While the annual cycle of “limited” single malt releases is beginning to raise a few eyebrows in terms of continued quality and actual rarity, one distillery that continues to deliver year after year is Glenmorangie. Their yearly contribution to the whisky collector’s must-have list of magical malts continues to be one of the most sought-after and special of the genre. This year’s Tusail is no exception. Using a completely different strain of barley, Dr. Bill Lumsden and his whisky-making team mimicked the production of their standard 10 year Original in every way possible, with the exception of the malting process which was done the traditional way on the distillery floor. The goal of the project was to showcase the role that barley actually plays in the ultimate flavor of each whisky and how important the inherent grain is to the character of single malt. Not only is the Tusail delicious, it’s one of the most unique and satisfying releases we’ve tasted this year. Our allocation was limited to 120 total bottles, so we don’t plan on having this around much longer! It’s another winner from the always-dependable men of Tain.

Glenmorangie Túsail Limited Edition Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($99.99)

Tùsail is non chill-filtered and is made with floor-malted Maris Otter barley, the older (1960s) variety that’s also favored by craft breweries like England’s Black Sheep Brewery for its rich, malty flavor. The ten year old expression was created after Glenmorangie distiller Bill Lumsden located a grower of the strain and had it floor-malted at the distillery the old-fashioned way. Aged entirely in Bourbon casks, the Túsail stands in comparison to Glenmorangie’s classic 10 year expression; the only difference being the malting process and the strain of barley itself. Despite the similarities, the two whiskies couldn’t be more different, showcasing the potential for variance when steps that are often taken for granted get tweaked only slightly. The palate if the Túsail is thicker and creamier than the standard Original. The vanilla is front and center, but it’s accented with exotic spices and a sprinkling of anise seed. Much like Bruichladdich’s recent Bere Barley release, nothing seems all that different, but everything just seems to taste better! The finish is long, lingering whisper of sweet grains and candied citrus. As with most limited releases of Glenmorangie, the Túsail delivers everything you’re hoping for: quality, supreme flavor, and individuality. It’s not just another excuse to sell more whisky. The Túsail was engineered in 2004, long before the boom began. Yet more proof that Dr. Bill and his team remain at the head of whisky development for the Scotch industry.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 23, 2015

I love that there are a few distilleries interested in playing around with different strains of barley. What they’ve shown us without a doubt so far is that it absolutely DOES make a difference (whether you care about it, or not is a different question). The Bruichladdich Bere Barley was the first example of a unique and wildly different style of malt, and the Tusail now is the next great presentation. It’s spicy, gingery, mealy, and full of inherent flavor that obviously doesn’t come from the wood. It’s textural and exotic, malty and rich. It’s a home run from the best whisky development team in Scotland.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 25, 2015

We all know the Dr. Bill can do no wrong and this fabulous new offering from Glenmo’s Private Edition line is no exception. I love it when instead of getting super experimental (think Ardbeg Space Whisky) the guys at Glenmo kind of go back the other way. Producing whisky by hand from heirloom varieties of barley is not a first for the modern whisky industry, but Dr. Bill has done it in such a thoughtful and delicious way, you’re almost glad he didn’t do it first. We absolutely loved the Bere Barley from Bruichladdich a couple of years ago and this takes the idea of barley varietals one step further by including an in house malting scheme. The result is something utterly unique and perhaps wildly authentic. This feels like old school whisky (although retaining Glenmo’s classic elegance) and has a depth and soul hard to come by in modern releases. The high protein variety of barley producers far less alcohol (less starch), but much more character than the spring varietals typically used. Robust and round, with tons a fruit and small but persistent spicy quality. We’ve got a decent supply right now, but like all the Private Editions we’ll have people asking about this one for years to come (not to mention it’s likely to take home some serious awards later in the year).

Kyle Kurani | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: March 24, 2015

The Glenmo Tusail has been a decade in the making. This is not some hodgepodge blend of differently aced barrels, this is a whisky that was conceived of 10 years ago, brought to fruition with floor malted barley, and laid to rest, creating a Malt that is truly unique. The Maris Otter barley gives an amazingly nappy texture, delivering notes of vanilla and baking spice in a palate coating luxury. The bourbon barrel aging allows all the complexity of the Scotch to shine without covering it up with pure wood notes. Candied ginger and sweet lemon zest make for a delicious dram.

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

Whisky School!

