GLENDRONACH RELEASES FOUR NEW WOOD FINISHES
 
More good news from GlenDronach. On top of the news that its sales have soared since the launch of its 12, 15 and 18YO core range last year, the Aberdeenshire distillery has announced the forthcoming release of four new wood finishes – the first of their kind ever to be released by the distillery in its one hundred and eighty-year history.
 
This month they’ll launch the much-anticipated Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port Wood finishes.
 
Each unique expression was initially matured in European oak and thereafter finished its maturation in a very small batch of the respective wine barrels (or in one case, virgin oak), which have given the whisky its own unique flavours and aromas.
 
All are non-chill filtered and of natural colour and are bottled at 46%abv.
 
GlenDronach 14YO Sauternes Finish
 
Appearance – bright lemon straw   
Nose – juicy and fresh. A blanket of creamed soda and wild strawberries backed up lush late harvest dessert wine. Hints of sherbet and ripe cherries. Very fruity.
Palate – apples and rhubarb drenched in home-made custard. Sweet dessert wine influences emerge with ripe sultanas and a lovely creamy heart.   
Conclusions – sweet fresh and fragrant with balanced acidity. Lots of finesse and elegance, whilst still maintaining the lively youthful elements.
 
GlenDronach 14YO Virgin Oak Finish
 
Appearance – light gold. Freshly harvested straw.           
Nose – toasted oak elements which are so intense that smoky attributes emerge. Sweet and lush tropical fruits rise with prominence. Banana and cacao, with roasted coconut.             
Palate – spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist. Creamed dessicated coconut and fresh buttered toast with a handful of hazelnuts on the side.       
Conclusion – a glorious nut feast with superb depth.
 
GlenDronach 15YO Moscatel Finish
 
Appearance – light gold.      
Nose – golden syrup and nutmeg. Poached peaches and apricot flavours with fresh figs and dates. Subtle marzipan on the tail intensifies the aromatics.      
Palate – sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple intertwined with sweet ripe raisins and alcohol infused figs. Subtle marzipan adds a smooth round nutty edge.  
Conclusion – a warming mix of fruit, nuts. Lovely length and balance.
 
GlenDronach 20YO Tawny Port Finish
 
Appearance – bright amber with a subtle tawny edge.    
Nose – lashings of fine fortified wine elements and a generous portion of Mediterranean fruits including figs and dates.     
Palate – stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples. The stewed fruit is balanced with an injection of liquorice and subtle aniseed flavours. Massive power and definition.       
Conclusion – a complex dram with a fantastic fortified backbone.
 
The release of a series of non-sherry wood finishes is certainly quite a departure from the norm for GlenDronach, where the tradition is to mature the whisky in big, rich sherry casks such as Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez.
 
As MD Billy Walker explained: “We’re not looking to change the style of GlenDronach. Our focus will continue to be on richly sherried malts, but we were interested to see how the whisky would react to different types of wood. It was important that the whiskies we selected for ‘finishing’ were not typical GlenDronach (richly sherried); instead we opted for whisky that had been maturing in lighter casks – this meant we could experience in full the impact of the second cask, be it Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel or Tawny Port.
 
“Each of these ‘finishes’ has been bottled in relatively small quantities, ranging from 340 cases of the Tawny Port Finish to 860 cases of the Virgin Oak Finish.”
 
The wood finishes will available in over twenty export markets, and in the UK through independent specialist whisky retailers, as well as at the distillery shop.
 
UK RRPs are as follows (70cl / 46%):
 
14YO Sauternes Finish – £41.99
14YO Virgin Oak Finish – £41.99
15YO Moscatel Finish – £44.99
20YO Tawny Port Finish – £64.99

Visit GlenDronach Distillery at www.glendronachdistillery.co.uk

The Balvenie distillery, one of Scotland’s last family-owned distilleries and the only distillery to still practice the Five Rare Crafts of traditional whisky making, is creating a once-in-a-lifetime whisky tasting event for the Whisky on the Hudson that will feature the full Balvenie historical range.

On August 26, 2010, whisky enthusiasts will have the opportunity to taste the full historical range of The Balvenie. Dr. Whisky, The Balvenie Ambassador and curator of the event, couldn’t be more excited: “This is an unprecedented exhibit. To taste the past, present, and future Balvenie expressions, opening rare, unavailable, and new releases with the most passionate whisky lovers in the world, is a dream come true.”

Members of The Balvenie’s Warehouse 24 who attend the Whisky Guild’s Whisky on the Hudson on August 26, 2010 will gain access to a reserved VIP area featuring a near complete archive of The Balvenie Single Malts.

