We will be selling the rest of the tickets today!!
We will be selling tickets for NEXT Wedneday’s event at the following time:

MONDAY 22nd Octorber: 12-2pm in Butchart Centre (Alfie’s)

It is unlikely tickets will be available on the door!

As always we will have some super whisky on offer.

£3 = 4 whiskies!

Date: Wednesday 24th October
Time: 19:00
Where: Bookends in Butchart Centre (University Rd)
What to bring: TICKET & MEMBERSHIP CARD and money for raffle
If you are a new member we will give you a membership card at the event!

You can still come to this event without becoming a member.
You should become a member as soon as possible – see details below!

________________________________________
Remember ALL members must renew their membership for this year.
Please see details below about how to do this.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

We also need to get EVERYONE to become a member of the Malt Whisky Society.
To do this follow these steps:
1. Go to www.ausa.org.uk
2. Register a new account
3. Search for “Malt Whisky Society”
4. Add “Malt Whisky Society Student Membership” (£2) to your basket (like amazon.com)
5. Go to your basket – you MUST add “Societies Union” membership (£1) before you can pay
6. Follow payment instructions – you NEED a credit/debit card to pay.
7. Bring along your reference on a bit of paper/your mobile phone to the next whisky event and we will give you your membership card.

This is the only way you can become a member!

CASH PAYMENTS
It is possible to pay for membership with cash at the Butchart Recpetion desk during opening hours.

 Our mailing address is:
University of Aberdeen Malt Whisky Society
The Butchart Centre
University Road
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire AB24 3UT
United Kingdom

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY RELEASES COLONEL E.H. TAYLOR, JR. SMALL BATCH BOURBON WHISKEY

100 Proof Small Batch Whiskey coming soon

FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (Oct. 2012) – Buffalo Trace Distillery pays homage to former Distillery owner E. H. Taylor, Jr. with a small batch, Bottled-In-Bond, 100 proof bourbon whiskey aged in Taylor’s warehouse.

Taylor built his iconic brick warehouse for barrel aging in 1881 and the Warehouse is still in use today. After seven years on the sixth floor, his namesake bourbon whiskey tastes of caramel corn sweetness, mingled with butterscotch and licorice. The aftertaste is a soft mouth-feel that turns into subtle spices of pepper and tobacco.

The Small Batch Bourbon is the sixth and latest release in the line of the E. H. Taylor, Jr. collection of whiskeys, rounding out the collection of Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Bourbon, Barrel Proof Bourbon and Straight Rye Whiskey. The Taylor collection was first released in early 2011. Like the previous five releases, this whiskey will have very limited availability and will be packaged in a vintage label and canister reminiscent of Taylor’s bottles over one hundred years ago.

“We’ve had a tremendous response to our E. H. Taylor, Jr. whiskeys,” said Kris Comstock, Bourbon marketing director. “We’re honored to pay tribute to a pioneer and legend like Taylor.”

Edmund Haynes Taylor is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased the distillery that is known today as the Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today by Buffalo Trace, such as climate controlled aging warehouses. In addition to his bourbon interests, Taylor had political ties. He was the great-nephew of President Zachary Taylor and elected the mayor of Frankfort, state representative to the Kentucky General Assembly and a member of the State Senate.

The inaugural bottling of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey will be available in November. The suggested retail price is $39.99 per 750ml bottle.

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.buffalotracedistillery.com

Van Winkle Bourbon Available Soon

Coveted Bottles Remain in Short Supply, Other Changes Announced 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Oct., 2012) – Finally, the wait is nearly over! Van Winkle bourbons will be back on shelves in late October.  The popularity of Van Winkle whiskeys remains unmatched, but still in short supply. Known for their smoother and sweeter flavor, Van Winkle bourbons are aged years longer than most others and garner an impeccable reputation among connoisseurs.  “When bourbon ages over 15 years, much is lost to the angel’s share.  Many barrels often yield less than 20 gallons, out of the original 53 gallons produced,” said Julian Van Winkle, president, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. “However, our patience creates bourbon with unrivalled flavor.”

