October 2014 Outturn Offerings 

Cask No. 50.56                                           $180

‘Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!’

Lowland

Tiddly om pom pom! The panel found vanilla ice cream in the cone with Monkey blood (raspberry sauce) and cinnamon toffee apples. The benches were newly varnished and aroma of boot polish floated over the morning air. To taste they found blackcurrant and Navy rum laced with chewy, ashy licorice. With water, they were reminded of freshly cut wood and vinyl on the jukebox, with bagfuls of citrus Turkish delight and Blackpool candy. The finish was soft like tea soaked prunes and soothing like ginger and honey pastilles. A heady cocktail of Grenadine and red mints concluded the seaside stroll.

Drinking tip: For a bracing moment

Colour: Red pear skin

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 23 years

Date Distilled: July 1990

Alcohol: 60.3%

USA allocation: 105 bottles

Cask No. 7.100                                           $210

Hawaiian holidays

Speyside, Lossie

The nose was wonderfully juicy with Sauternes, cola and rum soaked fruits in trifle topped with maraschino cherries. A warm forest of cedar and pine sap. To taste it was all red: Big Red chewing gum, cherry cola, cinnamon sticks and strawberry jam. The addition of water was like a tropical rain storm. One astute botanist observed the floral aromas of plumeria and tuberose in a Hawaiian lei. ‘Beef Hoola Hoops!’ Honey glazed monkfish washed down with Mai Tai’s on the beach. The final fling of the holiday was feet up, hippy pipe tobacco and heavily waxed leather.

Drinking tip: On a hot day

Colour: Tabby cat

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 28 years

Date Distilled: September 1985

Alcohol: 58.7%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Cask No. 27.105                                        $125

Too Cool for School

Campbeltown

The panel was in unanimous agreement this was as good as it gets. Imagine dipping ginger nuts in rich creamy latte with strawberry syrup. Throw in mint chocolate ganache and bramble jam. Old leather books in a library and waxed church pews with a puff of hickory smoke. The taste was of toasted marshmallow and peppered tuna steak. Ginger snap baskets with red berries and a drizzle of honey. Our American described her bizarre habit of dipping French fries into chocolate milk shake. On the finish, Coco pops and creme caramel. The panel thought it must be using fake ID.

Drinking tip: Only for loved ones

Colour: Polished conker

Cask: Refill Sherry hogshead

Age: 13 years

Date Distilled: March 2000

Alcohol: 53.9%

USA allocation: 150 bottles

Cask No. 53.197                                        $150

A stoker in drag

Islay

A smoky, coal tar nose, with dried lavender and old fashioned marker pen scents behind. A clean, sweet, fresh, maritime taste, still with a hint of perfume, but also of Bovril and soy sauce. Light olive oil emerges with water; the smoke recedes and the lavender (now faded) is joined by aloe vera leaves. Still sweet, salty and smoky to taste – consistent with its taste unreduced. Many would say the operators at this distillery have the finest view from any still-house.

Drinking tip: With teppanyaki steak

Colour: Vin gris

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 18 years

Date Distilled: August 1995

Alcohol: 57.4%

USA allocation: 150 bottles

Cask No. 66.49                                           $110

Art class enchantment

Highland, Eastern

There was something of the art class in the nose (poster paints, charcoal, paper, pencils, leather satchels); also ginger snaps, pepper, hazelnuts, Pears soap, wood-smoke and venison sausages. The palate was delightful – a gentle marriage of smoky, sweet and light savoury flavours – mild chilli, lemon bonbons, pears, vanilla and honey on burnt toast. The reduced nose suggested old libraries and sweetie shops, with rainbow drops, popcorn, pepper and hessian sacks of smoky barley. The palate now discovered heathery, herbal notes; butterscotch and malt extract, while the muted, measured sweet smokiness continued to enchant us. The distillery was built by Teachers.

Drinking tip: To relax with, after work, as the sun goes down

Colour: Buttercup gold

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 11 years

Date Distilled: July 2002

Alcohol: 54.4%

USA allocation: 150 bottles

Cask No. 76.113                                        $110

John Barleycorn was a hero bold

Speyside, Spey

The nose weaved an intriguing tale (chiefly in the Scottish dialect). Oak shavings, linseed oil and new pine furniture in the National Library of Scotland. Then, we dream’d we lay where flowers were springing (heady scents of marigolds and lavender). A citric sharpness appeared with barley sugars, tea caddies and mild tobacco. Water softened – wood and laundry conjured up Steamie washboards; also butterscotch, Barbour Jackets and snuff. The unreduced palate was sweet, tart and tasty – ‘soor plooms’, lemon peel, apple scones and pear skins with traces of heather honey and tongue-tingling spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove). With water, lemon meringue pie and stewed apples jostled chummily with oak, cedar, chilli and menthol. The wee witchie from Tam O’Shanter lives here.

