Vintage Dated Old Forester Birthday Bourbon Set to Hit Shelves

2010 Release Aged 12 Years and Bottled at 95 Proof

Louisville, Ky.  - Old Forester has released the 2010 expression of its vintage-dated Birthday Bourbon in honor of George Garvin Brown, the founder of Louisville-based Brown-Forman and Old Forester, America’s First Bottled Bourbon™. Launched eight years ago to commemorate Brown’s Birthday on September 2, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is a limited-edition, historically award-winning bourbon which is released annually.

“This year’s vintage release of Old Forester is crafted from a 72 barrel batch that was put into barrels on October 24, 1997,” said Chris Morris, Brown-Forman Master Distiller. “These barrels were evenly matured together in the very middle of Warehouse K, on the 5th floor in ricks 42, 43 and 45, surrounded by open space. This environment allowed the barrels to easily breathe during maturation and develop a rich fruit and spice character.”

Unlike the standard Old Forester, which is a batch of whisky from several different years, Birthday Bourbon is a vintage-dated bourbon, hand-selected by Morris from one specific day of production. The result is a one-of-a-kind character and flavor that will never be replicated again. Its unique decanter style glass bottle is a throwback to the late 1800’s when Old Forester was first produced. Old Forester is the only bourbon still in existence today that was produced before, during and after Prohibition by its original distiller.  No other bourbon brand sold in the U.S. today can make that claim. 

Since its introduction in 2002, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has received unprecedented acclaim and has collected honors from USA Today, Malt Advocate, Whisky Magazine, Spirit Journal, and Santé.  A favorite among critics, Old Forester Birthday Bourbon has taken home gold from numerous tasting competitions including a gold medal in the 2005, 2006 & 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The 2007 expression was also named American Whiskey of the Year at Malt Advocate WhiskyFest New York.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, a Brown-Forman product, has a suggested retail price of $49.99 and is sold at most liquor stores with a wide and varied range of bourbons. The 2010 edition of Birthday Bourbon is bottled at 95 proof. 

For more information on Old Forester and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, visit the Old Forester website at www.oldforester.com or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oldforester.

About Old Forester Bourbon

George Garvin Brown was the founder of Old Forester Bourbon Whisky and Brown-Forman Corporation. Brown-Forman Corporation, Louisville, Kentucky, is a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Tequila Herradura, el Jimador Tequila, Canadian Mist, Woodford Reserve, Fetzer wines, and Korbel California Champagnes.

BENRIACH’S LATEST AND VERY LIMITED BATCH OF SINGLE CASK BOTTLINGS NOW AVAILABLE
 
AWARD-WINNING BenRiach is issuing its latest batch of single cask bottlings this week. Available worldwide, Batch 7 maintains BenRiach’s reputation for encapsulating both perfection and rarity in a glass.
 
The new release celebrates the sixth anniversary of the first bottling of BenRiach under its new independent owners. Back in August 2004, its ‘Heart of Speyside’ core range of 12, 16 and 20 yo malts became available for the first time.
 
Fast forward six years, and Master Distiller Billy Walker has selected ten highly distinctive casks from 1976 to 1993 for BenRiach aficionados. These vintage malts are immense and full of character – from pineapple, coconut, honey, and spicy vanilla to treacle toffee, cloves and chocolate coated fruits.
 
And the range of exceptional vintages is enhanced by their prolonged maturation in different casks – from a Virgin American Oak and a Gaja Barolo Finish to a Tokaji and a Peated Tawny Port Finish.                                                  
The ten, in ascending chronological order, are:
 
Year     Number        Strength       Age          Cask Type                            Style
                 
1976     8795               53.2%        33yo          Hogshead                                    Classic Speyside       
 
1977     1033                52.2%        33yo         Pedro Ximinez Hogshead              Pedro Ximinez Sherry Finish
 
1978     4417                50.4%        32yo         Tokaji Hogshead                           Tokaji Finish                                      
 
1979     7511                47.9%        30yo         Bourbon Barrel                             Classic Speyside   
 
1980     2532                51.1%        30yo         New Wood Oak Barrel                   Virgin American Oak   
 
1981     2589                51.6%        28yo         Bourbon Barrel                             Classic Speyside                                
 
1984     493                  54.1%        25yo         Hogshead                                    Classic Speyside                               
 
1984     4052                51.7%        25yo         Tawny Port Hogshead                   Peated/Tawny Port Finish
 
1991     4389                54.9%        19yo         Virgin Oak Hogshead                    Virgin American Oak Finish
         
1993     7420                56.7%        17yo         Gaja Barolo Hogshead                  Gaja Barolo Finish          
 
Bottled in July 2010, the ten are all bottled at cask strength, with natural colour and non chill-filtered. They are individually numbered by hand and presented in a gift tube.
 

