The esteemed judges at the San Francisco Spirits Competition have awarded Woodinville’s 100% Rye whiskey with a Double Gold.

For a grain to glass whiskey born, grown and aged in Washington to earn such honors is a testimony to its origins and the people behind the spirit. The whiskey is handcrafted from rye grown on the Omlin Family Farm in rural, Quincy, Washington. It’s distilled in Woodinville, WA, then sent back across the Cascades to age in the Quincy barrelhouses. It’s not the most efficient way to make whiskey— but it’s worth it. Two terroirs: one extraordinary whiskey.

“Our 90 proof, 5+ year 100% Rye Whiskey delivers aromas of cinnamon, clove and fruit leather, and notes of caramel, wood spice and honey on the palate with a long memorable finish,” explains Woodinville Co-Founder Orlin Sorensen. “The Rye’s Double Gold status is a great achievement, and we’re excited to be releasing an older 100% Rye very, very soon.”

Woodinville Flagship 100% Rye is available nationally, in store and online, with an MSRP of $40. The spirit earned 96 points in the 2025 SFWSC competition.

About Woodinville Whiskey Company: Woodinville Whiskey Company (www.woodinvillewhiskeyco.com) is a craft distillery founded by two best friends from the area, Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, under the mentorship of an industry icon, the late David Pickerell, former Master Distiller for Maker’s Mark. Woodinville is Washington state’s largest craft distillery. It was reported in Forbes that Woodinville Whiskey “may just be the best craft whiskey in America.”

The distillery and tasting room in Woodinville is home to exclusive new launches like its annual Harvest Release in the fall. Private tours led by a distiller are available, when scheduled in advance. The distillery is open daily. The attached photos shows a bottle of the Flagship 100% Rye.

Mac-Talla Unveils Amarone Cask Fèis Ìle 2025 Edition 

The third annual Mac-Talla release for Fèis Ìle 2025

Mac-Talla, the Islay single malt brand created and bottled by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers (MSWD), has announced the launch (tomorrow – Friday, 16 May) of its latest limited edition whisky in celebration of Fèis Ìle 2025 (23-31 May).

Now in its third year, the annual release pays tribute to the island’s distinctive whisky heritage and the art of cask finishing. Following a 2023 edition finished in PX Sherry casks and a 2024 release matured in rum casks, the 2025 expression has been fully matured in first-fill Amarone wine casks sourced from northern Italy.

With a love for the island and a desire to reconnect with Islay, Mac-Talla Single Malt Scotch Whisky was created as a result of generations of heritage with the aim to take you on a journey of taste throughout the island.

The whisky is bottled at 53.8% ABV and described as offering layers of rich dark fruit, chocolate, and spice, alongside Mac-Talla’s hallmark peated character.

Lauren Doherty of Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers said: “Each Fèis Ìle edition is an opportunity to explore the versatility of Islay malt through exceptional wood.”

“This year’s Amarone cask finish adds depth and elegance, while still allowing that signature coastal smoke to shine through.”

Mac-Talla, which means “echo” in Scottish Gaelic, was created by the Morrison family – one of Scotland’s oldest whisky families,  to express their deep connection with the island of Islay. The brand sources its spirit from undisclosed Islay distilleries and is known for combining bold maritime peat with carefully selected cask finishes.

Amarone della Valpolicella is a full-bodied Italian red wine, made using the traditional appassimento method, where grapes are air-dried to concentrate flavours. Its influence brings sweet, rounded fruit notes that complement the smoky, savoury core of the Mac-Talla spirit.

The 2025 Amarone Cask Edition is now available via specialist retailers priced at RRP £78.00. Quantities are strictly limited.

For any lucky whisky lovers that will be attending Fèis Ìle this year, Mac-Talla are hosting some exclusive events over the festival. All details can be found here.

Tasting Notes:

• Release Date: 16th May 2025
• RRP: £78.00 ABV: 53.3%
• Tasting notes: Prominent notes of stone fruits wrapped up in rich dark chocolate with a long finish of warming peat at the end Available Markets: UK, EU, and select international markets
• Age of Liquid: NAS
• Finish: 18 months finishing, marriage of two casks(1 butt of First Fill Amarone, 1 partial refill European Oak Butt), returned to Amarone casks for a further 6 months.
• Casks Used: 2 casks

Stockists: Mac-Talla Amarone will be available from select whisky retailers from 16th May – for more details on stockists visit: https://mactallawhisky.com/stockists

Mac-Talla’s Event Programme at Fèis Ìle 2025:

Mac-Talla Islay Single Malt Whisky Journey of Taste Walk:

A guided walk along Islay’s coast with 5 accompanying drams influenced by the Landscape.

Date: Monday 26th May 2025

Time: 2-4pm approx.

