Glen Grant 60yo 1952/2012 (42.3%, G&M C#465, 85 Decanters) 

On the nose… quite frankly it’s a delight. Loads of delicate fruit with some slight heather notes in the back ground. Sweetness, sherry and perhaps the tiniest hint of the cask. One would expect that after 60 years the cask would have great influence however this is not the case; the fruit and sweetness are there front and center. The taste is still of the sweet goodness of the sherry along with dried organic apricots, some light pepper notes, hints of slightly over cooked cake (think crispy caramelization rather than burnt) and some good mocha. All in all a sensational taste and very ‘antique’ in a very good way and taste much younger, as in a  30 year old rather than a 60 year old. The finish is a mirror image of the nose and the taste with the sherry notes up front with some good wood notes arriving at the last, perhaps with a little malt for good measure? Very long and not powerful but just right. 

Wonderful. 

£8,000

 Score 92 points 

Many and sincere thanks to Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail for providing the sample.

THE MACALLAN LAUNCHES LIMITED EDITION DIAMOND JUBILEE BOTTLING

The Macallan is celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne with the release of a stunning limited edition commemorative Diamond Jubilee bottling. The specially designed bottle bears a unique image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II created by the sculptor Arnold Machin. With only 2012 bottles available, and like The Macallan’s previous commemorative royal bottlings, this edition is expected to be highly sought after by collectors from the worlds of whisky and art.

The pack was designed by acclaimed Art Director David Holmes, who was responsible for the 2011 Macallan Royal Marriage edition. Arnold Machin’s magnificent image of the Queen is displayed on an intricately designed ceramic brooch which sits proudly on the bottle’s label. The distinctive image, depicted here on a product for the first and only time, was one of a series of effigies created by Arnold Machin OBE RA. A development of this design was later used on all definitive issue British postal stamps.

Commenting on the special commemorative Diamond Jubilee edition David Holmes said; “A Royal Diamond Jubilee is extremely rare and should be celebrated with flair and unique exuberance. With this in mind and taking inspiration from a brooch gifted to Queen Victoria on her Diamond Jubilee, it was imperative to keep the design sophisticated. The motivation behind the colours stemmed from the tones so often favoured by the Queen, pale blue, pale yellow and pale green. These colours complement the product’s subtle tones perfectly when presented in the display case which, with its cushioned regal purple lid has the feel of a jewellery box. In a year of celebrating Britain, all elements of production were British based. The antiqued pewter surround was made in Scotland, the cameo in Staffordshire and the flags and ribbons are all made in Britain.”

The golden amber liquid has been specially chosen for the months it was drawn from the casks, 6th February, the Queen’s accession and the first week in June, traditionally when the Jubilees are celebrated. Bottled at 52%, in line with the year of the Queen’s accession, the exceptional sherry cask matured single malt gives hints of citrus fruits, ginger and clove.

Ken Grier, Director of Malts at Edrington commented; “The Macallan is honoured to showcase and play host to such an iconic British emblem. This unique combination between art and whisky results in an exquisitely designed creation which continues our exceptional attention to detail in all The Macallan products. Our Whisky Maker, Bob Dalgarno has put together a superb single malt which carries the character and nobility of the occasion it commemorates, whilst David Holmes has given us a truly inspiring way to use this iconic image”

The 2012 bottles are available from The Macallan Distillery Visitor Centre for UK collection only and online for UK customers at www.themacallan.com at a price of £350. Limited quantities will also be available via selected luxury retailers. Bottles will be available for sale from 31st May 2012.

http://www.themacallan.com/shop/detail.asp?pid=MACDJ01

© The Machin Arts Foundation and used with their kind permission.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Vanilla is the first to show, sweet to a point, yet shows maturity. Citrus fruits hang on to the coattails, (orange, apple, hints of lemon), almost appear when they are required. The cask influences then appear, resinous, never overbearing, changing to show polished oak, aged, reminiscent of a once exquisite dining room.

• Palate: Rich dried fruits open up to show their hand. Raisin drives the character in a non-nonsense manner. It is evident it is not alone, figs and dates, are the lesser players of the group. As they converse, treacle toffee takes a bow followed by the courtiers, ginger and clove. Like a finale the grand lady enters, Oak – refined, polished, elegant, overlooking all.

• Finish: Long, meanders, in no hurry to leave.

SOUTHERN COMFORT LAUNCHES BOLD BLACK CHERRY

New line extension expands Southern Comfort family of brands beginning in June

May 2012, LOUISVILLE, KY – Southern Comfort announces the launch of Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry, a mixture of Southern Comfort with whiskey and cherry flavors. The new product is set to hit shelves nationally in June 2012.

Southern Comfort was created by New Orleans bartender, Martin Wilkes (M.W.) Heron in 1874. After experimenting with a variety of fruits, spices and other spirits, Heron struck on the perfect combination creating a one-of-a-kind blend of whiskey, fruit, and spice flavors. The new Bold Black Cherry product carries on Southern Comfort’s heritage as the leader in the flavored spirit category. The combination of dark fruits with Southern Comfort is perfectly served with cola to enhance the rich, complex flavor.