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

There are just two days to go until the Isle of Arran 15th Anniversary celebration.  This is a festival style event, so we have lots of room to accommodate anyone hoping to attend.  So far about 30 of the initial 50 tickets have sold. The event is the Canadian launch of a special 15th Anniversary bottling. Andrew Hogan of Isle of Arran will be on hand to talk about his distillery, samples those present on a range of whiskies from the Arran distillery and sign any purchased bottles including the 15th Anniversary bottling. Kensington Wine Market has committed to 96 of the 180 bottles coming into the province, of which more than half have been pre-sold. More information on both the event and the special bottling can be found below.

I have decided to hold off on the next full Malt Messenger until after Labour Day, as I’m sure much of its readership is away on vacation. However there are a couple of tidbits which can’t wait until then. First and foremost, our Fall Tasting Schedule is now online.  All of our whisky, beer and wine tastings for September through December are now online. All the beer and whisky tastings are listed below.

Secondly, some whiskies from BenRiach which have long been out of stock—the 15 Year Old Cask Finishes—are back. All three are excellent whiskies, and exclusive to KWM. Historically the most popular was the 15 Year Old Madeira Finish, which was the impetus for us to bottle our own cask of the same.

Finally, we have single malts from all over the world at KWM, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, Canada, the United States, Wales, England, Australia and now Sweden.  Sweden’s first single malt distillery, Macmyra is now available in Canada. Two different expressions are available: Mackmyra Special ’03 and Mackmyra First Edition - $66.49. I’ll include my tasting notes below.

I hope you enjoy this little Malt Messenger Bulletin, and Happy Labour Day!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson

PS-Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy

Isle of Arran 15th Anniversary Celebration – Thursday September 2nd 7PM - $40

Special guest Andrew Hogan of the Isle of Arran Distillery will be in town for one night only to celebrate the distillery’s 15th Anniversary and formally launch the 15th Anniversary bottling here in Alberta. Join us at the Kensington Wine for a fun and informal evening celebrating 15 years of distillation at one of Scotland’s finest distilleries. We will formally sample 4 whiskies from the Arran portfolio (10 Year, Bourbon Cask, Moscatel Cask and 15th Anniversary) under the guidance of Andrew Hogan whilst he sheds some light on the Isle of Arran’s only distillery. After the formal tasting you will have an opportunity to get Andrew to sign a bottle of Arran for you or try a few other of the distilleries whiskies. This tasting will be a great way to start off the fall tasting season and the perfect transition into the Labour Day long weekend.

Call the store 403-283-8000, drop by or visit our website www.kensingtonwinemarket.com to register.

Isle of Arran 15th Anniversary Amontillado 1999 - $82.99

Who could believe the Isle of Arran distillery is now 15 years old.  I remember the lead up to its 10th Anniversary like it was yesterday, and the launch a year later of its first regularily available 10 year old. How the time flies! The Isle of Arran distillery has now been distilling for 15 years, and they decided to release a special edition 11 year old bottling to commemorate the event. The whisky is from refill hogsheads finished for more than a year in eight Amontialldo Sherry Butts from Spain.

“Offical Tasting Notes: Nose: The aroma is complex with hints of dark chocolate, cherries and ginger. Mint-toffee and hazelnut emerge with water. Palate: Rich and creamy on the palate with classic sherry wood notes of dried fruit and spice. A confectionery sweetness mingles beautifully with the intrinsic citrus character of the Arran Malt. Finish: Much drier on the long finish with an intriguing peppery note developing.”

