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Historic exterior of Scotch Malt Whisky Society Vaults, Leith, Edinburgh, photographed in 2020 for story on the Society's first blended Scotch.

SMWS Reveals First Blended Scotch as Black Velvet Marks 75 Years and Mull Liqueur Goes on Sale

Writer: Filip Janczak
Filip Janczak
24 hours ago
5 min read

GLOBAL WHISKY & SPIRITS NEWS | Tuesday 27 October 2026 | Editorial cutoff: 08:30 GMT | Whisky Clan editorial


The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has released its first full blended Scotch, Black Velvet has unveiled four age-stated Canadian whiskies, and a limited Inchgower bottling has fresh coverage. Romania is pairing unusual local wine casks with a conservation pledge, while a whey-derived cream liqueur from Mull reaches its advertised on-sale date today.


We distinguish Monday's new reports from today's sale dates and releases scheduled for November, and link to Whisky Clan guides where relevant.


In today's edition




Scotch: an SMWS first and a sherry-cask Inchgower


The Scotch Malt Whisky Society publishes its first full blended Scotch


On Monday 26 October, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society announced The Blender's Notebook, Heresy Batch 44. It is the club's first full blended Scotch whisky, mixing malt and grain rather than following its best-known single-cask tradition. The 18-year-old blend is bottled at 50% ABV and comprises roughly 70% malt whisky and 30% grain.


The Society describes a recipe drawing approximately 60% from sherry casks and 40% from bourbon casks. Components include some 27-year-old grain whisky, but the overall age statement remains 18 years. It is offered to Society members, with an EU listing around €102; prices and availability vary across markets.


The significance is historical as well as commercial: a society founded in 1983 around single-cask discovery is asking its members to reconsider the craft of blending. The cover shows its Edinburgh Vaults in 2020, not the new release.


Saltire Rare Malt's Inchgower Cigar Malt draws on an Oloroso cask


Inchgower Distillery near Buckie, photographed from fields in July 1983 by Anne Burgess; historic image, not a photo of the new bottling.

Scottish independent bottler Saltire Rare Malt has drawn fresh attention to a 15-year-old Inchgower called Cigar Malt Edition 2. The company identifies cask 809262, distilled on 30 August 2010 and bottled on 25 June 2026. Matured in a first-fill Oloroso sherry hogshead, it yielded 298 bottles at 48.8% ABV with a listed UK price of £120.


The latest coverage is dated 26 October; the whisky was not distilled or bottled this week. 'Cigar Malt' is the bottler's style description, not a formal whisky classification. The distillery's story and regular range are covered in the Whisky Clan guide linked below.



Canada: Black Velvet's 75th anniversary collection


Four aged Black Velvet whiskies aim for US shelves in November


Heaven Hill-owned Black Velvet marked its 75th anniversary with an announcement reported on 26 October: four age-stated Canadian whiskies in a new Velvet Collection. The 12 Year-Old Signature and 12 Year-Old Tawny Port Finish are suggested at $20 each; the 15 Year-Old Select Rye Recipe at $30; and 20 Year-Old Legacy at $50.


The first three are 40% ABV and the 20-year-old is 45% ABV. Three expressions are planned for broad US distribution from November 2026, while the 15-year-old rye-focused blend is limited to selected markets. These are forthcoming retail releases, not products launched on 27 October.


Christie Brinkley returns as a campaign spokesperson decades after appearing in Black Velvet advertising. More broadly, the Lethbridge, Alberta brand is using long maturation and approachable pricing to reach beyond its familiar value-whisky audience.




Romania: wine-cask single malt with a conservation pledge


Carpathian Single Malt presents Tămâioasă Românească and Traminer editions


Alexandrion Group presented two limited Carpathian single malts on 23 October and distributed a fuller announcement on 26 October. Both were matured entirely in casks that previously held Romanian wine: Tămâioasă Românească for one whisky and Traminer for the other. Together they come from 12 casks and approximately 4,500 bottles; both are bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtration after roughly five years or longer.


The group describes these as world-first whisky maturations, which is a producer claim rather than an independently verified record. The interesting development is the emphasis on local wine styles beyond the usual ex-bourbon and sherry wood.


The group also says 10% of sales revenue from these editions will go to WeWilder, a WWF-Romania initiative working on European bison, wolves and their Carpathian habitats. This is a published forward-looking commitment, not evidence of payments already completed.


Mull: a cream liqueur's actual sale date is today


Isle of Mull Hebridean Cream Liqueur is due for sale on 27 October


Isle of Mull Cheese announced Hebridean Cream Liqueur on 14 October, but Tuesday 27 October is its advertised first sale date. Developed by Lily Reade at family-owned Sgriob-ruadh Dairy Farm and Distillery, the recipe uses aged spirit produced from whey left over from cheesemaking, combined with the farm's cream and oak influence.


The 17% ABV liqueur is a limited run of 600 50cl bottles at a recommended £29.99. The first 100 are planned with handmade gift bags, and sales are advertised online and at the Glass Barn Farm Shop. The announcement does not establish that stock is available at every point today.


This is a whey-derived cream liqueur, not single malt Scotch whisky. It illustrates a different way to use a farm by-product in the wider spirits trade, separate from Tobermory's whisky production on Mull.


Explore the island's separate whisky heritage in our Tobermory Distillery guide


What to watch next


Black Velvet's new four-bottle range is expected to reach American retailers during November, whereas Isle of Mull Cheese's first liqueur sale is scheduled for today. Look also for reaction from Scotch Malt Whisky Society members to its departure from single-cask tradition and further details about the Carpathian wildlife funding commitment.


For 26 October's genuinely separate stories, see our Glenfiddich, Still Austin and Belgian Owl news edition


Explore more from Whisky Clan


Read more about the independent-bottling distillery in our Inchgower history and range guide

Learn the background to Canada's anniversary release in our Black Velvet distillery guide

Catch up with last week's big stories in our 19–25 October whisky news roundup


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