Legendary Scots Photographer Albert Watson captures stunning JOURNEY to heart of The Macallan

– The Macallan Masters of Photography Albert Watson Edition –

One of the world’s leading photographers, Edinburgh-born Albert Watson, will today (Wednesday 1 December) unveil his latest works of art, undertaken in partnership with The Macallan single malt whisky.

Following the brand’s debut partnership with Scots-born photographer Rankin, The Macallan Masters of Photography: Albert Watson Edition continues the celebration of two very different but highly revered art processes, photography and whisky-making.

Interpreting the story of The Macallan’s exceptional oak casks, Watson has visually documented his journey which began in the forests of Spain and ended at The Macallan’s spiritual home in Speyside.

From 1 December 2010, the limited collection of 1,000 unique The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 year old bottles will be available for purchase throughout the world, each with a specially commissioned label by Watson and a set of 10 portfolio prints unique to this edition. A further 36 individually customised bottles of The Macallan 1946 whisky, the date Watson first met his wife Elizabeth, with a signed one-off collectible platinum print can also be purchased, once they have completed their world exhibition tour, with a reserve price of £10,000. To mark the launch, Watson’s photographic prints will be unveiled in London, kicking off a global exhibition tour.

This unique collaboration with Albert Watson, winner of the prestigious Royal Photographic Society’s 2010 Centenary Medal, involves a bottle of The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 year old with a hand-signed portfolio and The Macallan’s exceptional 1946 whisky with a one off platinum print. The partnership began when Watson was invited by The Macallan to weave a visual narrative of the long journey made from acorn to glass to eventually produce a rich and complex Single Malt.

Albert Watson commented: “The Macallan came to me with the incredible story of the sherry oak casks from Spain and how they are used to make their Single Malt whisky and asked me to think of how I could interpret this as a photographic art project. The freedom and encouragement given to me during this shoot allowed the creation of a series of images expanding on this journey and finally platinum exhibition prints – the ultimate in fine art – demanding complete artistic integrity.” 

To create his black and white photographic series, Watson embarked upon a journey of 12 days covering 600 miles and encountered some of the most breathtaking scenery. From the entrancing forests of Northern Spain, where the mighty Spanish oaks grow, to the traditional cooperage in Jerez, Watson began a journey of discovery, culminating in the alchemy and passion of The Macallan Distillery in Scotland. The photographic odyssey took place in 3 parts, the romantic tale of a couple’s road trip, a series of images expanding on this particular journey and finally the creation of fine art platinum prints.

Hand printed by one of the world’s leading fine art printers, platinum prints when compared to black and white silver prints, exhibit an expanded tonal range, three-dimensionality, and a uniquely luminous quality. They are also among the most permanent objects produced by man. The platinum metals are more stable than gold, and a platinum image, properly preserved, can last thousands of years.

The outcome is a stunning anthology which captures the genuine emotional connection between the photographer and his subjects: the striking landscapes, beautiful settings and the spectacular weather patterns. Watson’s photographic prints exude an air of drama and romance, trailing a stylish couple taking a voyage to unearth the key secret behind The Macallan. These are coupled with intimate shots of the time served master craftsmen of the cooperage and dramatic stills of the surrounding wilderness.

Ken Grier, Director of Malts, The Edrington Group said: “This project shows further development of the highly successful Masters of Photography franchise and brings us together with one of the greatest photographers of our time.

“Albert Watson is an inspiration and a complete joy to work with.  His extraordinary eye for creating truly great photography and his unparalleled skills in the art of lighting, combine with a peerless appreciation of what it takes to make the highest quality of fine art prints.  We are delighted that he has delivered an outstanding collection of images for The Macallan.”

The exceptional oak casks are at the heart of The Macallan’s fame, providing 60% of the distinctive flavour of The Macallan. They are the leading users of these sherry seasoned oak casks which are the most expensive and highly prized in the Scotch whisky industry. The casks are made from the rich timber grown in the forests of Northern Spain which are then hand-crafted at the cooperage in Jerez, before being seasoned with dry Oloroso sherry and shipped to Scotland to be filled with new make spirit at the Macallan Distillery on Speyside.

