DIAGEO SPECIAL RELEASES TASTING
WITH COLIN DUNN

We’re delighted to announce our first tasting of 2016 – the latest Diageo Special Releases presented by whisky ambassador Colin Dunn. Diageo began their annual Special Releases in 2000 to allow enthusiasts to sample older, rarer and more unusual whiskies from the immense number of distilleries in the Diageo family. Often from closed or hard-to-find distilleries, they have proved popular with collectors and drinkers alike.

We’ll be trying seven highlights from this year’s range as we enjoy an evening of Colin Dunn’s signature mix of facts, anecdotes and fun:

– Brora 37yo
– Clynelish Select Reserve
– Dailuaine 1980
– Lagavulin 12yo
– Pittyvaich 1989
– Port Ellen 32yo
– The Cally 40yo

The tasting will take place on Tuesday 26 January at 7.30pm £65 per ticketAs ever, tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to two per customer.

BOOK YOUR TICKET
Call Us: 020 8838 9448
Tickets on sale Friday 15 January at 3pm

VENUE

THE JUDGES COURT, BROWNS,
82-84 ST MARTIN’S LANE,
LONDON WC2N 4AG

PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE VENUE
FROM 7.15PM FOR A 7.30PM START

We are passionate, knowledgeable and care about good customer service.

Let us help you with any whisky or other drinks related queries.

Call our office: +44 131 524 9380 (Monday to Friday) or email: mailto:contact@royalmilewhiskies.com?subject=RMW%20Customer%20Query

United States – Kentucky

Woodford “Sonoma Master’s Collection – 1838 Style” White Corn Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml) $99.99

Willett Distillery 3 Year Old Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml) $44.99

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

Photo Credit Jen Steele

VICTORIA, Jan. 15, 2016 The jury has decided. A whisky distilled in Windsor, Ontario, is the best Canadian whisky of 2015.  A panel of ten independent whisky experts named Lot No. 40 the Canadian Whisky of the Year at the sixth annual Canadian Whisky Awards. They announced the results of this annual blind tasting competition Thursday evening, January 14, at the Victoria Whisky Festival in Victoria, B.C.

Chairman of the judges, Davin de Kergommeaux, described Lot No. 40 as: “A rye whisky sensation. Interest in rye is surging globally and here is proof that Canada makes the best all-rye whiskies in the world.”

Other top winners include Canadian Club 100% Rye, Gooderham & Worts, Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye, Crown Royal Hand Selected Barrel, and Masterson’s 10-Year-Old Rye.

“Canada’s whisky makers have responded to skyrocketing interest in Canadian whisky with a wealth of new high-end releases,” said de Kergommeaux as he revealed the winners. “For example, for the first time ever, a major legacy brand, Crown Royal, has bottled single barrel Canadian whisky at high proof.”

Canadian distillers released more small-batch and luxury whiskies in 2015, than ever before. Corby Distillers, for instance introduced four new whiskies including the highly innovative Wiser’s Hopped Whisky.

Forty Creek, Centennial, and Sortilège continued to maintain a strong presence for flavoured whiskies as well.

The list of all the winners is now available at http://www.canadianwhisky.org

Notes:

About the Canadian Whisky Awards

The Canadian Whisky Awards recognize the very best Canadian whiskies and encourage distillers to maintain the highest standards for making whisky. To qualify, the whisky must be distilled and matured in Canada. An independent panel of whisky writers, bloggers, and journalists selects the winners after tasting each whisky blind. Operated on a not-for-profit basis, the Canadian Whisky Awards are fully independent of the Canadian whisky industry.

SOURCE Canadian Whisky Awards

For further information: Davin de Kergommeaux (613) 563-0254

There’s no better way to beat the post-holiday blues than to daydream about summertime while enjoying a dram from our January Outturn. No doubt you’ll find at least one to put you in a dreamy mood!

Enjoy the brief bottle notes below and click on the titles to find the full tasting notes and prices.

Also, the January edition of Unfiltered magazine will be out soon, so keep an eye on your mailboxes!

