Continue your love affair with our whiskies as we tempt you with the February Outturn.  For full tasting notes please visit http://www.smws.ca/ but for now enjoy the brief bottle notes below.

Also, be sure to sign up for the March tasting (on Friday, March 6th) at The Strath before it sells out.  Pop in to see them at 919 Douglas Street or call them at 250-370-9463.

Cask No. 2.87  Satisfying as a butcher’s blade

21 years old; refill hogshead; 51.7%  

Sweet, fruity & mellow

The nose combines ‘old’ impressions (antique bookshops, mentholated snuff) with fresher stewed apples, lemon, honey, carnations and peppermint. The palate is fascinating and tasty – toffee apple and caramel apple granny cake are followed by a finish of humbugs and tiger balm.

Cask No. 77.35  Fresh, vibrant and attractive

11 years old; refill barrel; 58.4%  

Young & spritely

This fresh, vibrant nose lifts you to sunny summer meadows – orange, lemon, apple, pear, grape, bourbon and vanilla, slightly woodier in reduction. The palate gives pleasant tingling heat (chili, ginger, liquorice) and tasty citrus (blood orange, sherbet lemons); good bitter-sweet duality.

Cask No. 73.63  Vanilla spice latte

11 years old; refill sherry butt; 59.8%

Juicy, oak & vanilla

An enticing fruity and sweet aroma as well as the freshness of an Appletiser Mojito which carries on in the taste with an additional kick of chili flakes. Water adds creaminess and in the taste a balance between salty and sweet flavours.

Cask No. 117.5  Smouldering, brooding and alluring

22 years old; refill sherry hogshead; 55.5%  

Deep, rich & dried fruits     Very rare Irish whiskey!

The nose is simply alluring, with cherry pieces in dark chocolate, coconut, Brazils and smouldering cinnamon and sandalwood incense. The mouth-drawing palate has Black Forest gateau, Moffatt toffees, blackcurrant jam, Campinos, fried sage and brooding eastern spices – teasing, trance-inducing and tasty.

Cask No. 4.190  Big boys smoking in the sauna

22 years old; refill hogshead; 53.9%

Spicy & dry

A punch of cigar smoke and polished wood. Mediterranean tapas and Moroccan spices on Arbroath smokies with Mexican hot chocolate. Hot sauna wood and heather with tobacco leaf unfurling. Cured hams with mango chutney. Round the world in a glass!

Cask No. 27.105  Too cool for school

13 years old; refill sherry hogshead; 53.9%

Lightly peated

Ginger nuts in creamy latte with mint chocolate ganache. Old leather books and waxed church pews, a puff of hickory smoke. Toasted marshmallow and peppered tuna steak. Ginger snap baskets with red berries. Salty french fries and chocolate milk shake.

Cask No. 29.150  Hand-rolled Cuban cigars

18 years old; refill barrel; 59.2%

Heavily peated

Watching the fishermen unloading their catch of shellfish with aromas of bacon rolls filling the salty sea air.  The taste is juicy and spicy with a hint of earthiness from a peat hearth. Adding water more fruity on the nose and flavours of hand-rolled Cuban cigars.

http://www.smws.ca/

1997 Glenrothes 17 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Refill Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($79.99)

Sherry-matured single malt is big right now and if you can get it at full proof, even better. Glenrothes has always been a fan-favorite at K&L for its chewy, meaty, full-bodied character and rich, supple profile, but lately more folks have been heading for the Aberlour A’Bunadh due to the higher ABV. We thought: why not combine the best of both worlds? Why not buy a sherry cask of Glenrothes at nearly 60% alcohol and give the people what they want? Even better: let’s double the age! Let’s do a monster 17 year old refill sherry cask and bring all that chewy, cakey goodness for all those sherry-heads out there. And the price! Let’s make sure it’s no more than $79.99. Can we do that? Well, we just did. Classic sherry-aged Glenrothes at full proof for about eighty bucks. Sound OK?

