The Park Avenue Liquor Shop presents exciting new arrivals.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop website is back online and as promised we have some great new arrivals to share with you.

As summer closes out, we are happy to raise your spirits with some “spirits” of our own from many different categories.

Take a look because some of these bottles are limited edition, some are available on a wider scale for the first time and others have just been released.

As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

Cheers!

Jonathan & Eric
Park Avenue Liquor Shop
292 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
212-685-2442 – PH
212-689-6247 – FAX
info@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

Compass Box: Great King Street

Great King Street

The folks at Compass Box believe it is time for the world to reconsider the joys of well-made Blended Scotch Whisky. That is why they’ve created Great King Street. The Artist’s Blend is a marriage of delicate Lowland grain and robust, complex Highland malt whiskies. Great King Street is named after a long, wide street in the new Town of Edinburgh. It is also home to the registered office of the Compass Box Whisky Company since their inception in 2000.

By applying the same skill, techniques and philosophy that they use for the Compass Box Signature Range of whiskies, Great King Street offers a style and approach to Blended Scotch that has not existed before. Great King Street is a new and compelling alternative for both whisky enthusiasts who ordinarily drink only malt whiskies, and for whisky novices. It is bottled at a natural colour and without chill-filtering.

The style is rich round and fruity with hints of toasty oak, vanilla and spice.

Our Price: $42

Mackinlay’s Rare Old: “Shackelton”

Get yours, without a trip to Antarctica.

First the back-story. In 2007, wooden crates of abandoned whisky (sacrilege!) were discovered buried under ice at the remains of Ernest Shackelton’s fated 1907 expedition to the South Pole. The whisky had been produced by the Edinburgh based blending company Charles Mackinlay & Co and was specially commissioned by the explorer himself.

The unearthed bottles were flown back to Whyte & Mackay’s headquarters in Scotland by private jet. There, Master Blender Richard Paterson analyzed them and set about recreating the 100 year old whisky. This included using some whisky from Charles Mackinlay & Co’s Glen Mhor distillery, which is now extremely rare as it was closed in 1983 and demolished three years later.

The original bottles are to be returned to The Antarctic Heritage Trust and replaced back under the ice by law. However you can now own one of the limited edition “Shackelton Tribute” bottles. Rumor has it that just 50,000 were made. How does it taste? Consider this quote from Whisky expert David Broom who also tasted an original recovered sample.

“I think the replication is absolutely bang on. Richard has done a great job as it’s a very tricky whisky to replicate, because you have this delicacy, subtlety and the smoke just coming through. The sweetness, fragrance and spice, and the subtle smoke, are all there in the replica. I’m blown away.”

Our Price: $200*

* (please note that due its packing, different shipping rates apply.)

Jefferson’s Rye : 10 Years Old

Shhhh, it’s Canadian Rye.

Tasting notes from John Hansell of
Malt Advocate Magazine.

“A 100% straight rye from Canada. This is curiously similar to WhistlePig Rye, which is also a 100% Rye, 10 year old Canadian whiskey, but at the slightly higher 50% ABV. (Neither whiskey identifies its origin.) It oozes spice (mint, cinnamon, hint of nutmeg) balanced by layers of sweetness (honeyed vanilla, caramel), with nutty toffee emerging on the finish. An affordable alternative to WhistlePig”. – Rating: 85

Our Price: $47

Ardbeg: Alligator (Non-Committee Release)

It will bite your taste buds off!

Lurking within is an Ardbeg of hidden depths. Extremely fierce charring of the cask gives Ardbeg Alligator a unique spicy bite that’ll catch you unawares.
This wild, untamed release has been matured in new, heavily charred casks of air-seasoned American white oak, imparting additional smoky, spicy, barbecue flavours. Ardbeg Alligator.

TASTING NOTES:

Color: Deep, dark brown.

Taste: Hot, spicy, smoked and charred with a leathery/sooty mouth-feel. Taste of smoky pak choi, char siu (barbecued meat), chocolate, ginger and black bean sauce.

Finish: Mocha espresso, ginger and cigar smoke.

Our Price: $135

Prices are subject to change. Due to our constantly changing inventory we cannot guarantee bottle availability. Not responsible for typographical errors.

Please click here to buy your tickets;

http://universalwhiskyexperience.com/tickets-for-nth-2012

Welcome to the Aberdeen University Malt Whisky Society!

A warm welcome back to Aberdeen to all our members from last year! This year is going to be AMAZING – FACT.

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Unfortunately I have to remind last years members that they have to renew their membership (£2) – this can be done at the Fresher’s Fayre.

