January: Celebrate 100 Years of Suntory

The dawn of 2023 brought the centenary of Suntory whisky. The 'Birthplace of Japanese Whisky', Yamazaki distillery, was founded in 1923 by Shinjirō Torii after an inspiring time living in Scotland. To celebrate, Suntory released several commemorative expressions: single malts Yamazaki and Hakushu and blended whiskies Toki and Hibiki all received the 100th Anniversary treatment.

February: Highland Park Releases Oldest Expression to Date

In February, Highland Park revealed their precious 54-year-old single malt - their oldest whisky released since its founding in 1798. Released to mark their 225th anniversary, 225 bottles were decanted to mark the occasion. The stunning hand-carved oak packaging was crafted to reflect the rugged terrain and cliffs of Yesnaby in Orkney, and the glass decanter was designed with textural inspiration from the ancient monoliths at the Ring of Brodgar.

March: Orkney To Host New Whisky Distillery

More news came from Orkney in March, as it was announced that Deerness distillery was to expand into whisky production after releasing a number of acclaimed spirits. Opened in 2017 by Stuart and Adelle Brown, the expansion will allow them to realise their dream of producing a moderately peated style whisky, an innovative oat whisky, and a local rye whisky!

April: Ryelaw Launched

In April, the first expression from the innovative Inchdairnie distillery, RyeLaw Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky was released. A Highland rye whisky from the Kingdom of Fife,  the 2017 vintage has distinctive rye spice flavour unlike any other Scotch whisky. The mash bill is comprised of 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley that has been expertly ground in a hammer mill in order to extract maximum flavour before being fermented with a rye-specific yeast for that perfect taste. Win an Ibiza cycling experience this January with Ryelaw, here.

May: Rod Stewart Launches Wolfies

At the beginning of Summer, legendary musician Rod Stewart hopped on the trend of celebrity spirits, by announcing his own blended whisky brand inspired by his Scottish roots: Wolfies. Released at The Whisky Shop later in the year, the smooth sippin' blend from the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond brings together Sir Rod Stewart's three loves: Scotland, Americana and Rock 'n' Roll.

June: Glenglassaugh Reveals It's New Look

Glenglassaugh distillery launched three new core expressions in June, with a brand new modern look. Inspired by their coastal location, the new bottle features gorgeous ripples to reflect the rippling sand tides at Sandend Bay, with the label colours taking inspiration from sea glass which often washes up on the shore.

July: Welsh Whisky Given Protected GI Status

On 24th July, the flourishing whisky industry in Wales was granted geographical indication (GI) status, making it the first spirit to receive the UK's protected origin label since UK GI was launched post-Brexit in 2021. Welsh whisky joined the powerhouses of Scottish and Irish single malt, as having special protection against imitation. The GI label serves to ensure quality and authenticity, with only the genuine product made in a particular region being able to bear the places' name.

August: Maker's Mark Releases First Aged Expression

In news from across the pond, Maker's Mark Cellar Aged was released in August to much fervour. It is the iconic bourbon's long awaited and first ever, older expression. The distillery rarely, if ever, experiments with their traditional recipe, as their process was perfected by their founder Bill Samuels in 1953, however this expression was aged underground in a custom, temperature controlled cellar (to escape the Kentucky heat) in order to be aged for 12 whole years - resulting in deeper flavour.

September: The Hearach Released

September brought much buzz, as Isle of Harris Distillery's long-awaited first whisky was launched in eight limited edition batches. The single malt was, and still is, the very first legal whisky to hail from Harris. Made by their close-knit community, every drop was distilled, matured, married and bottled on the island with little automation, by island hands.

October: Whisky Production begins at Dunphail Distillery

Dunphail distillery began production of their single malt in October after receiving approval to commence operations. The first cut of their newly distilled 'fat and fruity' spirit took place at 10:15am on 6/10/23. The distillery was founded by Bimber Distillery mastermind, Dariusz Plazewski, who has promised to bring traditional distillation methods back to Speyside.

November: The W Club Member's Choice Awards Winners Revealed

Towards the end of the year, we announced the results of our first ever W Club Member's Choice Awards. Brands sent us their best whiskies, and we asked our members to give each one an honest rating, free from biases of branding, style of whisky, or price. After months of judging in blind tastings by W Club members, in our stores up and down the country, we collated the ratings to reveal our winners and gold medallists in our chosen categories. The spectacular Loch Lomond 14 Year Old came out top overall. You can read our full list of winners, here.

December: Blair Castle's World's Oldest Whisky Discovery Sells for £385,000 at Auction

After being stashed behind a cellar door for decades, 24 historic bottles of Scotch found in Blair Castle, Pitlochry were auctioned in December, selling for £385,000. Resident Trustee of the castle, Bertie Troughton, made the remarkable discovery in late 2022. The whisky is thought to be some of the oldest in existence (after bottling that is), with an approximate distillation date of 1833!

Here's to another year of whisky!