Loch Fyne Whiskies News has stocked a new item, Bruichladdich OB Links ‘Vancouver’ 16yo 46%Alc.

Eleventh of their golf course series (total of 18)

Limited to 6000 bottles matured in Bourbon casks and then ‘enhanced’ in Ch Haut Brion casks

Added to LFW.CO.UK 8-January-2010

Price excluding VAT: £39.57
£46.49 Including VAT at 17.5%

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

A dose of New Year warming drams should help clear the big freeze.

Stock up for Burns Night on 25th January with these hot deals…

Aberlour 16 Year Old

Save £17 while stocks last…

Special Offer normally £41.99

£24.99 (£21.26 ex VAT)

Ben Nevis 15 Year Old Normally £54.99 (Save £30) £24.99 (£21.26 ex VAT)
Grouse Bourbon Cask Normally £29.99 (Save £10) £19.99 (£17.01 ex VAT)
Bowmore 12 Year Old  Normally £28.99 (Save £7) £21.99 (£18.71 ex VAT)
Glen Elgin 12 Year Old  Normally £32.99 (Save £9) £23.99 (£20.41 ex VAT)  

Glen Grant 10 Year Old  Normally £26.99 (Save £5) £21.99 (£18.71 ex VAT)
Glenfarclas 41 Year Old  Normally £99.99 (Save £20) £79.99 (£68.07 ex VAT)
Glenkinchie 12 Year Old  Normally £34.99 (Save £10) £24.99 (£21.26 ex VAT)
Hazelburn 8 Year Old  Normally £34.99 (Save £5) £29.99 (£25.52 ex VAT)
Laphroaig 21 Year Old  Normally £90.99 (Save £11) £79.99 (£68.07 ex VAT)
Longrow Gaja Barolo  Normally £38.99 (Save £6) £32.99 (£28.07 ex VAT)
Rosebank 19 Year Old  Normally £69.99 (Save £10) £59.99 (£51.05 ex VAT)
Springbank Madeira Wood Normally £36.99 (Save £5) £31.99 (£27.22 ex VAT)
Auchentoshan 25 Year Old Normally £79.99 (Save £20) £59.99 (£51.05 ex VAT)
The Spice Tree  Normally £36.49 (Save £3) £33.49 (28.50 ex VAT)
 
Visit the Whisky Barrel at www.thewhiskybarrel.com

ABOUT OUR SINGLE MALT SCOTCH CLUBS

Members of our buyers’ club share an enthusiasm for the malt elixir in the most practical way, by saving time and money. No initiation or fees of any sort are charged. We simply ask that you undertake to remain in the club for the period of one year. As a club member you will receive a carefully selected, often unique bottling, complete with background information, shipped directly to your home or office every other month. The Single Malt Aficionados’ Club is dedicated to seeking out and enjoying the rarest and most classic of truly aged malts, has a limit of $119.99 on the cost for the bottle itself. That’s it. No strings just pure enjoyment.

In December of 2009 our members received a bottle of Dalmore 23 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – D&M Exclusive Bottling. This whisky is brought to us by Lorne MacKillop and was bottled exclusively for the D&M Aficionados’ club members. This 23 year old was distilled in 1986 and came from cask # 3097. Bottled at 57.5% ABV, the whisky is creamy pine colored with thick legs. There’s red fruits and a light hint of mint to the nose. The body is medium and soft. The flavors are herbal and complex, with light malt and a hint of an elusive hard candy. There’s a lot going on in this glass before it arrives at its long, slow and very dry finish.

