There’s a locked door at the Glenrothes Distillery, which normally is not open to visitors. The sign above the door reads “I.S.” — and stands for “Inner Sanctum.” Ronnie Cox has the key to that door, and his inner sanctum has samples of every Glenrothes single malt expression ever released. We’ll go through a couple of very rare Glenrothes whiskies during a chat with Ronnie on this episode. In the news, William Grant & Sons buys the Tullamore Dew range of Irish whiskies and the results of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards.

Visit WhiskyCast at www.whiskycast.com

Weekly Liquor Specials

Bushmills Irish Whiskey…$15.99
Canadian LTD 1.75L…$10.99
Dewar’s White Label 1.75L…$29.99
Famous Grouse Scotch 1.75L…$25.99
J & B Scotch 1.75L…$25.99
Jack Daniels Black…$18.99
Jim Beam Bourbon 1.75L…$21.99
Knob Creek Bourbon…$21.99
Seagram’s Crown Royal 1.75L…$38.99
Southern Comfort 1.75L…$19.99
Canadian Club 1.75L $15.99
Johnnie Walker Black Label 1.75L $49.99

*Prices valid w/Binny’s Card May 5 through May 11, 2010.

Visit Binny’s at www.binnys.com

All of the Jolly Toper’s whisky tastings take place on Thursday nights from 7:30pm until approximately 10pm at the Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, meals available up to the time of the tastings.

Future dates:-

13.5.10 5 Highland Parks £23/20*
Duthies 17yo 46%
Earl Magnus 1st ed. 15yo 52.6%
1973-2009 43% Gordon & MacPhail 1st fill sherry butt
1995 46% 14yo Murray McDavid Bourbon/Chateau Lafite 1900 bottles
06.92-09.08 16yo Alchemist Calvados cask finish 46%

27.5.10 Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual t.b.c.
30.5.10 Sunday 2.30pm £38/35*
Glenfiddich 32yo 46.9%
Banff 29yo 1976 – 06.2006 52.0% Cadenheads Bourbon hogshead 228 bottles
Millburn 31yo 1974 – 05.2006 52.3% Cadenheads Bourbon hogshead 246 b0ttles
Convalmore 30yo 1977 – 09.2007 61.6% Cadenheads butt 240 bottles
Ardbeg 15yo 1994 – 01/10 57.7% Cadenheads Bourbon hogshead 273 bottles

10.6.10 Anonymous Islay/peaty malts 43% + Port Ellen £18/15*
The Ileach 12yo single malt

The Pibroch 12yo single malt

Smokehead single malt

Six Isles (Islay, Jura, Skye, Mull, Orkney and Arran)

The Peat Chimney Wemyss Vintage Malts blended malt

special guest Port Ellen Gordon & MacPhail September 1982 – September 2009 refill sherry casks 43%

17.6.10 £20/17* Port Charlotte
PC5 6038 bottles 2001 – 2006 5yo 63.5% mix of bourbon and sherry casks
PC6 18000 bottles 2001 – 2007 6yo 61.6% “Madeira cask influence”
PC7 24000 bottles 2001 – 2008 7yo 61%
PC8 25650 bottles 2001 – 2009 8yo 60.5%
“Baffo” Forever Edition no. 5 256 bottles 12.6.01 – 27.3.09 7yo cask no. 48/2001 46% specially selected by Thomas Kruger
Port Sgioba (Gaelic for Port Charlotte) 286 bottles 6.12.01 – 2.3.10 8yo cask no. 826/2001 66.0% refill sherry hogshead specially selected by FOAH

24.6.10 Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual t.b.c.
8.7.10 Theme tbc
Bladnoch/Tomintoul/Bruichladdich/Arran/non-Scottish peaty whiskies/bottled at the distillery

22.7.10 Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual t.b.c.
Future tastings:-
peaty blends 40% : date and price tbc
Islay Mist
Islay Hallmark 8yo
Black Bottle 10yo
Black Grouse
Black Bottle
plus a special guest (Brora or Port Ellen)

All very exciting really. And busy.

Visit the Jolly Toper himself at http://www.jollytopertastings.co.uk/

May 2010

Dear Client,

This month we are offering seven (7) new OLD MALT CASK releases, as well as another DOUBLE BARREL (Highland Park/Bowmore) plus a new (36 bottle) pack of miniature BIG PEATs.

The OLD MALT CASK Tasting Notes follow:

OMC 1832 Tobermory 14 Year Old Sherry Finished
Nose: Rich & nutty, powerful & warming + leather & cordite
Palate: Sweetly cherried, runs to smoking oak + a tannic quality
Finish: Long & dry, still smoky runs to a tangy walnut character (J)

OMC 1830 Glen Grant 14 Year Old
Nose: Opens fresh & clean with barley sugar and develops to a toffee character
Palate: Light and attractive, the fruitily sweet body carries to a spicy, citrussy style
Finish: Medium long, replicates nose & palate + vanilla + an orange pith tang (J)

OMC 1815 Scapa 16 Year Old
Nose: Opens sweet, lightly spiced + caramelized banana
Palate: Still spicy & sweet + dried fruit + a homebake style
Finish: Long & dry + a hazelnut & dark chocolate quality (J)

OMC 1828 Jura 18 Year Old
Nose: Fresh, sweet and yeasty (freshly baked waffles) + fruit & cream
Palate: Light and fresh, then sweet + an orange marmalade style
Finish: Orange pith continues then burnt oak and smoked spices linger (J)

OMC 1827 Glen Keith 20 Year Old
Nose: Fresh & clean – sweet stewed fruit quality + barley sugar
Palate: Oily sweetness runs to mouthcoating mandarine liqueur style
Finish: Remains sweet tails to a spicy orange tang and light oak (J)

OMC 1831 Glen Grant 20 Year Old Sherry Matured
Nose: Polished oak, spicy raisins + orange style + ripe bananas & rum
Palate: Opens rich, spiced & warmingly – runs to gingery spiced fruits
Finish: Long with a dry, leathery quality tailing with a nutty, late spiced, style. (F & J)

OMC 1829 Glenlivet 32 Year Old
Nose: Macerated macedonia of fruit + caramelised banana & chocolate
Palate: Distinctly sweet + a warming, buttery, spicy cookie dough quality
Finish: Dedium long and dry + oak & spices + orange bitters lingering (J)

We hope and believe with the new DOUBLE BARREL bottling and BIG PEAT’s minis, allied to some great casks (in particular the Glen Grant 20, and Glenlivet 32) we should have a real interest from all our customers!