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 18, 2014

Oh man, oh man this is a doozy. This whisky is going to make so many people happy. I don’t remember this being quite so good back in Scotland and what this Glenrothes does right is exactly what lovers of Glenrothes will notice. The nose is powerfully sweet, dried figs, spiced cakes, chocolate frosting. Based on the nose the mouth was certain to keep this theme, but instead the earthy depth of the ‘Rothes spirit pops its head up. Bringing earthy and leathery notes into the fold balances any fears of this being overly sweet. A fine Rothes to say the least.

Mike Barber | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 09, 2014

You rarely see independent casks of Glenrothes, and even more rare are ones with this much age that are this good. This whisky is molasses over buttered toast–with a round, smooth texture. The finish is short and leathery, but the malt is extremely enjoyable, unique, easy to drink, and very well priced!

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

FEEL THE LOVE

Heart racing, breath shallow, cheeks flushed: emotion runs high with the excitement of new love. Let your senses lead you though an evocative landscape of flavour as 14 gorgeous drams vie for your affection. Catch yourself daydreaming of Vichy kisses with 25.68, an elegant, ephemeral vision from a long-closed distillery. Put a spring in your step with 35.117, the luxurious array of fruity aromas will make you Cock-a-hoop with happiness. But don’t be shy, order today as these charming suitors won’t be alone for long…

Young & spritely 48.50

Mirror, mirror on the wall…

£44.70

Sweet, fruity & mellow  35.117

Cock-a-hoop with happiness

Exclusive to the Captivating Case and Opposites Attract Pair

Spicy & sweet 25.68

Vichy kisses

Closed Distillery!

£117.10

121.77

Dunnage warehouse orange boxes

The oldest bottling from distillery 121 ever bottled! It’s exclusive to the Treasured Trio so snap one up quick…

35.121

‘You make me feel (mighty real)’

£43.80

77.36

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

£47.10

Old & dignified  G3.8

Eccentric and Exotic – Grain Whisky

Closed Distillery!

£62.40

Light & delicate  37.62

Easy like a Sunday morning

£44.00

44.63

Zesty, zingy and alive

£49.20

Juicy, oak & vanilla  112.9

Cooper’s apron; perfumed mink

£53.00

Oily & coastal
4.202

Salt and pepper

£126.00

3.237

‘Candle taking its last breath’

£62.40

Peated  53.219

Confident high-wire artist

£53.00

Heavily peated  127.42

Peat freak heaven

Low outturn: only 127 bottles!

£61.30

Browse New 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

GlenDronach Single Casks Batch #11

Nine single casks from 1971-1995 matured in PX and Oloroso sherry casks. Very popular with very limited stocks! Shop Glendronach Batch 11

This week Joe Ellis reviews Alberta Premium Dark Horse Canadian Whisky

http://youtu.be/qoVubEFQbt0

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Buffalo Trace Distillery Releases Sixteenth (and Last) Round of Single Oak Project Bourbon  

Four year Holy Grail project is nearly ready to reveal “the perfect bourbon” 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Feb 3, 2015) – Buffalo Trace Distillery will release the last set of Single Oak Project Bourbon bottles, as the four year research project into finding the “Holy Grail” of bourbon comes to a close.

The project consisted of bottles from 192 barrels released every three months in increments of twelve 375ml bottles over the past four years. Seven different variables were studied over the course of the study: recipe (wheat or rye); entry proof (105 proof or 125 proof); stave seasoning (six months or 12 months); grain size (tight, average, or coarse grains); warehouse (concrete floor or wooden rick floor); char number (number three or number four char); and tree cut (top or bottom half of the tree).

This final of the 16 releases offers a variety of all of the above variables, which should prove to be a treat for those following along over the years, or even those who’ve just begun to taste and rate these unique bourbons.

