Claxton’s

Another Maltstock 1st is Claxton’s! Adrian Hoose will join us this year for the first time to tell you all about their beautiful square bottles and their contents. For those who do no yet know… Claxton’s is a relaxed independent bottler of unique whiskies and spirits. They have a core whisky range that includes Warehouse No.1, Warehouse No.8, Exploration Series and Grain Barn. Claxton’s will host two Drinks with… sessions

Tickets for Maltstock 2026 

Get relaxed now and get your Maltstock tickets here:

https://www.maltstock.com/shop  

Of course we’ll feature Masterclasses too in 2026! We have a great selection of 4 Masterclasses to choose from. On two of them you can read more below!

It is also that time of year when we start announcing our Drinks with… sessions. Not all at once, to keep a bit of suspense, but a few at a time to give you a bit of a teaser of what is to come!!

Want to know more about it? Read more below!

Annette, Bob, Klaas, Stan, Teun

Masterclasses

This year Malstock will feature FOUR exiting and relaxed Masterclasses on Friday. Everyone with a Maltstock ticket will receive an e-mail so they can let us know their preferences. We will allocate all available seats as relaxedly as possible. You will receive your masterclass itinerary a couple of days before Maltstock starts.

Turntable

Turntable will also host one of our four Masterclasses this year. A great opportunity to do a bit of a deep dive into their filosophy and liquid!

Chichibu

It is almost a Maltstock classic to have this distillery and their wonderful people joining us! We will never take it for granted, as it is very special and relaxed to be able to welcome them again!

Yumi, Chichibu’s long time and very respected ambassador, once turned up at Maltstock as a punter last minute. At the time she was working for The Highlander Inn in Craigellachie and they were responsible for our breakfast. Her employer at the time, Duncan Elphric didn’t know she was coming over and we had not much of an idea who she was…

Fast forward to 2026, Yumi has been with us for many years and has become somewhat of a legend herself. Take your chance and join this great Masterclass… But beware, as you can only follow one masterclass, this will mean you miss out on another great one like Turntable! Choices, choices…

For more pictures visit out Facebook page!

https://www.facebook.com/Maltstock?

Tickets for Maltstock 2026 

Get relaxed now and get your Maltstock tickets here:

https://www.maltstock.com/shop  

 

The Reinvention of Scotch in the 20th Century

Was the post-war period really a “golden age” for Scotch whisky, or something more complicated? In this discussion, Dave Broom and Iain Russell explore how Scotch emerged from the Second World War into a rapidly changing world of shifting tastes, new consumer expectations and fresh pressures on the industry.

From the rise of lighter spirits and the dominance of blended Scotch, through to the Whisky Loch of the early 1980s and the unexpected rise of single malt, it’s a story of constant adaptation rather than straightforward progress.

📚 Read the Post

Study whisky: explore your passion, kickstart your career. We are the leading provider of certified Scotch whisky education. 14,000+ candidates globally enjoy our QS-Approved courses. Learn directly from the experts when you study online or in-person

Sunfest is just around the corner, and we’re looking for a few amazing people to join the Stillhead Distillery crew from July 31–August 2! As a part of the Stillhead community, you know we’re all about good people, great cocktails and having fun. Sunfest is our favourite event of the summer, and we’d love to share it with you.

We’re looking for friendly, enthusiastic volunteers to help us pour cocktails and chat with festivalgoers throughout the weekend. Whether you’ve volunteered with us before or this would be your first time, we’d love to have you on the team. In return you’ll get admission to the festival and camping if needed. We’ll supply food, drinks, t-shirt, and the most fun you could possibly have on BC day weekend! We’ve been told by the festival organizers this is going to be the biggest Sunfest weekend yet, with many ticket classes already or almost sold out!

It’s a fun, fast-paced environment where you’ll get to work alongside our crew, meet lots of great people, and be part of an incredible weekend of music, laughter, and community. We promise plenty of good vibes, lots of support, and a few stories to tell afterward!

