The Lakes Distillery: Profit slumps at Nyetimber’s whisky brand Whisky Nyetimber, the English sparkling wine producer, paid £71m to acquire The Lakes Distillery in 2024 as part of its goal to create a UK-based luxury drinks brand. But just two years on, and it’s starting to look as if Nyetimber, led by CEO Eric Heerema, may be suffering buyer’s remorse. Paul Carrie (who previously co-founded [...]
Austrian whisky makes its mark Whisky This month’s issue of Whisky Business, City AM’s monthly look at the world of whisky, takes a look at the whisky coming out of Austria. Austria’s spirits market is worth around €360m a year, with whisky exports accounting for about 10 per cent of that, according to figures published in 2024. That makes the company a minnow [...]
A Dram with Paddy Fletcher Whisky Instead of erecting yet another Highland whisky ’shed’, Paddy Fletcher and Ian Stirling hit the scene with their dramatic, vertical Port of Leith distillery in 2023. This restless pair have also embraced gin, Scotch RTDs and launched a new whisky bar as Ian Fraser discovers … Despite developing an early taste for Tè Bheag, the [...]
Awash With Whisk(e)y October 2, 2026 Faltering demand, especially in the USA, has promoted concerns about oversupply and the prospect of another whisk(e)y loch. A number of Scotch distillers are slowing down production, but for Tom Bruce-Gardyne it feels like a bigger issue across the pond … “Every drop of liquid we distil, every barrel we choose to fill, every palate [...]
Scotch is missing its Can-Do spirit September 21, 2026 Last Saturday’s FT covered the industry’s current woes in depth. ‘Scotch whisky’s hangover’ is a sobering read, and yet other spirits are suffering as much, if not more. The one category bucking the trend is spirit-based RTDs, a category that Scotch has been slow to enter. Ron Emler investigates for City AM’s Whisky Business. A [...]
Northumberland’s bold producers reinventing English whisky and gin September 16, 2026 To celebrate the introduction of geographical indications for English Whisky, Rupert Hargreaves takes a look at two innovative producers shaking up England’s spirits market. When you think of Northumberland, images of rugged landscapes, heather-covered hills, fir trees and ancient ruins spring to mind. Nestled between Scotland and England, the region is steeped in history, from [...]
Scotch Whisky’s slightly sore head September 15, 2026 In a recent in-depth analysis of the Scotch whisky industry, the FT painted a grim picture of suppressed demand and an ever-rising tide of maturing spirit. Will distilleries and jobs be swept away in another great whisky loch? Tom Bruce-Gardyne believes such talk is way too pessimistic The week-end before last, the FT went big [...]
Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Caskmaster 2026 championship comes to London August 28, 2026 London whisky enthusiasts have a chance to compete for a spot in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s national blind tasting final at 19 Greville Street on Wednesday 02 September 2026 as part of the Society’s inaugural Caskmaster 2026 championship. Competitors will receive 30 minutes to evaluate eight Society drams and match them against nine potential [...]
The Highland tourist tax: Is Scotland pricing out whisky tourists? August 25, 2026 The latest available data from the Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor in Scotland (STEAM) shows that between 2012 and 2024, visitor numbers to the Highlands increased 82 per cent to 9.4m. Spending increased by a similar amount, to £2.1bn. A large share of that is directly linked to the Scotch whisky sector. You’d think, therefore, [...]
Four South Korean whiskies to try today August 13, 2026 Whether it’s through K-Pop, Squid Game or Korean street food, you’ve probably heard about, or indulged in, the rise in popularity of South Korean lifestyle culture in the UK. And the world of whisky certainly hasn’t been immune to this trend. Since the 2025 win for Korea’s first single malt whisky – Ki One Unicorn [...]