You are cordially invited to join us for an evening of fine whiskies with host J. Wheelock, the Macallan Ambassador at the Quamichan Inn on Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 6:00 pm until 10:00 pm. J Wheelock is an amazing speaker that is sure to entertain us all. Tickets for the evening are $40.00 each and can be reserved by emailing jodi@bcmpliquorstore.com or by calling 250-715-2025. There are only 50 tickets available and will be open to our ‘whisky group’ until April 4th which it will then go to the public.

Thank you

Jodi McLean
Manager
Beverly Corner Liquor Store
http://www.bcmpliquorstore.com/

Visit the  Quamichan Inn at http://www.thequamichaninn.com/

Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or 12yo (46%, OB, +/-2010)

Usually found without an age statement and some what of a mystery of how this sample arrived at Whisky Intelligence world headquarters but it is here so it must have its teeth checked, so to speak. The label proclaims that “This non chill-filtered single malt is initially matured in bourbon casks then extra matured in Sauternes ‘Barriques’ to create a sumptuous taste” The nose shows a little alcohol at first but then some rich raisin and citrus notes emerge that evolve into a jumble of pleasant sweet and sour aromas. With more time in the glass heady rich sun drenched raisin notes take over along with some hints of coffee in the background. There is also a goodly amount of the malt that some many Glenmorangie drams are famous for. Very nice. The taste is warming and immediately filled with rich, rich raisin notes and then some strong oaky leather tastes that really contrast the sweetness of the sun dried raisins very well. The malt makes a late appearance but it is there. Also some creamy notes hovering in there somewhere. The finish is more of the sweet and sour followed by loads of malt and all this continues for some while, it’s a long finish. It’s nice to see the malt take over at the end. Dusty malt after a number of minutes.

The Sauternes has done its work and added depth.

No idea on cost…

Score 86

www.glenmorangie.com

THREE SHIPS SHINES AT WORLD WHISKY AWARDS

The Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish received the category award for the Best Rest of the World Blended Whisky at Whisky Magazine’s 2011 World Whisky Awards. More than 300 whiskies were tasted in a set of three tasting rounds, all vying for the coveted awards.

The annual World Whisky Awards includes a selection of the finest whiskies produced internationally and categories are based on style, process and production. Hosted by Whisky Magazine, the competition is chaired by Dave Broom, contributing editor of Whisky Magazine and editor-in-chief of Whisky Magazine Japan.

Master distiller, Andy Watts, says the award is an enormous recognition for a proudly South African product, especially since the whisky also recently received gold at the 2010 International Spirits Challenge.

“The Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish is South Africa’s first whisky consisting of both malt and grain components which have been distilled and matured here. If you consider the large number of blends produced throughout the world, it is in my view a remarkable achievement not only for our whisky but also for South Africa.”

He says that after the initial maturation of three years, the final blend is matured for a further six months in first-fill bourbon oak casks, resulting in the slight honeyed sweetness on the nose.

“Considering the short period the whisky spent in the bourbon casks, we were amazed at just how much flavour was extracted. The whisky has a rich golden syrup colour and a soft, estery, warm nose. The slight honeyed sweetness with vanilla notes on the palate is complemented by subtle hints of pepper and spice. The finish is lingering, with a hint of flavour from the bourbon casks.”

The range of Three Ships whiskies are produced at The James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington. Since the launch of the Three Ships Select just over two decades ago it has undergone several upgrades which has transformed it into a state-of-the-art distillery.

The Three Ships Bourbon Cask Finish is available from leading liquor outlets and retails for around R115.

Wemyss 15yo “The Hive” (46%, OB, Hogshead, 396 Bts., 2009)

“Each cask that is chosen for bottling is representative of the best characteristics of its regional origins and only the best casks are chosen by our Nosing Panel, which is chaired by Charlie Maclean. This strict selection process limits the number of casks which are of the exceptional quality required to be elevated into this range.”

“The Hive Single Highland Scotch Whisky” Distillery unknown. The nose takes a moment to open up and then the aromas arrive; some slight green notes right off  and then….it’s somewhat retrained. Good, but retrained, light fruit and some hints of floral notes. Also hints of barley, some winey notes and some oak spice. Subtle. The taste is much different from the nose with lots of flavour in the form of malt, oak spice, fruit (oh crap, this is the same as the nose), grapefruit, citrus and cocoa. It’s actually very good which is a relief after the restrained start on the nose. The finish is malty with wine like characteristics and some good malt moments. It’s quite long and clean, not off notes and then some really excellent dark chocolate and another burst of malt. It’s very long.

A single malt that builds from nose to finish. Well done Charlie! Many thanks to Al and Maggie for the sample.

$114 at Hi-Time in California

Score 84 points

Cadenhead’s have just released several new bottlings for March; here are the tasting notes. The bottlings should be on the web shop sites soon. (www.cadenheads.dk)

Cadenhead tasting notes

SPEYSIDE

Aberlour – Glenlivet Distillery 1989 21Y/O 57.5%

Nose: Light on the nose, hints of gooseberries and abundance of sour green apples.
Palate: Freshly baked bread and fruity. Green apples still present on the palate.
Finish: Mild and fruity.