Scottish Culture Day 2011:
Thursday 22nd September
12:00 – 16:00 in the same big tent as Fresher’s Fayre
We will be handing out FREE WHISKY to anyone who wants it on Thursday at Scottish Culture Day!

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AUSA Local Food Feast 2011:
Thursday 22nd September
12:00 – 16:00 in Butchart Centre
We will be handing out FREE WHISKY to anyone who wants it on Thursday at AUSA’s Local Food Feast!

GET INVOLVED…!

University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT

JOHNNIE WALKER ® BLUE LABEL™ PARTNERS WITH PORSCHE DESIGN STUDIO TO LAUNCH A LUXURIOUS NEW LIMITED EDITION COLLECTION

Luxury whisky JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL has partnered with Porsche Design Studio, one of the world’s most exclusive design houses, to create the Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ Collection by Porsche Design Studio, designed to enable men to celebrate their achievements today. The partnership has created a series of exclusive pieces, inspired by the perfect serve of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, that are ideal for entertaining friends or colleagues and as a prestigious gift.

Bringing together two of the world’s most iconic and aspirational luxury brands renowned for modernity, luxury and supreme craftsmanship, the collection consists of “The Chiller” and “The Cube”, but is led by a made-to-order Johnnie Walker Blue Label Private Bar (price available on request). The pieces in the collection have been exquisitely made to blend function and aesthetics, uniquely presenting everything required for the perfect serve of Johnnie Walker Blue Label blended whisky.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Collection by Porsche Design Studio

 Inspired by the iconic label which sits at a perfect 24 degree angle on each bottle of Johnnie Walker, the Private Bar is crafted from brushed titanium with a luxurious leather interior, and features state of the art motion sensors which open through a perfect 180 degrees, revealing three bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, four subtly illuminated crystal glasses and chilled water, essential for the perfect serve to cleanse the palate before tasting and to serve on the side.

The Chiller (RRP £240) holds a single bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, encased in sophisticated dark blue leather and brushed titanium, whilst the top removes to function as an ice chiller. The Cube (£490) comes with an individually numbered bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label alongside an ice chiller, stainless steel tongs, and four bespoke Blue Label crystal glasses, ideal for entertaining.

“We have remained committed to both modern and classical design principles through the design process, combining luxurious leather and metals,” explains Roland Heiler, Managing Director of Porsche Design Studio, Austria. “The resulting vision is a mix of traditional and high tech that combine to make the objects exceptional, setting them apart from any other gift packages.”

The Chiller and the Cube will be available at Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, and Royal Mile Whiskies from October 2011. The Private Bar is available made to order exclusively from Harrods. The collection will also be displayed at London hotels including The Savoy and the Mandarin Oriental. For the perfect serve of Johnnie

Walker Blue Label, a special illuminated Cube can be ordered at the Brompton Club, Home House, Whisky Mist, Blythswood Square and Dormy House at Gleneagles.

Johnnie Walker Blue Label is the commemoration of Alex Walker’s remarkable Old Highland Whisky and demonstrates the same rare commitment to flavour and the blender’s art. Only 1 in 10,000 casks are deemed of sufficient character to deliver its remarkably smooth signature taste. Each rare whisky is handpicked by the Master Blender himself, part of an unbroken blending heritage stretching back over 190 years.

Notes:

About Johnnie Walker® Blue Label™ Blended Scotch Whisky
Johnnie Walker Blue Label is available from selected Waitrose stores, Selfridges, Harrods, Harvey Nichols and The Vintage House. RRP: £140. BLUE LABEL is the pinnacle of the House of JOHNNIE WALKER.
Presented in individually numbered bottles, it is reminiscent of the 19th century style of whiskies. The master blender uses his decades of experience to select some of the rarest casks from the JOHNNIE WALKER reserves for their quality, character and flavour to create the powerful, complex, smooth character of BLUE LABEL. Using a relatively small number of whiskies requires incredible skill and exceptional liquids as each will pay a significant contribution to the final result.

BLUE LABEL has a mellow, rounded nose, with a dry smokiness (a JOHNNIE WALKER signature flavour) mixing with raisin sweetness. It is best savoured with the palate cleansed and cooled by iced water. One sip reveals a velvety mouth-feel, then an explosion of flavour. At once you’ll discover hazelnuts, honey, rose petals, sherry and oranges. Subsequent sips reward you with more hidden secrets like kumquats, wispy aromatic smoke, sandalwood, tobacco, and dark chocolate.

