We told you there’d be more from us in the coming days!

We can finally announce new tastings in York and Newcastle! Woohoo!! They are not until October, so you have plenty of time to plan ahead, plus they are on a Friday and Saturday, so no need to worry about the next day…;-)

We also have our next tasting instalment in Manchester, the night before the festival, so the perfect warm-up. Scroll down for the finer details…

In other news, we have decided to make Manchester Cathedral our permanent home for the Manchester Whisky Festival, after several successful years. We think that, for those of you that have been there, this is fantastic news and worthy of celebrating!

So, for the first time ever, we are starting sales of 2026 tickets from 12pm today – Early-birds and all!

Anyway, read-on and see you at the bottom of the email!

Friday 19th October 7pm
York Medical Society, Stonegate

Saturday 20th October 7pm
Blackfriars Restaurant, Friar St., Newcastle

We are so happy to be back doing these, our original intimate tastings, where we can chat and laugh, learn and have our eyes opened. These tastings are an amazing opportunity to taste some amazing stuff whilst also learning about the folks behind the bottlings.

Emily Coyle – who some of you will remember from being behind the Rare Finds stands at our shows – will be there to present some wonderful whiskies. Eddie should be there too, to ensure good behaviour. From you, not him!

Book the York Rare Finds Tasting Now!

Book the Newcastle Rare Finds Tasting Now!

Thursday 20th November 7pm

Sevenoaks, 5 Nicholas St., M1 4HL

The night before Manchester Whisky Lounge, why not get your whisky weekend started early?

Berry Bros. & Rudd are bringing along six cracking drams that may look light in colour, but deliver big on flavour. Expect fruit, malt, sweetness, and a touch of smoke – from Speyside charmers to an Islay classic. Highlights include a rich Benrinnes, characterful Balmenach, a bright and breezy Knockdhu, and a wonderfully smoky Caol Ila that proves pale can still be powerful.

It’s whisky for curious drinkers, not colour-judgers – and it’ll be a brilliant night in the heart of Manchester.

👉 Tickets are limited – book now and join us Beyond the Pale.

Book Manchester Beyond the Pale Tickets

And Finally…

Do I really need to introduce this one? All you really need to know are the dates right? 😉

Friday 16th/Saturday 17th October 2026

Manchester Cathedral

Get booking…

Book Manchester Festival 2026 Tickets

have a great bank holiday weekend folks and see you next week for some more exciting updates…

Sláinte,

Eddie, Amanda and Tom
The Whisky Lounge Team

Blended 40 Years Old Batch 3
ABV: 44.6% 70 cL

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. CASK TYPE: Ex-Islay Quarter Cask Finish

£126.00

Decadent Drams – Vatted Grain Blended Scotch Whisky

52 Year Old |  1972 Vintage | 70cl · 50.8% ABV

£294.95

Drawn from a single refill barrel filled in 1972, this extraordinary vatted grain whisky has matured for 52 years and is bottled at natural cask strength. It delivers everything you’d hope for in a well-aged grain: a rich balance of sweetness, exotic spice, and a touch of industrial charm. Deep layers of character evoke aged rum, adding a bold twist to its refined profile.

ralfy review 1092 – Archive Library/Springbank 11yo Local Barley.

Heaven Hill Named Distillery of the Year at 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (July, 2025) – In another show of leadership and commitment to quality, Heaven Hill Brands has been honored as Distillery of the Year at the 2025 New Orleans Spirits Competition, a prestigious recognition announced yesterday by judges at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans. The award celebrates Heaven Hill’s continued excellence across a broad range of spirits and underscores its leadership and craftsmanship in American whiskey and beyond. Heaven Hill also earned several top distinctions across major categories, highlighting the breadth and quality of its portfolio.