Caperdonich Distillery 1996 14Y/O 51.7%

Nose: Crisp and clean vanilla tablet. Buttery and sweet.
Palate: Butter/toffee popcorn. Malty, yet sweet and very buttery.
Finish: A subtle finish with lots of honey present.

Glentauchers – Glenlivet 1998 12Y/O 56.1%

Nose: Big and rich nose of chocolate, coconut and extremely buttery.
Palate: Wholesome heather and clover sweetness still with the chocolate present.
Finish: A long and very sweet finish.

Mortlach Distillery 1994 16Y/O 54.2%

Nose: Raisins, honey and candy peel.
Palate: Fruit and nut, orange peel and dry oak.
Finish: A dry finish that tingles on the tongue.

NORTH HIGHLAND

Dalmore Distillery 1989 21Y/O 51.4%

Nose: Warm, baked pear pudding with chocolate topping and custard. Dark chocolate, almost evident as coco powder.
Palate: Dark chocolate orange with a minty tint.
Finish: a lively finish with hints of eucalyptus.

SOUTH HIGHLAND

Glenturret Distillery 1995 15Y/O 53%

Nose: Truly nutty – full of almonds and walnuts!
Palate: Again, nutty notes evident as peanuts and monkey nuts. Woody flavours with hints of sweet varnish.
Finish: A long savoury finish.

ISLAY

Caol Ila Distillery 1991 20Y/O 53.4%

Nose: Smoked mackerel, seaweed, tar, sooty and some sweetness of peanut butter.
Palate: Smoky and sweet, the sooty coal notes are very evident on the palate yet still hints of sweet peanut butter.
Finish: Long, reliable and smoky.

ISLAND

Arran Distillery 1998 12Y/O 57.4%

Nose: Plum chutney with rich, ripe plums mixed with dark toffee.
Palate: A real sweet whisky, rich in ripe red apples and sun drenched raisins.
Finish: Peppery but still a very sweet long finish.

CLOSED DISTILLERIES

LOWLAND

Rosebank Distillery 1990 20Y/O 52.9%

Nose: Full of brown sugar almost evident as raw palm sugar. Honey comb, caramel, milk chocolate covered digestive biscuits.
Palate: Oaty and malty with sweetness of honey
Finish: A round finish with hints of cappuccino through the brown sugar.

WORLD WHISKIES

Bourbon (Heaven Hill) 14Y/O 59.8%

Nose: Rich treacle and toffee with strong hints of aniseed mixed with eucalyptus.
Palate: Chewy Danish liquorice sweeties and full flavour of blackcurrants.
Finish: Blackcurrant fruity flavours linger on, with hints of liquorice still evident – a very long finish.

Hazelburn Sauternes 55.5% 8 Year Old

New February 2011 bottling of the triple distilled Springbank.

Matured for 5 Years in refill bourbon casks and a further 3 years in Sauternes casks.

Limited release of 9,180 bottles.

£49.99 (£41.66 ex VAT)

Description

2011 limited release wood expression of triple distilled Springbank Hazelburn. Matured for 5 Years in refill bourbon casks and a further 3 years in Sauternes casks.

Distilled June 2002 and bottled February 2011.

Distillery: Springbank (Hazelburn)

Springbank is the oldest independent family owned distillery in Scotland and produces three types of whisky – Hazelburn malt is dried over hot air, no peat; triple distilled. Hazelburn Single Malt is a non-peated whisky and has been produced since 1997.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Warm and embracing: homemade Seville orange marmalade on a buttered, toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel. Orange liqueur, burnt demerara sugar, treacle, honey, figs and dates emerge from the sidelines as the aromas develop. Palate: Buttery, creamy and rich with orange fondantcream and ginger bread biscuits. Hints of honey and chiliglazed brazil nuts, sweet and warm.

http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/cat-12-subcat-26-product-1041

Highland Park Store

GLENLIVET SEMINAR

Friday, April 29, 6:00-8:30pm

Glenlivet Brand Ambassador Winston Evans will lead this seminar and sample some of the finest Glenlivet whiskies available. This seminar will include 12 year, 15 year French Oak, 18 year, 21 year Archive and more. $10 W/Binny’s Card / $15 non-members. Seating is extremely limited and paid reservations are required.

Call (847)831-5400 or email highlandpark@binnys.com for more information. 

Bushmills Village, County Antrim

14th March 2011

MASTER DISTILLER SET TO TAKE DISTILLERY ON TOUR…

Colum Egan, Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery is set to launch a global competition – ‘Make it 2 Bushmills’ – that will, for the first time, see him take the world-famous distillery on tour.

Colum is offering two friends the chance to work alongside him for two weeks, to learn the skills of whiskey-making that have been alive and well in the Bushmills area for over 400 years, before he packs up the best bits of the Old Bushmills Distillery to go on tour. Destination? The winners’ home country.

