Fielden Whisky announced as official drinks sponsor at Groundswell Festival 2025

Fielden Whisky, the pioneering English whisky rooted in regenerative agriculture, is proud to be a key partner of this year’s Groundswell Festival—the UK’s leading event for regenerative farming and sustainable land management. As part of the partnership, Fielden will co-host two headline banquets with Groundswell, celebrating the land, its growers, and the bounty they produce. 

Taking place from 2–3 July 2025 at Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire, Groundswell Festival is a landmark event in the regenerative farming calendar. Created by farmers, for farmers, Groundswell brings together growers, environmentalists, food producers and changemakers to exchange ideas and innovations shaping the future of farming. Now in its ninth year, the festival offers a rich programme of over 400 speakers and 200 sessions—covering both the principles and practicalities of regenerative systems and Conservation Agriculture. With ever increasing influence, it has become an essential forum for anyone interested in the future of food, farming, and the environment.

The partnership with Fielden – an English whisky on a mission to change farming for the better – reflects a shared commitment to soil health, biodiversity, and the responsible stewardship of British farmland. Fielden is rewriting the rules of whisky-making with a philosophy grounded in a simple truth: whisky is an agricultural product, and how we grow matters. Instead of relying on industrial farming practices – like agrichemical inputs, frequent ploughing, and monoculture crops – Fielden takes a regenerative approach. They plant diverse grains, grown amongst clover – a natural fertiliser that helps the soil stay healthy. They never use chemical inputs on the land, and minimise soil disturbance. The result? Fields full of life. Whisky full of flavour. 

This “No Chem Regen” way of farming nurtures healthy soils, clear waters and flourishing biodiversity, and encourages crop resilience, helping to cut agriculture’s giant carbon footprint. 

“Groundswell represents the future of food and farming in the UK. It’s where progressive ideas take root. We’re proud to support that mission and bring Fielden’s own vision of soil-first spirits to the heart of the community driving it forward.” Dave Smith, Fielden CEO.

Fielden Whisky will be the festival’s only alcohol partner, running a unique whisky bar, and offering whisky tastings and discussions around soil health and regenerative farming principles at its own stand. Fielden will also be the only whisky available at The Earthworm Arms – the festival’s main bar.

Leading the celebrations, on 1^st and 2^nd July, Fielden will host a very special banquet –   FEASTING FROM FIELD TO TABLE – with Salsa Rosa providing the food. Festival-goers can purchase separate tickets to the communal evening feast nestled in a cosy and beautifully decorated space within the grounds of the festival. The experience will include a guided whisky tasting from the brand’s Whisky Maker, Chico Rosa, as well as an immersive three-course meal that celebrates seasonal produce, with commentary from the growers and creators. Throughout the experience,  festival-goers will have the opportunity to explore first-hand how Fielden’s diverse grains – a mix of heritage, organic and grains adapted for no and low input systems –  grown with soil-first farming methods, can transform both flavour and farming resilience.

Tickets for the Whisky Banquet are £70 per head and include drinks and a three-course meal. Tickets can only be purchased if visitors hold a ticket to Groundswell Festival.  buy here.

About Fielden Whisky of England

What’s whisky got to do with farming? Everything. Whisky is an agricultural product, but most grain is grown industrially, with chemicals. Not on Fielden’s farms. Fielden is bringing England’s fields back to life by planting diverse grains that thrive without chemicals – letting nature take the lead. Their farmers are kind to their land and never use chemicals. Instead, the grain grows in clover, a natural fertiliser that helps the soil stay healthy. This no chem regen way of farming nurtures healthy soils, clear waters and flourishing biodiversity in their fields, helping to cut agriculture’s giant carbon footprint. The grain grows tall and strong. The fields are wild and glorious. And the whisky is full of flavour: think warm flaky pastry, butter and caramel. Is it the grains? Is it the magic of nature?

Who knows – and honestly, does it matter? Fielden are putting the best (completely natural) ingredients into their stills, making a distinctly delicious rye whisky that’s changing farming for the better. Fielden: the English whisky that’s changing farming for the better, field by field, harvest by harvest.

Fields Full of Life. Whisky Full of Flavour. 

About Groundswell Festival
Now in its 9th year, Groundswell is the UK’s leading regenerative agriculture event. Created by farmers for farmers, it brings together experts, innovators, and practitioners to explore farming methods that restore ecosystems, enhance biodiversity, and build resilience in the face of climate change. Founded by the Cherry family on their mixed farm in Hertfordshire, John and Paul Cherry have farmed for over thirty five years, converting to a no-till system in 2010.

