Upcoming Tastings Calendar
Follow The Whisky Shop on Facebook for up-to-date information
August 25th:
Single Malt: Deanston, Bunnhabhain, Ledaig, Tobermory
Friday, September 1st:
Friday, September 8th:
Saturday, September 9th:
Tuesday, September 12th:
Laphroaig with Master Distiller John Campbell
Friday, September 15th:
Local Whisky Tasting: Sonoma Co. Distillery
Friday September 22nd:
ANNOUNCING OUR TALISKER MASTERCLASS
Our latest masterclass is one of our best yet – a dive into the history of Talisker with Diageo’s Dr Nick Morgan. Tickets on sale today!
THE ART OF TALISKER WITH DR NICK MORGAN
SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 4.30 6PM
Talisker is one of the world’s best-loved single malts and the range of whiskies it has created is wide, covering everything from the punchy and youthful to the old and elegant. Join Dr Nick Morgan for an eight-whisky journey across five decades of Talisker.
Tickets go on sale today at 2pm on Monday 21 August 2017. BOOK
Tickets on sale now! BOOK YOUR TICKET
30 SEPTEMBER – 1 OCTOBER 2017, 11.30AM 6.30PM
OLD BILLINGSGATE, LONDON
LEARN ENOUGH TO START YOUR OWN DISTILLERY!
Introducing a new Whisky Festival in Islay.
23-27 October 2017, Bowmore Hall, Islay.
THEATRE OF DRAMS Whisky Symposium – Five days whisky making knowledge imparted by distillers, barley experts, chemists, coppersmiths, coopers, brand ambassadors and more.
Theoretical lectures each morning follow the linear process of whisky making – Malting, Mashing, Distillation, Maturation, Libation/Marketing/Nosing & Tasting.
Afternoons offer Peat Cutting, Gaelic (& English) Distillery Tours, Whisky Tastings, Ceilidh Corner, Independent Bottlers, Independent Distillers and much more.
If time is short visit Islay for a day or two to attend, cherry pick events of value to you.
Buy individual tickets from Eventbrite under the Theatre of Drams Organiser. New events uploaded daily.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/wwwtheatreofdramsscot-whisky-symposium-13151949682
Logan Air flights from Glasgow to Islay every morning and evening
Impress your friends, your colleagues and most importantly yourself! with your new whisky and distilling knowledge.
If you can stay all week, sign up for the 5 Days Islay Whisky School package. Your hosted week includes lectures, accommodation, special educational distillery visits, dinners and other events. Proudly be presented with your Islay Whisky School Certificate at Grand Finale Whisky Dinner.
email rachel@wildandmagicislay.com for details.
Theatre of Drams Whisky Symposium/Festival offers educational and fun benefits for beginners, experts and enthusiasts alike.
Participate in a barley seminar with Islay farmers and Dr Steve Hoad of the Scottish Rural Colleges Agronomy Institute.
Learn secrets of Copper and stills from Speyside Copperworks.
Explore the mysteries of peat, peated whisky and phenols, with Rachel MacNeill.
Enjoy an educational Masterclass led by Whisky Maestro Jim McEwan, formerly Bruichladdich, now building new Islay Distillery, Ardnahoe, with Hunter Laing.
Learn why there is no such thing as an illicit still. Share a dram with distillery managers, excise men and Islay locals whilst listening to stories of old.
Theatre of Drams is an expansion and development of the hugely successful Whisky Course Islay hosted by Whisky for Girls (& Guys!) and participating Islay distilleries in 2015 and 2016.
Theatre of Drams teaches YOU the reality of Scotch whisky making. Be part of an exciting event sharing the ways of the past, safeguarding the spirit of the future.
#ScotchTalk
An Educational Celebration of Whisky
Contact Rachel MacNeill.
T: 0747 8109099 / 01496 810 940
email rachel@wildandmagicislay.com
www.theatreofdrams.scot
www.whiskyforgirls.com (& Guys!)
www.wildandmagicislay.com Whisky Tours
NH Liquor Commission Launches State’s First Raffle of Pappy Van Winkle’s Full Line of Rare Bourbons
Prize package includes Pappy Van Winkle’s 10-year, 12-year, 15-year, 20- and 23-year bourbons; proceeds to benefit Best Buddies New Hampshire
Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is giving whiskey enthusiasts the exclusive opportunity to obtain the entire collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, including the extremely rare Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. NHLC’s Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience marks the first and only occasion to acquire Pappy Van Winkle’s full line of exclusive bourbons in New Hampshire history. The raffle will support Best Buddies New Hampshire.
