Regular readers will know that I have a particular affinity for House of Hazelwood and tend to anticipate each annual release with genuine interest. The 2026 Charles Gordon Collection continues a philosophy shaped by Charles Gordon, one that places patience at the centre of whisky making and recognises that time, when handled with restraint, remains the most valuable asset at a producer’s disposal.
At Bertie’s Whisky Bar within The Fife Arms, guests can now taste the oldest and most significant collection of House of Hazelwood Scotch whisky ever made available in a single venue. Spanning more than four centuries of Scotch whisky heritage, and comprising nine exceptionally rare expressions aged between 33 and 57 years, this is the most ambitious whisky programme Bertie’s has ever presented and the most comprehensive House of Hazelwood offering available anywhere in the world.
The Glenlivet has unveiled the Second Edition in its Eternal Collection, a 56 Year Old single malt, accompanied by a bespoke artwork from the acclaimed design studio Fredrikson Stallard. Only sixty bottles have been released worldwide. I had an opportunity to taste it at an exceptional dinner at Somerset House.
My whisky (and rum) selections below move across styles, regions and ideas, beginning with Mosswood’s Jamaican rum shaped by the life, and mythology, of William Kidd, before returning to Scotland for three very different views of Highland distilling: the quiet composure of Tomatin’s 18 Year Old Oloroso Sherry, the seasonal experimentation behind Cù Bòcan’s Creation #7, and Tamdhu’s sherry-led Year of the Horse release with its distinctive artwork by Page Tsou.
As a whisky writer, I’m acutely aware of how fortunate I am. Bottles arrive at my door with frequency. Invitations to distilleries and dinners appear often. Some I politely decline, others I gratefully accept. But once or twice a year, an invitation lands that changes everything. It gives the feeling I must imagine those that receive notification of being given a MBE feel. A date that you might move existing commitments for, such is the rarity and importance.
Scotland’s whisky landscape has rarely stood still, but the pace of innovation and reinvention is apparent at the moment. From the opening of a gleaming new distillery on the banks of Loch Lomond to the return of one of Speyside’s great family names to global travel retail, the country’s distillers continue to balance heritage with forward thinking. There are fresh releases from rising independents, mythical bottlings from cult retailers, and even a clear spirit that challenges our very idea of what whisky should look like.
When Torabhaig opened its doors in 2017, it became only the second distillery on the Isle of Skye, a place already defined by one formidable neighbour. Yet Torabhaig’s approach from the outset has been confident, a commitment to “well-tempered peat,” where smoke doesn’t assault the palate, but is used in balance with sweetness, fruit and coastal freshness.
I am publishing this article today, as it coincides with the Distillers One of One charity auction, which I recently wrote about. Glen Scotia’s contribution is stunning, and I urge you to make a sizable bid. Not only will you receive 4 wonderful bottles, but 100% of the proceeds go to charity.
Bladnoch is no stranger to reinvention. Founded in 1817 on the banks of the River Bladnoch in Dumfries and Galloway, the distillery has seen prosperity, closures, sales and revivals across more than two centuries. Today it stands as the oldest privately owned Scotch whisky distillery, often referred to as the Queen of the Lowlands. Under the stewardship of owner David Prior and master distiller Dr Nick Savage, Bladnoch has been brought back into focus, producing single malts that carry both the weight of history and the promise of modernity.
I was in Edinburgh earlier this week to taste Glen Scotia’s Four Quarters set that is heading to the Distillers One of One charity auction. It is rare that a single tasting manages to cover history, technique, design and philanthropy with the same clarity. This did. Four single malts from the same month in 1999, each a quarter of a century old, and each showing a different facet of Campbeltown’s character through its choice of cask.
