DUNCAN TAYLOR – DIMENSIONS

The Dimensions collection is an outstanding range of single malt and single grain Scotch whiskies encompassing the full breadth of the Duncan Taylor portfolio. Containing whiskies aged up to 39 years, the Dimensions collection showcases the multi dimensional levels of character and flavour available from individual distilleries and casks.

The Dimensions collection consists of single cask, cask strength releases and exclusively numbered small batches at 46% abv. Neither chill filtered nor coloured, only the finest whiskies are selected for inclusion, ensuring that every bottle delivers the Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky ethos: Whisky Without Compromise.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL RANGE

‘Back to Basics’ Whisky Evening
Friday July 6th at The Room, Troqueer Arms
7.30 for 7.45pm, £14.50 per member

We have recently had a few requests from members asking for an evening learning about the basics of whisky making, tasting, casks used and the whisky industry in general. With that in mind, we decided to do a ‘back to basics’ tasting for new members and those keen to learn a bit more about the industry.

Alan Wardrop from Ian Macleod Distillery will be our guest speaker for the evening. He did something similar many years ago for us, when The Drambusters was in its infancy!

Alan will be bringing along various whiskies to taste from the Glengoyne range along with some new make spirit.

This is a ‘tutored’ tasting although informal and questions are encouraged on the evening. Alan has considerable experience in the whisky industry and is also a very entertaining speaker.

Numbers are strictly limited to 35 and will be reserved on a first come basis as usual. New members and those who would like to gain a more indepth knowledge of whisky are encouraged to book quickly.

‘what’s a hoggie?’ ‘when do they use sherry butts?’ ‘why are casks regauged?’… all these questions and more can be answered on the night.

info@tbwatson.co.uk  

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

Hello Fellow WhiskeyLovers –

First, a hearty shout-out of “Thanks!” to those of you that jumped in and contributed to For-Lovers’ Crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.

We’re off to really great start.

But we have a long way to go, and those of you who haven’t gotten involved: We NEED you!

Please check out our campaign and support us: You can contribute as little as $5…every little bit helps…IMMENSELY!

And speaking of “little”…this weeks Whisky Wednseday offering is all about little: Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Kilchoman (pronounced kilhoman) is one of the smallest distilleries in Scotland with an annual production of 90,000 litres of alcohol. The distillery opened in 2005, is a farm distillery and the first to be built on Islay for 124 years. It is also one of only six distilleries in all of Scotland to carry out traditional floor maltings, but the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown right at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase their barley from around the country.

Machir Bay is the first general release from Kilchoman, and is named after the prettiest beach on Islay. It is a combination of three, four and five year old whiskeys aged in bourbon and refill sherry casks. In order to maximize flavor and texture, the whisky is distilled at one of the slowest rates in Scotland, and is bottled at natural color and non chill-filtered.

I get most excited when we are able to offer you a whisky that, for the most part, is not available anywhere else. And this is certainly the case with Kilchoman Machir Bay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The price is $65/ bottle, and if you want a bottle, please purchase it ASAP. We have an limited number of bottles….and once they’re gone, they are gone!

Until next week….have fun!

Doug Stone

Founder

ForScotchLovers.com

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KILCHOMAN MACHIR BAY SINGLE MALT ISLAY WHISKY

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KILCHOMAN MACHIR BAY – Distillers Tasting Notes

Peated to 50ppm, aromas of peat and vanilla biscuit are quickly followed by black pepper, kelp and brine. This whiskey drinks beyond its years and offers a balanced but rich mouth feel that features citrus fruit and peat. Machir Bay ends with the quintessential medicinal Islay finish which is nicely augmented by honeyed nuts and sweet spices.

KILCHOMAN DISTILLERY

Kilchoman, (pronounced kilhoman) established in 2005, is a farm distillery and the first to be built on Islay in 124 years. It is one of only six distilleries to carry out traditional floor maltings (three of these are on Islay – Bowmore and Laphroaig are the others) on its own floor at the distillery.

But the key difference at Kilchoman is that the barley is grown on the farm at the distillery, whereas other distilleries purchase barley from around the country

Drama at the Distillery

An award winning arts production, sponsored by Benromach Single Malt Whisky, will be starring in two exclusive performances, just released, at Speyside’s smallest distillery, to toast the phenomenal success of the show worldwide.

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart returns to Scotland hot from US performances in Connecticut and New Haven and in Rio and Sao Paulo, Brazil, which formed part of its recent International Tour.

Famed for taking theatre into pubs, the production will now perform for the first time at a distillery venue with two new dates (Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2012) set for the Benromach Visitor Centre in Forres.

