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The Spirits Business

Top 10 most popular whisky distilleries in 2024.

An updated list of the UK and Ireland’s most loved whisky distilleries has been released – did your favourite make the top 10?

The Cask Connoisseur – run by Luke Slater, beer connoisseur, Chris Walster, whisky connoisseur, and Isobel Walster, marketing connoisseur – created its first list last year , with Cotswolds Distillery in England taking the top spot.

As with last year’s list, the founders looked at the number of Google ratings and reviews, the number of Tripadvisor ratings and reviews, and social media metrics covering Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. If data was unavailable, a score of 0 was given.

The index considered an additional 72 distilleries this year, reaching a grand total of 298. While last year’s scores were given out of 2,310, the increased number of distilleries meant the ‘distillery popularity index’ is now marked out of 3,576.

Sadly no distilleries from Wales made the top spot, with Penderyn falling short at 11th position. Northern Ireland was also not represented in the upper echelons, with Copeland Distillery at number 31.

The data was compiled in May 2024 – but which distillery came out as the most popular? Scroll down to find out.

10. Tomatin Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,773

It’ll come as no surprise to many that the top 10 list is dominated by distilleries in Scotland, with Highland brand Tomatin just managing to squeeze in at number 10. Last year it only managed to just scrape into the top 100, ranking at 93rd.

The distillery dates to 1897, but the original site closed in 1906. Fortunately, it reopened in 1909 and thrived until 1984 – when, despite being the largest and most efficient malt distillery in Scotland, it closed yet again. Tomatin’s third chapter began in 1986, and it has helped revive other whisky brands, including the Antiquary – as well as kicking off new lines, including Cù Bòcan .

9. Stirling Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,791

Stirling Distillery was a new entry to the list this year, as the site began producing whisky only in 2023, following a successful eight years creating gin. It’s believed to be the first time whisky has been made in Stirling since 1852. The new-make spirit will be ready in 2027 – which is sure to drive the distillery’s popularity further.

8. Glenmorangie Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,833

Highland distillery Glenmorangie made an impressive leap from 57th spot to eighth in this year’s list. The site in the Royal Burgh of Tain was established in 1843, but the Lighthouse – an innovation centre – opened in 2021 following a multi-million-pound investment. The distillery is famous for its ‘giraffe-high’ stills, whose unusual height could be a major draw for visitors. Plus, the brand operates its own hotel, Glenmorangie House, where ‘every playful detail of our opulent hotel tells our whisky’s story.’

7. Laphroaig Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,891

It’s another historic Scotch brand in at number seven, this time all the way over on the Isle of Islay. Laphroaig was first established in 1815, making it the oldest distillery to make the top 10 list – but it’s certainly not behind in innovation, especially so given the site will be expanding soon . Laphroaig currently attracts around 29,000 visitors every year.

6. Glenfiddich Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,926

While Glenfiddich Distillery was built in 1887, its visitor centre didn’t open until 1969, when it was described as the ‘first-of-its-kind’ for the Scotch whisky sector. Visitors have been flocking to the site ever since, taking advantage of the three different tours on offer. As well as the original warehouse and the on-site cooperage, guests can enjoy food and drink at the Robbie Dhu Terrace or the Whisky Lounge.

5. Isle of Harris Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 2,977

The oldest aren’t always the best – as proven by Isle of Harris’ spot at number 5. Off the west coast of Scotland, the distillery opened in 2015 and was the island’s first (legal) distillery. In 2023, its first single malt was bottled , which could have been a big driver for visitors. Plus, its tours are very budget-friendly at £25 (US$32). This is the same price point as Kilchoman – which was rated as the best-value tour in Milroy’s Whisky Travel Index .

4. Isle of Raasay Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 3,017

It’s another baby brand at the fourth spot, and another island distillery. Isle of Raasay began production in 2017 and released its first single malt in 2020 – admittedly not a great year for attracting visitors. The island is home to only 161 residents, but the distillery must attract a hefty number of guests, who can take advantage of on-site accommodation – which is something of a necessity, with only one hotel on the island.

