Gentlemen Prefer Blends
Do blends have more fun? Damn right they do, says one author who still bears the scars of his screw-top whisky days
The Wonder Waller
One woman’s tale of how drystone walling, and reconnecting with her past, helped rebuild her life
Dalwhinnie dreams
During a memorable visit to Dalwhinnie distillery, Alba Chiara Di Bari is transported back in time by an extraordinary tale of a perilous rescue mission
Entering the Metropolis
The third of Compass Box’s Extinct Quartet, Metropolis, is launched with a little steam punk vibe in a nod to the city
‘Irish whiskey? It’s about the moment’
How the accidental discovery of a long forgotten brand brought Louise McGuane to the forefront of the Irish whiskey industry
The fine art of bottling: Ladyburn’s latest Sixties-inspired edition is a collectors dream
With exclusive artwork from the 60s hippest interior designer David Hicks, the latest bottling of Ladybank’s 1966 Edition is a seriously swinging affair
The hotel that does Highland lux with a quirky design twist
With crackling log fires and serious cooking, Glenmorangie House is a place to indulge and be indulged, writes Neil Armstrong
Will Swatch’s latest luxury collaboration tick the right box?
Joe Pattinson is a self-confessed watch nerd and a stickler for classic collaborations. So he was pleasantly surprised that he didn’t hate high-street watch seller Swatch’s latest luxury enterprise
Leah McNamara: ‘I want to be doing this when I’m an old lady’
She was the schoolgirl who came between Marianne and Connell in Normal People and now takes the lead in Sky’s new dark comedy thriller Then You Run. Barley’s Tom Pattinson meets the Irish actor climbing the ladder of screen success
Fancy a ‘drop’? Inside the weird, wild world of whisky NFTs
To some they’re a newly minted marvel ready to transform the industry, to others, just another way for corrupt charlatans to make a quick buck. Our man with the Crypto Factor, reports on what’s really going on…
One story house
When news of a family bereavement arrives during lockdown, a writer is taken back to her childhood
Geek Bar: The science of tasting whisky (and how you can be an expert too)
What happens to your brain when you taste whisky? Our resident mad professor takes a trip beyond the realm of the senses…
Lola Lennox: I’ve been privileged because of who my mother is, but I earned my own place in music
Annie Lennox’s daughter Lola on finding her own voice in her 30s and keeping it in the family with her music
The Barley mail-bag: letter of the month
Scotch? It’s the ever ch-ch-ch-changing David Bowie of whisky, but underneath the glitter it’s still the real deal
Two wheels, five ferries, one glorious bike ride across Arran
Island-hopping, west coast of Scotland style, offers a thrilling day out for cyclists with a sense of adventure
Bertie’s bar & Lochnagar schooled me in Scotland
He was more likely to be seen necking Irn Bru than sipping a single malt until a minor middle-aged epiphany…
In A Special Place: Glencoe
The pod presenter and former spin doctor travels through Glencoe every year and never fails to be dazzled by its awesome beauty
Battle of the grains!
Is it a cereal offence to badmouth Barley in our first edition? One man dares to go against the grain…
My cocktail cabinet essentials
Classy glassware, nifty knives, and a Harris Tweed hipflask that’s perfect for your next hike
Fire dance with me
Speyside Cooperage reverberates to the sights and sounds of a surreal ritual that’s centuries old
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![Scenic landscape of a valley with a small white house, a flowing river, green grassy fields, and tall mountains in the background during sunrise or sunset.]()
In A Special Place: Glencoe
By Alastair Campbell
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![A woman with long blonde hair smiling and squinting in front of a textured beige wall, wearing a black sweatshirt.]()
Video: Queens of cashmere
By Barley staff
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![A collection of five men's dress socks with a tartan pattern, stacked in a pile, and a hip flask with a matching tartan fabric sleeve, on a white background.]()
Whisky cabinet must-haves
By Olly Smith
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![A modern black building with large windows and vertical panels, with]()
5 distilleries opening soon
By Barley staff
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![A bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail scotch whisky standing in front of its green and gold box against a black background.]()
Islay whisky starter for six
By Dave Broom
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![Empty bar with wooden counter, chairs, and sports memorabilia, illuminated by natural light through a window with shamrocks and food condiment bottles on the counter.]()
Three classic Detroit speakeasies
By Nina Caplan
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![A bartender standing behind a bar with numerous bottles of whiskey and liquor on shelves, glasses hanging upside down above, and a clock on the wall.]()
Video: Japan's best dram?
By Tatsuya Minagawa
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![Bottle of Glen Scotia Campbeltown Harbour single malt Scotch whisky beside its packaging box.]()
Four supermarket whiskies we rate
By Olly Smith
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The Last Sipper
Hollywood legend Brian Cox invites Barley’s Tom Pattinson into his home to talk about the drams that changed his life - and what he really thinks about tasting notes…
Video produced by Emir Eralp