Sets Sail Soon.

Whisky Tasting and Dinner Cruise
Aboard The Spirit of Boston
May 14th, 2014 7:00-9:30 PM

The Whisky Guild will return for this special annual event. Less than two weeks from today, we’ll embark upon a spectacular harbor cruise with a great selection of whiskies available to taste – and a buffet dinner. This is one of the best events to come to Boston and a night you won’t want to miss. It promotes whisky, yet in my eyes this is an event for consumers – novice to aficionado – to not only taste and talk about malts, but to engage with ambassadors, distillers, blenders, and distillery managers. They attend not just to promote their wares, but to get the chance to hear what you are looking for. They take the input you give them very seriously, so speak up, ask questions, and get your money’s worth.

VIP access gives an extra hour to sample the offerings and more of them beginning at 6 PM. This was a great time in the past and one we’ve been anxiously anticipating all year. You’ll enjoy the opportunity to sample from more than 100 rare and exclusive whiskies, poured by distillery managers, Ambassadors and master blenders from Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and Japan.

We’re extremely grateful to Whisky Guild for bringing this superlative event with a broad range of whiskies to our neighborhood. We believe that our customers in particular will appreciate and enjoy this unique event. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to be out on the water, sipping scotch, and enjoying a cigar (smoke ’em if you got ’em) on the deck of a luxury cruiser. Did you miss Whiskyfest Chicago? Whisky-Live New York? No worries, you have this- every bit as good, no, better: you’re out on the harbor.

VIP Boarding Time: 6:00pm
Boarding Time: 7:00pm
Sail Time: 7:30-9:30pm

Regular Ticket Price $115
VIP Ticket Price $145 (Board At 6:00pm)
Price includes Whisky, Dinner & Whisky Tasting Glass

You may view the buffet dinner menu
as well as purchase tickets directly from The Whisky Guild at:
https://whiskyguildboston2014.eventbrite.co.uk
Federal customers will receive a 20% discount with the code: federal

The boat leaves from 200 Seaport Boulevard at 7:30, please bring a valid ID.

Whisky Magazine named Federal Wine & Spirits
2012 National ‘Retailer of the Year’

Whisky Magazine is based in the UK, but is the international journal of record for scotch whisky in the world.

Joe Howell

Federal Wine & Spirits

Email: joe@federalwine.com

Phone: 617-367-8605

Web: http://www.federalwine.com/

WHISKY AUCTIONEER’S LATEST AUCTION DRAWING TO A CLOSE

Whisky Auctioneer’s current auction will finish from 19:00 (GMT) Monday 5^th May (Tonight)

There are some incredible whiskies in our latest auction and we thought we would share some with you, starting with this incredible Ardbeg. It is not very often you come across Ardbegs bottled during the 1970s. This Guaranteed 10 Year Old, according to Ardbeg: ‘A Peaty Provenance’ by Gavin D Smith and Graeme Wallace, was bottled for a very short period between November 1976 and February 1977, making this a mid-1960s distillation. A truly exceptional piece of Ardbeg history.

Ardbeg Guaranteed 10 Year Old 1970s

We have a number of rare Dalmores in this auction. To mention one, there is a bottle of the extravagantly packaged Dalmore 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon.  Described as the ‘Ultimate Finish’, this whisky was partially matured in Chateau Haut-Marbuzet.

Dalmore 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon

This single cask 40 year old Glenlivet was bottled in 2005 to be the first official single cask for the ‘Guardians’ of Glenlivet’. Distilled in 1965 and bottled from single cask 5318, it is now incredibly rare.

Glenlivet 1965 40 Year Old Atlantic

Lastly amongst the remaining 270 bottles we have the first batch of the Balvenie Tun 1858, bottled exclusively for the Taiwanese market and limited to under 3,000 bottles. The sister maturing tun at Balvenie to the legendary Tun 1401, this is highly sought after and will no doubt be one to watch.

Balvenie Tun 1858 Batch #1

The auction will end Monday 5^th May, 2014!

This month, the auction will end after 19:00 on Monday the 5th. From 19:00, activity on any item will prolong the entire auction by a further five minutes; the auction will end when there has been no activity on any item for five minutes.   

International Shipping 

Whisky Auctioneer has a successful record in shipping whiskies internationally, including to the USA. To find out more information on our very competitive shipping charges, take a look at the delivery page: 

http://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/shipping  

Whisky Auctioneer can also provide insurance if required; contact us for more information. 

Future Auctions

Entries for future auctions are always invited.  Whisky Auctioneer makes selling whisky online easy!

