Stronachie 18yo (46%, A.D. Rattray, Batch Number 18/10-01, 2010)

On the nose there’s a good solid meatiness (think Bovril or such) with lots of good sherry and some nice spiciness. There’s also some really very lovely crème brulèe and when all are taken together they are very good and everything is in balance. Some slight hints if ‘green’ notes in the back ground but only light hints.  And maybe a little coconut. The taste is much as the nose although perhaps the meatiness and some nice cask influence (oak spice and cocoa powder) have taken the lead here somewhat; which is good. The sherry merrily skips along behind adding some class to the other two and quite frankly there’s not a foot put wrong here. The finish is cocoa and coffee beans and then a blast of malt followed by some of the meatiness’coffee/cocoa who have now teamed up for a grand finale. Sort of like the closing ceremony at London 2012. Not sure if the Spice Gorls fit in here but none the less a grand finish.

All very excellent and well done A. D. Rattray

$80

Please visit A.D. Rattray at www.dewarrattray.com Part 4 of 4 featruring the whiskeis of A.D. Dewar Rattray this week.

NEWSFLASH! 

The Longrow Red will be in Campbeltown Shop tomorrow.   The price will be £48.00 plus postage and packing, bottles available worldwide 9,000 and the strength 52.1% ABV.

Sorry this is so late in going out to you, it has just been bottled in the last week.

Regards

Janet
For the Springbank Society

Please contact Janet directly to join the Springbank Society.

*********************************************************
J & A Mitchell and Co Ltd, The Tasting Room, 9 Bolgam Street, Campbeltown, Argyll, PA28 6HZ Scotland

 Tel :+ 44(0) 1586 555492  Fax :+ 44(0) 1586 551110 http://www.springbankwhisky.com/ 

An incredible £26.00 off this stunning Glen Grant 15 year old single cask bottling only at whiskyshop.com. So treat that someone special whilst stocks last! Now only £49.99. RRP £75.99!  

 
Distilled in April 1995 and bottled in January 2011 this is one of only 222 bottles and is sure to sell quickly. Glen Grant is famed for its rich delicate notes and this expression is no different.

Nose Opens with a sweet and creamy home baked style.

Palate: Carries a delicious sweetness (Lemon and oranges) with some vanilla and honey

Finish: Remains fresh and sweet, more hints of vanilla but now with a more spicy character.

Click Here To Buy  
     
The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com http://www.whiskyshop.com/

Loch Fyne Whiskies  ‘Last of the Macallan 10yo, now £3 off!’

Macallan are no longer producing 10yo single malt, the new products will have no age statement and the first of three will be available soon, titled Macallan Gold.

To help move the old 10yo and make space for the new we have £3 off the sherry matured 10yo and the Fine Oak 10yo, buy now because […please click on the link below to read the remainder of the post…]

THE LINK 

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

Vikings…and a tuna the size of a small horse (and a few drams in-between)

By Stewart Buchanan, newly installed BenRiach and GlenDronach Brand Ambassador

So the journey begins…Although I have covered many shows, tastings and events over the years, they were always a wee sideline from production and seen as a bit of a “jolly”. I did wonder how I would get on with this being my full time job? I didn’t hesitate accepting the position when Billy and Alistair Walker offered it to me but I will admit I didn’t exactly know what I was letting myself in for: a life away from production after 20 years, moving to Glasgow, 9 till 5 in an office environment, constantly travelling around the UK, Europe, the world. It was going to be a 100% change of lifestyle.

With my house in Elgin all packed into an old garage at BenRiach, I jumped into the car with a holdall of clothes in the boot and my kilt thrown into the back seat. I waved and tooted farewell to the warehouse boys and neighbours, and with an Arnold Schwarzenegger style “I’ll be back!” I turned left out of BenRiach and sped down the Longmorn strait.

