The One and Only… Ugly Betty

“An oversized, upside-down dustbin made of copper” Tom Morton
described it in his excellent Spirit of Adventure.

Bruichladdich is pleased to announce the installation of an unusual fifth still
during recent still house renovations.

A Lomand still, a defunct experimental cross between a Coffey and a pot still,
was designed with a thick column-like neck with removable sections inserted.

The aim was to create more character and variety of styles of spirit by
imitating the effect that different lengths of still ʻneckʼ would have.

The versatile still had plates, like Roman blinds, which could be ʻopenedʼ and
varying the angle of the lyne arm for lighter or heavier spirit.

The first Lomand, a spirit still, was installed in 1956 at Inverleven, part of the
ginormous Dumbarton grain distillery complex, on the banks of the Clyde .

Inverleven was closed in 1991 and raised to the ground in 2004. But not
before we nipped in and removed, among other things, the Lomand.

So, fittingly, the first shall be last: the original, the only authentic Lomand in
existence, lives to fight another day.

True to its founding principal, it is being fitted with Jimʼs newly designed neck
section, the “Silver Gattling”.

It may be the only one of its type left, but sheʼs no oil painting. Welcome to
Ugly Betty.

Visit Bruichladdich Distillery at www.bruichladdich.com

Glenlivet Tasting – 10th February
tickets went on sale today! (Feb 4th)
(available from Chaplaincy office)

Location: Chaplaincy, High Street, Old Aberdeen
Time & Date: 7pm Wednesday 10th February 2010
What to bring: Membership card + Ticket + Money for raffle + £10 for next week’s special tasting (see below)

Please make sure you arrive by 7.15pm or you risk the chance of forfeiting  your seat to someone without a
ticket.

Are you attending?

——————————————————————————–
Next Wednesday – 17th February
Exclusive Tasting at The Grill (Union Street)

4 exclusive drams + pie for ONLY £10!!
(must be paid in advance)

——————————————————————————–

University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Chaplaincy
High Street
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3TT
aberdeenwhisky@googlemail.com

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has published their newest bottling list “Outturn” and it’s chock full of very interesting bottlings…visit www.smws.co.uk to join the Society and recieve your own copy of “Outturn”

New Scotch Whisky Club.
Johannesburg, South Africa.

A new whisky club in Johannesburg is being launched this month. The club is open to all members of the public who are interested in meeting like-minded whisky enthusiasts.

The informal club will meet monthly to taste whiskies and explore various topics. We will primarily focus on single Scotch malts, however, all whisk(e)ys are welcome.

The first meeting will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, 23rd February 2010. Venue to be decided once attendents confirm.

If you are interested in joining or would like more information please email me.

Regards,
Marc
whiskyful@gmail.com

MILROY’S OF SOHO FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER

February’s newsletter focuses on the 2010 calendar of whisky tastings in the Milroy’s of Soho cellar.   We also report on a few collectible jewels that may be of interest to mailing list members, particularly lovers of Springbank, Bunnahabhain and Rosebank.  Please read on for more details.

WHISKY TASTINGS IN THE MILROY’S OF SOHO CELLAR – 2010 CALENDAR

The cellar at Milroy’s of Soho plays host to our annual program of whisky tastings.  Tastings are typically led by one of our knowledgeable members of staff, and are accompanied by generous platters of charcuterie and cheeses sourced from the Jeroboams Affineur.  Please note that tastings are limited to 28 people.  Booking in advance is essential.

WHISKY & CHOCOLATE, Tuesday 23rd March

Following on from the great success of last year’s Whisky & Cheese tasting, we turn the attention to whisky and chocolate.  As with the whisky and cheese evening, we will experiment, which will mean trying a few combinations that might surprise.  It promises to be an evening of indulgence and hedonism.

£40 per ticket

CLOSED & SILENT DISTILLERIES, Wednesday 28th April

Over the decades, as the whisky business has gone through various peaks and troughs, many distilleries (too many to list here) have passed into history.  This tasting is a great opportunity to try several malts from distilleries that one reads about, but rarely sees.

£40 per ticket

WHISKY AROUND THE WORLD, Friday 28th May 2010

Whisk(e)y is very much a global beverage these days, not just in terms of consumption, but also for production.  Recent years have seen Japanese whiskies take the world by storm.  India’s Amrut distillery has surprised many with its elegant and refined malts.  And we shouldn’t forget England’s own St George distillery.  These are but a few of the whiskies that make the world of whisky increasingly diverse and exciting.

