ON THE ROAD AGAIN: GLENDRONACH’S “CASK IN A VAN” TO TOUR BELGIUM
 
LAST year, GlenDronach malt whisky selected a single cask from its Aberdeenshire distillery…and took it round Belgium in the back of a van!
 
The quirky tasting tour - called “Cask in a Van” - proved so successful that they’re repeating it again this year.
 
The Roadshow starts in Kampenhoudt on September 21 and ends in Zottegem on September 25.
 
Regional Sales Director James Cowan said: “As our advertising slogan says, we’re taking the brand “on a journey of re-discovery” around Belgium, one of our fastest-growing markets.
 
“Following the phenomenal success of last year’s tour, which was a huge hit with Belgian whisky fans, we’re proud to announce details of our new 2010 tour.
 
“Once again we’ll be out in force with our special liveried van offering Belgians a unique chance to taste and purchase a truly excellent GlenDronach single cask whisky - this time it’s a 2002 release, which has been matured in a Bourbon barrel. In addition, we’ll be offering tastings of our award-winning 12, 15 and 18 year-old core range.
 
“Like last year, people will be given the opportunity to fill their own bottle of GlenDronach straight from the cask…charcoal, sheep’s hair and all! As it’s a limited edition, it’s going to be a highly collectable item.
 
“This is clearly an occasion not to be missed and is a highlight of our calendar of events in Belgium.
 
“And in addition to the “Cask In A Van” whisky, we’ll also be dropping a few GlenDronach crackers into the mix.”
 
GlenDronach’s core range is available in over one hundred specialist stores throughout Belgium.    
 
The tour dates and locations are:
 
Tuesday 21/09 Tasttoe - Kampenhoudt
Wednesday 22/09 Whisky on Wheels - Erpe Mere
Thursday 23/09 Anverness - Antwerpen
Friday 24/09 Tasttoe 2 - Wondelgem-Gent
Saturday 25/09 afternoon Jan Vissers - Geel-Westerlo
Saturday 25/09 evening Whiskyhuis - Zottegem

A Salute to Whisky Clubs

The phenomenon of Whisky Tasting Clubs is burgeoning hobby group throughout the Midwest and other areas of the US.  One such group, the Bureau of Malt Sippers (BUMS) was recently featured in a local St. Louis news article;

http://www.websterkirkwoodtimes.com/Articles-i-2010-07-09-169997.113118_Scotch_Tantalizes_Palate_Of_Local_Whiskey_Group.html 

regarding the club and a recent trip to Maker’s Mark Distillery taken by BUMS representative, Mark Friedman, to taste a new release, Maker’s 46. Friedman was one of 15 whisky journalists who were flown down to Loretto, Kentucky at the invitation of Kevin Smith, Master Distiller, and Bill Samuels, Jr., President of Makers Mark, to tour the distillery and taste the new whisky with the Maker’s 46 team.

As part of a viral marketing campaign he was contacted through the effort of Maker’s Mark’s marketing agency Evins Communications in New York.  In viral marketing, part of the campaign to spread the good word about a product is done through non-conventional channels in lieu of TV and Print advertising.  Instead, part of the effort to get out the marketing message is to contact “influentials” in your target market who may be able to influence public opinion in favor of your product.

Friedman and others received a VIP tour and access to the folks responsible for creating the new whisky. If all went well and the whisky and treatment at the distillery favorably impressed the writers, they wrote about their impressions in their magazines, blogs and elsewhere.  In Friedman’s case, in addition to blogging about the experience on the BUMS website, www.scotch-tasting-bums.com he also shot and posted a video on that same site.

Another aspect of contacting Friedman, who is primarily a single malt whisky writer, was to get out the world to Scotch drinkers about a new Bourbon profile in hopes that it might appeal to their palates.  Friedman did give a favorable review, rating the Maker’s 46 in this way, “This new expression is a cousin to the standard expression with the same wonderful roundness of flavor but with a nose that has cinnamon and nutmeg upfront with the vanilla and berry components subordinate. On the palate is caramel, cinnamon, vanilla and a slight but pleasant woodiness. The finish is a gentle decline to a low level of spiciness. I give this an 85-90 but tending towards the high end.”

