Awards fever is well and truly upon us. I’m writing this on the eve of the 2026 Oscars, and by the time this has been published, we will know if One Battle After Another or Sinners has triumphed in what has been an immensely exciting Best Picture race. (For full transparency, I am team Sinners.)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been obsessed with awards shows. I love the glitz and glamour and watching the red carpet coverage, but more importantly, I love the competitiveness, the unexpected drama, and of course, the speeches. Some of my favourite memories include sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for that envelope to be called out. 

With that in mind, you can imagine that this time of year for Whisky Magazine is one I find really exciting, not least of all because of the awards season. As well as the honour of being editor of this magazine, I’m also the chair of judges for the World Whiskies Awards, and I’m lucky enough to co-present the awards in Edinburgh, Dublin, and London. 

The highlight of our whisky awards dinners for me personally, however, is the Hall of Fame inductions. These always deliver on the spectacular, whether it’s the emotional, impassioned speeches, or the rapturous applause that radiates through the room.

What always strikes me most about these Hall of Fame speeches is the thank yous that are passed around. Much like an Oscar winner’s speech, almost always a phrase is spoken that strikes me — a thank you for “opening a door”.

The whisky industry is undoubtedly a strong one for opening opportunities. Everybody, at any level of a distillery or a company, will be able to point to somebody they’ve worked with in the past, or met at a networking event, or otherwise, that has opened a door, leading to unmissable opportunities and prospects.

One such inspiration for this is this year’s Ireland Hall of Famer Dave Quinn. Quinn studied Brewing Technology at the Heriott-Watt university, one of the most esteemed education programmes for future drinks producers with state-of-the-art facilities. After a truly phenomenal career, Quinn is passing that knowledge to future generations, having spent the past 20 years educating and training the newest members of the industry. This includes courses for the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers. Quinn is a prime example of somebody passing down their decades of knowledge and experience, and opening doors for the generations that follow him. 

There is, of course, an alternative meaning to ‘opening doors.’ In fact, it’s a very literal one. This issue of Whisky Magazine is also celebrating a few new distilleries — such as Aberargie and Galloway — that are literally opening their doors.

Aberargie Distillery marks the return to distilling for the Morrison family for the first time since 1994, with its inaugural single malt whisky now available. Without spoiling too much about what I’ve written later on this magazine about Aberargie, there’s a very exciting combination of traditional process and modern agricultural initiatives that is bringing the distillery to the forefront of sustainability.

In our yearly Speyside review, written brilliantly, as always, by Mark Jennings, we talk about Coleburn, which moved from concept to execution in 2025 with a planned completion for the distillery targeted for 2027. The site has been silent since it was closed in 1985, and the promise of distillation of whisky on-site, with a sustainability-led design, heralds an exciting future for the Speyside distillery.

It’s always an extremely exciting time to see new distilleries emerging with inaugural expressions. It’s no secret the number of closures that we’ve seen in recent years, and while there are continued problems for some, it’s so encouraging to see new doors opening and new journeys beginning. That is worth celebrating every bit as much as our awards winners. So, I say let’s raise a dram to the opening of doors — both figuratively and literally!