www.ralfy.com Found a decent modern version with Whisky Review 452 – Talisker Distiller’s Edition 2013

ALLY YOURSELF TO A FLAVOUR CLAN
WIN OUR MIGHTY MINIS

Until Mon 11 May, we’ll be giving away a box of our Mighty Minis ‘Surf & Turf Seaside BBQ’. For a chance to WIN, ally yourself to a clan by tweeting us your favourite flavour @SMWSUK #clansanddrams

Choose from our 12 flavour clans: Young & spritely, Light & delicate, Sweet, fruity & mellow, Spicy & sweet, Spicy & dry, Juicy, oak & vanilla, Deep, rich & fruity, Old & dignified, Oily & coastal, Lightly peated, Peated, Heavily peated

Suggestions:

Young & spritely

26.96 ‘Le Trou Normand’
BUY £49.40

Sweet, fruity & mellow

44.61 Flower bouquet with a love note

BUY £48.10

Spicy & sweet

46.24 Dumplings in a honey sauce
BUY £73.20

Spicy & dry

9.83 Tiger balm, Limoncello & scented candles

 BUY £100.00

Browse all bottlings
More flavours online

Sorry we can only send our winning mini packs to a UK address

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 here for membership information This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

One of the world’s oldest whiskies is about to be released on May 13th

Wealth Solutions and its Partner present one of the oldest whiskies in the world.

At this time, we can say this much:

Aged: 66 years

Distilled: 1948

Limited edition: 160 bottles

“Exquisite!” Charles MacLean

Watch the official launch event on-line. One bottle of this epic whisky can go to you!

Register now and join us on-line on May 13th 2014 to find out more.

Invitation from Charles MacLean – watch the video

Learn more: www.wealthlive.pl

See you online!

The Wealth Solutions Team

Bernheim Original Straight Wheat Whiskey Package Redesign Highlights 7 Year Age Statement 

A Whiskey Actually Gets an Age Statement Instead of Dropping One 

LOUISVILLE, KY— In today’s world of premium American and Scotch Whiskeys/ies, the trend is to remove age statements from existing labels, or release new labels with no age statement (or “NAS,” in whiskey parlance).  This reality is bemoaned in whiskey industry trade media, consumer magazines, and forums and blogs here and abroad. 

So it is indeed newsworthy when a renowned brand that previously had no age statement decides to add one. 

But that is in fact the case with Bernheim Original Straight Wheat Whiskey, a specialty American Whiskey that has been produced by Heaven Hill Distilleries since 2005.  When it was launched, Bernheim was the first new style of American Whiskey to be introduced since Prohibition, and though other straight wheat whiskeys have since been released in limited quantities by craft or micro-distilleries, Bernheim remains the only nationally distributed brand and the most critically acclaimed. 

From its introduction in 2005 until now, Bernheim carried no age statement on the label, but while it is still bottled at 90 proof, and still available at the same national average retail price of $29.99 for the 750ml size, the whiskey now carries a prominent “Aged 7 Years” statement on the redesigned face label.  The descriptive term “Small Batch”—which reinforces the fact that the bottling has always been made from a dump of 100 or fewer carefully chosen barrels aged at the top of one of Heaven Hill’s best rickhouses—has been moved next to the age statement on the label. 

Bernheim Straight Wheat Whiskey was named “Pioneer Whiskey of the Year” by Whisky Advocate Magazine when it was released in 2005, and since that time has won 3 “World Whisky Awards” from Whisky Magazine, Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, a Gold Medal at the International Spirits Challenge, and most recently scored 92 out of 100 points and was named “Finalist—Highly Recommended” at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge.  The brand is a particular favorite of mixologists, who find its soft, round taste profile eminently well-suited to new or classic whiskey cocktails. 

“With the success and critical acclaim we have been seeing with Bernheim since its introduction nearly a decade ago, we think the change to a new label with a prominent age statement will continue to lift the brand profile,” asserted Susan Wahl, Senior Brand Manager for American Whiskeys at Heaven Hill. “As the American Whiskey category continues to grow and today’s well educated consumers seek out distinctive styles of American Whiskeys—such as rye, wheat and corn—we feel Bernheim is well-positioned to benefit, particularly with the added gravitas of the ‘aged 7 years’ designation.”   

Founded in 1934, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; HPNOTIQ and HPNOTIQ Harmonie Liqueurs; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila and Rittenhouse Rye Whisky.  Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely.  Drink Wisely.”

The Relaxed Whisky Weekend
5 – 7 September 2014

Hi again whisky friends!

We are very happy to be able to announce the Maltstock 2014 program. It’s not complete yet but we’re getting there!

