BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY® PARTNERS WITH LOWDEN® TO CREATE HANDCRAFTED WHISKEY BARREL OAK GUITARS

Bushmills Village: Bushmills Irish Whiskey, which has been handcrafted on the North Coast of Ireland for centuries, has partnered with world famous luthier, George Lowden, to create three special-edition guitars, handmade from barrel-oak used in the whiskey making process.

Bushmills Irish Whiskey and George Lowden Guitars are both known and loved around the world. Based in Northern Ireland, George and his team have handmade guitars for some of most famous names in the music, including Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and The Edge.

The handmade barrel oak guitars were presented to singer-songwriter Foy Vance and other artists as a thank-you for their participation in Bushmills Live, the handcrafted whiskey and music festival which took place at the Old Bushmills Distillery on 20th and 21st June 2012.

Created by George Lowden and his team of master craftsmen at his workshop in Downpatrick, County Down, the guitar-making process took more than three months and presented a series of unique technical challenges.

The oak that the guitars were made from was from former Oloroso sherry casks, used in the making of Bushmills Black Bush, Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey and Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

The nature and curve of the whiskey barrel oak meant that each stave of wood had to be carefully sanded by hand to the necessary thickness and required shape. Each stave was then painstakingly glued together to create panels that retained the contours of the original whiskey barrel.

Those panels rested in the workshop for several weeks as the wood bound together, before they were hand-cut by George Lowden to guitar templates he has been using for almost 40 years.

Then, using hand-tools such as Japanese chisels, planes and knives, the team at Lowden assembled the guitars, incorporating the whiskey barrel oak into traditional Lowden ‘F’ and ‘O’ body designs.

The result is three guitars unlike any others ever made. With a distinct sound and even more distinct look, they are as much works of art as they are instruments.

Master Distiller at the Old Bushmills Distillery, Colum Egan, said: “To see barrels that have housed our whiskey being used in this way is remarkable. Their creation celebrates the handcrafted qualities at the heart of both Bushmills Irish Whiskey and Lowden Guitars and I want to thank George and his team for making them. Like our whiskey they weren’t made for the cupboard and it is great to see some world class musicians putting them to good use. The guitars were the perfect way to thank the musicians who performed at Bushmills Live.”

George Lowden said: “Making any guitar by hand is highly challenging but these guitars presented a few more issues than most. It was an enormous privilege to work with such special wood and it took me and my team a considerable amount of time to create them. However, what we have managed to do is to create something quite special. We enjoyed working in partnership with Bushmills on the project and were delighted that the musicians who received the guitars were so pleased with them.”

To find out more about Bushmills Irish Whiskey or to see a gallery of images from the making of the Lowden Guitars from Bushmills barrel oak, log on to facebook.com/bushmills1608

Buffalo Trace Fans,

It is ALMOST time for the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection—

STOP! PLEASE READ! STOP! PLEASE READ!

WE HAVE MADE A MAJOR CHANGE IN HOW WE SELL SPECIAL WHISKEY RELEASES

Starting this year, the Antique Collection will only be sold online. There will be NO SALES of the BTAC in person, in the store, whatsoever. This means there will be no line at the door when we open in the morning. Please do not come to the store expecting to buy a bottle in person. You may direct the bottles for shipment, or schedule them for pick-up in person at The Party Source. The same limits—SEE BELOW—will apply as in previous releases. (Also, this same policy will apply to future Van Winkle releases.)

The 2012 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) will go on sale from The Party Source website only on Tuesday, October 23, at 12:00 p.m. noon EST. At that time, you will receive an email containing links to the BTAC online. You may use those links to purchase the items.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection consists of:
George T. Stagg
Eagle Rare 17
Sazerac Rye 18
William Larue Weller
Thomas Handy Rye

To distribute these coveted whiskeys to as many Bourbon lovers as possible, sales of the BTAC are limited as follows:

1) The BTAC is limited to ONE ORDER PER PERSON/HOUSEHOLD/ADDRESS. Attempts to place multiple orders will result in the summary deletion of the order, without notification.
2) A BTAC order may consist of ONE bottle of George T. Stagg, plus your choice of ONE additional BTAC bottle, while supplies last.
3) If you do not want any Stagg, you are not required to buy it— however you may still buy only ONE other BTAC bottle of your choice.
4) We cannot sell two bottles of the same whiskey, under any circumstances.
5) Sales of the BTAC are from our website only, first come, first serve; there is no waiting list or reservation.