3. Kilchoman Distillery, Scotland

Distillery popularity index: 3,090

Slipping down a spot from last year is Scotland’s Kilchoman Distillery – which marks the top Scotch distillery in the list. The Islay distillery is one of a few Scotch producers that grows its own barley and floor-malts it, plus its stills are unusually small – giving plenty for visitors to take in. Kilchoman secured £22.5 million (US$30.4m) to expand the distillery in 2022.

2. Teeling Distillery, Republic of Ireland

Distillery popularity index: 3,214

The only Irish distillery to make the list, Dublin’s Teeling is showing the rest of the nation how it’s done with its position as second. The site opened in 2015 and was the first new distillery in the city for more than 125 years. Bacardi took majority control of the brand in 2023, six years after its initial investment – so we’d expect big things in the years to come.

1. Cotswolds Distillery, England

Distillery popularity index: 3,217

Holding its top position for a second year, England’s Cotswold Distillery inched ahead of Teeling by just three points. Established in 2014, the site has undergone significant expansion since 2022 and received investment from Berry Bros & Rudd in 2023. It also launched its first whisky marketing campaign last year, which boldly proclaimed ‘English for whisky’ – its position at the top of this list only enforces the sentiment.

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Money blog: Free chicken, pizza and nachos across UK for those getting A-level results

Welcome to the Money blog, a hub of personal finance and consumer news/tips. This morning's posts include a look at the discounts available to students and young people. Leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering in the box below - we round them up every Saturday.

Thursday 15 August 2024 10:23, UK

• Aldi axes click and collect
• Tesco launching 'passports' for its clothing
• UK inflation rises for first time since December - analysis

Essential reads

• Is this the end of the British pub?
• What's gone wrong at Asda?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive of features

Tips and advice

• All the discounts you get as a student or young person
• TV chef picks best cheap eats in London
• Savings Guide : Why you should now be checking T&Cs
• 'I cancelled swimming with weeks of notice - can they keep my money?'

Ask a question or make a comment

Whether or not results day goes to plan today, you can always console yourself with some free chicken, pizza and nachos. 

Major chains like Nando's, Pizza Express and Frankie & Benny's are offering some great freebies for students picking up their A-level results. Most you can get simply by showing a copy of your results to staff. Some have a few extra steps - but we've outlined this below, and most usually just involve signing up for some kind of free app or reward programme.

(And don't worry year 11, many of these offers will also be available when you receive your GCSE results next week).

Nandos: Chicken Bring your ID and results and you will get a free starter or quarter chicken, provided you also spend £7 or more.

Frankie & Benny's: Pizza Each restaurant is giving away 50 free pizzas - you just need to purchase a large soft drink (and show off your results).

Pizza Express: Dough balls You'll get one free portion of dough balls when you purchase a main - for this one you also need to present a valid UNiDAYS offer code.

Wagamama: Free side and drink You need to sign up to the Soul Club app to get this one, but you'll get a free side dish and free soft drink, or cider can, if you order between 11am and 3pm.

Bill's: Dessert To qualify for a free dessert you also need to purchase a main course, or brunch.

Banana Tree: Pad Thai You need to purchase one starter (excluding edamame) and a drink, but you then qualify for a free main meal. Just make sure you sign up  here  first.

Chiquito: Loaded nachos You have two options for this - Chicken & Chorizo or Pibil Pulled Jackfruit, as long as you order at least one large soft drink. There are only 600 available, so you'll want to head down early.

Bird & Blend: Drink Get a magical matcha, refreshing ice tea or a herbal brew if you present your results and your student ID between 11am and 5pm.

Showcase Cinema: Popcorn If you have a ticket for a film today, just show proof you recieved your results and you qualify for a free popcorn.