If you can help with one or more shifts between July 31 and August 2, we’d be so grateful. The sign-up link is below. If you don’t have your Serving it Right, but would like to attend, we can arrange for you to take the course at our cost.

Sunfest Signup Form

Thank you for supporting our distillery. We truly couldn’t do events like this without the incredible people who step up to help, and we’d love to have you with us at Sunfest.

Cheers,

Brennan Colebank

Stillhead Distillery

5301 Chaster Road
Unit 105
Duncan, BC, V9L 0G4
Canada

 

It is that time of year when we start announcing our Drinks with… sessions. Not all at once, to keep a bit of suspense, but a few at a time to give you a bit of a teaser of what is to come!! We will have a great selection of Drinks with… sessions this year! So many relaxed producers want to showcase their great spirits with us! Want to know more about it? Read more below!

Annette, Bob, Klaas, Stan, Teun

Drinks with…

On our relaxed Saturday we will be featuring 20 minutes sessions, starting every 20 minutes, throughout the afternoon, in 3 different locations. Our aim is to have small groups of you, our guests, in a more or less intimate, interactive and relaxed setting with the producers and/ or ambassadors to try their products, highlight tidbits, answer questions etc. These sessions are called “Drinks with…” …and of course these sessions are included in your ticket. No need to reserve or buy a an extra ticket, just turn up at the door well in time and enjoy the sessions!

Saburomaru @ Maltstock

Last year the theme for Maltstock arguably was ‘Japan’. And, although the emphasis this year is not that country and its great distilleries, a couple of them will be there featuring their great whiskies! One of these is Saburomaru. Last year they were at Maltstock for the first time and you were amazed at the quality and flavour of the whiskies they brought in! Not everyone present had the opportunity to attend their masterclass and Drinks with… sessions, so the more reason for them to be with us again! Saburomaru will present two sessions this year! A real relaxed treat you really want to enjoy!

Tickets for Maltstock 2026 

Get relaxed now and get your Maltstock tickets here:

https://www.maltstock.com/shop  

Talnua Distillery Earns ASCOT Award “Craft Whiskey of the Year” Following Last Year’s “America’s Greatest Whiskey” Win

Colorado distillery continues its award-winning streak with back-to-back top honors for its Bottled-in-Bond American Single Pot Still Whiskeys.

Arvada, Colo. — Talnua Distillery is proud to announce that its Bottled-in-Bond American White Oak Cask Whiskey has been named Craft Whiskey of the Year at the 2026 ASCOT Awards, one of the whiskey industry’s most respected blind tasting competitions.

The recognition comes just one year after Talnua’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Cask & Stave Series Whiskey was awarded America’s Greatest Whiskey at the 2025 American Distilling Institute (ADI) International Spirits Competition, marking two consecutive years that Talnua’s Bottled-in-Bond portfolio has received top accolades.

In addition to being named Craft Whiskey of the Year, Talnua earned Platinum, Double Platinum, and Gold medals across its whiskey portfolio, further recognizing the quality and consistency of its American Single Pot Still Whiskeys.

“Winning Craft Whiskey of the Year on the heels of last year’s America’s Greatest Whiskey award is an incredible honor,” said Patrick Miller, Co-founder and Master Distiller of Talnua Distillery. “For a small, independent distillery focused exclusively on American Single Pot Still Whiskey, this recognition validates not only the work our team pours into every bottle but also the potential of this emerging American whiskey category.”

