The Chicago Independent Spirits Expo Returns for a 6^th year on

September 21st, 2016 at the Chicago Hilton Hotel

　For the 6th　year, the world largest gathering of small, independent & artisanal brands will converge on Chicago, much to the delight of spirits enthusiasts everywhere.　　What started out as just three small brands conducting a tasting in a bar in New York City over 10 years ago has now grown to become one of the most anticipated underground spirit tastings on the planet.　　The brainchild of Dave Schmier, former owner of Redemption Rye & Temptation Bourbon whiskey brands, and Martin C. Duffy, U.S. Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal and former Sr. Masters of Whisky for Diageo, the Indie Spirit Expos has taken place in San Francisco, New York City, Las Vegas and New Orleans (during the fabled Tales of the Cocktail week).　　Now the Windy City hosts the grandest of them all!

The CISE provides members of the service industry as well as consumers an opportunity to meet the new wave of creative & innovated distillers, bottlers, importers and distributors as they sample & speak about their spirits. Attendees will be able to chose from over 500 spirits within the major liquor categories of vodka, gin, rum, tequila, mescal, whisk(e)y, liqueurs and even drink mixers from around the world.

According to Mr. Schmier, “The Chicago Indie Spirits Expo is a direct response to both the growing interest in craft spirits among consumers and the growth of craft distillers and other spirits entrepreneurs.” Co-producer Martin Duffy, after experiencing Schmier’s New York event in 2011, convinced his friend to bring the Expo to City of Big Shoulders. “Chicago has always been a progressive drinking town, so it only seemed logical to bring this event here and make it the biggest and best event of its kind”, said Duffy.　　”Plus, it is a great chance to highlight the best of the Midwest’s own burgeoning distilling community.”

The 2014 Chicago Independent Spirits Expo will feature over 130 exhibitors sampling over 500 different artisanal and independent spirits from all over the world (The USA, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, France, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Japan, India, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) to over 1200 key bartenders, F&B managers, bar owners, distributors, importers, retailers and spirit aficionados coming from all over the North America and beyond.

Just a sample of the brands that were showcased at last year’s event:

• Anchor Distilling
• Bar Napkin Spirits, LLC
• Bardstown Barrel Selections, Inc
• Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur
• Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.
• Cauldron Beverage Company LLC
• CH Distillery
• Chicago Distilling Company
• Clement USA Inc.
• Compass Box Whisky
• Conecuh Ridge Distillery
• Copper Fiddle Distillery
• Corsair Artisan, LLC
• Craft Distillers
• Davos Brands
• DC Craft Spirits
• Death’s Door Spirits
• Denizen Rum
• Dry Fly Distilling Inc
• Dutch’s Spirits
• Epic Wines and Spirits
• Few Spirits
• Fox River Distilling Co.
• Frederick Wildman and Sons
• Glenfarclas Single Malt Scotch
• Global Beverage Team, LLC
• Grand River Spirits
• Great Lakes Distillery
• Greenbar Craft Distillery
• Haus Alpenz
• High West Distillery
• HPS Epicurean
• Infinium Spirits
• Journeyman Distillery
• KOVAL Distillery
• Letherbee
• Mississippi River Distilling Company
• New Holland Brewing & Artisan Spirits
• North Shore Distillery
• Oppidan Spirits
• Parce Rum
• Purely Syrup
• Quincy Street Distillery
• Rhine Hall
• Scorpion Mezcal
• SoulBoxer Cocktail Co.
• St. George Spirits
• St. Louis Distillery, LLC
• Stumpy’s Spirits
• Tailwinds Distilling Company
• The Noble Experiment NYC
• Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.
• Wyoming Whiskey Inc.

THE INDUSTRY ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION

A feature unique to the Chicago Indie Spirits Expo from the other ISEs is the addition of The industry roundtable Discussions. Held the afternoon of the Expo in The Buckingham Room of the Chicago Hilton Hotel & Tower, the industry round table discussion (12 noon to 2pm) is a select panel of spirit producers, retailers, distributors and others from various levels of the spirits industry who discuss the current trends, topics, opportunities and challenges that face small spirits brands in the current market place.　　These round table discussions are open only to VIP ticket holders, exhibitors and media.