2011 Bruichladdich 11 Year Old “Dramfool’s Jim McEwan Signature Collection 5.1″ First Fill Bourbon Cask #2477 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Previously $325) $228.89 View

Colour – Primrose Yellow, Aromas – Opens beautifully on a combination of Primrose, Myrtle, Lily, Marigold and mint. It’s like walking through the peat fires next to the Atlantic Ocean! Then the sweetness of the toasted barley and mellow oak drift in bringing with them little hints of bourbon spiciness laid down by the first spirit matured in the cask. “Its gentle on my mind” Taste – The spirit is balanced & restrained on the palate. This is pure Islay; No smoke, just barley & oak and time by the Ocean. The opulent flavours seduce the taste buds with mellow oak and barley sugars. The Maritime Islay character is with you all the way, fresh and clean and packed with passion & traditional skills from a dedicated team of Distillers who bring the magic to the spirit. No computers, no colouring, no chill filtration, just a special spirit from a special place.

According to the bottler: “Distilled on 11th July 2011 this whisky spent its whole 11-year life maturing in cask #2477. This maturation took place in a 1st fill bourbon cask from an unknown American Distillery. Bottled in July 2022 as Release 5.1 of the Jim McEwan Signature Collection, like all bottlings within the collection, it was bottled un-chill filtered, with no added colour, and at natural cask strength of 59.0% (as we always say, Jim would have it no other way!), it yielded only 238 bottles.”

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

Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2025 Edition

The Big Peat Fèis Ìle 2025 Edition – a return to Islay roots, matured in Refill Hogsheads and distilled in 2010. Expect the classic Big Peat hit of sweet smoke, briny sea air, and rugged notes of sugary kelp, coal dust, chimney soot, and damp bonfire ash — all finishing with his signature smoky BBQ swagger. Bold and Peaty.

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Big Peat is a marriage of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies only from the island of Islay. With Caol Ila spirit bringing sweetness, Bowmore the perfect balance, Ardbeg a medicinal, earthy quality and Port Ellen, a degree of elegance, Big Peat represents all that is Islay in a bottle. Part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range, the ultimate distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions.

OLOROSO CASK MATURED

NOSE Sweet cinnamon aromas provide a welcoming introduction, with cocoa powder, cranberry and redcurrant notes emerging.

PALATE Mixed berry notes come to the forefront on the palate, along with hints of strawberry bubble gum, sticky toffee pudding and blackberries.

FINISH A nuttiness presents in the finish in notes of hazelnut and walnut.

UK RRP £75 – £78

ralfy review 1084 – Ardmore 15yo @53%vol: (Decadent Drams)

Decadent Drams was conceived of as our new ‘all encompassing’ brand. As a home for all our whiskies below a price point of roughly £350, and especially as the home for all our other spirits and drinks that we offer in our ever-expanding selection. It’s a series with playfulness at its heart, where we will take a completely fresh approach with the label design for each new release. The inspiration might be drawn from the flavour profile of the bottling, or perhaps something to do with the history or culture associated with a particular producer or distillery. We’re casting a wide net with a view to offering a diverse and high-quality series that is visually arresting, humourous, playful, mischievous and very fun.  

Decadent Drams is our most regular and diverse series, the one you’ll see most often from month to month. Over the months and years ahead, you’ll find it populated with all manner of amazing and delicious whiskies, spirits and drinks…  

The Malt Mark for review 1083.

International Beverage completes construction of

six new warehouses at Scottish headquarters

£7 million investment boosts cask storage capacity for future growth plans

Global spirits business International Beverage has concluded a major expansion programme at its headquarters in Airdrie, completing the build of six new state-of-the-art bonded warehouses at the site.

Representing a £7 million investment, the new warehouses are part of an upgrade of storage and logistics capabilities across the business, supporting the company’s long term global growth plans for its premium spirits portfolio, which includes Old Pulteney, Speyburn, Balblair and anCnoc single malt whiskies and Hankey Bannister blended Scotch whisky.

The 15-month project was managed in partnership with The Malcolm Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of logistics, construction and maintenance services. The new facility can house 60,000 casks, taking the Airdrie site’s warehousing capacity to approximately 700,000 casks overall, and providing much-needed extra maturation space for spirit from International Beverage’s five Scottish distilleries.

The new warehouses / Malcolm Leask from International Beverage + Ian McDonnell from The Malcolm Group

Positioned on the east side of the site, each warehouse measures 900 m² and has been constructed to the highest technical, production and safety specification, using steel portal frame fabrication. The design also includes a full surface water drainage system, plus high-tech CCTV and alarm systems.

Toasting the milestone, International Beverage Managing Director Malcolm Leask said the investment indicates the company’s confidence in the future of its award-winning brands, despite what has been a challenging few years for the Scotch whisky sector.

