Renowned throughout Islay as a bon viveur, peat digger, sweater knitter extraordinaire and general Malt savant, BIG PEAT has been chosen as Douglas Laing’s latest ambassador in Travel Retail/Duty Free.

PEAT is seldom seen off the Island of Islay on the West coast of Scotland but has been granted permission and will shortly land in WDF’s World of Whiskies stores,

From being an unknown quantity less than a decade ago, Japanese single malt whisky has rapidly become the hottest property in the whisky market. The days when people - who had never tried any - sneered that it was simply a pale imitation of Scottish whisky have long gone. The reasons for this change are many.

Japan has been making whisky since the early 20th century, but the domestic demand for it was so large, that export was never considered as a necessity (unlike Scottish whisky which has always been export-oriented). It was only with the Asian financial crisis in 1996 and the subsequent collapse in domestic sales that Japanese distillers began to consider that overseas markets might be a way of dealing with their sudden stock surplus.

The greater availability of the whiskies internationally revealed a style which, while taking its lead from Scottish whisky, has developed its own aesthetic and its own unique flavours. These whiskies are a revelation.

Japan’s love affair with whisky started almost as soon as the port of Yokohama was opened to foreign trade 151 years ago. With that came Scottish whisky. By the beginning of the 20th century Japanese wine and spirit merchants were considering the possibility of making their own native version. Among them was Shinjiro Torii (whose form became found Suntory) who in 1923 built a distillery a few miles outside Kyoto in the small town of Yamazaki. Luckily he found the one person in Japan to have had first-hand experience of whisky making in Scotland, a young chemist called Masataka Taketsuru. (who went on to found Nikka).

Like Scottish whisky, Japanese whisky was founded on blends rather than single malt. To give the blenders a rich palette of flavours to work from, Yamazaki - and each subsequent distillery - was set up to produce many different style of whisky. Even today, Suntory’s Yamazaki, its sister distillery Hakushu; and Nikka’s duo - Yoichi and Miyagikyo - follow this remit making everything from heavily peated to unpeated and aging the spirit in a wide range of wood types, including the incense-heavy mizunara, or Japanese oak.

Although the Japanese distillers follow the Scottish template (and indeed get their malted barley from Scotland) there is a distinct difference to the final product. There is a purity of aroma, a transparency if you like, to Japanese whisky which you don’t find in Scottish whisky. Intense, precise and ordered they rarely have the cereal note which lies behind most single malt Scottish whiskies.

The approach to the flavour of single malt is different. In Scotland, single malt means a single distillery making one flavour of whisky. This means that the distiller in Scotland has to use age and different woods to create a range of different expressions of this single character. Not so at Yamazaki or Hakushu.

Because there are so any different flavours to draw from, each age statement contains a different mix of components. That is one reason why the zesty, fresh Yamazaki 10 year old is different to the succulently fruity 12 year old and it is different again to the lightly smoky, sherried 18 year old. The same applies to Hakushu which starts life as a cool, minty, grassy 10 years old, but by 25 years shows elegant antique shop aromas along with smoke.

View our Japanese whisky range here

We are proud to offer for pre-order these strictly limited edition Dalmore releases. The 58 year old Selene - Casks 1781 & 1782, filled on 7th June 1951 (Only 30 available worldwide) and the 50 year old Candela (Only 77 available worldwide).

Dalmore Selene

Provocative and pleasing, with the initial aroma of sultanas, ground coffee, chocolate praline and spicy orange. Next comes bramley apple, honeyed marzipan, sweet molasses and morello cherries, before whispers of caraway and Madeira cake complete the experience. This is your chance to taste time, so savour it well. Hold the spirit on the tongue to release first the flavours of ginger cake, spiced toffee, butterscotch and then coffee amaretto, roasted coffee and guava melon. Thick cut marmalade and citrus fruits, which are the hallmark of this classic malt, will linger seductively in the background throughout.