“This last release has quite the variety of bourbons. We’ve got some wheat and rye recipe, both the 105 and 125 entry proofs, all three grain sizes represented both types of warehouse floors, and oak from both the top and the bottom of the tree.  The only consistencies in this release are the stave seasoning at six months and the number four char,” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director. “The diversity provides a good starting point for those who aim to learn how these different nuances affect the taste, or for those current participants who want to taste test what they have learned so far.”

Comstock is referring to the website http://www.singleoakproject.com/, in which participants can join and review Single Oak Bourbons they have tasted. After each review, members are availed the provenance of the bourbon in which they just appraised. This allows tasters to gain insights into how each variable imparts different taste characteristics and determine which type of bourbon they prefer.

So far, more than 4,600 reviews have been given, and barrel #82 remains the overall favorite, with barrels #109 and #111 not far behind.

“There is a very thin margin between the top rated bourbons so far, and it’s also possible that a bourbon from this last batch could come in and upset all the rankings. We’re still far from determining a winner,” added Comstock.

The winning bourbon will be announced this summer, to give plenty of time for bottles of this last release to be reviewed. If the results are too close to call, a panel of bourbon industry experts will help evaluate the finalists. After the winning bourbon is announced, Buffalo Trace plans to replicate the winning bourbon under the Single Oak Bourbon name.

The Single Oak Project is part of an intensive research project Buffalo Trace Distillery started conducting in 1999 by hand picking 96 trees with different wood grains and then dividing them into a top and bottom piece, yielding 192 unique sections.

For eight years the Distillery continued with its tracking process, creating intricate databases and coming up with a potential of 1,396 tasting combinations from these 192 barrels!

The Single Oak Project Bourbon is being released in a series every three months from 2011 through 2015 until all of the 192 barrels have been released. The first release hit select stores in 2011.  This final release will reach stores late February. Like all the other releases, the quantities are very limited. Every case will contain 12 bottles, each bottle from a different barrel. The sixteenth release is made up of barrel numbers 7, 20, 39, 52, 71, 84, 103, 116, 135, 148, 168, and 180. All releases are packaged in a 375ml bottles. Suggested retail pricing per bottle is $46.35.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.

FEBRUARY EVENTS

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

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

Whisky and Sausage Tasting > The Vaults, Leith – Tue 17 Feb

Pancake Day > 19 Greville St, London – Tue 17 Feb

New Members Tasting > 19 Greville St, London – Wed 18 Feb

Greenock Preview Tasting >  The Tontine Hotel, Greenock – Fri 20 Feb

Cheese and Whisky Tasting >  28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Tue 24 Feb

New Members Welcome Night > The Vaults, Leith – Thu 26 Feb

Scotland v Italy Tasting Lunch > 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Sat 28 Feb

Manchester Preview Tasting >  Malmaison, Manchester – Fri 27 Feb

Newcastle Preview Tasting >  The Caledonian Hotel, Newcastle – Fri 27 Feb

Stirling Preview Tasting >  The Golden Lion Hotel, Stirling – Fri 27 Feb

Birmingham Preview Tasting >  Hotel du Vin, Birmingham – Fri 27 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

Nothing quite says ‘I love you’ like dead vegetation, saturated fat sugar products and cheap lingerie.

You may as well just stay in and have a drink.

Might we suggest a dram of good whisky perhaps?

NEW SPRINGBANK

SPRINGBANK 21 Year Old £179.95

SPRINGBANK 17 Sherry Wood £86.95

SPRINGBANK 12 Cask Strength £47.95

If you have ever travelled all the way round to Campbeltown to visit the Springbank distillery then you will understand how unique a place it is and will no doubt have considered your long journey to have been more than worthwhile. The only Scottish distillery to undertake 100% of whisky production on one site, Springbank is world renowned for doing things it’s own way. They have started 2015 at a frenetic pace, releasing their annual bottlings of the 21 year old & the 12 year Cask Strength as well as a sensational 100% ex-sherry cask matured 17 year old.

