The last time we heard from Japanese whisky blogger and Malt Maniac Chris Bunting, he was in the middle of writing a book on Japan’s drinking culture. “Drinking Japan” has just been published, and Chris joins us to discuss his book and the status of Japan’s whisky distilleries after the recent earthquakes.  Chris is also donating part of his royalties from the book to earthquake relief efforts. In the news, Bill Samuels Jr. of Maker’s Mark is the toast of Kentucky after his retirement, whiskies for the Royal Wedding, and much more!

Visit WhiskyCast at www.whiskycast.com

Whisky Intelligence and Ludo from Grant’s – Grant’s Whisky Tasting

A discussion of the Grant’s 12, 18 & 25YO Blended Scotch Whiskies (Whisky Intelligence was woken at 6:15AM for this interview, so apologies if WI appears a little sleep deprived!)

Ludo: Have you tried the family reserve? I know in Canada we sell the Ale & Sherry cask as well
WI: I have but I haven’t tried them for a while

Grants History:

Started in 1886, which is when William Grant was born in Dufftown.  He had different jobs including working as a shepherd, shoe maker and eventually he started working in whisky for Mortlach for 20 years before becoming Distillery Manager. He built his first distillery in 1886 started distilling 1887. In those days, he was distilling single malt whisky to sell to blenders who would bottle it, package it, and sell it overseas.  

1804 1905 Son John travelled to US and Canada.

Charles Gordon 1909 1910 went as far as Australia, very important for our blend because after those years the world was a different place, 2 world wars, the great depression. If Charles hadn’t opened up the markets the way he did, William Grant’S wouldn’t have survived.

4th generation big impact also up until 1960’s we were only distilling single malt distilleries, had glenfiddich and balvenie we were buying our single grain from single grain distilleries.

1963 charles gordron (different one) decided to build his own single grain distillery (Girvan) started in march 1963, started distilling on Christmas day that year.  Single grain we distill in girvan, what we use today, it’s a symbol of our independence, without Girvan we couldn’t have grown our whisky to what it is now.  William Grant’s is now owned by 5th generated family. We also own Kinninvie & Alisa bay 2007 distilleries.

William Grant is the oldest single grain distillery around the world.

The Family Reserve is what we sell the most.

Grant’s 12YO

Have you got nosing glasses and water?

WI has water, & use it about 40% of the time. Check on nosing glasses.

Ludo normally noses with water, as does our master blender but understands that people have differing opinions.

Grants 12 smaller vatting than a younger blend. As blends get older, more evaporates.

Family Reserve select 1000 casks 20-30 different single alts and single grains.

12 YO 15-20 single malts and 2 or 3 single grain interesting age in  blending terms. At 12 years we reach a turning point of amounts of single malts and single grains we use at an age younger than 12 minority single grain whisky single grain whisky matures less whisky. When you reach 12 years, we use 50% single malt and 50% single grain when our blends get older more single malt than single grain. Balance is key. Speyside style, that’s where William was born, distilled, became a blender here. House style sweet, rich, fruity with a touch of peat.

Balance. Complexity but a balanced complexity, hopefully you get some of that in the 12yo

WI: nice nose, some smoke on it, which surprises me.

Ludo: It’s the peat in our range, predominantly speyside. We use a few highland, lowland and islay single malts.  You want to use those with moderation as they can easily take over a blend.  You may notice the texture if quite syrupy. Finish with casks that have just arrived from the US for about 3-6 months.  No other whiskies have been matured in them before.

Vanilla, toffee, honey, flavours come from that extra finishing period.

WI Do casks go off for grain whisky or single malt or a mixture?
Ludo: It’s a mixture, most of these casks will go to our Girvan single grain but also Ailsa Bay

WI: For your grain whisky is it based on wheat or corn?
Ludo: We started using corn or maize, since 1980s we have been using wheat? Logistical perspective you can’t just move from wheat to maize as you can’t mash both in the same way. We also use barley,(aim to use as less as poss) at moment we use around 9%. It’s as good as it gets in Scotland

Grant’s ale cask mature in beer casks, ex ale casks.

Grant’s 18YO

Really really like this one,  won a gold medal for this one, Ludo went back and checked results for the past few years. 18 YO keeps winning gold medals.  Only one other whisky has ever done better our own Balvenie port wood

Finished in port pipes the same as Balvenie

Nutty character, the finish is the longest in the range, after dinner whisky, drink neat, love the mouth feel, the aftertaste, the finish.

