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The Macallan 1926 Whisky sells for ₹27 Crore at the Sotheby’s auction Some whisky bottles are meant to be opened, while others are destined to become the stuff of auction-room legend. A bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine & Rare has just reminded the world which category it belongs to, selling for £2,125,000 (approximately US$2.8 million) at Sotheby’s first-ever auction at The Macallan Estate in Speyside, Scotland, on October 12, 2026. The sale makes it the second most valuable bottle of whisky ever sold at auction in sterling, while its dollar-denominated price sets a new record in US currency. It also establishes the highest auction price ever achieved for a bottle of The Macallan Fine & Rare 1926, reinforcing the Scotch whisky producer’s position at the pinnacle of the global collectibles market. The bottle led Live from The Macallan Estate, a landmark sale organised to mark 100 years since the whisky was distilled in 1926. Comprising 42 lots drawn almost entirely from private collections around the world, the auction achieved £3.3 million (approximately US$4.4 million), surpassing its high estimate of £3.2 million. Every lot sold, making it a so-called white-glove sale, with 86 per cent of lots fetching prices above their high estimates. For Jonny Fowle, Sotheby’s Global Head of Whisky & Spirits, the result reflects the extraordinary hold this particular vintage has on collectors. The story behind a $2.8 million bottle To understand the price tag, it helps to look beyond the label. The Macallan 1926 was distilled in Speyside and matured for 60 years in a single sherry-seasoned oak cask, number 263, before being bottled in 1986. It was the oldest vintage the distillery had bottled at the time, and only 40 bottles were drawn from the cask. What makes the release fascinating is that these 40 bottles were not all presented alike. The distillery commissioned different artists to give select bottles distinct identities, turning an already exceptionally rare whisky into a meeting point between spirits, art and collectability. Fourteen bottles were given The Macallan Fine & Rare label; 12 were decorated by British pop artist Sir Peter Blake, and another 12 featured artwork by Italian artist Valerio Adami. Two bottles were left unlabelled. One was later hand-painted by Irish artist Michael Dillon, becoming the first bottle of whisky to sell for more than £1 million at auction when it changed hands in 2018. The other remains the last unlabelled bottle from the original release. The Fine & Rare bottling sold this week belongs to the group of 14 bottles that helped establish The Macallan’s now-iconic Fine & Rare collection, launched in 2002. It was the first Fine & Rare example of the 1926 vintage to appear at auction since 2019, when Sotheby’s sold one for £1.5 million (approximately US$1.9 million). The latest result sets a new record for the bottling, with the dollar price exceeding the previous benchmark by almost 50 per cent. The whisky’s appeal lies in the convergence of several factors – its age, the limited number of bottles produced, the history of the cask, the distillery’s reputation and the enduring fascination with a vintage that has become synonymous with the upper reaches of whisky collecting. A landmark sale at The Macallan Estate The setting was significant, too. Although Sotheby’s has long handled some of the world’s most valuable bottles of whisky, this was the first auction ever held at The Macallan Distillery itself. The invite-only event brought together 50 leading whisky collectors in person, while others participated online and over the telephone. The Macallan 1926 was the headline lot, but the rest of the sale offered a glimpse into the breadth of the distillery’s collectible releases. A complete set of The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars Collection achieved £350,000 (approximately US$462,490), making it the second most valuable lot of the auction. Created in collaboration with French crystal house Lalique and released over a decade between 2005 and 2016, the collection comprises six limited-edition decanters containing rare and aged single malts. Complete sets are particularly coveted because they are far scarcer on the market than individual decanters. Another notable lot was The Macallan The Reach 81 Years Old, which sold for £131,250 (approximately US$173,434). Originally unveiled in 2022, the single malt was drawn from a single sherry-seasoned oak cask and presented in a mouth-blown glass decanter held by a bronze sculpture of three hands, representing generations of people connected to the distillery. The example offered at auction featured a deep-red leather-lined display cabinet, a bespoke detail