SPIRIT OF SPEYSIDE WHISKY FESTIVAL IS A MECCA FOR WHISKY LOVERS WORLDWIDE

With a higher concentration of whisky distilleries than any other part of the world, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival continues to provide a major economic boost to the region, attracting a significant loyal audience and a large number who attended the celebrated Festival for the first time, according to a survey published today.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Market Research and Festival Evaluation 2011 report found that the five-day event, which ran from 28th April to 2nd May, attracted over 47,000 visits to its packed programme of whisky-themed events, generating £613,000 towards the Speyside economy and £722,000 towards Scotland as a whole.

Showcasing the very best of the area’s culture, history, landscape and people and with well over 200 events running throughout the five days, the festival has grown in importance over the past 12 years to become one of the leading whisky events in the world.

Almost half of this year’s Festival visitors were from overseas, with whisky afficionados travelling from as far afield as Israel, Columbia, New Zealand, Australia and Russia to sample the spirit of Speyside. Scandinavian visitors continue to represent the keenest Speyside whisky fans who enjoyed a exceptional choice of whisky based events and activities, ceilidhs, food tours and family friendly events with other connoisseurs from countries such as Germany, US, Netherlands, Canada, Italy and Japan.

Festival Chairman, Jim Royan said: “Year after year the Festival continues to attract visitors from around the globe, with many already having attended twice or even up to six times before. And encouragingly a large percentage of new visitors this year were experiencing the Festival for the first time. Hopefully they will find the Festival as compelling as our many loyal and regular visitors, and come back to join in the festivities with us time and time again.

“We certainly know they enjoyed themselves, because almost 100% of our visitors said they were “very happy” or “happy” with their Festival experience, enjoying the atmosphere, hospitality, friendliness, expert knowledge and, this year in particular, the weather!”

Popular events on this year’s Festival programme included the Whisky Awards Finals and the Opening Dinner, the many whisky dinners running throughout the Festival as well as the highly regarded and exclusive three-day Whisky School where enthusiasts learned about the science, art and folklore of the whisky industry at the historic Knockando distillery.

The Whisky and Food Tours, which were new for this year, are to be repeated again next year, introducing visitors to the rich culinary and agricultural heritage of the area.

Paul Bush OBE, Chief Operating Officer for EventScotland commented: “It is wonderful to see the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival continuing to attract large numbers of Scottish and overseas visitors to the event.

“The economic impact generated for the local area shows the importance of events in Scotland and its continued success shows the appetite for Scottish produce, culture and heritage in an iconic setting.”

Notes:

– The Market Research and Festival Evaluation Report 2010 was conducted by Enigma Business Consulting, Muir of Ord
– Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2012 runs from 3rd-7th May. Further information at www.spiritofspeyside.com  

– Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2011 has received funding from EventScotland and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners
– EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org
– The Year of Active Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative being delivered by EventScotland and VisitScotland which began on the 1st January 2011. For more information go to www.eventscotland.org/activescotland
– A series of focus years running from 2010 to 2013 will ensure co-ordinated national activity that will spotlight some of Scotland’s great assets as we journey towards 2014. The four focus years are centred on domestic and international tourism and the development of the events industry in Scotland. These focus years will celebrate our reputation as a land food and drink, as an active nation, as a place of culture and creativity and as a place of natural beauty.
– EventScotland in partnership with Volunteer Development Scotland is delivering Event Team Scotland, a new web – based portal which matches volunteers across Scotland with exciting sporting and cultural events. For more information please visit www.eventteamscotland.com

