The ‘Whisky & Words’ Burns Supper

30 September 2009 – 19:30 pm
County Buildings
£22.00
To celebrate the launch of our “Whisky & Words” programme, we welcome you to a Burns Supper. Our guest speaker is the poet and Burns biographer Robert Crawford who examines how the Bard’s reputation stands 250 years after his birth. Other participants include Rab Wilson, Vitali Vitaliev and Donald Kay. Food for body, mind and spirit.
Sponsored by Bladnoch Distillery

Film: Whisky Galore (PG): Machars Movies

30 September 2009 – 19:30 pm
St Ninian’s Hall
£6.00 (Adult Price)
£4.00 (Children’s Price)
The classic 1949 Ealing Comedy tells the story of crafty Hebridean islanders outwitting the exciseman. Starringa host of well-loved actors including Gordon Jackson and James Robertson Justice. (See 3pm Saturday 3rd Oct for the real story behind the film.)

Raymond Armstrong: How Bladnoch Distillery Was Reborn

01 October 2009 – 10:30 am
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£6.00
The owner of Bladnoch distillery, Raymond Armstrong, tells how he came to live every whisky obsessive’s dream, to buy an old distillery and bring it back into production. An inspiring story of what can be done with a little luck, a lot of determination and the gift of the gab.

Hans Offringa: Whisky and Jazz

01 October 2009 – 12:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
A truly distinctive blend of 10 famous jazz musicians and 10 terrific single malts. Read about the history of jazz and whisky, see how they mix and relax and enjoy a real “sippin’ and listening” guide.

Stuart Delves: A Dram and a Pen: Creative Writing in a Glass

01 October 2009 – 12:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Warehouse One
£7.00
Stuart Delves of Henz Teeth will get you writing by using the language and flavours of whisky as inspiration. Book early as places are limited.

Richard Paterson: Goodness Nose

01 October 2009 – 13:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
A dynamic and mischievous advocate of Scottish malt whisky, Richard Paterson is also one of the best blenders in the business with a nose to match. He talks

Ian Buxton: Aeneas MacDonald’s ‘Whisky’

01 October 2009 – 15:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Malt Kiln
£6.00
Published in 1930 under a pseudonym because its author did not wish to offend his teetotal family, Whisky is a love letter to Scotland’s national drink. Ian Buxton, co-author of The Whisky Companion, celebrates the first great literary work to be solely inspired by and about whisky. “If I could take only one book to a desert island, it would be Aeneas MacDonald’s,” Charles MacLean.

Whisky Tasting: Lowland Malts with Dave Broom

01 October 2009 – 18:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Warehouse One
£8.00
With so much attention paid to the Highlands and Islands, do Lowland whiskies get a fair crack of the whip? Top whisky writer Dave Broom leads a tasting exploring some subtle and often underestimated drams.
Late-night Storytelling: Robin Laing’s Legends of Islay

01 October 2009 – 22:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Malt Kiln
£6.00
Join the storyteller and musician for whisky-related legends from Islay and a caskful of other spirit-laden tales.

Midnight Tasting: John Lamond’s Flavours of Whisky

01 October 2009 – 23:55 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Warehouse One
£10.00
Join Master of Malt John Lamond for a discussion of flavours and their sources. Find oranges in Glenrothes, creosote in Springbank, chocolate in Bladnoch and antiseptic and citrus in Caol Ila, to name just a few.

Gavin D Smith: Silver Darlings, Golden Drams: Whisky & Neil M Gunn

02 October 2009 – 11:00 am
Bladnoch Distillery Malt Kiln
£6.00
Leading whisky writer Gavin D Smith explores the link between one of Scotland’s great 20th-century novelists and Scotch whisky. Following in the footsteps of Burns, Gunn served as an excise officer for years, and penned the classic Whisky & Scotland – as much a meditation on Scottish identity as a book about the national drink.

Whiskey & Philosophy

02 October 2009 – 13:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Malt Kiln
£6.00
Everyone’s a philosopher with a drink in their hand. Whiskey and Philosophy takes this natural pairing to a new level. Written by philosophers and whisky writers, this unusual, accessible and entertaining collection of essays will make you see the link between drinking and thinking in a whole new light.

