The Gateway to Distilleries

Illustrated Encyclopedic Distillery-Guide upgraded

The ultimate photographic professional free guide to distilling whisky. More than 130 distilleries are illustrated and described in full detail by thousands of pictures.

“Join in a comprehensive journey to the distilleries of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Mainland Europe and Asia. Meet the people behind the labels and learn more about the making of whisky,” says the editor Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner.

Highlighted by Ingvar Ronde in his Malt Whisky Yearbook 2013 The Gateway to Distilleries refers to historic aspects of whisky distilling and explains details of production methods. The quality of information may give whisky enthusiasts a detailed understanding of distilling whisky. People of the industry may study and virtually visit  neighbouring distilleries. The presentation is accompanied with a host of information on historic and cultural highlights.

A full list of independent bottlers, whisky festivals and whisky literature is also offered. Portraits of people in the whisky industry make for a complete personal presentation.

It is an excellent teaching website about the whisky industry.

“The definitive virtual distillery tour – of a stunning number of distilleries. An unbelievable resource…”  The Coopered Tot

See: The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

Contact: info@whisky-distilleries.net

August Outturn: What’s on the Menu?  

This month’s Outturn is oozing with flavour. Whether you’re well seasoned at pairing your dram with dinner or it’s your first taste, you’ll find 15 whiskies and 15 curiously good meaty matches as their perfect accompaniment. Go on, have a butcher’s…   Recipes

August
Offers: This Months Serving Suggestion

August
TRIO: 7.92, 29.121 & 30.77 for only £165

7.92 Set the juice loose!

29.141 Bear branded by Darth’s light sabre

30.77 This is nuts!

Buy

August PAIR: 9.73 & 30.77 for only £99

9.73 Frighteningly easy to drink

30.77 This is nuts!

Buy

Butcher’s Half dozen CASE Offer: 66.43, 72.37, 9.73, 7.92, 29.141 & 30.77 for only £325

66.43 Charmingly hefty and manly

72.27 Bouquet of flowers in a new car

9.73 Frighteningly easy to drink

7.92 Set the juice loose!

29.141 Bear branded by Darth’s light sabre

30.77 This is nuts!

Buy 

Browse August Outturn

*30.77 is exclusive to our August offers

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Auchentoshan Taste Experiments

Posted: 31 Jul 2013 09:41 AM PDT

One of 2013′s more interesting press events took place last Tuesday, with the launch of Auchentoshan’s Taste Experiments Masterclasses.  Consumer tickets for these events sold out in a flash, with fans of the Glasgow malt jumping at the opportunity to … Continue reading >>

Save Lars Whisky!

It is known that the Belgian blogger Mark Dermul is a whisky lover. But he is also well-known for being a huge Star Wars fan. In 2012 he lead a special project name Save the Lars Homestead. During a week in 2012, six fans from around the world travelled to the Jundland Wastes (Tunisian desert) to battle the elements and restore the igloo-like abode of Luke Skywalker to its full movie glory. You can read all about that on www.savelars.com.

At the end of July, the second edition of the Star Wars Celebration Europe, the largest sci-fi convention in the world dedicated to the sage, took place in Messen, Germany. Mark was at this convention presenting a panel about the project Save the Lars Homestead.

So what does all this have to do with whisky, you ask yourself?

To celebrate, his Dutch whisky buddy Imanuel and himself took it upon themselves to create a very special, very limited and very private bottling with the help of A.D. Rattray, independent bottler from Glasgow. Only 6 bottles were created – one for each so-called Saviour. Well… actually there was a 7^th bottle, labelled ‘The Project Lead’s Cut’, as Mark felt the Saviours might want to keep their bottle for a while as a souvenir and he wanted the opportunity to taste it. Hence the extra bottle, of course.

After the idea was spawned, Mark got in touch with A.D. Rattray’s Iain Croucher, who is a bit of a Star Wars fan himself. He loved the idea and sent a list of available casks. Mark and Imanuel selected a Bruichladdich 20 Year Old 1992 bourbon hogshead #3799 at 46% ABV. Mark designed a special label – obviously with the restored Lars Homestead in it and Iain did the rest.

THE LABEL

First he printed all the labels and filled the six bottles. After labelling them, he shipped them out via courier service to Mark in Belgium. All this was taken care of in less than a week.

Labelling

Mark and Imanuel travelled to the Star Wars Celebration, where they surprised the rest of their crew with this very pleasant and delicious gift after the panel. They were obviously chuffed. They opened up the extra bottle, which did not survive the evening. That should hardly come as a surprise, eh?

At the celebration with the WHISKY!

You may expect another one of Mark’s Whisky Ramblings soon, detailing further the story of this exceptional bottling and – of course – the tasting notes.

May the Malt be with you!

Angels whisky club INTERVIEW by Paul McLean.

