Zuidam back at Maltstock

We can proudly say that after Patrick’s first Masterclass at Maltstock last year, he will be back with even more geekyness, even more MASTER-class, even more whisky, and even more awesomeness.  Last year Patrick brought a wooping amount of different styles of Zuidam whiskies, young, old, very young, experiments, on sherry, on bourbon and anything inbetween. People learned about distilling, wood influence, temperatures, nots, bolts, cask shapes and everthing else a whisky nerd thinks is cool. However last year’s Masterclass lasted for nearly 3 hours, Patrick wasn’t done. He will be back to continue where he left off, and will have some nice surprises up his sleeve for you to enjoy. And who knows, he might team up with someone. With Patrick (Zuidam), Mark Watt (Cadenhead), and Yumi (Chichibu) three masterclass are out in the open already, and it’s not even March yet. Many more masterclasses are going to be communicated to you in the next couple of weeks. Follow us on Facebook to get the news the fastest. Keep in mind, no ticket = no masterclass, so if you don’t have a ticket yet, please hurry in a relaxed manner to our webshop at maltstock.com. Click here

selfie competition

Be creative, be original, be crazy and above all be relaxed with the Maltstock logo, polo, or whatever Maltstock related object you can find. And win a bottle of whisky. Make a selfie with that object or objects and share it on Facebook with a #maltstockselfie tag and send the photo with your name to selfie@maltstock.com. The photos will be shown during the camp fire tasting, where the winner will be announced as well.

PROMO TOUR CONTINUES

This Saturday you can find us at the sold out Whisky in Leiden festival in the booth of a Brand New Day, where we will be pouring you their very relaxed whiskies.  Like every year, Maltstock will tour the Spirit of Speyside festival with the Relaxed Maltstock Promo Tour Car sponsored by passievoorwhisky.nl  Maybe spot the car and make a relaxed selfie with it? Just an idea. Maltstock will be present at Limburg Whisky Messe in Limburg am Lahn as well.

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This year the Maltstock breakfast will be made by a Keeper of the Quaich. How relaxed is that? Congratulations Wullie, it’s well deserved!

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Agenda (Maltstock visiting other festivals): Whisky in Leiden 16 Apr. 2016 Limburg Whisky Messe 23-24 Apr. 2016 Speyside Whisky Festival 28 Apr. – 2 May 2016

Macallan 1988 – Speymalt

New from Independent bottlers Gordon & Macphail is this 1988 vintage Macallan. Beautiful and inviting colour on this Speyside single malt Scotch whisky, aged for around 28 years before being bottled in 2016 as part of the excellent Speymalt series.

£229.80

Launching the Jim Beam Devil’s Cut, Jim Beam Double Oak and Jim Beam Apple

– Also introducing other renewed Jim Beam brand products –

Beam Suntory’s Japan business (Suntory Spirits Limited) is newly launching bourbon whiskies Jim Beam Devil’s Cut and Jim Beam Double Oak and the liqueur Jim Beam Apple of the Jim Beam brand, from July 5 in Japan.

As the popularity of Whiskey-Highball drinks continues to increase, the mild flavor of our bourbon whiskey Jim Beam and the television commercials featuring television personality Rola have been well received, contributing to the large 62% year-on-year growth in sales volume for 2015.

Now, in order to promote the Jim Beam brand’s wide range of unique character, bourbon whiskies Jim Beam Devil’s Cut and Jim Beam Double Oak as well as the liqueur Jim Beam Apple are being newly added to the lineup.
At the same time, the packaging of Jim Beam Black, Jim Beam Rye will be renewed and Jim Beam Honey will renew its taste and packaging, in order to reinforce the Jim Beam brand.

Jim Beam Devil’s Cut
This is blended by using its unique method of extracting unblended bourbon whiskey trapped inside the cask in which bourbon was aged. It is characterized by the deep aroma of oak with a taste of bitterness.

Jim Beam Double Oak
This uses unblended bourbon whiskey that was aged a second time in a new American white oak cask, following four years of aging in a different bourbon cask. It is distinguished by a flavor that is sweet and smooth like caramel.

Jim Beam Apple
This is Apple liqueur infused with Kentucky Straight Bourbon and taste smooth, mild and refreshing taste.

Discover the secrets of Speyside Distillery during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

Speyside Distillery – the home of SPEY whisky – is opening its doors to the public for the second year in a row for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. Visitors to the Festival – which takes place from Thursday April 28 to Monday May 2 – will have the rare opportunity to see inside the picturesque distillery at exclusive behind the scenes tours and tastings.

For 360 days of the year, the skills behind producing SPEY whisky is kept a closely guarded secret as the distillery is not open to the general public.

