February Releases

We are delighted to announce the imminent release of two new Springbank bottlings and the next chapter in our Longrow Red series.

Springbank 12yo cask strength 56.3%

Springbank 25yo 46%

Longrow Red 11yo Cabernet Franc 55.9%

These products are available to purchase in the UK from tomorrow (8th February). The email you are reading now will replace the ‘Available Now’ Newsflash normally sent out on the launch day as a number of members have requested that we let you all know sooner. As such, notifications on the launch day itself will only be made on social media. We do urge members not to publish the details below on social media before we announce it ourselves through our own social media channels. This will hopefully let you all get first bite of the cherry although we would highlight that we do not control how shops sell their stock, if they take pre-orders etc. Even the Cadenhead shops are out-with our control so if you have any enquires or comments about what stock individual shops have please contact them directly.

Springbank 12yo cask strength 56.3%

The latest 12yo cask strength follows the normal maturation recipe of 70% sherry and 30% bourbon and will be bottled at 56.3% ABV.

Nose: A very sweet beginning of glazed cherries, coconut and marzipan combined with soft notes of treacle, cloves and honeycomb.

Taste: A beautiful balance between vanilla and black pepper sitting alongside dark chocolate, cinnamon and liquorice with a delightfully delicate touch of smoke.

Finish: The classic Springbank style emerges; dunnage warehouse notes and salty maritime flavours, accompanying cream crackers along with caramelised sugar.

• The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling the Springbank 12yo CS for £49.50.
• This is not a Society exclusive bottle
• This is considered a core product so the Society discount can apply on this bottling (at the discretion of each individual Cadenhead shop).

Springbank 25yo 46%

The 5th annual release of Springbank 25yo will be available worldwide in limited quantities.  This version departs from recent editions of the 25yo where maturation combined bourbon and sherry casks into a final port pipe vatting, whereas this edition has been matured exclusively in refill sherry casks.

Nose: Typical Springbank; damp, hessian cloth with notes of flint followed by treacle, traditional Highland Toffee, marzipan, nougat and toasted oak.

Taste: Perfectly balanced, silky and smooth. Forest fruits and toasted marshmallows are prominent then pecan and walnuts. Cotton candy, butterscotch and orange peel.

Finish: Oily and fruity. Treacle as the nose suggests with tobacco leaf, citrus fruits then salty and briny notes.

• The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling the Springbank 25yo for £350.00.
• This is not a Society exclusive bottle
• This is not considered a core product so the Society discount does not apply.

Longrow Red 11yo Cabernet Franc 55.9%

This Longrow Red Cabernet Franc from De Toren Private Cellar in Stellenbosch, South Africa is the follow up from the previous Malbec release from the same winery. It has been bottled at cask strength having spent an initial nine years in bourbon barrels before a final two in Cabernet Franc barriques.

Nose: Initially there’s peat, peat and more peat. After leaving this to aerate red wine notes appear, as well as the sweetness of marzipan, toffee, raspberry Jam and Eton mess.

Taste: The peat remains as does the sweet taste of caramelised sugar and toffee apples. This is balanced by the contrasting fruity flavours of stewed rhubarb and crisp, juicy red apples from the red wine casks. There is also a rich buttery biscuit flavour on the palate.

Finish: To finish, there are lovely long sooty smoky burnt embers. This is accompanied by some dry oak vanilla tannins and phenolic antiseptic notes return to say adieu.

• The Campbeltown Cadenhead shop will be selling the Longrow Red 11yo for £55.00.
• This is not a Society exclusive bottle
• This is considered a core product so the Society discount can apply on this bottling (at the discretion of each individual Cadenhead shop).

These whiskies are available in the UK from tomorrow – for more information on when they will be released in different countries/markets please contact your local Springbank retailers and stockists, details of whom can be found by visiting: http://springbank.scot/distributors/.

Once again, we urge members not to publish the launch day on social media before we announce it ourselves through our own social media channels. And please remember that these are distillery bottlings, not under the control of the Society, so we are unable to reserve bottles and you cannot place orders through the Society.

Before we go, a quick reminder that Campbeltown Malts Festival tickets go on sale at 2pm GMT (UK time) on Thursday 15th February. They will be sold from Eventbrite. Further reminders shall be sent out in the days ahead so look out for them.

Slainte
Springbank Society
Springbank Distillers Ltd.

Contact the Society at society@springbank.scot to join!

