Product Alerts on TheWhiskyExchange.com
We don’t talk all that much about our main website here on TWEBlog, but behind the scenes our tech team are constantly tweaking and poking around to add new features. One of the most commonly requested features is the ability … Continue reading >>
Sirius – A Glowing Collection of Super Nova Whiskies shared by Mahesh Patel.
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CORE NEWS FACTS
The Exclusive World launch of ‘SIRIUS’- a super premium luxury whisky collection was held in association with the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for the sixty years of the Mercedes – Benz Club on July 13th, 2012 at the ‘Mercedes-Benz World’ in Surrey, England. Set numbers one to six of this new range have been specially packaged for Mercedes – Benz Club sixtieth celebrations and available to club members only.
Sirius is a super-premium, boutique collection of the very finest and rarest whiskies the world has to offer, rigorously selected at the peak of their perfection. Each bottling is extremely limited in number and comprises long aged whiskies that have thrived and blossomed through many decades slowly maturing in casks. These whiskies are the brightest stars in Scotland’s dark distillery warehouses, now finally brought out into the light. They are the epitome of exclusivity; truly the best of the best.
Sirius is the personal creation of whisky connoisseur and collector Mahesh Patel. Given Mahesh’s passion resulting in his personal journey around 97 of Scotland’s finest distilleries, he is in a unique position to be able to select what he feels are the best of the best without fear or favour, without prejudice and hand cuffs and is free to choose what he likes, at its optimal age drawn direct from his favourite barrels.
Patel has one of the most impressive palates in the world and is unique in being able to acquire and taste the world’s finest and rarest whiskies. This expertise allows him to select the very best of the best and has led him to craft and create a new range of whiskies.
Targeting and appealing to true connoisseurs, people who enjoy a passion for great whisky and celebrate exclusivity and authenticity, Mahesh Patel has tested and now launched Sirius. Each whisky is personally hand-picked by him after sampling hundreds of casks from many individual distilleries, and rejecting all but those with the most compelling combination of rarity and quality.
Sirius bottlings comprise individualistic whiskies of great integrity and merit, representing a variety of styles, genres and countries of origin. Setting convention aside, two of the four expressions chosen for the World Premiere Release are single grain Scotch whiskies, while the others are single malts.
Bottled at natural cask strength and natural colour without any chill filtration ensures these sublime single cask selections are as pure and natural as is possible and offer consumers the experience of “straight from the wood”.
The four whiskies selected for the World Premiere release are The Dalmore 1967 (89 bottles RSP £3,500), Fettercairn 1966 (39 bottles RSP £1,750), North British 1962 (158 bottles RSP £1,250) and Carsebridge 1965 (63 bottles RSP £1,000). The entire collection of four is specially priced at £6,500 RSP, with only 13 sets available to the World. An exclusive partnership between ‘Sirius ‘and ‘ The Whisky Shop’ chain, UK’s largest whisky specialist retailer promises to showcase these rare offerings to a discerning audience. Sirius officially went on sale at all twenty whisky Shop locations nationwide on July 17th, 2012 and has already enjoyed strong sales success.
PRE APPROVED QUOTES Sirius Founder, Mahesh Patel
“I see Sirius as my guiding star, igniting my passion resulting in my quest to discover new whisky experiences seeking out the finest and rarest liquid gold samples, wherever in the world they can be found, so that I can share this with other like minded connoisseurs.”
Ian Millar, Global Brand Ambassador, Glenfiddich Single Malt, William Grant & Sons Distillers Ltd.
“I have known Mahesh Patel for several years now through various visits to Scotland and whisky tastings across the length and breadth of the US. Mahesh’s knowledge of single malt and in particular high end single malt is well known within the whisky fraternity and I am sure that few, if any, could better him on this subject. He is held in high regard by many whisky producers in Scotland and the US. Mahesh, all the best my friend!”
David Robertson, Rare Whisky Director, Whyte & Mackay Distillers.
“Mahesh Patel is on a mission. A mission to seek out the very best. The best of the best. Without prejudice he assesses whiskies on their qualitative merit. Not age. Not distillery. Not cask. Not region. Not country. He wants to share his passion, knowledge and expertise with those who crave excellence. I am astonished at the lengths to which he has gone over the last five years to deliver on his mission.
