This week Joe Ellis reviews Caol Ila 1983 30 Year Old Official Bottling.

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GROUND BREAKS AT THE GLENLIVET DISTILLERY AS TOP SCOTCH CELEBRATES A STELLAR YEAR WITH DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH

Work begins on expansion of The Glenlivet distillery, reinforcing the recent success and bright future for the world’s largest single malt Scotch whisky

Chivas Brothers has forged ahead with its investment into enhancing the production facilities of The Glenlivet distillery to ensure that current and future demand for ‘the single malt that started it all’ continues to be met. Today, work officially began on the site, which will significantly increase capacity.

The news follows a strong set of financial results for the year ending in June 2015 for Chivas Brothers, announced last week, with the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard recording overall growth in net sales of +3%.

The Glenlivet recorded the standout achievement for Chivas Brothers with +11% net sales growth, a result of the brand’s commitment to innovation and craftsmanship through launches such as Founder’s Reserve, the extension of the Master Distiller’s Reserve range and The Winchester Collection. The Glenlivet has successfully driven consumer recruitment and attracted Scotch connoisseurs to the brand, which has made it the largest contributor to the growth of the single malt category in the past five years (IWSR 2014).

Today’s announcement reinforces the brand’s recent unrivalled global success selling over 1 million cases1 to become the world’s No.1 single malt Scotch whisky brand. The Glenlivet is also spearheading growth for the entire Pernod Ricard Single Malt Scotch whisky portfolio, with the group’s range becoming the Global No. 1. 2

 Across other brands in the Chivas Brothers portfolio there were additional strong performances such as Ballantine’s Finest growing in an otherwise declining category.

The brand, No. 2 Scotch whisky worldwide, sold over six million cases in the year ending in June 2015 following an increase of +2% in net sales driven by Ballantine’s Finest. Ballantine’s prestige portfolio has retained its loyal consumer base through the launch of Ballantine’s Golf Club while millennial whisky drinkers have been recruited to Ballantine’s Finest through successful marketing campaigns including the brand’s partnership with Boiler Room.

Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky, maintained its position despite a slight decline in global sales of Scotch whisky in 20143, demonstrating the continued appeal of this iconic brand. The past twelve months saw the launch of The Venture and the introduction of two new luxury whiskies, Chivas Extra and Chivas Regal The Icon, into the award-winning portfolio.

Chivas Brothers continues to lead in the standard segment with Passport Scotch, which grew +20% in net sales to reach a record 1.7m cases in the year ending in June 2015. Passport has strong appeal among millennial consumers in emerging markets including Brazil, Angola and Mexico, which has helped to earn its position as the fastest growing of all spirits brands that sell more than 200,000 cases per year4.

Beefeater, the world’s most awarded gin, continued to capitalise on the global gin renaissance, growing by +3% in net sales in the year ending in June 2015. Led by strong growth of Beefeater London Dry, the brand has engaged with the on-trade community through the Beefeater MIXLDN Bartender Competition and has inspired consumers through activations including Beefeater London Sounds.

Laurent Lacassagne, Chairman & CEO of Chivas Brothers, commented: “Today’s first step towards an expansion at The Glenlivet distillery is an historic day for Chivas Brothers as we look to continue the brand’s phenomenal triumphs across the past five years to reinforce our position as the world’s No.1 single malt Scotch whisky.

“Success for The Glenlivet is not in isolation – we have reported growth of +3% in net sales for the Chivas Brothers range as a whole, supported by a strong performance across our wider single malt, premium and standard blended Scotch and English gin portfolios with Aberlour, Ballantine’s, Passport and Beefeater respectively. The overall performance of our comprehensive portfolio of Scotch whiskies in the context of the wider category, which declined slightly last year, has been robust and we are committed to investing into manufacturing facilities geared towards innovation to help us to capitalise on the current and long-term growth prospects of the category.”

