UK TASTING TOUR

I hope you had a great Easter, whatever you got up to.

Our next series of tastings starts in just 7 days so it’s time to get involved!

After intensive looks at whiskies from Ireland and India, we felt we were long overdue in getting back to basics and tasting Scotch whiskies from some of our favourite ‘Indie’ bottlers.

Often the source for whiskies for the ‘purist’ in us, Indie bottlers regularly bottle whiskies at cask strength and from a single cask. These casks have been ‘liberated’ from brokers and distillers and are a glimpse into how whisky was bought and sold going back hundreds of years.

Due to generally less ‘flamboyant’ packaging and marketing spends, Independent bottlers often represent excellent value for money as well as tasty whiskies! 

Once again we will be tasting 6 excellent whiskies and asking your palates to do the talking and judging…

DATES & VENUES

LONDON           Wednesday 30th April          THE RED LION, CROWN PASSAGE, SW1
BRIGHTON        Thursday 1st May                 HILTON METROPOLE, KINGS STREET
NEWCASTLE      Friday 2nd May                    BLACKFRIARS, FRIAR ST.
SHEFFIELD        Tuesday 6th May                  THE SHEFFIELD TAP, SHEFFIELD STN.
LIVERPOOL        Wednesday 7th May             JENNY’S BAR, FENWICK ST.
LEEDS               Thursday 8th May                THE CROSSKEYS, WATER LANE
MANCHESTER    Friday 9th May                     BRITONS PROTECTION, B’WATER ST.
YORK                Saturday 10th May               BRIGANTES, MICKLEGATE

Just check your diaries and then click on that date and venue combination that works best for you!

We look forward to seeing you at a tasting soon.

Cheers!
Eddie and Team Whisky Lounge

© Robert Hall 2012 roberthall.com

Join us twice a month to sample single malt Scotch whisky:

First Friday in May 2014 you’ll sample 3 top-shelf features then pick 2 malts from our single malt menu. $40

Second Saturdays, monthly, we’ll feature 3 malts. You’ll roll a die and taste a regional malt whisky then pick a connoisseur’s choice for your 5th dram. $25

85 single malt Scotch whiskies from 56 Scotch distilleries fill our bar

– 64 at or above 46% abv

— 27 at cask strength

— 22 single casks

What’s all this mean?

watch Mark Gillespie’s WhiskyCast HD: “Life on the Road with Whisky’s Wanderers“

 Kelsey Dayton: “… bellying up to the bar for a splash of Scotch,” The Washington Post, Feb. 6, 2014

COMPANIONS OF THE QUAICH & LEGACY LIQUOR STORE VANCOUVER WEDNESDAY, MAY 14TH 7:30PM – 9:30PM. Open to members and non-members, please join us for a whisky tasting & dinner as we sample our way through our feature distiller, Kavalan Whisky – Taiwan Single Malt and the following offerings: Concertmaster, Soloist single casks, Sherry and Bourbon oak. Less than 5 years after its construction, Taiwan’s Kavalan distillery shocked the world with its impressive 3 year old single malt whiskies. With the assistance of whisky industry Top Gun Jim Swan the distillery was able to turn its scorching hot climate to its advantage. Not even a decade later Kavalan is still turning heads and taking the world by storm. – See more here 

Springbank 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch – $428.99

(1 bottle available) 

Nationwide shipping available! 

Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits

www.moraswines.com

631-941-4458

sev.clemens@moraswines.com

Ardbeg distillery announces Kiwis first in the world to taste 2014 limited edition

— Limited Edition whisky will be released on Ardbeg Day – 31st May 2014 —

Ardbeg, four-time winner of the World’s Best Scotch Whisky award, will launch its highly anticipated Limited Edition Ardbeg Auriverdes on Ardbeg Day, the distillery’s annual global celebration of all things Ardbeg. This year, Kiwis beat the rest of the world and will be first to taste the new single malt.

