High West Bourye Bourbon/Rye Whiskey (750ml) ( $69.99) High West’s latest batch of Bourye, a marriage of Bourbon and rye adorned with the elusive jackalope – a cross between a jack rabbit and an antelope, is back for another limited run. The Park City, Utah outpost only releases the Bourye when they have sufficient quantities of the necessary ingredients, which are getting more and more difficult to secure in today’s market. This latest batch is bottled at 46% ABV and consists of 9 year old Bourbon, 13 year old rye, and 17 year old rye whiskey all sourced from MGP Distillery in Indiana, formerly known as LDI and Seagrams. Considering that a simple ten year old American rye whiskey seems to be worth its weight in gold, the fact that High West has included casks of a much older heritage is no simple task. The balance between both the richness of the Bourbon and the spiciness of the rye is quite wonderful here. There are no rough edges, the flavors meander from mellow oak to toasted with vanilla, all with a backbone of peppery rye goodness. We never have the Bourye in stock for long and we’re always handling questions about when we’ll get more. David Perkins continues to captivate us with his American whiskey blends, now considered the gold standard of the industry.

United States – Kentucky

Johnny Drum “Private Stock” 101 Proof Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $39.99

Kentucky Vintage Bourbon (750ml) $34.99

Pure Kentucky XO Bourbon (750ml) $34.99

Rowan’s Creek Bourbon (750ml) $39.99

Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon 1.75L (ships as 6L champagne) $89.99

United States

High West Bourye Bourbon/Rye Whiskey (750ml) $69.99

St. George Dry Rye Reposado Gin (750ml) $39.99

Taos Lightning Governer’s Reserve 5 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)  $46.99

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

This week Joe Ellis starts his vertical tasting of the Highland Park range with their entry level 12 Year Old Single Malt.

https://youtu.be/kC1v5e8ZHs8

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

BUSHMILLS® IRISH WHISKEY LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EVER TRAVEL RETAIL EXCLUSIVE

THE STEAMSHIP COLLECTION™ is new innovation range, inspired by travel, from Ireland’s oldest working distillery

15 February 2016: BUSHMILLS® Irish Whiskey today announced its first new range of limited edition Irish whiskeys available exclusively to shoppers in select travel retail outlets – THE STEAMSHIP COLLECTION™. The first release in the collection, SHERRY CASK RESERVE, combines the centuries-old fine Irish whiskey making craft with intercontinental flavours, to mark the 125^th anniversary of the maiden voyage of SS Bushmills.

The limited edition collection is inspired by the extraordinary voyages of the SS Bushmills steamship to new corners of the world and introduces a range of special cask matured Bushmills Irish Whiskeys. In 1890 the ship, commissioned by then owners The Boyd Brothers, set course for America, travelling as far as Philadelphia and Yokohama, before eventually returning refilled with casks of rum, fortified wine and bourbon – the gateway to new flavour possibilities.

David Phelan, Director of Jose Cuervo® Global Travel Retail, said: “The launch marks an exciting phase for Bushmills and demonstrates Jose Cuervo’s commitment to unlocking the potential of this legendary whiskey in the high profile travel retail channel. The Steamship Collection is available now in Belfast, Dublin and London Heathrow, and while it can’t be purchased elsewhere, we hope distribution will extend across the world, just like the voyages of SS Bushmills to the USA, Asia and beyond.”

SHERRY CASK RESERVE is exclusively matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry butts to deliver additional spiced honey, dark chocolate and rich dried fruit flavours. The bottle is presented in a distinctive maritime-designed packaging featuring a replica illustration of the famous Bushmills steamship.

Speaking about Bushmills’ tradition for innovation Colum Egan, Master Distiller at The Old Bushmills Distillery, said, “For centuries distillers have experimented with different barrels so naturally I was inspired by the adventures of the ship and the opportunities it opened to experiment with various casks from around the world. So, together with Master Blender Helen Mulholland, we created a whiskey with a rich, complex flavour and a smooth finish – a characteristic synonymous with our range of triple distilled whiskeys.”

A limited number of bottles of SHERRY CASK RESERVE are available now exclusively to travellers in Belfast City, Dublin and Heathrow T5 priced at €80, £65, $89 for 1Litre. It is the first release in the collection, which will soon comprise three permanent expressions plus regular special releases.

