THE MACALLAN RECEIVES PLANNING APPROVAL FOR NEW £100M DISTILLERY IN SPEYSIDE

The Macallan has today (5^th August 2014) been granted planning permission by The Moray Council for a new £100m iconic distillery and visitor centre. 

Works will now progress on the delivery of the new facility which is scheduled to open to the public in Spring 2017.  The Macallan, one of the core brands of Edrington, Scotland’s premier producer and distributor of global spirits brands, has appointed Robertson, as preferred contractor for the new facility and Forsyths of Rothes as supplier of the distillation equipment. 

Graham Hutcheon, Group Operations Director, Edrington, said: “We are delighted with the decision taken today by The Moray Council planning committee.  This permission enables us to forge ahead with our work on site.  Following a competitive tender process we have selected Robertson as our preferred contractor to deliver our new distillery and visitor centre.  We have assembled a first class team, including internationally renowned architects Rogers, Stirk, Harbour and Partners, and are confident that Robertson will complement the existing team and our aspirations for this project.   

“Only the external appearance of the distillery will change, the exceptional quality of The Macallan, which has been produced for many years using copper stills from Forsyths, will not be compromised and the same focus on attention to detail and personal care of the whisky’s production will be upheld.  The new distillery will undoubtedly become one of the most talked about distilleries, not only in Speyside but globally, and we look forward to starting on site soon.”  

In addition to creating a site of major architectural significance, the new distillery will ensure the on-going quality control of the production of The Macallan, both of which further consolidate The Macallan’s position as one of the world’s leading luxury spirits. Over time the distillery will deliver additional capacity to meet the growing demand from existing and new international markets.  With its rolling roofscape, the distillery has been designed to complement the natural beauty of the area and The Macallan Estate, which overlooks the River Spey. 

Bill Robertson, Executive Chairman, Robertson, said: “We are delighted and honoured to have been selected by The Macallan to build their new world-class, iconic distillery and visitor centre.

“As a local business we have worked in the whisky industry for many, many years and fully understand the aspirations of the sector. Perhaps more importantly we have taken the time to understand The Macallan, the business, its objectives and its reputation for high quality in all it does. 

The project will be delivered in true partnership between ourselves and The Macallan and will result in a distillery and visitor centre which will become the benchmark for others to aspire to.”

Graham Hutcheon, Edrington, concluded; “With Robertson and Forsyths joining our professional team, we are delighted that regionally based businesses will benefit from our investment.  It is anticipated that due to the locations of both these companies even greater economic and employment benefits for the local and surrounding areas will be realised.” 

The Macallan is recognised around the world as a marque of excellence and craftsmanship. The new facility will embody The Macallan’s uncompromising approach to quality and luxury. Work on site is due to commence in October this year. 

Edrington
Edrington owns some of the leading Scotch whisky and rum brands in the world, including The Macallan, Brugal, The Famous Grouse, Cutty Sark and Highland Park. In addition to its core brands, Edrington acquired Snow Leopard vodka in 2013.

Edrington directly controls its route to market in sixteen countries, and operates the remainder through joint venture and third party agreements. Over the past five years the company has increased the international nature of its business through the acquisition of the Brugal and Cutty Sark brands and sales and distribution companies in key markets.

Edrington is headquartered in Scotland and employs more than 2,200 people worldwide, with over 60% employed overseas.

Edrington is owned by a charitable trust, The Robertson Trust, which donated £15.3 million to a variety of charitable causes last year.

The Macallan

Founded in 1824 in the heart of Speyside, The Macallan was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to be legally licensed. Since then it has built a reputation as one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies.  The creation of The Macallan draws on the vital contributing influences of Spain, North America and Scotland, and of their respective natural raw materials, combined with traditional methods and craftsmanship. From its founding, through the subsequent owners of The Macallan distillery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and into the present century, The Macallan has been recognised for its outstanding quality above all else. Today this remains the foundation for the worldwide fame of The Macallan and is such that it is truly “The Last Word” in luxury and at the heart of those special moments brought alive over a glass of The Macallan.