Only 500 tickets will be available at http://distillersshowcase.com/pappyraffle. Tickets cost $100 and are on sale now until October 13.
Along with the full collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, the prize package includes a trip to New Hampshire for an exclusive Pappy Van Winkle tasting and fine dining experience, and VIP access to the Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits, the largest spirits tasting event in New England featuring more than 400 premium and ultra-premium spirits.
“We are proud to offer our customers from across the country this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain the full line of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons—perhaps the most sought-after bourbons on the planet,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “This initiative is indicative of our commitment to offering customers limited, rare and premium products. While our primary focus is always driving revenue for the New Hampshire General Fund, this raffle also showcases our commitment to supporting New Hampshire nonprofits. We are honored to partner with Best Buddies New Hampshire, which is making a tremendous impact for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
In its inaugural effort last year, NHLC raffled a single bottle of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The raffle generated more than $10,000 for the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association. Building on the success and momentum of last year’s initiative, NHLC made the decision to expand the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience to feature the entire Pappy Van Winkle line.
The full prize package for the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience includes:
One bottle each of:
Old Rip Van Winkle 10yr Handmade Bourbon
o Van Winkle Special Reserve 12yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
o Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
o Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
o Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Two VIP tickets to Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits
Two seats at an intimate and exclusive Pappy Van Winkle Tasting Dinner on Wednesday, November 8, at Hanover Street Chop House – rated one of the “Best Steakhouses in America” by OpenTable. The five-course dinner will include samples from Pappy Van Winkle’s full line of bourbons.
Coach airfare for two to New Hampshire
Hotel accommodations for two nights in Manchester
Best Buddies’ programs allow students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to take part in age-appropriate social activities as part of one-to-one friendships. Through monthly group activities and talking with friends at least once a week, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities get to experience friendship—all while building a life-giving social network outside of their families and service providers.
“Best Buddies New Hampshire is honored to have been chosen as the non-profit partner by NHLC,” said Best Buddies New Hampshire Director Sarra Dennehy. “As the recipient of the raffle’s proceeds, we plan to expand our School Friendship Programs, as well as work toward bringing much-needed programming to our adult population with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. We are so grateful NHLC is committed to supporting our mission of inclusion and friendship for everyone.”
NHLC will host the fifth annual Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits on Thursday, November 9, at the Radisson Hotel Manchester. The event draws a capacity crowd of more than 1,000 guests, who sample from more than 400 spirits, including various styles of whiskey, rye, Scotch, tequila, vodka, rum, gin, cordials and liqueurs. For more information, visit http://distillersshowcase.com.
Photos & Captions
Caption: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is launching the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience, marking the first and only occasion to acquire Pappy Van Winkle’s full line of exclusive bourbons in New Hampshire history. The raffle will support Best Buddies New Hampshire.
Caption: In the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is giving whiskey enthusiasts the exclusive opportunity to obtain the entire collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, including the extremely rare Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The initiative will raise critical funding in support of Best Buddies New Hampshire, which allows students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to take part in age-appropriate social activities as part of one-to-one friendships.
About the New Hampshire Liquor Commission The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) operates 80 retail locations throughout the Granite State and serves more than 11 million customers each year. More than $3 billion in net profits has been raised since the first store opened in 1934. NHLC set an all-time sales record in Fiscal Year 2016, generating $678.4 million in gross sales, an increase of $36.3 million – or 5.65% – over the previous fiscal year. Total liquor net profits reached $159 million, of which $156 million was transferred to the New Hampshire General Fund, which is used to fund programs including education, health and social services, transportation and natural resource protection. An additional $3 million was transferred to New Hampshire’s Alcohol Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund, which utilizes a percentage of NHLC profits to fund addiction treatment and prevention programs.
Visit www.LiquorandWineOutlets.com to locate a store, search for product availability, learn about monthly sales, review wine tasting schedules, and sign up to receive significant savings with monthly Email Extras.
About Best Buddies New Hampshire Best Buddies New Hampshire (BBNH) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement to create opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities and autism. NH fulfills this mission by providing 8 different programs to middle school, high school and college students, and the greater community. Best Buddies was founded in 1989 when Anthony K. Shriver observed the unjustified lack of opportunity for people with IDD to socialize with their peers without disabilities. Best Buddies has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,970 middle school, high school and college chapters located in all 50 states along with 54 international locations.
