Strathcolm Single Grain Scotch Whisky Press Release – October 2015

Angus Dundee Distillers is delighted to announce the launch of the Strathcolm Single Grain Scotch Whisky product range consisting of the following three versions: an un-aged, and an 8 and 12 years old.

This single grain whisky range has been distilled in Scotland in classic column stills and has been made using the finest wheat and malted barley.

Marketing Director, Duncan Baldwin commented: “For years Grain Scotch Whisky was thought of, only, in terms of – a core ingredient of blended Scotch whiskies. The grain whiskies that we have selected for the Strathcolm range prove that there are real and admirable qualities in single grain whisky. The flavours and aromas are mild, soft, floral and light. The result is a range of whiskies with great appeal to suit a wide range of palates”.

Tasting Notes:

Un-aged

Colour: Harvest gold

Nose: Toffee sweetness with orange blossom floral notes and a rich vein of vanilla

Palate: Attractively sweet and floral alongside nutty and fruity flavours

Finish: Endearingly smooth and creamy drawing out to a light vanilla close

8 yo

Colour: Warm gold

Nose: Floral and dry with herbal notes

Palate: A mixture of set honey and garden flowers with a dry-ish, dusty wheat layer

Finish: A light and dry finalé

12 yo

Colour: Amber

Nose: Mature oak and floral tones intermingle and hints of cut geraniums emerge

Palate: Rounded and light with harmonious flavours of vanilla and orange

Finish: Light, soft and enduring

The Strathcolm range has been packaged in cases of 6 x 70cl bottles in cylindrical cartons at 40% vol. The design is contemporary and stylish.

The product is immediately available and will be sold in key markets of Europe and Asia and as well as the USA. Consumer prices are likely to be in the region of:

Un-aged: £22.50 / €32

8 years old: £26.99/ €38

12 years old: £31.99/ €45

Contact: Duncan Baldwin

Angus Dundee Distillers

20-21 Cato Street

London W1H 5JQ

Tel: 0207 569 2000

dbaldwin@angusdundee.co.uk

NOVEMBER PREVIEWS: HAPPY DRAMS

This week’s preview selection is all about happiness and contentment. A job well done, an early morning walk on the beach, celebrating a special moment; all come with a warm glow of satisfaction, as do these lovely drams. So whether you work hard or play hard, being the first to hold one close is sure to bring a smile…

Sweet, fruity & mellow

36.90

Happy, frivolous, smoochy dram
A fruity nose (mandarin, melon) with Victoria sponge, biscuits and wood shavings; candy necklaces, coffee kisses and freesias with water. The palate is sweet (millionaire shortbread, chocolate M&Ms, toffee, coffee fudge) and lively (honeydew melon, raspberries, tinny tingles of toasted oak).

15 years old First fill ex-bourbon barrel

£55.20 Buy >

Spicy & sweet

48.63

Up all night editorial
Her desk is chaos, scattered with dusty magazines, lemon drizzle cake, marmalade, spiced banana bread. She chews lemon bon bons, aniseed balls and nibbles chocolate buttons and tablet. Dawn creeps slowly and rewards with hot, buttered toast and freshly iced buns.

11 years old
First fill ex-bourbon barrel

£45.60 Buy >

Oily & coastal

3.254

Sweet & salty seaweed
Like an early morning walk on a pebble beach with the enticing smell of salty and sweet seaweed in the air. To taste, scallops and sweet chilli on rocket leaves. Diluted, we ended up with a bowl of steaming smoked haddock chowder.

19 years old
Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Only 18* preview bottles!
£87.90 Buy >

Expect your next email on Friday 30 October

Browse New Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

*We release a small number of bottles as a preview – it’s one of the perks of being an email subscriber! But don’t worry if you don’t get one tonight; the majority of bottles are released on First Friday.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact:mailto:sales@smws.comor 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

Whisky Live Celebrates 10 Years of Bringing the Finest Whiskies From Around the World to Toronto

Thursday, October 15^th, 2015 (Toronto) – It’s all about the sampling at Whisky Live 2015. Canada’s biggest celebration of all things whisky returns to Toronto for its 10^th year on Thursday, October 29, 2015. This year’s Whisky Live is at the ideally located Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (1 Front Street East) and features more than 25 distillers and whisky-related exhibitors. A dinner buffet, live entertainment, master classes and, of course, tastings of some of the best single malts and other whiskies are all included.

