The Black Friday sale at the Whisky Barrel starts at 10AM TODAY!

BLACK FRIDAY SALE

The sale runs 10AM to Midnight.

A Blog Post will be live at 9:50AM (UK) Today

“Single Cask Barrels are very unique as wood is a living material, maturation may vary considerably from one cask to another making the whisky from every cask unique and unrepeatable.”

Macallan 28 Year Old – 1987 / Cask 3330

Limited stock!

A 28 year old single cask Macallan, bottled by Càrn Mòr for their rather special Celebration of the Cask Black Gold range. Distilled 13th June 1987 and left to mature in single sherry hogshead #3330 until 2015. Beautiful colour on this Speyside malt, a small release of only 240 bottles.

£479.00

Clynelish 19 Year Old – 1996 / Cask 8801

Limited stock!

An 19 year old Clynelish single malt Scotch whisky, bottled as part of the Celebration of the Cask Range from Càrn Mòr. Distilled 8th October 1996, bottled 26th October 2015 with only 295 bottles filled from single cask 8801.

£93.60

Tamnavulin 24 Year Old – 1991 / Cask 1139

Limited stock!

A 1991 vintage Tamnavulin, bottled by Càrn Mòr for their Celebration of the Cask range. Aged for 24 years in single cask #1139, bottled in 2015 at 50.6% vol with an outturn of 237 bottles.

£98.40

GlenDronach 19 Year Old – 1995 / Cask 4943

UK Exclusive!

The first of two UK exclusives bottled late 2015 from GlenDronach distillery. Single cask #4943, distilled in 1995 has been aged for 19 years before being bottled at cask strength, 56.9% vol. An outturn of 633 bottles.

RRP £109.00

£105.60

GlenDronach 20 Year Old – 1995 / Cask 4074

UK Exclusive!

The second of two UK exclusives bottled late 2015 from the GlenDronach distillery. Single cask 4074, a 20 year old release matured in a Pedro Ximénez sherry cask before being bottled at cask strength, 52.8% vol with 735 bottles filled.

RRP £116.99

£110.00

BenRiach 18 Year Old – 1998 / Cask 85089

Limited stock!

A small release of only 167 bottles filled from single cask #85089. This 1998 vintage BenRiach has been aged in a bourbon barrel for 18 years before being bottled in 2015 at cask strength, 59.5% vol.

£94.00

Highland Park 25 Year Old – 1990

Limited Stock!

A cask strength Highland Park 25 year old from Hart Brothers. Bottled for their ‘Finest Collection’, this Island single malt Scotch whisky was distilled in 1990 and left to mature until 2015, where it was bottled straight from cask at 47.5% vol.

£214.50

Abbey Whisky Ltd

Registered Office

Dollar, FK14 7AS

United Kingdom

Glenfarclas 15yo 46%

Gift Pack with 2 miniatures, 1 each of 21yo & 25yo. (miniatures worth £25 for the both)

Limited availability

What’s not to like?

Colour: A rich golden amber. Nose: Complex, sherried, deliciously peated, light butterscotch aromas, with a hint of dried fruit. Flavour: Full bodied with super balance of sherried sweetness, malty tones and peaty flavours. Finish: Long lasting, gloriously sherried, sweet, gently smoky, and distinguished.

Comment: “With greater complexity than our younger whiskies, this is a great whisky drinker’s whisky. We bottle this at 46% simply because my grandfather preferred it at this strength. It’s still a family favourite.”

£50

T.B.Watson Ltd. 11/17 English Street. Dumfries, ScotlandDG1 2BU. United Kingdom

GlenDronach Single Casks

Glendronach 19 Year Old 1995 #4943 Single Oloroso sherry puncheon bottled exclusively for the United Kingdom market. Glendronach 19 Year Old 1995 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. Single Oloroso Sherry Puncheon #4943 bottled September 2015. 663 numbered bottles exclusive for the United Kingdom market.

Nose: A perfect marriage of roasted apples and golden sultanas. A drizzle of maple syrup balances with warm oak spices and candied peel to give a well-rounded aroma.

Palate: A crisp citrus twist flows though sherry poached pears and ripe yellow plums. A warming white pepper spice mellows to hints of cedar wood and stewed barley to give a long, ever-changing palate.

Buy – $131.78

Glendronach 20 Year Old 1995 #4074 Single Pedro Ximenez puncheon bottled exclusively for the United Kingdom market. Glendronach 20 Year Old 1995 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. Single Pedro Ximenez Puncheon #4074 bottled September 2015. 735 numbered bottles exclusive for the United Kingdom market.

Nose: Sugared almonds and glazed dates, dusted with vanilla and cinnamon, which hold a gentle warmth of cracked black pepper.