Currently, The Balvenie has six widely available expressions in the USA but for one night only, there will be nearly THIRTY different Balvenies on hand to taste

The Balvenie Classic
12yo Signature, Batch 1
12yo Signature, Batch 2
12yo Signature, Batch 3
14yo Golden Cask (Travel Retail Exclusive)
14yo Caribbean Rum (launching Sept 2010)
15yo Single Barrel (over TEN various single casks)
16yo Balvenie Rose (Distillery Exclusive)
all of the 17yo series, from Islay Cask (rel. 2001) to Peated Cask (launching Sept 2010)
21yo Port Wood Travel Retail (unchillfiltered, 47.6%abv)
25yo Single Barrel
The Balvenie 30
The Balvenie 1978 

… and more!

Join Warehouse 24 at www.thebalvenie.com, purchase your ticket for Whisky on the Hudson, and gain access to the whisky tasting experience of a lifetime August 26, 2010

For more information or to request press passes, please contact
Sam Simmons, The Balvenie Ambassador
ssimmons@wgrantusa.com

The New Octomore 3_152

Maltstock Pre-order special!!!   
  
Octomore 3_152

The world’s peatiest whisky: 152 ppm! This Octomore is not yet available in any shop. But you can already pre-order it through Maltstock. And with a very special Maltstock discount!

Maltstock guests pay just € 87,50 per bottle.  (The estimated price in the shop is around € 110,- ).Your bottle(s) will be waiting for you at Maltstock.

Not able to come to Maltstock, but still would like to pre-order this Octomore? That’s also possible: for just € 95,- euro’s (+ shipping) you can pre-order your bottle(s). Bottles will be send to you early September.

This 5 year old Octomore has been matured in ex-bourbon casks. At 152 ppm it is the world’s peatiest whisky! It will be bottled at cask strength 59% ABV and is distilled from Scottish grown barley.  Matured and bottled on Islay. “The iron fist in a velvet glove”

To order your bottle(s) simply send an e-mail to: info@maltstock.com

Maltstock tickets

If you haven’t bought your Maltstock tickets yet, please do so as soon as possible. Tickets are not available at the Maltstock gates. All tickets need to be bought in advance through our online webshop. You can also still register for the free Malttsock tastings as soon as you have bought your tickets.

Hope to see you all in September, see you at Maltstock!

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

Once in a while something very amusing arrives at Whisky Intelligence and this is one of those times. Glenfiddich seems to be keeping this close to their chests for some odd reason which of course never works with bloggers…many thanks to Tim for taking the time to write this up.

Glenfiddich Explorers Competition

AUTHOR: Tim Forbes at the Whisky Exchange

All kinds of cloak-and-dagger skullduggery from Glenfiddich in the last few weeks, clearly designed to engage the whisky blog community:

Part 1 – A cryptic email on 19th July from a PR flunkey, enquiring about our address and promising a ‘rather valuable’ parcel to arrive on 26th July.

Part 2 – An apologetic email on 27th July, explaining that as not all the whisky bloggers to be involved in the ’surprise event’ had supplied their addresses on time (naughty bloggers!), the parcels were being delayed, but would be sent out on Friday 30th for arrival early this week

Part 3 – A notification email on Tuesday 3rd August explaining that the parcel was to be sent on Wednesday on a pre-noon delivery.  What a palaver!

Part 4 – The arrival this morning of a locked wooden box, with instructions to watch my inbox (presumably for the combination to the lock).

That enigmatic Glenfiddich box

Sadly, we’re very busy here and the Glenfiddich PR team had reckoned without the dodgy Lithuanian who shares my desk.  I’m sure he’s an escaped criminal.  Anyway, the lock withstood his attentions for around 6 seconds, to reveal a bottle of distillery-only cask strength Glenfiddich Solera 15 (nice) and a URL which took us to a new warehouse exploration website – and there’s a competition involved, with the prize of a £3000 holiday.  If that’s not worth a whisky blog post, I don’t know what is, so well done Glenfiddich on that one.  You have my attention.

That Glenfiddich box after a few seconds of Lithuanian interference

Here’s what to do to enter the comp:

1) Go to Glenfiddichexplorers.co.uk and register to become a Glenfiddich Explorer.  Then click to Explore the Warehouse.

2) You go through a padlock and are told to turn your sound on. Be warned that some ambient music will follow.  You can turn this off by clicking on the little graphic equalizer in the bottom right hand corner.

3) The idea is that you ‘explore’ the warehouse by clicking on arrows.  Your mission is to find a shovel, a suitcase and an oak leaf.