But all that changes during the Festival – a five-day celebration of Scotland’s most famous export – when a small group of lucky visitors get to discover the secret for themselves and see what goes on behind the distillery’s closed doors.

Distillery manager Sandy Jamieson, who has 37 years of experience in the industry, says that feedback from last year’s Festival was extremely positive and he’s looking forward to doing it all over again.

He adds, “Last year we were the newcomers to the Festival, so we didn’t really know what to expect. The entire five days went by so quickly and by the end we were all overwhelmed with all the fantastic responses we received from visitors.

“It was great meeting with whisky enthusiasts who were all extremely interested in SPEY whisky and how it’s created. As the distillery is not normally open to the public, people get a real feel for how the place runs on a day-to-day basis. It’s always really rewarding meeting people who are genuinely interested in what we do.

“We keep the groups quite small, as we’re a small distillery, so it’s very personal and they’re able to ask questions and interact with me throughout.”

The picturesque distillery, which is located near Kingussie in the south of the Speyside region, is hosting exclusive distillery tours on each day of the Festival.

Guests will then have the chance to participate in nosing and tasting of four of Sandy’s specially selected single malts, which will include expressions with vintage or cask finishes such as bourbon, sherry or port.

The ticket price of £30 also includes tea, coffee and light bites, and there may be an opportunity to view Speyside Distillery’s artist in residence Joanna Miller at work. Joanna is a former student of the Princes School of Traditional Arts and has provided artistic links between SPEY and the school. She specialises in print making, with a special interest in screen printing.

This year, visitors have the chance to take home a bottle to remind them about their experience. An exclusive retail shop will be set up selling a range of rare and limited edition SPEY bottlings that are not available anywhere else in the world. The shop can only be accessed by Festival visitors, and will close down as soon as the curtain falls on the event.

Festival-goers will also be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the taste of SPEY whisky whilst on board the Strathspey Steam Railway. Speyside Distillery is providing afternoon tea with a whisky-infused twist – an on-board nosing and tasting of four different expressions and two limited editions, all accompanied by sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea and coffee. Tickets are priced at £35.

Tickets for all of the events at Speyside Distillery are available to buy now through the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival website, http://www.spiritofspeyside.com/ The Festival comprises almost 500 different events, including distillery tours, whisky tasting, food events and music.

Speyside Distillery, home of the SPEY brand of malt whisky, has been in production since 1990 and is operated by Speyside Distillers Ltd. For further information about Speyside Distillery, visit http://www.speysidedistillery.co.uk/ and info@speysidedistillers.co.uk. Follow Speyside Distillery on Twitter @SpeySingleMalt and on Facebook at facebook.com/speysidedistillery

Picture caption – Distillery manager Sandy Jamieson will be leading tours at Speyside Distillery which is opening its doors exclusively for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

The ultimate expression of handcrafted excellence! Composed of specially selected casks of single malt Scotch whisky (80%) and carefully matured Scottish grain whisky (20%) for binding purposes, the youngest whiskies contained within are a minimum 40 years old. Varying amounts of whisky from former American Bourbon barrels, European hogsheads and former Sherry butts (70 originating from the Speyside region, 25% from the Highlands and 5% from the Lowlands) were married together at 25 years old. After an additional 15 years of aging, this whisky was finished in sherry casks, originating from Jerez, for an additional six months before bottling.

 The Classic Cask 40yo

Tasting Notes

COLOR: Deep burnished gold

NOSE: Rich, fruity, dark vanilla, raisins & hints of Demerara rum

PALATE: Nutty with hazelnuts, oak and hints of spice.

FINISH: Extraordinarily long with traces of cedar and bits of fig

Cask and Barrel Club · 10208 NW 50th Street · Sunrise, FL 33351 · USA

Now To The New Stock…

We can now let the world have a chance to grab a bottle of the new William Cadenhead Speyside 40 year old. So many of you who wanted this dram last week only to find the initial stocks had sold out on pre order, well lucky me I managed to get a good supply to release to the world this week. I say a good supply it’s only a few cases but given how quickly things sell these days more than 6 bottles is a good stock level to have at Cadenheads London.

The label states the region obviously being Speyside, then we have the amazing age statement 40 years old. This is a bourbon oak cask matured whisky, so perfect for those who want a nice clear range of tastes.

It’s very smooth naturally for a dram that’s 40 years old, with the right balance of soft oak and spice along with hints of bread and butter pudding (Ok i am hungry now)

We tried this dram with salted caramel chocolate and it was a real delight. Some soft edges towards the end of the dram gave way to a little nuttiness too.

The full official tasting notes will be on the site. Price per bottle £123.95

The last chance to purchase batch 1 of the Loch Fyne Living Cask

 
The Loch Fyne Living Cask (Batch 1)

Only 3,000 bottles of The Living Cask Batch 1 were produced when we drew our first batch in early 2015. Now, only 50 of those bottles remain before it’s gone forever.