John Hansel, of Malt Advocate, rated this same whisky a 90.

Whisky Clubs all over are increasingly sophisticated which is reflected in some of their sites such as the outstanding, L.A. Whisk(e)y Society, http://www.lawhiskeysociety.com/

which can be contrasted by the grass roots effort of clubs such as The Old Snots (Old Scotch Nosing or Tasting Society) a group in rural Illinois with a basic but fun site at

http://theoldsnots.com/

Whatever their level of sophistication, this phenomenon only supports the efforts of all those who toil away to make their tastings and their websites a destination for fun, camaraderie, information and drams to delight the senses. A salute to them all. Slainte!

————————-

Article provided by www.scotch-tasting-bums.com

This from the American Distilling Institute Newsletter

The Virgilina Distilling Company

by Sharon Whitt Burkholder

During the great migration to America in the 17th and 18th centuries,
settlers brought their meager belongings and diverse cultures with them. 

These migrants settled the American Frontier and they began to grow crops.  Money was scarce and these new settlers depended on trading for their survival.  They began to make value-added products from their crops. 

Distilled spirits were easily made from corn, fruits, and other grains and then exchanged for supplies and goods.  Thus, the great American spirits industry was born.

The Whitt family settled in the Virgilina area in the early 1700’s  when
Southern Virginia was a frontier.  Supporting this new nation, they fought in the Revolutionary War.  Some of the Whitts moved west, and many remained here.  They farmed, raised families, and were productive.

Copper and gold were discovered in the Virgilina area in the 1800s, and companies from Boston to England began to invest in this area’s mining industry.  Virgilina was a frontier town, a wild-west town that thrived from this industry. Located both in Virginia and North Carolina , irgilina’s rapid growth was due primarily to mining followed by the alcohol there. 

Being a wet town in a dry area,Virgilina’s distilling industry grew right
along with the town.  Our great-grandfather, General Lee Whitt, used to ride his horse to Virgilina to visit the saloons.

The railroad came to Virgilina in the 1880’s, providing a means to transport copper, gold, and alcohol. The town grew, and according to local lore, Virgilina was once the home to over 8,000 miners.  When minerals were found in the American West, the companies began to invest there, and they left along with their miners. The town began to decline, even though mining in Virgilina continued on a small scale until the 1950’s.  Prohibition effectively shut down the distilleries in Virgilina, further contributing to the town’ss decline.  With prohibition came the increase in moonshining and bootlegging in the area.

Our grandfather, LeeRoy Whitt, was a farmer and there were not many opportunities for a boy with a 9th grade education.  With a sense of sheer determination and a will to succeed, he made his living off the natural resources of the area.  In addition to farming, he was a bootlegger, and is quite a legend with the old-timers around these parts.

His largest moonshining operation was in the Virgilina area, on what we know as the Christie farm.  The natural springs, locally known by the old moonshiners as High Plains Northwest Blue, and were known to produce the best spirits in the area.  He was an expert driver, and his bootlegging cars were fast.  He used to tell us that his mechanic was Lee Petty,  the father of Richard Petty of NASCAR fame, and that he would race on the dirt tracks behind the Petty house back in the day.

Granddaddy quit bootlegging around 1960. The Feds arrested him during a sting in Person County , NC . During the chase, he was clocked going faster backwards than forward.  He used to tell us that he would have “outrun ‘em” had he not ran over a railroad track which knocked his car out of gear.  He invested his money in over 800 acres of Southern Virginia land, and left it to us.

What the heck are we girls going to do with it?
_______________________________________________________

Legacy Artisan Distillers, Inc. DBA Virgilina Distilling Company is owned by four Whitt Sisters.  We are planning to distill corn liquor, and infuse with fruit, as well and brandies, etc.

We are making progress. We are working with Kothe, and are moving ahead!

Visit the American Distilling Institute at www.distilling.com
 

Glenrothes S 1989 20yo 55.7%alc.