Palate: Vibrant oak spices flood through rich, dark Mediterranean fruits; waves of treacle toffee and roasted coffee beans add a tremendous sherried depth to the classic finish.

Buy – $140.13

Glendronach malt whisky distillery was established north east of Huntley in Scotland’s Highland whisky region by James Allardice in 1826. The malting floors at Glendronach Distillery closed in 1996 and it was the last distillery in Scotland to heat its stills directly with flames from a coal-fired furnace, until it had to comply with new regulations in 2005. Glendronach Distillery is resplendent with a traditional cask iron mash tun, wooden washbacks, four stills matures its malt whisky in top quality sherry casks. Glendronach Distillery has a distillery visitor centre offering a range of distillery tours and the distillery participates is the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Chivas Brothers’ Champions Drivers Tasting Kit

Chivas Brothers is committed to promoting responsible drinking and one innovative employee has invented a Drivers Tasting Kit to ensure all distillery visitors can sample its world revered Scotch whiskies.

The kits were the brainchild of Rikki Scott, Visitor Centre Supervisor at Aberlour distillery, who conceived the idea after meeting many disappointed drivers, unable to take part in tastings.

Rikki said: “Our internationally acclaimed distillery tours feature nosings and tastings of some of the most prestigious expressions of Aberlour, including priceless drams ordinarily not available to the public. I didn’t want anyone to miss out on this experience so I went about developing and designing the kit.”

The reusable kits are priced at £3 and contain six small bottles, a funnel and a handy carry bag. Drivers can take part in the nosing before dispensing the whisky into the bottles and enjoy them when they return home.

Rikki continued: “No one should let the unique opportunity to sample some very special drams go by. The Drivers Tasting Kit means everyone who visits the Aberlour distillery can enjoy the experience but also be responsible.”

Caroline Mitchell, Visitor Centre Manager, is delighted with the reception the kits are receiving. She said: “We have had calls from all over the region asking about the kits. We always promote responsible drinking and this is a pioneering way for us to include everyone in our distillery experience. We initially placed an order for 1000 but they quickly sold out and we had to orderanother 6000kits. A real hit with our visitors and a great example of innovation from Rikki, we’re really proud of him.”

Highlands, Islands and Moray MSP, Shadow Transport Spokesperson for Transport and local road safety campaigner, David Stewart has welcomed the initiative. He said: “As with all road safety, education is key in dealing with adverse driver behaviours. Educating drivers to take home samples after visiting distilleries is a win, win for all concerned. The driver of families, or groups visiting distilleries, can now enjoy and sample the iconic drinks once they are safely home. This innovative project is a perfect example of responsible drinking.”

Tony Schofield, Director of Public Affairs at Chivas Brothers commented: “Our employees are committed to promoting responsible drinking within their communities and the Drivers Tasting Kit is a clear demonstration of this.”

Superintendent George Macdonald, Police Scotland, who leads on Road Safety in Moray and Aberdeenshire commented: “Road Safety is an area of significant focus for the Police and other partners in Moray and Aberdeenshire. Any approach which supports a responsible attitude to alcohol and ultimately driver behaviour is always welcomed.”

Chivas Brothers runs Aberlour, The Glenlivet and Strathisla Visitor Centres in Speyside and Scapa Distillery Visitor Centre in Orkney which are open until Friday 13 November for this season. Aberlour, Strathisla and Scapa Visitor Centres will remain open Monday to Friday until 18^th December 2015.

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.1 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.

http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

@ChivasNewsRoom

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 8,558 million in 2014/15. 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&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Kahlúa and Malibu liqueurs, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, Graffigna and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, 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 Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

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

Cask No. 37.60                       $220        

Oranges, spices and London honey

Speyside, Spey

Eastern scents of vintage herbal teas, jasmine and Chinese five-spice were first to appear on the nose; then an old polished bookcase surfaced with light earthy notes and steady hints of orange – Jaffa Cakes and Seville orange rind. To taste there was London honey, raw brown sugar and cigarette tobacco, with green stems giving a bitter finish. With water the nose delivered lightly perfumed hand soap and Yop drinking yogurt but with a sidekick of chilli spice and red pepper. The palate offered apricot tart and a balance of citrus and sweet notes – lemon barley sugar, burnt orange, toffee and cake mix. Sweet and spicy on the finish.

