PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED FOR THE GROUSE ART INSTALLATION ON ROUNDABOUT

As a lasting legacy to mark Perth’s 800th anniversary, an iconic sculpture depicting a grouse taking flight, is soon to appear above the trees on Broxden roundabout on the outskirts of the city, after the project gained planning permission from Perth & Kinross Council.

The sculpture of the grouse has been chosen as a symbol of Perthshire and will be gifted to the people of Perth by the project funders, The Edrington Group.

Work has now begun in earnest on the sculpture which is being created by Ruaraig Maciver of Beltane Studios, who is most famous for the statue of Jean Armour at Mauchline.  The 6.25m high structure is being made from an open framework of galvanised steel and will be mounted on an eight metre high plinth sitting above the trees at one of the main entry points into Perth.

The dramatic artwork will be located on the Broxden roundabout as a gateway feature for the city.  The planning application was made following close consultation with Transport Scotland, the government agency responsible for the Scottish trunk road network, to ensure that the project was appropriate for the intended location and met all the necessary structural and safety requirements. The roundabout is a busy junction which brings together the A9 from Glasgow/Inverness and the M90 from Edinburgh.

John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and local MSP for North Tayside, said:

“I am delighted that planning permission has been granted for this striking sculpture at the gateway to Perth, providing a lasting legacy of the Perth 800 celebration with the symbol of Perthshire. The Scottish Government wholeheartedly supports Perth in its aim to restore its city status and is pleased that our transport agency, Transport Scotland, is playing an active part in supporting the Perth 800 anniversary, celebrating the work of the Royal Burgh.”

Perth & Kinross Provost, Dr John Hulbert, said: “Perth 800 has been a huge success and this gift from The Edrington Group to the city is a fantastic legacy to end our year long celebrations.  “I am sure this statue will become a key landmark for Perth and one which the residents of Perthshire will be very proud of. Perth has a great history and connection with the grouse – especially given its great importance to the local economy, so we felt this was a very fitting choice. We hope this sculpture will become our version of the ‘Angel of the North’.”

Gerry O’Donnell, director of The Famous Grouse at The Edrington Group, said: “We are delighted to make this gift to Perth to mark the finale of Perth 800. We hope that it will provide a spectacular landmark that symbolises Perth’s wonderful location as the gateway to the highlands.” 

NOTES

• ‘Perth 800 is a year long celebration in 2010 which marks the 800th anniversary of the granting of the Royal Burgh Charter to Perth by King William the Lion in 1210.’
• The structure is being created by Ruaraig Maciver from Beltane Studios, Peebles. Beltane Studios is one of the few remaining foundries which specialise in traditional bronze casting. As well as creating their own bronze sculptures including the Jean Armour Memorial, they have also worked closely with renowned sculptor Andy Scott on the Ibrox Disaster Memorial statue of John Greig, the Jim Baxter Memorial and the globe for the Thanksgiving Beacon in Belfast.
• This is a gift from The Edrington Group to the people of Perth therefore they are covering all costs – both the structure and any associated costs regarding installation and maintenance.
• The Edrington Group, is a private Scottish company controlled by The Robertson Trust. The Edrington Group owns some of the worlds leading whisky brands, The Famous Grouse, The Macallan, Highland Park and Cutty Sark along with Brugal, one of the largest international rum brands.

Kilchoman Winter Release

Following the previous releases we expect this one to move fast so we are giving you the opportunity to pre-order now to avoid missing out on one. Despatch to you is the 22nd November 2010

Tasting Notes:

Colour – Pale straw

Nose – Strong peaty aromas and a complex blend of pear drops, citrus and hints of mango.

Palate – An initial sweetness is followed by peat and smoke and mixed fruits

The finish is long, clean and refreshing leaving hints of peat smoke and cloves.

Kilchoman Distillery was founded in 2005 and is the first to be built in Islay for over 120 years. It is a farm distillery and a proportion of the barley used in production is grown and malted at the distillery.
 
Kilchoman is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland producing 90 to 100,000 litres of alcohol per year bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky, USA and fresh oloroso sherry butts direct from Spain.

Visit Single Malts Direct at www.singlemaltsdirect.com

Sample Image

Dr. Bill Lumsden presents Glenmorangie in San Jose

The Village Bistro http://www.thevillagebistro.net/
Santana Row,
San Jose, CA
Monday November 15, 6:00 – 7:30 pm

Join me at the Village Bistro this coming Monday to Nose, Taste, and Savor five Glenmorangie expressions, each paired with tasty bites. We will indulge with the Glenmorangie Original, the Extra Matured Range, and the sophisticated 18 year.

