www.ralfy.com tells you a bit about it because we all need to look after our whisky collections !  . . . with Whisky Review 515 – looking after your whisky collection.

The Cheshire Whisky Event (held at Willington Hall – Tarporley) gives you the unique opportunity to sample the greatest whiskies in the world, whilst mingling with the producers and distillers and marketers, all under one roof. 

EXHIBITORS: The Cheshire Whisky Event brings a different balance of exhibitor guaranteeing a selection of the greatest whiskies in the world. 

MASTER CLASSES: These tutored tastings provide a unique insight into the world of whisky and your chance to ask all those hidden questions. You have up to an hour of intense time learning more about your favourite whiskies. 

Many of the Master classes are dedicated to one brand or expression, presented by brand ambassadors, master distillers, leading experts or Whisky Magazine writers, the Whisky Taste Master classes always guarantee a memorable experience. 

TASTINGS: Taste and discover great whiskies, from the classic ranges you may have sampled before to rare and exclusive bottlings. 

New to whisky or a seasoned expert, there is something new for everyone to try at The Cheshire Whisky Event. 

£25.00 per person (which includes admission, samples and entry to one Masterclass). 

THE CHESHIRE WHISKY EVENT

Willington Hall

Tarporley

Chester

CW6 0NB 

Sunday 31st May 

Tickets available from www.edencroft.co.uk 

MASTER CLASS DETAILS 

Master Class 1: Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky / Presented by Brand Ambassador Krish Kumar. 

Master Class 2: BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh / Presented by Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan. 

Master Class 3: anCnoc, Blablair, amd Old Pulteney / Presented by Brand Ambassador David Reid. 

Master Class 4: Tomatin / Presented by Brand Ambassador Alistair Mutch. 

Please state when ordering which if any Master Class you would like to attend.

Highland Queen 1561 30 Year Old Blended Whisky 40% ABV | 70cl

Save over 40% (RRP £120.00) IWSC Gold Medal Winner 2014 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”   Tasring 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:£58.33 ex VAT £70.00 inc VAT

There’ll be no dry January here! There’s the Bard’s birthday to be celebrated.

CHECK OUT ALL OUR CURRENT MONEY SAVING DEALS HERE!

STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT TO BUY?

We are passionate, knowledgeable and care about good customer service and we would be more than happy to help. Why not email or call us (Tel: +44 131 524 9380) to discuss any whisky or other drinks related queries?
ALTERNATIVELY, HOW ABOUT GIFT VOUCHERS?

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*** RMW EDINBURGH SHOP MANAGER REQUIRED ***

An opportunity has arisen for our Edinburgh Royal Mile Whiskies shop manager position. If you are interested or know anyone you think may be suitable for this important role please see details HERE and ensure your application is submitted before 31st January 2015.
________________________________________
FOR ALL GENERAL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL: 0131 524 9380
or email: contact@royalmilewhiskies.com

Tour “Taster” Unveiled

A new film giving you a “taster” of what to expect when you take a tour at The Famous Grouse Experience has been unveiled. You can watch it here

JANUARY & EARLY FEBRUARY EVENTS 

New Members’ Tasting, 19 Greville St, London – Tue 20 Jan

Rabbie Burns Tasting and Dinner, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Thu 22 Jan

Keswick Burns Tasting, Middle Ruddings Country Inn, Keswick – Sat 24 Jan

Glasgow Burns Tasting, Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow- Sat 31 Jan

New List Steak & Chips Tasting, The Vaults, Leith – Tue 3 Feb

Valentines Day Tasting, 19 Greville St, London – Fri 13 Feb

Valentines Champagne & Whisky Tasting, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Tue 13 Jan

The Vaults’ Valentine Dinner, The Vaults, Leith – Sat 15 Feb

Scotland v Wales Tasting Lunch, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Sat 15 Feb

​

Browse All Tastings

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

INTERVIEW WITH John Harvey McDonough,  Speyside distillery

Hello John, thank you for your time, I know you are a busy man and a lot of time spent abroad. After my whisky tasting evening with Paul Dempsey and a visit to the distillery with Sandy, I can now honestly say, I am a big fan of Speyside distillery! The brand was more or less previously unobtainable here in Scotland – so I am pleased now there is a presence. I know I have caught you at a busy period whilst in Taiwan with Michael Owen, apologies.

Q; In Taiwan and China, is it just the Michael Owen bottles you are marketing, or the whole range?

A – It is the whole range .. we have been marketing SPEY as a brand for almost 20 years in Taiwan and almost 5 in China but of course we are very excited about the prospects of the SPEY-Michael Owen partnership for Greater China and indeed the whole of Asia.

Q; The expressions – The Golden Choice (40.6% abv) and The Michael Owen Limited Edition (46% abv). Will these be available in Scotland?

A- Yes they will but on a very limited allocation-basis only in 2015.

Q; Michael is obviously an excellent name/brand in that area of the world – as he is the world over, has he been a good ambassador so far for whisky? And what of the future?