Drinking tip: To accompany fine literature

Colour: Sultry summer sun

Cask: First-fill barrel

Age: 11 years

Date Distilled: April 2002

Alcohol: 58.5%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at http://www.smwsa.com/

Balvenie Tun 1509 / Batch 1

Balvenie Tun 1509 is combination 42 of casks! – 35 traditional American oak barrels and seven European oak sherry butts… Transferred and matured for several months in Tun 1509 which holds 4 times as much liquid as Tun 1401.

Batch 1 of Tun 1509 has been bottled at 47.1% vol.

www.ralfy.com explores an iconic malt moment with Whisky Review 494 – Springbank 18yo @ 46%vol

Whisky innovators Compass Box release The Lost Blend Limited Edition as a homage to their own long lost whisky 

“Yes, sir, the stuff was distilled elixir of battle, money and high life.”

From The Lost Blend by O. Henry, 1907

For the first time, three different front labels adorn the front of the same whisky.

THE LOST BLEND is the new limited edition release from award-winning Scotch Whiskymaker Compass Box. This marriage of three single malts is a homage to their long lost (and much loved) Eleuthera whisky, and boasts the same unique smoky fruity style. After 10 years of searching, whiskymaker John Glaser was finally able to track down the unique whiskies he required earlier this year. The result is The Lost Blend. Bottled at 46% and packaged in a high quality gift box adorned with ‘lost items,’ it will be priced at $120 in the US, £85 in the UK and $100 in Europe. It will be available from 1st October in the US, UK, Europe and all key international Compass Box markets.

John Glaser adds, “In 2001, we created our first single malt blend which we called Eleuthera. It was an elegant marriage of approximately 80% unpeated Highland and 20% peaty Islay single malts. Alas, after 3 years, we were suddenly no longer able to obtain one of the key whiskies required for the recipe so, sadly, we retired Eleuthera in 2004. Quietly, I have been looking for whiskies that we could use to bring it back, even if temporarily, but without any luck. Until now.”

Glaser has had a name that he’s been waiting to use for a whisky project like this—The Lost Blend, inspired by the O. Henry story of the same name.  This sharp and witty portrait of life in a New York bar in the early 1900s was published in 1907 and features two business partners who try to recreate a blend of different spirits with close to supernatural properties. 

Compass Box has created three different front label designs all around the same theme: lost items. These include an antique nautical octant, a Woodstock typewriter, an Excelsior cylinder gramophone, the tragically lost RMS Lusitania, and of course the Dodo. The whisky behind each label is the same, and the three labels have been randomly bottled and put into cases, which allows customers an additional discovery to the whisky itself:  which label did I get?

ABOUT THE LOST BLEND

This elegantly complex whisky is a union of rare old Highland single malts and a delicious peaty Islay single malt. An ethereal fruit and herbal character and a sweetness on the palate is buttressed by an underlying smokiness. Single malt whisky (of a certain age) from the Clynelish distillery, and a small cache of extraordinary whisky from the Allt-A-Bhainne distillery, aged in American oak barrels and just a few years shy of two decades old, is combined with malt whisky from the Caol Ila distillery. Bottled at 46% this limited edition of 12,018 bottles was bottled in August 2014. It is not chill-filtered and is natural colour..

ABOUT JOHN GLASER

American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000.  Having started his career on a path to become a winemaker, then re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London, Glaser has a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch. Glaser established Compass Box based on his commitment to evolving practices in the industry to make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people. From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality, innovation and style in the industry.

ABOUT COMPASS BOX (http://www.compassboxwhisky.com/)

The Compass Box Whisky Company is a boutique Scotch whiskymaker and craft blender, started in 2000 by John Glaser. Compass Box produces and bottles a range of Scotch whiskies, available in over 25 countries around the world.  A five-time winner of the Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year award, Compass Box is known throughout the whisky world for quality, innovation and passion for great whisky. The Compass Box Signature Range of whiskies includes Asyla, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree and Hedonism.  They also produce limited release whiskies annually, and Orangerie, a Scotch whisky infusion. In 2011 they launched a groundbreaking range of Blended Scotch whiskies called Great King Street. The first was called Artist’s Blend with a second, Glasgow Blend, due to be released in October 2014.