The Macallan Masters of Photography Albert Watson Edition can be purchased at luxury spirits retailers or via www.themacallan.com for an RRP of £700.  To register interest visit The Macallan website: www.themacallan.com   

Notes

Tasting notes – The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 year old

NOSE – Dark chocolate orange, cloves, ginger and dried fruit, accented by polished oak

TASTE – Robust spine of blood orange and exotic spices, with an abundance of sun ripened raisins, dates and sultanas

FINISH – Tantalisingly long, oak, allspice, stem ginger with sustained fruitiness

COLOUR – Lacquered rosewood

The Macallan Sherry Oak 20 year old bottles will be available for purchase in the UK from luxury retailers for the RRP £700.

The Macallan 1946 bottle can also be purchased in the UK at luxury retailers at a starting price of £10,000

The first Macallan Masters of Photography was launched in 2008 with Rankin.  Rankin produced 1,000 individual black and white images captured on Polaroid.  Each limited edition bottle of rare 30 year old Macallan Fine Oak single malt displayed a bespoke label featuring one of Rankin’s images, accompanied by the original Polaroid.  The array of images featured artistic nude studies of Tuuli, Rankin’s muse and wife, contrasted by shots of the dedicated craftspeople of the distillery, and still life images of the surrounding flora and fauna at Easter Elchies Estate.

The Macallan is ranked number two by value* among the world’s top selling single malts and is recognised as being a leader within the Scotch Whisky industry when it comes to innovation.

*IWSR figures ending December 2006

www.themacallan.com

Albert Watson – photographer

Born in Scotland, Albert Watson is one of the world’s most successful photographers of the past four decades.  His striking images have appeared on over 240 covers of Vogue and Rolling Stone – some of the most iconic portraits of a generation including Alfred Hitchcock, Mick Jagger and Kate Moss.

As well as directing over 300 TV commercials for global brands including Gap, Chanel and Revlon, Albert is also the creative genius behind some of the most well recognised movie posters of our time, namely Memoirs of a Geisha and Kill Bill.

In recognition of his work Albert was named one of the 20 most influential photographers of all time by industry bible, Photo District News.  In 2010 he was awarded the ultimate accolade – the Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society.

Albert Watson is a master of his art who greatly enriches our perception with his unique photographic view.  A single minded commitment to perfection has made Albert Watson one of the world’s most sought-after photographers. 

www.albertwatson.net

The Macallan Masterclass

To celebrate the launch of the Albert Watson edition of The Masters of Photography, The Macallan are proud to present the first Macallan Masterclass.  

Inspired by the latest Masters of Photography project, The Macallan will be inviting the public to upload their finest photographs that celebrate the theme of “great journeys”. The top ten photographs as voted for by the public will then be judged by Albert Watson, who will choose a first, second, third and a highly commended entry.

To enter the competition go to www.themastersofphotography.com. Prizes will include an all expenses paid trip of a lifetime to Scotland, a digital camera pack, a tripod and camera case and a 12 month subscription to Digital Camera magazine.

The timeless reputation of The Macallan is founded upon Six Pillars:

The Spiritual Home

Easter Elchies House proudly watches over The Macallan distillery in Speyside, Scotland. Built in 1700, this Jacobean manor house is The Macallan’s spiritual home.

Curiously Small Stills

The Macallan’s curiously small and uniquely shaped copper stills help to concentrate the flavour of the ‘new make’ spirit.

The Finest Cut

The ‘cut’ is the amount of distilled spirit collected from the stills as ‘new make’ spirit. The Macallan takes one of the finest ‘cuts’ of any distillery in Scotland; typically just 16% goes forward to fill or our casks. 

Exceptional Oak Casks

The Macallan’s unfaltering obsession with selecting exceptional oak casks brings an unsurpassed, timeless quality to The Macallan.

Natural Colour

The Macallan insists upon Natural Colour. It is the interaction of spirit and wood alone which delivers the rich variety of colour, aroma and taste evident through out the range.

Peerless Spirit

The Macallan remains the single malt against which all others must be judged. It is celebrated far and wide by experts and discerning drinkers as the world’s most precious whisky.