2026 ASCOT Awards
Craft Whiskey of the Year & Double Platinum – BiB American White Oak Cask Whiskey
Platinum – BiB Bourbon Cask & Stave Series Whiskey
Gold – BiB Sherry Cask Finished Whiskey

Bottled-in-Bond
American White Oak Cask Whiskey

Base Whiskey: Talnua Single Pot Still Whiskey (50% Malted Barley, 50% Raw Barley) triple distilled in copper pot stills

Maturation: Char 2 new American white oak barrels aged for 4 years

ABV: 50%
Proof: 100
MSRP: $75

For more information about Talnua Distillery, upcoming releases, and tasting experiences, visit Talnua.com

Dan Crowell on the EWA Diploma

After more than 20 years in the whisky industry and a long list of respected qualifications to his name, Dan Crowell could be forgiven for thinking he’d seen it all. As Glenmorangie Ambassador – US, Dan has spent decades helping others understand whisky. In this blog, he shares his view on our flagship course: “On the journey of discovery of single malt whisky, EWA Diploma represents a quantum leap.”

📚 Read the Post

DISTILLERY SPOTLIGHT

SPIRIT OF YORKSHIRE

Few distilleries have been part of The Whisky Lounge journey quite like the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery.

We’ve been lucky enough to work with David, Joe and the team since the early days of Filey Bay, watching them grow from one of England’s newest distilleries into one of its most respected. Their commitment to producing ‘proper’ local, field-to-bottle whisky using 100% home-grown Yorkshire barley has earned them a place on the shelves of whisky-lovers across the UK and beyond.

The distillery and team are celebrating a full decade of spirit creation this year and we hear are producing a special bottle to commemorate…we’re hoping to get a taste soon!

If you happen to be in Yorkshire (and not Northumberland!) on 1st August, why not head to the distillery for their Yorkshire Day & Decade of Distilling Open Weekend? Expect tours, masterclasses, live music, local food and, naturally, plenty of exceptional whisky as they celebrate both Yorkshire Day and ten years of distilling.

SO FAR AT SPRINGBANK IN 2026

As we’ve now passed the midpoint of 2026, we wanted to share an update with our Society members on everything that’s been happening at the distillery this year — from day-to-day operations and current projects to exciting plans for the rest of 2026.

AN UPDATE FROM PRODUCTION
– Findlay Ross, Director of Production

The first six months of 2026 have certainly been eventful, and while we are reaping the rewards of the work done in this period, I’d not be in a great rush to re-live them!

Firstly, the construction and commissioning of the new bottling and dispatch facility was completed in early April, although we continue to make tweaks and changes to the inner workings of the facility as Bottling Operations Manager, Lea Watson, and the team settle in to their new surroundings.

It certainly hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing, because while the majority of the main bottling line has stayed the same, the way we disgorge casks and operate our dispatch has changed and this has taken a while for everyone to get to grips with.

Overall, we are delighted to complete this project and grateful to all the contractors who worked closely with us, especially the local construction firm, McFadyens, which handled the majority of the work.

We thought there was no better time than during our Malts Festival week to open the doors of the facility to the public, and this was marked with speeches from Lea and our Chairman, Neil Clapperton, before a ceremonial ribbon was cut and curious visitors were welcomed inside. A special bottle was also produced for the occasion, which proved very popular on the evening and in the following days.

Secondly, the refurbishment of the Springbank stills was completed in early February, something which has aged me about 10 years! Between removing roof sheets and steel supports, craning out the old stills, repairing the refractory brickwork around the wash still, constructing a new platform, and (most nerve-wracking of all) craning the new stills into place, this project required local contractors, our own team, and Forsyths to work together to deliver our iconic Springbank stills back to us with a lot more life in them!

We are already seeing the benefits of this, with no leaks in the stills themselves or the pipework meaning our spirit yields have both increased and become more consistent. Most importantly, though, is that they continue to make the same distillate that we all know and love.

As I write this we are just completing our local barley production for the year, with two different crops from two different farms being malted, mashed, distilled, and casked separately for release at a future date.

Production Manager Gavin McLachlan has kept a studious eye over all our production activities as usual, and I thank him and the team for their tireless work during a busy and testing start to the year!

