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The latest Evans Family Reserve release has just arrived at the distillery — and it’s now available in our online store. This Oloroso Cask Finish is the perfect fall whisky: rich and fruity, with a wonderfully long finish. A warm, inviting dram to enjoy as the weather turns colder.
Big Peat’s plotting something massive for 2026 – and it could feature YOU! He’s creating a special edition label starring real fans from around the world.
All you need to do is send a portrait-format photo of yourself enjoying a dram of our smoky Islay Malt (like the examples shown above) to chloe.wood@douglaslaing.com.
Everyone who enters will be added to a prize draw for a bottle of Big Peat and some extra smoky goodies.
This is a once-in-a-dram opportunity to join Big Peat himself on an official bottling – how iconic would that be?
Deadline: 4th November 2025
LONDON WHISKY SHOW 2025 RECAP
This October marked our first appearance at the London Whisky Show; one of the largest and most renowned whisky festivals in the world. It was a privilege to introduce the Aberargie name to whisky enthusiasts and offer a first taste of what’s to come when we officially launch in March 2026.
Across the weekend, visitors experienced the patience and craftsmanship that define Aberargie. A whisky quietly confident in its quality, distilled and matured on our family farm in Perthshire. We were also delighted to run our first Aberargie competition, where new subscribers had the chance to win one of the very first bottles of Aberargie Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
A warm congratulations to Will Roberts, our lucky winner, who will receive his bottle when we launch in March.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared a dram, and took the time to learn our story. For future updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and details on our upcoming release, keep an eye on our social channels and our newsletter.
Aberargie — patiently curated for special moments.
Hirsch (Willett) 7 Year Old “The Single Barrel” K&L Exclusive Barrel #91478 Double Oak 112.2 Proof Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon
(750ml)
$109.99
The program being offered by Hirsch remains one of the most exciting in Kentucky today. These are famous stocks that no one is supposed to talk about. Produced at an unnamed Bardstown distillery from their famous mashbill – 76% corn, 13% rye, & 15% malted barley. Those whiskies were rebarreled and aged for a further period at Bardstown Bourbon Company. Selected by our spirits team in early Spring of 2025 and bottled at cask strength. These are still inaurguably some of the most sought-after stocks in the industry – so much so that the exact same mashbill bottled by the distillery at the very same aged, easily commands 2-3 times the price at retail. Here, we’re more interested in getting our customers this special bourbon at an incredible price. These maybe the final stocks to ever be released of these special lots of whisky. This barrel was distilled on January 11th, 2018 and bottled in late June of 2025, making it 7.5 years old. At a barrel strength of 112.2 proof, you’ll not find a better Bardstown distilled bourbon on the market for less.
Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
International Beverage to Showcase Speyburn across European Airports
Premium spirits business, International Beverage, has today 19th September announced a busy six-month programme of European travel retail activations for its award-winning single malt Scotch whisky brand, Speyburn.
The activations will run in partnership with Avolta World Duty Free and Lagardère travel retail stores in airports across Scotland, Paris and Amsterdam, aiming to showcase Speyburn’s newly-launched travel retail exclusive range which includes Kentucky Bourbon Cask, Bourdeaux Red Wine Cask and Jerez Sherry Cask expressions.
Having kickstarted its campaign in Aberdeen Airport, Speyburn can be found in Paris where a colourful brand installation, a ‘spin-to-win’ wheel and a busy programme of whisky tastings will be featured at the city’s Charles de Gaulle airport until 22nd September.
The Speyburn experience will then move to Scotland’s Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, where digital tasting bars and check-in walls will pay homage to the brand’s rich cask origins and feature the vibrant designs and colour of the range’s new packaging.
To further incentivise travellers, an interactive ‘spin-to-win’ wheel will help them decide which whisky to sample and reveal which prize they could win if they purchase two whiskies from the range. The activations will lastly travel to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport from September until January 2026.
