Paul McLean was talking to Lord Alex Mount Charles, Slane Castle. 4^th March 2013.

Good Morning Lord Alex, good of you to give me some time for this wee chat. As you know, I love visits to castles (in Scotland and Ireland), even more so when said castle has its own whiskey! I will be introducing others to the whiskey and the castle later this year, as we are bringing a few whiskey clubs to visit – looking forward to it!

Q; I believe the whiskey was introduced at an Oasis concert at the castle, did you get any comments from the band on the whiskey? A; We took down a couple of bottles when the band arrived and soon received a request for an encore so it went down well. The Kings of Leon at the following gig were so impressed with the whiskey they took seven cases of the stuff for their crew – quite a party that was…

Q; The whiskey is a premium blend, having tasted it, I can say it IS a premium blend, I liked it. Wee hints of wood, spice and honey, it’s a smooth dram, easy to taste, easy to like! My question is; do you intend increasing to a range? A; When the distillery is built, we will produce a range of premium and super premium Irish whiskeys which will include Triple Distilled Single Malt and Pure Pot Still whiskey, all made in copper pot stills.

Q; The whiskey is produced at the Cooley Distillery not far away, who do you work with to select the unique blend? A;The existing blend came from Cooley but that came to an end when Beam purchased them. The result was that we lost our supply line as they chose to discontinue providing us. You will have seen the recent court case that Sidney Frank is taking against Beam for taking a similar action.

Q; and how is this different from other blends in their stable? A;The blend was different from the other blends in that it was chosen personally by three generations of my family, the Conynghams. We worked closely with Noel Sweeney, their very talented Head Distiller, to produce the kind of blend we wanted but the final decision came down to tasting the final samples with my father and grandfather and narrowing it down to the one we all liked best. We also used a high proportion of first fill bourbon casks and that gives the blend good depth and a long finish.

Q; how many bottles you have on sale annually? And if I may ask, how many do you (castle) keep personally? A; We hit sales of about 7,000 cases by the time we had to withdraw the blend in early 2012. Now the only place in the world you can buy the existing blend is at the castle itself. There are only a few hundred cases left and that’s going pretty quickly as it’s now a collector’s edition.

Q; do you have any signed bottles or special numbered bottles for collectors? A; As I said, the current blend is effectively a collector’s edition but if you come to Slane Castle, I am happy to sign bottles for people as I am proud to put my name on it.

Q; Slane Castle Whiskey, won a Gold Medal at the 2011 Irish Whiskey Masters in London, also in the USA where it was awarded 94/100 in the 2011 Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York. What rewards you most, awards, or people actually liking the dram? A; Awards are important because they help to raise the profile and encourage people to step away from the mainstream brands. However, for me, nothing beats the chance of being able to talk people through your own whiskey and explain why you did something a certain way. It’s something I really enjoy doing but I can’t be everywhere and that’s where the awards help out.

Q; I know this probably out of sequence (but that is me all over) but what made you want your own whiskey brand? A; Back in 2000, I used to work for Pernod Ricard on the Jameson brand and got interested in whiskey then but more recently the family needed a new business to sustain the family estate and keep the slates on the castle. My father suggested making whiskey and I jumped at the chance as it embodies all that Slane Castle is about – farming, heritage, family and a little rock and roll.

Q; Do you have any thoughts about finishing? Port, Sherry etc. A; We aim to specialise in unusual and higher end cask finishes and maturation in the longer term. I enjoy Sherry in particular in its own right and so that interest will definitely transfer over to the whiskey. My ancestor, William Burton Conyngham travelled extensively in Spain and Portugal in the 18^th Century and collected both Sherry and Port so we are going to try and retrace some of his steps in selecting our casks.

