Maltstock – Newsletter 6

Reminder: tickets need to be bought in advance  
  
Less than 4 weeks until Maltstock. This is a reminder to all of you who are planning to come to Maltstock, but haven’t bougth your tickets yet. Maltstock tickets have to be bought in advance through our online webshop. There will be no ticket sales at the Maltstock gates. So if you haven’t got your tickets yet click here to go to our webshop.

Once you’ve got your tickets can also immediatly send us your preferences for the free tastings. And you can profit from the extra discount for Maltstock guests for the new Octomore 3_152 as you read about in our previous mailing.

MALTSTOCK

Two whisky enthusiast (the Laddies Bob and Teun) organised Maltstock for the first time last year. This whisky gathering was a roaring success. Maltstock will return this September. From 3 to 5 September people from various countries will come together for a weekend of unique relaxed whiskyfun.

Program

The full program you can find online at www.maltstock.com. Some of the highlights are the presence of Stuart Nickerson from Glenglassaugh distillery, Douglas Campbell from Tomatin distillery and Stewart Buchannan from BenRiach distillery. We are very proud to have Stuart Thomson at Maltstock as well. He’s back! Also present will be Balvenie, GlenDronach, and Amrut distillery. Furthermore most of the best independent bottlers will be represented, like Adelphi, Berry Brothers, Dewar Rattray, Daily Dram, Douglas Laing, David Stirk’s Exclusive Malts and many more. You can try almost all the whisky without extra charge, except for the collection of old and rare whisky from the Dutch Whiskycollectors “Full Proof”.

Other highlights are the big campfire, the BBQ, the whisky quiz and sharing and enjoying good whisky in good company in a relaxed setting.

Maltstock starts Friday afternoon and ends Sunday afternoon. We eat, drink, sleep (small dorms with bunk beds) and have a great time on the same location. So unlike the many whisky fairs, at Maltstock there is plenty of time to enjoy a great whisky in a very relaxed setting with great company.

Free tastings

Just like last year we again will have several tastings which are free for the people at Maltstock. There will be masterclasses by Stuart Nickerson (Glenglassaugh), Douglas Campbell (Tomatin) and Stewart Buchannan (BenRiach). As well as masterclasses from Balvenie, and Amrut. And very special: a new make tasting. Your chance to compare 15 to 20 different new makes in one tasting.

And we will have a blending competition. Together with your friends try and compose a good blend. Trust me it is more difficult than it seems. There will be a nice prize for the best blend.

There will also be a world première: try all ten different white dog (new make) from Four Roses distillery! Along with something very special!!!

Tickets for the free tastings are bookable online now. You do of course need to buy your Maltstock tickets first.

Costs

Maltstock costs just 150,- euro’s for a whole weekend. And almost everything is included! Two nights accommodation, BBQ, whisky quiz, free tastings, plenty of whisky, campfire and a real Scottish breakfast. We are very proud the people from the Highlander Inn in Craigellachie will travel from Scotland to Maltstock to prepare a real Scottish breakfast for us. What better way to start the day.

To make it even more special: the guys from Compass Box will be putting together a special breakfast whisky to accompany this Scottish breakfast.
Maltstock is 3 to 5 September just south of Nijmegen in Overasselt, the Netherlands. There’s a bus stop right in front of Maltstock. For directions, please check our website.

We can tell you so much more about Maltstock. But who better to hear from than the people who were there last year? On our website you can read their comments and reviews. We also have a lot of pictures online.

We hope to meet a lot of you at Maltstock. If there are any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to contact the organisation: info@maltstock.com

See you in September, see you at Maltstock!

Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun
www.maltstock.com

New presentation for Glenfarclas 105 launched

Speyside, – More than 40 years after the first bottling of Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength, family owned and managed J. & G. Grant are proud to release the new presentation for the distillery’s legendary expression in the 700ml bottle format. The new presentation incorporates a bespoke bottle and contemporary repeat 105 pattern.

