Early Bird Ticket Sales

As the summer sizzles along the Expo plans for 2012 are heating up right along with it.

Take out your datebooks and circle March 31, 2012 for the next Whiskies of the World® Expo in San Francisco! Another night of incredible spirits sampling and a growing list of extra features fill out the agenda for the next Expo. We’re back on the beautiful SF Belle, Hornblower Yacht, featuring an outdoor top level cigar deck along with multiple indoor tasting decks and a sumptuous buffet. Music, Celtic culture, Master Distillers and Brand Ambassadors guarantee another exciting evening as the sun sets over the San Francisco Bay.

Along with many of the world’s most recognizable whiskies, the Expo continues the tradition of introducing attendees to emerging micro-distilled brands and artisanal spirits from North America, Europe and around the world!

One of the most important goals of the WoW Expo has always been the creation of a personal whisky experience guided by your contributions and influence. Please let us know what you think of the show and reply with your ideas, comments and inspirations. We’d love to hear from you directly but we also enjoy reading your comments on Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, City Search and all the on-line places you contact friends and reach out to the world at large. Let us know what YOU think and what YOU want so the Expo continues to grow and develop into a spirits event unlike any other!

TICKETS ARE ON SUMMER DISCOUNT until Sept 30th.

                         Regular Price    Summer Sale price
General Adm                   $120          $105
(6:00 pm – 9:pm)   
VIP :                         $150          $130
(5:15 pm – 9:pm)   
Dram Club                     $130          $115
(5:00 pm – 9:pm)  
Dram Club Membership           $60           $40 
(Early Bird Tickets are refundable until Dec 31)

A trip to Balblair

The lovely folk of Inver House Distillers (the Scottish production wing of International Beverages) recently invited me along to a trip around four of their distilleries with a bunch of international bloggers. Not being one to turn down distillery tours, especially those conducted by distillery managers, I said yes and spent a couple of hectic …(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article) …

THE LINK

Loch Fyne Whiskies stocks a new item, ‘Bunnahabhain [Signatory Vintage] 1979 31yo’

Bunnahabhain S 1979 31yo 50.0%alc.
Distilled: 19/09/1979
Bottled: 14/03/2011
Matured in a Refill Sherry Butt # 9523
Limited to 566 bottles
A Signatory Independent cask strength bottling.

Price excluding VAT: £90.83
£109.00 Including VAT at 20%

https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/2011/07/25/bunnahabhain-signatory-vintage-1979-31yo/

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

Today (July 28th) WhiskyFun celebrates their 9th Birthday.

As well as tasting & nosing significantly over an astonishing 7,000 drams!

Happy Birthday WHISKYFUN! (and Serge).

And a massive well done and THANK YOU for your leadership, encouragement and friendship.

Visit WhiskyFun at www.whiskyfun.com

Paul was chatting to Jeff of Wild Scotsman July 2011. Meet my pal Jeffrey Topping, founder of Wild Scotsman Whisky. With his “Head Office” on top of his shoulders, Jeff has taken his passion and dreams and made it a reality. His philosophy is simple, nae caramel finishes, watered down proof strengths, or chill filtration. Just simple hand crafted Scotch Malt Whisky bottled as Single Casks, Single Malts, or Vatted Malts in the traditional Scottish methods. Good man.

So, Jeff, let’s start at the start…

WHERE OR WHEN DID YOUR LOVE FOR WHISK START? My love for Scotch started in the home coming from a family of Scottish immigrants. Having experienced the early years of American Mirco Brewing in the USA I wanted to know if that experience could exist with Scotch Whisky. In early 2002 I cut my teeth on learning basic distilling at the Bladnoch Distillery in the Lowlands of Scotland. I was quite amazed at the flavor profiles I both nosed and tasted straight from the casks. This was like no Scotch whisky I had ever tasted and I wanted more! When I met Master Distiller and Master Blender John McDougall while at Bladnoch I felt as if the world was conspiring to fuel my new found passion. A few months later I brought John to America for a tasting event I was having in Cincinnati, Ohio. While having a few drams in my study John agreed to mentor me in his craft of ‘Old World’ Scotch whisky. From there the story gets much more interesting but that is why books are written (sometimes burned), to tell the rest of the story.

