Fife Bottler Lands Six Scottish Whisky Awards Nominations

Fife-based independent bottler nominated for Independent Bottler of the Year and Excellence in Branding.

Fife-based independent Scotch whisky bottler Saltire Rare Malt has secured six finalist spots across four categories at the 2026 Scottish Whisky Awards. The nominations for the Falkland company include Independent Bottler of the Year and Excellence in Branding.

Four whiskies from Saltire Rare Malt have also reached the taste finals. Three of the eight places in the Single Cask Scotch 13 and Over category went to its Aultmore 15 Year Old, Caol Ila 17 Year Old, and Tamnavulin 17 Year Old. Additionally, Saltire’s Port Dundas has been shortlisted in the Single Grain & Blended Grain Scotch category.

These nominations follow Saltire Rare Malt being crowned Newcomer of the Year at the 2025 Scottish Whisky Awards. The independent bottling company was launched in 2024 by friends and founders Nigel Heywood and Keith Rennie, who had worked together for three decades before moving into the whisky world to collect fine and rare single malts.

Saltire Rare Malt works alongside internationally acclaimed whisky experts Hans and Becky Offringa, known as The Whisky Couple, to curate its collection of rare single cask and limited-edition Scotch whiskies. The founders created Saltire Rare Malt as a global vehicle to share their collection of Single Malt Whiskies.

From its home in Falkland, the business has grown rapidly in just over two years, with its bottlings now reaching collectors and trade partners across Europe, North America, Asia and South Africa.

Keith Rennie, Co-Founder of Saltire Rare Malt, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see Saltire recognised across so many different areas at this year’s Scottish Whisky Awards. To have four of our whiskies in the taste finals – including three in the same single cask category – is particularly special, alongside recognition for our branding and a nomination for Independent Bottler of the Year.”

Rennie added: “We launched Saltire just over two years ago with a shared passion for exceptional Scotch whisky and big ambitions for the business. To see the whisky, the brand and the team recognised together means a huge amount to us.” The nominations coincide with Saltire Rare Malt’s biggest period of international growth to date, marked by the recent appointment of five whisky professionals across North America and Asia Pacific as the business continues its expansion in key global markets.

Falkland, the company’s location, is a Scottish market town in Fife. Saltire Rare Malt, which launched its first bottlings in 2024, is situated in the market square opposite Falkland Palace. The town is noted for the first record of Scotch Whisky in 1494, an event that occurred 530 years before Saltire Rare Malt’s launch, bringing its story full circle. The winners of the 2026 Scottish Whisky Awards will be announced later this year. The Saltire Rare Malt Collection is available to buy online on their website.