Pure Festival

There’s a new entry to the whisky festival calendar this year, courtesy of the chaps at Connosr and some of their musical chums – The Pure Festival. It’s a twist on the regular whisky festival format, mixing drams with music and looking to drag in music fans new to whisky and whisky fans to try […please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Blended Scotch Whisky

Compass Box Great King Street Artist’s Blended Whisky 375ml – 2 available ($21.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Tasting the Tomatin range with Douglas Campbell

This week we welcome back TWE Vinopolis’s Duncan Ross to tell us about one of our recent tasting events. Take it away Duncan… As you travel north from Perth on the winding A9 you will pass through some of the most beautiful scenery in Scotland. The quaint town of Pitlochry and the unmissable sight of […please click on the link to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Bruichladdich Tasting
Hosted by David Keir of Bruichladdich.

Please join us for an exclusive evening of
Bruichladdich Single Malts,
including the new limited release of Octomore 4 and more.

At
Milroy’s of Soho Tasting Cellar
3 Greek Street, London W1D 4NX

On

Wednesday 28th September 2011
Arrive 6.30pm for 7pm

Tasting will include:
Organic,
Waves,
X4+3,
Margaux Finish 16 year old,
PX,
Octomore 4.

Tickets £25

Redeemable against purchases of three bottles or more.

RSVP
Angus Martin
angus.martin@milroys.co.uk
0207 437 2385

Only 25 tickets available so book early to avoid disappointment.

Loch Fyne Whiskies ‘New Collectors’ Loft’

A new edition of the Collectors’ Loft has gone online today featuring old and discontinued bottlings.

You may view the latest rare bottlings at https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/2011/09/22/new-collectors-loft-5/

Condition is ‘as good as new’ unless otherwise stated. The quantities available can be assumed to be one and are sold on a first-come – first-served allocation. Items listed will be withdrawn and replaced on a regular basis.

Prices are determined by many factors including those realised at auctions.

Buyer beware!

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

Hi all,

Well at least September is better than August so far weather-wise. We’d better have a decent summer one of these years or there’s going to be trouble!

With over half of our Festivals for the year complete and roaring successes, we are fast coming up to another maiden event, this time in the lovely Stratford Upon Avon. Being in the town that birthed Shakespeare, we’re sure it will be a dram-atic event (sorry, sad I know) and the list of exhibitors and masterclasses is truly enviable by some of the bigger events…

Facts;

The 1st Stratford upon Avon Whisky Festival
Saturday 1st October 2011, 12pm-5pm
The Shakespeare Centre
Henley Street
CV37 6QW
£20 per person

As always, the event centres on a large hall in which you will find delights from all over Scotland, Ireland, Japan and the USA. Your ticket price of £20 provides you with a commemorative tasting glass, a bottle of water, a guide to the event and all of your samples. Given that there will be around 100 whiskies on show at the event, that’s great value in anyone’s book!

Masterclasses are extra, but excellent value and give you the opportunity for a near one-on-one with an industry expert. Pick their brains whilst you taste their drams!

Exhibitors confirmed at time of press;

Ardbeg
Glenmorangie
Balvenie
Glenfiddich
Glengoyne
Smokehead
Arran
Berry Brothers & Rudd
Diageo (Flavour Map, Distiller’s Editions, etc.)
Bowmore
Auchentoshan
Glen Garioch
Dalmore
Jura
Glenfarclas
Gordon & MacPhail
Glenglassaugh
Cooley (Irish Distillers)
Glenlivet
Aberlour
Longmorn
Tullibardine
Kilchoman
Jura
Dalmore
Springbank
Heaven Hill
Nikka

More than enough to shake a stick or glass at!

Masterclasses are;

12.30-1.30pm
Whisky, what’s it all about?, TWL – Eddie Ludlow £5.00
Join Eddie, founder of The Whisky Lounge, on a compact yet informative and fun tasting to help prepare you for the day to come…

1.15-2.45pm
Six of the Best, Diageo – Colin Dunn £10.00
Crowd favourite Colin comes ‘home’! Having started his whisky industry career in Leamington Spa, Colin is now one of the fore-most UK Brand Ambassadors in the UK and is a one-man whisky entertainment system. This tasting should provide something for everyone – six of Colin’s favourite whiskies from the current Diageo range, from Mortlach to Linkwood, and Caol Ila Moch to Talisker 57 North. Should be a real cracker…

3.00-4.15pm
IWSC – Gold Medal Winners – Eddie Ludlow £15.00
The International Wine & Spirits Competition is the most prestigious drinks competition in the world. Eddie Ludlow, founder of the The Whisky Lounge, has proudly sat on the spirits panel for the last three years and would now like to share his experience with you. In this special class he presents six of this years gold medal winners and takes you through the process of judging whilst keeping you entertained with his usual sledgehammer wit and manner. Not to be missed.

