The year 2024 was full of surprises in the world of whisky. While some distilleries and brands celebrated milestone years, others were riddled with misfortune, leading to closures.

Here are our top 10 picks for the most talked-about news stories from the whisky industry in 2024.

200th Anniversaries

The year 2024 was a cause of celebration for six Scottish distilleries: The Glenlivet, The Macallan, Fettercairn, Miltonduff, Cardhu and Balmenach. These six distilleries were among the first to acquire a distilling license after passing the Excise Act in 1823 to tackle illicit distilling in Scotland.

While distilleries like Miltonduff and Balmenach hardly celebrated the milestone, others such as The Macallan and Glenlivet went all in for their bicentenary.

The Macallan started its '200 Years Young' campaign as soon as the year began. During the year, the distillery partnered with Cirque du Soleil to offer distillery experiences and special releases and released its Time: Space collection of two expressions, including its oldest single malt to date and the oldest whisky ever bottled: an 84-year-old.

The Glenlivet celebrated its 200th anniversary with a limited edition label for its 12-year-old expression and rare over 50-year-old whiskies. In February, the distillery offered a 12-bottle The Twelve Elements collection of 50-year-old whiskies to launch The Whisky Exchange Cabinet, a high-end whisky platform. This was followed by the oldest single malt release - The Glenlivet Eternal Collection, First Edition 55-year-old - in September. To make the celebration even more special, the distillery also released a one-off bottle of the 55-year-old for Sotheby's in October: The Glenlivet 55 Years Old, 200th Year Anniversary Edition.

Fettercairn, on the other hand, released a set of six single malts with a combined age of 200 years. The Anniversary Collection includes whiskies ranging from three to 60 years old, featuring the distillery's youngest and oldest single malts.

Images by The Macallan, The Glenlivet & Fettercairn

Bimber Distillery Owner Arrest

In February, the UK whisky world was shaken by the news of the arrest and upcoming extradition to Poland of the founder and owner of London-based Bimber distillery, Dariusz Plazewski. As it turned out, Plazewski - real name Lucasz Ratajewski - had fled Poland 20 years prior after being handed a three-year jail term for possession of a handgun. In addition, Polish prosecutors requested his extradition to stand trial for conspiracy to attempt murder and supplying drugs.

Soon after the news broke about his arrest, Plazewski relinquished his responsibilities as the head of Bimber and the company's new Dunphail distillery in Scotland, leaving Bimber co-founder Ewelina Chruszczyk and Dunphail director of whisky creation Matt McKay in charge. As expected, both distilleries have worked hard this year to distance themselves from Plazewski, who is no longer associated with the company.

Image by Scotchwhisky.com

John Glaser Leaves Compass Box

In February, John Glaser, a whisky pioneer and founder of Compass Box, announced his exit after more than 20 years of service. Glaser founded Compass Box in 2000 and is credited with reinventing the blended whisky category and introducing the first blended grain to the market.

He exited the company—now owned by Caelum Capital—in May 2024, although Glaser remained a shareholder.

Image by WhiskyCast

Reopening of Port Ellen & Rosebank

2024 marked a milestone in resurrecting two iconic Scottish distilleries: Port Ellen and Rosebank.

Port Ellen distillery on the isle of Islay was closed in 1983, and the license was returned in 1992. The original warehouses and the distillery were demolished in 1999. The resurrection and rebuild of the distillery was announced in 2017 by owner Diageo, with initial plans to commence production in 2020. Due to several delays, the distillery wasn't officially reopened until 19 March 2024.

Rosebank was closed in 1993 and officially reopened to the public on 7 June 2024. Owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, the new distillery ran for the first time in 30 years almost a year earlier in July 2023, following the filling of the first cask, 001, on 18 July.

Images by Port Ellen & Rosebank

Glendronach Rebranding

As the last of three distilleries, given a brand update by owner Brown-Forman, Glendronach single malt has long been revered by whisky enthusiasts. Known for its sherried style, the distillery's new 'modern' look could be considered controversial, making the branding more generic, including the removal of the expressions' names.

