Julie Sheppard

1 week ago | decanter.com | Julie Sheppard

The proverb says that mighty oaks grow from tiny acorns. For South Africa’s Boekenhoutskloof, it’s a different type of tree… The boekenhout (pronounced book-n-howed) is an indigenous Cape beech. Literally translated as ‘ravine of the boekenhout’, Boekenhoutskloof was named for these beeches, growing in the furthest southern corner of scenic Franschhoek Valley. The pretty Cape Dutch farmstead, founded in 1776, butts up against the Hottentots Holland Mountains.

1 week ago | decanter.com | Julie Sheppard

Bourbon lovers in the UK can now get their hands on exclusive single barrels, as Sazerac Company has expanded its Sazerac Barrel Select (SBS) programme outside the US for the first time. SBS is a membership-based initiative that invites individuals and small groups to choose and purchase their own single barrel of whiskey. A number of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon barrels have been reserved for the UK, in addition to the existing allocation for the US, where 170,000 people are signed up.

1 month ago | decanter.com | Julie Sheppard

Tailor-made whiskyA new Scotch whisky bottler has released its debut single malt collection. Based in Leith, Tailored Spirits Co launched last year. Its inaugural range, the Experimental Series, is made up of three limited-edition Highland bottlings of one-off micro-batch experiments. Experiment 1 Croftengea Loch Lomond 7 Year Old is a heavily peated malt matured in a first-fill 35L oloroso Sherry American oak ‘bloodtub’ (Alcohol 58.8%, £59.50/50cl, 52 bottles produced).

1 month ago | decanter.com | Julie Sheppard

Speyside producer The Glenrothes has unveiled The 51, its oldest-ever release since the distillery was founded in 1879. A blend of two casks, aged for 51 years, the release is limited to just 100 bottles globally, priced at £37,000 ($46,500). Unusually however, buyers will not be able to see the bottle they are purchasing. Each one is encased in a solid, sustainably sourced Jesmonite column. This means The 51 is the first whisky in the world that can only be accessed by destroying its packaging.

1 month ago | decanter.com | Julie Sheppard

For the latest Decanter reader event, we’re shining a light on the southern hemisphere – specifically on the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. Star of the show will be Journey’s End, established by the Gabb family in 1995. Nestled at the furthest eastern corner of Stellenbosch and overlooking False Bay, Journey’s End is the closest winery in the region to the sea.