Calling all budding Munro Baggers!

This year, we’re once again running the Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky Munro Challenge in partnership with outdoor specialist, Tiso. We’re aiming to raise as much money as possible through sponsorship for Scottish Mountain Rescue by encouraging Scots to climb one or more of Scotland’s Munros throughout the month of September 2015.

Last year, the Munro Challenge raised over £21,000 for the critically deserving charity and these funds are currently helping with the provision of SARDA search and rescue dogs, avalanche training and specialised rescue equipment.

We’re inviting you to fly the flag for Scottish Mountain Rescue this September! Sign up here and we’ll send you a registration pack, including an Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky flag for you to fly at the summit of your Munro. Share you ‘summit selfies’ to our Facebook or Twitter pages in September for your chance to win a bottle of our award-winning 8yo blend.

Keep watching our Facebook and Twitter pages for outdoor safety tips, kit advice and Munro recommendations from Scottish Mountain Rescue and Tiso between now and challenge month in September.

We can’t wait to hear about all your Munro experiences on the way!

Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY RELEASES

FRENCH OAK BOURBONS 

Two French Oak Barrel Aged Bourbons are the

First Experimental Collection release of 2015  

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 19, 2015) When Buffalo Trace Distillery started its whiskey experiments more than three decades ago, one of the first releases was bourbon aged in French oak barrels.  That bourbon was aged ten years and released in 2006, quickly becoming a favorite of both the master distiller and bourbon connoisseurs.

Ten years ago, Buffalo Trace embarked on another French oak experiment, but this time endeavoring one step further – creating two different barrel types, one made entirely of French oak, and another using French oak heads, but American white oak staves.

The barrels were both constructed with Buffalo Trace’s exact specifications as far as size, stave drying, and charring.  The barrel staves were air-dried for six months and the barrels were charred for 55 seconds. Both of these experimental barrels were filled with the same bourbon recipe, known as Buffalo Trace Rye Bourbon Mash #1.

After 10 years of aging, these two bourbons have been bottled as part of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Experimental Collection, and referred to as 100% French Oak Barrel Aged Bourbon and French Oak Barrel Head Aged Bourbon.

“These bourbons, when tasted side by side, are complementary but yet have subtle differences,” said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley.  “Both are nice, well-rounded bourbons, but the 100% French oak bourbon has more soft, fruity notes to it, while the bourbon made with the French oak heads and American oak staves offers more of a smoky oak and tannin flavor profile.

It’s interesting to compare these two bourbons to each other and also to our standard bourbon offerings,” continued Wheatley. “These French oak experiments offer a unique flavor profile from our standard bourbon barrels.  That’s one of the things that make our experiments so fun; we never stop learning how subtle changes can alter the taste profile.”

These barrels are part of more than 3,000 experimental barrels of whiskey aging in the warehouses of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each of them has unique characteristics that differentiate them in distinct ways. Some examples of experiments include unique mash bills, types of wood, and different barrel toasts. In order to further increase the scope, flexibility and range of the experimental program, an entire micro distillery, named The Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. “OFC” Micro Distillery, complete with cookers, fermenting tanks, and a state-of-the-art micro still has been constructed within Buffalo Trace Distillery. Buffalo Trace has increased its commitment to experimentation with the recent addition of its Warehouse X. Although small in size, Warehouse X is designed to explore the extent of environmental influences on the flavor profiles of whiskey.

The Experimental Collection is packaged in 375ml bottles and 12 bottles to a case, with six bottles from each barrel in a case. Each label includes all the pertinent information unique to that barrel of whiskey. These whiskeys retail for approximately $46.35 each and will be available in May, 2015. They are both 45% alcohol by volume (90 proof). Experimental Collection releases are generally quite small and have limited availability. For more information on the Experimental Collection or the other products of Buffalo Trace Distillery, please contact Elizabeth Hurst at ehurst@buffalotrace.com.

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 being 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/.

The London limited edition bottle is engraved with a beautiful design featuring several of the city’s famous landmarks including Big Ben, the Gherkin, Nelson’s Column and Tower Bridge.

Limited to just 2500 individually numbered bottles, only available to purchase within the UK. Presented in a limited edition London sleeve and Johnnie Walker Blue Label box.

£199 Pre-order Now

The Edinburgh limited edition bottle is engraved with some highlight’s from the city’s skyline including Edinburgh Castle, The Scott Monument and the Duke of Wellington statue.