Finally, thanks to everyone who attended our Open Days at the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival. It was great to see the ‘old guard’ of familiar faces alongside a lot of new attendees and a good time was had by all – particularly as I emerged victorious from the ‘Clash of the Cocktails’ tasting against Ranald and Cameron!

LIMITED RELEASES

This year, we have released two different batches of limited edition whiskies from our distilleries so far.

In January, came the first batch which included our Springbank 18yo, Springbank 30yo, Longrow 100 PROOF Batch 2, and Kilkerran 8yo Cask Strength (Bourbon).

Last month, we released the Springbank 12yo Cask Strength, Springbank 1994 VINTAGE, Hazelburn 7yo Oloroso Cask Matured, and Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 14.

Later this summer, we will release our third batch of limited edition whiskies which will include the new Springbank 18yo, Springbank 21yo, and Kilkerran 16yo.

These whiskies will be available to purchase through the usual retail channels.

COUNTDOWN COLLECTION

In March, we unveiled the fourth release in our five-part Countdown Collection, a series commemorating Springbank’s journey towards its 200th anniversary in 2028.

This edition featured a stunning 29-year-old Springbank, vatted from a marriage of two Refill Sherry Hogsheads and one Rum Barrel.

Having matured entirely within our warehouses in Campbeltown, these casks combined to create a whisky that reflects nearly three decades of patient ageing and traditional craftsmanship.

As with every release in the Countdown Collection, availability was extremely limited, with just 500 bottles produced worldwide.

Whisky enthusiasts from around the globe were given the opportunity to secure a bottle through a ballot, ensuring a fair chance to own this sought-after expression.

As with each release in the Countdown Collection, purchasers who return the entry slip enclosed with their certificate will be entered into an exclusive prize draw, which will take place the following year.

Prizes:
1st Prize – Whisky School (worth £2,000)
2nd Prize – Eat Sleep Dram, Repeat experience for two (worth £1,900)
3rd Prize – Barley to Bottle experience for two (worth £500)

Owners of the 2026 Countdown Collection 29-Year-Old Springbank have until 1st January 2027 to submit their entry slip for inclusion in the draw.

Entry slips should be returned to:
Springbank Distillers Ltd,
9 Bolgam Street,
Campbeltown, Argyll,
Scotland, PA28 6HZ

Good luck to all entrants!

SOCIETY BOTTLING

In May, the first Springbank Society bottling of 2026 was released; a small batch 28-year-old Springbank which spent its first 25 years maturing in Fresh Port Hogsheads, before being transferred into Refill Bourbon Hogsheads in 2023 for a further three years.

We bottled this whisky in 35cl bottles to ensure maximum availability to our members.

This is the oldest Springbank bottled for the Society since our last 28-year-old release in 2021.

The next Society bottling is scheduled for release later this year. Further details will be announced in due course.

MALTS FESTIVAL 2026

As part of the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival, we were delighted to once again welcome visitors from around the world to our Springbank and Kilkerran Open Days in May.

The Campbeltown Malts Festival has expanded significantly over the years and now features Springbank, Kilkerran, and Cadenhead’s events throughout the week, running from Monday to Saturday.

A massive thank you to everyone who took part and helped make the week such a special success!

Building on the success of the last two years, we once again kicked-off the Campbeltown Malts Festival week with a Springbank Charity Tasting and BBQ at the Washback Bar on Monday night.

Attendees were treated to a remarkable line-up of exclusive vintage drams from the private collection of Mr. Peter Greve, alongside a premium local seafood and fillet steak barbecue.

We extend our sincere thanks to Peter, whose continued generosity in supplying bottles from his own personal collection has made it possible for us to host this special event for a third year running.

Funds raised from this tasting have now been distributed to local charities and community projects through the J&A Mitchell & Co. Ltd. Community Fund, supporting worthwhile causes across the Kintyre area.

During the festival, we hosted three complimentary Springbank Society tastings in the Malt Barns on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of the festival week.

This year, we decided to do something a little different by holding a Blind Tasting Challenge.