About Diageo
Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include JOHNNIE WALKER Scotch Whisky, GUINNESS beer, SMIRNOFF vodka, J&B Scotch Whisky, BAILEYS Irish cream liqueur, CUERVO tequila, TANQUERAY gin, CAPTAIN MORGAN rum, CROWN ROYAL blended Canadian whisky, BEAULIEU VINEYARD and STERLING VINEYARDS wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
The JOHNNIE WALKER and BLUE LABEL words, the Striding Figure device and associated logos are trade marks (C) John Walker & Sons 2011.

Glenallachie 12yo (46%, Duncan Taylor NC2 D’1995 B’2007)

On the nose there is some very nice peppery malt and some nice wine notes. These are complimented by some vanilla bean, citrus (think grapefruit not lemon) and then some good notes associated with the oak casks (lumber yard and red cedar) and perhaps a little resin & heather for some zest. All in all very pleasant in an unchallenging fashion. A tantalizing hint of smoked fruit. The taste is big and very good; now the oak notes are more aggressive (tobacco and leather) however there is nary a showing by the smoke however the citrus in the form of the grapefruit is very dominant. Quite dry towards the end and some really good malt moments along with some hints of Ovomaltine (if it’s unfamiliar to you seek it out on google). The finish shows the oak notes (leather and tobacco) along with some malt, the ever present grapefruit and some really very pleasant sugary sweetness. All rather long and very active; not a shy finish by any means.

A solid dram and very enjoyable.

$100

Score 85 points

Davin de Kergommeaux of www.canadianwhisky.org has joined the Whisky Magazine team as Canadian Contributing Editor.

TWE Whisky Show News – Shackleton Tasting and Show Bottlings

Another week and some more news from The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show… First up is that our last masterclass is now on sale. Whyte & Mackay master blender Richard ‘The Nose’ Paterson will stop throwing whisky at people at their stand for an hour on Friday evening to host a deconstruction tasting of their newest […to read the remainder of the article please click on the link…]

THE LINK 

True Tales Events

Hello,

You may remember I recently wrote about True Tales in Toronto, an evening of storytelling and whisky, hosted by New York based professional storyteller, Peter Aguero and Jian Ghomeshi,  an award-winning broadcaster and musician.

Grant’s True Tales was born in Manchester, UK and events have taken place around the world but Canada was the first to…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/09/true-tales-events/

Kind regards,
Ludo

Chef Alliance Group Photo – left to right: Massimo Riccioli of Massimo Restaurant and Oyster Bar, Pascal Aussignac of Club Gascon, Rowley Leigh of Le Café Anglais,Adam Johnson of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Jacob Kennedy of Bocca di Lupo, Richard Corrigan of Corrigan’s Mayfair, Catherine Gazzoli, CEO of Slow Food UK,Trevor Gulliver of St John Restaurant, Sam Harris of Zucca, Gerry Tosh, Ambassador of Highland Park, Bryn Williams of Odette’s and Marcus Wareing of the Berkeley

LONDON’S TOP CHEFS OUT IN FORCE TO CELEBRATE LAUNCH OF SLOW FOOD UK CHEF ALLIANCE

Leading lights of the culinary world came together yesterday at an exclusive event to mark the launch of Slow Food UK’s Chef Alliance; a new initiative, which will encourage chefs to actively support the aims of Slow Food UK.

Twenty-five of London’s celebrated chefs, including the Michelin starred Michel Roux Jr, of Le Gavroche fame, Bryn Williams, Chef Patron at Odette’s and Francesco Mazzei of L’Anima, congregated at Richard Corrigan’s eponymous Mayfair restaurant (28 Upper Grosvenor Street) for Slow Food UK’s inaugural Chef Alliance gathering.

The star-studded event was hosted by Slow Food UK CEO, Catherine Gazzoli and Irish-born chef/restaurateur Richard Corrigan; who has taken on the role of Chef Alliance spokesperson.

The dynamic scheme, which launched in partnership with Highland Park whisky, hopes to engage Britain’s chefs in actively supporting the aims of Slow Food UK, by championing small scale producers and sustainably sourced, quality produce. Slow food is a global, grassroots movement that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.

Chefs who attended the lunch enjoyed a menu, specially created by Richard Corrigan using Ark of Taste produce; a list of UK products in danger of disappearing, which eventual members of the alliance will be encouraged to use, when appropriate, on their own menus.

Richard Corrigan, Slow Food UK Chef Alliance spokesperson, said: “Slow Food UK Chef Alliance is bringing together the UK’s top Chefs who are actively championing great ideas to benefit the agri and culture of these islands.”