Should I have been worried? Not at all! From the word ‘go’, I was on the road and the funny thing is that it felt perfectly natural. Travelling to such diverse places no matter how big or small, near or far, each and everyone has been fantastic. The whiskies I have been able to offer have also been outstanding – from some old GlenDronach 70’s vintages to the fantastic new BenRiach Septendecim which is now at the heart of our BenRiach peated range. Also bringing the GlenDronach 21YO Parliament and the new BenRiach Authenticus 25YO to people for the first time has been amazing. I love the feedback when we can offer such a rich mixture of expressions in one tasting. Sometimes the only problem is that time goes so fast when you’re having such fun!

I wish I had space to detail all the trips and to thank everyone I have visited so far but it would run to endless pages so I would just like to say a big thank you to anyone reading this that I have bumped into over the last few months and I hope you have enjoyed the tastings as much as I have.

The reason for the title is they are a couple of the things that will stay in my head for a long time:

Norway
I was lucky enough to be staying in a hotel in Tronsberg, Norway, which was next to the construction of a replica Viking ship ‘Saga Oseberg’. It was amazing to see the ship being crafted using the traditional methods. After a tour of the build site, I was invited to join the boat builders for a campfire, barbeque and a few warmers of aquavit – a great night and company.

Japan
The most bizarre moment was undoubtedly crashing the (totally off limits) fish market in Tokyo. With two of the usual suspects from the industry, we hitched a lift on what I can only call a cement mixer powered barrow, whizzing through the narrow lanes of fish tanks and boxes. We struggled to hold on with laughter and after jumping off the buggy we passed every species of sea life imaginable. We stopped at a lovely old man standing beside the biggest fish I had ever seen (roughly the size of a small horse). The slice in its back showed the scarlet flesh, gesturing to the wee man I pinched a bit of the melt in the mouth tuna which had only been caught 3 hours prior. Six men heaved the beast to the wooden slab to prepare it for its last journey to restaurants and shops across the country, if not the world. We did attract a few odd looks as we inspected the days catches and it wasn’t long until we were kindly asked to leave. As we walked back to the hotel we asked ourselves if what we had experienced actually happened.

If this is the prelude of things to come I think this job is going to be what I can only call “interesting”.

Until the next update.

Slainte!

Longmorn 14yo 1996/2011 (46%, A.D. Rattray, Bourbon, C#97630, 304 Bts)

Another single cask bottling from A.D. Rattray bottled at 46% in place of cask strength however without chill filtration or the addition of colouring. On the nose there is some good cleanness (or perhaps a better term would be uncluttered), a combination of dusty and green malt (unusually), light honey and heather (now those two DO go together) all of which is followed by some very nice unlit tobacco notes (think of breaking up a cigarette and nosing the toasted unlit tobacco) and perhaps a hint of smoke. Deep down there’s also some nice fruit. All in all a very good collection of aromas but then again this is hardly surprising considering it’s Longmorn. The taste is slightly peppery with the malt and some very nice oak spice and dark chocolate; all very active and some what dry on the palate all followed some really good moments of fruitiness. Seductive and very nice. The finish is very much as the taste with loads of dry oaky notes combined with the ever so slight peat smoke, the malt and latterly the fruit. A big finish with lots of chewy malt that really has some legs to it.

To hell with the water; it’s good as it is.

$?

Score 89 points

Please visit A.D. Rattray at www.dewarrattray.com Part 1 of 4 featruring the whiskeis of A.D. Dewar Rattray this week.

Diageo has announced its Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to be released in limited edition this autumn in the Special Releases series. All are at natural cask strength. As usual, the series embraces some exceedingly rare and therefore increasingly sought after single malts from the dwindling stocks of long-silent distilleries alongside expressions from familiar and less familiar working distilleries, […please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Best regards,

Loch Fyne Whiskies

david@lfw.co.uk

Ardbeg Galileo

Story of Product:
To celebrate Galileo, one of the founding father of astronomy and the NASA space mission to Jupiter

The heart of this Ardbeg is matured in ex Marsala casks from Sicily, balanced with first fill ex bourbon casks.