CASK No. 55.28  DAINTY, MEASURED AND DELICATE 

14 years old; refill hogshead;  58%; Light & delicate

Heady scents of a lemon syrup sponge served in a garden centre.  Iced tea and Toffee Dodger biscuits.  Sweet and peachy, with lychees, vanilla, and burnt orange syrup.  Water brought apple scented soap, distant potpourri, apple juice jelly, with vanilla and dried cranberries to finish.

CASK No. 36.76  A SWEET WINTER WARMER

17 years old; refill barrel; 59.3%; Spicy & sweet

Lush and intensely sweet oaky aromas; honey glazed parsnips, freshly baked croissants and fudge. Warm, tingly and spicy on the palate neat with a cocoa powder finish. Water adds roses and carnations on the nose and in the taste popping candy and sour fruit jellies.

CASK No. 76.122  COMPLEX, SMOOTH AND ELEGANT

27 years old; refill hogshead; 53.6%; Sweet, fruity & mellow

A complex nose – apple, pear, strawberry, lemon sherbet, fudge and ice-cream, with sub-strata of Moroccan spices, saunas and incense smoke. The elegant palate has maple syrup, citrus, dark cherry, nougat and sugared almonds, with oak-derived flavours of sandalwood, leather and anise.

CASK No. 121.80  A CURIOUS AND ECCENTRIC CONUNDRUM

14 years old; refill hogshead; 54.6%; Spicy & sweet

A curious conundrum, the nose has pepper, burnt twigs and salty sweetness (sugared almonds and meatballs) – but also pomegranate, wine gums and flowers. The palate’s sweetness (chocolate, toffee, ice-cream, dark honey) ricochets off deeper elements (sea-salt, sardines, wood, salted caramel).

CASK No. 119.14  RASPBERRY IMPERIAL STOUT

11 years old; 1st fill sherry butt; 53.9%; Deep, rich & dried fruits

Deep notes of sherry trifle, black coffee and dark chocolate with cherry.  Spicy dark fruits of the forest, sweet, earthy beetroot, and imperial stout with raspberry.  Water brought ginger preserve, malt loaf, raspberry concentrate, chocolate prunes and Fisherman’s Friend to the fore.  We wanted more…

CASK No. 29.159  ANYONE FOR CRICKET?

17 years old; refill hogshead; 51.7%; Peated

Old apothecary chests and Germolene antiseptic cream in the cricket pavilion. Wet, mossy grass. Applewood smoke over tuna steak, wasabi, crispy seaweed and salt and vinegar chips. Earl Grey tea. Sportsman’s leathers like well worn gloves and sweet pipe tobacco. Dark chocolate with mint.

CASK No. 66.62  CLASSIC CAESAR COCKTAIL

16 years old; refill gorda; 56.6%; Oily & coastal

Striking a match to light a gas stove to cook pork tenderloin. Neat on the palate just like that gas ignition followed by langoustines, mussels and mackerels. Water makes a classic Caesar Cocktail and on the taste baked salmon croquettes.

SMWS Canada

1988 Blair Athol 26 Year Old K&L Exclusive Signatory Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($179.99)

Last year’s cask of 1988 sherry-aged Blair Athol from Signatory drove our customers into such a frenzy that we still get phone calls asking about it over a year later. The big, rich, caked-in-sherry flavor blended beautifully with the soft-fruited core of the Highland whisky’s profile, creating an absolute beast when bottled at full proof. We’re happy to announce to all those who’ve been begging us for more that we were able to return to Signatory this past spring and purchase the lone sister cask to that beloved Blair Athol, bringing one last batch of that sherry-matured magic to K&L customers one last time. Whereas last year’s cask showcased all the sweetness and sugary spice that Oloroso sherry can offer, this whisky is much drier and earthier on the palate. It’s full of coffee bean, dried prunes, and burnt almonds, lingering far longer on the finish with a more dynamic finale of dried earth and savory splendor. It’s a fitting finale to one of the most talked-about and requested whiskies in K&L history. We’re happy we were able to finish out the legacy with a bang!