First things first:
As some of you might have noticed we switched to another ticket shop system. This new and improved shop actually generates tickets with barcodes, logo, info, etc. We will make sure that people who ordered their tickets in the old shop or at Maltstock 2013 will receive a ticket in their mailbox as well.

Program:
Masterclasses:
1. Balvenie – the Lost Samples
2. Highland Park
3. Tatsuya & Yumi of Suntory and Chichibu, Japanese youngest and oldest distillery together in one Maltstock Masterclass
4. Mike from Whisky shop Dufftown
5. Mark Watt – Cadenheads
6. Anthony MCcallum-Caron – Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd
7. Stephen Marshal – Dewars, first time at Maltstock!
8. Maverick Drinks
9. Old Pulteney – first time at Maltstock
10. Balblair – first time at Maltstock
11. ?

Exhihitors:

Kintra –link–
Independent bottler from the Netherlands

Full Proof –link–
Dutch collector with an amazing collection of whisky. These will be the only whiskies not included in the all-inclusive. A great opportunity to try some really unique whiskies.

Bresser & Timmer –link–
Dutch importer of amongst others: Tullibardine Tomatin, Cadenhead, Chieftains, Compass Box, Daily Dram, Dewar Rattray, Single Malts of Scotland, Whisky Agency, Kavalan, Nikka, Myagikyo, Yoichi…

Whisky Import Nederland –link–
Dutch importer with a very extensive portfolio of independant bottlers. Amongst others: Creative Whisky Company, Adelphi Distillery, Berry Bros., Clydesdale, Alchemist, Douglas Laing, Kilchoman, Blackadder, Wemyss, Carn Mor…

Be aware, both lists are not complete yet, there’s more to come!

Introduction of the new members:
– Hi i’m Jeroen Derks, youngest of the group by far. My whisky trip began with a tasting evening at Ap Dijksterhuis his place (author of Whisky by Numbers) approximately 4 years ago. He made a very cool lineup of different types of Whiskies with behind the first row of bottles 4 extra rows in the same tasting profile increasing in age. Not long after this evening I started buying bottles, went to Edinburgh visited Glenkinchie and started to read a lot about the subject.

Just like Klaas I’m a member of ‘t Woest Genoegen (Whisky Club Nijmegen), a very relaxed group of people, sharing one passion.

Professionally I’m an artist and Virtual Reality programmer at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics where we try to answer fundamental questions in the field of language and behaviour.

I joined Maltstock to design and program the website, ticket shop and promo material. Let’s share a dram together in September!
Personal websites: www.jderks.com www.facebook.com/jderksART

Maltstock promo tour

Teun, Bob and Stan are visiting the Speyside festival this year with an awesome Maltstock promo car. Big thanks go to www.passievoorwhisky.nl  for sponsoring this!!!! 
Spot the Maltstock promo car in Speyside \ Scotland, take a picture and share it on Facebook and win a relaxed amount of international fame.



Maltstock will be present at: 

Spirit of Speyside Whisky festival – 1\2\3\4\5\May – http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/
Dramboree – 4\5\6\July – http://www.dramboree.co.uk/

Reeeelaaaxxxed,
Annette, Bob, Jeroen, Klaas and Teun

Singleton Sunray and Tailfire – Dufftown’s latest

The Singleton is a worldwide phenomenon, hiding whisky from three different distilleries under one brand, with each appearing in different countries around the world. In the UK all of the readily available Singleton whisky comes from one place: the Dufftown distillery. The 12, 15 and 18 year old expressions have been around for a few years and have become well known, partly through their presence in travel retail, but a pair of new releases have recently appeared on the shelves at TWE: Singleton Sunray and Tailfire.

Given the brief of creating something new for the Singleton range, Diageo’s product development group started as they usually do – they sat down to have a chat. Matthew Crow, part of the team behind the new whiskies, told us at the launch that they started by focusing on the key aspects that they look for in Dufftown’s whisky, and isolated two terms: intensity and vibrancy. These are often used interchangeably, but Matthew and the rest of the team came up with more specific meanings:

• § Intensity – richness and depth of flavour
• § Vibrancy – big flavours with impact

From there they looked for the specific flavours within the spirit that tripped those ideas for them, and then (after much experimentation) came up with the two new whiskies, each showing off one of those sides of Dufftown.

The Singleton Sunray. 40%. £39.95

The Sunray’s focus is ‘intensity’. The blending team chose Dufftown’s sweet and honeyed side for the whisky, and used ex-bourbon cask matured spirit, looking for a mellow richness with sweetness and a bit of depth.

Nose: Vanilla cream, butter icing, honey, ground almonds, hints of hazelnut, sweet lemon, lemon zest, honeysuckle touches and white chocolate. The honey gets more pungent and stronger as it sits.