We’ve created a whisky that will live through many unique incarnations, each one showing new and different characteristics to the last. No two batches are ever the same, and can never be replicated. That’s what defines The Living Cask®! This is your final opportunity to lay your hands on a bottle of the legendary Batch 1! (Available while stocks last)

£45 – Click to buy

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #126

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries the very first offering of the northernmost distillery on the Scottish mainland. Wolfburn Distillery in the Northern Highlands has finally released their very first single malt. The distillery, founded in 2012, launched a 3 year old in February 2016. Many people have been looking out for it – Mark included. And as it happens: the whisky is marvelous. 

https://youtu.be/YdOweEm7wO0

The Glenfiddich Distillery to unlock some of its Rarest Casks 

Visitors to the Glenfiddich Distillery will have exclusive access to some of its rarest whisky via a new addition to the Glenfiddich Gift Shop – the Glenfiddich Gallery.

The Gallery area of the shop showcases a selection of eight extraordinary, rare and old casks  – each specially selected by Glenfiddich’s 6th Malt Master, Brian Kinsman for their exceptional quality. Using a specially developed taste profiling tool and design software visitors can choose a bottle to be drawn from one of these casks and then customise its label and packaging – creating a truly personal and unique whisky.

The casks range in age from 20 to 30 years old and individual bottles will cost from £338 to £1450.

Duncan McDonald, manager of the Glenfiddich Gift Shop said; “This is a revolutionary new addition to our gift shop providing whisky enthusiasts with the opportunity to discover their perfect whisky based on its taste profile and then match this to our specially chosen cask selection. Only a small number of bottles (between 96 and just 6) are available from each cask ensuring each one is extremely precious. Combined with the opportunity to create bespoke packaging each final bottle will be totally unique.”

The interest in old and limited edition whiskies has grown dramatically in recent years and there is now a buoyant collectors and investors market.

Peter van Peborgh-Gooch, General Manager, Visitor Centers William Grant & Sons added: “At Glenfiddich our priority is making amazing tasting whisky – which is why our single malts are the most awarded in the world – but there is no doubt our Distillery Exclusive bottles will also appeal to whisky collectors, making a great talking point and an exceptional gift.”

The Glenfiddich Gift Shop was given a major refurbishment in 2015 and alongside a full selection of Glenfiddich whiskies also sells growing collection of art and handcrafted goods. Amongst recent additions to the product line-up are stunning artworks by American artist Michael Sanzone. Sanzone participated in the Glenfiddich International Artist in Residence programme in 2008 when he lived and worked at the Distillery for a three-month period. During this time he became fascinated with former whisky casks and began constructing wooded collage based works utilising pieces of casks. The Glenfiddich Gift shop will feature an exhibition of Sanzone’s works from the end of March onwards with many of the pieces available to purchase.

Duncan McDonald added: ”Our Gift Shop is growing into a destination in its own right offering the opportunity to see and purchase an expanding selection of whisky, art and crafted gifts.”

Oban Little Bay – win a trip to Scotland!

Oban was one of the first whisky distilleries I visited; it was more than a decade ago, but I remember it well. Situated on Scotland’s west coast in the heart of the Highland town of the same name, Oban is one of the most popular whisky tours in the country, and with good reason.

Oban Distillery is located in the middle of the eponymous town

Little Bay is this much-loved distillery’s latest whisky, and to celebrate, The Whisky Exchange is giving one person the chance to experience a trip to Oban for themselves. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to buy a bottle of Little Bay, and you’ll enter our prize draw.

One lucky winner will receive:

• flights to Glasgow from the UK for two people
• transfers to and from the hotel
• VIP tour of Oban Distillery
• dinner for two (up to the value of £75)
• one night’s hotel accommodation (twin or double room), including breakfast.

How does Little Bay differ from regular Oban bottlings? Well, it spends part of its life in 200-litre ex-bourbon barrels – the smallest you’ll find at the distillery – which impart rich, spicy notes to this fruity, honeyed whisky. This is what I thought when I tried it:

OBAN LITTLE BAY, 43%

Nose: Clean, bright fruit, with aromas of peach, orange peel and a touch of red berries. Some pleasing oatmeal-biscuit notes, too, along with honey and cherry.

Palate: Fuller on the palate, with cinnamon and clove mingling with rich, honeyed fruit – apricot, apple and orange – and brioche. A sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper perks up the palate, too, along with a hint of barrel char.

Finish: The citrus fruit and spices fade in equal proportion.

This is a cracking new whisky, and a great prize, too, so don’t delay – you need to buy your bottle of Little Bay by Friday 13 May to be in with a chance. Good luck! For full details, go to our Oban Little Bay prize draw page