Tastival 2016 Bottling Brings Festival Flavours to Life
Limited edition Tastival 2016 bottling inspires unique packaging, chosen by Jura fans

Jura Single Malt Whisky today reveals its Tastival 2016 bottling, a new limited edition expression to mark the distillery’s annual island whisky festival. The flavours within this remarkable single malt have inspired Jura’s first ever ‘crowd sourced’ packaging, chosen by the whisky’s social media followers.

Jura Tastival, which takes place on 25 & 26 May this year, celebrates new and exciting ways to enjoy whisky – and the creation of this year’s festival edition is no exception, with a triple sherry finish, using hand-selected casks.

To complement its sweet and intense flavour, Jura asked four artists from across the world to create a unique illustrated packaging design based upon their interpretations of the Tastival 2016 bottling, which is 51% ABV, non-chill filtered.

Following heated competition, where fans voted for their favourite design online, Jura can now reveal that its first ever crowd sourced packaging is based on the artwork created by German artist Florian Schommer.

The intricate design incorporates Florian’s personal tasting notes for the whisky, including apple, represented by branches, notes of vanilla, captured in delicate white flowers and a colour scheme based on an aromatic blend of maple syrup and roasted hazelnut.

Other artists who competed to win the Tastival packaging contract included French illustrator Yo Az, UK based Claire Scully and Karin Ohlsson from Sweden. Their colourful array of designs can still be viewed on Jura’s Facebook page.

The limited edition bottling is the last Tastival expression to be overseen by much-loved Jura Distillery Manager, Willie Cochrane, who announced his retirement last week. He hands over the reins to Graham Logan, a former Jura Mash/Stillman who has worked at his side for over two decades.

Willie Cochrane said: “Every limited edition is special, but this one’s particularly close to my heart as it commemorates my last Jura Tastival, which has been a highlight on my calendar for the past ten years.”
It wouldn’t be Tastival without something a bit different to inspire new perspectives on whisky, and I’m sure Florian Schommer’s wonderful illustrations will do just that!”

Graham Logan said: “We always aim to push boundaries with our Tastival bottlings and the triple sherry finish on this new expression is a perfect example of the creativity and craftsmanship I want to continue to encourage in my role as distillery manager.”

Tastival guests will have first opportunity to try and purchase this year’s limited edition bottling at the festival on 25 & 26 May, where they will be invited to share their own whisky tasting notes. Jura Tastival 2016 will be available online and in shops globally (excluding US) RRP £85 from 30 May 2016.

NOTES

About Jura:
Jura is an island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland. With only one road, one pub, one distillery and 200 people, Jura is as beautiful as it is remote. The distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to revive the community. Inspired by our history and our island home, we create single malt with a true passion for the craft of whisky making. There are four classic bottlings in the Jura Collection, which sit within a unique sweet or smoky flavour profile: the light and delicate Origin 10 and the rich and full bodied Diurachs’ Own 16 year old each have a sweet edge, while Superstition and Prophecy are lightly and heavily peated respectively.

FEIS ILE SPECIAL BOTTLING & JUNE PREVIEWS

Celebrating our return to the Islay Festival of Music and Malt this week, we’re unveiling a special bottling with a highly desirable label, 127.44 ‘Cantina Mexicana’. Feel the fiesta as peat dances with Amontillado sherry to produce a ‘snout grabbing’ beast of a dram. Available online today for pre-order (dispatched Wed 1 June), it won’t be around for long; order now to secure yours. Love sweet more than peat? Explore our June previews… (Please note WhiskyIntel was not able to publish the in time…all the more reason to join the Society today!)

Peated

127.44 Cantina Mexicana
The nose was snout-grabbing – woody, like old sea chests or a dusty Mexican cantina floor (including leather boots and fag-ends), lots of liquorice; figs and oriental spices…
Cask: Second fill ex-oloroso butt
Age: 12 years
Price: £120
Special Label Feis Ile Bottling!
PRE-ORDER > (Please note WhiskyIntel was not able to publish the in time…all the more reason to join the Society today!)
For dispatch Wed 1 June

Sweet, fruity & mellow

36.100 Aristocratic pretensions
The nose balances syrup sponge and brown sugar with pear-drops, green apple and bitter lemon. The palate is clean, gentle and relaxing…
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 18 years
Price: £68.70
BUY >

