Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round-up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way into our WFE email. Inbox features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Here is this week’s whisky news.
Compass Box
The independent bottling and blending company of Compass Box has revealed details of the 2026 edition of one of their most iconic whiskies. The Compass Box Hedonism 2026 Edition has been created by Angela D’Orazio, the Creative Director of Whiskymaking at Compass Box. Like all expressions of Hedonism the new whisky is a blended grain. It was groundbreaking when first released in 2000.
This year’s bottling features some of the oldest ever grain whisky components to be included in a Hedonism release. These include a 30-year-old from Strathclyde distillery, plus whiskies ranging from 20 to 24 years old from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. In addition, there is also a new sherry cask matured component and unique parcels of blended grain.
Compass Box Hedonism 2026 Edition features artwork by renowned artist Emma Hack. Hedonism traditionally features a different female artist each year and this year’s shows Scottish actor and film maker Karen Gillan as ‘The Muse’. The new whisky is released at 46% ABV and there are just 13,126 bottles. These are available to pre-order now from Master of Malt, with bottles released on February 24. A wider world release will occur in early March. A bottle will cost £90.
Glenfiddich
The world’s best selling and most awarded Scotch single malt has revealed a bold new identity for its labels and packaging. The family-owned Speyside distillery of Glenfiddich has redesigned to appeal to a contemporary audience. It is said to ‘balance timeless elegance with modern sophistication’. This includes refining the brand’s iconic stag logo and more prominence given to 1887, the distillery’s year of foundation.
The new look also includes a modern interpretation of a type face used on bottlings in the 1960s and an enhanced family crest and motto ‘Stand Fast’. This new Glenfiddich identity will adorn the Aston Martin Formula One™ team car in the 2026 season. The packaging design will roll out globally from April 2026, with further innovations to come. It will begin with the brands core domestic range, which features age statements at 12-, 15- and 18- Years Old.
Penderyn
The Welsh distillery and whisky brand of Penderyn has announced the launch of its first ever age statement single malts. This will kick off with a special limited edition 25 Years Old taken from a single ex-sherry butt. The Penderyn Barrel No.1 25 Years Old will be released on St. David’s Day (March 1). The sherry butt has yielded just 420 bottles.
The spirit was produced at the brand’s original Bannau Brycheiniog distillery in the Breacon Beacons and comes from the first ever cask filled. A bottle will cost £1,200/ US$1,635 and is available to pre-order from the Penderyn website. The new single cask will be joined by core small batch bottlings at 12-, 21- and 25- years of age in May 2026.
When Penderyn started 25 years ago, our ambition was clear: to bring back Welsh whisky and give it a voice on the world stage. We now have the depth of stock and maturity to do that with confidence. Our new aged statements are not about nostalgia – they’re about progression, patience and pride.
Stephen Davies | CEO at Penderyn.