Notes

• SHERRY CASK RESERVE is available in 1L
• SHERRY CASK RESERVE has an RRP of €80, £65, $89
• SHERRY CASK RESERVE has an ABV of 40%

TASTING NOTES

Oloroso (‘scented’ in Spanish) is a darker sherry, with a rich and nutty flavour profile. This adds to sherry’s intense raisin characteristics and provides a new layer of complexity within the whiskey.

Colour: Medium rich gold

Nose: A full bodied intriguing aroma with dried fruit, spices and burnt sugar sweetness

Taste: Bushmills’ distinctive honeyed maltiness is intensified in this robust, darker liquid. Dark chocolate, nuttiness and spice with sweet oils mingle with vanilla and honey.

Finish: A long, sweet and smooth finish with subtle liquorice notes.

HAMISH GIVES ADVICE ON COLLECTING WHISKY IN 3 EASY STEPS
Don’t forget free postage on all orders over £75

 Glenmorangie Milsean

Step one:

‘ Try to purchase a limited edition whisky that has just been released to the market and attracts a high level of interest.’ Introducing the Glenmorangie Milsean: a whisky that can be bought to drink and to collect. Crafted using both bourbon and red wine barrels in an attempt to create a sweet candy flavour, it is the 7th edition from the Glenmorangie private edition range. £76 click to buy

Bowmore 1967

Step two:

‘Consider age and distillery reputation when making whisky collecting decisions:’ Bowmore is amongst the most sought-after whiskies in the world when it comes to collecting; it has a legendary reputation that helps to make it one of the most popular investment whiskies in the world. Older Bowmore whiskies are getting thinner on the ground, and this 1967 ticks all the right boxes. Highly limited!  £2700 Click to buy

Step three:

Port Ellen 31 year old ‘Platinum Old and Rare’

‘Keep your eyes open for closed distillery releases. One day soon there will be no more liquid left of some of the world’s most in-demand whiskies.’ Port Ellen finds its self in the top 10 most collectable whiskies year after year, and is amongst our top tips to collectors the world over. Closed in 1983, demand for this distillery’s rare liquid continues to surge. This particular release is limited to only 28 bottles and is resistricted to one bottle per customer!  £1420 Click to buy

The Whisky Barrel have published a two part series on their recent visit to Daftmill Distillery.

The articles may be read here;

PART ONE

PART TWO

An afternoon with Angels

Sunday 1 May Royal Hotel Elgin, 3pm

This will be a spiritual experience. How the Angels get their share, how much they get and where from. The heavenly drink!

Our afternoon is shared with the MCLEANSCOTLAND Spiritual Team of Vic Cameron and Robert Ransom. Vic is ex Diageo and now is a minister in his own church – how did that happen? And why? So Vic knows all about the Angels taking drams, he now also chats with them via the Heavenly sermons! Robert is the founder of Angels Nectar, an ex Glenfarclas man, he too knows a thing or two about Angels. We have also good background support, as our own whisky club; Angels Whisky Club has for a Patron, no less than Charles Maclean.

During the ageing process, at least 2% of the whisky in each (Scottish) barrel evaporates through the oak. Although 2% may sound small, at around 50 litres lost per barrel over a ten year maturation period (multiplied by thousands of barrels) it can add up to many hundreds of thousands of litres. A twenty year old whisky, for example, can lose up to 40% of its volume to evaporation, about £1 million per year!

DRAMS; 5 drams to share in the afternoon with a nibble of food or two!

Limited £45 tickets available from info@whiskytours.scot or www.spiritofspeyside.com/events

Bernheim 7 Year Old “K&L Exclusive Barrel #5253297” Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey (750ml – ships as 1.5L) ( $29.99) The Bernheim Whiskey, named for the magnificent and monolithic distillery and its namesake Isaac Wolfe Bernheim, is one of Heaven Hill’s innovative new products developed after the purchase of the distillery in the late 90s. IW Bernheim was the famous creator of the IW Harper brand and godfather of the Louisville whiskey scene. His namesake product, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, uses an unusual mashbill of 51% wheat, 39% corn and a hefty 10% dollop of malt. The idea behind the high wheat whiskey was to design a softer flavor profile that would appeal to a broad range of people. The high wheat content means we don’t have the spicy of a rye heavy bourbon, but that does not mean they are lacking in complexity. A few months ago we travelled to Kentucky to visit the Heaven Hill facility and select a couple of casks of this special whiskey. What we found were some fabulous whiskies only a few stylistic steps sideways from the ultra-popular and hard to get wheated bourbons on the market. We selected two casks with quite different profiles and believe they’ll change the image of this style of whiskey. This barrel, the more classic Kentucky bourbon profile of the two has tons of rich vanilla, soft fruit and subtle barrel spice. Medium bodied and easy drinking with absolutely no bite, this is an easy going yet distinctive whiskey.