“I have been fortunate to know Mahesh Patel for some three years, and look forward with delicious anticipation every time he announces he has a hidden gem to share. I have sampled his new range from Sirius and can confirm beyond doubt that these are amongst the finest aged whiskies I have had the pleasure of tasting. Well done Mahesh, and I wish you every success!”
Dominic Roskrow, international drinks writer and whisky consultant.
“Mahesh Patel has a passion, enthusiasm and knowledge of whisky that few can match. His familiarity with whisky comes from the top down, because he is fortunate enough to have tasted and purchased some of the world’s rarest and most expensive malts, but he is no whisky snob. His enthusiasm has taken him across the world to visit distilleries, and his thirst for new tastes and flavours mean that he has sought information from the finest source possible – the distillers, blenders and whisky-makers themselves. He is a true advocate for our industry.”
Andrew Torrance, Managing Director of The Whisky Shop.
“We are delighted to be stocking the Sirius range of vintage whiskies. Our collectable and rare whiskies are growing very well at the moment and this range sits perfectly. These whiskies are I am sure going to be very sought after.”
NOTES
Bottle numbers one through six of each expression have been exclusively bottled for the Mercedes Benz Club to celebrate the club’s diamond jubilee sixty years (1952 to 2012). These six sets represent one set for each decade.
Mahesh’s personal whisky collection is valued at £2M plus.
Mahesh has tried the rarest whiskies on the planet such as Dalmore Trinitas, Glenfiddich Janet Sheeds, Macallan 1926, Glenfiddich 1937, Ardbeg Double Barrel, Dalmore Oculus, Glenlivet 70yo, Mortlach 70yo, and many others – which gives him true credibility in benchmarking and selecting the very best.
He is the creator of Universal Whisky Experience that promotes luxury whisky tastings which first aired in 2011 and was followed up in 2012 by and even more successful event.
He was made a member of ‘The Keepers of the Quaich’ in October 2011.
LINKS TO RELEVANT SITES
Come and Taste a Wee Dram… Single Malt Scotch Tasting Seminar
Saturday, October 6th, 2012
6: 30 pm check in with 7:00 pm start
At:
Courtyard by Marriott
175 Railroad Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Sponsored by:
Sonoma County Single Malt Society
Chieftain’s Choice…Only the worthy are chosen… Naturally
Presented by Ed Kohl
Glenturret 21 yr Cask Strength
Balmenach 28 yr Cask Strength
Linkwood 19 yr Cask Strength
Kilchoman…Islay’s Farm Distillery
Presented by Anthony Wills
Kilchoman Machir Bay
Kilchoman Sherry Cask
The Arran Malt…Pure by Nature
Presented by Louisa Young
Arran 10 yr
Arran 14yr
Arran Amarone Finish
Admission is $ 35.00 for Society Members, $ 50.00 for Non-Members
Advance Reservations Required via: info@sonomasinglemalt.com
TWE in Japan – Karuizawa Trip Pt.4
Welcome to Part 4 of Tim F’s epic report on TWE’s trip to Japan. Readers who don’t have much to do today can catch up with all the previous shenanigans here, here and here. ] We were up bright and … Continue reading >>
Whisky lovers look away now . . . it’s the packaging that sells
Whisky lovers look away now . . . it’s the packaging that sells. CONNOISSEURS might know the difference between an Islay single malt, a Speyside Scotch or a Highland dram but a large proportion of people who buy whisky choose … Continue reading →
Scotland – Single Malt Scotch
New Arrivals
Aberlour 12 Year Old Non Chillfiltered Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($49.99)
Kilchoman 100% Islay Barley 2nd Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($86.99)
Back in Stock
Scotland – Single Malt Scotch
1993 Bladnoch Unchillfiltered 17 Year Old, Signatory Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99)
United States – Bourbon and Rye
Elijah Craig 20 year old Single Barrel Bourbon (750ml) – 1 available ($129.99)
Thomas Handy Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (1bottle limit) – 8 available ($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
Lagavulin Jazz Bottling 2012
SPECIAL BOTTLING OF LAGAVULIN™ SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY FOR ISLAY JAZZ FESTIVAL
by Pat Roberts
Following last year’s exceptionally well-received release, a special limited-edition bottling of Lagavulin™ Single Malt Scotch Whisky will be on sale to Festival ticket holders during the 2012 Lagavulin Islay Jazz Festival (14 – 16 September).
The bottling, which like last year’s release carries a jazz motif on its neck label, is an edition of 624 bottles, sourced from a single Refill Sherry Butt (No. 1894) filled on 7th May 1997.