Film: From Masataka and Rita with Love

02 October 2009 – 14:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£6.00
Coming to Scotland from Japan just after the First World War, Masataka Taketsuru met and married Rita Cowan of Kirkintilloch, despite the opposition of both their families. This recently rediscovered documentary is both a cross-cultural love story and an intimate portrait of the man who founded the Yoichi (later Nikka) distillery and helped make Japan’s whisky industry the power it is today.
Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser: A Tribute to Michael Jackson

02 October 2009 – 15:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£6.00
Michael Jackson was the most famous writer on beer and whisky of his generation. A journalist with a passion for the national tipples, he cared just as deeply about honest writing. This collection has been put together by his friends to honour his memory. They discuss his legacy.

Dave Broom: Whisky and Landscape

02 October 2009 – 17:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
How does whisky relate to the landscape in which it is produced? What are the geographical and cultural reasons that areas with rugged dramatic mountains tend to produce rugged dramatic malts? Whisky Magazine’s Dave Broom gives a sneak preview of his latest project.
The Whisky & Words Panel: Ask the Experts

02 October 2009 – 18:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
Do you have a burning question to ask about whisky? Whether it’s advice, opinion or simply laughter you’re after, our irreverent cabal of writers is certain to have something to say. Panelists include Charles MacLean, Helen Arthur and Gavin Smith.

Midnight Tasting: Sherry and Peat with Helen Arthur

02 October 2009 – 23:55 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Warehouse One
£10.00
Big flavours for the wee hours with Helen Arthur, the world’s leading female whisky writer and author of The Single Malt Whisky Companion.

Charles MacLean’s Whiskypedia

03 October 2009 – 12:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
The BBC World Service has called MacLean “Scotland’s foremost whisky writer”. He is also one of the most lively and amusing speakers about the drink. The Whiskypedia examines why every Scottish malt tastes the way it does. Guaranteed to help you extract every last drop of enjoyment from your dram.

Roger Hutchinson: Polly: The True Story Behind Whisky Galore

03 October 2009 – 15:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£6.00
The author of Calum’s Road recounts what happened after the SS Politician ran aground off Eriskay in 1941, a far more complicated tale than that fictionalized by Compton Mackenzie. ‘A delightful dram of a book’, Daily Mail.

Rare Whisky Books: Neil Wilson and Ian Buxton

03 October 2009 – 16:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£6.00
Through their imprint Classic Expressions, Neil Wilson and Ian Buxton are committed to reissuing rare and out-of-print whisky books. They talk about old favourites and the library of fascinating material yet to be tapped.

Tom Morton’s Drinking for Scotland

03 October 2009 – 19:30 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£9.00
Written and performed by the BBC Scotland presenter and author, Tom Morton’s Drinking for Scotland is a musical meditation on Scotland’s relationship with alcohol, by turns hilarious and tragic. Every member of the audience gets a taste of the good, the bad and the ugly of Scottish libations: a fine malt, the lost whiskywine cocktail that fuelled the vikings, and a certain tonic wine. Slainte.
The Festival Ceilidh

03 October 2009 – 21:00 pm
Bladnoch Distillery Main Hall
£8.00
Let your hair down, take to the dance-floor and celebrate the end of “Whisky & Words” . Music from Jenn Butterworth and friends.

Visit http://www.wigtownbookfestival.com/ to book tickets for this extraordinary line up of events.

The first whisky, distilled by the new owners of Bruichladdich, to be released in the traditional Bruichladdich low peating level of 10 PPM (it’s been reported that subsequent bottlings will be in the 3-5 PPM level), in any case it’s a pleasant change to have a nose around Bruichladdich without shed loads of peat obscuring the view. Released in October 2008.

