Local coopers turn 1,000-year-old Irish oak tree into rare whiskey casks
A COOPERAGE in Newbridge has transformed a 1,000-year-old Irish oak tree into three exceptionally rare whiskey casks in a landmark moment for Ireland’s distilling and cooperage heritage.
The specialist coopers at Kentucky Bourbon Barrel in Ladytown have created three 225-litre casks from the giant tree, which was brought down by Storm Elin in December 2023 on Preston’s Estate on Swainstown Farm, Co Meath, between Kilmessan and Dunsany.
The Preston family are descendants of the renowned Preston's of Drogheda, Co Louth - operators of a prominent whiskey bonding business for almost a century from 1886.
Its new lease of life, a collaboration between Drogheda-based Boann Distillery, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel and Swainstown Farm, marks the first time in over a century that complete Irish oak whiskey casks have been coopered by Irish hands on Irish soil.
A selected section of the tree was transported to the Vosges region of France, where specialist mills split the log and converted it into the shaped staves - the shaped lengths of wood that form the sides of a barrel - together with the heads required to make a cask.
The oak then underwent approximately 24 months of natural outdoor seasoning before returning to Ireland.
At the Newbridge cooperage, the seasoned staves and heads were shaped and assembled into three complete Irish Oak casks for Boann Distillery.
They will now be filled with matured whiskey based on its secret Preston’s Vintage Mashbill XI recipe - a historic late-19th-century recipe uncovered through Boann’s Vintage Mashbill programme, which brought old whiskey recipes back to life.
The whiskey will be bottled and launched next year.
Irish oak casks are exceptionally scarce because relatively little native oak is suitable for barrel production.
Most casks used by the Irish whiskey industry are made from American oak and were previously used to mature bourbon.
“This oak stood at Preston’s Estate for around 1,000 years, and its story could easily have ended when it fell during Storm Elin,” said Peter Cooney of Boann.
“Instead, it has returned to Ireland to begin a new life as three extraordinarily rare whiskey casks.
This means it would have taken seed about 40 years before the Battle of Hastings, and the tree would have been already standing for three and a half centuries when the Battle of the Boyne was fought nearby.
“Using the wood to mature Preston’s Irish Whiskey creates a direct connection between the Preston family’s land, its historic whiskey-bonding legacy and Boann’s work to revive old Irish whiskey recipes.”
Mark Quick, Managing Director of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ireland, said the project presented a rare opportunity for its coopers.
“Our team is constantly exploring new flavour possibilities,” he said. “Working with native Irish oak of this age and provenance is an enormous privilege.
“Every stave must be carefully examined and shaped before the cask is raised, secured with hoops and prepared to hold spirit.
“How we season, shape, toast and assemble the oak will influence the way the whiskey interacts with the wood throughout maturation."
New restaurants, boutiques, gyms, and a whiskey distillery: Bryan-College Station’s business boom breakdown
From a Florida coffee roaster to a 65,000-square-foot fitness center, here’s every new business opening in BCS right now.
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) - Bryan-College Station is in the middle of a business boom — and a wave of new openings this month is putting that growth on full display.
Researchers at Texas A&M’s Real Estate Research Center say retail has been the best-performing commercial real estate sector in Texas for three consecutive years. Bryan-College Station is no exception — and much of the growth is Aggie-owned and operated.
Here’s a look at what’s new:
Lucky Goat Coffee Co. - 3349 University Dr., Bryan (Hudson Oaks) | Grand Opening: Aug. 20, 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
The Florida-based roaster — already operating a College Station location — holds its Bryan grand opening Thursday. Owners Jimmy and Jana Rourk signed their lease in October 2025 and have been building out the space since last May.
The Rourks bring 20+ years of hospitality experience through ministry work and say community is the core of their vision. Notably, Lucky Goat has no drive-through — by design.
“We want people to come in, experience a handcrafted cup of coffee,” Rourk said. “We want to build into relationships, you know, that three to 5 minutes that it might take to make that latte, we want to really engage our customers.”
The location features local pastry vendors including Small House Sourdough, Nonnie’s Bake Shop, Sugar Squirrel, and Kolache Ralphs. Lunch options are also in the works.
Grand Opening Perks: Drawing for free coffee for a year; swag bags for the first 100 customers.
Unreined Whiskey - WildHorse Ranch, College Station | Opened: Aug. 8
The official whiskey of Texas A&M opened a 30,000-square-foot visitor center and rickhouse at WildHorse Ranch on Aug. 8. Co-founder and blender Nelson Ingram — a Texas A&M Class of 2013 graduate — says the facility was years in the making, with design beginning in 2023 and groundbreaking in 2024.
The four-story rickhouse can hold 6,668 barrels of bourbon and sits on a 600-acre working bison and cattle ranch.
Why College Station? It comes down to the climate.
Ingram pulled 20 years of climate data before choosing the location, comparing College Station’s conditions to the major bourbon-producing regions in the country. The verdict: College Station’s humidity nearly mirrors Northern Kentucky’s — the heart of bourbon country.
“College Station’s humidity is almost the exact same as Northern Kentucky,” Ingram said. “So that was checkbox number one.”
Humidity controls the chemistry inside the barrel and directly affects flavor development. Temperature matters too — and Texas has a surprising edge. Below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, barrels go dormant and stop absorbing oak. College Station’s mild winters mean the barrels keep working year-round, something Kentucky can’t match.
The rickhouse itself was engineered to maximize airflow — built on stem walls with oversized windows.
Debuting alongside the grand opening is Unreined Wheated Bourbon — a 7-year blend of straight wheated bourbons distilled in Kentucky and Texas at 104.2 proof. Food is available on-site through a partnership with restaurateur John Harvey Slocum, serving farm-to-table bison burgers and tallow fries sourced from WildHorse Ranch.
Hours: Tue–Wed, Noon–5 p.m. | Thu–Sat, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tours available — reservations recommended at unreinedwhiskey.com.
JD Ranch Boutique - Former Charli’s location | 505 University Dr E #100, College Station, TX 77840 | Open Now
Texas A&M alum Jackie Doss — Aggie Class of 2021 — has opened the second location of her boutique, JD Ranch, taking over the former Charli’s space. Doss says the growth happened faster than she expected.
“The town is kind of exploding right now...the town is about to just boom,” Doss said. “It’s exciting to be here during this time with all the growth.”
The new space opened last week after roughly a month and a half of construction. Doss says the Charli’s legacy has resonated with customers.
“Everyone’s been coming and talking about the memories they had here growing up and going to Charli’s,” she said. “I feel really honored.”
Grand Opening Weekend: Sept. 4–6, timed to Texas A&M’s first home football game.
Javi’s - 1200 University Dr. E., College Station | Open Now
Javi’s, a new Tex-Mex restaurant serving classic dishes and handcrafted margaritas, has opened on University Drive East in College Station.
Sprouts Farmers Market - 1913 Texas Ave. S., College Station | Opens: Sept. 25
Sprouts Farmers Market opens September 25th at Texas Avenue and Holleman Drive East. Grand opening weekend runs Sept. 25–27, with a ribbon-cutting at 6:45 a.m. Friday.
The first 200 in-store shoppers each day receive a free reusable tote, and the first 400 customers Friday receive a free long-stem rose. Shoppers can also get 20% off all weekend by joining Sprouts Rewards.
Dave & Buster’s - Post Oak Mall, College Station | Expected: Late 2026
Dave & Buster’s is under construction at Post Oak Mall and is expected to open later this year.
Final Score Sports Bar and Arcade - 121 N. Main St., Historic Downtown Bryan | Open Now
Owner Dustin Batson — a former partial owner of Vice Downtown Bryan — has opened a two-story sports bar and arcade in the heart of Historic Downtown Bryan.
Club4 Fitness - 1901 S. Texas Ave., Bryan | Opens: Aug. 19
A 65,000-square-foot, 24/7 gym opens in the former neighborhood Walmart on South Texas Avenue. The facility includes a women-only area, cycling studio, and five pickleball courts.
La Botana - 1819 San Antonio Rd., Bryan | Under Construction
A $1.5 million, 3,028-square-foot drive-thru restaurant is under construction on San Antonio Road.
Smith Dairy Queen - 2400 E. SH 21, Bryan | Expected: December 2026
A new Dairy Queen drive-thru is under construction on State Highway 21, replacing a location closed during TxDOT highway work.
Copyright 2026 KBTX. All rights reserved.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：Why Is Pappy Van Winkle So Expensive? A Price Breakdown - The Whiskey Wash
Buffalo Trace 為 2025 年 Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year Old 建議零售價 $239.99，但二級市場價格飆升至約 $1,450（約台幣 4.6 萬），漲幅超過 6 倍。稀少性是主因：年產 7,000 箱左右，加上陳年期間的天使分享損耗，製造 23 年份酒款需要 53 加侖原酒才能得到 3 加侖成品。此外，抽籤制度嚴格、名人效應加持（如 Anthony Bourdain 讚譽、Netflix《Heist》紀錄盜竊案），使得品牌成為威士忌收藏品。盲品測試顯示 15 年份及 23 年份確實值得推薦零售價，但高達 6 倍的二級市場價格難以合理化。近年市場出現變化，官方建議價上調以捕捉更多價值，二級市場價格則下跌 30%。
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Buffalo Trace suggested a retail price of $239.99 for the 2025 release of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 Year Old. By November 2025, the same bottle was trading on the secondary market at around $1,450, roughly six times what the distillery asked for it. British buyers face a steeper version of the same price hike, with Hedonism Wines in Mayfair listing the 2025 release of the 23 Year at £5,995 against a US suggested price of $499.99.
So why is the gap between the suggested price and the secondary price closer to a chasm? Well, the answer lies not only in production, but in popularity. Let’s explore the economics of Pappy Van Winkle.
How Little Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon Actually Exists
The Van Winkle range covers six expressions, and the figure repeated across bourbon coverage is around 7,000 cases a year, or roughly 84,000 bottles.
For scale, the distillery completed a $1.2 billion expansion in January 2025 that raised capacity to more than 2,000 barrels a day, with close to a million barrels aging on site. Van Winkle accounts for a small fraction of what its own distillery produces.
Age explains a good deal of the rest. According to Garden & Gun, “As the whiskey ages, it evaporates volume through the wood—10 percent the first year and 4 to 5 percent each subsequent year, an attrition known as the angels’ share”. Across two decades, those losses compound. As a result, it takes 53 gallons of whiskey to make just three gallons of Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old.
So, the rarity of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon is not imagined or inflated to justify price hikes. It is a genuinely rare whiskey.
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The Allocation Lottery
When Pappy Van Winkle whiskey is released, bottles are distributed state by state, then through distributors to individual retailers, and in states that control their own liquor sales, the allocation is handed out by public lottery.
Virginia publishes its entry numbers, which gives a rare look at the odds. For the 2025-26 cycle, Virginia ABC offered 46 bottles of the 15 Year against 59,448 entries, 118 bottles of the 20 Year against 58,187 entries, and eight bottles of the 23 Year against 57,702 entries.
What happens after that is largely out of the distillery’s hands. A suggested retail price is only a suggestion, and under the three-tier system governing American alcohol sales, producers sell to distributors, distributors sell to retailers, and retailers set their own shelf prices. The 2024 release announcement made the point directly, stating that neither the family nor Buffalo Trace controls what individual retailers charge, and pointing buyers toward retailer lotteries as the best chance of paying MSRP.
How The Legend Was Built
Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. began selling whiskey for W.L. Weller in 1893 and opened the Stitzel-Weller distillery in Louisville in 1935. He died in 1965 at 91; the family sold the distillery in 1972, and his grandson Julian III took over the surviving Old Rip Van Winkle label in 1981.
The Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year arrived in 1994, carrying the photograph of Pappy with a cigar that still appears on the bottle. Production moved to Buffalo Trace in 2002 under an agreement that continues today.
The whiskey that made the name was not the whiskey people now line up for. In 1996, the Beverage Testing Institute awarded the 20 Year 99 points, the highest score it had ever given. A Chicago distributor had submitted the bottle without the family’s knowledge, and as Julian III and Preston Van Winkle later explained to us, the liquid inside was a rye-recipe bourbon from the Old Boone distillery rather than the wheated style the brand is known for now.
Two moments pushed things further. Wright Thompson cold-called liquor stores in three cities for Grantland in 2011 and could not buy a bottle anywhere. In December 2012, Anthony Bourdain drank Pappy on an episode of The Layover and said, “If God made bourbon, this is what he’d make.” According to VinePair, searches for the name spiked for the first time that month.
In October 2013, Buffalo Trace reported that 65 three-bottle cases of Pappy 20 and nine cases of the 13-year rye had been stolen by an employee ring, a case Kentucky came to call Pappygate. Netflix retold it in 2021 as two episodes of its series Heist, putting the brand in front of an audience that had never gone looking for it. So, the cult around Pappy continued to grow.
Is The Whiskey Actually Worth It?
The case for the quality is stronger than skeptics tend to allow. John Hansell reviewed Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old for Whisky Advocate in the Summer 2009 issue and scored it 96, noting that his own earlier review had found the whiskey “too woody and past its prime to be a great whiskey,” and that bottlings do change.
