A trip to Pulteney
Leg 2 of my Inver House distilleries tour started off with a bit of a drive. Our departure point was Edderton, home of Balblair, and our destination was Wick, site of the Pulteney distillery. Scotland is a lot longer than you might expect (as the inhabitants pointed out when the BBC switched to a weather …(Please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…
Master Blender back in America – fancy a dram?
Miami! Boston! Old Saybrook! Providence! It’s quite the tour I’m on over the next few weeks in the USA – hopefully I’ll be able to meet up with a few of you for a dram…
My kilt’s getting a fair bit of exercise over the next few weeks, kicking off tonight (August 2nd) at Cork & Bottle Fine Wine and Spirits, 12180 SW 88th Street in Miami and then tomorrow (August 3rd) is all about Dalmore tasting at Town Kitchen and Bar
Orlando is next up on Wednesday with a teatime event at Lizzy McCormack’s, 55 North Orange Drive before heading back to Miami for an event at Shula’s Steakhouse, 6915 Red Road Coral Gables.
Sunday sees me heading over to Boston for an event on the Monday for a select group before I’m back in the thick of things on the Tuesday at Julio’s, 140 Turnpike Road, Westborough, MA.
Wednesday sees me lunching at The Grist Mill in Old Saybrook before taking parts in tastings at Amity Wine & Spirits, 95 Amity Road, New Haven, CT.
If it’s Thursday, it must be Providence (according to my timetable anyway!) with tastings at Agawam Hunt Club, Roger Williams Drive.
Friday sees the final fling for the kilt (this time round) at Fat Belly’s, Providence, RI
Of course, I’ve got some free time, so is there anyone I should pop in to see like I did a few years ago with Twitter?
Cooley Continues IWSC Gold Run
Cooley Distillery claims 8 Gold Medals at 2011 International Wine & Spirits Competition
Cooley Distillery, the multi-award winning Irish whiskey distiller, continued its phenomenal success at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) by claiming a further 8 IWSC Gold medals in London yesterday.
Cooley’s medal haul included a record 4 Gold Medals for its Connemara Peated Single Malt Irish whiskey range including two Best in Class honours reaffirming its place as the most honoured Irish Single Malt of all time at International Spirits Competitions.
Other repeat winners for Cooley at the IWSC included the Lockes 8 Yr Old Single Malt and Tyrconnell 10 Yr Old Madeira Finish Single Malt. Two recently launched products, the Kilbeggan 18 Yr Old Deluxe Blended Irish whiskey and the Greenore 18 Yr Old Single Grain Irish Whiskey also both claimed Gold medals in their maiden IWSC competition.
Jack Teeling, Managing Director of Cooley Distillery, commented, ““The Irish whiskey industry is in rude health. There are opportunities in many markets around the world where Irish whiskey exports are benefitting from the industry’s collective success. The International awards we receive each year for the quality of our products will enable us to take advantage of this opportunity.
This latest success at the International Wine & Spirits Competition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our staff. It is a further ringing endorsement on the International stage of the quality and consistency of the whiskey being produced by Cooley”.
Founded in 1987, Cooley Distillery has won a total of 40 IWSC Gold medals over the last 5 years. This year on year success has resulted in Cooley Distillery being named European Distiller of the Year by the IWSC for the last three years running and is shortlisted for the 2011 European Distiller of the Year Award, the results of which will be announced at the 2011 IWSC Competition Banquet that will be held in the Guildhall in London on the 16th November 2011.
List of Gold Medals at the 2011 IWSC
Gold Medal & Best in Class, Connemara Peated Single Malt
Gold Medal & Best in Class, Connemara Turf Mór Peated Single Malt
Gold Medal & Best in Class, Tyrconnell 10 Year Old Madeira Finish Single Malt
Gold Medal & Best in Class, Lockes 8 Yr Old Single Malt
Gold Medal, Connemara 18 Year Old Single Cask Peated Single Malt
Gold Medal, Connemara 12 Year Old Peated Single Malt
Gold Medal, Kilbeggan 18 Year Old Blended Irish whiskey
Gold Medal, Greenore 18 Year Old Single Grain Irish whiskey
About the IWSC
IWSC medals are awarded on a strict points system by a panel of international judges. They are the most prestigious honours bestowed to the drinks industry as they are judged solely on the quality of the wine or spirit.
The 2011 IWSC Competition Banquet will be held in the Guildhall in London on the 16th November 2011 when specific product and producer trophies will be awarded.
About Cooley Distillery
Cooley Distillery is the only independent Irish whiskey distillery. Established in 1987, Cooley takes its name from the location of its distillery, situated at the foothills of the Cooley mountains, in Co. Louth. Cooley has an award winning portfolio of Irish whiskeys including Kilbeggan Irish whiskey, Tyrconnell Single Malt, Connemara Peated Single Malt and Greenore Single Grain Irish whiskey. To learn more about Cooley Distillery visit www.cooleywhiskey.com.
