MALTBARN

SCOTCH FRESH FROM DEUTSCHLAND

Shocked is how I would describe our faces as we finished our final sample. We were having a good old go on the entire range of Maltbarn whiskies that had just arrived from Germany. The thing with single cask bottlings is that because they are inherently unique they can also be highly variable, and this was the first time the entire staff were united behind the entire output of a single independent bottler. Unheard of…

Maltbarn are best summarised in their own words: “We don`t care about the latest hype, marketing tricks or fancy packaging. Instead we only sell whisky we love to drink ourselves!” You can’t say fairer than that, and that is also very much our approach. So it’s no wonder we were getting on so famously with their whiskies. Although I have to say we were more than a little smitten with their beautiful label designs which scream DRINK ME rather than “we don’t care about… fancy packaging”, but we won’t complain if you won’t! Don’t take our punch-drunk word for how great these whiskies are, their reviews speak for themselves, check out Whisky Fun one of our favourite reviewers.

Below you will find our current selection, and feel free to add ‘staff pick’ to every single one of these bad boys!

 THE SELECTION

Dailuaine 18 Year Old, 48.7%

This is one of those estery malts on the nose: kiwi, pear drops and granny smith apples. Spearmint and white pepper on the palate with a soupcon of sweetness. The long finish is minty with poached pears stealing through.
159 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£94.95

Glen Keith 22 Year Old, 49.4%

Butter icing, toffee and Victorian sweet shop aromas, leading to toasted oak and caramel on the palate. The finish takes its time with butterscotch and sweet spice notes. Genuinely stunning stuff from an often overlooked lost distillery.
179 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£129.95

Caol Ila 19 Year Old, 52.8%

This is Caol Ila at its very best; a salty driftwood bonfire burning on the beach under the setting summer sun. The palate is firm with that classic maritime peat with Kaffir lime leaf lending heady top notes. The finish lingers with notes of charcoal and roasted peach. 226 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£129.95

Inchgower, 38 Year Old, 47.3%

The aroma is reminiscent of a cobblestone path through a forest glade. This 38 year old has a distinct minerality, almost mezcal like. Then there is butterscotch, fruit compote, stewed tropical fruit, melon and a hint of aniseed. A finish who’s length complements the malt’s age!
54 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£249.95

Glen Elgin 29 Year Old, 45.6%

Delicious rancio aromas and flavours from that long time hanging around in an oak cask. Then there is a youthful hit of active oak, toffee, baked Bramley apples and a touch of a musty old bookshelf (in a good way!).
122 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£159.95

Burnside 25 Year Old, 50.9%

Teaspooned Balvenie anyone? This is Balvenie with a tiny amount (literally a teaspoon) of Glenfiddich added so Maltbarn can’t legally call this stuff Balvenie. Waxy at first with a slight hint of burning embers. This is chased by confectionary notes (jelly babies perhaps?). Then there is [Balvenie] honey, burnt raisin, cinnamon and a sprinkling of struck match stick. 167 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£125.95

Bunnahabhain 26 Year Old, 49.9%

A quiet West Coast harbour with seaweed drifting on the water. Then there is manuka honey, cloves, cardamom and Maldon sea salt. This whisky couldn’t be more Bunnahabhain if it tried!
121 bottles produced from a single ex-sherry butt.

£129.95

Ledaig 9 Year Old, 48.1%

A younger offering from Maltbarn. Earthy and peaty with a wonderful refreshing quality. The finish is surprisingly delicate considering the youthful nature of this intrepid malt.
141 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£69.95

Ben Nevis 16 Year Old, 53.2%

Leafy, minerally notes at first, chased with aromas of a spring meadow. The palate takes on mineral notes of slate, blackberry and a smattering of sea salt. The finish lingers with a herbacious catelogue of oregano and basil.
91 bottles produced from a single ex-Bourbon barrel.

£84.95

angus@milroys.co.uk

Milroy’s of Soho · 3 Greek Street · London, England W1D 4NX · United Kingdom

www.ralfy.com gets a terrible shock whilst creating a vlog with Whisky Review 534 – Isle of Arran 10yo single malt and a big fright!

