MIKA HÄKKINEN’S DRIVE FOR RESPONSIBLE DRINKING AT THE RYDER CUP 2014 

Gleneagles, Scotland, 22^nd September 2014: Famous for driving of a different kind, two-time world drivers’ champion and JOHNNIE WALKER® Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador, Mika Häkkinen, took time out from the Singapore Grand Prix to reveal that he’ll be at this year’s Ryder Cup in Gleneagles to encourage 25,000 golf fans to Join the Pact and commit to never drink and drive. 

Throughout the Ryder Cup, official partner JOHNNIE WALKER, will be inviting golf fans to pledge in one of three ways: by signing up either online at www.jointhepact.com or with one of the 50 Join the Pact ambassadors around the Gleneagles course or by using the hashtag #ImNOTdriving on social media. 

Join the Pact is a global responsible drinking initiative created by JOHNNIE WALKER that has already seen more than 1 million people around the world commit to ‘Never Drink and Drive’. 

JOHNNIE WALKER Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador Mika Häkkinen explained the importance of this campaign: “As a huge golf fan I know that driving on the golf course is all about staying in control as is driving on the road. Join the Pact is a commitment to staying in control and putting the safety of yourself, your passengers and other people ahead of everything else.  It’s a choice that guarantees everyone can enjoy great nights out and fantastic events like the Ryder Cup.” 

JOHNNIE WALKER Global Brand Director Guy Escolme added: “We want to make sure that our consumers enjoy our brands responsibly wherever they are and whatever they are doing. It’s simply about making sure everyone has a great night and we believe that taking responsibility for your actions and staying in control is key. We have a number of sponsorships and ambassadors around the world and wanted to create a campaign that leveraged these to encourage people to drink responsibly.” 

Richard Hills, Ryder Cup Director, said: “The Ryder Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, watched by an audience of millions.  We’re delighted that a brand of the scale of JOHNNIE WALKER is supporting it and fans of golf in such a worthwhile way. We would like to encourage all spectators and television viewers to take two minutes to Join the Pact.” 

IMAGE CAPTION: Mika Häkkinen, JOHNNIE WALKER Responsible Drinking Ambassador, will be at the Ryder Cup to encourage 25,000 golf fans to ‘Join the Pact’ to Never Drink and Drive.

Notes: 

About Join the Pact

JOHNNIE WALKER places great importance on responsible drinking and tackles this issue through the Join the Pact campaign, with Mika Häkkinen as the Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador. Join the Pact asks consumers everywhere to make a commitment to never drink and drive through signing a pact. Since 2006 Mika has led this call-to-action initiative, which have been activated worldwide, collecting over a million signatures. 

Mika has visited over 40 countries on five continents, spoken to countless media, government officials, stakeholders and consumers delivering important messages through unique JOHNNIE WALKER experiences. 

At the 2014 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX this weekend JOHNNIE WALKER announced a new commitment target for the Join the Pact responsible drinking campaign. The new target is to collect 5 million pledges to Join the Pact, and to continue to drive awareness globally to never drink and drive. 

About JOHNNIE WALKER^®

JOHNNIE WALKER is the world’s number one Blended Scotch Whisky brand, enjoyed by people in more than 180 countries around the world. Since the time of founder, John Walker, it has been closely associated with the concept of progress. A combination of consumer insight, determination and commercial astuteness enabled three pioneering generations of the Walker family to grow the small grocery store founded in 1820 into an international whisky business selling stylish, authentic, iconic brands.

About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories.  These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s, Windsor and Bushmills whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. 

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.  The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).  For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com.  Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice. 

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.  

Please Drink Responsibly, visit www.DrinkIQ.com 

Buy Trent’s first batch of Double Cask

Ladies and Gentlemen we have a treat for you. Our main man, blender and bottler extraordinaire Trent Bowring, is very proud to present his first batch of Double Cask, and so are we! After some careful selection involving a lot of sipping and sampling he settled upon a mix of one FRENCH OAK and three AMERICAN OAK barrels.

French Oak Cask HH0597 was chosen for its rich, oily mouth feel and gives structure to the body. It also brings a deep fruity nose. American Oak Cask HH0169 adds balance in the finish. American Oak Cask HH0147 fills out the body with some beautiful fruity notes and finally American Oak Cask HH0074 supports the body with spicy notes and underpins the finish with caramel and raisin notes.

Double Cask 71 Tasting Notes
Colour: Light golden straw
Nose: Fragrant and floral with vanilla sponge cake drizzled in honey. Oak rounds out while spice lingers.
Palate: A medley of basket fruit with fresh cut pears and green apples bursting through. Rum, raisins and oak spice soften out the palate.
Mouth feel: Lightly oiled, well coated.
Finish: Dark dried fruits, raisins and caramel intermingle, warming and sweetening over time. Medium finish, inviting another sip soon after!

