This week Joe Ellis reviews Laphroaig 25 Year Old.

https://youtu.be/uKs1Tol4AzQ

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Yamazaki 18 Years Old Win “Best in show Other Whisky category” and Double Gold Medal Award

Yamazaki 25 Years Old and Hakushu 18 Years Old Win Double Gold Medal awards- at Int’l Spirits Competition: San Francisco World Spirits Competition

Yamazaki 18 years from the Japanese whisky portfolio of Beam Suntory Inc. won “Best in show Other Whisky category” and “Double Gold Medal award” in a category at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SWSC), an international spirits competition held in the United States. The honor of “Best Other Whisky award” recognizes a product which is elected as the very best whisky in its category. This marks the third win and first since 2012 for Yamazaki 18 years. In addition, Yamazaki 25 Years Old and Hakushu 18 Years Old won Double Gold Medal awards in the same category as well.
Winning these awards is highly significant, as it further cements Suntory’s reputation for the high quality of our malt whisky at the Yamazaki and Hakushu distilleries, and for our high technology in crafting a variety of malts.

From Beam Suntory’s spirits portfolio, a total of eight spirits including Knob Creek and Bowmore 18 Years Old also won Double Gold Medal awards. In addition, Beam Suntory Inc. won the honor of “Director’s Award of Excellence”. This honor recognizes a company for its excellent portfolio of spirits.

●About the “San Francisco World Spirits Competition”
Now in its fifteenth year, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the largest global spirits competition in the United States. Panels of judges include American hotels, restaurants, buyers for large purveyors and journalists who assess the entries and select the winners of Double Gold Medal, Gold Medal, Silver Medal and Bronze Medal awards in each category.

●Qualities of Yamazaki 18 Years Old
This single malt whisky is made by vatting carefully selected sherry cask malts aged 18 years or longer. With an impressionable fragrance of sweet dried fruit and a pleasant aroma, it is characterized by a mature flavor with complexity and depth. (700ml 25,000 yen*)

●Qualities of Yamazaki 25 Years Old
Only sherry cask malts that have been aged over a long time exceeding 25 years are selected and then carefully vatted. With a sweet sherry cask aroma, it is characterized by a complex and heavy flavor created from the harmony of sweetness and bitterness of a well-aged malt. (700ml 125,000 yen*)

●Qualities of Hakushu 18 Years Old
This Hakushu malt aged for 18 years is characterized by a gorgeous and deep aroma reminiscent of ripened fruits. With a brilliant harmony of complex richness, sweetness and woodiness, the delicately smoky scent characteristic of the Hakushu brand echoes pleasantly through you. (700ml 25,000 yen*)

• * MSRP (tax not included). This price is not meant to restrict the independent pricing of distributors.

Ladies and Gentlemen are cordially invited to enjoy a connoisseur’s evening featuring rare & exceptional single malt, Scotch and unique whiskies from around the world. The evening includes unlimited tastings, epicurean food, a selection of premium imported cigars for our guests’ later enjoyment, souvenir snifter glass and much more. The Whisky Extravaganza brings the discerning enthusiast the opportunity to sample the participating whiskies in a sophisticated and elegant environment with genuine camaraderie and knowledgeable representatives from each participating distillery.

The Whisky Extravaganza has kindly offered Whisky Intelligence readers a 10% discount on tickets to the Extravaganza.

Please the promotional code “EXTD2015″. You man purchase tickets directly from the link here and by visiting www.thewhiskyextravaganza.com or by calling 800.990.1991.

All events from 6:30pm-9:00pm. Registration begins at 6:30pm.

Houston – Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Royal Sonesta Houston

2222 West Loop South

Houston, TX 77027

Dallas – Friday, May 1, 2015

The Intercontinental Dallas

15201 Dallas Parkway

Dallas, TX 75001

Denver – Wednesday, May 6, 2015

The Brown Palace Hotel

321 17th Street

Denver, CO 80202

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

MAY PREVIEWS: OSCILLATIONS OF LIGHT AND SHADE 

Golden syrup versus chilli chocolate or Danish pastries balanced by hoisin duck? These brand new drams are all bursting with beautiful contrasts. Find a delightful puzzle for the palate with G7.8: it’s Sweet seduction all right, but in a car wash. Chefs and mechanics are busy in a furniture workshop – all in a day’s work for an Unapologetic non-conformist. Beat the crowds and get your bottle before word gets out…

Deep, rich & dried fruits

42.15 Oscillations of light and shade £73.30

Wonderfully tasty – caramelised pineapple, dark cherries in syrup, toffee, exotic fruits and some ginger, chilli heat.

19 years old
Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Old & dignified

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

The nose has car polishing memories, balanced by caramel, toffee, raisins, Demerara and Danish pastries – also peppercorns and pine and light incense smoke.

30 years old
Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Oily & coastal

93.63 Unapologetic non-conformist £54.10

Cranberries coated in chocolate and hoisin sauce noodles to taste. Also, wet seaside rocks, papaya and roasted beetroot. Conformity is overrated.

15 years old
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

Our April auction is now live and ends on Monday 4^th May 2015!