He commented: ‘The completion of this new warehousing is another major step forward for our business following a busy period of acquisitions and new additions to our spirits portfolio. We now have some of the industry’s most modern, high-quality bottling and storage facilities at our Scottish headquarters, allowing us to manage stocks of our premium Scotch whiskies with greater efficiency and scale. Whilst current trading conditions in our industry are challenging, whisky is a resilient sector and I’m very proud to be building for the future – and to see the ongoing evolution of our Airdrie site as a thriving hub at the heart of our global business.’

Ian McDonnell, Senior Project Manager, Construction Division at The Malcolm Group added: ‘Our business is known for its expertise in industrial projects, and we have brought the very highest levels of design, construction and technology to this new facility. The spec and quality we have delivered for these warehouses is at the forefront of what’s possible in the Scotch whisky industry and we’re very pleased to have played our part in ensuring the continued production of high-quality spirits for International Beverage.’

www.interbevgroup.com

About International Beverage

International Beverage is the international arm of Thai Beverage Public Limited Company. The premium spirits company’s portfolio is led by a range of high-quality brands including Old Pulteney single malt Scotch whisky, Hankey Bannister blended Scotch whisky, Caorunn Gin, PRAKAAN single malt whisky and Phraya Rum from Thailand, Larsen Cognac, and Cardrona spirits and liqueurs.

A certified Great Place to Work, International Beverage’s success is shaped by its 700-strong team based across the business’ network of nine global sites spanning the UK, France, New Zealand, and Greater China following the company’s recent acquisition of Asiaeuro International Beverage (AIB). For more information, please visit www.interbevgroup.com/.

2012 Port Charlotte 10 Year Old “Dramfool’s Jim McEwan Signature Collection 7.2″ First Fill Bourbon Barrel Cask #2554 Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Previously $370) $258.10 View

Jim McEwan
Review Date: N/A

Aromas – Opens on a beautiful combination of peat smoked barley with tantalising hints of lemon & honey then waves of heather in bloom drift by. Little notes of juniper and pine mingle beautifully with the spiciness of bourbon residue and sweetness of malt extract. It’s Islay at its best, in the early summer with the warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean caressing the barley fields and depositing the salty moisture on the land that give the barley its unique flavour. Palate – The sweetness of malt extract is in harmony with the smokiness from the peat and also the spicy residue from bourbon-soaked staves, it evolves slowly creating the flavour profile that makes this spirit unique. The most important element of this spirit is that it is distilled by Islanders who simply walk in the footsteps of their fore-fathers; no computers, no chemists, no BS, just passion pride and patience.

This release was distilled on July 18th, 2012 after spending its entire 10-year life maturing in cask #2554, a first-fill Bourbon barrel from the Jack Daniels distillery. It was bottled in February 2023 without chillfiltration and no added color, at a natural cask strength of 60.6%. Only 232 bottles were produced. Tasting notes from Jim McEwan: “Aromas – Opens on a beautiful combination of peat smoked barley with tantalising hints of lemon & honey, then waves of heather in bloom drift by. Little notes of juniper and pine mingle beautifully with the spiciness of bourbon residue and sweetness of malt extract. It’s Islay at its best, in the early summer with the warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean caressing the barley fields and depositing the salty moisture on the land that give the barley its unique flavour. Palate – The sweetness of malt extract is in harmony with the smokiness from the peat and also the spicy residue from bourbon-soaked staves, it evolves slowly creating the flavour profile that makes this spirit unique. The most important element of this spirit is that it is distilled by Islanders who simply walk in the footsteps of their forefathers; no computers, no chemists, no BS, just passion, pride and patience.”

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

The 51 is the oldest and most daring whisky ever to be released by The Glenrothes and the first in the world that can only be accessed by destroying its packaging.  A bold reimagining rooted in the founding story of our distillery, it is a celebration of the rewards of commitment and a testament to the founders who dreamt of daring elegance – and forged beauty from brokenness to bring it to life.

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This exceptional whisky is made from just two casks handpicked by our Master Whisky Maker, Laura Rampling. A vibrant and fragrant wonder, Jonny Fowle, Global Head of Whisky at Sotheby’s said “…the tropical fruit characteristics are bright and expressive, with a vitality that is rare to find in a whisky of such an age…”

The 51 is now available and bottles are already being acquired by collectors and connoisseurs around the world.  Will you become the next ‘keeper’ to discover what lies within the jesmonite column?  If you are interested in purchasing a bottle (RRP: £37,000) please email concierge@theglenrothes.com.

12 YO CASK STRENGTH

NOSE A sweet and vibrant introduction to this dram, there are notes of pineapple and banana loaf.

PALATE A slight hint of peat smoke kicks off the palate, with notes of milk chocolate and creme brulee.

FINISH The sweetness continues in the finish, along with notes of cinnamon.

UK RRP £70 – £72