The Glenlivet Visitor Centre picks up Taste Our Best award

The Old Maltings Coffee Shop at The Glenlivet Visitor Centre, recently attained the Taste Our Best award for the locally-sourced and fresh food and drink it includes on its menu. It is one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to have attained this recognition.

Taste Our Best is a joint initiative between VisitScotland and the Scottish Government. Launched in 2013, the scheme is designed to recognise businesses including hotels, restaurants, cafes, takeaways, visitor attractions and B&Bs that not only offer a quality food and drink experience, but include and promote Scottish produce on their menus, to give consumers choice.

The Glenlivet is already a 5* Visitor Attraction and the Old Maltings Coffee Shop prides itself on using local food and drink suppliers, including the butcher in Dufftown (12 miles away); the baker in Grantown-on-Spey (20 miles); ice cream from Buckie (30 miles), cheese from Ardersier (40 miles), vegetables from Inverness (40 miles), dairy products from Forres (30 miles) and preserves from Conon Bridge (50 miles). All the goods they buy are from the Moray area and Highlands and Islands.

The Old Maltings’ menu includes homemade Cullen Skink, served with a wedge of fresh crusty bread from a local baker; Ploughman’s lunch consisting of a selection of Scottish cheeses, The Glenlivet whisky pickle, oatcakes and a side salad; and locally-sourced Scottish smoked salmon and Scottish beef and ham.

Results from the 2011/12 Scotland Visitor Survey highlighted that the sampling of local produce is the second highest activity undertaken by visitors when they come to Scotland.

Caroline Mitchell, Manager of The Glenlivet Visitor Centre, said: “We are delighted to have received this award, which recognises our commitment to supporting local suppliers. The team at The Glenlivet visitor centre is dedicated to ensuring all our guests have the best possible experience, and leave with a fantastic impression of the area, as well as of our world-famous Scotch whisky.

“Our visitors come from far and wide, so it’s great to have the opportunity to showcase the wonderful local produce of the Speyside region in our The Old Maltings Coffee Shop.”

 Scott Armstrong, Regional Director at VisitScotland, said: “I would like to congratulate the staff at The Glenlivet Visitor Centre on receiving this award, but it comes as no surprise, as the scope of locally-sourced food featured on their menu really is commendable.

“We know that visitors love authentic, quality Scottish food and drink and Taste Our Best is all about taking this knowledge to the next level and really encouraging the tourism industry and businesses to recognise the real benefits of sourcing, using and promoting local and Scottish produce. We have such a rich natural larder here in Moray Speyside, with some of the best products in the world right on our doorstep.

“2015 is the Year of Scotland’s Food and Drink and we hope that all the visitors to our shores this year who are experiencing the range of truly global events across the country will also get to taste the best of Scotland.”

Funded by the Scottish Government (£450K over three years) and VisitScotland (£470K in kind) with support from Scotland Food and Drink, the Taste Our Best initiative brings together the tourism and food and drink industries.

Research has shown that visitors are willing to pay up to 15% more for food that is of Scottish or regional origin and businesses that provide local food can typically enjoy higher level sales of up to 20% per year. It’s estimated that Scotland’s food and drink tourism industry is worth £2.5 million per day to the economy with sampling traditional dishes and local produce among the top activity undertaken by visitors to Scotland.

Taste Our Best replaced the EatScotland food and drink QA scheme, which is being phased out.  Further details can be found at: www.visitscotland.org/quality-foodanddrink.aspx

We are delighted to announce that the newest batch release of the widely popular Exclusive Malts has arrived in US soil. After a careful selection process, six new casks have been bottled and are ready to be explored.

Balmenach ‘07 8 yr Speyside (Port matured)

115.20 proof

Balmenach is a little known distillery situated in the heart of the Speyside region. Almost every drop of Balmenach whisky made is blended but occasionally the odd cask will be bottled demonstrating its own flavors. This cask used to house Port and thus the whisky has taken on a rich color and flavor. To be savored perhaps post dinner or paired with a suitable cheese.

Invergordon ’84 30 yr Highland

104.60 proof

This grain whisky, distilled near the Dornoch Firth, has been slowly maturing for 30 years. Its rich, full-flavored sweetness comes from the distillation of grain mixed with a long and slow maturation in a refilled oak hogshead. Despite its age, it is still vibrant enough for any whisky drinker’s palate.

Irish Whiskey ’02 13 yr Ireland 104.40 proof

This cask of single malt Irish whiskey was distilled in the center of the Island, near the border of Northern Ireland. 13 is an unlucky number for some, but not for this whiskey which has matured to near perfection demonstrating the rich malt flavor associated with Irish whiskeys.

