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.
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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 .

Sample Image

Isle of Arran 14yo 1996/2011 (56%, OB, Premium Single Cask, Sherry, C#1785, 165 Bts., D. 06/11/96, B. 31/03/11) 

A bottling for the new Premium Single Cask line from Isle of Arran Distillery and this particular bottling was only available in the United States.  On the nose there is Christmas cake, oak spice (black pepper, some light chilies & other assorted wood notes). After some small amount of time in the glass the alcohol clears for some truly excellent first class sherry notes with a hints of coffee in the back ground. This is what people dream of in sherry casks and such quality is certainly not ubiquitous today with the prevalence of so many tainted casks. Some classic and characteristic Isle of Arran malty notes lay lurking just below the sherry layer and add to the aromas very nicely. The taste is of dry sherry that quickly becomes a tussle between the Christmas cake and the oak spice dryness however the Christmas cake wins in the end (with a little help from the oak spice if one is to be honest; they work very well together). It’s a very big taste and there’s the malt hiding in the back ground once again. Sensational! The finish is a mirror image of nose and the taste with a little cold tea notes in the later moments of the finish which is very long and sweet and sour dry after some time.

Only 165 bottles and only available in theUSA? Oh my, those lucky Americans. Many thanks to Robert & Barbara Townsend for the sample.

$105 

Score 91 points

Loch Fyne Whiskies post a new item, ‘From Our Gossip Corner’

Last night in Glasgow, LFW.co.uk’s overstressed CelebWatch department went along to the UK Premier of the Cannes Award winning, whisky themed film “The Angels’ Share”, by director-provocateur Ken Loach.  A dram studded audience revelled in scenes of fermentation, malt whisky sampling and bottle-spotting in this gritty yet ultimately heart-warming tale of Glasgow’s finest Neds mouthing-off and […please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Last remaining bottles of Jubilee Whisky…

Jjust a heads up that we now have less than 100 bottles of our commemorative Diamond Jubilee whisky left to sell. If you would like to own one of these rare bottles, order today and we will endeavour to get this to you by the Bank Holiday weekend.

Click here to order.

www.englishwhisky.co.uk