In addition to the 12, 15 and 18-year-old core range age statement single malts, the distillery also introduced a new Master's Anthology Collection of non-age statement expressions in early December.

Other notable rebrandings in 2024 include Highland Park and Scapa.

Original Images by Glendronach

Mackmyra Distillery Bankruptcy

Swedish Mackmyra distillery filed for bankruptcy on 19 August 2024. Fortunately, the distillery was 'saved' by a former board member and lead lender Lennart Hero and investment firm No.1 Capital on 11 October. The distillery was established in 1999 and celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.

Image by Mackmyra

Edrington Sells Famous Grouse

On 23 September 2024, Edrington announced it had agreed to sell its Scotch blended whisky brands The Famous Grouse and Naked Malt to William Grant & Sons. Sold through Edrington's subsidiary, The 1887 Company Ltd, the brands will change ownership for an undisclosed sum, subject to customary regulatory approvals, including from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority.

The sale marks a turning point for Edrington as it exits the blended whisky market to focus on high-end single malts.

Image by The Whisky Ardvark

Waterford Distillery Closure

On 28 November 2024, the Irish Waterford distillery entered administration after failing to secure funding. The distillery was founded in 2015 by Mark Reynier, who confirmed the rumours on X (Twitter). Interpath Advisory confirmed that HSBC appointed Mark Degnan and Daryll McKenna as receivers for Waterford. Distillation at the site had been stopped before this move.

According to Reynier, 'the fight' to save Waterford is not over. In an interview with Whisky Magazine, Reynier reflected on the reasons for the distillery's closure: “We borrowed to distil more than we needed, a strategic reserve, if you will — insurance against future crises. What I didn’t foresee was a global pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by war, and soaring interest rates.”

Earlier this year, the company also closed down its rum distillery in Grenada, producing spirit for its Renegade rum.

Image by Whisky Invest Direct

Campari Acquires a Share in CVH Spirits

On 17 September 2024, Campari Group completed its purchase of a 14.5% minority in the South African company Capevin Holdings, more commonly known as CVH Spirits, which is part of the newly formed Heineken Beverages. The CVH Spirits subsidiary was created in 2023 to manage the company's Scottish whisky portfolio after Heineken acquired Distell and the company's underling Burn Stewart.

CVH Spirits manages a wide whisky portfolio, including Bunnahabhain, Deanston, and Tobermory distilleries and blended whisky brands Black Bottle and Scottish Leader. Campari Group already owns the Glen Grant distillery in Speyside.

Image by The Whisky Ardvark

American Single Malt Recognition

In July 2022, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) announced its proposed guidelines for American single malt whisky. After more than two years of deliberation, TTB finally gave its verdict and officially recognised American single malt as a category with certain criteria on 13 December 2024. The new guidelines were published on 18 December and are expected to take effect on 19 January 2025.

So far, only one American distiller, Brother Justus, has opposed the new guidelines.

Image by The Whisky Ardvark

Extra News: Indri Owner - Convicted Killer

On 8 December, The Sunday Post released its investigation findings regarding Manu Sharma, now known as Siddharth Sharma, the owner of Piccadily Distilleries in India. Sharma was convicted of the murder of model Jessica Lal, which took place on 30 April 1999. He and three of his friends walked into an unlicensed bar demanding alcohol. When Lal refused to serve them because the bar had run out, Sharma fired a pistol at the ceiling and then again into her head, killing her.

Coming from a wealthy family, Sharma was initially acquitted, but due to public outcry, he was found guilty of the murder. After 14 years, he was released from prison in 2020 due to 'good behaviour', after which he embarked on a mission to make money in whisky.

In addition to the distillery in India, Sharma is also involved with the £15 million distillery development by Portavadie Distillers and Blenders in Scotland, which was approved by the local council in late 2024.

Image by Asianet Newsable

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