THREE RARE WHISKIES FEATURE IN BONHAMS MAY WHISKY SALE

A rare bottle of Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach-70 year old, estimated £15,000-18,000

A rare bottle of Gordon & MacPhail Generations Mortlach-70 year old leads Bonhams Whisky sale in Edinburgh on 8 June. It is estimated at £15,000-18,000.

Described by renowned whisky writer Charles Maclean as “a delicate, fresh, vital, fruity whisky, but with unusual attributes of waxiness and smokieness,” the Mortlach-70 year old was issued in a limited edition of 54 of which this is number 53. Distilled in 1938 at Mortlach Distillery, Dufftown, matured at the distillery and later at the bonded warehouses of Gordon & MacPhail, the whisky comes in a hand blown glass decanter with sterling silver stopper and cradle.

The Macallan Millennium Decanter-50 year old-1949 is estimated at £12,000-14,000

Other rarities in the sale include:

The Macallan Millennium Decanter-50 year old-1949, bottled in May 1999.  The Caithness Glass decanter with engraved copper collar comes in a fitted oak presentation case and is estimated at £12,000-14,000.

The Dalmore Candela-50 year old, which comes in a crystal decanter and is numbered 30 of 77, is also estimated at £12,000-14,000.  The whisky is blended from maturing stocks dating from 1868, 1878, 1909, 1922, 1939 and 1951. No other single Highland malt whisky can claim such a pedigree and experts are predicting that it will become one of the most collectible of all whiskies.

The Dalmore Candela-50 year old is estimated at £12,000-14,000

Bonhams Whisky specialist Martin Green said, “It’s unusual to have three such important whiskies in the same sale. I’m particularly excited about the Damore Candela 50 year old. This whisky has a legendary reputation among collectors for its complexity and subtlety. It is set to become one of the greatest of whiskies and I expect a lot of interest.”

One of the most intriguing lots in the sale is an early 20th century bottle of Johnnie Walker Old Highland Whisky estimated at £3,500-4,500. The vendor confirms that it was bought originally by his wife’s grandfather, a publican who was the first man to open a full restaurant in a pub.  In doing so, he anticipated the trend for gastro pubs by several decades. His pub/restaurant in Notting Hill was so highly regarded it was included in Egon Ronay’s celebrated restaurant guide.

-Enquiries

For further information and images call Andrew Currie on +44 (0) 20 7468 5871, or email andrew.currie@bonhams.com or press@bonhams.com.

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #131

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, releases his own whisky under the MMM label. MMM stands for Mark & Manny’s Malts and is the newest whisky adventure by Mark Dermul and Imanuel (Manny) Dijk (you may remember them from the Save Lars Whisky releases). They want to continue bringing excellent, but affordable single malts to the market, but with a twist: very limited releases of only 50 bottles. This is their inaugural release: a young and feisty sherry matured cask strength Craigellachie. 

https://youtu.be/8XLF4XBdoA0

Photo Credit Rob McDougall

A FLAVOUR OF THE FUTURE – INGENIOUS NEW-LOOK WHISKY DISTILLERY LAUNCHED IN FIFE

Technology and innovation is key to InchDairnie Distillery’s quest for flavour

InchDairnie Distillery, an ingenious new-look malt whisky distillery, was unveiled today, Tuesday 17^th May, in Fife, Scotland.

From its striking contemporary architecture and deep grey colour, to a meticulously designed whisky-making process based on five flavour innovations, InchDairnie Distillery is taking a bold, forward-thinking approach to producing Scotch malt whisky, while remaining respectful of tradition.

Founded by whisky industry veteran, Ian Palmer, the distillery is located in the outskirts of Kinglassie, Fife. The build took around 18 months and it will produce two million litres of whisky in its first year and as such, it steps away from the recent surge in ‘micro’ distilleries.

The distillery, which has created 10 new jobs, uses numerous energy-efficient production methods, all designed to enhance its quest to innovate with flavour, and allowing InchDairnie to reduce waste and save energy.

Over the coming years, InchDairnie Distillery will focus on laying down stock for the future and the creation of its first InchDairnie Single Malt Scotch whisky, which is expected to be available to consumers around 2029. In addition, the distillery will make a malt for blending to sell to other distillers such as its strategic partner MacDuff International.