“There are some exceptional whiskies from this year’s Whisky Live distillers,” says Davin de Kergommeaux, Canadian Whisky Editor and whisky aficionado. “One of my all-time favourite distilleries is Highland Park and I look forward to this opportunity to taste all their single malt whiskies. And the new Macallans, they’re just delicious,” he adds.

This year sees big, bold, rye whiskies, new bourbons and scotch whiskies.

Master classes are available for those who want to learn about their favourite whiskies. For a small additional cost, these hour-long tutored tastings allow up to 36 people to learn from and ask questions of master distillers, leading experts, brand ambassadors and Whisky Magazine writers.

Whisky Live, now in its 10^th year in Toronto, is the premiere event in Canada for whisky lovers to sample a broad array of different whiskies from various distillers from Scotland, Canada and around the world. Exhibitors include 1792 Ridgemont Reserve, 66 Gilead Distillery, acNoc, Ardbeg, Auchentoshan, Bakers, Basil Hayden, Bookers, Bowmore, Canadian Club, Catto’s Blended Scotch, Dillon’s Distillery, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Forty Creek, Glendronach, Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Highland Park, Jim Beam, JP Wisers, Knob Creek, Laphroaig, Lot 40, Maker’s Mark, Old Pulteney, Pike Creek, Proof Whisky, Rittenhouse Rye, Still Waters, The Balvenie, The Benriach, The Glenrothes, The Macallan, Toronto Distillery Co, Woodford Reserve, Writer’s Tears Pot Still Whisky, White Owl Whisky, Centennial 10yo, Ninety 20yo, Celtic Life Magazine, Char No.5 Whisky Bar, The Whisky Consultant, Via Allegro Ristorante plus others. Hours: 6-10pm with admission price at $119 USD. Location: Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (1 Front Street East). For more information visit: http://www.whiskylivecanada.com/

Lochside

1981 Rare Old Whisky

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #119

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whiskyblogger, tries the Kilkerran 9 Year Old Sherry Wood from Campbeltown. In 2000 the Glengyle Distillery was resurrected. Their single malt is being sold under the name Kilkerran, referring to an original settlement where Saint Kieran started a religious movement (and was possibly the first distiller in the region). He finds it slightly better than the 10 Year Old on sherry.

https://youtu.be/OYcVYJe85us

Glenmorangie 18 year old Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $140) ( $99.99) Whisky Advocate: “43% abv. When compared to the 10 year old, this one’s richer, with darker fruit and more caramelized sweet notes, paired with accentuated dried wood spice, while the 10 year old is more vibrant and floral. Like the 10 year old, there’s good balance here. (Vol. 17, #2) ” K&L Notes: If I had to pick my favorite whisky from the LVMH line up, including all the Ardbeg expressions, I’d easily choose the 18 year old from Glenmorangie. It’s the best whisky they make for the price and everybody likes it: beginners, casual sippers, experts, whisky geeks. It’s so gentle, supple, rich, and full of flavor. The problem for me at K&L was getting a competitive price. Soft stone fruit, caramel, creme brulee, vanilla, all the way to the finish. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

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

Van Winkle Bourbon Available Soon

Barrels yield less 15, 20 and 23 Year Old Bourbon than usual 

            FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Oct. 14, 2015) – The long anticipated annual release of the Van Winkle bourbons is nearly here, but unfortunately some of the angels were extra greedy over the past two decades, leaving us less bourbon than in previous years.

“When bourbon ages over 15 years, much is lost to the angel’s share.  Many of the 53 gallon oak barrels often yield less than 20 gallons,” said Kris Comstock, bourbon marketing director. “Unfortunately this year we experienced poor yields on the older Van Winkle whiskeys.  Furthermore, we have strict quality standards here at Buffalo Trace and several of the older Van Winkle barrels did not meet those standards. This makes a drastic difference in volume, considering we have very few barrels as it is. The result is less 15 year-old Pappy Van Winkle than usual, and far less 20 year-old and 23 year-old. Frankly, about half as much as last year.”

            Known for their smoother and sweeter flavor, Van Winkle bourbons are aged years longer than most others and garner an impeccable reputation among connoisseurs.  Although the bourbons have become increasingly popular worldwide in recent years, very little is sold overseas, so that most of these coveted bottles are available in the United States.