Starbucks: Cookie Grab a free cookie with any beverage today.

Bella Italia: 30% off Students get a very decent 30% off their food bill - but you will need to sign up here first, as well as showing your server your results.

TGI Fridays: 24% off your bill You need to be a free Stripes Reward member to get this one, and bring a copy of your results.

In a little over a month, hundreds of thousands of young people will once again descend on university towns across the UK - armed with maintenance loans and newly found financial freedoms.

With their arrival comes their business - and retailers and restaurants all fight for the chance to part students with their cash in the form of special discounts. 

It would be a pretty long post were we to list every single student discount, so for this guide we'll go through some of the most notable and our favourites. 

Let's start with the world's most valuable company, which offers various deals to students. 

Buying a new iPad or Mac will land you a gift card worth £120, while you're able to access a cheaper Apple Music plan with Apple TV+ included. 

It's available through discount portal UNiDAYS , or you can read more about the offers here .

Another student essential - bag yourself six months of free Amazon Prime (which offers next-day delivery on thousands of items and Prime Video).

Once that ends, students only need to pay half price for their membership (£4.49 a month). 

Check out the offer here .

If you didn't opt for the Apple Music offer outlined above, then getting 45% off your Spotify subscription might be worth it. 

It's this link to sign up. 

If you want 10% off clothes from one of the world's biggest online fashion retailers, you simply need to fill in this form . 

Another top tip: ASOS often drops prices, starts sales or increases discount when your student maintenance loans hit your account. 

It might be worth waiting for then to use your codes to maximise your savings - you'll get your first loan at the end of September/start of October, one at the start of January and the last will be at the start of April.

YouTube Premium and Music can be yours for £7.99 (plus a free trial month) - allowing you ad-free watching, downloads, background play and unlimited tunes. 

Click here for more. 

An unequivocal student essential. 

Railcards are a must while you're moving around the country visiting friends, family or just making your way home for Christmas. 

They cost just £30 and give you a third off expensive rail fares for the full year. 

More on that here . 

Nike and  Adidas

Two of the big players in sports fashion.

Bag the latest athleisure with 15% from Adidas and 10% off at Nike . 

If you don't like the trainers either Nike or Adidas provide, then take a look at Schuh.

The footwear brand offers 10% off full-price and  sale items - click here to find out how. 

Another top tip: if you like a pair of Nike or Adidas shoes, check out whether you could get them cheaper at Schuh with discounts, and factoring in delivery charges and sales.

Via discount portal StudentBeans, you can grab 15% off at Sephora. 

It's one of the biggest self-care and beauty brands anywhere on the planet, and 15% off will save you a decent chunk. 

Click here to find out more. 

Boots 

Being a student can save you 10% at Boots - sometimes more.

However, you will need to sign up for one of their (free) advantage cars, so maybe one you need to think about.

Check out the steps here .

Burger King

Students can enjoy a free Chicken or Vegan Royale with purchase of a Chicken or Vegan Royale via their StudentBeans portal.

This link has more.

The big night in vendor offers students up to 50% off. 

This is another one you'll need a StudentBeans discount portal login for, but you can get all the details here . 

Through UNiDAYS, you can get £10 off your first two orders (over £15) on Uber Eats.

They're not only offering takeaways, but grocery shopping too, so that's something to bear in mind. 

Details here .

There's 10% off at New Look for students - and you can bag a further 25% if you sign up to their mailing list.

Discount is in-store and online, so there's a bit of flexibility regarding where you shop.

This one is through UNiDAYS, details here .

Grab yourself a free cheeseburger, mayo chicken or McFlurry when you buy selected menu items. 

Read the full list and T&Cs here . 

The delivery giant always offers student deals, but they're yet to make public this year's plans.

You can enter your email address into this link for updates on it. 

Savings on your sex life start at 20%.

This one is via UNiDAYS - more here .

MyProtein 

50% off protein at MyProtein for fitness-hungry students is one of several offers the company has put up. 