The nose is rich and immediately brings forth images of butter, white wine, malt, honey, fruit, oak, hints of brine and very gentle coal smoke. This is a multi faceted nose and it’s very busy; there are loads of aromas and all very good. With water there is a sudden change with the arrival of plasticine followed by the malt and some pine resin but still with a sweet background. The undiluted taste is of fruit, very light leather, citrus, raisins, toffee, malt spicy oak with a later arrival of some strong oaky malt and some hints of tobacco. After a few minutes the oaky malt dominates and is quite unusual. Some shades of Springbank in here. With water the taste is much smoother and much gentler and surprisingly the plasticine  is not present but there is juniper and associated spices (think of a good Gin) and malt. A surprise and quite nice. The finish is woody and malty at first with the malt being very chewy and mouth smacking, some bitter fruit in here towards the end followed by a sweetness (honey, vanilla bean). It’s very long and enjoyable.

A good quality dram and it’s nice to see such quality from such a youngish whisky.

C$75

Score 86 Points

http://www.bruichladdich.com/

Greetings to all Society members.   You may be wondering why on earth you are getting so many newsletters just now.    Well the sun is shining and we have news we wish to share with you,  as it  happens,  rather than giving you old news.

FROM FRANK

This week has been pretty hectic at Springbank Distillery as we are taking delivery of around 60 tonnes of barley which is being grown locally to Campbeltown.

The barley type is Westminster which is a recognised malting strain.   Grown by local farmer David Young at Langy farm on a south west facing field overlooking Machrihanish Bay,  the crop is very good.

The weather has been really kind over the past two weeks which has meant that the moisture content of the harvested barley is fairly low at arount 16 – 17%.

Stuart Robertson and his staff at the distillery have been kept busy receiving the barley and drying it in our kiln to a moisture level of 12% prior to puting it into storage where it will remain for at least the next three months.   After that time the barley should have come out of dormancy and be ready to malt.

During May and June 2010 this malted barley will be used to produce Springbank™, Longrow™ and Hazelburn™ spirit.

We are delighted with the news this week that Whisky Magazine has awared J & A Mitchell with “Distiller of the Year 2010”.    This is somewhat of a double celebration as Pete Currie was also voted “Young Brand Ambassador of the Year 2010” by Whisky Magazine.   Pete and Stuart Robertson were on hand in Glasgow last weekend to pick up the awards.

Springbank Distillery had to take some hard decisions a couple of years ago and decided to cut back in production mainly due tothe high cost of utilities and barley.   Some people in the distilling industry thought that this was a backward step and we did receive some criticism at that time.  We took the view that it was pointless distilling until prices stabalised.   That has now happened and we are continuing with production at both our distilleries.

Peter Currie has certainly made his mark during the time that he has spent with us and has become respected throughout the Whisky World as a Sales and Marketing Manager who has an in depth knowledge of Scotch Whisky.

Frank

HAIRY BIKERS

You may remember that the Hairy Bikers were featured in a recent newsletter, when they paid a visit to Springbank and filmed the distillery for part of their “foodie” programme.   The were presented with some Springbank which they promised they would use in one of their cooking “lessons”.   We have now been advised that the programme featuring Springbank will be aired on Friday 25th September on BBC 2,  “The Hairy Bikers” Food Tour of Britain”  which you will be able to watch again through i player

SOCIETY BOTTLE

Well, the jury is now out, the miniatures have been dispatched to the tasting panel, so when they have tasted, deliberated and decided, they will e mail their results to me and the cask which is deemed the “chosen one” will be gently set aside to await the printing of labels, then bottling.

That’s all our exciting news for this week.

If you have any comments, etc, as usual e mail me on society@springbankwhisky.com

Slainte

Janet
for Springbank Society

Please contact Janet via the above email address to join the Springbank Society.

http://www.springbankwhisky.com/

A new event added to the schedule:

Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller at Wild Turkey, will be at Liquor World of Bardstown during the 2009 Kentucky Bourbon Festival to host a bourbon tasting and bottle signing on Saturday, Sept. 19th 2009 from 1:30 to 3:30 P.M. as a late addition to their schedule. It is completely free to attend, meet Jimmy, and sample some of his great bourbon.

Liquor World of Bardstown will be hosting a number of bourbon tastings and bottle signings during the 2009 Kentucky Bourbon Festival (Sept 15th through Sept. 20th 2009). They are all absolutely free to attend, sample the great bourbons, and meet many of the industry’s master distillers. Hanging out and mingling with other bourbon and whisky enthusiasts is strictly encouraged.

