Until recently only established distillers built new distilleries because no one else could shoulder the costs involved.

"The barriers to entry are simply too great," an industry fat cat once told me, and judging by his expression he didn't seem too displeased.

Well something's changed given the profusion of boutique distilleries sprouting up from Dumfries & Galloway to Caithness and the isles beyond. If the trend continues my whisky book due out for Christmas won't have a very long shelf life, but I think it's great news. Among the myriad reasons why, is our growing interest in authentic, local products over ubiquitous, big brands, and the taxman's change in attitude to distilling on a small scale.

"If you can make a sound business case, HMRC will then look at the size of your stills," says Alasdair Day who is building a distillery on Raasay, off Skye. His great grandfather sold his own blended whisky as a licensed grocer in Coldstream, founded in 1820 just like Johnnie Walker. Sadly, the business fizzled out. Then, as Day, says: "I had a rush of blood to the head and decided to resurrect one of the whiskies in 2009."

From selling his Tweeddale blend he began thinking of his own distillery in Coldstream, though pitching the idea to potential investors was a never easy. You only have to imagine asking the dragons of Dragon's Den' for £5 million and telling them they may have to wait ten years for any payback. You'd be laughed off the set.

Finally, he met Bill Dobbie, an IT entrepreneur and founder of the online dating site Cupid, who was looking to get into whisky. "Bill's best friend's wife came from Raasay and he'd bought a disused hotel there," says Day who was still dreaming of the Borders. "Let's do both," said Dobbie, "but let's do Rassay first."

Whisky would have been made here for sure, but no one bothered to take out a licence because any exciseman could be spotted a mile off sailing over from Skye. The new venture has plenty more hoops to jump through, but it seems the money's in place and a pair of stills are about to be ordered from Italy. Meanwhile, to give people an idea of the sort of lightly-peated single malt intended, Day is working on a new bottling called Rassay While We Wait. It should be out this autumn.

Taste the Difference Greco di Tufo 2012, £8 Sainsbury's (13%)

Coming from the volcanic hills east of Naples, this creamy-textured wine mixes ripe citrus fruit and a tangy, zesty flavour.

Domains de la Noblaies Chinon 2013 £9.99 The Co-Op (12.5%)

A nice introduction to cool climate cabernet franc from the Loire with a faint herbaceous edge to temper the fresh red fruit.

The Hedonist Shiraz 2012, £13.99 Waitrose (13.5%)

This biodynamic beauty from Australia's Mclaren Vale exudes class with its glossy black fruit and aromas of polished leather.