Exclusive Malts Batch #15 is Here, and it’s Amazing!

The 15th batch of Exclusive Malts has arrived and it’s incredible! Eight amazing distilleries offer the spread of Scotland, while adhering to the highest standards of cask strength, non-chill filtered single cask expressions. We hope you enjoy tasting them as much as we enjoy bringing them to you. Get them while supplies last.

Rich and powerful with equal measures of heavy fruit and peaty smoke. As full bodied as they come and quite memorable. RRP: $125

Fruit and spice and all things nice. This whisky has spent 10 years getting very fruity from the refill ex-Port Hogshead it was maturing in. RRP: $100

A rich and malty whisky, bursting with barley sugar and sweet fruits. RRP: $100

Vanilla and toffee dominate this sweet and spicy whisky from the Highlands of Scotland situated near the region famous for Macbeth. RRP: $100

A rich and malty whisky, bursting with barley sugar and sweet fruits. RRP: $105

Heather smoke and woodland smells mixed with mild spice and a hit or two of toffee. RRP: $135

A balanced and beautiful whisky from one of the most Northern distilleries in Scotland. Heather smoke mixes barley sugar with delicious results. RRP: $155

Rich fruit mix with dessert flavours. RRP: $140

For more information on the bottlings, please email office@impexbev.com

Our mailing address is:
ImpEx Beverages Inc.
360 Swift Ave
Side B # 9
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Introducing The Macallan Classic Cut, 2017 release; the first in a new series of annual releases created to celebrate The Macallan’s extraordinary character and unrivalled commitment to the mastery of wood and spirit.

Matured exclusively in hand-picked exceptional oak casks seasoned with Oloroso sherry from Jerez, Spain, this unique Macallan single malt has been bottled to perfectly unlock its unique flavour profile. The result is an indulgent single malt whisky with a sweet and spicy character.

The Macallan Classic Cut is available in select locations worldwide including the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe. A limited number of the 2017 release is now available to buy from The Macallan Online Shop*.

EXPLORE    BUY NOW

Octomore Masterclass_08.4 Virgin Oak

This 8 year old Islay single malt from Bruichladdich’s Octomore range is the fourth release in the Octomore Masterclass series. Distilled in 2009 from that year’s harvest, peated to 170ppm, 20% of the spirit was matured for the full term in first-fill virgin oak casks, with the remaining 80% in first-fill American ex-bourbon casks before being transferred into the European virgin oak casks that had previously held Octomore 07.4. Bottled without chill-filtration or tinting at a cask strength of 58.7% abv and limited to just 12,000 bottles worldwide.

£150 Pre-Order Now
Orders will be dispatched week beginning 26th February

JAMES MARSDEN, SHANINA SHAIK AND SUKI WATERHOUSE LEAD GLOBAL CELEBRATIONS FOR SECOND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL SCOTCH DAY 

EDINBURGH, FEBRUARY 6^th 2018:  Scotch, the world’s favourite whisky, will be celebrated across the globe on Thursday February 8^th with a series of red carpet, star-studded events to mark International Scotch Day.

International Scotch Day is a celebration of everything that gives the world’s favourite dram its unique character, flavour and personality – and invites adults everywhere to raise a glass of Scotch in celebration on the day.  International Scotch Day is held during the week of the birthday of one of the world’s most influential Master Blenders – Alexander Walker the son of John ‘Johnnie’ Walker who brought Scotch to the world.

This year’s celebrations will be bigger than ever, taking place in over 70 countries worldwide, almost doubling the volume of last year’s inaugural celebrations and truly getting the world talking, thinking and enjoying Scotch.  Large-scale marquee events will take place in India, Mexico, The Philippines and South Africa involving consumer and media engagements throughout the day and red-carpet star-studded parties by evening. Events, PR, social media, broadcast, e-commerce, sampling, in-store and in-bar activity are planned, and all designed to drive excitement about Scotch.

People can participate by visiting their favourite bar and enjoying a Scotch with friends, or posting on social media using #LoveScotch.  For those Scotland-bound, Diageo’s 12 distillery visitor centres will open their doors free of charge on 8^th, 10^th and 11^th February to explore behind the scenes of some of the world’s most iconic Scotch whisky brands such as Johnnie Walker Blended Scotch and Glenkinchie, Talisker, Oban, Dalwhinnie and Cardhu Single Malts. To sign up for a free standard tour, visit www.diageo.com

Scotch is a drink that’s been cool since forever, with a timeless style & swagger that’s unmistakable and it was in this spirit that actor James Marsden, supermodel Shanina Shaik and actress Suki Waterhouse were invited to lead a series of special celebrations to celebrate 2018 International Scotch Day.