Speaking ahead of the launch of Make it 2 Bushmills on St Patrick’s Day, Colum said: “More than 100,000 people visit our distillery every year but there are millions of BUSHMILLS™ fans the world over – so we thought it was about time that we visited them.

“We’re going to bring two friends here, give them behind-the-scenes access to the distillery, £5,000 spending money, luxury penthouse accommodation and the chance to together make their own unique blend of BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey. Then we’re going to take the distillery on tour, when we pack up some of the equipment, people and whiskey that make our distillery the home of the world’s Best Irish Whiskey¹, and bring them to the winners’ home country for the ultimate BUSHMILLS party, where the winners and their friends will be the guests of honour.

“We’ll have live music from some of Ireland’s best up and coming musicians, we’ll unveil our winners’ unique blend and we’ll even toast the occasion with a few bottles of our special Distillery Reserve – a whiskey you can normally only get at the distillery itself.

“Make it 2 Bushmills is a great opportunity for friends from around the world to come here, to the heart of distillery and then take the distillery home”.

Make it 2 Bushmills will culminate in a global final – Bushcamp – a three day event taking place on Ireland’s spectacular north coast this August. Two friends from each country² will be voted by the public to go forward to Bushcamp, where they will experience what life at the Old Bushmills Distillery has to offer. 

Colum said: “At Bushcamp we’ll be looking for our winners – the two friends who best represent the BUSHMILLS spirit of friendship, so we’ll be challenging our finalists to together try some of the things the team here love to do. I love my golf, so we might be asking our finalists to together take on my trickiest Par-3 on one of the world’s biggest bunkers, or, as I like to call it, the beach! We take our whiskey ‘mixing’ very seriously, so it could be fun to see how our friends get on when it comes to DJing, and we’ve got some keen cyclists here, so we may even organise a tandem race round the distillery!

“We’ll not be forgetting the whiskey of course – we’re also going to test the palettes of our finalists with a series of whiskey challenges.”

Make it 2 Bushmills will be judged by a panel of famous BUSHMILLS fans, chaired by Colum himself. The full panel will be announced in the run up to Bushcamp.

“We’re looking for real friends, with a genuine love for life and wicked sense of humour”, said Colum, “and do you know what? I’m sure we’ll find them.”

To enter or find out more, visit facebook.com/bushmills1608. Entry closes at 11.59pm GMT on Sunday 17th April 2011. Terms and conditions apply.

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/bushmills/48882/ for a video…

Share Bushmills Responsibly

www.DRINKiQ.com

The Bushmills word, the Pot Still device and associated logos are trade marks. © The Old Bushmills Distillery Co. Limited 2011

References

¹BUSHMILLS 1608 was voted as Best Irish Whiskey at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

²The competing countries in Make it 2 Bushmills are:

·         Belgium

·         Bulgaria

·         Czech Republic

·         Germany

·         Great Britain

·         Netherlands

·         Northern Ireland

·         Republic of Ireland

·         Russia

·         South Africa

·         United States

From each, one pair of finalists will be selected by public vote to go forward to Bushcamp.

Greenore 18yo (46%, Cooley Distillery PLC Single Grain Irish Whiskey)

A distinctive nose; sharp and vibrant, lively and pleasing. Slightly floral but contrasted by some good wood notes. Not overly complex however this is not a negative observation, the notes that present are very good. A little hand warming brings out some sweet grain, again very nice. The taste is very, very gentle and smooth along with the grain and the sweetness. Oh my, this is really sensational whiskey, no wonder the younger sibling is winning awards. A little oiliness in the back ground along with some really good grain notes. Beautiful. The finish has a flash of a really good gin (hints of juniper?) and then the sweet grain muscles its way back to the for. Mouth filling and gentle at the same time. Long and very, very perfect.

Brilliant. No idea on price – sample kindly provided by the proprietors. On of the top whiskies sampled in 2011.

Score 90 points

 http://www.cooleywhiskey.com/ 

The Irishman NAS ‘Rare Cask Strength’ (53%, OB, 2850 bts., 2010)

The nose is delicate at the start, a little time in the glass but shows some delicate grape fruit characteristics, hints of lavender, rose and heather but some woody and fruity notes begin to show themselves.  The presents as if it has some age. After more time in the glass the malt becomes more evident along with hints of oiliness. The taste is a surprise and is much more vibrant than the nose and it’s very good. Some cocoa, malt, dry oak flavours and then some mild olive oil notes and then BAM! some really good clean grains typical of many Irish whiskies. Lovely stuff quite frankly and there is a lot going on. The finish is very flavourful and long, warming and now some sweetness arrives (think of syrup drenched waffles – but with some restraint). The finish is very, very long with some really good oiliness clinging on seemingly forever.

No idea on price – sample kindly provided by the proprietors.

Score 86 points

http://www.hotirishman.com/