OWC A new wine term to get used to - Blouge.... Blouge wine is a relatively new wine style that sits between red and white wine. The name 'blouge' comes from the French words blanc (white) and rouge (red). It is usually made by fermenting or blending red and white grapes together, creating a wine that combines the freshness of a white with some of the fruit and structure of a red. Typically served chilled, Blouge provides easy-drinking freshness of a white with the gentle red-fruit character of a light red. It differs from Rosé, which is usually made from red grapes with limited skin contact.
OWC In its most recent competition, the 2025 SIP Awards gave the top prize of Best Single Malt Scotch to Port Charlotte 10, a ten-year-old, heavily peated expression produced by the Bruichladdich Distillery on Islay. Typically available for under £50 a bottle, this is an unapologetically bold malt that holds earthy, smoldering smoke in its nose and a seaweed-inspired brine in its oily body.
OWC An article in the Independent newspaper has highlighted that the price of a pint in London has reached over £10. A number of high-end bars are now charging £10 or more for draught or bottled beer. Stanley’s rooftop bar in Mayfair is one of many establishments that has hiked the cost of its beer. A pint of Moretti or Heineken is sold at £11, while a half pint is going for £8. Guinness is sold at £10 a pint, according to the menu for the bar, attached to the Chesterfield hotel. The cost of bottled beer is even steeper; the Connaught Grill in Mayfair is charging £12.50 for a 330ml bottle of Noam lager or Curious IPA.
OWC Diageo’s Luxury Group has unveiled its first five-bottle collection in the new Rare Series, featuring 55-year-old Glenury Royal – the company’s oldest single malt bottling to date. The new collection from the drink giant’s luxury division celebrates Scotland’s rich whisky heritage, featuring expressions from all regions across the country. Julie Bramham, managing director of Diageo Luxury Group, said: "Rare Series is an ode to Scotland’s rich whisky heritage and its enduring influence on the world of luxury, where rarity is not created, but revealed over time." The whiskies come from Diageo’s extensive inventory, which boasts over 10 million casks and more than 30 distilleries in Scotland.
OWC A dedicated English wine grower has used candles in his vineyards to keep frost at bay on really chilly nights. Robert Kalisiak, 42, who owns the Wolds Wine Estate near Keyworth, Nottinghamshire, said "he had been camping out in his two vineyards overnight to monitor the 350 candles he lights to protect his grapes from frost. Freezing overnight temperatures between mid‑April and late May can damage new shoots across his 4,000 vines, and once shoots are damaged, regrowth is delayed, which leads to lower yields and poorer‑quality grapes". His worst case scenario is that he wouldn't make any wine this year, which would be devastating to his business. Robert confirmed that "Lighting candles takes about an hour and you camp out from midnight to around 6:00 BST."
OWC Liquidators have been appointed to a Scottish whisky merchants company. Whisky Merchants Trading Limited has now been placed into liquidation by administrators, Griffins. The firm collapsed into administration plunging thousands of cask investors into uncertainty. It comes after some of the firm’s assets were sold and the new owner has been working to reunite casks with owners. The administrators said the cask investment business was rescued with the sale of key assets to Edinburgh. Cask Management (Resolution) Limited.
OWC In a bold move that blends rock legend with Provençal tradition, Queen has launched its first-ever wine: a vibrant Côtes de Provence Rosé led by drummer Roger Taylor. Released on 5 May 2026, the new cuvée marks the band’s entry into the world of fine wine, bringing five decades of creative excellence and showmanship to the vineyard. Presentation matches the quality inside. The wine comes in a striking pyramid-punted bottle with refined proportions, tactile detailing, and an elegant glass stopper that stands out on any table or shelf. At £18 per bottle, it is now available across the UK through major retailers and the official Queen Wines website, making it accessible to both longtime fans and new wine enthusiasts.
OWC Archaeologists Were Examining a Tomb—and Found a 2,300-Year-Old Bottle of Beer. The beer, made from cereal grains and masterfully fermented, was remarkably well-preserved for its age. Excavations inside Tomb M39 at the Shanjiabo cemetery—roughly a mile from the Qin Great Wall—revealed a bronze bottle containing a hefty 15 cups of 2,300-year-old beer, incredibly well sealed and preserved within the tomb. In a study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, a team investigated the contents of the bottled alcoholic beverage, which is dated between 547 and 221 B.C.E. The researchers’ goal was to better understand how beer brewing was practiced during the time of the Qin state.
OWC Less than a decade ago, England's beer businesses were booming. In 2017 alone, 317 breweries were incorporated. Across the UK 320 businesses shut last year, Companies House data shows. Yet only 170 opened, resulting in a net loss of 150. The net loss has continued this year. As of April, the number of UK beer brewing companies fell to 2,320. It peaked at 2,594 in 2022. Tim Webb, from the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), explained the domination of big brands is one of the main issues. "The big problem that breweries have got, and it is getting worse, is access to market, The problem, which is really happening everywhere across Europe, is large brewery companies owning the draught lines in pubs." An other aspect of the decline is that smaller breweries are also blocked from supermarket sales due to price undercutting.
OWC The World’s ‘oldest’ bottle of Scotch is returning to auction. A bottle of whisky believed to have been distilled almost 200 years ago is set to return to the market for the first time since its landmark sale in 2023. In 2022, 24 bottles of whisky believed to have been crafted nearly two centuries ago were found behind a hidden cellar door at Blair Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Records discovered alongside the bottles indicated the whisky had been casked in 1833 and bottled in 1841, before being rebottled in 1932. Should these dates be accurate, this would mean the bottles contain the oldest known (by vintage) Scotch whisky left in existence. The original auction achieved almost £400,000 (US$535,732) in total sales and established the Blair Castle whisky as one of the ‘most significant Scotch discoveries’ in recent years.