The whisky will go on sale at the Kensington Wine Market first on Thursday September 2nd at the launch party with the distillery’s Andrew Hogan (for more information please see above). Only 180 bottles are coming in to the province, and at the reasonable price of $82.99 there will be a lot of demand for this dram. For the time being we are limiting pre-orders to 3 bottles per customer. Andrew Hogan will be signing bottles the night of the event. Please e-mail me if you would like to reserve some bottles.

BenRiach 15 Year Old Cask Finishes Back in Stock - $82.49/each

1.       BenRiach 15 Year Old Henrique’s Madeira Finish – Matured 14 years in Bourbon casks and finished for a full year in a Henrique’s Madeira cask, this is an excellent summer or breakfast whisky. Jim Murray said: “This is an essay in subtlety… we have one of the truly great Speysiders on our hands!” Nose: Vanilla and spices with watermelon and peaches, with a rich backdrop of Madeira and oak wood. Palate: An avalanche of butterscotch, hazelnuts, peaches and spices, with and rich Madeira. Finish: dry with concentrated barley and grape. – Exclusive to KWM

2.       BenRiach 15 Year Old Jamaican Dark Rum Finish - Matured in the traditional style in American bourbon barrels, this whisky is then ‘finished’ in Dark Rum barrels, sourced from the Caribbean island of Jamaica. During this second period of maturation the whisky derives many interesting characteristics specific to the Dark Rum barrel. Nose: toffee, spices, cinnamon & sultana w/ a backbone of rum. Palate: toffee, cinnamon, apricots & chocolate. Finish: rum & sultanas dominate the finish. – Exclusive to KWM

3.       BenRiach 15 Year Old Tawny Port Finish – Matured 14 years in Bourbon casks and finished for one full year in Tawny Port pipes. Nose: crème brulée, honey, cinnamon and coconut in harmony with rich port notes and oak wood. Palate: Butterscotch, herbs, cinnamon, peaches and sultanas, infused with rich port and oak wood notes. – Exclusive to KWM

Tasting Notes Mackmyra Single Malt

1.       Mackmyra First Edition – Nose: fresh, light, sweet and fruity with some grassy malt; Palate: light, soft and floral, apples and clean malt; Finish: light and clean with soft dry oak. - $66.49

2.       Mackmyra Special ’03 – Nose: dry smoke, creamy vanilla, faint berry fruits with grassy-herbal notes; Palate: clean and buttery with some crisp smoke, a few bitter herbs and melons; Finish: dry, sweet and lightly bitter with woody smoke. - $91.49

——————–

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.

All of the products mentioned in THE MALT MESSENGER can be purchased in store, over the phone or from our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com. All prices quoted in the Malt Messenger are subject to change!

 You can follow me online on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
KWM Scotchguy

403-283-8000
888-283-9004
1257 Kensington Rd. NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 3P8

scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com

New additions boost Benromach Origins range

Speyside’s smallest whisky distillery, Benromach, has added two new variants to its Origins range.

Benromach Origins Batch No. 2 was distilled in 1999 and has been fully matured in Port Pipes.  This is the first Benromach expression to be fully matured in a wine cask, allowing the characteristics of the port to infuse with the whisky.  The resultant single malt has red berry fruitiness with hints of orange peel, dark chocolate and soft smoke.

Benromach Origins Batch No. 3, distilled in 2000, has been created using the finest Optic barley then matured in Sherry casks. It displays zesty citrus flavours, softly infused with spicy aniseed and menthol notes. .

The two new whiskies are the latest additions to Origins – a series of special bottlings launched in 2008 to highlight how small changes in the art of whisky making can help shape the character of the final single malt. Each batch displays the ‘Benromach style’ of peat-smoke with malt aromas and a delicate perfumed nose, while at the same time offering a slightly different sensation for the consumer.

Benromach Distillery Manager Keith Cruickshank anticipates that the new whiskies will be popular with both fans and novices alike:

“It’s two years since we released the first batch of Benromach Origins, created using Golden Promise barley”, said Keith.

“These two new batches are quite different but still recognisably ‘Benromach’ in style”, he continued.
 
“Because we are such a small operation, with just two distilling staff, we have the freedom to make changes to the whisky-making process, while maintaining our commitment to handmade quality. This results in interesting and innovative variations.”
 
