It’s Dramming Time!

Well done. You’ve done it. You have successfully survived that terrible, great summer to emerge on the other side into the more customary wind and rain (speaking if you are in the UK of course).

Well, I am here to tell you that it isn’t all bad. We here at TWL have been cooking up a few things for you to look forward to this autumn, including a handful of exciting new bottlings, our Blind Islay Fury series and more festivals than you can shake a stick at! Plus the usual news and quiz…

NEW BOTTLINGS

As you know, we don’t often delve into the dark arts of bottling whiskies ourselves, but occasionally we are offered things to good to be true that we think you need to taste! So we therefore submit for your pleasure the following little beauties. As always we have bottled these all in the 20cl format, although a couple of them are also available in 70cl this time round!

THE BOMB Blended Malt Whisky

First up we have a very new and exciting pair, inspired by a certain US TV series. Both are technically blended malts but the majority of the liquid is actually the product of one distillery – one that you would rarely see in an independent bottling and goes by the uber-glamorous title of Westport in its ‘tea spooned’ format. Regardless this stuff is incredible, matured for 15 years in traditional ex-Bourbon casks but then finished for a matter of weeks in tiny 50 litre Octaves that previously contained Pedro Ximinez or Oloroso sherries. The result is big, rich and spicy whiskies, with the Oloroso (47.4%) being more mocha/chocolatey and the PX (45.4%) being more sweet, fruity and juicy.

The 20cl PX is just £21.99 inc. UK delivery and the Oloroso is £22.99, whilst the 70cl versions are just £60.99 and £61.99 respectively.

The Legendary Salty Sea-Dog BATCH 2

After the sell-out success of the first litter, how could we deny you some more? This single malt version is feisty, unruly with utterly no respect for discipline or its elders. if you like your Islay malts vigorous, salty and with plenty of youthful peaty notes then this is the one for you!

The Salty Sea-Dog is just £20.99 for a 20cl bottle including UK delivery.

FESTIVALS!

Our final three festivals of what has been a humungous year are coming up fast! If you haven’t already got your tickets for Manchester and York you’d better be quick as these are just about full up. For Aberdeen folk we have our usual juicy early bird offer of 2 tickets for £40 on for a limited period. Just click on the relevant banner above to be taken to the booking pages.

Yes its that time of year again when we roll out Islay’s newest and/or finest in the blind tasting series that everyone loves! Come and test your palate to the max among similarly minded whisky-nuts as we taste six whiskies from Scotland’s (mainly) peaty whisky isle! The dates:

LONDON  Tuesday 29th October, The Red Lion, SW1
LONDON  Wednesday 30th October, The Red Lion, SW1
BRIGHTON Thursday 31st October, The Hilton Metropole
SHEFFIELD Tuesday 12th November, The Blake Hotel
LEEDS Wednesday 13th November, The Cross Keys
YORK Friday 15th November, The Brigantes
NEWCASTLE Friday 22nd November, Blackfriars
MANCHESTER Saturday 23rd November, The Britons Protection

These dates are now available to book online at only £20 per person – simply click on the relevant date/venue combination.

NEWS

A round-up of the latest industry news…

2nd October 2013 – The Spirits Business
FIRST EVER BRITISH BLENDED WHISKY RELEASED

30th September 2013 – The Spirits Business
DISTILLER PLANNED FOR HISTORIC BIRTHPLACE OF SCOTCH

27th September 2013 – The Spirits Business
REDBREAST 21 YEAR OLD IRISH DISTILLERS’ POT STILL FAMILY

26th September 2013 – The Drinks Business
GLENFIDDICH LAUNCHES FIRST NO-AGE STATEMENT COLLECTION

25th September 2013 – Off Licence News
KILCHOMAN RELEASES 2007 VINTAGE

24th September 2013 – The Spirits Business
HIGHLAND PARK CREATES £25,000 LINN TURNTABLE

14th September 2013 – The Spirits Business
ISLAY TO GET NINTH DISTILLERY

11th September 2013 – The Herald Scotland
WHISKY BOOM PUTS GLENCAIRN ON GROWTH PATH

5th September 2013 – The Drum
THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY LAUNCHES POP-UP BAR AS PART OF 30TH ANNIVERSARY

QUIZ

And finally…
The monthly quick quiz. Whisky general knowledge this month, and a little bit geekier, but with a prize of a pair of tickets to a tasting of your choice valid until January 2014 – does not include Islay trips!! As usual, the first to answer gets the prize.

1. What is the temperature of the 1st set of waters during mashing?
2. What is the normal %ABV a (scotch whisky) distiller will reduce spirit to before filling into cask?
3. What does the age statement on a bottle of whisky technically signify?
4. What name have William Grant’s given to bottled single malt from Kininvie Distillery?

Tie-Break
How many expressions of Bruichladdich have there been since the distilleries re-launch in 2001?

Last month’s winner is;
Thomas Draper of Hove in Sussex – well done, a sample of something interesting will be on its way to you soon!

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

Thanks for listening, happy dramming and we’ll see you at a Whisky event soon we hope.

Slainte,

Eddie, Amanda and Joe
The Whisky Lounge Team.