Limited to only 1500 individually numbered bottles, presented in a Johnnie Walker Blue Label box with a limited edition Edinburgh sleeve.

£199 Pre-order Now

THE FIRST OF THE LAST GREAT MALTS

AULTMORE 12 Year Old £43.95

 CRAIGELLACHIE  13 Year Old £42.95

 CRAIGELLACHIE 17 Year Old £81.95

ABERFELDY  21 year old £114.95

 CRAIGELLACHIE 23 year old £264.95

 AULTMORE 25 year old £294.95

It’s been a six year labour of love for Stephen Marshall, Bacardi Global Whisky Marketing Manager, developing these new whiskies. Having recently sampled some of them a staff tasting session we can whole heartedly say that his efforts have not been in vain. They are great drams and we highly recommend them.

In the past Bacardi have under-utilised the product from their whisky distilleries, preferring to focus primarily on maintaining the world wide success of their Dewars and Lawsons blended Scotch whiskies. Now, however, you will be able to enjoy some fine single malts from not only Aberfeldy, but also Craigellachie, Aulltmore and in due course The Deveron (Macduff) and Royal Brackla. This is great news for whisky lovers and, contrary to current trends, all these new and beautifully packaged malts will carry an age statement. We can’t help but admire the refreshingly old fashioned approach of letting the whiskies speak for themselves at a variety of different age statements. It’s also quite wonderful to have the chance to try brand new single malts from distilleries that have a history of being highly rated by blenders, but are relatively unknown to single malt drinkers.

RIPE FOR THE PICKING: PAST EXCLUSIVES RELEASED FOR SALE

Here’s your chance to harvest a juicy, elusive exclusive – previously only seen as part of a parcel, now available by the bottle. There are only a few of these rare berries left on the bush so gather them into your basket before they’re picked off…

Spicy & sweet

35.127 Pineapple Upside-Down Cake £51.80

The last spoonful in a tin of Madras curry powder, tea leaves and toasted coconut on the nose neat, whilst the flavour is of a ginger spiced fruit cocktail. Water releases aromas of a freshly brewed coffee and warm apple strudel. 16yo, First fill ex-bourbon barrel

Spicy & dry

G10.6 The Spice Temple – Grain Whisky £66.60

Rich rum soaked fruits and toffee sauce. Pop corn, crumble topping then balsa wood. Exotic chilli heat with orange oil, Tiger Balm and licorice. Roasted pork with star anise and curry powder. Eucalyptus, dried rose petals and polished brass. 25yo, Refill ex-bourbon barrel

9.88 A heart-starter £99.00

Dry and unusually smoky: Brazil nuts, over steeped jasmine tea, mushrooms, high strength cocoa powder, treacle toffee. Some liquorice, salted caramel, fig pigs, dark chocolate, coffee and burnt toast (with jam) on the palate. Very different from the familiar light-weight proprietary bottlings. 25yo, Refill ex-sherry butt

Young & spritely

2.91 Buck’s Fizz and Gewurtztraminer £58.20

The nose eventually finds honey and fruit (peach, pear, apple, kiwi) – Juicy Fruit gum and Gewürztraminer with water. The palate is bright and tongue-coating, with waxy green leaf, pear, fizzy chews, bubble-gum and Key lime pie – nutmeg and clove to finish. 12yo, Refill ex-bourbon barrel

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

Single Malts Direct is currently undergoing a transitional period with a new management team in place. In order to grow and improve we are looking for feedback on the current website. 

Over the coming months we will be developing the product offering and are really interested to find out what you want to see on the site. We will be looking to overhaul the website and so looking for anything that may help the consumer experience. 

Those who provide us with feedback will be entered into a free prize draw to win a bottle of whisky from the Whiskies of Scotland range. 

Thanks in advance, 

 The Single Malts Team  

Take this survey

THE SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE COMPLETES MULTI-MILLION POUND REFURBISHMENT WITH HIGH END NEW EVENTS SUITES 

The Scotch Whisky Experience, Edinburgh’s five-star whisky venue, has unveiled a major renovation of its top floor events suite.

The newly refurbished Castlehill and Blender’s rooms have been completely transformed, each with their own whisky inspired identity, alongside top of the range audio visual equipment.