Benromach has also recently re-packaged its exclusive Vintage Speyside Single Malt. This sophisticated greatly-aged single malt, a winner at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards and described as ‘a powerful presentation of a Sherry-matured Speysider’, has been encased in a sleek brushed metal tin, replacing the previous outer box, to give it a stylish and contemporary look in line with other whiskies in the Benromach range.
 
Benromach Origins Batch 2 and 3, and Benromach Vintage will be available from whisky shops and fine wine and spirits retail specialists with suggested UK retail prices of £38.50 and £299.00 respectively.

NOTES

Benromach distillery is Speyside’s smallest. Based in the attractive Moray town of Forres, the gateway to Scotland’s famous whisky producing region, just two expert distillers make this sweet, golden malt whisky.

The distillery went through many changes of ownership and closures before being ‘rescued’ and restored by local family-owned firm Gordon & MacPhail in 1993, and was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in 1998.

For more information about Benromach Distillery and the Benromach range of Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whiskies go to www.benromach.com.

New Whiskies - Glenglassaugh “One of the great world whiskies for 2010″ Jim Murray
 
The Manager’s Legacy
Release No.1 - Jim Cryle 1974 52.9%

The first in a series of four bottlings to celebrate the achievements and influences of Glenglassaugh distillery managers during the period 1964 - 1986. A single cask bottling at natural strength, without colouring or chill-filtration. The Jim Cryle release is limited to 200 individually numbered bottles from a refill sherry hogshead filled in 1974 during Jim’s time in charge.

Cask Type - Refill Hogshead…1 of 200..

Tasting Notes:

Colour - Orange gold
Nose - Fresh and fruity with barley sugar sweetness. Boiled sweets, stewed plums and a sprinkling of demerara sugar. Banana skins and orange essence giving way to clove oil and liquorice.
Palate - Juicy, syrupy and round with sweet stewed plum and orange flavours, balanced with gentle oak spice and nuances of clove and liquorice.

Excl. VAT:£212.76 Incl. VAT:£249.99

The Rare Cask Series

With cask stocks continuing to deplete, Glenglassaugh’s youngest whisky is a 26 years of age. It’s still the same tear-drop bottle but with the older age on the neck label.

Excl. VAT:£127.65 Incl. VAT:£149.99

The Spirit Drinks - 20cl Size

Excl. VAT:£11.05  Incl. VAT:£12.98

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone: 0845 6066145
email: info@singlemaltsdirect.com
web: http://www.singlemaltsdirect.com/
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Hazelburn OB 12yo 46%alc.

2010 release of Springbank’s triple distilled no-peat malt.

Distillery writes:

Colour: Light bronze

Nose: Incredibly rich, the influence of the sherry casks is immediately apparent. Sweet and chocolatey, there are also notes of apricot, orange marmalade, almonds and marzipan.

Palate: Malty, fruity and elegant. A very well balanced and rounded dram with hints of oak, figs and nuts.

Finish: A long, lingering fruity sweetness.

Price excluding VAT: £38.72
£45.50 Including VAT at 17.5%

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Fancy a taste of the 40 year old Whyte & Mackay? Fancing winning a £550 bottle?

Rumour reaches me that there’s some fun being planned for me at WhiskyLive in Glasgow in September with free drams being handed out to anyone who comes along looking like me – and the best Richard-a-like getting a £550 bottle of the Whyte & Mackay 40 year old.

Even if you can’t make it along, you can join in the fun. Post a picture online of trying your best to look like me and I’ll pick one and send them a signed bottle of the 40 year old. Feel free to even post a link to your pic in the comments section below…( at http://tinyurl.com/2evoqv6 )

Of course, now that I know about this, it would serve you all right if I shaved my ‘tache off on the morning of Whisky Live!

30ltr & 50ltr Casks of whisky for sale!!!

Dear Friend

Thank you for taking an interest in our company and for signing up to receive advanced warning of new releases from St George’s Distillery.

First things first, you may or may not have heard that we recently had a fire here at the distillery. No need to panic though as no one was hurt and most importantly none of the whisky was damaged! You’ll be pleased to know everything is running as normal, we are still open 10:00am until 5:30pm for the shop and tours and we are still making our whisky.

