Father’s Day – Sunday 17th June 2012

This Father’s Day, make it fun for him to remember

Single Malt Whisky with a personalised label.

Select your bottle of Single Malt whisky and then personalise it by adding a photograph of your own choice and using a selection of different backgrounds and a message to the label. Our online label design is fun, quick and produces amazing results at the click of a button.

Click here to go to begin…………….

Some interesting information from the people at Cutty Sark;

The original Cutty Sark clipper ship, the embodiment of the spirit of adventure, has been officially re-opened by her majesty The Queen. Our Scotch whisky was named after this beautiful ship way back in 1923 and therefore we were delighted to donate some of our oldest archive bottles for display as well as £1 million to help support this massive and lengthy restoration project.

Incredibly, thanks to some bright engineers, you can now actually walk underneath the ship for a dolphin’s eye view of the innovative design which enabled her to reach record-breaking speeds. She really was the Concorde of her day. Except on water, rather than in the air…

What are you waiting for? Get down to Greenwich: www.cuttysark.org.uk

Finally, if you know a friend who would also love to hear about exclusive Cutty Sark news, then please let us know who they are.

Return of the longtime favourite – the classic Highball – Japanese style

London: Bartenders everywhere know how to make their own special Highball, a cocktail that has long been popular the world over. It has come back into fashion partly because it is such a refreshing drink, partly because it is so simple to mix. What is more, retro cocktails are now fashionable thanks to TV shows like Mad Men.

Suntory Brand Ambassador Zoran Peric has created a range of Highballs all of which are simple and draw out the intricate flavours of Japanese whiskies.

Fresh as a Summer’s Day

Zoran’s Taisho Highball is an example of pure cocktail delight. Taisho means Japanese season of big heat.

Coat large chunks of ice with elderflower cordial in a tall glass

Pour in 50ml of Hakushu 12 year old single malt and stir 5 times. Add soda water and stir 5 times. Finish off with lemon zest and serve in a chilled Highball glass. Garnish with elderflowers and berries and lemon slice.

A twist of lime adds another dimension to the summer Highball, and there are many others including the use of tonic water, ginger ale or a half and half mix of the two.

Comments Brand Ambassador Zoran Peric: “With their unique flavours Suntory whiskies make very appetising cocktails and we have created a range of cocktails which are appropriate to the time of year. The Highball is ideally suited to the summer months and to individual tastes. Anyone can make one”.

Suntory have created many cocktails based on their single malt and blended whiskies to celebrate Japan’s 24 seasons. For the summer seasons they have always followed the need for simplicity. Cocktails that are easy to make, not time consuming and with ready to hand ingredients. The Highball is a classic of simplicity, refreshing and the perfect quench on a hot day.

This year Yamazaki 25 year old single malt whisky was named The World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards while Yamazaki 18 year old was awarded a world best Trophy at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in the USA. Since 2003 Suntory Japanese whiskies have won more than 60 international awards for quality, flavour and excellence.

Notes: Pronouncing Suntory Names

Yamazaki – (Ya-ma-zarkee)

Hakushu – (Ha-koo-shoe)

Hibiki – (Hi-bi-kee)

Hakushu single malt whisky is available from: Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, The Whisky Exchange, independent specialist retailers and drinkon.com priced from about £52.

The Suntory range of Japanese whiskies is distributed in the UK by Cellar Trends. For all sales enquiries contact: sales@cellartrends.co.uk

Revival

At long last we have managed to release our first whisky , Revival, made entirely since we re-started in 2008 and which is widely available. For us at the distillery it seems to have been a long time in coming and we have taken great care in the preparation of the product and the packaging so that we delivered a quality product of which we were proud.

For those of you who have yet to try it, the whisky is a marriage of first fill and refill casks which have been finished for 6 months in first fill Oloroso sherry casks. The result is a robust whisky, sweet and fruity while rounded and creamy with perfect balancing sherry notes and a slight whiff of sea-air.

While we were pleased with the finished product the real test is how it would be received by customers and we have been extremely pleased by the very positive feedback which included some great tasting reviews from writers and bloggers and a fantastic bronze award in the under £35.00 category at the Scottish Field Awards.

