175th Picture This…

Here we are in the hight of the summer season and obviously still turning out some amazing new single malts. The response to the last outturn took us all by surprise in London as vintage after vintage vanished from the shelves. Taste was the main driving force for the sudden demand that overtook us as customer after customer was blown away. Back in January we did say 2017 was going to be special I think we can agree it’s lived up to all our expectations and more. August sees the largest release of the season, with our small batch range and the 175th Picture Labels.

The Fellowship Of The Cask

In London, a small group who answered a call on Facebook took part in 17 blind samples, from the 17 our group (The Fellowship of the Cask as they are known) selected a top 5 based on taste. No other detail was revealed to them be it age, wood or distillery. They narrowed their top 5 into order with the Glenburgie 25 years old, distilled 1992, bottled a few weeks ago coming out on top. They loved the taste and complexity of the dram and for once they did not go for an Islay!

This same process of selecting and tasting was carried out in each of the Cadenhead’s 9 Shops. We expected a few to go for the same product but they all chose a unique cask, so no issues over who would get their first option! 10 Casks have been bottled, one for each shop plus a Springbank for the first outlet in Aberdeen back in 1842, this also marks the move from Aberdeen to Campbeltown of Cadenhead’s.

All the casks selected are listed at the end of this Newsletter. I bet you guys think this is it for the 175th! Well not quite is all we can say for now…

Now to the whisky and the ones to watch…

When I select a whisky I am looking for taste obviously, age and the cask type…Same as most others no doubt unless it’s a rare cask bottling you want! Lets dig into the taste over the age shall we so where should you start?

Ord 2005 (See notes below), this is a rare highland whisky that’s had several vintages released, each one becomes highly prized due to reviews and tasting room demand. Think summer fruits with a dash of vanilla make this dram drinkable on it’s own or after dinner.

Glen Spey 2001, this has always been a top favourite here in London since way back in 1995! Citrus freshness for a clean palate with a touch of old school elegance, this is a must have dram for all-round drinkers.

Each vintage is exceptional this season, as always our selected top dram will be down to how different it is and what the reaction was. The great thing about whisky is the ever changing tastes we get, so much so we are always updating what was the best in the tasting via our shops Facebook page you will see what others say via Stephen Worrall (Cadenhead’s London) you do need a request to view the full page.

SCOTTISH WHISKY EXPERT OPENS GLASSMAKING STUDIO AFTER CROWDFUND CAMPAIGN

An award-winning family firm, which specialises in gifts for whisky lovers, has opened a state-of-the-art glassmaking studio following a Crowdfunding appeal.

Whisky expert and author Charles MacLean cut the ribbon on the new facility at Stirling-based giftware company Angels’ Share Glass.

It will allow co-founders, Tom Young MBE and his daughter Karen Somerville, to increase production of their glass creations and train a new generation of glassblowers to continue their glassmaking legacy.

Mr MacLean said: “I’m so pleased to have been invited here today to open the studio – this is already a terrific company and the new venture will move it even further forward.

“The glass angels they make are very fun and appealing while the whisky water droppers are so elegant and useful – in my opinion every whisky connoisseur should have at least one of them.

“It’s wonderful to see a small Scottish company doing so well and selling their gifts all over the world.”

The firm launched a crowdfunding campaign which raised £11,000 to help fund the studio.

The co-founders also received extra funding from the Scottish Microfinance Fund allowing them to develop a well-equipped bespoke studio at their headquarters.

This will now be used instead of Mr Young’s home workshop which is too small to keep up with rising demand.

At the launch ceremony, guests – including local dignitaries, business clients and Crowdfund supporters – had the chance to watch the firm’s glassmaker Bee Hardy demonstrate her glassblowing skills in the new studio.

Stirling Bailie Chris Kane, representing the Provost’s Office, said: “It was fascinating to see one of Tom’s legendary Angels being blown in the new studio, particularly by new glassblower Bee showing just how well Tom has taught her the secrets of the trade.

“It is testament to Tom – and his daughter Karen – that their creativity and business acumen has taken the journey from Tom’s garden shed to a purpose- built studio in just four years.

