Isle of Arran Distillers score a hat-trick of wins at China Wine and Spirits Awards 

Independent whisky producer, Isle of Arran Distillers, is celebrating three prestigious awards in the recent China Wine and Spirits Best Value Awards 2014. 

The competition is the biggest and most well-respected drinks awards in China. Designed to celebrate excellence in the drinks industry across the globe the awards act as a major springboard for wine and spirits entering China, and for brands already selling in the fastest growing market in the world.   

One hundred judges, comprising of China and Hong Kong’s most respected buyers, chose the winners after blind tasting the spirits. Isle of Arran Distillers came away with two double gold awards for their 10 Year Old and 12 Year Old Cask Strength whiskies, whilst the 14 Year Old picked up a silver award. 

Euan Mitchell, Managing Director at Isle of Arran Distillers, said: “We are absolutely delighted with our recent award wins. The Arran Malt is very popular in China so it’s great to have this formally recognised. I expect and hope that these prestigious awards will help make more people aware of the Arran Malt as we continue to expand our export market to China and Asia.” 

This is not the first time that Isle of Arran has won an international award, recognising the increased interest in the Arran Malt overseas. For the past two years, malts from the distillery have been recognised in the renowned San Francisco World Spirits competition. 

Euan continued: “Our export sales have consistently performed significantly well, which is a trend we hope to continue.  It has been a great start to the year for us as we’ve also just launched our oldest whisky to date – the Arran Malt 17 Year Old – which is already in high demand.” 

German-born and Hong Kong based Importer Nikolas Prehn said:  “This extraordinary competition has showed that at each and every price point, including the very highest – Chinese buyers and consumers want confidence that the wines and spirits they are choosing are the ‘Best Value’. 

“As CWSA Judges are known as the most respected buyers based here in Hong Kong and China, the results are trusted – and therefore winning products showcasing their success are a very desirable purchase.’ 

Notes: 

For more information visit http://www.arranwhisky.com/ 

* Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007.) 

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.) ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013). Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

April Outtrun & Victoria Partner Bar News

PUT SOME SPRING IN YOUR STEP WITH THESE SEVEN NEW SIPPERS!

The April Outturn is now available. For full tasting notes and to purchase please visit http://www.smws.ca/.

Also, if you haven’t heard yet, we are thrilled to announce that Victoria’s Little Jumbo will be our newest Partner Bar, joining Fets Whisky Kitchen in Vancouver and Brasserie Kensington in Calgary!

An ever-changing range of Society bottles will be on the bar and available by the dram. Please join us on Monday, April 14th to celebrate this exciting new partnership: http://ow.ly/von7V

In the meantime, don’t be sheepish about settling into this month’s Outturn (which includes a new distillery for the Canadian branch):

Cask No. 9.73 Frighteningly easy to drink
16 years old; refill barrel; 57%
The nose has leather books, polished tables, tobacco and mint; with water – afternoon tea with delicious sweet treats. The palate combines dark chocolate, candied cherries and dates with sherbet, lemon cakes and flapjacks – frighteningly drinkable.

Cask No. 7.93 A complex cornucopia
11 years old; refill barrel; 57.6%
The multifarious nose has lemonade, pancakes, Golden syrup, Deep Heat and forests after the rain. The palate has chocolate chip cookies with ginger cake, chili, lemon, light wood and almond fingers.

Cask No. 77.28 Tropical nights
25 years old; new charred oak 2nd fill hogshead; 54.9%
Candlewax and scented wood; tropical fruits and flowers; toasted pineapple, dark chocolate, marzipan and coffee with cardamom seeds. Waxy and mouth-filling, with juicy fruits and chocolate truffles dusted with cocoa.

Cask No. G4.4 Enjoy some R & R
34 years old; refill hogshead; 47.4%
The nose has Caramel bars, toffee popcorn and freshly ground coffee beans; the taste is vanilla ice cream and lemon tart. With water citrus sorbet and a flavour of orange blossom and homemade shortbread – enjoy a bit of relaxing and reminiscing in the garden.