Ronnie adding the marine influence

One reaction we have had is a request for an another contrasting whisky and we will shortly release another whisky which has also been produced since the refurbishment but this one will be limited release so once it has all been sold then that will be it.

More information on this one soon. 

Chosen Few

After the success of the last Chosen Few, we are just about to release the next one. This time it is a 1978 refill sherry cask which has spent the last 12 months of its life in a first fill Oloroso. It is another complex whisky where there is evidence of sherry but this does not overpower the whisky and instead it balances well with the classic Glenglassaugh fruit flavours and the spices that come from the wood. It will again be bottled at cask strength and without the use of colouring and with no use of chill filtration.

Marie extracting a bung from a Port Octave

The whisky has been chosen by Mhairi McDonald who is the production manager at the distillery and who many of you will have met if you have visited here, as she often takes people round the distillery.

I can also give you advance warning of another, much younger Chosen Few, which will appear later this year. This one has been chosen by the oldest member of the team, Ronnie Lawrence, who is currently finishing the transformation of the old office block into a new visitor centre 

USA Exclusive

Lots of excitement in USA and Canada (well not all Provinces unfortunately ) as our North American exclusive is finally making its way into stores. This whisky is a 37 year old, again from a sherry cask and was recently reviewed by John Hansell in his Whisky Advocate blog.

New Team Members

Like all small businesses we have been very prudent in terms of employing people and that is why we all end up doing a number of jobs, including helping out in warehousing or bottling or taking tours.

Jayne filling 26 Year Old

However with the increase in bottling activity, mainly due to Revival, we recruited someone dedicated to bottling and packing and Jayne Smith joined us at the start of the year although she had been here on a temporary basis for some months previously. Jayne hails from Portsoy and is a very welcome addition to the team 

In warehousing we have been looking for a permanent team member for over a year now and have finally recruited Robbie Mackay, who previously worked for a local soft drink manufacturer. He has been a great addition to the team and is mastering the skills required at an astonishingly quick rate. 

Robbie stencilling a cask

Over the last two years, we have concentrated on growing our business in new markets around the world and this has inevitably led to some areas not receiving the support that they deserve. We therefore decided to recruit another member of the team to help grow our business in Europe and were very lucky to find that the “Young Brand Ambassador in 2012 – Icons of Whisky Awards” was available and keen to join us. 

Susan enjoying a cask sample

I am therefore delighted to announce that Susan Colville, previously with Weymss Malts, AD Rattray and Douglas Laing has joined the team as European Brand Development Manager and many of you will meet here over the next few months as she visits festivals and carries out tastings in Europe.

It is also pleasing to note that she has already spent time in distilling, warehousing and bottling so we have ensured that we have extra cover if someone is off (not sure that she was aware that this was part of the contract ) 

Glenglassaugh Whisky School

We will shortly announce the creation of the first Glenglassaugh whisky school. Our aim is to eventually offer this four times per year with limited numbers attending on each occasion. Participants will experience all aspects of what we do at Glenglassaugh, including mashing and distilling, filling, warehousing, cask selection and bottling.

The school will be run by the very experienced team here at Glenglassaugh including Mhairi, Susan, Graeme, Ronnie and myself who between us will have around 80 years worth of experience in the industry.

Visitor Centre

Our long awaited visitor centre is almost complete and before opening we only have a few finishing touches to complete while we wait for the granting of our licence from the local authority so that we can sell alcohol from the premises.

We are anticipating that we will receive this around mid July and are gearing up for the momentous day. 

Web Site

Our web site is undergoing a re-vamp and will very soon be up and running. We believe that it is easier to navigate and specifically find out what you looking for from the front page. 

There are also enlarged sections providing more information on the history of the distillery and of the team members . It will be easier to go to the on-line shop or find out more information on purchasing an Octave or finding information on the tours which are available.

We have also built it so that it is mobile compatible so that it can easily be read from smart phones and tablets.