Q; Finally; a winter night, it’s snowing and cold enough to scare monkey’s, you are sitting in front of the fire, what dram do you have? A; Until my own Slane Castle Pure Pot Still is ready, and given the choice, I would take a Knappogue Castle, 1951

Many thanks for being honest and putting up with all of this shannanigans, do you have a parting shot? A; Straight up but not straight down – that’s a good way to drink whiskey…

Many thanks and I shall call in again later in the year with my whiskey lovers tours! Lord Alex was interviewed by Paul McLean, Angels Whisky Club/MCLEANSCOTLAND.

http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/slanecastlewhiskey.asp

Slane Castle Distillery goes ahead

New Irish Distillery to be built 

Slane Castle Whiskey Distillery 

Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner, The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

After their take over Beam Inc decided not to supply whiskeys to independent bonders and bottlers anymore. In April 2012 the rock-and-roll aristocrat and bonder Henry Mount Charles, The Marquess Conyngham, was shocked by the decision of the new owners of Cooley Distillery. He argued that Beam’s cut of supply was anti-competitive and had forced him to withdraw immediately from his plans to increase sales figures of his Slane Castle Whiskey in the premium U.S. market. “Beam did not even grant a grace period of further supply.”  He was also forced to cancel his annual Festival.

Willie McArthur from Beam explained that bonders and own-label sellers were victims of the recent huge success of Irish whiskey. He said: “The speed at which sales are growing caught everybody by surprise, including the new owners of Cooley. They have done a full review and the sales people say we may need more whiskey than we actually have. We aim to create another Jameson – we are thinking at that kind of level. We have to make sure we do not run out of whiskey in three years’ time.” See Irish Independent, April 12, 2012.

The world-famous Irish Master Blender Noel Sweeney crafted an Irish whiskey selecting various grain and malt whiskeys from Cooley’s warehouses. His Slane Castle Whiskey blend has been very much appreciated and received accolades in spirit competitions. It won a gold medal at the Irish Whisky Masters and was very successful at the Ultimate Spirits Competion in New York in 2011. No wonder that the acceptance in the U.S. and Asia has grown after its first release.

The boutique blended Irish whiskey was launched in 2009 at an Oasis concert.  “Slane Castle Irish Whiskey is a small batch, premium blend of Irish single malt and grain whiskeys which are made and matured in the traditional Irish style that has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years.” It has been selling over 7,000 cases.

The world-wide increasing demand of Irish whiskey stopped Cooley from selling its whiskeys to anybody who could pay. This policy which made Cooley so successful in recent years had to be ended by a drastic cut back selling grain and malt whiskeys to independent bonders and bottlers. Private labels like Michael Collins, Feckin and others will have to seek different sources. The current small batch of Slane Castle Whiskey will be discontinued as Slane Whiskey Ltd. was given no warning there is not enough stock. According to the Conyngham family which owns Slane Castle there will new whiskey available only by 2018.

New activities commenced at Slane Castle. New plans were conceived andthe Marquess’s son Lord Alex Mount Charles, co-proprietor of  Slane castle, took a closer look to the independent whiskey trade in Scotland in order to implement a new distillery in County Meath. Test holes were being sunk on site to find sufficient processing water supply for a future distillery. The nearby running water of the famous River Boyne was checked for production and cooling water.

As a result  an ecofriendly distillery with a visitor centre will be built within the grounds of Slane Castle. Disused farmyard builds, stable houses, barns and cottages will be used as a whiskey production site.

However, the first planning application was rejected by Meath County Council as it was regarded as incomplete. A second draft proposal and design of a future distillery was discussed publically in November at Slane Castle. Planning continued.

After a period of further intensive research the Mount Charles family applied again for planning permission. The present very detailed application includes special Natura Impact Statements and detailed substudies like a dive-based Report and Tree Survey including archeological and architectural studies, traffic and access reports. The Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Ltd. applied at the Meath County Council for planning permission of a whiskey distillery at Slane Castle which is a protected building within the Slanes Castle Demesne Conservation Area at the end of February 2013.

The planning proposal comprises the building of a new distillery and visitor centre in the stableyard and in neighbouring buildings of the castle estate which are presently not in use. Water will be sourced from on site boreholes, collected rainwater and the River Boyne. A packaged waste treatment plant will also be built. “1,200 tonnes of barley will be grown on our own estate,“ Lord Mountcharles explained, “All going to plan, distillation will start in 2014, producing 5,000 casks a year of high-end single malt and pot still whiskeys. There will also be an option to produce blended whiskeys.”

The €10 million development is now on its way. The Council’s planning approval is expected by mid-April 2013.

