Tasting Notes: Longrow Rundlets and Kilderkins

One of our favourite bottlings last year was the now sold out Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins. It reignited my love of Springbank’s whiskies, after a while of trying to remember what it was I used to like about them, and … Continue reading >>

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival’s campaign to legalise the dram as a measure for Scotch whisky gathers support

A campaign to have the dram legalised as a measurement for the sale of Scotch whisky is gathering momentum.

Organisers of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival say they have been inundated with messages of support for their effort have the 25ml measurement renamed as a dram.

They believe that public support is weighing down heavily in their favour, and hope that a final push from the thousands of international visitors who are expected to attend the Festival next month will help them reach a successful outcome.

Organisers wrote to the National Measurement Office to ask for the dram to be reinstated so that revellers would be able to walk into any bar and ask – legally – to be served a dram.

But when officials said alcohol could only be sold in metric measurements and they could not support a dual measurement system, the Festival launched its bid to have the 25ml and 35ml measurements renamed a dram and large dram respectively.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival manager Mary Hemsworth says the campaign has sparked an important debate about a word which is synonymous with Scotland and Scotch whisky.

She says, “We have had messages of support for what we are trying to achieve from as far afield as California and Australia. People do genuinely feel a huge affinity for the dram and they are telling us that they would like to see the dram gain official, legal recognition.

“It has been clear from the debate being generated that people have very different ideas about what size a dram should be. Some people are saying the 25ml measure should be a nip and the 35ml measure should be a dram, while others are telling us that to limit the dram to a 25ml measure may seem a little stingy.

“The people who visit the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival come from all over the world, but they all have one thing in common – an incredible passion for Scotch whisky. We intend to listen to their thoughts during the Festival and if they truly do support this campaign, we will go back to the National Measurement Office to ask them to listen to the will of the people.”

In olden days, the dram measurement was about the size of a teaspoon. Mrs Hemsworth says the Festival is not advocating a return to that measurement as it would undoubtedly be unpopular with whisky lovers.

She adds, “The most important thing is to have a legally recognised measurement called the dram because the very word is so important to the Scotch whisky industry and synonymous with Scottish hospitality.”

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place from May 2-6 and is a celebration of everything connected to Scotland’s national drink. It takes place annually in Speyside – a region home to more whisky distilleries than any other part of Scotland – and this year almost 400 events are on the programme.

Visitors will be able to tour distilleries including several not usually open to the public, nose and taste classic malts, learn how to pair the amber nectar with food, and dance the night away at ceilidhs.

There’s also the opportunity to enjoy the stunning scenery with ‘drambles’ across the countryside, take a trip on the whisky train and gain a unique perspective of the region’s distilleries on a canoe tour of the River Spey.

Tickets for this year’s Festival are on target to break records, with a huge rise in the number of visitors coming from the USA, Canada and Scandinavia. Further information about the programme and where to get tickets are available at www.spiritofspeyside.com

Notes:

The Save Our Dram Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/SaveOurDram and on Twitter @SaveOurDram

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking. Visitors needing to travel to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options including a taxi voucher scheme (sponsored by Diageo) providing festival goers with a 25% reduction on fares with participating operators, various pre-bookable dedicated bus shuttles and even a “Dram Line” off-road Argocat taxi for a day long distillery tour.

The Festival also runs several competitions and awards including the prestigious Spirit of Speyside Whisky Awards as well as the Benromach Spirit of Speyside Whisky Photographic Competition

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from EventScotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners

EventScotland: EventScotland is the national events agency. EventScotland is working to make Scotland one of the world’s leading event destinations. By developing an exciting portfolio of sporting and cultural events EventScotland is helping to raise Scotland’s international profile and boost the economy by attracting more visitors. For further information about EventScotland, its funding programmes and latest event news visit www.EventScotland.org

About the Year of Natural Scotland 2013: Year of Natural Scotland 2013, the third of four focus years, is a chance to highlight Scotland’s great natural assets. It provides an opportunity to celebrate our reputation as a land of outstanding beauty, and encourage responsible tourism in Scotland. The aim of Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is to promote Scotland’s stunning natural beauty and biodiversity, and promote ways in which visitors can enjoy our beautiful landscapes, wildlife and heritage responsibly. More information about the programme can be found at: www.visitscotland.org.uk The Year of Natural Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative led in partnership by EventScotland, VisitScotland, Creative Scotland and VOCAL.

Macallan Amber £45 

The amber spirit is polite, almost apologetic at first with a floral, citrus sweet nose that gains presence commanding a chorus of sweet vanilla notes over freshly harvested grain. Raisin, sultana and cinnamon look on as toffee apples and candy floss step into the limelight. Click here to Buy

Macallan Ruby £120      

Disturbed from a long sleep in a dark and quiet warehouse European oak piques the nose before reluctantly admitting rich, dried fruits and an edgy trickle of treacle. On the palate a rush of ginger, nutmeg and resin herald orange, sultana and raisin with their restrained but pervasive sweetness. Click here to buy 

Macallan Sienna £66

This warm Sienna-coloured spirit opens with a subtle vanilla nose, persistent yet not overpowering. Orange elbows its way in, turning zesty and sharp though tempering green apples add freshness and balance. White chocolate truffles follow with a hint of nutmeg and ginger. Click here to buy

The Macallan 1824 Series is now available to order only via whiskyshop.com. This UK exclusive will be available while stocks last.