Craig Beam (Master Distiller Heaven Hill) will be tasting the new Evan Williams Honey Reserve, Henry McKenna Single Barrel, and Evan Williams 1783 on Wednesday, Sept. 16th from 3 to 5P.M., as well as signing bottles.

Thursday Sept. 17th is a full schedule of tastings and signings:

Levick Distillery (KY Walker, Boone County, Prestige Bourbon) will be hosting a bourbon tasting from 2 to 3P.M.

Jim Rutledge (Master Distiller Four Roses) will be hosting a tasting and bottle signing from 3:30 to 5 P.M. Jim will be celebrating the release of this year’s Four Roses Marriage, as well as Liquor World Of Bardstown’s Private Bottling of Four Roses Uncut.

Greg Davis (Master Distiller Barton) will be tasting Ridgemont Reserve 1792 and signing bottles from 4 to 5 P.M.

Julian Van Winkle (Pappy Van Winkle) will be signing bottles from 5 to 6P.M.

Parker Beam (Master Distiller Heaven Hill) will be signing bottles and tasting Evan Williams Single Barrel and Elijah Craig from 6 to 7 P.M. Parker will also be celebrating his birthday.

Friday, Sept. 18th

Chris Morris (Woodford Reserve Master Distiller) will be on hand to sign bottles and host a sampling of Woodford Reserve from 3:30 to 5:30 P.M.

Don Outterson (Owner / Distiller Woodstone Creek) will immediately follow Chris Morris in hosting a tasting of his unique bourbon as well as signing bottles from 5 to 7 P.M. Don will be helping Liquor World celebrate the release of Woodstone Creek Barrel #1, which was previously only sold at the distillery, and will now be sold exclusively at Liquor World of Bardstown.

Drew Kulsveen (Owner Kentucky Bourbon Distillers) whose small distillery produces many great bourbons (Old Bardstown, Rowan’s Creek, Noah’s Mill, Willett, Johnny Drum, and the Vintage Bourbon line) will be hosting a bourbon tasting and bottle signing on Sunday, Sept. 20th. from 1 to 2 P.M. Drew will be helping Liquor World celebrate the release of their new exclusive Willett Single Barrel which will be Uncut and Unfiltered.

Whiskey River and Rogue Dead Guy Whiskey will be following Drew with a joint whiskey tasting from 2 to 3 P.M.

Also expected to stop by throughout the week to sign bottles are Fred Noe (master Distiller at Jim Beam), Tom Bulleit (Bulleit Bourbon), and potentially Bill Samuels (Master Distiller Maker’s Mark).

Also, a tasting of Jim Beam’s new Red Stag is yet to be scheduled.
Liquor World of Bardstown is located at 93 N. Salem Dr., Bardstown, KY 40004. Please call (502) 349-7560 for more information. Must be 21 or older.

Liquor World of Bardstown has just added a few more things to their schedule of tastings during the 2009 KY Bourbon Festival.

Preston Van Winkle will be joining his father, Julian, on Thursday, Sept. 17th from 5 to 6 P.M. for a joint bottle signing. This will present a unique chance to meet both generations of distillers at one time.

Fred Noe (Master Distiller Jim Beam) has just been added to the schedule at Liquor World of Bardstown during the 2009 Kentucky Bourbon Festival. He will be hosting a bottle signing on Tuesday, Sept. 15th from 4 to 5 P.M. Also, a new tasting has been added to their schedule. They will be tasting Jim Beam’s new Red Stag on Saturday Sept. 19th from 3 to 5 P.M. It is completely free to attend both events.

Also, Rick Wasmund (Wasmund’s) has just committed to do a bottle signing and whisky tasting on Saturday, Sept. 19th from 1 to 3 P.M. Rick’s product is a unique Virginia Single Malt Whisky. Wasmund’s also produces whisky making kits which come with either rye or malt spirits, a charred oak mini barrel, and instructions so that you can age you own whisky. We will be tasting from one of the kits that Rick has been aging himself so that everyone can see how it progresses.