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHAT WHISKY TO USE? I practice one of the oldest trades in the Scotch whisky industry, Independent Bottler. Like those early pioneers before me (John Dewar, William Teacher, Arthur Bell, and etc) I do not own a distillery (yet) but rather buy, sell, blend, and bottle single casks according to my own personal palate and vision. I choose my whisky one cask sample at a time and prefer them to be aged in ex-bourbon casks as I like whisky to taste and smell like whisky and not whisky flavored wine. I refuse over 90% of the casks sampled which tends to make my kitchen counter a wee bit of a mess with all those bottles and my wife a wee bit cross (just kidding, there is never a mess).

I prefer to produce and bottle Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky (aka Blended Malt) as it allows me an opportunity to create a whole new flavor experience from nose, taste, and finish that is unique and personal to me. One might say each bottling is a story without words (unless you ask me to narrate). Once blended each batch is returned to an ex-bourbon cask to allow the whisky to bond with it new friends. Depending on the bottling proof is between 46 and 47% alc/vol. I NEVER add spirit caramel or chill filterer my whisky!

In addition to my Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky I bottle a variety of Single Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky (Paul’s comment; the Mortlach is superb!). This is the highest “production quality” a consumer can buy short of having the actual cask. My reasons for choosing a cask for bottling has less to do with the distillery or age but rather its unique nose, taste and finish. Single Cask bottling’s allow me to introduce flavors I enjoy. Now and then I will bottle a 3/4 cask, 1/2 cask, or 1/4 of a cask. The quantity bottled depends on how much of the cask is used in my vatted malt.

WHAT STAFF DO YOU HAVE IN THE TEAM? My wife, Tina, handles all event and appearance requests. Maybe that is why I have not had a tasting at a Gentlemen’s club? Kay looks after accounts and distribution, want Wild Scotsman in your portfolio? send Kay your details.

WHERE CAN YOUR BOTTLES BE PURCHASHED? Wild Scotsman is bottled at Cumbrae Supply Company in Linwood Scotland. They handle all UK and EU distribution. You can find there contact details at: www.Cumbraesupply.co.uk  (we are looking for a few good shops)

Stop by the Wild Scotsman web site and you can find US distribution details as well as our official mail order provider, The Party Source, who can ship to over 40 states.

FINALLY; TELL ME ABOUT THE LATEST BOTTLE I HAVE HERE IN MY MITS! The Wild Scotsman Black is a Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (I use the term Blended under duress), @47% alc/vol., non chill filtered, and no added colour. Bottled by hand in Scotland. This creation features my new cigar band cut label and was made for my personal enjoyment with a great cigar, however, you do not need to smoke to enjoy a dram. In fact, this may be the only Scotch whisky made by a cigar smoker for a cigar smoker. The nose is slightly sweet thanks to one cask being an Oloroso Sherry Butt (first time using sherry in my vatted malts) with a wee bit of Islay. A smoke filled room can just disappear with a quick nosing of this dram. The mid palate is rejuvenated as the spicey whisky cuts through the residue of a heavy cigar (or food) on the tongue. The finish is quick as to not irritate the throat, however, the residual mouth alcohol will tingle a for 2 or 3 minutes. Water, rocks, neat, cigar? That is your choice! At the end of the day, Tasting is better than telling.

It’s time for a Dram! see the interview online at http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/wildscotsman.asp

Contact Jeff at; Wild Scotsman, P.O. Box 36399, Cincinnati, OHIO 45236 http://wildscotsman.com

Contact Angels Whisky Club at http://angelswhiskyclub.com  

NIKKA 21yo (45%, OB, Taketsuru ‘Pure Malt’, +/-2010)

On the nose there it’s gentle and good, puzzlingly different but shrieks of quality; some good fruit, some oak and some lingering malt, all in harmony. The aromas are seductive and after some time in the glass some more of the sweet oak become a little more assertive but still backed by the fruit. This is really sensational; apologies from that lack of control. The taste is everything as above and it all intermingled together very well; some sweetness from the fruit, some malt and then the oak spice (again still sweet but in balance). A little bit of leather and tobacco, slightly more leather to be fair. Very more-ish. The finish is vibrant and long, warming, still very good. Some elder Highland Park moments in here and then a small blast of sweet malt. And more, it keeps on going, an unusually long finish.

Yet another wonderful and very drinkable Japanese whisky.

$175

Score 89 points

Won “World’s Best Blended Malt Whisky” at the 2010 World Whisky Awards.

As you know, we do things slowly up here; Laphroaig will never be rushed. But, as it is with our whisky, so it is with our website. It’s extraordinary to think that it has not really changed in over 12 years, so it is getting rather creaky! With the 18th anniversary of The Friends of Laphroaig coming up next year we thought you were long overdue a new website. We will be emailing you in the next week to let you know when the new site will be up and ready for you to explore.

