Say it with an engraving

Whether you want to wish someone a happy birthday, celebrate a special anniversary or say thank you to a loved one, our bottle engraving service allows you to personalise selected bottles (including The Macallan, Oban, Loch Lomond and more) with a thoughtful, hand-engraved message.

Your recipient is guaranteed to love the personal touch, and they can keep the bottle long after the liquid is gone!

Engrave a Bottle ›

EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCES “RAISING THE BAR” RESTAURANT RECOVERY FUND 

More Than $3 Million in Grant Funding Available through Financial Support Led By Diageo North America and Supported By Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits, and implemented by the National Development Council

Eligible Restaurants Can Receive up to $5,000 to Assist with COVID-19 Safety Measures

Empire State Development (ESD) today announced the more than $3 million “Raising the Bar” Restaurant Recovery Fund to assist restaurants in New York State during the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant funding has been made possible through financial donations led by Diageo North America and supported by Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits (a division of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits) and will be implemented by the non-profit National Development Council (NDC). The “Raising the Bar Restaurant Recovery Fund” will help eligible restaurants adjust their operations to the impacts of COVID-19 and adherence to New York State’s public health and safety measures during the winter months when outdoor dining is limited.

Empire State Development Acting Commissioner, and President & CEO-designate Eric Gertler said, “The restaurant industry has been among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 crisis and they have had to come up with many changes to keep their employees and patrons safe.  With the winter months here, we need to be able to help these establishments adapt during this critical time.”

“Raising the Bar” grant funding can be used for COVID-19-related improvements and equipment that will allow the business to comply with social distancing guidelines, expand take-out/delivery operations, or accommodate outdoor dining such as plexiglass barriers/partitions, signage promoting social distancing and hygiene protocols, heaters, heat lamps, weatherization upgrades and insulated delivery bags;  improvements that will allow the business to continue operating through the winter months such as filtration system upgrades and food heaters to maintain temperature for to-go orders and purchasing PPE and sanitation supplies necessitated by the pandemic; and COVID-19 related business improvements like patio heaters or contactless technology. Qualifying purchases and expenditures must be from September 1, 2020 onwards to be eligible. Initial round of grants are in the amount of up to $5,000.

Initial grant funding will be awarded based on the received applications and dispersed independently by NDC, an experienced national economic non-profit that has been in operation since 1969.

“Diageo is committed to supporting restaurant owners, particularly those in underrepresented communities, who have been disproportionately harmed by COVID-19,” said Debra Crew, President, Diageo North America. “We are honored to serve as a founding contributor of the ‘Raising the Bar’ Restaurant Recovery Fund, providing much needed relief to an important industry that serves as a vital part of the economic engine of local communities. We encourage other organizations and businesses that also call New York ‘home’ to join us in this endeavor to make the impact of the program even stronger.”

“The hospitality industry in New York needs help now more than ever and we are here for them like they’ve always been here for us,” commented Wayne E. Chaplin, Chief Executive Officer, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. “The Raising the Bar Restaurant Recovery Fund provides an essential lifeline to restaurant owners so they can continue to operate safely, and stay afloat during this critical time. We are proud that our Coastal Pacific Wine & Spirits division is working with the State of New York, our valued supplier, Diageo, and the NDC to provide this much needed and urgent financial support.”

“At NDC, we are eager to get moving on this restaurant grant program,” said Dan Marsh, President of National Development Council. “Having worked on numerous loan and grant programs in New York and across the country, what we have seen is that smaller restaurants — especially minority and woman-owned establishments and those in hard-hit neighborhoods — are not getting the help they really need. A tailored grant program specific to this industry is critical.”