Jennifer Graham, Brand Ambassador, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey

Hi again Jennifer, your help in Victoria, Vancouver Island at the whisky festival prompted me to ask you more questions!

What first got you interested in whiskey?  John Teeling – the founder of  Cooley Distillery was a lecturer at my University in Ireland. He is a very well respected businessman in Ireland and I became very aware of his successful whiskey ventures with Cooley. His whiskeys are the most authentic Irish that you can get – Cooley was an independent distillery at the time and family owned. I wanted to work with an authentic Irish brand and always had a palate for whiskey from tasting my dad’s over the years.

What exactly does a whiskey Ambassador do?  My job is to develop the Kilbeggan and Cooley portfolio brand in San Francisco and the Bay area but also in other US states when I join forces with the other US Kilbeggan BA’s to do “market blitzes”. I am in charge of creating a connection between Kilbeggan and consumers, bar managers and the whiskey industry in San Francisco. This involves conducting whiskey tastings, master classes, promotions, organizing sponsorship opportunities, managing whiskey festivals such as Whiskies of the World, Whiskey Fest, Craft Spirits Carnival. I work with the brand team in Chicago where we plan how brand positioning etc. It’s an exciting role.

How did you become a whiskey Ambassador?   There is an Irish graduate programme (Export Orientation Programme – EOP) whereby the Irish government links up Irish graduates with small Irish companies wanting to increase their exports and larger companies with authentic Irish brands. When I saw Cooley Distillery on that list I applied for the programme and made it clear who I wanted to work for. I was first based in Stockholm, Sweden before moving to San Francisco.

Are you happy living/working in USA for an Irish whiskey company? what is that like?  It is a truly unique experience. I actually did an interview for an Irish newspaper recently on “dream jobs” – I guess that kind of sums it up. I won the jackpot being sent to San Francisco! You just get to meet so many people while working with an Irish product that is extremely authentic.

Why did you choose Kilbeggan? or did they choose you?   I chose them and made my case for why they should choose me too!  and … have you been to Kilbeggan and/or Cooley? what was your opinion?  I have spent lots of time in both distilleries. Kilbeggan is so rustic and old. It’s the only distillery in Ireland where you can see the whole whiskey making process from start to finish. You can stick you head right into the mash tons. We spent time working there before we were sent to the US. My job was to dig out the mash tons in my wellington boots! I can’t imagine many distilleries that would allow that kind of hands-on experience.

Being a young female in the whisky industry must be a challenge. How do you find the industry reacts to you?   It’s funny. I used to walk into a room to do a master class & people would look to see who was walking after me, as if
a 20-something girl couldn’t know much about whiskey & clearly the “real” BA would be following me out. After 5 minutes of me talking they realize that a 20-something girl not only knows a lot about whiskey but often knows more than they do! People try to catch me out by asking advanced whiskey knowledge questions & by the time I’m done with the answer they don’t even know what question to ask next…it makes a lot of people (especially men) go quiet!

What skills and qualities do you need to become an Ambassador?   You have to have marketing or sales experience, be organized, autonomous, motivated and genuinely friendly. You do have to be assertive and confident too.

What’s the best part of your job?  Travel! I’ve been to LA, Miami, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philly, Indiana, Baltimore and Victoria, Canada….all in the last 12 months.

Do you have any views on finishing? Port, Sherry etc. In fact, do you have a favourite finish (mine is sherry)?  My favourite finish the Madeira because I have a sweet tooth and love the apricot, marzipan notes.

You knew this was coming next; what is your favourite whisk(e)y?  I don’t have a 100% favourite but Tyrconnell Madeira, Greenore & Kilbeggan would be the top 3. I’m not a very smoky person but if I had to chose it would be the
Connemara 12 YO.

and … do you tend to collect bottles at home?  I do tend to collect bottles – that’s another perk to my job. People give you bottles pretty regularly.

Apart from our membership (of course) is there anyone in the whisky world you wish to meet? Past or present.  Is it too obvious to say Jim Murray?! I always miss him at events! (Paul’s note; lucky girl!)

And what about your private life? Any other interest apart from whisky? Well – jumped out of plane last week…for the third time! I guess that tells a lot about me.

Many thanks for being honest and putting up with all of my questions, do you have a parting shot?

Toast:
Here’s to Irish whiskey,
A craft well understood,
In Kilbeggan it’s not just in the jar,
It’s also in their blood.

Paul’ Many thanks Jennifer, it was grand meeting you in Canada (of all places!) and aye we did book our group into the distillery for this coming September. Let me know when you come to Scotland, we can meet up for a few drams!

http://www.angelswhiskyclub.com/  a free whisky club for everyone

Hi folks. A quick email to say that the 28th auction will end this evening. For the benefit of our first-time bidders, this is how it works.

From 6pm UK time the software starts monitoring activity on the site, and as long as bids are being made, the auction stays open. If no bids are made within five minutes, the software will shut down the auction.

