ralfy review1107 – Johnnie Walker Green Label (auction/circa1998)

KENTUCKY DISTILLERS’ ASSOCIATION WELCOMES DARK ARTS WHISKEY HOUSE AS NEWEST MEMBER

CRAFT DISTILLERY UTILIZES UNCONVENTIONAL METHODS TO CREATE UNIQUE WHISKEYS

FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Distillers’ Association today welcomed Lexington’s Dark Arts Whiskey House as the newest member of the non-profit trade group that unites and leads Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.

Co-founded in 2023 by entrepreneurs and whiskey enthusiasts Macaulay Minton and David Peet, Dark Arts Whiskey House hones its craft by blending, re-barreling, and finishing Bourbon, Rye, and Single Malt whiskeys using underutilized maturation techniques and unconventional barrels.

Since beginning production this year, Dark Arts has filled 200 barrels to date, each with a custom blend, limited-release whiskey. Located at 1170 Manchester Street in Lexington, Dark Arts offers visitors a front-row seat to witness the distillery’s mastery as they create products that transform traditional ingredients into an elevated experience.

“We are thrilled to join the Kentucky Distillers’ Association,” said David Peet, Dark Arts Whiskey House CEO. “It’s an honor to stand among the finest in the industry as a new member of the KDA. This marks a true milestone for Dark Arts as we continue our mission to honor and elevate Kentucky Bourbon’s rich heritage—while boldly carving our own path.”

KDA President, Eric Gregory, said, “Kentucky Bourbon continues to capture the world’s attention, and we are thrilled to welcome Dark Arts Whiskey House as our newest member.

“Dark Arts is a prime example of how innovation and passion will continue to create new experiences for visitors and unique expressions that will keep the Bourbon-enthusiasts and Bourbon-curious returning to Kentucky, year after year, to experience Bourbon in a new light.”

The addition of Dark Arts Whiskey House to the KDA reflects the continued expansion of Kentucky’s Bourbon industry, a $9 billion economic engine that generates more than 23,000 jobs and attracted 2.7 million visitors in 2024 through the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®.

Learn more about Dark Arts Whiskey House at www.darkartswhiskey.com.

Dark Arts Whiskey House joins KDA as a “Craft” level member, aging less than 10,000 barrels per year. Visit the KDA and its Kentucky Bourbon Trail® adventure at www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com.

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA)  is the Worldwide Voice of Bourbon™.

About the Kentucky Distillers’ Association:

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association is the Worldwide Voice of Bourbon™. Its diverse and growing membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from historic, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are fostering the next generation of the Commonwealth’s timeless craft. Kentucky Bourbon is a $9 billion economic engine generating more than 23,500 jobs and attracting over 2 million visits annually through the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience. A 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, the KDA maintains an open membership policy, champions a strong commitment to the responsible and moderate consumption of spirits, and fights to curb underage drinking and drunk driving. Learn more at www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com.

KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL CRAFT TOUR®, KENTUCKY BOURBON AFFAIR™, KBT®, BOURBON TRAIL™ and KENTUCKY BOURBON HALL OF FAME® are trademarks/service marks of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association. Enjoy Bourbon like a true Kentuckian – Responsibly.

Decadent Release

The latest chapter in the Decadent saga arrives with a six-strong line-up that swings between ancient elegance, island minerality, surreal feline confidence, and a very sweet Highland troublemaker. We’re talking two Whiskyland heavyweights, two Decadent Drams, one new Brand…. The Teuchter, and an Orcadian daydream. All different, all characterful, all dangerously Decadent.

Below is your guided tour through these new arrivals…

Whiskyland Chapter Twenty Two

Glen Grant 30 Years Old

Refill barrel + first fill sherry hogshead / 46.8% / 177 bottles / £475

A three-decade orchard drifting through a soft sherry haze. Yellow apples, almond, beeswax, floral warmth, and the gentle antique glow of rested oak. Sherry widens, never weighs, letting that clean, crystalline Grant DNA shine through. Big age, zero bluster, maximum composure.

Whiskyland Chapter Twenty Three Laphroaig 34 Years Old

1991 refill hogshead / 48.3% / 182 bottles / £785

Peat in its autumn years: drifting smoke, iodine warmth, citrus oil, aged oak cabinets, and that sweet medicinal whisper that only old Laphroaig remembers how to make. More vapour than fire, more atmosphere than aggression. A ghostly, beautiful relic of a great era.

Decadent Drams

Candlekitty 15 Years Old

2010 refill barrel / 55% / 254 bottles / £145

Fresh oak sweetness orbiting clean, confident spirit. Vanilla cream, warm barley, soft coconut, and a little engine-room hum keeping things interesting. Textural, playful, dangerously drinkable. A feline flex in whisky form.

The Teuchter

17 Years Old

46.3% / 330 bottles / £69

Our newest troublemaker. Sticky toffee, raisins, cola cubes, and a firm malt spine preventing PX overload. Sweet, yes, but structured and intentional. A cheeky daily drinker with weekend energy, and an absurdly good price for the build.

Old Orkney (O.O.5)

19 Years Old

Refill hoggies married in a third fill butt / 52% / 375 bottles / £179

Salt-kissed fruit, soft smoke memory, honey, wax, and island calm. Third fill leaves the spirit centre stage, giving you pure Orkney mineral poise. Tastes like a quiet day staring out at the sea, with absolutely no intention of going back inside.

Explore, enjoy, and secure your bottles before they disappear into folklore.

First and most importantly, we’ve just launched our newest Creators Collection, Diptych: A work of liquid beauty in two parts, a stunning study in symmetry and contrast from distillery 96. These whiskies were filled to cask on the same day 28 years ago before taking separate journeys – one in American oak, the other in Spanish.

