Whisky News: 10 October 2026
Three stories worth knowing about this Friday: a cult Islay series makes a comeback after more than ten years, Scotch whisky is getting cheaper in India as a landmark trade deal starts to bite, and the Scotch Whisky Association has now formally joined the fight against the English Whisky GI.
Bowmore's Devil's Casks Returns After More Than a Decade
Bowmore has announced the return of The Devil's Casks, a series that earned a devoted following when it first appeared between 2013 and 2015 and has been a collector's conversation piece ever since. The new releases will be available exclusively through The Whisky Shop.
Two expressions make up the revival. The Devil's Casks 10 Year Old (56.6% ABV) is a 2026 interpretation of the original, matured in first-fill Oloroso Sherry casks and finished in first-fill Pedro Ximénez casks. The Devil's Casks 22 Year Old (59.6% ABV) is made from two casks that survived from the original series and have been maturing for a further decade in first-fill Oloroso and PX Sherry casks, with a final finish in refill Oloroso.
Both expressions are cask strength and carry the signature character that made the originals memorable: dark fruit, treacle, and chocolate layered over Bowmore's coastal peat smoke and maritime salinity.
The name comes from one of Islay's more colourful bits of folklore. The devil is said to have fled into Bowmore Distillery to escape locals chasing him from The Round Church in the village, and to have escaped inside a whisky cask bound for the mainland. Whether that particular cask ever turned up is not recorded.
Dr Calum Fraser, Master Blender at Suntory Global Spirits, said the revival was a chance to "explore what made those original whiskies so distinctive, while offering Bowmore devotees the chance to once again experience these gone, yet far from forgotten, gems."
The 10 Year Old and the 22 Year Old are both available from The Whisky Shop.
Scotch Prices Are Falling in India
The first real-world effects of the UK-India trade deal are now showing up on Indian drinks-shop shelves. Since the duty on Scotch whisky was cut from 150% to 75% on 15 July, retail prices of major brands have dropped by between 10% and 15% in a number of states.
The reductions have already taken effect in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Goa and Uttar Pradesh, with more states expected to follow. A 75cl bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label is now reported to be available for around £30 in some markets, down from roughly £33. J&B has reportedly fallen from around £18 to £13.
Pernod Ricard has applied to regional governments to reduce prices on The Glenlivet, Ballantine's and Chivas Regal. India sets alcohol prices at state level rather than nationally, which means the rollout is gradual rather than uniform.
This is only the beginning. Under the terms of the agreement, the tariff is scheduled to fall from 75% to 40% over the next decade. Diageo had previously projected price cuts of between 7% and 9% on a nationally weighted basis for its bottled-in-origin whiskies. Analysts watching the Indian market expect the cuts to intensify competition with domestic Indian single malts, which have grown substantially in recent years and are priced to compete.
For Scotch producers, India has long been one of the most promising but most restricted large markets in the world. Getting the price closer to what a local whisky costs is the first step toward finding out just how large the appetite actually is.
The SWA and Whisky Industry Bodies Launch a Joint Appeal Against the English Whisky GI
Yesterday was a busy day for the English Whisky GI dispute. The Scotch Whisky Association formally appealed the UK government's recent approval of the English Whisky geographical indication, and was joined in a joint statement by the Irish Whiskey Association and the Welsh Whisky Association. The three bodies said they had hoped to reach "a mutually beneficial resolution" but remained concerned about what they described as "inconsistencies" in the GI's approval.
At the heart of the SWA's objection is a clause in the English single malt specification that allows mashing and fermentation to take place away from the distillery. A producer could use wort from a brewery rather than carrying out the full process on site. The SWA argues this breaks "the crucial connection with single site and place" that defines single malt as a category. Their proposal is that whisky made this way should be labelled as "English Malt Whisky" rather than "single malt English whisky," with a transition period for existing producers.
The English Whisky Guild pushed back. CEO Morag Garden said the GI "codifies existing practices" in the industry, pointing out that England's first modern whisky in 2003 used wort from St Austell Brewery. She also noted that the English standard requires the use of exclusively UK-grown grain, a commitment no other whisky standard demands, and argued that the opposition was "somewhat over the top."
According to Garden, the mashing-and-fermentation flexibility is only relevant to around 12 of England's 70 distilleries.
The dispute is still live. It follows the separate appeals lodged earlier this week by Spirit of Birmingham and Circumstance Distillery in Bristol over the copper still requirement. Both of those turned on a different clause in the same GI. The English Whisky GI, introduced by Defra on 11 September after more than six years of work from the Guild, is now facing challenges from multiple directions simultaneously.
Sources
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All three stories today are rooted in the Scotch world. If you are in the mood for something to wear while you follow the news, the Scotland Collection has you covered.
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