Maker’s Mark Unveils 2026 Wood Finishing Series: The Stewards Release

LORETTO, Ky., Maker’s Mark, the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon, today announced the 2026 release of its Wood Finishing Series: The Stewards Release—an expression inspired by the distillery’s operations teams who guide the bourbon’s journey from first fermentation to final bottling.

“From the beginning, Maker’s Mark has been guided by my grandparents’ pursuit of exceptional flavor and deep respect for everyone who makes our whisky—from our grain growers to those who barrel and bottle our bourbon,” said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation whisky maker and managing director, Maker’s Mark. “We continue to honor our founders’ vision through the Wood Finishing Series, which showcases our innovative spirit, celebrates our quality and craftsmanship and recognizes the teams who make our whisky possible.” 

The Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series features one-of-a-kind expressions crafted using an innovative wood stave finishing technique that amplifies the distinctive characteristics of the brand’s signature bourbon. The Stewards Release (2026) opens with bright aromas evoking cherry pie and vanilla bean, layered with tasting notes of honey, toasted marshmallow and candied ginger, culminating in a vibrant finish marked by stone fruit and salted caramel.

“Consumers today want exceptional whisky, but they’re also interested in the values behind the brand and the people who make it,” said Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller at Maker’s Mark. “Bartenders feel the same way. They want to know more about the process, the ingredients and the craftsmanship in what they pour. The Stewards Release brings that philosophy to life, inspired by the operational leaders at Star Hill Farm and the care that goes into every step of production.”

Marking the midpoint of a five-year journey, the Stewards Release (2026) is the third installment in the second Wood Finishing Series. Set to conclude in 2028, this series explores the people behind the proof and follows The Keepers Release (2025), inspired by the warehouse team who ensure every barrel of Maker’s Mark matures consistently to the founders’ taste vision, and The Heart Release (2024), inspired by the distillery team—the makers of Maker’s Mark, crafting its handmade bourbon in Loretto, Kentucky.

The Stewards Release will be delivered in two batches: one at 59.4% ABV / 109.6 proof, and the other at 56.65% ABV / 113.3 proof. Both will be available at U.S. retailers at a suggested MSRP of $74.99 beginning today. For more information, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

About Maker’s Mark
Maker’s Mark® is the iconic handmade Kentucky bourbon driven by a vision for better flavor and a better world. In 1953, founders Margie and Bill Samuels, Sr. broke from tradition—burning the family’s 170-year-old recipe to create a bold, balanced bourbon made with soft red winter wheat for signature sweetness and creaminess. From the start, the Samuels went to remarkable lengths to craft uncompromisingly delicious bourbon—a perfectly unreasonable spirit that endures today. Every bottle is still hand-dipped in red wax, every barrel rotated by hand and every decision guided by the brand’s higher purpose.

Staying true to its founders’ vision, Maker’s Mark has expanded its portfolio with award-winning, super-premium expressions, including Maker’s Mark 46, Cask Strength, and Cellar Aged, as well as Private Selection, the brand’s custom barrel program. In 2025, the distillery debuted Star Hill Farm Whisky, its first-ever wheat whisky. Award-winning and the first to earn Estate Whiskey certification, Star Hill Farm Whisky inspired the Maker’s Mark Regenerative Alliance, a bold commitment to advance regenerative farming beyond its business, inviting farms, bars and restaurants to join the movement.

Maker’s Mark is proud to be both B Corp and Regenified Certified – milestones driven by the sustainability leadership at Star Hill Farm, home of the Maker’s Mark Distillery, which strives to be the most endearing, culturally rich and environmentally responsible homeplace in the world.

Learn more at www.makersmark.com.

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 whiskies, including Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark®; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces leading brands such as Tres Generaciones® and El Tesoro® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, and is a world leader in Ready-To-Drink cocktails, with brands like -196™ (minus one-nine-six) and On The Rocks™ Premium 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. The company’s Proof Positive sustainability strategy includes ambitious goals and investments to drive sustainable change and 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

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

Glen Scotia Victoriana

Each cask of this Campbeltown Single Malt is selected for its rare character and exceptional maturity. Finished in deep charred oak before bottling straight from the cask, this non chill-filtered expression combines subtle wood and vanilla flavours with a full-bodied spicy fruit aroma.

Each cask of this Campbeltown Single Malt is selected for its rare character and exceptional maturity. Finished in deep charred oak before bottling straight from the cask, this non chill-filtered expression combines subtle wood and vanilla flavours with a full-bodied spicy fruit aroma.