Best Buddies New Hampshire (BBNH) is a state affiliate of Best Buddies International. Since the Best Buddies New Hampshire office opened in January 2014, we have expanded to 30 colleges, high schools, and middle schools. Our programs support over 750 students with and without IDD. These participants impact over 7,500 people in the community, spreading our mission of inclusion. As of January, 2017, we expanded into Maine and Vermont.
This is a very brief update on a few items using our new format newsletter. Firstly, if you did not want to receive email updates from us then I apologise and please unsubscribe from this service.
The Dufftown Bicentenary Drammie
We have launched a special bottling to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the creation of Dufftown. For every bottle sold we are donating £10 to the Dufftown and District Community Association who do great work in our community. It is only £45.
We are having our usual fun from the first to the last drop this September from 21st to 25th. Our programme of over 30 events is nearly complete but we have a few slots. The confirm events can now be booked.
Highland 46% vol. / 75cl
£43.00 Ex VAT £35.83
This 12 Year Old expression from the core range of Loch Lomond Distillery is aged in three types of cask: bourbon, refill and re-charged. Marrying together creates a perfectly balanced Highland Single Malt with a deep fruity character complete with the distillery’s characteristic hints of peat and smoke.
Nose: crisp green apple, ripe pear and citrus lemon, with a golden cereal undercurrent.
Palate: lashings of fruit with lemon meringue, pear and orchard fruits leading to citrus lemon, vanilla and biscuit.
Finish: medium length with a gentle wood smoke and lingering peat.
Campbeltown46% vol. / 70cl
£60.00 Ex VAT £50.00
The whisky has been gently matured in our finest American oak barrels before bottling. The signature nose has hints of vanilla oak, interwoven with the subtle notes of sea spray and spicy aromatic fruits.
Before summer dwindles away for another year, we’re getting a little fruity with this hand-picked crop of mouth-watering numbers. Perfect for sharing outdoors, enjoy a diverse range of flavours – dark berries, juicy fruits, sweet coconut and zingy citrus. After sunset, go bold with a special something from our peaty corner.
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
Wemyss Family Collection introduced to the Wemyss blended malt range
Family run, independent bottler Wemyss Malts is releasing a new range of blended Scotch malt whiskies that have been produced from the family’s private collection of maturing whisky casks. Rather than use whisky that has been purchased mature and ready to blend, Wemyss Malts has over the past decade sourced oak cask varieties to partner with single malt spirit selected from some of Scotland’s foremost distilleries.
Under the guidance of industry experts including Charlie Maclean, the Wemyss family have handpicked casks that show the perfect balance between wood and whisky to craft exceptional blended malt whiskies. Each yearly Wemyss Family Collection release will focus on one specific influence that impacts whisky, be it regional, malt style or cask effect.
The first two releases of the Wemyss Family Collection represent two opposite whisky styles; that of bourbon cask matured and sherry cask matured whisky. In keeping with other releases from Wemyss Malts, these new bottlings have been given flavour led names by the Wemyss tasting panel:
Vanilla Burst is the first release of the Wemyss Family Collection range and is a blend of only 2 Speyside single malts with a light and fruity character that were chosen to mature in 15 1st-fill Ex-bourbon barrels. The 4800 bottles of Vanilla Burst perfectly demonstrate an intense 1st fill bourbon wood influence on a light and sweet Speyside malt Scotch whisky.
Treacle Chest, selected as the second release of the Wemyss Family Collection range is a blend of only 2 Highland single malts with a sweet, cereal character that were chosen to be matured in just 14 1st-fill ex-sherry hogsheads. The resulting 6300 bottles of Treacle Chest are a perfect example of how rich and weighty 1st fill ex-sherry casks influence unpeated Highland Scotch malt whisky.
Both blended malts are bottled non chill-filtered, at natural colour and are 46% abv. They are presented in screen printed 70cl bottles with a striking charcoal and copper detailed gift carton.
William Wemyss, Founder and Managing Director at Wemyss Malts, commented: “It is with great anticipation and excitement that we release to the drinks enthusiast and whisky community the first two Wemyss Family Collection bottlings. We are very proud of the quality of these two blended malts and look forward to seeing how future yearly releases will compare.”
Isabella Wemyss, Director of Production at Wemyss Malts stated: “Great effort and time has been taken to ensure the Wemyss Family Collection will be remarkable blended malts, from the very first steps of selecting the spirit and sourcing exceptional casks from around the world, to selecting and blending the mature casks under the supervision of leading industry professionals.”