CEO, Catherine Gazzoli said: “We’re really excited to be welcoming so many acclaimed chefs to the alliance. Many of the chefs are already actively trying to use sustainably sourced, great tasting local produce; the alliance will simply allow them to shout about it.

“It’s great to know we have so much support out there, I truly believe this is the start of something very special.”

Gerry Tosh, Global Marketing Manager, Highland Park said: “At Highland Park our commitment to making great whisky, which is rich in flavour and offers the best taste experience, sits at the very heart of what we do. Working with Slow Food therefore feels like a natural fit for us and one where we can forge a partnership grounded in shared beliefs and values.”

The Chef Alliance will be rolled out across the UK, with regional launches set to be hosted over the coming months. All types of establishments will be welcomed, however resident chefs must first become members of their local Slow Food group and membership will be by invitation only.

About Slow Food UK

Slow Food is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members, in 150 countries around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment. It was founded in 1989 in Italy. A non-profit, member supported association, with charitable educational programmes, Slow Food was created to counter the rise of fast food and fast life.

Slow Food UK has developed the Slow Food UK Chef Alliance as recognition of those chefs who champion and share our vision that all food should taste great, should be environmentally sustainable and that producers should be paid a fair wage. http://www.slowfood.org.uk

Chef Alliance Photo – left to right: Scott Dickson, UK Brand Manager Maxxium, Richard Corrigan of Corrigan’s Mayfair, Catherine Gazzoli, CEO of Slow Food UK, Gerry Tosh, Ambassador of Highland Park

About Highland Park:

Established in 1798 on Orkney, Highland Park is one of the most remote Scotch whisky distilleries in the world. For over 200 years, the distillery has combined time old tradition and the very best craftsmanship to achieve perfection. Its range of 12, 15, 18, 21, 25, 30 and 40 year old single malts is consistently acclaimed by connoisseurs and experts. Highland Park has won a string of prestigious awards across its portfolio, most recently including ‘best new whisky release of the year 2009’ for its 40-year-old single malt and ‘best whisky in the world 2009’ for its 21-year-old expression in the World Whisky Awards, as well as four double gold awards in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2009.

Five keystones contribute to making the Best Spirit in the World:

Hand-turned malt adds to the deliciously succulent, balanced layers of aromatic character found in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Aromatic peat gives a delectably seductive, luxuriant floral sweetness to Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Cool maturation enhances the smooth character of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Sherry oak casks contribute to the distinctive richness and multi-dimensional complexity of Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Cask harmonisation ensures consistency and balance in Highland Park single malt Scotch whisky.

Please enjoy our brand responsibly.
www.highlandpark.co.uk  

www.drinkaware.co.uk

About Slow Food UK Chef Alliance spokesperson, Richard Corrigan:

As a chef Richard’s philosophy is firmly rooted in a sense that food should reflect both who we are and where we are. Born in County Meath, Ireland, he was raised in a farming family that grew, fished and hunted much of the food that came to the table.

Richard is actively involved in the Slow Food Movement and heartily believes in the “farm to fork” philosophy. He promotes small artisan producers both in the UK and in his native Ireland.

Richard can be seen behind the stoves in the renowned Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill in London’s Piccadilly and in the award-winning Corrigan’s Mayfair.

He has also written two cookbooks: The Richard Corrigan Cookbook: From The Waters and The Wild, and The Clatter of Forks and Spoons.

Glenfiddich NAS Snow Phoenix (47.6%, OB, 2010)

A dram with a story, non-chill filtered and a limited edition n to boot…the nose is quite strong at first blush with loads of cask notes and banana, rich over ripe fruit (pear & lychee) along with some heather, candle wax and cold unsweetened tea (and no milk of course!). Quite a strong nose for only a short hop over 46% ABV but all in all very pleasant and time in the glass does it not harm; quite multi faceted. The taste is a surprise in that it’s much like the nose with a big strong arrival and lots of wood notes; oak spice, hints of nutmeg and clove, some more of the heather (some fragrant notes lurking behind the oak spice) and a little malt. However much like the aroma it’s all very nice; quite a big whisky and very enjoyable, solid without any off notes. A little malt hiding in the back ground. The finish is still warming (my oh my, the alcohol is quite evident even in the finish) and is very active with the aforementioned descriptors and finally some malt arrives towards the end, a nice gift (actually it grows quite a bit and becomes quite assertive).

A very nice Glenfiddich indeed. A little water improves it immensely; reduces the alcohol and brings out a really good interplay between the sweetness and the oak spice. Excellent with water. Still peppery though…

Price $90

Score 89

Read all about the Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix HERE