Editorial Policy

Editorial independence

The Whisky Chronicle is editorially independent. We accept no funding, advertising, product samples, hospitality or promotional consideration from distilleries, brand owners, importers or retailers. No third party reviews or approves our content before publication.

Subject selection is determined solely by historical significance and the availability of reliable documentary sources.

How content is researched and written

Articles are built from primary and secondary historical sources: excise and parliamentary records, company and distillery archives, nineteenth-century industrial surveys, academic histories of the distilling trade, and peer-reviewed technical literature on fermentation, distillation and maturation.

Where a fact is contested among historians, we say so rather than presenting one account as settled. Where a claim is traditional but poorly evidenced, we identify it as such.

Standards for historical accuracy

Dates, founding records and technical descriptions are checked against at least two independent sources wherever possible. Figures that circulate widely but originate in promotional material are excluded unless they can be corroborated from an independent record.

We distinguish clearly between documented history and industry folklore, and we do not repeat origin stories that cannot be substantiated.

Alcohol content compliance standards

This publication is produced in accordance with Australian advertising standards for alcohol-related content, including the ABAC Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code and the policies applied to alcohol content by advertising platforms including TikTok Ads Australia.

Accordingly, no content published here will:

• encourage, promote or normalise the consumption of alcohol;
• present drinking as desirable, aspirational or glamorous;
• associate alcohol with success, wealth, attractiveness or social status;
• suggest emotional, physical, psychological or therapeutic benefits from alcohol;
• depict consumption, intoxication, parties or celebratory drinking;
• use sensory, persuasive or promotional language about any product;
• be directed at, or have particular appeal to, people under 18 years of age.

All references to whisky are presented from a historical, cultural or production perspective. The publication is intended for adults aged 18 years and over.

Why we publish no commercial content

We carry no advertising, no affiliate links, no purchase recommendations, no price information and no retailer references. Commercial content would compromise both our editorial independence and our compliance position, and it is inconsistent with the educational purpose of the publication.

Corrections and editorial feedback

We correct errors of fact promptly and openly. If you believe something published here is inaccurate, please write to us through the contact page selecting "Content Correction", and include the article title and the source supporting your correction where possible.

Concerns about the responsible presentation of alcohol-related content may also be raised through the same form and are reviewed by the editorial team.