Best of Category Wins:

Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon – Heaven Hill Bottled-In-Bond
Bourbon, Non-Age Stated – Evan Williams 1783
Whiskey, Bourbon 5-10 years – Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Traditional Barrel Series – Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon
Corn Whiskey – Mellow Corn Bottled-In-Bond
Finished Bourbon – Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel

This latest accolade comes during a momentous year for Heaven Hill as the company recently celebrated being named the Best U.S. Distillery from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, prepares to unveil its new Heaven Hill Springs Distillery in September and celebrates its 90th anniversary on December 13, 2025.

“This recognition from the New Orleans Spirits Competition is a testament to the dedication of our entire team,” said Kate Latts, Co-President of Heaven Hill Brands and third-generation family member. “Being named Distillery of the Year and securing these Best of Category wins reflect the passion and precision that go into every bottle we produce.”

The New Orleans Spirits Competition, founded in 2022, is an international spirits judging bringing wider recognition to fine beverages and spirits from top-flight producers across the globe. Presented by the esteemed Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, each spirit is tasted blind by a panel of industry experts, without identification, to ensure integrity and secrecy. The judging panels include pre-eminent industry professionals, including award-winning bartenders and distillers, decorated beverage writers, and industry luminaries. For more information, visit: www.nolaspiritscomp.com.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL BRANDS: Founded in 1935, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Brands (www.heavenhill.com) is one of the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and led spirits producers and marketers, as well as the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill has been named a Best Managed Company in both 2024 and 2025 by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Heaven Hill, Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Widow Jane, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, and Henry McKenna Bourbons; Rittenhouse Rye and FEW Whiskey; Deep Eddy Vodka; Admiral Nelson’s Rum; Black Velvet Canadian Whisky; Lunazul and Ocho Tequila; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; and Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur.

The new Pin Bottle pays homage to more than 3,000 unique decanters released by the James B. Beam Distilling Co. from the 1940s to the 1990s. The Beam Pin decanter was a personal favorite of Jim Beam’s, who would gift bottles to friends, family, and business associates for special occasions. This re-creation of the iconic Pin Bottle features liquid from the same 9-story warehouses, bottled at 8 years old and 86.8 proof, honoring the maturation site, age and proof of the original Beam Pin Decanter release.

TASTING NOTES

Color: Deep golden amber

Nose: Crisp oak with notes of baked bread and toffee on aroma

Palate: Subtle sweetness upfront complexed with rich toasted oak and light char

Finish: Warm clean finish with a hint of sweetness

The Beam Pin bottle has an SRP of $99.99 for a 750ml bottle.

North British 34 Year Old 1991 Fragrant Drops

This North British 34 Year Old 1991 is a rare Lowland single grain whisky bottled by the Keeble Cask Company for its acclaimed Fragrant Drops series. Distilled in 1991 and matured in two refill bourbon barrels, this elegant grain whisky was bottled in February 2025, yielding just 262 bottles. Aged for over three decades, it offers a refined profile of vanilla, coconut, and polished oak.

Why We Think You’ll Love It

A 34-year-old grain whisky from the historic North British distillery.

Matured in two refill bourbon barrels #204397 & #204398, showcasing subtle complexity.

Bottled at natural strength in February 2025—only 262 bottles.

Part of the sought-after Fragrant Drops series by Keeble Cask Co.

Natural cask strength (48.5% ABV), non-chill filtered, and natural colour.

A beautifully aged Lowland grain that proves patience delivers profound depth and grace.

Regular price

£89.46 GBP

Rock Island x Orsay Sea Salt

Where Sea Meets Spirit: A New Island Collaboration

From the rugged shores of Islay comes a bold new creation that fuses salt and spirit, heritage and craft. We’re proud to unveil our latest collaboration: Rock Island Whisky-Infused Sea Salt, created in partnership with Orsay Sea Salt – a fellow champion of island provenance

Rock Island Blended Malt Scotch Whisky is a celebration of Scotland’s Whisky islands – Islay, Jura, Arran and Orkney – each contributing coastal character to our smoky, sweet, and subtly maritime spirit. Orsay Sea Salt shares that same connection to the sea. Harvested from pure Hebridean waters off the west coast of Islay, their sea salt is sun-dried, untreated, and deeply rooted in the island’s wild essence.