£40 per ticket

HOW TO TASTE – WHISKY, Tuesday 21st September

New to whisky or have friends that are?  Then this tasting is for you.  We will look at the factors affecting the taste of whisky including wood maturation and peating among others.  The tasting will feature a wide range of whiskies, from commercial blends to rare mature single malts.

£40 per ticket

DISTILLERY RELEASES vs. INDEPENDENT BOTTLINGS, Tuesday 12th October

This is the one we’ve been waiting for – forget Amir Khan’s next fight.  This is the head to head match of distillery releases against independent bottlings.  Independently bottled whiskies tend to be sought out as they represent good value for money, are often bottled at cask strength and may well be the only expression of a particular whisky available on the market.  In this highly anticipated tasting, we will see whether they can stand toe to toe with the very best official distillery releases.

£40 per ticket

THE BEST PEATED WHISKY, Tuesday 9th November 2010

Peat, smoke and brine – these are some of the most distinctive flavours to be found in any beverage.  Although there will be a leaning toward Islay, we will look at some of the other great peated island malts, as well as some of the interested smoky whiskies from the Scottish mainland.  We may even venture to Ireland to check out Connemara.

£40 per ticket

ATTENTION COLLECTORS (AND DRINKERS) – SOME RARE GEMS

We are clearing our warehouse of a few unearthed treasures from our stock reserves.  There are some superb whiskies here, and it would be great to see them go to loving homes.

SPRINGBANK 1972 Cask #141, 46% ABV

(Selected and bottled by Springbank distillery for La Reserve)

Older bottlings of Springbank are few and far between.  The much loved Springbank 21 year old (now long gone) sells for in excess of £350 per bottle on the secondary market, and that’s if you can find any.  Distilled in 1972 and bottled at a minimum of 26 years of age, this is an exceptionally rare mature Springbank for connoisseurs and collectors alike.  As interest in this whisky is likely to be very high, please act quickly to avoid disappointment.

£165 per bottle

Exclusive newsletter offer – £150 per bottle (only 12 bottles available)

ROSEBANK 1990, 57.7% ABV

(Selected and bottled by Murray McDavid)

This is a Bourbon cask matured Rosebank, drawn from a single cask bottled at cask strength.  Bottled in 1999, it is an good example of this highly prized and increasingly collectible Lowland malt.

£65 per bottle

Exclusive newsletter offer – £60 per bottle (only 5 bottles available)

BUNNAHABHAIN 1979, Aged 17 Years, Bottled 1999 46% ABV, Refill Sherry Cask

(Selected and bottled by Murray McDavid)

Although there are many exceptional examples to be found (both official distillery releases and independent bottlings) Bunnahabhain is often the forgotten Islay distillery.  This richly Sherried Bunnahabhain possesses a wonderful deep amber colour; with typical Sherry derived characters of toffee and spice.

£70 per bottle

Exclusive newsletter offer – £65 per bottle (only 12 bottles available)

Until next month,

Best regards

Philip

Philip Shorten

Milroy’s of Soho

3 Greek Street

London, W1D 4NX

T: 020 7437 2385

F: 020 7437 1345

E: philip.shorten@milroys.co.uk

W: www.milroys.co.uk

Ralfy is back on home ground after his trip to Canada and the Victoria Whisky Festival;

… after a recent busy spell on location in an impressively sunny part of Canada, Ralfy’s back home to snow, freezing nights and warm porridge,   … plus another ralfy.com ‘whiskyreviews’
 105 – Handy Hints 1 2 & 3

Visit Ralfy at www.ralfy.com

Item      Spirits                                            Reg.       Sale
109720 Famous Grouse Scotch 1.75 $36.99 $23.99
106770 Crown Royal 1.75                      $48.99 $31.99
164982 Bulleit Bourbon 1.75                  $38.99 $26.99

 
Hi-Time 250 Ogle Street Costa Mesa CA 92627 1(800) 331-300

Still Life

Islayʼs Bruichladdich distillery have re-installed Scotlandʼs oldest pot still.
Commissioned in 1880 for the Harvey Brothersʼ purpose-built Islay distillery it is, according to experts, likely to be the oldest pot still in use in Scotland at 130 years old.

The life expectancy of most pot stills is only around forty years. After which, having eroded over the years with constant boiling, the copper becomes too thin and liable to collapse.

But this venerable pot still, riveted in the Victorian way, was made with an exceptionally thick copper bottom to endure the intensity of a coal fire underneath it.

The wash still has been renovated and tested by Forsyths of Rothes, one of only two remaining Scottish coppersmiths, and passed with flying colours for continued use.