Summary of Key Findings

– It is estimated that the 2011 Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival generated over 47,000 ‘visits to events’ over five days
– The Festival’s direct economic benefit to Speyside is estimated at £613,000 and to Scotland as a whole is £722,000.
– The average spend per person at the Festival is estimated at £247. This was significantly higher for overseas visitors (£331) and lower for Scottish visitors (£128) and UK visitors (£206). The average spend reported by respondents taking part in the survey is, however, estimated to be higher than it would be for the majority of visitors compared to VisitScotland’s published ‘spend per night’ figures
– Information from the online booking system suggests that 56% of the total number of tickets purchased were purchased by overseas visitors. The number of overseas visitors taking part in the survey accounted for 49% of respondents.
– The 2011 Festival again attracted visitors from around the globe to the Speyside area. 75% of Survey Respondents (who did not live in the local area) said that the Festival was their main reason for their visit to Speyside. This compares to 71% in 2010 and 65.5% in 2009
– 88% of visitors (from outside the local area and whose main reason for visiting Speyside was the Festival) were staying overnight in Speyside. The average number of nights people stayed was 3.63. This was lower for Scottish visitors (2.54 nights) and higher for UK (3.93 nights) and overseas (4.02 nights) visitors.
– Levels of satisfaction were exceptionally high with 99.7% of visitors saying that they were ‘very happy’ or ‘happy’. People enjoyed the atmosphere, hospitality, friendliness, expert knowledge and weather the most.
– 70% of this year’s Festival visitors were attending for the first time (an increase on 67% saying this in 2010). The Festival continues to attract a loyal audience with over a quarter of survey respondents having attended the Festival for more than 6 years.
– 41% of this year’s visitors plan to attend the Festival in 2012.
– The Festival attracted more males than females with a 73/27 split; the majority of visitors are aged 26+.

HISTORIC AND RARE WHISKY FROM 1883 MAKES £18,750 AT BONHAMS, EDINBURGH

An exceptionally rare bottle of The Glenlivet, distilled in 1883 and bottled in 1931 by George & John Gordon Smith was sold for £18,750 by Bonhams at their whisky sale in Edinburgh on 12 October. It had a pre-sale estimate of £15,000-20,000.

The bottle had an impeccable pedigree. It was originally owned by Captain William Smith Grant, the great grandson of Colonel George Smith founder of The Glenlivet Distillery and had been in the family ever since.

A bottle of The Macallan-50 year old, distilled in 1928 and bottled in 1983. Number 50 of 500 it sold for £16,875 against an estimate of £10,000-12,000.

In total, the sale made £175,000.

Bonhams whisky specialist, Martin Green, commented, “These were two very special bottles so it is not surprising that they were eagerly sought after and sold so well. In all, 90% of the lots on offer found buyers which suggests the whisky market is still in good health.”

For further sale information please go to www.bonhams.com/whisky

Notes

Bonhams
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals through two major salerooms in London – New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge – and a further three throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto in Canada; and in Switzerland, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go to www.bonhams.com (October 2011).

MANCHESTER WHISKY FESTIVAL 2011

The 3rd Manchester Whisky Festival takes place in the stunning setting of the 5-star Lowry Hotel on Saturday 15th October in two sessions, 11am to 3pm and 4pm to 8pm.

An independent event, run by vibrant and totally independent whisky events company, The Whisky Lounge, the festival is the 3rd in the city since 2009. It has now developed into the largest event in the Whisky Lounge’s portfolio, and the biggest whisky event in the UK, outside London. Nearly 1000 whisky fans and ‘newbies’ will visit the event in 2011, and for the industry it has become a ‘must-do’.

Over 20 exhibitors, around 40 distilleries and close to 200 whiskies will be on sample over the course of the day. Whiskies from the large and small, from the traditional areas of Scotland and Ireland, as well as the more recently established distilleries from England, India and Japan.

There is also a big exclusive. The Kavalan distillery of Taiwan, which surprised everyone last year when it was preferred over three Scotch whiskies in a blind tasting competition in Scotland, will be making their European whisky festival debut in Manchester. Ian Chang, the distillery’s master blender, will also be running a ‘masterclass’ session, giving further insight into the intrigue as well as revealing the secrets of their success.

