Worldwide Travel

Currently Euan and Mark are both out of the country on business trips, Euan is in the US till the end of this week and Mark is in Amsterdam.  So far this year Mark has already been to Paris and has a trips planned to Tokyo, Denmark and Italy in the coming weeks. Lin plans to travel to Shanghai and Hong Kong at the end of February.

New Release

Black Bull 40 Year Old

Black Bull 40 Year Old, the flagship of the Black Bull range is a superior blend of the finest Single Malt and Single Grain whiskies available from Scotland’s premium Distilleries. The spirit in this very first bottling of Black Bull 40 contains whiskies ranging from 40 to 44 years old from the following distilleries: Bunnahabhain, Glenfarclas, Glenlivet, Glenburgie, Highland Park, Miltonduff, Springbank, Tamdhu and Invergordon.

Black Bull 40 Year Old joins the illustrious Black Bull 30 Year Old and Black Bull 12 Year Old in this award winning stable of blended whiskies.

Tasting Notes
Colour: Tawny
Nose: Sweet, Grapefruit, vanilla, iced buns, apples and mint
Taste: Mild, juicy fruits, slight touch of oak and a soft coastal note. Raisins and cinnamon, exceptionally smooth
Finish: Vanilla, some kiwi fruits, freshly cut grass and a faint hint of aniseed
Comment: The best Bull yet! An exceptionally good whisky

Reviews of Black Bull 40

Although Black Bull 40 has only been available for a week, we have already received some great reviews, scoring a fabulous 91 points from Whisky Fun, maybe even the highest scoring blend ever from Serge: http://www.whiskyfun.com/#250110

Matt from Whisky For Everyone also gave the new blend a great review, to view his comments please follow this link: http://whiskyforeveryone.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-releases-black-bull-40-years-old.html

Just Bottled

We have had a number of new bottlings so far this month which I’m sure will be of interest to you all, a selection of these bottlings are listed below with some tasting notes to wet your appetite.

Rarest of the Rare Port Ellen 1983 26yo 54.6% Cask 674
Colour: Polished Mahogany
Nose: Sweet, dry smoke, smoked cheese, sandalwood.  Black cherries, a little creamy – antiseptic cream and pepper
Taste: Initial hit of ash, then big blood orange notes. Marzipan, dry smokiness. Cocoa, raisins, figs and a soft creaminess
Finish: Long lingering dry smokiness, giving way to big rich red fruits, white pepper and wet ash
Comment:  Like eating fruit in a Sauna! An exceptional whisky!

Rare Auld Royal Lochnagar 1986 54.5% Cask 949
Colour: Pale Gold
Nose: slight smoke, aromatic spices, mild cappuccino, cedar wood
Palate: Citrus, slight smoke, touch of melon, pear, grassy
Finish: dry, citrus, lightly spiced oak, medium length

Rare Auld Glenesk, Sherry Finish 1983 56.4% Cask 1288
Colour: Amber
Nose: Sherry spice, sandalwood, orange zest, caramelised brown sugar, burnt oak
Palate:  Predominantly sherry with dark chocolate, dark fruits, cherries, slightly leathery
Finish: Smokey, burnt wood

For further information, please contact:
Duncan Taylor & Co Ltd
Whisky Merchants and Brokers,
4 Upperkirkgate, Huntly,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB54 8JU
  website: www.duncantaylor.com
email: info@duncantaylor.com
Phone: +44 (0) 1466 794055
Fax: +44 (0) 1466 794618
 

Purveyors of the worlds most exclusive range of Scotch Whiskies

‘Taste the Future’ Evening

Tuesday 16th February 18:45 Start – £25.00pp

This month we’re looking forward to our first evening with one of the whisky industry’s most iconic figures. Ian Murray from Glenfiddich will taking us through their  range, including the illustrious 30yo, some other bits and pieces you are sure never to have tried, and something very special to finish. All of these will be matched with various aromatic props over the course of 2 hours. Tickets are priced at £25.00 and as always, they are limited to 2 per booking (it gives you all equal chances on the phone!).

Visit the Whisky Exchange at http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/

The Whisky Exchange at Vinopolis  |  Tel: +44 (0) 207 403 8688

We have recently re-crafted our website; revealing the hidden history
of the distillery along with many stories that accompany it. You’ll
also find information on our new bottlings, limited editions and the
distillery itself.