“The launch of Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry continues the brand’s innovation with new flavors which began with Southern Comfort Lime in 2010 and continued with Southern Comfort Fiery Pepper last fall,” said Mark Bacon, VP, Managing Director, Southern Comfort. “We feel Bold Black Cherry will recruit new consumers into the Southern Comfort franchise who enjoy a distinctive flavor profile in their cocktails.”

Infused with natural cherry to deliver an authentic taste that’s smooth and invigorating, Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry has been designed to appeal to a broad age range and meet consumer demand for great tasting flavors that are unique. The brand is confident the new expression will continue to increase relevancy amongst younger drinkers, offering a bolder drink that’s ideal for high energy occasions.

Southern Comfort will launch an advertising campaign this summer consisting of a six-week national television buy which will support the new product release and include commercials on ESPN, TBS, FX and Comedy Central among others.

Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry will be available across the United States as well as the United Kingdom and Ireland. Each bottle will be presented at 70 proof with a suggested retail price of $16.99 for a 750ml bottle.

SoCo Bold Black Cherry & Cola

2 oz. Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry

4 oz. Cola

Lemon Wedge

Fill a glass with cubed ice. Pour in Southern Comfort Bold Black Cherry. Add Cola and garnish with lemon wedge.

About Southern Comfort

Southern Comfort®, a fruit, spice, and whiskey flavored liqueur, was created in New Orleans by bartender M.W. Heron in 1874. Today, it is enjoyed by friends in over 100 countries around the world and continues to grow as an icon brand. Please visit us at SouthernComfort.com and facebook.com/southerncomfort.

ARDBEG DAY June 2nd – More Goings-On! Restrictions Relaxed!

Firstly, we are pleased to announce a few more goings-on in our area if you are coming through to Edinburgh today.

10am: We are open and selling the Ardbeg Day whisky.

11:30 – 2:30: Ardbeg Islay-lympic Games Peat-athlon at the Hub (on Castlehill, just up the hill from our shop)

2:00: Karen Fullerton will be giving a 20min Ardbeg day tasting session at the Hub for a select number of Committee members.
Sign up at the Hub on the day.

2:30: Prize/Award giving for the Games including a trip to Islay and Ardbeg Distillery.
————————————————————

Secondly, we have amended the rules for purchasing the Ardbeg Day whisky originally outlined here

Please ignore the part that says anyone buying the Ardbeg Day bottling must also purchase an official 70cl of any other Ardbeg (10, Uigeadail or Corryvreckan). The rest still stands (especially the 1 per customer part).

Why the change? There appears to have been a simple miscommunication from Ardbeg as we were led to believe that this was a release with a volume similar to past Feis Ile bottlings and that it was the product of two casks. It was with this information that we took the unprecedented step to make Ardbeg Day purchases tied to another sale of Ardbeg. At some point last week a figure of 12,000 bottles was mentioned and this has now been confirmed by Ardbeg themselves.

Although we still expect demand to be high, it isn’t quite as rare as we thought so we don’t want to force people to buy another bottle at the same time. Our allocation remains 48 bottles, in line with all the other UK embassies. We’re a little embarrassed by all this and hope you won’t tease us too much should you come to Edinburgh tomorrow to join in the Ardbeg Day fun.

That is all!

Neil, Royal Mile Whiskies

McDonald’s Traditional Ben Nevis NAS (46%, 2012) 

A Ben Neviswith some peat smoke; on the nose there is some good fruit with some gentle peat smoke, the two of which combined makes for a very nice nose.  There is also some marmalade and light apricot (more of the fruit) all intertwined with some good vanilla peat smoke. The taste is peaty (but not overly so) with lots of dark chocolate and some of the fruit but very concentrated now (think dried tree fruits) and a slight hint of orange zest and even hints of fruit cake. The finish is long and dry with juniper and some more of the dark chocolate and loads of oak notes and just a tiny bit of bitterness. Finally after a number of minutes some peated malt makes a very late showing. 

There’s some vibrancy of youth but also some age in the mix which has a calming influence. Interesting. 

£70 

Score 85 points

www.ralfy.com goes on location to an Auction House with Whisky Review 276 – Advice on Whisky Auctions from Angus.

How to Set Up a Triangular Nosing

It’s 11pm in a crowded bar. My friends are having a passionate discussion about whether the whiskies in the two glasses in front of them taste the same. My friends both ordered the same whisky but as there was only enough left in the bottle on the bar for one dram, the bartender had to open…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,
Ludo

Hello Fellow WhiskeyLovers –   

Those of you who’ve been receiving this newsletter for some time  recall that one of my favorite distilleries is The Balvenie, in Dufftown, just outside of Speyside.    

And so whenever  I get the opportunity to offer you a great deal on one of their expression, I jump at the chance…and this week’s Whiskey Wednesday offering is just that sort of opportunity: “Balvenie Peated Cask 17YO“.

The Balvenie Peated Cask is a bit of whisky hybrid.  It is of a mix of 17yo Balvenie finished in New Wood blended with 17yo Balvenie finished in casks that had previously held a so-far-unreleased experimental heavily-peated Balvenie distilled in 2001.     