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers,

As promised our Winter Tasting Schedule is now online: https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php !

We have an excellent line-up of winter whisky, rum and beer tastings to tempt your palate ranging from our 6th Annual Robbie Burns Supper on the 26th of January to our first Ancient Malts Tasting in more than a year! There is something there for everyone and it’s online and open for registration now! You can register for our tastings by visiting our web site https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php , by paying us a visit in person or by giving us a call at 403-283-8000. If you haven’t been to one of our fun and educational tasting events I sincerely encourage you to give us a try.

First up in 2011 is our 6th Annual Robert Burns Supper. There is something hear for everyone from the diehard Burns Aficionado to the casual whisky drinker looking for a fun night out. Our event combines the traditional core elements of a Burns Supper with a tasting 6 premium single malt whiskies from a guest distillery. This year we will be featuring the Isle of Arran distillery, from whom we are looking at buying our own cask!

And don’t forget our Gordon & MacPhail Benromach Tasting with Michael Urquhart next Thursday December 9th! You’ll be professionally lead through a sampling of 8 whiskies (4 each from Benromach and Gordon & MacPhail) by none other than the co-director of both companies, Michael Urquhart. The proceeds of this tasting will be going to the Children’s Hospital Aid Society, so come join us for an exceptional tasting and give a little something back to the community at the same time!

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

GORDON & MACPHAIL/BENROMACH TASTING WITH MICHAEL URQUHART – Thursday December 9th 7-9PM – $50

Michael Urquhart is in town for the week, and with some new G&M exclusives and Christmas on the way it seemed like a great opportunity for a tasting. Further, it’s a great opportunity for us give back to the community, in this case the proceeds from the night’s event will be going to the Children’s Hospital Aid Society. For just $50 (at least $30 of which will go to CHAS) you will enjoy a tasting of 8 single malt whiskies led by Gordon & MacPhail’s co-Director. We will be tasting the following whiskies:

1.       G&M KMW Glen Grant 1966 – Exclusive – $449.99

2.       G&M Cask Strength Imperial 1997 – Exclusive – $114.99

3.       G&M Connoisseurs Choice Glen Keith 1993 – Exclusive – $87.99

4.       G&M Connoisseurs Choice Convalmore 1984 – Exclusive – $182.99

5.       Benromach 10 Year – $68.99

6.       Benromach Origins #2 Port Pipes – $83.49

7.       Benromach Origins #3 Optic Barley/Oloroso – 83.49

8.       Benromach 21 Year – $129.99

Gordon & MacPhail is Scotland’s second oldest independent bottle—est. 1895—and unlike most independent bottlers they purchase their whiskies as new make spirit, filling it into their own barrels.  In 1993 Gordon & MacPhail bought Benromach Distillery. It took them 5 years to get it in ship shape, but it has been back in action since 1998 and is the smallest distillery in the Speyside. Michael will be available to sign any bottles purchased that evening, and there will be some excellent deals on both G&M and Benromach whiskies.

The Children’s Hospital Aid Society or CHAS is volunteer group of 70 Calgary women who raise money for the Children’s Hospital and other Calgary agencies which advocate on behalf of children. The organization has been in existence since 1908 and in the last 20 years has raised over 4 million.

This will be an excellent event, with proceeds going to a worthy cause.  Hope to see you there.

For more information or to register call 403-283-8000 or visit our website www.kensingtonwinemarket.com.

WINTER 2011 TASTING SCHEDULE

All tastings start promptly at 7:00 pm, unless otherwise noted
Seating is strictly limited, so book early to avoid disappointment
It is recommended that you use public transportation, walk or arrange a ride to and from the class. Please pre-book your taxi!
Tastings are complete with light snacks

Cancellation Policy: Seating registrations are transferrable so you are welcome to send someone else in your place if you cannot attend a tasting. If you contact us more than 48 hours prior to the tasting date to cancel one or more seats, you will receive a store credit for the value of the cancelled seat(s). Store credits can be used for any future purchases, including tastings or products. Cancellation requests received within 48 hours of the tasting date are not refundable.