United States

Bernheim 7 Year Old “K&L Exclusive Barrel #5253192” Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey (750ml – ships as 1.5L) $29.99

Bernheim 7 Year Old “K&L Exclusive Barrel #5253297” Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey (750ml – ships as 1.5L) $29.99

Scotland

Kilchoman “PLOWED” Single Barrel #351 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)  $119.99

Kilchoman “PLOWED” Single Barrel #364 Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml)  $119.99

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

Amber Glen 3 year old Blended Scotch Whisky

Awarded a Gold medal at CWSA the most influential wines & spirits competition in the world

We are proud to announce that Amber Glen 3 year old Blended Scotch Whisky has won a Gold medal at CWSA Best Value 2016 wines & spirits competition held in Hong Kong on the 31 st January.

CWSA Judges are drawn from the most renowned and influential Importers, Distributors, Sommeliers, and Hoteliers from throughout China, that together sell 75 million bottles of wine and spirits per year, making CWSA the most influential wine and spirits awards in the world. It is no secret that China has experienced a massive exponential growth in sales of wine & spirits in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue with wine & spirits imports predicted to more than double by 2018.

Recognition with a Gold medal at the largest and most prestigious wine and spirits competition in China is a true honor as we have been singled out by some of the most important buyers in the Chinese wine and spirit market. The results of their blind taste tests will guide consumers buying decisions in 2016 in China and Hong Kong and we hope that Amber Glen 3 year old Blended Scotch Whisky will soon be enjoyed by many more.

We entered the competition knowing that the blind tasting would stand us in good stead on a level playing field, but when competing alongside some of the largest companies in the industry and with so many long established world renowned names on the table, this award is simply phenomenal and reaffirms the excellence of our provenance product and our teams commitment in upholding great value for our customers when selecting Amber Glen 3 year old Blended Scotch Whisky.

“Amber Glen embodies the flavours and aromas of a time gone by, in a celebration of perfection for you to enjoy”. Sláinte

www.amberglen.co.uk

END FEBRUARY & EARLY MARCH TASTINGS

Panel Beaters – The Vaults, Thu 25 Feb  More >

Birmingham Preview Tasting – Hotel du Vin, Fri 26 Feb  More >

Manchester Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 26 Feb  More >

Newcastle Preview Tasting – The Caledonian Hotel, Fri 26 Feb  More >

Stirling Preview Tasting – The Golden Lion Hotel, Fri 26 Feb  More >

Glenturret, Macallan & Highland Park – The Vaults, Mon 7 Mar  More >

FREE EVENTS AT THE VAULTS

Live Music with Main street Blues – Tue 23 Feb   More >

6 Nations on the Big Screen – Next match Fri 26 Feb   More >

Poker Night – Tue 8 Mar   More >

Browse All Events & Tastings >

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm).

Visit the Society here for membership information

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

Spirit of Toronto returns Saturday May 7!

Winter may be in high gear but hopefully this dispatch finds you in good health and good spirits as we count down to the 12th annual Spirit of Toronto on Saturday, May 7 at Roy Thomson Hall.

Tickets for this year’s Spirit of Toronto Annual Gala go on sale after the Easter long weekend on Tuesday, March 29 at 10:00am sharp. Once again tickets will be sold through Roy Thomson Hall’s box office online, by telephone and in person at 60 Simcoe Street. Those of you subscribed to this list will receive an automatic email notification the night before.

The full schedule of tastings for our 2016 Masterclass Series is almost complete, and will be published online in the next few weeks. Seats for these tutored tastings may be reserved when purchasing tickets to the show. Stay tuned for full details in the next update.