Winners Revealed in 5th Annual Scottish Whisky Awards 2023

The winners in the national awards programme for Scotch whisky have been announced following a St Andrews Day dinner and industry celebration held in Glasgow the evening of November 30th. The 5th annual Scottish Whisky Awards revealed the winners from its comprehensive competition that included the blind tasting of over 200 Scotch whiskies produced by over 60 Scottish distilleries and independent bottlers.

Maureen Robinson Receives The Dr Jim Swan Award For Services To Scotch Whisky

One of the whisky industry’s most accomplished master blenders has been announced as the recipient of the 2023 Dr Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky. Maureen Robinson, who retired from Diageo earlier this year, was celebrated for her 40 year career developing and curating Scotch Whisky for in the Diageo portfolio at the 5th Scottish Whisky Awards held in Glasgow on Thursday 30 November 2023.

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SHARE WHISKY SHOW THIS CHRISTMAS

Whether you’re a committed whisky geek, or looking for a Christmas present to share with your friends and family, Whisky Show is a great chance to explore the world’s most fascinating and diverse spirit. It’s been 50 days from launching Whisky Show 2024 and we have sold half of our tickets. Book now to avoid disappointment.

BOOK TICKETS NOW

WHISKY TASTINGS

Running every day, we have a delightful choice of whisky tastings on offer from our ever-popular Introduction to Whisky to Whisky & Cheese and Whisky & Chocolate tastings! Fun is guaranteed at these hosted events by our expert whisky ambassadors. All bookable online.

Book a Whisky Tasting

Whiski
4-7 NORTH BANK STREET
EDINBURGH, Edinburgh, City of EH1 2LP
United Kingdom

Glengoyne Unhurried Collection Sensory Tasting Experience

Scotland’s slowest distillery, Glengoyne, is encouraging whisky lovers to take the time to fill their senses this festive season with the launch of the Unhurried Collection Sensory Tasting Experience.

Whisky enthusiasts can slow down with a moment of escapism this Christmas with a gift pack featuring three of Glengoyne’s single malts, 10, 12 and 15 Year Old. Each dram has been thoughtfully taste matched with three artisan chocolate bars from Coco Chocolatier to create a harmony of flavour.

This wonderful offering is elevated with an immersive audio guide with the distillery’s experiential ambassador, Gordon Dallas. Accessible through a QR code in pack, Gordon guides drinkers through the tasting experience, focusing on each expression and demonstrating Glengoyne’s commitment to slow distillation.

Recipients can sit back and relax while being transported to the tranquil Glengoyne Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. The gift pack is completed with four original watercolours from Scotland-based artist Wil Freeborn. Each painting depicts an aspect of Glengoyne’s maturation artistry, from the gorgeous natural scenery to the golden stills of the distillery.

Available today in all John Lewis stores and online at Johnlewis.com, Glengoyne.com and Glengoyne Distillery. RRP £35.

Tasting Notes:

10 Year Old:

NOSE: Sweet, with toffee and popcorn aromas. Slightly nutty, with fresh green apples coming through.

PALATE: Clean. Green apples and grass, soft oak and a hint of sweet liquorice. Water brings linseed oil and almonds.

FINISH: Sweet and malty

PAIR with Dark Chocolate

12 Year Old:

NOSE: Coconut oil, honey, lemon zest, dried oak

PALATE: Toffee apples, cinnamon spice, ginger, orange, shortbread

FINISH: A hint of sherry and soft oak. Very well balanced

PAIR with Milk Chocolate

15 Year Old:

NOSE: Fresh Hay, Malt Flour, Rosehip, Citrus and dried fruit

PALATE: Clean with a gentle sweetness, a hint of tropical fruit, candied lemon, cinnamon, vanilla and apple pie.

FINISH: Pleasant dry finish with gentle spice and lingering oak

PAIR with Dark Sea Salt Chocolate

Upcoming Events

January seems a long time away at the moment but we will be attending the Victoria Whisky Festival and will be putting on a masterclass showcasing our 10 Year Old and our 12 Year Old as well as a chance to compare our different Evans Family Releases, including the yet to be released Oloroso Sherry Finish. We’ll also be partnering with Clives Classic Lounge to put on a paired whisky dinner. Keep an eye on the relevant websites for ticket details.

