McMillan Coppersmiths in Prestonpans

Our Founder Kirsty McKerrow recently toured McMillan Coppersmiths in Prestonpans, guided by EWA alumni Olga Gordon and expert coppersmith Declan Rutherford. A rare, up-close look at the craft behind the copper… and the flavour. We look forward to returning in the summer to film material for some exciting future projects (more details to come). 📖 Read the Post

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.

The Hearach Oloroso single malt is the second expression of our island whisky. Fully matured in ex-sherry butts sourced from our friends in Andalusia, it’s a celebration of connection between our two communities. The hot and dusty Spanish climate is perfect for making this special wine from Jerez and their casks in turn impart a unique influence on our island spirit. Expect orange peel, dried herbs, vanilla, cloves and more in this rich, bold, and aromatic edition of our dram as the sun shines on our respective homes this season…

ORDER THE HEARACH OLOROSO

Vic Cameron, one of our whisky lecturers says: “Phenols are the chemicals that we get in our peat smoke, that attach themselves onto the malt and then go through the distillation process into our whisky and gives us the peaty, smoky medicinal flavours that we get in our Lagavulin, Lahproaig and our Ardbeg.”

🎬 Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post

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.

Killowen Catch-Up 

At Killowen, we don’t over communicate! Instead, we publish the odd note with important and exciting updates.

First and foremost, we would like to begin by stating how truly thankful and humbled we are by all of you, our wonderful Killowen supporters, as we celebrate 6 years in business. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the loyalty, enthusiasm, and belief from everyone who has joined us on this journey. The past 6 years have been a blast, but the past year alone has definitely been one to celebrate!  Over the past 12 months, Killowen Distillery has proudly garnered prestigious accolades, just to name a few:

• Craft Producer of the Year 2025 at both the Icons of Whisky & Icons of Whisky Ireland Awards

• A coveted spot in the Top 50 Most Admired Whiskies in the World, ranking as the second highest Irish distillery on the list

We have released many wonderful Barántúils this year which we have been delighted to see being opened and enjoyed all across the world. This year saw the release of our first ever 5 year old whiskey, along with the launch of our Sagaland Series and a collaboration with The Irish Whiskey Collection at the Duty Free in both Dublin and Cork Airports. We also worked with some fantastic off-sales across Ireland such as Green Acres in Wexford, in which our Barántúil was finished in a bespoke Chambolle Musigny Ex-Pinot Noir Wine Cask from Domaine Bruno Clair.

So what’s next? We have a very exciting few months ahead with many more Barántúil releases coming your way! To kick us off, we are absolutely delighted to announce that a very special collaboration with none other than the iconic Temple Bar in Dublin is soon to be released via The Irish Whiskey Reserve. This particular whiskey spent its entirety in an Ex-Pedro Ximénez Sherry Cask, but more information on this one coming very soon!  We will also be releasing the next instalment of our much anticipated Sagaland series and we can’t wait to share this with you all, as you know, this chapter of our Barántúil is very special to all of the Killowen team.

And just in case you missed our social media campaign, we have an exclusive auction happening from April 30th – May 4th with Irish Whiskey Auctions. This particular auction will feature some Killowen gems from the archives of none other than the man himself, Brendan Carty. Be sure to sign up as it’s one not to be missed!

Check out the bottles here

To all the Killowen fans out there, the OG’s and the newbies, thank you for making what we do here worth while! The past 6 years have been a blast and we are so excited to share with you all the amazing releases to come. We hope to see some of you at Whiskey Live Dublin on the 16th & 17th of May!

Sláinte

The Killowen Distillery Team

SHOP THE SPEYSIDE SALE

Our Speyside sale is now on, with limited time offers on outstanding whiskies from some of our favourite distilleries including Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Cardhu and many more. If you’re a Speyside fan or this is your first time exploring this famed whisky region, you’re sure to get a great deal on the perfect dram for you.

SHOP SALE

The Hearach single malt whisky is our first, historic dram from the Isle of Harris. It takes its name from the Scottish Gaelic word for “a native of Harris”, and it’s something that islanders are very proud to be called.

We talk about our whisky being woven from people and place, influenced both by the men and women of our community who make it, and the elemental island it comes from. Made from spirits matured in first fill ex-Bourbon casks, Oloroso, and Fino sherry butts, we further ‘marry’ our recipe to bring additional harmony before bottling.

The result is a complex, elegant single malt, full of Harris character that rewards time well spent in its company. Order your bottle and open to discover more…

ORDER A BOTTLE OF THE HEARACH

Every Evans Family Reserve is a limited run and for our Caribbean Rum Cask the run is nearly at an end. We only have a small number of bottles remaining. If you would like to try this award winning single malt then act now as the remaining bottles are going fast.

This fantastic expression was finished in rum casks from the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Martinique. Aged separately and combined together there is a delicious complexity. The judges at the 2024 World Whisky Awards agreed awarding it a Gold medal and declaring it the winner of its category.