A – He has been a superb brand ambassador for our SPEY brand both professionally and personally and we have been able to meet with his whole family which allows us to understand why Michael is so popular and well respected around the world. The future looks very bright based on our first very successful 6 months co-operation.

Q; Moving back to the distillery and the Company, apart from historical links, what was the prime mover in purchasing Speyside Distillery a few years back?

A – to realise my grandfather’s (Alec Harvey) dream of having the family return to the art of distilling and to secure our future supplies of malt whisky and quality bottling services.

Q; I have recently visited the distillery, where will you be looking to build the new one? I believe you have plans to build a new distillery near the existing site?

A -The area itself in and around Aviemore is naturally beautiful and we plan to build the second distillery very close to Aviemore itself.

Q; How will this affect production and annual quotas?

A– Production will increase from the current 600,000L to 1.2-1.7 million litres in the medium term.

Q; Where will you be selecting the new equipment from?

A- We have already ordered all our distilling equipment from Forsythes.

Q; Have you considered warehousing on site?

A– Yes we have considered it but believe that the two should still remain separate and that our artisan distillery skills are not distracted into warehousing.

Q; It will be a long term investment, are you confident the whisky industry will grow in that time – especially in your market?

A – Yes indeed it is however we believe it is the right decision for us. We have the rest of the world as our new markets and based on the success of Taiwan we firmly believe that China and Asia will be very big single malt whisky markets in the near future.

Q; Spey whisky currently sells 60,000 nine-litre cases in Taiwan, representing 90% of its annual sales. Do you have plans to move into a worldwide market once the new distillery is in production? And indeed, at the moment.

A – yes we do we already have partnerships in place which will develop our duty paid and duty free presence in strategic international markets in the very near future.

Q; I was lucky enough to sample the 12 year old, the 18 and the Tenne drams at the private tasting with Paul Dempsey recently, then Liz tasted even more (lucky Liz, I was driving), at our distillery visit, apart from these along with the MO range, do you have any plans to release an older age whisky in Scotland?

A – yes indeed we do … 2015 celebrates the 200 year anniversary of Lord Byron’s wedding in 1815 and in conjunction with the Lord Byron Society we will release some selected aged SPEY offerings within the coming 12 months.

Q; Moving back to the marketing side, can you tell me who designed the bottle and the labels?

A– Myself and our company designer Joanna Miller.

Q; Can you tell me anything about the Drumguish, Glentromie, Củ Dhub malts, and blends Glen Hood and Scottish Prince?

A – They are all our mainstream product with the exception of Cu Dhub which belongs to a third party.

Many thanks for your time John, I look forward to witnessing the growth of the Spey brand in the near future.

Thank you – our pleasure John Harvey McDonough

Paul’s note; if like me, you cannee wait for the bottles to be available here, let me know and if we can assist you, we shall!

http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/speyinterview.asp

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now that the festivities are over and the decorations are down the team are really looking forward to the year ahead.  We are sure that it is going to be another busy one with lots to share with you. We ended last year on a high with the news that the Distillery has been named “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year” at Whisky Magazine’s 2015 Icons of Whisky Awards! We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for us and we look forward to welcoming all our visitors in 2015!

WHISKY MAGAZINE’S ICONS OF WHISKY AWARDS 2015

Not only did the Distillery scoop the Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Icons of Whisky awards but our very own manager, Stuart Cassells, also collected a Highly Commended Award for Visitor Attraction Manager of the Year.  It really was a great end to what was an fantastic year! Read the full story on our blog here

Arran Robert Burns Single Malt 43% ABV | 70cl

A single malt from the Isle of Arran distillery, celebrating the famed Scottish poet, Robert Burns. This bottling is officially endorsed by the World Burns Federation, it is said that Burns held whisky in great regard.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Fresh, apple peels, some blossom and spice, vanilla cream and juicy pear.
Palate: Fruity, notes of custard and warm pastry, more orchard fruit, some tart citrus.
Finish: Apple peels and vanilla spice.
Price: £24.99 ex VAT
£29.99 inc VAT

Robert Burns Blended Scotch Whisky 40% ABV | 70cl

“With the acclaimed Arran Single Malt at it`s heart, the Robert Burns Blend is a veritable breath of fresh air. Dry and light, with subtle hints of vanilla and sweet fruit, this whisky is a superb example of the Master Blender`s art and truly a dram worthy of the Bard himself.”

Price: £17.49 ex VAT
£20.99 inc VAT

Immortal Memory 40% ABV | 70cl

Robert Burns, Scotland`s most famous poet, was born, the son of a farmer, on January 25th 1759 at Alloway, and died on July 21st 1796 at Dumfries.

The Immortal Memory is the traditional term used, for speeches given to the memory of Burns, at annual Burns’ suppers held, worldwide, to celebrate the anniversary of his birth.

Tasting Notes:

This fine blended Scotch whisky has a fresh character with a grass-like nose and exotic fruit influences. The palate is sweet with hints of spices – warming. Creamy with a charred oak edge.

Price: £18.33 ex VAT
£22.00 inc VAT

www.ralfy.com gets cheap and basic with Whisky Review 514 – Passport Blended Scotch