The Maltman scoops a gold medal in USA competition. 

Glasgow based independent bottlers,Meadowside Blending, were celebrating this week as they annouced that their Maltman single cask bottling of Ben Nevis 21 years old scooped a gold medal at the San Fransisco World Spirit Competition.

The Maltmans single cask bottling of Mortlach 13 year old also scored 85 and a well recommended in the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York last week.

Held in San Francisco, the annual World Spirits Competition commends the finest spirits from across the globe.  More than 1,400 spirits from 61 countries were judged this year as part of the largest competition in the event’s history.

Managing Director of Meadowside Blending Donald Hart said “This is the first time we have entered this competition, and to win gold is great for the Maltman, but our gratitude and thanks go to the lads at Ben Nevis for distilling this lovely whisky”.

The Maltman Ben Nevis 21 year old is available Europe wide just now , and has tasting notes, of tropical fruit and and subtle spice on the palate, leading in to a lovely dark chocolate and fudge finish, which is warm, and velvety in texture.

www.meadowsideblending.com

To the whisky world at large;

There is much speculation over the media just now;

What is a dram?

Well, angels whisky club started this conversation off last October, with this question and had replies from many in our field;

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

It’s the Speyside fest people asking now, have they jumped on our bandwagon? have they nicked our idea?

Whatever, I know we did it first, and am proud angels brought up the subject in the first place.

Whatever the outcome, there are some excellent “drams” out there!

Paul McLean

www.angelswhiskyclub.com

www.mcleanscotland.com

TWE in Japan: Karuizawa Trip Pt.6

Welcome to the sixth instalment of our trip to Japan. Readers with too much time on their hands can catch up on the full story so far here, here, here, here and here. After the emotions stirred up by our … Continue reading >>

Milroy’s of Soho Single Cask Bottling

Milroy’s of Soho have become famous for their single cask bottlings of rare and collectible spirits. This is thanks to a long tradition begun by brothers John and Wallace Milroy in the 1960s of travelling to Scotland, selecting choice casks from the distilleries themselves, and bottling under the Milroy’s of Soho name. We choose the casks with an aim to bottle unusual or particularly outstanding examples of single malt whisky for our discerning whisky lovers back home, and these have become rare collectibles in their own right.

Coming soon are four more exclusive bottlings of some fantastic casks we’ve been lucky enough to track down!

Islay Single Malt 2008
Zuidam Dutch Rye 2007
Millstone Dutch Single Malt 1999
Glen Elgin 1995

Stewart Buchanan joins us from the esteemed Speyside distillery of Benriach to talk us through their fascinating history and the intriguing range of single malt whiskies they produce.

As with all our Ambassador Nights the £20.00 ticket price can be redeemed against purchases made on the night.

Landing circa April 2013: email lee.tomlinson@milroys.co.uk quoting the relevant bottling to pre-register interest.

Our mailing address is:

Milroy’s of Soho
3 Greek Street
London, England W1D 4NX
United Kingdom

Highland Park Loki, 15 year old single malt whisky

Highland Park released the second expression in its Valhalla Collection, a 15-year-old single malt named Loki. Taking inspiration from the Nordic gods, the whisky is named after the brother of Thor, a god known for his mischief and treachery. Gerry … Continue reading →

Tomatin Wins at World Whiskies Awards

Tomatin Distillery is celebrating winning in two categories at the World Whiskies Awards 2013. The Tomatin 12 Year Old won the Highland Single Malt 12 Years and Under category, while the Tomatin 18 Year Old won the Highland Single Malt 13 to 20 Years category.

The World Whiskies Awards took place in London at the end of March, where more than 300 whiskies from around the world battled it out during three intensive blind tasting rounds for the coveted title of ‘2013 World’s Best Whiskies’.

Judges for Whisky Magazine’s independent editorial panel were drawn from the best drinks journalists and retailers across the world, with industry representatives made up of master blenders, distillers and brand ambassadors in the final round.

“Only the very best entries in each category were recognised so we are understandably delighted with not one, but two category wins. Awards like these reflect the recent growth we have been experiencing with the Tomatin brand, and they really highlight the hard work we put into creating a quality Scotch Whisky product” said Stephen Bremner, Sales Director.

Notes

Award information and results: http://www.whiskymag.com/awards/wwa/2013/
The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends.
Website: www.tomatin.com  Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897  Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897
The distillery was established in 1897, and while historically the whisky produced was primarily sold for use in other brands of blended whisky, the company is now very focussed on growing the Tomatin single malt brand in its own right.
The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’.
The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo: http://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/index.htm 

15% OFF Black Bull 12yo Blended Scotch Whisky

Grab this offer by the horns!