4) When you find each item you will be shown a video of an earnest Scottish man talking very softly about various Glenfiddich-y stuff.  Don’t forget to turn your sound back on if you want to hear him.  However, viewers prone to nausea may not wish to hear that by drinking Glenfiddich, in a sense, we’re all pioneers.

5) After you’ve found all the items you will be taken to a cask and prompted to select your holiday preferences, followed by a few standard questions on how much Glenfiddich you drink etc.  You are then entered into the competition.

I jumped through all the relevant hoops, but unfortunately the site got stuck the first time I arrived at the oak leaf, so I had to go back and start again.  Not wishing to have to plough through the whole warehouse navigation thing again, I found a few shortcuts, which I hereby pass on for the benefit of readers with a low tolerance for earnest Scottish men talking about symbolic suitcases.  Fortunately, you can speed the whole process up immensely if you so desire:

a) Once you’re in the warehouse, skip the faffing around and go directly to each item by clicking on the Map at the bottom of the screen.

b) After you’ve arrived at each item, skip the earnest young man’s videos by hovering your mouse over him as soon as he appears.

The prizes are allocated at certain pre-set times – you win if you finish the game at any of these pre-set times.  According to the terms & conditions, the prizes include:

26 x pair of whisky glasses
1 x Private Tasting with Jamie Milne
1 x Private Tasting with Brian Kinsman
1 x Trip to The Glenfiddich Distillery
18 x Tasting sets consisting of 1×20cl Glenfiddich 12 year old, 1×20cl 15 y/o, 1×20cl 18 y/o
2 x 70cl Bottle of The Glenfiddich Distillery Malt
13 x 70cl Bottle of The Glenfiddich Rich Oak
36 x The Glenfiddich Golf Umbrellas
11 x The Glenfiddich Ice Buckets

Good Luck!  Many thanks to Glenfiddich’s long-suffering PR team for my box, and hopefully they’ll forgive me for exercising my ‘pioneer spirit’ and ‘exploring’ it a bit early.

Update: Have now received a clue as to how to find out who’s got my combination.  It’s redundant now that I’ve already broken in, but that’s not their fault. I’ve also received someone else’s combination.  If any of my whisky blog colleagues has received a clue that says ‘Look for a mouthy idiot’, that’s probably me and your code is 765.

Smokehead Single Malt Scotch Whisky $54.99

Edinburgh, 02 June 2010: SMOKEHEAD was awarded an International Review of Spirits’ Gold Medal by the highly respected Beverage Testing Institute (BTI).

Judged by an expert panel from BTI in the institution’s Chicago Tasting Room, Smokehead was awarded an ‘Exceptional’ rating of 91/100 for its explosive, peaty flavours. With the appearance of ‘bright old gold’, the panel commented on the Single Malt’s ‘aromas of honeyed raisin scone, dried peaches and medical tinctures with a hint of cedar and mesquite-like smokiness’.

The BTI also commented on Smokehead’s ‘good depth and lingering body’ with ‘subtly complex and earthy smoked wood, leather and a prairie grass driven finish’.

Visit D&M at www.dandm.com

BENRIACH RELEASES 2010 WOOD FINISHES
 
BenRiach has this month released three exciting new Wood Finish expressions from its Speyside Distillery.
 
The brand new bottlings include:
 
The BenRiach 16YO Claret Finish – 46%

The BenRiach 17YO Rioja Finish – 46%
 
The BenRiach 17YO Burgundy Finish – 46%
 
Matured in the traditional style in American bourbon barrels, these whiskies have then been ‘finished’ in either Rioja, Claret or Burgundy wine barrels. During this additional period of maturation, the whisky derives a number of additional flavours and aromas specific to the ‘finishing’ cask.  
 
The tasting notes spell out what makes these single malts so special.

BenRiach 16YO Claret Finish

Nose – clean and fruity. Stewed plums and damsons with sweet oak nuances. Embracing but with real finesse.
 
Colour – bright sparkling orange gold.
 
Taste – Spiced fruit scones, enrobed in a fig and date syrup. Fairly light acidity, yet with lovely mouth-cleansing fruits. A whisky with the flavours standing in perfect equilibrium. 
 
BenRiach 17YO Rioja Finish
 
Nose – dry and robust with wild flower characteristics. Sweet oak follows with elegant vanilla bean extract and ripe fermented grape juice.
 
Colour – Full gold with distinctive amber traces.
 
Palate – subtle floral elements including, violets, rosehip and dandelion. Creamy oak notes, married with vanilla and nutmeg round off the mix partnered with ripe peaches and apricots.
 
BenRiach 17YO Burgundy Finish

Nose – summer red berries, including fermented strawberries and raspberries. This is complemented by bitter cocoa bean nibs and freshly-cut wild flowers.
 
