Six of the best – win an Ardbeg collection worth £1,000!

Islay distillery Ardbeg is one of the most popular distilleries on the island, thanks to its rich, peaty drams. It’s also gained acclaim for its cask-maturation experiments, which are always popular and have gained cult status among Ardbeg fans.

These six limited-edition Ardbegs could be yours!

This month, we have a special prize draw for all Ardbeg fans: simply buy a 70cl bottle of Ardbeg Corryvreckan and you will be in with a chance of winning six limited-edition Ardbegs, worth more than £1,000!

The prize includes a 70cl bottle of each of the following:

• Ardbeg Alligator – aged in heavily charred barrels for extra spiciness
• Ardbeg Ardbog – matured in both bourbon and manzanilla sherry casks
• Ardbeg Auriverdes – sweeter and lighter than some Ardbegs, this was released in time for the 2014 World Cup
• Ardbeg Galileo – aged in ex-Marsala casks for sweet, tropical-fruit flavours
• Ardbeg Kildalton – matured in bourbon and sherry casks, this is smoky, creamy and spicy
• Ardbeg Perpetuum – a special bottling for the 2015 Islay Festival

Ardbeg Corryvreckan is named after the whirlpool found to the north of Islay. It boasts big, swirling peppery smoke and rich, peaty fruit – a belter of a dram! It has won a clutch of awards, including Best No Age Statement Scotch in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, and is a dram that all Ardbeg fans should try.

ARDBEG CORRYVRECKAN, 57.1% ABV

Tasting Notes by Billy Abbott

Nose: Lime and brine, vanilla, fresh sea air, flowers, sweet peat, gentle fruitiness, and sweet and sticky malt loaf.

Palate: Malty and sweet, with smoked cheese and ham, cracked black pepper, real maraschino cherries, spiced apples, cinder toffee, tobacco, coffee and coal stoves.

Finish: Barrel char smokiness, with coffee and fruity dark chocolate.

This is a terrific prize for all Ardbeg lovers, and you have until 10 January 2016 to enter – good luck!

Ben Nevis Distillery 1998 16y/o 51.2%

Nose: Olive oil, green apples and freshly baked bread. Sesame seeds and maple syrup.

Taste: Whole pineapples, white pepper and some grassy notes and then mango and pears.

Finish: Big chewy oily finish. Quite industrial but becoming fresher with some gooseberries and custard creams

Bowmore Distillery 2003 12y/o 58.1% – Burgundy since October 2011

Nose: Medicinal with sandalwood; slightly farmyard like with soft smoked notes. Taste: Cedar-wood with dry ash and soft smoked fish notes with some creamy highlights along with apricots and smoked cheese. Finish: Smoked mackerel pate with peaches and mango. Extremely long drying finish.

Braes of Glenlivet Distillery 1997 18y/o 53.1%

Nose: Strawberry milkshake, cookie dough and a soft flinty note.

Taste: Grassy and floral with kiwi fruits and banana bread.

Finish: Grapes, icing sugar and lemon drizzle cake. Very refreshing.

Bunnahabhain Distillery 1997 17y/o 57.5%

Nose: Very grassy with damp peat bricks and very oily. Faint dry smoke with a slight meaty aroma. Taste: Much dirtier than the nose suggests. Wet wood smoke, dunnage warehouses , nutmeg and unripe pears. Finish: Long and oily with hints of smoke, avocado and pineapple chunks.

Caol Ila Distillery 1995 20y/o 57.7%

Nose: Sweet and creamy. Lots of vanilla with soft fresh smoke.

Taste: Light smokiness mixing with honey, almonds, kiwis and a dry earthiness.

Finish: Smokiness builds in the finish along with double cream and lots of fresh vanilla notes. Classic Coal Ila.

Craigellachie-Glenlivet Distillery 1994 21y/o 53.1% – Sauterne since Feb 2006

Nose: Initially musty, then becoming much sweeter with some oily grassy notes. Liquorice and redcurrant. Taste: Quite heavy; walnuts, dried bananas and pickles. Finish: Very sweet and oily on the finish.

Fettercairn Distillery 1993 22y/o 53.7% – Sherry since May 2008

Nose: Toasted marshmallows, marmalade, treacle toffee and pear drops. Taste: Caramelised red onion, creme brûlée; sultana cake with a hint of rock salt. Finish: More sherry notes in the finish, interacting with carrot cake and shortbread.

Glen Grant-Glenlivet Distillery 1995 20y/o 57.5%

Nose: Raspberries, lychee and blueberries. Hints of pastry along with brandy snaps and cinnamon powder. Taste: Stewed fruits, and then some cut apples and unripe bananas along with white pepper and key lime pie. Finish: Apple pie with soft vanilla ice cream along with star anise and green apple skins.