The Expression Story

Whilst sunlight burns, moonlight shines... - a characteristic we at The Dalmore value greatly. So what better name for this unique 58 year old expression than Selene, the Titan goddess of the moon? She, after all, was a shining example of all things tasteful, beautiful and divine. Characteristics we believe the Dalmore 58 year old shares in full.
Casks 1781 and 1782 were both filled on the same day, 7th June 1951, and then left slumbering deep our darkest warehouse where even moonlight never fell. After over half a century our master distiller deemed the time was right and combined their individual aromas, flavours and finishes in a unique creation worthy of the ancient gods themselves. We are proud to offer for pre-order these strictly limited edition Dalmore releases. The 58 year old Selene - Casks 1781 & 1782, filled on 7th June 1951 and the 50 year old Candela.

Dalmore Candela

Proud and majestic, the aroma of Selene tells you something magical and mystical is in the air. Lime, mandarin and grapefruit with hints of bergamot laced with thick plumy treacle, aged Matusalem sherry, ginger and spice captivate the senses.
Holding the spirit long in the mouth is the key to unlocking its many secrets. Tangy, thick cut marmalade, roasted coffee beans, spiced ground cinnamon, and chocolate cake are soon complemented by marinated plums, apricots and mangoes soaked in Port wine and dark muscovado sugar.
Wait a little longer and you’ll be rewarded by mocha, ground almonds, liquorice, and a dash of morello cherries.

The Candela Story

There are those that shine through enduring success and those that burn briefly before fading into the dim mists of time. It is in honour of the former that we proudly present The Dalmore 50 year old Candela.
Why Candela? Well, when it comes measuring the brilliance of brightness the Candela is the international standard. And whilst the brilliance of this 50 year old is immeasurable, it will be recognised internationally.
Selected from the oldest maturing stocks of any single Highland malt whisky, with spirit dating from 1868, 1878, 1909, 1926, 1939 and 1951, the Candela is set to become one of the most sought-after expressions the world has ever seen.

Pre-Order the Dalmore Selene

Pre-order the Dalmore Candela

If you would like to pre-order this please place your pre-order as normal, choose a pick up date and we will be in touch to verify the order and confirm a date that you would like to collect this.

We currently have the following numbers available:

Selene: 4, 5 and 9-11
Candela: 5-7 and 9-17

Handpicked exclusively for World of Whisky customers by the master blender of Dewars: Stephanie Macleod, our whisky expert: Charles Maclean and Mark Riches CEO of World Duty Free, we are excited to announce the launch of the Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Single Cask

Unique 18-year old maturation period

This fine Single Cask Malt Whisky sets itself apart from the Aberfeldy 12 Year Old and Aberfeldy 21 Year Old through its unique 18-year maturation period in natural oak and its distinctive flavour profile. Honeyed and fragrant with almonds, spicy vanilla, rich, dark sugar, and a little smoke, this single cask is exceptionally balanced and smooth. No other cask of Aberfeldy will share the same flavour profile of this special single cask. The Aberfeldy ‘Single Cask’ Single Malt is truly a rare whisky gift. Airport Price: £250.00

Only 240 individually numbered bottles available

Each Aberfeldy 18 Year Old Single Cask bottle is individually signed by our CEO Mark Riches and numbered and will be available on a first come first served basis.



Make sure you have pre ordered yours so you can collect on your next journey through one of our airports.

Available to pre-order now!

On Wednesday 7th October, World Duty Free (the parent company of The World of Whiskies) was recognised as ‘International  Spirits Retailer of the Year’ in a landmark win at the International Spirits Challenge Award ceremony, held this year at London's luxurious Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel. Put forward in the most highly competitive Retailer Award category, World Duty Free were nominated alongside Tesco (UK); Ahold (Netherlands); Sherry-Lehmann (New York, USA) and El Corte Ingles (Spain) and won the highly acclaimed prize.

The Retailer Awards category was introduced to International Spirits Challenge for the first time this year, as a way of recognising excellence in spirits retailing. Nominations in three categories; International Spirits Retailer of the Year, UK Multiple Spirits Retailer of the Year and UK Independent Spirits Retailer of the Year, were put forward by producers entering the competition. The ISC panel of judges were then asked their opinion and nominations before the final winners were elected.