Not a lot of information as to the cask type other than ‘matured in oak casks’ which is redundant after all since it’s the law. The nose fruity, green and sweet at first blush. After a very short while the green notes (fresh cut hay, cut grass etcetera) start to fade and are replaced with aromas more of the floral and vanilla honey variety. However the green notes never entirely leave the picture. The taste is at first quite vibrant and mildly young with white wine, pears and flavours often associated with solvents followed by some really good malt and then a mild copper and possibly some smoke but very faint. The finish is very malty and much like white wine followed by a mild soapiness however the malt is quite pronounced. A mild unbalanced bitterness at the very end. The malt makes a valiant return however it’s too late; impressions have been formed.

Some unhappiness in this sample although there are some great moments of malt delivery and a good example of what is suspected to be not the most interactive cask.

C$68

Score 76 points

http://www.vintagemaltwhisky.com/product-cooperchoice.html

2009 Single Malt Release
 2009 will be a landmark year in Kilchoman’s history as our spirit comes of age and the very first single malt is released
 A limited run of 3 year old will be bottled for general release from 9th September 2009
 The Inaugural release will be unveiled at a Launch Party to be held at the distillery on Wednesday 9th September.
 Bottles will have already been shipped to 14 key markets worldwide and will be available from the 10th September.

The 14 markets and distributors are:
• UK Kilchoman Distillery
o 
And available at the following retailers initially:
o Loch Fyne Whiskies, Inverary
o Royal Mile Whiskies, Edinburgh and London
o The Whisky Exchange, London
o The Whisky Shop, Dufftown
o Whiskies of Scotland, Huntly
o Jeroboams/Milroys of Soho, London
o The Vintage House, London
o The Wee Dram, Bakewell
• France La Maison du Whisky
• Japan Whisk-e
• Germany Alba Import
• Sweden Clydesdale
• Finland Vinoble Oy
• Holland Whisky Import Nederland
• Belgium Nectar
• Denmark FC Whisky
• Canada
o Gold Medal Marketing, Alberta
o The Case For Wine, Ontario
• Switzerland World of Whisky
• Austria Pot Still
• New Zealand Whisky Galore
• Spain Central Hisumer

Anthony Wills,
Kilchoman Distillery
http://www.kilchomandistillery.com/

Those of you who are on Twttter know of  #followfriday however now it’s the chance for the world of whisky to have their own day to shine with #whiskywednesday where the goal is a shared dram to celebrate whisky.

As the_nose says “It’s a simple enough concept – at some point every Wednesday why not tell the world what you’re going to have as a dram?”

http://twitter.com/

The very best oak casks are critical to the maturation of The Balvenie. Our spirit spends so long in them, borrowing so much character, that we entrust their upkeep only to our own coopers.

This month’s Inside Story goes into fascinating detail on the cooper’s craft ~ http://tinyurl.com/n82sbv ~ whilst David Mair writes his Letter from Dufftown in the deafening noise of The Balvenie cooperage.

You may have noticed that The Balvenie site has been down for critical maintenance recently. The work has taken a bit longer than we all thought, and we apologise for the inconvenience… however, we are now back online.

Visit the Balvenie at http://www.thebalvenie.com/

Roll Out the Barrels!
WhiskyFest San Francisco
Arrives October 16, 2009

Please join us at Malt Advocate’s 3rd annual San Francisco event, where we will have a table showcasing our very own D&M whisky bottlings. Purchase your tickets today and be sure to  stop by and say hello!

America’s largest whisky celebration returns to San Francisco for the 3rd year with over 200 of the rarest – and most expensive – whiskies from around the globe available for tasting. Put on by Malt Advocate, the premiere magazine for the whisky enthusiast, WhiskyFest will again feature an educational focus that will let distillers not only explain how whisky is made, but also how to identify, sniff, swirl, and enjoy one of the most revered spirits in the world.

Event Details
The 3rd Annual WhiskyFest San Francisco will take place at the
San Francisco Marriott on Friday, October 16, 2009 from 6:30pm – 9:30pm.

Tickets
Regular Admission: $95 (includes Scottish crystal tasting glass, 1-year subscription to Malt Advocate magazine, event program with tasting notes section, all seminars, gourmet buffet and beverages throughout the evening) until September 15th; $105 after

VIP Admission: $150 (includes all of the above plus one hour early admission with limited ticketing, special VIP hour only whiskies, and canvas tote bag).

For more information on ticket sales or event information, visit:
http://maltadvocate.com/docs/whiskyfest/san_francisco/default.aspx

At D&M we keep between two and three hundred different Single Malts on our shelves all the time. Why do we do that? Because each of these whiskies is an individual, and there are times that call for a seriously smoky malt, an Ardbeg, say. Then, there are those bright and pretty mornings when only a delicately ladylike Rosebank will fit the bill.