Fred Minnick named Pappy 15 his best American whiskey of 2020 after tasting it blind, and in a separate blind session that December the 15 finished first, ahead of Michter’s 25 Year.
Minnick also ran the experiment most readers would want. Tasting blind in 2019, his Pappy 23 placed first or second across three sessions, losing narrowly to Michter’s 20 Year. He concluded that the whiskey was “a 93-point bourbon and is definitely worthy of its SRP of $299.99. Of course, how many people are buying Pappy at SRP?”
The case weakens further down the range. In a four-way blind tasting published by Single Malt Savvy, Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year finished last, and Old Weller Antique 107, which the reviewer priced at $20 to $25, came out clearly ahead of it. Jason Callori of The Mash & Drum told Minnick that the Van Winkle 12 Year had finished last in nearly every blind tasting he had included it in.
The older Pappy bottlings hold up when nobody knows what they are drinking. The objection that survives scrutiny concerns the price, and even the critics who rate it most highly tend to caveat their approval with the suggested retail price rather than the astronomical secondary market prices.
What To Buy Instead
Julian Van Winkle III has been unusually willing to point people elsewhere. Asked by GQ what to drink when Pappy is out of reach, he named seven-year-old W.L. Weller, Maker’s 46, and Four Roses single barrel, adding, “If that’s not available, then I’m gonna go drink vodka.”
The Weller line has the closest claim, being produced at Buffalo Trace from the same wheated mash bill as the Van Winkle bourbons. Availability is the catch, since Wellers that sold for under $35 a few years ago now change hands for a good deal more, which is the same problem reproduced in miniature.
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength, Larceny Barrel Proof, and Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond are wheated bourbons that remain easier to actually find and buy.
You can find various articles recommending Pappy alternatives here.
Is The Pappy Market Changing?
Both ends of the gap have started to close. The suggested price of the 23 Year rose from $299.99 in 2022 to $449.99 in 2024 and $499.99 in 2025, so the distillery is now capturing more of the value it creates. At the same time, Whisky Advocate reports the same expression falling 30% on the secondary market, from $4,000 down to $2,800.
Auction rooms tell a similar story. Across two US auctions in mid-2025, roughly 130 Van Winkle bottles were offered and about a fifth found no buyer, including lots at Sotheby’s in New York and Bonhams Skinner. Julian Van Winkle III has said of the resale prices that “we don’t benefit financially as much
Where will India’s next wave of single malt whiskies come from?
India’s earliest single malts may have emerged from Bengaluru, Goa, and Rampur, but today the map has many more pins. And there’s even a Scottish company in the mix.
Last week, in Bengaluru, Amrut Distilleries unveiled Kranthi, the latest addition to its single malt portfolio. The company that kickstarted the Indian single malt story now has about 50 expressions and is available in over 60 countries. The brands that followed – Paul John, Rampur, and Indri – have become global names in their own right. Together, they proved that India could make world-class single malt. The arrival of Diageo’s Godawan in 2022 and Pernod Ricard’s Longitude 77 a year later showed that the category had caught the attention of the world’s biggest spirits companies, and not without reason. According to the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, Indian single malt sales crossed half a million cases for the first time in 2025, up from 400,000 the previous year. Made-in-India single malts now account for around 59% of India's single malt market by volume (500,000 of 850,000 cases), with imported single malts making up the remaining 41%.
The going is obviously good, but the time has come to mull over a different question: where will India’s next wave of single malts come from? Part of that answer is already emerging, in the form of IMFL players such as Alcobrew Distilleries and Oasis Group, which launched Gamber Valley and Aaghaaz earlier this year. Behind them are yet more Indian companies either setting up their own malt distilleries, or maturing their whiskies. These include Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD), the largest Indian-owned IMFL company; Modi Illva, better known for its blended whiskies such as Rockford and Singhasan; and craft distiller Himmaleh Spirits. And there are others such as Tilaknagar Industries, the country’s largest brandy maker, that are also weighing an entry into the category.
Interestingly, there’s even a Scottish company in the mix. Ian Macleod, the world’s tenth largest Scotch whisky company, has set up its first whisky distillery outside Scotland, in Una, Himachal Pradesh. The mill and copper pot stills it uses have come from Scotland, and the distillery uses two-row barley grown in Rajasthan and Haryana. The company has been supplying bulk Scotch malt to Indian distillers for more than 25 years.
Leonard Russell, the company’s owner and managing director, has closely watched India’s rising incomes and millions of new consumers entering the premium category each year, for some time. “So if you compare India to China, with a similar-sized population, we chose India because Indian people like whisky," he says. "Chinese people, on the other hand, tend to have a white-spirit background." Besides the domestic market, the company is also targeting the Indian diaspora and will use its existing distribution network to reach expat drinkers in the US, Canada, Dubai, and the UK.
For all its Scottish machinery, Russell insists that Una will be unapologetically Indian. “Our objective is to get people to choose an Indian single malt over a bourbon or a scotch.”
The company has invested close to ₹200 crore in Una, which has an annual production capacity of around 1.5 million litres. Production began in March 2024, and more than 2.1 million litres of spirit is currently maturing. Una is scheduled to launch in August or September 2027.
Beyond the pioneers
India’s earliest single malts may have emerged from Bangalore, Goa, and Rampur, but today the map has many more pins. Rakshit Jagdale, managing director of Amrut Distilleries, calls the influx of new producers the “second coming” of Indian single malt. “Twenty-two years ago, nobody had heard about producing single malt. Today, the path is laid. Anybody who wants to tread that path knows what needs to be done.” The wider IMFL market is growing at around 8–10%, according to Jagdale, but premium and luxury spirits are expanding faster, at 12–15%.
Why are these companies willing to commit hundreds of crores of rupees to a business where the first bottle may not be sold for three or four years? India’s growing appetite for premium whisky is one reason; the halo a single malt brings to a company’s wider portfolio is another. And there’s also the belief that the country still has room for many more distinctive whiskies.
"When we launched Rockford about 15 years ago, that was considered a premium product for the Indian market," says Abhishek Modi, managing director of Modi Illva. "But as disposable incomes have increased, people are ready to move up, trade up. Today, if a company wants to present itself as a premium company and offer premium products, then single malt is that story."
The shift towards premiumisation is also changing the way companies think, says Arvind Kaul, deputy managing director at Alcobrew Distilleries. "Earlier, Indian manufacturers would think only in terms of IMFL. For higher-end brands, they depended on imported Scotch. Now people want to graduate from one level to another."
Besides giving companies the ability to produce malt spirit for their own blended whiskies, a malt distillery also opens the door to exports. One only has to look at Scotland to realise the potential. More than 90% of Scotch whisky is exported, with overseas shipments worth £5.36 billion in 2025. India is nowhere near that figure, though exports have been increasing. According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority, exports of alcoholic products stood at $370 million in FY 2025, and the government has set a target of US$1 billion in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage exports over the next few years. Modi believes Indian single malts could play a big role there. "If Indian single malts succeed internationally, then the opportunity is huge," he says. "India also has another advantage over Scotland. We have a very large domestic market. So even if it works in India, we'll have the volumes. But in Scotland, being a small country, they basically work on international markets."
A sense of place
The differences between Indian single malts might not be as pronounced as those between their Scottish counterparts, but the contours of distinct regional styles are being drawn, says Jagdale. Within India, differences can begin with the barley and yeast and extend to the place where the spirit spends its years being matured. Amrut matures in Bengaluru, while Paul John does so in coastal Goa and Gamber Valley is distilled in Solan, at around 5,000 feet. “It all depends on the barley you're using, whether it's two-row or six-row, the yeast variety that you're using, and where in India you're maturing.”
Provenance was central to Ansh Khanna and Samarth Bansal, founders of Himmaleh Distillery, and extends beyond whisky. Their “ingredient-driven” distillery, located in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, also makes gin and an agricole-style rum. Many of India’s early single malts were produced at locations where their parent companies already had distilleries or licences, says Khanna. “We are built around what the region provides: barley for our whisky, sugarcane for our rums and local botanicals for our gin. We want to distil spirits with a strong sense of place.”
How many is too many?
The optimism in the space is palpable. Jagdale thinks India can accommodate at least 25 more distilleries in the next decade or so, while Khanna is even more sanguine about the prospects. “We have a long way to go in terms of single malt brands. Scotland has over 150 whisky distilleries and a mature single malt industry. In India, we have about 15 single malt brands, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see about 100 in the next decade.”
Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：MP High Court stays FSSAI's ban on whisky, Khargone firm rum; 11 TASMAC brands cleared - livemint.com
印度中央邦高等法院8月6日暫停食品安全標準局（FSSAI）7月29日的禁令，該禁令涉及Associated Alcohols and Breweries公司製造的預包裝威士忌和蘭姆酒。法院認為監管機構在未考慮該公司回應的情況下倉促下令，暫停禁令至9月7日下次聽證會。同時，泰米爾納德邦禁酒與消費稅局也在8月14日解除對11個品牌的臨時禁售，該禁令僅維持3天。
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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has put a hold on an FSSAI directive that prohibited the sale of pre-packaged whisky and rum manufactured by a private company in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone district. The Tamil Nadu Prohibition and Excise Department has lifted a temporary restriction on the sale of 11 liquor brands retailed through state-run TASMAC outlets, just three days after imposing the ban, according to PTI.
The department has instructed TASMAC managing director to allow the affected products to be transported from depots and sold at retail outlets again.
A division bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court comprising Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Alok Awasthi issued the interim stay on August 6 while hearing a plea filed by Associated Alcohols and Breweries Limited.
The court put on hold the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prohibition order dated July 29 until the next hearing on September 7. The bench observed that the regulator had issued the restriction without taking into account the company’s response to the show-cause notice.
"Thus, considering the fact that otherwise the petitioner's products, namely, Pre-packed whisky and Rum as mentioned in the impugned order of prohibition comply with the parameters as provided under the Excise Act and the Rules made thereunder, it is directed that till the next date of hearing operation and effect of the impugned order of prohibition dated 29.07.2026 shall remain stayed," the bench said.
The court also asked the Centre to submit its response within four weeks.
The FSSAI had relied on a preliminary laboratory report while issuing its prohibition order, stating that the labels on the products disclosed the use of "added nature identical and artificial (rum) flavouring substances", which it said did not meet the prescribed standards.
Associated Alcohols and Breweries, however, maintained that the use of extra neutral alcohol (ENA), along with permitted flavours and colours, was allowed under Madhya Pradesh’s excise regulations.
The company also questioned FSSAI’s authority to regulate the products, arguing that the state government has sole jurisdiction over liquor manufacturing and regulation.
Appearing for the company, senior advocate Piyush Mathur told the court that the firm received the show-cause notice on July 20 and submitted its detailed response on July 27, within the deadline. He argued that the prohibition order issued on July 29 made no mention of the company’s response.
Additional Solicitor General Sunil Jain, representing the Centre, submitted that the authority had not addressed the preliminary jurisdictional objections raised by the company in its reply. The bench, however, found the argument unsatisfactory and rejected the contention.
The restriction, imposed on August 11, covered 10 varieties of brandy and one rum brand. According to the department’s communication to TASMAC, an FSSAI inspection of the manufacturing facility operated by Enrica Enterprises Private Limited in Poonamallee, Tiruvallur district, identified several labelling and product-compliance issues.
The inspection flagged non-compliant labelling, incorrect product names and the use of natural-identical and artificial flavouring substances, following which the temporary suspension of sales was ordered.
Officials said the restriction on all 11 brands was withdrawn with immediate effect on August 14 after the manufacturer appealed against the ban and assured authorities of complete compliance with the prescribed requirements.
The temporary prohibition imposed on August 11 was therefore formally lifted three days later.
(With inputs from PTI)
Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X
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Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：HC Stays FSSAI Ban On Pre-Packed Whisky, Rum Of Khargone Firm - outlookbusiness.com
印度中央邦高院於8月6日暫停食品安全標準局(FSSAI)7月29日的禁令，允許Associated Alcohols and Breweries Limited繼續銷售其預包裝威士忌與蘭姆酒。FSSAI以產品標籤使用「人工香精」違反標準為由下達禁令，但酒廠主張其使用的額外中性酒精、許可香料與色素均符合中央邦消費稅法。高院認為FSSAI未充分考慮酒廠的答覆意見即發禁令，因此決定暫停執行至9月7日下次聆訊。此案凸顯FSSAI與州政府在烈酒監管權限上的爭議。
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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed an FSSAI order banning the sale of pre-packed whisky and rum produced by a private firm in Khargone district.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed an FSSAI order banning the sale of pre-packed whisky and rum produced by a private firm in Khargone district.
A division bench of Justices Subodh Abhyankar and Alok Awasthi passed the interim order on August 6 while hearing a petition filed by Associated Alcohols and Breweries Limited.
The bench stayed the order passed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on July 29 till the next hearing on September 7, holding that the regulator issued the restrictive order without considering the company's reply to its show-cause notice.
