Tomintoul Distillery marks 60 years with team spirit spanning generations

Speyside single malt distillery, Tomintoul, is raising a toast to two major milestones in 2025: 60 years since it first began crafting its signature single malt, and 25 years under the stewardship of Angus Dundee Distillers.

At the core of its story are the people who have made Tomintoul what it is today. Four members of the original distillery team are still shaping its success today – Neil Robertson, blend centre supervisor and Andrew Lawson, head warehouseman, who were both part of the team before Angus Dundee Distillers took ownership in 2000, alongside Robert Fleming, distilleries director and master distiller, and Nikki Brand, PA to the distilleries director. Together, their decades of service embody the loyalty, craftsmanship and community spirit that define Tomintoul and offer a living bridge between its proud past and bright future.

Angus Dundee Distillers purchased Tomintoul Distillery from Whyte & Mackay in August 2000. Just days later, the very first cask under new ownership was filled – a moment witnessed and signed by key members of the team, including fourth-generation distiller Robert Fleming, who has gone on to lead the distillery and help build Tomintoul’s international reputation.

To commemorate these special anniversaries, members of the distillery team gathered to enjoy a dram of Tomintoul Single Malt in the warehouse, next to the very first cask.

Master distiller Robert Fleming, who last year celebrated his own career milestone with a remarkable five decades in the Scotch whisky industry, said: “Reaching our 60th anniversary is a testament to the passion and dedication of everyone who’s been part of Tomintoul’s journey. From the heart of Speyside, we’ve shared our whisky with the world, and this milestone is a moment to raise a glass to that achievement – and everything still to come.

“Tomintoul has always been about more than just great whisky – it’s about the people who make it. To have Neil, Andrew, Nikki and myself still here 25 years on says everything about the pride and commitment of the team. This is as much a celebration of them, and of our community, as it is of the whisky itself.”

Tomintoul is known as an exceptionally smooth and complex handcrafted whisky thanks to the natural environment surrounding the distillery – from the fresh mountain air of the Cairngorms National Park to the soft, pure water from the Ballantruan Spring.

Earlier this year, its award-winning Tomintoul Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask Finish launched in over 60 Tesco stores across the country, offering whisky lovers and those new to the category the opportunity to experience the depth and indulgent flavours that make Tomintoul so special.

The distillery also reinforced its community roots by pledging its continued support for the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, entering its second year as the official spirits partner of the voluntary emergency service.

Robert added: “From its beginnings in 1965 to its global reputation today, Tomintoul remains a distillery built on people, place and passion – and the next chapter looks just as promising.”

Visit www.TomintoulWhisky.com to find out more.

Tomintoul Distillery

Tomintoul Distillery is nestled in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, within the whisky producing region of Speyside. The distillery, established in 1965, is named after the nearby village of Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands of Scotland.

Tomintoul’s signature range includes the popular 10-Year-Old, 14-Year-Old and 16-Year-Old, as well as the multi-award-winning Cigar Malt and premium 21-Year-Old and 25-Year-Old.

A Rare Honour for a Rare Whisky

 A Patient Masterpiece

We’re incredibly proud to share that Glengoyne Mizunara Oak has been awarded a Trophy Medal at the International Spirits Challenge 2025 – one of only 9 trophies awarded out of 450 Scotch whisky entries this year.

The ISC Trophy Medal is based purely on taste, and assessed by a panel of judges within the industry in a blind tasting set up. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the craft, character and innovation behind this exceptional expression.

A whisky that’s as rare as the award itself. Matured in Glengoyne’s classic first-fill sherry and refill casks for ten years, then further matured for six long years in rare Mizunara Oak.

A Patient Masterpiece

Nose
Soft vanilla and sweet toffee, laced with sandalwood and hints of Japanese incense.

Palate
Warming spices, coconut, crisp green apples, and a whisper of liquorice.

Finish
Long, luxurious, and floral, like cherry blossom carried on a spring breeze.

Presented at 53.4% ABV, this 16 Year Old single malt whisky offers depth, complexity, and quiet poise.

Rooted in tradition. Raised in oak.

Slàinte Mhath,

Robbie Hughes
Distillery Manager

Speyside

Scallywag 13 Years Old

ABV: 46% | Vol: 70cl

Experience the exceptional refinement of Scallywag 13 Years Old, the latest release in our Signature Series, available exclusively on douglaslaing.com. This extraordinary expression has been expertly crafted and matured for 13 years in the finest Spanish Sherry Oak Casks, delivering a rich and indulgent flavour profile that embodies the true spirit of Scallywag.

Inspired by a long line of Douglas Laing family Fox Terriers, Scallywag Malt Scotch Whisky is a marriage of aged Speyside Single Malts matured predominantly in Spanish Sherry casks. The resulting Whisky reveals an explosion of rich, dark fruits, chocolate and spice interwoven with late vanilla. Award-winning Scallywag is bottled and released in genuinely small, precious batches. Part of the Remarkable Regional Malts range, the ultimate distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions.

