Birmingham Whisky Club Goes Big On Burns’ This January

The Birmingham Whisky Club are beating the January blues this month by raising a dram (or several) to Rabbie Burns’.

Burns’ Night is the annual celebration in honour of Scottish poet Robert Burns’. If you haven’t attended a Burns Night event before, expect haggis based feasting, lashings of Scottish whisky, poetry, dancing and even a wee bit bagpipe music.

On Burns’ night itself (Wednesday 25th January), the club are hosting a whisky and food matching event at The Plough, Harborne. Expect a fantastic four course feast, matched to delicious whiskies from Ian Macleod distillers and expert advice along the way.

On Saturday 28th January, the club are hosting their biggest celebration in their whisky-soaked history at the beautiful Rowheath Pavilion in Bournville. In the afternoon they’re hosting a ‘family friendly’ session, where guests are invited to tuck into a delicious meal, enjoy music from the award-winning Burdock Ceilidh band and a whisky (or a wee nipper for the kids). In the evening, join them for a full three-course Scottish feast, lashings of award-winning Glen Grant whisky, a live bagpiper and two sessions of led Ceilidh dancing.

Amy Seton (owner of The Birmingham Whisky Club) had this to say, “Burns’ Night is a huge celebration in the Scottish whisky calendar, so we knew we had to throw something big to mark it. We’re very pleased to be working with Ian Macleod Distillers and Glen Grant whiskies to bring a taste of Scotland to the heart of the Midlands this January.”

Tickets for both events are now on sale. For more information on The Birmingham Whisky Club and all of their upcoming events, head to their website www.thebirminghamwhiskyclub.co.uk/.

Notes

For information about The Birmingham Whisky Club please visit www.thebirminghamwhiskyclub.co.uk/ or contact Amy Seton on 07966 266511 or email Vicky@birminghamwhiskyclub.co.uk.

About The Birmingham Whisky Club

The Birmingham Whisky Club is Birmingham’s only dedicated whisky tasting events company. We offer a diverse range of tutored tastings and whisky-themed events in and around Birmingham, including themed and rare whisky night’s, events with distilleries, whisky and food matching, and private and corporate events. We welcome everyone, from complete beginners to the more hardened whisky buff.

Visit our webpage www.thebirminghamwhiskyclub.co.uk/ or find us on Facebook.

Kavalan distillery is located on the edge of Yilan City in north-eastern Taiwan

Kavalan – on top of the podium

Regular blog readers may remember I wrote about Kavalan in May, when master blender Ian Chang hosted a TWE tasting. Inspired by this, I took a trip to Taiwan to see the distillery for myself.

The eastern Taiwanese region of Yilan County, where Kavalan’s distillery is located, has the purest spring water in the country. The site was originally founded as a bottling plant for owner King Car’s Green Time Natural Drinking Water, which still takes place there today, with the whisky-producing element being added during 2005. The Kavalan were one of the many indigenous tribes of Taiwan, and they inhabited the Yilan area up until the mid-19th century, speaking the language of the same name, which is now considered endangered.

Kavalan’s stills are made by Forsyth’s of Scotland

The distillery may be modern, but traditional methods are the order of the day – as with their whiskies, it’s a case of taking a Scottish product known the world over and adding a Taiwanese twist. This can be seen right from the initial mashing process, where two of the tuns are made from Taiwanese steel and a third made from copper by Forsyth’s of Scotland. The combination has seen the distillery receive many awards, including Solist Vinho Barrique winning the prestigious title of World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the 2015 World Whiskies Awards. The recognition and subsequent surge in demand has resulted in the distillery celebrating its 10th anniversary by opening a second distillery on the same site, which will double capacity, allowing 10 million bottles to be produced per year.