"Thus, considering the fact that otherwise the petitioner's products, namely, Pre-packed whisky and Rum as mentioned in the impugned order of prohibition comply with the parameters as provided under the Excise Act and the Rules made thereunder, it is directed that till the next date of hearing operation and effect of the impugned order of prohibition dated 29.07.2026 shall remain stayed," the bench said.
The High Court also directed the Centre to file its response within four weeks.
Citing a preliminary laboratory report, the FSSAI order had said that the product labels mentioned the use of "added nature identical and artificial (rum) flavouring substances", which violated prescribed standards.
The company, however, claimed that the use of extra neutral alcohol (ENA), permitted flavours and colours was fully legal under the Madhya Pradesh excise laws.
It also challenged FSSAI's jurisdiction, arguing that the state government has exclusive authority over the production and regulation of liquor.
Senior advocate Piyush Mathur, appearing for the company, told the court that it received the show-cause notice on July 20 and submitted a detailed reply within the stipulated period on July 27.
But the July 29 prohibition order did not even refer to the company's reply, the lawyer argued.
Additional Solicitor General Sunil Jain, appearing for the Centre, argued that the authority did not decide on the company's preliminary objections on jurisdiction raised in its reply.
The bench, however, rejected the contention as unsatisfactory.
Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：Not Jack Daniel's: The Best Bourbon Brand From Tennessee Is Surprisingly New - AOL.com
Uncle Nearest 是一個成立於 2017 年的田納西威士忌品牌，卻已在波本市場中快速崛起，被譽為該州最佳波本威士忌品牌，甚至超越傑克丹尼爾。旗艦產品 Uncle Nearest 1884 Small Batch Whiskey（93 proof）以絲滑口感與焦糖、巧克力、肉桂風味著稱，相比傑克丹尼爾 Old No. 7（80 proof）更具深度。品牌創辦人 Fawn Weaver 以美國威士忌之父 Nathan "Nearest" Green 命名，Green 曾是首位非裔美籍威士忌大師，也是教導傑克丹尼爾蒸餾技術的人物。Uncle Nearest 已獲得超過 1,000 項獎項，包括舊金山世界烈酒大賽四年連獲金牌獎。
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Not Jack Daniel's: The Best Bourbon Brand From Tennessee Is Surprisingly New
Many country singers lament about the fine whiskeys and bourbons produced in Tennessee, but at the end of the day, there are only so many brands that have truly made a name for themselves. When you think about those Tennessee whiskeys that meet all the requirements to classify as bourbon, you might be picturing Jack Daniel's or Benjamin Prichard's. Both are fine options for a nightcap, but we've had our eye on an unlikely competitor to steal the title of best bourbon brand from Tennessee: Uncle Nearest.
Even though this brand was only founded in 2017, it's already dominating the Tennessee whiskey market, which we discovered while highlighting the best bourbon brand from every state. Uncle Nearest is responsible for specially crafted bottles of premium Tennessee whiskey, including a toasted single-barrel whiskey, straight rye whiskey, a master blend whiskey, and everything in between. The company's 1884 Small Batch Whiskey, arguably its most popular bottle, is known for its silky texture, and smoky, caramel-forward flavor profile with notes of chocolate and cinnamon, compared to Jack Daniel's signature Old No. 7, which is known for a more woodsy, vanilla taste. A glass of Uncle Nearest 1884 will leave you with a smooth, lingering aftertaste, while a glass of Old No. 7 has a shorter, drier finish. Uncle Nearest's signature bottle also boasts a higher proof than Jack Daniel's, coming in at 93 proof, compared to JD's Old No. 7, which comes in at 80 proof.
Read more: The 25 Best Bourbon Brands, Ranked
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Uncle Nearest is turning heads
The Uncle Nearest name pays homage to the man that many credit as the father of American whiskey. Nathan "Nearest" Green was the first African American master whiskey distiller in the country and the man who taught Jack Daniel himself how to distill the liquor. Though history didn't keep a detailed record of Green's contributions to American whiskey, his name is well-known among distillers and caught the attention of future founder Fawn Weaver. Weaver traveled to Tennessee to speak with Green's relatives, where she connected with Green's great-great-granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler, and named her master blender. Thus, Uncle Nearest's premium whiskey was born. Weaver would go on to become the founder of one of the most successful women-owned whiskey and bourbon brands to keep an eye on.
When it comes to making Uncle Nearest, the company's master blender and team of specialists utilize the traditional Lincoln County Process, which involves filtering the whiskey through sugar maple charcoal and leaving it to age in charred oak barrels. This is a common practice, one also used in Jack Daniel's whiskey. The overlap is understandable, considering Green once taught Daniels how to distill the liquor, but Weaver's company is taking a fresh leap at the time-honored tradition. The brand, at present, boasts more than 1,000 awards for its bourbons and American whiskeys, including the Double Gold award from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (received four years in a row) and the Master Medal from American Whiskey Masters.
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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
All you need to know as Scotland's largest multi-city whisky festival returns
Scotland's whisky scene will take centre stage as Whisky Week returns.
The event is set to transform Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh into Scotland's largest whisky trail through a rolling programme of tastings, tours and exclusive experiences.
Running from next week until September 13, the festival invites whisky lovers to discover Scotland's thriving whisky culture through specially curated menus, exclusive drams and unique experiences, while celebrating the country's world-renowned whisky bars, distilleries and producers.
Whisky Week Dates
- Whisky Week Aberdeen: August 20 - 30
- Whisky Week Glasgow: August 27 - September 6
- Whisky Week Edinburgh: September 3 - 13
Unlike traditional whisky festivals, Whisky Week doesn't take place in a single venue.
Instead, visitors explore a trail of participating bars, with each one partnering with a different distillery or whisky brand to offer its own exclusive festival menu.
Participating venues include renowned whisky destinations such as The Pot Still, Teuchters Bar, Teuchters Landing, Port of Leith Distillery, The Black Cat, The Grill, The Tippling House and Aberdeen Whisky Shop, with a packed programme of tastings, events and exclusive experiences taking place throughout the festival.
Festival partners include Glenfiddich, Springbank, Glengoyne, Glen Moray, Kingsbarns, Kilchoman, Wemyss Malts, Caol Ila and Tamnavulin, alongside a growing line-up of independent Scotch whisky producers showcasing the diversity of Scotland's whisky industry.
Gregor Sey, Co-Founder of Whisky Week, said: "Whisky has always been about more than what's in the glass. It's about the people you share it with, the stories behind every dram and the venues that bring Scotland's whisky culture to life. Whisky Week was built around a simple idea: people we like, in places we like, with a drink we love.
"Whether you're a lifelong whisky enthusiast or trying your first dram, Whisky Week is about discovering something new, supporting brilliant venues and enjoying great whisky in great company. We hope people leave having found a new favourite dram, a new favourite venue and a few great stories to take home with them."
Every participating venue will offer at least one dram for £5 or less, while Whisky Week wristband holders unlock exclusive festival menus, tastings, tours and whisky experiences throughout the festival.
Advance wristbands are priced at £9 (£12 during each festival) and include access to every participating venue, exclusive festival menus, a printed Whisky Week guidebook and festival wristband.
Tickets for Whisky Week are available now at www.whiskyweek.co.uk.
Bib & Tucker Releases 8 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon
Bib & Tucker has announced the release of its first bond bourbon: Bib & Tucker 8 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon.
To be labeled Bottled-in-Bond, a whiskey must meet the standards of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. It must distilled during a single distillation season by a single distiller at a single distillery, be aged for at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse, and be bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV).
Bib & Tucker 8 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon meets and even exceeds these requirements. It was distilled from a Tennessee high-rye mash bill in a single season in spring 2018 at Tennessee Distilling Group in Columbia, Tennessee (DSP-TN-21029), charcoal-mellowed through the Lincoln County Process, aged for eight years in new American oak, and bottled with minimal non-chill filtration at 100 proof.
Official tasting notes for Bib & Tucker 8 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon follow:
Aromas of vanilla custard layered over seasoned oak deliver a warm, cream-like sweetness balanced by mature wood spice. An initial wave of crème brûlée, leather, and hickory is followed by subtle hints of dried apricot and honeysuckle, with a mouthfeel that is structured and complex, demonstrating depth without overwhelming sweetness. The finish is long and warm, a backbone of sweet oak with lingering notes of allspice and orange blossom.
Bib & Tucker 8 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon will be available nationally beginning September 2026 for a suggested retail price of $64.99 (750 mL).
Source: Bib & Tucker.
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If you didn't realize it already, September is Bourbon Heritage Month. It's a great time to try some different bourbons. And it doesn't get much different than Hye, Texas. That's where Garrison Brothers Distillery is located. Not only is it the oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas, but it's also crafting some award-winning expressions. This includes its popular Cowboy Bourbon. And wouldn't you know it; the distillery is releasing this limited-edition expression once again this September.
Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon
Garrison Brothers is releasing the 2026 version of its iconic Cowboy Bourbon on September 12. The first 1,000 bottles (of a total of 16,000) will be available at the Distillery in Hye beginning at 8 am on that date. This is a family and dog-friendly event where guests can enjoy coffee, breakfast, and lunch at The Whiskey Shack while they wait. There will also be live music, bottle signings, bourbon tasting, distillery tours, and specialty cocktails available.
This is the 12th edition of this award-winning whiskey. Each barrel was hand-selected by Master Distiller Donnis Todd. It was matured for a minimum of 8 years and bottled at cask strength of 141 proof. Uncut and unfiltered, it's known for its rich, complex flavor profile.
According to Garrison Brothers, the result is a multi-layered, memorable whiskey loaded with flavors like burnt wood, gun smoke, dried stone fruit, and caramelized sugar.
"It comes on strong at first, but the depth of flavor quickly draws you in," Donnis Todd, Master Distiller at Garrison Brothers Distillery, says.
"A lasting flood of warmth gives way to layers of dried fruit and toasted marshmallows, creating a bold Texas finish that keeps you coming back for another sip."
Where can I buy it?
After the initial event, the 2026 edition of Cowboy Bourbon will be available at select bars, restaurants, and whiskey retailers throughout the US beginning October 1, 2026, for the suggested retail price of $249.99 for a 750ml bottle. You will also be able to purchase allocated bottles at the Garrison Brothers online store beginning September 18. However, that is limited to only 279 bottles. For more information about this release and all of the Garrison Brothers whiskey portfolio, visit www.garrisonbros.com.
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Ja Rule Marks One Year of Amber & Opal, Betting on Honey Botanical Whiskey
Aug 14, 2026
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Plenty of celebrities slap their name on a spirits label and cash the check. Ja Rule went the harder way — and one year in, that decision is showing up on the back bars of some of the most in-demand restaurants in New York.
The GRAMMY-nominated artist and entrepreneur founded Amber & Opal, a premium honey botanical whiskey brand, alongside his longtime friends and business partners Herb Rice, Kelvin Barton, and Sandy Sandiford. As the brand celebrates its first anniversary — landing squarely in Black Business Month in August — it's a case study in what founder-led beverage building actually looks like.
From a Barrel Investment to a Brand of Their Own
Amber & Opal didn't start as a marketing play. It started as an investment in whiskey barrels. That investment quickly turned into a bigger idea: rather than simply lending their names to someone else's spirit, the partners decided to create something entirely their own.
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They've stayed hands-on from day one — shaping the brand vision, the packaging, and the development of the whiskey itself. The result is a premium honey botanical whiskey the founders describe as rooted in culture, friendship, entrepreneurship, and community.
A Seven-State Footprint in Year One
Twelve months in, Amber & Opal has moved beyond a single-market curiosity. The brand has expanded into:
New York
New Jersey
California
Georgia
Washington, D.C.
Maryland
Florida
Just as telling is where the bottle has landed. Amber & Opal has made its way into some of the country's top culinary, hospitality, and entertainment destinations, including Chef Kwame Onwuachi's Tatiana, Flyfish Club, Little Maven, and Chez Margaux in New York — rooms where a beverage director's list is a hard-won endorsement, not a paid placement.
Why It Matters
For beverage buyers, operators, and on-premise programs, the Amber & Opal story is a signal about how celebrity spirits are maturing. The market is crowded with famous faces, but buyers and consumers have grown skeptical of the "name on the label" model. Founder involvement — in the liquid, the packaging, and the brand story — is increasingly the differentiator that earns placement and repeat pours.
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A few practical takeaways for the trade:
Provenance and authenticity sell. A brand built by hands-on founders gives beverage directors a story to tell tableside — and a reason to keep it on the list.
Flavored and botanical whiskey is a growth lane. A honey botanical profile opens the door to cocktail programs and approachable, crossover sipping occasions that straight whiskey doesn't always reach.
Placement quality beats placement quantity. Landing in tastemaker rooms like Tatiana and Chez Margaux does more for a young brand's credibility than sheer distribution volume.
Black Business Month is a real merchandising moment. Operators looking to spotlight Black-owned brands have a ready-made hook for August programming, menus, and promotions.
What originally started as an investment in whiskey barrels quickly turned into the idea to create something entirely their own.
What's Next
With a seven-state footprint and a foothold in influential dining rooms established in its first year, the question for Amber & Opal is scale — whether the founder-led approach that earned those early placements can hold as distribution widens. For an industry watching how the next generation of celebrity spirits separates substance from spin, it's a story worth tracking.