BENRIACH LAUNCHES DUNDER, A STUNNING PEATED 18 YEAR OLD DARK RUM FINISH 

Global Whisky Distiller of the Year BenRiach today (30 April 2015) launches “Dunder”, an extraordinary Peated 18 Years Old Dark Rum finish from its Elgin distillery.

The BenRiach Dunder is a one-off bottling with only 1888 bottles available worldwide.

This intriguing new Speyside expression, from the same range as the BenRiach Albariza, takes its unusual name from the residue of cane juice left in a still after distilling a batch of rum.

Traditionally used as a yeast source in the fermentation process of Jamaican rum, it gives the rum a unique aroma and flavour.

Dunder, at 46% vol, is distilled from peated malted barley and is initially matured in American oak casks and then finished in dark rum barrels.

It combines the distinct and contrasting aromas and flavours associated with richly peated malt whisky and the elegant style of wood selected for final maturation.

The tasting notes show this is set to be an interesting addition to the BenRiach portfolio.

Colour

Summer harvest straw.

Nose

Crisp candied peel holds waves of soft peach and ripe banana dusted with Demerara sugar. Delicate rounded peat smoke combines with gentle sweet oak spices.

Taste

Dramatic peat smoke and barley complement crisp citrus zest, white pepper and fresh ginger. Caramelised orchard fruits and dried apricots develop to a rich grassy wood smoke finish.

Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “Our limited edition Dunder is the latest addition to our new heavily peated range which has been warmly welcomed worldwide.

“Thanks to the sharpness of the campfire peat taste you might initially think this is an Islay malt but it is definitely a Speyside! As the aromatic sweetness of the peach and banana kicks in, it mellows to a distinctive and flavourful peated dram that will linger long in your memory.”

MAY OUTTURN: HAND PICKED

May’s Outturn sings of summer with 18 hand picked single casks bursting with juicy fruits and berries. There are also sweet summer re-unions as we say ‘hello’ to some long lost friends. Packed full of blackberries, brambles and dewberries, and making our mouths water, is the long awaited 128.5 As purple as Prince. And with its early summer promises taking us back to our youth, 70.10 Teenage Shenanigans makes a most welcomed return too. Fill your basket before we get picked clean…

Young & spritely

70.10 Teenage Shenanigans £44.00

Sweet, fruity & mellow

128.5 As purple as Prince! Low availability** £66.00

Spicy & sweet

77.38 Why? Why not? £48.10

64.59 Gymkhanas and gym class £45.00

73.30 Frivolously fresh, with playful spices £49.200

Spicy & dry

36.85 Vitality balanced by maturity £87.20

Deep, rich & dried fruits

42.15 Oscillations of light and shade £73.30

35.108 A Feast of Flavours £43.80

Old & dignified

G7.8 Sweet seduction in a car-wash – Grain Whisky £103.70

Light & delicate

26.110 Breakfast reverie £50.40

Juicy, oak & vanilla

46.31 Sniffing a bee’s knees £82.20

48.55 Tree-felling, box-ticking dram £43.80

Oily & coastal

4.207 Fulsome sweetness – quietly brooding peat £54.10

93.63 Unapologetic non-conformist £54.10

Lightly peated

10.83 Incredibly awesome! Low availability** £63.40

Peated

29.162 Surreal meal deal (on Islay) Low availability** £76.00

Heavily peated

127.43 Kissing a smoker Low availability** £60.80

66.64 A blacksmith at a barbeque

Exclusive to May Offers

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

New Website, New Whisky! We thought it only fitting, that we follow up the launch of our rather nifty, new website with a new ‘Rare Casks’ bottling. It’s long overdue (ok, we admit we’re picky) but we believe we’ve bagged ourselves a wee beauty…

A whisky so good, its identity’s a secret…

Abbey Whisky – The Rare Casks…

A mysterious dram…

Anonymous…

ANON.

ANON. BATCH 1 – THE RARE CASKS

REVEAL THE SECRET

The French whiskies have arrived in British Columbia and are available at private liquor stores in Vancouver area and Victoria Island. To get a list of stores and more details about the whiskies, please contact:

Yannick Treffot [e] yantre@cru-terroir.com • [ph] 778-870-4649.