“With their products held in such high regard by both the whisky industry and whisky drinkers all over the world, I can’t wait to see what’s next for this Stirling business success story.”

The firm’s Managing Director Karen Somerville was delighted to see the studio open and thanked everyone who has supported the firm since it was established in 2013.

She said: “The studio is badly needed thanks to increasing demand for our products and the phenomenal growth we’ve experienced since start-up.

“It will give our glassmaker Bee a fantastic base to work from and ensure the art of glassmaking continues to have a bright future in Stirling.”

Her father, Tom Young, has been making glass by hand using traditional methods for 60 years and recently received an MBE for his services to glassmaking.

He said: “Having a new studio with more space for staff to work in means a lot to me.

“It will be a great advantage when it comes to passing glassblowing skills onto a new generation of young glassmakers and making sure we keep the tradition alive.”

More information on Angels’ Share Glass can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com

Notes  Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm is co-directed by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young MBE – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for 60 years. More information about the company can be found on the website at www.angelsshareglass.com

While it’s become custom these days for whisky drinkers to pay well over one hundred dollars for 21 year old bottles of single malt, we’re back with another classic single barrel of Highland whisky—at full proof, no less—that will become the go-to bottle of the summer. Fettercairn isn’t a household hold name in the U.S., but in Scotland it’s known for its role in Whyte & Mackay as well as a budding single brand all its own. This particular expression is pure Highland whisky in its purest and most traditional form. Sweet barley, vanilla, flowers, and mealy flavors swirl through the palate and are lifted by the higher proof on the finish. All of this classic complexity clocks in at a cool $79.99, which is why our Old Particular direct barrel program has the attention of the entire whisky drinking nation right now. Not only do our selections receive top marks from top enthusiasts, the prices we’ve been able to offer are unbeatable, meaning this deal will likely sell through as quickly as our previous barrels did.

1995 Fettercairn 21 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($79.99)

Fettercairn isn’t the most well-known of Scottland’s Highland single malt distilleries, but it’s a well-established part of the Whyte & Mackay empire and is renowned by blenders for its light and malty character. Those who like their Highland malts with plenty of buttery biscuit, sweet vanilla, and a dash of orange blossom will go gaga for this 21 year old barrel strength release, especially as the aforementioned flavors are lifted and vibrant at 51.9% ABV. As has been our strategy over the last few years, we dug through numerous samples of Fettercairn and other lesser-known producers because the price of each cask is linked specifically to the name recognition of the distillery. The result is a cracking 21 year old full proof single barrel edition Fettercairn for an amazing price! Aromas of shortbread and sweet malted barley are brimming upon first nosing, followed by a creamy, bready texture on the palate that spreads out slowly and generously with plenty of richness and classic Highland vanilla. The finish is where the heather, flowers, and orange blossom come into focus with notes of ginger and baking spices. All in all, it’s another great deal from our friends at Old Particular and one overdelivers again for the price.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 25, 2017

For those who remember the old Gordon & MacPhail bottling of Glenlivet 21 (the one with the old-timey label), this Fettercairn is a dead ringer for that whisky, just at at full proof and for a much better price. I adored that malt when we had it because it was such a throwback, both the bottle and the whisky itself. It was a no-frills Highland expression with pure flavors of barley, vanilla, fruit and biscuit. The Fettercairn has all of that, but with more body and a longer finish from the higher ABV. This whisky isn’t going to change your life, but it’s going to taste damn good on a later summer’s evening when you’ve finished a long day of laying around the house. Again, our Brexit pricing continues to dominate the market. Few whiskies can match this quality at this price.

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 27, 2017

Flavorful and delicate this 21 year old has a lot to offer. It has a beautiful subtle honeyed nose that leads to a round, fruity and malty mouth. It tastes good. A touch of water is needed to soften and open up this single malt.