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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

2025 BOTTLINGS AND BEYOND

It’s no secret that here at Milroy’s we ADORE Campbeltown whiskies. The evocative maritime notes, the complexity, the signature funk… there’s so much to savour. So when we got our hands on the latest releases from the team up at Springbank, we couldn’t wait to share them. Take Kilkerran Heavily Peated Batch 13. The latest offering from Glengyle, a sibling to Springbank, is dense, earthy, and boldly peated. But it’s far from one-note. There’s butterscotch too, floral honey and even cooked ham coming through. It really is something special. Secure your bottle now – and scroll on for more Campbeltown delights.

Glen Ord Signatory Vintage 2012 100 Proof Edition #43 – Whisky Folk Review

THE VIDEO

Never Say Die Named ‘Best New Rye of 2025’ at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition Top Shelf Awards

Independent whiskey brand, Never Say Die has taken home one of the top honours at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) Top Shelf Awards – which is known as the Oscars of spirit competitions – after its Rye Whiskey was crowned ‘Best New Rye of 2025’.

The win is a major milestone for the transatlantic whiskey, which is distilled and aged in Kentucky before completing its maturation in England. The ocean voyage acts like a natural agitator, enhancing contact between spirit and oak, while England’s cooler climate allows for slower, more complex ageing.

The SFWSC judges described it as a “an elegant rye that opens with inviting aromas of cinnamon, vanilla, oak, and fresh mint, unfolding on the palate with a creamy texture layered with warm baking spices, bright orange peel, succulent cherry, and rich chocolate, finishing long and memorable with a harmonious balance of sweet honey and gentle spice”.

The unique ageing journey is inspired by the legendary racehorse Never Say Die, who crossed the Atlantic to defy the odds and win the Epsom Derby in 1954 which ultimately played a role in formation of The Beatles.

Made with a proprietary sweet mash and a high-corn recipe –  what the team calls a “Kentucky Rye” – Never Say Die Rye delivers a uniquely smooth and rounded profile that’s found a following among bartenders and whiskey fans alike.

Brian Luftman, co-founder of Never Say Die, said: “We set out to do something genuinely different in taking American whiskey on a journey to see how the ocean and England’s climate could shape its character. To see that innovation and our sweet mash whiskies recognized on a global stage is incredible. The high corn content in the mash bill gives our rye a rounder, slightly sweeter profile, which has made it a real favorite with bartenders and also a great entry point for bourbon drinkers or anyone new to rye.”

Never Say Die Rye Whiskey (RRP £64.95/$84.95) is available from The Whiskey Exchange and Seelbach’s

About Never Say Die

Never Say Die has truly blazed a trail and is the first time that a US Bourbon distilled in Kentucky has been ocean-aged on a six-week trip across the Atlantic, then finally matured in barrels in the Derbyshire peaks to give it a distinct British finish.

The idea for Never Say Die was born at the Kentucky Derby when old friends David Wild and Pat Madden were talking about racing, and Pat told the story of Never Say Die, the horse that was born at Hamburg Place, his family’s farm. After a few mint juleps, they decided to build a team and create a premium bourbon that would travel as a world’s first, in barrels, to the UK to be further matured and bottled, following in the hoofsteps of its namesake, Never Say Die – the first American racehorse to win an English derby in 70 years. In 2017, Pat and David founded Never Say Die Bourbon alongside Brian Luftman, Shane Baker, Pat Heist, Martha Dalton, and Fran O’Leary.

Fast-forward five years, and the first batch of Never Say Die Bourbon made its maiden voyage from Kentucky to Derbyshire’s White Peak Distillery, landing on English shores in July 2022. Never Say Die is produced using proprietary mash bills and yeast strains at a partner distillery 30 miles south of Lexington. It is made using only the finest ingredients, with a custom mash bill designed to highlight the essence of the small grains with consistency, using local seed-grade grains. It is cut with mineral-rich, Mesozoic Era limestone-filtered water sourced from the deepest aquifer in Kentucky and then added to virgin air-dried #4 char American Oak barrels and matured for up to seven years in Kentucky before embarking on the final leg of its journey across the ocean to the White Peaks Distillery in Derbyshire to finish.

The Last Drops

That’s a subtle way of saying there’s hardly any left…

The Last Drops

We like to think every whisky we bottle is something special. By that we mean it’s been hand-selected, there’s something we really like about it and we feel we’re bottling it at the perfect moment. But all good things must come to an end and for three of our recent premium releases we’re down to only a few bottles left. We can’t make anymore of these, the casks have been emptied, so if you miss out don’t say we didn’t tell you.

LIMITED NUMBERS AVAILABLE

As ever at Little Brown Dog we are only able to bottle a small number of each of our releases. We choose them carefully, each one is a spirit we’d drink ourselves, each one is different, there’s something special about it, that’s why we chose it. We like nothing better than talking about whisky and answering any questions you might have, so find us on social media. All of our available releases are on our website too.

Biodiversity Achievement of the Year Award

We’re delighted to share that we have been awarded Biodiversity Achievement of the Year at the Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards 2025.

This recognition celebrates the success of our Wetlands Ecological Treatment System first championed by our Founder, Daniel Szor and lovingly cared for by our Head of Production, Alice Pearson and her incredible team. What began as a practical solution made possible by Berry Brothers & Rudd and Rachel White Designs has evolved into something truly special: a living landscape of wildflower meadows, native hedgerows and wetlands now home to bats, owls, herons and pollinators alike.

It’s a reminder that craft and care go hand in hand, and that protecting our place in the world can be as rewarding as making what’s in the glass.

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