Aultmore 25 Year Old

1990 vintage sherry butt matured expression bottled July 2015 for our Burns Malt range. This one is selling fast! Aultmore 25 Year Old 1990 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. Single sherry butt #3241 bottled July 2015 for our exclusive Burns Malt® series.

Aultmore

Aultmore is a Scotch whisky distillery in Keith, Banffshire, producing an epinomous single malt whisky. Its name is a derived from the phrase An t-Allt Mòr, Gaelic for big burn, referring to its water source the Auchinderran burn. It was founded in 1895 by Alexander Edward.

Aultmore 1990 – $109.90

New York City, September 30^th, 2015; Scotch whisky brand Johnnie Walker^® last night celebrated the launch of its new Joy Will Take You Further campaign, with an exclusive event at the New York City headquarters of The Explorers Club, the world-famous non-profit organisation.

The campaign champions the power of joy in driving progress and the event featured a unique panel discussion on the potential of joy.

Among those speaking at the gathering were: Michael Strahan, pro football Hall of Famer and Live! with Kelly and Michael co-host; Doug Ellin, screenwriter and creator of the HBO television series and feature film Entourage; Eva Håkansson, inventor and world electric-powered motorcycle speed record holder; and Dr. Matt Killingsworth, leading psychologist and happiness expert.

Brian Cox, Director, Scotch whisky North America at Diageo, said of the event: “We feel privileged to be holding this event in the inspirational halls of The Explorers Club, a group which believes that Joy Will Take You Further. The study of joy and progress – something that we call Joynomics – shows us that happiness makes success more likely.

“Members of The Explorers Club have explored the furthest reaches of land, air, sea and space and having stood on the summit of Everest and the surface of the moon, are living proof of how finding joy in our everyday lives and pursuits can help us achieve more than we thought possible.”

Michael Strahan championed the impact that happiness has had on his progress: “If your starting point is happiness, there is no limit to what you can achieve. The turning point in my career was adopting a more positive outlook and reconnecting with the enjoyment of genuinely ‘playing’ the game. Making that decision gave me a new impetus and new energy.”

The Joy Will Take You Further event saw the premiere of a new experiment developed in partnership with Dr. Matt Killingsworth, a US-based psychologist and scientist who studies human happiness. The experiment – called Can Joy Improve Performance? – showed how golfers could boost the accuracy of their shots when positively, rather than negatively, primed by their coach.

The results were impressive, with 100% of participants showing increased accuracy when positively primed. On average the accuracy of participants increased by 45%.

Commenting on the experiment, Dr. Killingsworth said: “What this experiment shows us – albeit with a limited sample size – is that having a joyful perspective on the task in hand can actually boost our performance.”

Can Joy Improve Performance? is the first in a series of experiments that the brand will release in the weeks ahead.

Cox added: “Johnnie Walker has been a progressive and innovative brand since it was founded by John Walker in 1820. Our journey from Scotland to the four corners of the world has shown us that finding happiness along the way can help us reach our goals. This experiment is just one example of the increasing evidence which supports our belief that Joy Will Take You Further.”

The Can Joy Improve Performance? experiment can be viewed at www.youtube.com/johnniewalker 

The new Joy Will Take You Further film from Johnnie Walker can be viewed here www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9R9YtaoYAE

#joynomics

#JoyWillTakeYouFurther

Notes:

About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is a global company, and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world.  The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).  For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

Enjoy Johnnie Walker responsibly.

The JOHNNIE WALKER, KEEP WALKING, BLENDERS’ ROOMS, JOYNOMICS and JOY WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER words, the Striding Figure device and associated logos are trademarks © John Walker & Sons 2015. 

About The Explorers Club

The Explorers Club was founded in New York City 1904 by a group of the world’s leading explorers of the time. It is a multidisciplinary, not for profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to scientific exploration of land, sea, air, and space by supporting research and education in the physical, natural and biological sciences. The Club’s members have been responsible for an illustrious series of famous firsts: First to the North Pole, first to the South Pole, first to the summit of Mount Everest, first to the deepest point in the ocean, and first to the surface of the moon. With 3,000 members worldwide, the organization is headquartered at 46 East 70th Street, New York, N.Y. 10021. For more information about The Explorers Club, its history, and its mission, find out more at: http://www.explorers.org/

Under a licensing agreement between Diageo and The Explorers Club, each purchase from the Johnnie Walker® Explorers’ Club Collection^TM – a series of blended whiskies sold exclusively in global duty free outlets – helps to support the work of The Explorers Club.

THE EXPLORERS CLUB, THE EXPLORERS CLUB FLAG and associated logos are trade marks of The Explorers Club, a global non-profit organisation headquartered in New York City.