Six drams were presented without any information and attendees had to fill in their guesses on tasting mats for the expression, cask type, age and ABV of each whisky.

Congratulations to this year’s winner – Martin Brendel, who scored 14.5 points out of 27!

Martin was presented with a one-of-one 70cl bottling of the most recent Springbank Society 28yo Port into Bourbon.

Following the success of our first-ever Local Barley Farm Tours at last year’s festival, we were delighted to bring them back for the 2026 Campbeltown Malts Festival.

Across the Monday and Tuesday, participants were collected by mini-bus from the gates of Springbank Distillery and taken on a tour of three local farms, where they had the opportunity to see the fields that supply barley for some of our Local Barley releases.

The tours offered a unique insight into the agricultural side of whisky production and the close relationships we have built with local farmers in the Campbeltown area.

While visiting the farms, guests enjoyed four drams, including a 10-month-old Local Barley spirit, two previously officially released Local Barley bottlings, and an exclusive single cask sample destined to be used in the vatting for a special future release.

A big thank you to David and Sean from Glencraigs Farm for their support throughout the tours and for sharing their expertise on barley cultivation on Scotland’s west coast with our guests.As Findlay previously discussed in his Production Update, one of the highlights of this year’s Malts Festival was the official opening of our new £6.2 million Bottling Hall, located on the site of Glengyle Distillery.

The opening ceremony was led by J&A Mitchell Chairman, Neil Clapperton, who reflected on the journey to bring the project to completion before officially declaring the bottling hall open. Neil then invited local Campbeltown resident, Gillian MacIntyre, to cut the ribbon and officially open the site, marking an important milestone in the continued growth of our company.

Following the ceremony, visitors were invited to tour the new facility and see the bottling operations firsthand.

To commemorate the occasion, guests were treated to prosecco and drams of the special Springbank 8yo Fresh Sherry release, bottled exclusively for the opening and limited to just 1,200 bottles.

We would like to thank everyone who joined us to mark this special occasion!

On Wednesday evening, 100 guests joined us for our annual Springbank Dinner. This year, rather than hosting the event in the Malt Barns, we welcomed attendees to our recently vacated old bottling hall, giving everyone a final opportunity to experience the space before it is repurposed into a cask warehouse later this year.

The evening began with a champagne reception in the Garden of Peace, nestled between Springbank and Glengyle, before guests took part in a blind tasting of three 19yo Longrow whiskies. The line-up featured one whisky matured in Fino Sherry and two matured in Oloroso Sherry.

From there, guests were led to the old bottling hall by the newly formed Springbank Campbeltown Pipe Band, adding a memorable touch to the evening’s proceedings.

Before taking their seats for a three-course meal, attendees were invited to vote for their favourite dram from the blind tasting, judging each whisky solely on its flavour and character.

While enjoying their meal prepared by our very own, Donald Brown, guests tasted three exceptional whiskies. These included a 1998 Hazelburn Cask Sample in Bourbon, a 1992 Glenlossie Cask Sample in Bourbon, and a preview of the Springbank 30 Year Old 2026 Open Day Bottling, which was due to be released the following day.

Attendees also enjoyed access to an open bar, where they had the opportunity to sample all of the soon-to-be-released 2026 Open Day bottlings alongside a selection of exclusive Cadenhead’s releases.

Once the votes had been counted, the winning cask was sent straight to the new bottling hall, where it was bottled in time for each guest to take home their very own 70cl at the end of the evening.

This year’s winning whisky was Cask No. 2 – a 19-year-old Longrow matured in Fresh Oloroso Sherry at 57.7% ABV. 🥃

On Thursday, 21st May, we hosted our annual Springbank Open Day as part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival.

As always, we welcomed visitors from near and far to enjoy a packed programme of activities, including free distillery tours, local food and craft stalls, festival bars, live music, tastings, and the opportunity to purchase this year’s exclusive festival bottlings.

