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Box High Coast Distillery:
This Swedish distillery, founded in 2010, is one of the world’s most northerly. Their focus is single malt whisky in the Scottish style, but it’s their approach that’s refreshing. Nearly every detail about the production of Box whiskies is available via their website, and their experiments with maturation, particular Swedish oak, are steadily creating some fascinating results. -
Chichibu Distillery:
Ichiro Akuto’s Chichibu Distillery is one of the reasons why we’re all so obsessed with Japanese whisky at the moment. Constructed around a decade ago – on a much smaller scale to the larger Suntory and Nikka distilleries – the whiskies produced at Chichibu, under the Ichiro’s Malts range, show an obsessive fascination with every part of the whisky making process. From in-house malting, to maturation in different cask types, and even heavily peated expressions, Chichibu provides an amazing window into why Japanese whisky is so highly regarded. -
Ardnamurchan Distillery:
There’s plenty of innovation happening in the Scottish whisky scene at present. But one of the most exciting new entrants is the Ardnamurchan Distillery on the Scottish west coast. It was built by Adelphi, one of Scotland’s most highly regarded independent bottlers, and is set to become Scotland’s first distillery to run entirely on renewable energy thanks to a hydro-electricity generator. The first release from the distillery arrived in Australia in the last few weeks, and at 18 months old, it already shows serious depth and complexity. If you’re a collector, get your hands on a bottle. -
Teeling Whiskey Company:
The Teeling Whiskey Company is one of Ireland’s most impressive new distilling ventures. It was founded by Jack Teeling in 2012, and with the help of brother Stephen, the pair constructed the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in 2015 – Dublin’s first new whiskey distillery in 125 years. They’ve brought a fresh perspective to the Irish whiskey category, releasing a range of intriguing expressions – single malt, single grain, blends, etc – sourced from established Irish distillers. But their Irish single pot still whiskey, due for release a few years down the track, is being eagerly awaited by traditional Irish whiskey fans. -
Compass Box Whisky:
The team at Compass Box have been riling Scotch whisky authorities since they first started released their own unique expressions in the early 2000s. Blending is the core of their business, and the range of esteemed blends they’ve put together over the years testifies to their skill and acumen. From approachable whiskies like the widely available Great King Street series, through to their more limited bottlings – one of the most intriguing being their new Double Single bottling – Compass Box represent the pinnacle of the blender’s art. -
Amrut Distilleries:
India’s Amrut Distillery has quickly turned into one of Asia’s most interesting distilleries. Amrut single malts have received rave reviews in recent years, with their experimental single casks, in particular, winning serious praise. They’ve even released their very own rye whisky to add to the suite of other spirits they produce, and their big, flavourful whiskies will certainly appeal to those with a penchant for Scottish malts. -
Great Southern Distilling Company:
This Western Australian distilling company, founded by Cameron Syme in 2004, has gone from strength to the strength in recent years. Their Limeburners single malts have won awards the world over, but not content with that, they’ve also produced unique rye and corn whiskies which are starting to mature into seriously fine drops. -
New World Whisky Distillery:
The Melbourne-based New World Whisky Distillery has quickly established itself as one of Australia’s leading whisky producers. They’ve developed a passionate local following in the process, and their ambition to take their Starward malt whisky brand to the world is starting to take shape. The distillery is also hosting events especially for World Whisky Day, so book a ticket if you’re in the area. -
Puni Distillery:
Since the Puni Distillery’s founding in 2010, Italy’s first dedicated whisky producer has been determined to forge its own path. Not only are they maturing their whisky in a range of different casks – ex-peated, marsala and even pinot nero barrels – but their interpretation of malt whisky has also turned heads internationally. Using malted rye and wheat on top of the traditional barely, they’re whisky has its own distinctive flavour, which is getting better all time as it matures. -
Balcones Distilling:
With so many great distilleries in the US, it’s not easy to stand out. But that’s something the Balcones Distillery in Waco, Texas has never struggled with. Their single malt whiskies are some of the finest to come out of the US, but they’ve also developed a cult following for their experimental corn whiskies, particularly the Brimstone, which uses corn smoked with Texas scrub oak. It’s a complete original, much like the distillery. -
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Any of you clever folk celebrating World Whisky Day this weekend? If you haven't heard, there's now a global day dedicated to whisky. It's Saturday May 20, and so vital have these days become to the modern imbiber's calendar of events, I sometimes wonder how we used to enjoy a drink without them.
World Whisky Day (WWD) was founded in 2012 by Blair Bowman, a young Scot who saw World Gin Day taking off and decided the juniper fiends were having way too fun; whisky needed its own day, too.
Bowman sold the event to Hot Rum Cow in 2015, an Edinburgh-based drinks magazine run by a content marketing agency, and there are now hundreds of events marking the day in over 30 countries – and almost 30 in Australia alone.
Refreshingly, WWD celebrates whiskies made right around the globe, an approach this correspondent genuinely commends (to restore balance to the force, the Scots even responded this year with the inaugural International Scotch Day).
Of course, we should naturally tip our hats to the Scots on such a day. After all, it was the success of blended Scotch that transformed whisky into a global spirit in the last century (Australia was actually pivotal in this development, being the biggest export market for Scotch pre-World War II).
Today, an international brigade of innovators are enriching the whisky category with their own styles and cultures. So while you should rightfully charge your glasses with your old favourites this weekend, in the spirit of the event, it's worth keeping an eye out for the brands and distilleries driving the category forward this century.
Check out the gallery above for some of the most innovative whiskies from around the globe.
And to find an Australian World Whisky Day event near you, visit the website.