Scotch Whiskymaker Compass Box Releases Smoky Sherried Sibling to the Award-Winning Great King Street Artist’s Blend  

“There is no Blended Scotch whisky quite like this.”

John Glaser – Compass Box Founder & Whiskymaker 

GLASGOW BLEND is the second permanent whisky to be introduced to the Great King Street range of innovative, small-batch Blended Scotch whiskies from Compass Box.

Glasgow Blend will be available from mid-October in UK and Europe, and from November 1st onwards in the US, North America and all key international Compass Box markets. It will be priced at around £30 in the UK and €36 in Europe for a 50cl format (with stylish red gift tube), and $45 and $25 in the US for the 750ml and 375ml formats respectively (without a gift tube).

The Great King Street range is dedicated to applying a contemporary approach to the creation of Blended Scotch Whiskies in the full-flavoured style of the late 19th century blending houses. To this, they lend a 21st century sense of exploration and innovation for which Compass Box is known. The range takes its name from 24 Great King Street, the company’s registered address in Edinburgh since John Glaser started the business in 2000. Great King Street Scotch whiskies lend themselves to a variety of usages—they can be enjoyed neat, with ice and a splash of water, served as a classic Highball, or as a key ingredient in cocktails.

John Glaser adds, “Over a year in the making, the ‘Glasgow Blend’ involved the creation of over 100 recipe prototypes before we finalised it. We’ve been trying to make a Blended Scotch whisky like no other on the market today, something based on the traditional Scotch whisky styles of peatiness and sherry cask aging, but reinterpreted for today’s drinkers who seek out big flavours, complexity and fullness on the palate.  This is full-on Blended Scotch whisky, in all its sherry-aged, peaty glory, classic in style, updated for today with its flavour intensity and sweetness – part owing to the grain whiskies, part owing to the small amount of French oak finished malt.  There is no Blended Scotch Whisky quite like this.” 

In his 1930 book ‘Whisky’, Aeneas MacDonald mentions that Glaswegians historically preferred fuller bodied and more flavour-packed whiskies than people in other parts of the world. So what better name for a whisky such as this? For decades, The Wellington Statue, outside Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, has been cheekily topped by a traffic cone, something the local population has taken to heart as a symbol of their sense of humour. It has become one of Glasgow’s most iconic images, and graces the label for the Glasgow Blend. 

ABOUT GLASGOW BLEND

Glasgow Blend has been created to provide a very different expression of the Great King Street house style. While the whiskies share the same moreishness, creaminess and approachability, Artist’s Blend is fruity, spicy and packed with vanilla, while Glasgow Blend is rich, round smoky and sherried. Glasgow Blend offers a rich vein of peaty-smokiness underpinned by sherry cask-aged whiskies full of dried fruit and wine character.  The palate is full and round, with a sweetness typical of whiskies from Comapss Box. It is made from approximately 67% malt whisky from the regions of Islay, the Highlands and Speyside and 33% Lowland grain whisky from a Fife distillery. It is aged in a combination of first-fill Sherry casks, first-fill and refill ex-Bourbon barrels with a small portion of new French oak finishing. It is bottled at the traditional bottling strength of 43%, is not chill-filtered and is a natural colour..

ABOUT JOHN GLASER

American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000.  Having started his career on a path to become a winemaker, then re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London, Glaser has a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch. Glaser established Compass Box based on his commitment to evolving practices in the industry to make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people. From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality, innovation and style in the industry.

ABOUT COMPASS BOX (www.compassboxwhisky.com)

The Compass Box Whisky Company is a boutique Scotch whiskymaker and craft blender, started in 2000 by John Glaser. Compass Box produces and bottles a range of Scotch whiskies, available in over 25 countries around the world.  A five-time winner of the Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year award, Compass Box is known throughout the whisky world for quality, innovation and passion for great whisky. The Compass Box Signature Range of whiskies includes Asyla, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree and Hedonism.  They also produce limited release whiskies annually, and Orangerie, a Scotch whisky infusion. In 2011 they launched a groundbreaking range of Blended Scotch whiskies called Great King Street. The first was called Artist’s Blend with a second, Glasgow Blend, released in October 2014.