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 07, 2015

An expressive, rich and round single malt that is full-bodied. It is packed full of flavor with the sherry barrel aging showing itself. Malty and dried fruit flavors are part of the delicious flavor profile.

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

Vote on your favourite design for our Jura Tastival 2016 bottle packaging

Happy New Year Diurachs!

2016 has just begun, but we’re already busy planning for our favourite event here on the island – our annual whisky festival, Jura Tastival.

Tastival’s all about celebrating flavour, inspiring new ways to enjoy whisky and opening our distillery doors for you to join our exciting programme of whisky tastings, tours and entertainment.

Every year we release a limited edition Tastival bottling to mark the occasion, and this year we want you to help choose the packaging for this special expression.

We gave four artists from around the world an early dram of Jura Tastival 2016 and asked them to bring their tasting notes to life in their own style. The result is an eclectic gallery, highlighting the many ways our whisky can be interpreted – and one of these designs will form the packaging for our limited edition bottle.

Now we want you to help us choose which one by casting your vote here before the end of the week.

The winning design will be revealed when Jura Tastival 2016 is launched in May, where we hope you’ll tell us what you taste in your dram too. Until then, here are the designs to choose from….

Cast your vote here before the 18^th of January for a chance to win a bottle of Jura Tastival 2016 and one of five specially framed prints of the winning artwork. Terms and conditions apply.

United States – Kentucky

Angel’s Envy 100 Proof Rye Whiskey (750ml) (one bottle limit)  $74.99

Cyrus Noble Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)  $24.99

Knob Creek Small Batch 100 Proof Bourbon (750ml) $22.99

Scotland

Bowmore Small Batch Reserve Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $36.99

Isle of Jura 16 Year Old Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $69.99

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

Happy New Year fellow whisky-lovers!

Well, how was it for you? Did you enjoy some good whiskies? We hope so. We also hope you weren’t effected too badly by the flooding or other terrible weather events here in the UK (or elsewhere). Here at TWL HQ in York we had some hairy moments, but luckily no damage done. First thing to note is that we have a shiny new website. We think it looks good and works well but we always love to get your feedback so please feel free have a look around and let us know what you think! We also recognise that one or two features are either missing or not functioning as they should be, so please bear with us whilst we make the necessary adjustments…

BURNS-A-THON

As many of you will know, we always start our whisky year with the thinest available excuse to taste some good stuff. Happily, Robert Burns selflessly provides us this opportunity every January. We certainly raise a dram or two in his direction with the occasional poem depending on location and presenter. Many of the events are now sold out (we didn’t think it fair to show these) but we have added new dates which are as follows;

BURNS’ TASTINGS/DINNERS DATES & VENUES

SUNDAY   24th JAN.            NEWCASTLE, Blackfriars, Friar St., 7pm

MONDAY  25th JAN.            YORK, Brigantes, Micklegate, 7pm

MONDAY  25th JAN.            LEEDS, The Hedonist Project, 156 Briggate, 7pm

TUESDAY 26th JAN.            SHEFFIELD, The Tap, Sheffield Station, 7pm

THURS.    28th JAN.            BRIGHTON, Grand Central, 29-30 Surrey St., 7pm

THURS.    28th JAN.            EDINBURGH, Clouds and Soil, 4 Picardy Place, 7pm

THURS.    28th JAN.            LONDON, Salt Bar, 82 Seymour Street, W2, 7pm

After a couple of years of (very successful) trips to the Feis Ile we have decided in 2016 to do one trip to Islay outside of festival week and one in Speyside. Both are incredible opportunities to get up close and personal with distilleries and their personnel in the respective areas and to spend some quality time with us! Within both trips you will experience more quality whisky than you can shake a stick at, great food, lovely accommodation, beautiful scenery and amazing craic. That enough superlatives for you? As previously, you can choose from 3 day tours or a full week if you’re willing and able…

Back Stage Speyside Options;

Tour 1:         9th – 12th July

Tour 2:        13th – 16th July

Full Week:   9th – 16th July

Back Stage Islay Options;

Tour 1:         1st – 4th October

Tour 2:         5th – 8th October

Full Week:   1st – 8th October

KAVALAN TASTINGS

With our Kavalan Vs Scotland series back in September 2015, we saw how seriously their whisky is to be taken.

With that in mind we decided now might be a good time to see what else they have… So this series, quite simply, is a tasting of six different whiskies from this most exciting of East-Asian distilleries.

TUESDAY 16th FEB.            SHEFFIELD, The Tap, Sheffield Station, 7pm

FRIDAY     19th FEB.            M’CHESTER, Britons Protection, Gt Bridgewater St., 7pm

FRIDAY     19th FEB.            NEWCASTLE, Blackfriars, Friar St., 7pm

SAT           20th FEB.            YORK, Brigantes, Micklegate, 7pm

WEDS       24th FEB.            LIVERPOOL, Jenny’s Bar, Fenwick St., 7pm

WEDS       24th FEB.            LONDON, Salt Bar, 82 Seymour Street, W2, 7pm

WEDS.      24th FEB.            BRIGHTON, Grand Central, 29-30 Surrey St., 7pm

THURS.     25th FEB.            LEEDS, The Cross Keys, Water Lane, 7pm

EDINBURGH TBC

BLENDING WORKSHOPS

Fancy getting your hands dirty? Think you can do better than Chivas or Johnnie Walker? Let’s be having you then! We are running Blending Workshops throughout the year in most venues we already work with to give you the opportunity to blend your own whisky! After tasting some exceptional blends you will be let loose on your own (with a blending partner) to create and name your own blend. You can then take a miniature home to show off!

NEXT BLENDING DATES

TUES.      8TH MARCH               SHEFFIELD, The Tap, Sheffield Station, 7pm

WEDS      9TH MARCH               LEEDS, The Cross Keys, Water Lane, 7pm

THURS.   10TH MARCH             BRIGHTON, Grand Central, 29-30 Surrey St., 7pm

WEDS      23RD MARCH             LONDON, Salt Bar, 82 Seymour Street, W2, 7pm

WEDS      6TH APRIL                  LIVERPOOL, Jenny’s Bar, Fenwick St., 7pm

THURS.   7TH APRIL                   M’CHESTER, Britons Protection, Gt Bridgewater St., 7pm

THURS.   7TH APRIL                   YORK, Brigantes, Micklegate, 7pm

FRIDAY   8TH APRIL                   NEWCASTLE, Blackfriars, Friar St., 7pm

We do have more to tell you about, but I think this is enough to be going on with for now! Keep an eye out for an email at the end of the week with news on the London Whisky Weekender, Whisky Sessions, Brighton, Bristol, Aberdeen and more festivals…

Sláinte

Eddie, Amanda and Joe The Whisky Lounge Team.

Whisky Bible Review 2016

In case you missed it, Jim Murray deployed his annual megaton whisky device recently prompting the usual shockwaves and ramifications. The modestly titled ‘Whisky Bible’ is debated by enthusiasts, scholars and onlookers more than any other award. To those blissfully unaware of whisky itself, it may seem to be the only award that matters. Originally the Malt Maniacs award was a valid barometer of whiskies across a broad spectrum but this has fallen by the wayside, whereas Jim continues on his pilgrimage to educate and promote whiskies from around the world via his soapbox. The format and the man himself both come in for criticism from all sides, but you cannot argue with the impact these awards have and the most visible aftershocks are delivered at auction.

Much ado about nothing or a genuinely fine dram??

For 2016, Jim highlighted his top 5 whiskies from around the world. The biggest surprise being that Scotland wasn’t represented amongst the alumni. The Scottish contingent represents an easy target and whilst some may criticise Jim for having a vendetta; other regional producers are pushing boundaries more arguably enabled by less restrictive rules. Several friends ignore the bible totally whereas I… read more on this month’s Blog