“We are fortunate not to be under any commercial pressure to release our whisky so we will wait until the whisky is at its absolute best, which could be in 10, 12 or 15 years time, only time will tell.” said Ian Palmer.

Five flavour innovations*

The distillery building is contemporary both inside and out; its dark colour and sharp, angular design is symbolic of its forward-thinking approach to traditional whisky-making.

Inside, the distillery incorporates five flavour innovations that, when combined, create a completely unique flavour:

1. Seasonal barley – the rare use of winter barley, as well as more traditional spring barley
2. Mash conversion techniques – using an unconventional mash filter and hammer mill, a combination which is very rare in Scottish distilling
3. Unique yeast recipe – the blend of yeast strains used is unique to InchDairnie Distillery
4. High gravity fermentation – higher than normal gravities allow for a more flavoursome spirit
5. Bespoke stills with double condensers – distinct still shape and double condensers ensures more copper contact and helps create a unique flavour profile. It’s believed to be the only distillery to use double condensers.

* More information on the five flavour innovations is available on request

House style

InchDairnie Distillery uses local Fife barley and water in creating what will be a full-bodied and complex whisky with a slightly sweet edge, in contrast to the traditional ‘Lowland’ style.

InchDairnie Distillery has been developed by Palmer, who has almost 40 years’ experience in the whisky industry: “InchDairnie is the culmination of a dream and everything I’ve learnt about whisky-making over the last four decades.

“I’m hugely respectful of whisky-making traditions, but at InchDairnie our vision is to use technical expertise to capture and nurture all of the flavours from the whisky-making process.

“That’s why, alongside traditional ingredients such as water, malted barley and yeast, technology and innovation will be important ingredients in our whisky. The contemporary look of the distillery is designed to reflect our approach.

“A great deal of our time and investment has been focused on ensuring that every piece of equipment and every step of the whisky-making process has been thoroughly researched and fine-tuned to create the best possible spirit.”

The distillery will be focusing on making whisky over the next few years, so there are no plans for a visitor centre.

Photo Credit Rob McDougall

Notes

• InchDairnie is operated by John Fergus & Co. Ltd
• John Fergus & was founded in 2011 by Ian Palmer and he is the managing director at John Fergus & Co Ltd.
• InchDairnie has been supported from a technical point of view by the Mauri Yeast, Tatlock and Thomson, Speyside Cooperage and the company’s malt supplier Muntons.

New Nikka whiskies – power of three

When Jim Murray named Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 his 2015 World Whisky of the Year, no-one could have foreseen the unprecedented demand Japanese whisky would experience over the following years. It’s been almost a year since Nikka’s announcement that due to lack of mature stocks, it would be discontinuing all its single malts with age statements. We don’t know how long it will be before they’re back, but European brand ambassador Sayumi Oyama told us she hopes it will be within a decade.

In the meantime, three new replacement whiskies have been released and are now here. There’s a pair of new NAS single malts, from Miyagikyo and Yoichi, along with a blend: The Nikka 12 Year Old. The 12yo can carry an age statement as there are enough stocks of aged grain and only a smaller amount of malt is needed for this ongoing release. Let’s give them a try:

The Nikka 12 Year Old, 43%

Tasting Notes by Stuart P

Nose: Punchy and spicy, with green peppercorns battling it out with red fruits, butterscotch and nutmeg. Precise and poised.

Palate: Rich, clean fruit – greengages and Granny Smith apples. Vibrant fruit-cake notes with a hint of toffee and sweet spice to smooth things out.

Finish: Very fresh despite the richness, this is a class act. Refreshing and moreish.

Comment: Beautifully balanced between tempting sweetness and refreshing fruit. Lovely stuff.

Nikka Miyagikyo Single Malt, 45%

Tasting Notes by Rocky L

Nose: Light and elegant nose of fruity banana and pear intertwined with spicy liquorice and cinnamon.

Palate: Creamy texture, malty and spicy in character with nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, coffee, milk chocolate and stewed pear.

Finish: Medium in length with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon.