Best wishes

Fred

Visit Douglas Laing at www.douglaslaing.com

Te Bheag NAS Nan Eilean (40%, IB, +/-2009)

Te Bheag ‘Connoisseurs Blend Gaelic Whisky’ or blended scotch whisky. Non Flitre and Te Bheag is pronounced “Chey Vek” and means “A Wee Dram”. Enough bumpf. The nose is honeyed and smokey along with dried fruit (apricots, pears and apples) along with some dark chocolate and oak spice. The collection of aromas are very well integrated and VERY good. The gentle subtle smoke and chocolate tie everything together very nicely. The more time it spends in the glass the better is becomes. The taste is once again honeyed along with some green notes and some smoke as well as some other grains and brown sugar. After a short period it becomes very dry and oaky. This is nice. There is also some more of the fruit and vanilla. All in all a very good collection of flavours. The finish is not overly strong but a good reflection of the taste but slightly different from the nose but no matter, it’s all good. The finish is quite long and the chocolate malt takes over towards the end. Fruiter rather than dry at this point. Correction; the finish is very long and continues to be good.

What a nice dram, one to share with friends by the fire along with some good conversation.

C$37

http://www.gaelicwhisky.com/

Attention whisky enthusiasts and novices: Macallan will be hosting a free guided tasting of its whisky in Dallas, Tx.

The tastings, to be held on Tuesday, May 11th through Friday, May 14th, are part of the Celebrate The Macallan series where brand ambassadors travel around the country educating people about The Macallan Single Malt.

The event will be hosted by The Macallan’s Brand Ambassador Eden Algie, who will speak about a range of whiskies including the Macallan 12, 15, 17 and 18.  He’ll also demonstrate the Macallan Ice Ball Press that forms a perfect sphere of ice on the spot. The special ice is meant to cool the dram slowly and evenly.

The tastings will be held at 6:30pm and 8:30pm on May 11th through the 14th at the Fashion Industry Gallery, located at 1807 Ross Avenue in Dallas, TX.  RSVPs are a must.

For more information and to secure your spot visit www.celebratethemacallan.com. Guests must be over 21 years of age.

Ralfy posts Whisy Review # 129 – of an Cnoc 12 year old at www.ralfy.com and scores it as it deserves.

Hirsch Selection  Small Batch Reserve Bourbon

This week only $24.99
Regular Price $30.00

Nose

Opening sniffs pick up nearly prickly and yet pleasingly spirit aromas of oak resin, sawdust, and pine; the aggressive aroma doesn’t lose any steam after another seven minutes of air contact and swirling, remaining potent and spirity.

Palate

The entry takes your breath away as the rollicking aspects of the aroma suddenly calm down into a sophisticated and caramel-sweet opening taste experience that’s oily, spiced, and remarkably fruity (raisins, dates); mid-palate taste profile jumps off the radar screen as the multilayered flavor dives deeply into bakery shop tastes (prune Danish, raspberry-filled cookie, strawberry…oh man, this one is ripe and bountiful) as well as nutty and woody (maple syrup).

Finish

Semisweet and honeyed, rich but vibrant, and not the least fat or clunky, and simply divinely delicious. For under $50 AN INCREDIBLE STEAL and other example of the peerless value of Kentucky Straight Bourbon. This is a world-class spirit. Wow.

Score: *****/Highest Recommendation
Spirit Journal Rating 2009

This special price is available now till  Tuesday May 11, 2010 or while supplies last. Don’t miss this special offer, order your bottles today.

Visit D&M at www.dandm.com

Single Malt Saturdays

5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 8th,15th  and 22nd of May

May 11th
Spirit School Seminar: Intro to Scotch 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

May 14th
Spirit School Seminar: Precious & Rare Scotch 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

May 19th
Spirit School Seminar: Bourbon & American whiskies 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

May 25th
Spirit School Seminar: Intro to Scotch 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Added Scotch Tasting with Evan Cattanach

Thursday, May 6th.  Two Pourings: 5:00 and 6:00 P.M.

No Charge No Reservation Needed

Evan Cattanach

The Diageo Special edition Tasting with Evan Cattanach has sold out so we asked him if he would do a tasting in the store for them people who couldn’t get in. He agreed. No one deserves the title of Grand Old Man in the scotch business more than Evan Cattanach. He is beginning his fiftieth year as a distiller and has been Distiller or Master Distiller in every region of Scotland, including stints at Oban, Dalwhinnie, Cardhu, Cragganmore, Lagavulin, and Caol Isla . He was instrumental in making Johnnie Walker Blue one of the world’s best whiskies.

We’ll taste Singleton 12 Y.O. – Oban 14 Y.O. – Cragganmore 12 Y.O. – Dalwhinnie 15 Y.O. Lagavulin 16 and one more to be named. (We may substitute Distillers Editions for one or two of the above mentioned.)

Joe Howell
Federal Wine & Spirits

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