Wemyss Family Collection; Vanilla Burst and Treacle Chest will be available mid-August from selected retailers in the UK, EU and key Asian markets with suggested retail prices of £43 and £47.
Notes:
Experience Europe’s largest Whisky event Live in Paris
Whisky Live, Europe’s largest Whisky event, is back for its 14th edition in Paris – the event’s spiritual home – where whisky and spirits aficionados can revel in the world’s best selection of aged spirits and fine liquors.
Whisky Live Paris 2017, held on the 23rd – 25th of September, is a unique opportunity during which visitors can stroll through a space entirely dedicated to honouring 150 whiskies and spirits from over thirty countries, while experiencing exclusive tastings and inventive mixology creations.
This event, worthy of a trip to Paris, not only showcases the best from around the globe, but also serves as the stage for many world premieres, as-well-as an opportunity to meet distillers and unleash the inner connoisseur. The new free line-up of exclusive masterclasses on the 23rd and 24th – conducted by some of the world’s leading experts – will allow guests to expand their knowledge and appreciation for fine spirits.
Richard Paterson, Master Blender – Jura & Dalmore will kick off the classes on the Saturday, followed by a packed schedule with: Jan Beckers, Global Malt Ambassador – Douglas Laing, and Luca Gargano from Maison Velier. Sunday begins with John Glaser, Whiskey Maker – Compass Box & Dave Broom, followed by masterclasses with Tadashi Sakuma, Master Blender – Nikka, and Alexandre Gabriel from Maison Ferrand.
Due to its huge success in 2016, Cocktail Street* will once again be open to the general public from September 22nd – 25th 2017. The only event of its kind, it will be bigger and better than ever before this year with an entire pop-up street along the banks of the Seine exclusively dedicated to food & cocktails.
The most prestigious brands within the world of refreshments will present their creations, and drinks venues from abroad will be entirely recreated just a few feet below the Whisky Live main event. The Food Market will once again offer exclusive selections of foods and DJs will play throughout for a lively atmosphere!
The countdown is now on and tickets are selling fast. There are a number of options for those wishing to spend an unforgettable weekend sampling the world’s finest spirits and food in the splendour of Paris.
The Discovery Pass provides, among other things, unlimited access to the Tasting Hall stands, two free cocktails at the Cocktail Street, a 10% discount in the Whisky Live Paris pop-up store and other great goodies described more in detail by the ticket office.
VIP Passes are also available; these cost € 120 for a 1 day VIP Pass and € 195 for the weekend VIP Pass.
With this VIP access, spirits enthusiasts will be able to benefit from all the advantages of the discovery pass one hour before the official opening of the event, and will gain exclusive access to the VIP area to taste rare and exceptional spirits.
To book tickets, or to learn more about the event, visit www.whiskylive.fr, and make sure to follow @WhiskyLiveParis on Facebook and Twitter for all of the latest updates.
Whisky Live Paris 2017 will open its doors to the public on the 23rd and 24th of September, and on the 25th September for the trade professionals, at La Cité de La Mode et du Design.
*Cocktail Street is an external event, which is open to the public, running parallel to Whisky Live.
As well as this, we have a limited number of Double Passes, which can be used as prizes for competitions and giveaways – please let us know if this is of interest.
For more information, pictures or cocktail recipes, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:
About Whisky Live Paris
The 2017 edition will open its doors at La Cite de La Mode et du Design for the public on the 23th and 24th September, and on the 25th September for professionals. The second edition of Cocktail Street will take place on the platforms in parallel with a free entrance: a unique concept where ephemeral bars and street food stalls coexist to offer an unusual experience to the public, in parallel of Whisky Live Paris.
From Shanghai to New York, via London and Johannesburg, Whisky Live is an international event that gets capitals’ pulses racing throughout the year. For more than 14 years now, Paris has hosted the annual Whisky Live event at the end of September, which has grown over the years to become Europe’s largest tasting event. With a rich programme of tastings (150 brands present), meetings and talks (Masterclasses), and entertainment with Cocktail Street (cocktail bars, food pairing), Whisky Live Paris is the annual event for whisky and fine spirits enthusiasts. In 2016, Whisky Live Paris welcomed over 9,000 visitors serving more than 17 000 cocktails throughout the event .
NOTE: There are opportunities for journalists to attend Whisky Live Paris, and for select interviews with masterclass presenters and some expert spokespeople from the industry. If you are interested in attending or wish to conduct an interview, please let us know and we will happily arrange this.