inspired by the red thread that has run through The Macallan’s identity since its founding. Meanwhile, The Macallan in Lalique Golden Age of Travel Ocean Liner, a 1937 vintage and one of the distillery’s rarest releases, achieved £106,250 (approximately US$140,399), more than three times its estimate. It was the first time this particular release had been offered by Sotheby’s. The auction also featured a special presentation of The Macallan Romantica Collection, created for Sotheby’s to commemorate the 1926 vintage’s centenary. Bringing together Blake, Adami and Dillon, the collection explores the passage of time through original artwork inspired by four decades of maturation, from 1986 to 2026. The bespoke set sold for £162,500 (approximately US$214,278), with proceeds set to benefit three charities selected by the artists and their representatives: Graeae Theatre Company in London, Cancer Research UK and Associazione VIDAS in Milan. Jaume Ferras, Creative Director, The Macallan shares, “We are humbled by the response to the auction live from The Macallan Estate and the results achieved. It was a privilege to welcome Sotheby’s and guests to our home, and to see such appreciation for whiskies that represent different chapters in our history. We are especially proud that the sale of The Macallan Romantica Collection Artists’ Edition, which has raised funds for charities nominated by the artists Valerio Adami, Sir Peter Blake and Michael Dillon, giving this remarkable collaboration a meaningful legacy beyond the auction itself.” The Macallan 1926 occupies all these worlds at once. Distilled a century ago, bottled after six decades of maturation and produced in a run of just 40, it has become more than an exceptionally rare Scotch. Its latest auction result is a reminder that, in the world of collectible spirits, the story behind the bottle can be almost as valuable as what is inside it.

London: The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has challenged England’s newly approved geographical indication (GI) for English whisky, raising concerns that its definition of single malt could create consumer confusion and undermine established whisky standards. The appeal follows the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) approving the GI in September 2026, after an application process initiated by the English Whisky Guild in February 2022. The new GI provides legal recognition and a defined production specification for English whisky, marking a significant milestone for the country’s rapidly expanding distilling industry. England now has more than 70 active and planned whisky distilleries, including established producers such as Cotswolds, The Lakes Distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire and The English Distillery. However, the definition of single malt has emerged as the central point of disagreement. Critics argue that the English specification permits whisky to qualify as single malt when distillation takes place at one distillery, even if other production stages occur elsewhere. The SWA maintains that this departs from established expectations associated with the term and could weaken consumer understanding of single malt whisky. The association has described the decision as a significant concern and, alongside the Irish Whiskey Association and Welsh Whisky Association, has questioned aspects of the approval process and the potential application of the rules. Wendy Chamberlain, chair of the Scotch Whisky All-Party Parliamentary Group, had also raised concerns about the proposed definition before the GI was announced. The English Whisky Guild, meanwhile, believes the GI will strengthen the category’s identity and provide greater clarity for consumers, retailers and international buyers. Its specification requires UK-grown cereals and locally sourced water while allowing maturation in different types of wood, giving producers flexibility to develop distinctive styles. The rules have also prompted debate among English distillers over production methods. Following industry feedback, DEFRA broadened the permitted distillation methods to include hybrid pot-column stills. Nevertheless, some producers believe certain technical requirements remain open to interpretation. The dispute has wider implications for international spirits markets, where geographical indications and product definitions influence branding, exports and consumer confidence. English whisky has gained recognition in recent years, including The Lakes Distillery winning a World’s Best Single Malt award in 2022. With the GI currently in force, the SWA’s appeal could shape how English single malt is defined and marketed, potentially influencing competition and labelling standards across the global whisky industry.