Tasting Note:

Colour: Deep Amber

Nose: At full strength, soot/tar, spicy toffee, Butterkist popcorn with hints of ripe, exotic tropical fruits (banana, mango and lychee). A splash of water releases fresh, salving antiseptic notes and a hint of sea spray

Taste: The chewy/oily texture leads in to sweet, creamy fudge, smoked apricots smothered in cream, ripe banana and lots of spices – cinnamon, clove and aniseed

Finish: The chewy/oily texture leads in to sweet, creamy fudge, smoked apricots smothered in cream, ripe banana and lots of spices – cinnamon, clove and aniseed

The smoky, but sweet, finish lingers long in the mouth, again drawing the mind back to rich, smoked fruits.

£71.99

BUY NOW

DESPATCH DATE 7TH SEPTEMBER

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DIAGEO ANNOUNCE 2012 COLLECTION OF LIMITED-EDITION SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKIES IN THE ‘SPECIAL RELEASES’ SERIES

 by Pat Roberts

Diageo has announced its Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to be released in limited edition this autumn in the Special Releases series. All are at natural cask strength.

As usual, the series embraces some exceedingly rare and therefore increasingly sought after single malts from the dwindling stocks of long-silent distilleries alongside expressions from familiar and less familiar working distilleries, but at unusual ages.

The eight single malt releases this year are:

Auchroisk™ 30 year

Brora™ 35 year old

Caol Ila™ 14 year old

Dalwhinnie™ 25 year old

Lagavulin™ 12 year old

Lagavulin™ 21 year old

Port Ellen™ 32 year old

Talisker™ 35 year old

All are at natural cask strength.

‘Treasures for all’

“Once again I hope we have released whiskies here to interest very many single malt drinkers and connoisseurs” said Nick Morgan, Diageo’s Head of Whisky Outreach.

“The iconic 21 year old Lagavulin will, I’m sure, not disappoint those who have bought the previous highly-regarded bottling, and will be a delight for those who haven’t tried it before. An ‘unpeated’ Caol Ila from ex-bodega European Oak will be fascinating. We are particularly excited about the Talisker 35 year old – the oldest we have ever released from this celebrated distillery.

“And our ever-diminishing stocks of Brora and Port Ellen have once again been successfully explored for hidden treasures, which will no doubt further increase the huge over-demand for these rare products . It is amazing to think that those distilleries closed nearly 30 years ago.”

Details

DISTILLERY NO. OF BOTTLES UK RRP COMMENTS

Auchroisk™ 30 year old 2,976 £230 The oldest Auchroisk ever released by the distillers. From a mix of American & European Oak refill casks filled in 1982.
Brora™ 35 year old 1,566 £400 Eleventh of a very limited series of annual releases. Vatted from whiskies at least 35 years old distilled in 1976 & 1977 and aged in refill American Oak casks
Caol Ila™ 14 year old limited numbers £66 From a batch made only once a year,: the 7th limited release of unpeated Caol Ila, the first at fourteen years old, also the first ‘sherried’ Caol Ila released in this series. From 1st fill ex-bodega European Oak casks filled in 1997.
Dalwhinnie™ 25 year old 5,358 £185 Latest of four limited releases to be offered by the distillery, and the first of these to come from rejuvenated American Oak hogsheads.
Lagavulin™ 12 year old limited numbers £71 Eleventh in a series of special 12 year old releases from the original distiller’s stocks. Vatted from refill American Oak casks, each at least 12 years old.
Lagavulin™ 21 year old 2,772 £350 Only the second 21 year old ever bottled by the original distillers. Vatted from first fill ex-sherry European Oak casks each at least 21 years old, filled in 1991.
Port Ellen™ 32 year old 2,964 £600 Twelfth of a very limited series of annual releases. From refill American Oak and refill European Oak casks filled in 1979.
Talisker™ 35 year old 3,090 £525 The oldest limited release ever offered by the distillery. Sixteenth in this series. From American & European Oak refill casks filled in 1977. 

Note: Brora Distillery and Port Ellen Distillery both closed in 1983.

Availability
From specialist retailers in Northern Europe, in selected Asian markets and in the USA.