Bottled at 40% ABV, Speyburn’s one litre travel retail bottlings were launched exclusively to the channel in Spring this year. The new range retains the smooth and accessible flavour profile that Speyburn is renowned for. Presented in bold new packaging, each whisky highlights its cask origins with a series of striking illustrations. Oak trees, a rick house (where bourbon is matured) and horses reflect Kentucky; a chateaux, grapes and ornate lamp posts for Bordeaux and Spanish tiles, flamenco guitar and fans for Jerez. Speyburn Distillery’s distinctive pagoda-shaped roof features on the packaging of all the three single malts.
Speyburn’s takeovers across key European airports signals the brand’s ambition to drive trial and build brand presence within this important channel.
Ellen Alvarez Salgado, Regional Channel Marketing Manager GTR for International Beverage, said: ‘Speyburn’s latest travel retail range is proving extremely popular with travellers, and we are delighted to build on this momentum by launching this series of immersive airport installations.
‘With this exciting new programme of airport activations, we are bringing these unique new expressions to life as well as the incredible taste and vibrancy of Speyburn to thousands of airport shoppers over the coming months.’
Blackstar Company Saves Black Button Distilling from Bankruptcy
Largest Bourbon Distillery in New York Looking to Bright Future Under New Ownership
ROCHESTER, NY – Black Button Distilling, the largest bourbon distillery in the state of New York, was saved from bankruptcy last week by Blackstar Company, a newly-formed company helmed by spirits industry veterans Kris Comstock and Ray Franklin. The investment by Blackstar will allow Black Button to continue operations, including distilling, bottling, and selling their award-winning spirits, including bourbon, Empire Rye whiskey, vodka, gin, and fan favorite Bespoke Bourbon Cream.
Black Button Distilling was founded in 2012 by Jason Barrett, and was the first craft distillery to open in Rochester NY since Prohibition. When industry friend and Blackstar co-founder Kris Comstock heard about the closing of Black Button, he was saddened by the news and reached out to Jason with an offer to help. “I was heartbroken to hear Black Button was closing and saw the community’s outpouring of support on social media,” said Comstock. “I’m thrilled about this partnership, as I have tremendous respect for Jason as a person and Master Distiller. Black Button Distilling has established a solid foundation across New York with their award-winning products. We look forward to building on that foundation as we expand the business.”
Jason Barrett, President and Master Distiller, Black Button Distilling said, “Although this is bittersweet, I’m happy that the distillery will remain open and our team will stay in place. I’ve known Kris for several years and have the utmost respect for his ability to build brands. I feel that Black Button is in great hands. But neither me nor my team is going anywhere. We will still run the day-to-day operations as always, but now have extra help and industry expertise from Blackstar. I’m very excited for the future of Black Button Distilling.”
Currently, Black Button has nine full-time employees, all of whom will remain. The tasting room, which closed in July, will remain closed for now as the new owners assess the business with more information to follow.
About Black Button Distilling
Established in 2012, Black Button Distilling is Rochester’s first grain-to-glass distillery since Prohibition and the birthplace of Rochester Style Bourbon. As a licensed Farm Distillery, 100% of the grains for Black Button’s whiskeys are sourced within 50 miles of the distillery in the heart of the Finger Lakes.
Founder and Master Distiller Jason Barrett designed and refined Black Button’s unique Column-to-Pot-to-Column system, an innovative process that preserves the most flavorful “hearts” of each run. Combined with Rochester’s dramatic seasonal temperature swings, this approach produces whiskeys of exceptional depth and character.
Black Button is also the proud producer of the internationally awarded Bespoke Bourbon Cream, honored with gold at the Concours International de Lyon and the John Barleycorn Awards. For more information visit https://blackbuttondistilling.com
About Blackstar Company
Blackstar is founded by four spirits industry veterans, including Kris Comstock, who spent nearly two decades building the powerhouse whiskey brands of Sazerac/Buffalo Trace Distillery, and Ray Franklin, who built a robust career in a variety of industry roles, including serving as Chief Revenue Officer for Spirits Capital Corporation. Blackstar offers strategic spirits expertise, guiding companies and brands through the hurdles of production, compliance, logistics, sales, marketing and nationwide distribution. Blackstar is headquartered in Lexington, Ky. For more information visit https://www.blackstarspirits.com
Introducing an exclusive from Murray McDavid
Bottled specially for our 15th year Anniversary!