It is completely free to attend these signings and to sample the bourbons. Mingling and talking with other bourbon enthusiasts is encouraged. Please call (502) 349-7560 for more information.

In independent bottling from the famed Elgin based company of Gordon & MacPhail with a very intriguing label adorned with a lion, the description of ‘All Malt” and a vivid pink back ground highlighting “Glenlivet Whisky”.

The nose is very clean with an initial delivery of some really good malt, malt dust and followed by brown sugar (Demerara). There is also oaky spiciness and then the arrival of the fruit. There are very sweet Christmas fruits, Christmas cake, plump raisins and honey. A very good collection of aromas, quite stunning. The taste is quite strong for the stated ABV and is warming and very rich with the spicy oak and the Christmas fruits in abundance. There is also a brilliant moment of bitter chocolate from the oak at the later end of the taste followed by some really good oak. The Christmas fruits are extremely well integrated with the oak for a superb combination. Antique furniture pops up for a moment. The finish is once again of the nose and the taste with the addition of some increased oak, more fruit and then a very, very dry end reeking of spicy oak and fruit. The finish is very long and warming.

Marvelous.

C$125

Score 89 Points

Glenlivet 21yo

We are about to embark on an Autumn tour taking our new display stand with us, although not to Paris as it isn’t allowed there. No motor-bikes involved although having watched Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman on their travels it might have been an exciting way to travel. Maybe not too practical though especially trying to use the laptop on the back of it. Probably not too safe either as I have never driven a motor-bike.

I am afraid that we will be polluting the planet and using up the diminishing resources of the world by flying to various venues across Europe. So who is going where?

September 26th to 28th inclusive, Graham and myself at Whisky Live Paris, France
October 2nd to 4th inclusive, myself at Potstill Festival, Amersfoort, Netherlands
October 17th myself at Wild Whisky weekend in Falster, Denmark
October 18th, (to be confirmed) myself at a whisky tasting in Malmo, Sweden
October 19th, myself at a whisky tasting in Copenhagen, Denmark
November 6th to 7th inclusive, Graham and myself at The Whisky Show, London, England
November 20th to 22nd inclusive, myself at inter-whisky, Frankfurt, Germany
November 29th to December 4th inclusive,  myself tour of some whisky clubs, Sweden
Somewhere in the middle of all of that Graham and I are picking up the trophies for the Best Cask Strength Scotch Whisky and the Best 40 Year Old Scotch Whisky at the IWSC banquet in London.

Mhairi meanwhile is holding the fort at the distillery and is taking guided tours round at The Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival on Thursday 24th September and Monday 28th September. She is also taking tours this Saturday on the annual Doors Open Day http://www.doorsopendays.org.uk/opendays/area_programmes.aspx?Page=2&areaid=2&resPP=10

We also have some visits from various celebrities coming up with Martine Nouet and Ian Wisniewski visiting, coincidentally on the same day as Teun van Weel.

I should just take this moment to congratulate Teun on the success of Maltstock and I was extremely disappointed that I had to pull out at the last minute, due to slight illness which I picked up in Africa. I for one am really looking forward to attending next years event.

Slange

Stuart Nickerson

Visit Glenglassaugh Distillery at http://www.glenglassaugh.com/

Christmas 2009

Join us for a 3 day “Christmas Break”, arriving on Wednesday 23rd December until after breakfast on Saturday 26th December.

What’s included?

3 nights accommodation
Full breakfast each morning
4 course Christmas Eve Candlelight Dinner on 24th December
4 course Traditional Christmas Lunch on Christmas Day
The cost ~ only £149.95 per person sharing a twin or double room. Single occupancy supplement ~ £45.00.

Currently we have just under 200 different Single Malt Scotch Whiskies available to buy by the nip.

Visit the Highlander Inn at http://www.whiskyinn.com/

The 7th York Whisky Festival – Guildhall  

19.09.09 – 12pm    £15.00 

This year’s York Whisky Festival is easily the most dramtastic phenomenon of the Yorkshire whisky calendar. With even more exhibitors showing off their finest whiskies and a whole host of exciting masterclasses, there is even more reason for you to come along.