With a low sellers’ commission rate of 5% and competitive listing and reserve fees, there is no better place to sell your bottle(s) or collection.

The deadline for the next auction will be May 14th; the auction will begin on March 23rd. 

Happy Bidding!

Silent Distillery Profile; Dallas Dhu (Dallas Doo) 

by Lawrence Graham

Operational: 1899, silent from 1929-36 and from 1939-47

Closed: 1983 and the last cask filled on March 16th, October 1983

Region: Speyside (Findhorn)

Last Operational Owner: Scottish Malt Distillers, a subsidiary of the Distillers Company Limited (DCL).

Current Owner: Historic Scotland

Address: Mannachie Road, Forres, Morayshire, IV36 2RR 

The original meaning of the name “Dai leas dubh” means “Field by the Black Water fall” or “BlackWaterValley”, although some accounts list the Gaelic name as “Dalais Dubh”. William de Ripley (1165-1215) was given lands on Dallas, Scotland by King William the Lion. The distillery was briefly known as “Dallasmore” and the distillery was for a time served by the now defunct Forres to Avimore rail line. In it’s time the output from the Dunnage warehouses contributed to the blends of Roderick Dhu and Benmore. 

The construction of the distillery was commenced in 1898 on the estate of Alexander Edward of Sanquhar who was a prominent Speyside distiller. Early on (sometime in 1898 or 99) Edward sold the rights to the distillery to the blending firm Wright & Greig Ltd of Glasgow and the architect was the famed Charles Doig. 

In 1921 after one other owner (JP O’Brian & Co) the distillery was sold to Benmore Distillers Ltd, an English consortium who also owned Benmore and Lochhead distilleries in Campbeltown and Lochindaal distillery on Islay and in 1929 DCL took over Benmore Distillers. 

On April 9th, 1939 a fire destroyed the still house and much of the equipment however later in 1939 the still house was rebuilt. The distillery was extended in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Electricity did not reach Dallas Dhu until the 1950’s and the water wheel still contributed to the power pool into the 1970’s. 

At the same time in 1983 that Dallas Dhu was closed by the Distillers Company Limited, they also closed Banff, Brora, Glen Albyn, Glen Mhor, Knockdhu, NorthPort and St. Magdalene. 

Dallas Dhu has been operated as a non working distillery museum by Historic Scotland since 1988 and also includes a shop, picnic area and refreshments. The tour is in the self guided audio-visual style and full details including open times can seen at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk . 

The water source for the distillery was the Altyre Burn which is known locally as the Scourie Burn. 

Sadly, the license to distill was returned in 1992 however visitors comment that the distillery looks like it could start production anytime as all the plant and equipment are in place. 

Sources; Scotch Missed by Brian Townsend, The Scottish Whisky Distilleries by Misako Udo, The Scotch Whisky Industry Record by Charles Craig, The Whisky Trails by Brian Townsend and our very own Charles Mclean writing in the Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide “Scotch Whisky”. 

Dallas Dhu Historic Scotland

This article was originally published on the Malt Maniacs and is reprinted here with permission of the author.

The Cowichan Valley Whiskey Festival

The Cowichan Valley Whiskey Festival ( http://www.cvwhiskeyfest.ca/ ) was held on the evening of 12^th April at the Ocean Front Suites at Cowichan Bay. Tickets were purchased on-line via their website and a simple receipt was generated; no actual tickets. Hmmm. Perhaps they would follow in the mail? No such luck at the intervening time revealed.

Later in the month when we drove up to attend the festival we stopped in at the sponsoring liquor store as to inquire if we were to collected our tickets from the store, at the festival or was the receipt enough?? Nobody seemed to have a clue but we were greatly reassured by the casual “you should be OK with the receipt”. How encouraging!

While checking into the hotel, located in the very picturesque Cowichan Bay, we overheard another festival goer as he collected his tickets which he had bought a package of ticket & hotel room, the later at a discounted rate, from the hotel directly. There was no mention of this option on the CV Whiskey Festival website and the link from the festival website to the hotel website didn’t lead to any special offers for festival attendees. This was mildly irritating.   

Soon we were checked into the hotel by the very helpful front desk staff and were ready for the festival; quite possibly our trusty receipt would do the trick and gain us access….the front desk staff didn’t know and there wasn’t anybody from the festival available to ask.