Distilled 31/12/1989

Bottled: 09/04/2010

Matured in a Recharred Butt #24377

Limited to 384 bottles

If Pooh’s chum Tigger had a sister this is it and she’s called Ester, but like Tig she’s all over the place, charming and very challenging. The majority of the experience from the start is fruity esters, bananas, cream soda, Demerara sugar, bouncing all over the place and from the very first instant. On the mouth cool, chocolate and sweetness on the side of the tongue (not possible surely?). Water beefs up the fruit, then, out of the blue, tobacco! Flip-me! Where did that come from?

Ace for all the fun. Square I7 on the Flavour Map, I think.
Rich/Smoky

Price excluding VAT: £59.15
£69.50 Including VAT at 17.5%

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at https://www.lfw.co.uk/

Springbank NAS (46%, OB, “CV”, +/-2010)

From the website; Springbank CV is the product of a variety of different cask types and sizes, all specially selected by Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Stuart Robertson. Frank and Stuart’s years of experience allowed them to choose a range of casks, every one complementing the other to ensure a great whisky with lots of flavour and the classic Springbank style. What does CV mean? Chairman’s Vat? Curriculum vitae? Cuvee of Vintages? It means whatever you want it to mean, enjoying the whisky is the most important thing.

The nose is mildly green and very peppery at first, this soon settles down to reveal some fruit (banana, tinned fruit cocktail) along with some sherry notes however the green and pepper notes are still present. Very light hints of sweet smoke, at first but this increases over time and fragrant heather and/or roses. A pleasant collection of aromas but where is Springbank? MIA. The taste is mild at first contact but it soon builds into a mouth warming, sweet peated whisky that is actually complemented by the green, the pepper and the fruit and sherry. AHA! Springbank has finally arrived with some smoke, now things are moving along. Buckets of sweet smoke with the first gulp.  The finish is warming, mouth filling with some good typical Springbank moments. Sweetness, some malt and hints of smoke as well as the ever present green notes (which gives it some bite) and the pepper. The finish is very long, consistent and active.

Very nice and well priced.

£29 at Loch Fyne Whiskies

Score 83 points

http://www.springbankwhisky.com/springbank/

THE NOSE KNOWS!

Wednesday, June 16, 6:30-8:30pm

Legendary Whyte & Mackay Master Blender Richard Patterson will conduct a seminar in his art, featuring Dalmore 12 year old, 15 year old, Gran Reserva and King Alexander and Isle of Jura 16 year Superstition, plus a surprise. Seating is limited, reservations are required. $20 W/Binny’s Card / $30 non-members.

Call 773-935-9400 for more information.
Chicago - Lakeview
Binny’s Ivanhoe Castle & Catacombs Tasting Room | Chicago | 773-935-9400

Visit Binny’s at www.binnys.com

Richard will also be at these other Binny’s stores;

Glen Ellyn 
MEET MASTER WHISKY BLENDER RICHARD PATTERSON  June 17, 2010 (Thu) 6:00-8:00pm
Master Blender Richard Patterson will be meeting single malt afficionados and sampling the newest entries to the Dalmore range!  info  
 
Schaumburg 
MEET MASTER WHISKY BLENDER RICHARD PATTERSON  June 18, 2010 (Fri) 6:00-8:00pm
Master Blender Richard Patterson will be meeting single malt afficionados and sampling the newest entries to the Dalmore range! 

Lake Zurich 
MEET MASTER WHISKY BLENDER RICHARD PATTERSON  June 19, 2010 (Sat) 2:00-4:00pm
Master Blender Richard Patterson will be meeting single malt afficionados and sampling the newest entries to the Dalmore range!  info

Glengoyne Distillery has launched a brand new personalised bottle shopping area at http://shop.glengoyne.com, completing the final stage of redesign for the online store.

With the aim of making the process of buying the award-winning whisky simpler, quicker and more enjoyable, all available Glengoyne products can now be purchased online, from the core range and special limited edition single cask bottlings, up to the super premium Glengoyne 40 Years Old.

One of the most popular elements of the online store, the exclusive personalised bottles and tubes of the 10, 17 and 21 Years Old Highland Single Malt Whiskies, has undergone a radical transformation.

