Last Tasting of the Year!!!!!!!!!

This is it, the last tasting of the year!!

No tickets necessary, simply turn up with 2£ (and raffle money) and savour your 4 drams! Still a huge selection left!

When: Wednesday 18th May – 7pm
Where: The Butchart Centre, University Road
 
Are you going???

Thank to everyone who supported us this year! We´ll be back in September for an even bigger and better AUMWS!!!!

University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
aberdeenwhisky@googlemail.com

As the new boy here at TWE Towers the time has come that I must reveal myself to the world via a blog post. Hello, I am Billy. I’m a former computer programmer turned whisky blogger who now has the semi-official job title of “Tim F’s Minion”. That’s enough about me, on to some drink… (please click HERE to read the rest of the article).

ISLAY FESTIVAL 2011 – DIAGEO ANNOUNCES SPECIAL BOTTLINGS

Two limited edition single-cask bottlings of Lagavulin™ and Caol Ila™ Single Malt Scotch Whiskies will be released for the 2011 Islay Festival, Diageo has announced.

Like previous Festival bottlings, it’s anticipated that they will be much in demand from enthusiasts.  Often selling out within hours of going on sale, they will be available to personal shoppers at the distilleries only.

13-Year Old Lagavulin™

The Lagavulin Festival bottling comes from a Refill Butt filled in February 1998, selected from Warehouse Number 1 by Iain McArthur, long-time warehouseman at the distillery. It has been bottled in an edition of 588 bottles at its natural cask strength of 51% ABV.

Lagavulin Feis Bottling 2011

One of Diageo’s tasters commented on its “approachable fruit tones and late, cleansing anise-like notes, against a backdrop of appetising smoke”.

Bodega-cask Caol Ila™

The Caol Ila single cask bottling – hand selected by Billy Stitchell, long-standing distillery manager, whose family connections with Caol Ila distillery go back many generations – has been drawn from a bodega cask filled in February 2000. It enjoys a high natural cask strength of 64.3% ABV, in an edition of 600 bottles.

Caol Ila Feis Bottling 2011

“A lean and precise whisky at cask strength … altogether longer and more structured with water. Complex and provocative throughout …” were some of our taster’s comments.

Sale conditions

The Lagavulin single-cask bottling will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at the distillery, starting on the distillery’s open day, Saturday 21 May. The Caol Ila bottling will be sold with effect from Monday 23 May which is the Caol Ila open day.

Both bottlings are priced at £79.95 UK RRP per bottle.

Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Scotch Knowledge and Heritage Director, said: “Whisky lovers travel from all over the world to visit the Islay Festival.

“These two carefully chosen single cask bottlings are both outstanding examples of Islay whiskies, conveying something of the island’s magic for those lucky enough enjoy them on their return home.”

During the Festival, a series of special events (now all fully booked) will be held at both Lagavulin and Caol Ila distilleries, including tastings with the distillery manager and warehouse demonstrations. There will be also be tours of the Port Ellen Maltings.

Access to Caol Ila Distillery

Diageo has announced that, as in previous years, due to limited space there is no parking at Caol Ila distillery, except for cars with a registered disabled badge. A regular complimentary shuttle bus service will operate from Ballygrant Hall at Keills.

Notes

Festival website: http://www.theislayfestival.co.uk/ . See also www.malts.com and www.discovering-distilleries.com .

KOVAL WHISKEY SEMINAR

Thursday, May 19, 6:30-8:30pm

Meg Bell, Brand Ambassador for Koval Distillery, will be conducting a seminar featuring the Lion’s Pride range of Whiskies, distilled here in Chicago. Space is extremely limited, and pre-paid reservations are required. $10 W/Binny’s Card / $15 non-members.

Call 847-831-5400 or email highlandpark@binnys.com for reservations.
Highland Park Store
153 Skokie Valley Highway

Visit Binny’s at www.binnys.com

“I’m happy to report that a fresh E-pistle from Nabil has just been published;

http://www.maltmaniacs.org/whisky-articles/Malt-Maniacs-2011-03-The-Reverse-Angels-Share.pdf

Like the title suggests, it deals with the strange phenomenon that the share that the Scottish angels are taking seems to be returned halfway around the globe.

Sweet drams,

Johannes”

(fanfare of trumpets)  …. heeeeeeeeeeeers Raaaaalfy’s 200th review (lots of cheers and applause)

Whisky Review 200 (1/2) – The Anniversary Mystery Malt Review

Visit Ralfy at www.ralfy.com

The Organic Wins Superior Taste Award

The Organic from Bruichladdich Distillery, has been awarded “exceptional” status by Michelin and Gault Millau rated tasters.