It is bottled at a natural cask strength of 54.5% ABV, and priced at £85 UK RRP.
The main label carries the signature of warehouseman Iain McArthur, who has worked at Port Ellen, Caol Ila and Lagavulin for 42 years.
Any bottles not sold during the Festival will remain on sale, but available only to personal shoppers at the Distillery.
Notes
The Islay Jazz Festival
The Festival (www.islayjazzfestival.co.uk) has been running since 1999. Since then the Festival has promoted musicians from over 25 countries and presented fifteen world premieres and is today regarded as a significant jazz event in the UK calendar.
Diageo’s famous Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky Lagavulin™ first sponsored the Festival in 2010.
Make Mine a Double!
Icons of Whisky Scotland – Whisky Retailer of the Year Single Outlet
Icons of Whisky Scotland – Whisky Retailer of the Year Online Outlet
Inveraray based Loch Fyne Whiskies has won both retail shop and online outlet categories in Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Icons of Whisky awards – the first time ever one retailer has achieved success in both categories.
The annual awards, started in 2002, celebrate the people and places behind the greatest whiskies of the world and the Argyllshire specialist business has featured in every award year to date, culminating in this year’s double triumph.
Commenting on the online award for www.LFW.co.uk one of the judges simply said, “Visit the site and see how to do it.” At the same time, the small shop in scenic Inveraray’s Main Street was praised for a “formula that cannot be beaten – or copied. Warm and approachable staff and a great range”.
Established in 1993 Loch Fyne Whiskies is a whisky destination for fans of the dram. The small but well stocked shop carries a comprehensive range dedicated only to Scotch whisky with the very knowledgeable staff supported by an extensive array of tasting stock. This expertise has been imaginatively extended at LFW.co.uk to make finding your next dram easy, no matter how little the browser’s first-hand knowledge of the subject may be. One innovation is that LFW.co.uk’s online customers can choose from a large selection of ‘FreeWee’ tasters.
Others recognised as Icons in this year’s awards include Morrison Bowmore Distillers, Edinburgh visitor attraction The Scotch Whisky Experience and The Edrington Group as brand innovator of the year.
Release of WhiskyCompanion 2.10 for Android Mobile Devices
WhiskyCompanion has announced the release of WhiskyCompanion version 2.10 for Android mobile devices.
WhiskyCompanion for Android is a complete whisky and whiskey guide for the curious amateur as well as for the experienced collector. The best-selling whisky app has more than 18.000 users around the world with a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating on Android Market (Google Play).
The App comes with detailed information and pictures of more than 2.600 whiskies (bourbon, rye, malts, single malt, cask strength, blended, etc.) from 285 distilleries in 21 countries.
The pre-loaded data for whiskies and distilleries can easily be changed, or the user can create new whiskies and distilleries supported by own camera pictures or pictures uploaded to the phone.
You can share your distillery and whisky information with other users of WhiskyCompanion. Users can create accounts on WhiskyCompanion’s network server for free, and then upload their own distilleries and whiskies. After approval of uploaded material, can uploaded distilleries and whiskies be searched and downloaded by other users.
The updated version comes with tasting tips, a visual flavor map and a free internet cloud backup service to secure all your personal data stored in the app.
Distilleries and distributors may use the sharing functionality to upload new whiskies and make the information instantly available to the WhiskyCompanion community.
Whiskies might be found through countries, regions or distilleries. The app also has full text search functionality for whiskies making it very easy to find your favorite whisky in the massive list.
Notes from distillery visits can be added to each distillery, and detailed comments and tasting notes (classifications) may be added to the whiskies. All distilleries visited and whiskies tasted and rated will then be available in the “My Whiskies” section, which gives a complete overview over all personal activities.
Most of the distilleries have map-location for integration with Google Map. When clicking on a distillery location, Map will launch, and this can easily be switched to Street-View. It is then possible to virtually walk around the distillery.
You can create your own tasting event with picture and key information. Then you can link whiskies to the event and add your tasting notes to those whiskies.
The user interface of WhiskyCompanion is currently localized to Finnish, Dutch, English, German, Norwegian and Swedish. More languages will follow.
The app is available for only US$ 3.49, € 2.49 or GBP 1.99 on Android Market.
For more information please search Google Play for “whisky” or “WhiskyCompanion”, or visit www.whiskycompanion.com