Buy Now

LOST DISTILLERIES

Whiskies from closed distilleries have a particular prestige. When a distillery has been torn down and its warehouses emptied, the knowledge that no more of its spirit will ever be created makes the remaining stocks particularly appealing to collectors. This is especially true if they are of a distinctive style that’s difficult to approximate.

With whiskies from ghost distilleries commanding serious sums from collectors, we might be tempted to ask why they would close in the first place. But as always with whisky, the story is one of boom and bust, and one that helps explain how these seemingly forgotten casks have become among the most highly sought-after in the world.

DISCOVER

SHOP NOW

Tomatin introduces Double Cask 13-year-old single malt travel retail exclusive 

Highland distiller Tomatin has bolstered its global travel retail range with the release of an exclusive double cask 13-year-old single malt whisky.

Available now from selected global travel retail outlets, Tomatin Double Cask 13 Year Old is matured in bourbon barrels and Oloroso sherry casks, creating a classically smooth single malt in the distillery’s flagship style.

Bottled at 43% ABV with an RRP of £54.95 (€64.90 EUR), Tomatin Double Cask 13 Year Old presents a nose of baked apples and pears with clove-spiced caramel sauce and tropical aromas delivering hints of coconut and guava. On the palate there are flavours of chocolatey granola with yoghurt-coated dried cranberries and sultana with a touch of cinnamon.

Available as a 1-litre exclusive for global travel retail, Tomatin Double Cask 13 Year Old will complement the distiller’s existing global travel retail range, which includes Tomatin 8 Year Old, a vanilla-sweet 1-litre whisky matured in bourbon and sherry casks (RRP £42 GBP; €47.50 EUR); Tomatin 16 Year Old, a luxurious single malt crafted in Portuguese Moscatel wine barriques (£74.95 GBP; €89.90 EUR); Tomatin 21 Year Old, matured solely in exclusive first-fill ex-bourbon casks (£190 GBP; €224.90 EUR); and Tomatin 45 Year Old, aged in Spanish Oloroso sherry casks and bottled in its most natural form, yielding just 250 special bottles (€5,500 EUR).

The 13-year-old single malt will feature a refreshed outer packaging and label design. Its rich purple colour was carefully selected to increase standout and vibrancy on shelf, with gold detailing elegantly symbolising the tree rings found in oak – a nod to the distillery’s first-class wood policy and commitment to knowing the history of each cask that passes through its warehouses.

Tomatin Double Cask 13 Year Old will replace the distillery’s existing Tomatin 12 Year Old in global travel retail.

Tomatin 12 Year Old will remain for sale in all global domestic markets.

Tomatin 8 Year Old will also carry the refreshed outer packaging and label design, with a teal blue box and label adorned with the range’s signature gold detailing. The 8-year-old whisky’s nose has aromas of vanilla-sweetened baked apples and pears developing into deeper dark fruit flavours, gently balanced with ginger and cinnamon for a sweet and spicy finish, presented in a uniquely generous yet elegant 1-litre bottle. It will be available to buy in global travel retail outlets from summer 2025.

Tomatin Distillery has partnered with Rumesco Agencies, which represents premium, niche brands in European travel retail, since 2017.

Rumesco Agencies is founded by Rudy Leentjes, a travel retail professional for more than 40 years with a background in Seagram, Allied Domecq, Beam Suntory and Maxxium travel retail.

Graham Nicolson, global sales director at Tomatin, said:

“Our global travel retail range showcases the unrivalled variety and quality of casks we have to offer at Tomatin Distillery. The introduction of our 13-year-old single malt whisky is a natural evolution in our portfolio and a welcome addition to the range.

“Refreshing the outer packaging for our global travel retail whiskies is part of our brand progression in this area. It was important to us to consider the influence of oak in creating our single malt whiskies, with gold detailing on outer packs designed to honour the importance of wood quality in all that we do.”

With a proud heritage dating back to the 15th century, Tomatin has been a home for the whisky making team’s dedicated craftsmen and their families since the current distillery was established in 1897.

Tomatin 13 Year Old is available from April in major UK and international airports including Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Istanbul and other travel retail outlets worldwide, priced at £54.95 RRP for a 100cl bottle.

For more information, visit https://tomatin.com.

Tomatin 13 Year Old tasting notes

Nose: A sweet malty backbone plays host to baked apples and pears with clove spiced caramel sauce. A delicate floral note is balanced with a fatty buttery element which together become increasingly tropical, delivering hints of coconut and guava.

Palate: The malt becomes more prominent, giving flavours of chocolatey granola. Yoghurt coated dried cranberries and sultana with a touch of cinnamon.

Finish: Medium length with continued maltiness and developing citrus.

Tomatin Distillery 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/

RAISE YOUR GLASS:
PEAT AND FRUIT WHISKIES

This April, we’re encouraging you to Raise Your Glass – to dig into the flavour profiles you love in whisky and spirits, and to be inspired by brilliant suggestions from The Whisky Exchange team. First up, we’re bringing you three exquisite drams from our Peat & Fruit flavour camp, featuring two earthy and fruity single malts from Islay and a knockout whisky from the Isle of Arran.

 SHOP ALL