A distillery known for its cult following, Ardbeg invites New Zealand whisky enthusiasts to lead the worldwide celebration of Ardbeg Day on 31 May at Ardbeg embassies, House of Whiskey in Auckland, Regional Wines & Spirits in Wellington and Whisky Galore in Christchurch where Ardbeg Auriverdes will be exclusively available in very limited quantities.

The 2014 Limited Edition has been matured in American oak casks with specially toasted cask lids, tailor-made for this unique product. The new toasting technique gives the whisky a unique flavour profile with the lids producing a mocha coffee flavour at one end, flowing into creamy vanilla at the other – truly a dram of two halves!

“Kiwi Ardbeg fans will be thrilled to be first in the world to try the much anticipated Auriverdes. I have no doubt we will see a repeat of last year, with Embassies packed full of Ardbeg fans throughout the day,” says Rai Banbury, Ardbeg senior brand manager.

Distilled with equal measures of skill and passion, Ardbeg Auriverdes was named for the golden colour of the whiskey (auri) and the classic green Ardbeg bottle (verdes). Auriverdes is also the nickname of Brazil’s national football team, hosts of this year’s world cup. Taking inspiration from ‘peat football’ and Islay’s rich football heritage, New Zealand Ardbeg embassies and 120 other countries worldwide will kick off Ardbeg Day with football inspired events in-store.

Ardbeg Auriverdes follows the highly acclaimed Limited Edition Ardbeg Galileo, which scooped the ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ at the World Whisky Awards 2013.

Auriverdes celebrates the Islay Festival (the Feis Ile), of which Ardbeg Day marks the culmination, running from 23rd to 31st May 2014. It has become a key date in the calendar of malt whisky aficionados around the world, with thousands of them making the trip to the Island of Islay annually.

To find out more about Ardbeg Day, join the Kiwi celebration and become a committee member, visit:

http://www.ardbeg.com/ardbeg/members/public/index/register

Notes:

NZ Ardbeg Day Events on Saturday 31st May 2014:

• Whisky Galore, 66 Victoria Street, Central City, Christchurch. 11-5pm

• House of Whiskey, 50 Courthouse Lane, Auckland, CBD. 11-5pm

• Regional Wines & Spirits, 15 Ellice St, Mt Victoria, Wellington. 11-5pm 

Ardbeg Day:

Ardbeg Day will be celebrated at the distillery on Saturday 31 May 2014 and at participating Ardbeg Embassies around the world. For full details go to www.ardbeg.com  

Ardbeg Auriverdes Tasting Notes:

Aroma: Tarry and herbal notes with hints of mocha.

Taste: Coffee grounds pass to smoked root vegetables, while maple-cured bacon collides with hot-smoked salmon. 

Finish: A lingering, smoky vanilla note.

Ardbeg Auriverdes is non chill-filtered for extra texture and mouth feel.

 About Ardbeg:

Ardbeg prides itself on being the ‘Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky’. Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by whisky connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts. Despite this, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’.

Jolly Toper’s whisky tastings normally take place on Thursday nights from 7:30pm until approximately 10pm at The Kilderkin, 65/67 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, (they do a mean pizza). For more details on the tastings themselves please click here

P/O/U/R/S = Peaty, Old, Unusual, Rare and Sherry cask matured. Recently many people have requested the exact nature of the line up at the ‘pours’ tastings remain secret so a proper ‘blind’ tasting can be held. However I understand some attendees would be more comfortable knowing which drams were to be tasted before committing to attending. If you don’t want to know the confirmed line up contact us before checking the details listed below.

* = £3 discount for first timers and members. Membership costs £10 for 13 months.