Robertson
Robertson is an integrated infrastructure, support services and construction group that INVESTS in, BUILDS & MAINTAINS the social infrastructure that makes peoples’ lives better.  Robertson directly employs over 1300 people throughout the UK. The Robertson businesses are experts in working in partnership and delivering: capital projects; facilities management; timber engineering; regionally-based construction (covering Scotland and England); property development; regeneration; house building; affordable homes; civil engineering & building services; major projects. Robertson was established in Elgin, Moray in 1966 by Executive Chairman Bill Robertson.

Teeling Whiskey Masters International Spirits Competitions

The Teeling Whiskey family of premium Irish whiskeys picks up 16 accolades at International spirits competitions

‒        Teeling scoops three Irish ‘Masters’  Titles and Gold award at Irish Whiskey Masters

‒        Teeling wins Gold ‘Outstanding’ for 30 Year Old Single Malt Platinum Reserve and shortlisted for Overall Boutique Distiller of the Year at 2014 IWSC

The Teeling Whiskey Company (TWC) has continued to build on its reputation as the leading independent Irish whiskey company by winning a further 16 medals for its range of premium Irish whiskeys at spirits competitions around the world.  In just over two years, the Teeling Whiskey family of premium Irish whiskeys has picked up a total of 37 awards and honours worldwide.

At the annual Irish Whiskey Masters, held in London, TWC scooped a hat-trick of top honours, receiving three Masters Titles for each release within its Vintage Reserve range of Irish Single Malts. Consisting of some of the oldest and rarest Irish whiskey ever released, the 21 Year Old Silver Reserve, 26 Year Old Gold Reserve and 30 Year Old Platinum Reserve were honoured for their world class quality.  The Teeling Whiskey Small Batch Blend was also awarded Gold by the judges on the night.

Adding to this success, the Teeling Whiskey 30 Year Old Single Malt Platinum Reserve was awarded Gold ‘Outstanding’ at the 2014 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC); deemed to be one of the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competitions in the world. The Teeling Whiskey Company took home a total of five medals from the competition and furthermore has been shortlisted for the prestigious IWSC Overall Boutique Distiller of the Year Award, the winner of which will be announced at an awards banquet in November.

Commenting on the latest wave of International accolades, Jack Teeling, founder of The Teeling Whiskey Company, said, “We are truly honoured for our whiskeys to be so widely recognised at the biggest competitions in the whiskey world, especially at such an early stage in the development of Teeling Whiskey.  With construction about to get underway at our new distillery in Dublin, we hope to be able to build on these awards and continue to provide high quality and unique expressions to Irish whiskey drinkers around the world.“

The Teeling Whiskey Company was founded by Jack Teeling in 2012 to revive his family-old trademark of Irish whiskey and bring distilling back to Dublin, where Walter Teeling had a distillery in the Liberties in the 18^th century.

In January 2014, The Teeling Whiskey Company announced a €10 million investment in a new distillery and visitor centre at Newmarket in The Liberties. This will be the first new distillery in the city in 125 years and will create at least 100 jobs during the construction phase and 30 permanent jobs when fully operational.

For more on Teeling Whiskey Company and its award winning Irish Whiskeys, visit www.teelingwhiskey.com

Glengoyne Awards – the more the merrier… 

Making Glengoyne is a huge privilege and pleasure but it’s also hard work, so it’s always nice to see our efforts rewarded.

We’re therefore delighted to announce recent successes at some of the world’s most prestigious and highly regarded whisky competitions. Glengoyne lifted multiple awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, The Asian Spirits Masters, the International Spirits Challenge and just last week at the International Wine and Spirit Competition. Click here for more details of these awards. 

Fantastic news not just for everyone at the distillery, but for fans of Glengoyne everywhere!