The Van Winkle collection consists of several whiskeys. Suggested retail prices are as follows:

• $49.99 – Old Rip Van Winkle Handmade Bourbon 10 Year Old 107 proof
• $59.99 – Van Winkle Special Reserve Bourbon 12 Year Old
• $99.99 – Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye Whiskey 13 Year Old
• $79.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 15 Year Old
• $149.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 20 Year Old
• $249.99 – Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve Bourbon 23 Year Old

“Although a lot of retailers charge more than our suggested pricing, we are not asking them to do so,” said Julian Van Winkle, president, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery. “We have not raised prices and do not intend to do so drastically in the future. We are committed to our quality and our pricing.”

The Van Winkle line of whiskeys has won a multitude of awards through the years, including the 15-year-old being named “Excellent/highly recommended” in the 2014 Ultimate Spirits Challenge; the 20 year-old awarded “Extraordinary/ultimate recommendation” in the 2013 Ultimate Spirits Challenge; a double gold for the 20 year-old in the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition; and the Chairman’s Trophy and “Extraordinary/Ultimate Recommendation” for the 20 year-old in the 2015 Ultimate Spirits Challenge.

            The Van Winkle Whiskeys will be available starting in November, but please be mindful that supply is quite limited and bottles shall be hard to find in stores, bars and restaurants. They will be packed three bottles per case. 

About Van Winkle Bourbon

The Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery has a four generation history. The Van Winkle family’s involvement in the bourbon industry began in the late 1800s with Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. He was a traveling salesman for the W.L. Weller and Sons wholesale house in Louisville. Pappy and a friend, Alex Farnsley, eventually bought the wholesale house and also partnered with Mr. A. Ph. Stitzel on the purchase of Mr. Sitzel’s distillery.  The three of them merged the two companies and became the Stitzel-Weller Distillery.

In May of 1935 at the age of 61, Pappy opened the newly completed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in South Louisville. Its prominent brands were W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still.  Pappy had a heavy influence on the operations there until his death at the age of 91. His son, Julian, Jr. took over operations until he was forced by stockholders to sell the distillery in 1972. The rights to all of their brands were sold to Norton Simon, Inc. Later, United Distillers, who eventually ended up with the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, sold off all of the original labels around 1999.              After selling the distillery, Julian Jr. resurrected a pre-Prohibition label, the only one to which the Van Winkles kept the rights, called Old Rip Van Winkle. He used whiskey stocks from the old distillery to supply his brand. Julian Jr.’s son, Julian, III took over in 1981 when Julian, Jr. passed away. Julian III has continued with the Van Winkle tradition of producing high-quality wheated bourbon. His son, Preston, joined the company in 2001 and the Van Winkles look to continue that tradition for generations to come.             In 2002 the Van Winkles entered into a joint venture with Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, Frankfort, Ky. All of the Van Winkle’s whiskey production now takes place at Buffalo Trace Distillery under the same strict guidelines the family has always followed. For more information on the Van Winkle family of bourbon please visit http://www.oldripvanwinkle.com/.

COMING EARLY 2016 

Whisky Hammer is an exciting new malt whisky auction website, specialising in rare and hard to find bottles, based in North East Scotland – where some may argue the best whisky in the world is produced. 

Whisky Hammer will offer an unbeatable auctioneer service, giving whisky enthusiasts the opportunity to value, buy and/or sell. 

Our website is currently under development and will go live in early 2016. 

Register your interest at… www.whiskyhammer.co.uk 

Facebook: Facebook.com/whiskyhammer

Twitter: @whiskyhammer

Instagram: Instagram.com/whiskyhammer

Glencraig

1975 Rare Old Whisky

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Glencraig 38 Year Old 1976 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Lot #R0/12/02 Matured in Refill American Hogshead, bottled by 2012 Gordon & MacPahil for the Rare Old series.

Glencraig Scotch was distilled using the Lomond stills at Glenburgie distillery between 1958 & 1981.

Nose: Sweet and fruity with tropical fruit and sweet vanilla notes. A Spicy edge with charred oak and orange peel aromas.

Taste: Dry and earthy initially on the palate, with a subtle spiciness, hints of dark chocolate and orange zest.

Glenburgie

Glenburgie Distillery was established near Forres in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region by John Paul in 1829. Equipped with two pot stills until 1958 when two Lomond stills were installed and two malt whiskies were produced, Glenburgie from the pot stills and Glencraig from the Lomond stills. The Lomond stills were removed in 1981 and replaced with two pot stills. Glenburgie Distillery is now producing malt whisky from pot six stills.