1.      Scots Wha Hae? Caledonians Unite! It’s time to celebrate all things Scottish. Isle of Arran is the featured distillery for our 6th annual Robbie Burns Supper, and Andrew Hogan is our special guest. We’ll have bagpipes, poetry, haggis with neeps and tatties and six amazing single malts all from Arran, including—we hope—a new single cask bottling exclusive to KWM!. No previous whisky experience required. Location: Fort Calgary, 7:00pm. Wednesday January 26th. $99

2.      Classic Malts Back to basics, “Classic Malts” is our introduction to the world of Scottish single malt whisky: its regions, history and taste profiles. No this won’t be a “Diageo Classic Malts” tasting, though we may include a few of those for good measure. This is a great opportunity to learn why Scotch is the hottest spirit in the world! Tuesday February 8th. $35

3.      Rare Malts Only the oldest and rarest whiskies need apply! Taste whiskies that have been matured more than 20 years in oak, and are from closed distilleries or are exceptionally rare! Thursday February 24th. $75

4.      Whisky, Women & Chocolate Round up the gals and join our Scotchguy, Andrew Ferguson, for a pairing of fine whisky and premium chocolate from Calgary’s only true “chocolatier”, Chokolat, located in Inglewood. No whisky experience needed, we’ll convert even the most sceptical into a lover of fine whisky! Friday March 4th. $50

5.      Ancient Malts Our blockbuster tasting for 2011 is going to feature the Gold Bowmore 1964, a 44 year old Bowmore bottling valued at $4389.99 which scored 96pts. We’ll also sample 5 other whiskies 30 to 50 years of age! We’ll only do one tasting like this all year, don’t miss it! Tuesday March 15th. $225

6.      Diageo Special Releases Dinner Caol Ila 10 Year Unpeated, Mannochmore 18 Year, Pittyvaich 20 Year, Benrinnes 23 Year, Port Ellen 30 Year and Talisker 30 are the rare whiskies you will sample at Buchanan’s Chop House while enjoying a 3 course meal! If you haven’t been to one of our whisky dinners yet, you don’t know what you are missing! Thursday Mach 31st. $140

——————–

You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy..

If you have any whisky questions or comments concerning The Malt Messenger please contact me by e-mail, phone, or drop by the store. Feel free to forward me any whisky news you feel should be included in a future issue of The Malt Messenger; it might just get included.

All of the products mentioned in THE MALT MESSENGER can be purchased in store, over the phone or from our website at www.kensingtonwinemarket.com.. All prices quoted in the Malt Messenger are subject to change!

Thanks for reading the Malt Messenger!

Slainte!

Andrew Ferguson
KWM Scotchguy

403-283-8000
888-283-9004
1257 Kensington Rd. NW
Calgary, AB, Canada
T2N 3P8

scotchguy@kensingtonwinemarket.com

While it’s a bit snowy here in Inveraray there has been no disruption to life, it’s just beautiful, and we have no problems getting stuff out to you. However we are aware that much of the rest of the country does not share our good fortune and some activities elsewhere have had to be suspended.

The supply of some bottled Scotch Whisky is disrupted. Most is getting to us on time but a few distributors can not get cased stock out of the warehouse to us or some bottling halls have not been able to get stock in for filling.

So if you are considering ordering, please give us lots of lead time so we can assemble orders, manage delayed stock and still deliver in time before the holiday period. We will keep you informed of any delays and how we plan to overcome them. If you are disappointed to see an item ‘out of stock’ contact us to learn what we can advise, generally it means we don’t have a near delivery date.

Another incentive is to remind you that VAT goes up on January 4th, current prices will rise by just over 2%.

We have just over two weeks remaining for our Deals! of about 130 whiskies on special prices. After Monday 20th many Deal! items will come off special pricing according to our stock levels. The 20th is also the last sensible date for guaranteeing a UK delivery in time for Christmas, weather permitting.

Check out all our Deals! here.

With very best wishes for high spirits during the coming festive season, and thanks for your orders, keep them coming!

Loch Fyne Whiskies www.lfw.co.uk

Although this was very much a Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders) happening it may be nice to share.

Starting in February 2010 forum members where asked to submit their nominee with the best designed Whisk(e)y bottle and optionally packaging . On November 24, a poll was placed on the forum containing the twenty selected contestants for the  “Het Whisky forum Design Award 2010” (the, Dutch=het).