Eligible businesses consist of New York State restaurants that have no more than $3 million in 2019​ revenue ​and are engaged in providing food services and meals prepared on-premises to patrons who traditionally order and are served while seated, including certain on-premises food and drinking establishments licensed through the State Liquor Authority (SLA) and which need funding to adjust to COVID-related impacts and protocols. Establishments providing take out or grab and go food services due to COVID-19 restrictions are also eligible to receive the grant from NDC. Additionally, these establishments must have been in operation on or before March 1, 2019 and certify and demonstrate that they have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19. ​All businesses must continue to comply with the New York Forward reopening guidance and Cluster Action Initiative guidance, as applicable. Restaurants can apply to the R​aising the Bar Restaurant Recovery Fund starting Monday, January 11, 2021. For more information visit the ESD website at https://esd.ny.gov/raising-bar-restaurant-recovery-fund.  Applications will begin to be accepted on Jan. 11, 2021.

About Empire State Development  

Empire State Development (ESD) is New York’s chief economic development agency. The mission of ESD is to promote a vigorous and growing economy, encourage the creation of new job and economic opportunities, increase revenues to the State and its municipalities, and achieve stable and diversified local economies. Through the use of loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, ESD strives to enhance private business investment and growth to spur job creation and support prosperous communities across New York State. ESD is also the primary administrative agency overseeing Governor Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Councils and the marketing of “I LOVE NY,” the State’s iconic tourism brand. For more information on Regional Councils and Empire State Development, please visit www.regionalcouncils.ny.gov and www.esd.ny.gov.

About Diageo North America

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Casamigos, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and performance, visit www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow at Twitter and Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.

About Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits is the world’s pre-eminent distributor of beverage alcohol, and proud to be a multi-generational, family-owned company. The Company has operations in 44 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Southern Glazer’s urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve, and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information visit www.southernglazers.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @sgwinespirits and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SouthernGlazers. 

About NDC

NDC is a national economic development nonprofit that directs capital and financial expertise to local communities, governments, and agencies. NDC supports the development and preservation of affordable housing; creates jobs through small business lending; advances livable communities with social infrastructure investment; and builds capacity through hands-on training and technical assistance in all areas of economic development. Founded in 1969, NDC continues to evolve and innovate to meet the needs of today’s challenges. Find us at ndconline.org @NatlDevCouncil

Lockdown savings on winter warmers

Stock up and stay home: we’ve slashed prices on a selection of winter warmers to see you through the next lockdown.

Whether you’re replenishing your whisky cupboard after Christmas, or sending a friend a ‘thinking of you’ dram – we’re offering a selection of your favourite whiskies at a fraction of the price, delivered safely to your door.

Grab these prices before they go!

Shop our Whisky Sale ›

Known as “Scotland in miniature’ for its diverse environment and stunning scenery, The Isle of Arran has become one of Scotland’s most popular destinations for whisky enthusiasts. This remote island was once home to over 50 illicit distilleries that lay beyond the reach of the exciseman. The Island’s whisky industry was revived with the construction of the Arran Distillery which officially opened in 1995.

Arran is one of Scotland’s last remaining independently owned distilleries, producing whisky that is typically unpeated, sweet, smooth and fruity. A diverse portfolio includes a wide range of cask finished whiskies, higher age statement bottlings, cask strength releases, and peated whisky bottled as Machrie Moor.

Arran – Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old Whisky
46% ABV | 70cl

Arran’s signature whisky. The multi award winning 10 Year Old Arran showcases the rich, sweet, fruity aromas and flavours that are characteristic of whiskies from this exceptional Island distillery. Matured primarily in ex-Bourbon casks, with a smaller proportion on 1st fill and refill Sherry hogsheads.

£39.95

SHOP OUR FULL ARRAN RANGE AT HTFW

Making it to the Whisky Advocate Top 20 list four years in a row, what an honor!!!!

Why is this such a great honor you might ask?

Well, their “Top 20 is a selection of whiskies worthy of your attention. The list includes great values that might otherwise be overlooked, whiskies that are best in class for their style, and highly accomplished bottles you should be looking for. Most importantly, each of these whiskies generates excitement and marks a highlight across a year of tasting.”