 Octaves

Octave ownership is an incredibly fast growing part of our the activities which we carry out at the distillery. It seems strange to think that it is almost three years since we filled the first one and already we have filled more than 500. In the first two years we only filled re-fill Octaves but we now fill ex-Oloroso sherry and ex-PX sherry, ex-Bourbon and currently have limited stocks of ex-Port.

A big thank-you to all of the cask owners for not only helping our business but for being part of something that is very enjoyable for all of us.

I believe that there is a story behind each of the Octaves and it would be fascinating to hear from cask owners about their own stories and why they bought them or what they intend to do with the bottles or with the empty cask.

There may not be any prizes but if you are willing to share your story then please drop us an email at casks@glenglassaugh.com

“ ‘Glassa Geeks”

A project currently under wraps but look-out for more information.

As always please leave comments below or email me.

Slange

Stuart 

Please visit Glenglassaugh Distillery at http://www.glenglassaugh.com  

www.ralfy.com says “hello again” with Whisky Review 279 – Auchentoshan Valinch . . . yummy!

Loch Fyne Whiskies stock a new item, ‘The return of a legend; anCnoc 35yo..’

anCnoc 35 year old and it’s an Ace…

…(The Joynson speaks)…

In 1999, our Bottling of the Year was “Knockdhu 21yo”, and here it is again, wiser and more eloquent, as a 35yo. Knockdhu Distillery’s product is now sold as An Cnoc (to avoid confusion with Knockando) and once again, I love this distillation.

There is a rich oiliness and the signature Knockdhu ginger-punch (okay an An Cnoc ginger-punch). There is, in no particular order; oranges, leather, fruitcake, sherbet, cocoa, earthy vanilla and then back to citric, and that’s the undiluted aroma. Adding a spot of water reveals lemon, fudge and berries – blackberries and currants. This is easy describing stuff, there is so much going on, no wonder the 21yo of long ago was so approved of by our customers.

This 35yo is softer than the 21yo on the palette, initially vary well balanced it shuffles onto the bitter (top-back) part of the tongue and shimmies to the sour (back & side) and back and forth. It’s citric and aged; it thickens on the tongue to an orangey-oiliness. It’s soft luxurious and even.

Beautiful ace, a fine venerable whisky, pale gold and on the Flavour Map its in square F4, Complex and Delicate

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

A kind of magic – here come the Wizards

The world’s best non-Scotch whiskies are set to be given a new platform with the launch of a genuinely new, exciting tasting event. The Wizards of Whisky (The WOWs) will showcase whiskies from around the world with a unique three-pronged promotional approach.

One – world whiskies entered in to the Wizards will be judged in region-specific categories by the very best world whisky judges Two – the winning whiskies will be given the opportunity to take part in a 12 date consumer whisky tasting tour. Three- winning whiskies will be offered the chance to be included a five miniature Wizards whisky pack sold on line by the Whisky Tasting Club.

The new awards are the brainchild of leading world whisky writer Dominic Roskrow. He is uniquely qualified to showcase world whiskies. He publishes his own on-line world whisky magazine The World Whisky Review, has written extensively on global whiskies in his last three books, The World’s Best Whiskies, 1001 Whiskies To Try Before You Die and The Whisky Opus, and he added a section on world whisky to Michael Jackson’s Malt Whisky Companion when  he updated it four years ago. In the last two years he has launched The World Masters and Irish Masters for The Spirit Business, and he covers world and Irish whiskey for The Whisky Advocate.

He was the first writer to argue  that areas such as Australia and Asia deserved their own judging sections rather than be lumped together as ‘rest of the World.’ Launching the awards through his company True Spirit, Roskrow said: “The Wizards are launched through love, not money. World whisky is a passion of mine and I am genuinely excited by the new distillers from right across the planet bringing fresh thinking to the whisky category.

“I have been involved with judging various awards in recent years, and have for some time felt there was a need for fresh thinking. Not only do I want the industry and whisky lovers alike to recognised The Wizards as THE symbol of quality for world whisky, but I want to take the best whiskies out t= o the public and promote them, and through my links with The Whisky Tasting Club to give people the chance to taste them for themselves.”