The Organic was the only spirit in the Superior Taste Awards 2011 to be given the maximum 3 star Exceptional rating.

The Superior Taste Awards is judged by a panel of 120 professionals from the European food and drink industry.

Organised by the International Taste and Quality Institute, judges are chosen for their tasting talents as chefs and sommeliers recognised by Michelin and Gault Millau.

No other spirit has been rated as high over the last four years.

Exceptional products with 90% and more of total marks
 
Remarkable products with marks between 80% and 90%
 
Notable tasting products with marks between 70% and 80%

iTQi is the organisation that gathers the largest number of international professional tasters.

iTQi holds physical-chemical tests with accredited laboratories in order to check that the products are technically sound and will be of the same high quality when they reach the consumer.

Angels Whisky Club Interview with Cooley Global Brand Manager John Cashman

1. JOHN; how pleased are you about all these awards? There are MANY now… It’s always pleasing to be recognised by your peers for the quality of what you do. Over the past few years we have been named European Distiller of the year for 3 consecutive years as well as World Distiller of the Year in 2008 and Malt Advocate’s Distillery of the year in 2010. We don’t make whiskey to win awards, we make whiskey to be enjoyed and savoured by whiskey drinkers around the world; awards are a nice bonus.

2. You obviously have a great team working with you, (we know a few) … Yes the quality of our whiskeys are testament to that. Cooley is a small operation and the team led by David Hynes started distilling in 1989. It has always been a work in progress with many learning their trade on the job. To think that in less than 20 years these dedicated people have been recognised as some of the best in the world at what they do is phenomenal. Our team also extends to our distribution partners all over the world who knock on doors and sell the whiskeys on our behalf.

3. Have you any plans for any special bottle releases soon? We are interested and I know my friends in Germany hang on for news – This year we have released two 18yr old whiskeys. Kilbeggan and Greenore. We are very excited by these releases and our focus is on getting distribution for these limited batch whiskeys. We have recently started distilling Single pot still whiskey in the traditional Irish way of malted and unmalted barley and we hope to release some new spirit as a potcheen later in the year. Paul’s note; my cousins make their own potcheen

4. How do you see Irish whiskey in relation to Scotch? Irish whiskey is a completely different category to Scotch. We have been distilling whiskey longer than in Scotland and for a long time up until the beginning of the 20th century Irish was the dominant force. I don’t like to generalise when it comes to describing whiskeys; there are variants in all categorys. I don’t class one as superior to the other; there is plenty of room in people’s glasses for Scotch, Irish, American, Canadian or Japanese.

5. You are the only Irish drams that double distill, is there a reason? There is no law in Ireland dictating how many times a whiskey should be distilled. By nature Irish whiskey is soft and mellow and we feel that double distillation keeps some of the extra flavours that can be distilled out with a third distillation run.

 6. Do you have any road shows or events lined up for this year? We met you in Holland at Whisky Live and hoping to see you again at Chester, sorry we cannee make Dublin whisky live, next year;  We are always on the road! We all travel quite extensively attending shows and events across the globe. Recently we have taken on some brand ambassadors in the United States and Germany who can attend many events on our behalf. In the next few weeks we have Whisky Live Dublin; the first event of its kind ever held in Dublin and at the beginning of June a large 5 day Food and Garden event run by the Irish Food Board in the Phoenix Park also in Dublin.
 
7. IF there is one whiskey you like best from your range, what is it and why? Always difficult to choose just one; different occasions and different moods call for different whiskeys. However since you are insisting (WE ARE JOHN, NAE HIDING FROM US) I would go for Connemara. I think Connemara has the perfect balance of all what is great about Irish whiskey; slightly sweet, balanced and mellow. All of these flavours are then wrapped up in a lovely light peating; a taste of how Irish whiskey used to be many years ago.
 
Paul McLean
Angels Whisky Club
www.angelswhiskyclub.com

Single Cask BottlingsThe team have been busy of late, foraging through the warehouses of BenRiach and GlenDronach, for casks that really are considered to be ‘the cream of the crop’. They will in turn form this year’s single cask bottlings. We’ve got some superb selections marked for July’s releases, including casks that have been maturing since 1971. We’re not quite ready for the grand unveiling of the final choices just yet, but watch this space over the coming weeks and keep an eye on our websites for updates.

BenRiach Website & GlenDronach Website

 New Releases

The GlenDronach 21yoIn addition to the single cask bottlings that will be released by the GlenDronach Distillery this year, we’re very excited to announce a brand new addition to our product portfolio – The GlenDronach 21yo

click here for more information