Colour – Full gold with a subtle tawny hue.
 
Taste – Vanilla crème-brulée with a distinct butterscotch component. Redcurrant jelly and quince flavours interact with toasted oak to bring excellent clarity and weight. A fruit and oak marriage of great elegance.
 
Sales director Alistair Walker said: “BenRiach operates an extensive finishing programme, and a five-minute stroll around the distillery’s Warehouse 13 will testify to that! The current BenRiach range already includes expressions finished in Pedro Ximinez Sherry, Tawny Port, Madeira, Dark Rum, Sauternes, Gaja Barolo and Moscatel.
 
“BenRiach has always been an experimental distillery, even under previous owners, and we have continued that tradition. We try and keep the range fresh and interesting by releasing new finishes and single casks each year, but in very limited quantities.”
 
The three new BenRiach finishes will be available in over twenty export markets, and in the UK through specialist, independent whisky retailers.
 
UK RRPs as follows:
 
BenRiach 16YO Claret Finish – £39.99
BenRiach 17YO Rioja Finish – £44.99
BenRiach 17YO Burgundy Finish – £44.99

Visit BenRiach Distillery at www.benriachdistillery.co.uk

… whisky review 145 – Johnnie Walker Red Label from 1960’s and 2010 directly compared,  … one is good, one is not.

All happening at  www.ralfy.com

Connosr Distilled – the new online whisky magazine

The Whisky Social Network, connosr.com, has launched a new online whisky magazine called Connosr Distilled. The magazine is packed with features, video content, interviews, competitions and much more.

A sample from the inaugural issue:

* Watch a film about featured bottler Scotch Malt Whisky Society
* Advice from an expert panel on the perfect beginner’s whisky cabinet
* Four reasons for wine lovers to embrace whisky
* View from the community: Australian whisky reaches maturity

For more on this visit: www.connosr.com/distilled

The Dalmore Sale Extended  Tastings & Masterclass Recap

Richard Paterson The Master Blender for Dalmore was brilliant as was the whisky that he puts in the bottle. Richard chronologically brought us from 1263 through to current times and from the 12 Y.O. through The King Alexander with some great focus on The MacKenzie bottling and on the clan itself. Richard really looks at what goes into the make-up of all The Dalmores and he insists on great depth, balance and finesse. All are amazingly palatable and friendly to the masses with tremendous complexity and elegant subtlety to keep the most sophisticated palates intrigued from the 12 Y.O. through the 18 Y. O. and the Special Editions. Two of Federal’s customers and myself were able to taste a Dalmore single malt that was 58 Years old with a selling price of more than $1000.00 per year of age (x 58 = $60,000.00 a bottle.)

The Mackenzie Clan and it’s heritage is why this limited bottling was done, the depth of the single malt has the depth of The MacKenzie Clan.

Sale Prices extended through Monday, August 9th
(Orders must be in by Saturday the 7th)

Reg Price Sale Price

Clan MacKenzie 46%
Warm and seductive with aromas of ripe plums, citrus fruits and marzipan, followed closely with ginger spice and mangos, a taste of sweet pear, bitter chocolate and crushed almonds reward the senses.
$199.99 $174.99

King Alexander Aged aromatic Oloroso butts and Madeira drums provide citrus orange, spice and nuts, whilst redolent Bourbon barrels deliver warm, vanilla notes. Rich port and Marsala woods add hints of wild berries and fleshy plums, enhanced with red fruits from vintage Cabernet Sauvignon barriques.
$234.99 $214.99

12 Y.O. Deep golden mahogany in color with orange, marmalade and aromatic spice on the nose. Elegant and rich on the palate with intense citrus and hints of sweet vanilla pod to finish enhanced by increased sherry wood for an aftertaste of great complexity.
$57.99 $51.99

Gran Reserva Elegant and refined with hints of citrus and autumn fruits on the nose. marmalade and Christmas cake tantalize the palate with subtle hints of roasted coffee and chocolate. This is followed with ripe oranges and lemon peel, giving delicate, zesty top notes.
$74.99 $67.99

15 Y.O. A rich and aromatic heart full of dried spices, cloves, cinnamon and ginger with a concentrated citrus mouth-feel to tantalize your tongue and an abundant aftertaste of spice to reward the palate.
$89.99 $84.99

18 Y.O. Aged aromatic Oloroso butts and Madeira drums provide citrus orange, spice and nuts, whilst redolent Bourbon barrels deliver warm, vanilla notes. Rich port and Marsala woods add hints of wild berries and fleshy plums, enhanced with red fruitsfrom vintage Cabernet Sauvignon barriques.
$164.99 $154.99

Joe Howell
Federal Wine & Spirits

——————————————————————————–

Email: joe@federalwine.com
Phone: 617-367-8605
Web: http://www.federalwine.com/

Dear Customer

For our August releases we are pleased bring to your attention five (5) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label – two (2) from the OLD & RARE “Platinum” selection – two (2) in the PREMIER BARREL Ceramic – two (2) from the Advanced Sample 20 cl selection – two (2) (45 year) old CLAN DENNY Grains – plus the eighth (8th) release of our Highland Park/Bowmore DOUBLE BARREL.

The Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK follow:

OMC1877 CRAIGELLACHIE CLARET WINE FINISHED 14 year old
Nose: Opens sweetly with stewed red fruit + plums + marzipan Palate: Round & complex with candied cherries + macerated fruit Finish: Warming finish replicates the palate’s fruity sweet quality (J)

OMC188 1 BRUICHLADDICH 20 year old
Nose: Sweetly perfumed and salty with a gristy style. Palate: Mouthcoatingly sweet then Malty with mocha tones. Finish: Sweetly toffee’d with light camphor then vanilla (F)

OMC1880 MANNOCHMORE 20 year old
Nose: Dryly spiced, perfumed, floral and gristy. Palate: Big and malted – citrus + barley – late barley + honey. Finish: The palate is neatly replicated. (F)

OMC1882 LINKWOOD 21 year old
Nose: Opens sweetly – runs to a stewed fruit (banana) & oranges character
Palate: Initially spicy & dry + a sweet almond and orange cake style. Finish: Long, balanced dry and sweet character with leather, spices and nuts (J)

OMC1878 GLEN GRANT BRANDY BUTT FINISHED 35 years old
Nose: Spicy, fruity, oaked, buttery and “very interesting”. Palate: Dry initially – runs to rummed raisins plus a peppery quality. Finish: More fruit, spice, camphor and light smoke. (F) (Understated)

Tasting Notes for PREMIER BARREL:

PBR0080 HIGHLAND PARK 12 year old
This Highland Park is a hyperbolically and hierarchically high spirited hero (hush-hush to the hankering hoi polloi!) with its halcyon hotch potch of peated panache, feisty fructiferousness and salubriously sympathetic spice with supplementary sweet scented smoke. (F)

PBR0081 MORTLACH 12 year old
May I monopolise, and muse over my munificently and melodiously mollifying Mortlach? Fundamentally, this frisky, flavourful festival of fructiferous fermentation is ffrankly, ffragrant, ffabulous, and full of ffinesse. (F)

OLD & RARE Tasting Notes:

OAR0099 LAPHROAIG SHERRY MATURED 21 year old
On the nose detect sweetly peated malt plus a distinctly smoked meat style masking some citrus and orange? quality. The palate is initially toffee’d then rolls into rich smoke, bonfire ash and soft summer tar. It finishes in a smoky/damp wood style, clove studied oranges, and even some burnt toast! (F)

OAR0103 MACALLAN WINE FINISHED 33 year old
The colour reflects its red wine “finish” – similarly apparent on its jammy nose full of macerated summer fruits – which warms to sugary fudge and barley. Those same malt and fruit flavours ebb and flow together then tend towards oak, walnuts and some tannin. The finish is interestingly spiced, and intriguingly smoked – now dry and spiced. (F)

The two (2) 20 cl ADVANCE SAMPLES are:

SMC0370 LAPHROAIG 9 year old
SMC0372 LINKWOOD 13 year old Bourbon Cask Matured

CLAN DENNY GRAIN Tasting Notes:

DEN0042 GIRVAN 45 year old
Round and full of crushed fruit quality, with bourbon cask/vanilla’d, oily and dunnage warehouse character all through the long, olfactory experience. Palatewise it takes you straight into the USA, with loads of those anticipated vanilla, light oak and buttery flavours – all sweet – coming through. The finish takes the more normal grain (shorter) route, but carries a mini replica of the palate. (F)

DEN0043 CALEDONIAN 45 year old
Fresh, clean, fruity and spicy – with an added fruit box style that all warms to old fashioned hair dressing and toffee smells on the nose. Palatewise it carries macerated fruit, barley sugar and late vanilla flavour – all replicated plus some dried spice on its short finish. (F)

DOUBLE BARREL

DBS0014 HIGHLAND PARK/BOWMORE – 8th Release

We certainly like these releases but more importantly we hope you similarly do. We thank you in advance for your kind consideration.

All best wishes
Fred H Laing
Managing Director

Visit Douglas Laing Old Malt Cask at www.douglaslaingwhisky.com