Currently available:

G.Rozelieures (Lorraine region)

Pro$hibition (Jura region)

Michel Couvreur (Burgundy region)

Guillon (Champagne region)

The award winning distillery from Brittany Glann Ar Mor (Glann Ar Mor and Kornog whiskies) will be added to the portfolio in the next couple of months. Please note that the portfolio will be available in Alberta by the end of this year. Established since 1870 in the Lorraine region, the Grallet Dupic family is locally renowned for their mirabelle plum and pear eaux de vie. Christophe Dupic decided to batch the first-of-its kind Whisky de Lorraine in 2000. The eaux de vie distillation savoir-faire has definitely shaped the identities of their whiskies that are characterized by fruitiness, delicateness, smoothness all along with a touch of masculinity through the use of peat.

Whisky de Lorraine

40% abv • +600429

Single malt, double distilled and aged for 6 years in Cognac & Sherry casks. Lightly peated (6 ppm).

Rare Collection

40% abv • +838938

Single malt, double distilled and aged for 8 years in Sauternes.

Lightly peated (6 ppm).

Fume Collection

46% abv • +392670

Double  distilled  single  malt  aged  8 years in Fino casks.

Medium peated (20ppm).

pRO$HIBITION

Made in Jura, France

Nestled in the foothills of the rocky spur of the village of Château Châlon, the Tissot family has a long established history of wine makers and roving distillers (Bouilleurs de Cru in French).

Pascal Tissot (11th generation) uses a very unique distillation method of three French 1934 Blavier stills, originally designed and built to distil lavender for the perfume industry. Local ‘Feuillettes’ barrels, which hold 114 litres – half the size of a Burgundian wine barrel, are then filled with the new spirit and matured for a period of three to four years in the rustic Jurassians cellars. The batches are then independently bottled cask by cask. Only 1,000 bottles of each version are produced every year.

Vin Jaune Single Cask

41% abv • +856120 

Double distilled single malt matured between three to four years in Vin Jaune (Yellow wine) feuillette size barrels.

Vin Jaune, made from Savagnin grapes, is aged for a minimum of 6 years and3 months in oak barrels that have been filled nearly to the top. The wine gradually evaporates, and as it does a thin layer of yeast called voile forms on its surface, allowing complex, nutty flavors to develop. It is very similar to a dry fino Sherry.

Vin de Paille Single Cask

41% abv • +453605

Double distilled single malt matured between three to four years  in  Vin de Paille (straw wine) feuillette size barrels. Vin de Paille is made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice (the result is similar to the ice wine process.)

Macvin Single Cask

41% abv • +70664

Double distilled single malt matured between three to four years in Macvin feuillette size barrels. Macvin is a late  harvested  grape must that is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months without prior alcoholic fermentation in tanks. Marc du Jura, pomace-based brandie, is then added at a ratio of 1 litre for every 2 of must. Fermentation stops, leaving behind residual sugar and a sweet complex dessert wine.

Michel Couvreur

Burgundy

Hand-crafted boutique whisky company that sources its raw whiskies from various distilleries in Scotland, then ages them in their Burgundian underground cellars. Yearly production is about 50,000 allocated bottles. Of Belgium origin, Burgundian wine merchant, Michel Couvreur, arrived in Scotland in 1964. He got involved in the Scotch business and became known for selecting the most ancient strains of cereals andusing extremely rare Sherry casks for aging. In the 70’s, Michel Couvreur returned to Burgundy where he now matures his Scotches in rare Pedro Ximenez and/or Palomino casks to craft exceptional whiskies.

• The Unique | 44% abv • Grain whisky • +503730
• Intravagan’za | 50% abv • Cereal spirit or Clearach • +84434
• Overaged Malt | 43% abv • Best European whisky 2013 • +209007
• Pale Single Single | 45% abv • Floral and salty • +514620
• Candid | 49% abv • Lightly peated and salty caramel • +775080
• Blossoming Auld Sherried | 45% abv • Elegance and strength • +656074

Founded in 1997 in the Champagne region of France, Guillon offers a range of single malt whiskies matured in various cask types selected from famous French vineyards. The barley is sourced locally from a Champagne cooperative. During the fermentation process, Guillon uses champagne yeast (saccharomyces bayanus), which give a more regional character to their products. Double distilled, all the whiskies are then aged for a minimum of five years in white Burgundy wine barrels before being finished in various wine barrels for various length of time. Guillon is the official supplier of L’Élysée (the Residence of the President of France).

