The Bowmore Tempest 4 has arrived!

It has the DNA of all the other Tempests in terms of the Bowmore smokiness and sea salt tang and of course is matured only in ex-Bourbon casks at cask strength. But it is the beauty of small batch production and 100% first fill casks that enables Bowmore to produce the very different flavours apparent in this exceptional whisky which differentiates it slightly from the other award winning Tempest releases that have gone before.

The fourth expression in the Tempest Series and they just keep getting better.

Bottled at 55.1% volume.

This limited edition bottling is only available while stocks last.

£49.99 Simply Click Here To Buy

BUNNAHABHAIN AND FISHERMEN’S MISSION LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL 

‘TALES OF THE SEA’ DESIGN COMPETITION

Islay single malt whisky Bunnahabhain has partnered with The Fishermen’s Mission, a charity which cares for the families of fishermen lost or injured at sea, to launch an international design competition.

The project aims to nurture emerging design talent while also raising funds to help The Fishermen’s Mission, the only charity which provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care to help fishermen and their families.

The competition, which launches today (24 April) and is open to amateur and professional designers, asks entrants to design a contemporary label based on the return of the brand’s iconic travelling Helmsman to the safety of Bunnahabhain Distillery. In addition to the UK, Bunnahabhain will run the competition in other markets, including the USA, to produce an exclusive Tales of the Sea collection which will be auctioned later in the year.

All proceeds of the auction and a portion of sales from the 500 limited edition bottles will go to The Fishermen’s Mission to help it carry out vital work supporting fishermen and their families.

Over 13,000 men and women are employed in the UK’s toughest and most dangerous peacetime occupation – inshore and deep sea commercial fishing. They face fatal injury on a daily basis and are 115 times more likely to suffer a fatal accident than the rest of the nation’s workforce.

Michelle Lansdowne, Senior Brand Manager at Burn Stewart, said: “Bunnahabhain’s Helmsman and his maritime stories have inspired the brand for generations. Tales of the Sea is an opportunity for us to add a contemporary twist to our current label, in addition to fostering fresh design talent and highlighting the important and groundbreaking work of The Fishermen’s Mission.”

David Dickens, CEO of The Fishermen’s Mission, said: “Every day the Mission staff sees the devastating aftermath of death and serious injury of fishermen at sea. Launching Tales of the Sea with Bunnahabhain will help us to raise further awareness of the Mission’s vital work and help to raise the funds necessary to continue our work supporting fishermen and their families.”

The winner will receive a cash prize of £2,000 and will see their design produced commercially as part of a limited collection. Chosen by a panel of expert judges, the winning design must perfectly embody Bunnahabhain’s nautical theme of the Helmsman returning home to recount his tales by the fireside.

To register for the competition, entrants must send an email with their name, date of birth and contact telephone number to: talesofthesea@stripecommunications.com or phone 0131 526 3083 with these details.

Deadline to register for the competition is 24th May 2013.

Deadline for submissions is 24th June 2013.

Notes

About Bunnahabhain: The multi-award winning Bunnahabhain is the flagship malt whisky from Burn Stewart Distillers and is exported to over 30 countries globally. Unlike its neighbouring distilleries on the Island, Bunnahabhain embodies “the gentle taste of Islay”, as it is the only non-peated Islay malt. Situated on the northern shore of Islay, Distillery Bunnahabhain was founded in 1881 by William Robertson and brothers James and William Greenless. Bunnahabhain is Gaelic for ‘mouth of the river’ and the distillery is situated right at the shoreline, close to where the Margadale River flows into Bunnahabhain Bay.

www.bunnahabhain.com

About Fishermen’s Mission

The Fishermen’s Mission is a national UK charity founded in 1881 to support Fishermen and their families. We are the only fishermen’s charity that provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care. We help all fishermen, active or retired, and their families. We do this by:

• Offering immediate assistance, day or night, to the families of fishermen who have been killed or seriously injured
• Looking after the survivors of fishing boat accidents • Helping injured or ill fishermen to find medical help • Finding emergency housing and food if necessary
• Supporting fishermen’s families in the case of illness, distress or financial difficulties •
• Alleviating loneliness by visiting retired fishermen and their families at home or in hospital
• Offering welfare and support to overseas fishermen, working in the UK fishing industry, especially those who have to live onboard boats • Providing Christian pastoral and practical help, including problems with debt, sickness,      bereavement, family difficulties, debt and addiction problems.