Discover the new Glen Garioch at www.glengarioch.com

Alastair Taylor,
glengarioch.com

St. Magdelene BBR 1982 46%alc. Bottled 2009
Bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd from cask 2222

‘Grassy, smoky aromas mingle with some pineapple and citrus. The lively, flinty palate gives sooty bursts held on a wave of honey. Some red liquorice creeps in on the pleasant, oaky finish.’

Price excluding VAT: £73.96
£86.90 Including VAT at 17.5%

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

$11.99 Scotch Whisky Week Continues…….

Lauder’s 36 Months (40%, Imported, Blended Scotch Whisky, +/- 2009)

From http://www.bartonbrands.com/lauders.html  Lauder’s Blended Scotch Whisky: “A smooth, blended Scotch whisky imported from Scotland. Steeped in taste and history, it was a Gold Medal Winner at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. One of the finest imported Scotch whiskies-one of the world’s affordable luxuries.”

On the nose there is some strong acetone and industrial notes and not very much that would identify it as a scotch whisky and after some time there are some mild and vague green or vegetal notes. It’s a struggle to detect anything else. The taste is surprisingly smokey at first but that soon drops away to reveal some grain (finally) and the industrial notes. Hiding in the back ground is some sweetness. The finish has some light fruit, no appearance of the smoke and some bitterness that is slightly off putting. After several minutes some malt (or some overly active grain) makes an appearance but it’s too late to make any difference.

Some mere moments of happiness at the end but some lack of balance…and all the other unhappy characteristics…..one has to conclude that things have gone down hill since Chicago in1893.

$11.99

Score 59 points

Dear All,

Still the whisky weather continues…

There’s been no slacking at Adelphi in 2010. A great 4 day trip to Norway (-27c one night…), and off to the famous Linkoping Whisky Festival in Sweden this weekend. Meanwhile, Antonia will be travelling to the Ghent Whisky Festival.

Some studious sampling in late December and we managed to find a fantastic parcel of Bunnahabhains which are now trickling into the bottling warehouse. Expect to see sherry butts from 1968, 1975, 1978, 1991 and 1998 over the next few months, and just to get things going this month’s offer is a “reservation” offer on a cracking 1st fill butt from 2000.

We are due to bottle this in 2 weeks time at the youthful age of 9 years. Charlie, Antonia and I will be writing official notes for it next week, but in the meantime some snippets from the selection session:

Bunnahabhain 2000 9 year old Islay, 59.2% vol, 554 bottles estimated.

Rich amber colour, really jammy on the nose – raspberries, strawberries, cherries and Armagnac. Some well-aged balsamic vinegar, pickled gherkins with a sweet brown sugar finish.

The Estimated Dancey Man price for this is £53.20

Please let me know if you would like to reserve any, and we will confirm price and availability after bottling is complete.

Best regards,

Alex.
 

Alex Bruce

Sales & Marketing Director

Adelphi Distillery Ltd.

Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1383 842 912

Mobile: +44 (0) 7795 424 838

Skype: alex.bruce

Email: alex@adelphidistillery.com

Web: www.adelphidistillery.com

The big reveal continues…..

The 16th Annual Malt Advocate Whisky Awards winners are being announced one per day through February 11th.  John has been busy posting and receiving comments on each of the categories.  Come on in, take a look around What Does John Know and be sure not to leave without sharing your thoughts.  And the winners announced to date are:

Scotch Whisky: “Single Malt of the Year”: Ardbeg Corryvreckan
Scotch Whisky: “Blend of the Year”: Compass Box, “The Peat Monster”
“Irish Whiskey of the Year”: Jameson Rarest Vintage Reserve (2009 release)
“Canadian Whisky of the Year”: Crown Royal Cask No. 16
“American Whiskey of the Year”: Parker’s Heritage Collection “Golden Anniversary” Bourbon
“Artisan Whiskey of the Year”: Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey
“Best Buy Whisky of the Year”: The MacPhail’s Collection
“Pioneer of the Year”: Whisky Bloggers!
“Industry Leader of the Year”: Mark Brown (Buffalo Trace Distillery)

Visit the Malt Advocate at http://www.maltadvocate.com/

Dear Single Malt Scotch Lover:

Peter Currie from Springbank will present the Springbank Single Malt Scotch for tasting on Thursday, February 11th, 2010, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.. This is an informal tasting, no RSVP is needed, but since the space is limited, please refrain from coming in large groups.

$11.99 Scotch Whisky Week!

“36 months is so much more mature than 3 years” ….40% and 36 months… ‘just’ barely scotch whisky……W.I. is on the Hawaiian Island of Maui and taking a look at the lower end of the price spectrum…..