Future dates:

10th Anniversary of Canongate Tastings tasting  24.04.14 £28/25*   ***SOLD OUT *** but no waiting list started yet…

These five drams mean that in ten years we have tried whisky from every distillery in Scotland to have bottled their whisky since Maltmill closed in the 1950s (oops! except Kininvie)

Balmenach-Glenlivet Scotch Malt Whisky Society fresh Bourbon barrel cask strength

Glendullan-Glenlivet bottled exclusively for McBains of Dufftown by Gordon & MacPhail

Royal Lochnagar 17yo 1996 – 03/14 rum cask 606 bottles 57.4% Cadenheads

Dufftown-Glenlivet 34yo 1979 – 03/14 sherry cask 48.0% Cadenheads

Scapa 20yo 1983 – 2013 58.6%

Recent Cadenheads Bottlings 1.5.14 £TBC*

Dalmore 37yo cask strength

Bladnoch 23yo cask strength

Bowmore 13yo 46%

Benriach 18y 46%

something from a non Bourbon cask

8.5.14 Final (?) Marie Curie tasting £20 – 100% of ticket price goes to Marie Curie

Glencraig 22yo cask strength single cask Cadenheads

Glendronach 14yo single Oloroso butt cask strength

3 more drams perhaps including single Islay malt (Bowmore?) 21yo 46% The Wine Society, Ledaig 42% and one more-

feel free to donate another bottle and/or raffle/auction prizes

P/O/U/R/S 15.5.14 £TBC*

THE BEST CADENHEADS HAS No. 3, WEDNESDAY  21.05.14 £TBC but about £50

Those whisky daft Danes are back with the usual request – pour the 5 best drams Cadenheads currently have – hang the price.

Glenfiddich 1972 41yo cask strength £450 retail, Macduff 24yo single sherry cask cask strength, Longrow sherry cask 10yo cask strength then possibly Auchentoshan 21yo maybe Ben Nevis 17yo or Glen Lossie 20yo Bourbon hogshead, but we’ll wait and see what the next couple of bottling program offers…

P/O/U/R/S 29.5.14 £TBC*

P/O/U/R/S 12.6.14 £TBC*

P/O/U/R/S 26.6.14 £TBC*

P/O/U/R/S 10.7.14 £TBC*

P/O/U/R/S 24.7.14 £TBC*

Coming in August

– On a Saturday evening our second tasting on a canal barge, new route from Linlithgow, featuring 5 closed distilleries which were located alongside a canal: Glen Mhor, Littlemill, Port Dundas, Rosebank and St. Magdalene. Tickets circa £35.

– our initial walking tour of Edinburgh -visit sites of interest to whisky enthusiasts and try 5 drams connected to the capital and learn of the role ‘Auld Reekie’ played in Scottish whisky’s rise to prominence. Drams include Caledonian, North British, a 1970s bottled Queen Anne, Glen Kinchie and one other.

Future themed tastings: a vertical Glendronach tasting and Canadian whiskies.

Here are the details for the event:

Date: Friday May 2^nd, 2014

Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm

Please note we will start promptly right at 6:30; doors open 6:15pm

Location:   The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants, 919 Douglas Street, Victoria

The Maple Room, above the Sticky Wicket Pub, entrance on Courtenay Street

Price: $35 each for Members & Partners, $45 for Non-Members/Guests   

(Not a member? Here’s your chance! Click HERE)

REGISTRATION:   

Space is strictly limited, so you must register in advance.  Guests are welcome, but we now have to restrict it to one guest per member. Members will always have priority. To secure your place you need to pre-pay.

IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY BOOKED, CONTACT US VERY SOON, as the event always sells out. 

The whiskies have already arrived in the store and they are another unique selection of cask strength drams. 

Please email, drop into the store or phone with credit card details (we do not keep card details on file) Email: whisky@strathconahotel.com  Phone: 250-370-9463 . Once your seat(s) are paid for by phone you will receive an email confirmation from me and this is your virtual Ticket.  If you pay in person in the store you will receive a receipt. We are also accepting bookings already for June, when First Friday falls on June 6^th.  As a heads –up, the August First Friday will NOT be on Friday August 1^st as we are busy with monthly inventory.  An alternate date will be announced soon. 