Of the festival, Whisky Evangelist and company founder, Eddie Ludlow said;

‘We are even more than usually excited by the prospect of this event. We can now count on fantastic support from the industry in order to give the customer the best possible show. The incredible range of flavours and styles on offer is breathtaking and there truly is something for everyone at this show. One of our commitments is to bring new followers to the ‘flock’ and to show them that whisky is not about lairds, tartan and stags. Like everything good in life, it’s about the moment and learning to enjoy it.’

The 3rd Manchester Whisky Festival

Saturday 15th October 2011

The Lowry Hotel
Chapel Wharf
Manchester M3 5LH

Further Information and trade tickets

Eddie Ludlow
eddie@thewhiskylounge.com
07515 854210
Website
www.thewhiskylounge.com

Eddie Ludlow
Whisky Evangelist

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

It started out as a normal day… what is the meaning of life?

Normally we just amble in the pub and have a pint, or a dram, or both, havin the craik and watchin any sport on the telly. As we gathered we totalled four, meself, Ming, Billy and Angus. After the usual talk on nothing, we decided to have a wee dram session, thats where we started the trail doonhill … Singleton looked at us appealingly. Good, but not one I would chose first. Its the one I would hang first. BUT, saying that we had to start somewhere, and the left of the shelf seemed as good a place as any.

Bushmills

Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old; Golden colour with a rich nose of fruits, liquorice and citrus. The smooth taste leaves a warm and pleasant finish. Well, it went doon well, better than most blends, even though this is a single malt. We chatted and all agreed we had tasted better really, but y’know you need start with something unpeated, so we did. The telly was pretty boring, och after all is was only 1.30 on a drab and driech Saturday. Which led us to one of the best films ever made “Whisky Galore”. Believe me if ya havnee seen it, make it a first to do on the list tomorrow. Bushmills Liz likes hers in hot toddies! But – C’mon lads were in a pub, so we had 4 neat single malt Booshmills. Aye it went down well and even Angus didnee put water in it, amazin!!! It was aboot now that Gus started sliding, mind – he had been there the longest, he thought he could taste Leprachauns in his dram, we moved a chair to the left and he didnee notice, he was dreamin of wee Irish Coleens. We left him and took another dram, it was good, plus – even better, Shamrock Rovers had just qualified for the group stages in Europa League.

Monkey Shoulder

Next on the shelf was a fine looking Monkey Shoulder. Aye no a single malt, but this wasnee a malt tasting day, we were “exploring”. I have had this dram often and do really like it. 3 malts but cannee separate them, sweet, vanilla and fruit, slightly malty. I love the monkey’s on the bottle and the website! Ok its a Glenfiddich/Balvenie mostly but we all enjoyed them, even Gus who was back in the land of the living. It was now we heard bagpipes, so we though Fraz was comin in, wrong, nae sign of him. Turns out it was the pub cat, someone had squashed it in the door. Gus thought it was Highland cathedral, oh God he’s gone! Footy was on by noo and we took a wee breather, ciggie break for two of us, bathroom breaks all roond. Upon our re-gathering, someone mentioned the meaning of life … er, where did that come from? Ming had mentioned watchin it the night before, so – as you do – a Monty Python conversation broke out. After another Monkey we challenged eachother who could do the best “silly walk” as in Python. Billy fell over trying the famous John Cleese walk, Gus walked into the bar, Ming couldnee walk for lafin and myself; decided against it on medical grounds. We left Gus fallin asleep at the end of the bar. Might I just say, when we started, the pub was quiet, now it was busy, most folk seemed to think this was the entertainment for the afternoon. Och well we were oblivious to it. By noo it was tea time, so we decided to wake Gus and all have a healthy bite to eat to see us right. Pub food can be good; deep fried haggis and a link sausage roll with mashed tattie. We took this on the bar and hey, Gus woke up!!! Being sensible adults we decided to put a hold on the drams, 4 Irn Bru’s so it was.