Laphroaig ’05 10 yr Islay 108.40 proof

The isle of Islay is home to some of the most sought after malt whiskies in Scotland.Laphroaig sits close to the top of this list and whilst many think its unique and pungent aromas are off-putting, there are many lovers of peat smoke, ash and earth to keep this distillery going for many years to come.

A “North Highland” ’95 20 yr (Sherry matured) 109.20 proof

This cask, from an undisclosed Highland distillery, has been matured for 20 years in a first fill ex-Sherry butt from Jerez, Spain. This type of maturation is as traditional as it gets and pre-dates the use of ex-Bourbon barrels which is now the industry standard. Using ex-Sherry casks results in a totally different style of whisky, as the color suggests, this whisky is rich, full of fruits and powerful from start to finish.

A “Speyside” ’91 23 yr 102.6 proof

This whisky from an undisclosed Speyside Distillery is redolent with the smells of Speyside. Rich oak mingles with Heather spices and sweet malt. It is a typically great example of the region home to more of than 50% of all Scotch Malt whisky distilleries.

Please feel free to reach out for more detail on the Batch #8: office@impexbev.com

 Our mailing address is:

ImpEx Beverages Inc.

360 Swift Ave

Side B # 9

South San Francisco, CA 94080

http://impexbev.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=015fa69c1fef0d8de97fb4d76&id=9922e4eb05&e=110a891535

It’s not uncommon to see a name tag reading “10+ years of excellent service” at The Party Source. A lot of the employees have been here a decade, two decades, and even longer. There is a true sense of family within The Party Source walls. We are a family!

John Hughes has worked for The Party Source for 19 years now. John is fighting a difficult battle with cancer. If you have met John you know this hasn’t affected his cheery personality one bit. He is always quick to help, talk whiskey, or offer up a smile. We love John. He’s a part of our family. The John Hughes Benefit is not only a way for us to help out. It’s a way for us to celebrate with John. Show our appreciation. Let’s do what we do best. Have a party! We hope you’ll join us and support a great cause.

>>>Click HERE to Purchase Tickets or Make a Donation

Glenturret 18 year old single cask

A very special and limited edition single cask release from Scotland’s oldest distillery. Distilled in 1993 and aged for 18 years in the distilleries traditional warehouse, one of only 516 bottles filled at cask strength, 59.8% vol. VERY LIMITED STOCK AVAILABLE!

£168.00

MAY UPDATE: TOP-PICKINGS

May’s Outturn caused quite a frenzy, with many of you snapping up our juicy, new single casks double-fast. With many bottles now sold out, we’ve put together some top-picks that are sure to give you a taste of summer.

Be sure to browse all our bottlings too, some treats are back online!

Light & delicate

26.110 Breakfast reverie £50.40

Fruit salad (banana, cherry, peach, guava) sprinkled with brown sugar, morning rolls, cornflakes, even bacon – all served on polished wood with flowers nearby – and a soft leather handbag too.

10yo, First-fill ex-bourbon barrel

Spicy & dry

36.85 Vitality balanced by maturity £87.20

Lots of fruit (Polo fruits, Jolly Ranchers, Chewits); some of it sweet and sour (lemon, lime, pineapple, sherbet, Tangfastics, rhubarb crumble) but all that bright attractiveness was balanced by cedar, pine, gingerbread, leather and light tobacco.

23yo, Second-fill ex-bourbon hogshead

Old & dignified

G7.8 Sweet seduction in a car wash £103.70

Polished leather and wood, chamois cloths, wax and T-cut – but sweetness rewarded their labours – marmalade on toast, caramel sauce, dark toffee, raisins, Demerara and Danish pastries – fruit salad, peppercorns and pine lent complexity

30yo single cask grain, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Juicy, oak & vanilla

46.31 Sniffing a bee’s knees £82.20

Toffee, caramel, Flumps, Tunnock’s Snowballs and carrot cake, but far from one-dimensional – it also had hessian, coconut, macadamias and insinuations of citrus.

22yo, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Lightly peated

3.223 Sweet, floral, perfumed smoke £101.60

Light peat smoke, stony beaches, balsa wood, first aid boxes, lavender soap and flowers on a bonfire; plus some sweeter aspects of cup-cakes, pineapple turnover and jelly beans.