The festival had three masterclasses featuring BenRiach, Compass Box and the Macallan 1824 series. The venue for the Masterclasses was quite small however it was perfectly suitable for the three events although it was hard to spot anybody from the festival. A few of the attendees pitched in to help set up one masterclass thus ensuring that it started on time;  possibly they were rewarded with a dram or two later by the grateful presenter. It always adds a level of unwelcome complexity for a presenter if they have to set up and pour their own masterclass. Unfortunately the glass ware for the masterclass was completely unsuitable and we were quite surprised to see giant wine glasses in use; it’s basic festival planning, make sure you have suitable glass ware! The now well-worn receipt didn’t merit a glance and nobody seemed to know how many tickets had been sold to the masterclass, how is this even possible??

After the masterclass it was soon time to really give the receipt a test and it worked!  The check-in was via the issue of a wrist band and we soon discovered where all the volunteers were hiding – in the check in area! As well as the wrist band we were given a Riedel ‘vinum single malt whisky glass’. A Riedel glass?? C’mon, they are hopeless for sampling whisky and there’s no point in trying to use them for nosing. They are very good for putting small bunches of cut flowers in however.

A quick tour of the room revealed a fantastic location with the entire front of the room offering a stunning view of the Cowichan Bay with floor to ceiling windows The tables were stocked with a good selection of basic whiskies and …….beer. That explains the Riedel glasses…. Now at Whisky Intelligence we’re not great supporters of the mixing of spirits and feel that it diminishes all the products on offer but no matter since we suspect that we’re in the minority in this regard. A further survey of the didn’t reveal any tables with bottles of water, again basic festival fare, however after some searching a large carafe of cold water was located in a corner table and it seemed to be kept full throughout the evening.

Since there was so little on offer that had not been sampled before, a retreat was made to the hotel room to watch a movie and have a good pour of a Scotch Malt Whisky Society 1985 71.35 Glenburgie, and not from the Riedel vinum! It was reported the next morning that at the end of the festival all the Riedel glasses were collected by the volunteers. All except one!

While there has been some carping by your correspondent about various aspects of the festival, in the end, it worked and people seemed to have had a genuinely good time. There was plenty of whisky to sample and all the volunteers, when encountered, were friendly and helpful. The live entertainment was enjoyed by the attendees and it is a great venue. At the end of the day they delivered a good product in a fantastic location and some carping by a lone voice shouldn’t dissuade anybody from attending in the future. But please festival organizers, invest in some proper whisky glass ware! These people will help you with your Glencairn needs http://whiskyglass.ca/

Pour List

Tomatin 12 & 18 Year Old, Glenkinchie 12yr, Oban 14yr, Dalwhinnie 15yr, Cragganmore 12yr, Talisker 10, Lagavulin 16yr, George Dickel 12yr Bourbon, George Dickel Rye, Bulleit Rye, Tullamore Dew, Wild Turkey, Aberfeldy 12 Year Old, Aberfeldy 21 Year Old, Dewars Highlander Honey, Glenfarclas 15 Year Old, Glenfarclas 17 Year Old, Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength, Brown Foreman Jack Daniel’s, Gentlemen Jack, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Collingwood, Woodford Reserve, Jack Daniel’s Honey, The Glenlivet 12, The Glenlivet 15, The Glenlivet 16, Nadurra, The Glenlivet 18, Aberlour Double Cask Matured 12 yr, The Macallan 1824 Gold, The Macallan 1824 Amber, The Macallan 1824 Sienna, The Macallan 1824 Ruby, Highland Park 10, Highland Park 12, Highland Park 18, Laphroaig 10 & Quartercask, Evan Williams Black Label Bourbon, Evan Williams Cinnamon, Evan Williams Honey, Elijah Craig 12 yr. old Bourbon, Glenmorangie Original, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or, Ardbeg 10 yr old, Ardbeg Uigeadail, Ardbeg Corryvreckan, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare Bourbon, Tullibardine Sovereign Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Writer Tears Irish Pot Still Whiskey and Amrut Fusion Single Malt.

BENRIACH: FROM SLEEPING GIANT TO SHOOTING STAR IN TEN YEARS

THE BenRiach Distillery Company is delighted to celebrate its tenth birthday today (April 29).

Back in 2004, Billy Walker and his two South African partners Geoff Bell and Wayne Kieswetter purchased BenRiach, turning it into one of Scotland’s most admired distilleries.

At the time, renowned whisky writer Jim Murray said: “It was with delight, while sworn to secrecy, that I witnessed BenRiach gaining its independence, when a team led by the experienced and infectiously enthusiastic Billy Walker acquired the Distillery. This independence will allow BenRiach to unlock its secrets and bring its fine and surprising malts officially to the market in their natural state for the first time. There cannot be a single true lover of whisky who will not rejoice because of it.”