IMPORTANT: 

Please remember these are cask strength whiskies, so you should not be driving home after the tasting. 

Sláinte!

Colin Southcombe
General Manager
The Strath Ale Wine & Spirit Merchants
919 Douglas Street, Victoria BC, V8W 2C2
Tel: 250-370-9463
Email: whisky@strathconahotel.com

Welcome back to Aberdeen!

Hope you all had a great Easter Holiday! 
Wednesday 23rd of April: Society Tasting (6.30pm in Bookends, @Butchart )

We will have some super whisky on offer and you will be able to buy your hoodie!

Hoodies!

You can order your hoodies now. Please download this form and give it to us tomorrow with £18 and we will order them for you to collect before the end of the semester.

ALL members must renew their membership for this year.
Please see details below about how to do this.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MALT WHISKY SOCIETY

We also need to get EVERYONE to become a member of the Malt Whisky Society.
To do this follow these steps:
1. Go to www.ausa.org.uk
2. Register a new account
3. Search for “Malt Whisky Society”
4. Add “Malt Whisky Society Student Membership” (£2) to your basket (like amazon.com)
5. Go to your basket – you MUST add “Societies Union” membership (£2) before you can pay
6. Follow payment instructions – you NEED a credit/debit card to pay.
7. Bring along your reference on a bit of paper/your mobile phone to the next whisky event and we will give you your membership card.

CASH PAYMENTS
It is possible to pay for membership with cash at the Butchart Recpetion desk during opening hours. 

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Teeling Small Batch Irish Whiskey! 

http://youtu.be/UkLPINge6aA 

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

BALLANTINE’S LAUNCHES LIMITED EDITION GOLF PACKS FOR 2014 

Ballantine’s, the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky, has today announced the 2014 release of its popular Limited Edition Golf Packs, available for its 17 and 21 Year Old blends. 

Ballantine’s has a long-standing association with golf, dating back to 1960. The Limited Edition Golf Packs, first launched in 2012, are designed to reinforce the shared values, provenance and heritage between the renowned Scotch whisky and one of Scotland’s most revered sports. 

The 2014 packaging features the silhouette of a golfer in full swing with the Ballantine’s iconic ‘B’ in the background, while the gold foil and printing of the logo directly onto the glass epitomises the superior quality of both Ballantine’s 17 Year Old and Ballantine’s 21 Year Old. The green colour of the bottle and box of Ballantine’s 17 Year Old links back to golf courses, while the cream box highlights the premium credentials of Ballantine’s 21 Year Old. 

Peter Moore, Ballantine’s Global Brand Director, said: “We are excited to release this year’s Ballantine’s Limited Edition Golf Packs, which stay true to our golfing heritage and support our ongoing presence within the sport. The packs have resonated well in the past with both whisky fans and golfing enthusiasts, and we expect the consistently high quality of these whiskies to ensure that this year’s release is equally well received.” 

In 2013, Ballantine’s 17 Year Old was named ‘Scotch Blend of the Year’ for the fifth consecutive time in the 2014 edition of the much revered ‘Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible’. The Scotch whisky was given 97.5 points out of 100, and was described by the whisky expert as “one of the most beautiful, complex and stunningly structured whiskies ever created” and “truly the epitome of a great Scotch.” Both the 17 and 21 Year Old were also awarded gold medals in the 2013 Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. 

The Ballantine’s Golf Limited Edition Packs are available now in Asia Duty Free, Korea, China, Taiwan and Poland. Ballantine’s 17 Year Old will retail at $78 and Ballantine’s 21 Year Old at $130 (USD).

Notes: 

About Ballantine’s

Ballantine’s is the No. 1 Scotch whisky in Europe and the world’s No. 2 Scotch whisky by volume, 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.

www.ballantines.com 

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.

www.chivasbrothers.com