Again, via UNiDAYS, which has the full list of deals/offers here .

Sticking with health and fitness, several high-street value gym chains offer discounts, including  The Gym Group  and  PureGym . 

Blackwell's

We've done all the fun stuff like food and clothes - but you do have to study at some stage. 

That's where having 15% off at major book supplier Blackwell's can help. 

All the details are here . 

While we're on the more boring stuff - let's turn to furniture and cutlery. 

Over the years millions of students have descended on the Swedish giant to fill their new rooms and cupboards. 

Offers change every year - and they'll be updated here . 

If you are a regular reader of the Money blog, you will have seen us cover the topic of security tags before. 

We've noticed them on meat, cheese and baby milk , and now some chocolate treats are also getting the yellow security sticker treatment. 

We spotted the tags below at an Asda in Twickenham earlier this week. 

They were placed on a £2.50 box of Celebrations and Lindt Salted Caramel Lindors costing £5.

Also tagged were a £9.30 box of Maltesers Truffles, a £6.55 pack of Raffaello, a £10.50 tray of Ferrero Rocher and an £8.95 Thortons Classic box. 

An Asda spokesperson confirmed to the Money team that "individual stores may tag specific products at their own discretion as a precautionary measure". 

Earlier this year, it was revealed shoplifting had hit its highest level in 20 years. 

The number of offences increased by 37% to 430,104 in the year ending 31 December 2023, compared with 2022, the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales found. 

Several retailers have taken steps to curb the surge, including extra security and body-worn cameras. 

The UK economy grew 0.6% over three months to the end of June, official figures show. 

But there was no growth at all in June, the Office for National Statistics said, as businesses delayed purchases until after the general election.

"In a range of industries across the economy, businesses stated that customers were delaying placing orders until the outcome of the election was known," the ONS said, though added it's difficult to quantify the exact impact.

Gross domestic product (GDP) - the measure of everything produced in the UK - expanded from April to June.

That growth rate was the second highest among the G7 group of industrialised nations, only the United States performed better with 0.7%.

Two G7 countries, however, have yet to publish their GDP data for the period - Japan and Germany.

Follow our breaking story here ...

Aldi is axing its click and collect service within days, according to reports.

Customers will not be able to order groceries online from the supermarket beyond Sunday, said industry magazine The Grocer.

This follows Aldi's withdrawal of its limited home delivery service last year.

The decision was made to keep prices at their lowest possible, a spokesperson said.

"One of the ways we keep our prices low for customers is by running the most efficient supermarket business in Britain," they told The Grocer.

"As a result, we've made the decision to bring our click and collect service to an end so we can focus on doing just that."

Aldi launched the service in September 2020, eventually expanding to more than 200 stores.

Sky News has contacted Aldi for comment.

Tesco is launching "digital passports" across its clothing range ahead of new sustainability rules. 

The digital product passports will allow customers to see information about items in the F&F range, including where its materials were sourced. 

Tesco's Joe Little said the move represented "an important step forward, encouraging and promoting sustainable and circular practices". 

The pilot is being launched with tech company Fabacus, which is run by the founder of Nobody's Child - a sustainable clothing brand that has previously used DPPs on three of its collections. 

CEO and founder Andrew Xeni told the Money team that DPPs provided "a huge opportunity" for retailers to tell their story. 

He said legislation for fashion using DPPs was expected to begin in 2027 so "practical implementation must start immediately". 

What are DPPs and what do they do?  

DPPs show key information about what the product is made from, its origin, history and how to dispose of it properly.

They capture data about the environmental impact of an item and are being introduced across the EU to improve sustainability. 

Mr Xeni compared them to the nutritional information we see on food products, saying they will help people to make more informed decisions about what they are buying. 

It's not clear what form Tesco will present them in, but when Nobody's Child launched theirs, they came as a QR code on the clothing's care label that could be scanned with a smartphone.