Iron Bru

Nothin like a healthy meal to keep you young an fit. And that was nothin like a healthy meal. Next on the shelf was the Glenlivet. A standard pub dram and one I normally shy away from (I’m a very shy person) but we had one each. Did you know, it was the first distillery to be licensed to make Scotch whisky in 1824. The 12 year old is the one we supped. No bad, Nose fruity – hint of apple, light. Palate light, hint of citrus fruits. Comes and goes quickly. Not very complex in the mouth. Restless. It was around 8pm that Gus broke in that he thought he could see flying frogs behind the bar. Hell, the girls hair was no that bad! Time to move him over again. As Gus chatted away to himself, 2 policemen wandered in … 3 locals wandered out the back door for a smoke. I peeped back inside, I have never heard quiet so loud as that, we dinnee like bluebells in our pubs. Back in we went after they departed, to be sure we had another Irn Bru each. Around now I recall being hit with a camera, terrible so it was, still get flash backs! So to Peat; Connemara Peated Single Malt. The lovely Linda had given me a few bottles of this and one went to the pub, she worked at Cooley’s until recently. It was pretty smoky, hints of hazelnut and liquorice. Liz, God bless her can niff germaline. Grand stuff, though Billy and Ming diddnee like that much peat, so .. out came the hip flask. I had a weed dram in it; Glen Garioch from the old brown bottle. Needless to say this was all our favourite dram of the night, the hip flask soon was empty. By now we were all looking at Gus, who was still alseep and thought it no a bad idea! It was to be truthful, getting a wee bit hazy now. We agreed to end our tasting with a Wild Scotsman. My pal in USA, Jeff gave me two of these bottles, one is half drunk at home, the other is more than half drunk in the pub, we finished it for them. Its a blend and very nice it is too. We were woken up and asked to leave about midnight, Gus had mysteriously gone already.

Glen Garioch

So what IS the meaning of life? Answer; sittin doon with pals, browsing distilleries without leaving the pub, while enjoying good grub, nice pub staff and havin the craik.

Paul McLean

MCLEANSCOTLAND

www.mcleanscotland.com

and an ANGELS WHISKY CLUB special report

www.angelswhiskyclub.com  

London Cocktail Week 2011

The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show may be over for another year, but this week is far from done. We were honoured to be the opening event of this year’s London Cocktail Week, running through this week and building on the success of last year with even more events, even more bars and a whole host […please click on the link to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

Highland Park 25 year old, Isle of Orkney Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Previously $299.99) ($289.99)

Macallan “Fine Oak” 15 Year Old Single Malt 750ml ($79.99)

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

Tolbooth Tavern

Thursday October 20th 7.30pm £20/17* P/O/U/R/S

Thursday November 3rd 7.30pm £20/17* P/O/U/R/S

Thursday November 17th 7.30pm Ben Nevis £t.b.c. :-
Cadenheads 1996 – 03/2009 12yo 57.1% Bourbon hogshead 256 bottles
10yo 46%
single blend (hopefully!)
single grain(!!!)
Cadenheads ‘dumpy’ 06/1965 – 12/1981 16yo 46%

Thursday November 24th 7.30pm £20/17* P/O/U/R/S
a blend, a grain, a sherry cask matured malt, an old malt (25yo+) and a peaty malt

Thursday December 1st 7.30pm £20/17* P/O/U/R/S

Thursday December 15th 7.30pm £20/17* P/O/U/R/S

Thursday December 29th 7.30pm, theme: to be confirmed £t.b.c.

All of the Jolly Toper’s whisky tastings take place on Thursday nights from 7:30pm until approximately 10pm at the Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, meals available up to the time of the tastings. For more details on the tastings themselves, please click here

*P/O/U/R/S = Peaty, Old, Unusual, Rare and Sherry cask matured

Visit the Jolly Toper at http://www.jollytopertastings.co.uk/

GLENDRONACH ADDS NEW 21 YEAR-OLD “PARLIAMENT” TO CORE RANGE

GlenDronach is augmenting its award-winning range of Highland single malts today (October 7) by unveiling its new 21 year-old “Parliament” expression.

Matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez sherry casks, the “Parliament” both complements the distillery’s core range and continues the great GlenDronach tradition of offering fruit-laden intensity in its single malts.

