Very Limited Special Edition

Lagavulin 12 Y.O. Cask Strength 56.5%

We’ve been hounding the importer for this one; still we got only a very small amount. Last year’s release sold through almost instantly; we begged for more and: it was sold out! Not even a bottle for me — and so many of you. This year I put one (maybe two) to the side.

From start to finish it’s Big Peat that takes no prisoners. But don’t get nervous! For all its exemplary Islay qualities this whisky is smooth and seductive with a mouthfeel that’s just… my God, precious. This 12 Y.O. was touted by one so-called “Malt Maniac” as “one of the Best 12 Y.O. single malts.” This is one bottle you do not want to miss out on.

STRENGTH: 56.5% ABV

NOSE: A typical full-on Lagavulin nose of great finesse, with less ripe fruit than earlier bottlings. Bergamot scented wood-smoke surrounds a sophisticated complex of sweeter aromas; smooth and creamy toffee sauce on biscuits with shavings of milk chocolate. Later, appetising lemon and white pepper notes. With water, the aromas embrace toasted cereal and take on a roasted, nutty quality but the fragrant smoke always returns.
BODY: Medium
PALATE: Dusty, very sweet, then positively smoky – roasted chestnuts from a street vendor on a winter’s morning; Or a real-wood fired pizza with fresh pesto and pine kernels. Leaves the tongue tingling. Water brings a smooth mouth feel and sophisticated smoke.
FINISH: Long with much exquisite smoke and a fragrant smoky aftertaste. Toasted sesame seeds and basil. Water brings out a roasted cumin note.

Reg. $84.99 Sale $79.99

Sale price good until 1/25/11 if supplies last!!!

Mark Your Calendars:

We’ll be hosting a scotch tasting in the store on Thursday, January 27th. We’ll be offering several bottlings from Balblair, Old Pulteney, and anCnoc. Details to follow shortly.

Joe Howell
Federal Wine & Spirits

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

Happy New Year for 2011

We wish you a Happy New Year for 2011.

A new look for the The Guardians is coming! Now with over 13,000 members from dozens of different countries it continues to grow around the world.

2011 promises to be a very exciting year for The Glenlivet. There will be many different and exciting projects taking place throughout the year so keep checking back with us to stay up-to-date.

Best wishes,

Ian Logan
International Brand Ambassador and Guardian of the Malt

Visit http://www.theglenlivet.com/guardians/ to join the Guardians of the Glenlivet

23rd January 2011 – The Saint on Bath Street (Glasgow – 7.30pm) [Facebook Link: http://on.fb.me/g5Z2o9]
25th January 2011 – The Blind Pig (Glasgow – 7.30pm) [Facebook Link: http://on.fb.me/hKffp6]
26th January 2011 – The Birdcage (Edinburgh/Musselburgh – 7.30pm) [Facebook Link: http://on.fb.me/elJuN2]

*All booking information can be found on the respective Facebook Pages.

Both of the Glasgow tastings will be hosted by the UK Brand Ambassador for Glenfiddich, Jamie Milne.

The Whiskies for these events will be:

Starter – Glenfiddich Rich Oak (14 y.o.)
Fish – Glenfiddich 12 year old
Main – Glenfiddich 18 year old
Dessert – Glenfiddich 15 year old
Coffee – Glenfiddich 21 year old

The Edinburgh tasting will be hosted by the UK Brand Ambassador for Balvenie, Dr Andrew Forrester.

The Whiskies for this event will be:

Starter – Balvenie Signature 12 Year Old
Fish – Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old
Main – Balvenie Double Barrel 12 Year Old
Dessert – Balvenie Port Wood 21 Year Old
Coffee – Balvenie Peated Cask 17 Year Old

www.ralfy.com continues with Springbanky-stuff in the shape of whisky review 177 Part 5  of  7 – Springbank Distillery with Peter (part 5)

Live Old Pulteney Tasting on Twitter 20th January, 2011 at 7:30PM GMT (That’s TODAY!).