G4.8 Spinning honey
A wonderful raw, strong and vibrant scent greeted the Panel; varnished wood, painting in oil, drying herbs and spinning honey…
Age: 36 years
Distilled: 28 May 1979
Price: £126.80
BUY >

Juicy, oak & vanilla

5.50 Golden Delicious
Caramel apple crumble pie and a Swiss cinnamon liqueur on the nose neat, with the fizzy dry mouthfeel of a ‘zero-dosage’ Champagne…
Cask: Second-fill Sauternes hogshead
Age: 15 years
Price: £67.20
BUY >

Lightly peated

42.24 The bee’s knees…
Sea salted caramels, churros with salty peanut sugar and bitter chocolate on the nose neat, followed by an amazingly sweet, salty and smoky sensation on the palate…
Cask: Refill ex-bourbon barrel
Age: 9 years
Price: £59.40
BUY >

Browse Current Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

*Please note: This is a limited release from June’s Outturn, full release on Friday 3 June.

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

Glendronach 18 Year Old Allardice 

£50.83 ex. VAT

The famous Glendronach 18 year old, now renamed Allardice, is the third expression in the Glendronach core range.

In 1826 the exuberant and extroverted James Allardice founded the distillery and produced his ‘Guid GlenDronach’ single malt. Down the years, the distillery he created has thrived under the stewardship of far-sighted investors like Walter Scott in 1847 and Captain Charles Grant in 1920.

Tasting notes:

Nose: sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.

Palate: rich dark and seductive. Remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classical aged Oloroso and toasted walnut bread and chocolate orange.

Finish: tremendously complex and long.

(Official Tasting Note)

Single Malts Ltd 36 Gordon Street | Huntly | Aberdeenshire | AB54 8EQ | Scotland UK

+44 (0) 845 606 6145 | mailto:info@singlemaltsdirect.com

Whisky Ramblings Via Video #132

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries French single malt! When we think of single malt, we usually have Scotland in mind. But of course many countries make excellent single malt whisky today. France, for example, has over 40 whisky distilleries operational. Perhaps you have not yet heard of the Armorik Single Malt, produced at the Warenghem Distillery in Brittany. It is Mark’s great pleasure to present two excellent releases to you: Armorik Maitre De Chai and their Millésime 2002 single cask. Be ready to be surprised! 

https://youtu.be/h0ndtLtHFLE

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY CONTINUES TO EXPAND TO MEET RISING DEMAND WITH $200 MILLION INVESTMENT 

Growth Needed as Buffalo Trace Provides 4^TH Annual Bourbon Supply Update 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 19, 2016) Buffalo Trace Distillery is happy to be a part of bourbon’s continued rise in popularity, but this National Historic Landmark Distillery has been struggling to keep up with demand, and has made several expansions, with more planned, in response to the bourbon boom.

            A significant capital investment of more than $200 million to expand the distilling operations will take place over the next seven years, including new investments in cooking, fermenting, bottling, land, and additional barrel warehouses.

Two additional barrel warehouses have already taken shape; recently acquired buildings adjacent to Buffalo Trace Distillery have been converted back to their original purpose as barrel warehouses, called “T” and “U,” which hold 50,000 barrels of bourbon each. “T” is completely full, with “U” expected to be full by June 2016.  Next up are two more barrel warehouses to be filled in the next 12 months, “R” and “S,” which will hold an additional 100,000 aging barrels total.  The buildings had been sold off in the 1980s and used as office buildings after the collapse of the bourbon industry in the late 1970s.  “It is very gratifying to see the buildings once again being used for their original purpose,” commented Mark Brown, president of Buffalo Trace Distillery.

            Warehouses “N,” “O,” and “P” are also being converted back to barrel aging warehouses, now that construction is complete on the Distillery’s new distribution center, which opened last summer. Those warehouses had been used to store finished goods for many years. Now with the new distribution center, those warehouses can be filled with new bourbon barrels.  Each floor in those warehouses will hold 10,000 barrels.

            In addition, Buffalo Trace Distillery will begin building new barrel warehouses in 2017 on the additional 200 acres of farmland it purchased a few years ago. A total of 30 warehouses are planned, with one new warehouse being built every five months for the next 10 years if everything goes according to plan.