IMAGE CAPTION: 

• Stephen Wilson, Doug Ellin, Michael Strahan, Eva Håkansson and Dr. Matt Killingsworth share stories of personal success at the Joy Will Take You Further campaign launch in The Explorers Club, New York City. Photo credit: Michael Simon, Star Traks

Michter’s American Whiskey Tasting: Friday 23rd October

Price: £20.00 Date: Friday 23rd October Time: 7:00PM Location: N&P Cellars Book tickets online:

Join us as we take a look at these award-winning Small Batch American Whiskies all the way from the Michter’s distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Michter’s Whiskey is made from top notch American corn and is matured to the peak of perfection before it’s bottled at the distillery. There is no surprise that this whiskey is some of the best that comes out of the US, it’s crafted by master distiller Willie “Dr. No” Pratt who has over 40 years’ experience in the whisky industry. Willie is quite known for refusing to release whiskey to the bottling stage until he feels it is just right, even though the whiskey may already be significantly older than the age stated on the label. We assure you, this stuff is seriously tasty!

“…a magnificent style of whiskey…big, confident, high class…a glorious piece of heritage.” The Complete Guide to Whiskey, Jim Murray

As Maxim Magazine enthused, “Bask in the aftertaste and never brush your teeth again!”Phone 01384 394518 or email us for more details

Midleton Dair Ghaelach – Irish Virgin Oak

Back in April, I wrote about Midleton Dair Ghaelach, a new Irish pot still whiskey finished in Irish virgin oak. That post concentrated more on the sourcing and treatment of the wood; this post is all about the whiskey, which has just arrived at TWE HQ.

Kevin O’Gorman and Billy Leighton

 Midleton’s master of maturation Kevin O’Gorman (left) shares a toast with master blender Billy Leighton

Dair Ghaelach (‘Irish oak’) is a blend of whiskeys aged between 15 and 22 years in refill bourbon casks, before a 10-month spell in Irish virgin oak. Midleton began experimenting with Irish oak several years ago, and were delighted with the results. They’re even trialling whiskey aged entirely in Irish oak. We’ll have to wait and see whether they come to fruition, but in the meantime, this is what we thought of Dair Ghaelach:

Midleton Dair Ghaelach

MIDLETON DAIR GHAELACH, 58.2%
Nose: Very rich, with enticing aromas of sultanas and raisins, crème brûlée, and Caramac bars. Tobacco and leather are in there, too, along with honeyed fruit.

Palate: Good weight, with generous helpings of dried fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg. More evolved flavours of leather and old bookshops appear, helped along by green fruits, toffee and vanilla. Full flavoured and complex.

Finish: Good level of spice – pepper, cinnamon, touch of waxy fruits.

Comment: There is a lot going on with this whiskey, but every element finds its own place. The sweet spice from the oak really shines through, but not so much that it takes over. Just a fine example of Irish pot still, with the classic notes of tropical fruit, green apple and spice.

The first batch of Midleton Dair Ghaelach is limited to 12,000 bottles, and is available from The Whisky Exchange priced at £166.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Midleton Dair Ghaelach – Irish Virgin Oak

www.ralfy.com grabs an age-stated bottle off the Supermarket shelf and shares the experience with Whisky Review #555 – Glenlivet 15yo French Oak Reserve

Bowmore 25 Year Old 1990 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single refill boubon barrel #1163 bottled June 2015 for our exclusive Burns Malt® series.

Bowmore

Bowmore Distillery was established on the Isle of Islay off the west coast of Scotland by John Simpson in 1779. Situated in Bowmore by the shore of Loch Indaal it is the oldest working distillery on Islay and one of the oldest malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Bowmore Distillery continues to produce a proportion of its malted barley on its own traditional malting floors and malt kilns. Visitors are welcomed in the Bowmore visitor centre where distillery tours are available in addition to Bowmore Distillery cottages to rent. Bowmore Distillery is a participant in Feis Isle, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music.

BUY $189.33

JUST WHISKY’S LATEST AUCTION ENDING TONIGHT!

Just Whisky has been live over the past few days with their 23^rd auction. There are 1026 lots in total and there is something to suit every budget. There are hundreds of reasonably priced bottles for the keen whisky drinker. There are the usual big hitters from the well-known silent distilleries and the likes of Macallan, Ardbeg etc, but for drinking can there be better value? 

The auction will end at 8PM on Sunday 11^th October

What about Independent bottlings?