Making a bid with, say, 10 seconds to go, will extend the auction for another five minutes. This feature has been designed to beat sniper software.

We hope you have enjoyed the 28th auction.

Kind regards from Glasgow

The SWA Team

TOMATIN WINS GOLD AT THE 2013 INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRIT COMPETITION

Tomatin Distillery is delighted to announce that they have won five awards in the 2013 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) for their core range of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

The results, announced at the London International Wine Fair on Monday 20th May, mark the 44th year of the Competition. Founded in 1969, the IWSC is considered to be the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world.

The awards given by the competition are believed to be among some of the highest honours in the industry. Judging for
the Competition is unique in that it has two stages; first, the products are tasted blind by expert panels, selected from over 300 fully experienced and qualified industry judges. Then, products are subject to technical analysis before resultsare released; this crucial stage ensures winners receive complete validation.

All products in Tomatin’s core range achieved a Silver award or higher. The recently released no‐age‐statement expression, Tomatin Legacy, was awarded ‘Silver Outstanding’, a great reflection of the reception this product has had in the marketplace. The brand’s 30 year old expression, regularly voted ‘favourite dram’ at whisky tasting events, was awarded Gold.

Stephen Bremner, Sales Director, said: “Credible product awards like these are extremely influential in the buying process; therefore we are happy with these excellent results from IWSC 2013 which reflect consistent quality across the
range, right from our youngest non‐aged expression to the higher‐end 30 year old.”

TOMATIN DISTILLERY CO LTD
 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

IWSC
 The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs.
 All entries are first, blind tasted in groups divided by variety, region and vintage as necessary, by professional expert judges (by glass not bottle) and then all products are sent for detailed (chemical and microbiological) analysis. This analysis is crucial as in some instances the results of this analysis may lead to marks being deducted or even outright rejection.

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY WHISKEYS GAIN “OUTSTANDING” RECOGNITION IN INTERNATIONAL WINE & SPIRITS COMPETITION

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Awarded Inaugural “Bourbon Trophy” 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Aug., 2013) – Buffalo Trace Distillery solidified its standing as the world’s most award-winning Distillery with honors from the 2013 International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), results of which were released in London, England on July 24.  Taking top honors were several Buffalo Trace whiskeys, including Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon, which won the first-ever Bourbon Trophy as well as:

Gold Outstanding Medal was awarded to:

• Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon

Gold Medal was awarded to:

• Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon

Silver Outstanding Medals were awarded to:

• Col. E. H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon
• Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 Year Old Bourbon
• Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
• William Larue Weller Bourbon
• Royal Canadian Small Batch Canadian Whisky

Silver Medal winners included:

• Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• Col. E. H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon
• George T. Stagg Bourbon
• Caribou Crossing Single Barrel Canadian Whisky

The “Gold Outstanding” and “Silver Outstanding” medals are awarded based upon the highest scores within each of those respective categories.

In total, Buffalo Trace Distillery entered 13 whiskeys in the competition, and all of them won awards.

Anna Grant, head of sales and marketing, IWSC Group said: “Due to the quality and quantity of Bourbon entries this year, the decision was taken by judges and the IWSC Competition Director to create the inaugural Bourbon Trophy. The Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon 10 YO Whiskey impressed judges with its ‘long, spicy finish’. Congratulations to the whole team!”

Harlen Wheatley, master distiller of Buffalo Trace, commented: “We are very excited about our results and are honored to have done so well amongst some of the industry’s best. “

The International Wine and Spirit Competition was founded in 1969 and is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs.

All entries are first blind tasted in groups divided by variety, region and vintage as necessary, by professional expert judges (by glass, not bottle) and then the top products are sent for detailed (chemical and microbiological) analysis. This analysis is crucial as in some instances the results of this analysis may lead to marks being deducted or even outright rejection.

Learn more at www.iwsc.net.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

Kilchoman win Gold, Silver and Bronze at the 2013 International Wine and Spirits Competition

Each of Kilchoman’s general releases were awarded medals at this year’s prestigious IWSC adding to the International Whisky Competition Whisky of the Year and Master Distiller of the Year awards won by the team.  Loch Gorm took a gold while Machir Bay 2013 won silver and 100% Islay 2nd Edition bronze.

 Anthony Wills Kilchoman Managing Director “It’s always hugely satisfying when the efforts of everyone at the distillery are recognized in this way, for all of our entries to receive awards is particularly pleasing”.

 RRP Kilchoman Loch Gorm $89.99/btl

RRP Kilchoman Machir Bay 2013 $59.99/btl

RRP Kilchoman 100% Islay 2^nd Edition $89.99/btl 

office@impexbev.com

www.ralfy.com starts a World Whisky four-parter called North, South, East, West, guess which direction this vlog comes from. . . Whisky Review 382 – Teerenpeli Whisky from Finland.