Would you add a founder-led honey botanical whiskey to your list? Weigh in and tell us how celebrity spirits are performing in your rooms.
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Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：What A Top-Shelf Bottle Of Whiskey Cost In The 1990s Vs 2026 - AOL.com
威士忌市場30年來價格大幅上升。Johnnie Walker Blue Label於1992年推出時約150美元，2026年已漲至240美元；Glenfarclas 25年單一麥芽威士忌從2000年的160美元漲到2026年近300美元；Bowmore Black Bowmore三部曲更誇張，1993年售價95-162美元，到2022年拍賣均價竟超過16000美元。價格飆升源於「威士忌湖」危機後的供需變化、生產技術升級、威士忌全球需求增長，以及近年關稅影響。對台灣收藏家而言，這反映出稀有威士忌投資價值持續攀升的現象。
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What A Top-Shelf Bottle Of Whiskey Cost In The 1990s Vs 2026
The world of whiskey is as susceptible to shifts in taste and price as its food-based counterpart. In recent years, social media has seen grumbles from whiskey lovers about the cost of buying top-shelf brands, which is often chalked up to "it's what people are willing to pay." The price of Costco's Kirkland Signature Bourbon has long kept its customers happy; for other brands, it's a more complex picture. The past 30 years have seen a general uptick in the cost of some whiskies, especially premium tipples, where smaller, rarer batches crafted with high-quality ingredients now command higher prices.
For instance, Johnnie Walker Blue Label whiskey was launched in 1992 and cost around $150, an eye-watering sum at the time (the only other well-known bottle to cost in excess of $100 was XO Cognac). Even more shocking, Johnnie Walker Blue was a blend (it's purported to be made of whiskies aged between 28 and 60 years old), and some reviewers dismissed it as being nakedly aspirational. Perhaps it was, but Johnnie Walker Blue was also considered very good, racking up 97 points from Whiskey Advocate in 2018, when it cost $225. Years later, the 2026 Year of the Horse limited edition retailed for around $240.
In 2000, a bottle of Glenfarclas 25 Year single malt would set you back around $160, but in 2026 the price was nudging $300 – not including delivery charges. But that's nothing compared to Bowmore Distillery's Black Bowmore trilogy of whiskies, released in the 1990s. In 1993, they sold at between $95 and $162, but by 2022, their average price at auction was more than $16,000. What gives?
Read more: The Tragic, Real-Life Story Of Rachael Ray
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From the whiskey loch to tariffs, costs have fluctuated a lot over the last three decades
Nailing down definitive evidence for whiskey prices in the past 30 years is tricky because, aside from the examples we've listed, there's not much reliable information from the 1990s to go on. This assessment by Diving for Pearls lists costs between 2007 and 2019, but it's based on a mechanism for wine, not whiskey. Many reviews of whiskies for sale in the 1990s, but written years later, discuss quality yet have no details about the original recommended retail price. Rarity obviously weighs on how much top-line whiskey costs, but historically, it's not been the only driver.
In the mid to late 1980s, the industry producing Scottish whisky – it's really not the same as whiskey – was in serious crisis. Around two decades of over-production had resulted in what's now known as the "Whisky Loch," a glut of unsold barrels. Prices went through the floor in the 1990s as companies sought to stay afloat, coinciding with growing interest in whisky among American consumers (including tourists flocking to "libraries" like this one). As more bottles were snapped up, prices started to rise again.
Alongside a booming appetite for the spirit, whiskey production methods were radically overhauled between the 1980s and 2000s, with increasingly efficient distilling technology and automation helping produce more consistent whiskies, enabling brands to increase prices. More recently, tariffs have impacted the cost of many bottles, including those of top-line brands. If you're not prepared to swap your favorite brand for a middle or lower-end whiskey, then the internet could well be right: A higher cost is simply what people are willing to pay.
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Read the original article on Foodie.
Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：Old Elk Launches 10 Year Collection - One More Dram
美國科羅拉多州 Old Elk 蒸餾廠宣布推出 Old Elk 10 Year Collection，包含三款威士忌：10 Year Straight Bourbon（玉米51%、麥芽大麥34%、黑麥15%）、10 Year Wheated Bourbon（玉米51%、小麥46%、麥芽大麥3%）和 10 Year Wheat Whiskey（小麥96%、麥芽大麥4%）。三款均陳年10年，前兩款酒精度105 proof（52.5% ABV），Wheat Whiskey 為103 proof（51.5% ABV）。風味呈現從豐富的橡木、果醬、香草到烘焙香料等層次，建議零售價各 $69.99 美元（約台幣 2,200 元）。
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Old Elk Launches 10 Year Collection
Old Elk Distillery has announced the launch of the Old Elk 10 Year Collection, consisting of a Straight Bourbon, Wheated Bourbon, and Wheat Whiskey.
Old Elk 10 Year Straight Bourbon:
Distilled from a mash bill of 51% corn, 34% malted barley, and 15% rye, then aged for 10 years and bottled at 105 proof (52.5% ABV).
Old Elk 10 Year Straight Bourbon is described as having aromas of “rich oak, fig jam, almond paste, cocoa powder, and subtle honeycomb.” The palate exhibits notes of “bright fruits, oak sweetness, caramel, and vanillas.” It finishes with “smooth vanilla oak, confectioner sugar, and light stonefruits.”
Old Elk 10 Year Wheated Bourbon:
Distilled from a mash bill of 51% corn, 46% wheat, and 3% malted barley, then aged for 10 years and bottled at 105 proof (52.5% ABV).
Old Elk 10 Year Wheated Bourbon is described as having aromas of “brown sugar, French vanilla ice cream, toasted hay, and caramel cream.” The palate exhibits notes of “chocolate pastries, brown sugar, and vanilla custard.” The finish is “warming, with sweet oak and vanilla cream.”
Old Elk 10 Year Wheat Whiskey:
Distilled from a mash bill of 96% wheat and 4% malted barley, then aged for 10 years and bottled at 103 proof (51.5% ABV).
Old Elk 10 Year Wheat Whiskey is described as having aromas of “toasted oak, baking spices, stewed apples, and brown sugar.” The palate exhibits notes of “peaches, apricots, brown sugar, sweet cream, and cinnamon.” It finishes with “baking spices, toasted bread, and sweet oak.”
Old Elk 10 Year Old Straight Bourbon, 10 Year Old Wheated Bourbon, and 10 Year Old Wheat Whiskey are available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $69.99 each.
Source: Old Elk Distillery.
Jameson Distiller’s Batch is the newest addition to the Jameson Whiskey portfolio
If you're an Irish whiskey drinker, there's a good chance you've had your fair share of Jameson Irish Whiskey over the years. It is the world's most popular Irish whiskey after all. But if you want to try something different from the brand's portfolio, Jameson recently announced the launch of its newest whiskey: Distiller's Batch.
Jameson Distiller's Batch
Made to pay homage to more than 200 years of Jameson whiskey history, Distiller's Batch is the newest addition to the Jameson Reserve Series. It's a single pot still whiskey that begins with a mash of malted and unmalted barley. Crafted by Master Distiller Kevin O'Gorman at Midleton Distillery, it's triple-distilled and matured in five hand-selected oak casks, including ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry, and virgin Irish, European, and American oak.
According to Jameson, the result is a sippable, nuanced 90-proof whiskey filled with flavors like toasted oak, honeycomb, salted caramel, baking spices, dark chocolate, toffee, cinnamon, ginger, and orange peel.
"200 hundred years ago, one of the very first Jameson recipes was crafted in the Single Pot Still tradition – a legacy we discovered in a mashbill handwritten by John Jameson II in a pocket notebook dated 1826, still kept today in our archive in Midleton. Distiller's Batch is our way of celebrating that origin story," Kevin O'Gorman, Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery, says.
"Bringing together five cask types is a careful balancing act, and everyone contributes something to the final whiskey. The result is an expression with real character that still feels unmistakably Jameson."
Kristen Colonna, Vice President of Marketing at Jameson, added, "Made in the quintessential style of Irish whiskey making, matured across five hand-selected cask types, with plenty of spice, a bit of orchard fruit, dark chocolate on the finish, and the smoothness Jameson is known for. Whether you're a devotee who already knows Irish whiskey well, a curious drinker finding their way in, or simply someone who's poured a Jameson and wants to know what else we can do – we made this one for you. Pour it neat or elevate a classic like a Manhattan – and savor every sip."
Where can I buy it?
Jameson Distiller's Batch is currently available for pre-sale and will be available at whiskey retailers nationwide beginning in September for a suggested retail price of $49.99. To learn more about this release and all of Jameson's whiskeys, visit JamesonWhiskey.com.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：'Scam, forgery... and a £70k Scots island whisky deal that has turned distinctly sour' - Daily Mail
荷蘭威士忌商人 Pierre Sauren 向蘇格蘭法院控告移居艾雷島的西班牙夫妻 Isaias Cuartero 和 Marta Arroyo，追討超過 7 萬英鎊。Sauren 聲稱借出 5 萬英鎊予 Cuartero 用於威士忌桶交易至中國，但款項未還。Arroyo 辯稱自己的簽名遭偽造，對交易毫不知情。Cuartero 已失蹤未出庭應訴，Sauren 更指控他詐騙多人獲得數十萬英鎊。法庭將在數週內宣判。
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'Scam, forgery... and a £70k Scots island whisky deal that has turned distinctly sour'
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For hundreds of years, Islay has been a hub for highly prized whiskies, with its wind-blown sea salt and peat said to imbue drams there with unique characteristics.
However, a sheriff is now considering a very different whisky tale involving the island after two people who moved there became embroiled in a bitter legal case raised by a trader from the Netherlands.
Dutchman Pierre Sauren, 43, is pursuing Isaias Cuartero and his wife Marta Arroyo through the courts as he looks to recoup more than £70,000 he claims they owe him.
Mr Sauren travelled hundreds of miles last week to attend Campbeltown Sheriff Court for a hearing in the civil case he has raised against the Spanish couple.
Court papers allege Mr Sauren agreed to loan them £50,000 on the agreement it would be paid back to him the following month with an additional £26,400 loan fee.
Laying out his argument to the sheriff, Mr Sauren said Mr Cuartero told him the money would be used to fund the trade of whisky casks to China. When he didn’t receive the money, he became suspicious and contacted other people, including some Islay locals, to find out more about the couple’s dealings.
However, the case took a twist when Ms Arroyo told the court that her signature on a contract outlining the agreement had been forged and that she knew nothing of the deal.
Mr Sauren said he believes Mr Cuartero, who seems to have vanished, had been ‘scamming’ people. He told the court: ‘With better research, maybe I shouldn’t have done it. I found he was scamming a lot of people.
‘I know the profit sounds extreme but with the right cask it is absolutely easy to do.
‘I got a bit suspicious when they did not pay. I did my own research and found he has more problems with locals on Islay.’
For hundreds of years, Islay has been a hub for highly prized whiskies
The court heard the scheme was to be used to fund the trade of whisky casks to China .
Mr Sauren (above) claimed that he believes Mr Cuartero secured ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ from people who agreed to give him money.
Mr Sauren – who owns the Dutch dealership Whisky Exclusive – said he confronted Ms Arroyo at the couple’s home in Port Ellen, but she claimed ignorance. He told the court he and others had contacted Police Scotland to report that they had been defrauded but no arrests followed.
He also claimed that he believes Mr Cuartero secured ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ from people who agreed to give him money.
Referring to the jailing of SNP chief executive Peter Murrell for embezzlement, he added: ‘The husband of the First Minister gets five years for £400,000 yet these people are still free.’
Mr Cuartero did not respond to Mr Sauren’s writ and was not represented at the hearing.
In evidence, Ms Arroyo claimed the couple separated in 2022 after she discovered he had arranged an overdraft on her bank account without her permission, but they had continued to live in the same property for a period of time.
She said she first became aware of the deal with Mr Sauren when the Dutchman began contacting locals. Ms Arroyo said: ‘One of my friends showed me an email going around Islay from someone I’d never met in my life.
‘I asked Isaias, “What’s going on?” He said he had an agreement with him.’ She added: ‘Isaias took money without my consent… Since then I lost trust. He was not really honest.’
Ms Arroyo, 43, claims she has had no contact with Mr Cuartero since 2024, and insisted she too had been to the police to report her forged signature.
Graphologist Hannah Pocock told the court it was ‘more than likely’ that somebody else had faked her name on the contract but admitted under cross-examination that it was ‘not impossible’ that the signature was genuine.
Sheriff Thomas McCartney will deliver his judgment in the coming weeks.
Mr Cuartero, who worked as a bar manager, was sequestrated at Campbeltown Sheriff Court in his absence in 2023 by a local couple looking to retrieve their investment of £120,000.