Dalmore was one of the new distilleries built in the area in the wake of the 1823 Act, which made distilling both viable and legal. Peat and barley were locally grown and coal was used to fire Dalmore’s stills. The distillery acquired sole rights to draw its water from the River Alness which flows from the beautiful Loch of Kildermorie, close to Ben Wyvis. Production began with a single pair of stills and a second pair was added in a separate stillhouse in 1874. The upper part of those 1874 stills has survived and is still in use today. It is unusual in outline, having parallel sides instead of the customary tapering swan-neck. Dalmores’ stills are cooled by running water over the outside of the stillnecks in a way that is similar to the temperature control on fermentation vats in wine making. In 1891 the Mackenzie family took ownership of the distillery their family crest bears the 12 pointer stag which can be found on every distillery bottling. Andrew Mackenzie was the moving force of the Mackenzie brothers and impudently included Speyside in their sales patch for Dalmore whisky. Ownership remained with the Mackenzies until 1960 when it was bought by the Glasgow based Whyte & Mackay Group. During World War 1, £1 million worth of maturing whisky was removed from three distilleries including Dalmore. The distillery was handed back in 1920 and surprisingly every cask was returned unharmed. Dalmore whisky plays a part in all of the Whyte and McKay blends. Dalmore covers 25 acres, much of that space taken up with the warehouses where the spirit matures. There are about 100,000 casks on site. The oldest whisky still mellowing there in wood is a 1939 distillation.

Suggested price for this bottle is $180.00 but our members only paid $109.99

Visit D&M California at http://tinyurl.com/yjxynht

Ardbeg NAS (57.1%, OB, Corryvreckan, 2009)

http://www.ardbeg.com/twist/ Proof positive why you shouldn’t drink prior to a deep sea dive or while making short movies.

On the nose we have some smoked honey, some brine and light coal smoke along with hints of maple and cocoa. There are also some sweet wine notes and a slight hint of juniper hovering in the far back ground…with water the sample opens dramatically and the coal smoke becomes very dominant however the sweet notes are now verging on the ‘green’ side of the flavour wheel (think green peas, grass and perhaps damp uncooked lentils). Curious. After some time in the glass the green diminishes and the coal smoke is the main dominate aroma. The undiluted nose is better in some ways. The taste is very earthy and fragrant along with the cocoa and the peat smoke and after the first swish around the mouth the flavour changes to be mildly cream soda like….an unexpected surprise. With water the taste is of more gentle peat smoke and some of the honeyed coal smoke once again, this is good! The finish after a few minutes reveals some good malt and then the cream soda makes and appearance again. There is also some gin like aspects lurking around in the latter stages of the finish (that would be the juniper). After a few minutes the finish turn slightly soapy which is slightly unpleasant.

It was all going very well until the last second……..

US$85

Score 82 points

…..Peat Week continues 4 of 4 & most likely a bonus tasting note Saturday!

ERRATUM – The people behind a new whisky competition called ‘the 2010 International Whisky Competition’ have listed on their website many Malt Maniacs as judges.  We’d like to make it clear that no Malt Maniacs was involved in organizing this event and no Malt Maniacs was approached to judge the event until after our names had been posted and industry representatives contacted us to see if it was legitimate. We’re sorry but no Malt Maniacs will be judging at the 2010 International Whisky Competition. We aren’t snubbing the event, we simply can’t participate. The Malt Maniacs wish the best of luck to the 2010 International Whisky Competition.

The screen capture of the IWC webpage that erroneously listed a number of people as  judges prior to their being asked or even to consenting to be a judge;

From Wikipedia;

International Whisky Competition

With just 47 entries, the International Whisky Competition or (IWC) is one of the smallest whisky competitions in the world. The IWC is the only purely Whisky competition of its kind. Additionally, it is the only competition that uses live streaming, liveblogging and tweeting to keep the public up-to-date. The International Whisky Competition is the first live Whisky competition to be broadcast over the Internet and Mobile Devices.[1]. Additionally, The Johnson’s Whisky Tot from Bottega del Vino Crystal was the Official Whisky Tasting Glass of the 2010 International Whisky Competition[2].

