The Arran Malt – Icons of Arran #2 – Rowan Tree (late March)
The Arran Malt 1999 Vintage – 15th Anniversary Bottling (June)
The Arran Malt Cask Finishes – Port, Sauternes and Amarone (July)
The Arran Malt 14 Years Old – replacing 12yo (August)
The Peated Arran (September)

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at https://www.lfw.co.uk/ and Isle of Arran Distillery at http://www.arranwhisky.com/

Description

A special, limited edition single cask Laphroaig in honour of the Royal British Legion. 10% of all profits will go to the Legion.

298 bottles. Cask #700219.

Distillery: Laphroaig

Founded in 1815. A stupendous complexity of sweet malt, Islay reek, Islay salt, all that is Islay, all that is the Scottish islands, that flows across the palate, that benefits from a chew and, finally rocks your own little foundations.

Tasting Notes

Vibrant peat smoke aromas evolve revealing leathery hints and ripe banana whilst the smoky palate bursts with black pepper and soft fruit.

Product Details

Vintage: 1998
Volume: 70cl
ABV: 55.4%
Bottler: Berry Bros.

STOCK AVAILABILITY: In-Stock, Immediate Dispatch

£48.99
£41.69 ex. VAT

Visit A. Dewar Rattray Ltd at www.adrattray.com

             Highland Park 1983 26YO              
Old Malt Cask  

£91.99 inc. VAT £78.29 ex. VAT  

                              
Fettercairn 1991 13YO  
Old Malt Cask
£42.99 inc. VAT £36.59 ex. VAT   

      Glen Ord 1990 18YO 
Old Malt Cask
£59.99 inc. VAT £51.06 ex. VAT

     Laphroaig 1997 12YO             
      Rare Auld 54.9%             
       £55.99 inc. VAT £47.65 ex. VAT  

Laphroaig 1997 12YO
£36.99 inc. VAT £31.48 ex. VAT
NC2 46.0%

Glen Grant 1987 22YO
Rare Auld Sherry Cask 57.9%
£66.99 inc. VAT £57.01 ex. VAT

Visit Single Malts Direct at www.singlemaltsdirect.com

HIGHLAND PARK AMBASSADOR AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS GLOBAL ACCOLADE

Highland Park’s Gerry Tosh was named Global Whisky Ambassador of the Year at the prestigious Icons of Whisky Awards organised by Whisky Magazine at the Hurlingham Club in London last week (Thursday 25 February).

The result is based on the Scottish winner’s passion and knowledge of the industry which is unparalleled in his commitment to the role of educating people across the world about Highland Park and how to nose and taste ‘the water of life’.

Born in Dundee, 35 year old Gerry Tosh has worked with the Highland Park since 2001 and has shared his knowledge with both Highland Park drinkers and the internal workforce by travelling the world as well as creating a boot camp style training, held at the Kirkwall distillery, for the brand’s ambassadors.

Gerry Tosh, Highland Park Head of Brand Education, comments: “I’ve travelled over 90,000 thousand miles over the last 12 months, meeting people from all over the world.  I take people on a journey of discovery; they may know a little about whisky or nothing at all but by the end they always have a better appreciation, understanding and a newfound love of the craft of whisky making and its exquisite taste.  This gives me such a great thrill, which is made all the better by knowing that I have created this new love affair with Highland Park brand.”

Jason Craig, Global Controller, Highland Park, commented: “We are extremely proud of Gerry and his win. Icons of Whisky recognises the very best people and places in whisky throughout the world and this accolade highlights the considerable amount of time and effort that Gerry and the team have invested to grow Highland Park globally.

“The Orcadian malt has enjoyed record sales and over the past four years Highland Park global sales have soared by 80 per cent, selling over 110,000 cases a year, and entered the world’s top 10 single malt Scotch whiskies.”

Additionally, Highland Park’s Earl Magnus Edition 1 bottling was awarded Best Island (Non Islay) Single Malt Whisky at the World Whiskies Awards last week. Gerry Tosh was instrumental in selecting this successful 15 year old cask strength expression which was sold out within 48 hours of being released at the end of last year.

Highland Park has won a string of other prestigious awards across its portfolio. Its 18 year old single malt Scotch whisky was crowned ‘best spirit in the world’ for the second consecutive time last year by leading US independent whisky expert Paul Pacult in the Spirit Journal’s Top 115 Spirits in the World.

Awards also include ‘best new whisky release of the year 2009’ for its 40 year old single malt and ‘best whisky in the world 2009’ for its 21 year old expression in the World Whisky Awards.  The brand also won four double gold awards in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009, four ‘gold best in class’ awards for its 12, 18, 25 and 40 year old expressions in the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2009 as well as a gold medal and three silver medals in the International Spirits Challenge 2009.