I am thrilled to offer you this really wonderful whisky, at an unbeatable price: Balvenie Peated Cask 17YO Speyside Single Malt Whiskey for $115/ bottle, a $17/bottle savings (normally $132/bottle).  Just enter “BalveniePeated” in the coupon/ promo code in the shopping cart when checking out, to receive your $17 discount.  

This is a limited edition whisky, and the product supply at this price is also very limited.  So please purchase your bottle(s) ASAP, because as always, once it’s gone…it’s gone.     

Doug StoneFounder

ForWhiskeyLovers.com 

GEORGE T. STAGG BOURBON NAMED TOP SPIRIT IN THE WORLD FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW!

American Bourbon’s Dominance Over Scotch Whisky Continues!

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May, 2012) – For the second year in row, George T. Stagg, the iconic uncut, unfiltered bourbon released annually from Buffalo Trace Distillery, has been named the number one spirit in the world by noted spirits reviewer F. Paul Pacult.

The list, compiled annually by Pacult, will be released in his June 2012 issue of The Spirit Journal. Last year, George T. Stagg was the first American Whiskey to ever be named number one in The Spirit Journal’s 13 years of tabulating. Stagg knocked off the perennial favorite Highland Park 18 Scotch Whisky for the first time ever, and this year the Stagg beat out a Northern Highlands Single Malt Scotch.

Notes Pacult about this year’s winners, “Spirits are continually getting better and more sophisticated each year. It’s no surprise to us that three of the top five spirits in the world hail from Kentucky, which right now is one of the hotbeds of distilling prowess.”

The George T. Stagg Bourbon Whiskey is part of the Antique Collection that is released each fall from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Long considered the frontrunner of the Collection, the Stagg has collected numerous awards over the years, including the 2012 Bourbon of the Year; the 2012 Second Finest Whiskey in the World from Jim Murray’s 2012 Whisky Bible; 2012 Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 2011 Ultimate Spirits Competition Chairman’s Trophy Winner; 2011 Double Gold Winner, Best Bourbon, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; the 2010 American Whiskey of the Year from Jim Murray’s 2010 Whiskey Bible; 2009 Bourbon of the Year and Best Bourbon Aged 13-17 Years from Jim Murray’s 2009 Whiskey Bible; among others.

The 2012 version of the George T. Stagg will be released later this fall with the Antique Collection. Suggested retail pricing of the Stagg is $69.99.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotrace.com

Dear Malt Messenger Subscribers, 

I’ve had a hard time keeping this quiet, but now I can finally spill the beans, Kensington Wine Market has been granted Canada’s First Ardbeg Embassy, we’re going to celebrate! We have two events coming up this Saturday, June the 2nd to coincide with International Ardbeg Day: a free drop in tasting from 2-4PM and a whisky dinner at Buchanan’s Chop House starting at 7PM. For more details on the events see below! 

And thanks for helping make Kensington Wine Market Canada’s first Ardbeg Embassy! 

International Ardbeg Day Calgary Events on June 2nd 

1. Free Drop in Tasting – Drop by the Kensington Wine Market, 1257 Kensington Road NW, between 2 and 4PM this Saturday June 2nd for the opportunity to sample the Ardbeg range and get a great deal on Ardbeg single malts. We will have the Ardbeg 10 Year, Blasda, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan all open for sampling and for just two hours they will be available for purchase at a 15% discount! No need to RSVP, just drop in and help us celebrate with a dram…
2. Ardbeg Dinner at Buchanan’s Chop House – The second event, a dinner at Buchanan’s Chop House will take place at 7PM the same evening, Saturday June 2nd. This dinner will feature a flight of Ardbegs, including a bottle of the now sold out Ardbeg Alligator, carefully paired with food by the maestros at Buchanan’s. Tickets for this event are $100. Please send me an email if you would like to register for the event. At last count there weren’t many tickets left! – $100 

Kensington Wine Market Spring Whisky Week is Coming Up – June 12th – 14th  

Our Spring whisky week is just around the corner, with three incredible events:

1. Lost in Translation – Tuesday June 12th 7PM – A special Japanese whisky tasting featuring six Japanese whiskies all exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market in Alberta. Four of these whiskies are exceptionally rare single cask bottlings: Nikka Coffee Malt 1998, Nikka Coffee Grain 1997, Nikka Yoichi 1991 and Nikka Miyagikyo 1988. It will be a great tasting and an opportunity to learn a little bit about the Japanese whisky industry which is very nearly 100 years old. – $60
2. Spring Single Malt Festival – Thursday June 14th 7PM – 100 or so of the best whiskies in the province in Canada’s Best little whisky festival. Tickets are limited very limited. – $60 – Sold Out
3. The Ultimate Dalmore Tasting – Friday June 15th 7PM – Quite simply put the most exceptional tasting of Dalmore whiskies ever put on in Canada. The tasting won’t feature just one, but two different 40 year old distillery bottlings of Dalmore, plus a 45 Year, and a number of vintage releases. Prepare to be impressed! – $250

Slainte!  

Andrew Ferguson 

PS-Don’t forget to check out my tour blog at http://fergusonwhiskytours.com/?page_id=10 or that you can follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy .