Davina Small has announced that she is leaving Glenmorangie – Ardbeg and will be leaving the whisky industry to pursue her own interests.

RARE BOTTLE SALVAGED FROM ‘WHISKY GALORE’ SHIP IN BONHAMS SCOTTISH SALE

Visit http://www.sspolitician.com/ for more information

“Dynamiting whisky! You wouldn’t think there’d be men in the world so crazy as that!”

A bottle of Ballantine’s from the “Whisky Galore” ship, The SS Politician, is being offered at Bonhams annual Scottish Sale in Edinburgh between 17 – 20 August.  It is believed to have been salvaged from the wreck of the ship in the 1950s or 1960s and is being sold with photographs of the salvage operation at an estimate of £1,200 – 1,800.

In 1941, the SS Politician set sail for Kingston, Jamaica with a cargo which included pianos, motor parts, bedding and 28,000 cases (264,000 bottles) of whisky. The ship ran aground in a gale off the Outer Hebrides near the island of Eriskay. Luckily the crew were rescued unharmed; and so, over the next few weeks, was the whisky.  Islanders, from Eriskay and beyond, starved of whisky by war time rationing, systematically liberated around 24,000 bottles before the authorities caught up with them.  Some of the looters were fined; some ended up in jail; few of the stolen bottles were recovered.  The hull of the ship was blown up by a frustrated local customs officer to put the whisky beyond temptation, prompting one anguished islander to exclaim, “Dynamiting whisky! You wouldn’t think there’d be men in the world so crazy as that!”

In 1947 the Scottish author, Compton MacKenzie wrote a novel, Whisky Galore, based on the incident which, two years later, was turned into a successful Ealing Comedy film of the same name. 

Whisky from the Politician rarely appears at auction.  In 1987, 8 bottles were retrieved from the wreck which still lies submerged off the coast of Eriskay and sold for £4,000. Despite extensive salvage efforts in 1989 only 24 more bottles were recovered.

 For further sale information please go to www.bonhams.com/scotland

For further press information please contact Andrew Currie on 0207 468 5871 or andrew.currie@bonhams.com or press@bonhams.com

NOTES

Bonhams

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com (February 2010).

Whisky Galore Movie

www.ralfy.com offers a double-dunt whisky reviews …

142 – Interview with Mark from www.whiskywhiskywhisky.com

143 – Mortlach 14yo from Cadenheads

Double viewing pleasure…

J&B Rare (40%, OB, Blended, +/- 2010)

Try and find any information via the link below; you’ll give up before the ridiculous flash website loads…although it does seem it is ‘the ultimate party whisky’. A bold claim indeed. J&B are the initials of Messer’s Justerini and Brooks who must had something to do with the whisky, at one time or another. The nose is mildly astringent at first and then this is followed by some nice honey and malt. Other wise it is a simple blended scotch whisky (on the nose). To be fair it is light blended whisky and meant to appeal to those who do like a lighter dram (often with water and ice). After some hand warming some spicy notes emerge. It’s pleasant but note overly complicated. The taste is pleasant, warming with some malt and once again the honey along with hints of marmalade and brandy. Other fruits (hints of green apples and pears). The finish is quite long with hints of leather and tobacco and malt. It is warming and reasonably long. After a few minutes some really, really good moments of malt emerge.

Don’t think about it too much; just enjoy the party……

$19.98

Score 78 points

WI was marooned in Phoenix Arizona airport in the US Airways Club lounge for 8 hours and the only option was to do a tasting note (now done) and watch the US Airways Express baggage handlers throw the luggage onto the tarmac and several feet onto the nearest cart and often missing. Flight after flight after flight. Perhaps they all suffer from brain injuries and cannot judge the distance properly? Perhaps the extreme heat? It might be helpful to move the cart a little closer? Perhaps such pedestrian solution is just not of any practicable value??

This is of course for unloading only.

When loading the airplane the cart is nice and close to the loading ramp. This time…

http://www.jbscotch.com/intro.php

*18 – 40 YEAR OLDS ONLY (WHISKIES THAT IS!) – THURSDAY 19TH AUGUST 2010*

We have had numerous requests to run a tasting that will give people the opportunity to sample some older whiskies and so on Thursday 19th August we will be presenting a tasting of six whiskies ranging in age from 18 to 40 years old.  These will include both peated and unpeated whiskies from various distilleries, and there may well be one or two from closed/mothballed distilleries.

This is a great opportunity to come along and sample whiskies that due to age, scarcity or price (or all 3!) are not in your selection of everyday drinking malts.  You’ll be able to see why it is that distilleries go to the expense of maturing some of their whiskies for a considerable period of time, and what the effects of this longer maturation period are on the characteristics of a whisky.