Johnnie Walker is strengthening its strategy in the luxury whisky market with the launch of Johnnie Walker Vault, a new permanent expression of Scotch whisky with a recommended retail price of £1,100 per bottle. The launch was announced on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in London. The new whisky was developed by master blender Emma Walker and brings together exceptional whiskies from Scotland, including spirits sourced from historic distilleries that ceased operations for decades. The arrival of Johnnie Walker Vault also coincides with a period of recovery for the brand. During fiscal year 2026, which ended on June 30, Johnnie Walker’s global organic net sales increased by 2%, while its organic volume grew by 3%, according to Diageo’s preliminary financial results. The contrast is significant because the company’s total organic sales declined by 2% during the same period, primarily affected by challenges in the U.S. market and categories such as premium tequila. What is Johnnie Walker Vault, Diageo’s new luxury whisky? Johnnie Walker Vault is the first permanent prestige whisky developed under the Vault concept, a brand initiative that brings together some of Diageo’s most exclusive whisky reserves. Its name comes from the creative space located beneath the streets of Edinburgh, inside The Johnnie Walker Experience, where the company maintains a selection of 500 whiskies sourced from rare reserves and historic distilleries. This collection is personally curated and refreshed by Emma Walker, who, in her role as master blender, has access to an inventory of more than 10 million casks of Scotch whisky. To develop the new expression, Walker combined malts from different generations, including reserves from Brora, a distillery that closed in 1983 and later resumed operations. The blend incorporates Brora whisky produced before the distillery’s closure, alongside younger spirits distilled after its reopening. According to Johnnie Walker, this marks the first time these more recent Brora reserves have been used in a creation of this kind. The new expression seeks to bring together historic and contemporary spirits in a single bottle, representing different eras of Scotch whisky production. How much does Johnnie Walker Vault cost and where is it sold? Johnnie Walker Vault has a recommended retail price of £1,100 per bottle. Sales begin on October 14, 2026, and at launch, availability is limited to three retail channels: - Harrods, in London. - The Johnnie Walker Experience, in Edinburgh. - The Justerini & Brooks online store, through justerinis.com. Its limited distribution and premium price position Johnnie Walker Vault within the luxury whisky segment, above the brand’s standard portfolio expressions. This positioning allows Diageo to expand its offering to high-value spirits consumers, although the company has not disclosed sales or revenue projections attributable to the launch. What makes the new Johnnie Walker Vault whisky different? The main distinguishing feature of the new Johnnie Walker Vault is its composition, which combines historic and contemporary Scotch whisky reserves. The selection includes malts from so-called ghost distilleries, distilleries that ceased production for certain periods and whose older whisky stocks are limited. In the case of Brora, the new blend combines spirits produced before 1983 with others distilled after the distillery resumed operations. According to the tasting notes released by the company, Johnnie Walker Vault features aromas of salted caramel, wildflowers, barley, and toasted oak. On the palate, the brand describes notes of vanilla, almonds, Scottish raspberries, tropical fruits, and oak, with a finish featuring hints of apricot and spices. Beyond its characteristics, the launch also reflects a differentiation strategy built around provenance, distillery heritage, and access to rare whisky inventories. How did Johnnie Walker perform in Diageo’s 2026 financial results? The launch of Johnnie Walker Vault follows a fiscal year in which the brand managed to maintain growth despite the challenges facing Diageo. Johnnie Walker increased its organic net sales by 2% and organic volume by 3%, while reported sales rose by 4%. Its performance was positive compared with other brands in the group. Don Julio recorded a 14% organic decline, Crown Royal fell by 15%, and Casamigos decreased by 25%. Guinness and Buchanan’s, meanwhile, achieved organic sales growth of 12%. For Diageo, Johnnie Walker represents one of its most important international brands, particularly because of its presence across different price segments and markets. According to the corporate information released alongside the launch, the Johnnie Walker portfolio exceeds 19 million cases sold annually, with the brand present in more than 180 countries. The range includes Red Label, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years, and Blue Label, among other expressions.