The renovation is the culmination of a six year, £7 million programme which has seen the attraction position itself as the flag bearer for whisky tourism in Scotland.

Carried out in conjunction with Edinburgh design agency Bright 3D, the renovation has given each room in the suite a distinct identity, whilst preserving the best of the building’s Victorian heritage and introducing dramatic new features.

The larger Castlehill Room – which can cater for events of up to 80, including gala dinners or conferences – now plays host to new whisky focused artworks, with artist blacksmith Elspeth Bennie creating a series of copper and brass installations which illustrate the whisky production process.

The room’s vaulted ceiling now features two bespoke light installations, comprised of over  100 whisky barrel staves and hand blown glass ‘droplets’, which create an impressive ambient light show.  A new multimedia screen hung over the room’s fireplace – which can masquerade as a mirror – also enhances the space’s branding potential.

The Blender’s Room, which hosts the popular Scotch Whisky Training School and is ideal for smaller events such as corporate dinners or private tastings, has been inspired by a whisky blender’s sample room.  Stripped back Victorian stonework uncovered during the renovation adds traditional character to the exterior wall.  The room also features up-lit whisky samples and hand crafted oak cabinets, displaying blended whiskies, to inspire participants in the venue’s ‘Blend Your Own Whisky’ sessions.

The four spaces can be utilised in any combination, with catering provided by the in-house team behind the award-winning Amber Restaurant.

Susan Morrison, director and general manager of The Scotch Whisky Experience, said: “Over the past few years, our events and hospitality business has shown excellent growth and is gaining an enviable reputation. As the culmination of our refurbishment programme, we have now brought the same high quality craftsmanship and uniqueness to our private events spaces.   The finished product brings together some of the best of Scotland’s artists and designers, with experts in field of event multimedia, creating the perfect ‘blend’.”

Alongside the two renovated rooms, The Scotch Whisky Experience also offers corporate and group experiences in the World’s Largest Collection of Scotch Whisky and in the less formal Amber Restaurant.

For more details, log-on to http://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/ or call 0131 220 0441.

Cask No. 30.86                       $175        

Tutti Frutti, sweet and juicy

Speyside, Spey

From the first nose the panel found this oozing with ripe peach, mango and pineapple set against more earthy notes of a garden shed lined with freshly cut rush matting. The panel found intensely sweet cherries in syrup and fresh raspberries in Bakewell tart, followed by Peach Melba with vanilla ice cream. The texture was slightly effervescent with a pithy bite but this softened with water. It opened the door of a greenhouse with freshly cut lilies. An abundance of sweetness burst forth with spiced pineapple chunks and an explosion of tutti frutti cup cakes. ‘Mouthwateringly delicious!’

Drinking tip: A tea party dram

Colour: Titanic bullion

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 21 years

Date distilled: June 1993

Alcohol: 50.3%

USA allocation: 128 bottles

Flavour profile: Juicy, oak & vanilla

Cask No. 72.43                       $105  

Bunsen burner and burnt capacitors

Speyside, Lossie

There was smoke in the air; slightly burnt buttered toast or ginger biscuits, smoked apple pie and smoked mackerel risotto but also burnt capacitors, a fuel spill and a distant struck match – could this possibly be a lethal combination! Let’s try it; the struck match was for a Bunsen burner to scorch a crème caramel, some runny egg yolk still in a bowl nearby, but also to start the barbeque with some firelighters. Water defused the situation; toffee popcorn, chocolate dipped cherries, Reese’s peanut butter cups and in the taste slightly burnt sweet fruit quiche and potato wedges with a roasted garlic dip.

Drinking tip: For those heated moments

Colour: Toffee apple

Cask: First-fill white wine hogshead

Age: 10 years

Date distilled: September 2004

Alcohol: 59.8%

USA allocation: 95 bottles

Flavour profile: Deep, rich & dried fruits

Cask No. 1.185                       $240   

Russian, Jamaican, Turkish, Thai

Speyside, Spey

Opulent and elegant, the nose wove a textured fabric of sweetness (tablet, butterscotch, caramel, manuka honey, dark chocolate, peanut brittle) shot through by threads of garden exotics, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, After Eights and soft leather. The palate combined effervescent citric tingles with treacle toffee and old oak – Cossack-dancing Russian caramels smoked cigars while Jamaican gingerbread men limbo-danced on polished floors. The reduced nose evoked Botanic Gardens, posh Kensington cabinet makers, mint and lemon Turkish Delight and Thai spice. The palate – sweetly sophisticated with citric élan – strawberry, blackcurrant and lemon Fruit Polos, ginger snaps and tobacco – a Marypark marvel worth savouring.