The International Whisky Competition is a young and creative company organizing a world-class whisky competition. In fact,one of the judges is so young he cannot legally drink whisky. The International Whisky Competition is the smallest whisky competition in the world. Their goal is to bring whiskies from around the world to be tasted and rated by a panel of judges in an annual event. The organizers were so keen to bring credibility to their 2010 competition that they posted the names of prominent whisky judges on their website without having asked them first[[1]]. When these well-known judges learned from industry contacts that their names were being associated with the competition, and began asking that their names be removed from the website, a general call went out for new judges and eventually six were found. These included Binod K. Maitin, the vice-president of United Breweries, owners of Whyte & MacKay, whose whiskies won most of the prizes. The International Whisky Competition attracts whisky lovers from around the world via the web and allows fans to vote for their favorite whisky of the competition. The company was founded in Canada in 2009 by three whisky connoisseurs.

Judging

The Master Whisky Tasters for 2010:

Jean-Marie Putz – Belgium (Confirmed)
Binod K. Maitin – India (Confirmed)
Alexis Morin-Côté – Canada (Confirmed)
Becky Offringa- Netherlands (Confirmed)
Hans Offringa – Netherlands (Confirmed)
Brett Pontoni – USA (Confirmed)
Blair Bowman – Scotland (Confirmed)

Judges will taste each whisky blind and use a standard 100 point scoring system.

ABOUT OUR SINGLE MALT SCOTCH CLUBS

Members of our buyers’ club share an enthusiasm for the malt elixir in the most practical way, by saving time and money. No initiation or fees of any sort are charged. We simply ask that you undertake to remain in the club for the period of one year. As a club member you will receive a carefully selected, often unique bottling, complete with background information, shipped directly to your home or office every other month. The first club, the Single Malt Connoisseurs’ Club, has a limit of $94.99, usually less, on the cost of the bottle itself.

In September of this year our members received a bottle of Auchroisk 16 Year Old D&M Exclusive Bottling. This scotch was brought to us by Lorne MacKillop and was bottled at 58.2 % ABV. Distilled in October of 1992 and aged for 16 Years. Bottled from Cask No. 15577 exclusively for our Connoisseurs’ Club members. The whisky is a greenish pine color with slow, thick legs. Very spicy on the nose, with sandalwood, sea salt and malt. It comes across as big and powerful on the palate. With flavors of sugared nuts, a fistful of spices, that vague memory of sandalwood incense and a fire at the end. A drop of water tames the fire and brings up an elegant cocoa note.

This bottle lists for $135.00 but our lucky club members paid the paltry sum of $83.99

Visit D&M California Connoisseurs Club at http://tinyurl.com/ygpa9tx

Spinnakersʼ Evening with Peter Currie
Thursday January 21st, 2009
Mixer starts @ 6pm!
308 Catherine St. Victoria, BC

Peter Currie is making the trip all of the way to Victoria this year for Victoriaʼs Whisky Festival, and heʼs been so kind to spend an evening with us. Our event starts at 6pm with an hour to enjoy a Spinnakers Ale of your choice, find your seats, and mingle. At 7pm Peter will start with some Springbank stories as we work our way into 5 whiskies and 5 courses, all paired by Chef Ali Ryan. The main course will include more than just a whisky, it will also include a pint of a cask conditioned Oatmeal Stout that we have infused and aged with Springbank 15!

Our whisky list for the night is as follows…
Longrow CV
Springbank 10
Hazelburn 12
Springbank 15
Longrow Gaja Barolo

After we have finished the five paired courses, and our whiskies are done, youʼll be going home with a Spinnakers Glencairn glass, and a 5% off coupon for these whiskies that will be sold in our store, thatʼs just down the street.
We will also be offering a deal for those of you who are from out of town. For anyone who is attending an Evening with Peter Currie, our rooms will be 15% off! Better hurry for your tickets, there are only 50 available, and weʼve already sold half of them! At $90 each, this is a great value. Tickets are able to purchased at Spinnakers, or if you canʼt make it here, you can call us at 250-386-2739. We will hold your tickets for you at the front desk.

LATE ADDITION – Peter has suggested that he will bring something special thatʼs new. A 5 year old Kilkerran. Itʼs their first bottling! If there are any questions, please donʼt hesitate to contact us.