Welcoming the performance to the Benromach distillery, David Urquhart Joint Managing Director of Gordon & MacPhail, owners of the Benromach Distillery, said: “We’re excited to be continuing our sponsorship of the arts as The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart grows in popularity across Scotland, the UK and internationally. It is fitting that this award winning artistic performance will be delivered at Benromach – the home of our hand-crafted Single Malts. We look forward to welcoming the cast, crew and audience to Speyside’s smallest distillery for what promises to be two fantastic evenings’ of entertainment.”

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is an evening of supernatural storytelling, music and theatre inspired by Border Ballads, Robert Burns and the poems of Robert Service. The tale follows Prudencia Hart, an uptight academic, as she sets off to attend a conference one wintery morning in the Scottish Borders. But, as the snow falls her wild journey through the night takes her into and out of different supernatural and natural realms looking for folk songs.

Those attending the Forres performance (18 years and above) will be invited to sample Benromach 10 Years Old at the Visitors Centre.

Building on its successful partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland, and following its support of the production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, Benromach has been sponsoring the 2012 tour across the UK and selected international venues.

Elly Rothnie, Development Director, National Theatre of Scotland said: “The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart was a huge success at the Fringe last year and our audiences loved sampling one of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies as part of the experience. We are thrilled to be able to bring this unique performance quite literally to the home of our sponsor Benromach and celebrate the success of taking the production and Benromach whisky to new audiences across the globe.”

Following the Forres dates the production will head to Galway Arts Festival and will continue to appear at international festivals until 2013.

Listings Information

Benromach Visitors Centre, Inverne Road, Forres IV36 3EB

Dates and Time: Friday 6 & Saturday 7 July at 7.00pm. Doors open 6.30pm

Box Office: 01309 675968

Ticket Prices: £12.50 /£10 concessions

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one interval

Notes:

• The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart originally toured Scotland in February 2011 subsequently playing at Latitude Festival, Òran Mór, Glasgow, and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2011. The production has won three awards, a Critics Award for Theatre for Best Music and Sound, a Herald Angel and an Argus Angel at the 2012 Brighton Festival.

• Benromach sponsored some US dates of the 2012 tour with American audiences being offered the opportunity to share a dram of the Speyside Scotch Malt during the show. This sponsorship covered all US venues where state legislation allows and is part of Benromach’s venturing into the arts and their first foray into international arts touring.

• Benromach and the National Theatre of Scotland are committed to promoting responsible drinking messages within the sponsorship of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart in accordance with the guidelines provided by the Scottish Government document ‘Alcohol Sponsorship Guidelines Scotland’.

About Benromach

Established in 1898, Benromach distillery changed hands many times and was virtually derelict when bought by Gordon & MacPhail in 1993. Drawing on generations of whisky expertise, the company carried out a painstaking refurbishment, and the distillery was officially re-opened by Prince Charles in 1998.

Just two men hand-craft Benromach using the finest Scottish barely and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. They fill new spirit into the highest quality casks before being left to mature at the distillery for many years. The Benromach portfolio includes the award winning Benromach 10 Years Old and the first fully certified organic single malt – Benromach Organic.

Please visit www.benromach.com for details.

About the National Theatre of Scotland

The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating over 160 productions in 125 different locations. With no building of its own, the Company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to over 710,000 people, across three continents. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Highland Park NAS “Leif Ericksson Release” (40%, OB, +/-2011)

A limited edition release exclusive to global travel retail and wholly matured in American oak casks. On the nose there are some immediate hints of diesel (hints not lashings…), some slight green notes, some malt and then some very welcome peat smoke. After some moments in the glass the Highland Park character begins to surface however it does take a moment or two. The taste is gentle and has some good malt and a little peat smoke but some green twig/bitterness is apparent along with a little oak spice and a little bit of fruit. The finish is quite malty and astringent with more of the oak spice and pepper. The malt is backed by some good sweetness (happily) and the finish is mildly industrial and long (unhappily).

Sigh.

£75 at the Whisky Exchange and Global Travel Retail price unknown; not currently available in Lunar or Martian Travel Retail.

72 points

RED HOT NEWS

Only 3 Days Left!

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www.robbiesdrams.com

We say let bygones be bygones here at TWE. Things have moved on since all that kerfuffle back in the 18th century and to show that there’s no hard feelings we’re going to be putting on a little shindig to celebrate the birth of the United States of America on July 4th. After all, if it wasn’t for the War of Independence we probably wouldn’t have American whiskey…

We’ll be joined by Bruce Perry, Sales Director for Eaux de Vie, who distribute a wide range of American whiskies in the UK – as well as spirits from all over the rest of the world. He’ll be lending us his whiskey knowledge for the evening and introducing us to a range of whiskeys from the USA.

After kicking off with a summery cocktail (no matter what the weather is doing outside) we’ll be sipping our way through almost the entire gamut of American whiskey styles, with Wheat, Corn, Rye, Single Malt and, of course, Bourbon making an appearance. There’ll be drams from Georgia Moon, Bernheim, Wasmund’s, Rittenhouse, Elijah Craig and Noah’s Mill on the mat, as well as the long aged and multi-award-winning Evan Williams 23 year old.