Drinking tip: A half-time orange for spectators

Colour: Lunar Lander foil

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 29 years

April 1985

Alcohol: 52.4%

USA allocation: 120 bottles

Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet 

Cask No. 72.45                               $270

‘Two + Two = Five’

Speyside, Lossie

The variety of aromas is well worth exploring; rich sweet East India Sherry, peanut butter fudge, raisins, sultanas, currants but at the same time mangos, lychees and carambola as well as fennel, coriander and cinnamon. To drink neat ‘it goes down a treat’; a chocolate summer fruit pudding, waxy honeycomb, peach cranachan and spicy lemongrass tofu. A drop of water and aromas of fresh pine needles surprise before fresh oranges slices with honey and cinnamon arrived and the taste was now as smooth as silk like a banana macadamia coconut cream pie. The whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Drinking tip: When feeling philosophical

Colour: Polished copper

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 32 years

Date distilled: November 1982

Alcohol: 52.2%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow

Cask No. 36.86                               $185

A celebration of life

Speyside, Spey

Immediately bright and attractive, this sample just got better and better – soft candies, toffee, vanilla, strawberry Nesquik and flowers were joined by orange peel, lemon sherbet, coconut and pineapple, resulting in a pina colada-like celebration of life. On the palate, coconut, tobacco and pepper underlay exotic fruits (pineapple, monstera, papaya, orange peel, peach) and smooth, enticing, perfumed sweetness (vanilla panacotta, Turkish Delight, jasmine). Water refined the nose further (orange blossom, hint of mint, parma violets). On the reduced palate, darker shades developed – gingerbread, toasted coconut, light smoke – these, along with the perfumed, bitter fruit nicely balanced the unctuously sweet top-notes.

Drinking tip: Fresh and dry enough for an aperitif, but deserves to be a celebration dram – celebrating anything at all.

Colour: Autumn sunshine

Cask: Second-fill hogshead

Age: 23 years

Date distilled: October 1991

Alcohol: 51.0%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow

Cask No. 1.189                       $175                

High on the hills with a lonely goatherd….

Speyside, Spey

Yodelay, woohoo! Maria gathered goodies for a hillside picnic with ripe tropical fruits: guava, peach and mango all melded together as rumtopf. She packed crystalline ginger, cranberries and vanilla toffee fudge with flasks of Calypso coffee and cherry punch. One panelist described the taste ‘very jammy’ with cherry ice cream. Another described it as Austrian germknödel (steamed dumplings) filled with plum or damson powidl  – either way truly scrumptious! Water teased out cinnamon buns and then juicy blackcurrant, licorice and maple syrup. Our bakery flavours became more exotic with cassia, anise, incense and hot chocolate sprinkled with paprika. Marvelous Maria!

Drinking tip: For a heart warming singalong

Colour: Yellow cats eye

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 21 years

Date distilled: May 1993

Alcohol: 54.3%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet

Cask No. 4.207                               $160

Fulsome sweetness – quietly brooding peat

Highland, Island

The nose was rich, full-bodied and well-integrated – puff candy, treacle sponge, Madeira honey cake, toasted marshmallows and salted caramel – indeed the salt took some of us to a storm-lashed beach. The palate enjoyed a profitable tension between fulsome sweetness and gentle peat-smoke – Moffat toffees, malt extract, spice cupboards and vanilla, with ashtrays, salty tang and leather (horse-riding on the beach?). The reduced nose gave us old sea-chests, medicine cabinets, honey, raisins and quietly brooding peat. The palate now had Fisherman’s Friends, firework casings, salty chip-shop wrappers and a lady’s handbag. We all liked it, but some of us loved it.

Drinking tip: For a cold winter’s evening, by a fire of peats or logs.

Colour: North Berwick beach sand

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 19 years

Date distilled: November 1995

Alcohol: 54.6%

USA allocation: 114 bottles

Flavour profile: Oily & coastal

Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at www.smwsa.com 

Andrew Ferguson of Kensington Wine Market Calgary is interviewed about the award winning Crown Royal  Northern Harvest on CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).

Click on the link below…go on, you’ll be amused.

THE LINK

You can follow Andrew on Twitter https://twitter.com/scotch_guy

Compass Box – 15 not out

Compass Box has long been one of my favourite blenders. Founded by whiskymaker John Glaser in 2000, it has gone from strength to strength. The team has been at the forefront of innovation, and is currently campaigning for more transparency in regulations following a recent run-in with the Scotch Whisky Association, which you can find more about on scotchwhisky.com, which broke the story. Five years after his last appearance at Vinopolis, we welcomed John back to host a special 15th anniversary tasting.

Up for a fight. Compass Box’s John Glaser wants the law changed on transparency in whisky

In their own words – John Glaser

‘We’ve always told people the ages in our blends, the distilleries in the recipes, the types of casks used; we’re completely transparent about our raw materials. People want to know, they have a right‘

‘We don’t know who reported us to the Scotch Whisky Association, or why. We can guess, though!’