Palate: Sweet and soft, with a gently oily mouthfeel. Lemon and cream leads into spicy cinnamon and nutmeg, with sharp apple developing. Behind that are some bitter woody notes balanced by butter toffee that still leaves sour apple around the edges.

Finish: Butter toffee and fudge fade to lemon and spicy wood, with a hint of menthol.

Comments: It does what it sets out to do – it’s a no-nonsense bourbon matured whisky, which emphasises the honey and nutty notes of Dufftown, with a bit of citrus and spice thrown in for added interest. It does well, ‘blasphemy’ though it is to say, with a cube of ice…

The Singleton Tailfire. 40%. £39.95

The Tailfire takes on the ‘vibrancy’ facet of Dufftown’s whisky, and does so by going for more fruity flavours. Specifically, they’ve focused on the berry notes that are found in the distillery’s new make and emphasised by maturation in sherry casks. Using extra sherry matured spirit in the mix creates something quite different to the previously released Dufftown Singletons.

Nose: Walnuts and hazelnuts to start, with glacé cherries and dried fruit coming in behind. The darker notes are balanced by vanilla, white grapes, spicy sponge cake and some sultanas, as well as a touch of cheese-rind savouriness.

Palate: Lots of nuts and spice off the bat, with sour wood touches, rich berry fruit and dark, sticky liquorice. It continues to develop darker flavours – damp leaves, tobacco and leathery notes – as well as a touch of grassiness.

Finish: Medium to long, with green grass, blackberry leaf and blackcurrants.

Comment: Definitely different to the lighter style of the rest of the Singleton of Dufftown range, even the older bottlings which bring also containing more sherry cask matured whisky. It’s still got the Dufftown sweetness and nuttiness, but with a layer of darker, sherry-cask-inspired flavour.

To support the launch of the whiskies, Diageo is throwing a bit of a do on the South Bank in London on 15 May – The Singleton Whisky Night Market (tickets on sale now!). They are not only matching the whisky with food, both sweet and savoury, but also doing something often frowned upon – making cocktails.

I’m a big fan of using single malt in cocktails (if it’s done appropriately) and my first post on the blog was even about doing so. It’s all about choosing your ingredients correctly, and Diageo cocktail maestro Andrea Montague, formerly of excellent London bar Callooh Callay, has put together a couple of drinks to complement the Sunray and Tailfire.

I tried the cocktails at the launch and wasn’t that big a fan of the Tailfire’s Fruity Scot, as the whisky was a bit swamped by the combination of lemon juice, crème de mûre and white grape juice. However, the Sunray’s cocktail was a hit for me:

Complete with Andrea and a proselytising Colin Dunn

Honeyed Whisky Collins
Ingredients:

Singleton Sunray
Lemon Juice
Mead
Soda water

Method:

Stir the still ingredients with ice, top up with soda water and serve ungarnished.

It’s a long drink, so everything’s dialled back a bit, but the whisky still shines through, with the mead and lemon juice bolstering the honey and citrus notes in the whisky. It’s a technique of cocktail making that I rather like, emphasising the flavours of the core spirit rather than masking them.

Both the Sunray and Tailfire are solid additions to the Singleton of Dufftown range, with different directions and flavours from each, while still maintaining a distinctive Dufftown-ness. The Tailfire seemed to go down the best at the launch, but for me it’s the Sunray, which I suspect may make an appearance in my glass over the summer. Probably with some ice in…

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Singleton Sunray and Tailfire – Dufftown’s latest

Scholarships Awarded at Annual KBF Sampler 

Bardstown, KY –Breckinridge Stodghill, Allison Burba and Jacob Mattingly are the recipients of the 2014 Kentucky Bourbon Festival Scholarships.  Jerry Summers, chairperson, along with several members of the KBF Board of Directors presented certificates of achievement to these individuals during the fifteenth annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival Sampler at the Guthrie Opportunity Center Saturday, April 26. 

The scholarship sponsors are Bluegrass Ice Company, Smith Brothers Trucking, Toddy’s Liquors and Woodford Reserve Distillery.  

This year the festival was able to offer a third scholarship in memory of Officer Jason Ellis.  High school seniors with parents in law enforcement or parents who cover the Nelson County area for law enforcement were invited to apply.  Recipient of the Jason Ellis Memorial scholarship was Jacob Mattingly, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Mattingly. 

Breckinridge is the son of William and Alexandra Stodghill. Ms. Stodghill is employed by Brown Forman/Woodford Reserve.  Allison is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Burba.  Mr. Burba is employed by Jim Beam Brands. 

The winning essays will be published in the 2014 Kentucky Bourbon Festival program.