Johnnie Walker Vault is a new luxury blended Scotch from Master Blender Dr Emma Walker, launched on 14 October 2026 as Johnnie Walker’s first permanent prestige whisky. At its core are two generations of Brora: highly aged whisky distilled before the distillery closed in 1983, and, for the first time in any Johnnie Walker blend, young Brora filled after its revival. Port Dundas, Cardhu and Clynelish complete the blend. It is bottled at 43.8% ABV in a 70cl cube-shaped bottle and costs £1,100, available at Harrods, The Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh and Justerini & Brooks online. Most whiskies built from the Johnnie Walker Vault arrive as numbered decanters and are gone within a season. This one is staying. Johnnie Walker Vault is the first permanent bottling to carry the name of Emma Walker’s private blending room beneath Edinburgh’s Princes Street. And it is built around a whisky story no one could have told five years ago: old Brora and new Brora, in the same glass. What is Johnnie Walker Vault? Johnnie Walker Vault is a blended Scotch whisky drawn exclusively from the Vault reserves, the rotating library of rare and ghost-distillery stock that Emma Walker curates in Edinburgh. Unlike the Vault collaborations that came before it, it is not a limited run. It joins the range as a permanent expression positioned above Blue Label. Key facts - Type: Blended Scotch whisky - ABV: 43.8% - Bottle size: 70cl - Age statement: None (NAS) - Core components: Pre-1983 Brora, post-revival Brora, Port Dundas, Cardhu, Clynelish - Price: £1,100 RRSP - Release date: 14 October 2026 - Availability: Harrods (London), The Johnnie Walker Experience (Edinburgh), justerinis.com - Edition: Permanent, not limited Two generations of Brora at the heart of the blend Brora sits in the village of the same name on Scotland’s north-east Highland coast. It closed in 1983, and for almost four decades its whisky existed only as a dwindling stock of old casks. Diageo restored the distillery and brought it back into production in 2021. That timeline is exactly what makes this blend interesting. Emma Walker has combined highly aged Brora, put to cask before the 1983 closure, with younger Brora from casks filled after the revival. According to Johnnie Walker, it is the first time the new-era Brora has ever been used in one of its blends. In practice, that means a spread of roughly four decades between the oldest and youngest Brora in the bottle. For anyone who has followed the distillery’s story, a side-by-side of past and present Brora character inside a single blend is a genuinely new thing. The supporting cast: Port Dundas, Cardhu and Clynelish Johnnie Walker describes Brora as the core, with three distilleries built around it. Port Dundas, the Glasgow grain distillery that closed in 2010, brings the second ghost-distillery element and, according to the brand, a sweet caramel warmth. Cardhu, the Speyside distillery the Walker family bought in 1893, is the historic heart of Johnnie Walker blends and adds bright fruit. Clynelish, Brora’s next-door neighbour, adds texture and a coastal note. The Clynelish choice makes a lot of sense. The modern Clynelish distillery was built beside the original in the late 1960s, and the old site was later renamed Brora. Putting the two side by side in one blend is a neat bit of family reunion. The Vault beneath Princes Street The name comes from the blending atelier hidden beneath The Johnnie Walker Experience at 145 Princes Street in Edinburgh. At any given time it holds around 500 whiskies from Diageo’s rare and ghost stocks, personally curated and rotated by Emma Walker from the more than 10 million casks she has access to as Master Blender. We have spent real time at 145 Princes Street across several of the Experience’s tastings, and the building’s whole philosophy is about showing how a blend is assembled from individual distillery characters. Johnnie Walker Vault is that idea taken to its most extreme end. What we learned tasting the Couture Blend with Emma Walker Earlier this year we were in London to taste the Johnnie Walker Couture Blend with Emma Walker herself, and she walked us through every whisky that went into it. What stayed with us was how clearly the components came through in the finished dram. You could follow the individual whiskies and still end up with something that worked as a whole, and it was a genuinely delicious glass. That is the hardest trick in blending, and it is why we are paying close attention to this one. The difference is scale. The Couture Blend was a 1,500-decanter collaboration with Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing. Johnnie Walker Vault is the same Vault-led approach turned into something Johnnie Walker intends to keep making. Johnnie Walker Vault tasting notes (official) We have not tasted Johnnie Walker Vault yet. The notes below are Johnnie Walker’s own, taken from the launch materials. Nose: Butterscotch, salted caramel, wildflowers, fragrant barley, toasted oak, a whisper of driftwood bonfire Palate: Vanilla, chopped almonds, frangipane tart, Scottish raspberries, tropical fruit, subtle incense, charred oak, malty sweetness, vintage leather and tobacco Finish: Long and structured, with apricot, sweet raspberry and crème anglaise, rounded by gentle warming spice ABV: 43.8% | Bottle: 70cl | Price: £1,100 The brand frames the profile as Emma Walker’s portrait of Scotland, from Highland summer meadows on the nose to the smoke of a North Sea beach fire. Coming from Brora and Clynelish country, that coastal note is the one we are most curious to find. A cube bottle borrowed from the Blue Label archive The bottle is a structured cube, based on a historic Blue Label archive bottle and reworked with sharper architectural lines. It is closed with a sculpted gold wave stopper meant to suggest whisky moving through the blending process. Bespoke engraving is offered at select locations. Price and availability Johnnie Walker Vault is on sale from 14 October 2026 at £1,100 for a 70cl bottle. It is available exclusively in three places: Harrods in London, The Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street in Edinburgh, and online through Justerini & Brooks at justerinis.com. No international retail allocation has been announced yet. Readers outside the UK, in the rest of Europe, should check Justerini & Brooks’ delivery terms directly or plan a visit to Edinburgh or London. We will update this piece if wider distribution is confirmed. Is Johnnie Walker Vault worth £1,100? We will hold back on a verdict on the liquid until we have it in the glass. What we can say is who this is for. If you are a Brora follower, this is one of very few ways to taste pre-closure and post-revival Brora in the same bottle, and at a price well below what single bottles of old Brora command. Thats a distillery we have on the bucket list to visit. Would be a dream visit at the distillery. If you collect Johnnie Walker at the top of the range, this is the first permanent step above Blue Label, with a story rooted in Scotland rather than a fashion collaboration. If you want a single malt Brora experience, or a whisky with an age statement you can benchmark, this is not that bottle. It is a blender’s whisky, and its value lies in how Emma Walker has put those pieces together. Based on how well the Couture Blend’s components came together when we tasted it with her in London, we have high expectations. Frequently asked questions What is Johnnie Walker Vault? Johnnie Walker Vault is a luxury blended Scotch whisky created by Master Blender Dr Emma Walker and launched on 14 October 2026. It is drawn from the Vault reserves beneath Edinburgh’s Princes Street and is Johnnie Walker’s first permanent prestige whisky. Its core is old and new Brora, with Port Dundas, Cardhu and Clynelish. What whiskies are in Johnnie Walker Vault? The blend is built around two generations of Brora: highly aged whisky distilled before the distillery closed in 1983, and younger Br

Scotch Whisky Group Urges Britain to Cut Spirits Duty After Tax Rises Failed to Lift Revenue The industry says a 17% excise increase over three years left Treasury receipts £94 million lower in 2025/26. Wednesday, October 14, 2026 The Scotch Whisky Association is urging the UK government to cut excise duty on spirits in the Oct. 28 budget after a 17% increase in the tax over the past three years, saying higher rates are adding pressure on producers while failing to bring in more money for the Treasury. The industry group, which represents Scotch whisky producers, made the case in a September budget submission and in a public campaign launched ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s autumn statement. The association did not set out the size of the cut it wants, but it asked the government to lower spirits duty and stop widening what it calls the tax gap between spirits and other alcoholic drinks. The push comes as the industry faces weaker global demand, high domestic costs and the aftereffects of trade disputes in some of its largest export markets. In its submission, the association said jobs were being cut and investment delayed as companies dealt with higher operating costs, including taxes and regulatory charges. It argued that a tax reduction at home would give producers and hospitality businesses short-term relief while recent export gains take longer to feed through. The association said HM Treasury collected £4.059 billion in spirits excise duty in the 2025/26 fiscal year, £94 million less than in 2024/25, despite repeated tax increases. It also said the outturn was far below earlier official expectations. Citing Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts, the group said projected spirits duty receipts for 2028/29 had been revised down to £4.4 billion in March 2026 from £6.2 billion in November 2023, a difference of £1.8 billion, or 29%, for the same year. Those figures are central to the industry’s argument that higher rates do not automatically produce higher tax revenue. The association pointed to earlier periods when duty was frozen or cut and receipts still rose, including a 44% increase in spirits revenue between 1998/99 and 2007/08 during a long freeze, a 4% increase after a 2% duty cut in 2015, and a 20% increase during the 2017-2022 freeze. Those comparisons are part of the group’s effort to persuade the Treasury to put more weight on actual receipts than on what it describes as overstated forecasts. A second part of the lobbying effort focuses on how the current alcohol duty system treats different drinks. The present strength-based system was introduced in 2023 under the previous Conservative government. The Scotch Whisky Association says the changes did not remove old distortions and in some cases made them larger. In the group’s figures, duty is now £33.99 per liter of pure alcohol on spirits, compared with £30.62 for wine, £19.45 for draught beer and £10.39 for cider. It says a 40% ABV Scotch whisky therefore pays about 1.7 times the duty per liter of alcohol paid by draught beer, up from 1.5 times before the reform. The group also argues that the current structure does not reflect how drinks are consumed. It says a serving of whisky or a spirit-based cocktail often contains one or two UK units of alcohol, while an average-strength pint contains about 2.6 units, yet spirits are taxed more heavily. One of the examples in the submission compares a 25-milliliter measure of Scotch whisky at 40%, which the association says carries about 34 pence of duty, with a pint of 6.7% cider that can attract the same duty under draught relief despite containing about 3.8 units of alcohol. That complaint is tied to the hospitality sector. The association said spirits account for 38% of alcohol profits in UK bars, pubs and restaurants, even though they represent 18% of alcohol units sold. It argues that the draught relief system favors beer and cider because standard spirits are usually sold from 70-centiliter to 100-centiliter bottles rather than from taps, leaving whisky and other spirits outside a tax break meant to help the on-trade. The group wants the Treasury either to change that relief or create a comparable route for bottle-served spirits. The budget submission also asks the government to use its wider review of the alcohol duty system to reduce differences between categories over the course of this Parliament. As a first step, the association wants equal duty rates for all drinks in the 3.5% to 8.4% ABV band, including spirit-based ready-to-drink products. It says producers of those drinks now face an 18% tax premium against beer and a 156% premium against cider for the same alcohol content. The tax campaign is aimed at a sector with broad weight in the Scottish and UK economies. The association says the Scotch whisky industry adds £7.1 billion a year in gross value to the UK economy and supports more than 65,000 jobs across agriculture, packaging, logistics, retail, tourism and hospitality. Of those jobs, it says more than 41,000 are in Scotland and about 25,000 are elsewhere in the UK. Around 70% of UK spirits are distilled in Scotland, according to the submission, and about 90% of the barley used by the Scotch whisky industry is sourced there. Distilleries and visitor centers drew 2.7 million visits in 2024, the group said. The domestic market matters even for an export-heavy industry. Scotch whisky exports were worth £5.4 billion in 2025, making it the UK’s largest food and drink export, according to the association. But the UK remains the industry’s fifth-largest market, which is why the group says tax policy at home directly affects investment, pricing and the strength of supply chains. The industry’s appeal comes as trade conditions abroad are improving after several difficult years. The association said export volumes to the United States fell 15% in 2025 after a 10% tariff imposed in April of that year hit Scotch whisky’s most valuable overseas market. It welcomed the removal of that tariff, while noting that recovery in sales may take time. It also pointed to lower tariffs in India, where the rate on Scotch whisky has been cut from 150% to 75% under the UK-India trade deal, with a further reduction to 40% planned over the next 10 years, and to China’s cut in its tariff on Scotch whisky from 10% to 5% earlier this year. | More information | |---| | (PDF)Scotch Whisky Industry Demands Tax Cuts |

Johnnie Walker Vault pays tribute to the home of Scotch with the launch of its first permanent prestige whisky Master Blender Dr. Emma Walker captures her love letter to Scotland in a new pioneering blend of creativity, craft and mastery Johnnie Walker, the world�s leading Scotch whisky 1, is today announcing the launch of a new luxury blended Scotch Whisky: Johnnie Walker Vault, crafted from some of Scotland�s most exceptional whiskies, resulting in the brand�s ultimate expression of blending artistry. The new blend gets its name from the creative atelier hidden deep beneath the streets of Edinburgh, at The Johnnie Walker Experience. The Johnnie Walker Vault holds, at any given time, a selection of 500 whiskies from Diageo�s rare and ghost stocks, personally curated and rotated by Dr. Emma Walker to showcase the very best of the more than 10 million casks of Scotch available to her as Master Blender, providing an unrivalled palette from which she has created the new expression. Driven by legacy and the progressive vision of those who came before her, Dr. Walker has layered legendary single malts from ghost distilleries with contemporary malts that have never been tasted in a creation that artfully balances past and future. Fusing a highly aged Brora, put to cask before the distillery closed in 1983, with the first ever use of younger Brora, from casks filled following the distillery�s revival after decades of dormancy, Dr. Walker has created a unique expression of extraordinary history and depth. Crafted as an homage to the country she calls home, Johnnie Walker Vault is Dr. Emma Walker�s love letter to Scotland, written in whisky. With whispers of the Highlands and the muffled rhythm of the North Sea, the new whisky is firmly rooted in the