Cask No. 46.21 A ballerina in stilettos
11 years old; refill sherry butt; 60.9%
NEW DISTILLERY FOR THE CANADIAN BRANCH
The nose offers buttered popcorn, puff candy, toasted almonds, pot-pourri and Christmas essential oils – maple syrup, bacon, malt and wood with water. The chewy tasty palate has lemon zest, moist gingerbread, duck in orange sauce, syrup of figs, pepper and leather.

Cask No. 3.206 Dark and mysterious
15 years old; refill sherry butt; 56.9%
The nose is dark and complex – molasses, aniseed, dark toffee, tarmac, toast, tobacco, charred mackerel and oily boats; with water marmite, soy sauce and Demerara. The palate has ash, kippers, treacle toffee, honey-glazed ham, creme brulee, fireplaces, dark chocolate and liquorice.

Cask No. 29.139 Why do fools fall in love?
18 years old; refill barrel; 59.9%
Here we go – coal tar, charcoal, cinders, roast pork belly, and sea salted chips; the taste big, hot, ashy, embers and a well-cleaned hospital floor. With water pencil shavings, roast ham and taking an Elastoplast off with your teeth.

http://www.smws.ca/

Glencadam 22 Year Old
The Rare Casks Release 4
Vintage 1991 / 55.3% vol / 96 Bottles

The ethos of The Rare Casks series is to introduce and explore drams that excite and stimulate discussion. The latest addition to the range is no exception.

Release 4 in The Rare Casks series is a stunning Highland malt from the Glencadam distillery. Distilled in 1991 and aged in a refill bourbon cask for 22 years, this is a truly wonderful addition to this cask strength series of malts. Having previously been mothballed, the distillery was brought back to life in 2003 and is the only existing distillery in the region of Angus.

The dram possesses a distinct haze which hints at the true rustic character you would expect from a cask strength malt bottled in its truest natural form, without chill filtering or colour additives…

96 bottles filled, 55.3% vol.

£76.95
(£64.13 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Glencadam 22 Year Old / The Rare Casks

New! Glenglassaugh Single Casks Batch #1

Eight new single casks from the Highland distillery ranging from 1968-1986 (45-28 year old). Each bottle is hand numbered and highly collectable.

Buy from $218.91

LAPHROAIG® DISTILLERY NAMED WHISKY VISITOR ATTRACTION OF THE YEAR AT 2014 GLOBAL ICONS OF WHISKY AWARDS

Islay Distillery Honored as Top Whisky Destination In the World 

Deerfield, IL (March 31, 2014) – Beam Inc. is pleased to announce that the Laphroaig® Distillery was awarded the Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year in Whisky Magazine’s global Icons of Whisky 2014 competition. This esteemed honor follows the Laphroaig® Distillery’s win in the Icons of Whisky Scotland, where the brand took home the Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year award for that region.   

“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of Whisky Magazine’s prestigious global Icons of Whisky,” said John Campbell, Laphroaig® Master Distiller. “For nearly 200 years, we’ve worked hard to ensure that the distillery reflects the same distinctiveness one would find in a bottle of Laphroaig®. From guided tours to our Friends of Laphroaig® loyalty program, we welcome visitors into the family by gifting a plot of Islay land they can call their own while offering a truly memorable experience.” 

The Whisky Magazine editorial panel noted that the Laphroaig® Distillery “offers a warm welcome to visitors from across the world. From a walk through tour to owning your piece of Islay, Laphroaig® has stamped its mark on the visitor [center] experience.” This is the first win for Laphroaig® in the Icons of Whisky. 

The Icons of Whisky are held to commend the people and places behind the world’s greatest whiskies. The Whisky Magazine editorial panel votes in two stages, the first being a regional voting round conducted for companies based in the U.S., Scotland and the “Rest of the World,” then the panel votes on the regional winners to select the global Icons of Whisky. 