About Slane Castle

The 18th century neogothic castle is located in the Boyne Valley only 25 minutes north of Dublin and west of Dundalk in Co. Meath. The castle has been the family home of the Conynghams for more than 300 years. Since 1981 the castle ground has hosted rock concerts. In the natural shaped amphitheatre U2, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queen, Bob Dylan, Brian Adams, Guns and Roses and others played within crowds of 80.000 people. At Slane Castle U2 took residence for recording their album The Unforgettable Fire. In 1981 Thin Lizzy staged their world-famous song Whisky in the Jar.

On the Hill of Slane Saint Patrick lit the first paschal fire in 433 AD in direct defiance of the nearby pagan High King Laoire who had forbidden any other fires during the festival fire burning on the Hill of Tara. Photo Courtesy of Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Ltd.   About Slane Castle Whiskey please see: http://www.slanecastle.ie

About the Author: Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner M.A. was a director in an adult education centre. Ernie offers courses on whisky distilling, writes for newspapers and magazines in Germany. He is the editor of The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net which gives an excellent photographic and educational insight into the whisky industry of Scotland, Ireland, Europe and Asia. Please see also: http://www.whisky-distillery.net

Joe from Whisky Wednesday reviews Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey for St. Patrick’s Day 

http://youtu.be/ir0tNwjYahE

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Youtube.com/whiskywednesday

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #39

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, celebrates Saint Patrick’s Day with the ultra-smooth triple distilled Irish blend Tullamore Dew. He shot the video during his holiday in Austria, so enjoy the view as well as the tipple.

http://youtu.be/hauuPXsxnhM

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Whisky Ramblings Via Video #40

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, wraps up Saint Patrick’s Day with the rather excellent Bushmills Black Bush in his 40th Whisk(e)y Rambling.

http://youtu.be/p3VDH9kAKKo

GLOBAL SENSATION ‘OF MONSTERS AND MEN’ SET TO ROCK BUSHMILLS LIVE 2013 – ONLY INDIE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN AN IRISH WHISKEY DISTILLERY 

Bushmills Village: March 2013: The Old Bushmills Distillery today announced that it will throw open its doors to play host to world class headline acts and emerging indie talent at ‘Bushmills Live’ – a unique two-day festival celebrating handcrafted whiskey and music.

Bushmills Live will take place on Ireland’s stunning North Coast on 19th and 20th June 2013 and is the only indie music festival in an Irish Whiskey distillery.

Internationally acclaimed indie folk band, Of Monsters and Men will headline the two day festival – their first ever gig in Northern Ireland.

The Icelandic five-piece are currently enjoying enormous worldwide success having just won the 2013 European Border Breakers Award*, which honours the best new European music acts. Of Monsters and Men have been dubbed the ‘must see act’ of the year and this summer marks the beginning of a busy festival schedule for the group which will include a performance at one of the biggest international festivals, Coachella in California – making their intimate appearance at Bushmills Live unlike any other that fans will experience this year.

Only 500 tickets are available globally for Bushmills Live, which will see both iconic and emerging artists share the stage for a series of intimate gigs in age-old buildings at the historic Old Bushmills Distillery, where the art of distilling has been perfected over generations.

The ‘money can’t buy tickets’ will not go on general release. Instead, music and whiskey fans can win the chance to attend the festival by entering a draw on the Bushmills Irish Whiskey Facebook page – facebook.com/bushmills1608.  Entries to the draw will open this Sunday, on St Patrick’s Day at 16:08 GMT.

Ragnar Þórhallsson, singer with Of Monsters and Men, said: “Playing a show in such a unique location, around the centuries-old warehouses and whiskey barrels, to such an intimate audience, is an experience we are very excited about.  It’s going to make our first gig in Northern Ireland a memorable one, and not just for us, for the fans too, we hope!”

Of Monsters and Men are in good company. They join a list of fellow indie rockers such as the iconic Snow Patrol, singer-songwriters Foy Vance and Iain Archer, Elijah Wood, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Marcus Foster, The Staves, General Fiasco and David C Clements who all played electrifying performances at Bushmills Live last year.

Bushmills Live can also be credited with providing a great platform for up-and-coming music acts to launch their careers. The Staves have gone on to support Bon Iver on his global tour while Foy Vance has had continued success and is set to support Ed Sheeran on the European and US legs of his 2013 tour.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s event Master Blender at The Old Bushmills Distillery, Helen Mulholland, promised fans that they can expect to enjoy “great music between great friends.”