Alongside the Open Day festivities, guests also had the chance to take part in a range of tastings, including the Longrow Tasting and The Art (and Science) of Malting, the Springbank Tasting, the Cage Bottle Tasting, and the New & Forthcoming Tasting, offering a deeper insight into our whiskies and production processes.

A major attraction of the day was the release of our highly anticipated festival bottlings at 10am, including the Springbank 30yo, Hazelburn 17yo Oloroso and Longrow 5yo Chardonnay.

The Springbank Open Day drew to a close with a spectacular performance from the Springbank Campbeltown Pipe Band, who played excellently and entertained hundreds of the festival-goers who gathered to watch.

The Kilkerran Open Day took place on Friday, 22 May 2026, at Glengyle Distillery marking one of the highlights of this year’s Malts Festival.

Running from 10am until 6:30pm, we welcomed hundreds of whisky enthusiasts for a celebration of everything Kilkerran.

As the distillery gates opened, many festival-goers made a beeline for the shop in hopes of securing a bottle of the Kilkerran 7yo Triple Distilled Single Cask Open Day Bottling before it sold out.

Attendees also explored a range of local craft and food stalls, sampled drams at the popular Lucky Dip Bar and other festival bars, and enjoyed live music throughout the day.

Guests were treated to a packed programme of events, including complimentary tours of Glengyle Distillery and a variety of specially curated tastings.

Among these tastings was the thought-provoking “There’s a HOORA Peat in that Kilkerran. Or Is There?” session, the much-anticipated Big Kilkerran Tasting, and the lively Clash of the Cocktails competition.

Following its popularity at last year’s festival, Kilkerran Blending Sessions returned for 2026, with Donald Brown and Melanie Stanger hosting sessions at 11am and 1:30pm.

Participants sampled six different single cask samples before trying their hand at creating their own bespoke blend, with each guest taking a unique 20cl bottle home as a memento for the day.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back for another memorable celebration of Campbeltown whisky at next year’s Malts Festival.

Mark your calendars…

Monday, 24th – Saturday, 29th May 2027

THE JAM EXPERIENCE

Discover the very best of Springbank, Kilkerran and Cadenhead’s with our new three-night JAM Experience.

Designed for groups of two to eight guests, this unique package offers an immersive journey into the world of J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd., combining behind-the-scenes access, exclusive tastings and comfortable accommodation in the heart of Campbeltown.

Guests will stay at Distillery House, located just steps from Springbank Distillery, making it the perfect base from which to explore our distilleries, warehouses and historic town.

During your stay, you’ll enjoy all-access tours of Springbank and Kilkerran, exclusive warehouse tastings, a Cadenhead’s blending session, a historic walking tour of Campbeltown, and a tasting featuring new and forthcoming J & A Mitchell releases.

Lunches at The Washback Bar and Cadenhead’s Tasting Room are also included.

The package is available year-round (excluding the Campbeltown Malts Festival and the Christmas/New Year holiday period) and is designed as a private booking for a single group.

Pricing:

£950 for exclusive hire of Distillery House for three nights. £350 per person for guests participating in the distillery experiences.

Whether you’re a long-time enthusiast or looking to deepen your appreciation of Campbeltown whisky, The JAM Experience offers an unforgettable opportunity to immerse yourself in everything that makes Springbank, Kilkerran and Cadenhead’s so special.

DISCOVER MORE HERE

TASTING PACKS

In June, we released our sixth Tasting Pack set through cadenhead.shop, giving customers the opportunity to combine their tasting pack purchase with other products and potentially save on shipping costs. This pack contained 2cl samples from our January and June 2026 limited releases, including the highly anticipated Springbank 1994 Vintage.

THANK YOU

From everyone at J & A Mitchell & Co. Ltd, we’d like to thank our Springbank Society members for being part of our community. We hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of the Society newsletter, and we look forward to bringing you more exclusive updates, stories, and releases soon.

Until next time… Slàinte! 🥃