Additionally, we will learn how to host our own tasting at home and receive a free Gift Giving Pairing Guide.

The Village Bistro will have a special offer for us if anyone wants to stick around for dinner following the Tasting Experience.

Seating is limited and tickets are advance purchase only.

http://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=20&products_id=120

Dr Bill Lumsden is Head of Distilling and Head of Whisky Creation for Glenmorangie. Dr Lumsden is regarded by the malt whisky industry as the pioneer of wood management, producing whiskies that have truly changed the single malt market.

The world’s peatiest whisky is now voted the world’s best.

Whisky guru Jim Murray, having tasted over 4500 whiskies from around the world, awarded the 2011 victor ludorum to Octomore “Orpheus” in his definitive whisky guide, the Whisky Bible, published last week.

Octomore, winner of the title “Single Malt of the Year”, is distilled at Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery, and is 3 times more peaty than any other mainstream whisky.

Winning 96.5%, Octomore “Orpheus” outperformed other category winners up to 10 times its age.  Being only 5 years old, it also won the title of best whisky under 10 years.

“This is no monstrous brute,” said Jim McEwan, head of distilling at Islay’s Bruichladdich Distillery, “it’s an iron fist in the velvet glove. That’s what you get when you combine massively smokey barley with the purest spirit around. It’s like nothing else on earth.”

“It also shows what great quality barley, slow, artisanal distilling, and premium quality wood can achieve; it makes a mockery of that assumption that old must equal better.”

Unusually, the award-winning whisky was matured in both  standard American and premium French oak – the latter from the prestigious bordeaux winery of Chateau Petrus.
15,000 bottles were made of Octomore “Orpheus” from barley malted to  140 ppm and bottled at 61% ABV.

The latest release, Octomore 3, is even peatier at an unprecedented 152 ppm and  is available exclusively from whisky specialists.

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Jura 21yo 200th Anniversary’

Jura 21yo 200th Anniversary
44% abv
£82.50 inc vat
£70.21 ex vat

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk
Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Signatory Vintage Laphroaig 19 Year Old

1990 vintage single cask #87.

Limited release of 242 numbered bottles from a single ex-bourbon barrel bottled August 2010.

Description

Single cask #87 ex-bourbon barrel bottled August 2010. 242 numbered 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.

Heavyweight decanter bottle ideal for Christmas. 54.4%.

£70.99 (£60.42 ex VAT) buy at www.thewhiskybarrel.com

www.ralfy.com
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Whiskey Review 164 – Rittenhouse Rye 100 Proof
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… Rye Whisky is a rediscovered genre of Spirits currently undergoing a renaissance of quality and availability.
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Excellent stuff !

There will be a Live Balblair tasting on Twitter today led by John MacDonald – Balblair Distillery Manager; follow the action via #balblair and John is @balblairwhisky

It all starts at 7PM Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and @whiskyintel will be there too! (If  the alarm clock works…).

Balblair Distillery Notes

John MacDonald, distillery manager for Balblair single malt whisky talks through the process that makes the whisky so unique…

Balblair distillery was established in 1790 making it one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland and the oldest working distillery in the Highlands. At the distillery in Edderton, which is half an hour’s drive from Inverness, each part of the process is as important as the next. The distillery draws the pure soft water from the Allt Dearg burn set in the Struy hills. It travels open ditch to the distillery and is neither chemically treated or ultra-violet treated.

The malted barley used is virtually unpeated (1.5ppm phenol) and carefully ground through a Porteus mill and then mashed in a stainless steel mash-tun. One mash will take the staff at Balblair just over six hours to complete. It is a slow drain process which prevents many fats from being transferred from the mash-tun through the cooler to the wash-back – fats can mask and even attack flavour compounds created during the fermentation process. Next, six traditional wooden wash-backs give them the secondary fermentation from the micro-flora within the wood to give the whisky more flavour.

The two stills at the Balblair distillery have large boil-pots, fat squat necks and lye pipes that have a downward slope towards the condensers. Not only do they capture the fruity esters at the start of the distillation but also the heavier oils at the end that give Balblair its “body”. Balblair spirit cut ends at 60% abv. This is a small cut but it is quality that is what Balblair is about, not quantity.

