Established in 1923, Suntory operates distilleries like Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Chita, creating award-winning single malts, blends, and grain whiskies. In addition to whisky, Suntory produces other spirits, including gin and vodka, but its whiskies, such as Yamazaki, Hibiki, and Hakushu, are especially revered for pioneering Japanese whisky on the global stage.
Scotch whisky blends tend to have big volumes and broad international reach, while single malt volumes are tiny by comparison. And yet single malt gets all the snob appeal. We explore the complex process of making blended scotch and why it’s so vastly underrated.
We do not often send emails like this. But Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible just reviewed our entire current range, and the result is the kind of thing we would feel slightly daft not telling you about directly.
Every whisky we make earned five-star recognition. Our Lightly Peated Cask Strength Aged 7 Years scored 95 out of 100, with Murray calling it “a masterpiece from the far north” and choosing it to open his tasting day for the year. We will take that.
Murray reviewed roughly 4,200 whiskies for this edition of the Bible. The 95-plus tier is reserved for the top 1% – or put another way, Wolfburn Cask Strength is one of the top ten whiskies in the world. Five-star recognition starts at 86, which means every single whisky we currently make is in his top tier. He gets paid by no distillery, including ours. The scores are professional, independent, and earned.
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of helping shape the journey of Douglas Laing & Co., my family business that has remained fiercely independent and committed to Whisky integrity since 1948. It’s been a path defined by passion, patience, and an unwavering belief in doing things the right way.
To mark this moment, I wanted to share a Whisky that feels especially meaningful to me, one from a true family favourite distillery. Old Particular. A Family Favourite Distillery. Velvety fruitcake, treacle toffee and dark chocolate, spiced with nuts, cinnamon and clove.
Campbeltown Festival is just around the corner, celebrating one of Scotland’s most distinctive whisky regions. Though small in size, Campbeltown has earned a legendary reputation for its rich distilling heritage and boldly characterful malts. To mark the occasion, we’re bringing you a set of Glen Scotia offers worth raising a glass to. Whether you’re after some of your favourites or discovering something new from this legendary distillery, there’s never been a better time to dive in.
Discover the history, whisky and enduring spirit of Glen Scotia. Whether you’re exploring Campbeltown’s rich heritage or just beginning your whisky journey, this is a distillery worth getting to know.
We’re delighted to share that even more travellers can now take home a bolder taste of the Outer Hebrides. The Hearach Croft Strength, is now available at Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport as well as Heathrow Airport Terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5.
This adds to our presence at Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport, where travellers can also enjoy samples at our tasting bars. Bottled at higher strength, it offers something distinctive, elemental and deeply rooted in Harris.
Look out for them on your next adventure.
DISCOVER THE HEARACH CROFT STRENGTH
Blended 40 Years Old
Batch 3
This release, created by Living Souls, is batch 3 of their unique 40 Years Old blends. It was laid down to marry in 1998 in refill sherry butts and finished in ex-islay quarter casks. Smoky grilled BBQ aroma melds with bursts of juicy mango, pineapple, and citrus, complemented by soft vanilla and toasted coconut. Gentle smoke adds a savoury edge, grounding the tropical sweetness with a touch of fire and spice.
Scotch. Bourbon. Iconic whiskies. With all the confusion surrounding their differences we’re diving into what sets one apart from the other. Scotch can only come from Scotland, Bourbon only from the USA, with single malt Scotch using only malted barley and Bourbon a corn-led mash bill. Scotch is predominantly aged in reused oak casks while Bourbon must be aged in new, charred oak casks.
There’s no end to the elemental alchemy unfolding in our warehouses in Ardhasaig.
Cask by cask, our island spirit evolves in oak, shaped slowly by wood, time, and the Atlantic air that blows over the deep bay beneath the Clisham mountain.
We’ve taken great care in the casks we choose, from ex-bourbon barrels sourced from Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery to sherry butts from José y Miguel Martín in Spain.
Alongside these, a small number of more experimental casks sit among them. Some of the most intriguing come from Pennsylvania, thanks to our friends at Dad’s Hat Rye, makers of traditional rye whiskey.
Filled back in 2016, these ex-rye barrels have been maturing our spirit in their own distinctive way ever since.
Where this particular path will lead, we don’t yet know. But that’s part of the journey of learning and letting the island have its say.
TRIPLE CROWN AT THE ENGLISH WHISKY AWARDS 2026
To top off an incredible English Whisky Week last week, we are thrilled to announce that we took home three awards at the English Whisky Awards 2026 for both our whisky and distillery. Our Signature Single Malt Whisky was awarded Best English Whisky and Best Value English Whisky. We’re celebrating by offering 15% off 70cl bottles of Signature Single Malt Whisky online and in our three shops from now until Tuesday, 5th May 2026 at 11:59pm. Use the code EWAWARDS to redeem this offer online.