Duncan MacGillivray, manager and chief engineer said: “We are told at 130 years old this is most likely to be the oldest whisky still in the world. They donʼt make them like this any more – thereʼs plenty of life left in her and we intend to keep her going for a wee while yet.”

Bruichladdichʼs stills, designed most likely by John Harvey, the middle of the three Harvey brothers, are unusually tall and narrow-necked. The Harveys sought a unique shape to obtain a spirit of elegance in contrast to the heavier spirits produced from small, more compact stills on the island at that time.

Visit Bruichladdich Distillery at http://www.bruichladdich.com/

Choosing a single malt Scotch to drink or share with friends can be an intimidating task – there are numerous choices but very little clear and concise information on the unique characteristics of whiskies such as flavor profiles, age statements, and regions of origin.  Now The Classic Malts Selection, the world’s finest portfolio of Scotch representing all of the major whisky flavor profiles including Oban, Lagavulin, and The Singleton of Glendullan, helps to simplify the decision-making process with Malt Matcher. This new tool was designed to dispel confusion and aid in choosing whiskies that suit your palate.  Whether you’re a whisky connoisseur or a single malt novice, Malt Matcher can assist in your Scotch selection.

1st February 2010

Dear Customers,
To kick off 2010 we have ten (10) new PROVENANCE bottlings this month, which we hope will be attractive to you.

The PROVENANCE Tasting Notes follow:

PRV 0594 Glentauchers 9 Year Old Sherry Finished
Opens fresh then dry smoke and charred wood appear on the nose. The palate is remarkably smoked, spicy, then charred wood returns reminiscent of an open fire carrying a sweet toffee’d character. The finish is long and sweet, more smoke with orange bitters lingering. (J)

PRV 0607 Knockando 9 Year Old Sherry Matured
Distinctly toffee’d on the nose with caramel butter cream and develops a milk chocolate character. The palate is round and rich with a balance of caramel and spices. The finish is medium long, still attractively spiced and carries a sweet orange tang. (J)

PRV 0600 Glengoyne 10 Year Old
The nose opens fresh with macerated oranges and barley sugar and develops to a freshly baked cookie quality. The palate is elegant with a creamy vanilla sweetness. The finish is light and pleasant and runs to a drier character. (J)

PRV 0602 Blair Athol 10 Year Old Sherry
The nose opens fresh with an orange pith character and develops to a nutty style with barley sugar and poached, spicy peaches. The palate is rich and mouth coating and carries to a caramel and honey quality. The long finish is fresh with a lingering spiciness. (J)

PRV 0598 Highland Park 11 Year Old
Fresh and clean on the nose, it carries to an attractively spiced, sweet stewed fruit character. A spicy style continues on the palate with a peppery, ginger quality and then a light smokiness appears. The finish is long with dark chocolate and gentle smoke. (J)

PRV 0610 Glenrothes 11 Year Old
On the nose detect the whisky warehouse smell of grist, dry oak and even some maple syrup. Palatewise – sweet toffee opens with liquorice lingering, then some honey. The finish is warmingly spiced with a clove and camphor, Fishermans Friend type warmth. (F)

PRV 0606 Balmenach 11 Year Old
On the nose flowers and fresh fruit appear and run to sweet and delicate spices, in a fruit tea style. The palate remains sweet with macerated white fruit, stewed apples and carries to an aniseed character. The finish is light with a fresh orange tang. (J)

PRV 0608 Macallan 12 Year Old
The nose is light and fresh with the sweet scent of fermenting fruit. The palate is attractively sweet and spicy and carries to an exotic fruit character (ripe mango) character. Still sweet on the finish it runs to caramelized nuts and dark chocolate. (J)

PRV 0596 Caol Ila 12 Year Old
The nose is initially sweet in style and develops to a seaside, harbor quality with ash and creosote. The palate is massively peated runs to sweet ashes, soft tar and liquorice. The finish is long and carries to damp ashes, cloves with sweet smoke lingering (J)

PRV 0599 Port Ellen 26 Year Old Sherry Matured
The nose opens with leather, runs to caramelised peanuts on a coal fire and develops to a burnt chestnut quality. The palate opens with a spicy sweet sherry influence from the cask but quickly transforms to rich warming peat smoke. The finish is long, still spicy and carries to sweet tar and bonfire ashes. (J)

We hope you will enjoy these Malts, as much as we have enjoyed tasting them.

All best wishes for 2010!
Yours faithfully
Fred Laing

Visit Douglas Laing & Co at http://www.douglaslaingwhisky.com/