Together, we’ve crafted something truly unique:

🔥 Gently heated

🌬️ Slowly smoked

🥃 Enriched with Rock Island Malt

SHOP NOW

Heaven Hill Distillery Announces 2025 Parker’s Heritage Collection® Limited Edition Bottling

19th Edition of the annual ultra-premium release is an 11-Year-Old Kentucky Straight American Whiskey Bottled at Cask Strength

BARDSTOWN, Ky. (August 2025) – Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the release of the 19th edition of the Parker’s Heritage Collection®, featuring a distinctive Kentucky Straight American Whiskey. This year’s bottling is a masterful blend of three mashbills, resulting in a bold, layered whiskey that continues the brand’s legacy of innovation and excellence. Like previous editions, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to ALS research and patient care in memory of Parker Beam, Heaven Hill’s late Master Distiller Emeritus.

The 19th Edition is comprised of 160 barrels drawn from multiple rickhouses and floors across Heaven Hill’s rickhouse sites. The blend includes 15-year-old Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon, aged in Rickhouse A; 11-year-old Kentucky Straight Corn Whiskey aged in Rickhouses DD, GG, and BB; and 12-year-old Whiskey aged in Rickhouse Y, made from only two grains – rye and malt. Each mashbill was aged in unique rickhouses and floors, then married together post-aging.

This edition is bottled at barrel proof, 122.5 proof, and is non-chill filtered to preserve the full depth of flavor developed during aging. It will be available beginning in September in limited quantities both nationally and in select international markets at a suggested retail price of $179.99.

“With each release of Parker’s Heritage Collection, we honor Parker Beam’s legacy by pushing the boundaries of American Whiskey,” said Conor O’Driscoll, Heaven Hill Master Distiller. “This 19th Edition is a celebration of innovation and craftsmanship, bringing together three mashbills and age statements to create a complex, bold whiskey that truly stands out. We’re proud that this series not only showcases our team’s blending expertise, but also continues to support ALS research in Parker’s memory.”

The late Heaven Hill Master Distiller Parker Beam, for whom the acclaimed series is named, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also called ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2010. Since 2013, proceeds from sales of the Parker’s Heritage Collection have raised more than $1.4 million dollars toward ALS research and patient care through contributions made by Heaven Hill for each bottle purchased. With this edition, Heaven Hill will again contribute a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to the ALS Association. To learn more about The Parker Beam Promise of Hope Fund, please visit als.org/parker-beam-promise-hope-fund.

Packaged in the same upscale 750ml bottle as the previous eighteen editions, but with a deep navy-blue label complimented by gold accents, the newest Parker’s Heritage Collection will be a standout addition to the series. With previous releases having won multiple awards from Whisky Advocate, Whisky Magazine, the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Parker’s Heritage Collection stands as some of the most critically lauded American Whiskeys in recent memory. Past bottlings have won awards ranging from “Best Special Barrel Finished Bourbon” and “Best North American Whiskey” to “American Whiskey of the Year” and “Best of Show, Brown Spirits.”

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY: Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 2 million barrels aging in more than 70 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky, Parker’s Heritage Collection, and Old Fitzgerald along with its extensive Bottled-in-Bond label collection. Heaven Hill Distillery currently holds the title of 2024 and 2023 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year and 2023 World’s Best Small Batch Bourbon from the Icons of Whisky, as well as the 2022 Large Spirits Producer of the Year from the Ascot Awards. Heaven Hill Distillery held the title of 2020 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, the second Whisky of the Year for Heaven Hill Distillery in the past four years. In 2019 Heaven Hill Distillery was named San Francisco World Spirits Competition Distillery of the Year, Best in Show Whisky, and previously held the titles of 2018 San Francisco Spirits Word Spirits Competition Best Bourbon, 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year. For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.