The 21-year old – in appearance deep amber with a cherry wood sheen – joins the Aberdeenshire distillery’s existing 12, 15, 18 and 31 year-old expressions.

The new expression is named “Parliament” after the colony, or “parliament” of rooks that have been nesting in the trees overlooking the GlenDronach distillery for almost 200 years.

At 48% volume, the “Parliament” offers an incredible concentration of aromas. On the nose, appropriately for an October launch, it’s a delicate mix of ripe autumnal fruits – notably blackberries and red plums with rich Oloroso sherry and candied orange segments. Spiced oatmeal biscuits and toasted oak fragrances add excellent weight and balance.

And on the palate, the taste is sublime. Billy Walker’s tasting notes detect flavours of fine Oloroso sherry and bitter chocolate sauce “which has been spread liberally over homemade plum pudding”.

He adds: “This is all infused with fabulous spicy notes – cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg.” Full-bodied with smooth tannins, the finish, he notes, is characteristically long and lingering.

Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “The “Parliament” was released after listening to our customers, who identified the opportunity for a premium GlenDronach positioned somewhere between our 18 year-old “Allardice” and our iconic 31-year old “Grandeur”. It’s a major release for the distillery – as well as being another hugely aromatic GlenDronach, it’s a perfect addition to our range of smooth, complex and full-bodied single malts.”

He added: “The mood of the “Parliament” is definitely end-of-year. It’s a bracing breath of Aberdeenshire – best savoured in the warm while looking out over Highland snow-clad hills, magical lochs and deep frost-laden glens. Satisfyingly long and, like all GlenDronachs, the complex flavours linger on the palate. It’s destined to become a classic.”

At the first sign of winter it’s time for a Hakushu Ritto (Japanese hot toddy)

London October 2011: With a cocktail to welcome in each of their 24 seasons the Japanese raise a Hakushu Ritto (hot toddy) in early November to acknowledge the first sign of winter. With English winters becoming colder we all have our preferences for a winter warmer, but this is a hot toddy Japanese style.

Suntory Brand Ambassador Zoran Peric has created a cocktail for each of the 24 Japanese seasons, and the Hakushu Ritto combines the subtle tastes and aromas of a 12 year old single malt whisky with hot tea to stimulate the taste buds in colder weather.

Ritto the “Beginning of Winter”

Hakushu Ritto:

50ml Hakushu 12 Year Old Single Malt Whisky

75ml hot green tea
Teaspoon of runny honey
Pinch of powdered ginger
Squeeze of lemon juice
Pour Hakushu and green tea into a mug, add honey, ginger and lemon juice
Stir until honey is dissolved
Add ginger slice and serve

Suntory Japanese whiskies are world beaters having won more than 60 international awards since 2003 and whisky lovers have taken to them. There is something about their subtle aromas and delicate flavours which appeal to the palate whether taken neat, over ice, in cocktails or in a hot toddy as above..

Suntory Single Malt Whiskies are firm favourites in Japan and here in Europe. Enjoy them and especially the warm glow that comes with the Hakushu Ritto.

Note: Pronouncing Suntory names

Yamazaki – (Ya-ma-zarkee)
Hakushu – (Ha-koo-shoe)
Hibiki – (Hi-bi-kee)

Suntory single malt whiskies are available from: Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, The Whisky Exchange, independent specialist retailers and www.drinkon.com

Hakushu 12 year old single malt £49.95

The Yamazaki and Hakushu range of single malt and Hibiki blended whiskies from Suntory is distributed in the UK by Cellar Trends. For all sales enquiries contact: sales@cellartrends.co.uk

A Taste from the Past – Grant’s Heritage Reserve 15 Years Old

Hi,

Before I head over to this year’s Whisky Show in London, I thought it might be a good idea to warm up my nose with this discontinued bottle of Grant’s Heritage Reserve from the 1990s.

Our archivist and I believe this may have been the first 15-year-old Grant’s ever bottled as we often used to release...(please click on the link below to read the remiander of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,

Ludo