Aside from the main headline grabbing bottles, we think there are many opportunities to drink some whisky you wouldn’t otherwise be able to get a hold of at a price which is more touchable for a lot of us. A large amount of whisky from independent bottlers goes under the radar when compared to their ‘official’ siblings released by the distillery. This often makes releases from independent bottlers outstanding value and a fantastic way to try new, high quality whisky without breaking the bank.

So what can you look for when searching for a good quality independent bottling? Whisky reviews are often plentiful, but be careful – a rave review can often bump up the price of a bottle which otherwise could have been a complete bargain! One such example is the recent release from Cadenhead’s. A 24 year old from Littlemill distillery received extremely high praise from a particularly well known review site “Whisky Fun”. On the back of this review the price over tripled last month (from £110 to £375!). Of course not all releases receive such high praise from prominent figures in the whisky world, but nevertheless there are outstanding quality drams out there for the tasting.

Well respected independent bottlers include, but are not limited to, Signatory Vintage, Hunter Laing, the aforementioned Cadenhead’s, Gordon & MacPhail, Duncan Taylor, Douglas Laing, Malts of Scotland, La Maison Du Whisky and many more, even Gleann Mor (see what we did there … )

Anyway we have highlighted some examples for you guys (& gals) below, and linked to the areas in the auction you can place your bids.

Bidding ends at 8PM UK Time on the 11^th October. Any bid placed in the last 5 minutes extends that auction by 15 minutes.

Convalmore-Glenlivet 36 Years Old 1977 – Cadenhead’s Small Batch

Convalmore-Glenlivet single malt, bottled by Cadenhead’s. This 36 year old Speyside whisky was distilled in 1977 and left to mature in bourbon Hogshead barrels until 2013, when it was bottled for the Small Batch range. Only 288 bottles produced.

Mortlach 21 Years Old 1992 – Douglas Laing Director’s Cut

The Directors’ Cut from bottlers Douglas Laing & Co. A 21 year old Finest Single Malt Scotch Whisky distilled at Mortlach Distillery in September 1992 then bottled December 2013 from a single sherry butt. One of 255 bottles, produced at natural cask strength and colour. Un-chill filtered.

Macallan 25 Years Old 1984 – The Crowther MacDougall

This single malt whisky was distilled at the Macallan distillery in 1984 and matured in cask number 7821 until its 25th year. It was malt sourced from Michael Crowther’s own maltings that helped produce this dram of considerable character. The cask was bottled in 2010 and was selected and bottled by Michael’s son Angus.

Port Ellen 29 Years Old 1979 – Old & Rare Platinum Selection

Distilled in December 1979 then bottled in February 2009 at natural cask strength, this 29 year old single cask expression from silent Port Ellen Distillery was bottled by Douglas Laing as part of their Platinum Old & Rare selection exclusively for World Duty Free. 

The auction will end at 8PM on Sunday 11^th October

View the rest of the Auction here

Brown-Forman Breaks Ground on New $50 Million Slane Distillery at Ireland’s Historic Slane Castle

New Irish whiskey venture marks company’s first Irish whiskey distillery

Louisville, KY – September 29, 2015 – Brown-Forman Corporation held its official ground breaking ceremony today for Slane Distillery, the company’s initial entry into distilling Irish whiskey. Slane Distillery is also the first distillery built by Brown-Forman outside of the United States. The U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Kevin O’Malley, joined representatives from Brown-Forman and Slane Castle for the distillery’s official construction kick-off.

Slane Distillery, which will also include a visitor experience, is planned to open in late 2016. The new distillery will create nearly 25 new full-time jobs while the construction process will support approximately 80 jobs. The distillery is being built in the grounds of Slane Castle which is located in the middle of a 1,500 acre estate in the heart of Ireland’s Boyne Valley, 30 miles north of Dublin. Slane Castle is the home of Henry Conyngham, the eighth Marquess Conyngham, and his son, Alex Conyngham, the Earl of Mount Charles, whose family has been part of the Slane community for generations.

“Brown-Forman brands are founded on heritage, quality and authenticity, and there is nowhere as real as this beautiful and historic part of Ireland,” said Lawson Whiting, Brown-Forman Brown-Forman executive vice president and chief brands & strategy officer. “We will leverage our wood and whiskey making prowess to create world class whiskey at Slane Distillery.”

Ambassador O’Malley signed the first cask that will be filled with whiskey from the distillery. He was joined by Whiting as well as Brooke Brown Barzun, fifth generation family shareholder of Brown-Forman, and Henry and Alex Conyngham of Slane.

