July, 2011

A new scientific device created by researchers at Strathclyde University makes the detection of fake whisky quicker and easier.

The new handheld device means that investigators can test whisky straight away, rather than sending samples to a lab.

Professor David Littlejohn, who lead the research in the Pure & Applied Chemistry Department at Strathclyde University, says the system will help Scotch Whisky to counter black-market dealers, who cost the industry millions in lost revenue and reputation.

Hush Heath, one of the UK’s finest rosé sparkling wine producers, is to open its doors on 25 August to the public for the first time.

Opening one morning a month from April to September, visitors will be able to walk around the original vineyards and orchard before being shown the new winery. The visit will finish with a tutored tasting in the calm sophistication of the winery tasting room.

For your chance to win tickets, visit our Competitions page.

After a "silent season" which is lengthy even by the standards of the Scotch Whisky Industry, work has begun on the reconstruction of the Annandale Distillery, located in the south of Dumfries-shire just a few miles from Gretna and the border with England.  If all goes to plan, the first spirit to be distilled for over 90 years will appear towards the end of 2012, with the launch of an eight year old whisky in 2020.

Originally built around 1830, the distillery operated independently until around 1896. From then until 1920 it was owned by Johnnie Walker, and provided a peaty style of malt to go into the famous Johnnie Walker blends.

Calling all cider drinkers from across the West – do you have any old cider mugs that might have been part of the collection at the Shepton Cider Mill? If so, Kate Wilson, a ceramic artist from Somerset, is keen to get her hands on them for some serious analysis. As the first person to take a PhD in cider mugs at Bath Spa university (purely on the collection found at Shepton), her specific areas of interest include why some cider mugs have more than one handle, and how they were used throughout history as satirical mirror on the social politics of the day.