To learn more about Laphroaig® Scotch Whisky or how to become a Friend of Laphroaig®, visit www.Laphroaig.com, LIKE us on Facebook www.facebook.com/laphroaigusa, or follow us on Twitter @LaphroaigWhisky.

About Laphroaig®

Laphroaig® (La-‘froyg) literally means “the beautiful hollow by the broad bay.”  Born from the streams and blue peat smoke of Islay, Laphroaig® is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky with a distinct taste and story in every bottle. The secret to Laphroaig® is that it benefits from the happy circumstances of where it is produced—next to ocean water and on land that gives Laphroaig® a unique peaty taste. It is one of only a few distilleries that still uses traditional malting floors and dries and infuses its own malt with the thick blue smoke from old peat-fired kilns. It’s also the only Single Malt Scotch Whisky to bear a Royal Warrant bestowed by HRH Prince Charles. 

About Friends of Laphroaig®

Each bottle of Laphroaig® Scotch Whisky comes with a gift of friendship. Created by Laphroaig® Master Distiller John Campbell, Friends of Laphroaig® is a distinguished loyalty group, which today boasts over 600,000 members from more than 150 countries. Each Friend of Laphroaig® is given a lifetime lease on a numbered, one square foot plot of land in Islay that runs alongside the important Laphroaig® water source – the Killbride stream. The plot is registered and can be visited in person or via video on the Friends of Laphroaig® website –www.Laphroaig.com/Friends. Throughout the year, Friends of Laphroaig® from all over the world get together and share photos, tasting notes, Scottish history and more. To become a member of Friends of Laphroaig®, consumers can enter their unique code found on each bottle of Laphroaig® on the Laphroaig® Facebook Page –www.Facebook.com/LaphroaigUSA or Friends of Laphroaig® website at www.Laphroaig.com/Friends.

About Beam Inc.

As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World.  Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials.  Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,200 passionate associates worldwide generated 2013 sales of $2.55 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 37 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations.  

Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index.  For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Laphroaig® Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 43%, 48%, 51.2% and 55.7% alc./vol. ©2014 Laphroaig Import Company, Deerfield, IL

THE EXCLUSIVE MALTS BACH #4 IN THE US  

We’d like to let you in on some exciting news – the wildly popular Exclusive Malts is back by popular demand for a fourth time. Here’s a sneak peak of Exclusive Malts Batch #4

Linkwood’ 99 14 yr Speyside

111.60 proof

Nose:  Green Apple, Citrus, Dry Hay

Palate:  Sweet Malt, Burnt Sugar, Creamy, Slight Grassiness

Finish:  Long, Sweet, Light Smoke, Dry Finish

Linkwood Distillery, situated outside of Elgin, is little known as a single malt whisky due to the vast majority of its output going to blenders. It is a prized malt by blenders though who recognise it for being a consistently good-quality malt whisky. 

 North Highland’ 96 17 yr Highland

112.20 proof

Nose:  Peach, Very Fruity, Salty

Palate:  Sweet Start, Moves to a Balanced Spiciness with Some Citrus, Toffee

Finish:  Long, Spicy, Juicy Oak

This whisky, from a mystery North Highland distillery, has been quietly maturing since 1996 in a refill ex-Sherry hogshead. It has taken on an exceptional colour and sweet-fruit flavours with a superb balance and a long, deliciously sweet finish.

Bowmore’ 01 12 yr Islay

116.80 proof 

Nose:  Tar, Faint Peat, Slight Iodine

Palate:  Sweet Beginning, Burnt Sugar, Turns Spicy

Finish:  Soft, Sweet Juicy Oak, Very Light White Pepper

The Isle of Islay is famed for its richly-flavoured malt whisky distilleries. The whisky in this bottle was distilled at the Bowmore Distillery, the heart of the Isle of Islay and is a full-bodied, rich and smoky affair having spent 12 years in a refill ex-Sherry butt.