Shaik will celebrate International Scotch Day in Johannesburg, Marsden will travel to Manila and Delhi & Waterhouse will be in Mexico City to celebrate the day.

“I can’t think of a better place to be than in Mexico City for International Scotch Day”, said Waterhouse. “Scotch has always been my go to drink and I have such an appreciation for its history and complexities”

Marsden said, “I’ll be celebrating twice, in two exciting locations, Manila on Feb 6th and Delhi on Feb 8th.. Scotch has always been one of my favourite drinks and I’m excited to travel to these two incredible cities to experience International Scotch Day with my fellow Scotch enthusiasts”.

When asked to describe her favourite thing about Scotch, Shanina Shaik said, “I love that it’s a drink that’s withstood time. It’s gone from a classic drink to one that mixologists can modernize with delicious ingredients”.

Ronan Beirne, Global Brand Marketing Director at Diageo said: “Last year’s International Scotch Day was a huge success and this year we wanted to turn up the volume and make it even more of a celebration with our three global ambassadors and events in many more markets.

Beirne continued, “We chose to shoot the campaign creative at the iconic Cambus Cooperage against a backdrop of casks representing a tradition of craftsmanship that dates back centuries, alongside these three stylish personalities enjoying a Scotch together.  A perfect way to show that Scotch is cool, and made to be enjoyed whenever and wherever.”

The LoveScotch campaign encourages those who choose to drink, to do so responsibly.

#LoveScotch and #InternationalScotchDay.

About Diageo:  Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.  Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

Glenmorangie celebrates its 175th anniversary with multi-million pound investment

Dr Bill Lumsden and Brendan McCarron introducing their latest creation – Glenmorangie Spios

Glenmorangie‘s Dr Bill Lumsden – director of distillation and whisky creation – likes to experiment. While some of the distillery’s Private Edition releases – his yearly chance to showcase the whiskies he has been tinkering with over the past 20 years – have been weird and wonderful, some of the most successful have been based around a simple idea. The latest is definitely one of those: what happens if you use casks that used to hold American rye whiskey to mature Glenmorangie Original? The answer: Glenmorangie Spios – Private Edition No.9.

Rye spice

I don’t get on well with rye whiskey. I love it in cocktails, but on its own it’s got more punch than I usually want – the commonly cited rye ‘spice’. Spice is an imprecise word when talking about flavour and it always needs some clarification. Do you mean chilli heat, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, anise, musky leaves, pungent green hops, dried herbs or something else?

When it comes to rye, it’s a very specific character, sitting on top of classic American whiskey spice, the cinnamon and nutmeg notes that you find in almost every one. For me, rye whiskey’s spice combines the kick of cloves with anise and a selection of greener and more herbal notes, especially tarragon and mint – not what you might immediately think when told that a whisky is spicy.

Making Glenmorangie Spios

Back to Spios. Bill Lumsden was first introduced to rye whiskey back in the late 1990s by legendary whisky writer Michael Jackson. He was well known for championing lesser-known drinks and was a great cheerleader for rye. At the time, it wasn’t popular and production levels were incredibly low, so there weren’t many casks about – it took Bill a decade to source some to experiment with. Eventually he acquired enough heavily charred first-fill ex-rye barrels and the process of making Spios began.

Compared to the complex vattings and finishes that often pop up in the Private Edition range, Spios is simple – Glenmorangie spirit fully matured in ex-rye casks. They haven’t official disclosed the age, but adding up the various numbers Bill mentioned above, it comes out at around 10 years – the same age as Glenmorangie’s classic 10-year-old Original. If we want to see what rye casks add to the whisky, then how better than to compare the two?

Glenmorangie 10yo Original

Nose: Spring meadows and flowers up front, with Love Hearts, (restrained) Parma Violet sweets and candied lemon peel: fragrant and sweet. Richer citrus fruit sits in the middle – orange jelly and hints of wine gum – with a pool of creamy coffee and caramel underneath.

Palate: Cream and spice to start: clove and vanilla cream. Coffee and chocolate sit at the back, with orange- and lemon-creme-filled chocolates bridging the gap. Oaky spice develops, dry cinnamon and sweet nutmeg, with a touch of anise.