Police Scotland said they had received ‘a number of reports in relation to fraud on the Isle of Islay and inquiries remain ongoing’, though none relate to forgery.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：Paul John Indian Whisky Ranked: Which Bottle Should You Buy First? - The Whiskey Wash
The Whiskey Wash 評比 Paul John 印度單一麥芽威士忌系列。Paul John 位於果亞，當地高溫濕度加速酒液與橡木桶互動，創造獨特風味。文章從入門款 Nirvana（40%、約台幣1,200）到旗艦款 Classic Select Cask（55.2%、約台幣3,700）逐一評分，推薦新手從 Nirvana 開始，已有經驗者可直接嘗試 Select Cask 系列體驗其複雜度。
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Paul John is one of the go-to names in Indian single malt whisky, but which bottle should you choose? The Paul John range offers plenty of options, whether you’re looking for an approachable introduction or something more unusual and experimental.
Paul John single malts offer a wide variety of interesting flavors. With the intense heat and humidity of Goa accelerating the interaction between the spirit and the cask, the climate can produce some remarkably distinctive and impressive flavor profiles.
So, today I am going through my personal ranking of all of the Paul John whiskies I have tried. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
7. Paul John Nirvana, 40%, $37 / £33 / ₹1,850
Paul John’s entry-level malt sits at the beginning of the range and gives you a good introduction to what the brand is all about.
This is a honeyed, fruit-driven single malt with notes of figs, damson and fresh coconut. Its price and widespread availability also make it something most people can try without worrying about it being sold out or prohibitively expensive.
The flavors can feel a little muted when compared with other brands, or even the next step up in the Paul John range, but it is an entry-level whisky, so we cannot be too harsh. It still does a great job of being welcoming and flavorful.
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6. Paul John Brilliance, 46%, $69 / £40 / ₹3,600
I have been conflicted about this one in the past. Sometimes it has climbed much higher in my rankings, but after trying it again, it has ended up near the bottom.
The aroma can send people in the wrong direction at first, as it has a very dry and slightly bitter quality. This sits one level above Nirvana in the range, and while the aromas are less obviously sweet, the whisky becomes more complex.
The palate is much more caramel-driven, with plenty of chocolate. With its higher ABV and broader range of flavors, it has considerably more to offer than Nirvana.
The nose can be divisive. I have been in rooms where half the people loved it while the other half questioned exactly what they were smelling. This is a great bottle if you want a challenge and something that will really make you think about what you are tasting.
5. Paul John Peated Select Cask, 55.5%, $116 / £72 / ₹9,450
Knowing my tastes, this should probably be further up the list, but some of the other expressions have really stolen the show.
This cask-strength, peated expression is one of Paul John’s more premium releases and has something of a west coast Scottish character. The palate delivers plenty of BBQ and burnt sugar notes, alongside some of the tropical fruit found in the previous two releases.
It is a big, cask-driven and sweetly smoky single malt. The only drawback is that peat is not for everyone, which may immediately rule it out for some drinkers.
You should buy this if you are looking for a peated whisky with a different edge, shaped by the kind of intense aging conditions we simply do not experience in Scotland.
4. Paul John Pedro Ximénez Select Cask, 48%, $131 / £80 / ₹9,450
Welcome to massive, indulgent sweetness.
The Pedro Ximénez Select Cask is a sherry-finished release that sits toward the top of the Paul John range. The nose is wonderfully decadent, with marmalade, butter, red fruits and plenty of chocolate.
If you enjoy sherried whisky, this is a must-buy. The tropical aging process has brought an enormous amount of color and flavor to the spirit.
The price is its only real downside. This is the most expensive regular release in the Paul John range. Pedro Ximénez casks are costly, and the higher strength also contributes to the price.
If you want rich, sweet and indulgent flavors, this is the obvious bottle to choose. It will set you back a fair amount of money, but it gives the likes of Glenfarclas, Macallan and Dalmore a serious run for their money while offering something distinctly different.
3. Paul John Oloroso Select Cask, 48%, £78 / ₹9,450
This follows a similar idea to the bottle above, but in my opinion, it is an even better example of what sherry casks and Paul John single malt can achieve together.
It sits slightly lower in the range and comes at a slightly lower price, but it has a flavor profile I could enjoy for days. Blackberry, honey, walnuts, and marinated fruits dominate both the nose and the palate.
Oloroso and Paul John work extremely well together. The cask provides just the right amount of sweetness while still allowing the drier side of the sherry to come through. Oloroso is the king of sherry, after all.
Again, it is one of the more expensive bottles, but once you smell and taste it, the price starts to make sense, particularly when compared with some of the bigger Scottish whisky brands.
If rich, sherried single malts are your thing, this is something you should already be buying. It has a massive flavor profile that reminds us why Paul John whisky and Oloroso sherry work so well together.
2. Paul John Bold, 46%, $69 / £40 / ₹3,600
Paul John Bold is an affordable, peated single malt made using Islay peat brought over from Scotland.
The nose and palate offer lime, smoked barley, burnt sugar and fruit-forward coffee notes. It is a fascinating and flavorful expression from the distillery in Goa.
Its price, flavor profile and availability all work in its favor. Once again, it may not be for you if you do not enjoy peat, although I believe there is a peated whisky out there for almost everyone.
If you have already tried plenty of classic peated whiskies from Scotland and elsewhere, this is certainly worth tasting and adding to your collection.
1. Paul John Classic Select Cask, 55.2%, $116 / £65 / ₹9,000
We finish with something punchy, powerful and packed with flavor.
Paul John Classic Select Cask is an unpeated, cask-strength and non-chill-filtered expression. It sits around the middle of the range in terms of price, but it hits the highest notes for me.
Speaking of notes, this is a hugely fruity single malt driven by sour green apples, sponge cake, vanilla icing and salt, alongside cinnamon and black pepper. The chocolate and raisin flavors are also genuinely delicious.
This bottle demonstrates just how intense and complex Paul John whisky can be. I love peated whiskies, but this expression shows off the distillery’s unpeated spirit better than anything else I have tasted from the range.
It is not the most affordable bottle, but if you have £70 to spend on something genuinely interesting, this is the bottle I would choose over many others in the whisky world.
You should buy it if you are looking for a powerful, potent and multilayered flavor profile, all delivered through Paul John’s excellently made single malt.
Which Paul John Whisky Should You Try First?
Naturally, we all have different tastes, so I do not expect everyone to enjoy a cask-strength release in the same way I do. However, Paul John makes excellent single malt whisky in several different styles.
If you have never tried Paul John before, I would start with Nirvana. An entry-level bottle can tell you a great deal about a brand without demanding a major investment.
Alternatively, if you already know that you want punchier, more intense flavors, jumping straight into one of the Select Cask releases will show you what Paul John can do at its most powerful.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：Callum Turner on why he never does the same thing twice - and his new life as a whisky ambassador - Forbes Australia
英國演員卡勒姆·特納(Callum Turner)宣布成為蘇格蘭威士忌Johnnie Walker Blue Label的全球品牌大使。這位36歲的影視明星因作品《Masters of the Air》等知名，以其多元的創意選擇著稱，強調導演驅動的項目選擇與對藝術多樣性的追求。特納於採訪中分享了他與Blue Label的淵源，稱26歲時在晚宴上首次品嚐該酒款時對其順滑口感印象深刻。他讚揚Blue Label在製作過程中投入的細節與用心，並表示欣賞「Keep Walking」精神所代表的日常精進理念。特納偏好以冰塊享用Blue Label，認為較低溫度能更好地凸顯威士忌的風味特色。
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In a national exclusive, the ascendant British actor sits down with Forbes Australia to talk boredom, chasing directors and his new partnership with Johnnie Walker Blue Label.
Somewhere between filming a remake of the 1981 psychological horror Possession, and the two features he already has out this summer, Callum Turner has found time to join Johnnie Walker – as the brand’s new global ambassador for its renowned Scotch whisky blend, Blue Label.
The rising film & TV actor, who got his start on British television in the 2010s, has more than a few projects on the go. But if the breakneck pace and volume at which he’s working is in danger of derailing the proverbial train, it’s impossible to tell.
The Eternity and Masters of the Air lead was in Sydney earlier this week for just 24 hours: fittingly, to promote his new romantic comedy (alongside co-star Monica Barbaro) entitled One Night Only. On the morning Forbes Australia calls him, he appears to be in high spirits – having carved out a cheeky hour in an otherwise down-to-the-wire schedule to pierce the water at Bondi.
“I went for a swim at Icebergs, and the people and energy there are just really lovely,” Turner says, seemingly without pretension or varnish. “It’s my third time in Australia and I absolutely love it here.”
The 36-year-old actor’s toolbox – chiseled good looks, an easy manner, intense dedication to ‘the work’ – has made him into a totemic force among the next generation of Hollywood A-listers. In his on- and offscreen persona, Johnnie Walker has evidently found lightning in a bottle: a widely appealing, unstuffy leading man able to “attract new audiences” to the world of Scotch whisky.
“We’re proud to welcome [Callum] to the Johnnie Walker Blue Label family as he enters the next chapter of his journey” says Neil Shah, the brand’s Global Director, “celebrating his continued rise as an icon of style and screen through the ‘Keep Walking’ spirit”.
To mark the occasion, in an exclusive Q&A, Forbes Australia asks Turner about his own Johnnie Walker moments, the process of picking the right creative project, and why boredom is anathema to great acting.
FORBES: You’ve starred in festival programmers like Rosebush Pruning; are currently in Australia to promoteOne Night Only; and will appear as the lead in Apple TV’s forthcoming adaptation of Neuromancer (2027). That’s quite the eclectic slate.
Is there a throughline in the projects that interest you? Is it important for you to work across a range of different creative registers; and is there a genre of film & TV you’ve yet to tackle which you’d like to?
CT: I guess, I don’t ever really want to bore myself, you know?
First and foremost, all of my projects are director-driven. It is about them and their team’s vision, and I’m obviously there to serve that vision. But beyond that, it’s important that I’m never just doing one thing. Hopefully that comes across in my performance in something like Rosebush Pruning, which is very different to a big sweeping comedy like One Night Only.
Actually the next film I’m doing is [a remake of] Possession, which is a horror directed by Parker Finn. Again, that’s a completely different energy and tone. The rawness of it is a great complement to something like One Night Only, where the performance I’m giving is a much more liberated one.”
FORBES: There’s a rich tradition of actors, especially those hailing from the United Kingdom, representing Johnnie Walker over the years — from Robert Carlyle to Blue Label’s own Jude Law.
Why do you think thespians are so drawn to the house of John Walker & Sons? And what is it you hope to bring to the collaboration?
Callum Turner: Firstly, I feel very lucky to be joining part of the [Johnnie Walker] family. They’re a wonderful bunch of people, and the whisky is simply phenomenal. Just really, really delicious.
What draws thesps to Blue Label in particular? I think there’s a sense that it’s a very elevated product: something undeniably cool, classy, and a privilege to be invited to represent.
FORBES: You’ve said on-record that Blue Label is “the first bottle [you] reach for when celebrating” with close friends. Do you recall the first time you enjoyed Blue Label? Pivotally, what stood out to you about that experience?
CT: I have a pretty distinct memory, from around the time that I was 26, of enjoying Blue Label at a dinner party. Mainly I was taken aback by the flavour and how smooth the whisky was — just how easily it went down.
I already liked Scotch whisky at the time, but that experience was pivotal in convincing me that Blue Label is among the very best bottles out there.
FORBES: Drawing a connection with the care and meticulousness that is employed to craft Blue Label, Johnnie Walker’s Neil Shah described you as a “quietly persistent” kind of actor. What similar qualities, of subtlety and dedication, have you come to admire in Johnnie Walker Blue Label?
CT: The statistic about only “one in ten thousand” casks ever making it into the final whisky blend resonates with me. There’s just so much evident love and care that goes into Blue Label.
FORBES: Is there any part of the process, beyond actual whisky-making, that you’re excited to delve into when you next travel with the Blue Label team to Scotland?
CT: “The ‘Keep Walking’ ethos is something I find very inspiring and am excited to learn more about. That idea of mastering your craft day by day, one step at a time; striving to be the best version of yourself in every moment. Those are ideas I’m very aligned on.”
FORBES: When you’re serving Blue Label — at home or off the red carpet — how do you prefer to enjoy it? Neat? Over a pristine ice cube? Or is there maybe a cocktail recipe that you bust out on occasion…
CT: At home, my favourite serve is over ice. I generally think a cooler temperature brings out the flavours I most enjoy in the blend, and there’s nothing quite like sitting with (and nursing) a chilled glass of Blue Label.
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Scotland's whisky scene will take centre stage as Whisky Week returns.
The event is set to transform Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh into Scotland's largest whisky trail through a rolling programme of tastings, tours and exclusive experiences.
Running from next week until September 13, the festival invites whisky lovers to discover Scotland's thriving whisky culture through specially curated menus, exclusive drams and unique experiences, while celebrating the country's world-renowned whisky bars, distilleries and producers.
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Whisky Week Dates
- Whisky Week Aberdeen: August 20 - 30
- Whisky Week Glasgow: August 27 - September 6
- Whisky Week Edinburgh: September 3 - 13
Unlike traditional whisky festivals, Whisky Week doesn't take place in a single venue.
Instead, visitors explore a trail of participating bars, with each one partnering with a different distillery or whisky brand to offer its own exclusive festival menu.