The majority single malt, minority single grain. Whisky in Europe can not be matured in a cask bigger than 700L, these were matured in 600L.

Master blender assess casks regularly and decides when they should be blended and bottled, can’t just put them in a cask for 3 months and leave them.  Thing with blends is nothing is set in stone, maturation is a natural process. You have indications, you know it’s going to take at least 3 months so you know you need to keep an eye on them.

Grant’s 25YO

Started blended in 2009 Brian Kinsman New master blender, took over from David Stewart who had been working for us for over 45 years. Brian is 6th master blender in our company’s history, took over in 2009 after an 8 years apprenticeship. One of the first things we asked him to do was come up with an old whisky to celebrate 100 years since charles Gordon completed his trip around the world.

Oldest blend to date, he thought it would be a good idea to use 25 whiskies. When you blend whisky you still need quite a lot of different casks to get the complexity you need 40% single grain 60% single malt

Chairman said we should feel free to use some of our rarest 1964 Girvan.  And valuable stock. Hopefully that should show. A lot of maturity, very mellow, very sweet, honeyed as you would expect from grants.  If you’re used to drinking the family reserve, yes you will get something more mature but you should know it’s a grant’s blend.  Sherry cask in the nose and the taste.

Sweet vanilla, honey toffee, influenced from Spanish oak casks, so Christmas cake notes, dried fruits, certain spiciness, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves sometimes.  Leather notes, tobacco notes, remind me of an old loft or an old cigar box. overall Sweet, well balanced.

Closer to the Family Reserve than grant’s 12 and grant’s 18

25 YO available in travel retail but am not sure if it’s available in Canada. SELL 2000 First vatting but have more in mind ready to be bottled. Limited edition.

Family Reserve does really well in Canada, it’s the best selling scotch whisky in Canada.

Whisky Intelligence Tasting Notes

Many thanks to Ludo (and Rebecca) for the samples.

Grant’s 12yo Blended Scotch Whisky (40%, OB, 2010)

On the nose there is a surprising arrival of honeyed delicate smoke; how delightful! This is really rather lovely. Lots of fruit and more of the delightful honey and delicate smoke. A little time in the hand and some nice malt emerges to compliment the fruit and the peat smoke. The taste is much like the nose but perhaps a tinge towards dryness while still presenting the smoke but now with a focus on some stronger notes of leather along with the malt. Some honey still but still quite excellent. The finish is much like the taste; both dry and smokey with the malt merrily along for the ride. It’s warming, long and delicious. The smoke takes a back seat after a while and allows the honey and the malt to step forward but it’s still there.

This is very nice whisky, my oh, my.

£26

Score 87 points

Grant’s 18yo Blended Scotch Whisky (40%, OB, 2010)

The nose is quite rich speaking of dark Christmas cake (or fruit cake), rich fruity sweet wines, marmalade, dried apricots. Very good, warm Demerara brown sugar (however not over whelming so). In the back ground are so oak notes and maybe even some cedar (think of the wood that lines some humidors).  The richness of the fruit and brown sugar have the edge here, The taste is really good, the richness of the fruit along with some malt is very seductive and it just grows. There’s some hints of leather and tobacco in the back ground to strengthen the combination of flavour. A tinge of what appears to be smoke emerges briefly and is most welcome. The finish is warming and again sweet with the leather and tobacco appearing however they do not detract. The finish is very long and flavourful, a sensational finish.

This is really very nice whisky and very well balanced.

£38

Score 88 points

Grant’s 25yo Blended Scotch Whisky (40%, OB, 2010)

On the nose there’s some initial dryness that quickly evolve into a very good richness hand in hand with some barley dust (almost short bread in some ways)  that quickly evolves into some exquisite richness akin to older sherried malts. Also some late arrival of unsweetened cocoa and oak spice, all very elegant. Time in the glass only allows the picture to evolve into a much more complex and pleasing whisky. The taste is both dry and honeyed backed some really good dry coca and oak spice. Once again the taste is very, very good. The richness (best described as sun drenched raisins loaded with desert wine) is also complimented by some chocolate malt. The finish is warming and very much a mirror of the nose and the taste, it hold together very well delivering a last glimpse of what was. It’s very long and consistent. And very good.

25YO £160/£145 in Travel Retail

Score 90 points

Visit Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky at www.grantswhisky.com

Ladyburn Distillery

Hello,

I only have one picture to share with you today but I doubt many of you will have ever seen it.