Forum members where allowed to vote for only one. Soon 4 finalists came to the surface: Bruichladdich, Highand Park Earl Magnus, Glenmorangie Signet, Ardbeg: Lord of the Isles.

Long time we saw a head to head strugle between Ardbeg: Lord of the Isles and Highand Park Earl Magnus but at the end surprise, surprise, the Glenmorangie Signet jumped up to win this years Design Award.

1 – Glenmorangie Signet
2 and 3 – Ardbeg: Lord of the Isles and Highand Park Earl Magnus
4 – Bruichladdich

An interesting observation is the fact that two of the four finalists, Glenmorangie and Ardbeg ar owned by Moet Hennessy.

For photo’s, details and the full background see the “Het Whisky forum” http://www.hetwhiskyforum.nl/ post http://www.hetwhiskyforum.nl/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1419

Christmas Parcels: The Seasonal Snifters

Peace on earth? Not quite. Christmas is filled with present buying befuddlement. Luckily, we’ve sniffed out the ideal gift ideas to delight even the Scroogiest.

The Christmas Parcels bring the best of the Society’s Whisky Season bottlings, perfectly packaged together with a nip off their prices too.
 
The Tasting Panel’s Peaty Choice
27.86 Colour Co-ordinated Whisky (Campbeltown)
33.95 A calm day on Islay (Islay)
3.164 Baby powder on a forest fire (Islay)
£129 inc free p&p (save £32.70)
                                                                    
Speyside Pair
7.61 As good as it gets  (Speyside Lossie)
76.72 Sunday Roast (Speyside Spey)
£104 inc free p&p (save £23.70)

10 Year Old Pair
29.92 Sweet and smoky intensity (Islay) £45.70
121.41 Oreos and Florentines (Highland Island) £42.20
£74 inc free p&p (save £13.90)
Buy individually or as a pair

Stocking fillers:
1.154 Under the moonlight (40yo Speyside Spey) £197
4.147 Impeccable manners (Highland Island) £49.79
Cask 3. Spicy toffee apples (Somerset Cider Apple Brandy) £37.50

SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events
Tis the season to be jolly well-entertained.  And the Society once more is bringing you a wintery wonderland of events to warm your fingers, tongues and toes…..

New Outturn Open Tasting – London, Mon 6 Dec
Island Whisky Tasting – London, Wed 8 Dec
Island Whisky Tasting – London, Thu 9 Dec
Wokingham Christmas Tasting – Cantley House Hotel, Thu 9 Dec
Whiskies for Winter – Queen Street, Mon 13 Dec
World Whisky Tasting 2 – The Vaults, Fri 17 Dec
The Vaults Christmas Carvery – The Vaults, Sun 19 Dec

Visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at www.smws.co.uk

Holiday Single Malt Tasting
Tuesday December 7th. 5:15 or  6:15 P.M.
Note the late start

We’ill taste some wonderful single malts from Gordon & MacPhail, the owners of Benromach Distillery and one of our favorite independent bottlers. David Wishart,  the author of  Whisky Classified, one of my favorite whisky books because he uses a flavor profile that identifies aroma and taste and does not use the point score score system. We’ve also taken in a limited number of Glencairn Whisky Glasses. These are an immeasurable aid in the enjoyment of the scotch drinking experience, supplies are first-come, first-served. This will be the last tasting of the year. If you need gifts for the scotch lover there will be some great single malts. Bring a friend or a co worker, your boss, or come by yourself. It will be a wonderful evening of some of the finest icons of whiskey at specia sale prices..

We willl taste:

Distillery Age Regular Price Sale Price

Bunnahabhain 8 Y.O. $35.99 $32.99 $36.99-w/Scoth Glass

Benromach 10 Y.O. $53.99 $48.99 $53.99-w/Scotch Glass

Miltonduff 10 Y.O. $56.99 $51.99 $56.99-wScotch Glass

Bruichladdich 15 Y.O. $94.99 $82.99 $85.99-w/Scotch Glass

Mortlach 21Y.O. $154.99 $144.99-w/Scotch Glass

Strathisla 44 Y.O. $349.99 $299.99-w/Scotch Glass

Joe Howell
Federal Wine & Spirits

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

Why choose Lark whisky?