This year’s panel will include:

• Monique Huston –Director of Spirits, Winebow
• Brett Pontoni – Spirits Buyer, Binny’s Beverage Depot
• Toby Beall – Distillery owner, Tailwinds Distillery
• Paul Hletko – Distillery owner, FEW Spirits & President of the ACSA
• Matt Blaum – Distillery owner, Blaum Bros. Distillery & President of the ICDA
• Bill Welter – Distillery owner, Journeyman Distillery
• Scott Winters – Importer, American Spirits Exchange
• Dave Schmier – Brand Owner, Deadwood Rye
• Danny Shapiro – Bar owner/Mixologist, Scofflaw & Slippery Slope
• Winston Churchill Edwards-Brand Ambassador, Balcones Distillery
• Aaron Zacharias – Bar Owner, Fountainhead Chicago, The Northman, Bar On Buena
• Brian Christensen – Editor of Artisan Spirits Magazine
• Guest Moderator: Emily Pennington Hood – Editor of Wine & Spirits Daily

FOR TICKETS　~　

Tickets for the Chicago Independent Spirits Expo include two options:

VIP ticket ~ $85.00 ~ allows access to the round table discussions, seminars plus early admission to the tasting session at 4:30pm.

General Admission ticket ~$65.00 ~ grants you entry to the tasting session from 6:30pm to close at 9:00pm.

A portion of all ticket sales will go to our charitable partner.

Purchase Tickets here ~　https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-chicago-indie-spirits-expo-tickets-24260637219

For press & media passes, please contact the organizers at indiepspirit@gmail.com.

For online Exhibitor Registration – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-chicago-indies-spirits-expo-exhibitor-registration-tickets-23597446598

Please visit our Facebook event page for updated brand listings, satellite events and to contact the organizers ~

https://www.facebook.com/events/218657131828661/

KILKERRAN 12 YEAR OLD 46% 70% BOURBON CASKS 30% SHERRY CASKS

It’s finally here the first fully aged Kilkerran single malt from Glengyle distillery.

Price per bottle is 36.00

As we expect demand to be high for this first release, and to allow as many as possible to purchase a bottle, we have a limit of 2 bottles per customer today as we have both on-line and shop sales to allocate during the 12th of August Event (We hope to be able to lift this once the next bottling run arrives later this month).

In the last Newsletter we covered the history from 1872 to early 2004 when the distillery opened. The first distillation date was March 25th 2004, this was when the first official distilled spirit came off the stills.

A lot of things have happened in the world since the opening of the distillery! We have seen off 3 PM’s in No 10 with a 4th now in place; the banking crisis in 2007/8; Austerity in 2010; Boris Johnson (Will that Man ever go?); we had the Olympic Games in London; we moved from Covent Garden; I spent best part of a year in Romania (Now that’s a country worth visiting); we had a vote in Scotland to leave the UK (ish) and we have had decades of anti EU bashing going on and on and on until finally the UK left (or they say we will leave!). We had all those who pushed to leave get what they wanted only to realise the enormity of the task so ALL resigned to avoid putting into place something they had no idea how to! Interest rates have been historically low for the banks but not so much for the rest of us!

We have had good things happen in the whisky industry as more and more distilleries opened or expanded, with the growth rate in Ireland one of the most impressive. A side issue to the growth has been the emergence of NAS whiskies (No Age Statement) with premium prices.

During all this and more Kilkerran kept on ageing away quietly, as it did, some experiments in distillation styles had taken place along with a whole range of woods. Let’s call them Kilkerriments (TM).

The first release of Kilkerran happened 5 years after the first distillation, it was called Work in Progress (WIP), with further annual releases until the final WIP last year that sold out all too quickly leaving us with a gap while we awaited the 12 year old

The official tasting notes are as follows…

NOSE: Oak notes are dominant followed by toasted Marshmallows and dried fruit, as well as cherries, marzipan and a hint of peat.

PALATE: initially fruity with citrus notes and orange peel after this comes vanilla, butterscotch with honeycomb and digestive biscuits can all be tasted and enjoyed.

FINISH: Velvet smooth with Lemmon meringue, there’s an oiliness and saltiness that you expect from a good Campbeltown malt.

So folks it’s here and ready to buy but don’t panic we have good supplies for the release day with more coming in shortly, so we can meet the demand with a 2 bottle per order limit that’s only in place while stocks last. Once we have passed through the initial rush stocks will be replenished by the end of August.

Stephen at Cadenhead’s London Shop

The 2nd Dornoch Whisky Festival takes place 28-30 October 2016. We are delighted to be joined by Charles Maclean who will open the weekend’s festivities by leading a tasting prior to the showing of ‘The Angel’s Share’ in Balbair Distillery, to an exclusive audience of 16. This is just one of 30 events which include Gala Dinners, a Grand Tasting, visits to Distilleries, a ceilidh and a golf competition on Royal Dornoch. On-line booking now open at www.dornochwhiskyfestival.com

Celebrity spirits – pet project or moneymaker?