Production was resumed almost immediately. On August 7 that year, the first bottling of BenRiach under the new company took place while on September 20 the first distillation under the new owners was filled to cask.

Four years later BenRiach acquired GlenDronach. Announcing the purchase, Billy Walker said: “We hope our acquisition of GlenDronach will intrigue, surprise and delight whisky connoisseurs around the world. GlenDronach is a bit of a sleeping giant and we look forward to breathing new life into it, giving it the attention and commitment it deserves.”

Two years later the company launched a five-line bottling plant in Newbridge before making its latest acquisition last year. Glenglassaugh, the renowned Highland single malt with its rich and distinguished heritage, was added to the expanding Highland and Speyside portfolio.

The firm currently employs 120 people across its four sites.

Over the ten years the three brands have won numerous prestigious awards including “Best International Business Award” in the 2005 Enterprising Scotland Awards and “Distillery of the Year” in the 2007 Malt Advocate Awards.

Most recently, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh won five main awards and a total of twelve medals in the 2013 Malt Maniacs Awards following that up with 10 medals at last year’s International Wine and Spirits Competition, with all three brands scooping major awards.

Reflecting on the first highly successful decade, Billy Walker said: “We find ourselves in one of the golden periods of the industry. There’s unprecedented demand for high-end brands in places like Taiwan, Scandinavia, USA, China, India, Russia, the Middle East, South Africa and South America. For the future we’ll take time to allow our brands’ personalities to develop.”

He went on: “We are a privately owned, independent, creative, boutique business. We see each distillery as having ‘Grand Cru Chateau’ provenance. Our people are totally passionate. We recognise the privilege that we enjoy by owning three very historic distilleries and that we have the freedom to express the personalities of these distilleries in the marketplace. We’ll see where that journey takes us in the next ten years.”

To mark today’s exciting milestone, a special BenRiach 10-year old anniversary expression from the first distillation will be available later this year.

And, intriguingly, Billy hasn’t ruled out further acquisitions for the company.

“If something came up adding balance to the business, we’d consider it.”

TOP PICKS

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04L430 N55-3-2 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)
  (NOTE: This bottle will ship as a 1.5 L size bottle due to its size) Production methods really haven’t changed at George Dickel distillery since 1959, nor have the practices — they’ve been making old-fashioned Tennessee whiskey from corn the only way they know how. That’s why when Dickel announced they would begin doing a single barrel program with retailers we were amazed (and excited). Just like with Bourbon, corn is the main component for Tennessee whiskey and is important in particular because of Dickel’s 84% corn mashbill that results in a full-bodied, creamy sweetness that sets it apart from its Kentucky brethren. It also passes very slowly though charcoal after distillation, allowing it to pull out all the impurities they don’t want in the whiskey, resulting in a soft, mellow, and smooth spirit. But now imagine all that sweet corn richness from a single barrel at 103 proof! Barrel 04L430 N55-3-2 has a concentrated core of charred o ak, caramel corn, and big spice. The palate explodes and the high proof balances out the richness perfectly. It’s a match made in heaven. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 3L29 G78-5-8 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)
  (NOTE: This bottle will ship as a 1.5 L size bottle due to its size) Production methods really haven’t changed at George Dickel distillery since 1959, nor have the practices — they’ve been making old-fashioned Tennessee whiskey from corn the only way they know how. That’s why when Dickel announced they would begin doing a single barrel program with retailers we were amazed (and excited). Just like with Bourbon, corn is the main component for Tennessee whiskey and is important in particular because of Dickel’s 84% corn mashbill that results in a full-bodied, creamy sweetness that sets it apart from its Kentucky brethren. It also passes very slowly though charcoal after distillation, allowing it to pull out all the impurities they don’t want in the whiskey, resulting in a soft, mellow, and smooth spirit. But now imagine all that sweet corn richness from a single barrel at 103 proof! Barrel 3L29 G78-5-8 has lots of wood tannin and dark oak g oodness, but a bit of burnt sugar and creme brulee on the backend. This is most nuanced of the bunch, but that’s not saying much. It still explodes at 51.5% ABV and still brings the sweet corny goodness, albeit in a more subdued manner. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

NEW ARRIVALS

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Hazelburn 10 Year Old Rundlets & Kilderkins Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 7 available ($115.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 03L29 G78-2-26 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04F29 L56-5-5 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04F29 L56-6-20 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

• George Dickel K&L Exclusive 9 Year Old Single Barrel 04L28 N54-3-6 Tennessee Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) ($44.99)