If you have a hankering for Single Malts (and the heart of a Scotsman) you might check out one of our two Single Malt clubs:

The D&M Single Malt Aficionado’s Society http://tinyurl.com/kt6tns

and the

D&M Single Malt Connoisseur’s Club. http://tinyurl.com/lurshc

D&M http://www.dandm.com/

September Outturn: 31 outstanding Society single casks
For September’s Outturn we’ve coralled the last of the Society Classic bottlings, and pitted them in a final showdown with our Anniversary bottles.  It’s the last time they’ll be seen in these parts before they’re run out of town – or they simply run out.

Like Gold Dust: save £10 on our Classics
The rush is NOW on to snare the last of our Classic bottles – buy a pair and save £10.  Collectors’ items of the future or just a fine tipple today, remember to get yours.

September Society Recommendations, why not try:

Young Trio: 123.3, 3.148 and 44.40
Buy together for £104 and save £13

A Sweet Pair: 123.3 and 7.50
Buy together for £95 and save £12

Best Buys: 37.41 and 7.50
Buy together for £100 and save £13

Learn how to join the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at http://www.smws.com/

Hello!

This month’s live online tasting is entitled Spirited September and will take place on the weekend of the 26th and 27th. We will be trying out everything that is too young to be legally called whisky. Full details
here:

http://www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2157

I hope you will join us with a dram or two to hand.
—
Slàinte!
Mark (butephoto)

http://www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com/forum

The Companions of the Quaich in Ontario have added a dinner & tasting as highlighted below:

Monday September 14: Hamilton Chapter

Tuesday September 15:  Oakville Chapter

Monday September 21: Collingwood Chapter

Thursday September 24:  Cambridge/Kitchener-Waterloo Chapter

Friday September 25: Cornwall Chapter

Sunday September 27:  Orillia Chapter

Monday September 28: Creemore Chapter

Tuesday September 29:  Niagara on the Lake Chapter

Wednesday September 30:  Toronto Chapter

Find full details about each dinner & tasting by visiting them at http://www.thequaich.com/

Le Petit Vendome – Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl
October 6 2009 7-9 pm
event to be held at
TAYLOR’S STEAKHOUSE
LA CANADA
901 Foothill Blvd.
La Canada , CA 91011
rsvp call 818-952-4084

Vendome Toluca Lake – Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl
October 8 2009
event to be held at
Ca Del Sole
4100 Cahuenga Blvd
Toluca Lake, CA 91602-2831

to reserve tickets call
818-766-9593

Wades Wines – Gordon & Macphail w/Michael Urquhart
October 15 2009
event to be held at
Moz budda lounge
30105 Agoura Rd
Agura hills ca 91301
rsvp 818-597-9463

Beverage Warehouse – Gordon & Macphail w/Michael Urquhart
October 12, 2009
event to be held at
Truxton’s American Bistro
8611 Truxton Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90045
rsvp call 310-306-2822

Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl

Traverso’s
September 20 th
Contact
Michael or Fred
707-542-2530 or info@traversos.com

To be held
Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel
170 Railroad Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
4:30 pm

Admission
$ 50.00 – general
$35.00 –club member

“Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl”

British Banker’s Club / Beltramo’s
Monday, September 21st

To be held at:
British Banker’s Club
1090 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Ph. 650-327-8769
6:00 pm

Admission
$50.00 – must purchase in advance

“Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl”

Jackson’s Wine & Spirits
Tuesday, September 22nd
Ph. 925-284-4100

To be held
Metro Lafayette
3524 Mt.Diablo Blvd
Lafayette, CA 94549
6:30 pm

Admission is $ 45.00

“Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl”

The Whisky Shop
Wednesday, September 23rd
Ph. 415-989-1030

To be held:
E & O Trading Company
314 Sutter Str
San Francisco, CA 94108
6 :30 pm

Admission: $ 45.00

“Isle of Skye / Signatory / Edradour with Ed Kohl”

Roberts Market Portola Valley
September 25
Ph 650-851-1711

To be held
Parkside Grill
884 Portola Road Ste A 1
Portola Valley, CA 94028
6 pm

For the first time, Diageo is releasing single cask bottlings from all 27 of its malt distilleries in Scotland. Diageo’s malt master, Dr. Nick Morgan, explains how the Manager’s Choice malts were selected, and also previews this year’s Distiller’s Edition series of single malts. Graeme Wallace will preview the first Whisky Show in London coming up in November, and we’ll listen in on the first (ri)1 Iron Bartender Competition held in New York this past week. In the news, new single malts from Ardbeg, Bowmore, Edradour, and Glen Garioch, and I taste a 30-year-old Lagavulin!

Listen to WhiskyCast Episode #216 at http://whiskycast.com/