The Fishermen’s Mission is a national charity registered in Scotland as SC039088 and England and Wales 232822.

Further details about the Fishermen’s Mission can be found at www.fishermensmission.org.uk

Wiesberger Braced for Ballantine’s Defence

Bernd Wiesberger is looking forward to the challenge of defending a European Tour title for the first time when he returns to Korea for the Ballantine’s Championship, from April 25-28.

The 28 year old Austrian captured his maiden victory in emphatic style at Blackstone Golf Club last year, sinking a 20ft birdie putt on the last hole to seal a five stroke win over Scotland’s Richie Ramsay and claim the €367,500 first prize.

Just 14 weeks later, he added a second win in equally impressive fashion on home soil in the Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity, coming from four shots back to card a final round 65 for a three shot victory in his national Open.
Those two triumphs, as well as three other top ten finishes, helped Wiesberger to finish in 22nd position on The 2012 Race to Dubai, and also earned him places in the fields for the US PGA Championship, the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and WGC-HSBC Champions.

As a result of the experience gained in the wake of his breakthrough victory, Wiesberger believes that he returns to Blackstone Golf Club, near the Korean capital Seoul, as a better player and is relishing the chance to defend his title.

“It’s going to be a nice new experience for me,” he said. “My maiden win in Korea last year was great, and I’m looking forward to having another good week again this year.

“I like the course, I love the tournament and Ballantine’s have been great to me, so I’m looking forward to the challenge.

“I felt like I could win a European Tour event, but I proved it that week. I was able to be a champion. The win gave me the chance to play a Major and a couple of WGC events, which expanded my view of professional golf, allowing me to perform on a higher level with the top players in the world.

“A couple of months afterwards, I was able to win again in Austria, which meant I was a multiple winner. With those two wins, it was a great breakthrough season for me and the victory at Ballantine’s kicked off everything.”

Wiesberger will have another strong field to contend against in the €2,205,000 Ballantine’s Championship, headlined by World Number Six Louis Oosthuizen, 2010 US PGA Champion YE Yang and American Ryder Cup pair Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson.

But he hopes to draw on his recollections from last year when, after an opening round of 72, he carded consecutive course records of 65, followed by a closing round of 68 which included three birdies in the final four holes, for an 18 under par winning total of 270.

“Everything went my way from Friday onwards, and I have some great memories from last year,” he said. “Holing that winning putt and finishing well on the Sunday with a couple of birdies was fantastic. I will really enjoy going back and having the chance to defend the title.

“I had great control over my irons into greens last year. The greens at Blackstone are quite severe. You want to hit the right spots, the right plateaus, and know the contours going into them. That was key for me, and on top of that I also had a great putting week.

“If you just miss your target slightly you can run off and leave yourself in awkward spots and you can three putt quickly, but that was something I did well last year and I holed some putts when I needed to.”

As has become tradition at the Ballantine’s Championship since the event’s inception in 2008, Wiesberger had the opportunity to create his own Ballantine’s Championship Blend, which was another enjoyable new experience.

“I have received the Championship Blend of Lee Westwood, who won the year before me, and it’s on a nice display at home,” he said. “I’m getting mine in a couple weeks hopefully. I did the blending the week after Dubai and it was great experience doing it with the guys from Ballantine’s.

“It was nice getting to know what it takes to blend the whisky and it was a fun experience for me. It is only going to be a ten bottle limited edition but hopefully whoever is fortunate to drink it likes it as well.”

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No 2 ultra-premium Scotch whisky in Asia, No 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the range sells over 70 million bottles a year worldwide. Ballantine’s has won more than 129 trophies and medals at international competitions in the past 10 years for quality, as a result of its unique richness of character and perfect balance. The range, from Ballantine’s Finest to the exclusive 40 Year Old, is the most extensive in the world of Scotch and is maintained by the latest in a tradition of Master Blenders that dates back to 1827.