Although Van Winkle bourbons have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years, less is sent overseas than ever to allow more of this coveted bourbon to remain in the United States.  “Because demand has escalated so much here, we’ve decided to scale back exports to help supply our American fan base,” continued Van Winkle.

Furthermore, there will be more Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old Bourbon at 107 proof. “We prefer the taste of our 10 year old bourbon at 107 proof. The rich flavor is compounded by the high proof,” added Van Winkle. “We’ll no longer bottle our 10 year old whiskey at 90 proof. Therefore, there will be more 107 proof available. For those who will miss the 90 proof Old Rip, we suggest adding a little more water to their glass. As Pappy used to say, ‘why ship all that water across the country!’”

The Van Winkle collection consists of several expressions. Suggested retail prices are as follows:

• $39.99 – Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 proof
• $54.99 – Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year Old
• $69.99 – Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Whiskey 13 Year Old
• $79.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 15 Year Old
• $129.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 20 Year Old
• $249.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 23 Year Old

The Van Winkle line of whiskeys has won a bevy of awards through the years, including 2010 “Spirit of the Year” from Wine and Spirits Magazine for Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Old; “Best of Show” and “Best Whiskey” at the 2010 Los Angeles Wine and Spirits Competition; Gold medals at the 2011 and 2012 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; Best of Category, Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years or Older, 2012 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition; and 2012 Chairman’s Trophy Finalist: Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

The Van Winkle Whiskeys will be available near the end of October, but please be mindful that supply is quite limited and bottles shall be hard to find in stores, bars and restaurants. They will be packed three bottles per case, rather than traditional 12 bottle cases. 

About Van Winkle Bourbon

The Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery has a four generation history. The Van Winkle family’s involvement in the bourbon industry began in the late 1800s with Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. He was a traveling salesman for the W.L. Weller and Sons wholesale house in Louisville. Pappy and a friend, Alex Farnsley, eventually bought the wholesale house and also partnered with Mr. A. Ph. Stitzel on the purchase of Mr. Sitzel’s distillery.  The three of them merged the two companies and became the Stitzel-Weller Distillery.

In May of 1935 at the age of 61, Pappy opened the newly completed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in South Louisville. Its prominent brands were W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still.  Pappy had a heavy influence on the operations there until his death at the age of 91. His son, Julian, Jr. took over operations until he was forced by stockholders to sell the distillery in 1972. The rights to all of their brands were sold to Norton Simon, Inc. Later, United Distillers, who eventually ended up with the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, sold off all of the original labels around 1999.

After selling the distillery, Julian Jr. resurrected a pre-Prohibition label, the only one to which the Van Winkles kept the rights, called Old Rip Van Winkle. He used whiskey stocks from the old distillery to supply his brand. Julian Jr.’s son, Julian, III took over in 1981 when Julian, Jr. passed away. Julian III has continued with the Van Winkle tradition of producing high-quality wheated bourbon. His son, Preston, joined the company in 2001 and the Van Winkles look to continue that tradition for generations to come.

In 2002 the Van Winkles entered into a joint venture with Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, Frankfort, Ky. All of the Van Winkle’s whiskey production now takes place at Buffalo Trace Distillery under the same strict guidelines the family has always followed. For more information on the Van Winkle family of bourbon please visit http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/.

SULLIVANS COVE named Australasian Distiller of the Year 

Sullivans Cove, Tasmania’s luxury single malt whisky, won a Gold and four Silver medals and was voted Australasian Distiller of the Year at the inaugural Wizards of Whisky blind tasting in London on Friday.

Founded by world-renowned whisky writer and commentator Dominic Roscrow to recognise and reward excellence in whisky making outside of Scotland, the Wizards of Whisky attracted 85 entries from around the world.

Sullivans Cove’s Distiller Patrick Maguire, who is currently on a tour of the USA promoting the launch of Sullivans Cove in the USA, was thrilled with the results: “This has been an incredible year for us. We won the World Whisky Masters a few months back, gained listing at Dubai Airport, launched in the USA and now being named Australasian Distiller of the Year is just the cherry on top! The guys have put in a huge effort back home and this is testament to our passion to make the world’s best single malt.”

Sullivans Cove is available worldwide, please check http://www.sullivanscovewhisky.com/ for local stockists and distributors.

