HOLLY

Her name is Holly and she loves whisk(e)y. Having spent a few months in Scotland to start, then Ireland, Kentucky/Tennessee, more recently Japan and Tasmania. A girl who loves whisky so much she starting blogging then travelling and now a welcome addition to our blogs. Holly’s blog name “Her Whisky Love” made sense, she will be going to the largest whisky producers in the world to spend time with them and learn their ways…. In the meantime here is a blog she wrote about us;

Ultimate dram and whisk(e)y tours with McLean Scotland. January 24, 2017. As with many of my whisky connections, the world of social media has played a part and introduced me to many people I probably would have never met. Paul and I somehow crossed paths and he wrote to me about blog sharing. I know it may seem simple to travel, visit a distillery and then write about it, but it is a lot of work. I’m not saying it’s the hardest job. I get to travel the world and try new drams and brands, but it is very time consuming to get things as accurate as possible and to write an interesting story. It is hard to keep a blog going, especially since it definitely can’t the bills anymore. In-between all of my distillery visits I have found it quite helpful to look outside of the physical brand and distilleries and learn how other parts of the industry work. Paul and McLean’s is no exception. TO READ THE FULL BLOG click on this link HERE

You will find Holly here http://www.herwhiskylove.com/ she has lots of blogs, some we shall be sharing with you. I do love this one from japan … Chichibu probably wasn’t the best distillery to start my Japanese Whisky tour at, because now not much can live up to it. I was fortunate enough to have the lovely Gemma from Balvenie connect me with the Chichibu brand ambassador for a private visit of the facility. Th… GO AND READ IT ON HER WEBSITE.

Limestone Branch Distillery Launches Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey

(Lebanon, Ky.) February 27, 2017 – Limestone Branch Distillery introduces Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey, featuring straight rye whiskey with a sherry cask finish and bottled at 90 proof.

“My grandfather, Minor Case Beam, made rye whiskey in his day, before prohibition, which was his specialty. This rye whiskey is inspired by him and a tribute to his distilling legacy,” says Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery. “His mission was to craft only the finest whiskey – we are honoring him, his passion for distilling and what could’ve been if prohibition didn’t occur with this straight rye.”

Available in 750ml bottles and aged two years, Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey offers a warm rye spice complemented by the dried fruit notes from being finished in a sherry cask barrel. The combination offers depth to the overall experience of this whiskey.

“This is a direct link to our family lineage on our father’s side, the Beams. We are excited to share our family heritage and proud to honor our great-grandfather with the release of this product,” says Steve Beam.

The whiskey is packaged in a unique flask-style bottle with a letterpress label and a cork topper. All of the details of the packaging are also a nod to the family history and tradition. The bottle features the crest Minor Case Beam used in his labels back when he had his own distillery. “We wanted to incorporate his original logo as a special touch. If you look closely, you can see the letters M, C and B in the crest,” says Steve Beam.

The whiskey will be offered nationwide beginning at the end of February for the suggested retail price of $49.99.

Steve Beam and his brother Paul Beam opened Limestone Branch Distillery in 2011, with the goal of crafting the finest whiskey in small batches. With a history of distilling on both sides of their family – Beam and Dant – the brothers are seventh-generation distillers. In 2015, they brought the Yellowstone brand back to the family and launched a limited edition bourbon to commemorate the brand’s 105th anniversary.

For more information on Limestone Branch Distillery and Yellowstone, please visit www.limestonebranch.com, www.yellowstonebourbon.com or www.facebook.com/limestone-branch-distillery.

Single Cask Nation (USA)

We are very happy to be able to announce that Single Cask Nation will be doing a masterclass at Maltstock. Trump That! 😉  Single Cask Nation is an American based independent bottling company with a passion for Scotch whisky. Joshua Hatton, President, CEO, and a few other silly titles (because the man does not take himself too seriously, seriously) brings some of his newer and favorite Single Cask Nation bottlings to the masterclass. With Single Cask Nation bottlings, you can expect great cask selections but, more importantly, unique and exciting ones, too.

Cabins

We are running out of cabins! Would you like a more private and an even more relaxed Maltstock experience, don’t hesitate any longer with reserving a cabin. First come first serve.  The cabin experience will be even better than last year because of the recent installment of sanitation for the cabins. A huge improvement and very relaxed for the cabin users.

Cabin tickets are almost gone but the regular tickets are still available. Why wait? You will be more relaxed with a Malstock ticket. Visit our webshop to become zen.