• Ballantine’s has been title sponsor of the Ballantine’s Championship since 2008 • Ballantine’s is an official sponsor of the BMW Masters, The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open & The World Cup of Golf • The first Ballantine’s sponsored golf tournament was played in 1960 at Wentworth Golf Club, England

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard – the world’s co-leader in wine and spirits. Chivas Brothers is the global leader in luxury Scotch whisky and premium gin. Its portfolio includes Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Beefeater Gin, The Glenlivet, Royal Salute, Aberlour, Plymouth Gin, Longmorn, Scapa, 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.

Ardbeg Announced As World’s Best At World Whisky Awards

Ardbeg took out the ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ title at the World Whisky Awards in London on 21st March, living up to its reputation as being the ‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’. With more than 300 whiskies battling it out, Ardbeg received further recognition when its latest limited edition, Ardbeg Galileo, a 12-year-old whisky, was declared ‘Best Islay Single Malt’. Adding to these coveted awards, Ardbeg was also voted ‘Scotch Whisky of the Year’ for a third year in a row by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible – the worlds leading whisky guide.

Adding to the celebrations, Sam Snead’s House of Whiskey, Auckland’s only specialised whisky shop, has been declared the second Ardbeg Embassy in New Zealand after Whisky Galore in Christchurch.

Rai Banbury, Senior Brands Manager Moët Hennessy, says, “It’s a huge achievement for Ardbeg to receive these awards and be recognised as the world’s best whisky. This is perfect timing with the announcement of our second Ardbeg Embassy in Auckland.”

Hot on the heels of these awards comes Ardbeg’s ARDBOG Day on 1st June. In celebration of ARDBOG Day, the Auckland and Christchurch Ardbeg Embassies will exclusively stock and sell Ardbeg’s Limited Edition release for 2013 and will also host special events for Ardbeg committee members and smoky malt enthusiasts. This year, New Zealand whisky connoisseurs are invited to be the first in the world to celebrate this day.

To find out more about ARDBOG Day and becoming a committee member, visit: http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/members/public/index/register.

Notes:

About Ardbeg:

Ardbeg prides itself on being the ‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’. Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by whisky connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts. Despite this, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’.

The Glenmorangie Company purchased the brand in 1997 and today Ardbeg is well established as a niche, cult malt, with a passionate following.

Ardbeg Embassies are a network of premium whisky stores who love Ardbeg and sell it as their whisky of choice.

We’re heading to Edmonton on Saturday, May 11th to host a very special tasting!

To raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, one of our Edmonton members and his daughter (a cancer survivor), have been training with Team in Training for their first half-marathon. In conjunction with training he has been putting on monthly whisky tastings as a way to gather donations for the LLS.

We were honoured to be asked to participate and will host the final tasting, on Saturday, May 11th, to celebrate their efforts and help raise a chunk of money for a great cause.

We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a great evening – details and registration link are below and if you’ve already signed up we look forward to seeing you! If you can’t make it then please forward this on to your scotch-loving, philanthropic friends and we encourage you to donate directly to the cause at our member’s support page:
http://ow.ly/kg5rY

As always, you can expect a wonderful line-up of Society single cask scotches. There will also be light food, a special welcome drink upon arrival and a great selection of auction items!

Team in Training & The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
present
A Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Fundraising Tasting

Saturday, May 11th at 6:30pm
$65.00
Happy Harbor Comics
10729 – 105 Avenue, Edmonton
780-452-8211

To register click here: http://ow.ly/k7XaX or contact Happy Harbor Comics

We’re changing things up for our May Outturn tastings!!

Instead of new releases, we’ll be revisiting old friends.

Are you a new member who hasn’t had a chance to try some older releases?

Perhaps you haven’t been able to make it to any SMWS tastings and would like to hear more about the Society?

Do you have friends you’ve been talking to about the Society and you would like to introduce them to it?

Then this month is for you!

As always members get first crack at signing up but act quickly before these get opened up to the general public.