Wee Tipple at The Grand Hotel, Nanaimo, BC

April 17^th, 2015

Whisky Intelligence received a surprise phone call from Susie Sirri at the Grand Hotel in Nanaimo, British Columbia inviting your humble correspondent to attend their Wee Tipple fund raising event. Proceeds from the evening  go to support Crimson Coast Dance Society and along with a desire to attend this event after missing it for a number of years it didn’t take long to say ‘yes’!

The Whisky Selection

On the 17^th after a pleasant drive north we arrived in Nanaimo and quickly found the hotel and were checked into a very comfortable room on the 4^th floor.  Soon after we were in the hotel restaurant having a very late lunch/very early dinner a short while before the event commenced with a few of the presenters catching up on their whisky news. The hotel sports a very, very good whisky selection with over 140 different whiskies and a Yamazaki 12yo was the dram of choice to set up the palate for the task ahead.

The Festival was scheduled to run from 7PM to 10PM and as the time approached the volunteers quickly processed the enthusiastic ticket holders and promptly at 7PM the doors opened and in everybody trooped, glasses at the ready.

The Festival was a ‘mixed’ event in that there were offerings other than whisky which can be a good thing if your spouse is not a whisky enthusiast.

Whisky Intelligence naturally maintained strict discipline and stayed true to form with the whiskies on offer.

Although it was a small Festival (which is a good thing) with only 150 tickets available there was a very good selection of whiskies from Amrut, Ardbeg & Glenmorangie, The Glenlivet, Tullamore Dew, Gibson’s Canadian, Blackadder, Kilchoman, Benromach, NIKKA, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Glenfarclas, Old Pulteney, Kavalan, Tullibardine, Glenfiddich, and Balvenie. There were also a couple of samples available from the newer growing category of flavoured whiskies Spice Box and Tap 357.

For those in the know there were also some very nice ‘under the table drams’ and those were a welcome addition to the evenings other samplings.

There was also an outstanding selection of food that was available all night and there was lots of it. Whisky Intelligence may have had a little too much to eat… the smoked mussels were simply out of this world. Compliments to the Chef for such an excellent selection.

Generally music at Festivals can be over whelming but at this event the band managed to keep the volume at a level that didn’t make conversation an issue.

After a few hours it was time for a break. Happily an invitation had been received to the after party and shortly after 10PM it was in full swing in the Marrakesh Room. The Hotel decorated the room with Persian carpets, loads of pillows and themed wall coverings to make a relaxed space with everybody sitting comfortably on the floor. A variety of drams came out and the party went until at least 1AM when Whisky Intelligence called it a night.

If you have a chance to attend the 2016 Wee Tipple, do so and stay in the Grand Hotel, it’s a really nice hotel with friendly staff and a very good whisky selection.

How to Start and Protect Your Whisky Collection 

As a whisky aficionado, you probably don’t need much convincing when it comes to enjoying tumbler or two—but drinking whisky has more benefits than you may realize. For starters, there’s nothing more relaxing than kicking back with a stiff drink after a hard day. What’s more, moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to have a positive effect on cardiovascular health and may even help prevent dementia.  

But aside from these benefits, have you ever considered that whisky might be a way to invest in a collection, for fun and profit? 

Why Start a Whisky Collection? 

There are plenty of reasons to start your own whisky collection. For starters, it’s always nice to have variety when you’re in the mood for a drink. Some nights you may want a dark and malty whisky. Other nights, you’d prefer something more nutty or oaky. What’s more, many of the whisky bottles on liquor store shelves these days are works of art on their own. When you finish the alcohol, the bottle can be used as a beautiful display piece. Many expensive bottles are collectible and gain value over the years, so you’ll want to collect some bottles for long-term investment purposes.  

Ideas for Stocking Your Whisky Collection 

It’s a good idea to keep your collection well-rounded. Select some moderately-priced bottles for drinking now, and some expensive bottles for saving for that special occasion or selling to other collectors in the future. Consider investing in Dalmore 62 whisky, available for $215,000. If you don’t have the money to spend on this valuable bottle (which many of us do not), here is a list of options that are considerably less expensive, but still incredibly valuable.  