. . .Ralfy gets a bit smokey with Ralfy Review 630 – Bowmore 13yo @ 46%vol (Signatory cask 2166+2170)

Writer’s Tears Pure Pot Still Irish Whiskey (750ml) ($39.99)

Whisky Advocate: “Like the Writers Tears reviewed in this issue, this is from an independent company linked to renowned whiskey maker Bernard Walsh. It is described as of a style popular in James Joyce’s Dublin (hence the name). Grain whiskey was a no-no at that time, so this uses no grain and is a mix of malt and pot still whiskeys. For its price and strength it is amazing a big-hearted and full-flavored whiskey with an oily, apple-y pot still heart and cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper spices. (DS, Summer 2012)”

K&L Notes: The elusive Writer’s Tears Pot Still Irish Whiskey has been a darling of the whiskey cognoscenti for years. This unusual product from the Walsh Distillery in Carlow, Ireland has gained notoriety across the globe as one of the finest whiskies the Emerald Isle has to offer. It begins with single malt (likely distilled at Cooley Distillery in Louth) and single pot still whiskey (distilled at Midleton in County Cork), which are vatted together and aged in ex-bourbon casks. A true re-creation of a style of Irish whiskey not seen since the last century and named for the great Irish writers and playwrights of the 19th century who would have sought inspiration from a similar beverage in their time. The full-flavored, pure pot still whiskey and sweet floral single malt work magic together to create one of the most drinkable yet exciting whiskies of any kind. Lauded world-wide as one of the best whiskies available, it has been conspicuously unavailable in California until now. Winner of Gold Medals from the World Whiskies Award and listed on Ian Buxton’s 101 Whiskies to Try before You Die, and 93 points from Jim Murray’s “Whisky Bible”, Writer’s Tears is easily one of the highest ranking Irish Whiskey available at any price point. We’ve been lucky enough to grab an exclusive deal on the first few pallets to show up in CA, but don’t wait to try it as when it moves to normal distribution we’ll likely see a significant price increase.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 09, 2017

This should please people who are looking for an easy, soft and delicious whiskey. At first one smells beautiful and mouth watering vanilla aromas. In the mouth it is soft and easy with a creamy mouth feel.This is a fun whiskey to have for simple enjoyment.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 09, 2017

This elusive and quite wonderful little whiskey has been on constant request at the story for years. Actually, I’ve been telling people “No, sorry we can’t get that” every other week of so for over 7 years now! It’s one of those things that people fall in love with over there and don’t realize they can’t just pick it up when they get home. Well, the wait is finally over. This wonderful offering from the exceptional Walsh Distillery in County Carlow is easily one of the best values in Irish Whiskey. Hailing from Ireland’s historic east, this area is famous for whiskey and beer thanks to the incredible waters that bubble below the surface, but no large distillery has had a presence here for more than 100 years. In the 1800s, the Irish Whiskey industry was on fire. Consumption, production and exports, continued to break records despite social and political upheaval in Ireland. Funny thing about Irish Whiskey, because of the unique process of blending malted and un-malted barley and distilling in pot-stills, it was actually considered the top quality whiskey in the world pre-prohibition. That’s because then, and now, the majority of people didn’t want stinky peaty malty single malt from Scotland, but instead were looking for a whiskey that’s rich, smooth and easy to drink. Irish Whiskey was the best choice for most consumers before the controversial introduction of grian (column still) production in the 1830s.

Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon #L16H948

A rare 10 year old single barrel bourbon release from Michter’s, created from high grade American corn and aged for 10 years in fire-charred, new American white oak barrels. Produced in limited quantities, bottled at 47.2%.

£138.00

Lucky Bastard Straight Malted Rye Whisky Released

Saskatoon, SK, February 23, 2017 – LB Distillers is pleased and excited to announce the release of their first malt whiskies. Release number 1 is a Lucky Bastard Straight Malted Rye Whisky and release number 2 is a Lucky Bastard Single Malt Whisky. The whiskies will be available exclusively at LB Distillers and exclusively to our customers who entered the Lucky Bastard Whisky Lottery. Given the high anticipation and demand for the very limited supply of our whisky, we thought it best to have customers enter an email lottery allowing the winners a chance to purchase a bottle without having to stand outside in line during a Saskatchewan winter. To enter our Whisky Lottery for upcoming releases, please check out www.luckybastard.ca/whisky-lottery-1