Wishing you all the best and drink responsibly as we enter the festive season.
 
Chris

Glenfarclas 1984

Ayrshire-based Lochlea Distillery crowned

International Trade Business of the Year in regional awards

Darren McCormick from Lochlea Distillery

and Samantha McKechnie from Neogen (award category sponsor)

 The independently owned and family-run Lochlea Distillery in South Ayrshire – one of the very few farm-to-cask whisky distilleries in Scotland – has scooped the ‘Going Global – International Trade Business of the Year’ award at the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.

The annual Ayrshire Business Awards attract high profile industry support and are established as the leading awards ceremony for Ayrshire businesses, providing the opportunity to showcase major achievements and to celebrate outstanding success.

The winners were announced at the 2023 Awards Dinner on Friday (6th October) at Ayr Racecourse where the Lochlea Distillery team were delighted to win the Going Global – International Trade Business of the Year category, celebrating companies that have demonstrated significant international growth and proving that borders are not a barrier to trade.

Lochlea Distillery has a rich Scottish heritage and was once home to Robert Burns himself who worked and lived on the farm during his formative years, from 1777 to 1784. Having only launched their first whisky in January 2022, Lochlea’s whiskies are already stocked in over 150 retailers in the UK and in 20 export markets worldwide.

David Ferguson, Commercial Director at Lochlea Distillery commented: “We are over the moon to have won this prestigious award celebrating growing businesses in our region, especially given the calibre of our fellow Ayrshire finalists. We have a strong and expanding local customer base whose support has been key since we launched last year. On the export side, it means a lot to our team that Lochlea has been recognised for our achievements to date, and we have exciting plans to continue moving into more international markets in future”.

About Lochlea Distillery:

Lochlea was originally a 222 acre livestock farm before being purchased by Neil and Jen McGeoch in 2006. After much consideration of the future of the farm and a successful trial to grow its own barley in 2015, the couple transformed the land and existing farm buildings into a fully-operational distillery in 2017 and started distilling the following year. The farming side has remained a unique part of Lochlea, with the move into barley production – paving the way for Lochlea to be one of the very few fully grain-to-cask distilleries in Scotland.

Hope you’re as excited as we are about the upcoming St Andrew’s Day celebrations! It’s that time of year when Scotland comes alive with the vibrant spirit of celebration, bagpipes filling the air, and good company all around.

But what’s a gathering without the true stars of the show? That’s right, we’re talking about our beloved whiskies – the liquid gold that captures the soul of Scotland in every drop. Imagine this: you, embraced by kindred spirits, toasting the eternal traditions and vibrant wonders of Scotland. The air resonates with joyous laughter and an undeniable sense of kinship.

Someone pours you a wee dram of Cask No. 36.210: Saint of sore throats. 

As the exquisite liquid dances upon your lips, an orchestration of flavours unfolds. Indulge in the decadence of orange-infused chocolate coffee cake, the velvety elegance of crème brûlée, the delicate allure of profiteroles, and the whimsical delight of churros. And oh, the symphony of flavours continues! On the palate, be ready to experience the captivating embrace of oaky spiciness, intermingled with the tantalising essence of a Portuguese bifana sandwich.

DON’T MISS out on commemorating St Andrew’s Day the right way with this EXQUISITE bottling!

SLAINTE

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

Making gift giving simple

It’s a busy time of year and thoughts are turning to gift ideas and ways of keeping warm as the weather turns colder. Here at Shelter Point we think you can keep things simple as our whisky is a wonderful gift and also gives whoever drinks it a wonderful warm glow. Two birds with one stone!

To make the decision making a bit easier we’re delighted to offer a limited time discount for Black Friday 10% off anything in store or online! November 24^th to December 5^th. Use the code BLACKFRIDAY in our online store or just come to visit us at the distillery store and we’d be delighted to see you.

The online offer will apply to our US online store as well.

Shop Now! use offer code BLACKFRIDAY