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 [...]
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 [...]
Distillers One of One: The Glenlivet and Port Ellen bottles smash records October 13, 2025 The third edition of The Distillers One of One® Charity Auction smashed all expectations last week, raising nearly £3m for charity. Overall, the One of One auction raised £2.9m, setting a total of 30 auction records in the process. Record price tags were achieved for The Glenlivet, Port Ellen, Ladyburn, Glenfarclas, The Glendronach, Laphroaig, KANDOBLANC, [...]
Cotswolds Distillery releases limited edition Wychwood Harvest October 3, 2025 Cotswolds Distillery, the best-selling English whisky producer, has released a new limited edition single malt this week, with only 1,500 bottles available. The Cotswolds Wychwood Harvest Single Malt Whisky became the latest in the distillery’s annual Harvest Series and took its name from the historic Wychwood Forest in Oxfordshire. This expression was crafted from a [...]