In 1968 George S. Grant, fourth generation of the owning family, bottled a single cask straight from the warehouse, and sent the bottles to family and friends as Christmas gifts. By chance the strength of the cask George S. Grant selected was ‘105’ British Proof, and along with the name of the distillery, this was all the information he detailed on the hand written label. By the end of January the recipients of the gifts requested further bottles, hence Glenfarclas ‘105’, the first commercially available cask strength whisky of the modern age was born. The name refers to the strength in the British Proof system, equivalent to 60% alcohol by volume.

The new packaging builds on the 105’s cult status, by giving the expression a stronger identity of its own. Whilst the presentation has given the 105 a contemporary twist, the company continue to produce Glenfarclas 105 in the same traditional manner, by selecting some of the finest casks from the distillery’s warehouses, and vatting them together to give a constant 60% vol., without adding water. George Grant, Director of Sales and sixth generation, added, ‘The 105 has a great history, and this new presentation gives the 105 a great future’.

Notes

Cask Strength Whisky:

The vast majority of whiskies are ‘reduced’, water is added at the point of bottling to take the strength down to 40% or 43% Vol. Glenfarclas 105 is not reduced, instead casks are vatted together to obtain a constant strength of 60% Vol. Most whiskies would be deemed too over powering served at 60% Vol., however with a heavily sherried house style, Glenfarclas 105 is surprisingly smooth for its strength.

Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Tasting notes

Colour: Deep peaty-gold.

Nose: Complex, oaky, apples and pears, and a tempting dark toffee sweetness.

Flavour: Dry and assertive, develops quickly to reveal a rich spiciness, combined with a hint of oak and sherried fruit.

Finish: Amazingly smooth for the strength; wonderfully warming and with a lingering smokiness, yet very rounded.

Comment: A great whisky holding all the flavours of all the Glenfarclas in one glass. Being so warming, this is the perfect Hogmanay dram. The smoothness makes the 105 drinkable at cask strength, but we suggest adding a little water to fully explore its great depth. Glenfarclas 105 was originally bottled as an 8 Years Old, however since 1989, it has been bottled as a 10 Years Old.

Cult status

• Entry in the Guinness Book of records in the 1970s for the strongest commercially available whisky.

• For a while stronger than the maximum permitted strength in the USA, hence the distillery bottled Glenfarclas 104 specifically for the US market, until US regulations changed.

• In the 1990s Glenfarclas ran a promotion including a hydrometer with each bottle of 105. Consumers were encouraged to reduce the whisky themselves, and try 105 at different strengths.

• 2004 ‘Bang for your Buck’ Award from the Malt Maniacs sums up the 105’s price to performance ratio.

• In November 2008 J. & G. Grant released a limited edition Glenfarclas 105 Aged 40 Years. With only a couple of casks of a suitable age, strength and style, the bottling was limited to just 893 bottles.

• 2-10 – the Speyside cocktail, simply a double 105.

• The story of the origins of the British Proof system adds to the 105’s cult status; It is well known that most distilleries evolved from what were originally illicit stills, so the early distillers had a track record of not always been completely honest. One trick was to sell watered down whisky to inn keepers. Hence prior to the invention of the hydrometer the innkeepers devised a method to check the strength. They would add gun powder to the whisky and try to light the whisky, if it did not light, water had been added. If it lit, the whisky was ‘proved’. 105 stands for 5 over proof. 

www.glenfarclas.co.uk

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Balblair Vintage 2000’

Balblair 2000
43% abv
£30.50 inc vat
£25.96 ex vat

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Visit our friends at Loch Fyne Whiskies www.lfw.co.uk

Laphroaig 21 Year Old Old & Rare, 1989 Sherry Cask

Description

We don’t see many twenty something sherry matured Laphroaig bottlings – this one from indy’ bottlers Douglas Laing is sure to be a winner.

Single refill sherry hogshead distilled March 1989 and bottled June 2010. 212 bottles.

Distillery: Laphroaig

Founded in 1815. A stupendous complexity of sweet malt, Islay reek, Islay salt, all that is Islay, all that is the Scottish islands, that flows across the palate, that benefits from a chew and, finally rocks your own little foundations.

Tasting Notes

On the nose detect sweetly peated malt plus adistinctly smoked meat style masking some citrus and orange? quality. The palate is initially toffee’d then rollsinto rich smoke, bonfire ash and soft summer tar. It finishes in a smoky/damp wood style, clovestudied oranges, and even some burnt toast!