Our newest Creators Collection, Peat Plants II is the ultimate flight in West Coast peat. It’s a bold return to Scotland’s Western Isles, where wind, sea, and fire shape whiskies of raw intensity. Drawing from Islay, Mull and beyond, this collection dives deep into the medicinal heart of peat – denser, darker, and rich with salt air and smoke. These are elemental drams that howl with coastal character and blaze with untamed spirit. Peat Plants II: Elemental whiskies from Scotland’s Western Isles launches today, Friday, 10 October.

EXPLORE THE COLLECTION

WATHC THE VIDEO

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

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 1099 – Arran 12yo @50%vol: (Duero Discovery).

Glen Moray launches first Tequila cask finished whiskies

Limited edition duo are tenth addition to distillery’s Warehouse 1 Collection

Glen Moray Speyside single malt Scotch whisky has launched two limited edition whiskies that take its cask explorer mission to new levels – Glen Moray Tequila Cask Finish and Glen Moray Peated Tequila Cask Finish.

Joining the Elgin-based distillery’s award-winning, experimental Warehouse 1 Collection, the new intriguingly sweet and herbal single malts mark Glen Moray’s first foray into Tequila cask maturation. 

Non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength with natural colour, these drams are set to be a treat for both peat lovers and fans of Glen Moray’s famously smooth and fruity Speyside spirit – and will make the perfect gift for whisky lovers over the festive season.

Tasting Notes 

2014 Tequila Cask Finish

Nose: sweet, soft notes of vanilla custard, scattered with currants and toasted almonds.

Taste: earthy tones, overlaid with freshly picked thyme and a subtle citrus note

Finish: intense spice gently fades into notes of aged leather and polished oak

ABV 55.2%

Natural colour, non-chill filtered

2014 Peated Tequila Cask Finish

Nose: rose petals, dark chocolate and smoked thyme

Taste: smooth, sweet and gentle. Ripe roasted bananas studded with hazlenuts

Finish: long and sweet with a lasting impression of burning embers 

ABV 58.5%

Natural colour, non-chill filtered

These small batch editions are true to Glen Moray’s reputation for exploration when it comes to the influence of wood on whisky’s flavour.

Glen Moray Tequila Cask Finish is aged for eight years in Bourbon casks, then laid down in Tequila barrels for finishing. The result is a very special dram which brings even more complex sweetness to the distillery’s smooth and fruity style.

In contrast, to explore how their lightly peated whisky would interact with the tequila cask influence, Glen Moray’s craftsman finished an eight-year-old, Bourbon matured batch in the same way to create Glen Moray Peated Tequila Finish. The resulting luxurious whisky boasts vibrant aromas of dark chocolate and flavours of smoked banana.

Glen Moray Global Brand Ambassador Iain Allan commented: ‘With the innovative whiskies of our Warehouse 1 Collection, we invite whisky lovers to explore a raft of intriguing new flavours. And for this tenth release, we are celebrating our first-ever experiments with Tequila casks, resulting in two small-batch releases which take our smooth, fruity single malt to new heights. Uniting vanilla softness with subtle citrus and thyme, Glen Moray Tequila Cask Finish magnifies our whisky’s sweet complexity, while Glen Moray Peated Tequila Finish is an intriguingly floral and smoky single malt. They will make the perfect gift for any inquisitive whisky lover this festive season.’ 

Glen Moray’s Warehouse 1 collection is named after the distillery’s famed blue warehouse, where its craftsman store their most experimental whisky casks. Each release offers a rare, limited edition taste of Glen Moray’s classic Speyside spirit that is intriguing and collectible for whisky explorers and enthusiasts around the world.

Glen Moray Tequila Cask Finish (RRP £85) and Glen Moray Peated Tequila Finish (RRP £95) are bottled in 70cl. Only 474 bottles of each whisky are available from select specialist UK whisky retailers.

www.glenmoray.com

 www.facebook.com/GlenMorayDistillery

www.instagram.com/Glen_Moray_Whisky

www.x.com/glenmoraydist

Glen Moray – Cask Explorer since 1897 

Crafted in the heart of Speyside since 1897, Glen Moray’s smooth, fruity single malt whisky embodies the classic Speyside style. It has been made on the banks of the River Lossie in Elgin for over 125 years using skills passed down through the generations and a process that includes double distillation in copper stills and careful ageing in traditional warehouses. The distillery’s craftsmen are experts in maturing and marrying many different types of casks, creating the array of flavours which inspire Glen Moray’s extensive range. Inclusive and inviting, Glen Moray is perfect for enjoying on its own and in cocktails, by whisky aficionados and new whisky fans alike.

