Glenmorangie Artein 15 Year Old Super Tuscan Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99) Another limited edition release from the folks at Glenmorangie and this one is perhaps their best effort yet. I have to admit that when I read about Glenmo’s new Sassicaia-finished experiment, I yawned. There are a slew of wine cask-enhanced whiskies on the market and here was simply another one to add to the pile. However, I should have had more faith in Bill Lumsden because this is one of the best Glenmorangie whiskies in years. The aroma is full of red berries and sweet grains, but is also very delicate. The flavors on the palate swim with stone fruit and soft caramel before finishing in a melting glaze of cherries and cocoa. An ultra-smooth mouthfeel full of red fruits really warms the finish – this is great freakin’ single malt! The Artein succeeds because the whisky is already of quality to begin with. In this case, the wine simply adds complexity to what was already a great blend of 15 and 21 year old casks. Even better is the fact that Sassicaia isn’t actually written on the label due to legal restrictions. Glenmorangie doesn’t need to trade on the name of Italy’s most famous Super Tuscan. The Glenmorangie malt is the focus here and Dr. Bill has created enough of a reputation on his own as perhaps the best whisky creator in the business. One need not look any further than the Artein as proof. It’s very, very good. This will sell out fast. -David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer.

United States – Bourbon and Rye

Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon 750ml (Ships as 1.5L) – 6 available ($24.99)

High West “The 36th Vote” Barrel Aged Manhattan 750ml – 9 available ($44.99)

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

New annual awards not for taste but for design. Kick-off in 2012 with an all-time Whisk(e)y Design contest.

The Whisk(e)y Design Awards are not about the content of the bottle(s): whisky, whiskey or bourbon,
it is about the bottle(s) and the packaging. WW WDA is a private initiative, an independent Whisk(e)y bottle and packaging design contest without any costs.

What is the gain for the industry ? Customer involvement. Recognition and visibility for all nominees. Award winners will gain immortality and a place in history by an honourable mention on our website.

Who can enter nominees ?
Anyone, and for free. Whisky producers, brand owners, designers, distillers, distributors, importers, wholesalers, aficionado’s, consumers, bartenders, you name it, from anywhere in the world.

The World Wide Whisky Design Awards are annual awards recognising excellence in pack design. Judged by an international public panel. you?, of whisky-aficionado’s, professionals and consumers, from around the Globe.

Professional or consumer, let your voice count at:  http://www.whiskydesignaward.com/

Nominations, ratings and votes can be submitted by members, nonetheless I myself am looking for possible nominees to enter in the contest. If you have a whisky -bottle, -package or label-series, either submit it on the website or send me information about your nominee, such as press-publications, photo’s and links to web-pages.

WHISKY FESTIVAL

Saturday 24th November 2012

Easterbrook Hall
The Crichton, Dumfries

At last our 2nd Drambuster’s Whisky Festival has been booked… get the date in your diaries now! The venue has changed this year to accommodate the expected increase in numbers attending so this year, and indeed for the next few years it has been moved to The Easterbrook Hall at The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries. This is a much bigger venue and will accommodate all our suppliers and a seated area with food and drink in the one room.

The format will remain the same as last year, with attendees able to freely taste as well as having a couple of master classes for those that wish a more in depth lesson on the whiskies.

As it is a mile or so from the town centre, we will be running a free bus from the venue that will ferry festival goers back to the town at the end of the day.

Further details will follow shortly and tickets will go on sale in a few months.

The festival is open to all over the age of 18. You do NOT require to be a ‘Drambuster’ to attend but you are more than welcome to join anyway (if you haven’t already) and be kept up to date with all our news.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WISH TO JOIN

Our mailing address is:

T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU

Whiskies of the World San Francisco Update

Hello Whisky Fans!

We hope that you kicked off the New Year in a spirited mood! Don’t be too hard on yourselves for breaking some of those pesky resolutions. The WoW Expo staff only made resolutions we’re guaranteed to keep such as making the fast approaching WoW Expo the best whisky tasting event ever! Tickets are selling briskly and we’re fielding new requests from exhibitors every week so it looks like we’re on track to keep that resolution.

WoW 2012 Expo tickets
If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, we wholeheartedly recommend not waiting any longer! The show will sell out earlier than usual this year. Our friends who already bought tickets should start planning their sampling routes and whisky destinations. Our newsletters and Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible can help guide you. Don’t have a Whisky Bible on your bookshelf? You can buy one on our website or win it in our contest: send us a 25-word narrative on “What’s the best thing about Whisky for you?” Send to contest@whiskiesoftheworld.com . Three lucky winners will score copies of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. It’s a wonderful chance to practice your creative writing! For those of few words but discerning palate, if you buy four or more Expo tickets we’ll send you a free copy of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible while supplies last.

