Uisge Beatha
The Great Scotch Whisky Swindle
Published 09/11/2025
The Scotch whisky industry is under threat from fraudulent cask investment schemes that sell overpriced teaspooned, or even non-existent barrels to unwary buyers. Poor documentation, misleading advertising, and weak regulation have left thousands at risk. Tighter oversight and transparency is needed, to stop an unsuspecting public from being conned. Scotch whisky is an industry built on patience. The sort of patience that makes monks look impulsive, glaciers look hurried, and people waiting for their printer to cooperate look positively zen.
The Great Scotch Whisky Swindle
The Keepers of the Quaich: Basically a ‘Whisky Knighthood’
Published 05/11/2025
The Keepers of the Quaich is an invitation-only society founded in 1988 to recognize people who have made significant contributions to Scotch whisky. With about 2,800 members from over 100 countries, it holds formal induction banquets twice a year at Blair Castle in Scotland. Members must have at least seven years in the whisky world, and select veterans are later elevated to the title of Master of the Quaich. The group’s symbol is the traditional two-handled whisky cup, and its motto translates to “Water of Life Forever.
The Keepers of the Quaich: Basically a ‘Whisky Knighthood’
What Is a Dunnage Warehouse?
Published 01/02/2024
A dunnage warehouse is the old-school, traditional type of whisky warehouse. The kind that appears on every distillery tour as if it were a living museum exhibit entitled “How Whisky Used to Be Stored Back Before Anyone Invented Practicality.” You may even have sipped a glass in one, feeling very authentic and slightly chilly. They are charming, atmospheric, and largely abandoned in favour of something less poetic and more sensible, because they are about as efficient as a Glasgow pub lock-in on a Monday morning.
What Is a Dunnage Warehouse?