.

£185

ralfy review 1153 – Glenlivet Founders Reserve @40%vol: (2026)