Whisky of the Year 2026: The Whisky Exchange’s top picks for 2026 Whisky The Whisky Exchange has announced its Whisky of the Year, the annual award awarded to the world’s top whiskies as chosen by the drinking public rather than a panel of critics. The awards celebrate everything that makes whisky a drink loved the world over. A shortlist of six bottles is subjected to a rigorous blind [...]
Whisky Business: A New Zealand brand blazing a trail Whisky Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. If you’re looking for exciting ‘new world’ whiskies, New Zealand is a good place to start. In many respects, the country’s whisky industry is still in its infancy, but it’s carving out a niche in the market by leaning into New Zealand’s strengths. The country’s [...]
Somerset Cider Brandy: The UK’s most sustainable spirit Business The Somerset Cider Brandy Company claims to produce the most sustainable spirit in the UK, a bold statement, given the range and variety of products on the market. However, as managing director, Matilda Temperley tells City AM, apple trees, in particular cider apple trees, are one of the most environmentally friendly crops on the planet. [...]
Penderyn: The spirit of Welsh whisky November 13, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. Since the early 2000s, around 100 new whisky distilleries have opened in the UK (exact numbers are difficult to confirm). The boom has been particularly notable outside Scotland, where producers, unencumbered by the rules governing Scotch whisky, have been able to set up experiments with [...]
Sherry cask whisky: Five top sherry bombs for the perfect winter dram November 13, 2025 Sherry cask whisky is one of the most popular and sought-after styles of whisky on the market, with sherry casks being used by Scotland’s distilleries for well over 200 years. These casks, typically Spanish oak, were used to transport sherry from Spain to the UK and arrived in the ports of Glasgow and Leith in [...]
Cask whisky investment: Why it’s the ‘Liquid Safeguard’ your portfolio needs November 12, 2025 Cask whisky has established itself as an alternative asset in recent years, offering investors a tangible product that matures over time and has seen surging global demand, while acting as a hedge against risk assets. Speaking to City AM Studios, Daniel Walker, chief executive of London’s oldest whisky investment firm, Tomoka Fine and Rare, explains [...]
The angel’s share: The unique challenges of whisky lending October 30, 2025 At its core, the process of lending money to businesses isn’t particularly complex. Banks and other lenders price loans based on the risk of lending, calculated by assessing a company’s assets, liabilities and cash flow. But how do you price the risk of a business that requires a substantial upfront investment, won’t see a return [...]
The Whisky Exchange’s top creative cask bottlings October 16, 2025 City AM has teamed up with the Whisky Exchange to showcase some of the company’s most creative and innovative spirits. This month, it’s the turn of the creative cask bottlings, whiskies and rums bottled in unique and interesting casks that showcase the best of the spirit and innovation in the industry. As part of the [...]
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s colour evolution October 16, 2025 Whisky Business: City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky. Over the past couple of decades, single malts have become synonymous with the Scotch whisky category. While blended Scotch, which uses a blend of different whiskies from various distilleries, still accounts for around 90 per cent of industry volume, single malt whisky, matured and distilled [...]
Scotch Whisky Association calls for spirits duty freeze as industry headwinds grow October 15, 2025 The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has urged the UK Government to impose a multi-year freeze on spirits duty, warning that continued inaction threatens jobs, investment and Treasury revenues. In a submission ahead of the autumn Budget, the trade body stated that recent duty increases had cost the Treasury £700m while placing a £12 tax burden [...]