FOR ALL GENERAL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL: 0131 524 9380 or email: contact@royalmilewhiskies.com

CADENHEADS CLUB

Cadenheads Club for Whisky Enthusiasts and those who would like to start on the whisky journey with Scotland’s oldest independent whisky merchants.

As you know Cadenhead’s buy casks from various distilleries and bottle them at cask strength under the Cadenheads name. All ‘Cadenhead Club’ members will receive a folder containing tasting notes for a range of Cadenheads whiskies, a membership record card and a leather wallet with the club logo embossed on it. Each time you buy a 70 cl bottle of Cadenhead’s Whisky from one of our shops your card will be stamped. Each card has 6 spaces so when your card is filled this is exchanged for a new card. There is no limit to the number of cards you can fill. You can fill the card as quickly as you like, or take a whole year to do this.

In November of each year a special bottling will be done and a free bottle will be sent out, to the shop of your choice, for each card that you have completed. The bottles will be exclusive to club members and will be specially labelled and numbered. The type of whisky will be chosen by Cadenhead’s staff. Newsletters will be emailed to members along with tasting notes for each new bottling for you to print and add to your folder.

The cost for membership is £50 for the first year and £30 to renew your membership each year.

If you would like to join email: shop@wmcadenhead.com

Distillery Profile No 3 – Mannochmore

I would like to draw to your attention is a rather well known distillery but not by it’s actual name Mannochmore Established 1971.

In 1997 a rather strange malt entered the whisky market, Loch Dhu. This was a 10 year old malt whisky that looked almost black! It was so dark and to be honest rather sweet one would almost think it was liquid candy floss with chocolate chips (Yeah weird but it’s the flavour I can remember anyway).

Loch Dhu whisky was made at Mannochmore a newish distillery established 1971 on the same site as a more famous distillery Glenlossie (1876) Both distilleries are located just off the A941 close to Elgin & Rothes.

The Timeline:

• Established 1971
• Mothballed in 1985 like so many during the dark economic period 79-94
• 1997 Loch Dhu emerges to an astonished whisky world (Well I was and thats all that matters)
• 2011 someone tries to sell me a bottle of Loch Dhu for £450 funny given I have a bottle that cost me £26.50!Mannochmore 17 is currently in stock joined by a much older sibling aged 32 years old, this is quite an incredible little dram thats has been matured in a Port cask since 2005 after being aged in a refill bourbon cask. The tasting room clients described this dram as fruity sweet smooth and refreshingly elegant, we have a few and when I say a few it really is a few bottles left.
• On a personal note I like the malts from this distillery because they are a rather rich smooth dram that I can enjoy with a meal, something you should try yourself, a good all round whisky can really make a meal try whisky and Tapas or a tasting menu of indian or Thai food.

Next Newsletter will have a few details of our single cask & green label rums, while I might have a lot of the info in my head it’s no good keeping it to myself now is it.

Stephen

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop & Tasting Room
26 Chiltern Street
London
W1U 7QF

Tel: 020 7935 6999

Springbank 21 Year Old and more 

We have some limited stock remaining of the Springbank 21 Year Old – 2015 release. 

Colour – Pure Gold.

Nose – A creamy delight. The soft richness of this classic dram provides the backdrop for toffee and cereal notes, interspersed with bursts of freshly picked strawberries and ripe watermelon.

Palate – Robust and steadfast. A dry creamy oiliness points to the Fino Sherry casks used in maturation while background maritime influences demonstrate this is a true Campbeltown Malt. Sugared almonds are heavily present as well as a dash of cinnamon.

Finish – Creamy with an evolving length which coats the mouth and finally gives up its peaty origins. 

Springbank 21yo  

Price – £177.00 

Whisky Galore at The Green Welly Stop Awards:

Whisky Magazine: Icons of Whisky – Scotland

2013 & 2015 Whisky Online Retailer of the Year – Highly Commended.