The price this year for the BTAC is $69.99 per bottle

We’re excited to share some good news with you. Arran Premium Bourbon Single Cask and Arran Premium Sherry Single Cask have finally made their way to our warehouse. They are both personal picks of Isle of Arran Distillery Manager James MacTaggart. They were matured in first fill Bourbon cask # 96/2096 and Sherry cask # 96/1979 respectively, bottled at natural strength. Each bottle is individually numbered and rests in a beautiful presentation box.

Around 30 6-packs 750 ml of each are available in the US. RRP: $ 129.99 We hope this will be a great addition to your holiday portfolio.

Mighty Mini THIRD Release: The CURIOUS tale of the ARTIST, the BREWER & the BAKER at the harbour-side BBQ
The third release in our series of Mighty Mini collections…and our
first ever 10cl single cask grain bottling.

44.52 The artist, the brewer & the baker
Speyside Spey
Aromas of paint, canvas and linseed then dried fruits, chutney and shortbread. To taste it’s oily, hoppy and dry. Water adds pencil shavings

48.50 Marshmallows and chocolate eclairs
Speyside Lossie
Scents of bubble-gum and fondant, become fruity and sweet.  Hot taste with orange peel and jalapeno chillies.  Soft and sweet texture; toffee and lemon zest.

3.194 Surf & Turf BBQ
Islay
Mussels, cockles and oysters to start with then smoky gammon and coal tar shampoo.  The taste is salty; smoky bacon and boiled lobster meat with a little smoke on the palate.

G5.6 Bye, bye Miss. American rye
Single cask grain
Clean, light and spicy; eucalyptus and apricot glaze, then allspice, five spice, spiced rum, tea-tree oil, and bags of vanilla.
Big, sweet taste.

Only 390 available, £52.50 each
BUY

GRAIN UPDATE: Jim Murray (Whisky Bible 2013) has named Society bottle G5.3 as ‘Scotch Grain of the Year’.  Islay malt 33.116 also won the category for 10 years and under (single casks). Jim was also kind enough to pin one of his coveted ‘liquid gold’ awards on a number of Society bottlings, including 73.44, 23.70, 104.13, 64.34, 33.108, 127.20, 2.80, 35.54 and 29.106.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm).

Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Elijah Craig 20 Year Old

The latest addition from Heaven Hill Whiskey Distillery is this stunning 20 year old Elijah Craig, single barrel bourbon. Introduced to replace the younger 18 year old bottling, the whiskey in this release has been drawn from the same lot as Whisky Advocate’s ‘American Whiskey Of The Year’.

Aged for 20 years in a single charred oak barrel, only 69 bottles of this bourbon whiskey have been made available for the UK market.

£123.00  (£102.50 ex vat)

Click here to buy Elijah Craig 20 Year Old

Macallan Fine Oak Masters’ Edition

The Macallan Masters’ Edition, originally released as part of the 1700 series for the Travel Retail market. Triple cask matured in a combination of European sherry oak & American bourbon & sherry casks. The result is a smooth, delicate yet complex single malt whisky.

£34.90  (£29.08 ex vat)

Click here to buy Macallan Masters’ Edition

Macallan Gold

Macallan Gold, released as part of the 1824 series, a range of no-age-statement malts, created to showcase the range of natural colour found in Macallan whiskies.

£35.90  (£29.92 ex vat)

Click here to buy Macallan Gold

Abbey Whisky
enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com
0800 051 7737

GLENTAUCHERS 1991 £10 OFF PER BOTTLE – NOW ONLY £28.99

TASTING NOTE

Colour: Dark straw.

WITHOUT WATER:
Nose: Delicate esters – very fresh and fragrant. Fruity influences with a sweet honey edge.
Palate: Mouth warming with a delicate hint of spice. Sweet with influences of freshly cut grass.

WITH WATER:
Nose: A distinct freshness dominated by a sweet influence, soft and rounded
edge with hints of butter toffees.
Palate: Initially sweet with delicate hints of cereal notes – malt. Mouth warming and fresh.
Body: Light.
Finish: Long and balanced.

Cask Type(s): Refill Sherry casks.  Whisky Style: Sweet, fruity and well balanced.

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old unveiled

Old Pulteney is proud to unveil the oldest and most exclusive official expression of single  malt to leave the warehouses of the northernmost distillery on Scottish mainland since its establishment in 1826. The spirit of Pulteney is influenced by its environment like no other. Windswept and rugged Caithness Coast and the remote fishing port of Wick provide the background for one of the most intriguing whiskies in the world. This new stunning Old Pulteney was shaped by the land and the sea for over four decades and is the ultimate expression of the Maritime Malt.