Ladyburn is a lowland distillery where the fourth generation of the Grant family used to distil single malt whisky between 1966 and 1975. Located next to our single grain distillery in Girvan, Ladyburn would have…(click on the link below to read the rest of the post)…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/04/ladyburn-distillery/

Kind regards,
Ludo

RAF Team Nail the Impossible

The Drambuie Pursuit 2011

14 April 2011, Edinburgh: Four serving members of the Royal Air Force have won a £2,500 donation for the RAF’s Benevolent Fund (RAFBF) after securing the number one qualifying position for the high octane Scottish endurance race, The Drambuie Pursuit. 

Team ultRAFast, which includes Squadron Leader Alan Rutledge; Flight Lieutenants Tom Kinsley and Simon Ramsden; and Flying Officer Chris Carrington-Smith, won over a quarter of the votes for their online entry video  and pledge to support the RAFBF.

Taking place 13-15 May, the epic Drambuie Pursuit covers 100 miles of the Scottish Highland’s rugged terrain and includes activities such as rock climbing, white water rafting, downhill mountain biking, kayaking and buggy racing. 

UltRAFast will now compete head to head against nine other international teams including an American celebrity team lead by professional athlete, NFL Pro-American Football star Jeremy Shockey.  Carolina Panther player Shockey was the winner of the first NFL Pro-American Football Rookie Award in 2002 and is a two time Pro-Football Champion.

The race is inspired by events that took place more than 260 years ago. In 1746 after a failed attempt to claim the British throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie was pursued across the highlands by the Government forces but escaped with the help of his loyal clansmen. In gratitude for their help he passed on the top secret recipe for his personal elixir which became Drambuie.

UltRAFast team member, Flight Lieutenant Tom Kinsley said: “All of us share a mutual passion for the great outdoors and adrenalin fuelled adventures. Thanks to Drambuie, we will be able do what we love best, in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland.  The fact that we are doing it for such a worthy cause makes it all the more special.

“As serving members of the Royal Air Force we all are affected by operations in Afghanistan, either personally or through friends and work colleagues. The Benevolent Fund provides an essential support for all members of the RAF, past and present. The help and advice it offers whether financial, personal or dealing with injuries and bereavement cannot be overstated.”

Will Birkin, Senior Brand Manger Drambuie said: “UltRAFast make worthy winners of the charity prize money and Drambuie is delighted the funds are going to such a worthwhile cause.  The premise behind the Drambuie Pursuit is that working together, friends and colleagues can “Nail the Impossible” and achieve results above all expectations.  UltRAFast live by that very same code every day in their working lives. We wish them, and all of the teams, best of luck in the Pursuit challenge in May.”

The RAF’s leading welfare charity, the RAFBF provides practical, financial and emotional support to serving and former members of the RAF as well as families. The RAFBF deals with a wide range of issues from childcare and relationship difficulties, to injury and disability and from financial hardship and debt to illness and bereavement.

The spirit of Drambuie lives on and over the years this unique whisky liqueur has been passed down through generations carrying with it a sense of adventure, culminating in this exciting event.  Today people around the world are enjoying Drambuie served long with & ginger beer; know as The Drambuie Ginger Nail, a refreshing twist on the classic Drambuie cocktail The Rusty Nail.

For more information on Drambuie Pursuit please visit: www.drambuie.co.uk/pursuit

Drambuie encourages responsible drinking
www.drinkaware.co.uk   www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

Notes:

Team UltRAFast include:

Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Alan Rutledge based at RAF Wittering
Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Tom Kinsley based at RAF Valley
Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Simon Ramsden based at RAF Boscombe Down (Soon to be at RAF Lossiemouth flying the Tornado)
Flying Officer (Fg Off) Chris Carrington-Smith, based at RAF Benson
 
About DRAMBUIE®

The elixir at the heart of DRAMBUIE was created more than 260 years ago exclusively for Prince Charles Edward Stuart of Scotland.  It is a unique combination of aged Scotch whiskies, heather honey and a blend of herbs and spices – a recipe kept secret since 1745. In the late 19th century the drink became know as “an dram buidheach” – from the Gaelic the drink that satisfies, and was subsequently registered as Drambuie is 1893. The first commercial production of Drambuie took place in Edinburgh 1909, it became the first liqueur to be served in The House of Lords in 1916 and became popular internationally as it was taken abroad by the Scottish Regiments in the two World Wars.