“An important step in gauging the true merit of these whiskies is blind tasting review by a panel of international reviewers. The review panel tasted the eligible whiskies in a series of blind tasting flights to arrive at the final list. The panel did not know the identity of the whiskies being tasted—not their producer, country of origin, age, nor price. The average rating from the blind tasting panel supersedes the original Buying Guide rating. The individual reviewer rating will remain noted in the Buying Guide for the record. The final decision for placement considers average score, price, and availability.”

This flagship bottling from the core range of M&H Distillery has been turning heads since its launch.  This 46% abv expression truly is an instant classic.

Tomer Goren, head distiller at Milk & Honey Distillery in Tel Aviv, excels at warm climate Single Malt production under the intensity of the Mediterranean sun. His ethos is beautifully captured within this kosher-certified flagship bottling, matured in Bourbon and shaved, toasted, and re-charred (STR) casks. It exudes a nose of golden syrup, vanilla, marshmallow, jasmine, dried apple, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper. Flavorful and juicy, the palate has satisfying depth, with caramel, vanilla, shortbread, honey, and orange, daubed with vivaciously spicy black pepper. —Jonny McCormick

We also wanted to take a look back at our amazing whiskies that made it to their list the last few years.

A 48% abv 92 point peaty palate pleaser from Japan, this Matsui marched into the mainstream like a great wave.

The 2018 Kilchoman Loch Gorm at 46% abv earned 91 points and this praise from Gavin Smith:

Penderyn Celt at 43% abv earned 91 points and these words from Jonny McCormick

Scoring 90 points, this 42.8% abv rice whisky from Japan got this review.

But why and how does Whisky Advocate choose the whiskies that make the list?

In their own words:

“Each year, Whisky Advocate Buying Guide reviewers collectively sample hundreds of whiskies. These include rare and extremely limited releases, as well as new and emerging labels that will find their way to shelves across the nation. To determine our Top 20, we begin by looking only at whiskies that rated “outstanding” (90 points or higher on Whisky Advocate’s 100-point scale). However, the Top 20 is not simply a collection of our highest-rated whiskies, because many of those are so limited they would be impossible for most readers to locate or purchase. Therefore, in addition to quality (based on score), our selection also prioritizes value (based on price) and availability.”

Now back to this year…

We couldn’t be more excited about M&H Classic making it to the Top 20 for 2020!

Notably, since the core range launched earlier this year we have seen quite a few amazing mentions in publications across the US.

12/8/20 Liquor.com “Everything You Need to Know About Kosher Spirits”

12/1/20 Insidehook.com/Yahoo Finance “Expand Your Horizons with 7 Great Bottles of New World Whisky”

12/1/20 RobbReport  “9 Superb Whiskies Made in Unexpected Places, From Mexico to India”

11/16/20 Departures.com (AMEX)  “The World’s Lesser-Known Whiskey-Producing Regions You Need to Know About”,

11/5/20 Imbibe 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

November 2020 Hemispheres Magazine (United Airlines) “Holy Spirits”

10/12/20 Jewish News of Northern California “Israeli Whisky comes to Bay Area”

9/7/20 New York Times Front Burner “A Nip for that New Year’s Toast”

9/6/20 David Broza and Friends Live from NYC The Bowery Electric Concert

9/2/20 The Nosher “Israel’s First Single Malt Whisky is Now Available in the US”

September 2020 New York Beverage Media “Whiskey: What’s New”

8/7/20 RobbReport/Yahoo Life “Israel’s First Whisky Is Coming to America”

Here is Tomer and Tal going through the other Milk & Honey expressions, in case you are curious about the magic they make.

And since you stuck around so far, here is a little teaser for you!  They are coming out with their Apex series (hitting US soil in Q1 2021), which is all about crazy combinations and delicious innovation.

We are so excited to see what these folks will produce next!