About Sullivans Cove

Tasmania Distillery produces Sullivans Cove Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky. Sullivans Cove Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky is double distilled using only Tasmanian barley with only the purest wilderness water from local mountains and forests. Matured in hand selected oak casks and allowed to settle and clear naturally, the whiskies retain full, creamy and lingering flavours that are winning fans the world over. Each cask is bottled separately, yielding only around 450 bottles, making each bottle a rare item to own and enjoy.

A Most Wonderful October To You Fellow WhiskyLover

If you haven’t done so, you owe it to yourself to read the two most recent articles on FWL: Ian Buxton’s article on the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence proramme, and Caroline Dewar’s insightful take on the critical role blended whiskies still play in the Scotch Whisky industry. Both are delightful reads…

I’m suffering today from a major case of “morning after” syndrome. Last night, I tortured myself by flipping back and forth between my Yankees getting beat again by the Tigers, and Obama vs. Romney II.

The Yanks, with their $195,998,004 payroll, would be pummeled by Helen Keller HS they way they are playing…and I found the debate, complete with mud-slinging, refusal of both candidates to actually answer a question, bickering like an old married couple and complete break down in civility embarrassing and unbecoming for a nation as great as ours. It’s enough to make you turn off national news, and focus completely on local teams and local politics.

So with the desire to emphasize what can be done on a local level, we found a whisky that was produced with the same mission: doing good locally. Bruichladdich’s recently released Islay Barley 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky.

With the focus these days on production efficiency and sourcing raw material globally, the real sense of place…the terroir from which Scotch whisky originated, has been lost. For example, evidence of Islay’s earliest farmers dating to 8,000 BC, was discovered on the island only last year. By the mid 1800’s, over 4000 acres of malting barley were grown on Islay, but due to The Great War (WWI for those under 50) and its Islay casualties, the yield collapsed to zero by the mid 20th Century.

The chaps at Bruichladich have set out to rectify this with The Islay Barley Series: single malts produced from barley sown and grown on the Isle of Islay, conceived as Bruichladdich’s ultimate expression of whisky from Islay. The provenance and traceability of these single malts is as unparalleled as the origin is unique, and the first single malt whiskies in a century to be exclusively Islay produced: from barley to barrel to bottle

The iniative by Bruichladdich, to re-establish the cereal on the island, has resulted in 800-1000 tons (a quarter of the Victorian era yield) is now harvested for Bruichladdich.

For this latest edition of Bruichladdich’s Islay Barley Series, the unpeated barley was sourced from from Dunlossit Farm, located in a desolate place known as the ‘headland of the the gallows’. This lonely field is a rare patch of fertility amongst the barren, rocky outcrops and peat bogs tilled continually since Neolithic times.

In this remote, unsullied earth, Chalice barley was grown by farmer Jim Logan in what is now called the Jubilee field (Queen Victoria’s, not Elizabeth’s), on Dunlossit land owned by Bruno Schroder, a Bruichladdich shareholder. The Dunlossit Farm barley was harvested in September 2006 and distilled eight weeks later into Bruichladdich whisky, then warehoused and matured, and finally bottled still on the Hebridean island at Bruichladdich Distillery.

Jim McEwan, Bruchladdich’s Head Distiller describes “The texture of this amazing spirit is incredibly smooth for such a youngster. The mouth feel is irresistible: It’s fresh and zesty with the quality of the Islay-grown Barley unrestrained by the presence of a long relationship with the oak….This whisky is walking sunshine…summer in a glass…it has Islay charm with the most seductive texture I have ever experienced.”

The 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky is non chill-filltered, colouring-free, and was bottled at 50% ABV. It is an extremely limited production whisky, and really really hard to find. But thanks to our man Nicky The Neck, who takes great pride in “getting involved at the local level”, we’ve been able to secure more than our fair share.

So we’re excited to also do our part locally by offering you the opportunity to purchase a bottle of Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky for $69.95/bottle.

But as always, the supply is extremely limited…and once its gone, it’s gone.

Until next week…I wish you high spirits!