Product Details

Age: 21 Years Old
Vintage: 1989
ABV: 56.9%
Volume: 70cl
Bottler: Douglas Laing

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

Scotland’s Online Whisky Shop

CANADIAN MIST BLACK DIAMOND SET TO LAUNCH IN UNITED STATES

Premium Line Extension Promises a More Robust Expression of Canadian Mist Whisky

Louisville, Ky. (August 5, 2010) – Canadian Mist Whisky is proud to announce the release of “Canadian Mist Black Diamond”, a premium line extension which is set to hit shelves in late August.

This richer, more robust expression of Gold Medal-winning Canadian Mist is the creation of Canadian Mist Master Blender Steve Hughes, whose signature will adorn each bottle. Canadian Mist Black Diamond is blended at 86 proof and has a higher sherry and rye content to give it a more enhanced flavor and deliver the smooth profile for which Canadian Mist is known.

“Our consumers told us they wanted a premium offering from their favorite brand for those special occasions and every day celebrations,” said Hughes. “We wanted to enhance two main flavor attributes that are the key contributors to our gold medal winning formula.”

Distilled in Collingwood, Ontario, Canadian Mist Black Diamond is crafted using select grains and crisp, clear water from the pristine Georgian Bay, North America’s largest pure water source. It is rich in rye and sherry for a full-bodied flavor that can be savored straight or enjoyed in your favorite cocktail.

“Canadian Mist Black Diamond delivers the exceptional quality and taste our current consumers have come to expect from Canadian Mist,” added Alan George, Canadian Mist Brand Director. “It is truly a premium whisky experience that is ideal for celebrating life’s special occasions, or any occasion at all.”

Canadian Mist Black Diamond, a Brown-Forman product, has a suggested retail price of $14.99 for a 750ml. It will launch in six markets in August – Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas. More markets will follow in early 2011.

About Canadian Mist

Canadian Mist is an award-winning whisky distilled in Collingwood, Ontario with water from the pristine Georgian Bay, North America’s largest pure water source. Brown-Forman Corporation is a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality consumer products, including Jack Daniel’s, Canadian Mist, Southern Comfort, Finlandia Vodka, Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Early Times Whisky, Old Forester Bourbon, Fetzer Wines and Korbel California Champagnes. For more information, visit www.canadianmist.com.

The Whisky Exchange RSS Feeds

Just a reminder that The Whisky Exchange has a handy facility for whisky fans to receive alerts every time a new whisky is uploaded onto the website’s New Products page.

By subscribing to TWE’s New Products RSS feed, you will receive updates containing a photo and product description for each new item that appears on the page – and there’s also a ‘Buy Now’ button in each update to take you to the TWE site and instantly add the product to your shopping cart. 

This feed is especially helpful for aficionados who are eagerly awaiting a limited-release product and don’t want to miss out.  By subscribing to the RSS feed, you know that your feed-reader will be updated within minutes of products becoming active on the New Products page, so you don’t need to keep checking the page regularly yourself.

New Products feed: http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/ProductNewsRss.aspx

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Bonus:  Two other feeds are also available to give whisky fans easy access to updates from The Whisky Exchange Blog and The Whisky Show, the UK’s premier tasting event, which is co-hosted by TWE.

TWE Blog feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/TheWhiskyExchangeBlog

The Whisky Show feed: http://www.thewhiskyshow.com/2010/feed/

On-sale NOW

August Outturn: 11 mouth-watering single casks

WOW-wee, this August Outturn explodes with a colourful cartwheel of characters.  Delve straight in this First Friday, find your saviour flavour.

125.39 Gateau de Mille-feuilles
Highland Northern
£67.40 inc. Free P&P
A stunning multi-layered dessert; ripe peach stone, vanilla pods in mucovado sugar, wood spices, custard apple and pain au chocolat.