In the USA post prohibition, it became synonymous with the classic cocktail The Rusty Nail ™. Today it’s enjoyed neat, over ice and as a long refreshing drink mixed with soda, ginger beer or ginger ale.  For more information visit www.drambuie.com

Chester Whisky Festival Saturday 29th Oct. 2011

This is the first Whisky Festival of it’s kind to be held in the Grand City of Chester. The venue is ‘The Pavillion’ at Chester Racecourse where you will find some of the most well known and renowned producers of Single Malt Whisky, Vodka, Liqueurs & cask ales in the country. We are inviting you to come to Chester to take you on a Journey of Alcoholic discovery.

Tickets are £20.00 each and are available via the link below;

Doors Open 10.30am.

http://chesterwhisky.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=49&products_id=894

Another month has passed and I’ve now completed my online shop, which accepts card payments through a secure payment provider.

I have selected and bottled a few casks, all of which are single cask bottlings, not chill filtered, with no added colourings and individually numbered labels. Hopefully a few more will be coming along soon.

For those among you who enjoy “blind” whisky tastings with your friends, there is a special “Mystery Whisky” which presents a fun option, with clues on the label as to where the whisky was produced. This makes a great gift for any fellow whisky lover but equally, a great present just for you!

NEW 70CL WHISKIES AVAILABLE NOW 

Bottles can be purchased from the Whiskybroker website by clicking “Online Shop” on the menu. Postage to other European countries is the same for one bottle as for six bottles so ordering in bulk with friends or as part of a club is a real money-saving option. Payment will not be taken for any orders placed until the order has been processed and is ready for posting. You will be notified when the order has been despatched and it is anticipated that this will commence next week.

GREAT VALUE CASKS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

Please write a comment on the website guestbook, especially if you have made a purchase. Feedback will be appreciated. Finally, if you have any website related suggestions, don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Regards,

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk

info@whiskybroker.co.uk

40 Year-Old Whiskies: A Guide

Ok, we’re doing something a bit different today on The Whisky Exchange Blog – a collaborative post!  Yes, this particular blog on forty year-old whisky has been written by myself AND Sukhinder:  he’s supplied the history and the cold hard facts, while I’ve contributed a cod-philosophical waffle about perceptions of value at the start.  A winning…(click on the link below to read the rest of the post)…

http://tinyurl.com/3cknzkz

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Balmenach CC 1999 11yo’

Balmenach CC 1999 11yo
43% abv
£25.30 inc vat
£21.08 ex vat

Great value Speyside quality.

Refill sherry cask, a very satisfying Speysider.

Square F3 on the Flavour Map (in Dad’s opinion). Complex / Delicate

A ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ bottling from renowned bottlers Gordon & MacPhail.

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk 

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

Premium Whisky Brand Launched in Las Vegas

The world’s most expensive bottle of whisky, a journey through Scottish arctic conditions and a genuine love of the spirit are the inspirations behind an innovative premium whisky brand, unveiled at a major event in Las Vegas. 

The Sirius Intrepid Whisky Purveyors brand, which is the brainchild of Mahesh Patel (Atlanta, Georgia), renowned whisky collector, was unleashed at his own event, the “Nth” Universal Whisky Experience – the world’s first luxury whisky enjoyment experience – held in the prestigious Wynn Resort in Las Vegas (18/19 March 2011).

International creative branding and design agency, threebrand, based in Edinburgh, Scotland, was behind the brand concept, including DNA, packaging design and support sales materials, as well as resources for the launch exhibition.

The Sirius range contains four whiskies, which are limited in stock due to the nature of the spirit; one exceptionally rare cask from the world famous malt distillers at The Dalmore, a hidden single malt gem from Fettercairn and two rare single grain whiskies. Mahesh’s view on grain varieties is that they are “misunderstood and wrongly ignored”. He feels they will become extremely rare and highly collectable over time.

Whisky enthusiast, owner of Sirius and CEO Universal Whisky Experience, Mahesh Patel, said:

“I started my search naturally in Scotland and have spent 10 years visiting key distilleries there – both malt and grain – to uncover the very best stocks that are ripe for bottling. My journey in 2010 to discover these liquid treasures happened in the worst early winter snowstorm the country had experienced in over 50 years. I traversed the country, through the arctic conditions, to reach a Highland distillery where I was presented with over 100 of its rarest whisky casks. 