General Admission: $120
VIP (Sold Out) $150
Dram Club: $130                                        
Dram Club Membership: $60

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Expo Update
Now for an update on some of the amazing spirits and features you will find at the 13th annual WOW Expo in San Francisco, Saturday night March 31, 2012 on board the docked San Francisco Belle. The Expo features three ballroom sized decks full of whiskies, music and food as well as an open air top deck looking over the Bay. While your taste buds anticipate hedonistic pleasures as you browse the current pour list, we’ll tease you with some of the other great fun to be had at the show.

The evening begins with the immensely educational and FUN Masterclasses presented by the stars of the whisky world. Sign up NOW, for no extra charge, on line at the website, to reserve your space at these limited experiences. Get up close and personal with Master Distillers and Blenders of some of the world’s most remarkable spirits. All the Masterclasses are very space limited and should be reserved in advance at the following sign up page. Click through and check out your incredible options…this isn’t fair! It’s too hard to choose!!!

In case you can’t wait for Expo night itself, our next WoW whisky dinner is set for Feb 22 at the Cigar Bar & Grill in San Francisco. If you can’t get enough of the whiskies presented at the Cigar Bar & Grill, just remember that you’ll be able to re-sample them at the Expo in the company of even more whisky enthusiasts. For more details and to reserve your space at this epicurean whisky adventure, click here.

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On to our featured whiskies and some wonderful palate pleasures of the culinary type
Scotland really fires us up this year with more new and unique expressions of highly individualistic single malts bottled by Douglas Laing & Company. At the Expo, take a chance and learn first-hand about the exciting success story of the family run Glasgow-based independent bottler and blender. The extraordinary Laing Brothers talents have been put to remarkable use selecting the finest casks available. This year WOW features the following expressions for your sampling pleasure:
• Douglas of Drumlanrig Breaval 11
• Douglas of Drumlanrig Mortlach 18
• Douglas of Drumlanrig Macallan 21
• Douglas XO Blended Scotch Whisky
• Clan Denny Speyside Malt
• Clan Denny Islay Malt
What else can we add? Every single whisky on the list shouts “WoW”, from the “who said I’m inferior to a single malt” Douglas XO Blended to the “as smoky as a Highlander is allowed to be” Macallan.

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Curious about the micro-distilling explosion in the USA?
Meet and talk with one of the most intrepid gents in the industry, Phil Prichard. He’s the classic tale of a man who followed his heart and a tradition started by his great-great grandfather by building the first new legal distillery in Tennessee in nearly fifty years! He’s made a name for himself, his spirits and his unique distilling process. Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey, made of high-sugar white corn in a pot still according to true Irish traditions, will be an adventure on the palate for any whisky lover. Phil will talk to you all night, if you let him, about his passion for distilling and life on the US whisky trail! The Expo is proud to say that Phil is one of the many artisan distillers that we brought to the public eye through our support of craft brands! Be sure to ask him about granddaddy Ben’s original recipes and whether you can use his Sweet Lucy Bourbon Liqueur as a home remedy for the common cold (statements not endorsed by the FDA)!

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The Irish
After your sensory tour of Scotland and the US it’s time to move on. Ireland is a major player on the world whiskey scene. The Expo is proud to host Michael Collins Irish Whiskey. Distilled at Cooley Distillery in Dundalk, recently purchased by Beam Global, this whiskey is named for Michael Collins, leader of Irish independence. Michael Collins Irish Whiskey is double distilled for a proper balance of purity and character then matured in bourbon seasoned casks. Both the Single Malt and Blended whiskeys are rich and smooth, characterized by complexity and backbone. Treat yourself to a post St. Paddy’s day sampling of these fine examples of the Irish distiller’s art.

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Looking for a tasty snack between spirits? Back again with the the most delicious condiment this side of Loch Lommond, MacQuade’s Celtic Chutneys compliment all our spirits as well as the food samples you’ll find at the expo such as Californian old-fashioned raw-milk cheeses by Fiscalini and the unusual all natural Krave Jerky. Don’t miss any of these taste delights!

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Cigars any one?
Are you one of the many cigar lovers at the Expo? If so, don’t miss the Masterclass conducted by Ed Trevino from General Cigar Company. A knowledgeable brand ambassador with 20 years of experience in the premium tobacco industry, Ed has traveled to many exotic cigar producing countries and sampled myriads of iconic cigars. Ed is a true cigar lover himself! He likes his cigar, either Cohiba or Partagas, paired with a glass of scotch or bourbon. Did anybody think it would be coffee? We’ll pair Cigars with Douglas of Drumlanrig Mortlach 18 and Richard’s Double Chocolate Bourbon during the Masterclass. All cigar and whisky enthusiasts and experimenters are welcome to join this highly informative and “perfect” pairing session. Remember – you are encouraged to SIGN UP IN ADVANCE at the website to reserve your seats for this limited-seating masterclass.

We’ll leave you here to dream of Expo eve and hope you’ll bring friends and co workers who have never before experienced this greatest of whisky events!

Slainte!