Pair Recommendation: Buy 125.39 with 35.39 for £97 (save£12.60)

48.23 Marshmallows and barley fields
Speyside Spey
£40.20 inc. Free P&P
The palate had sweet and creamy vanilla with warm toasted marshmallows and candy floss; a spicy prickle brought candied fennel and tarragon, and zingy chocolate limes

Trio Recommendations: Buy 48.23 with 76.71 & 27.82 for £138
(save £17.70)

19.47 Dried roses in a shoe-box
Highland Eastern
£58.30 inc. Free P&P
The palate tasted of sweet biscuits and golden syrup sponge, but with the welcome muscularity of ginger cake, malt loaf and exotic teas.

33.90 Cocktails in a chimney
Islay
£57.30 inc. P&P
Coconut, elderflower and lime aromas suggested exotic cocktails, but the Malt-meister was in a malt kiln; certainly there was peat smoke, chimneys, coal-dust, charcoal, tar and liquorice.                               

DRAMA at Hotel du Vin & Malmaison
Our August Outturn is also creating some drama at Aberdeen Malmaison & Birmingham and Brighton Hotel du Vin. 

Sample drams 19.47, 36.47, 76.71 & 3.163 at each of the three hotels
Ask at the bar for more details
                                                                                                    
Browse all bottlings at http://tinyurl.com/33qnu8d (84 different bottlings)

2010 Edinburgh Festival Events this August
Our programme of Tutored Tastings at The Vaults and 28 Queen Street is almost underway, don’t miss out on a ticket…

The Vaults: Wed 11, Fri 13, Wed 18, Fri 20, Wed 25, Fri 27 August
Queen Street: Thu 12, Sat 14, Thu 19, Sat 21, Thu 26, Sat 28 August

SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events
New Outturn Open Tasting – London, Sat 7 Aug
New Outturn & Sunday Roast Tasting – The Vaults, Sun 8 Aug
New Outturn Open Tasting – London, Mon 9 Aug
Steak & Chips Tasting – The Vaults, Mon 23 Aug
London Eye Sundown Tasting – London, Fri 27 Aug
Aberdeen Preview Tasting -Caledonian Thistle Hotel, Fri 27 Aug
Harrogate Preview Tasting – Old Swan Hotel, Fri 27 Aug

Visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society for your chance to join at www.smws.co.uk

The last of the worlds major stock of Loch Dhu Whisky, is up for grabs.

A private collector in England has put her collection of this unique black whisky on the internet for sale.

Although the collector is selling the bottles individually on her website, offers for the whole stock of several hundred bottles are being considered.

Prices including shipping to the US are around $300 per bottle.

Offers for the full stock or larger quantities are only being considered at about the same price level or higher, because of the potential for prices to rise markedly as the world stock dwindles.

Several large US hotel and entertainment corporations are already buying up stock from the site, with prices in Vegas hotels nudging $100 a shot.

Prices of Loch Dhu have more than doubled in the past year.

The site with contact details can be found at

www.loch-dhu.com

Whisky Festivals and Glenfarclas Events

Over the next few months, we will be sampling Glenfarclas at the following events. We do hope you will be able to join us.

11th August 2010
8PM Glenfarclas tasting in the Commercial Hall, Dufftown
For full details please click here. http://www.dufftown.co.uk/whisky_nosing.php

14th & 15th August 2010
Whisky Fringe, Edinburgh – Whilst we will be there, tickets have now sold out.

24th August 2010
Glenfarclas Happy Hour at the Marco Polo Hotel, Kowloon, Hong Kong

28th & 29th August 2010
Whisky Live Taipei, Taiwan

3rd & 4th September 2010
Cöpenicker Whiskyherbst, Germany

4th September 2010
Whiskymessen, Copenhagen

27th September 2010
3.30PM Glenfarclas tasting in Dufftown for the Autumn Speyside Whisky Festival.

30th September to 2nd October and 7th to 9th October 2010
Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival, Sweden
 
1st to 3rd October 2010
Potstill Festival, Netherlands

www.glenfarclas.co.uk

Hammer Head” sounds like the name for a Caribbean rum, not a whisky. In this case, it’s not a shark reference, but the name of a long-forgotten Czech single malt whisky just being released. Tony Roberts of Stock Spirits Group shepherded Hammer Head to market, and explains the origin of the whisky and its unusual name. Plenty of new whiskies to talk about as well, along with the start of the WhiskyCast “Water of Life” Drive.

Vist WhiskyCast at www.whiskycast.com