The new, easy to use section allows customers to upload their image and type a unique message directly onto their personalised labels. A special new feature brings the design to life, allowing shoppers to preview an accurate depiction of the final label that will appear on the bottle and tube. As well as being more accessible to consumers, it is hoped that the completion of the personalised bottles section will also aid in boosting sales.

Glengoyne has offered an on-line shop since 2005, but decided to create a completely new shop platform, utilising the most advanced technology available in order to exceed customer expectations. Created by award-winning web design agency, The Weather Digital, the new online store provides a much more intuitive and richer experience to the visiting whisky fan. One of the key changes was improving the all-important checkout process.

Charlie Cutler, Managing Director of The Weather Digital explained: “The new process moves away from a multi-page “effort”, to a single page checkout. This is a much friendlier experience, reducing the number of would-be customers leaving the site before completing the purchase. Now users can choose whether to check-out as a guest or alternatively can register their details to review previous orders and make future purchases even quicker.”

Fiona Richardson, Retail Manager for Glengoyne commented: “We are delighted with the improvements to the online store, especially the new personalised bottle feature. As well as improving the customer experience, the new system makes the logistics of managing the personalised bottles sales much simpler and ensures an even better level of customer service. Since we commenced the reinvigoration of the online shop at the end of last year, it has already proved incredibly successful, increasing sales by over 53%.”

Other enhancements the new shop provides include:

- High quality photography allowing users to view products in much greater detail

- Newsletter sign-up to receive special offers from Glengoyne

- Email to a friend - to let your friends know about a product

- Build a wish list - keep a track of items you would like in the future

- Reviews - allow users to post up their reviews of the products

The new shop provides a powerful reporting tool, allowing the retail team to analyse who is buying products and what they are buying, ensuring the distillery is meeting all of the needs and demands of its customers. The shop also supports a range of special offers including voucher codes which can be used in future promotions by Glengoyne.

For more information on the new Glengoyne online store visit:

http://shop.glengoyne.com

Contacts:

Iain Weir, Marketing Director
Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd
T: 01506 852 205
E: iain@ianmacleod.com

2010 GLENFIDDICH VINTAGE RESERVE

Each year, Glenfiddich releases a strictly limited edition single malt Scotch whisky - the Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve. An auspicious panel of whisky experts and enthusiasts is invited by the Glenfiddich Malt Master to join him in choosing their favourite whisky from a few casks that he has pre-selected. The panel’s choice becomes the year’s Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve.

This year, our new Malt Master - Brian Kinsman - will be joined online by an influential group of whisky bloggers and journalists from around the world. They will meet on Twitter, on Wednesday 9th June 2010, at 12 noon British Summer Time (GMT+1 hour). You can follow this pioneering virtual Vintage Reserve selection live, as it happens, with us here. (Obviously this has already occurred.)

MEET THE PANEL

Introducing the truly global 2010 Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve selection panel. Wherever they are in the world, each of member of the online panel will be nosing and tasting a sample of single malt, from the same cask, at the same time. You’ll be able to read their thoughts and impressions of each cask via their Twitter handle as they add their comments during the event.

Ho-Cheng Yao
Taiwan

Twitter: @kingfishertw
Blog:Single Malt Lover!

Lucas Dynowiak
UK

Twitter: @EdinburghWhisky
Blog:Edinburgh Whisky Blog

Noah Rothbaum
USA

Twitter: @liquordotcom
Blog:Liquor.com

Rick McGinnis
Canada

Twitter: @rickmcginnis
Blog:Rick McGinnis

Hans-Henrik Hansen
Denmark

Twitter: @hhhglenfiddich

Anish Trivedi
India

Twitter: @anish_trivedi
Blog:Raw Spirit

Jerry Lindahl
Sweden

Twitter: @avecprovning
Blog:blog.livetsgoda.se &
Herr J. Lindahls avecprovning

Ilya Krasilshchik
Russia

Twitter: @maliar
Blog:twitter.com/maliar

Cask Number: 28121

Cask Type: American oak hogshead

Date Filled: September 25th 1978

Characteristics: Beautiful deep amber colour with typical American oak notes of sweet vanilla

Cask Number: 28122

Cask Type: American oak hogshead

Date Filled: September 25th 1978

Characteristics: A richer deeper amber colour with complex and powerful notes of oak.