George Clooney, Matthew McConaughey, Mila Kunis and even Danny DeVito. Are stars attracted to spirit brands because they believe in the product, or just the money?

Early in the film Lost in Translation, Bill Murray’s character, an over-the-hill American actor in Japan to endorse Suntory whisky, is shooting an advert. He sits silently while the director yells instructions (in Japanese), with a translator on hand for guidance. With limited understanding, Murray delivers his lines only to be cut off repeatedly by the fiery director. The scene is genius because of Murray’s discomfort, his suspicion of the translator, and his general mood sat in a tuxedo endorsing whisky for a quick buck.

Matthew McConaughey – Wild Turkey

Whenever I see a celebrity endorse an alcohol brand, I always wonder if they went through a similar experience to Murray’s character. Earlier this month, when Matthew McConaughey was announced as the new ‘creative director’ for Wild Turkey bourbon, he made a convincing case that he is more than just a celebrity spokesman: releasing a six-minute (admittedly stirring) video of him walking through the distillery while narrating in his trademark southern accent. He promises to have his ‘hands in the clay’ and ‘wants to be a part of the whole story’ – an elaborate exaggeration or genuine passion?

I think McConaughey is convincing, but I’ve laid out some more examples of celebrities who have dipped their toes into the world of spirits. The question is: are they just wooed by the cash, or are they credible?

Mila Kunis – Jim Beam

In 2014, Jim Beam changed its brand ambassador from country-rock singer Kid Rock to Hollywood star Mila Kunis. One of her first videos was an entertaining montage of landmarks in American history with flashes of Jim Beam logos and memorabilia. The ads are a success and I think that Kunis is a confident host and brand ambassador, but I have a difficult time believing that the Friends with Benefits star is a genuine bourbon fan.

Cash or credible? Cash.

Mila Kunis with Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Celebrity spirits – pet project or moneymaker?

This month J. & G. Grant introduce the final limited edition to the Family Collector Series, the Glenfarclas 1976 40 Years Old VI. George S. Grant, Sales Director and 6^th generation of the family reaches his 40^th birthday today and what better way to celebrate than launch a special whisky for the occasion! Matured in our finest Sherry Casks, this bottling produced a total of 1,500 bottles at 43.7%, which will be available worldwide in the upcoming months.

Born in 1976, George takes great pleasure in sharing the last of the 1976 Glenfarclas casks with you. He is passionate about Glenfarclas and particularly enjoys introducing whisky lovers to these older expressions of Glenfarclas, those distilled by his grandfather and watched over by his father. He comments “The 1970s was a key time period in Glenfarclas history as this is when my grandfather decided to push sales of Glenfarclas single malt, combined with my father’s efforts in appointing distributors around the world”. Today the 5^th & 6^th generations of the Grant family can enjoy the fruits of their labour as they complete the Family Collector Series with the fantastic Glenfarclas 1976 40 Years Old VI.

2016 has certainly been an eventful year with a number of new vintage releases from the distillery. Glenfarclas is proud to show a commitment to age statement whiskies in an evolving market where keeping it classic yet creative presents an exciting challenge. We hope you enjoy this special Glenfarclas 1976 40 Years Old as much as George Grant will on his birthday

Five IWSC gold medals for Highland Distillery

Glenmorangie has been honoured with five gold medals in a renowned industry competition. Glenmorangie Original, the hallmark expression of the Scottish Highland Distillery’s elegant floral spirit, achieved a prestigious gold award at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) alongside four more of Glenmorangie’s innovative whiskies and a limited-edition expression from Ardbeg.

Glenmorangie Original, the backbone of the Distillery’s range, was praised by the competition judges as a “remarkably easy drinking whisky”. They complimented its “delicate nose of poached pear, vanilla and polished gold” and its “wonderfully relaxed palate”. Glenmorangie’s extra-matured range also shone at the awards, with Glenmorangie Lasanta’s finish of “pure Christmas cake and brandy butter” and Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban’s nose of “stewed plums and rich velvet” rewarded with gold medals. Glenmorangie 25 Years Old and Glenmorangie A Midwinter Night’s Dram also won gold at the IWSC.

Meanwhile, Ardbeg, the world’s smokiest, peatiest Islay malt whisky, received a gold medal for Ardbeg Dark Cove – the Distillery’s 2016 limited edition. For the judges, the expression conjured up a succulent vision of “eating jam roly-poly on a field…in the late autumn heat, with a peat fire…in the background.”