Douglas Smith

www.ralfy.com … pleased to present, Whisky Review 246 1/2 – Vat 69 Scotch Whisky. One of these non-single malt moments.

TheWhiskyBarrel.com Exclusive Abhainn Dearg Cask Strength Scotch

Abhainn Dearg Distillery situated at Carnish near Uig in the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland was established in 2008. The first single malt was released in October 2011 and now for the first time is available at natural cask strength.

TheWhiskyBarrel.com brings a unique opportunity to sample the historic first release at cask strength 58% ABV presenting a fuller bodied Herbidean single malt Scotch matured in a single ex-bourbon barrel.

We’ve also bottled up for the first time a Spirit of Lewis at natural cask strength. This new make distilled in 2011 has matured for three months in a fresh Oloroso sherry hogshead and has been bottled at natural cask strength 56% ABV.

Now available to order exclusively from The Whisky Barrel online whisky shop.

Abhainn Dearg Single Malt Cask Strength / 3 Years Old / 58% Miniature

£9.99 GBP ($16 USD)

Abhainn Dearg Spirit of Lewis Cask Strength / Sherry Cask / 56%

£26.66 GBP ($41 USD)

Order online at http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com

The Whisky Barrel

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

www.thewhiskybarrel.com/blog

New Year, new logo

Hi everyone,

Further to my recent post on the Family Reserve’s new packaging, I can now finally reveal what our new logo looks like.

It may not come as a surprise to many, but the family tree which features on our new bottle, is now making its debut on our new logo too. The five branches of…(please click on the link to read the remainder of the logo)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,
Ludo

Loch Fyne Whiskies Stocks ‘Glenmorangie Artein 15yo’

Glenmorangie Artein 15yo
46% abv
£66.90 inc vat
£55.75 ex vat

…’ Juicy, hold the nose, tip in and tumble about in the mouth!’

Glenmorangie Artein OB 15yo 46%alc.

Juicy, hold the nose, tip in and tumble about in the mouth!

Copper-amber in hue , this is an accessorising of Glenmoragie’s delicacy with Italian bruiser Super Tuscan red wine casks. The latest of Dr. Bill’s ‘Private Edition’ offerings of finished boutique drams. As a pioneer of finishing, The ‘Mo deserves attention and full respect on this otherwise dubious practice. This one works – but only by sacrificing the quiet charm of the ‘Mo.

The aroma is rich and syrupy; dried fruits, sultanas and raisins and candy-fruit. Sweet-feinty (plastic) and buttermilk. The fruit-syrup comes and goes and I found a little match-striker (but no associated sulphur) and happily no wine, just rich fruit. Latterly a very distinct earthy element came; the blurb on the box refers to the stony terroir in Tuscany so I’ll defer to a ‘baked earth’ element.

Tasting is where this really works; the syrup and the sweet fruit stick like paint and turning this over and over (three top-coats) hugs the mouthparts for a sensational gob-smacking licking.

I found a unique bread-yeast note in the finish, by-the-way.

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

OVER £11 OFF SINGLETON 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY!

We’ve got a very special offer running at the minute. The Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old whisky normally sells at £31.65 and we currently have it available for the extremely low price of £19.99 a bottle! An amazing price for this smooth, mellow single malt.

And in case you missed reading about it in the pre Christmas mayhem, we still have just a few bottles left of the extremely limited edition single cask BenRiach bottled for the Kings Royal Hussars which is not available from any other retail outlet.

Finally see below for a few interesting old bottles that have come into stock – you can see more in our New Products section and if you need any advice just contact us.

Sláinte!
Fran and Ken
www.whiskyandwines.com

NEW PRODUCTS

SPECIAL OFFER! SINGLETON OF DUFFTOWN 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY FOR JUST £19.99

We know money’s tight at this time of the year and so we’re running a very special offer on the Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old that will allow you to top up your single malt supplies without breaking the bank.

This is a great rich, fruity and smooth Speyside whisky that is extremely drinkable – perfect for that ‘end of a long day’ dram.

NORMALLY £31.65 – OUR CURRENT PRICE IS ONLY £19.99!

N.B. This special offer is limited to a maximum of 6 bottles of Singleton of Dufftown 12 year old per customer.

Buy Online: £ 19.99

BENRIACH 1997 14 YEAR OLD WHISKY – KING’S ROYAL HUSSARS BOTTLING

In the run up to Christmas you may have missed seeing that the KRH whisky team have been busy again and selected another single cask of BenRiach to bottle – this time round it’s a 1997 14 year old that has been matured in American bourbon barrels, then ‘finished’ in a ‘Henriques and Henriques’ Madeira Hogshead.

Only 350 bottles were released and, as with the first edition, the majority of these are only available through the regiment but we are again fortunate that here at Arkwrights we have an allocation available to sell exclusively through the shop and online.

Retailing at just £59.99, this is a whisky that will appeal to both whisky lovers and collectors alike. For further information and to buy click here.

Buy Online: £ 59.99