Fellow whisky enthusiasts,
Less than six weeks until Maltstock. And what a terrific edition it promisses to be. We have a great program lined-up for you. And ticket sales are going amazing. We’re actually almost sold out! So if you don’t want to miss out this year you better get your tickets soon.
Maltstock clothing
Many of you might have seen us at the various whisky festivals over the past few years, wearing our Maltstock logo. We’ve had quite a few requests from people if they could aslo buy a shirt. Well good news, now you can!
In our webshop we now have polo shirts available, T-shirts and hoodies! If you order yours before August 15th, you can collect it at Maltstock. But of course we can also send it to you. Click here to visit our webshop.
Free whiskycruise
A free whiskycruise? Yes, a free whiskycruise! That’s the grand prize in this year’s Maltstock raffle. One lucky person will get to go on a three day whiskycruise worth 250 euro. On board there will be a mini-festival and masterclasses. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is included. This prize is very kindly donated by whiskyshop Zeewijck in IJmuiden, the Netherlands. Click here to visit their website. They also organise a great festival in October: Whisky & Rum aan zee. More info here.
See you in September!
Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun
www.maltstock.com
New whisky arrivals at Miner’s Delight Inn
The Two-bit Cowboy Saloon in Miner’s Delight Inn Bed & Breakfast recently added two new single malt Scotch whiskies to its recycled snow fence backbar.
Isle of Jura 21 years old, 200th Anniversary of the Jura Distillery Edition. $14.50 a nip, and $145 a bottle.
Laphroaig Cáirdeas, Ileach Edition. $7 a nip, and $70 a bottle.
Miner’s Delight Inn Bed & Breakfast
Barbara & Bob Townsend
290 Atlantic City Road, Atlantic City, Wyo. 82520
(307) 332-0248
bandb@minersdelightinn.com
www.minersdelightinn.com
SUNTORY RELEASES REMARKABLE BOURBON BARREL EXPRESSIONS
London, August 1, 2011 – Two remarkable expressions of limited edition Yamazaki and Hakushu single malts, aged in Bourbon barrels, will be released in September. Only 3,000 bottles of each expression are available in Europe.
The Yamazaki and Hakushu share similar presentation, but differing flavour profiles. Both are non-aged (vatted 10-15 year malts) non-chill filtered and bottled at an ABV 48.2 %, priced at £69.50 per 70 cl bottle.
The meticulous attention to detail which characterises Suntory whisky is apparent at every stage of production from preparation of the spirit in the distilleries of Yamazaki and Hakushu to maturation in different temperature zones.
When used to age Yamazaki and Hakushu, the 180-litre white oak casks – smaller than most whisky barrels – impart elegant aromas and sweet vanilla flavours.
Yamazaki Bourbon barrel is stored in cellars in the Yamazaki and Oumi regions where nature is in rhythm with the seasons. The result is distinctively Japanese
whisky with an uncommon aroma and a smooth,lingering sweet flavour.
Hakushu is aged deep in the Hakushu forest, 700 metres above sea level in the shadow of Mt Kaikomagatake in the southern alps. The cool climate imparts a mild, refreshing taste and crisp, citrus aromas with a distinctive vanilla flavour.
Art of whisky/4
Kazuyuki Takayama, Suntory Marketing Manager for Europe, says: “These single malts express the art of Japanese whisky in ways which are intriguing and beguiling. These 180-litre casks are most susceptible to the surrounding atmosphere and produce whiskies which are distinctive to the region where they are aged”.
The tasting profiles are:
Yamazaki single malt Bourbon barrel
Colour: dark amber. Aroma: vanilla, honey, caramel.
Taste: robust, woody
Finish: slightly sweet, pleasantly lingering
Hakushu single malt Bourbon barrel
Colour: gold. Aroma: tropical fruits, citrus, vanilla
Taste: light, smooth.
Finish: refreshing, clean
Suntory whiskies are distributed in the UK by Cellar Trends. For all sales enquiries contact Cellar Trends, Tel: 01283 217703 www.cellartrends.co.uk
BenRiach Distillery
BENRIACH WINS TWO TROPHIES AT 2011 INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS COMPETITION
THE BENRIACH Distillery Company, owners of GlenDronach and BenRiach, has won an amazing two product trophies at this year’s International Wine & Spirits Competition – both for its BenRiach 12 year-old sherry-matured single malt Scotch whisky.
This is the first time in the company’s seven-year history that it has been awarded a trophy by the IWSC.
The BenRiach 12 year-old sherry-matured won the following IWSC trophies:
The IWSC Single Malt Scotch whisky (15 years and under) Trophy
The IWSC Single Malt Scotch whisky (Special Edition) Trophy
and was also awarded the following medal:
Gold Medal / Best in Class (category – Scotch whisky, Single Malt, Speyside, Cask Finish, 12 – 13YO)
In total, the Edinburgh-headquartered company collected an impressive nine awards this year – two trophies, and various medals – one gold ‘Best in Class’, one gold, four silver and one bronze.