The Spirit

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old came from four casks. They included three Spanish ex-sherry hogsheads and one American oak ex-bourbon barrel. The casks yielded 493 bottles of whisky at a natural strength of 51.3% ABV. This unique single malt has been bottled at cask strength, has not been chill-filtered or coloured. Despite the age the spirit shows remarkable freshness and intensity and boasts an unmistakable Pulteney character. Pulteney Distillery Manager, Malcolm Waring, explains:

“Old Pulteney begins its life as spirit already full of character. Then we mature it on site, here in Wick, we think its hugely important. With each passing year the whisky takes on a little bit of Caithness, the initial charisma is there but it develops more and more complexity. To see that so clearly in a whisky matured for over four decades is extraordinary; we are overwhelmed by the quality of this liquid and by how firmly it’s anchored here. The people, the process, the land and the sea are all in there.”

The commentators who sampled the spirit prior to bottling remarked:

A complex whisky which is surprisingly vibrant for its age.
– Joel Harrison, www.caskstrength.net

Just brilliant! So much going on, and incredibly youthful in terms of sweetness and pep. We loved it!
– Ben Ellefsen, Master of Malt

Epic inside and out

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old is not only an extraordinary whisky crafted to perfection but also an important chapter in the history of Pulteney Distillery. As such it calls for bespoke presentation; a real show of fierce pride, strength of the community and stunning craftsmanship.

The whisky is presented in unusual deep-blue bottles crafted by The Tudor Crystal Design company and its sister company Plowden and Thompson’s Undertaking. Hand blown from melting silica, soda ash and special additions each bottle is then finished with solid silver melted blown across the glass to form a wave pattern. This gives the familiar ‘Smuggler’s Kettle’ Old Pulteney bottle elegance and flair that pay respect to the liquid inside.

Each bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old is topped with a stone closure whittled, polished, fine-pressure jetted, milled and polished again by the famous local Caithness Stone Industries. The bottles are finished with a Scottish hallmarked silver medallion stating the age of the whisky. The high-gloss lacquered wooden box that encases the bottle has the iconic Old Pulteney herring drifter silver-etched into it to complete the stunning presentation.

In addition every bottle of Old Pulteney 40 Year Old comes with a hand-signed book by whisky expert Charles MacLean.

A long journey

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old boasts one of the most beautiful bottles ever to be used for single malt whisky. This extraordinary feat of design and craftsmanship comes as a result of intense, painstaking work by many people in Caithness and beyond. Old Pulteney Senior Brand Manager, Margaret Mary Clarke explains that the 40 Year Old has been a labour of love for all at Pulteney Distillery:

“The release of this wonderful 40 Year Old is a fitting way to conclude 2012, which has been an exceptional year for Old Pulteney around the world. Malcolm Waring, Distillery Manager, and his team have shown real dedication in bottling a whisky of the highest calibre which embodies the finest elements of Old Pulteney with even deeper complexity and character in every bottle.”

Old Pulteney 40 Year Old will be available from specialist whisky retailers globally from 1st November 2012 at a RRP of £1490.

Notes

· Old Pulteney’s core range includes Old Pulteney 12 Year Old, Old Pulteney 17 Year Old and Old Pulteney 21 Year Old. Old Pulteney 30 Year Old is also available.
· Old Pulteney 21 Year Old was named by Jim Murray as the World Whisky of the Year in the 2012 edition of his popular Whisky Bible
· Pulteney Distillery was established by James Henderson in 1826, at the peak of the local herring fishing boom
· Pulteney remains the most northerly whisky distillery on the Scottish mainland
· The distillery uses one pair of stills, the wash still featuring a very large boil bulb, and condenses spirit with the use of traditional worm tubs

Glen Ord Distillery: condensers

DIAGEO PLANS FOR GLEN ORD DISTILLERY EXPANSION

Diageo, the world’s leading premium drinks business, will this week submit a planning application for the expansion of the Glen Ord distillery near Muir of Ord.

The planning application, which will be submitted to Highland Council, is the latest step in Diageo’s £1billion investment plan to expand Scotch whisky production capacity over the next five years, which was announced by Diageo in June.

As part of the investment programme Diageo plans to expand around half of its existing 28 malt whisky distilleries in Scotland, as well as building at least one new single malt distillery.

Glen Ord is a key distillery for Diageo, producing spirit for its world-leading portfolio of blended Scotch whiskies, as well as for The Singleton of Glen Ord single malt Scotch whisky.

Under the plans being submitted this week, the distillery will see the installation of 10 new washbacks (vessels for the fermentation process) and six new copper stills. This adds to the 10 washbacks and six stills which the distillery currently has and will add to the production capacity by around 5million litres of alcohol per annum. This will take the overall capacity of the distillery to over 10mla. The new washbacks and stills will be housed in existing buildings at the distillery.