AUGUST OUTTURN: STACKS OF SUMMER FLAVOUR

The 15 casks in this month’s Outturn have lashings of fruity, cakey flavours fit for any occasion. Mouths will water. Tastebuds will tingle. But which of these devourable delicacies will tempt you?

Young & spritely

13.46 Something sweet for a beekeeper
BUY£55.70

26.103 Fresh and lively
BUY£48.40

Sweet, fruity & mellow

121.73 A layered sponge fruit cake
BUY £48.10

Spicy & sweet

35.122 Perfumed lady at a garden fete
BUY £43.80

39.101 Sophisticated adult sweetness
BUY£84.60

9.89 Balanced and harmonious
BUY £98.00

Deep, rich & dried fruits

50.55 High class luxury
CLOSED DISTILLERY!
Available exclusively as part of the August case offer
MORE

Old & dignified

1.184 Few and far between
BUY£92.40

59.49 Celebration in a glass
BUY £137.60

Lightly peated

3.223 Sweet, floral perfumed smoke
BUY £101.60

29.157 Heidi’s Holiday to Islay
BUY £62.40

Peated

53.210 Fantastic stuff
BUY£97.60

Browse Full August Outturn

Browse all bottlings

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

The Whisky Base Marketplace is now open for business!

We are happy and proud to announce a new addition to Whiskybase: the Whiskybase Marketplace! This is the place where you can find and buy the bottles you have been wanting for a long time. This is also the place where you can sell the bottles that you don’t want anymore.

On the Marketplace members can buy and sell bottles in a convenient and safe way. You can sell and buy bottles in two different ways:

– Fixed price, the seller decides what he wants to receive for his bottle
– Auction, the seller can set a minimum price and buyers can bid.

Here’s how it works

First you will have to make some changes to your existing profile to be able to buy and sell on the Marketplace. For example, you will have to connect your Paypal account to your profile.

When a bottle has been sold the buyer is asked to pay for the bottle and shipping.

The money is send to Whiskybase Marketplace and when the money is received the seller gets a notification that the bottle can be shipped.

The seller then packs up the bottle very securely and sends it to the buyer.

As a proof of sending the bottle the seller fills in the barcode and tracking link on Marketplace. Now the buyer can keep track of the parcel.

After the parcel has arrived and the buyer accepts the bottle the Marketplace will pay the seller.

Paypal
We use Paypal because it is very secure and fast. If Paypal is new for you, signing up is easy and takes only a few minutes. Whiskybase charges an 8% fee for every transaction made on Marketplace. This fee is used in part to cover Paypal transactions costs .

Wishlist
To make it easier to find your favourite whiskies we added the option to get notified when a bottle from your wishlist is offered for sale on Marketplace.

Enjoy the Marketplace!
The Whiskybase Team

Grouse Commonwealth Games Glenturret 1986 46.4% | 70cl

The Glenturret 1986. Presented in a gift box that tells the story behind the whisky and its connection to the Commonwealth Games.

As the official whisky provider to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, The Famous Grouse has released a limited-edition single malt to mark its sponsorship of this momentous sporting event.
This special bottling will see the release of just 1,800 bottles of Glenturret 1986 Cask Strength single malt whisky, making this a true collector’s edition.
The Glenturret single malt is one of the core ingredients of Scotland’s favourite whisky and is made at Glenturret Distillery, the home of The Famous Grouse Experience. Commenting on why he handpicked this particular single malt whisky Gordon Motion, the Master Blender, said:
“We are extremely proud to be the Official Whisky of Glasgow 2014 and wanted to mark this momentous occasion with what we do best – whisky.

When deliberating what to release it became apparent that Glenturret 1986 was the ideal choice and very timely. Glenturret is not only integral to The Famous Grouse blend but this particular batch was laid down to age in oak casks 28 years ago, the very year when the Commonwealth Games last visited the home of Scotch whisky.