            All of this is in an effort to respond to the growing demand for bourbon. As far as the current inventory of bourbon at Buffalo Trace Distillery mature enough to bottle, things are marginally better than they were three years ago.  “We’re still looking at shortages across the board for all of brands, and although the volumes are increasing, allocations will continue,” said Kris Comstock, distillery spokesperson.

            Unlike most distilleries, Buffalo Trace began allocating its bourbons every month across the United States to ensure each state receives some bourbon monthly. “We spread what we have around as best we can. In many instances, we are literally waiting for barrels to come of age since we aren’t willing to compromise on quality and taste,” added Comstock.

            There will be more Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and E.H. Taylor, Jr. this year. Volumes of Elmer T. Lee, Stagg Jr, and W.L. Weller bourbons will remain about the same. Hopefully barrels of George T. Stagg and Van Winkle bourbon will yield a bit more this fall than last autumn.

            Buffalo Trace Distillery would like to stress that while the bourbon shortages are prevalent in all of their brands, they speak only for themselves, not for the entire bourbon industry.  “This is not some marketing tactic to scare consumers to buy more, or something we are making up. We wish we had distilled more years ago. The shortage is a real problem,” added Comstock. “We get requests for more daily. Believe me, I wish we had more to sell too!”

            Due to the shortages of Buffalo Trace’s products, rumors abound. Most of these rumors have been addressed before, but still many persist, such as:

• Elmer T. Lee or Weller 12 Bourbons are going away.  False.  Both of these brands are not going anywhere. Elmer T. Lee did not take the secret mashbill to his grave, it is not becoming part of the Antique Collection, and there is no lawsuit with his heirs over the brand. What is true is that both brands have become more popular over the years, making them harder to find, but there are no plans to discontinue either brand.
• Eagle Rare Bourbon 10 Year Old age statement is going away. False. The age statement remains on the back of the bottle and there are no plans to remove it.  Due to increased production and bottling equipment limitations, the neck wrap has simply been eliminated from the packaging and the age statement was moved to the back of the bottle.
•  Other age statements on brands going away. False. There are no plans to remove any age statements from any brands produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
• The reason you can’t find various Buffalo Trace bourbons in stores is because they are shipping it all to China and Japan. False. While a very modest amount is sent overseas, the overwhelming majority is sold in the United States.

So while the good news is Buffalo Trace is planning full steam ahead for the future, and there will be marginally more bourbon this year than before; the bad news is that allocations will continue, with no foreseeable end in sight.  Buffalo Trace Distillery would like to thank its customers for their continued support of its whiskeys, they are doing their best to catch up to demand as quickly as they can, but time and Mother Nature cannot be rushed!

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine 2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.

Ardbeg Dark Cove – smugglers’ delight

Posted: 27 May 2016 05:33 AM PDT

The Islay Festival is drawing to close. Tomorrow is the last day, and in usual fashion, things are ending with a bang: it’s Ardbeg Day – or, as they are calling it this year, Ardbeg Night. Unlike the other Islay distilleries, Ardbeg shares its open day with folks who can’t make it to the island, and its festival bottling will be hitting the shelves of our London shop and website on Saturday – introducing Ardbeg Dark Cove.

This year’s origin story talks about the illicit history of distillation of the island, with tales of smugglers and their night-time exploits in the years before the founding of Ardbeg. But at the heart of it all, it’s all about the new limited release – ‘the darkest Ardbeg ever’.

Ardbeg Dark Cove is a classic combination of bourbon- and sherry-matured whisky, with a heart matured in ‘dark sherry casks’. No one is entirely sure what a dark sherry cask is, but with official tasting notes that talk about squid ink, coal tar and coffee, we can see what they’re aiming for.

Ardbeg Dark Cove, 46.5% ABV. £99.95

Nose: A sweet and savoury combination of new leather, creosoted fences, char siu pork, sultanas and raisins, with lemon and orange oil, treacle toffee, a touch of tar and burning heather.

Palate: Softer than expected, with lots of char and ash up front. Coffee grounds and singed citrus lead to bitter dark chocolate and tar, before fruit cake, candied ginger and liquorice sweeten things.

Finish: Burning pine needles and black coffee fade to blackcurrant and liquorice, and Hall’s mentholyptus. The menthol lingers for minutes, along with a background of peaty smoke.