The nose is elegant with oak and creme brulee notes leading to caramelised fruit and polished oak. The palate is sweet and concentrated with blackcurrant jam, subtle wood and vanilla, while the finish is clean and sweet with cocoa tones.

Note: If you add an engraving to your order, the message will be displayed on the back of this bottle.

£81.00

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“This whisky has it all, beautiful fruity notes typical of Glen Scotia with a wisp of smoke, also bottled at cask strength which heightens the spicyness nicely!” Lee, Trentham Store Manager

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year! Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs. Find out more ❯

ralfy review 1121 Extras – Our tastes change faster with experience.

Loch Lomond Whiskies presents The Original Series

A trio of remarkable whiskies demonstrating flavour innovation at its finest

Loch Lomond Whiskies has announced the launch of The Original Series – an exceptional trio of single malt whiskies focusing on innovation in flavour through expert distillation and maturation.

Launching today (24 March 2026), The Original Series is a celebration of Loch Lomond Whiskies’ unique capabilities in flavour creation, using the Highland distillery’s remarkable Straight Neck Stills and traditional Swan Neck Stills and a range of cask finishes to create recognisable tasting profiles.

The Original Series combines one existing single malt from Loch Lomond’s award-winning portfolio, with the addition of two new expressions, never seen from the distiller.

Together the relaunched range offers three distinctive single malts – Loch Lomond The Original: Triple Oak, Loch Lomond Oloroso: Sherry Cask, and Loch Lomond Peated: Rioja Cask – all of which are expertly crafted by master blender, Michael Henry, whose signature on each bottle signifies the distillery’s personal assurance of quality.

The series embodies Loch Lomond Whiskies’ enduring quest to unlock new possibilities in flavour innovation and whisky creation, showcasing dual expertise maturation and distillation. Loch Lomond is the only distillery in Scotland to house both traditional Swan Neck Stills and its unique Straight Neck Stills, making it one of the most innovative and inventive in the world. Loch Lomond is also one of only four distilleries in Scotland with its own cooperage on-site, where the ancient craft of barrel repairs is not just preserved, but carefully passed down through generations.

The leading non-age-statement product in Loch Lomond’s new range, Loch Lomond The Original: Triple Oak is the same perfectly balanced expression and is now presented in a newly enhanced pack which details the impact of cask maturation on the spirit’s signature style of fruit, honey and soft smoke. This classic expression has been carefully matured in three types of American oak cask – first fill, refill and re-char – and showcases distillate from both the distillery’s straight neck and traditional swan neck stills. Loch Lomond The Original: Triple Oak has an RRP of £28 per 70cl bottle. It is now available to buy at www.lochlomondwhiskies.com and will be rolling out in Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons and Asda from March 2026 onwards.

Launching for the first time is the new Loch Lomond Oloroso: Sherry Cask – an innovative Highland single malt that reimagines sherry-finished whisky. The single malt is expertly distilled in Loch Lomond Whiskies’ iconic Straight Neck Stills and finished for six months in certified Oloroso sherry casks. Marrying a fruit-forward distillate with an Oloroso sherry cask finish, Loch Lomond Oloroso: Sherry Cask imparts flavours of vanilla, raisins and brown sugar.

Crafted in a combination of Swan Neck and Straight Neck Stills before being finished for six months in the finest Rioja wine casks, Loch Lomond Peated: Rioja Cask showcases Loch Lomond Whiskies’ innovative approach and unrivalled capabilities in maturation. The new addition to the portfolio pairs a fruit and smoke-forward whisky with flavourful world-famous red wine casks from Spain to create impactful notes of honey, peach, pear and dark chocolate.

Loch Lomond Oloroso: Sherry Cask and Loch Lomond Peated: Rioja Cask single malt whiskies have an RRP of £31 per 70cl bottle and are now available to buy on www.lochlomondwhiskies.com before rolling out in retailers throughout 2026.

Each single malt whisky is bottled at 40% ABV and is presented in a newly enhanced outer pack carrying illustrations of the distillery’s namesake loch in hues of cobalt blue, burgundy and mauve.

Michael Henry, master blender at Loch Lomond Whiskies, said: “At Loch Lomond, we respect but are not constrained by tradition, as we navigate our own path to freely explore flavour in our own way. This is what it means to be Scotland’s most agile and adept Scotch distillery.