This exceptional whisky gives off notes of fresh mango and passion fruit to nose with sweet honeycomb and ripe melon to taste.
So why not, pour a dram, raise a toast to Glasgow 2014 and be part of something famous.”
This deluxe 28 year old single malt whisky will be presented in a bespoke gift box that tells the story behind the whisky and its connection to the Commonwealth Games and will be available from our website for £159.
The whisky brand’s sponsorship of the Commonwealth Games builds on their strong sporting links, working with the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) as their official whisky partner for over 24 years. More recently it announced its sister brand, Ginger Grouse, as the Official Pint Partner of endurance race, Tough Mudder.

Price: £132.50 ex VAT
£159.00 inc VAT

Award-winning distillery releases last in sell-out trilogy 

Isle of Arran Distillers is well-known for its quality malts and occasionally eccentric products, reflecting its independent spirit. Now the award-winning distillery is about to release the final instalment of its popular Devil’s Punch Bowl trilogy.

Chapter III – the Fiendish Finale – is tipped to be the best yet of Arran’s popular limited edition malts.

It’s a multi-age blend matured in Oloroso Sherry Butts and French Oak Barrique casks which gives the spirit a devilishly unique, deep flavour.

Master distiller James MacTaggart delved into the darkest recesses of Arran’s warehouses to hand-pick each cask to find a spellbinding blend.

The result is a spirit that tastes of dark chocolate and dried fruits, with a hint of cinnamon, chocolate raisin and a rich layer of spice and toasted oak to finish.

Talking about his latest concoction, James said: “The Devil’s Punch Bowl malts are our most popular limited edition whiskies ever – the first two sold out in record time.

“Personally this is my favourite of the trilogy and it is a fantastic expression of the Arran Malt. The whisky is bottled without chill filtration at natural strength (53.4 ABV) and is unpeated making it approachable and enabling lots of flavours to be discovered.”

The new bottling is a limited edition with just 6,660 bottles available worldwide – so stocks are limited and it’s expected to sell-out fast.

Euan Mitchell, managing director at Arran Distillers, added: “Over the years we’ve really developed a sense of identity for the Arran Malt and the Devil’s Punch Bowl Chapter III encompasses everything that’s great about our spirited and independent outlook.

“We were blown away by the response to our first two editions and I’m sure the finale will be met with similar enthusiasm from customers in the UK and overseas.”

The Devil’s Punch Bowl – Fiendish Finale – will hit shelves at the beginning of August priced at £76.99 for 70ml.

The whisky will be available in the UK via specialist whisky shops and online at www.arranwhisky.com.

About Isle of Arran Distillers:  

http://www.arranwhisky.com/

Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007).

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011).

‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013).

Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

GlenDronach Grandeur 24 year old

The Glendronach Grandeur 24 year old has been matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts and is one of only 569 bottles which have been bottled at a natural cask strength of 48.9% volume. The brand new Batch 5 release is the second 24 year old Grandeur released by Glendronach. Stock is very limited on this item and all orders will be treated strictly on a first come first served basis.

Click here to buy – £385

Glenfiddich Excellence 26 year old

A rare and aged single malt Scotch whisky that has spent 26 long years carefully maturing in American Oak ex-bourbon casks. This expression was created to honour Glenfiddich’s line of continuous family ownership since William Grant founded the distillery in 1887.

Nose: A mild nose, with light fresh fruits: pineapple, blood orange, tinned peach a hint of candlewax and the interior of a new car’ after a while. Palate: The taste is fresh, sweet and citric – reminiscent of lemon sherbet sweets and Schweppes Bitter Lemon. Finish: A short to medium finish and a lingering spiciness. A drop of water flattens the aroma but introduces almonds to the taste. Tasting notes by Charlie Maclean Bottled at 43% volume. Housed in a splendid gift box.

Click here to buy £350

Tincup – Colorado whiskey from Indiana

American whiskey is booming. From the rye explosion (an explosion in popularity, rather than an actual detonation) a few years back to the huge number of craft distilleries appearing all over the USA, American whiskey of all types is doing very well. Hand in hand with that growth comes the crowning of the elders of this new wave – the distillers who helped kick-start things and are now held up as examples of how things should be done. 