“When sampling my whiskies, I focus particularly on mouth feel, texture and finish and use my trusted blindfold method. The key for me is the drinking experience, its enjoyment and its delivery, which is what led me to the single grains in particular. It was important for the Sirius brand to reflect all of this – from the DNA to packaging and support sales materials.”

The range was unveiled to a select audience of whisky connoisseurs, collectors and enthusiasts from the USA, who also took part in various events, including, whisky and cigar / chocolate pairing, whisky mixology and a new spirits tasting enhancement method.

Initial reactions to the range have been very positive, with strong word of mouth recommendations expected to boost sales initially, before an exclusive deal is confirmed with an online retailer.

On selecting Edinburgh-based threebrand to handle branding and design aspects, Mahesh continued:

“threebrand’s tremendous packaging expertise, first class premium spirits’ experience and the fact that the team was quick to understand, provoke, uncover and ‘get’ the brief, allied with a strong chemistry, confirmed there could only be one winner for the business. threebrand understood my passion for whisky and my desire to develop a super premium independent bottler business.”

Sirius is one of many clients outside of the UK on threebrand’s extensive portfolio, including Heineken USA, Proximo Spirits and Philips (Paris).

Nick Cadbury, Creative Director at threebrand, said:

“We were recommended to Mahesh through a current whisky client and immediately took to his idea, enthusiasm and approach. The brief was to create an innovative new premium whisky brand, which would challenge the usual independent whisky bottler genre.

“We provided a simple solution using black and white – one for malt, one for grain. The creation of brand name – which literally means the brightest star in the sky – and icon, was pivotal to capturing the lengths Mahesh was prepared to go to whilst looking for this rare liquid.

“The “Nth” Universal Whisky Experience was the perfect launch pad for Sirius and we’re confident that the exclusive range will be popular with whisky connoisseurs across the world.”

For more information on Sirius, visit www.siriuswhiskypurveyors.com or for the “Nth” Universal Whisky Experience, www.universalwhiskyexperience.com

For more information on threebrand, log on to www.threebrand.com.

Notes:

threebrand:
• threebrand is a creative branding agency, launched in 2004
• Its hand-picked and highly motivated team enjoy working from Boat 1502U, located on the Water of Leith in the heart of Edinburgh’s creative community
• threebrand aims to help its clients create distinctive brands by following three simple steps:
o understanding the dynamics of their brands’ marketplace
o taking this knowledge and creating inspired design solutions
o ensuring brand integrity and consistent implementation
• threebrand PR compliments threebrand, offering both an integrated approach, together with stand alone PR consultancy and advice
• The company strongly believes that brands will benefit from a threebrand integrated approach with the new PR arm providing:
o a one team approach
o consistency and alignment of brand, guidelines, aims and objectives
o shared values, professionalism and expert advice
• PR support services will be recommended and tailored to the brand needs and requirements, but could include the following:
o brand management, reputation management and profiling (consumer and corporate), event management, media relations
o crisis and issues management (plus crisis/message training), web design and management
o press office support (proactive and reactive), research, planning and evaluation, special projects and professional consultancy

Sirius Intrepid Whisky Purveyors
• Sirius Intrepid Whisky Purveyors is the brainchild of Mahesh Patel, renowned whisky collector, investor and founder of Universal Whisky Experience
• Mahesh is a successful commercial real estate developer in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past two decades, the company has spawned commercial construction, development, management companies and hotel franchises throughout the south-eastern United States
• Mahesh’s great passion in life is whisky, namely ‘Scotch’ whisky and he has been a collector of fine and rare whiskies for more than 20 years
• A connoisseur and enthusiast, he frequently attends exclusive whisky events and gatherings both domestically and abroad
• Well-connected and respected among industry leaders, distillery managers and owners and brand ambassadors, Mahesh has leveraged these relationships and is excited to offer the world’s first luxury whisky enjoyment experience, the “Nth” 2011 Show in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Sirius has limited availability due to the nature of the spirit. To find out more on the range or if you are interested in purchasing, visit www.siriuswhiskypurveyors.com
• Prices range from £1,000 to £2,000 per bottle, with the four casks being filled from 1962 to 1967.

Master of the Quaich

We can’t resist telling you that on Monday this week our boss Richard Joynson was elevated to Master of the Quaich, the highest possible accolade the Scotch Whisky Industry can bestow upon it’s servants (there are only 140 Masters).

Loch Fyne Whiskies is the only retailer (whisky or otherwise) to be managed or owned by a Master.

Best regards,

David.
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk