Distillery and Whisky News January 2025 - Benromach
Hello whisky lovers, and welcome to our January edition of Distillery and Whisky News.
Happy New Year to all our loyal readers, we hope you've had a great festive break and are now looking forward to whatever 2025 may bring. Hopefully lots of distillery trips, and some new malts to try...
If you like to kick off a new year by getting lots of 'dates in the diary' let us help you, visit DistilleryTours.scot and choose one of our bespoke tours with destinations like Islay and Speyside all well covered.
Sláinte and Lang May Your Lum Reek!
Distillery Of The Month: Benromach Distillery
Benromach is a traditional Speyside distillery owned by a family of whisky-lovers intent on making single malt the right way with true character.
They like to keep things simple with a handful of distillers relying entirely on their expertise and senses to make the finest handmade whisky; Speyside single malt matured exclusively in first-fill casks, with a subtly smoky character. It takes just four ingredients – barley, water, yeast and a human touch.
All casks are hand-filled, individually weighed, stencilled by hand and stowed in traditional dunnage warehouses. Why? Because at Benromach they believe making whisky by hand guarantees genuine character.
The distillery's Mastery Tour sounds a cracker, an in-depth tour and tutored tasting featuring exclusive whiskies that are hand selected by your host, all whilst delving into the history and whisky processes of Benromach.
Find out more about Benromach Distillery at its dedicated pages on the DistilleryTours.scot website.
Venue of the Month: Inverurie Whisky Shop
Much more than just a shop, the Inverurie Whisky Shop offers the complete experience when it comes to whisky. The Shop itself is home to more than 500 whiskies from across the globe, including their own exclusive whisky collection only available at the Shop. But that's the tip of the iceberg.
In addition, they host tastings in the Shop, at your home, your workplace, or wherever you'd like them to be. They arrange tours of distilleries in the Aberdeenshire and Speyside areas, including stop offs at hidden beauty spots for a quick refill of fine whisky. Their Private Bar above the Shop is available for hire, which is completely flexible and can be tailored to suit your occasion.
But the icing on the cake for us, is their Highland Whisky Academy - a week long holiday, including accommodation and travel, to immerse yourself in the world of Scottish whisky. Exploring distilleries and learning from the masters of the art of whisky making, whilst unmasking secrets and stories from the Aberdeenshire and Speyside whisky communities.
We rather love their quote - "a behind the scenes experience that will have you arriving with whisky on your mind, but leaving with it in your heart."
Find out more about Inverurie Whisky Shop on its dedicated page at the DistilleryTours website.
Date With A Dram: Caol Ila Distillery
For January's Date With A Dram competition we've teamed up with Caol Ila Distillery to offer you the chance to win a bottle of their Distillers Edition Single Malt.
Competition Time
To be in with a chance of winning a bottle of Caol Ila's Distillers Edition simply follow DistilleryTours.scot on Facebook or Instagram and share our 'Date with a Dram' post dated 1 January. The lucky winner will be chosen at random and announced in our February newsletter!
Congratulations to Zoe Grey from the north of England who won December's competition - a bottle of Glengoyne Distillery's Teapot Dram.
You must be 18 years old or over to enter. Please note, will never approach you for your credit card details or personal information, send you friend requests or ask you to click on a link. Please stay safe online and remember to drink responsibly.
DistilleryTours Podcast
In this episode we speak to Libby-Jo Dempster, Visitor Centre Team Leader at Tomatin Distillery.
Libby Jo tells us about Tomatin’s long and illustrious history, once the largest distillery in the world in the mid 70s it was producing some 12.5 million litres of alcohol in a year! The 23 stills used back then have since become a more modest 12 - with the focus of the distillery now very much quality over quantity as evidenced in the variety of delicious malts Libby also talks us through.
Malt of the Month: Tullibardine 10 Year Old Single Malt
For our Malt of the Month we learn more about Whisky52's Exclusive Tullibardine 10 Year Old Single Malt.
From its home at the foot of the Ochil Hills in Perthshire, Tullibardine Distillery brings a world-exclusive single malt Scotch whisky, hand selected for Whisky52 by distillery manager Mike Elliott.
Perfect Serve: Chivas Regal 18 Old Fashioned
The Perfect Serve will titillate your tastebuds with a delicious whisky cocktail featured every month...
A perfect winter warmer cocktail. The combination of the Chivas Regal 18 dried fruit and dark chocolate flavours, with the sweet brown sugar, chocolate bitters, and fresh citrus from the orange peel, create a balanced and very easy drinking cocktail.
Get Burns Day Ready...
'Freedom and Whisky gang thegither' are the famous words of Scotland's Bard, in association with The Robert Burns World Federation. We're delighted to say, for every product sold, a donation will be made to the Federation to educate, celebrate and support the memory of Robert Burns. Get yours in time for Burns Night on 25 January!
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