The latest gem from our spirits panel is a TPS Private Blend Angel’s Envy. Several months ago the tasting panel got together with a blender from Angel’s Envy to build our second private blend. We blended and tasted numerous combinations until we came up with what we believe to be an exceptional representation of Angel’s Envy. The TPS Single Barrel Old Forester has been a huge success; we are almost out and not expecting another until October. The newest barrel of TPS Smooth Ambler Rye has hit the shelves; barrel #333 or as I call it “Tree Tirty Tree” is a fabulous full bodied rye with spiced orange notes. We also just got word of a private barrel Corsair Triple Smoke in the near future.

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of several more private barrels from Woodford Reserve Double Oak, Ridgemont Reserve 1792, Jefferson Reserve, Weller Antique 107, Four Roses, and Buffalo Trace. Unfortunately our supply of Elijah Craig TPS 12 Year Single Barrel Un-Chill Filtered is coming to an end. Heaven Hill has suspended their Barrel Program during this time of scarcity; don’t wait to pick up one of these very special bottles.

This week Joe Ellis reviews the exclusive Teeling 26 Year Old Irish Single Malt 

http://youtu.be/5iAoGXgieRA 

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

Knob Creek® Bourbon Takes to the Air Waves With First-Ever Television Ad

Clermont, KY (April 21, 2014) – Knob Creek® Bourbon, the World’s #1 Selling Super Premium Bourbon, debuts its first-ever television commercial today. The new advertisement, which will air nationally throughout the year, highlights the big, full flavor of Knob Creek, as well as the brand’s long-time dedication to crafting quality, pre-prohibition bourbon. The campaign, titled “Bookerisms,” features the brand’s creator and original steward, Booker Noe, a charismatic sixth-generation master distiller who represented the authenticity and craftsmanship of Knob Creek. Noe was integral in the world of bourbon, having pioneered The Small Batch Bourbon Collection®.

The Knob Creek® portfolio, which in addition to their original Bourbon also features Knob Creek® Rye, Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve and the new Knob Creek® Smoked Maple, has grown 20 percent in the past year, outpacing the overall bourbon category which has seen a 14 percent increase in the same period*. Riding this strong momentum, Knob Creek aims to reach new consumers and current fans through its television commercial while deploying a 300 percent increase in media investment.

“While super premium bourbons have become more popular in recent years, Knob Creek has always been the category leader – even without the use of television advertising,” said Rob Nelson, Senior Brand Manager of Small Batch Bourbons at Beam Inc. “As we continue to grow this authentic, legendary bourbon brand, we’ve decided the time is right to take things up a notch and allow Knob Creek to reach new audiences on TV.”  

The new advertisement, part of a broader brand campaign that also spans digital media and retail activation, takes on a non-traditional, animated format and focuses on the product’s age, flavor, trusted quality and true bourbon heritage, highlighting a memorable quote from Noe: “If you’re not completely satisfied with the big, full flavor of our bourbon, just send back the unused portion and we’ll drink it for you.”

“More than 20 years ago, dad set out to distill a pre-prohibition style bourbon with big, full flavor, not knowing it would become the World’s #1 Selling Super Premium Bourbon,” said Fred Noe, seventh-generation Beam Master Distiller, 2013 Bourbon Hall of Fame Inductee and Booker Noe’s son. “He would be proud to see the growth of his brand and watch his words inspire TV viewers as they’ve done for bourbon drinkers for decades.” 

Knob Creek worked with Chicago-based marketing and advertising agency Walton Isaacson to develop the concept and bi-coastal digital production and creative design studio Brand New School to bring the advertisement to life.

Knob Creek’s first-ever television advertisement premieres nationally on television networks such as AMC, FX, TBS and NBC Sports, as well as digitally on the AOL, Microsoft, Scripps and NBC family of websites. For more information on Knob Creek, visit: www.KnobCreek.com or www.facebook.com/KnobCreek or follow @knobcreek.

About Knob Creek® Bourbon

Knob Creek has been handcrafting extraordinary full flavored bourbon with intriguing taste and bottled in unique flask shaped packaging for over 20 years, which has helped make it the #1 selling Super Premium bourbon in the world. Aged for a full 9 years in new, charred American Oak barrels and bottled at an honest 100 proof, Knob Creek upholds the standard for what great bourbon ought to be with its big, full signature flavor. Launched in early 1992, at a time when the terms “craft” and “super premium” bourbon didn’t exist, Knob Creek is named after the small town in Kentucky where President Abraham Lincoln was born.  In recent years, Knob Creek has expanded its portfolio releasing Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve (120 proof / 60% alcohol by volume) in 2011, Knob Creek Rye (100 proof / 50% alcohol by volume) in 2012 and Knob Creek Smoked Maple (90 proof / 45% alcohol by volume) in 2013. For more information on Knob Creek, visit www.knobcreek.com.  

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