-Ends-

 Issued by The BIG Partnership on behalf of Highland Park

For further information or photography, please contact:

Linda Edstrand / Pamela Wils, The BIG Partnership

Tel: 0131 555 5522, 07717 875 227

Email: linda.edstrand@bigpartnership.co.uk or Pamela.wils@bigpartnership.co.uk 

Please enjoy our brand responsibly.
www.highlandpark.co.uk

www.drinkaware.co.uk

Notes to editors:

Five keystones contribute to making the Best Spirit in the World:

·         Hand-turned malt adds to the deliciously succulent, balanced layers of aromatic character found in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Aromatic peat gives a delectably seductive, luxuriant floral sweetness to Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Cool maturation enhances the smooth character of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Sherry oak casks contribute to the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

·         Cask harmonisation ensures consistency and balance in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Biography - Gerry Tosh, Head Of Brand Education

Gerry Tosh (35) is Head of Brand Education for Highland Park, recently named ‘Best spirit in the world’ for the second time.  He is responsible for building relationships with the international drinks trade and consolidating the brand’s profile around the world, especially in important export markets such as North America and Northern Europe.

Gerry joined Highland Park as their first global brand ambassador from the brand’s worldwide distributor Maxxium some 7 years ago.  Previously he also worked for Highland Distillers and has worked continuously in the whisky industry since 1997.

Gerry was the youngest male to be asked to be a “keeper of the quaich” and was recently named one of whisky magazine’s Icon’s of whisky, winning “Scotch whisky ambassador of the year”.

Gerry’s role involves spending half of his time abroad, travelling as far east as Japan and as far west as Alaska.  He has been in climates where the temperatures reach +44 degrees Celsius and -44 degree Celsius. 

Additional info:

•            Age – 35 years old

•            Has hand picked many single casks for sale around the world including the “Ambassadors cask” series

•            Was a Sales Development Manager for Highland Distillers and then Maxxium

•            Played rugby for Scotland at youth level against Ireland and Spain

•            Keen golfer

•            Job entails delivering training and education seminars around the key markets for Highland Park

•            Favourite Highland Park is the 1977 Bicentenary

Pamela Wils

Account Executive

The Big Partnership

Suite 4/3, Great Michael House, 14 Links Place, Edinburgh, EH6 7EZ

Tel: 0131 555 5522
Mob: 07825 567 808
Fax: 0131 554 3742
www.bigpartnership.co.uk

(The usual deal: £3 a ticket, 7pm start!)

Time and date: 7pm (sharp!)Wednesday 10th March 2010
Location: Chaplaincy, Highstreet, Old Aberdeen
What to bring: Ticket + Membership card + CASH£££ for raffle!

Our mailing address is:

University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Chaplaincy
High Street
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3TT

aberdeenwhisky@googlemail.com

Whisky Live New York, during New York Tartan Week, once again returns to the spectacular Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers, 23rd Street on the Hudson River, in the heart of the city, on Wednesday, April 7, 2010.  Whether you are a seasoned whisky lover or a novice, you can expect to experience an incredible and in-depth insight into the world of whisky, great food and fantastic entertainment. Whisky Live New York will bring the world of whisky to life, increasing your knowledge of whiskies and a chance to meet the whisky experts.

Book your tickets in advance and save, to ensure your place at Whisky Live New York 2010!  Advance tickets may be ordered now at Whisky Live New York 2010.  Attendance is limited and tickets are selling fast, so book soon!

I look forward to seeing you soon. Visit us at WhiskyLive.com  more information about our other events in North America and World-Wide.

Jeffery Connell and David Sweet
Managers, Whisky Live North American

P.S. Remember to book soon to ensure your place at Whisky Live New York, Whisky Live LA, Whisky Live Fort Lauderdale & Whisky Live Toronto 2010!

Whisky Rating Launches New Forum for Sample Trade
 
On March 8, 2010 whisky-rating.com - a blog focused on concise tasting notes and ratings for all kinds of whisky - has launched a forum extension to their site dedicated to non-profit trading of whisky samples.

Registered users can list whiskies that they wish to offer for swapping or for sale on a per-sample basis. They also have the option of sharing entire bottles among other forum users as well as a possibility to list requests for specific whiskies. Also included in the forum is a section for the discussion of general whisky topics.

The Two Benefits of Trading Whisky Samples

1. Many whisky enthusiasts strive to taste as many different whiskies as possible. Obviously this is a difficult and costly task when you have to buy a whole bottle of each whisky you taste. Trading samples allows whisky lovers to maximize the number of whiskies that they can taste while minimizing the financial burden.