Comment: The use of sherry casks is evident on the palate but the whisky still retains an elegance and spiciness that makes it very moreish.

Nikka Yoichi Single Malt, 45%

Tasting Notes by Rocky L

Nose: Very complex nose – lots going on here! Maritime character with fruity, spicy and floral notes; sea spray at first whiff is joined by lemon, allspice, hints of violet and an underlying smokiness.

Palate: Rich and creamy in texture. There’s a smoky warmth, with notes of brine, mllk chocolate, hazelnut, lemon and apple.

Finish: Medium-to-long length with the fruitiness slowly dissipating to leave drying smoke.

Comment: This is superb with incredible complexity of flavour, yet still retaining the distillery’s classic maritime and smoky character. Dare I say Japan’s answer to Talisker?

Apart from the recent awards and press coverage, another reason that Japanese whisky has seen a huge surge in demand is those that have discovered have been impressed with the high quality; this new trio is no different. The Miyagikyo is elegant yet rich with a sherried character that fans of Scotch will recognise; the Yoichi is proof that it’s not just Scotland that can make good smoky whisky; and The Nikka 12 debunks the common misconception that blends are not rich or complex whiskies. All three are now available on The Whisky Exchange website.

Founders Private Cellar for £175.00

This whisky slept for the first half of it’s life in a bourbon cask before moving to a virgin oak cask no.365. An unusual scenario that has resulted in a magnificent whisky.

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Freshly baked treacle tart and milk chocolate digestive biscuits. Vanilla, stewed pears and bananas. Woody with hints of honeysuckle, soft leather and liquorice.

Taste: Milk chocolate and vanilla. A hint of golden syrup. Very fruity with an almost herbal note of fresh sage. A lovely long, dry and spicy finish. These are numbered bottles with 285 produced in total.

ORDER YOURS ONLINE NOW

Glenlivet 34 Year Old 1981 Signatory Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

www.ralfy.com mentions gardening disinfectant in relation to Whisky Review 584 – Lagavulin 8yo @ 48% (200th anniversary)

Whiskey Thief

“Behind the mysterious mask hides our wonderfully unique bourbon, fusing time-honoured methods with rare and innovative techniques to create a mature flavour as rich as the Whiskey Thief story.”

Welcome to the Global launch of Whiskey Thief, the bourbon that fuses whiskey-making tradition with innovation, to offer the modern consumer an intriguing, contemporary brand with a smoother, more mature flavour.

Whiskey Thief is authentic to its core, created by Bourbon experts specifically to fill a gap in the market, offering consumers something refreshingly different. From its distinctive mask-style label to its

contemporary typography and bold colour scheme, Whiskey Thief is very much the antithesis to most bourbon brands that follow a well-trodden design path and apply similarly traditional themes, names and motifs. Everything about Whiskey Thief reflects the ethos and independent spirit of its UK-based creators.

The Bourbon in every bottle has been developed over several years with MGP Distillery in Lawrenceberg, ‘Malt Advocate’s 2015 Distiller of the Year’. During this development process, the team ran a particularly exciting experiment which utilized new innovation made available from the barrel industry. The results were truly captivating as they discovered a method, which helped the clock tick a little faster and accelerate the maturation process. The finished taste profile is a mature and truly well-rounded flavour, with a pleasant sweetness, an undercurrent of fruit spice and delicate vanilla and mocha notes. 

Whiskey Thief is delicious either as a smooth, sipping drink or in a refreshing cocktail. Its initial run is limited to 80 barrels meaning that every drop is created with a labour of love.

Whiskey Thief is perfectly poised to capture the imagination of bourbon connoisseurs and newcomers alike and its mystery surely won’t remain a secret for long.

Follow Whiskey Thief on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – @WhiskeyThiefWT. For PR please contact Kitty Lester – kitty@childhoodpr.co.uk and Laura Martin – laura@reallifepr.com.

Whiskey Thief will be distributed in the UK exclusively by Amathus Drinks Plc – www.amathusdrinks.com.For more information, please contact holly@amathusdrinks.com.