The awards were announced yesterday (July 27) at a ceremony in London.
The company’s full list of awards is:
The IWSC Single Malt Scotch whisky (15 years and under) Trophy – BENRIACH 12YO SHERRY MATURED
The IWSC Single Malt Scotch whisky (Special Edition) Trophy – BENRIACH 12YO SHERRY MATURED
Gold Medal / Best in Class – BENRIACH 12YO SHERRY MATURED
Gold Medal – BENRIACH 20YO
Silver Medal – BENRIACH ‘HEART OF SPEYSIDE’
Silver Medal – GLENDRONACH 18YO
Silver Medal – GLENDRONACH 12YO
Silver Medal – GLENRONACH ‘GRANDEUR’ 31YO
Bronze Medal – BENRIACH ‘HORIZONS’ 12YO TRIPLE DISTILLED
Founded in 1969, the IWSC is the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. IWSC medals and trophies are the most highly regarded in the trade, representing the best of the best in the world of wines and spirits. The IWSC is judged by a panel selected from 300 fully-qualified, experienced industry judges. Noted for its intense and unrivalled judging process, the IWSC is proud to be the only competition of its kind that conducts a full blind tasting with extensive technical analysis.
BenRiach’s Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “We are delighted to have won these nine different awards – particularly the two trophies. It’s a major achievement for a small independent to make the UK producer shortlist and to win any of the top awards when you consider all of the big multi-nationals which are also participating. Especially pleasing is the fact that there were only six trophies for whisky up for grabs, and we managed to win two of them with the same expression – that is quite special.
“These awards are a tribute to our people at BenRiach and GlenDronach distilleries who lovingly craft the singular taste of our whiskies. It’s also testament to the time and energy we have dedicated towards our wood management programme – with our trophy-winning whisky having been created by combining BenRiach from both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks.
He added: “There are a lot of wine & spirits competitions out there today, but the IWSC still carries a lot of weight in terms of its reputation and history. It has serious credibility, and as such I cannot stress just how delighted we are to receive these trophies and gold medals from the IWSC.
“We actually released the BenRiach 12 year-old sherry-matured as an exclusive for the Taiwanese market a few years back, and only recently started rolling it out into additional markets. I have a feeling some of our local customers will be pushing for a UK release on the back of these awards!”
Tasting notes for the BenRiach 12YO Sherry Matured (46% vol)
Nose: Mocha, dark chocolate, sultanas and rich spices.
Colour: Deep gold-bronze.
Taste: The combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks gives a wonderful balance of mocha and dark chocolate interwoven with figs, sultanas, vanilla, fruits and rich spices.
We hope you are having a good summer – despite the weather for those here in the UK!
We just wanted to update you on our latest Festival News and our 2011 Famous Pubs Campaign.
If it is ok with you, we may be in touch in the future with further great offers and exclusive content. If you would prefer not to hear from us, please unsubscribe from this email.
GLASVEGAS TO HEADLINE AT THE FAMOUS GROUSE FESTIVAL
With only a couple of weeks to go until our festival we are thrilled to announce that NME Award winning band Glasvegas will be joining the line-up. Glasvegas will headline on Saturday (13 August) with Donnie Munro headlining on the opening Friday night (12 August). The Glasgow band has supported some of the biggest names in music including Oasis, Kings of Leon, U2 and Coldplay.
Ticket sales are going well and with the announcement of Glasvegas we are expecting tickets to sell out, so if you’re hoping to come along we urge you to get your tickets now – we’d hate you to miss out!
Read the full story and to find out how to buy tickets for the Festival
KNOW A FAMOUS PUB? THEN GET VOTING IN FAMOUS PUBS CAMPAIGN
and be in with a chance to win a trip for two to the Scottish Highlands
We have just launched a campaign to find pubs throughout the UK that are famous for a reason, just like The Famous Grouse. You may remember last year’s campaign was a huge success, finding some fantastic pubs with great stories to tell and this year we want more.
We are asking landlords and pub goers from around the UK to share with us and the nation what makes their pub famous. It could be a quirky history, a famous punter, a local legend or a fascinating fact. Everyone who nominates will be entered into a prize draw to win a trip for two to the Scottish Highlands with a tour of The Famous Grouse Experience.
Read the full story and find out how to nominate your local
Yours famously,
The Famous Grouse Team
TWE Whisky Show Masterclass: Exotic Fruit with Dave Broom
Another week and another masterclass has been announced for The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show in October. It’s a slightly different look at a whisky tasting to normal, instead matching up flavours between the different bottlings, looking for the taste of exotic fruits. The line-up features some incredible hard to find whiskies from Bowmore, Benriach, Laphroaig …(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article) …
Whisky Intelligence has added a new category called ‘Vignettes – Moments in Whisky’ which will feature whisky moments as experienced by the readership. If you have a whisky moment please feel free to submit your moment and we’ll do our best to publish it.