Cask Number: 28145

Cask Type: American oak hogshead

Date Filled: September 25th 1978

Characteristics: A golden amber colour with deeper notes of citrus, like orange.

Cask Number: 28152

Cask Type: American oak hogshead

Date Filled: September 25th 1978

Characteristics: Much paler straw-like colour with classic Glenfiddich fruit characteristics on the nose

THE TASTING

Malt Master, Brian Kinsman will lead the global panel in nosing and tasting samples from the four pre-selected casks, which were all filled from the same batch, on the same day, 25th September 1978. Despite being filled with identical spirit, each unique American oak hogshead cask has spent over thirty years imbuing its contents with its own distinctive personality and characteristics - so which cask will be chosen to be bottled as this year’s Glenfiddich Vintage Reserve?

With the hallmark Glenfiddich distillery character - classic fruit and pear - the winner is cask 28152

http://www.glenfiddichvintagereserve.com/

May Top-up Tipplers:  Stop to Re-fuel with 39.75 & 95.11 
Save £5 on pair or BUY 121.33 for only £29.50

39.75 Cuban memories
Speyside Lossie
£46 inc. Free P&P
Rich and sweet, with traces of gunpowder, but more of cinder toffee, maple syrup and nut oil. Water brings Tropical thoughts: cigar boxes, limes, coffee, baked pork with pineapple.
Age: 13 years            Cask:  Refill ex-sherry butt

95.11 Punched in the face with happiness
Speyside Spey
£56.50 inc. Free P&P
A bigger nose than Cyrano de Bergerac! cherries, flambé bananas and pineapple with a drop of balsamic; cinder toffee, maple syrup, leather, vanilla, pencil boxes and cookie dough – seemingly endless.
Age: 13 years            Cask:  First-fill ex-sherry butt
Buy 39.75 & 95.11 together and SAVE £5 OR
Buy 39.75 & 95.11 together and BUY 121.33 for ONLY £29.50

121.33 Gunpowder on lemon meringue pie
Highland Island
£39.50* or £29.50 with 39.75 & 95.11 inc. Free P&P
The nose had sweetness (Caramac, custard, barley sugar, white chocolate) and tropical fruit (pineapple, orange, lemon, Juicy Fruit)
Age: 9 years                    Cask: Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

£5 Top-up Tippler Pair ends: Thu 6 May
Buy 121.33 for £29.50 offer ends: Thu 29 Apr

SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events

Society Sensory Masterclass - The Vaults, Fri 23 Apr
Durham Preview Tasting - Oldfields Restaurant, Sun 4 Apr
Ladies Only Pampering Night - 28 Queen St, Wed 5 May
New Outturn Tasting - London, Sat 8 May
New Outturn Sunday Roast tasting - The Vaults, Sun 9 May
Birmingham Preview Tasting - Brighton Hotel Du Vin, Fri 14 May
Cafe Spice Nameste - Cafe Spice London, Tue 18 May 

Cardiff Preview Tasting - Novotel Cardiff Centre, Fri 21 May
Islay and Island Tasting - 28 Queen Street, Sat 22 May

Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/

Glenfiddich 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

This week only $19.99 Regular Price $30.00

Nose

Distinctively fresh and fruity with a hint of pear. Beautifully crafted single malt with a delicately balanced fragrance.

Taste

Characteristic sweet, fruity notes. Develops into elements of butterscotch, cream, malt and subtle oak flavor.

Finish

Long, smooth and mellow.

About the Distillery

Glenfiddich is little changed since 1886, when William Grant and his nine children rolled up their sleeves to build the  Distillery with their bare hands. These same silent warehouses and  steamy mash rooms produce the world’s favorite single malt Scotch whisky today.

This whisky has matured for at least 12 years in American and European oak casks. The quality of these casks is   exceptional as all are individually tended by their experienced team of coopers, ensuring that the whisky develops complex, elegantly rounded flavors with notes of fresh pear and subtle oak. 
 
This special price is available now till Tuesday May 4, 2010.  Don’t miss this special offer, order your bottles today. Visit D&M at http://www.dandm.com/