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

BRUICHLADDICH ISLAY BARLEY 2006 DUNLOSSIT FARM CEANNACROIC SINGLE MALT WHISKY

JIM MCEWAN’S TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Brilliant, luminous lemon with a harvest gold hue

NOSE: Aromas of yellow flowers in bloom on forest river-banks and heather-covered Moorlands, orchards filled with ripe fruits, all embraced by the warm, westerly ocean breeze. This is the beauty of young Bruichladdich spirit; you can reach into its soul and transport yourself to this amazing island simply by closing your eyes and inhaling. It’s a remarkable harmonious bouquet.

PALATE: The olfactory concentration continues onto the palate. On tasting, a squeeze of lemon, honey, pear and green apple, little hints of tangerine, chocolate, light notes of marzipan, cinnamon and sweet, oaky vanilla. The harmonious freshness of barley and wild flowers rising on that irresistible marine presence unique to the islands of Scotland. The taste buds rejoice in the warmth of the spirit and the sweetness of the malt.

FINISH: The finish is outstanding. How can you say good-bye to a kid that’s stolen your heart with his beauty and honesty. It’s difficult, but it’s not good-bye. Because as you enjoy the final drops, John Logan, the farmer at Dunlossit, is about to start plowing for this years harvest – Dream Fulfilled!

New Elements of Islay and Port Askaig

One of the very many really great things about The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is the massive raft of new releases put out by TWE, plus Elements of Islay, Single Malts of Scotland and Port Askaig. 2012, we’re happy to … Continue reading >>

www.ralfy.com makes a good suggestion with Whisky Review 311 – Your Solera Bottle.

. . .  it works for everyone.

Our post on The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show can be read by clicking on the link below

THE LINK

NEW CAPACITY NEXT STEP IN CHIVAS BROTHERS EXPANSION
TO SUPPLY GLOBAL DEMAND FOR ITS BRANDS

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, has announced its intention to build a new malt whisky distillery and has begun the planning process for a site in Speyside. The company is consulting the local community and planners regarding a location on the banks of the River Spey near Carron.

The new distillery would supply high quality Speyside malt whisky for the Chivas Brothers portfolio of blended whiskies to be sold around the world. It will benefit from the latest innovation and environmental expertise, such as heat recovery technology and provide a first class working environment.

The site would also be visible from the nearby Speyside Way walking trail, so whilst up-to-date construction techniques and modern technology would be used inside the building, the intention is to make the external façade blend in with the surrounding riverside scene and follow vernacular codes of the region.

Chairman and CEO Christian Porta commented: “Our success in growing our brands across the world, in existing and new markets, to many historical highs means that creating new distillation capacity is a key next step for our business. This new distillery will supply high quality Speyside malt whisky for many of our blends in the years to come. This is another example of our sustained investment in our Scotch whisky operations which, combined with consistent innovation and marketing, will continue to drive the growth of our business.”

The new distillery will occupy the site of the silent Imperial Distillery which has remained inactive since 1998 and was acquired by Chivas Brothers in 2005.

Earlier this year, Chivas Brothers already announced its plans to grow its malt whisky distillation capacity by 25% by April 2013 with the re-opening of Glen Keith distillery and expansions at four existing Speyside distilleries. It also increased the capacity of The Glenlivet Distillery by 75% in 2010 in light of increasing sales of the global No 2 single malt.

Notes

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information visit www.chivasbrothers.com

Times flies, and Whisky Israel is three years old, like a proper whisky, right?

As a token of appreciation for our readers, we’re giving away an amazing bottle of whisky, A FULL SIZE BOTTLE!! (700ml) of the brand new 30 year old Isle of Jura (see notes and info here ).

Brillant right? 350 quid worth of whisky, elegant bottle in an amazing case, You want it, we know…

So, how can you win that? simple as 1.2.3:

 Become a friend of Whisky Israel on FB / follow us on twitter @whiskyisrael
 Answer the following 2 questions:
 Name the post you liked best on the blog (from the first to this one)
 Name your favorite Jura expression.
 Email the information with your twitter handle / FB username to : win_a_jura_30@whiskyisrael.co.il  that’s it! The bottle will be delivered in time for Xmas, and one lucky reader will be very happy this Xmas. What are you waiting for? start emailing.

 *Competition Deadline is : November 10th 2012