Glen Keith-Glenlivet Distillery 1996 18y/o 54.1%

Nose: Very creamy with hints of gingerbread and orange zest. Blueberries and soft goats cheese.

Taste: A little nuttiness with soft brown sugar. Hints of raisins along with caffe latte and growing zesty oranges.

Finish: Mandarins, melted white chocolate and popping candy.

Glenrothes-Glenlivet Distillery 1994 21y/o 53%

Nose: Honey and melon, sweet lemon icing and a touch of aniseed. Taste: White chocolate with crystallised ginger; nutmeg and cinnamon sticks along with freshly mown grass. Finish: Touches of fennel seeds and then lime and lingering coconut flakes.

HazelburnTM distilled at Springbank Distillery Distillery 2001 13y/o 50.8%

Nose: Lemon zest, banana peel. Oily and grassy with a faint medicinal note. Taste: Very refreshing, slightly nutty with an earthy edge. Hints of melon, peaches and dried apricots. Finish: Creamy, with flashes of lime, vanilla and mandarins.

Mortlach Distillery 1988 26y/o 56.1%

Nose: Rich and meaty, cured meats. Quite floral with hints of geraniums and then some freshly squeezed apple juice. Taste: Dry sherry notes with chilli spice along with rhubarb, figs and coffee beans. Finish: Lots of golden syrup with growing black cherries with a hint of paprika.

Speyside Distillery 1991 24y/o 53.3%

Nose: Peaches and apricots. Clotted cream with butterscotch and lots of vanilla.

Taste: Almost a touch of dry ash quickly replaced by honeycomb and soft salty notes along with more of the apricot from the nose.

Finish: Lingering creamy fruitiness with a soft drying nuttiness.

Strathmill Distillery 1995 19y/o 55.1% – Chateau Lafitte since 2009

Nose: Initially creamy with strawberries and hints of balsamic vinegar. Syrup sponge with orange zest and slightly herbal. Sherbet. Taste: Mouth coating, with coconut, vanilla, orange blossom water with some darker fruits emerging. Finish: Orange oils , with almonds and some grassy notes. Short and fairly drying

Tamnavulin-Glenlivet Distillery 1992 23y/o 55%

Nose: Soft malty notes along with nougat, chocolate powder and then fizzy cherry notes. Taste: Pear skins and lemongrass. Slightly dusty and then some notes of oak aged Chardonnay along with fresh chives and some delicate allspice. Finish: Medium length, quite grassy and herbal with melted salted butter.

North British Grain Distillery 1989 26y/o 58.4%

Nose: Sweet, lots of toffee shortbread along with maple syrup and buttermilk pancakes. Taste: Delicate spice mixed with toffee and spiced oak flavours. Honeycomb, milk chocolate and faint orange notes Finish: Orange notes grow in the finish once it gets past the big toffee and spice notes. Classic aged grain.

CLOSED DISTILLERIES Caperdonich Distillery 1992 23y/o 56.4%

Nose: Sweet vanilla, green apples and over ripe bananas. Becoming more citrusy.

Taste: Lime, pears and touch of spice initially. Honeycomb, runny toffee and chocolate covered marshmallows.

Finish: Silky smooth, medium length with citrus and a hint of spice.

All the best,
Stephen W
Cadenhead’s London
Email: steve@whiskytastingroom.com
Tel: 0207 935 6999 (Call the store between 10:30am and 6:00pm, Monday to Saturday)

Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop & Tasting Room
26 Chiltern Street
London
W1U 7QF

Tel: 020 7935 6999

Macallan Speymalt 2006

Matured in first fill and refill sherry butts. Selected and bottled 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail.

Macallan Speymalt 2006 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Selected and bottled 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail.

The Macallan Distillery was established by Alexander Reid in 1824 near Easter Elchies House on the Easter Elchies estate. Easter Elchies House dates back to 1700. Macallan Distillery is a malt whisky distillery situated in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region. The old still house was re-commissioned in 2008 and now Macallan Distillery operates with two still houses sheltering twenty-one copper stills. On-site maturation is carried out in traditional dunnage warehouses and by racking in large new warehouses on the estate. The Macallan visitor centre welcomes visitors throughout the year and offers distillery tours. The Macallan Distillery also participates in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Speymalt 2006 – $44.43

This week Joe Ellis reviews The Macallan Gold.

https://youtu.be/k8lMK7XH9XU

KININVIE SPECIAL RELEASE 25 YEAR OLD THE FIRST DROPS

Kininvie Special Release #1 ‘The First Drops’ has been matured in hogshead bourbon barrels, and is bottled at 61.4% abv.