Dustin Sepkowski
dustin@spinnakers.com
250-885-6373

Blair of the Aberdeen University Whisky Society reports  “in the pipeline we have – Glencadam Tasting (Feb 3rd), Benromach (March 10th), GlenMo and Ardbeg (March 19th). With possible trips to Royal Lochnagar and Highland Park. Plus visits to Spirit of Speyside Fest!”

Contact them via aberdeenwhisky@googlemail.comAre you interested in Malt Whisky? Are you partial to Bourbon or Irish Whisky? Would you like to further your knowledge and appreciation of the ‘Water of Life’? If so, come and join us at the Malt Whisky Society. Every fortnight we meet for tasting sessions hosted by whisky experts from the major Scottish distilleries. Money raised during the year supports the work of the WaterAid charity.  

WI would like to see the Juggling Society merge with the Whisky Society! The Juggling Society wants to give everyone the opportunity to learn juggling in a friendly environment (Anyone with other circus skills are also welcome).  The focus will be on teaching the basic skills with balls, clubs and rings, but also encourage intermediate and advance jugglers to practice, experiment and learn new tricks. Furthermore the society wants to participate in and/or organize shows.  To promote group spirit there will be regularly held social events.

Inverarity 8yo (40%, Islay, +/-2009)

From Loch Fyne Whiskies;

A vatting of four Islay Malts bottled at not less than eight years.

Sales to Islay fans have been fantastic. There is a very emphatic phenolic and medicinal character peat and iodine which is classic Islay; a good oiliness, powerful flavours yet also a breeze of fresh air. This is an excellent variation on Islay malts which will provoke much debate among Islay fans as to where the four components come from. Ace.

The Inverarity range is now completed with the addition of Inverarity Islay, an eight year old all-Islay vatted malt (or blended malt) made up of four components. The price of Inverarity Islay 8 years old is £23.90.

THE INVERARITY RANGE
adopted as our house malts

The Inverarity range is now complete and we have adopted all three as our house malts because of their extremely high quality and good value.
Not to be outdone, the new Scottish Parliament has also adopted the range as the only official whiskies to the parliament, an outstanding achievement both for Inverarity and the government and we can only hope they continue to make such wise decisions! (Hindsight has shown otherwise).

Now it’s W.I. turn to comment:

The nose is light, peated and mildly fragrant (think heather and juniper) along with some hints of grapefruit (slightly bitter) and some smoked honey. The nose is quite nice and distinctly Islay along with some maritime characteristics and after a few minutes in the glass some chocolate notes. After a number of minutes in the glass it changes some what to be slightly more roust and it loses the fragrant aromas. The taste is very peaty and very much of coal smoke, brine, some mild seaweed along with the chocolate and some malt. There is noting here to cause alarm; it’s simply very good and while very peaty it is not all so, the other flavours enhance the over all experience. The finish is very malty at first quickly followed by the peat reek and then the dry oaky bitter chocolate (mildly different from the chocolate as noted prior). Once again there are no off notes, it’s a great finish, some really good dry peated malt emerge after a minute of so.

What a fun dram! Hard to find fault with the price of £23.90 and who ever sees an 8yo whisky these days? “very emphatic phenolic” is quite correct! 

Score 87 Points

Peat week continues 3 of 4 and very well may run to a bonus tasting note (or not).

Visit The Inverarity Vaults at

http://www.inverarity-vaults.com/Home/ 

and Loch Fyne Whiskies at http://www.lfw.co.uk/

1600 words about wine before they come to the really important information………

Coming Thursday Jan 28
Glenmorangie Tasting with Bill Lumsden Master Distiller, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg Featuring their new Sonnalta PX which they call  “the best sherry cask whisky in the world”

Please pass this on to any friends who are whisky enthusiasts!

Len Rothenberg
Federal Wine & Spirits

Email: info@federalwine.com
Phone: (617) 367-8605
Web: http://www.federalwine.com/