Bladnoch’ 92 21 yr Lowland

96.2 proof 

Nose:  Grassy, Dry Hay, Heather, Flax Seed

Palate:  Oily, Nougat, Lemon Citrus, Soft Maltiness

Finish:  White Pepper, Sweet Malt, Dry Finish

Situated on the South-West tip of Scotland is Bladnoch Distillery. A picturesque distillery tucked away in a stunning, if remote, part of Scotland. This whisky, taken from a refill ex-American oak hogshead, is a glimpse into the offerings from this pretty distillery.

 Glencadam’ 91 22 yr Highland

100.80 proof 

Nose:  Strawberry Jam, Sweet Malt

Palate:  Creamy, Vanilla Cream, Light Citrus

Finish:  Spicy Ginger, Long and Creamy

One of the few remaining distilleries on the East Coast of Scotland, Glencadam Distillery, situated in Brechin is gaining in popularity due to recent bottlings. This cask, a refill ex-American oak hogshead, demonstrates the whisky Highland qualities; robust and subtle.

The limited edition Bowmore Laimrig 15 year old – The Whisky Shop UK exclusive – is now available to pre order!

Bowmore Laimrig – 15 year old is the latest limited edition release from Bowmore.

Scottish Gaelic for ‘pier’, Laimrig celebrates Bowmore’s ancient stone pier where the distillery’s barley would once have been unloaded and our celebrated Single Malt first set sail for the four corners of the world. Finished in the finest Spanish sherry butts, our cask strength, non-chill filtered Bowmore Laimrig has a rich, dark character and colour.

Tasting Notes:

The look: On the eye teak brown.
The Nose: Breathe in sweet dark sherry, figs and cocoa balanced with smoky peatiness and a salty tang.
The Palate: Sip a rich combination of chocolate, sherry, raisins and smoke.
The Finish: Savour the long and lingering finish.
Bottled at 53.7% volume

Pre Order today to secure your bottle. Stock arriving on 24th April – only £70.00

Come and check out our Facebook competition to be in with a chance of winning an all-expenses paid trip to Islay. Click here to enter.

SIMPLY CLICK HERE TO BUY

www.ralfy.com has a malt-hug with Whisky Review 444 – Springbank 12yo Cask Strength @ 52.3%vol

Please join Dan Volway, Macallan Brand Ambassador, for a tasting of the Macallan 1824 Series. 

Friday, April 11^th  7:30pm –  in The Cellar at Bear Mountain Resort 

THE MACALLAN 1824 SERIES Rise to the occasion 

The Macallan is known worldwide for innovation – a defining characteristic that sets this distillery apart. Innovation is the driving force behind the distillery’s latest creation, The Macallan 1824 Series. A sophisticated collection of four unique expressions – Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby – that will redefine the way Scotch whisky is evaluated. The Macallan 1824 Series – 100% Sherry Casks, 100% Natural Colour, 100% Macallan 

For reservations, please contact 250-391-5224 or email Carmen.parry@westinbearmountain.com

$ 25.00 per person including taxes and gratuities

There’s an elephant in the room and we want to talk about it!

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada is thrilled to announce a new Partner Bar in its portfolio!

Victoria’s “Little Jumbo” will join Calgary’s “Brasserie Kensington” and Vancouver’s “Fets Whisky Kitchen” as our newest ‘Society Spot’ where SMWS bottles are on the bar.

Little Jumbo will join an exclusive group of only 22 other Partner Bars around the world (the full list is here: http://ow.ly/uDke3 ) where whisky lovers can enjoy a unique range of single cask libations.

Please join Little Jumbo’s proprietor Shawn Soole and his amazing staff, along with Rob and Kelly Carpenter of SMWS Canada as we kick off this new partnership with an evening of 5 one-of-a-kind Society whiskies paired with 5 fantastic appetizers.

Monday, April 14th

8:00 – 9:30pm

$50.00

Little Jumbo
Down the Hall, 506 Fort Street, Victoria, BC
(778) 433-5535

Register here: http://ow.ly/uQiXf