Karuizawa – The Spirit of Asama
One of the things that I didn’t realise before I started working at TWE was quite how slow boats are. We’ve been waiting for quite a while for our latest shipment of whisky to arrive from Japan, with a couple … Continue reading here >>
GLENDRONACH WINS TOP AWARD IN SCOTTISH FIELD’S 2012 WHISKY CHALLENGE
A GlenDronach 1990 single cask bottling has won three top awards in this year’s prestigious Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
The bottling of cask number 2966, a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, was voted Winner in the “Over £80” category, top Distillery Bottling and also won the big award – the coveted “Whisky of the Year” for 2012.
In a further accolade for the Aberdeenshire distillery, two other expressions – the GlenDronach 18 yo Allardice and the 21 yo Parliament – were both nominated in the “£35-£80” category, earning strong endorsements from the judging panel.
It’s the twelfth year of the awards in which forty-five of Scotland’s top whiskies went head to head to be crowned Whisky of the Year.
The Whisky Challenge team said: “Now in its twelfth year, the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge has firmly established itself as a credible guide to Scotland’s very best whiskies as well as an event that is eagerly awaited by connoisseurs and whisky enthusiasts alike.”
This year the judges, drawn from some of the top independent whisky retailers in Scotland, were Darren Leitch, Duncan Ralph, Mark Angus, Julie Trevisan Hunter, Mike Lord, Mark Connolly and Robin Russell.
And they were unanimous that the GlenDronach 22yo was an outstanding winner. In the knockout round in the morning session, all seven voted that it should go forward to the afternoon session. Normally at least one judge demurs so for all to agree is extremely rare.
In her notes, Julie Trevisan Hunter said: “A wonderful rich palate of bitter cherries and dark chocolate” while Robin Russell declared: “It’s one for the sherry monsters. Forget collecting this one – simply buy it and enjoy.”
Distilled and filled to cask on May 30, 1990 and bottled in June this year as part of GlenDronach single casks’ “Batch 6”, the 1990 cask # 2966 is aged 22 years old and has been bottled at cask strength (55.1% vol). The cask produced just 539 bottles which retail in the UK at approximately £95.99 per 700ml.
The judges were equally complimentary about the GlenDronach 18 and 21 year-olds which were nominated in the “£35-£80” category. The Allardice was “full bodied and rich with dark fruits, Christmas cake mix and a satisfying spicy wood flavour” while the Parliament was “an astoundingly big sherry cask whisky with lots of bodega notes, plums, bitter chocolate and a hugely long finish.”
GlenDronach Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “We’re obviously really pleased to win the big award. We release a number of single cask bottlings from GlenDronach each year, with vintages ranging from 1971 to 1996, and they are very popular. For the 1990 cask # 2966 to receive such fantastic recognition helps to underline the quality across the range of single cask releases from GlenDronach.”
Image of the “Whisky of the Year 2012”, the GlenDronach 1990,above.
Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks, ‘The Macallan Masters of Photography 3 Annie Leibovitz’
On their way…
RRP £1800 each
The Macallan Masters of Photography 3 – Annie Leibovitz
Full details are available in this presentation: Masters of Photo 3 pdf (NB The Library is sold out)
Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk
Harrods Competition T&Cs
Competition to win a ticket to a Richard Paterson tasting evening at Harrods is currently running on www.facebook.com/thedalmore
Whisky Ramblings Via Video #27
Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, visits the Spirits in the Sky whisky festival in Leuven (Belgium). He runs into a few famous whisky people, discovers a brand new Auchentoshan 1979 and even learns how wonderful port can be. Check it out!
Join us for an evening of delectable whisky as we celebrate the last week of the great cause that is Movember (and hopefully raise a few extra pennies into the bargain!). We’ll have 10 (approx!) wonderful drams for you to sample, including a rather special secret 40 year old, as well as some incredibly knowledgeable chaps here to share their whisky enthusiasm with you. Tickets cost £20, and all proceeds will go to Movember UK. Pop in to buy a ticket before the event to reserve your spot, as spaces may be limited on the night. Friday 23rd November, 2012 commencing at 7:30PM
Kilderkin
65/67 Canongate, EH8 8BT Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Our mailing address is:
T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU
United Kingdom
Happy Whiskey Saturday To You Fellow WhiskyLover
I have two exciting bits of news to tell you about this week.
