Here are four reasons why you should head to Whisky Life this year! Prague is heading to Warehouse#1. You’ll get to taste the return of the much-loved Arran 14 Year Old, discover the next instalment of the limited-edition Signature Series, get a glimpse into a new era for Japan’s Nikka, and enjoy an Irish coffee, which is an integral part of the festival. And then there’s one more surprise. It’s known internally as ‘Whisky from Jamaica’.
Warehouse#1 at Whisky Life! Prague 2026
Arran: The return of the 14 Year Old, the fourth release in the Signature Series – Sherry Serenade – and other new bottlings.
Nikka: Two new releases, including Taketsuru Essential 2026, which marks the start of a five-year project leading up to 2030.
Bushmills: Traditional Irish coffee and a lighter drink featuring Irish whiskey and a non-alcoholic ingredient from Fever-Tree.
This year’s surprise: A presentation provisionally titled “Whisky from Jamaica”. Come along to taste it and make up your own mind.
A whisky festival isn’t just a display of bottles you can admire on the shelves. It’s an opportunity to sample new releases before they become part of the regular range, compare different approaches to production, ask the people behind the brands questions, and discover connections that don’t fit on a label or in a product sheet. This is precisely what the Warehouse#1 presentation at Whisky Life! Prague 2026 aims to build on this year. For bartenders, sommeliers, and bar and restaurant owners and managers, it will be important not only to discover new bottles, but also to find out how they can enrich their own selection, tasting programme, or cocktail menu. Whisky enthusiasts, meanwhile, will have the chance to revisit their favourite classics, follow the evolution of established brands, and sample something that might pleasantly challenge their preconceptions. This year’s programme will bring together Scotland, Japan, and Ireland, but the spotlight may ultimately fall on a destination one would not necessarily expect to see at a whisky festival.
The return of a 14-year-old classic and the next chapter in the Signature Series
Scotland’s Arran will be one of the main highlights of the Warehouse#1 presentation. This year, it will be bringing four new bottlings, two of which deserve special attention: the return of Arran 14 Year Old to the core range and the fourth release in the limited-edition Signature Series, entitled Sherry Serenade. Each of these whiskies appeals to a slightly different visitor, but together they demonstrate why it makes sense to view a distillery’s portfolio as something that evolves over time, rather than simply as a list of different bottles.
Arran 14 Year Old marks the return of a much-loved classic with which many fans have a personal connection. For those who are already familiar with the brand’s core range and wish to move on to a more complex whisky, it represents a natural next step—without the need to jump straight to more intense releases, such as the Quarter Cask.
Arran Signature Series No. 4 – Sherry Serenade builds on the success of last year’s release, which was Arran’s best-selling bottle at the festival. The fourth edition has been matured in casks previously used for three different types of sherry, offering an intriguing opportunity for anyone who enjoys richer, more distinctly sherry-influenced whiskies.
Nikka has two new releases and heralds the start of a new chapter for Taketsuru
Japanese whisky will be represented this year by Nikka, with two new releases. The greatest attention, however, is focused on the Nikka Taketsuru Essential 2026 edition, which marks the start of a five-year project leading up to 2030, when it will be thirty years since the launch of Taketsuru whisky. The concept itself gives this new release a broader significance than simply being another addition to the portfolio. It marks the start of a series whose development can be followed in the coming years and which pays tribute to Masataka Taketsuru—a man whose experiences in Scotland helped shape Japanese whisky as we know it today.
Taketsuru’s story combines Scottish experience with Japanese precision and is one of the most fascinating chapters in the history of whisky. A visit to Warehouse#1 will therefore involve not only tasting two new Nikka releases, but also the chance to discover the first step in a project whose subsequent developments the brand will be unveiling right up until 2030.
Bushmills, Irish coffee and a surprise to finish
Some festival traditions are best left unchanged. The Irish section of Warehouse#1 will therefore once again feature Bushmills and Irish coffee, which has become a staple of the event’s line-up.
“Internally, we say that Whisky Life! without Irish coffee is like a Mercedes without its star. And this year, we certainly have no intention of changing that,” says Kryštof Hordina, ambassador for premium spirits brands at Warehouse#1.
Those who aren’t particularly keen on coffee needn’t worry about missing out. There’ll also be a lighter Irish whisky-based drink featuring a non-alcoholic ingredient from Fever-Tree. Once again this year, Warehouse#1 will demonstrate that whisky has its place not only in a tasting glass, but also in mixed drinks.
And then there’s a reason that doesn’t fit into the usual brand line-up. This year, Warehouse#1 is preparing, in collaboration with the festival organisers, a presentation provisionally titled ‘Whisky from Jamaica’. The quotation marks are deliberate, and those interested will only discover some of the answers once they’re there.
“We don’t want to reveal all the details in advance or suggest to visitors how they should perceive this new offering. We’d rather offer them the chance to come along, have a taste, and form their own opinion,” explains Hordina. The title alone, however, suggests that this will be something likely to raise questions, spark discussion, and generate a healthy dose of controversy—and that is precisely why it is worth paying attention to.
For whisky connoisseurs, this is perhaps the most intriguing invitation in the entire programme. The world of whisky is firmly linked to certain countries, production traditions, and rules that help define individual styles. Occasionally, however, it is useful to step outside familiar categories, look at spirits from a different angle, and ask ourselves where our expectations actually begin and end. ‘Whisky from Jamaica’ is intended to be just such an experiment—not a pre-determined lesson, but an invitation to tasting and discussion.
So whether you’re drawn by the return of Arran 14 Year Old, the latest instalment in the Signature Series, a new chapter in Nikka Taketsuru, a traditional Irish coffee with Bushmills, or simply curiosity about what lies behind the Jamaican surprise, Warehouse#1 aims to offer more than just the chance to sample a few new bottles. It’s an opportunity to discover the stories behind the brands, compare your own impressions with others, and take away inspiration that can be put to use in a bar, restaurant, or when exploring whisky at home. At Whisky Life! Prague 2026, it’s therefore well worth setting aside plenty of time for this stop—especially if you’re one of those who not only enjoy what you already know, but also wonder what else might be in the glass.