In Victoria please join us at The Strath on Friday, May 3rd at 6:30pm.
To register and pre-pay please email whisky@strathconahotel.com
or call 250-370-9463 or drop into the store at 919 Douglas Street
$50 ($10 discount for SMWS members)

In Vancouver please join us at Edgemont Fine Wines on Monday, May 6th at 6:45pm.
To register please click here: http://ow.ly/kaNKI
or sign up in person at 3020 Edgemont Blvd., North Vancouver
For more information call 604-984-9463
$50 ($10 discount for SMWS members)

www.smws.ca

www.ralfy.com has a re-review return to Whisky Review 3 with Whisky Review 356 – Aberlour A’bunadh Batch 42 (Re-reviewed)

Amrut’s angels fly in

Amrut Distilleries is once again pushing the boundaries of creating whisky in India. As the Bangalore distiller continues its innovative exploration of the world of single malt, it has bottled its oldest whisky.

Two bourbon casks have been matured for eight years – an unprecedented length of time for Amrut’s malts which mature relatively quickly in the unique environment of the distillery and warehouse in Bangalore – and then bottled.

This special bottling has been named Greedy Angels. “Over those eight years – in the tropical conditions of our warehouse – we lost close to 274 litres of spirit from the two casks,” explains Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s International Brand Ambassador. “In the end, we could only bottle 86 litres of whisky. No wonder we have named it Greedy Angels.”

When Amrut decided to bottle these two old casks – numbered 2800 and 2864 – no-one was quite certain how Greedy Angels would turn out. With the insight of his experience as Amrut’s Master Distiller, Surrinder Kumar, believed he had something very special. When invited to London, he was happy to hear what people on the other side of the world thought. At a series of blind tastings, he was greeted with the most positive of feedback. The 144 bottles of Greedy Angels have now been released worldwide. As befits the first bottling of such an old Amrut malt, it has been dedicated to celebrating the 60th birthday of Amrut’s Chairman, Mr Neel Jagdale.

On the nose, Greedy Angels is full of tropical fruits such as pineapple, red liquorice and hickory. On the palate, it is full bodied tropical fruits coupled with subtle spices and citrus notes. It has a sweet finish leaving you wanting more.

When he tasted Greedy Angels, Dominic Roskrow, the whisky writer and director of True Spirit, said: “It’s world class whisky, a small batch, lovingly crafted.”

His tasting notes continue: “Nose: A big waft of crystallised pineapple, some tropical fruits and then a spiky, spicy dustiness. Palate: Wow, first up we get red liquorice and menthol rancio, suggesting great age, and then rich syrupy jellied fruits, some mandarin, cherry lozenge and tinned strawberries in syrup. It’s a totally rounded and clean sweet whisky experience, with no flaws. Finish: Sweet, rich and relatively short – but very more-ish.”

NOTES

Amrut Distilleries

Amrut Single Malt Whisky from India was launched officially in Glasgow in 2004. Since then its reputation has grown, with its range of innovative whiskies using Indian barley from the Punjab, distilled in the tropical garden city of Bangalore at 3,000ft above sea level. Amrut Distilleries has won many awards.

In The Whisky Bible 2010, leading whisky expert, Jim Murray awarded Amrut Fusion Single Malt Whisky the title of World’s Third Best Whisky. Murray said Fusion “has to be one of the great whiskies found anywhere in the world this year”. Admitting his No 3 choice could come as a surprise to some people, he said: “The fact that it is Indian? Irrelevant, from distillation to maturation this is a genius whisky from whichever continent.”

The awards for Fusion have continued, picking up several over the years, including Grand Master of World Whisky at The Spirits Business Awards in December 2011 and World Whisky of the Year at the Malt Advocate Whisky Awards February 2011.

The distillery itself has won honours, lifting the title of Distiller of the Year in the Icons of Whisky 2011 at awards organized by Whisky Magazine. The award was made to Amrut “for raising the profile of Indian whisky across the globe and its innovations in the production process”. The Rest of the World title meant the Bangalore distillery was also one of the four contenders for the Icons of Whisky Distiller of the Year title.