Now in its 47th year, the IWSC receives entries from almost 90 countries worldwide and is renowned for rewarding excellence and recognising quality. Its distinguished judging panel includes master blenders, whisky writers and wine and spirits buyers from across the industry.

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, said: “Glenmorangie has been distilled in the same uncompromising way since 1843 – and these gold medals are a testament to the Distillery’s pioneering spirit and long tradition of excellence. We are delighted that the floral elegance of Glenmorangie Original, the backbone of all our whiskies, has achieved recognition once more, alongside a further four of Glenmorangie’s exceptional expressions. We are, of course, equally proud of the accolade awarded to Ardbeg Dark Cove.”

Ewan Lacey, managing director of the IWSC said: “2016 has been a bumper year for the IWSC, where we saw a 17% increase in spirit entries, but fewer gold medals than previous years. This demonstrates what an amazing achievement has been made by The Glenmorangie Company, which has scooped five gold medals for Glenmorangie – and a total of six overall.”

AUGUST AUCTION NOW LIVE
…place your bids at www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

EASY REGISTRATION
Sate of the art online bidding platform

 BID NOW

 An excellent selection of whiskies; to drink, collect or invest

 HIGHEST BIDDER? GET IT FAST

 Immediate shipping worldwide

COMPETITIVE

The lowest whisky auctioneer commission found online

This week we have some great local drams from the distillery down the road. Springbank is Campbeltown’s oldest working distillery and, as the nearest distillery to our shop here on the shores of Loch Fyne, it’s our favourite. In 2004, Springbank owners J&A Mitchell re-opened the long silent Glengyle distillery and after 12 long years the first core expression has finally been released. The Kilkerran 12 Year Old is a lightly peated, double distilled Single Malt that is well worth the wait!

Kilkerran
12 Year Old

Springbank
12 Year Old
Cask Strength

Springbank
18 Year Old

After an exciting start to Whisky Season 2016, we’re back with a few more deals to tell you about. We’ve got a few new barrels of American whiskey that just arrived as well as a shocking end of summer deal that we hope will bring some serious value to your late August cocktails. Let’s not waste any time beating around the bush:

Colorado Whiskey K&L Exclusive

After years out of the market, Stranahan’s is back in a big way. In 2010, Stranahan’s began limiting sales severely to accommodate a distillery expansion and build stocks up from their initial popular release. Now, it’s started to reappear and to great acclaim. First the standard whiskey was released and then late last year their four year old Diamond Peak offering was released. We were excited to find out that they’d started a barrel program and when samples came through we drooled over the quality and complexity. Now, that cask is finally here and drinking better than ever.

Stranahan’s K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Single Malt Whiskey – $54.99 The exceptional Stranahan Colorado Whiskey is one of the original craft distillers. Founded in Denver CO in 2004 by Flying Dog Brewery owner George Stranahan and local firefighter Jess Garber after a fateful meeting at a barn fire, the small production single malt has become a favorite of locals and connoisseurs alike. The whisky is distilled from 100% malted barley and aged in new charred American oak. The dry high altitude climate, cold winters and warm summers create the perfect environment for slow aging malt whiskey. When we were offered a single cask of this special whiskey we jumped on the opportunity. The standard release is uses a base of 2 year with smaller portions of 3 and 5 year whiskey to round out the flavor, but this single barrel was aged a full four years before bottling. The result is something very close to their high-end Diamond Peak offering for a fraction of the price. A big nose of malted grain and sweet caramel cookies. Rich exotic dried fruit and oak spice explode out of the glass after a touch of aeration. On the palate this whiskey is medium bodied without any astringent notes whatsoever. Instead a rich round entry which exhibits dark coffee and sweet oak before transitioning to powerful baking spices on the finish. Altogether one of the best craft whisky we’ve ever seen at any price, but it easily out performs many of it’s competitors at much higher price points.