Lucky Bastard whiskies will be bottled as Single Cask offerings in individually numbered bottles. Our first release is a STRAIGHT MALTED RYE WHISKY, distilled and barreled in 2012. This whisky was hand crafted in a very small batch using 100% Saskatchewan grown and malted grains. The mash bill of the first release is 67% malted rye and 33% malted barley. This whisky has aged four years in a charred American white oak barrel and has been bottled at 46% alcohol. It has not been chill filtered to retain all the amazing flavours. Our second release is a traditional SINGLE MALT BARLEY WHISKY, distilled and barreled in 2013. This whisky was also hand crafted in a small batch using 100% Saskatchewan grown and malted grains consisting of 100% malted barley. This whisky has aged 3 years in charred American white oak barrels and has been bottled at 46% alcohol and again it has not been chill filtered to retain all the amazing flavours.

Our whisky program is very diverse currently consisting of 23 styles of whisky each offering a unique experience. The mash bills (recipes) consist of different combinations of a variety of malted cereal grains, different roasts, and some have had local fruits and botanicals added to the initial fermentation. For our whiskies, we do only two distillations in our two copper pot stills. The first distillation is to strip the alcohol from the fermentation, the second to make cuts allowing us to capture only the crème de la crème of the spirit. We only distill to 75% alcohol allowing our spirit to retain all the wonderful notes and flavours of the grains, malt, yeast and esters created in the fermentations. Every barreling will also be unique depending on the style and flavor profile we desire; using once used bourbon barrels, new whisky barrels (with various char profiles), French oak, ex-sherry casks etc. Every release will be small batch, single cask bottlings and will be individually labeled and numbered.

LB Distillers was established in 2010 and opened its doors in 2012. Since that time, we have been handcrafting the world’s finest spirits and liqueurs using locally sourced grains and fruit. We believe in quality over quantity and we won’t bottle it until it is over-proof awesome.

For more information on our distillery and brands check us out online at www.luckybastard.ca

You can also contact Cary Bowman our president of good times at LB Distillers: cary@luckybastard.ca

Diageo, in partnership with Black Tomato, is launching a video series that brings together exclusive travel itineraries and two Diageo brands, Bulleit and George Dickel.  The trip will explore historic American whiskey brands, via the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience and George Dickel Distillery at Cascade Hollow, while exposing customers to the hidden wonders and luxurious hospitality of southern whiskey country.

Black Tomato brings to life the rich American Whiskey culture of Kentucky and Tennessee through new, immersive experiences. Cruise on Willie Nelson’s tour bus from Kentucky to Nashville and get a private tour of the elite Three Chimney’s Racing Stable. All this and more awaits on this lavish deep south adventure. To get a glimpse of this experience, check out these beautifully shot videos made by Studio Black Tomato.

Highlights of the trip include:

• Following an acclaimed lunch at Proof on Main, get chauffeured in a vintage American convertible for the Ultimate Masterclass in bourbon making, paired with a private tasting with the on-site whiskey guru at Stitzel-Weller distillery (Bulleit Frontier Whiskey)

• A hands-on distilling experience in the ‘still house’ for something truly unique and memorable along with an immersive, behind the scenes, all access VIP tour of the distillery

• Travel like a rock star from Kentucky to Nashville (and then on to Cascade Hollow a day later) in your choice of tour bus used by Taylor Swift, Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson or Tom Petty, followed by a personal songwriting and recording session with Grammy award-winning writers

• Behind-the-scenes tour, where you will taste the liquid at every stage of the intricate process that goes into making George Dickel Tennessee Whisky
• As evening creeps in at George Dickel, guests will take in the majesty of the mountains via a short private helicopter ride over Cascade Hollow to your final respite, the unparalleled Blackberry Farm, one of America’s most celebrated intimate luxury properties
• Prices range from $3,740PP to $9,538PP including accommodations, experiences, some meals, and transfers, excl. flights

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with The Whisky Shop!

March 11th, 12-3PM:

St Patrick’s Day Tasting

Teeling Irish Whisky

For over 230 years, independent bottler Teeling Whiskey has brought choice and breadth to the Irish whiskey category through their small batch releases. Each small batch bottling is the product of hundred year old family traditions and modern innovation, melded together to create flavorsome, interesting, and consistently award-winning products.

Guests will be treated to a variety of expressions, with distillery

representatives and whisky experts on hand to answer questions.

Click Here to RSVP on Facebook

The inaugural Whisky Mafia post “5 Myths About Scotch Whisky Dispelled” can be read HERE

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