Andrew Stevens | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 26, 2017

Here is another fantastic bottle to add to the “summer Scotch” collection that we are all building (I am not the only one, right?) Fettercairn is a beautifully balanced, delightfully delicate, and lingeringly long whisky full of light fruits, with vanilla, citrus, hay, and a perfect amount of spice to bring everything to a close. At 21 years this bottle has the right amount of age to soften the cask strength and keep this Scotch oh so sippable and smooth.

Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 26, 2017

This is a whisky aged to perfection, so that the flavors of ginger, kiwi, melon, butterscotch, hay and oak work off of each other perfectly to create a delicate, dynamic flavor profile that goes down as smooth as any 51 degree whisky that I have ever tried. This is a fresh and delicious Scotch that is priced well below many lesser bottles on the shelf.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 26, 2017

Having recently counted our Spirits inventory in the Redwood City store I found myself at home this weekend counting inventory on my own shelves. I’m definitely guilty of “collecting” an enormous number of open Scotches and other liquors, cause you never know what you might need to have on hand and we always have such great new stuff coming in. With that being said, this Fettercairn 21 is front and center in my “DRINK ME” section. It’s brimming with everything I could ask for in a lazy summer sipper. Stone fruits: check. Buttermilk biscuits: check. Malty goodness: check. Vanilla: check. Delicacy without sacrificing body: Double Check. Oh and by the way, it’s at full proof and amazingly priced. As soon as I make a new space on the shelf, I’m adding a second one of these because when it’s gone, it’s gone.

10 Minute Speed Tastings

What’s this? An effort to taste as many whiskies as you can in 10 minutes?

Nooooh! Of course not! That would not be relaxed!

10 Minute Speed Tastings are your chance to sit in at a specially prepared tasting session. 10 Minutes, only a few people per session and a couple of chances to sit in. And it all ends with the sounding of the horn!

Sounds like fun?

We tried this last year and it is a tun of fun! And relaxed!

Speed tasting testing @ Maltstock 2016

Last year we saw Tony van Rooijen do his normal tasting in just over ten minutes, Werner Bos did a rum tasting and Sietse did a very special Macallan tasting.  This year we sort of (in a Maltstock way) organized it and the speed tastings are featuring the World of Whisky brand ambassadors (in alphabetical order)

• Bram Kaplan
• Sietse Offringa
• Tony van Rooijen

No need to book, simply show up just before a tasting starts. First 12 people will get a seat. So, just buy a Maltstock ticket and sneak into a tasting at one of these times:

• Tony van Rooijen: Glenfiddich – 14.00hr – 15.00hr – 16.00hr
• Sietse Offringa: Macallan – 14.20hr – 15.20hr – 16.20hr
• Bram Kaplan: Highland Park – 14.40hr – 15.40hr – 16.40hr

2017 program

Our crazy packed 2017 program will provide you with a relaxed weekend of whisky fun. If you want to check out all the Maltstock goodness that is coming your way this summer: Click here

Littlemill 2017 Private Cellar Edition 27 Year Old

From the lost distillery of Littlemill, this rare 27 year old expression has been created by master blender, Michael Henry, from casks distilled in May 1990. Eight refill bourbon casks matured for 26 years before being married together in fresh bourbon barrels for 12 months to create this limited edition, bottled at a cask strength of 51.3% abv and presented in a stunning display case with a miniature of the precious liquid and a unique piece of the cask used during maturation.

£2,250 Buy Now Limited to 500 bottles worldwide

Unique, personal, sophisticated.

We’re all hunting for the perfect gift to show that special someone just how much they mean to us, but is it possible? Well, at The Whisky Shop we think we’ve come pretty close to perfect. With our personalised engraving service, extensive single cask selection, craft gins and stylish accessories, there is something to suit the most discerning of drinkers.

Next day UK delivery available International shipping

MAKE IT PERSONAL

R&B Distillers second release of Raasay While We Wait

This February, R&B Distillers released the second batch of their lightly-peated single malt whisky – Raasay While We Wait. This limited edition second iteration has spent 18 months finishing in Tuscan red wine casks, imbuing the spirit with a rounder and fruitier flavour.