Scoresby 36 Months (40%, Very Rare, Blended Scotch Whisky, +/- 2009)

“The Connoisseur’s Scotch Whisky” so says the label……

An internet search revealed very little about Scoresby; it seems Diageo wants to keep details a secret?? Come on Diageo, you can do better than that……

The nose is very much of grain whisky with very little evidence of any malt whisky however while it is quite one sided towards grain there are no evil notes like gasoline or strong solvents but there simply isn’t much here. The taste is middle of the road in flavour profile and tastes like whisky with some nice sweetness which is a pleasant surprise. It’s also quite vibrant but there is still little evidence of any malt. Once again there is nothing alarming in the taste. The finish has some fruit and …… some grain ( think of corn or chewing on wheat grains straight from the field). Some chewy moments towards the end and once again nothing to set off the alarm bells, actually quite a vibrant finish, not dull. Some very light green notes towards the end of the finish that is surprisingly long. There some grain in there however not a hint of the malt that must be in there somewhere. After a few minutes there’s some slight hints of NutraSweet at the very tail end of the finish.

Just for fun, since the large majority of whisky consumed in the USA is poured over ice this was done, merely in the interests of science.

Not a huge change from the un-iced sample and perhaps a mild improvement however after a short while in the glass the ice begins to dominate and it changes somewhat to become slightly like a chilled vodka (think of that Polish Vodka with the blade of grass in the bottle). A nice drink and well done for maintaining balance throughout or perhaps this is merely due to the lack of character. However it should be noted that there are simply no dire notes; perhaps this is the most redeeming character?

US$11.99

Score 69 points

tomorrow….Lauder’s Blended Scotch Whisky……

Please find below some new whisky titles Meluki has in stock or will if not yet published.  
 
9781405319669  Malt Whisky Companion 6th Edition (hb)
Author: Michael Jackson

Publisher:  DK Publishing April 2010

9780756654436  World Whiskey (hb)  $30.00

Author:  DK Publishing

Publisher:  DK Publishing

World Whiskey is a long overdue visual bible of over 700 worldwide whiskeys. Whiskeys Worth the Wait directory spreads make up the body of the book, marrying together distillery history, in-depth tasting notes, and a photograph. Guiding you through every important distilling nation – starting with the rich varieties in Scotland, going on to woody bourbon and rye in the US, and finishing with the range of varieties available in Asia and Australasia – you’re sure to find a satisfying dram wherever you are.

9780470431214  Whiskey & Philosophy  $25.95

Editors: Fritz Allhoff and Marcus P. Adams

Publisher:  John Wiley & Sons

Everyone becomes a philosopher with a drink in hand, but Whiskey & Philosophy takes this natural pairing to a new level. It explores a range of philosophical topics related to whiskey through engaging reflections written by philosophers, whiskey writers, and others.

You will learn things that are both practical (how do tasting notes vary across guides and whiskey brands?) and thought provoking (why is there the popular conception that drinking whiskey makes people mean, and is it true?). Whether your interest lies in the drink itself or in the philosophical issues surrounding it, you’ll find something to interest you in this unusual book.

9780955414565  Ardbeg: A Peaty Provenance (hb) $54.95

Author:  Gavin D. Smith

Publisher:  GW Publishing

Ardbeg – A Peaty Provenance is a large format 216 page book published as a tribute to the distillery’s 190 year history and to recognise the past 10 years of its remarkable revival from closure and dereliction to becoming possibly the most sought after whisky today. With a detailed history, setting the record straight and highlighting some overlooked figures, the book gives an intriguing and complete account with contributions from former and present employees together with Ardbeg fans and collectors. Colourfully and attractively written, the story is supported with many large and stunning images, both historical and current.

9780955414572  The Whisky Kitchen  (hb)  $35.00

Author:  Sheila McConachie & Graham Harvey

Publisher:  GW Publishing

From their restaurant in Speyside, Scotland, Sheila McConachie and Graham Harvey have spent some considerable time learning and understanding the characteristics within differing Scotch whiskies. These findings have been used to create a range of recipes that compliment or contrast with the various whisky flavours, perfecting the best balance to enhance but not overpower the food. From traditional Scottish and local recipes to some new creations, the Whisky Kitchen presents over 100 mouth-watering, tempting and easy to make recipes including starters, main courses, sauces, desserts and baking. These are fantastic recipes that have truly been transformed by the addition of Scotland most recognised drink. Supported with full colour photographs throughout.

Regards,

Jocelyn

Meluki Book Marketing

Visit Meluki at http://www.meluki.ca/