New Shininess from Compass Box
We rather like the folks at Compass Box. They’ve got a great range of whiskies, produce interesting things and even when they make new drams that are exclusive to other people (have a look around for their new ‘Entertainer’ and … Continue reading >>
The Balvenie 14 year old Caribbean Cask is now in stock. This limited release won’t last long. This Web exclusive is only £41.99
Nose: Rich, sweet and creamy toffee on the nose combines with fresh fruit notes
Taste: Rounded with vanilla & sweet oak notes, with a fruity character that develops with time
Finish: Soft and lingering
The latest addition to the award-winning collection: The Balvenie 14 Year Old Caribbean Cask. One of a number of exciting launches that David Stewart is making available in the UK to coincide with the 50th anniversary of him joining the distillery.
The result is an exceptional single malt that exemplifies the signature smooth, honeyed character of The Balvenie, while adding unique notes of toffee and fruit that come from its innovative cask finish.
The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com http://www.whiskyshop.com/
September 2012
As Autumn approaches we are offering you early access to three (3) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label – three (3) from PROVENANCE together a new release of the 20 cl Regional Flasks – one (1) new outstanding OLD & RARE – two (2) PREMIER BARREL releases, three (3) ADVANCE SAMPLES and two (2) from the DIRECTOR’S CUT selection.
Tasting Notes for OLD MALT CASK follow:
OMC2194 LAPHROAIG 12 YEARS
Nose: Round and oily + really sweet peat &+ late soft tar.
Palate: Smoky tones + camphor drops, honey & an ashy sootiness.
Finish: More ash now – heading to dry spices and drifting smoke. (F)
OMC2146 ARDMORE 16 YEARS
Nose: Distinctly smoked (bacon style) + sweet ashes & barbecued fruit
Palate: Opens sweetly then runs to smoke + burnt spiced orange
Finish: Long, still smoky + sweet ashes & a smooth citric character (J)
OMC2141 LITTLEMILL 20 YEARS
Nose: Clean and fresh – fruity & vanilla’d + a barley sugar style
Palate: Creamy + macerated fruit – runs to sweet spices (ginger?)
Finish: Medium long – still spicy – develops drier to soft cedar wood (J)
The 3 Advance Samples OLD MALT CASK are as follows:
SMC0427 Inchgower Sherry 12 YEARS
SMC0429 Auchentoshan 14 YEARS
SMC0431 Highland Park 14 YEARS
PROVENANCE Tasting Notes:
PRV0783 AULTMORE SHERRY 11 YEARS
Toffee’d, grassy and citric in a clean lemon-y way on the nose. Anticipate palatewise a real vanilla toffee “hit” with peppery freshness and softening late oiliness. The finish is distinctly smoked – subtly spiced – with a sprinkle of caster sugar. (F)
PRV0916 GLENALLACHIE 11 YEARS
Fresh and lightly vanilla’d on the nose it carries a gristy sweet character plus a dried hay quality. The palate is light, extremely sugary sweet and runs to a poached fruit style plus more vanilla. The finish is medium long
with a milk chocolate quality and a semblance of honey. (J)
PRV0935 BLAIR ATHOL SHERRY 12 YEARS
This carries citrus, crushed sugar, light gristiness and a soft floral quality on the nose. The palate is mouthcoatingly sweet, grapey, syrupy, sweet barlayed with honey and more (macerated) fruit flavours – all heading to a finish of vanilla fudge, cough drops and very sweet spices. (F)
PRV0925 20 CLS MIXED REGION FLASKS
BLAIR ATHOL SHERRY 12 YEARS – This carries citrus, crushed sugar, light gristiness and a soft floral quality on the nose. The palate is mouthcoatingly sweet, grapey, syrupy, sweet barlayed with honey and more (macerated) fruit flavours – all heading to a finish of vanilla fudge, cough drops and very sweet spices. (F) –
SPEYBURN SHERRY 7 YEARS – Opens with a fresh, flowery character carrying a sweet home baked style plus honey and vanilla – then ripe fruit and candied lemon appear. The palate is equally sweet, softly spiced with more fruit – now gently fermenting. This all runs to a light but surprisingly long finish with a spicy and crushed sugar style. (J) – BUNNAHABHAIN – YOUNG & FEISTY – Attractively aromatic, lightly spiced, rather gristy – with a bit of brine on the nose. Palatewise, it opens distinctly sweetly – almost honeyed with some interesting toffee and tar flavours appearing – all neatly parcelled into the long, still sweet – camphor carrying finish. (F) –
TOBERMORY SHERRY 6 YEARS – Opens sweetly on the nose carrying a spiced and muscovado sugar style. The palate remains sweet, now oaky plus a spiced tobacco character. The finish is long and warmingly spiced, then
runs drier. (J)
Tasting Notes for OLD & RARE:
OAR0169 PORT ELLEN 30 YEARS
Catch the softly peated – yet still fresh – tones early on the nose – sweet with a damp earth character plus a later warm rock pool brininess. Islay in style for sure – on the palate but with a subtlety: gently ashed, with smoked barley, oily rags, soot and old leather – all leading to a finish carrying all those aforementioned characteristics plus Scottish tablet/fudge (even some chocolate) (F)
Tasting Notes for DIRECTORS CUT:
DIR0026 CAPERDONICH 30 YEARS
Nose: Fresh & spicy – carrying a hard boiled sweets style with macerated oranges, bees wax & polished wood
Palate: Mouth coating – richly spiced character developing to a gentle oak quality with a touch of dry smoke
Finish: Long, still spicy – now running drier – still oaky with dried orange pith and dark chocolate. (J)
DIR0021 GLENLIVET 35 YEARS
Nose: Surprisingly fresh/aromatic/citric – honey’d + a flamed orange zest character
Palate: Sweetly spiced – more citrus fruit (now candied) + barley sugar + crushed sugar
Finish: Medium long – still honied & vanilla’d – now with a malty style (F & J)
PREMIER BARREL Tasting Notes:
PBR0116 HIGHLAND PARK 15 YEARS
A high fallutin’ Highland Park to hail hyperbolically! It provides the protégé a prodigious package of pedigreed purity with a pugnaciously palpable pedigree of providential, potable and pelagic* phenolic fermentation.