William Grant & Sons’ sixth master blender, Brian Kinsman explains:

“The whisky produced at the Kininvie distillery is of exceptionally good quality. After twenty-five years, we’re delighted that the liquid is now ready and we can release the very first drops of Kininvie, straight from the casks where they have been maturing since the distillery’s first days.”

Order Now – £400

THE GLENROTHES LAUNCHES THE RESERVE COLLECTION WITH A NEW PEATED EXPRESSION 

Berry Bros. & Rudd Spirits is delighted to unveil The Reserve Collection from award-winning Speyside distillery, The Glenrothes. 

Known for producing Vintage single malt whiskies that are chosen at the peak of their maturity, The Glenrothes is proud to introduce a new selection of non-age statement single malt. The Reserve Collection comprises: Sherry Cask Reserve, Bourbon Cask Reserve, Vintage Reserve and a brand new expression, The Peated Cask Reserve. 

The Reserve Collection

Vintage Reserve, made up of 10 different Vintages, was initially launched in the UK back in July and Sherry Cask Reserve, our first all first-fill sherry cask expression, was launched last year.

In a bid to be more transparent to consumers, The Glenrothes has renamed ‘Alba Reserve’ as the Bourbon Cask Reserve and the newly released, Peated Cask Reserve, is a first for The Glenrothes. 

Vintage Reserve is the expression that best epitomises The Glenrothes Vintage Single Malt philosophy of bottling whisky only once it has reached the peak of its maturity. Vintage Reserve marries together a good many carefully selected Vintages from the last three decades.

The Glenrothes Vintage Reserve 40% ABV

Appearance:  Brassy gold.

Bouquet:                 Unusually fragrant, soft in style, wafts of mature citrus and honeycomb accompanied with characteristic red fruits.

Palate:          Very soft silky/creamy mouth-feel. Red berry fruits swirl and dominate with    time over the nebulous nuttiness.

Finish:           Mid to long citrus and honeyed vanilla and the faint reminder of 1st fill sherry casks.

Sherry Cask Reserve is matured predominantly in European oak, which delivers a greater array of flavours than the American equivalent and, in particular, the resinous and dried fruit character underpinning the sherry top notes.

The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve 40% ABV Appearance:  Burnished gold. Nose:            Orange peel, fruitcake, vanilla, gingerbread, black cherries, pear drops. Palate:                    Spicy, ginger, oaky notes, crème brûlée. Finish:           Lingering spiciness with orange peel notes.

Bourbon Cask Reserve is matured exclusively in American oak refill bourbon casks and laid to rest in the warehouse, allowing the whisky to pull the aromas and flavours embedded in the grain of the wood.

The Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve 40% ABV Appearance:  Pale straw, clear and bright.  Bouquet:                 Fresh, floral, coconut, American oak vanilla. Palate:          Soft mellow, crème brûlée and berry fruits. Finish:           Smooth, sweet, medium length.

The Peated Cask Reserve

The Glenrothes has always taken an interest in different approaches in which to showcase the depth of the distillery’s character. At first, classically by experimentation with different casks, sizes and wood then, secondly, by looking outside the current box.

By delving into the distillery’s heritage it was discovered that one of the first associations with another distillery was with a company called Highland Distilleries back in 1887. This was an association formed between The Glenrothes and the Islay Distillery Co Ltd.

The research provided the inspiration for the new expression, the task now was to identify some excellent whisky. Deciding on Vintage 1992, The Glenrothes was given a temporary home in a cask hailing from the peaty lands of Islay. It doesn’t take much time to add a kiss of peat smoke to complement but not overpower the usual Glenrothes characteristics.

Ronnie Cox, The Glenrothes Brand Heritage Director, describes the Peated Cask Reserve as:

‘A wonderful surprise. Another first! The first modern-day marriage of elegant, fruity, and, of course, mature Glenrothes with subtle but intriguing peaty mists of Islay. “

Malt Master Gordon Motion’s flavour notes appear on the front label: “Lemon fruitiness, spicy and deliciously smoky.” 

The Glenrothes Peated Reserve 40% ABV

Appearance: Mid gold.

Bouquet:       Nettles, new leather, peat, nutmeg and white wine.

Palate:          Peat smokiness, light vanilla, spices and citrus peel.

Finish:                    Spicy and lingering. 

The Glenrothes Peated Cask Reserve will be sold exclusively through M&S in the UK from November; it will be priced at £45 per bottle.  

Notes:

The Glenrothes was founded in 1879.

Only 3% of the distillery capacity is bottled as Single Malt to ensure exceptional quality.

Of the 22 Vintages released to date, 14 have entirely sold out.

