Ian Rush's NINE Welsh Whisky: News Roundup With Bowmore
Six stories from the past few days: a Welsh single malt chosen by a football legend, a Bowmore design collaboration, a Speyside coppersmith honoured by the Scottish Whisky Awards, and news from Falkirk, Australia and Japan.
Ian Rush launches NINE, a nine-year-old Welsh single malt, with Penderyn
Penderyn Distillery has teamed up with former Liverpool and Wales striker Ian Rush to launch NINE. It is a nine-year-old Welsh single malt matured in Tawny port casks, and Rush travelled to Penderyn to take part in selecting the liquid. The name and the age statement both nod to the number nine shirt he wore.
The bottle has a gold finish and was designed by threebrand, based in Leith, Edinburgh. Launch activity is centred on Llandudno, Chester and the wider North Wales and Merseyside area.
Bowmore and Snarkitecture release two limited edition Captivo whiskies
Bowmore has announced two limited edition 20 year old single malts made with the New York design studio Snarkitecture. Captivo Sherry Cask Pursuit is 51.8% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon and Oloroso sherry casks and finished in Oloroso sherry hogsheads. It is a global travel retail exclusive, due in China, India and South Korea from November 2026, with an RRP of $380.
Captivo Oak Voyage is 50.8% ABV, matured in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry butts. It is on sale now from the Bowmore website and selected retailers at £312. The bottle designs come from Snarkitecture co-founder Alex Mustonen.
Source: The Whisky Wire, 20 October 2026
Richard Forsyth OBE receives the 2026 Dr Jim Swan Award
The Scottish Whisky Awards has named Richard Forsyth OBE, Chairman of Forsyths, as this year's Dr Jim Swan Award recipient. Forsyths is the family business in Rothes, Speyside, known for handcrafted copper stills and complete distillery installations. Richard began as an apprentice coppersmith in 1968, and the firm's stills now operate in distilleries around the world.
The award will be presented at the 8th annual Scottish Whisky Awards on Thursday 26 November 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central.
Rosebank Distillery opens its Falkirk venue for corporate hire
Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk has launched a corporate hire offering for meetings and events. The distillery reopened in 2024 after a major restoration, and the new service covers private meeting rooms, conference facilities and exclusive venue hire.
The glass-fronted still house and restored warehouses can host events for up to 80 guests. The Rosebank Academy and Lounge Rooms take up to 18 delegates for meetings and up to 40 for conferences. Tours and tastings can be added to private events.
Source: Larder Magazine, 21 October 2026
Chris Hemsworth and Archie Rose prepare an international rollout
Archie Rose Distilling Co., founded in Sydney in 2014 by Will Edwards, now has actor Chris Hemsworth as co-owner. To support its move beyond the Australian market, the distillery appointed the studio Thirst to create a new identity and packaging.
The result is a canteen-inspired bottle with a dappled glass surface and a torn-edge label, holding a new collection of three Australian whiskies co-created with Hemsworth. Design Week reports that these whiskies mark the start of a wider rollout.
Source: Design Week, 23 October 2026
A six-day Karuizawa whisky tour is planned for Japan in 2027
Shishi-Iwa House in Nagano Prefecture will run its first Whisky Tour, The Best of Japan, from 24 February to 1 March 2027. The line-up of rare bottles includes a 1972 Karuizawa Sherry Cask number 7290 (36 years old, 528 bottles, 65% ABV), a 1986 Mars Komagatake White Oak Single Cask (30 years old, 1,137 bottles, 61% ABV) and a 1965 Springbank Samaroli Aging Monography (23 years old, 660 bottles, 50% ABV).
The programme also includes local dining, a farm visit and an onsen bath. The original Karuizawa distillery was founded in 1955 and closed in 2011.
Sources
Image credit: "Penderyn Distillery 2014" by JTreg62, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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