SB’s most-read stories in November

November was awash with limited edition Bourbons, and The Spirits Business readers couldn’t get enough.

But it wasn’t just American whiskies in the top-read stories last month, with both Scotch and Irish launches grabbing the attention of our audience, as well as a high-profile executive announcement.

Keep scrolling to discover what caught the interest of our readers in November.

Speyside Distillers gets go ahead for new site

It was all eyes on Speyside this month as a new distillery in the Cairngorms National Park was granted planning permission.

The new development will be located in Laggan, near the Spey Dam, and will include a marketing suite, distillery, powerhouse, offices and maturation warehouses.

William Grant names new CEO

Early in November, Glenfiddich owner William Grant & Sons appointed Søren Hagh as its new chief executive officer.

Hagh will take over from Glenn Gordon on New Year’s Day, with Gordon remaining as a non-executive director of the board.

Bushmills releases fourth Causeway Collection

In the first of our top Irish whiskey stories this month, Bushmills revealed a nine-strong list of single malts.

The expressions range in age from 10 to 23 years old, with the fourth edition of the Causeway Collection receiving a new bottle and pack design.

The Dalmore reveals Vintage 2005 and 2008 whiskies

In the first of two stories about limited edition Scotch duos to make our most-read list this month, The Dalmore released the third edition of its Vintage Collection with a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old.

The whiskies selected for the Vintage Collection are chosen by the casks that shine during the distillery’s annual cask inspection week in November — a tradition that dates back more than 50 years.

Ardbeg debuts Rollercoaster set for €100,000

The big bucks drew in big clicks for Ardbeg, who released a limited edition pair of single malts taken from turbulent times in the distillery’s history.

One whisky was distilled in March 1981, when the distillery closed, and the other in October 1989, when it was reopened under new ownership. The revival has clearly lasted, with this story hitting it big with our readers more than 30 years on.

Jameson teams up with Cillian Murphy

Actor Cillian Murphy and whiskey brand Jameson certainly had the luck of the Irish this month, with the news of their collaboration making our top 10.

The Pernod Ricard-owned brand launched a global marketing campaign called ‘Must be a Jameson’, with the advert series narrated by Murphy and directed by Oscar-nominated writer-director Bryan Buckley.

Glenmorangie reimagines its sweetest whisky

It appears our readers were sweet on this sweet whisky from Glenmorangie, which is a reimagining of the brand’s former Nectar d’Or.

The Nectar bears a 16-year-old age statement. It was aged for 14 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished for an additional two years in a range of sweet white wine casks.

Talisker finishes whisky in ice-fractured casks

Talisker Glacial Edge 45-Year-Old is the final release in a ‘wild’ whisky-making series, which saw the Isle of Skye-based transport casks to Canada, where they were exposed to Arctic winds for 96 hours.

Talisker said that the process increased the surface area of the casks, allowing the whisky to interact with the wood even more than usual.

Old Forester Bourbon sells out in 14 minutes

Brown-Forman-owned Old Forester released 150 decanters of a 12.5-year-old Bourbon that were bottled to celebrate its anniversary in 2020, with the release selling out before we’d even published our story about the launch.

Those 150 lucky buyers will collect their purchase directly from the distillery on 5 December, the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. They’ll also receive a private tour of the distillery and enjoy cocktails with members of the Brown family.

Buffalo Trace releases oldest Eagle Rare ever

Eagle Rare 25 is the first release from Warehouse P, one of Buffalo Trace’s two experimental warehouses, where the brand tests how a variety of factors such as barrel char levels, temperature, airflow, light, and barrel placement impact ageing and maturation.

Only 200 bottles have been released, and each one will set you back US$10,000.