The Problem of Alcohol Theft 

Many owners of expensive spirits and whisky collections are worried about theft, and for good reason. In the unfortunate case of a robbery, burglars would most likely abscond with your expensive whisky. If you’re wondering why a robber would want to steal your booze, a better question is why wouldn’t they? Even if the thief didn’t drink the whisky themselves (although many would) they would surely try to sell the bottles on the black market.  

Home Security for Your Whisky Collection 

Luckily, there are easy ways to keep your whisky collection safe. If you don’t already have a home security system, you should seriously consider installing one. That way, burglars will be halted at the door before they’re able to reach your pricey collection. There are lots of different home security solutions available these days, from leading providers like ADT and LifeShield. 

Consider Insurance for Your Expensive Whisky 
It’s also a good idea to speak to your insurance agent about whether or not your renters’ or home insurance will cover you in the event of whisky theft. It’s possible that you can obtain coverage for your expensive collection, to protect you if any bottles are stolen or even accidentally broken. If your agent is unable to provide coverage, shop around to see which agencies will insure your whisky collection.

BEST NEW CANADIAN WHISKY NOW AVAILABLE IN THE USA

Toronto, Ontario, April 23, 2015 – Still Waters Distillery announces the availability of its STALK & BARREL 100% RYE WHISKY to the US market. At the Canadian Whisky Awards, held this past January in Victoria, BC, STALK & BARREL RYE WHISKY was awarded the “Best New Whisky” as well as a gold medal. Davin de Kergommeaux, international Canadian whisky expert, said about the whisky, “Really hit it out of the park. Just killer good whisky!” These accolades follow on last year’s “Distillery of the Year” award and this year’s “Best Canadian Distillery” recognition at the international Wizards of Whiskies competition.

STALK & BARREL RYE WHISKY is made in small batches by hand in a small copper pot still from 100% local Canadian rye grain. It is matured in ex-bourbon barrels for a minimum of three years and released exclusively as rare single cask offerings at either cask strength or 46% ABV. The whisky is never chill-filtered nor is artificial colouring added.

STALK & BARREL RYE WHISKY is the newest member of the STALK & BARREL family of whiskies. A blended CANADIAN WHISKY and a SINGLE MALT WHISKY, both available in the US, have also won gold medals and praise from both consumers and critics.

Distiller and company co-founder, Barry Bernstein, said, “The cooler Canadian climate and slower grown rye grain makes our Rye whisky truly unique.” Barry Stein, co-founder and fellow distiller remarked, “We are pleased to be able to offer our whiskies to the US market after seeing such great response locally”.

Still Waters Distillery, established in 2009, is Ontario’s first craft distillery. Their focus is on small batch handmade whiskies. Their products are imported in the US exclusively by Purple Valley Imports, info@pviglobal.com, 704-497 2493.

Contact:

Barry Bernstein

Still Waters Distillery

905-482-2081

barryb@stillwatersdistillery.com

www.stillwatersdistillery.com

Laphroaig 25 year old

Laphroaig 25 Year Old is a wonderful marriage of sherried, oaky flavours from the European Oloroso Sherry Casks and the soft, velvet, rich flavours from the ex-American Bourbon Barrels. The Oloroso Sherry Casks and ex-American Bourbon Barrels were filled with newly distilled Laphroaig spirit from day one. Bottled at natural cask strength, this whisky is made even smoother by its long maturation of 25 years.

£420 Buy Now

Laphroaig 18 year old 

The Laphroaig 18 year old is made in small quantities each year and enjoyed by only a small amount of whisky lovers. A soft, sweet and spicy Islay peat smoke greets you when you open your first bottle. The first taste is an oak sweetness, from 18 years in the barrel. A faint hint of the sea can be detected, testimony to its time maturing on the remote island of Islay. Bottled at 48% abv, in limited quantities every year.

£80 Buy Now

Win

To celebrate the distillery’s 200th anniversary, Laphroaig are asking you to share your opinion about the whisky. The best 200 will be displayed forever at the distillery and the very best will win a trip to “Laphroaig Live” later this year.

To enter, simply visit www.laphroaig.com/opinions