Now, I know from all your many comments how much you like the present site so please rest assured that all the familiar parts you enjoy will still be there. The site is still divided into two parts; the open part that everybody can go to, and of course your private FOL area that can only be entered with your password.

The open part has lots of new features; beautiful new photography and a brand new professionally shot Distillery Tour film, which I hope you will enjoy. Of course your own private site has had a complete overhaul too, incorporating the many suggestions that you have sent in over the years.

But it’s not just your website that we have improved. When we first started emailing you there were only 73,000 Friends of Laphroaig. Now we are approaching half a million Worldwide! It has become impossible to manage such numbers with our old system so the boffins have changed to a new faster one.

This email is the last using our old system. I am advised that the layout of the new email will look slightly different but should get to your inbox perfectly. However – just in case, if you don’t receive an email from me next week please check your junk mail folder. If we did end up in your junk then click on the ‘not junk’ option or add us to your address book to ensure you always receive the emails in the future. As always, if you have any problems just send us an email.

So, the next email from me will be in a nice new template and with a brand new website for you all to enjoy. I’d love to hear what you think of the new site when you have had a look next week feel free to send me an email or for those of you on Facebook or Twitter you can find me at: www.facebook.com/laphroaig and www.twitter.com/laphroaigwhisky

Slàinte,

John Campbell
Distillery Manager

Visit the Friends of Laphroaig at http://www.laphroaig.com/friends

It’s been about 9 months since I first took the plunge into the world of whisky brokering, possibly too grand a title for what I am doing, but I am buying and selling casks of whisky, if only at a very lowly level. I usually manage to sell three or four casks each week and like everyone else I’m always looking for that very special cask at an affordable price. The bread and butter casks obviously contain new-make spirit not yet subjected to the aging process and are bought by a wide range of people including investors, private individuals, whisky enthusiasts, as wedding presents for someone special or by grandparents seeking a birthday present for their newly born grandchild. These buyers are prepared to invest a modest amount of money and are willing to take the time to enjoy the maturing process. Some customers prefer to skip the first few years and perhaps opt for a four or five year old, again modestly priced, it’s had a bit of maturation and they may then decide to transfer it into a different cask of their choice with a view to drinking it as a 10 year old. With the more middle-aged casks, the 10, 12 or 15 year olds, these can be bottled immediately, either in whole or in part and usually the buyer has an immediate outlet for the whisky, or he may be a trade buyer wanting to bottle to sell to his customers. The 20 to 30 year old casks are generally bought by trade buyers and numerous whisky clubs from all over Europe.

I’ve discovered that this job is just like any other small business enterprise. Some of you may have seen short videos of me on Youtube bottling whisky or off-loading casks on the forklift truck. I was moaning to someone earlier this week about one of my working days- I got up about 5:30am, left the house about 6pm, drove up to Ayr to pick up a hire van and then drove north to Tomatin Distillery to pick up 5 casks of Bowmore. By the time I got back home and off-loaded the casks and returned the van to Prestwick and then drove back to Bladnoch it was about 10:30pm and I had covered about 700 miles. It wasn’t all bad, the scenery was good and Jane my wife had come along for the ride. An email from a customer to the effect that a drive up to Tomatin or anywhere in Scotland was surely better than what he had been doing, undertaking audits on supplies for insurance purposes made me realise that my varied working day isn’t too bad.

However a purchase yesterday of 5 hoggies of Tomatin new-make means that this journey will have to be repeated again very soon. Jane might not be so enthusiastic next time. Other casks purchased recently include some 10yo Glenburgie while casks which I declined recently were some 13yo Bowmore and some 20yo Macduff from refill sherry casks. They were a bit too expensive. When I buy this type of cask there has to be the potential for someone in the trade to buy it off me, have it bottled and sell it to the public with us both making some profit on the way. Some casks still under consideration are some 1990 Strathmill and a few first fill sherry butts of “Islay Malt” from a well known Islay distillery whose name unfortunately cannot be used on the bottles. Not being able to use the distillery name is a disadvantage and affects the value.

So my job involves paperwork, sitting in front of a computer sending emails, working in the warehouse, arranging transportation of pallets and casks and a wide range of other things. What’s the biggest difficulty? Balancing cash flow. Am I making some money? A tentative yes (although some of the big purchases, like today’s new forklift and the new van I need in the next month are not helping!) Am I happy with my chosen career … absolutely yes.