Islay Sea Adventures with Mac-Talla Islay Single Malt:

Islay Sea Adventures and Mac-Talla Islay Whisky have teamed up for a whisky and wildlife tour, taking in the Island’s stunning scenery, paired with delicious whisky!

Date: 26th May 2024

Time: 2-4pm

Location: Islay Sea Adventures

Indie Whisky Festival:

Date: 27th May 2025

Time: Several sessions throughout the day

Location: Ramsay Hall, Port Ellen

Pizza Paired Pours:

Islay’s renowned Peatzeria for an unforgettable tasting experience, with pizza paired pours.

Date: Wednesday, 28th May

Time: 2-3:30pm & 7-8:30pm

Location: Peatzeria, 22 Shore Street, Bowmore, Islay

For more information, visit www.mactallawhisky.com

ABOUT MAC-TALLA

Mac-Talla is an Islay single malt Scotch whisky owned by Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers. Meaning “echo” in Gaelic, the brand reflects the Morrison family’s deep-rooted connection to Islay. Bottled by MSWD, Mac-Talla showcases the island’s bold, peated character through a carefully curated range of expressions.

ABOUT Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers

Morrison Scotch Whisky Distillers (MSWD) is an independent, family-owned company based in Perth, Scotland. Rebranded in 2020, MSWD represents five generations of Morrison whisky heritage under one name, with a focus on single malt production, brand development, blending and bottling. Its flagship brands include Aberargie, Old Perth, Mac-Talla, Càrn Mòr and Bruadar.

Are you going to Whiskey Live in Dublin this weekend?

If so, we will see you there, same stand as last year!

As a heads up for those going, and those that are not, we will have an exclusive bottling for Whiskey Live – Celtic Whiskey Shop & Wines on the Green Exclusive Barántúil Bottling.

So what is this wonderful drop that we have for Whiskey Live Dublin 2025?

It’s a 3 Year Old Single Pot Still that has been full term in a PX Sherry Cask. This single cask expression encourages a marriage of drier Pot Still Spirit spice with the drier European Oak spices. These are wonderfully balanced with the thick sweet notes of the PX Sherry maturation.

As always, cask strength, non chill filtered, no colouring  just banging flavour from the spirit and the cask.

The bottles are exclusive to Whiskey Live and all are purchased through the CWS shop at the show. As we are not policing the shop there is no limit per person, but there are less than 170 available at a generous price for the show of €115.00 (RRP €130).

We look forward to seeing you all at Dublin Whiskey Live and if you can’t go get a friend going to pick up a bottle for you!! 😉

Sláinte

The Killowen Distillery Team

Whisky Words: Reflux

In Scotch whisky production, “reflux” refers to the process by which some of the vapour produced during distillation is condensed back into liquid and returned to the still for further distillation. This reflux is essential for achieving a higher level of purity and consistency in the final product.

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Reflux is an important property of distillation. When you boil liquid in a still, that liquid turns into a gas and rises inside the still. Now, if it turns back into a liquid before it gets out of the still, it falls back into the pot. That is called reflux. It’s very important because the more reflux you have in a still, the lighter the spirit you get at the end. The less reflux, the heavier and more robust spirit you have.” 

🎬 Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post

New Diploma Dates for 2026

We’re delighted that our flagship in-person Diploma in Single Malt Whisky will return to the stunning Arniston House for three dates in 2026:

📅 16 & 17 March
📅 7 & 8 May
📅 14 & 15 September

Tailored for both industry professionals and passionate enthusiasts, this two-day immersive course combines online prep modules with in-person teaching by Vic Cameron, a whisky veteran with 30+ years of experience (and stories!). You’ll deep-dive into production, sensory analysis and world whiskies, explore a working distillery and take on the final 250-question challenge to earn your SQA-certified Diploma and that well-earned black lapel pin.

 📖 Book Now

Now. You know we have always focused on trying to create events we would want to go to. All whilst making a space for the whisky curious, so the water of life can be accessible and interesting to everyone.

And you know that we specialise in exposing and nurturing new whiskies, at our events, and the only place you can buy these often new or niche liquids is at our festivals. A fleeting opportunity some might say.

So we have decided it is time to ‘join the dots’…

To that end we are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have created our own TWL online shop, so you can ‘shop the show’ all year round! This features brands and bottlers, that you’ll see at our shows, plus we have exciting plans for ‘TWL Exclusive’ bottlings. We hope you’ll agree this is a worthy endeavour and we really appreciate your ongoing support and future custom as always.

You can explore the online shop by simply clicking the button below. It is a work in progress so you will see it evolve before your very eyes…

Explore the TWL Shop

All of this does mean that you will hear from us more regularly, with updates on new bottlings and ranges. However, we will never litter your inbox on a daily, or even weekly basis, and hopefully you’ll still find what you read to be relevant to you!