3.15-4.45pm
Arran – Island of Discovery – John Whatmough £7.50
One of the ‘new generation’ of distilleries having only started distilling in 1995, Arran has very quickly built a fantastic reputation amongst whisky-lovers. With a sweet, pure distillate and an interesting and innovative approach to maturation, Arran is a fascinating subject. John Whatmough will take you through a range of their whiskies including some recent special editions.

The event is being run in partnership with Vinology of Stratford and as such will feature a shop stand run by Mark and Matt who will gladly help you spend any spare cash you foolishly bring along! Their shop is also just across the road from the venue, so you’ve no chance.

Get booking now if you haven’t already!
Remember you can book online at www.thewhiskylounge.com or try giving us a call on 01904 410841.

We look forward to seeing a few of you there!

Slainte!
Eddie

PS. If you want a laugh, check out our Brighton YouTube Video. This guy is the best!

Eddie Ludlow
Whisky Evangelist

thewhiskylounge
IWSC Spirit Panel Judge 2009-present
www.thewhiskylounge.com
eddie@thewhiskylounge.com

A’bunadh, Gaelic for ‘of the origin’, is matured exclusively in Oloroso ex-sherry butts. It is a natural cask-strength malt whisky produced without the use of modern-day chill filtering methods or the addition of water.

Colour

Deep, rich amber

Nose

Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonising with rich, deep notes of Oloroso sherry

Palate

Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with sherry and oak. Full bodied and creamy

Finish

Robust and intense with bitter-sweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

*MIDLETON DISTILLERY WHISKEY TASTING – WEDNESDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2011*

Do you know the difference between Pot Still Whiskey and single malt whiskey? Why is the number 3 important to the making of Jameson whiskey? Well, on Wednesday 26th October you’ll get a chance to find out the answer to these questions and more when Ed McAvoy, Brand Ambassador, will be coming along to take us through some of the varied selection of whiskies that are produced at the Midleton Distillery in Co Cork.

Built next to the site of the old distillery, the present day Midleton Distillery arose following the merging of Cork Distillers Company, John Jameson & Son and John Powers & Son, and with its mix of both pot and column stills produces a great array of whiskies – including Jameson, Paddy, Redbreast and the once yearly release of Midleton Very Rare. Triple distillation of both the pot still and grain whiskies leads to a smoothness of spirits which, when allied with maturation in a mix of bourbon and sherry casks, results in the type of velvet tongued charm that you would expect from the Irish! Come along and be beguiled by these lovely whiskies.

The tasting will be held at Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren (www.stantonhouse.co.uk), and will commence at 7.00 for 7.30pm. Tickets are £12.50 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and, as most of you already know, these tickets sell very quickly so it is best to book ASAP. To buy them just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com and place an order for the number you require, or telephone us on (01793) 765071, or call in and see us at Arkwrights, The Dormers, Highworth, Wiltshire.

Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and most, if not all, of the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared.

These evenings are a great chance to try some new whiskies that you might not encounter otherwise, and to be educated and entertained at the same time. Come along and join us!

Slainte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

www.ralfy.com knows the problems you encounter with Whisky! Here’s one problem’s solution with Whisky Review 218 – keeping open Whisky bottles fresh.

Macallan Lalique 55 Year Old Crystal Decanter

£15,000

£12,500

For a limited time only… 

Macallan Lalique 55 year old is an exceptional malt whisky that hasmatured for 55 years in Spanish oak, Sherry casks.

This beautiful Lalique decanter draws its inspiration from Macallan’s natural colour, with the design based on a perfume bottle design by René Lalique from the early 1900’s. Only 420 crystal decanters of this exceptionally rare malt have ever been released. 

www.abbeywhisky.com

enquiries@abbeywhisky.com or 07890 983 844