Participating venues include renowned whisky destinations such as The Pot Still, Teuchters Bar, Teuchters Landing, Port of Leith Distillery, The Black Cat, The Grill, The Tippling House and Aberdeen Whisky Shop, with a packed programme of tastings, events and exclusive experiences taking place throughout the festival.
Festival partners include Glenfiddich, Springbank, Glengoyne, Glen Moray, Kingsbarns, Kilchoman, Wemyss Malts, Caol Ila and Tamnavulin, alongside a growing line-up of independent Scotch whisky producers showcasing the diversity of Scotland's whisky industry.
Gregor Sey, Co-Founder of Whisky Week, said: "Whisky has always been about more than what's in the glass. It's about the people you share it with, the stories behind every dram and the venues that bring Scotland's whisky culture to life. Whisky Week was built around a simple idea: people we like, in places we like, with a drink we love.
"Whether you're a lifelong whisky enthusiast or trying your first dram, Whisky Week is about discovering something new, supporting brilliant venues and enjoying great whisky in great company. We hope people leave having found a new favourite dram, a new favourite venue and a few great stories to take home with them."
Every participating venue will offer at least one dram for £5 or less, while Whisky Week wristband holders unlock exclusive festival menus, tastings, tours and whisky experiences throughout the festival.
Advance wristbands are priced at £9 (£12 during each festival) and include access to every participating venue, exclusive festival menus, a printed Whisky Week guidebook and festival wristband.
Tickets for Whisky Week are available now at www.whiskyweek.co.uk.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：This French single malt whisky tastes like sinking your teeth into a juicy peach - Whisky Monkeys
法國威士忌品牌 Ninkasi 推出新系列單一麥芽 New Code，不刻意模仿蘇格蘭威士忌，而是透過法國橡木桶與前裝夏多內、維歐涅白葡萄酒桶，展現濃郁果香。酒款為46度、70cl、約€50，帶有杏桃、蟠桃、蜂蜜與溫和香料風味，酒體柔滑易飲，適合喜愛甜感與果香的威士忌愛好者。
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France might not be the first country that comes to mind when you think of whisky, but that’s changing fast. With New Code, Ninkasi has released a single malt that doesn’t try to imitate Scotch. Instead, this French brand leans into wine casks, loads of fruit, and above all, a very approachable character.
Ninkasi New Code is part of a quartet of French single malt whiskies. Alongside New Code, the range includes Manifesto, The Flow, and Inspiration. All four are bottled at 46 percent ABV and each has its own cask combination.
For New Code, it’s a mix of French oak casks and casks that previously held Chardonnay and Viognier. The focus is clearly on fruit. Ninkasi itself describes the whisky as fruity and accessible. But just how sweet is this Frenchman really?
See, smell, taste
| Country | France |
| Distillery | Ninkasi |
| Type of whisky | Single malt whisky |
| Color | Amber with an ochre hue |
| Nose | Tonka bean, caramel, and ripe stone fruit |
| Palate | Apricot, peach, honey, and gentle spice |
| Finish | Fresh, spicy, and smooth |
| Age | No age statement |
| Alcohol by volume | 46 percent |
| Bottle size | 70 centiliters |
| Price | around 50 euros |
A modern bottle to handle with care
Before the whisky hits the glass, it’s worth admiring the bottle. On that front, Ninkasi has nailed it. New Code comes in a striking bottle with a modern, decidedly flashy label. The bottle itself is a little reminiscent of an old-fashioned milk bottle, complete with a clear screw cap.
The look has clearly been carefully considered. The design feels fresh and contemporary, seemingly aimed at a younger whisky drinker. No classic Scottish landscape, ornate lettering, or stag on the label, this bottle looks more at home in a modern cocktail bar.
The shape does have one drawback. The bottle has a fairly wide opening with a screw cap. The cap itself isn’t the issue, but the opening is. Pour a little too eagerly and you might end up with whisky beside your glass instead of in it.
A nose full of sticky fruit
The moment the whisky hits your glass, it gets interesting. The nose opens with a wonderfully sticky note of overripe plums. It’s the kind of lush fruitiness that transports you straight to a bustling market fruit stand. Then come apricot and other ripe yellow fruits. The fruit character is pronounced, and it’s sweetened further by a clear note of honey.
You might expect Ninkasi to tip over into cloying sweetness at this point, but it doesn’t. The honey actually lifts everything a notch without upsetting the balance. The result is a highly inviting whisky you’ll happily nose for a good while before taking that first sip.
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Like biting into a juicy peach
On the palate, this French whisky is creamy and soft. From the very first moment, it’s a burst of fruit. The best comparison is that first taste when you bite into a ripe, juicy peach.
The peach lingers, then the whisky gradually reveals more of its character. Vanilla appears, followed by floral honey. Next comes a sweet, nutty note reminiscent of candied almond. A hint of cinnamon then adds a touch of extra depth.
What’s remarkable is how long those sweet flavors stay without the whisky turning heavy. Even at 46 percent, there’s little bite on the tongue. New Code remains soft, creamy, and approachable throughout.
The Chardonnay, Viognier, and French oak casks seem to give the whisky’s fruitiness room to shine rather than drowning it in wood.
Sweet to the very last drop
As it heads into the finish, nothing suddenly shifts and that suits this whisky perfectly. New Code goes down every bit as smoothly as it opens.
The creamy notes fade slowly, with the sweet fruit lingering longest. Apricot in particular hangs on for a moment before it, too, finally slips away.
It’s not a finish that reveals new layers minutes later. New Code is simply too straightforward for that. But it does linger long enough for a quiet pause before you naturally reach for the next sip.
Ninkasi New Code Review: Conclusion
Ninkasi New Code is clearly a whisky for those with a sweet tooth. Overripe plums, apricot, peach, honey, and candied almonds make fruit and sweetness the stars from the very start.
Yet it never becomes liquid candy. The cinnamon and the whisky’s gentle character provide enough counterbalance to keep things interesting.
That also makes New Code a very accessible whisky. If you’re after big oak, smoke, or a peppery punch that smacks your tongue, you’ll want to look elsewhere. But if you want a soft French single malt that gives you just enough time to linger between sips, you’re in the right place.
+ Gorgeous abundance of ripe, sweet fruit
+ Creamy and incredibly approachable
+ A modern bottle that grabs attention
- The large bottle opening makes spills all too easy
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：Why Scotland’s Whisky Smugglers Sang About a Sheep - The Whiskey Wash
十九世紀初，嚴苛的《1814年消費稅法》禁止蘇格蘭高地小型蒸餾器運作，迫使農民走向非法釀酒維持生計。為躲避稅務官（gaugers）追捕，高地社區發展出隱喻密語——透過讚頌一隻「彎角母羊」的民謠《The Ewie wi' the Crooked Horn》，實則在唱頌非法蒸餾器。這首由牧師John Skinner於1780年代創作的民謠，巧妙地掩護走私者在公開場合討論釀造秘密。直到1823年新法允許小規模持證釀造，非法釀造才逐漸消亡，但其釀造知識與傳統完整傳承至今日合法威士忌產業。
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In a public house somewhere north of the Grampians, a crofter could stand and sing the praises of his finest ewe, and half the room would drink to a sheep that never existed. The ewe with the crooked horn was hardy, thrifty and never once sick, the best beast a man had ever owned. She was also, as everyone present understood perfectly well, made of hammered copper. The crooked horn was the coiled worm of an illicit whisky still, and the milk she gave was spirit run off a peat fire in a hidden glen.
The code existed because the stakes behind it were eviction and ruin. Through the early nineteenth century an entire Highland economy ran on stills the law had made criminal, hunted by a growing force of excise officers the glens knew as gaugers. To speak of the trade at all, communities needed a language no gauger could swear to in court, and they found it in a song about a sheep. The place to begin is with what the law had done to the glens.
Why the Highlands Turned to Illicit Whisky Distilling
The law had left the glens with nowhere legal to go. The Excise Act of 1814 prohibited any Highland still with a capacity below 500 gallons, a threshold Colonel David Stewart of Garth described as a complete interdict on the region. A still of that size would have consumed more grain than an entire Highland county could harvest, and assembling the peat and wood to fire it was physically and financially impossible in remote country. A lawsuit the same year barred Highland distillers from selling their spirit south of the Grampian Mountains, closing off the only market worth reaching.
The crofters were not short of grain, because agricultural improvement had given them a surplus, but the quality was too low to cart raw to distant Lowland buyers at any profit. Distilling it was, as one contemporary put it, almost the only method of converting victual into cash for the payment of rent and servants. Communities weighed eviction against the excise laws and chose the law of survival instead.
The romance of that choice should not be overdone, because the trade carried real violence toward excise officers and by no means every Highlander approved of it. It was nonetheless a defense of livelihood before it was ever a crime of appetite.
The scale of the defiance was extraordinary by any measure. In 1782 more than 1,000 illicit stills were seized in the Highlands, and the seizures barely dented the trade. Gaelic speakers called the apparatus a phoit-dhubh, the black pot, and the name was earned in earnest. Archaeologists at Ben Lawers have recovered a copper collar from one such still, hidden in a stone bothy beside a burn, one of five known smuggling sites on a single nature reserve.
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The Folk Song That Hid a Whisky Still
The most famous version of the ewe’s song came from an unlikely pen. The Reverend John Skinner, an Episcopalian minister in Aberdeenshire, wrote “The Ewie wi’ the Crooked Horn” in Scots around 1780, setting it to a reel already popular across the north. The tune was older than his words and more Highland than his parish, appearing in the MacFarlane Manuscript of about 1740 under the Gaelic title An caora crom, the crooked ewe.
On its surface the lyric is a farmer’s extravagant lament for a prize animal. She never needed tar nor keel to mark her, because her crooked horn identified her among them all. She kept her own jog-trot to the fold and the cot, and once lay a week and longer beneath a wreath of snow without harm. Then a villain comes in the night, and the farmer finds only the horn beneath a bush of thorn, his ewie stolen and felled.
The second reading was set down in print within living memory of the smuggling age. The fiddler and collector Captain Simon Fraser, annotating the tune in 1816, wrote that the ewe thus celebrated was none other than the whisky still with its crooked horn, the distilling tube, which gave more milk than all the sheep in the country. Read that way, the villain with the knife becomes the gauger with a warrant, and the stolen ewe becomes a still seized and broken up. Whether Skinner intended the code or merely borrowed a tune that already carried it cannot now be settled.
The ambiguity was the whole value of the thing, because a man could sing his still’s praises in a public room and swear honestly that he was mourning a sheep.
The Gaugers Who Came for the Ewie
The men the song guarded against multiplied within a single generation. In 1778 there was one Excise officer in all of Perthshire above Dunkeld, and he had almost nothing to do. By 1822 the same district held eleven resident officers in full activity, reinforced by rangers and extra supervisors riding between the glens. Stewart of Garth observed drily that whenever an officer was placed in a glen, he was not long without business.
Stewart knew the trade at closer range than most commentators. A tenant of his own grandfather was so identified with the craft that he was known simply as Donald Whisky, and Stewart joked that if every smuggler of his own day were named after the trade, five of the most numerous clans conjoined could not produce so many of one name.
Against surveillance on that scale, the small portable still was the only workable design, light enough to carry between bothies and cheap enough to abandon when the rangers crested the hill. The coded songs traveled with it, along with a whole farmyard vocabulary that let neighbors discuss malt, mash and market without saying a dangerous word.
What the Illicit Whisky Age Left Behind
The end came through the ledger rather than the courtroom. The Excise Act of 1823 allowed small-scale distilling under a license costing ten pounds plus a set payment per gallon, and smuggling died away over the following decade, though not without a fight. George Smith of Glenlivet took out one of the first licenses in 1824 and carried a pair of pistols for years against former colleagues who regarded him as a traitor to the glen.
What the legal industry inherited was not merely a market but a craft kept alive in the bothies. The generations who ran small pot stills under threat of seizure carried the practical knowledge of malting, fermentation and slow distillation straight into the licensed distilleries that took their names from the same glens.
The ewie survived the transition too. The song is still sung as a lament for a stolen sheep, and the second meaning still sits quietly inside it, waiting for anyone who knows what a crooked horn once poured.
Google News（Scotch/Distillery）｜原題：‘I don’t even drink whisky’: Scotland reels in visitors as much of Europe swelters | Travel & leisure - theguardian.com
For the tourist industry, 2026 has been a rocky year, with war, EU border delays, climate and economic woes gnawing away at holiday plans. But while much of Britain is feeling the loss of visitors from the Middle East and beyond, one part is thriving.
Scotland is reeling in ever more visitors, with strong annual growth and a 15% rise in flight bookings to Scottish airports in June and July, compared with a drop in bookings to London and the rest of England in recent months, according to VisitBritain figures.
With heatwaves gripping much of Europe, the hope of finding cooler climes farther north may have increased Scotland’s allure – although tourism chiefs say dashing Highland warriors and kilted football fans may have more to do with it.
Long-term plans to increase direct flights from North America have come to fruition in the last two years, bolstering the traditional US-led foreign tourist base.