So as to give everyone present a chance to savour and discuss these whiskies fully we are restricting numbers to just 32 people for this event.  It will be held in our usual venue of Stanton House Hotel  (www.stantonhouse.co.uk) and will be in the Cedar Room, which overlooks the lake and parkland. 

The tasting will commence at 7.00 for 7.30pm and, as it will feature older and rarer whiskies, tickets are priced at £35.00.  Some of the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase and your ticket price includes a discount of £3 against any of these if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

And if you really want to treat yourself, we have agreed special accommodation rates with Stanton House so why not stay over for the night?  Prices range from £80 for a basic double room up to £110 for a Prestige Double – contact us (details below) for further information.

Tickets are allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. To buy them just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com and place an order for the number you require, or telephone us on (01793) 765071, or call in and see us at Arkwrights, The Dormers, Highworth, Wiltshire. Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per person.

Tasting tickets always sell very quickly (usually within 48 hours), and with numbers for this particular tasting being so restricted then it is best to book ASAP.

We look forward to seeing you for a great evening of whisky tasting.

Slainte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

Four Roses, Yeasts and Mashbills The Britons Protection, Manchester REMINDER

Friday July 30th 2010, 7.30pm

£20.00 / ticket
 
Julian Howard from Inspirit makes a first visit to the ‘BP’, arguably the Lancashire home of Bourbon. He is going to introduce a fascinating tasting of not only ‘bottled’ products, but also cask samples that demonstrate the amount of forethought and research that goes into putting Four Roses Bourbons together. The distillery uses a unique recipe of not only yeasts, which most Scottish distilleries could learn a thing or two from, but also mashbills. A mashbill, basically, is the recipe of grains that will make up the Bourbon – the proportion of corn, rye and barley used.

YOU are going to have a unique insight into the world of a Kentucky distiller and his secret recipes. This is bound to be a fantastic evening and tickets as always are limited.

As always each tasting is designed to be fun and enjoyable for all levels of whisky drinker, and is not a lecture. You will almost certainly learn something new every time, but if you don’t walk out with a smile on your face then we have done something wrong!

You will not be sent a ticket through the post. Your details will be added to the event register and all you need to do is print the payment confirmation page and bring it with you to the event.

http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/

Richard Paterson The Master Blender

AMERICA! I’m back! I hope Boston, New Orleans and Dallas have whisky

(This was sent later Tuesday by himself)

Apparently, some of you Americans were missing me, so here I am back again for some more whisky and cigar adventures (well, in places you’re allowed to smoke anyway…) and here’s what I’m up to – hopefully get to meet a few of you…

Monday July 19
A quick blogger meet-up and lunch with Kirsten Amann, Catherine Stanton Schiff and Kenneth Kansky at Post 390 and then I’ll be at Davio’s, 75 Arlington Street, Boston in the evening for a trade dinner. Should be fun (as long as the jetlag stays off!)

Tuesday July 20
Easy day until 4pm and then it’s tastings and masterclass galore at Federal W&S and at Omni Parker House. The Omni Parker House one should be good for those who get along as everyone is getting a copy of my book and a bottle of Dalmore 15.

Wednesday July 21
A fond farewell is bid to Boston as I get to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail (did they check who they had invited? Do they put ice in these cocktails?) and I’ll be doing events in and around the Hotel Monteleone. One of the events, starting at 4.30pm, will see me doing a classroom style event with the drinks being poured, the Dalmore 12, 15, 18, Gran Reserva and King Alexander.

Tales of the Cocktail has a huge online presence, I’ll send the details out later for those who can’t make it along.

Thursday July 22
I’m taking the day off. I wish! Starting off at 11am I’ll be doing a book signing in the Hotel Monteleone, then having a chat with Kevin Jenkins of The Chef & the Fat Man fame. But it won’t be too long a chat as I’ll have a plane to catch, getting into Dallas at around 9pm. Someone tell me a decent place to go for a late night drink and cigar!

Friday July 23
I can guarantee I’ll be sweltering from all the running about I’ll be doing as I’ve got a bunch of private events on before a cigar event at Javier’s, 4912 Cole Ave. Dallas.

Saturday July 24
Not much on apart from  a mad dash to the airport to catch another plane and get back to New Orleans (in case they are missing me) and get ready for the Spirited Awards at The Roosevelt Hotel that night.

Sunday, July 25
Sleep. Aye, maybe if you’re another Richard Paterson. More Tales of the Cocktail fun with a presentation on Scotland’s Whisky Legends and Pacult involving myself, F. Paul Pacult and Colin Scott from Chivas. This is actually going to be a cracker as we’re discussing some terrific points about whisky – I’ll do another blog post about it later – and then I’m a guest at an event called Ahead in an Online World which apparently is going to tell us about stuff called Twitter, Facebook, blogs and so on. Never heard of any of it. All I want to know is can I put my whisky glass on the old-fashioned CD tray?