“The release of The Original Series demonstrates our continued growth in non-age-statement flavour profiles, bringing three standout expressions to retail that showcase our award-winning craftsmanship and commitment to first-class distillation and maturation.

“As well as our unrivalled capabilities in flavour creation through our Straight Neck Stills, at Loch Lomond we also have the benefit of our on-site cooperage, which allows us to carry out barrel repairs and charring to exacting standards and make sure each cask is the right quality for maturing our single malt whisky.”

First opened in 1965, Loch Lomond Distillery has been quietly crafting whisky on the banks of the loch for more than 60 years. In the past decade, investment in whisky-making innovation and global marketing has propelled the brand to new heights. Now enjoyed by millions worldwide, Loch Lomond Whiskies is the fastest-growing top 25 single malt brand in the world for two out of three recent years (IWSR).

For more information, visit: www.lochlomondwhiskies.com

Tasting notes

Loch Lomond The Original: Triple Oak

Nose: Malty with golden biscuit and a light fruitiness.

Taste: Opens with sweet honey followed by smooth soft fruits of peach and pear, a delicate orange citrus note and creamy vanilla.

Finish: Medium finish with a hint of soft smoke.

Loch Lomond Oloroso: Sherry Cask

Nose: Notes of honey, vanilla and raisins.

Taste: Toffee sweetness develops alongside peach, orange and brown sugar.

Finish: Medium in length, smooth and rounded, with gentle spice and dried fruits carrying through.

Loch Lomond Peated: Rioja Cask

Nose: Aromas of woodsmoke, malty biscuit and redcurrant fruit.

Taste: Sweet honey and soft fruits of peach and pear combine with dark chocolate and a touch of orange citrus.

Finish: Medium in length, with lingering smoke and a gentle richness.

About Loch Lomond Whiskies

Loch Lomond Whiskies is an award-winning, independent Scotch whisky distiller which has been producing the finest single malt whiskies since 1814.  As a Highland malt, it is part of the largest and most diverse whisky-making region in Scotland.

The original site of the Loch Lomond Distillery was established near Tarbert, towards the northwest end of Loch Lomond. In the 1960s, under the leadership of American entrepreneur and chemist, Duncan Scott (who was instrumental in the ongoing success of Scotland’s oldest licensed distillery, Littlemill), a new site was created in Alexandria, which began a move to a more innovative philosophy and style of whisky-making that is still used today.

Located only a few miles from the famous loch, the distillery has a whisky-making capability like no other, using a combination of traditional swan-neck and its signature straight-neck-stills, which are unique to Loch Lomond Whiskies.

The straight neck stills give Master Blender Michael Henry greater control over the distillation process, allowing him to carefully manipulate the flavour profile of each whisky, and providing a signature fruit, honey and soft smoke flavour profile.

Loch Lomond Whiskies is one of only four distillers in Scotland to have its own onsite cooperage, ensuring that barrel repairs and charring are carried out to an exacting standard, so every cask is perfect for maturing whisky.

The distillery’s multi-award-winning range includes Loch Lomond Original; Loch Lomond 12 Year Old; Loch Lomond 12 Year Old; Loch Lomond Inchmoan 12 Year Old; Loch Lomond Inchmurrin 12 Year Old; Loch Lomond 18 Year Old; Loch Lomond 21 Year Old and Loch Lomond 30 Year Old, as well as Loch Lomond Single Grain (peated and unpeated) and the deluxe blend Loch Lomond Signature.

In 2023, it was recognised as the ‘Most Awarded Distillery’ at the globally renowned San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, achieving multiple Double Gold and Gold Awards for its collection of malt whisky brands.

Last year, Loch Lomond 18 Year Old was revealed as The Whisky Exchange’s coveted ‘Whisky of the Year 2024’, achieving superior scores from the judging panel for its full-bodied and fruity character.

Loch Lomond Whiskies was also named among Drinks International’s ‘The World’s Most Admired Whiskies 2025’, where it was noted as one of the most capable distilleries in Scotland.

Spring is here. It’s a time of renewal and change – a time for new whiskies (and new labels)!

It’s the same old knackered Captain at the helm of the HMS Chorlton Whisky though, which is why these are appearing a bit later in the year than planned. Sorry about that. Things are moving along nicely now though, and there’s some genuinely exciting stuff lined up for 2026.

On y va!