Click here to buy now

The Whisky Exchange

TWE London Shop Hours – Whisky Show changes

With The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show rapidly approaching, we have some work to do in our London shop to get ready. As such we will be changing our opening hours over the coming week to avoid any banging and crashing while our customers are perusing the shelves.

PLEASE NOTE: web orders are unaffected by these changes.

It won’t be quite as extreme as this…

Here’s the schedule:

Friday 26 September: Midday-9pm
Saturday 27 September: 10.30am-8pm
Sunday 28 September: CLOSED
Monday 29 September: Midday-7pm
Tuesday 30 September: Midday-7pm

We’ll back to normal as of Wednesday 1 October, but will be running slightly different hours over the show weekend:

Saturday 4 October: 10.30am-8.00pm
Sunday 5 October: Midday-8.00pm

Monday will be business as usual, although after a weekend of Whisky-Show-related exertion, running up and down ladders may not be as fast as normal.

Billy – The earliest TWE photograph of me, with our customer service queen Ali and Diageo’s Colin Dunn

Balblair 2000 – TWE exclusive first-fill sherry butt

Time has rolled on a bit. It seems like only yesterday that I was a balding computer programmer, sat at a table in The Whisky Exchange shop in Vinopolis, confronted by 10 excellent whiskies. It was the company’s 10th anniversary tasting, and I was a punter who liked whisky.

Move on five years to the present day. I’ve got even less hair and while I still sit in front of a screen all day, I now do so at TWE HQ and attempt to write words that make sense to people rather than computers. That extra five years also means that TWE has now hit another milestone – we are 15.

To celebrate our birthday, we’ll be releasing a few whiskies over the coming months, and the first is something special: a Balblair 2000 single cask, fully aged in a first-fill sherry butt.

It’s special because sherry casks are not really Balblair’s day-to-day business. They’re well known for their bourbon-cask-matured whiskies, and other than occasional indies it’s rare to see a fully sherry-matured dram – distillery manager John MacDonald specially selected this cask, as he reckoned it would be to TWE Director Sukhinder Singh’s taste. He was right, and it was a must-have as soon as we tasted it.

Balblair 2000 #1343
Natural colour, of course.

Balblair 2000. First Fill Sherry Butt #1343. 53%. £95

Nose: Rich and heavy ginger cake, studded with burnt raisins and maraschino cherries, and covered in bitter-sweet dark chocolate. Dry oloroso sherry, the kind they love in Spain, provides a heavy, vinous backbone, with cherry-jam-slathered black bread, rich earth, liquorice and dark sugars – demarara and molasses. Damp and charred notes develop, with flamed orange zest, charred oak and driftwood bonfires, doused by a rainstorm. Water brings out chocolate-fudge-brownie sweetness, sweet leather and brown toast. The fruit is subdued, but the raisins are less burnt and the cherries sweeter.

Palate: Intense treacle toffee, baked apple and bitter coffee. Cinnamon bark is joined by freshly sawn oak, driftwood and clove, leading to a drier palate than the sweet nose suggests. There is still sweetness, with plump raisins and touches of brown sugar joined by fruity dark chocolate and cinnamon sugar. Water adds more sweetness, but also sharpens the wood, bringing more oak, with sweet butter, nutmeg and bitter-but-balanced barrel char.

Finish: Lingering char notes, with liquorice pastilles, plump raisins, cinnamon sugar and bitter dark chocolate. Hints of Murray Mints develop as you consider your next sip.

Comment: The biggest and boldest sherry cask matured Balblair I’ve ever tasted. Rich and dark with controlled sweetness – a grown-up whisky. Drams like this make me lament the small amount of sherried Balblair available.

To go with the launch, we’re also running a prize draw:

Buy a bottle of the 2000 or any of the other core vintages from Balblair’s range and you’ll be entered into a draw to win a trip to the distillery, including a tutored tasting with distillery manager John MacDonald.

You can find full details over on our competition page, but the most important bit is that it closes at 11:59pm GMT on 14 November 2014. To whet your appetite, here’s my blog post from when I visited a few years back. They’ve finished building their visitor centre now, and it’s even more worth a trip.

BALBLAIR DISTILLERY

Visit Balblair

The Balblair Distillery visitor tour is intimate and personal – an insight into our pursuit of producing the finest quality Vintage Malt Whisky, using methods that have changed very little over the years.

To find out more about visiting our Distillery click here

www.ralfy.com cheers himself up with Whisky Review 488 – Springbank 12yo cask @54.3%

Thurso, Caithness, 18 September 2014.

A SMOKY SENSATION

Wolfburn Distillery has today announced the completion of its first batch of peated spirit. Made with subtly smoky malted barley, the spirit has a distinctive aroma and a wonderfully peaty flavour.

“There’s a big demand globally for peated whisky,” says Shane Fraser, production manager. “We wanted to maintain the uniquie profile of Wolfburn’s spirit, which has already received hugely positive reviews, but at the same time produce a distinctive peaty expression. We used a lightly peated malt, with ten parts-per-million phenol, and the results have been fantastic.”

The peated spirit laid down in 2014 will be ready for limited bottling 2017 – and the Wolfburn team is planning to produce a similar peated expression on an annual basis each year thereafter. “Making best quality malt whisky is a process that can’t be rushed,” explains Shane. “We’ll only release it when it’s good and ready.”

Wolfburn’s inaugural whisky is expected in the first quarter of 2016. It will be made from spirit laid down during the early part of 2013. “There’s still a long way to go until we start bottling,” says production operator Iain Kerr, “but our production rate is ahead of forecast, and we have lots of truly exceptional spirit laid down already. We’re very much looking forward to being able to share our whisky with the world.”   

ABOUT WOLFBURN

The original Wolfburn Distillery was founded just to the west of Thurso by William Smith in 1821. In its day it was one of the largest distilleries in Scotland, producing, according to HMRC records, 28,056 “gallons of proof spirit” in a single year. Taking its name from the stream that provided the water – the Wolf Burn – the distillery operated until the 1860s after the passing of William Smith Sr and the family gave up the lease.

In 2011, plans were laid to resurrect the old distillery. Construction began in mid-2012 and in January 2013 the new Wolfburn Distillery commenced production, thereby becoming the most northerly whisky distillery on the Scottish mainland. Situated 350m from the site of the original distillery, the new distillery operates in much the same way as the old: craftsmen use traditional methods to produce fine spirit, which is laid down in best quality oak casks to await the day when it is bottled as whisky.

Scotch Whisky Legend to Visit Australia in October.

The Master Distiller for Bruichladdich Distillery, Jim McEwan, returns to Australia from the 30th September until 14th October this year.

Throughout the tour Jim McEwan will provide audiences with an insight into the world of whisky production gained from 50 years of experience. He will take his audience through a tasting of seven drams including his legendary Black Art and the most heavily peated whisky in the world, Octomore 6.1.

Loved for his story-telling and charisma, McEwan has thrilled Australian audiences in the past and will be visiting every state in Australia.

Jim McEwan is the only person to be named Whisky Distiller of the Year on three occasions.  

This is a rare opportunity and one that should not be missed!

All shows are as shown below. Follow the link to purchase tickets.

Sydney
Tuesday 30th Sept – 6:30pm
The Tattersalls Club – https://jim-mcewan-tattersalls-club.eventbrite.com.au/

Thursday 2nd Oct – 6:30pm
Sir Stamford Circular Quay – https://jim-mcewan-sir-stamford.eventbrite.com.au/

Brisbane
Saturday 4th Oct – 12:00pm
The Gresham Bar – info@thegresham.com.au

Saturday 4th Oct – 6:30pm
The United Services Club – https://jim-mcewan-united-services-club.eventbrite.com.au/

Sunday 5th Oct – 12:00pm
Nant Whisky Bar – http://www.nant.com.au/

Melbourne
Monday 6th Oct – 6:30pm
Blue Diamond – https://jim-mcewan-blue-diamond.eventbrite.com.au/

Wednesday 8th Oct – 6:30pm
The Kelvin Club – https://jim-mcewan-the-kelvin-club.eventbrite.com.au/

Tasmania
Thursday 9th Oct – 6:30pm
The Shoreline Hotel – https://jim-mcewan-the-shoreline-hotel.eventbrite.com.au/

Adelaide
Friday 10th Oct – 6:30pm
ARKABA hotel – https://www.rollerdigital.com/arkabahotel/#/event/1033/43786/20141010

Saturday 11th Oct – 6:30pm
Rob Roy Hotel – enquiries@robroyhotel.com.au

Perth
Sunday 12th Oct – 6:30pm
The Oxford Hotel – https://jim-mcewan-the-oxford-hotel.eventbrite.com.au/

Monday 13th Oct – 6:30pm
Fremantle Navy Club – https://jim-mcewan-fremantle-navy-club.eventbrite.com.au/

As we fast approach the official end of British summertime and the kids go back to school, we’re getting all nostalgic here at Wolfburn. The sun beams in onto our faces from the open roller shutters, and one can’t help but shut the eyes, take in a deep breath of malty air and wonder about all the previous summers that have been before this. Did the manager of Wolfburn of yesteryear take in the same summer flavours back in 1820-something? This summer the Stillhouse smell has had an edge of peat to it, as some of you will already know, we experimented with a month’s run of peated malt. Find out what happened here.