*(pelagic – pertaining to the ocean).
PBR0015 ROYAL LOCHNAGAR 15 YEARS
“Befitting a King or Queen” this laudable Lochnagar is chock-a-block with capricious cedar – captivating coffee and capacious citrus …… a most meritorious Malt Mash, Ma’am!
Yours faithfully
Fred Laing
Bowmore Whisky Launches Partnership with River Cottage’s John Wright and Gill Meller
Further establishing the brand’s positioning with food and the outdoors
Bowmore Single Malt whisky has teamed up with John Wright, the UK’s leading foraging expert, and top chef Gill Meller, both from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage, to launch a series of delicious seafood and dessert recipes to match perfectly with Islay’s first Single Malt. Created especially by the duo using forageable ingredients, the recipes and collaboration further cement the whisky’s natural partnership with food and the outdoors.
Complex yet perfectly balanced, Bowmore 12 Years Old reflects the raw essence of Bowmore and Islay, its magical island home off the west coast of Scotland. With its subtle notes of lemon and honey, complemented beautifully by Bowmore’s trademark peaty smokiness, Bowmore 12 Years Old’s natural partner is seafood.
Kirsteen Beeston, Head of Brands at Morrison Bowmore Distillers, adds: “We’re really excited to be further establishing Bowmore’s relationship with food and the outdoors with the foraging activity. The partnership with Gill and John is a great fit for the brand, we hope the recipes will inspire consumers to enjoy whisky and food in a fresh and innovative way’.
Surrounded by the unpolluted waters of the Atlantic, this elemental island is home to some of the finest and most sought after seafood in Europe, such as salmon, langoustines, scallops and oysters. Having explored Islay, John Wright and Gill Meller have developed these mouth-watering recipes:
Bowmore Dry Cured Oak and Peat-Smoked Sirloin and Crispy Gutweed
Pine-Fired Mussels with Spear-Leaved Orache
Devilled Dressed Brown Crab on Toast with Bowmore 12 Years Old
Wood-Roasted Lobster and Scallops with Wild Sorrel Sauce
Sea Lettuce, Clam, Potato and Oyster Rostis
Chocolate and Seaweed Pannacotta with Bowmore Butter Shortbread
Chocolate and Bowmore-Soaked Prune Fondant
John and Gill have also created two inspired chocolate dishes to pair with the much-awarded expression Bowmore 15 Years Old ‘Darkest’. Matured in boubon casks, followed by three years inOloroso sherry casks, the result is a rich, deep expression with a warming finish. Although delicious on its own, the dark chocolate brings out its rich fruitiness and the trademark Bowmore smokiness.
Bowmore’s collaboration with Paul A Young will also continue through 2012. For one of the darkest and most magical nights of the year – Bonfire Night – the groundbreaking Master Chocolatier is creating the perfect hot chocolate serve using Bowmore 15 Years Old ‘Darkest’. The expression is incorporated into a dark chocolate ganache bon bon, which the consumer then stirs into the hot chocolate drink and watches as the ganache and whisky melt away.
For more information, please visit www.bowmore.com and www.facebook.com/bowmore
UK Distributor: Cellar Trends on 01283 217703 or enquiries@cellartrends.co.uk
Ardbeg Galileo
For those just interested in the titular whisky who don’t want to read my random wifflings here’s a tl;dr version of this blog post: despite the rumours Ardbeg Galileo is not sold out everywhere and we now have it available … Continue reading >>
KILCHOMAN LAUNCHES the 2nd EDITION of 100% ISLAY
We are pleased to announce the Kilchoman 100 % Islay 2nd Release is available now.
This release has been produced from barley grown, malted, distilled,matured and bottled at the distillery. It has been aged for over 3 years in a combination of fresh and refilled Bourbon barrels.
Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Managing Director, commented “The addition of 50% 4 year old in the vatting has given the malt an extra depth of character and roundness”.
50% abv unchillfiltered, natural color
RRP: $89.99
50 Years’ Service and Counting
Hi all,
This week I was fortunate to join a very special celebration dinner in Dufftown at William Grant’s second distillery – The Balvenie. Around 160 colleagues, journalists, family members and Master Blenders from other companies gathered to celebrate David Stewart’s 50th year with William Grant & Sons. David is quite simply a legend in the whisky…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…
Kind regards,
Ludo
Mulberry Bank Auctions is holding a whisky sale on September 18th.
Details can be found at Mulberry Bank Auctions September 18th, 2012
The beginning of winter is hot toddy time. Try it Japanese style!
London September 2012: A hot toddy is one way to keep on top of cooler weather and here is a hot toddy recipe Japanese style. It’s a warming cocktail for the season they call Ritto, the “Beginning of Winter”, starting around 5th November.
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
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.
Whatever your normal preference for a warming winter drink this is a recipe with a difference.
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.
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 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