NOTES

1 The Glenlivet sold 1,065k 9lc in the year ending December 2014, according to IWSR 2014
2 Source: IWSR 2014
3 Scotch Whisky Association (April 2015 – link)
4 Source: IWSR 2014
Chivas Brothers financial results for the year ending in June 2015 (net sales):
Chivas Brothers: +3%
Chivas Regal: 0%
Ballantine’s: +2%
Beefeater: +3%
The Glenlivet: +11%
Royal Salute: -8%
Passport: +20%

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.
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.
www.pernod-ricard.com

Malt of the Month – Glenfarclas 12 Year Old Litre Bottles

Whisky bottles were standardised at 70cl across Europe back in 1990, and ever since then our North American cousins (and our chums down in South Africa) have been pointing at the extra couple of shots their 75cl bottles get them. For September, we’re firing a shot across their collective bow, with our Malt of the Month deal saving you money on litre bottles of Glenfarclas 12 Year Old – that’s a whole extra five drams than you’ll get from a 75cl bottle. Take that, America!

GLENFARCLAS 12 YEAR OLD. 1 LITRE. £37.95 throughout SEPTEMBER

Producer’s Notes

Nose: Fresh and beautifully light, sherried fruit combined with a tempting spicy sweetness and a hint of sappy oak.

Palate: Full bodied, delightful sherried fruit, with oak, a hint of peat and delicious sweet sensations.

Finish: Long and flavoursome, with a lingering spiceness.

For the whole of September, we’ve knocked £12 off our usual selling price, and are offering one-litre bottles of Glenfarclas 12yo for £37.95, the equivalent of £26.57 for a regular 70cl bottle, which is a stonking saving. The 12 Year Old is a great place to start with Glenfarclas, marrying sweet sherry with their underlying fruity spirit – it’s not a sherry monster like some of the older drams, but instead shows off a more finessed side to the distillery character.

Head on over to our Malt of the Month page to learn more, and grab a bottle before the end of September to get the offer.

Cast your mind back to 2011. That was the year we sent vials of Ardbeg-crafted molecules into orbit, conducted a scientific experiment at 17,227 miles per hour and became the first distillery in space. A momentous year indeed.

Four years later, Ardbeg has returned to Earth and is now enjoying a rather more leisurely round-the-world tour.

From USA to Europe, Australia to Asia, Ardbeg fans have come nose-to-glass with an actual vial from the space experiment, defying gravity and floating within the weightless, airless atmosphere of the Ardbeg Space Pod. You can track the progress of the Space Aged Tour here.

THE ANSWER WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

While Ardbeg is suspended within its zero-gravity Space Pod, Dr Bill Lumsden has been keeping us all in suspense as he prepares to publish his highly anticipated White Paper on the mysteries of maturation.

But finally, the experiment is over, the research is complete and the lab coats are off. Today, Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks, reveals his long-awaited results.

You can read the White Paper in full.

And watch our Final Frontier film: The Pier Review, starring Dr Bill, Charlie MacLean and Jeff Manber from Nanoracks.

OR POUR YOURSELF A DRAM AND
REACH YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS

Why not pour yourself a dram while you pore over these truly exciting research findings? Ardbeg is, after all, the most unfathomably complex and eternally mysterious of all whiskies. What better way to celebrate the culmination of our adventure in space?
Slàinte!

Mickey Heads
Committee Chairman

OUR LATEST AUCTION CLOSES TONIGHT FROM 7.30PM!

This is just a quick reminder to say that the whisky.auction August auction closes tonight, so you still have some time to bid on hundreds of whiskies, vintage spirits, miniatures and memorabilia.

The auction will begin closing from 7.30pm tonight. Each category has its own scheduled finish time, to make life easier for people who have bid on a number of different categories, and to avoid every item in the auction closing at the same time. For information on the buying process, click here.

Also, if a bid is placed within the last three minutes, the lot will be extended for a further three minutes, to allow a fair conclusion for each item.

Don’t miss out – there are bottles to suit every budget, including vintage Macallan, Ardbeg, Japanese whisky, Irish whisky, and blended whisky, as well as miniature bottles.

Our next auction will start on Monday 28 September – if you have bottles to sell, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

VIEW OUR CURENT AUCTION

FOUR ROSES Barrel Strength OBSQ Bourbon (The Bourbon Guys Selection) – $59.99*

It’s a delightful dram with a wonderful floral and fruit quality that is dominated by apple blossom and ripe red apples. A splash of water really opens it up. Check out this selection from our good friends The Bourbon Guys! *in-store purchase only, very limited supply

The Party Source, 95 Riviera Drive, Bellevue, KY 41073.

THE DEVERON®: THE CALM FROM THE STORM

Glasgow, Scotland, 3rd September 2015 – John Dewar & Sons Ltd. has announced the release of The Deveron single malt which hails from MacDuff distillery, located on the northern edge of Aberdeenshire.

The new expressions of THE DEVERON® 10 year-old, THE DEVERON® 12 year-old and THE DEVERON® 18 year-old have never been released before now and will be available from October 2015.

Located where the river meets the sea, Macduff distillery sits near the mouth of the River Deveron, shortly before its cool waters join the restless surge of the North Sea. Sheltered from the worst of the seaboard storms and winter winds, this tranquil spot has seen the creation of The Deveron malt whisky for many a decade.

A comparatively modern distillery – its spirit first began to flow in 1960 – Macduff was brought into being mainly for the purpose of supplying malt whisky to the blending industry. It was commissioned by a consortium of four businessmen, who called themselves Glen Deveron Distillers Ltd.

Emanating from five small copper pot stills, and unusual horizontal condensers that gently coax extra character from the spirit, The Deveron is an approachable dram which has a tang of coastal air about it. The distillery is set up for a light, fruity spirit that’s replete with apple tones and nutty notes.

Stephen Marshall, Bacardi’s Global Marketing Manager – Single Malts remarks: “The final one. We’ve done it and it tastes great. People underestimate the quality of whisky that can be made at a comparatively modern distillery, this is really top notch stuff. Get yourself up to Macduff, or if you can’t then stick Local Hero on the telly and pour yourself a dram”.

The new portfolio consists of three age statements, each bottled at 40% ABV: The Deveron 10 Years Old (only available in France), The Deveron 12 Years Old and The Deveron 18 Years Old. Each expression has been launched in selected markets around the world including Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan, United States and United Kingdom.

http://www.lastgreatmalts.com/

Tasting Notes

The Deveron 10 Years Old, 40% ABV

Down by the shoreline where spindrift flies, in taverns hoachin’ with coastal folk,

Liquid rites share this tasty trove of toffee, crisp apples and creamy oak. 

The Deveron 12 Years Old, 40% ABV

When billows break and haar ghosts in, then haste ye home or some bit warm,

Unwind with toasted grain and apples, seaborne spice; calm from the storm. 

The Deveron 18 Years Old, 40% ABV

Made where the big river meets the endless brine, in any weather, drookit or clear,

Delve in fruity depths where nutty notes are stowed; a dram for blether and fireside cheer.

About THE DEVERON Single Malt Scotch Whisky

THE DEVERON hails from Macduff distillery, found beside the River Deveron just before it meets the North Sea. Sheltered from those restless waters and the worst winter winds, this tranquil spot offers calm from the storm; the perfect place to craft a mellow fireside malt. Distillation employs five small copper pot stills and unusual horizontal condensers which are arranged for a light and fruity spirit. The result is a rare coastal whisky which holds the tang of shoreline air alongside sturdy apple notes, dried fruits and nutty warmth.

The brand new portfolio comprises of three expressions of THE DEVERON single malt: the 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old and 18 Years Old. The single malt brand of THE DEVERON is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. http://www.thedeveron.com/

About John Dewar & Sons Ltd.

John Dewar & Sons Ltd. employs 300 people at seven locations throughout Scotland. The Company currently operates whisky distilleries in Aberfeldy, Macduff, Aultmore, Craigellachie and Nairn with ageing, blending, bottling and packaging facilities in Glasgow and additional maturation facilities in Poniel in Central Scotland.

The single malt brand of THE DEVERON® is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. John Dewar & Sons Ltd. is part of the Bacardi group of companies.

http://www.lastgreatmalts.com/

For more information on the new single malt expressions, the five distilleries, tasting notes, crafting, and heritage, please visit http://www.lastgreatmalts.com/ 

Our Latest Auction Ends tonight Monday 7th September!

View Latest Auction

Whisky Auctioneer’s current auction will finish from 19:00 tonight September 7th. It’s absolutely FREE to register and start bidding. Head over to www.whiskyauctioneer.com to take a look at the current lots.

From 19:00 (GMT), activity on any item will prolong the entire auction by a further two minutes; the auction will end when there has been no activity on any item for two minutes. Please note it can take a few hours to fully end.

There are some stunning rare whiskies available this month including this amazing Karuizawa 1964 48 Year Old

Future Auctions

Entries for future auctions are always invited. Whisky Auctioneer makes selling whisky online easy!

With a low sellers’ commission rate of 5% and competitive listing and reserve fees, there is no better place to sell your bottle(s) or collection.

We are currently accepting entries for our next auction, which starts September 25th.

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.

www.whiskyauctioneer.com

Happy Bidding!

anCnoc unveils first ever creative collaboration with a fashion designer 

Following a series of teasers on social media and speculation from excited fans we are delighted to reveal that we are embarking on a rather exciting partnership with award-winning fashion designer Patrick Grant.  The Edinburgh-born designer is the creative director of bespoke tailors Norton and Sons of Savile Row, founder of Ready to Wear label E-Tautz & Sons, and perhaps best known by the public for his role as a judge on BBC2’s The Great British Sewing Bee.

Patrick’s wealth of creative experience will be harnessed as he works with anCnoc to craft a bespoke print which will draw inspiration from our single malt’s heritage, character, and indeed the time-honoured production methods used here at Knockdhu distillery.  The print will debut in February 2016 when we reveal an exceptionally Limited Edition single malt expression which incorporates the design on both the bottle and packaging, not to mention that a small number of exclusive fashion items including this unique print will also be produced.

In anticipation of next year’s launch Patrick has now started work on the print and is reaching out to you, our fans, to contribute to the final result.  What’s more anyone that emails us, tweets or posts inspiration for his design on Facebook will be placed in a prize draw to win one of 5 anCnoc goodies bags (worth over £100 each).  So what are you waiting for!

Competition:

1.  Follow anCnoc on Twitter (@anCnoc_whisky) or on Facebook (/ancnocsinglemalt)
2.  Using hashtag #ModernTradition tell us what you think sum’s up anCnoc – this can be an image, video or even just a few words.
3.  Make sure your entry is submitted before midnight on Thursday 10th September 2015, after this time entries will not be counted.

Don’t use social media? – you can still enter by sending your design inspiration (images, videos or text) to amoderntradition@ancnoc.com.

Good Luck!

Terms and conditions apply, click here to find out more.

SEPTEMBER OUTTURN: DYNAMIC DUOS

Holy single cask moly, September Outturn brings 15 new whiskies with POW-factor. In the spirit of sensory adventure this First Friday, we’ve matched together a series of Dynamic Duos – contrasting whiskies with individual character and flavour for you to taste and explore. We hope you’ll discover something wonderful that you’ve never tried before…

Young & spritely

58.16 Margarita cocktail  £41.80
Part of the Sweet & Salty Meaty Knight Duo

Sweet, fruity & mellow

46.32 Summertime and the whisky is easy  £76.50
Part of the Lubbly Jubbly Rebellion Duo

1.194 Attractive, rounded and comforting*
Exclusive to September deals More >

Spicy & sweet

121.79 Over the rainbow!  £49.20
Part of the Rainbow Pirate Duo

Spicy & dry

48.61 Concerto zenzero  £44.70
Part of the Chilli Spice Crusader Duo

Deep, rich & dried fruits

7.119 Lubbly Jubbly! £51.00
Part of the Lubbly Jubbly Rebellion Duo

Old & dignified

35.137 Delightful evocation of the boudoir £92.20
Part of the Dark Voyager Duo

37.65 Bursting with interest and imaginings £124.60

Light & delicate

55.29 A barley harvest and a ‘fizzy buzz’ £48.10
Part of the Bitter-sweet Force Duo

Juicy, oak & vanilla

63.32 Bitter-sweet, eccentric character  £93.00
Part of the Bitter-sweet Force Duo

Oily & coastal

4.210 Whisky Smash £61.20
Part of the Rainbow Pirate Duo

Lightly peated

66.73 Midnight feast at pony club camp  £49.30
Part of the Sweet & Salty Meaty Knight Duo

3.246 The Curious Apothecary £60.00

Peated

53.227 Sweet, Salty & smoky  £116.40
Part of the Chilli Spice Crusader Duo

Heavily peated

29.168 Fade to black**  £63.00
Part of the Dark Voyager Duo

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