It’s highly likely, being that peat was the main fuel available in those days, that the original Wolfburn had a smoky aroma.
We’ll never know of course, as there is nothing left for us to sample and so far, no record of the taste. We’ve been doing a bit of digging in the archives, and found some very interesting stuff on the people involved though. Check out our history article for more.

Lastly, a bit of fun to tempt your inner artist and a bit of nostalgia put to words. Read ‘Reprise’ written by our fabulous photographer Brian Hamilton here.

Slàinte

The Wolfburn Team

The Johnnie Walker Ryder Cup Limited Edition – the final few bottles available online at The Whisky Shop. 

The Whisky Shop is proud to present the brand new limited edition Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ryder Cup bottling.

Johnnie Walker celebrates 2014 Ryder Cup with Johnnie Walker Blue Label ‘Ryder Cup Limited Edition’ in celebration of The Ryder Cup’s return to Scotland.

Each bottle of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label “Ryder Cup Limited Edition” is individually numbered, making it a rare and unique keepsake or gift. The distinctive design of both the packaging and the bottle depicts the unforgettable, classic view of the iconic Gleneagles Hotel and celebrates the return to Scotland after 41 years of The Ryder Cup, the world’s leading match play competition.

All orders will also receive a three pack of limited edition Ryder Cup Titleist golf balls!

Tasting notes:

Nose: A mellow, rounded nose, with a dry smokiness (a Johnnie Walker signature flavour) mixed with raisin sweetness.

Palate: The first sip reveals a velvety mouth-feel, then an explosion of flavour – hazelnuts, honey, rose petals, sherry and oranges. Subsequent sips reward you with more hidden secrets like kumquats, wispy aromatic smoke, sandalwood, tobacco, and dark chocolate.

Finish: A rich and uniquely long and satisfying finish of smoke and pepper, ending with a glorious touch of spice.

£225 Simply Click Here to buy

New Arrivals

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• 1983 Glenfarclas Family Casks Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($349.99)

• Kilchoman Machir Bay (2014 edition) Islay Single Malt Whisky (w/ Glencairn glasses) 750ml (cannot ship gift pack) ($54.99)

• 1991 Macallan Samaroli Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($299.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Bowman Bros Small Batch Virginia Straight Bourbon 750ml (1 bottle limit) ($29.99)

• John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon 750ml (1 bottle limit) ($49.99)

Back in Stock

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Bowman Bros Small Batch Virginia Straight Bourbon 750ml (1 bottle limit) ($29.99)

• John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon 750ml (1 bottle limit) ($49.99)

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Ardbeg Auriverdes Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky – 6 available ($199.99)

• Big Peat Islay Vatted Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml – 10 available ($55.99)

• Oban 18 Year Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $150) ($99.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Faultline Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml ($39.99)
  We’ve been doing gin and single malt for years, and now rum, so why not throw our hat in the Bourbon pool? One of the obstacles that kept us from making a Faultline Bourbon earlier was availability: the current demand has made the extra barrel a thing of the past. One of the only distilleries that would sell us a cask for a private label was the old LDI distillery in Indiana, but with the already overcrowded LDI market (Bulleit Rye, Templeton Rye, High West, etc) we didn’t think our product would be different enough, or of the quality we desired, for the Faultline name. That’s when John Little from Smooth Ambler stepped in and said he’d be happy to help us do something special. If we were going to work with LDI casks, then we needed the capability to blend something special to taste – the specs wouldn’t sell this baby. John had some incredible 10 year old low rye formula that we used in conjunction with some 7 year high rye. We kept tastin g and tasting until we found the sweet spot at 100 proof. It’s FAR better than I ever thought it would be. I hoped we could provide something fun and different, but the final whiskey is phenomenal. It’s rich, with sweet fruit right on the entry, a full-bodied mid-palate, and a long, rich, spicy finish. It tastes like it came from Four Roses or somewhere fancy and at 50% it pops in all the right places. I hope we can make another batch like this because this Bourbon is the new king of K&L. Taste it if you don’t believe me. (David Driscoll)

• Stranahan’s Colorado Small Batch Whiskey 750ml (1 bottle limit) – 3 available ($54.99)

• Tuthilltown Hudson Baby Bourbon (375ml) – 11 available ($42.99)

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