The spirit for single malt is then collected and filled into carefully selected casks which will be stored in one of the eight traditional style warehouses dunnage (low slate roof, earthen floors, thick stone walls) for full term maturation. This traditional style of warehousing makes it a perfect micro-climate for the maturation of whisky as temperature and humidity do not vary greatly from January to December.
Then the waiting process begins…

History of Balblair

It would be hard to find a distillery set in more scenic and unspoilt surroundings than Balblair.

Established in 1790, Balblair distillery is one of the oldest working distilleries in Scotland and the oldest working distillery in the Highlands. It is strikingly situated by the beautiful Dornoch Firth on the sweep of the Cambuscurrie Bay within sight of the ancient Clach Biorach standing stone.

The original source of its water is still used to this day. The delightful and winding Allt Dearg burn flows fresh and clear from the surrounding hills. Balblair was founded by John Ross in 1790. He ran it as a thriving business and, in 1824, was joined by his son, Andrew.

The distillery stayed in the Ross family until the late 19th century when the tenancy was taken over by Alexander Cowan. Cowan ran the distillery for over half a century, before finally selling the freehold to Robert ‘Bertie’ Cumming. Bertie’s impact was remarkable, promptly expanding the distillery and increasing production, before retiring in 1970. He sold to what became Allied Distillers. Then, in 1996, Balblair was purchased by Inver House Distillers. And so began this newest chapter in the history of this timeless distillery.

Clach Biorach

Within sight of the distillery lies a great ‘stelae’, an ancient standing stone, the Clach Biorach. This ancient monument was used to mark arrival and passage of special moments in time. The stone is a fitting symbol to stand so close to Balblair with its traditions and exclusively Vintage whisky. The Picts were a confederation of tribes living in what was to become known as Scotland. A society built on strong beliefs and philosophies; they expressed much of their culture through art. The Clach Biorach was the heart of the Pictish community; it was their Gathering Place. Today, 2,000 years after the Picts, people still gather around the stone to see the sunlight pour over the Ardross Hills, marking key festival dates in the ancient calendar.

Vintages

“Our whisky tells us when it’s ready. Not the other way round.”John MacDonald, Distillery Manager

Our Vintages are selected at the absolute peak of perfection. Hand-picked, to represent the very best our distillery has to offer. Every cask is sampled, judged and selected by our Distillery Manager, to find its optimum maturation point. The point at which each Vintage says it’s ready. The casks not selected are simply not chosen. They have not yet reached their absolute best. They are left to mature further in traditional dunnage warehouses at Balblair distillery.

Their time will come.

Visit Balblair Distillery at www.balblair.com

Monkey Shoulder Launches The Ultimate Mobster Adventure

Enter the swinging world of the urban jungle in Monkey Shoulder’s brand new interactive treasure hunt

Monkey Shoulder is today launching a brand new interactive adventure.  The Legend of the Blind Monkey, plunges you head first into an intense underworld of feuds, powerplays and mobster wheeling and dealing as the Boss Monkey searches for his successor to rule Golden City.

Three monkey mobster families will fight to rule Golden City through a series of engrossing on and offline challenges. Monkey Shoulder is challenging wannabe gansters to pledge allegience to one family to start their leadership campaign.  The adventure culminates on December 4th at the Mobsters Ball and a chance to win the top secret Golden Treasure.

Players must choose wisely to make sure their personalities match up to the demands of the three mobster families. Sign up to either the Utan Clan (strong as rock, subtle as brick), Zees (frisky, risky and likes whisky) or Society of Shadows (nimble, quick and handy with a candlestick) on facebook for the adventure to begin.

To complete the quest, players will have to scour websites, impress the boss of their Family, sleuth clues, solve puzzles, and swap codewords with other budding mobsters.

As online meets offline, players will discover some of the game’s characters positioned in key bars across the country armed with cunning clues to the treasure hunt. Family members will be alerted to their whereabouts on Google Maps, giving them the chance to be first on the case and get that all important clue.

The prize for those willing to take on the challenge is a ticket to the exclusive Mobsters Ball at a hidden London location. Those lucky enough to be at the ultimate monkey speakeasy can participate in a final challenge to win the priceless Golden Treasure of the Blind Monkey.

To begin your adventure, visit: www.blindmonkey.co.uk