The awards, which will cover every region of the world except Scotland, and including America, Ireland and Japan, will be held in September and whiskies will be judged by a new and exciting panel of judges who, unlike many of the other awards events, have extensive and specialist knowledge of world whisky.

Entries are now being sought, and the closing date for entrants is August 31, 2012, and whiskies will be judged by three different panels of judges over two days, with each panel specially selected for their knowledge of specific areas of world whisky and featuring retailers, writers and whisky experts.

Whiskies will be considered for a top award of a Wizard, or for a gold medal. There are no limits as to how many Wizards and golds can be awarded in each category. From each of the seven world regions represented in the awards, one whisky will receive the title of Grand Wizard. and from these seven one will be selected as the World Wizard of Whisky

Whiskies will be judged in the following categories:

American whiskey – bourbons
American whiskey – other styles
American whiskey – craft and specialist
Irish whiskey – blends
Irish whiskey – single malt
Irish whiskey – pot still
Japanese whisky – single malt
Japanese whisky – blends
Japanese whisky- blended malts
Canadian whisky
Australasian whisky – cask strength
Australasian whisky- under 50% ABV
Asian and African whisky- cask strength
Asian and African whisky- under 50%
European whisky
Elsewhere

Samples to Dominic care of Hogworts? – Ed.

EXCEPTIONAL 50 YEAR OLD MACALLAN LEADS WHISKY SALE AT BONHAMS EDINBURGH

A bottle of The Macallan 50 year old distilled in 1928 and bottled in 1983, leads Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on Wednesday 27 June.

Estimated at £10,000-12,000 the bottle, bearing a label in particularly fine condition, comes in its own wooden presentation case. The Macallan 1928 was one of the first 50 year old malts to be released and is regarded as a key part of any serious whisky collection. Only 500 bottles were released, and as they rarely come onto the market they have become increasing difficult to find.

Among other highlights are a bottle of The Dalmore 50 year old 1926, estimated at £5,000-7,000, and two The Macallan Millennium 50 years old Decanters bottled in 1999. The whisky was chosen from 3 cases which had been filled the same day in 1949. The decanters are made from Caithness glass accompanied by a copper mounted stopper cast from copper reclaimed from No 9 still at the distillery. Both decanters come in their own presentation cases.

For more information on the sale, go to www.bonhams/books.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son & Neale. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street and Knightsbridge; and a further three in the UK regions and Scotland. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Connecticut in the USA; and Germany, France, Monaco, Hong Kong and Australia. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments go to www.bonhams.com

As some of you know I have been totally misled and was signed up for Norfolk Superhero Challenge 2012. It would appear that this is not the national tiddlywinks championship but a rather more gruelling event on the Norfolk Coast. On June 23rd I have agreed to:

Swim 1 mile at sea – that’s the North Sea and it is very cold
Kayak 4 miles at sea
Cycle 45 miles around the mountainous terrain of North Norfolk
Finally Run 8 miles on Holkham Beach – this will be my nemesis…doesn’t matter how hard the sand is when you are my weight your feet sink deep deep into the sand.

Total Training so far:

2 leisurely sessions in a heated indoor pool – may have involved a drink at half time
3 bike rides – don’t mind the biking as it involves a seat
5 runs – One of which was a run to my neighbouring farmers house for beer and Pizza! Great night out.

Last night I finally went to the coast for a trial go: We ran 7 miles on the beach, swam 1 mile at sea, and kayaked 3miles. I am pleased to announce we completed these parts BUT it took so long the Coastguard was put on full alert, this was after the Fisheries had to intervene with the whaling fleet that was headed in our direction (black wetsuits not a good look) and when I finally got home I couldn’t get out of the car!

The Superhero organisers have asked that we collect a bit of charity and so I have set up a just giving page. If you are feeling generous click on the link below, if you aren’t feeling generous click on the link below and donate whilst grimacing.

http://www.justgiving.com/Andrew-Nelstrop

Many Thanks

Andrew Nelstrop

MD