An additional mash-tun will be installed as part of the investment.

Brian Higgs, Diageo’s Director of Malt Distilling, said: “Earlier this year Diageo announced plans to invest £1bn in expanding its whisky production business in Scotland in order to meet growing global demand for our brands.

“Over the next few months we will be bringing forward a number of planning applications to increase capacity at our existing distilleries and the Glen Ord expansion is an important part of that programme.”

Kirsty Dagnan, Senior Site Manager of Glen Ord Distillery, also welcomed the investment plan for the distillery.

She said: “I’m delighted that Glen Ord distillery will benefit as part of Diageo’s plan to invest in Scotland and I’m particularly pleased that the local economy will also have the opportunity to benefit from the work we plan to carry out here.

“We will be working closely with the local authority and consulting carefully with the local community in the weeks ahead as we follow the planning application process.”

Glen Ord Distillery has already benefited from significant investment by Diageo in recent years. In 2011 Diageo invested over £3million to increase the capacity of the distillery by around a million litres by installing additional washbacks.

Last month Diageo submitted Proposal of Application Notices (PANs) in relation to three possible sites for a new distillery, although no final decision has been taken on the location. The sites identified for possible development are Teaninich, Ross-shire, and Glendullan and Inchgower, both on Speyside. All three locations are adjacent to existing Diageo distilleries.

www.ralfy.com gets a bit tacky with Whisky Review #312 – Bell’s Decanter Advice!

Advice is drink it!

Whisky & Ice

THE CARMEN CURLERS WHISKY & CURLING TOUR 2012 was taken here in Scotland during mid October.

As usual, chaos reigned, only slightly overshadowed by the curling and the whisky! Eight brave Swedish souls came to enjoy the water of life, with a blend of curling and of course, fun. The first day (arrival day) was cut short, rather than arrive into Aberdeen 10am, they arrived at 2pm! So a few items on the itinerary were lost, amongst them Glen Moray distillery and the Cooperage. We still managed the important call at Duncan Taylor in Huntly, saw casks, bottling in progress and purchasing some very, very nice whisky. From here to Craigellachie and lunch at the Highlander, where I (Paul) ran into chums Rachel, Fraser and Claire and Yumi Yoshikawa from Ashikaga, Japan. Also from Japan, Tatsuya with his wife and wee lad (in a kilt, they had been to a friends wedding). The Carmens ate well while Allan (driver) and myself chilled oot! From here directly to Inverness where we stayed overnight, a long day, specially for Paul and Allan, as they had started at 7.30am dropping our Russian group back at Aberdeen. If I said they enjoyed Inverness, it would be an understatement.

Day two saw us depart for Urquhart Castle, a good visit (in the rain), followed by an even better visit to Drumnadrochit, lunch at Fiddlers, many thanks to John here for his help and humour. Our group does like to sing! Great food, even better whisky and a good time had by all! Back to the hotel, change, rest and doon again at the coach for the curling rink. Two teams of our Swedes challenged two local teams, on this instance, Scotland won! After the curling back to the hotel to watch Wales Scotland match, enough said; we were robbed! But some fine whisky and enjoyed with good company. Carmens went out on the town again – in kilts

Day three, an early start – too early for some, 9am back to the ice. Mind, a Monkey appeared on the bus at 9am!!! Before curling, a dram or two at the bar to settle nerves, then curling. I am wondering why they do not win the games here??? Scotland 2, Sweden 0. However, more drinks with lunch followed at Inverness Ice before heading down to Tomatin distillery. 2pm; tour and taste and purchases. A bottle for the coach, as we headed back to Craigellachie, staying here tonight. Dinner booked at the Highlander, much liquid was enjoyed with dinner. By now the staff were getting used to singing Swedes, sorry guys, but I think you enjoyed them all. Bed beckoned to me, at least if no the group!

Day four, 10am we set out for a tour of Glenfiddich. Bert was conveniently away (poor excuse a wedding anniversary mate!) so Allan and myself sat it out with a cuppa. More tastes, x 3 drams each, before the shop. Then, sadly time to return to Aberdeen, we stopped for Sunday lunch at a local carvery and dropped our group at Dyce, hugs, kisses and farewells. I have to say, amongst those bottles that had disappearing contents on the coach were; a grand Irish Jameson, Woodford bourbon, Makers Mark, Glengoyne, Monkey Shoulder, Glenfiddich and a couple from DT. My thanks to the Carmen Curlers from Sweden for coming over to Scotland (yet again!), thanks to suffering Allan and all we “made” join in the fun on tour. See you next time.

Paul McLean’ www.mcleanscotland.com   info@mcleanscotland.com