Winery SuntoryAkadama Sweet White

Recent figures have provided more evidence of major players in the fine wine trade developing their presence in the rare whisky market. Auction houses Sotheby’s and Zachys have reported record spirits sales for 2022, while UK-based merchant Bordeaux Index said in January that the secondary market for rare whisky remains ‘exceptionally strong’. Fellow merchant Goedhuis & Co also reported whisky sales up by 20% in value in 2022, led by Scotch. The reports come as a new Decant ...

The family-owned company, which has supplied the Royal Family since the reign of King George III, is celebrating its 325th anniversary this year. It is the UK’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, but it continues to innovate, and it now plans to capitalise on the growing demand for luxury spirits. The Spirits Shop will open on the corner of St James’s Street, close to the company’s flagship store at 63 Pall Mall. Geordie Willis, who serves as the brand experiences and creative director at Berry B ...

Described by Courvoisier as ‘daring’, ‘visionary’ and ‘a first-of-its-kind collaboration’, Courvoisier Mizunara was created by the house’s recently-retired maître de chai, Patrice Pinet, and Shinji Fukuyo, chief blender of Japanese whisky maker Suntory. The project dates back to 2015, when the president of Suntory visited Courvoisier at Jarnac shortly after Suntory took over Beam Global, the Cognac house’s then owner, in a deal worth US$16bn. Pinet expressed an interest in experimenting with miz ...