CHIVAS REGAL SHOWS SUPPORT FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS

WHO WIN THE RIGHT WAY 

Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky, has launched The Venture – a global search for the most promising social entrepreneurs: those with businesses or ideas that use enterprise and innovation as a force for good.

‘The Venture’ is an international fund which provides aspiring social entrepreneurs with $1 million of financial assistance, global exposure for their company or idea and support from world-famous business mentors. Chivas Regal will support those who aim to succeed whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others by providing mentorship and financial backing.

Up to 20 new social entrepreneurs from different countries will be invited to a week-long, training-camp in Silicon Valley, California – home to some of the world’s leading start-ups. These finalists will have the opportunity to meet leading technology companies, be mentored by experts, and to pitch for a portion of the $1 million in funding to take their business to the next level.

The most exciting businesses with the potential to succeed ‘the right way’ will be showcased on a new dedicated website, www.TheVenture.com. From April 2015, the public will be able to support their favourite ideas by voting and donating through the website. The site will also feature short documentaries about social entrepreneurs from around the world, providing insights into their success as well as daily articles with advice and features about the business of ‘doing good’.

The launch of The Venture coincides with the release of one of the most comprehensive independent reports ever conducted on the growing relevance of social entrepreneurship around the world. Commissioned by Chivas Regal, the report is entitled Redefining Success in a Changing World and has been co-authored by experts from the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford’s Saïd Business School.

Richard Black, Chivas Regal Global Brand Director, says: “We have always valued entrepreneurship, and generosity is at the heart of Chivas, so supporting those who use their success to create value for others feels like a natural fit. We are committing significant resources through The Venture to find and support the most inspiring social entrepreneurs around the world, and hope that each of those businesses will inspire other entrepreneurs to use business as a force for good, creating a growing movement with real momentum behind it.”

Helping to launch The Venture is the next instalment of the successful Live with Chivalry campaign – Win the Right Way – a series of advertisements and short films that deliver a powerful provocation for social entrepreneurs around the world. Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (of 12 Years a Slave fame); Golden Globe nominated actor and singer Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis) and Winner of Best Actor Silver Bear at Berlin International Film Festival 2014 Liao Fan star as the story-tellers in the different language version of the film, introducing the stories of social entrepreneurs from around the world and calling on others to follow their lead.

The promotional short films can be viewed from today at www.TheVenture.com, with further information about the competition plus interviews with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liao Fan and inspiring business leaders all featured on the website.

Win the Right Way aims to inspire a new generation to achieve success whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others and is the latest instalment of Chivas Regal’s successful Live with Chivalry campaign, which launched in 2008.

Notes:

About Chivas Regal

Launched in 1909, Chivas Regal is the world’s first luxury whisky and is considered to be a timeless classic, renowned for style, substance and exclusivity. A truly global brand, Chivas Regal has been integral to the growth of the Scotch whisky category worldwide and today sells 4.6 million 9L cases annually in more than 150 countries across the globe. Brotherhood, generosity, entrepreneurship and integrity are at the heart of Chivas Regal so in 2008, the brand launched its successful Live with Chivalry campaign, which has inspired Modern Gentlemen in more than 60 countries around the world to pursue success with integrity. The latest instalment of the Live With Chivalry campaign, entitled Win The Right Way, aims to inspire a new generation to achieve success whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others. The Chivas Regal range includes Chivas 12, Chivas 18, Chivas 25 and the Global Travel Retail exclusive, Chivas Brothers Blend.

www.chivas.com

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits. Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky and the no.1 Scotch whisky in China; Ballantine’s, Europe’s no.1 Scotch whisky; The Glenlivet, the world’s no.2 single malt whisky; and Royal Salute, the world’s only exclusively prestige Scotch whisky range. The portfolio also includes two of the world’s leading English gins – Beefeater, the world’s most awarded premium gin, and Plymouth gin – plus a selection of highly acclaimed single malt whiskies, including Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, Strathisla and Tormore. The range is completed by a collection of blended Scotch whiskies operating in many of the world’s key whisky markets which includes 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.

www.chivasbrothers.com

TWO BOURBONS FROM BARTON 1792 DISTILLERY WIN MEDALS AT 2014 NEW YORK WORLD WINE & SPIRITS COMPETITION 

BARDSTOWN, kENTUCKY (Oct. 14, 2014) –The results from the 2014 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition have been announced and two of Barton 1792 Distillery’s bourbons have won medals.