The hashtag is #wk209

Old Pulteney WK209 ‘Good Hope’

• Follows a highly successful WK499 ‘Isabella Fortuna’ as Old Pulteney’s travel retail offering
• Limited to only 1,600 cases (of 6 x 1 litre bottles)
• Unchill-filtered, natural colour
• Bottled at 46% ABV
• Matured entirely in European sherry casks
• Named after a steam Herring Drifter WK209 ‘Good Hope’ built in Wick in 1948, first boat in Wick to use echo sounder

Official tasting notes:

Colour: Dark copper with bronze highlights

Nose: Smooth and spicy with aromas of toffee and chocolate; traces of hazelnut and vanilla.

Taste: Sweet to start with hints of citrus notes; full bodied with overtones of raisins, chocolate and warm spices leading to long lasting finish.

The tasting will also include Old Pulteney 12yo and the Old Pulteney 17yo. The photo of the WK209 is a mock up so you’re having a sneak peek at what it will look like on the store shelves. Distillery Manager Malcolm Waring will also be taking part along with an undetermined number of eager bloggers who are always willing to guzzle free whisky for a good cause. Unfortunately Whisky Intelligence will only be able to take part in two thirds of the tasting as the sample of Old Pulteney17yo suffered a catastrophic failure during the journey across the Atlantic.

Visit Old Pulteney Distillery at www.oldpulteney.com

Whisky aficionados around New Zealand, Australia and the world are gearing up for next year’s premier whisky festival, DramFest ’11.

This popular biennial event takes place in Christchurch from 25-27 February 2011 and organiser Michael Fraser Milne of Whisky Galore says the show will be bigger and better than ever before. There’s even a rare chance to sample the world’s oldest Scotch single malt ever bottled, the Mortlach 70 year old/1938.

“We have obtained two 200ml bottles of the 70-year old whisky and will be offering an exclusive tasting for a very limited number of people,” says Fraser Milne.

Don’t worry if you miss out on that, there are still over 36 distilleries showcasing their whiskies, including six new exhibitors as well as several new expressions of whisky from some of Whisky Galore’s favourite establishments.

“Visitors will be able to savour a dram or two from around the world, including a range of premier single malts.”

The three day event kicks off with a once-in-a-lifetime chance on Friday, 25 February to see the original 1948 film, Whisky Galore. The film tells the story of the sinking of the SS Politician off the Scottish coast and how a group of islanders raided the shipwreck for its consignment of 24,000 cases of whisky. February is the 70th anniversary of the sinking in 1941 and Whisky Galore is flying out the original film from Ealing Studios in the UK. There’ll be spot prizes for great period costumes as well as the chance to have a whisky or two.

The main event on Saturday, 26 February at the Christchurch Convention Centre is the chance for visitors, whether whisky virgins or fully fledged devotees, to really experience the world of whisky to the fullest. Highlights include the presence of the reborn Glenglassaugh distillery that has fired up its sills again after 22 years in mothballs, reviving a 100-year-old classic spirit character and the new kid on the block, Kilchoman.

“Since its first appearance at DramFest ‘07 Kilchoman has wowed the whisky world with its single malt expressions,” says Fraser Milne. “This year the distillery will be presenting its Spring and Summer 2010  bottlings and a look at some future efforts.”

On Sunday, 27 February tickets are available for members of public to take part “DramFest Sessions “ (tutored tastings) with experts from some of Scotland’s leading distilleries.

“These workshops allow you to ask questions from the masters of whisky, to gain an insight into the secret of how malted grain and water stored in oak casks turn over time into liquid gold,” says Fraser Milne. “These sessions are always popular and some have sold out already.”

The “Sessions” workshops include the world first tasting with Derek Hancock KQ, of Gordon and MacPhail of the Mortlach 1938, and sessions with Susan Colville from Wemyss Vintage Malts, Stuart Nickerson KQ, Managing Director of Glenglassaugh and Alex Bruce, KQ from Adelphi Distillery.

A full programme of workshops and exhibitors is available at www.dramfest.co.nz. Tickets for the event are available from Whisky Galore or on line at whiskygalore.co.nz or dramfest.co.nz

Michael Fraser Milne
Whisky Galore

Yes, the Shackleton whisky is coming to Scotland

Posted: 14 Jan 2011 (WI apologizes for the delay in publication)

The reports are true, the whisky buried beneath the ice for more than 100 years near the South Pole is coming back to Scotland. As we speak I’m in New Zealand looking at the whisky and next week I’ll be bringing it home in a very special way.