Granted, it may not be a ‘well known’ brand and certainly it costs as much as other ‘established’ Scottish single malts and Heaven forbid -it comes from a non-traditional whisky making country…

Consider this; worldwide whisky production is in the midst of a growing revolution. Courageous consumers and enlightened distilleries are increasingly turning away from mainstream volume driven whisky and discovering the pleasures of rare micro-distilled international single malts.

Make no mistake, the Scots realise this as well, recently appointing Bill Lark as technical advisor to the Kingsbarns Distillery venture near St. Andrews, Scotland. Acknowledging his unique expertise, the managing directors are keen to adapt (essentially re-learning) this style of small batch distillation -right down to importing our stills.

Simply put; Lark whisky is at the forefront of this revolution in New World Whiskies.

Lark is Tasmanian whisky, proudly unique in character and style. Our whisky is neither Scotch, nor is it Bourbon. And while it’s been said we’ve captured the best of both worlds, the similarity ends there.

Entirely made by hand, without the benefit of modern machinery or up-to-the-minute labour saving techniques, Lark consistently distils some of the world’s most prized whisky – no more than 100 litres at a time.

Crafted exclusively from Tasmanian ingredients, distilled in our unique 600lt copper pot still, aged in custom made quarter cask premium port barrels, individually hand bottled & labelled –Artisan Whisky is necessarily time consuming and labour intensive -with our expenditures nearly three times that of conventional factory methods.

Like any rare and desirable creation our exclusive whisky comes at a price. Is it worth it? We honestly believe one taste will convince you -it’s worth every cent. That’s our opinion, here’s what the international experts have recently said…

 World Whisky Awards London 2009 Best ‘other’ Single Malt Whisky. “This year’s competition saw more than 150 international iconic whiskies put through their paces during three rounds of tastings to win the coveted title of Best in the World”.

Malt Whisky Society of Australia 2009 Trophy -Best Australian Single Malt Whisky “Congratulations on an exceptional Whisky” -Craig Daniels, Chairperson, Malt Whisky Society of Australia.

International Malt Maniacs Competition 2008 Gold Thumbs Up Award (Premium Class) Most exciting new release -$100-$300 Lark Single Malt outscores over 100 Scottish & International icon single malt whiskies…

“It seems that Scotland now has SERIOUS competition abroad…Hearty congrats on winning one of the coveted awards…keep up the very good work…” -Johannes van den Heuvel, editor, Malt Madness / International Malt Maniacs competition.

International Wine and Spirit Competition, London2007 Silver Medal ‘Best in Class’ Silver Medal, Bronze Medal

Tasmania’s own unique cool climate Franklin barley is unlike any other in the world. Specially developed here on the island, this high yield, robust grain is also the secret behind the success of Tasmania’s world famous beers. Our barley is specially malted for us at the Cascade Brewery here in Hobart.

The peat and the peating methods we use are unique in the world. Lark Distillery pioneered ‘dry malt peating’ where previously malted and dried barley is re-hydrated to a specific moisture content and then peat smoked in our custom built smoker. The finished whisky is typically ‘peated’ to around 8-15ppm (compared to an Islay whisky which may contain upwards of 40ppm) This method was studied and analysed in Scotland and proved to produce a cleaner peated malt than the traditionally peat dried ‘green’ malt used in other parts of the world. We use Tasmanian peat from our own private bog in the central highlands. Made up of layers of ancient native eucalypts, fresh water flora and modern day mosses, that when slowly burned, release an amazing aroma and an array of flavours unlike any in Scotland.

Yeast

After several experimental wash brews (and some expert advice from the Cascade Brewery) we created our own unique blend of European yeasts best suited to fermenting the Franklin barley. Make no mistake, the yeast blend is a serious factor in determining flavour and for many distilleries, the recipe is a very closely guarded secret.

Tasmanian water is renowned as some of the purest in the world. The rainwater in the northeast of the state is considered the ‘world standard’ by which all other water purity is measured. In other words, it’s the best in the world.