View April Auction

We’ve barely finished March’s record breaking auction and April’s is all set ready to go. Once again we have some stupendous highlights, including the galactically themed Dalmore 40 Year Old Astrum, which could actually be from a different planet… 

This Brora 22 Year Old Rare Malt, was lucky enough to be distilled in the infamous year of 1972. A rare piece of the legacy left from the distillery which ceased production in 1983. 

As well as a fully boxed Flora and Fauna Collection we are also incredibly privileged to have the complete Flora and Fauna Cask Strength Collection . Bottled in 1997 and complete with blue cardboard boxes, this is an especially rare set. 

Two single casks from the long lost Japanese grain distillery, Kawasaki make an appearance in this month’s auction. Chosen and bottled by Ichiro Akuto these rare whiskies come from 1976 and 1981.

Please remember!

There is no registration fee, our commission structure is very competitive and we offer worldwide shipping. For our terms and conditions please click here.

With over 15 years of experience in the whisky industry, Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable. Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, we aim to be the most comprehensive website for the buying and selling of whisky online.

http://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/

Happy Bidding!

www.ralfy.com talks oak rings and circle after a lovely dram of scotch with Whisky Review 533 – Old Pulteney 12yo single malt re-reviewed for 2015

EMPLOYEES DIG DEEP TO DONATE TO CHILDREN’S CHARITY

Employees from Chivas Brothers’ Kilmalid and Paisley bottling plants have raised more than £2,500 for Children’s Hospice Association Scotland (CHAS) with their latest charity events.

The cash was raised in two stages. Employees who attended the company’s festive party at the end of 2014 were asked to donate £5, and additional funds were then generated by a grand raffle, in which any seasonal gifts sent to the company by its suppliers were raffled by employees in a prize draw.

CHAS is a popular cause among Chivas Brothers employees – who have donated more than £120,000 since 1996. This includes donations from work events, individual fundraising and the company’s doubling up scheme – which matches amounts raised by employees of up to £500 per person per year.

Manufacturing Director Alister McIntosh said: “This is the third year in a row that our Manufacturing employees have managed to raise more than £2,500 for CHAS with their party and raffle – showing that the team’s commitment to this charity is as strong as ever. The work that CHAS does for seriously ill children and their families is incredible, and with Robin House right on our doorstep it’s a cause very close to our hearts.”

CHAS is the only charity in Scotland that provides vital hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions. It runs Robin House in Balloch – a home-from-home where families can relax, recharge their batteries and make the most of the short time they have together.

CHAS Fundraiser Scott Maxwell said: “The ongoing support from the employees at Chivas Brothers is inspirational. Employees have really grasped what we do at CHAS and we are so very proud of how much they have raised for our work with children and families from across Scotland – thank you.”

Notes:

About Chivas Brothers
Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits. Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky and the No.1 Scotch whisky in China; Ballantine’s, Europe’s No.1 Scotch whisky; The Glenlivet, the world’s No.2 single malt whisky; and Royal Salute, the world’s only exclusively prestige Scotch whisky range. The portfolio also includes two of the world’s leading English gins – Beefeater, the world’s most awarded premium gin, and Plymouth gin – plus a selection of highly acclaimed single malt whiskies, including Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, Strathisla and Tormore. The range is completed by a collection of blended Scotch whiskies operating in many of the world’s key whisky markets which includes 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.

www.chivasbrothers.com

@ChivasNewsRoom

About Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €7,945 million in 2013/14. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin & Spirit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector and employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people, operating through a decentralized organization with 6 ‘Brand Companies’ and 80 ‘Market Companies’ established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. Pernod Ricard is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is a member of the CAC 40 index.

http://www.pernod-ricard.com/

Swally Shirts Dark Side of the Malt

Glasgow, Scotland.

Glasgow based drinks t-shirt designers Swally Shirts have released details of their newest product which should appeal to fans of whisky and the band Pink Floyd. ‘Dark Side of the Malt’ is a tribute to the classic Floyd album cover from Dark Side of the Moon with a whisky twist. The design is available to pre-order now and will ship from the end of April.

Previous designs include their signature I Heart Whisky featuring the silhouette of the classic Glencairn whisky glass instead of the heart symbol.

The company ships worldwide and has many more designs in the pipeline featuring other spirits and craft beer.

Swally Shirts was formed in 2014 by Mark Connelly of WhiskyWhiskyWhisky.com and Glasgow’s Whisky Festival (www.glasgowswhiskyfestival.com) , Andrew Nicolson of Whisky Blender.com and Lorraine Smith of Dormouse Tea Company

( www.dormouseteacompany.com ).

Contact: Mark Connelly mark@swallyshirts.com for more details.

www.swallyshirts.com

New Scotch whisky at Miner’s Delight Inn 

Atlantic City, Wyo. – The inn specializes in single malt Scotch whisky, but we’re very excited to offer our first blended Scotch whisky. It’s not just any ol’ blend, mind you. This is a blended malt whisky from Compass Box Whisky Company. It’s the company’s latest edition of its famous peaty blended malt: The Peat Monster, and it comes at Cask Strength (57.3% abv) and in a big, magnum bottle (1.75 liters). $6.50 a dram or $150 a bottle.

The Nth 2016 Ultimate Whisky Experience

March 2-5, 2016

Save the date:6th annual Nth Whisky Show in Las Vegas will be an unparalleled event.

Bigger and better than ever. Mark your calendars for March 2-5, 2016.