One thing evident at Kavalan not normally seen at a distillery is a special part of the cooperage. Coopering itself is a rare thing in Taiwan, and the original set of coopers travelled to Scotland to learn their trade, and they now train any new apprentices in Taiwan. The ex-wine casks used by the distillery are decharred, toasted and recharred on-site – I can tell you it’s a very warming experience in a country where the mercury regularly top 30°C. The climate is another feature that sets the distillery apart from its Scottish counterparts, with not just the temperatures, but also the extreme humidity causing the water to evaporate in the casks as well as the alcohol, and therefore the whisky to mature four times more quickly than in Scotland.

Kavalan is one of a few distilleries to rechar casks on-site

Taking the blind-tasting test at Kavalan

After seeing the production area of the distillery, I was treated to a blind tasting in the tasting room, but managed to get (guess!) all four at the first attempt. Two of them were whiskies that haven’t yet made it over to the UK: the first was the spicy and warming Solist Brandy Cask, one of the expanding Solist range which comprises whiskies fully matured in a single type of cask and which currently numbers 10 expressions; the second was the distillery-exclusive Distillery Reserve Peaty Cask, aged in casks formerly used for Islay whisky, which adds a subtle smokiness to the trademark Kavalan tropical-fruit notes. The third was a second member of the Solist range: the fruity and spicy Solist Port Cask, of which we are presently out of stock, but more should arrive in the New Year. This use of more unusual casks is something Kavalan likes to experiment with.

Last was one of the distillery’s newer releases, which I had not tried before: Podium. Here is what I thought:

Kavalan Podium, 46%

Podium uses a variety of cask types, including bourbon and sherry, combined with new American oak. This adds extra spicy notes and adds to the richness and complexity of the whisky.

Nose: Very fruity with apple and mango backed up by toffee, vanilla and cinnamon.

Palate: Creamy in texture and warming in nature. Spiciness comes to the fore, almost clove-like in dryness with menthol and the apple and mango notes following through from the nose, joined by hints of coconut and vanilla.

Finish: A long, spicy finish with menthol and dry spices.

Comment: This shares a similar taste profile to the Classic, with the distillery’s trademark notes of apple, mango, vanilla and coconut, but with an extra dimension added by the use of virgin oak. It’s warming at full strength, but add a drop or two of water and it’s very moreish.

Kavalan is a distillery that continues to rise in popularity and quality. If you ever get the chance to visit the distillery and Taiwan in general, I’d encourage you to do so. Everyone is very friendly, and even if like me, you don’t speak Mandarin or aren’t very good with chopsticks, you won’t have any problems!

The Kavalan range is available on the Whisky Exchange website, click here to see the range.

2016 – A Banner Year for K&L Exclusive Spirit Selections

The Spirits Department at K&L has traveled far and wide searching out those perfect finds that combine the ideal nexus between quality and value. From Scotland to France, Kentucky to Japan and nearly everywhere else a spirit is distilled, we’ve spoken directly with producers, learning their stories, and in the process discovering what makes their bottlings so special. Through developing these direct relationships, we’ve not only been able to track down amazing finds we know our customers will love, but we’ve also negotiated deals that skip several tiers of the distribution chain, thereby delivering substantial savings.

Those who have been working with our spirits department over the years will already know you won’t find a more dedicated or knowledgeable crew in the business – the spirits offered below are a testament to their hard work and savvy. Check out our Spirits Journal to learn about our most recent discoveries, as we are always unearthing new treasures that will tantalize the palate. So whether your preference is rare single malts or Japanese whisky we’ll have just the bottle for you.

Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)

Email: wine@klwines.com K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA

San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 151: Mortlach 19 Year Old 1997 Brachadair 

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a single cask of Mortlach. Brachadair is a Belgian bottler that took its name from the Gaelic word for brewer or maltman. They recently bottled a single cask of Mortlach 1997 – of which official bottlings have become all but unaffordable – at cask strength. Yes, this is the Beast of Dufftown alright! 

https://youtu.be/8m6rasM4TRM

Happy New Year From Whisky Intelligence!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

To all our readers – a big thank-you for supporting World Whisky Day throughout 2016. We’ll raise a dram on Saturday to wish you all a happy and successful new year and we look forward to you all helping us celebrate World Whisky Day in 2017!