There’s not too much to say at this point – this article has the main details (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hp4sgI2g14l3LFi43kjQO65rOKXg?docId=CNG.9650afa9caad1d48954137324971ea04.821) – but I’ll be back next week to begin a lengthy period of examining the whisky.

So come back then and I’ll reveal a lot, lot more.

(and yes, for those who follow me on Twitter, this is what the handcuffs were for.)

And thank you everyone who has been interested in this since we mentioned it on the first podcast back in 2009.

BRUICHLADDICH PROGRESSIVE HEBRIDEAN DISTILLERS

1977 DNA: THE ULTIMATE ESSENCE OF BRUICHLADDICH.

DISTILLED TOWARDS THE END OF AN ALTOGETHER MORE INNOCENT WHISKY ERA, BEFORE TODAY’S INDUSTRIALISATION, DISTILLERY RATIONALISATION AND CORNER-CUTTING THAT HAS DOMINATED WHISKY PRODUCTION EVER SINCE.

THIS SMALL BOTTLING, FROM THE CUSP OF THAT GOLDEN AGE, REPRESENTS SOME OF THE VERY LAST OF OUR SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES CASKS, A HANDFUL OF LITRES OF WHISKY FROM NEAR-EMPTY BARRELS MARRIED TOGETHER CREATING THE VERY ESSENCE OF BRUICHLADDICH: OUR DNA.

Distilled in two lots on 1st July & 26th October 1977 – the year Elvis died – it was matured on Islay for over 32 years in 100% American oak Bourbon casks. Such was the purity of this spirit when tasted from cask that legendary distiller Jim McEwan decided that such was the elegance, complexity and fruit of this noble spirit it was impossible to improve any further; consequently it has been bottled straight, “as is”.

MCMLXXVII IS EDITION TWO IN THE DEFINITIVE BRUICHLADDICH DNA SERIES.

SELECTED CASKS OF OUR RARE 1977 SPIRIT PROVIDE A GLIMPSE IN TO THE SOUL OF BRUICHLADDICH SINGLE MALT. THIS IS A SATISFYINGLY EXTRAORDINARY COMING TOGETHER OF RARE OLD SPIRIT AND FRESH AMERICAN OAK.

1977 – AGED 32 YEARS WHEN BOTTLED. MYSTERIOUS BLACK PRESENTATION WITH ROMAN NUMERALS (MCMLXXVII) TO ELICIT CURIOSITY. 2ND IN THE DNA SERIES EXPLORING THE VERY SOUL OF BRUICHLADDICH. A UNIQUE ONE-OFF RELEASE – UNREPEATABLE COMBINATION OF SPIRIT AND AGE. CLASSIC AMERICAN OAK MATURATION. ONLY 844 SEQUENTIALLY-NUMBERED BOTTLES. BOTTLED SEPTEMBER 2010 AT CASK STRENGTH OF 47.4% THE ULTIMATE INDULGENCE IN AN ERA OF AUSTERITY. NATURAL WHISKY: NON CHILL-FILTERED AND COLOURING-FREE. BOTTLED AT BRUICHLADDICH DISTILLERY USING ISLAY SPRING WATER. MCMLXXVII – A RARE LIMITED EDITION RELEASE.

Visit Bruichladdich Distillery at www.bruichladdich.com

The Famous Grouse has been a supporter of Scottish rugby for over 20 years, and this year we want to invite you to take part in our campaign to get behind the Scottish team.

We are creating a giant Saltire which will be displayed by The Famous Grouse at Haymarket, Edinburgh, from 14th March and we need your help!

We are inviting all our fans, and fans of Scotland’s rugby team, to send us a picture of themselves which will be used in a montage forming the famous Saltire flag. If you want your face to appear on the flag all you need to do is send a picture of yourself to famousfans@framecreates.co.uk by Friday 21st January. Any images submitted need to be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. We will try to use as many images as possible, but please note that we may not be able to use all images supplied if the image resolution does not meet our requirements or if the content is deemed unsuitable.

If you aren’t going to be around Haymarket during the 6 nations don’t worry, we’ll post a picture of the Saltire on our The Famous Grouse Official Facebook page for you to see.

 
Yours famously,
The Famous Grouse Team

Yes, indeed Rafly jumped the gun and published this episode a little early, see for yourself at www.ralfy.com