The tasting will take place on Wednesday 4th July at 7:30pm. Tickets are now on sale at £25 each.
As ever, tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis and are limited to two per customer. You can book your place at the tasting by phoning the shop on 020 7403 8688 or by calling by in person.

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/Vinopolis.aspx
http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/nlv/15-06-2012-fourth-of-july/

presents

The Drambusters Whisky Festival 2012

Tickets are now on sale for our second Whisky Festival at Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton, Dumfries at £20 per person.

We have organised two Master Classes, Bruichladdich and either Tomintoul or McKillop’s Choice. The Master Classes will cost £15 each and are on sale online too.

BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS HERE

The festival will run from 12 noon until 4.30pm on Saturday 24th November at our new venue and we are anticipating a larger turnout of both visitors and exhibitors.

More information will follow both in the newsletters and also online, so keep an eye on our email newsletters, website and facebook pages as well as our tweets @drambusters and also by text.

Malt-Menace here! 

A.K.A. ralfy.com

presenting Whisky Review #282 – Recommended Vintage Single Malts… for those of you with money to spend on a rarer experience.

www.ralfy.com

Bardstown declared “Most Beautiful” finalist

Central Ky. town in Rand McNally/ USA TODAY ‘Best of the Road’ competition

BARDSTOWN, KY – JUNE, 2012 – Bardstown may well be the “Most Beautiful” small town in America. Bardstown, the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” is a finalist in the Rand McNally/ USA TODAY “Best of the Road” contest that will decide the 2012 Best Small Towns. Visit www.SampleOurSpirit.com to see what’s so special about Bardstown.

The competition

Bardstown is one of six small towns selected as a finalist in the “Most Beautiful” category. Its competition is fellow Kentucky small town, Danville, and these cities: Sedona, Ariz.; Jim Thorpe, Penn.; Baker City, Ore.; and Tybee Island, Ga.

“With about 300 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places – 200 alone in the historic downtown district – and nearly 20 unique bed and breakfast inns, plus historic venues like Old Bardstown Village, I feel Bardstown really deserves this recognition,” said Dawn Ballard Przystal, vice president, tourism expansion and marketing of the Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission. “Add to this the charm of Courthouse Square, all the downtown shops, restaurants and attractions and our very clean streets and parks and I feel we have a very strong chance to win.”

Bardstown is currently in the midst of preparing for the arrival of the “Best of the Road” Road Rally teams. The teams will visit all the small town finalists to see just what they’re made of and why they should be named the best in their category.

The Road Rally team

On June 15 the Road Rally teams met in Washington D.C. for the event kick-off. Each team learned which category they were assigned (Most Beautiful, Most Patriotic, Best for Food, Friendliest and Most Fun) and then sent on their way. The husband-and-wife team, Two for the Road, is heading to Bardstown. Learn more about Nikki and Dusty Green here.

Follow Two for the Road on their team page and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what they have to say about Bardstown and its competition for “Most Beautiful” small town in America.

The plan to welcome and wow

Although it is not yet known when the Two for the Road team will arrive, Bardstown plans to roll out the red carpet for the Greens, welcoming them with Southern Hospitality as befitting the “Bourbon Capital of the World” and showing off all Kentucky’s second oldest city has to offer.

Ultimately, all the Road Rally teams will finish in Seattle, Washington. In the meantime, they will have four weeks to write their blogs and reviews, make their videos from the road and view photos of the trip before deciding the 2012 Best Small Towns in America.

The 2012 Best Small Towns were chosen from over 650 competing destinations, with four finalists returning from the 2011 Rally. The 26 new small towns, including Bardstown, bring plenty of pride to the competition. Visit www.BestoftheRoad.com to see all the finalists in their categories and to browse each unique stop’s photos and reviews.

PHOTO (top)

Courthouse Square in Bardstown, Ky.

Photo: Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist & Convention Commission

ABOUT BARDSTOWN, KY | The “Bourbon Capital of the World,” Bardstown sits in the heart of Kentucky Bourbon Country, home to five distilleries, including the restored and newly re-opened Willett Distillery, known for its unique bourbon and rye whiskeys bottled by hand in very small batches. Three of Bardstown’s distilleries – Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam – are on the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Major attractions include the “Stephen Foster Story,” Kentucky’s official outdoor drama that takes place in My Old Kentucky Home State Park; the Civil War Museum of the Western Theatre (one of the four most significant such museums in the country); The Kentucky Railway Museum, where Thomas the Tank Engine is known to put in appearances; and My Old Kentucky Dinner Train. Additionally, Bardstown has four 18-hole golf courses, three self-guided tours (Historic Downtown Walking, Architectural and African-American), two wineries and numerous religious attractions.