Drinking tip: A captivating after-dinner dram (preferably on a large yacht).

Colour: Aztec gold

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 30 years

Date distilled: May 1984

Alcohol: 54.4%

USA allocation: 120 bottles

Flavour profile: Old & dignified

Cask No. 44.63                               $140

Zesty, zingy and alive

Speyside, Spey

The nose was attractively light, citric and biscuity (vanilla, iced gems, crème Anglaise, cherry cola, stewed apricots); some panellists detected deeper notes of sawdust, pepper and earthy elements. With water it seemed even fresher, softer and sweeter – almost floral now (rainbow drops, Dolly mixtures, lemon Edinburgh rock, honeycomb, pear orchards and grass). The palate core contained a pleasant sweetness, but with a zesty side – lemon Creamola Foam, strawberry compote, sherbet, sweet pear and sweet chilli sauce. Green grass and laundry suggested freshness and the mouth-feel was youthful, zingy and lively; acceptable chilli heat and some citric bitterness dried out the finish.

Drinking tip: A picnic aperitif dram

Colour: Pale straw

Cask: Refill butt

Age: 15 years

Date distilled: August 1999

Alcohol: 55.4%

USA allocation: 138 bottles

Flavour profile: Light & delicate

Cask No. 29.158                     $135

The Smoking Gun

Islay

Initially a rich, soft, sweet peat smoke followed by aromas of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, crème caramel and caramelized brown sugar. Also noted was Prosciutto dry cured ham and that of a well-used leather saddle. The taste was that of hickory smoked almonds and cashew nuts and a tussle between honey sweetness and peat smoke like preparing a ‘Smoked Old Fashioned’ using a smoking gun. With water we all moved to the fish market by the sea; tarry ropes, fish boxes and salted codfish on the nose and flavours of peat smoked salmon and haddock – probably not infused by a smoking gun.

Drinking tip: Chilling out with friends

Colour: Chestnut

Cask: Refill butt

Age: 14 years

Date distilled: April 2000

Alcohol: 61.7%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Peated

www.smwsa.com

BACK IN STOCK

Taiwan – Single Malt

• Kavalan Fino Cask Taiwanese Cask Single Barrel Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml – 6 available ($379.99)

Japan – Single Malt

• Nikka Coffey Still Japanese Grain Whisky 750ml ($62.99) Grain whisky is one of the least understood components of the whisky world. When you sip a blended Scotch like Johnnie Walker or Suntory’s Hibiki, you’re drinking a blend of two types of whisky — both single malt and grain — hence the term “blend” (many people assume the “blend” refers to the blend of various distilleries). While we’ve gone out of our way here at K&L to help our customers understand 100% malted barley single malt whisky, we’ve never really talked very much about grain whisky — mostly because there’s very little of it available! Grain whisky is made from corn, wheat, and unmalted barley on a continuous still — much like vodka is produced. The Coffey Still is a type of continuous still that can pump out grain whisky without having to alternate batches. Because of the efficiency and cheaper production cost, grain whisky has taken on a bit of a bad rap. This reputation is entirely undeserved, however, especially when delicious grain whisky like the new Nikka Coffey Still is available. This is classic grain whisky — round vanilla, hints of caramel, and an herbaceous, spicy note that brings some pop on the finish. NOTE: while grain whisky can be enjoyed on its own, I find it’s flavors are much more impressive on the rocks and when splashed with a bit of soda. The Nikka Coffey Still is perhaps the best grain whisky we’ve yet seen available on the American market. We need more whiskies like this! ASAP!

Scotland – Single Malt Scotch

• Alexander Murray 30 Year Old “Monumental Blend” Scotch Whisky 750ml – 5 available ($129.99)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Rock Hill Farms Kentucky Straight Bourbon 750ml (ships as 3L – 1 bottle limit) ($44.99)

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 FRINGE 7th, 8th & 9th August.

Tickets for our very popular annual WHISKY FRINGE event will be going on sale NEXT WEEK – Wednesday 27th May at midday. Click on the banner for full details.