Comment: A complex nose leads into a surprisingly easy-drinking palate – there’s lots of flavour, but little in the way of boozy burn. However, the finish took me by surprise – it lasted happily through my washing up of my tasting glass and the making of a cup of coffee, and is still just hanging on as I type this, five minutes later. It may not be as dark as the name suggests, but it is classic Ardbeg.

Dark Cove will be hitting the website on Saturday and if you are in London, we’ll have it open and ready to taste at our Covent Garden shop. Pop in and say hello – dressing as a smuggler is entirely optional.

WHISKEY FRIED FESTIVAL LAUNCHING IN BROOKLYN – JULY 9, 2016

BROOKLYN, NY – May 26, 2016 – The creators of the highly-acclaimed Bacon and Beer Classic are at it again! Cannonball Productions will introduce a new, all-inclusive food and beverage festival, Whiskey Fried, at Brooklyn Expo Center on Saturday, July 9th.

Classy meets greasy at this mid-summer extravaganza, which will pair 100+ whiskies and handcrafted cocktails with fried and Southern-inspired dishes from 20+ NYC restaurants. Guests can look forward to unlimited bites and sips from local favorites like Bareburger, Jacob’s Pickles, Sweet Chili, Burnside Biscuits and The Donutologist, in addition to live music, horseshoes, a barber bar, photo booth and more.

A panel of judges will also be on site to rate the sips and tastes and award winners in select categories. The panel includes Daily Beast’s Chief Cocktail Correspondent and the author of The Art of American Whiskey, Noah Rothbaum; Yelp Manhattan’s Community Director Ruggy Joesten; author of Bourbon Empire: The Past and Future of America’s Whiskey, Reid Mitenbuler; and Flatiron Room Beverage Director Young Kim.

Kate Levenstien, founder of Cannonball Productions and the Bacon and Beer Classic, is thrilled to launch Whiskey Fried in Brooklyn. “It’s hard to imagine a combination as mouthwatering as bacon and beer, but we’ve found it. There will be something for everyone: whiskey samples, refreshing cocktails, craft beer and of course delicious dishes like fried oysters and Irish whiskey-drizzled donuts. I can’t wait to launch this new concept in our own backyard and the ultimate foodie city!”

Guests can choose from two all-inclusive sessions: afternoon (1:30pm-4pm) or evening (6:30pm-9pm). VIP ticket holders will enjoy half hour early entrance; access to the specialty Prohibition lounge; samples of rare, top shelf spirits; and a digital event bag. General Admission tickets are $85 and VIP tickets are selling at $125, but prices will increase over the next few weeks. All tickets include a souvenir tasting glass.

A nationally-touring event, Whiskey Fried is coming soon to Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Silicon Valley. Cannonball Productions is committed to making the festival personal to each city, and will partner with regional organizations and local food recovery programs to donate leftover food.

For more information about the festival, visit: http://www.whiskeyfried.com

EARLY JUNE TASTINGS

New Outturn Preview Sampling – 28 Queen St, Thu 2 June  More >

New Outturn Tasting – 19 Greville St, Sat 4 June  More >

Glen Moray Tasting – The Vaults, Mon 6 June More >

Aberdeen: Taster Menu Whisky Dinner at MUSA – Thu 16 June, Musa, 33 Exchange St AB11 6PH  More >

FREE EVENTS AT THE VAULTS

Drop-in Theme Night: Islay Lovers – Wed 1 June  More >

Leith Jazz & Blues Festival  – Fri 3 June  More > & Sat 4 June  More >

Browse All Events & Tastings >

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

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Ardbeg Dark Cove Committee Release live from the Feis Ile 2016 Festival!

https://youtu.be/4kAgqm7Dm4U

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

World-renowned actress, businesswoman and philanthropist, Eva Longoria, has been announced as a judge for The Venture

Chivas Regal’s search to find and support the most innovative startups from across the world.

Eva Longoria will join a panel of expert judges tasked with dividing a portion of Chivas’ $1million fund amongst The Venture finalists; inspirational social entrepreneurs who aim to succeed in business while having a positive impact on the lives of others. Following the continued success of The Eva Longoria Foundation, which helps Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship, Longoria has a wealth of invaluable expertise and advice to offer Chivas’ The Venture finalists.

