Background – Here at The Cask Connoisseur, even though we’re not subscribed to every potential newsletter or source of information, we receive around four hundred emails over the course of a month with various promotions, new release information, distillery newsletter, updates etc. Add on social media posts and that amounts to somewhere well over 1000 pieces of information being reviewed per month. The aim of this monthly round up is to provide a summary of the most interesting bits along with upcoming events that can be gleaned from them. The downside to a monthly review is a lot of “special offers” will have come and gone.
Summary of the Month
May can offer some of the best (and worst) weather in Scotland and possibly is the best month to visit if you are a whisky fan. The month starts with the Speyside Whisky Festival, then the Campbeltown Malts Festival followed by the Islay Festival more commonly known as Fèis Ìle.
The month also includes World Whisky Day, this year falling on the 18th of May, with several distilleries and shops providing various offerings from bottles to podcasts. Auction prices fell by 2% overall continuing the current poor performance of this market for sellers. For consumers this might be a good thing with some bottles (particularly core range) selling for a third of their retail price.
The month saw the release of the usual crop of Fèis Ìle bottles from Islay distilleries and independent bottlers. These are often highly anticipated and often offer better “value” than their price might suggest.
And let’s not forget that The Cask Connoisseur officially crowned The Cotswold’s Distillery as the most popular distillery online, in their 2024 Whisky Index In The UK And Ireland!
Whisky Highlights:
Can you name the twelve distilleries on Islay? Placed in alphabetical order:
- Ardbeg, Ardnahoe, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Kilchoman, Lagavulin, Laggan Bay, Laphroaig, Portintruan and Port Ellen. Laggan Bay and Portintruan are still under development.
Highland Park receives platinum medals at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for it’s 18 and 21 year old. The platinum medal is given when a whisky receives double gold medals for three consecutive years.
Ardnahoe releases its inaugural whisky. Ardnahoe Inaugural Release retails at £70 and is 50% ABV. It has received many positive revues. Certainly, one of the best inaugural releases for several years and bodes well for the future.
A whisky tour with a difference?
- Bowmore in partnership with Aston Martin offers a tour including whisky tasting, bottle your own, and a tour of Islay in a chauffeur driven Aston Martin DBX Bowmore Edition. The whole experience is priced at £800.
R&D Distillers owners of Raasay state that “The Machrihanish Distillery, the first farm-to-bottle distillery in Campbeltown for over 180 years”. It will be unpeated, matured in sherry casks and exhibit a Campbeltown style. The first production is expected to start in 2026 with the first release three years later.
Ardbeg reveal Ardbeg Vintage Y2K for preorder with delivery in July. The 23 year old is said to be the firstof a series to celebrate the regeneration of the distillery at the turn of the Millenium. Bottled at 46% ABVand priced at £670.
The Single Cask, independent bottler based in Fife has started labelling bottles by five mood categories – cheerful, playful, bold, curious, and easy-going. It is said to make choosing a whisky easier for the consumer.
Cadenheads Authentic Collection May release. Featuring six distilleries and bottled at 46% ABV these bottles offer a reasonably priced bottle of various distilleries and a good way to explore those you do not know.
Planning permission granted for Limavady Distillery in Northern Ireland. Expected to start production in 2027 the distillery is capable of producing 3.5 million bottles and will also act as a third party distillery for other brands.
54 new distilleries opened in the UK during 2023 bringing the total to 387. Not all are whisky producers but three notable openings were Port of Leith (Edinburgh), Ad Gefrin (Northumberland) and Titanic Distillers (Belfast).
Tomatin celebrates three double gold for their 12, 18 and 45 year old expressions. As it is the third time the 18 year old gained double gold it was also awarded a platinum medal.
Finn Thomson Whisky release five new bottles in their sixth release.
Lindores Abbey release their first age statement whisky to their 1494 members. An ex-bourbon barrel six year old bottled at 49.4% ABV.
Speyburn Distillery rebrands in celebration of its 126th anniversary and adds a rum cask finish. All are bottled at 40% ABV and range in price from £25-£35.
Bonnington Distillery (Edinburgh) owned by Halewood Artisanal Distillers has launched a sherry caskfinished limited edition whisky (4 PX casks). The bottle retails at £50-55 and is 47% ABV.
Lady of the Glen release their second outrun of 2024.
White Peak releases the first of their Wine Series bottlings for 2024, Wire Works Amarone. Bottled at 54.1% ABV, £75 and only 662 bottles. Said to be rich and fruity with a smokey backbone.
Scotch Whisky Auctions are to increase their buyer’s premium from 10% to 12.5% from their 157 auction in July. Sellers commission remains at 0%.
Upcoming Whisky Events
Those without full dates, have occurred in 2024 without releasing 2025 dates at present.
2nd June 2024 – The Whisky Event, London
15th June 2024 – The Whisky Lounge: Edinburgh Whisky Festival
22nd June 2024 – Stoke Whisky Festival – Stoke on Trent (cancelled)
28th–30th June 2024 – Arran Whisky Festival, Arran
29th June – National Whisky Festival, Inverness
6th July 2024 – The Whisky Lounge: Bristol Whisky Festival
19th-20th July 2024 – Southport Summer Whisky Festival, Churchtown & Southport
19th-27th July 2024 – Belfast Whisky Week, Belfast
9th-11th August 2024 – Whisky Fringe, Edinburgh
10th August 2024 – Falkirk Whisky Social, Larbert
31st August 2024 – Spirit of Alba Festival, Kirkintilloch
6th September 2024 – Cadenhead’s in the Courtyard, Campbeltown
6th–8th September 2024 – Whisky Show, London
6th-7th September 2024 – Spirit of Speyside: Distilled, Elgin
9th–14th September 2024 – Hebridean Whisky Festival
13th-14th September 2024 – Whisky Indy Love Fest, Newcastle upon Tyne
14th September 2024 – Scottish National Whisky Festival, Aberdeen
21st September 2024 – The Whisky Lounge: Liverpool Whisky Festival
26th September 2024 – Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival
5th October 2024 – Edinburgh’s Whisky Festival
5th-6th October 2024 – Midland Whisky Festival, Birmingham
18th-19th October 2024 – Manchester Whisky Festival
19th October 2024 – Wee Dram Fest, Bakewell
25th–27th October 2024 – Dornoch Whisky Festival26th October 2024 – Whisky Social Belfast, Belfast
1st–3rd November 2024 – Wales Whisky Fest, Llandudno
2nd November 2024 – Leeds Whisky Festival
2nd November 2024 – Stirling Whisky Festival
23rd November 2024 – English Whisky Festival, Birmingham
7th–8th December 2024 – Kendal Whisky Festival
10th–11th January 2025 – Harrow Whisky Festival
25th January 2025 – Scottish National Whisky Festival, Glasgow
8th February 2025 – Exploring Whisky: Bristol
11th–12th April 2025 – Welcome to Whisky Show, London
30th April – 5th May 2025 – Spirit of Speyside
January
- Southport Whisky Festival (Winter)
February
- The Whisky Lounge: Newcastle Whisky Festival
March
- Fife Whisky Festival, various locations in Fife.
- Whisky Birmingham – Birmingham
- Croydon Whisky Festival
- Whisky Fair – Cambridge
- Whisky Live London
April
- Clackmannanshire’s Whisky Festival, Alloa
May
- Summerton Whisky Festival, St Albans
- Campbeltown Whisky Festival
- Whiskey Live Dublin
- Summerton Whisky Festival, St Albans
- Fèis Ìle, Islay
June
- 14th– 15th June 2025 Bladnoch Wave Weekend
