WHISKY NEWS ROUND-UP: TALISKER, GLENLIVET, AND MORE

Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest whisky news from Scotland’s distilleries.

TALISKER ambassador Ross Edgley is attempting to break a swimming world record to promote the distillery’s partnership with conservation charity Parley for the Oceans.

The long-distance swimmer aims to break the world record for the longest tideless open water swim.

Edgley wants to swim for at least 48 hours in Loch Ness, knotching up more than 160km by swimming up to five lengths of Scotland’s largest loch by volume.

He has spent the past few months training for up to 12 hours a day, including swimming 100km in the waters around Skye, the equivalent of three English Channel crossings.

Back on dry land, Nasa may not be able to get its Moon rocket to launch, but The Glenlivet is welcoming some barley seeds back to Earth.

The seeds were taken up to the International Space Station last year in a Space X rocket to investgiate how crops react in space.

Once it’s been planted, grown, and malted, the barley will be used to make a special whisky by the distillery.

Research leader Professor Mike Dixon, a Canadian academic who gained his doctorate in Edinburgh, said: “Historically when humans have discovered new land, they have produced alcohol, including whisky.

“As a whisky enthusiast, I want to keep this tradition going as we continue to explore the possibility of life on other planets.

“We look forward to working with The Glenlivet and following the journey of the barley seeds back on Earth.”

Speaking of rare things, an auction opened yesterday for a bottle of The Glenturret’s first 50-year-old whisky.

The single malt – which was distilled in 1972 – was aged in re-fill sherry casks.

The whisky has been bottled in 150 Lalique crystal decanters.

Sotheby’s auction runs until 9 September, with The Glenturret decanter valued at £60,000.

Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s food and drink pages.

Plus, check out Blair Bowman’s whisky column in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.