Owned by Berry Bros. & Rudd Ltd, the wine and spirit merchants established in 1698, The Glenrothes is an award winning Speyside Single Malt Whisky of exceptional quality from the town of Rothes in Speyside -Scotland’s whisky heartland.

Established in 1879, the Glenrothes is a pioneer in Scotch Whisky. All our single malt is vintage malt. When we say vintage, we mean whisky distilled and put in cask in a single year. When judged to be at its peak of maturity, character and flavour, then we carefully marry selected vintages together as Reserves, or bottle them individually as Single Vintages.

At The Glenrothes, maturity matters more than age. A combination of many factors, including our unusually slow distillation process in tall copper pot stills, deliver our characteristic sweet, fruity and elegant spirit. Further flavours are derived from our extensive knowledge of maturation in oak casks. Each expression has its own unique personality, underpinned by the distinctive, hallmark characteristics of the distillery – ripe fruits, citrus, vanilla and an exquisite spicy finish all encased in the creamiest of textures and with a complex and well-poised balance.

The Glenrothes is only selected for bottling when it has reached its zenith of maturity; each cask is carefully checked, nosed and tasted many times. An age statement does not reveal the maturity of the whisky and so the Glenrothes is bottled only when ready, meaning mature and at its peak of perfection. Malt whisky matures at its own pace as shown by the two casks selected.

Some of our recent awards and accolades for current bottlings:

The Glenrothes, Vintage Reserve

• Gold, Scotch Whisky Masters 2015

• Double Gold, China Wine & Spirits Awards 2015

• Gold, The Asian Spirits Masters 2015

• “Officially Amazing”, Guinness World Record holder for largest Burns Supper, 2015

The Glenrothes Sherry Cask Reserve

• Double Gold, WSWA 2015
• Recommended, Whisky Magazine, Issue 123, February 2015
• Difford’s Guide, Exceptional 5 out of 5 stars 2014

The Glenrothes Bourbon Cask Reserve

• Excellent, Highly Recommended (92/100), Ultimate Spirits Challenge, 2014

2015 SPIRIT-UAL EXPERIENCE 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH FROM 1 – 4PM 

Join us for what is shaping up to be the best FREE walk-around Whiskey tasting in Massachusetts. Not only are we opening over 100 different Whisk(e)ys from around the world – but we’re pulling out all the stops here. No filler. We’ll be opening rare and pricey bottles left and right. This is a Whiskey drinker’s tasting. We picked the stuff we are excited about. A tasting you’ll be talking about all year. But don’t take our word for it. Here is a partial list of what we’ll be tasting – with even more on the way. And this is just the stuff we can tell you about. The real gems – the bottles we’d be crazy to open at a tasting – but are – those we can’t publish online. But sign up for tasting by clicking the link below, and we’ll fill you in on the details of our secret pours. 

http://www.gordonswine.com/spiritual-2015

We’ve moved to 855 Harrison (between 4th and 5th in SoMa)

• Triple the size
• Tons of free parking on site
• More wines, spirits, and craft beers

Come by and check out our new shop a few blocks north of our previous venue. We could not be more excited about the location, access and parking, and a vast amount of additional space that was badly needed. Whether shopping on the floor or picking up your will calls we think you’ll like this new spot as much we do.

Over the next several weeks we’re continuing to add the finishing touches, set up the tasting bar, install additional signage inside and out, and bring over some additional wines we have coming in. Additionally, we have hundreds of temperature controlled storage lockers on site that are wrapping up construction. Those will be available soon – stay tuned for an upcoming announcement and rental rates.

K&L Wine Merchants http://www.klwines.com/ Phone: 877-559-4637 Email: wine@klwines.com San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

“Best wine Web site in the US” – Wall Street Journal “Great for rare and hard-to-find wines.” – Time “The cellar to search first.” – Smart Money “Best Wine Web Site” – Publishers of The Wine Spectator

They also sell quite a bit of WHISKY ~ W.I.

GLENKINCHIE 1990 20 YEAR OLD, 55.1% ABV

Tasting notes by Stuart P

Nose: Sumptuous honeyed fruit – peaches and melons – plus floral and grassy-meadow touches, then a big hit of cloves and black pepper, with a touch of vanilla.

Palate: So spicy! Szechuan pepper and clove, along with rich dried fruit, plus refreshing melon and fig notes. Too much water ruins this dram; a couple of drops is ideal.

Finish: Warming, with the spicy fruit lingering.

Comment: If you think Lowland whiskies are all gentle, grassy drams, think again. This is an intense single malt, with bags of fruit and spice with concentrated flavours. These great November deals will run until the end of the month, when they will be replaced by some super-special seasonal deals. Stay tuned for more details…