Will it make it to next year’s Top 20?  Only cask-aged time will tell.

If you have any questions or would like any additional information, please don’t hesitate to email us at office@ImpExBev.com.

William Grant and family started building his distillery in 1886 and named it Glenfiddich which is Gaelic for ‘Valley of the Deer’. Towards the end of the next year the first drop of spirit fell from the copper stills. During the prohibition in 1923, Glenfiddich was one of only 6 distilleries still running in Scotland. In the later half of the fifties, Glenfiddich built its own cooperage and in the early sixties came up with their recognisable triangular bottle design.

In 1963 Glenfiddich was the first Single Malt to be promoted outside Scotland – previously consumers were only used to drinking blended whisky. Glenfiddich has gone from strength to strength and is now the world’s best selling Single Malt Whisky and has won more awards than any other Scotch Whisky distillery.

Their best selling 12 year old single malt is soft, fresh and delicate, and a classic example of a gentle Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Older expressions typically use a higher proportion of ex-Sherry casks, becoming richer and more complex with age.

Shop the range at HTFW

BALBLAIR 12YO, ORDER NOW AND RECEIVE A FREE MINIATURE OF 15YO

We’ve teamed up with the amazing people at Balblair to offer you this deal, order the Balblair 12YO and we’ll send you a 5cl Miniature of the 15YO to sample at your leisure!

Balblair 12YO

With free 5cl Miniature of 15YO, a perfect opportunity to taste the flavoursome older sibling!

Balblair 15YO

Never mind the sampling, dive right in and order the 15YO today!

Explore the Balblair Range

The Green Welly Stop
Tyndrum
CRIANLARICH, PERTHSHIRE FK20 8RY
United Kingdom

The Whisky Exchange Blog Review of 2020

Well. That was definitely a year. But hidden in among the various trials and tribulations of 2020 there were a load of excellent drink-related things, and, optimists that we are here at The Whisky Exchange, it’s time to celebrate them. So, without further ado, it’s time for the now-traditional (even if we did miss last year) TWE Blog Review of the Year – 2020 edition.

A quiet start

The beginning of 2020 was rather sedate, with a focus on low and no-alcohol alternatives (as well as some great alcoholic classics) in our excellently/questionably named No-Low-Status Quo feature. Burns night appeared towards the end of January, as it does every year (keep an eye on the blog for this year’s tips, coming soon) and we rolled quietly into spring. This year’s Rosebank Rose – Grace – (still three more to come) appeared on the website and disappeared just as quickly, with a St Patrick’s Day themed Irish Whiskey focus following in March.

Then things went a bit weird.

Lockdown Blues

With the UK’s pandemic lockdown beginning in late March, things changed very quickly for us at The Whisky Exchange. With most of the team working from home – with the majority not having been back to TWE HQ since – we started looking into ways of bringing our drinks family from across the UK and around the world together.

The Specialty Drinks packing team got to work filling boxes with supplies for drinks industry people struggling during the pandemic.

First, we turned to the bars of London. Since The Whisky Exchange started, we’ve been making sure that they’ve had the best spirits available at all times, and with their business disappearing overnight when they were forced to close, we decided to help. With many staff furloughed or laid off, Speciality Drinks – our trade wing – joined forces with Edrington-Beam-Suntory to create wellbeing packs for folks in the drinks trade who needed a helping hand: boxes of staples to fill gaps in their cupboards. This carried on through the year, wrapping up – for the time being – in November 2020, with more than 6,500 packs sent around the UK.

We then turned to the bars themselves, and, working with a selection of the UK’s finest establishments, put together a selection of make-it-at-home cocktail packs and ready-to-drink cocktails to let you recreate their signature drinks in your own kitchen – Bring the Bar Home. We had 13 packs complete with recipes and videos from bars ranging from the classic Rules and Blue Bar at The Berkeley Hotel, to modern London institutions like Trailer Happiness and Laki Kane, as well newcomers like Coupette and Kwānt. With a share of the proceeds from each pack going back to the bar who created it, the scheme helped out while the bars pivoted into running their own at-home deliveries.