Monday July 26
Travel back to Glasgow. Might sleep, might prepare some notes for an online whisky tasting I’m doing with some guys in Australia on the Wednesday.

Anyway, that’s what I’m officially up to. There’s some spare time in most of the cities, so let me know if there’s anywhere worth popping into. After all, the last time this suggested, I popped into a little company called Twitter…

Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey Wants YOU! – Irish Whiskey News

From Matt at Bushmills;

“Thanks again for mentioning Make It At Bushmills in March; I just wanted to let you know that the voting is now open to find the lucky winner; already there’s been 2,500 votes!

To vote, all you need to do is go to the Bushmills global facebook page and click on the ‘Vote For Me’ tab.

If you’d like to know any more, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Best wishes,

Matt”

The original article;

Bushmills’ Master Distiller, Colum Egan, is offering one lucky person the chance to share in his life in Bushmills for 30 days, and if they can prove they’ve captured the Bushmills way of life, they’ll get the chance to be the first person outside of the Bushmills distillery ever to create their own blend of Bushmills whiskey. They’ll also get to stay at a luxury penthouse and be given £5,000 spending money too!

It’s a great chance to share in the experience of creating one of the world’s best loved Irish whiskeys and to show that they have what it takes to ‘Make it at Bushmills’.

It’s the chance of a lifetime to work alongside one of the world’s greatest whiskey makers, Colum Egan, Bushmills Master Distiller, and learn some of the ancient secrets that go into this great whiskey. Entrants will compete against people from their own countries for votes to win a place at the global final: Bushcamp. Social media will play a key role in helping entrants to gain votes, so I thought you might like the chance to be a part of the ‘Make it at Bushmills’ journey from the outset.

If you’re interested in more information about this global challenge you can enter or follow the competition via the Bushmills Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bushmills1608.

Tolbooth Tavern Edinburgh

All whisky tastings take place on Thursday nights from 7:30pm until approximately 10pm at the Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotchland. You’ll find this location on Google Maps at the bottom of the page.

Tickets : £17*/20 or when a tasting’s theme requires buying more expensive bottles the increase will be reflected proportionally in the ticket price.

At least 5 drams, cask strength being the preferred option when a choice is available and affordable.

Refunds only possible if tasting not sold out or if ticket can be resold.

The tastings aim to inform and entertain. The relaxed approach is still structured and props are used so the tastes and smells of the various influences on production can be experienced first hand, for example there will be the opportunity to smell and/or taste both malted and un-malted barley, yeast and new make spirit.

The tasting usually ends with a raffle where every entrant wins a miniature’s worth of whisky left over from previous tastings, entry to the raffle is an additional £2 and any further donations being collected for World Vision’s ‘Sponsor a Child’ scheme (we’ve collected more than £1500 to date).

All tastings include oatcakes, shortbread and chocolates. The Tollbooth offers meals up to the time of tasting.
ENTRY BY PREPAID TICKET ONLY – prices from £17* *first timers & members discount, 13 month membership = £10, 2nd year’s membership £5 then all subsequent years free. Want to taste the whiskies but can’t attend? We can bottle them for you to take away. Empty minis always appreciated.

22.7.10 Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual £t.b.c. including:-

Rare Ayrshire (Ladyburn) 1975 45.2% Signatory

Laphroaig Cairdeas (11yo to 19yo) 2010 Feis Ile 57.3%

Glenrothes 1990 – 02/08 17yo 46% sherry butt 395 bottles Cadenheads

Glentauchers 2006 -2009 46% barrel 921 20cl bottles Carn Mor

Potter’s Distillers, Kelowna, British Columbia 15yo Indian Corn Cadenheads

http://www.jollytopertastings.co.uk/

Four Roses, Yeasts and Mashbills
Blackfriars, Newcastle Upon Tyne 
Friday August 6th 2010, 7.30pm 
www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk 

£20.00 / ticket   

Julian Howard makes his first trip to The Whisky Lounge in Newcastle – aside from the Whisky Festival of course! He is going to introduce a fascinating tasting of not only ‘bottled’ products, but also cask samples that demonstrate the amount of forethought and research that goes into putting Four Roses Bourbons together. The distillery uses a unique recipe of not only yeasts, which most Scottish distilleries could learn a thing or two from, but also mashbills. A mashbill, basically, is the recipe of grains that will make up the Bourbon – the proportion of corn, rye and barley used.

YOU are going to have a unique insight into the world of a Kentucky distiller and his secret recipes. This is bound to be a fantastic evening and tickets as always are limited.

As always each tasting is designed to be fun and enjoyable for all levels of whisky drinker, and is not a lecture. You will almost certainly learn something new every time, but if you don’t walk out with a smile on your face then we have done something wrong!

You will not be sent a ticket through the post. Your details will be added to the event register and all you need to do is print the payment confirmation page and bring it with you to the event.

http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/Events.aspx?id=134