Black Bull is an award winning, unique blended scotch whisky with 50% malt, 50% grain ratio and bottled at 50% abv.

Expires at midnight 15-04-2013
Enter coupon at checkout
Discount Code: BLACKBULL12

For you this month we have five (5) new bottlings under the OLD MALT CASK label, together with two (2) DIRECTOR’S CUT and five (5) from the CLAN DENNY Grains.

OLD MALT CASK Tasting Notes:

OMC2249 Macallan 15 years

Nose: Honied – floral – spiced with sweet barley & light oaky tones.

Palate: Opens honey sweet – then vanilla toffee, soft camphor & citrus.

Finish: Softly spiced now – with that same toffee & cough drop style (F)

OMC2244 Caol Ila 16 years

Nose: Briny & peaty quality + beach bonfire ashes + smoked ham

Palate: Opens sweetly – develops to cigar smoke + dark chocolate

Finish: Long – still sweet & smoky character + soft, chewy tar (J)

OMC2248 Strathisla 21 years

Nose: Sweet & fresh – fragrantly spiced + honey & vanilla

Palate: Still sweet – honey on buttered toast + barley sugar

Finish: Medium long – sweet throughout – spicy + late oak (J)

OMC2246 Bunnahabhain 25 years

Nose: Opens with charred oak – soft leather + subtle smoke

Palate: Iodine – a sweet & smoky character + burnt orange zest

Finish: Long – still carrying a gentle smoke quality + lemon pith (J)

OMC2245 Ben Nevis 46 year old

Nose: Sweetly spiced + bees wax + creamy vanilla & caramelised orange

Palate: Milk chocolate + macerated fruit + a sweetly spiced toffee style

Finish: Medium long – still sweet + soft oak & a spicy, tangy quality (J)

DIRECTOR’S CUT Tasting Notes:

DIR0039 Macallan 20 year old

Nose: Honey outbids a floral tribute then barley and vanilla take over,.

Palate: More honey + syrup + spice selection + wholemeal toast and butter.

Finish: Soft and subtle, warming with a liqueur – and rather fruity – style. (F)

DIR0042 Longmorn 20 year old

Nose: Opens with a fruity & fresh quality – reminiscent of a candy shop with pear drops apparent

Palate: Sweet & vanilla’d – American Cream Soda style – runs to macerated summer fruits

Finish: Medium long – carrying a sweet malt quality + a chocolate and orange tang (J)

Tasting notes for CLAN DENNY Grains:

DEN0100 Girvan 21 year old

Clean and very sweet as the nose opens – warming to soft vanilla, sugar and aromatic spices. On the palate – detect a real big mouthcoating dulcet quality with a late corn and mild cough drop mix … all neatly replicated on the sugary – too short! – finish. (F)

DEN0104 Port Dundas 21 year old

Big and spiced on its candied nose initially – it warms to subtle spice suggestions plus powdered chocolate. The palate is massively sweet – lightly spiced – then mouthcoats in a honey, vanilla and Bourbon manner. The finish is fruity with the same flavours from the palate apparent. (F)

DEN0102 Cameronbridge 38year old

The nose opens sweetly and carries an oily, bees wax character that runs to an orange liqueur style. More orange flavours are apparent on the palate plus caramelised zest and barley sugar. This citric quality is replicated on the medium long finish but with a more tangy, still dulcet character. (J)

DEN0098 Strathclyde 38 year old

Opens with a distinct macerated dried fruit quality on the nose and develops to a honey and butterscotch character. The palate remains sweet and richly spiced carrying a milk chocolate and toffee style. The finish is surprisingly long for a Single Grain Whisky, still sweet plus cedar wood. (J)

DEN0103 Carsebridge 47 year old

Big – full – round and massively fructiferous initially on the nose – warming to subtle oak, spices and fruit boxes. The palate is wonderfully sweet then heads to crunched sugars – honey and late fruit toffee flavours. It finisheslightly oaked – still spiced with a hard candy style (F).

After 11-12 years of writing tasting notes for OMC, these are the last you will see for that brand from Fred and Jan (F & J) – but they indicate they will be back!