Scottish landscape, each note carefully chosen to reflect places, memories and moments. Dr. Emma Walker, Johnnie Walker Master Blender, said: �Johnnie Walker Vault is what I�ve called my love letter to Scotland - a truly special country to which I hold a deep connection. The creation of this whisky - a hand-selected blend of our extraordinary whiskies from across Scotland � is my way to express that" Johnnie Walker Vault is available exclusively at Harrods in London, The Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh and online at www.justerinis.com from 14th October for an RRSP of �1,100 per bottle. Further information can be found at https://www.johnniewalker.com/en-gb/vault. NOTES This press alert is not directed at persons under the legal consumption or buying age for alcohol and is not directed to countries with restrictions related to advertising of alcoholic beverages. Johnnie Walker Vault Tasting Notes On the nose, the new Johnnie Walker Vault expression greets you with hints of butterscotch and salted caramel that give way to summer in the Highlands with wildflowers, green hills and fragrant barley before developing into toasted oak and a whisper of distinct driftwood bonfire. On the palate, notes of vanilla, chopped almonds, frangipane tarte and Scottish raspberries build to elegant tropical fruits against a backdrop of subtle incense and rich charred oak, and finally malty sweetness greets you before slowly fading into hints of vintage leather and tobacco. There is a structured finish with well-integrated flavours of apricot and sweet raspberry and a hint of cr�me anglaise that�s balanced by gentle warming spices and a rich complexity. About Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is the world�s number 1 Scotch Whisky brand* (IWSR 2024 & the world�s number one International Spirits Brand* (IWSR 2026), enjoyed by people in over 180 countries around the world. Since the time of its founder, John Walker, those who blend its whiskies have pursued flavour and quality above all else. Today�s range of award-winning whiskies includes Johnnie Walker Red Label, Blonde, Black Label, Double Black, Green Label, Gold Label Reserve, Aged 18 Years, and Blue Label. Together they account for over 19 million cases sold annually (IWSR, 2026). Johnnie Walker is also the number one best-selling Scotch and number one trending Scotch (Drinks International, 2025). *In value 2023 About Diageo Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B and Buchanan�s whiskies, Smirnoff and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in nearly 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO). For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo�s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Crafting iconic drinks chosen for life�s moments. ( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/6/362824/362824-1.jpg ) WebWireID362824 This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted. News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.

Last year, Robb Report was invited to visit the Johnnie Walker Vault, the basement of the brand home in Edinburgh where you can create your own bespoke blend under the guidance of master blender Dr. Emma Walker. Today the brand announced the launch of a new high-end whisky that shares its name with that whisky lab—Johnnie Walker Vault, a blend that includes single malt from ghost distillery Brora. Johnnie Walker is the most recognized name in blended scotch, not to mention one of most popular in terms of sales, combining malt and grain whisky drawn from more than 10 million casks distilled at Diageo’s 31 distilleries across Scotland. The Vault at Princes Street currently holds a selection of 500 whiskies selected by Walker from some of the rarest casks across the portfolio, and she chose a select few to combine for this new release, which will become a permanent prestige expression in the lineup. That includes whisky from Brora, which as mentioned before is a ghost distillery that closed its doors in 1983. The distillery actually reopened in 2021, but of course the whisky being made there now is very different from what is in the leftover casks, which are still being matured and monitored by Diageo. Brora single malt has become highly collectible over the years due to its quality and limited availability, so the inclusion of this whisky in a blend is always a moment of which to take note. And, for the first time, whisky from the newly reopened Brora is also included in the blend, aged for just a few years but included to provide its own specific character to the whisky. “Johnnie Walker Vault is what I’ve called my love letter to Scotland—a truly special country to which I hold a deep connection,” said Walker in a statement. “The creation of this whisky, a hand-selected blend of our extraordinary whiskies from across Scotland, is my way to express that.” We did not get to sample the liquid, but official tasting notes detail vanilla, almond, raspberry, gentle smoke, charred oak, leather, and tobacco on the palate. It’s bottled at 43.8 percent ABV and comes in a cube-shaped bottle which was inspired by an old Blue Label design. This is a very limited release, so it will only be available at a few select locations—Harrods in London, the Johnnie Walker Experience in Edinburgh, and online from Justerini & Brooks—with a price tag of £1,100 (about $1,500) per bottle.