BACK IN STOCK…

Blended Scotch

• Buchanan’s 12 year Scotch Whisky 750ml ($39.99)

Single Malt Indian Whisky

• Amrut “Fusion” Indian Single Malt Whiskey 750ml ($64.99)

Ireland – Irish and Blended Scotch

• Green Spot Single Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey 750ml – 8 available ($44.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Big Peat Islay Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 4 available ($55.99)

• Hazelburn 12 year old Triple Distilled Campbeltown Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $100) – 5 available ($86.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Ascendant Spirits Breaker Limited Edition Bourbon Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($44.99)

• Knob Creek Single Barrel Bourbon 750ml ($39.99)

• Roughstock Montana Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml – 5 available ($49.99)

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Loch Fyne Whiskies is delighted to announce that the brand new Kilchoman Loch Gorm vintage has arrived. Bottled in 2014 this sensational expression promises to be one of their most exciting ever releases. Only available while stocks last!

The Loch Gorm was filled into fresh Oloroso sherry butts in 2009 and bottled in spring 2014. This full ex-sherry cask maturation creates a unique balance of classic Kilchoman character and rich Oloroso sherry influence.

Nose: Mixed preserved fruit, particularly lemon and rich peat smoke
Palate: Dry cereal flavour develops into honey and biscuit with lingering peat
Finish: Rich, sweet and smoky

Click here to buy – £67.00

www.ralfy.com visits India and expresses some controversial opinions with Whisky Review 451 – Amrut Port & Peated Single Cask

Whisky Magazine’s July issue throws a spotlight on Canada, investigating some of the exciting new directions being taken by Canadian distillers and profiling the country’s top five whiskies. Moving to Scotland, we explore the islands of Islay and Jura, revealing the little known connections that these islands’ notable distilleries have to George Orwell, The First World War and Jazz, and providing a guide to the best places to stay and visit. Also included with the July issue is our annual guide to the Great Whiskey Bars of the World – an essential pocket book to help whiskey-lovers find the best drams wherever they go.

It will be followed on the 12^th September by our US Special, drawing the attention of Whiskey connoisseurs the World over to the latest developments in US distilling, ageing and drinking. Reviews include a look at a wide range of whiskies from the US, providing plenty for readers to explore. From the other side of the Atlantic, we also take a look at Scandinavian whiskey and how the country has become one of the World’s key producers. 

Editorial Features

 Issue No.120

Special Features

Canadian Whiskies

Whisky Travel: Islay and Jura

Whisky Bars of the World supplement

Publication Date: 25^th July

Issue No.121

 Special Features

Whisky Travel: Scandinavia

Special Features: A focus on a wide range of whiskies from across the US.

Special Distribution from the Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Publication Date: 12^th September

TOMATIN MAKES CHANGES TO ITS CORE RANGE 

Port finishes added to Tomatin Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky range 

The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd has announced a change to the line-up of its core range of single malts. A 14 year old Port Wood Finish and a batch release 1988 vintage are being introduced, while the 15 year old and 30 Year Old expressions will be removed. 

The 14 Year Old Port Wood Finish has spent around 13 years in the finest Bourbon oak barrels, with a further year in specially selected Portuguese port pipes which had previously held Tawny port for between 30 and 40 years. The result is an excellent dram which is soft and smooth with a port-influenced sweetness. 

The 1988 vintage also takes on an element of port with its contents having been vatted from ex-bourbon and ex-port casks, resulting in a sweet yet surprisingly fresh dram. Presented in a wooden box with its own certificate, this expression will be released in batches, the first batch offering 2500 bottles. 

These two new expressions join the brand’s non-aged “Legacy” – matured in a combination of Bourbon and Virgin Oak casks – and the 12 and 18 Year Olds, both finished in Spanish Oloroso Sherry Casks. The 12 Year Old is now being sold at 43% alc./vol. in all markets (increased from 40%). 

Stephen Bremner, sales director, said: “In recent years we have really started to make our mark in the single malt market with recognition for the high quality whisky on offer from the Tomatin Distillery. Most recently in March 2014 we were awarded Gold for Legacy and our 12 Year Old, and Double Gold for our 18 Year Old at the San Francisco Spirits Competition. I am confident these two new expressions will sit nicely within the range and, most importantly, will be enjoyed by our customers.” 

A short film with Graham Eunson talking about the effect of port on our whisky: http://youtu.be/-Eg3yvLHuTo

Notes 

1. 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.
2. Website: www.tomatin.com   Download our Press Kit from the Contact Us page
   Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897  Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897
3. 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.
4. The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’.
5. The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo: http://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/index.htm