Speaking of Faultline…

When we ran out of our one-time-only edition of Faultline Blended Scotch a few months back it wasn’t long before I heard the sob stories and the tears. Apparently a number of customers were caught off guard. They thought this whole $25 dollar bottle of preciously-peated Faultline Scotch was going to be a permanent addition to our inventory, not a singular entity that would eventually fade away into the sunset. Unfortunately, I had no other option but to be the bearer of bad news-it was indeed gone forever. Until our importer emailed me last week and said he had found an additional few cases that he had apparently forgotten to deliver. This time I’m going to get out in front of the message: LAST CALL FOR FAULTLINE BLENDED SCOTCH! If this is your baby (like it was ours), then it’s time to load up…

Faultline Blended Scotch Whisky – $24.99 For three long years, David Othenin-Girard and I have been trying to create an inexpensive, delicious, value-driven, yet simultaneously interesting expression of blended Scotch whisky that we could feature under our Faultline label. There were many times when we thought we were close, but either the quality of the whisky or the cost of the barrels proved prohibitive. We didn’t want to make a $25 bottle of whisky just for the sake of it. If we were going to do it, then we were going to it right. Finally, after working on and off with the Laings for a year-long blending process, we hammered out a profile we were happy with. Big smoke, Ardbeg-like peat flavors, and a kiss of sweet grain was our goal and we definitely achieved it in this bottle. Unlike most big brand blends, there are no coloring agents or sweeteners in the Faultline Scotch, just a pale straw colored liquid that bursts with character and, due to the heavy malt content, finishes with richness and weight. We wanted to make sure that, upon launch, there would be absolutely nothing on the market that could match the quality of flavor, price, beauty of design, and bang for the buck. After three long years, we think we’ve done it. For $25 you get one helluva bottle of Scotch. Smokier than Johnnie Black, more complex than Chivas, and less expensive than both of them. Plus, it’s an assertive 100 proof. Try it in a cocktail, pour it over ice, add in soda water. It’s the real deal.

A New Single Barrel from Jim Beam

While Beam may have hired Mila Kunis to do its commercials, the distillery won’t need to invest much in marketing if it can continue to offer single barrels like this one to key retail accounts. Our latest selection K&L cask selection from Beam’s gigantic warehouses is a bright, supple, and incredibly balanced Bourbon that brings serious value to the single barrel category. While we know most people prefer the more boutique labels of Booker’s and Basil Hayden, don’t sleep on this guy. It’s pretty freakin’ delicious:

Jim Beam K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #JB5456 Kentucky Bourbon – $34.99 There’s a lovely sweetness that envelopes the sense from the first sip and sways between sweet vanilla and earthy grains all the way across the palate to the finish. It’s not an anomaly by any means; it’s classic Jim Beam. But with the flurry of cinnamon and cloves on the finish and the pleasant presence of sweet charred oak still glowing minutes after you’ve swallowed, this is truly a keeper. A must try for those who have continually overlooked Beam’s namesake label in favor of the “craftier” Booker’s, Baker’s, and Basil Hayden’s.

Laphroaig Lore Arrives!

I’m happy to announce we’ve finally received our initial shipment of Laphroaig Lore-a whiskey we first talked about back in May. It’s been a while since Laphroaig released anything in the $100+ range. It’s been one of the most reliable and price conscientious malts over the past few years, releasing a continuous line of affordable and delicious special edition whiskies like the Cairdeas and limited 15 year old expressions. The Lore is a bit pricier and it uses older whiskies in the mix. It’s a blend of 7 and 21 year old Bourbon casks, 9 year old full-term quarter casks, along with a few sherry and European oak casks for extra flavor. It’s richer, darker, more savory, and far more dense than what’s currently available in the portfolio. And it’s on the shelf now!

Laphroaig “Lore” Islay Single Malt Whisky – $119.99 It stands out from the standard Laphroaig portfolio in a big way. It’s richer, darker, more savory, and far more dense. It tastes like you’re drinking a very old whisky while simultaneously taking a sip of something much younger. Unlike the bright, medicinal peat that explodes off the bat in the 10 year old, the Lore takes you much deeper into the peat bog with more earth, more weight, and more rancio from the sherry influence.

David Driscoll K&L Spirits Buyer

daviddriscoll@klwines.com

650.556.2736

http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com/

Miltonduff 21 Year Old 1994 Cask Strength

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$111.03

Miltonduff 21 Year Old 1994 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask 1st Fill Puncheon #15220 bottled June 2016 by Gordon & MacPhail Cask Strength series. Miltonduff Distillery was established by Andrew Peary and Robert Bain in 1824 on the site of an old meal mill which once belonged to Pluscarden Abbey. In 1964 a pair of Lomond stills was installed and operated until 1981 at which time they were sliced and diced and partially incorporated into new pot stills. Whilst the whisky produced from the pot stills at Miltonduff is called Miltonduff the malt whisky produced by the Lomond stills is called Mosstowie. Miltonduff Distillery is a Speyside malt whisky distillery and a contributor to Ballantine’s blends of scotch.