I’ve occasionally been asked what my dream Chorlton bottling would be, and – aside from fantasies about stumbling across a mislabelled Brora or what-not – I’ve often replied “a decently-aged Bowmore at a sensible price”. It’s a fantastic distillate, and almost always poorly-served by official releases. Perfect indie bottling fodder, and – most importantly – the sort of thing I want to drink.

So, here’s to dreams coming true with this Bowmore 20-year-old, straight from a bourbon barrel and with a quality/price ratio up the wazoo.

On the nose – it’s delicate and very Bowmore, with the light, fragrant smoke and old oil paints that I always associate with the distillery. It’s also pretty fruity, with pink grapefruits in syrup, guava, and floral notes of primrose and gorse. In the background we’re in firm Islay territory, with creosote, dressed crab and lime.

The palate is bigger than you’d expect from the nose – fat, oily, tarry and citrussy. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. Mango and passionfruit pop out, along with olive oil, brine, eucalyptus and smoked oysters. The finish is a combo of dry, fragrant smoke, salt and bright fruitiness that’s kind of hard to beat.

With a drop of water – luminous citrus, hazelnuts, beech smoke, peaches. Endlessly quaffable.

This bourbon barrel produced 231 bottles at 52.6%, and they are available for £150 each. Maximum one per person please!

Next up we have a 23-year-old Glendullan, a joint bottling with the excellent The Rare Malt in Hong Kong. I don’t think many people’s dream whisky is a Glendullan, but – boy – this one surprised the heck out of us!

The nose is exuberant and appropriately spring-like, with blossom, warm oranges, honey, pineapple upside-down cake, cream and almond butter. I also get little touches of banana, hoppy ale, thyme oil and more and more excellent citrus as it breathes.

On the palate – sweet fruit syrups, honey, drops of Chartreuse, digestive biscuits, and zingy citrus cutting through it all. The texture is particularly lovely, with almost the feel of melted ice-cream, before a long-ish finish with honey, nougat and orange.

With water – super-easy, sweet and citrussy, with touches of chocolate wafer.

This is top-notch Speyside single malt of proper quality. It drinks beautifully, and – because no-one talks much about Glendullan – this is available at a cracking price.

This refill hogshead produced 226 bottles at 58.6%, and they are available for £120 each.

Lastly we have a 14-year-old Ruadh Maor. My first one since 2018, and sadly now an endangered species as production ceased in 2025. In this case the typical wildness of the distillate has been accentuated by maturation in a strangely misshapen old marsala barrique.

So, on the nose – cigars, peat-smoked chocolate raisins (someone please make these, I will buy them all), coal bunkers, grilled pears, BBQ meat with burnt lemon and herbs, green walnuts and a pinch of garam masala. It’s a bit mad, but also quite warm and inviting, like being welcomed into the parlour of a kindly eccentric.

On the palate – fantastic sweet, chunky and herbal smoke, with coal tar, the blackest of black liquorice, black cardomoms, sticky hoisin sauce, oranges and coriander seeds. The body is huge, developing on smoky caramel, BBQ sauces, and salt & pepper ribs. The finish is long, salty, savoury and ashy.

Bursting with character, this, but with a nice background sweetness from the marsala that keeps everything fun and easy-going. There’s no other whisky quite like Ruadh Maor and we should enjoy it while we can!

This refill marsala barrique produced 304 bottles at 57.3%, and they are available for £72.50 each.

And…

…that’s it for now. There won’t be quite such a long wait for the next outturn, I promise, and in the meantime I’m always available via the usual channels if I can be of assistance.

Cheers!

David

Murray McDavid

Macallan 30 Years Old ULTRA

ABV: 43.3% 70 cL

Our second whisky expression is The Hearach First Fill Oloroso Cask Matured single malt. Every drop has been matured entirely in specially picked sherry casks sourced from our friends at Bodega Jose Miguel Martin in south-west Spain. Their dry, dark and nutty Oloroso sherry influences the oak wood of the butts, which in turn imparts an unmistakably bold richness to our spirit. The result is a wonderful way to enjoy a Harris dram, full of aromatic vanilla and cloves, oranges and mixed herbs, walnut and white chocolate. From the sunshine and heat of Jerez to the heart of Harris, this is a perfect whisky for the brighter days ahead…

DISCOVER THE HEARACH OLOROSO SINGLE MALT

ralfy review 1121 – Cooley Irish Whiskey 19yo @53.8%vol: (Gleann Mor)