The reason we are writing to you today is that we have a limited number of 30 & 50 litre casks for sale, filled with our 3 year old single malt whisky. These will be sold at cask strength and will be both un-chillfiltered and have no artificial colouring. The price for the 30ltr cask will be £1200 and the 50ltr cask will be £1800, this works out to be less than £20 per bottle @46% and you get to keep the barrel. On a first come, first served basis, customers will have the option of these casks containing peated or unpeated whisky. These prices include the cask, contents, all taxes paid and delivery to mainland England which means these are exceedingly good value.

Our 30ltr cask is already on our website to buy www.englishwhisky.co.uk and our 50ltr cask will be following shortly. Please note that these won’t be ready for delivery until November 2010.

We strongly recommend that you collect your cask, whilst we are very cautious choosing the couriers we use - you will definitely take more care on the journey home than even the best courier.

Kind Regards
Andrew Nelstrop
English Whisky Co. Ltd
St George’s Distillery
Harling Road
Roudham
Norfolk
NR16 2QW
Email: info@englishwhisky.co.uk
Web: www.englishwhisky.co.uk
Tel: +44 1953 717939

Item Number 300456699703

An opportunity for the collector of rare and unusual whisky bottles. Bottle No1 of 222 bottles taken from cask No. 6966, a 28 yo hogshead of Inchgower distilled on the 30th of June 1982 and bottled on the 5th of August 2010 at cask strength 50.7% abv.  It was bottled by the lads at Bladnoch Distillery ably assisted by Ralfy whilst all the time continuing to run his video camera. Although Raymond and Ralfy have both signed the bottle, Raymond takes no responsibility for the angle at which Ralfy applied the label, no alcohol having been consumed during the filming.

The bottling process has been recorded for posterity in one of Ralfy’s famous UTube videos and the proceeds will go to a local old folks charity in Wigtown, so bid as generously as you can (a very old Wigtown Charity called the Wigtown Players who provide Christmas dinner for old folk).

To view the bottling process at Bladnoch visit;  http://whiskyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/08/bladnoch-forum-bottling-factory.html

To view the ebay auction visit;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/28yo-Inchgower-UTube-bottle-signed-Ralfy-Raymond-/300456699703?pt=UK_Collectables_Bottle_Pots_ET

Ralfy & Raymond

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked various new items from ’Berry Brothers & Rudd’ (BBR) Caol Ila, Ledaig, Girvan & Invergordon.

BBR Caol Ila 1984 25yo 53.7% £86.50 inc vat

Bottled 2010 from cask# 5389

We’ll have our LFW tasting notes up soon but here are the official ones:

‘A deep smokiness lies behind the yellow fruit, green olives and leather aromas. The mouth-feel is textured, slowly releasing the smoky flavours which seep through the fruitiness. This is an intense and balanced Caol Ila with a charming and lingering peaty finish.’

BBR Ledaig 2005 4yo 62.7% £33.50 inc vat

Bottled 2010 from cask# 900008

We’ll have our LFW tasting note soon but here is the official one:

‘the balance of sherry influence from the butt it has matured in, against the moody peat-smoke, made it irresistible. Aromas of new leather and sweet toffee shield the underlying smokiness. The palate brims with smoke but has enough texture to keep sweet fruity elements shining through.’

BBR Girvan Grain 1989 45.1% £47.90 inc vat

Bottled 2010 from cask nos: 37530/1

Official Tasting Note:

‘This whisky has pronounced fragrance for a grain spirit. It is fruity with vanilla and custard creams. The palate is surprisingly full and oily with waves of coffee cream, spice and juicy lime. To finish there is a satisfying warm spicy prickle.’

BBR Invergordon Grain 1971 37yo 47% £91.50 inc vat

Bottled 2009 from cask no: 4

Official Tasting Note:

The aromas are of concentrated dried fruit with a bourbon-like vanilla intensity. Deeply engaging and exotic, this is a full, succulent 37 year old whisky with a velvety texture.’

All single cask independent bottling from Berry Bros & Rudd.

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskeis at www.lfw.co.uk