In 2012, Ashok Chokalingam, Amrut’s General Manager – International Operations, was named Whisky Ambassador of the Year at the Icons of Whisky. The judges praised the hard work of Ashok and Amrut Executive Director, Rick Jagdale, since launching Amrut Malt in 2004. “The gamble and all the legwork has paid off for Ashok and Rick, with Amrut establishing its credentials as a serious award winning whisky” they said.

Amrut’s Two Continents malt whisky was named Whisky Advocate’s New World Whisky of the Year in 2012. Two Continents is made from 100% Indian barley grown in Punjab and Rajasthan, then mashed, distilled and aged in Bangalore. It was then transferred to Europe where it was aged in ex-bourbon casks and then bottled. This gives it a “rich, complex, unique, and exciting oral explosion” according to Whisky Advocate.

Amrut Peated Malt Cask Strength Whisky won Silver and Amrut Single Malt Cask Strength Whisky Bronze at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2008.

Amrut is now sold widely in Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Spain), Canada, South Africa, Australia and the United States. It is also available in some Indian states.

Thursday Night Spirits Tasting!
From 6pm till 8pm
$45 per person
With special bottle pricing night of the tasting only

Duncan Taylor Single Malt Scotch Tasting – Thursday (4/25):

You are all cordially invited to Everson Royce’s first Scotch tasting of 2013. Eight different Duncan Taylor whiskeys from eight different distilleries that cover Scotland both geographically and stylistically. These whiskeys are anywhere from 15 to 34 years old. And they’re all cask strength as well. Special Guests Euan Shand, the Chairman of Duncan Taylor, and his son, Gordon Shand, will be onsite pouring your drams, answering your questions, and regaling you with stories. Euan is already a legend in the world of Scotch and Gordon is not far behind.

Duncan Taylor’s brand new U.S. headquarters are just down the street in South Pasadena. Please join us in welcoming them to the neighborhood.

The tasting will be held at:
The Armory Center for the Arts
145 N. Raymond, directly next door to Everson Royce. 

Doors open at 6pm. Please check in at Everson Royce before the tasting. Please arrive prior to 7pm as to have ample time to taste all the spirits. Reservations are strongly recommended but not required and can be made by calling the store at 626-765-9334. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Armory Center for the Arts.

Featured Duncan Taylor Whiskys:
Blair Athol 1989 / 23 Year / Highland / 47.6% / $171 per bottle
Imperial 1995 / 17 Year / Speyside / 53.2% / $126 per bottle
Glentauchers 1997 / 15 Year / Octave / Speyside / 53.6% / $99 per bottle
Macallan 1996 / 15 Year / Speyside / 55.1% / $130.50 per bottle
Caol Ila 1983 / 29 Year / Sherry Cask / Islay / 53.8% / $238.50 per bottle
Cameronbridge 1978 / Single Grain / 34 Year / Lowland / 54.6% / $166.50 per bottle
Caperdonich 1992 / 20 Year / Speyside / 54.9% / $198 per bottle
Bunnahabhain 1987 / 25 Year / Octave / Islay / 54.8% / $211.50 per bottle

$45 per person for the tasting

Special bottle pricing night of the tasting only

Everson Royce
155 N. Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, California
626 765 9334
http://www.eversonroyce.com/

The Talisker Port Ruighe has arrived – click the image to place your order!

The Whisky Shop is pleased to announce the arrival of a ground breaking new whisky – The Talisker Port Ruighe!

This is the first ever Talisker release which has been double matured in ruby port casks. This unique expression is named after the main trading port on Skye and combines Talisker’s powerful maritime character with succulent sweet notes of rich berry fruits for a superb contrasting taste experience.

Smooth and cooling at first; rapidly developing across the palate. Earthy South American cocoa notes – perhaps in a tarte au chocolat – are balanced by a fruity, cherry acidity; then a wave of softly drying sulphurous smoke and coal tar notes; and later, superb, chewy, brewers’ chocolate-malt. (Guinness malts?)
Very soft and cooling with water. Rounded and gently minty with resinous notes just ahead of a sublime, smoky, tarry development. Growing sweetly fiery and aromatic (burning beech wood logs at a Bavarian smokehouse).

Bottled at 45.8% volume. Tasting notes by Owen D.L. Barstow

Only £59.99 – Simply click here to buy