“Whiskey and music have always gone well together”, added Helen Mulholland. “And at Bushmills Live we like to make both by hand, bringing this fusion of handcrafted whiskey and handcrafted music together against the backdrop of our beautiful distillery with performances from artists who are friends – which makes for a cracking atmosphere!”

“It goes without saying that we’re looking forward to extending a warm Bushmills welcome to our new friends, Of Monsters and Men, and to emerging artists who we’re proud to support by creating a music platform that allows fans to discover new and upcoming talent.

“I can’t wait to reveal the rest of the line up in the coming weeks. We’re of course just as excited to open our doors to whiskey and music fans the world over who want to attend Bushmills Live, so get your entry in and good luck!” 

NOTES 

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Facebook: facebook.com/bushmills1608

Bushmills Irish Whiskey Twitter: @BushmillsGlobal

Twitter Hashtag: #BushmillsLive 

OF MONSTERS AND MEN BIOGRAPHY

Of Monsters and Men is an amiable group from Iceland whose debut album “My Head Is An Animal” is a collection of infectious folkie pop songs. With the group’s single “Little Talks”, the band (consisting of Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, Ragnar Þórhallsson, Brynjar Leifsson, Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson, Kristján Páll Kristjánsson) has become a breakout act all around the world.

After a breakout year, “My Head Is An Animal,” the band’s debut album, was officially certified platinum worldwide. Surpassing 1 million sales, the record remains a clarion call for the band’s invigorating style. The band capped off the year with “Little Talks” selling over 3.5 million singles worldwide, the album reaching Platinum status in Canada and Ireland, as well as Gold in multiple countries including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States.

In 2013, Of Monsters and Men will embark on a world tour including stops in Japan, Australia, South America, UK, Europe, and heading back to North America this summer.

*More information on the European Border Breakers Awards: http://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/eng

ABOUT THE COMPETITION:

To win tickets to ‘Bushmills Live’ or to find out more, visit facebook.com/bushmills1608. Entry opens at 16:08 GMT on 17th March 2013 and closes at 23:59 GMT on 5th May 2013. Winners will be notified by 9th May. Terms and conditions apply.

The Facebook competition is open to people of at least 18 years, in:

• Great Britain
• Republic of Ireland
• Northern Ireland
• Germany
• Portugal
• Russia
• USA
• Canada
• Czech Republic
• Latvia

From each, one pair of finalists will win tickets to ‘Bushmills Live’.

ABOUT BUSHMILLS IRISH WHISKEY

With a heritage rooted in authenticity and quality, Bushmills Irish Whiskey is produced, aged and bottled at Ireland’s oldest working distillery in the village of Bushmills in County Antrim on the far north coast of Ireland. The Old Bushmills Distillery uses 100% malt barley to make triple distilled malt whiskey, which is what creates the rich, mellow and distinct flavour that is the house style. The Bushmills portfolio includes: Bushmills Irish Whiskey; Black Bush, Bushmills 10 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 16 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 21 Year Old Single Malt, Bushmills 1608 and now Bushmills Irish Honey. 

ABOUT DIAGEO
Diageo is the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines, and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards Wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.

Craft distilling has become big news in the US recently, with demand for small batch bourbon and rye sky-rocketing in the past few years. On March 25th we are lucky enough to have Chip Tate, President and Distiller of Balcones Texas Whisky, at The Whisky Exchange Shop at Vinopolis to show us his superb range of ground-breaking American whiskies.

Chip’s tiny stills produce a mere 1,000 litres of spirit at a time, and his whiskies have been winning awards left, right and centre since they first started to appear in 2011. For this tasting, he’ll be taking us through his core range, which includes the Baby Blue and True Blue Corn Whiskies, the amazing Brimstone smoked whisky, and finally the winner of Caskstrength.net’s 2012 ‘Best in Glass’ award, the Balcones Texas Single Malt.

The whole range was a huge success at The Whisky Show last year, so this is a great chance to see what all the fuss is about.

Chip’s enthusiasm for whisky-makin’ is infectious, and this casual tasting evening will give you a chance not only to meet the man himself, but also try something that we can assure you is completely and utterly different to anything you’ve tried before.

The tasting will take place on Monday 25th March, 7:30pm.