ABV: 49.5% 70 cL
This incredible blended malt was bottled by Murray McDavid exclusively for our shop to celebrate our 15th anniversary. This rare tea-spooned malt pays homage to the founding fathers of the Double Wood. The pioneering technique of re-racking whisky into a secondary cask for finishing—first developed at The Balvenie Distillery in the 1980s—serves as inspiration for Murray McDavid’s dedicated team as they continue to explore the Art of Maturation. Distilled in 1989, this exceptional spirit was matured for 35 years, with its final three months spent in a rich Oloroso sherry octave, adding layers of dried fruit, spice, and nutty depth before bottling in 2025. Bottled at natural cask strength, non-chill filtered, and with no added colouring.
Tax included.
NOSE
Orchard fruit, baked apple & pear.
PALATE
Sweet malt, citrus and honey.
FINISH
Apricot, fruit loaf and oak spice.
Killowen Distillery is proud to present the third chapter in the Sagaland journey – Killowen Barántúil: The Fate of the Fir Bolg.
While whiskey-making is our craft, Sagaland allows us to tell stories that reach beyond the cask – blending Ireland’s mythological, culinary, and artistic heritage into one immersive experience.
For those following since Part 1, this release continues our collaboration with The Irish Mythology Podcast and FabCow / Fran Leavey, uniting story, sound, and visual art to bring Ireland’s ancient legends to life.
The Whiskey
Our first ever 6-year-old Single Pot Still, this Barántúil release had to be worthy of Sagaland. It spent five years in ex-bourbon casks before a long finish in a Killahora Orchards Pom’O cask – an apple aperitif crafted from rare apple varieties grown in Killahora’s 200-year-old orchards on the south-facing slopes of County Cork.
A small cask leak means fewer bottles than expected, making this release even more limited and special.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Vanilla and toffee apple – a perfect autumn pairing.
Palate: Pot still spices and rich custard texture, complemented by jammy fermented apple from the Pom’O cask.
Finish: The unmistakable Killowen DNA – a clean, distillate-led dryness reminiscent of red apple skin.
The Story
The Fate of the Fir Bolg
Each Sagaland release includes an insert card revealing the next chapter in the myth. Part 3 continues the saga with The Fate of the Fir Bolg, written by The Irish Mythology Podcast.
Scan the barcode on your insert to listen to the story and experience it as it was meant to be told.
The accompanying artwork by FabCow / Fran Leavey captures the energy, darkness, and beauty of Ireland’s oldest tales with remarkable depth.
For anyone who missed earlier chapters, a few of the leather books and previous insert cards are still available on our website, though in very limited numbers.
Release Details
Release Date: Wednesday 29th October @4pm (GMT – Killowen Time)
Price: £120
N.B. Link will not be live until 4pm on Wednesday 29th OctoberA heartfelt thank you to the Irish Mythology Podcast and FabCow for their creative partnership throughout the Sagaland series – and to all of you who continue to share this journey with us.
Sláinte
The Killowen Distillery Team
Fettercairn Vanguard is a series of three limited edition single malts. The first release was initially matured in a combination of first-fill ex-bourbon casks and specially crafted Scottish hybrid casks. It was then transferred into hybrid casks made from American Oak staves and heavily toasted Scottish Oak heads. The result is a whisky of remarkable balance, where vibrant tropical fruit notes are complemented by the subtle warmth of wood spice imparted by the hybrid cask maturation.
£99.95
(Fetter- Cairn) Fettercairn distillery lies just outside the village of Laurencekirk in Aberdeenshire. The village of Laurencekirk is famous for it’s ostentatious red sandstone arch, which was erected to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the village in 1861,