Warehouse 1 Collection

The Warehouse 1 Collection is named after Glen Moray’s most well-known warehouse, where its craftsmen age their most experimental whiskies. Inviting inquisitive whisky explorers to embark on a journey of discovery, its releases include:

• 2015 Rioja Matured : Resulting from some the distillery’s first experiments with Spanish Rioja red wine casks, this whisky is deep and fruity, with notes of cherries, plums and leather.
• 2012 Peated Rioja Cask Finish: this whisky was distilled in 2012, and finished in Rioja red wine casks from Spain for gentle smoke and plummy tastes.
• 2010 Amarone Finish: distilled in 2010, this whisky was finished in Amarone wine casks from Northern Italy, for a vibrantly fruity single malt with unique depth.
• 2013 Amontillado Finish: exploring how the cask of this dry, nutty sherry can influence Glen Moray, this release, distilled in 2013, is rich with notes of leather, wood and spice.
• 2014 Oloroso Fully Matured: the first Glen Moray to be fully matured in Oloroso sherry casks, this complex single malt, distilled in 2014, is rich, nutty and sweet.
• 1998 Barolo Finish: distilled in 1998, this whisky was first matured in bourbon casks, then finished in three Barolo casks for a honeyed and deeply autumnal whisky.
• 2005 Tokaji Finish: distilled in 2005 and finished in oak casks that once held Tokaji Aszú wine, this sumptuous whisky marries Glen Moray spirit and the sweet, nutty notes of Hungary’s decadent dessert wine casks.
• 2008 Manzanilla Finish: distilled in 2008, this whisky brings to Glen Moray’s style, the salty tang of Manzanilla sherry casks, famously only ever produced along the sea estuary of the Guadalquivir river.
• 2006 Sauternes Finish: distilled in 2006, and matured in five Sauternes sweet white wine casks, this whisky is rich and sweet with notes of dark chocolate, Seville orange and spice.

International Beverage ‘Spirit of Our Community’ Awards return for third year

Local community projects across Scotland to share £25k fund

Premium global spirit business, International Beverage, has launched its community charity initiative for a third year, to mark the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting good causes across its whole Scottish network.

Launched in 2022, the International Beverage Spirit of Our Community Awards were founded to celebrate and reward the people and organisations working hard to make a difference to others in the Airdrie and Coatbridge community, where the business’s head office is based. In 2023 the programme was extended to incorporate an additional two regions which surround the company’s distilleries in both the Speyside and Highlands regions.

Now a bi-annual initiative, the 2025 awards will be split into three zones which any local charity or not for profit organisation can enter.

• Zone 1 the ML5 and ML6 Airdrie and Coatbridge region;

• Zone 2 within a 35-mile radius of Aberdeenshire’s Knockdhu Distillery and Speyside-based Speyburn and Balmenach Distilleries;

• Zone 3 within a 35-mile radius of Pulteney Distillery in Wick and Balblair Distillery in Tain.

In Zone 1, there is a £10,000 award on offer for one deserving charity, with two £1,000 runners up awards. Zone’s 2 and 3 will each offer a £5,000 award for the standout entry in their area, plus there will be five runners up across both zones which are set to receive £600 each.

Interested groups and charities now have 8 weeks to submit their entries to meet the deadline – midnight on Friday 28^th November. Every submission will be reviewed by a panel of judges, made up of members of the distillery teams alongside representatives from long standing local charity partners.

Awards organiser, International Beverage Business Support Manager Eileen Rae, is hoping to hear from a wide range of charities across Scotland – with causes that can demonstrate a tangible, positive impact on local lives most likely to stand out with judges.

She commented: ‘Our business has a long-standing commitment to supporting local communities and our Spirit of Our Community awards scheme is testament to this. We are very proud to be back for a third year, and to continue to hear stories from previous award recipents of the difference our support has made to their organisation and to people’s lives. 

‘There are so many fantastic charities and groups that carry out invaluable work in our local communities, and we really want to hear from them. Any organisation that needs a helping hand or has an initiative that needs funding, regardless of their size or cause, is encouraged to apply.’ 

The recipient charity of the 2023 Awards in Zone 1 was Airdrie’s Moira Anderson Foundation, which provides support to children and adults affected by childhood sexual abuse. Funding was used to provide more individual and group therapies and counselling alongside other services and preventative work. Charity Director Gillian Urquhart said:

‘Childhood sexual abuse is happening in our communities every day and it inflicts profound wounds that linger into adulthood and can cast a long shadow over survivors’ lives. This abuse is often hidden but sadly it is not rare. We received 803 new referrals last year, which is a truly daunting statistic, but we continue to rise to the challenge. The invaluable support provided by the Spirit of Our Community Awards has helped the children, young people and adults referred to us to reach their outcomes and not let their abuse define who they are and what they can achieve’. 

Additional recipients of the 2023 Awards included:

• £5000 to The Watermill Foundation, the Nairn-based trust that gives children with physical and developmental disabilities the opportunity to race and ride bikes.
• £5000 to Ormlie Community Hall which provides social services and care to individuals and their families within a deprived area of the Highlands.
• A further £5,000 split amongst seven runners up: St Andrew’s Hospice, Diamonds in the Community, James Support Group, Seaboard Memorial Hall, Culrain and District Hall Committee, Young Enterprise Scotland Highland & Moray and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance.

To learn more about the awards and to download an entry form, please visit HERE

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 whiskies 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/.

WHISKY MAKING COUNTRIES WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT

For lovers of whisky, there’s never been a better time to explore new countries and discover your next favourite bottle. From Ireland to South Korea, these regions are producing whiskies that are capturing our imagination.

LEARN MORE

 SHOP NOW