£15 per ticket

As ever, tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis and are limited to two per customer

Book your ticket

Call us: 020 7403 8688 or visit our shop

http://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/Vinopolis.aspx

http://www.facebook.com/events/226698914136242/

NEW Whisky Insiders Interview from The Whisky Wire: Davin de Kergommeaux, Whisky Writer & Author of Canadian Whisky the portable expert https://goo.gl/zYHfA

Happy Whiskey Selection Fellow WhiskeyLover! –

I have two important bits of news this week:

Bit one: For those of you living in the Greater Boston to Philly corridor, I’m sure you’re as excited as I am that, in a matter of weeks the doors will open to (what I consider) the premier annual whisky event in the New York area: Whisky Live NYC.

On Wednesday April 3rd, Whisky Magazine takes over the magnificent event space at Pier Sixty, at Chelsea Piers on Manhattan’s West Side, for an outrageous evening of whisky exploration and education. Hundreds of exceptional whiskies from around the world will be poured, while Master Classes by renowned industry thought leaders are offered along with great food and music.

Tickets for the event are

– $149 for the VIP treatment, which includes early entrance to the event at 5:00pm, 90 minutes earlier than standard admission, a Whisky Live tasting glass, show guide, full dinner buffet and 14 drink vouchers.

– $119 for regular entrance at 6:30pm, plus a Whisky Live tasting glass, show guide, full dinner buffet and 8 drink vouchers.

But wait! There’s more.

We scored big for you…use the coupon code “explorer” when you purchase your tickets, and you get 15% off your ticket price. And VIP ticket purchasers will also get a 1-year subscription to Whisky Magazine.

Not bad…eh? If you are a WhiskeyLover within 100 miles of NYC, you owe it to yourself the make this event.

Bit Two : This weeks Whiskey Wednesday feature: Bunnahabhain Toiteach.

We featured Toiteach about a year ago when it was first released. Since then we’ve “stumbled upon” an unsecured allotment…more on that later…and so we’re exited to offer it again.

The Bunnahabhain distillery was founded in 1881. It was still a new venture when visited by the author Alfred Barnard while he was researching his definitive book on distilleries. One of Alfred’s many observations was that, “Nothing but peat is used in the kilns, which is dug in the district and is of exceptionally fine quality.”

This is in stark contrast to the gentle Bunnahabhain of today.

Now, over a century and a quarter later, Bunnahabhain Toiteach (Pron. ‘Toe-chack’) has been created in honor of this original, long-lost style of Bunnahabhain.

Toiteach, which means “smoky” in Gaelic, is the first heavily peated Bunnahabhain to be introduced in the United States. The whiskey is not chill-filtered, with no added coloring. And the water used to produce the whisky is sourced from a pure natural spring, making Bunnahabhain the only distillery on Islay to use a natural spring as its water source.

The nose has a charming subtle peatiness with prickling strength emanating from the dram. The taste has immediate warming flavors drifting towards a slightly sweet sherry influence with delicate peppery notes. The finish has a good robust length with an extremely pleasant aftertaste – a beautifully peated Bunnahabhain single malt for a highly discerning palate.

Toiteach was produced in very small quantities, and there is extremely limited availability.

Good luck finding it…anywhere…at any price.

As I mentioned before, we’ve been able to get more.

Our man Nicky The Neck, himself awarded an Alfred Barnard Fellowship while performing his post-doctoral research on methods of distillation at Cambridge University, attended his a class reunion this past weekend. While there he learned of an unsecured allotment of this exquisite whisky, and moved swiftly to acquire the extremely rare whisky for us

And so I’m again thrilled to offer a very lucky few the opportunity to acquire a bottle of Bunnahabhain Toiteach for $87.50.

If you want a bottle, order it now. Because once it’s gone…

Don’t forget to cast your votes for the 2013 Drammie Awards: The Voice of the Whiskey Enthusiast, and until next week,

I wish you the finest of spirits!

Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com

BUNNAHABHAIN TOITEACH

BUNNAHABHAIN TOITEACH – TASTING NOTES

Color: A light golden hue

Nose:Smoky with a subtle floral nose

Body: Buttery mouth feel with sweet smokiness

Finish: Long and complex with a lingering peppery note.

Online catalogue

Go on, take a look….

www.ralfy.com shares a few valuable minutes with one of the most obscure of Irelands whiskies with Whisky Review 348 – Knappogue Castle Irish Whiskey