First…Over the last several months we’ve received many emails from WhiskeyLovers requesting information on organizations that conduct private tastings at a home or office. Being the helpful sort that we are, we searched and searched, but were unable to find a resource that we felt would serve the needs of our readers.
And so we’ve decided to offer our own private whisky tasting service: ForWhiskeyLovers’ Private Tasting Expeditions.
A FWL Private Tasting Expedition is…
• a group of friends, enjoying each others company as they embark upon an evening’s exploration of a variety of outstanding hand-crafted whiskies from the world’s great whisky producing regions
• six sensational whiskies, selected specifically to match the interests and experiences of your group of Whisky Explorers,
• an evening’s adventure, guided by a nationally renown Whisky expert at a casual pace, that is as informative as it is entertaining.
• a night to remember…a new appreciation for fine whisky, and an unparalleled event that will be remembered by all, for years to come.
All taking place in the comfort of your home or office, country club or location of your choice.
Each private tasting expedition is designed specifically for your group of Whisky Explorers, and we come to you. Our team of renown expert whisky evangelists are available in most major metropolitan areas of the United States, and travel can be arranged to remote locations, for an additional cost.
ForWhiskeyLovers Private Tasting Expeditions start at $2,250 for up to 25 people, and includes all whisky for the tasting, and glasses for the evening. You can read about our six expedition packages here, or contact us directly to plan a customized adventure for your group of Explorers.
Next, and equally as exciting for me, is this weeks Whiskey Wednesday featured whisky: Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition single malt scotch whisky.
Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition encapsulates the fifth-generation, family-owned distillery’s innovative casking techniques. Using the highest quality of both Sherry and refill Bourbon casks, this rare liquid reflects the distillery’s historic 125 years of creating truly wonderful whiskies.
Brian Kinsman, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, is the bloke in charge of the distillery’s pioneering whisky making process, from cask selection and overseeing the marrying of different ages and characters, to managing the unique maturation process within the Glenfiddich warehouse in Dufftown, Scotland.
A chemist by training, Kinsman became Glenfiddich Malt Master in December 2009. He first served an eight year apprenticeship under his predecessor David Stewart, who held the post for 35 years and is currently the industry’s longest serving Malt Master at sister distillery Balvenie.
Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition has an ABV of 43%, and was selected from over 1,000 entries at the 17th annual International Spirit Challenge to receive a Gold Medal.
So it’s with great excitement that we can offer you Glenfiddich Malt Master’s Edition 2012 for $84.50/ bottle. But with only 18,000 bottles of this exceptional limited-edition whisky released worldwide, it certainly won’t be around for long.
So if you want a bottle, act fast, because once it’s gone…
Until next week…I wish you high spirits!
Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com
GLENFIDDICH MALT MASTER’S EDITION 2012
Malt Master Brian Kinsman’s Tasting Notes
Color: rich, ruby red
Nose: entices with damp earth and whisky-soaked wood intermingling with vanilla and smoky embers.
Taste: zingy sherbet leads but this slowly turns to plum and spice with hints of almond and wedding cake.
Finish: silky smooth.
The brand new Balvenie 17 year old is now available to order! Free Postage on all orders over £50.00 still applies to mainland UK deliveries.
If you only drink one more whisky this year make sure it’s this stunning new release from Balvenie. A significant new addition to the range from Scotland’s longest-serving Malt Master, David Stewart. An elder sibling to Balvenie’s most popular expression, the new aged version shares the same DNA and the honeyed, spicy characteristics as the 12yo Although it is distinctly different, with deeper vanilla notes, hints of green apple, creamy toffee and a striking richness and complexity. To craft the 17yo, David Stewart, who celebrates his 50th year at The Balvenie, this year, returned to one of his most celebrated achievements – consecutive maturation in two different types of cask, a process often referred to as ‘cask finishing’. This technique is at the heart of DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks, where the second cask ageing adds rich spicy flavours that a depth and fullness of flavour.
The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com www.whiskyshop.com