A rise in visitors from continental Europe, possibly looking to escape the heat, has added to the mix. And more Britons have chosen to holiday at home rather than face the border confusion and delays under the EU’s entry-exit system.
In Edinburgh, where August has long been the busiest time of the year, Princes Street was this week particularly teeming with tourists, gathered around bagpipers and being targeted with leaflets by cheery fringe promoters.
Festival sales are up 30%, according to Marc Crothall, the chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance. “Edinburgh is jumping, which is great. And that’s a massive draw for international visitors,” he said.
Not all were here for the world’s biggest arts festival: Zanet Garcia, from Mexico City and on her second day in the country, had no idea it was on. “I was really confused by it all. I had never heard of the fringe and I didn’t know what it was,” she said with a laugh. “But everyone has been so friendly.”
Garcia chose Scotland because of her interest in Scottish mythology, sparked by books and TV shows that were huge UK exports, such as Harry Potter and Outlander, and had visited locations connected with them. She was taking in traditional national attractions too, fresh from the Johnnie Walker Experience – “I don’t even drink whisky” – and with tickets to the military tattoo.
The majority of tourists are from the UK. But it is the big-spending foreigners who are more likely to stay longer, chalk up the visitor attractions and pack in the experiences. An average overseas visitor to Scotland spent just over £900 in a week in 2024, compared with just over £300 in three nights for a British holidaymaker.
According to data from the Moffat Centre for travel and tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University the biggest jump this year has been in visitors touring by campervan rather than staying in hotels.
Numbers are up but spending per head is down, Crothall said, describing the overall picture as “healthy but by no means booming”.
The holidaying Briton is more likely, he said, to be pursuing free visits to museums and walking in the countryside, with the cost of living still a big issue. “Instead of the three course meal, it’s the one. The 5% VAT and free travel helps, but it’s not magic,” Crothall said.
Although Scotland has suffered its own heatwaves, and devastating wildfires in the Cairngorms, it remains cooler than the southern UK. “We hope and suspect that we’ll see more European visitors given the climate conditions,” Crothall added.
Conclusive data linking the heat to changing tourism habits is not yet available, said Vicki Miller, the chief executive of VisitScotland. “But certainly we’ve seen this year strong demand from Europe including Spain and Italy, which is potentially the climate impact,” she added.
What the research does show, however, is just how many visits, such as Garcia’s, were inspired by the screen. Online searches spiked on the back of reality TV hit The Traitors, although Ardross Castle – the main location for the UK and US versions of the show – is not open to visit. Castles that have featured in Outlander – a long-running hit in the US and parts of Europe – have also become big draws.
“We know that 36%-37% of international visitors are inspired by film or TV,” said Miller. “And people’s memories are long: they remember Braveheart or Local Hero as well.”
Sport has also pulled in visitors, from this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to big golf tournaments, along with the reflected glory from travelling Scottish football fans.
Interest from Germany increased after it hosted Euro 2024, when the Tartan Army were voted the best supporters at the football tournament: a mixture of “friendliness, banter, and donations to local charities – they capture hearts, they’ve been fantastic ambassadors”, Miller said.
At this year’s World Cup, when Scotland played in the US, VisitScotland “painted Boston tartan” to capitalise, she said, prompting local online searches for Scottish holidays to double.
While Scotland hopes to reap the fruits of a long-term strategic approach, including more direct flights – 100,000 more seats annually from the US alone – and promoting visits in all seasons, many are still feeling the pinch from reduced spending.
On the streets of the Scottish capital, Dexter, working at Edinburgh Bus Tours, was rueful. “I’ve been here seven years and the crowd is going down. Tips have gone, big time. I used to be able to go on vacation just on my tips, now that’s not the case,” said the tour guide, who is originally from Nevada, US.
He said the tourist tax – a 5% levy introduced in July on accommodation in Edinburgh – “has hurt”, on top of the cost of living: “People have got no money.”
Leon Thompson, the executive director of the trade body UKHospitality Scotland, concurred. “People are in their cost of living crisis and that is a challenge,” he said.
Thompson added that companies were feeling the impact of business rates, national insurance contributions and VAT, and were anxiously awaiting tourist levies to be introduced by other Scottish local authorities after Edinburgh.
“Scotland will always be a popular destination, but we can’t be complacent. We can’t allow ourselves to be priced out of what is the global visitor market,” he said.
Whisky Advocate / Whisky Magazine（經 Google News）｜原題：Whisky Watch: A Single Pot Still From Jameson, Redemption Bonded, & More New Releases - Whisky Advocate｜僅標題
（僅標題資訊）Whisky Advocate 報導最新威士忌新品上市情報。愛爾蘭威士忌品牌 Jameson 推出單一罐式威士忌（Single Pot Still），此款採用傳統愛爾蘭威士忌製程，結合罐式蒸餾的獨特風味。另外美國 Redemption 威士忌推出新款波本威士忌產品。本月份新酒款眾多，酒迷可留意各品牌最新動態。
// Adds dimensions UUID, Author and Topic into GA4
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See Whiskey Myers live on August 21, 2026, in Friant at Table Mountain Casino Resort with confirmed support from Southall. If Southern rock, country rock and powerful guitars are your sound, plan your ticket purchase for a concert shaped by "Whomp Whack Thunder" and established fan favorites
Whiskey Myers at Table Mountain Casino: heavy Southern rock up close
Whiskey Myers arrive in Friant, California, on August 21, 2026, for a concert at Table Mountain Casino Resort, starting at 8:00 PM. The evening is interesting because the band arrives in the middle of the current album cycle for "Whomp Whack Thunder", and Southall has been confirmed alongside them, a group that naturally fits into the same space between country, modern Southern rock and a harder guitar-driven sound. For audiences who know Whiskey Myers from songs such as "Broken Window Serenade", "Stone", "Bury My Bones" or "Ballad Of A Southern Man", this is an opportunity to hear how the older favorites now stand alongside considerably heavier new material.
The Friant date comes immediately after California performances as part of the major summer tour on which Whiskey Myers share evenings with The Black Crowes. The schedule continues in Reno the very next day. Friant is therefore a more compact stop between the large amphitheater dates, with Whiskey Myers in the foreground and Southall as the confirmed support act.
Ticket sales for this event are underway.
Why Whiskey Myers cross the boundaries of country rock
Whiskey Myers come from East Texas and have spent years combining Southern rock, country, blues and American roots music. Their music does not rely on a single formula. One song may be dominated by slide guitar, a Southern groove and a sing-along chorus, while the next features heavy riffs and almost hard-rock dynamics.
That is why they attract different groups of listeners. Some come for the country storytelling and Texas character, others for the guitars and concert energy, while part of the audience discovered the band through television series and the later streaming life of older songs. The 2019 album "Whiskey Myers" reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 among country albums, showing that the band could cross the boundaries of the scene it came from without softening its own sound.
Their reputation is particularly tied to the stage. Years of touring, festivals and performances in large venues have shaped the songs so that live they often sound harder and broader than on the studio recordings.
"Whomp Whack Thunder" gives the concert its current context
The seventh studio album "Whomp Whack Thunder" was released in 2025 and is the clearest context for the current phase of Whiskey Myers. The album contains 11 songs, was produced by Jay Joyce and was recorded in Nashville. The record is direct, physical and strongly oriented toward rock energy, although its Texas country and blues roots have not disappeared.
The new material expanded the concert repertoire with songs that can stand alongside older favorites. "Time Bomb", "Tailspin", "Midnight Woman" and "Ramblin' Jones" stand out in particular. In the studio versions, you can hear dense guitar layers, a massive rhythm and Cody Cannon's vocals moving from a rough rock approach to calmer storytelling.
- "Time Bomb" opens the band's new phase with an explosive riff and energy that naturally works live.
- "Tailspin" emphasizes the heavier, dirtier side of Southern rock.
- "Midnight Woman" shows how groove-oriented the band can be without losing its weight.
- "Ramblin' Jones" returns the emphasis to the roots tradition and a sweeping chorus.
- "Monsters" closes the album more introspectively and shows that the new material is not reduced only to volume.
For longtime fans, it is important that the new album does not erase the earlier period. Its harder production creates a good contrast with songs such as "Broken Window Serenade" and "Stone", in which emotion and melody carry most of the weight.
What the performances during 2026 show
The exact set list for Friant has not been confirmed in advance and should not be presented as known. However, recorded set lists from 2026 show how the band currently combines the new album with the most recognizable songs from earlier stages of its career.
Among the titles that appear regularly are "Midnight Woman", "Time Bomb", "Tailspin" and "Ramblin' Jones" from the album "Whomp Whack Thunder", as well as "John Wayne", "Bury My Bones", "Broken Window Serenade", "Frogman", "Gasoline", "Stone" and "The Wolf". This is not a promise that the same selection will be performed at Table Mountain Casino, but rather an indication of the band's current concert language.
Such a cross-section suits an audience that wants both new songs and recognizable choruses. "Broken Window Serenade" remains the emotional center of the catalog, "Stone" allows for a wide dynamic range, while "Frogman" and "Gasoline" push the concert toward the heavier side. A format with multiple guitars, percussion and a powerful rhythm section further amplifies the physical character of the performance.
Southall was not chosen for this evening by accident
Southall is confirmed alongside Whiskey Myers in Friant, and stylistically it is a logical pairing. The Oklahoma band developed its sound from Red Dirt and country-rock roots toward modern Southern rock, with elements of grunge, soul and classic rock. That makes them feel less like a completely separate opening act and more like an introduction to the same broader guitar-driven story.
The band is led by Read Southall, and its newer phase is connected with the album "Kinfolk". The link between the two bands is not merely a matter of sharing a tour: Southall have previously shared stages with Whiskey Myers, and John Jeffers of Whiskey Myers took part in Southall's project "The Six String Sorrow Sessions". That shared history makes the pairing feel more natural than a typical combination of a headliner and randomly selected support.
Table Mountain Casino changes the feel of the concert
Table Mountain Casino Resort is located at 777 Jackpot Lane in Friant. Its event and conference space is designed for different configurations, with a total capacity of up to 2,106 people. Compared with the large outdoor amphitheaters that Whiskey Myers pass through during the summer tour, that means a more compact setting and potentially a more immediate relationship between the stage and the audience.
That is an important difference for a band whose music depends on the impact of the drums, layers of electric guitars and vocals that often move from an intimate register to a very powerful one. In a smaller indoor space, details such as slide guitar, multi-part vocal sections and transitions between quiet and loud passages can more easily become part of the shared experience of the room.
The current complex opened in 2022. Along with the event space, it includes a hotel with 171 rooms and several dining options, which is practical for visitors coming to Friant from another city who do not want to continue traveling immediately after the concert.
It is worth securing tickets in good time, especially if the goal is to choose among available seats in a venue that is considerably smaller than the typical large summer stages on this tour.
Practical information before arrival
A clear age rule applies to this concert: visitors must be at least 21 years old to purchase tickets and attend the event. Professional photography is not permitted. Table Mountain Casino also specifies a general guest code of conduct and a prohibition on bringing firearms and illegal weapons onto the property.
- Venue: Table Mountain Casino Resort, 777 Jackpot Lane, Friant, California 93626.
- Concert start: 8:00 PM.
- Headliner: Whiskey Myers.
- Confirmed support: Southall.
- Age restriction: 21+.
- Capacity of the event and conference space:
Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：NDTV Jai Jawan 2026: Not Bobby Deol, Saif Ali Khan Says He Did The Whiskey-Glass Trick First - NDTV
（僅標題資訊）印度寶萊塢演員 Saif Ali Khan 在宣傳新電影 NDTV Jai Jawan 2026 時，聲稱自己是首先在電影中展示威士忌杯技巧的演員，暗示這不是 Bobby Deol 的創意。此則新聞涉及寶萊塢電影宣傳趣聞，與威士忌文化在娛樂產業的應用相關。
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Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：Country diary: Down the road from the Edinburgh fringe … a true local tradition of costume and whisky | Doc Rowe - The Guardian
While the Edinburgh festival grabs the headlines, just 10 miles away, one of Scotland’s most remarkable traditions takes place every August – the Burryman procession.
In this, part of the Ferry Fair, a local volunteer is covered in thousands of hooked burdock seedheads, which are attached in dense patches like Velcro. He spends up to 10 hours perambulating a seven-mile route around town, accompanied by two attendants, pausing at some 20 stops to collect charitable donations and accepting a libation of unmeasured whisky through a straw. This year’s procession is especially significant, as the identity of the Burryman is changing.
After 15 years behind the burrs, the current Burryman, 43-year-old Andrew Taylor, has acknowledged that remaining in the role too long can discourage younger people from getting involved. Next year he will pass the mantle to 30-year-old Cameron Forrester – born in South Queensferry, of course.
I’ve known Cameron since he was nine, carrying collecting tins in the procession. Today he serves as bell-ringer for the final time, proclaiming: “Hip, Hip, Hooray, it’s the Burryman’s Day!” It’s his call that invites householders to come outside and offer refreshments and donations; in return they receive a burr from the costume as a token of good luck. (This ritual element has only become essential in the last 30 years; who said traditions are static?)