24yo, Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

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

Caol Ila 31 year old Pre Orders *From Saturday 9th May 2015*

At last, from Saturday we can start pre orders of the London World Exclusive Caol Ila 31 year old. Only 168 bottles in the world, 54.3% Vol. The release date is the 13th of May when we will ship any preorders or process those to be collected from the store. If you are going to Campbeltown for the whisky festival later this month we can arrange to have your bottle held in our Campbeltown shop to be collected during your visit.

The cost for pre orders is £175.95

This product can only be purchased from London via the web shop 

www.whiskytastingroom.com

or by calling 0207 935 6999 between 10:30AM and 6:00PM Monday to Saturday

2015 International Whisky Competition Official Results

Awards, Scores and Winners 

International Whisky Competition Committee

Chicago, IL USA

Thursday, April 30, 2015

www.whiskycompetition.com

Highlights of 2015

Foreword

This 6th edition of the International Whisky Competition took place in Chicago on the 23rd and 24th of April. A world class tasting panel of ten whisky, spirit, beer and wine experts blind tasted each whisky on an individual basis (by opposition to flights of 6 or more whiskies, which tends to rush the judging process and contaminate the palate.) Each whisky was scored using a comprehensive 100-point scale system developed by Sebastien Gavillet, IWC Head of Judges and author of Discovering and Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This process undoubtedly makes the International Whisky Competition one of the most professional competitions of its kind in the world. No whisky scored below 76 points and each judge sampled every whisky entered.

Unique Medals with Winners Based on Scores

Medals are important and we believe too many medals were awarded in the past by other spirits competitions, making the public suspicious of them. That being said, we’re the only competition providing three medals for each category so that each win is unique and not duplicated with generic awards of lesser value.

Introducing Whisky Points Medallions

Borrowing from what’s been highly popular in the wine judging world for many years, we decided to apply the same logic to whisky. The whisky point medallions will showcase the score each whisky received during this International Whisky Competition. The design is simple; each whisky scoring 90 points and over has gold on black and each whisky scoring between 85 and up to 90 points will be silver on black.

A World Class Scoring System

Judges were blind tasting, judging and scoring each whisky individually during five minutes based on the four main segments and eleven sub sections below:

• Sight: Colours (0 point), Visual appeal (5 points)

• Nose: Intensity and complexity (15 points), Distinctiveness of aromas (10 points), Balance of aromas (10 points)

• Taste-Mouth Feel: Palate and balance (10 points), Alcohol, body and complexity (10 points), Distinctiveness of flavours (10 points), Balance between flavours (10 points)

• Finish: Length and finish (10 points), Quality of finish (10 points)

2015 IWC Top Award

Whisky of the Year

John Walker & Sons King George V   (97 Points)    

Diageo, winner of the new Golden Barrel Trophy

Blind Tasting Notes: “This whisky has everything that makes a complex, beautiful, majestic dram featuring all the components of perfection.”

– Adam Carmer, Owner, The Whisky Attic, Las Vegas, 2015 IWC Judge

Master Blender of the Year

Jim Beveridge, Diageo, Creator of John Walker & Sons King George V

THREE BOURBONS FROM BARTON 1792 DISTILLERY WIN TOP

AWARDS IN TWO TASTING COMPETITIONS 

BARDSTOWN, kENTUCKY (May 7, 2015) – Three bourbons from Barton 1792 Distillery won top awards in two recent tasting competitions. Barton’s 1792 Bourbon, Zackariah Harris Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey brought home medals and distinctions from the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

“We are honored to receive each of these awards,” Ken Pierce, director of distillation and quality assurance, said. “We work hard to produce excellent bourbon, and are humbled by these recognitions.”

2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

Barton’s 1792 Bourbon and Zackariah Harris Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey were each designated as “Excellent, Highly Recommended” at the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Kentucky Tavern Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was distinguished as “Very Good, Strong Recommendation.”

            Zackariah Harris, 1792 and Kentucky Tavern were each deemed to be “Great Values.” Receiving a designation as “Tried & True” were 1792 Bourbon and Kentucky Tavern.

            This competition, in its sixth year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

            Complete results for the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2015results.

San Francisco World Spirits Competition

More than 1,580 entries were submitted for a blind tasting at the 15^th annual San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where 41 of the industry’s finest spirits experts reviewed each entry, ultimately awarding 1792 Bourbon a gold medal. Kentucky Tavern and Zackariah Harris were each awarded bronze medals.

Complete results for the 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition can be found at http://sfspiritscomp.com/results/browse.

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, an American 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 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/.