We are also delighted to introduce Tom, who you may have seen at recent shows, running the festival shop. He will run our in person and online retail operation, as well as tastings in the North-West…

Speaking of tastings…

TWL WHISKY TASTINGS are BACK! 🎉

And not just anywhere – we’re bringing the good stuff to Manchester, Newcastle, and York, to begin with. Starting this June, we’re relaunching our much-loved regular tastings, and trust us, you won’t want to miss what we’ve got lined up.

Kicking things off with a bang…
We’re teaming up with the fantastic folks at Rare Find (Gleann Mor) for our comeback tour. They’ll be guiding us through their latest releases – and yep, it’s as tasty as it sounds:

🥃 Dailuaine 16yo finished in a Foursquare rum cask
🍷 Glen Garioch 16yo with a Ribera del Duero twist
🍇 Glen Ord 10yo aged in Châteauneuf-du-Pape casks (fancy, eh?)
🥴 A cheeky Secret Lowland 11yo from a rich sherry cask
💛 And a crowd-pleaser: the legendary Aultmore 14yo

First stop:
Manchester – 7th June 2025
The Seven Oaks
Manchester
M1 4HL
7pm-8.30pm

Mark it down, clear your diary, grab your tasting buddies. This is going to be a cracker of an evening – great drams, chilled vibes, and plenty of whisky chat. We’ll be announcing the Newcastle and York dates very soon, so keep your eyes on your inbox (and maybe start planning a road trip?). Ready to join us for a dram or five? Oh, and there’s a £5 off voucher for any purchases on the night for every ticket holder…

Click on the button below to book your spots!

Buy Manchester Tasting Tickets Now!

And if that wasn’t enough for you…

Hot on the heels of this years event, which most would agree was probably the best ever, we are releasing the first Early-Birds for next year’s show. Dets:

Newcastle Whisky Festival 2026
Saturday, March 28th
Civic Centre
Barras Bridge
Newcastle Upon Tyne

Early-birds are the same as last year, so if you want the best deal, buy now!

Buy Newcastle Festival Tickets

Don’t forget to get your tickets for the following festivals, coming up this year too…

Sláinte,

Eddie, Amanda and Tom
The Whisky Lounge Team

Personalised Whisky

a unique whisky gift

We personalised every bottle by hand… Our handwritten labels add a unique and personal touch to your whisky gift.

Every bottle is hand filled and individually dipped in wax to seal it and then we add a label that is hand-written with all the whisky details, date bottled and your name or message.

Choose from a range of single cask whiskies; each one offering its own unique style and flavour. As each whisky come from just one cask, there are a limited number of bottles available. Each whisky is bottled at cask strength, natural colour and with no chill-filtration.

Current Whisky Options…

Free Gift Wrapping…

Your order can be gift wrapped in tissue paper and sent directly to an address in the UK. And we can also include a message on a gift tag or a notecard. Simply tick the box next to the item to add gift options to your basket and we will do the rest.

Diploma at the Port of Leith Distillery 🧡

We’ve still got a few spaces left on our next in-person Diploma in Single Malt Whisky (12 & 13 May) at the stunning Port of Leith Distillery. Join us for an immersive two-day experience where you’ll dive deep into the science, history and craftsmanship behind single malt whisky right in the heart of Edinburgh’s vibrant whisky scene. Whether you’re working in the industry or simply passionate about whisky, this is a rare chance to explore flavour, fermentation and distillation with expert tutor Vic Cameron and other like-minded learners.📖  Learn More

Study whisky: explore your passion, kickstart your career. We are the leading provider of certified Scotch whisky education. 12,000+ candidates globally enjoy our SQA-Approved courses. Learn directly from the experts when you study online or in-person.

Raise a Dram to Dad: Tomatin Distillery Unveils the Ultimate Father’s Day Whisky Gift Guide

Highland distiller Tomatin has recommended the perfect dram for every kind of dad ahead of Father’s Day (Sunday 15 June) – whether he’s a seasoned connoisseur, a thrill-seeking adventurer or a vintage soul who savours the classics.

With a carefully curated selection of single malts – including the richly indulgent 12 Year Old Sherry Cask, the bold and approachable Double Cask, and the luxurious 18 Year Old – Tomatin invites whisky lovers to celebrate what truly matters: time well spent together.

Crafted with care in the Scottish Highlands, each expression embodies Tomatin’s commitment to tradition, flavour and the enduring spirit of community.

For the thrill-seeking dad – Tomatin Double Cask

RRP £37 | ABV 40% | 70cl

Adventurous, open-minded and always up for something new, Tomatin Double Cask is the go-to gift for dads who embrace life with arms wide open. Matured in ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks, it’s bold, balanced and full of personality – the perfect companion for dads who prefer the scenic route, whether hiking through the Highlands or tackling new taste frontiers.

Available from Tesco and Amazon.