After a successful first year of production, R&B Distillers have now sold out of the first release of their multi-award winning single malt. R&B Distillers are in the process of building the first distillery on the remote Isle of Raasay, off the east coast of Skye, and they have chosen to create a limited second batch of 1,974 bottles to honour a renowned figure in Raasay history. In 1974, Raasay resident Calum Macleod completed a mammoth ten-year endeavour: to build a hand-constructed road across Raasay, from Brochel Castle to Arnish. R&B’s latest batch plays homage this immense and patient feat.

Masters of patience themselves, R&B Distillers began producing whisky at another Highland Distillery while obtaining planning permission to build their first distillery on the island. In December 2015, R&B launched the aptly named Raasay While We Wait a handcrafted whisky that offers a clever prediction of the taste and character of the whisky which will eventually run from the stills on Raasay.

The inaugural release was created by combining heavily peated single malt with an unpeated single malt from one Highland distiller. This created a lightly peated whisky reflecting the high minerality of Raasay water, which filters naturally through the volcanic rock of Dun Caan. The pot stills, now on site at the new distillery, have been sourced from Tuscany and R&B decided to strengthen this Italian connection by finishing Raasay While We Wait in Super Tuscan red wine casks. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc casks lend juicy and fruity notes to the whisky which carefully balance the 15ppm peating.

While the first batch has spent 8 weeks in the red wine casks, the second batch has been developing in complexity over the past 18 months finishing in the casks. This new iteration contains the same level of peat, but the extra finishing furnishes the whisky with a bigger, more rounded flavour and is less spicy and smoky than the original incarnation. Similarly, the whisky’s distinctive heather hue has subtly but evidently darkened.

Brand ambassador Chris Hoban comments “The second release of Raasay While We Wait has quite a bit of the smoke and earthy notes from the first release but these have been enriched with fruity, juicy, full bodied red wine notes. Where the wine notes were more prominent on the nose in the first release, with just small amounts on the palate, the second release is enveloped with plum and raisin notes, mixed in with burning peat and dark chocolate.”

In 2016, the first release of Raasay While We Wait first was awarded several accolades including a Silver at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, and Bronze medals at the International Spirits Challenge and Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition.

Alasdair Day, co-founder of R&B Distillers hopes that the second release will match this success: “We’re very excited to launch the second release of our Raasay While We Wait single malt. Given the batch nature of these whiskies we’re looking forward to hearing feedback from our customers on the difference between the first and second releases.”

Our new website has slowly been maturing over the past few months and we’re delighted to say it is now ready to serve!

Be sure to check it out HERE. You can now book your tour easily online, choosing both the date and preferred time allowing you to plan your day out in Crieff to the full – and there’s lots to do in the local area so it’s well worth a visit.

You can now use your mouse to visit The Famous Grouse!

BOOK ONLINE TODAY

The Famous Grouse Experience
The Glenturret Distillery
The Hosh
Crieff, PH7 4HA
United Kingdom

Upcoming Tastings Calendar

Follow The Whisky Shop on Facebook for up-to-date information

 August 11th:

Local Whisky Tasting: Do Good Distillery

August 12th:

Bourbon Tasting: James E. Pepper’s ‘1776’

August 15th:

Paul John Whiskey with Distillery Owner Paul John

August 18th:

Local Whisky Tasting: Mosswood Distillery

August 19th:

Bourbon Tasting: Four Roses

August 25th:

Single Malt: Deanston, Bunnhabhain, Ledaig, Tobermory

Early bird tickets for Atlanta early bird ends Aug. 7

Whiskies of the World Houston (#WOWHOU) will take place on Thursday, September 14th, at the JW Marriott Galleria

Whiskies of the World Austin (#WOWAUS) is Saturday, September 16th, at the JW Marriott downtown.

Whiskies of the World Atlanta (#WOWATL) is Saturday, November 4th, at the Westin Buckhead

San Jose is set for Thursday, March 22, 2018  (#WOWSJ) Ticket go on sale in August

San Francisco is set for Saturday, March 24, 2018  (#WOWSF) Tickets go on sale in August