2. Trading samples is also an interesting option for less ambitious whisky drinkers. Acquiring whisky samples by swapping or purchase gives them a chance to try a specific whisky expression before making their buying decision for an entire bottle.

http://www.whisky-rating.com/

Oliver Klimek, owner of whisky-rating.com
Oberschleissheim, Germany, March 8, 2010

Thursday, March 11, 6:30-8:30pm

In the spirit of St. Patrick, join Bushmill’s Whiskey Master Martin Duffy, fresh off a 3 year stint in Ireland, and learn the history of the world’s oldest active distillery. Sample White Label Blend, Black Bush Blend, Bushmalt 10 year old, Bushmalt 16 year old, Bushmalt 21 year old finished in Madeira wood and the 1608 Anniversary. $10 W/Binny’s Card / $15 non-member.
Call 630-545-2550 or email glenellyn@binnys.com for reservations.

Binny’s Glen Ellyn

670 W Roosevelt Rd. | Glen Ellyn | 630-545-2550

So now is a good time to look forward to warmer days! We are now preparing for this year’s Feis Ile in May. In fact your special Feis Ile “Cairdeas” expression is being bottled today. It’s a cracking expression which I am certain you will love, but I will tell you more about it closer to the time.

What I would like to do is give you all the details about the Feis Ile as we are doing a very special event this year.

“The Gathering”-  In addition to our traditional “open day” we have organised a special evening exclusively for you, the friends of Laphroaig .It is to be our first ever official “Gathering of our clan” and will be held on Sunday May the 23rd at 6.30 PM.

We are inviting all “Friends” who are on the island that day to meet at the distillery. However as will become clear we will need prior notice of those of you who can come and join us.

The famous “Wellies”

As most of you will know the original way to find your plot was by measuring it out with a pair of Wellington boots (tie with string at the top to exclude any inquisitive stoats as I recall!). To commemorate this we are having some special wellies made especially for the event. These boots (in Laphroaig green of course) will also have “The Gathering” printed on the side surrounded by a border of Johnston tartan. They look terrific. These are good quality wellington boots which I am sure you will want to use later so we are asking everyone who wants to come to enter their foot size on this web page http://www.laphroaig.com/friends/gathering/. We will then get your own boots especially ordered.

Once everyone has donned their wellies we will proceed to “The Plots” where we will take you to your exact plot location.

The “Friends” Toast

Well actually you will not be going straight to your plot. Firstly we will be arming you with your “rent”, but since it’s such a special occasion (and you may have lots of people to toast!) we will be giving you 3 different Laphroaig miniatures to toast with. Then we thought that swigging it out of a bottle would not be right for such an occasion, so you will also receive one of our special Laphroaig engraved “dram  glasses “ to make your toast with.  And of course a personal certificate to certify your presence at “The Gathering”.

Then we will go to the plots for our toasts! We aim to raise our glasses at exactly 7.30PM (Islay time). We of course invite all of you who around the World who cannot come, to raise a glass at the same time and please do send in pictures of your toast to the friends website. We will of course be filming the actual event itself which we will put up on the site later.

The Barn dance

No “Gathering” would be complete without a Ceilidh (party) so after” the plot toasts” we will all return to the distillery where the barn dance will commence with music from David Adams and his musical friends – Oh, but before we do, we will have one more group toast (why not!). This will be from my friends 2010 Cairdeas bottling – just to get the party going!

Tickets

The  special ‘wellies’ are good quality and are a “one off” for “The Gathering” so we will need to charge £25 for “The Gathering”, which includes everything I have mentioned above which I hope is ok. If you can come please go to the special page on your website http://www.laphroaig.com/friends/gathering/ and enter your personal wellie size, Vicky will contact you to take payment. We must close the invitations by the 12th March 2010 to give the manufacturer time to make all the boots to your sizes.

Our Laphroaig “Open Day” is two days later, Tuesday May 25th .There will be a huge range of “special” tastings conducted by Simon Brooking, David Adams, our master blender Robert Hicks and yours truly, including 5 tastings on our local island of Texa! (Not for those who suffer sea sickness!), a sensory challenge plus tastings at our peat beds water source and malting floors during the week. We are also proud to welcome “Graham and Sheila” authors of the best selling book” The Whisky Kitchen” who will be demonstrating their culinary expertise with Laphroaig. The evening will round off with live music from singer, songwriter Bridgid Kaelin who we met whilst we were filming Distillery Live last year in Kentucky. To find out all the details just go to http://www.laphroaig.com/feisile/index.asp

I wish you could all be here for these special events. For those who cannot attend, we will be filming as much of it as possible and I will post it up on your website a week later.  That’s all for now. By the way a huge thank you to all of you who sent me and my team Christmas cards, they are much appreciated!

Slainte Mathe

John Campbell