A silver medal has been awarded to 1792 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a bronze medal has been awarded to Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

“These results are very exciting,” Ken Pierce, director of distillation and quality assurance, said. “We are delighted to have fared so well with such an esteemed panel of judges.”

The New York World Wine & Spirits Competition is one of the largest competitions for the retail beverage industry and has attracted top professional judges from broad spectrum of expertise. Considered the “Triple Crown of Competitions,” along with The San Francisco International Wine Competition and The San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the competition is judged each year in New York City.

Complete results of the 2014 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition are available at http://www.nyworldwineandspiritscompetition.com/.

About Barton 1792 Distillery

Barton 1792 Distillery is part of Barton Brands of Kentucky, with facilities in Bardstown, Ky., Carson, Calif., and Baltimore, Md. Barton Brands is owned by the Sazerac Company, a family-owned company based in New Orleans, La. Barton 1792 Distillery was established in 1879 and continues today as the oldest fully-operating distillery in the “Bourbon Capital of the World.” The distillery is located on 196 acres and includes 28 warehouses, 22 other buildings, the Morton Spring and the Tom Moore Spring.  Distilling, aging and bottling fine Bourbon whiskey are hallmarks of the historic Barton 1792 Distillery. 1792 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is produced at Barton 1792 Distillery. This small batch Bourbon whiskey is named for the year Kentucky became a state and is the recent Best of Category winner at the 2014 Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. To learn more about the distillery visit http://www.1792bourbon.com/.

Gordon & MacPhail Ultra Collection

Four extremely rare Speyside whiskies chosen jointly by members of the third and fourth generations of the Urquhart family have been released under the prestigious Private Collection Ultra by Gordon & MacPhail and 1 of each is available from The Whisky Shop Dufftown priced at £6250.  They all have the same bottle number if the set is required.

To see the full range at The Whisky Shop Dufftown go to:

http://www.whiskyshopdufftown.com/2014/10/gordon-macphail-ultra-collection/

The whiskies are:

• A 61 Year Old Linkwood, the oldest ever released, from cask No.279, selected by retired director Rosemary Rankin and her son Stephen Rankin, Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of UK Sales,
• A 62 Year Old Glenlivet initially matured in first fill Hogshead before being transferred to another first fill Hogshead in January 1969, selected by retired Managing Director Ian Urquhart, his son Neil, Gordon & MacPhail’s Director of Logistics and Facilities, and daughter Jenny Houldsworth, who is a Non-Executive Director of the company.

• A 63 Year Old Mortlach from the company’s last cask of 1951 Mortlach, selected by retired Joint Managing Director David Urquhart and his twin sons Stuart, Gordon & MacPhail’s Whisky Supply Manager, and Richard, Export Sales Executive.
• A 57 Year Old Strathisla, the oldest ever released, selected by current Managing Director Michael Urquhart and his daughter Laura Urquhart, Gordon & MacPhail Brand Manager.

The four whiskies in the Gordon & MacPhail Private Collection Ultra are presented in beautifully-designed decanters, individually numbered, with the whisky details engraved and in-filled with silver colour. A silver-plated neck collar and stopper adorns each decanter.

Wood, metal and glass are combined in a striking and innovative way to protect and display the whisky; the decanter nestles in a glass-bottomed pack, revealing a hint of the whisky colour.

A series of four books by whisky writer Jonny McCormick, one for each of the whiskies, tells the story of Gordon & MacPhail and the whisky and regales the reader with tales of origins and ancestry, of people, place and belonging.

Canada – Other Spirits

• Forty Creek Copper Pot Reserve Canadian Whisky 750ml – 10 available ($23.99)

• Forty Creek Double Barrel Reserve Canadian Whisky 750ml (ships as 1.5L due to bottle shape) – 4 available ($46.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• High West K&L Single Barrel Rendezvous Rye Whiskey 750ml ($69.99)

• Hooker’s House Bourbon 750ml ($35.99)

• Peach Street Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml – 10 available ($62.99)

• Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon 1.75L (ships as 6L champagne) – 3 available ($89.99)

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

Kilchoman Original Cask Strength 2014 Release

Kilchoman Original Cask Strength, a vatting of ex-bourbon barrels aged for 5 years. This special edition release has been bottled at cask strength, 59.2% abv.

£65.90
(£54.92 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Kilchoman Original Cask Strength