Our Stills

Designed by company founder Bill Lark and handcrafted by Peter Bailey, they were the first of their kind. We have an 1800 litre wash still, a 600 litre and 500 litre spirits still and an 80 litre botanical still that we use to distil the different plants and spices used in our gin and liqueurs. The design has proven so successful that two additional sets have been built for the Nant Tasmanian Distillery as well as the Old Hobart Distillery (there are currently 6 distilleries in Tasmania) Perhaps even more impressive; plans are now in place to export 4 more sets to a new distillery in Scotland.

Barrels, Aging and the Tasmanian Climate.

Unlike the Scots, we age our whisky in custom made ‘quarter cask’ 100lt Barrels. A far more expensive way to mature spirits, nevertheless they create deep, complex whisky. Mr. Jonathan Scott of the Glengoyne Distillery, Dumgoyne, Scotland, recently likened our ‘small cask’ whisky as similar to an 18yo Scotch from a typical 400-500 litre barrel.

-Consider, a 25yo might have come from a 700 litre barrel
-Age before beauty? Not always.

Up until the whisky glut of the 1960s, the Scots believed that the ideal age to release a whisky was 8 years old.

Consider also the oak; most of our barrels were originally used for ageing Premium Australian Port and Sherry, arguably some of the best examples of fortified wines in the world. We then have these large casks re-coopered down to the 100, 50 and 20 litre sizes, at which time they are shaved and heavily toasted. We are also pioneering the use of heavily charred Cabernet and Shiraz wine barrels, with excellent results so far. A major portion of our whisky’s ‘soul’ is determined by the barrel and its many variables.

This larger barrel surface area to volume ratio combined with our relatively short mild winters (compared to Scotland) and warm summers are two major reasons our “younger” whiskies consistently out-score the Scots. We encourage the expansion and contraction of our barrels, and believe that whiskies which breathe in and out of the oak are able to extract additional flavours with far greater success.

Single Barrel Bottling

Each and every barrel released is a celebration of our individualism. Whilst our overall style of whisky is strictly maintained, we are continually amazed at the subtle flavour and aroma variations that naturally occur from barrel to barrel. Rather than try to blend these away, we simply decide which of 3 strengths most suits that particular whisky and hand bottle it accordingly. Each label displays the individual cask number.

“CombiningScience, Art and Passion…”

Lark Single Malt Whisky contains the very finest Tasmanian ingredients, exceptional distilling skill, and our genuine commitment to craft the world’s best spirits.

“Lark, Let your spirit fly…”

Australian first – Tasmanian whisky to retail in the US

Lark distillery is delighted to announce an exclusive 5 year export contract to supply their unique Single Malt whisky to the Chicago based spirits importer Marsalle Company. www.marsalle.com

Just 6 months after their successful US debut at the World of Whisky Expo and a bag full of medals from the International Whisky Competition in Chicago, Ross Dinsmoor, Lark’s Director of Sales and Marketing, recently returned from the US -contract in hand.

Mr. Dinsmoor announced the deal which will see, for the first time ever, Australian Single malt whisky retail in several major cities across the US.

“This is a great opportunity for both Lark and Marsalle. There is real interest in our Artisan style of distilling. My Marsalle counterpart, Rob Imperial, has trailed our Tasmanian whisky with a number of leading industry professionals and has secured placement in some of America’s foremost restaurants, bars and speciality liquor retailers”

When asked about marketing plans, Ross stated, “I’ve recently completed a comprehensive export branding up-grade -including new labelling, bottles and exclusive display boxes which feature solid pewter, brass and copper medallions. Rob and his team are finalizing a number of tasting events featuring Bill Lark the ‘Godfather of Australian Whisky’ as our brand ambassador.

Lark will Export 750ml bottles of 43% a/v Single Malt, 46% a/v Distillers Selection and 58% a/v Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky and will be distributed throughout San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and New York early 2011.

www.larkdistillery.com.au

The Winners of the 2010 Canadian Whisky Awards will be published on Monday December 6th at 12:01 Eastern Standard time  (- 5 Hours GMT) right here on Whisky Intelligence!