You can watch it all on Tv

Having worked with our industry friends, our attention turned to our customers – you. With lockdown in full force, we wanted to find a way of continuing to share our love of great drinks, and jumped feet first into the virtual world.

It started with our virtual tastings. Every week from May to October, with a couple more in December, we ran an online tasting, with tasting packs available to buy from The Whisky Exchange website, and an interactive Zoom room open for anyone who had one.

Rum By Flavour was our first tasting, back in early May…things have come on a long way since then.

We also streamed them live on Facebook, so that anyone could join in. You can find 23 of them on YouTube in our Virtual Tastings playlist, and there are even a few packs left on the website if you want to join in.

But it didn’t stop there…

A Virtual Whisky Show

With an in-person Whisky Show impossible, we went online. And then expanded things. And then expanded things again. In the end, our plan for a 2.5 day show bloomed into a week long event with more than 400 talks and tastings, all delivered online.

The hosts

Hosted by a three-headed hydra of booze – Bubbles, barley and beer: head buyer Dawn Davies, writer Dave Broom and me – with assistance from WhiskyCast‘s Mark Gillespie, we covered everything from sustainability to inclusivity, with stops at distilleries around the world, chatting with the people behind the drams. And we drank some great whiskies, available as tasting packs to try at home – we even still have a few left if you want to join in.

Exclusive Drinks

We started the year by wrapping up our 20th Anniversary with a final selection of exclusive birthday bottlings – we had more than 50 special bottlings through our big birthday year.  Anniversary over, we continued to put out great whiskies, rums and more, all exclusive to us.

Each bottle from this year’s Whisky Show releases had a unique label, part of a larger design created for each of the three whiskies.

From the increasingly legendary Redbreast 1989 30 Year Old Port Cask – still a few bottles left, but it won’t last long – to our Whisky Show bottlings – Whisky: An Ever-Changing World – and a whole host of great whiskies.  We’ve got more coming in the new year, and the first bottlings are already arriving…watch this space.

Along with the exclusives, we also launched our own new line of whiskies – The Whisky Exchange Single Casks. Specially selected by co-founder Sukhinder Singh, they give us a chance to showcase some of the best casks he has hiding in warehouses across Scotland.

Anything else?

Lots…

We kicked off our Meet the Maker series with interviews across the worlds of whisky.

We celebrated World Whisky Day with a day of interviews with whisky makers around the world, all streamed on Facebook – you can catch up with our World Whisky Day playlist if you missed it.

The launch of Waterford caused a stir in the whisky world, with founder Mark Reynier – formerly of Bruichladdich – and his terroir-forward approach inspiring debate. I jumped in with my take – Waterford: Terroir and Teireoir, and the first releases shot off the shelves.

..and we announced our Whisky of the Year – thank you to everyone who helped out by voting. The awards will be back in Autumn.

What next?

After the weirdness of 2020, we aren’t sitting still in 2021.

Our virtual tastings will be back soon – keep an eye on the blog for updates, as we’ll have a full program appearing over the coming weeks. On top of that, expect virtual Whisky Show: Old & Rare, and a combination of physical and virtual fun (government guidelines permitting) for and Whisky Show. Planning for Whisky Show is in full swing and tickets are on sale now – head to the Whisky Show website to find out more.

We’ve put 2020 to bed, and 2021 is ripe for filling with great drinks and fun times. We’ll hopefully see you all soon, either in person or online. Either way: Happy New Year.

SHOP ONLINE

The English Whisky Co. St George’s Distillery Harling Road Roudham , Norfolk NR16 2QW

From our family to yours, we’d like to wish you joy and success in 2021.

Discover the famous whisky from one of Japan’s most renowned distilleries.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,