Researchers find stronger whisky fermentation could cut distillery emissions by up to 16% Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have found that producing a stronger alcoholic liquid before distillation could make Scotch malt whisky production more efficient by cutting energy use, carbon emissions and volume of liquid residues. Researchers at Heriot-Watt University have found that producing a stronger alcoholic liquid before distillation could make Scotch malt whisky production more efficient by cutting energy use, carbon emissions and volume of liquid residues. This study highlights the potential environmental and operational benefits of stronger wash/ Dr Shiwen Zhuang Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling The study, led by Dr Shiwen Zhuang from the University's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, is the first to measure how increasing wash strength from the industry standard of around 8% alcohol by volume (ABV) to between 10% and 14% ABV could affect the efficiency and environmental impact of Scotch malt whisky production. The wash is the liquid created after the fermentation of a sweet cereal-based liquid known as wort. Yeast is added to the cooled wort, converting the sugars into alcohol and producing a beer-like liquid called wash. The wash is then transferred to the wash still, where the first stage of distillation concentrates the alcohol and begins refining the flavours that will ultimately define the whisky. Using a model that reflects real-world fermentation and traditional two-pot distillation, the researchers found that increasing wash strength to 14% ABV could reduce energy use and carbon emissions by around 16% for every litre of pure alcohol produced. This approach could also cut pot ale volumes, the nutrient-rich liquid remaining after the first distillation, by 55% and reduce spent lees, the liquid remaining after the second distillation, by more than 30%, significantly lowering liquid residues from the distillation process. The findings come as the Scotch whisky industry works towards net zero targets and looks for new ways to improve efficiency while maintaining production levels. Dr Shiwen Zhuang, Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, said: "This study highlights the potential environmental and operational benefits of stronger wash. These benefits could be achieved in different ways. Existing distilleries may be able to increase output without expanding fermentation capacity, while new or growing distilleries could produce the same amount of whisky using smaller equipment and lower processing volumes.” Dr Jane White, Assistant Professor at Heriot-Watt's International Centre for Brewing and Distilling and co-author of the study, said “The study also identified potential economic benefits. Lower volumes of pot ale and spent lees could reduce handling, transport and treatment costs, while maintaining the concentration of valuable materials that could be recovered and reused from these residues.” The authors note that challenges remain before stronger wash can be widely adopted. Producing higher levels of fermentable sugars may require new approaches to mashing, while the effects on yeast performance, flavour development and the wider production process need further study. Despite these challenges, the findings to date provide a useful framework for exploring ways to make Scotch whisky production more sustainable. The research was published in the Journal of the Institute of Brewing and was carried out by Dr Shiwen Zhuang, Dr Jane White and Professor Chris Boulton. The research also reflects Heriot-Watt University's wider commitment to supporting the long-term resilience and sustainability of the brewing and distilling sector through its proposed Centre for Brewing and Distilling (CABD). Building on more than a century of brewing and distilling education and research, the Centre will bring together industry, researchers and students to help businesses test new technologies, improve resource efficiency and develop the skills needed to respond to changing environmental, technological and market pressures. Heriot-Watt is now building on the research through a new PhD project to validate the predicted energy, carbon and resource savings and investigate the impact of stronger fermentation on spirit quality, helping to support the Scotch whisky sector's journey to net zero.