The distillery and visitor center, which is in the historic stables complex adjacent to Slane Castle, will involve the 18^th century buildings being restored and converted to house both the production operations and the consumer experience. The first Slane Irish whiskeys will be launched to market in early 2017 – initially using high quality whiskey purchased from other Irish distilleries and finished to Slane’s exacting recipes and specifications while the first whiskey from the distillery is laid down to mature.  Upon completion it will have a potential output of more than 600,000 cases.

“Whiskey by its nature requires a long-term approach, and we look forward to bringing people on a journey of discovery with us,” said Alex Conyngham.  “We will offer a range of blended, pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys in the premium and super premium segments. Visitors will be able to come here and literally see where the grain is growing and how we are producing it with care.”

“This is a great coming together of two historic families – the Browns of Kentucky and the Conynghams of Slane.  We are very proud to join forces to bring exciting new Irish whiskeys to the world. The commencement of work on the distillery is just a first step in developing a new Irish whiskey brand and welcoming guests to the new distillery,” said Henry Conyngham. 

For more information about Slane Distillery and Slane Irish Whiskey, please visit http://www.slaneirishwhiskey.com/. Follow the progress of Slane Distillery at www.facebook.com/slanewhiskey, via Twitter @SlaneWhiskey and via Instagram @SlaneWhiskey.

For more than 140 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Jack Daniel’s & Cola, Canadian Mist, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, New Mix, Tuaca, and Woodford Reserve. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by nearly 4,200 employees and sold in approximately 160 countries worldwide. For more information about the company, please visit http://www.brown-forman.com/.

Laphroaig Live 2015 now ‘On Demand’ on YouTube. We had a record worldwide audience at our special 200th broadcast from the distillery so may I thank each and every one of you who tuned in on the night. But of course I realise that for many of you the time difference meant that you could not watch it live, so we have now put it on YouTube here so you can all enjoy it at your leisure! There were some great and funny moments in the show so it’s really worth a watch! I was so pleased that Sam Heughan came to be our special guest on this auspicious occasion. As you will see he thoroughly enjoyed himself on the night.

The Worldwide premiere of our special 200th Opinions Welcome film At the show we aired the latest film in our Opinions Welcome series. In our anniversary year we asked the locals at home on the Isle of Islay to share their candid opinions on what Laphroaig tastes like to them personally. We have now put this on You Tube as well. You can watch it here. I think it’s fantastic – and so do my friends on Islay, I hope you do too. Don’t forget to let us know your opinions at www.laphroaig.com/opinions

Our 200th special edition book. The last pages of the book have now been complete as they were the show itself. It has now gone off to the printers. We will start sending them out at the beginning of December well in time for Christmas. But you can pre order it now if you want to be certain to get a copy of this complete history of Laphroaig. You can order it HERE at your shop.

Our Worldwide Laphroaig toast. Many of you have written in to find out just how many people toasted with us on the night. Well the answer is over 31,500. Whether this makes the record books I do not know but it certainly was the biggest toast I have ever been involved in. So thank you to all who toasted along with me – slàinte!

Slàinte,

John Campbell Distillery Manager, Laphroaig

Macallan 30 Year Old – Fine Oak

Macallan 30 year old Fine Oak, triple cask matured in carefully selected European and American oak casks. Aged releases such as this from Macallan Distillery have become rather rare and hard to find as of late…

£1260.00

Macallan 1973 Speymalt

A 1973 vintage Macallan bottled by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Speymalt series. Beautiful colour on this single malt scotch whisky, aged for over 40 years before being bottled in 2015 at 43% vol.

£485.50

Macallan 25 Year Old – 1989

Rather excited with this new bottling from Càrn Mòr – not to often these days, do you see an independent bottling of Macallan! Distilled 3rd May 1989 and aged for 25 years in a single cask hogshead, cask #6994 to be precise. Bottled in 2015 at cask strength, 42.5% vol with only 280 bottles filled and released under the Celebration of the Cask range.

£403.90

Macallan 25 Year Old – Sherry Oak

Macallan 25 Year Old, exclusively matured in hand crafted sherry oak casks from Jerez, Spain. The casks used for this release were previously filled with dry Oloroso sherry and seasoned for up to two years before being emptied and shipped to Macallan to be filled with Macallan new make spirit, then left to gently slumber for over 25 years!

£699.00

Macallan 1980 – Speymalt

Tremendous colour on this Macallan Speymalt from 1980, which has been slumbering in cask up until 2013, making approximately 33 years old. Bottled by Gordon & MacPhail as part of their Speymalt series. The Speymalt from Macallan distillery range includes a series of exceptional single malts, each matured in the highest quality casks selected by Gordon & MacPhail.

£375.00

Abbey Whisky Ltd

Registered Office

Dollar, FK14 7AS

United Kingdom