Yours faithfully

Douglas Laing who can be visited at www.douglaslaing.com

Whisky Investment Proof

There’s a lot of controversy that surrounds the topic of whisky investment, and we’re not going to get into an extended debate over the rights and wrongs of it as the issue comes up almost constantly and people tend to have their … Continue reading >>

BALLANTINE’S RELEASES UNIQUE BLEND

TO MARK 2013 BALLANTINE’S CHAMPIONSHIP

Ballantine’s, the No.2 ultra-premium and Prestige Scotch whisky range in Asia-Pacific, has unveiled the 2013 Ballantine’s Championship Blend after exclusively bringing together Master Blender Sandy Hyslop and winner of the 2012 Ballantine’s Championship, Bernd Wiesberger, to create the sixth unique expression of the prestigious blend.

The 2013 Championship Blend has been created with a selection of exceptional whiskies, aged for at least 41 years, and is being released to commemorate this year’s tournament which is taking place in Icheon, South Korea from 25 – 28 April 2013.

Just ten individually numbered bottles of this rare limited edition will be produced, with one being gifted to Wiesberger as reigning Ballantine’s Championship winner and collaborator in the creation of this year’s blend.  A bottle will also be reserved for the 2013 champion and another will be auctioned during the tournament for charitable causes.

This exclusive and exceptional blend is presented in a prestigious bottle with a handcrafted and gold finished metal band which bears the individual bottle number alongside the signatures of its two creators, Sandy Hyslop and Bernd Wiesberger. The bottle also features Ballantine’s unique crest carefully etched onto the glass, enhancing the brand’s proud heritage and excellence. The bottle sits in a solid wooden cabinet with a premium leather cover featuring the iconic Ballantine’s ‘B’ and gold coloured metal band. Interior leather panels on each of the cabinet doors, bearing a quote from Hyslop and Wiesberger, and a leather bound booklet complete the luxurious presentation of the 2013 Championship Blend, highlighting Ballantine’s association with golf and the uniqueness of the blend.

Since the inaugural event in 2008, Ballantine’s has established the unique tradition of creating an exclusive Championship Blend each year, created by Master Blender Sandy Hyslop with the reigning Championship winner. Wiesberger becomes only the fourth person in history outside of Ballantine’s expert blending team to be invited to work with a Master Blender in creating a Ballantine’s blend, with previous winners, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell MBE and Marcus Fraser having been granted the same privilege over the past five years. This year, Sandy Hyslop personally guided Wiesberger through a tasting of extremely rare and high quality grain and malt whiskies to assess which flavours he preferred before carefully blending the golfer’s selection.

Sandy Hyslop comments: “It was a pleasure to introduce Bernd Wiesberger to the art of blending while creating the 2013 Ballantine’s Championship Blend. We’ve created a truly unique blend that reflects Bernd’s own taste and character but is still true to Ballantine’s signature style – soft, sweet, elegant and balanced. I’m delighted with the results and I believe this Championship Blend is a fitting tribute to the shared flair, craftsmanship and excellence of Ballantine’s and professional golf.”

Bernd Wiesberger added: “It has been a privilege and an honour to join Ballantine’s Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop, in creating this special whisky. It will have a place of honour in my home, sitting alongside the Ballantine’s Championship trophy until an occasion so special that I am willing to drink it.”

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, says: “The Ballantine’s Championship Blend is a unique tradition that celebrates the shared values and heritage of Ballantine’s and golf, so we are thrilled to release this year’s unique expression, one of the rarest and most exclusive whiskies ever produced by our Master Blender, Sandy Hyslop. The synergy between Ballantine’s and golf has never been stronger and we are extremely proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious golf events in Asia, where our sponsorship investment, both at the top of the game and at grass roots level, marks our deepening commitment to world-class golf.”

Ballantine’s association with golf can be traced back to 1960 when the first Ballantine’s Tournament took place at Wentworth Golf Course in the UK. Since Ballantine’s became the title sponsor of the Championship in 2008, many professional golfers have demonstrated their world-class talents at the Ballantine’s Championship and the event has fast become one of Asia’s most prestigious golfing events, with over 45,000 spectators in 2012 and coverage broadcast to 300 million homes worldwide.

Notes

Tasting Notes of Ballantine’s Championship Blend 2013: 

Nose: Wonderful flavours of sweet candy apples, soft fruity pears, rich fruitcake and a hint of dark chocolate and treacle.

Taste: Silky smooth with fruit flavours in abundance. This 2013 edition also has fantastic creamy toffee / fudge flavours complemented perfectly by a delicate nutty, oaky background.

Finish: Perfectly balanced, long and lush

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 120 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.

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.

In July 2010 Chivas Brothers launched The Age Matters campaign to help consumers understand the importance of Scotch whisky age statements.

For further information please visit

http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

www.ballantines.com

http://www.ballantineschampionship.com/