‘We believe fundamentally that a whisky producer ought to have the freedom to tell people what is in the blend – not necessarily an obligation, but a right’

‘The first Spice Tree was banned because the Scotch Whisky Association said the technique we were using [extra wood staves suspended in a cask] wasn’t traditional. After many meetings, my final argument was “this is about quality”. Their response was “John, to us, quality is irrelevant“!’

‘I started in the wine trade and moved to whisky and worked for a small Scotch whisky brand you may have heard of called Johnnie Walker‘

‘My first office was under a women’s hairdresser in Marylebone – we shared a bathroom’

‘I decided to begin with something people weren’t familiar with, so I started with grain whisky. Grain whisky is much lighter than malt; a purer, cleaner spirit – it doesn’t mean one is better than the other, they’re just different’

‘Stupidly I named my first blended malt Eleuthera after the Bahamian island – you get it? No? Exactly! My father told me it was a ridiculous name…‘

‘I looked at using Japanese whiskies years ago before it was cool. We’ve been playing around with bourbon, rye and other spirits – the blend between Mezcal and Scotch didn’t work!’

The Compass Box tasting line-up

We tasted

• Hedonism – the first expression Compass Box bottled on October 23 2000, a light and creamy blended grain.
• Eleuthera, First Release – John’s first blended malt, released in 2002 using whisky from Caol Ila and Clynelish. Rich, sweet and smoky.
• The Peat Monster – the peated entry in the Signature Range. A superb digestif that works well with blue cheese.
• The Spice Tree – finished in casks with toasted new French oak heads, this is a blend of Clynelish, Dailuaine and Teaninich.
• Flaming Heart, 2015 Edition – the 15th anniversary bottling combines Speyside and Highland malts aged in new French oak with peated whisky from Islay. Sweet, spicy and lightly smoky.
• This is Not a Luxury Whisky – inspired by René Magritte’s 1920s painting The Treachery of Images, this combination of sherried Glen Ord, Caol Ila, and grain from Girvan and Strathclyde is complex, full-bodied, rich, sweet and smoky – a delight. It tastes luxury to me…
• Hedonism Quindecimus – the final whisky was the special 15th anniversary edition of the first. A sumptuous blend of grain whiskies, this was full of tropical-fruit flavours with the trademark Hedonism creaminess.

The tasting concluded with a pair of experiments: firstly a Caol Ila at two-and-a-half years old and around 57%, which was fiery but very drinkable, followed by Scovados, a blend of Spice Tree and Calvados – definitely a work in progress, but you could see the thinking behind the classic combination of fruity apple and spicy cinnamon.

Best #TWETASTING Tweet

Imyril @Imyril This is Not a Luxury Whisky – Ceci n’est pas un whisky de luxe. Ceci est un whisky extraordinaire. #twetasting @compassbox

To relive the tasting as it happened on Twitter, you can read our Storify post.

Whisky of the night

It is strange how different whiskies seem to change in taste based on mood, temperature and many other factors. On the night, the whole room was almost unanimous that The Spice Tree showed particularly well. However, Hedonism is always my favourite.

Nose: Intense vanilla and coconut with hints of nutmeg and mango.

Palate: Rich and creamy. Vanilla is dominant, with pineapple, black pepper, cherry and cinnamon in the background.

Finish: Medium to long, creamy vanilla is there at the very end, continuing the theme from the first nosing.

Comment: A superb example of grain whisky. This is light and easy drinking, a great choice for first dram of the day, but with enough complexity to keep me interested whenever I drink it. It is sad that grain whisky is rarely seen and often underappreciated, as while it keeps the prices lower, it offers many hidden gems.

Every whisky showed well on the night, with skilful blending as evident in the Eleuthera as it was in this year’s limited editions. If you’ve yet to try any Compass Box whiskies, we have this excellent ‘test-tube’ set of five miniatures of the Signature Range for you to explore them – it makes a great gift, too. It has been an eventful few weeks for Compass Box, and it was refreshing to hear John’s take on the situation. I’m told Compass Box are preparing a ‘revolutionary manifesto’ as we speak in an attempt to get the laws changes, so watch this space.

Sherried, yummy scotch goodness. That is the usual trait of a wee dram that makes its way from the Highland GlenDronach Distillery into your favourite scotch whiskey glass. But with their latest release, there is a brand new chapter to add to their fantastic collection of single malt whiskies – we blogged about these recently too; GlenDronach Octaves & Single Cask. The GlenDronach PEATED is the first ever peated expression to be released from this fantastic Distillery. And it is not just us who were excited about its arrival. Before we even had a chance to examine the label (or the sample!) many of our keen eyed customers had snapped up a fair share of our stock as soon as it …..(please click here to read the remainder of the article)…