Casks Currently Available:

Bottles Currently Available:

Distilled at &  Price (not including postage)
 
Dailuaine 27 year old, 70cl, 53.6%, refill sherry matured  £45
 
Caol Ila 27 year old, 70cl, 53.1%  £49
 
Cragganmore 20 year old, 70cl, 54.2%  £37
 
“Mystery Whisky”, 20 year old, 70cl, 55.8% (label gives clues to distillery name)  £36
 
Glen Grant 17 year old, 70cl, 55%  £40
 
Dalmore 14 year old, 70cl, 55%  £32
 
Blair Athol 13 year old, 70cl, 58.7% (only 15 bottles remaining)  £30

For trade prices please contact me.

If there is any cask you would particularly like to see available, please let me know and I’ll keep an eye open for it. Comments/suggestions can be made on the Guestbook of my website, especially if you have purchased a cask. Alternatively you can email me.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk

info@whiskybroker.co.uk

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Braeval [Signatory Vintage] 1998 12yo’

 Braeval 1998 12yo Signatory
 57.5% abv
 £47.90 inc vat
 £39.92 ex vat

Distilled: 12/11/1998, Bottled: 07/06/2011. Matured in Hogsheads # 168861+62 and limited to 449 bottles. A Signatory Independent cask strength bottling.

https://www.lfw.co.uk/blog/2011/07/25/braeval-signatory-vintage-1998-12yo/

Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Arts an-Cnocing

anCnoc Highland Single Malt Whisky Develop Visual Art Campaign

anCnoc Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky have revealed an extension of its brand campaign focusing on the visual arts, to provide a contemporary experience of whisky for modern day drinkers. Developing their long-standing programme of arts activity, anCnoc is working with contemporary galleries on high profile visual art exhibitions and events, enhancing the brands visibility and appeal amongst arts audiences.

The campaign builds on anCnoc’s grass roots involvement with arts organisations, refreshing existing partnerships with new elements of activity and working with several new galleries in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

In Glasgow, anCnoc is working with famed performance venue The Arches to sponsor their prestigious graduate award for visual artists, Blackbox. The sponsorship realises an artist residency within the Arches, with the winner of the award creating a groundbreaking visual artwork, due to be revealed as part of The Arches Live festival this September. anCnoc also sponsors gallery exhibitions at renowned cultural landmark The Tron Theatre, within the newly unveiled anCnoc Long Gallery exhibition space. anCnoc Long gallery exhibitions are curated by Glasgow Print Studios, with the brand’s bespoke illustrations framing artist’s work. anCnoc has also forged a new partnership with Glasgow Print Studios themselves, providing sampling for exhibition openings and First Thursday events, which are part of a late night opening across the renowned Trongate 103 arts complex.

In Edinburgh, anCnoc continues to work with The Fruitmarket Gallery, while new partners include Stills Gallery and Collective with sampling activity at their opening nights. Paying testament to the location of anCnoc’s distillery at Knockdhu near Huntly, anCnoc is also working with two new Aberdeen based galleries, leading contemporary art space Peacock Visual Arts and Project Slogan.

Gillian Gibson, anCnoc Brand Manager, commented: “anCnoc is a refreshingly modern brand, and our focus is to outreach to contemporary whisky drinkers. Visual arts provide us with an exciting platform to do so and we are delighted to announce our enhanced involvement and support for so many of Scotland’s leading arts organisations.”

Notes

International Beverage Holdings (www.interbevgroup.com) was established in 2005 as the international arm of ThaiBev, one of South East Asia’s leading alcohol beverage companies. With a network of regional offices in Asia, Europe and North America, the company is responsible for the production, sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of premium global brands in over 80 countries and territories.

Inver House Distillers (www.inverhouse.com) is globally integrated into International Beverage Holdings and drives the distillation and maturation of Scotch through its five distilleries.

International Beverage brands include:

Ø Chang Beer: Thailand’s iconic beer brand

Ø Single Malt Scotch Whiskies: Old Pulteney, Balblair, anCnoc, Speyburn

Ø Blended Whiskies: Hankey Bannister

Ø Mekhong: ‘The Spirit of Thailand’ since 1941

Ø Caorunn – a small batch distilled Scottish Gin infused with 5 Celtic botanicals

The company’s success is built on the combination of a strong understanding of local cultures and markets with the creation of a truly global operational network. Brand building pays respect to heritage, provenance and craftsmanship whilst delivering innovative and highly effective strategies at global level. A skilled and dedicated team of more than 12 nationalities speaking over 14 languages delivers the highest standards of customer service and attention to detail across all aspects of the business.