Islay Festival whisky offers – save on your favourite drams

We’ve got 17 whiskies with 17 great offers

It’s that time of year again. If you know any whisky geeks online, then Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are probably already filling up with pictures of the Scottish countryside, Calmac ferries and the Port Askaig petrol pump – it’s time for Fèis Ìle, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music.

Unfortunately, the blog team aren’t going to be on the island this year, but here at The Whisky Exchange we believe in bringing the festival into people’s homes. By which we mean we’ve got a load of special offers on Islay drams – you can find them all on our Islay Festival Favourites page.

The festivities kick off today, but the whisky programme proper starts tomorrow with Lagavulin’s open day. It’s the distillery’s 200th anniversary, and while details of the special bottle that will be on sale only at the distillery are somehow still secret, the limited-edition celebratory 8 Year Old is available from our website  – you can read all about it here. Or if you’re after something richer and more relaxed, we have £7.70 off the ever-popular Lagavulin 16.

The weather forecast suggests that it may not be like this at Bruichladdich this weekend…

Sunday is traditionally the biggest party day on the island, as most of the residents aren’t working and can join in. Bruichladdich has snagged it for its open day and fills its courtyard with drams, music and more. It’s a big year for the Bruichladdich team, as it’s the first without recently retired Jim McEwan – former production director and brand ambassador since the distillery reopened in 2000 – but they seem to have everything under control. Keep an eye on the blog next week to hear from head distiller Adam Hannett, but in the meantime we’ve got £10 off the hard-to-find Bruichladdich 22 Year Old.

Mr Chilton in his…element? (No bad puns. You have been warned – Ed)

If you are heading up to Islay, then don’t miss out on a pair of excellent tastings on Monday, presented by our occasional colleague and blog contributor Oliver Chilton. He’s donning his Speciality Drinks whisky-creator hat and will be pouring both the Elements of Islay and Port Askaig ranges on board Irene, a beautiful ketch moored in Port Ellen during the festival – you can grab tickets here and here. But don’t worry if you can’t make it – join in the fun with a bottle of Elements of Islay Peat poured in the comfort of your kitchen, now £3 off.

We’ll have more about the festival next week, but for now head to our Islay Festival page to see all of the offers.

Eric at Fets writes; Compass Box is our favourite blender, always pushing the boundaries and antagonizing The Scotch Whisky Association. Chris Maybin, the Commercial Director for The Compass Box Whisky Company will be here for his first visit to The Kitchen. Compass Box is a boutique blending company producing some of the finest and interesting blends on the market.

Join us and Chris for a great cause and great entertaining whiskies here at The Kitchen and hear about their latest releases.

There will be light fare prepared by our culinary team to accompoany these wonderful whiskies.

So grab one of our limited tickets and join us and Chris on Monday May 30th for this fundraising whisky tasting here at The Kitchen.

There are only 30 tickets available and I can assure you they sell out fast.

Be sure to plan for a safe ride home!

The cost for this event is only $60 plus GST and is open to only 30 people!  click here to register

Learn More Here

Fets Whisky Kitchen, 1230 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, British Columbia V5L 3X4 Canada

Hi everyone, as you are all aware the residents of Fort McMurray and the surrounding area were evacuated as the massive fire razed their city. With nearly 90,000 people being forced to flee their homes and the uncertainty of when and in some cases if they will be returning, we wanted to do something for them. These are our men, women and children and they need our help.

We are partnering with our food and whisky providers to raise money for the Canadian Red Cross’ Alberta Fire Appeal. The Canadian Red Cross is, along with other agencies, assisting our displaced citizens with food, clothing, necessities, lodging and counselling. The federal government has offered to match all donations made the the Canadian Red Cross for the victims of this catastrophic event.

Fet’s Whisky Kitchen will be hosting a series of 5 Whisky events to raise money for our fellow Canadians, our goal is $10,000 with the fed matchup we can raise $20,000. Why the Canadian Red Cross? We looked at all the agencies fundraising and the Red Cross has the lowest administration costs with 91% of all money raised going to support those in need.

In addition to the generous support from our whisky partners we would also like to thank our food partners for their generous donations as well:

Gordon Food Service

Cioffi’s Meats

Hallmark Poultry

D’Original Sausage Company

Finest at Sea

Click here to donate directly to the Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires Appeal