Buy – $790.86

Yes, we know, it’s hard to believe: an actual seventeen year old Bourbon that you can actually get from an actual Kentucky whiskey distillery.

Not just any distillery either—Wild Turkey, the famous Kickin’ Chicken still under the watchful eye of legendary distiller Jimmy Russell. A release like this in the whiskey industry is a pretty big deal, so obviously we wanted to know more about how the product came to be. Seeing that my colleague and I happened to be searching for casks in Kentucky all last week, we decided to stop by the Wild Turkey distillery to see if we could get a sneak preview of the new release. Jimmy greeted us as we walked in and was more than happy to oblige.

In the current American whiskey environment, finding an age statement older than ten years is becoming an anomaly. The first question we had for Jimmy before tasting was straight-forward: where did Wild Turkey find these barrels? Were they purposely being held back for a future release? “Back in the late 90s we were having storage issues on site and we needed to offload some of our inventory,” he told us. “We needed somewhere to put some of our whiskey.” This isn’t an uncommon practice in the whiskey industry—distilleries borrowing or renting warehouse space from other companies. “The Master’s Keep is made from a batch of barrels we had been storing off-site,” he told us. We nodded in understanding. Then we took a sip.
“This is incredibly soft!” I reacted in surprise. “It’s very rich, but at the same time it’s incredibly mellow. Was there a reason you guys proofed it down to 43%?” I asked. Then came the shocker: “That’s actually right about at cask strength for these barrels,” Jimmy answered. “You see at one point we had to transfer the whiskey over to the Old Taylor distillery. Are you guys familiar with that place?”

“Do you mean the haunted old site down the road from here?” I asked.

“That’s the one,” Jimmy said. “The warehouses at Old Taylor are made from brick, which isn’t the standard material for a Bourbon warehouse these days. You don’t get the same fluctuation of temperature like you do in a wooden rickhouse, so the whiskey tends to lower in proof over time. These casks spent a lot of time in those old brick warehouses, so they were aged more like Scotch.” We took another sip.

“It doesn’t taste watered down. It’s loaded with candy corn and vanilla and toasted oak, but I can’t get over how silky it is,” I said. “When you noticed that the casks were lowering in proof did you eventually pull them back over to the Wild Turkey site?”

“Yes,” Jimmy answered. “If you look a the label you’ll see it says ‘1. Wood, 2. Stone, 3. Wood’ and that’s to indicate the three types of warehouses in which the whiskey was aged. This is the oldest whiskey we’ve ever released. My son Eddy did the blending and we’re very proud of it.”

Not only is the new Master’s Keep stunningly smooth and delicious, it also comes in one of the most beautiful whiskey bottles we’ve seen, adorned with a handsome gift box. It’s one of the most impressive releases from Wild Turkey ever—period. A seventeen year old Bourbon from Jimmy Russell, made from a batch of barrels aged at the ghostly Old Taylor distillery? How could we temper our excitement?!

Now let’s just hope we’ve secured enough to satiate demand! I’d order now while it’s still here. -David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer

Wild Turkey 17 Year Old Master’s Keep Kentucky Bourbon 750ml ($129.99)

Finding an age statement in today’s Bourbon market is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Finding one that’s above ten years of age is like finding a needle in a haystack. Because of the current state of affairs, the prices for American whiskey are going bananas. So how is it that Wild Turkey can come in and drop a 17 year old gem of a Bourbon for the same price as some non-age statement MGP-bottled mystery? We weren’t sure, so we headed on down to the distillery recently to try ourselves a pour. Soft, round, and rich on the palate, this is a velvet textured whiskey for those looking for “smooth”. It’s loaded with candy corn, toasted oak, and even a touch of maple syrup on the finish. We visited with Jimmy Russell soon after and it turns out the reduced proof and softness of the spirit came due to the brick warehouses at the Old Taylor site where these casks were kept. It reduced the ABV, rather than increased it because brick does a better job of keeping out the heat, so the low proof is a natural phenomenon of the environment. And it tastes like 17 year old Bourbon with extra weight on the palate and concentration of oak you just don’t find in 10 year old whiskies. I doubt we’ll see anything this good in this quantity any time again soon. For those of you who need that special Bourbon Christmas gift this year, I’d start shopping right now.(David Driscoll).

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