Cameron inherits a physically demanding responsibility. Unable to sit or bend his arms, the Burryman finishes the day exhausted, scratched and often bloodied – but triumphant. This year, Andrew’s progress is made a little easier by overcast weather.
Although the custom’s origins remain delightfully unknown, with references dating back to the 17th century, its importance today lies not in theories of pagan survivals or fertility rites, but in its role as a living community event. The Burryman is sustained not by tourists but by local participation.
After nearly 50 years of attendance, I have known six Burrymans, and it’s a poignant moment to see Cameron take his place. It is a reminder that the Burryman is more than a figure in a curious costume: he is a living link between generations. This is one tradition that is in safe hands.
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Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：Whiskey River Smokehouse, formerly Revery and Ozark House, closes its doors - The Pantagraph
（僅標題資訊）位於美國伊利諾州布盧明頓的 Whiskey River Smokehouse 已正式關閉。該建築曾是經營超過 50 年的知名餐廳 Ozark House，後來改名為 Revery，再更名為 Whiskey River Smokehouse。2023 年新老闆接手時進行品牌更新，今年 7 月曾宣布暫時歇業進行改裝，最終未再營業。該物業目前已掛牌出售，標價 110 萬美元。
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Spotlight BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL DINING Whiskey River Smokehouse, formerly Revery and Ozark House, closes its doors Olivia Jacobs Aug 15, 2026 5 hrs ago 0 The building formerly known as Whiskey River Smokehouse, Revery and Ozark House is shown at 704 McGregor St. in Bloomington. COURTESY OF LOOPNET Gift this article New subscriber benefit! Copied to clipboard Out of gifts for the month Unfortunately you've used all of your gifts this month. Your counter will reset on the first day of next month. Share this article paywall-free Email Copy Link Prefer us on Google Learn More Facebook Twitter Bluesky WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Olivia Jacobs BLOOMINGTON — Whiskey River Smokehouse at 704 McGregor St. in Bloomington has closed its doors.kAm%96 3FD:?6DD H2D =@42E65 2E E96 D:E6 @7 E96 7@C>6C ~K2C< w@FD6[ H9:49 @A6C2E65 7@C >@C6 E92? b_ J62CD] %92E C6DE2FC2?E @A6?65 :? `hfa @? #686?4J sC:G6 367@C6 >@G:?8 E@ |4vC68@C $EC66E :? `hgg] %96 3FD:?6DD 462D65 @A6C2E:@?D :? a_aa]k^AmkAm%96 3F:=5:?8 492?865 @H?6CD 2?5 @A6?65 2D #6G6CJ :? a_ac] |2C< w6?C:49D[ @H?6C @7 #6G6CJ :? vC66?H@@5[ x?5:2?2[ @A6?65 E96 q=@@>:?8E@? C6DE2FC2?E 2D 2 D64@?5 =@42E:@? 7@C 9:D FAD42=6 5:?:?8 4@?46AE]k^Am kAm}6H @H?6CD H6C6 :?EC@5F465 62C=:6C E9:D J62C 2=@?8D:56 2 C63C2?5:?8]k^Am People are also reading… Latest: Crews work to restore power, clear storm debris; Brady declares emergency 5 hurt after pickup truck crashes into Children's Discovery Museum in uptown Normal Bloomington-Normal businesses left struggling after Thursday storm Driver dies in crash in western DeWitt County Keep an eye on these Area players as high school football season approaches Roanoke teen entrepreneur serves smash burgers from converted cattle trailer Brady declares emergency after storm-related surge in calls Former McLean County correctional officer accused of possessing child sex abuse images Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce accused of minimizing role in steakhouse lawsuit Pontiac man gets conditional discharge for cocaine offense in McLean County 18-year-old arrested for stabbing friend in reported armed robbery in Bloomington Cleanup efforts, power restorations underway after severe storm in Bloomington-Normal Witnesses in Tomiyale M. Anderson murder trial recount 2022 shooting Normal officials declare disaster emergency in wake of Thursday's severe storms 2 detained, 1 released on cannabis trafficking charges in McLean County kAmqC2?5@? r2D6J 2?5 #2<66> w2CC:D H6C6 D2:5 E@ 36 E96 ?6H @H?6CD @7 (9:D<6J #:G6C $>@<69@FD6] k^AmkAm~? yF=J g[ E96 3FD:?6DD 2??@F?465 G:2 D@4:2= >65:2 E92E E96 C6DE2FC2?E H@F=5 36 E6>A@C2C:=J 4=@D65 2D E96 @H?6CD H6C6 AC6A2C:?8 Q7@C D@>6 6I4:E:?8 492?86D 2?5 :>AC@G6>6?ED[Q 3FE ?@ :?7@C>2E:@? 23@FE C6@A6?:?8 H2D AC@G:565] k^AmkAm%96 C6DE2FC2?EVD u2463@@< A286 92D D:?46 366? 5624E:G2E65]k^Am kAm%96 g[dhd DBF2C6\7@@E C6E2:= AC@A6CEJ :D 4FCC6?E=J =:DE65 7@C D2=6 @? k2 9C67lQ9EEADi^^HHH]=@@A?6E]4@>^{:DE:?8^f_c\|4vC68@C\$E\q=@@>:?8E@?\x{^c`ec__ha^Q E2C86ElQ03=2?<Qm{@@A}6Ek^2m 7@C S`]` >:==:@?] %96 DA246 :D D2:5 E@ :?4=F56 EH@ G6?F6D F?56C @?6 C@@7 2==@H:?8 C@@> 7@C EH@ D6A2C2E6 4@?46AED[ =:G6 >FD:4 2?5 @E96C 6G6?ED] k^Am kAm%96 DA246 :D 7F==J C6>@56=65[ 4@>A=6E6 H:E9 2 4@>>6C4:2= <:E496?[ 9@@5[ 7FC?:EFC6[ 7:IEFC6D 2?5 @E96C 6BF:A>6?E] %96 324< 2C62 2=D@ 92D :ED @H? 32C[ C6DEC@@>D 2?5 6IE6C:@C 6?EC2?46[ D@ :E 42? 36 @A6C2E65 D6A2C2E6=J @C =62D65 @FE 7@C 255:E:@?2= :?4@>6[ 244@C5:?8 E@ E96 =:DE:?8] k^Am kAm(9:D<6J #:G6CVD @H?6CD 4@F=5 ?@E 36 C624965 7@C 4@>>6?E] k^Amk9C ^m Downtown dig reveals hidden vaults beneath aging sidewalks. Clay Jackson Photos: 50 years of Bloomington's Ozark House restaurant November 1972 This ad for the grand opening of Ozark House restaurant appeared in the Nov. 2, 1972, edition of The Pantagraph. PANTAGRAPH ARCHIVES December 1972 This ad for the Ozark House's New Year's Eve menu appeared in the Dec. 24, 1972, edition of The Pantagraph. PANTAGRAPH ARCHIVES January 1998 In this photo published Jan. 26, 1998, Sandy Burris pours coffee for longtime customers Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Fowler, foreground, and James and Donna Bond. The four come every Tuesday for the chicken special. DANA L. HOBACK, THE PANTAGRAPH December 2003 In this December 2003 file photo, Patrick Boylan speaks with his mother Helen as they await their meal at The Ozark House in Bloomington. JOSH RITCHIE, THE PANTAGRAPH December 2003 Shown in a December 2003 file photo, the Ozark House specialty includes baby back ribs, center, and fresh baked bread, a baked potato, potatoes au gratin and a house salad. JOSH RITCHIE, THE PANTAGRAPH December 2003 The Ozark House, along McGregor Street in Bloomington, is shown in this December 2003 file photo. JOSH RITCHIE, THE PANTAGRAPH May 2007 The Ozark House exterior is shown in May 2007. B MOSHER, THE PANTAGRAPH May 2007 Ozark House Bartender Jody Eyre pours a couple cocktails at the bar in Bloomington on May 8, 2007. B MOSHER, THE PANTAGRAPH May 2007 From left to right Tim Tilton, Vicki Tilton, Bethany Cottrell, and Denise Grazar, all from Bloomington, dig into the full slab of baby back ribs, baked beans, and grilled vegetables at their cozy corner booth at the Ozark House in Bloomington, on May 8, 2007. B MOSHER, THE PANTAGRAPH August 2014 Lueas Ramirez of Peoria positions a ladder while caulking wood walls on the exterior of the Ozark House Restaurant, 704 McGregor Street, Bloomington on Thursday, August 28, 2014. STEVE SMEDLEY, the pantagraph April 2015 Jeremy Ketter, Alexis Wills and Ken Folks, all of Bloomington, admire more than 30 Chevrolet Corvettes that cruised into Bloomington for a banquet at the Ozark House on April 26, 2015. The cars were driven by members of the Corvette Club of Illinois, based in Champaign. DAVID PROEBER Contact Olivia Jacobs at 309-820-3352. Follow Olivia on Twitter: @olivia___jacobs 0 Comments Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Satisfy your cravings With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Olivia Jacobs Lifestyles Reporter Author email Follow Olivia Jacobs Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Related to this story Bridge repairs underway on Fell Ave., Adelaide St. in Normal Bridge repairs have closed portions of South Fell Avenue and South Adelaide Street in Normal, with local access maintained. What to do if your power goes out — Illinois EMA offers tips The power's out. Now what? Illinois emergency officials offer simple tips to stay safe and avoid common mistakes. McLean County Board approves battery storage for Twin Grove Wind Farm Battery energy storage systems that would support the Twin Grove Wind Farm in McLean County was approved by the County Board. Sorensen announces $1.25M request for new boarding bridge at Bloomington's airport A $1.25 million federal funding request would help to ensure the Central Illinois Regional Airport has boarding bridges to support large aircraft. Central Illinois lawmakers host classroom sanitation product drive State lawmakers are accepting donations of hand sanitizer and other cleaning products for classrooms at their district offices in Lincoln, Dec… Rain soaks Illinois State move-in as students arrive on campus Rain poured down on Illinois State’s move-in Wednesday, but ponchos, tarps and a little flexibility helped students and families get settled. McLean County mental health fund audit finds no unusual transactions No unusual transactions or misstatements were identified in an audit of the schedule expenditures of the McLean County Mental Health and Publi…
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Google News（Whisky 綜合）｜原題：'Furious' episode 5: Emmy Rossum on the 'whiskey waterboarding' sequence - Mashable
（僅標題資訊）美國 Hulu 影劇《Furious》第5集「Pick a Sticker」中，演員 Emmy Rossum 飾演的 FBI 探員 Alice Black 為了阻止前任施暴者 Marshall 作證而設計灌醉他，該場景被劇組稱為「whiskey waterboarding」。Rossum 在專訪中透露這場戲情感複雜、身體挑戰大，劇組特別安排親密協調員與動作協調員，耗時兩天拍攝，以確保演員安全與表演品質。
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'Furious' episode 5: Emmy Rossum on the 'whiskey waterboarding' sequence
Furious is heating up with episode 5, "Pick a Sticker."
FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) is on the hunt for Catherine (Lola Petticrew), a serial killer on a quest of vengeance. But Alice's pursuit is being threatened by her abusive ex, Marshall (Jake Lacy), who reported that she pulled a gun on him.
Alice's boss, Nora Washington (Quincy Tyler Bernstine), tells her to straighten it out, or else she'll be pulled from the investigation. Digging into the antihero-ness of it all, Alice decides to invite Marshall to her apartment, where she seduces him and gets him drunk to break his sobriety.
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In an interview with Mashable Entertainment Editor Kristy Puchko, Rossum spoke to this scene in particular.
"We called that the whiskey waterboarding scene," Rossum explained. "It's a really intense scene on a number of levels."
She said, "You have my character [Alice] who's really been pushed into a corner in her job, who is having her job threatened because she tried to protect herself, because she pulled a gun on him to basically tell him [the abuse is] not going to happen again. He's used that against her to gain an upper hand in this case — and again, to kind of control her. And you have her understanding that unless she does something, she's sidelined [in the investigation]. And she knows that she has to make him fall back on his sobriety, because that's the only way to make people question the veracity of his potential statement against her."
Speaking to how the scene was shot, Rossum, who is also a producer on Furious, shared, "We knew how complicated it would be emotionally for us as actors, physically for us as actors. We obviously had an intimacy coordinator and a fight coordinator. And we spent a day or two after work in the days leading up to it, blocking, rehearsing, and working through the beats of the scene, understanding the scene in the space, and really talking about all the ways in which these scenes can bring things up for you that can be vulnerable.
"And at the same time," Rossum added, "When you're in the great hands of [Furious creator and showrunner] Liz Meriwether, and you have a trusted crew around you, and another actor who is as brilliant and as professional as Jake [Lacy] is — I mean, we shot that scene, that section for about two days. It was really interesting and complicated. And I think once we started getting into the blocking of it, we felt like we knew it was going to work."
Furious is now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes every Monday through Aug. 31.
Kristy Puchko is the Entertainment Editor at Mashable. Based in New York City, she's an established film critic and entertainment reporter who has traveled the world on assignment, covered a variety of film festivals, co-hosted movie-focused podcasts, and interviewed a wide array of performers and filmmakers.