For the retro dad – Tomatin 12 Year Old Sherry Cask

RRP £50 | ABV 40% | 70cl

For the dad who loves old-school charm and enduring quality, Tomatin 12 Year Old Sherry Cask is a classic reborn. Fully matured in sherry casks for 12 years, it delivers a nostalgic richness with modern flair. Think warm memories, Sunday roasts, and tales of “how it used to be” – this dram is as comforting and characterful as the man himself.

Available at https://tomatin.com/shop and specialist whisky retailers.

For the connoisseur dad – Tomatin 18 Year Old

RRP £126 | ABV 46% | 70cl

Tomatin 18 Year Old is a dram for those who know – and love – their whisky. Rich, complex and award-winning, this expression is matured in traditional oak and first fill Oloroso sherry butts, delivering a depth and sophistication that make it the jewel of Tomatin’s core range. Ideal for dads with refined taste, an appreciation for the finer things, and a whisky shelf worth showing off.

Available at https://tomatin.com/shop and specialist whisky retailers.

For more Father’s Day inspiration, visit https://tomatin.com.

Tasting notes 

Tomatin Double Cask tasting notes 

Nose: Aromas of vanilla-sweetened baked apples and pears lead. 

Palate: Dark fruit flavours, gently balanced with ginger and cinnamon.

Finish: Sweet and spicy.

Tomatin 12 Year Old Sherry Cask 

Nose: Caramelised apple, pear, sultana, orange peel, apricot and hints of aged leather.

Palate: Chocolate fudge, manuka honey, dried fruit and nut.

Finish: Cinnamon spice.

Tomatin 18 Year Old 

Nose: VORS Oloroso Sherry; dried apricot, plum, nougat and distinctive nutty tones. Sweet notes of vanilla fudge and cinnamon baked pears are balanced with a faint suggestion of cigar box and leather-bound books.

Palate: A wonderful marriage of Oloroso Sherry and well-aged Tomatin provides bursts of tropical fruit and mellow savoury notes. Incredibly complex with marmalade, cooked apple, butterscotch and granola, cocoa powder and salted caramel all coming through.

Finish: Full bodied and rich with continued nutty undertones and uplifting orange zest lingering on the palate.

Notes

Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands, 16 miles south of Inverness, and is famous for its portfolio of refined and elegant whiskies.  The distillery has a proud heritage stretching back to the 15th century when illicit production was likely to be taking place, but it wasn’t until 1897 that the first formal distillery was established by John MacDougall as the Tomatin Spey Distillery Company.

In 2022, Tomatin was awarded ‘Scotch Whisky Producer of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Spirits Producer of the Year’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC). Later that year, it was recognised as ‘Sustainable Distillery of the Year’ at Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky 2023, in recognition of its continued contribution to sustainably at the distillery.

In 2023, Tomatin’s success continued when the distillery’s ‘Legacy’ was awarded Gold at IWSC. That same year, Tomatin also took home seven awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, while Cù Bòcan, took home three. Tomatin’s 36 Year Old was crowned the ultimate winner at SFWSC for malts, being named ‘Best in Show’, officially making it one of the best whiskies in the world.

Building upon this triumph, 2024 saw Tomatin’s 18 Year Old secured Double Gold for the third consecutive year at the SFWSC, elevating it to Platinum status. Meanwhile, both Tomatin’s 45 Year Old and 12 Year Old, alongside Cù Bòcan’s 15 Year Old took home Double Gold Awards, and Cù Bòcan’s 12 Year Old also secured a prestigious Gold Award.

At the 2024 IWSC Awards, Tomatin Legacy was awarded the IWSC Trophy for no age statement single malt Scotch, demonstrating its exceptional quality as best in class.

This year, Tomatin has been awarded Gold designation for its Tomatin Sherry Collection Ximénez Edition and Silver for both its Sherry Collection Manzanilla Edition and Sherry Collection Palo Cortado Edition in the inaugural 2025 Whiskey Wash Awards.

‘To What Matters’ is the latest chapter in the brand’s evolution; it is a positive call to arms that represents the spiritual DNA of Tomatin – a belief in savouring what is truly important in life and time spent together.

Tomatin is owned by the Japanese company Takara Shuzo International: www.takara-intl.co.jp/en/

Launch of the 7th Annual

Scottish Whisky Awards

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the 7th Annual Scottish Whisky Awards — Scotland’s national celebration of excellence in whisky production.

Over the past six years, the Scottish Whisky Awards have grown to become a benchmark of quality, craftsmanship, and innovation across our world-famous whisky industry. This year, we are proud to continue that tradition, shining a spotlight on the outstanding people, products and places that make Scotch whisky a true global icon.

Whether you are a distillery entering your latest creation, a brand championing tradition with a modern twist, or part of the team behind the scenes, this is your chance to be recognised on Scotland’s biggest Scotch Whisky stage.

Check out our entry guide.