Sitting between the big-distillery old guard and the new-wave ‘kids’ is Jess Graber of Stranahan’s. Founded in 2004 after volunteer firefighter Jess met brewer George Stranahan while fighting a blaze at Stranahan’s barn, it is one of the earlier craft-whiskey distilleries and the first to appear in Colorado. Their whiskey became really popular and they rattled through stocks particularly quickly, having to reduce allocations around the USA and beyond. Eventually they had to stop selling it outside of their home state – even we’ve not been able to get Stranahan’s since 2009. Fortunately they’ve got things back under control and we hope to see their whiskey flowing around the world again soon.

But Stranahan’s isn’t the only whiskey taking up Jess Graber’s time. He is also the name behind a new whiskey: Tincup. Jess has selected mature whisky from MGPI, a large producer currently making some of the best rye and bourbon in the USA, and created a whiskey to his specification, without the lead time of distilling and maturing it himself. In the USA, they call this ‘sourced whiskey’ – basically the same as an independent bottler or blender in Scotland.

Rather than following the path of many sourced whiskies, where they simply pick a ready-made whiskey from a menu, Jess has selected spirit made to a number of different recipes and blended them to create something different. From our investigations online, it looks like he combines a whiskey made with a very high rye recipe (60% corn, 35% rye, 5% malted barley) with one made with a lower but still quite high rye recipe (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley) in a 3:2 ratio, to produce something big and spicy, but still sweet and easy drinking. 

Tincup American Whiskey, 40% ABV, £32.25

Nose: Big spice and fruit – apple with cinnamon, clove and toasted, spiced brioche. Rich toffee and caramel, Ginger Nut biscuits and sweet oatcakes with honey.

Palate: Quite light with sweet grain, cinnamon spice and a trio of apple notes – ripe, skin and Jolly Ranchers. Toffee follows, with spicy rye and toasted fruit loaf.

Finish: Cinnamon toast, tannic raisins and soft caramel sweetness.

There’s definitely a bit of marketing involved here, with a big emphasis on Colorado (they bottle it at Stranahan’s in Denver, cutting it to bottling strength with local water, so it’s not a completely spurious claim) and a beautiful tin-cup-topped bottle put together by top designers Stranger and Stranger, but fortunately the spirit lives up to it.

Around the office it’s already been a bit of a hit in Old Fashioneds, with the slightly drier take on bourbon working well with sugar and bitters, as well as in Manhattans, where the rye spice helps it stand up to a slug of Antica Formula or Cocchi Vermouth di Torino.

While people are understandably sniffy about some of the sourced whiskies that have appeared on the market in recent years, hiding behind brand and concealing their nature, Jess Graber has been upfront about Tincup. The company website may not delve into the nature of the spirit, but Jess himself has been telling anyone who asks about his new whiskey: he’s sourced spirit from a great producer, used his expertise as a blender to make something uniquely his, and put it out into the world with his face all over the company website. Good work, Jess.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Tincup – Colorado whiskey from Indiana

Highland Queen 1561 30 Year Old Blended Whisky 40% ABV | 70cl Save £20.00 (RRP £120.00)

Highland Queen 1561 has been produced using traditional cask maturation, where the malt and grain whiskies are blended together and then recasked into barrels for further maturation for a period of at least six months. This allows the whiskies to marry together perfectly to give us an incredibly smooth blended whisky. This is a superb example of a vintage, traditionally produced super premium Scotch whisky. “The result we leave, with confidence to your judgement”

Tasting notes

The sweetness from the sherry cask comes through on the nose, together with notes of butterscotch, leather and spices. We can also detect hints of cinnamon and apple. In the mouth the whisky is exceptionally smooth and elegant, there are hints of smoke and an underlying flavor of cinnamon apple crumble. The finish is long and elegant.

Price: £83.33 ex VAT
£100.00 inc VAT