By 2030, a range of businesses are expected to be required to provide detailed information on the materials used in their products, and their environmental impact. 

According to a  provisional agreement  from December, products with a high environmental impact will be prioritised as having to comply: 

• Batteries 
• Consumer electronics 
• Electronic devices 
• Construction products

"It's going to hold so many companies accountable," said Mr Xeni. 

Last year, the government's European Scrutiny Committee raised concerns that the scheme could conflict with regulations in Northern Ireland because of the Windsor Framework - the post-Brexit legal agreement between the EU and the UK. 

For Savings Guide this week,  Savings Champion   co-founder Anna Bowes looks at the best easy access accounts on the market.

Although variable-rate accounts like easy-access savings are likely to see rate cuts over the following days, weeks and months further to the base rate cut earlier this month, those who can't lock up their funds still need to seek the best rates.

In a rate-falling environment, it's really important to keep an eye on the interest you are earning and switch if you are no longer getting a competitive rate.

With easy access accounts this should be straightforward because, as the name suggests, you can get access to your money immediately.

But remember that a number of accounts may have restricted access, and if you have one of these, make sure you know what effect a further withdrawal will mean to your savings.

Most will simply allow you to close your account, even if you have made the maximum number of penalty-free withdrawals, but there are some that will not let you have any further access.

That's the case with the current top paying account -  Principality Building Society Online Bonus Triple Access Issue 2.

If you have already made three withdrawals, you will be unable to close the account and have access to your money until the following calendar year.

It's important to read all the terms and conditions when opening a savings account, so that you earn the interest and have the access that you are expecting.

Further to this, there is still some £252bn sitting in current accounts earning no interest at all.

Although inflation has ticked up slightly in the 12 months to July 2024 to 2.2%, there are still plenty of accounts, including easy access, paying an interest rate that is beating the current rising cost of living.

A "major breakthrough" which could signal the end of national rail strikes has been made in the long-running pay row involving drivers, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

The department said the train drivers' union ASLEF had agreed to recommend a new pay proposal to its members after a series of "positive" talks led by the government. 

"The offer made to ASLEF is a 5% pay rise for 2022/23, 4.75% for 23/24, and 4.5% for 24/25," a spokesperson for the DfT said.

"The offer will now be put to ASLEF members in a referendum."

During the two-year pay dispute, drivers have taken 18 days of strike action, as well as refusing to work non-contractual overtime.

Mars is buying the food company Kellanova in a deal worth nearly $30bn (£23.3bn). 

The deal will see the business, which already owns several brands such as M&M's, Snickers and Skittles, take control of a huge portfolio of products, including Pringles, Pop Tarts and Cheez-Its.

Kellanova was created when the Kellogg Co split into three companies in 2022.

Based in Chicago, it had net sales of more than $13bn (£10bn) last year and has around 23,000 employees.

Mars Inc said it will pay $83.50 dollars (£65.02) per share in cash, putting the total value of the transaction at £35.9bn (£27.9bn).

The deal is expected to close in the first half of next year.

"The Kellanova brands significantly expand our snacking platform, allowing us to even more effectively meet consumer needs and drive profitable business growth," Andrew Clarke, global president of Mars Snacking, said in a statement.

Adverts for nutrition brands Zoe and Huel featuring a Dragons' Den star have been banned for failing to disclose their commercial relationship with the celebrity.

Steven Bartlett is an investor in Zoe and a director at Huel, but the the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found ads seen on Facebook in February "omitted material information" about their links to him.

Starbucks has ousted its chief executive Laxman Narasimhan after less than two years at the helm.

The news comes after pressure for management change from hedge fund Elliott Management.

Read more...

Primark is trying to make headway in US markets with an advertising campaign across the pond.

Hoping "That's so Primark" will catch on, the retailer is introducing its budget style via two 30-second videos.

The company aims to open 60 stores in the US by 2026.

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