Now in its second year, Chivas’ The Venture has received over 2,500 applications from scalable and sustainable startups across six continents tackling a range of social and environmental issues. One finalist will represent each of the 27 participating countries in New York in July. Following a series of quarter and semi-final pitches, the grand finalists will have just five minutes to impress Longoria and the other judges with their pitch in front of a live audience at the Chivas’ The Venture Final on July 14th (full list of finalists below).

Longoria commented on her role as a judge:

“I’m delighted to be part of the judging panel for Chivas’ The Venture and can’t wait to hear the unique stories behind the 27 startups from across the world. Social enterprise has such a huge part to play in the future of business and it is something that is very close to my heart. Best of luck to all the finalists!”

Longoria will bring her long-standing passion for entrepreneurship, mentorship and equal opportunities to the panel of judges, which includes Joe Huff (Founder of LSTN Sound Co.), Sonal Shah (founding Executive Director of the Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation) and Alexandre Ricard (Pernod Ricard Chairman and CEO).

Joe Huff has been invited to join this year’s judging panel due to his knowledge and experience in founding successful social enterprise LSTN Sound Co. LSTN Sound Co. is an impact-focused company whose core belief is ‘what’s good for the business should be good for the world’. Its goal is to produce premium audio products and uses proceeds from sales to change lives through the power of music. Every purchase helps provide hearing aids to a person in need through charity partner, Starkey Hearing Foundation. In less than three years since LSTN Sound Co’s inception in 2012, the company has been able to help give the gift of sound to over 20,000 people.

Joe commented:

“Social enterprise is something I have been involved with for many years, I’m hugely passionate about using business as a force for good and believe it is becoming increasingly important in today’s world. The range of social entrepreneurs at this year’s Chivas The Venture Final is really exciting to see – I can’t wait to meet them in New York and find out more about the businesses.”

From today, Chivas has put the power in the world’s hands; inviting the public to vote for their favourite social entrepreneur to determine how the first $250,000 in funding is split. From May 9th to June 13th people can vote for finalists at www.TheVenture.com. The range of social entrepreneurs is extraordinary, from Julia Römer, the founder of Coolar (Germany), who has developed innovative refrigerators powered by warm water that enable doctors to preserve lifesaving vaccines in off-grid regions; to Jaco Gerrits, the founder of CrashDetech (South Africa) who has created a smartphone app that automatically detects serious car crashes, pinpoints the location, and dispatches the nearest ambulance, supplying paramedics with real-time lifesaving information.

Richard Black, Chivas Regal Global Brand Director, added:

“We’re really excited to be announcing Eva Longoria as a judge for Chivas’ The Venture. She has a clear passion for entrepreneurialism and the importance of business having a positive impact on our society. Along with Joe Huff, Sonal Shah and Alexandre Ricard, we feel we have the perfect balance of expert judges to evaluate the finalists of this year’s competition. We look forward to seeing how people vote online over the next few weeks and which enterprises capture the imagination of the public.”

To find out more about the judges and to vote for your favourite finalists, visit www.TheVenture.com.

NOTES

The Venture
The Venture is Chivas’ global search to find and support the most promising aspiring social entrepreneurs who want to succeed whilst making a positive impact on the lives of others. With over $1 million in funding and resources, The Venture will enable social entrepreneurs from around the world realise their potential and gain exposure for their business.

With generosity, entrepreneurship and integrity at the heart of Chivas Regal, the brand launched its successful Win the Right Way campaign in 2014, as the latest instalment of the Live with Chivalry campaign, which has since 2008 inspired modern gentlemen in more than 60 countries around the world to succeed in the right way.

About Chivas Regal
Launched in 1909, Chivas Regal is the world’s first luxury whisky and is considered to be a timeless classic, renowned for its benchmark quality and taste, style, substance and exclusivity. A truly global brand, Chivas Regal has been integral to the growth of the Scotch whisky category worldwide and today sells 4.5 million 9L cases annually in more than 150 countries across the globe. The Chivas Regal range includes Chivas 12, Chivas 18, Chivas 25 and the Global Travel Retail exclusive, Chivas Brothers Blend. In October 2014, Chivas Regal announced the addition of a fifth permanent expression in the Chivas Regal family, Chivas Regal Extra, a new blend with a unique richness derived from selective maturation in rare ex-sherry casks. In 2015, the iconic brand welcomed the pinnacle of the range with the introduction of the new ultra-prestige blend, Chivas Regal The Icon.
www.chivas.com