The Final Choice – 250/9 bottling

Between 2005 and 2007, Glengoyne released the landmark series of CHOICE single cask bottles. Having long benefited from the collective experience of the men who make it, we took the decision to let them loose in the warehouses, with the simple instruction to “hunt down your favourite cask”. It was arduous work. Armed only with a head torch and a cracked tumbler, these nine brave men relentlessly opened and evaluated thousands of barrels, butts and hoggies, eventually emerging in ones and twos, blinking into the sunlight. The result was a range of award-winning Single Cask whiskies, which showcased our full range of flavours in an exemplary fashion.

On 12th January 2012, nine of our Distillery workers – Duncan McNicoll, Ewan Hendry, Ronnie Palmer, Jim Leslie, Charlie Murray, Peter Andrew, Robbie Hughes, Billy Edmiston and Deek Morrison – celebrated a combined 250 years service to the whisky industry. To commemorate this milestone, they have put together this unique dram, The Final Choice 250/9 bottling – containing casks whose combined ages total 250 years. The first nine bottles will be presented to our boys, as a liquid long service medal, with the remaining 241 available for sale at the Glengoyne Distillery shop and online. A fine dram indeed.

This very special bottling will be available for the first time in May.

Our new expression – The Balvenie Tun 1401 Batch 7 is now available worldwide exclusively through travel retail outlets. Perhaps now would be a good time to think about that holiday you hadn’t planned.

Slainte Mhath

David Mair
The Balvenie Distillery Ambassador

Tasting Notes: Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel First Fill

The folks at The Balvenie aren’t really known for changing their core range around all that much. We’ve had DoubleWood 12yo for a while now, with David Stewart’s Signature 12yo coming in as the new kid on the block a … Continue reading >>

The post Tasting Notes: Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel First Fill appeared first on The Whisky Exchange Whisky Blog.

DISTELL BUYS TOP SCOTCH WHISKY PRODUCER, BURN STEWART DISTILLERS 

The Distell Group, South Africa’s leading spirits, wines and ready-to-drinks business has acquired top-performing producer of Scotch whiskies, Burn Stewart Distillers Limited, for just over R2,2 billion (£160 million) from the Scottish based CL World Brands Limited and Trinidad and Tobago based Angostura Limited, owners of Hine Cognac and Angostura Bitters respectively  amongst other global brands.

The strategic purchase of the fully integrated producer of both Blended and Single Malt Whiskies will allow Distell to capitalise on the continuing global growth in Whisky consumption and give it access to scarce blended and single malt stocks from prime whisky-producing regions in Scotland, while also enhancing its global footprint.

The deal follows an equal partner venture established in 2007 between Distell and Burn Stewart in which the two parties co-owned and marketed three Scotch Whiskies – Bunnahabhain, Black Bottle and Scottish Leader, in sub-Saharan Africa.

The agreement between Distell, CL World Brands Limited and Angostura Limited, announced today (15 April, 2013) involves the purchase of 100% of the equity in Burn Stewart whose portfolio includes: three single malt whisky distilleries; a blending and maturation facility; a bottling hall; and a dry and finished goods storage site, as well as its in-house marketing and distribution functions. All Scotch Whisky stocks currently in maturation also form part of the transaction.

Burn Stewart is based in East Kilbride, near Glasgow, Scotland. The company employs close to 270 staff.

It also operates a sales and marketing branch in Taiwan, the world’s fourth biggest Scotch Whisky market by volume; and it holds a majority stake in a spirits distribution arm in the USA.

The biggest brand in its portfolio is Scottish Leader, the pre-eminent Blended Scotch Whisky in its category in Taiwan.

Others are the blended whisky Black Bottle as well as the single malts Bunnahabhain, Deanston, Tobermory and Ledaig. Some have long-established histories dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

All are recognised for quality excellence on leading competitive platforms. They are sold in over 60 countries and have been making impressive inroads into developing markets.

Commenting on the deal, Distell Group MD Jan Scannell said: “Our acquisition of Burn Stewart is a very significant development for Distell from a strategic perspective but also given the rich and proud history and heritage of the brands involved. This gives us an outstanding foundation from which to build, while cherishing their individual traditions.

“Bunnahabhain, the Burn Stewart Distillers’ flagship single malt, is made on Islay, considered one of the most prestigious whisky locations by connoisseurs. There are only eight distilleries on the Island, so we are extremely fortunate to acquire this very highly-ranked brand.

“Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull, one of the most popular tourist spots in Scotland, while the home of Scottish Leader is the Deanston Distillery situated in the Scottish Highlands in Doune near Stirling, close to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, and another important destination for whisky enthusiasts.”

Scannell confirmed that Scottish Leader, so well established in Taiwan, would give Distell a springboard into a country with a growing appetite for other speciality drinks the company offers.

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) data shows that the global whisky market has been one of the fastest-growing drinks segments and after vodka, is the world’s biggest spirit category by volume.

The most recent SWA figures show that for the ten years from 2002 to 2012, sales values rose by 87% to £4,3 billion (R59,9 billion).

Consumption has risen across both developed and emerging markets, notably the UK, the US, as well as Latin America, Eastern Europe, many parts of Asia and in key African markets.

Scannell added: “We have acquired a business with a portfolio of strong brands, backed by a sound production and marketing team. Their expertise is integral to the ongoing success of Burn Stewart.”

Marlon Holder, MD of CL Financial Limited, parent of CL World Brands Limited, said he was confident that Distell, a long-established company dating back to 1925 and with a reputation for successful brand building, would take Burn Stewart to the next level of its international development.

Burn Stewart MD, Fraser Thornton, said: “The close working relationship with Distell over the fourteen years has amply demonstrated the South African group’s capacity, experience and expertise to strengthen and grow the company.

“We have developed solid synergies with a strong cultural fit between our two entities and are enthused by Distell’s plans to recapitalise and advance the business.”

The purchase marks the second time in recent years that Distell has invested in a major global spirits acquisition.

In 2009 the company acquired well-known heritage cognac brand Bisquit from Pernod Ricard.

In the four years since then, it has re-established the brand as a major cognac player in global markets, building volumes by double digits across a range of developing markets.

Notes: 

About Distell

• Distell      is Africa’s leading producer of wines, spirits, ciders and ready-to-drinks      (RTDs) with a portfolio of close on 100 brands.
• It is the world’s second biggest producer of ciders, the sixth biggest producer of brandies and the 12th biggest marketer of wines.
• With a      global network of offices and distribution partners, the company employs      nearly 5 000 people worldwide and has an annual turnover of R14,2 billion.      (£1,09 billion)
• Distell      is a former Distiller of the Year award winner at the International Wine      and Spirit Competition.
• Its      South African whiskies, Three Ships and Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, have      also earned international acclaim.

For more visit: www.distell.co.za 

About Burn Stewart

• Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd is a fully integrated Scotch whisky producer and brand owner with three single malt whisky distilleries and a strong portfolio of Scotch whisky brands.
• The company’s head office and bottling hall are based in East Kilbride, with blending and warehousing facilities at Airdrie, both near Glasgow.
• The three distilleries include: Deanston in Doune, Perthshire; Bunnahabhain on the Isle of Islay and Tobermory based on the Isle of Mull.
• Burn Stewart produces and markets a well balanced range of Scotch whisky brands to appeal to every type of Scotch consumer and distributes to over 60 markets worldwide.

For more visit: www.burnstewartdistillers.com

WHISKY GALORE @ THE GREEN WELLY STOP

http://www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk/whiskyshop

The Green Welly Stop are the exclusive online retailer of this stunning and rare product, very rarely seen bottled by independents. The cask was gifted to Oban Lifeboat for their fundraising efforts.

All proceeds of this whisky are going back to Oban Lifeboat.

The hogshead was filled at the Distillery on 29 July 1994.

The bottling took place with Douglas Laing & Co Ltd on 18 February 2013.

One of only 297 bottles.

We have a limited number left ready for dispatch.

Available to order now 

Contact craig@thegreenwellystop.co.uk for more information.

www.thegreenwellystop.co.uk

In March, we hit the significant milestone on Facebook of 10,000 likes. We are thrilled to have so many loyal Facebook followers and to celebrate this and thank you all, we launched a competition to win a bottle of our multi-award winning 21 yo malt. Here’s the question to ponder…

10,000 days ago Facebook had not been invented. However in 1985, our craftsmen at Glengoyne were already producing the slowest distilled whisky in Scotland, hand selecting only the finest oak casks and drying our barley by air, never peat.

A sherry butt was filled with our amazing spirit back then and still sleeps in our Dunnage warehouses. However if we were to bottle that whisky today how many cask strength, unchilled filtered, 70cl bottles do you think we would have to tantalise your taste buds with?

A wee clue: the first year our sherry butt gives away 4% ‘angel’s share’, then every year thereafter it is an average of 2%.

The competition closes on Thursday 18th April and the person who guesses the nearest figure to the actual number of bottles, wins the 21 yo. There’s still 3 days left to enter, so for your chance to win, please visit our website or Facebook page. Good luck!

Kilchoman Loch Gorm

1st release of the new sherry cask matured expression from the Islay farm distillery.

 Matured in Oloroso sherry butts for 5 years
and double matured in in Oloroso sherry hogsheads. Limited release!

Buy – $72.40