Well known brands such as Macallan, Genmorangie, Glenlivet and Talisker rub shoulders with small ‘artisanal’ bottlers such as Berry Brothers as well as international whiskies from Japan and India. £15 truly well spent!

Masterclasses – £5 per head
(in addition to the general admission price)

12.30 – 13.45 The Balvenie 
 Andy Forrester, long time friend of the York Whisky Festival, returns under his new guise as UK Ambassador for Balvenie. He will be presenting a detailed tasting of current bottlings from this sweet and smooth Speysider.
   
13.00 – 14.15 The Glenlivet 
Chivas Brothers UK Brand Ambassador, Phil Huckle, makes his debut appearance at this years festival. He plans to create a stir by showing off some fantastic whiskies from one of the oldest and most respected distilleries in the industry. If you like them smooth and rounded, then this could be the one for you!
   
14.30 – 15.45 Berry Brothers and Rudd – SOLD OUT  
 These guys bottle some of the finest malts (and blends) available. Normally gleaned from only one or two casks, these whiskies are serious. Ed Bates, from Berry Brothers, presents a few of his favourites from all over Scotland, and will be sure to walk from the festival with plenty of new friends!
   
15.00 – 16.15 Amrut 
The Whisky Lounge has long been a supporter of Japanese whiskies, and we have now fully discovered Indian whisky! Specifically from the Amrut distillery. Ashok Chokalingam will be presenting a tasting that will leave you in no doubt that these are serious whiskies that can compete with the best.
   
16.30 – 17.45 Laphroaig 
What can we say about this distillery that has not already been said? In a fitting final masterclass of the day, Jim Bloor of Maxxium presents a tasting of the liquid dynamite that is Laphroaig. If you like ‘em intense and peaty then this is the one for you!

The Whisky Festival is organised and run by local company, The Whisky Lounge, who will be on hand during the day and there will also be a dedicated retail stand for those wishing to make purchases.
    
The Whisky Lounge website makes no mention of this event and thus it seems to be a bit of a secret where to buy tickets.

From Nick White, Managing Director, A. Dewar Rattray Ltd:

The awards of The Whisky Magazine’s annual Icon’s of Whisky and Independant Bottlers Challenge competiton were announced last week.
 
Dewar Rattray has again won a significant number of medals for our Dewar Rattray Cask Collection and the regional award for Islay:
 
Independent Bottler of the Year for Islay
 
Gold Medals:     

Bowmore 1991, #2060 (DRCC17)

                           Bunnahabhain 1976, #6223 (DRCC16)

                            Glenrothes 1990, #35460 (DRCC18)

                            Ben Nevis 1996, #1670 (DRCC16)

Silver Medals:   

Arran 1996, #723, (DRCC17)

                        Pulteney 1982, #502 (DRCC18) 

   
Bronze Medal:   

Dufftown 1976, #7753

 
We have also acheived the Winner in the Tastings, New Release, section in the current Whisky Magazine, Issue 82, for the Pulteney 1982, #502.

From Loch Fyne Whiskies;

For Ancestral, Inverarity Vaults’ Hamish Martin has selected a 14yo sherry cask matured Balmenach. It is dark, extremely smooth, with great strength and complexity, very slightly sherry-cloying in the mouth.

A wonderful after dinner dram.

The nose is very sherried but of a style and quality that one rarely encounters these days; this is hardly a shock since one would not expect Loch Fyne Whiskies to accept anything but the best as their ‘House Malt’. It is very clean and sweet with some spicy hints and a touch of mint followed by warm brown sugar, Christmas cake and furniture wax. The taste is warming and mellow at first followed by a rich spiciness and coffee, dried Christmas fruits, raisins and toffee. There is also hints of Hessian, sherry oak, sweet cold tea, gentle pine resin and cedar notes. The finish is long, warming and sweet at first followed by a strong oaky and brandy like warmness. The oak is very spicy and is exceptional. After a few minutes the cold sweet tea returns and there are alternating waves of sweetness and sherry followed by the spicy oak. The later stages of the finish become quite dry however the spiciness lingers on.

What an exceptional dram. Buy a bottle soon!

£27 at https://www.lfw.co.uk/

Score 88 Points