Finish: Lemon and orange oil fade to leave damp leaves and cinnamon-spiced cream.

Glenmorangie Spios Private Edition No.9

Nose: Herbs and toffee roll out of the glass: cloves, mint and spicy green leaves. Clove-studded oranges sit behind, doused with thick vanilla cream and toffee sauce. Hints of banana smoothie develop, stirred through with fresh mint and star anise. With time, fragrant pears and floral notes appear.

Palate: A big hit of spice kicks things off: cloves with a whack of cinnamon heat. Sour plums and baked apples roll through the middle, sat on a bed of leafy mint and tarragon. Warming anise notes build, along with creamy coffee sweets.

Finish: Clove, cinnamon, anise and mint floating on a pool of cream and coffee.

Side by side

Trying the two whiskies side by side, the progression is clear: the infamous rye spice is carefully layered on top of the classic 10yo Original. Like me, Brendan McCarron – Bill Lumsden’s right-hand man and the distillery’s head of maturing stock – isn’t a big fan of rye on its own, and he nailed it with his description of why this works: ‘Rye is so intense, so dry, so spicy. Just a little bit of that coming into the Glenmorangie house style is the way for me to enjoy rye.’

Glenmorangie Spios is available to buy now.

One of the hardest things to do as a retailer/importer is to temper your enthusiasm (I’m terrible at it) when making a large purchase. One question that often arises is how much of the pleasure we derive from tasting is due to the quality of the liquid itself, and how much it comes from the romance of travel? For example, I continue to buy cask after cask of available Bowmore because I will always think about our first night at the distillery in 2011 with Jamie MacKenzie (pictured here with David OG). It was a cold and foggy night and we were fresh off the ferry, our first visit to Islay. I’ll think about that wonderful memory each and every time I take a sip of Bowmore whisky, so that’s when I have to ask myself: does this latest cask of Bowmore really cut the mustard, or am I letting myself get carried away by sentimentality?

Which brings me the latest K&L single cask arrival: a heavenly 22 year old hogshead that was bottled for us by our friends at Sovereign. Let’s go down the list with what is yet another great deal from our direct barrel program (one that the current Pound/Dollar rate will make difficult moving forward): 1) The standard edition of Bowmore 25 year sells for about $400, while the standard 18 year comes in around $130. At full proof, this 22 year comes in at well less than the 25 and for only a bit more than the distillery’s 18 year old edition. That’s a great price. 2) Despite the isolated single barrel character, this whisky is incredibly balanced. You’ve got loads of vanilla, plenty of peat smoke, and a lovely, oily texture. You’d think this was blended into harmony, but it just so happens to taste that way right out of the cask! 3) Finding Islay whiskies with age in this market is getting harder and harder. We can get as much no-name Highland whisky as our customers can buy, but to secure barrels from the legendary peated whisky distilleries is becoming a tough task. I’m doing everything I can to lock down more supply, but the truth is it’s not something I can assume will continue with any frequency at this point. Needless to say, you can’t go wrong with a classic expression of Bowmore. This isn’t an anomaly in any way. It’s everything you hope it will be with no rough edges and plenty of richness to balance out the campfire notes. Plus, my colleague Alex thinks it’s one of the best whiskies he’s ever had. That’s saying something.

1995 Bowmore 22 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Sovereign” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($139.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 24, 2018

As my colleague Alex said when I asked if he had tasted our sample bottle, “It’s one of the best scotches that has ever passed my lips.” I think that sums things up nicely. Especially when you consider the context. 22 years old, cask strength, single barrel, etc… I can’t argue. This whisky ranks. It’s loaded with citrus, fresh peat smoke, sugar candy and caramels. It’s a little salty. That classic brine character really shines through and complements the delicate fruitiness that lingers on the palate. Add in the complex herbaceous notes that waft in and out and you’ve got yourself a very complete, very balanced whisky. In short: you’ve got old Bowmore. I expect the only complaints we will register in the Spirits department on this one are about not having enough bottles to sell.

Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 17, 2018

This is one of the best expressions of Islay peat that I’ve ever tasted. The peat is subtle on this one, almost lost in the aromas of honeyed grains and marmalade on the nose. On the palate, the smoke shows up elegantly behind the rich creamy sweetness of the malt, eventually matching that intensity for a full proof, 51% abv masterpiece. The complex and delicious flavors stick around for an incredible finish.

Fall in Love this February

Valentine’s Day is on the horizon, but before you write out your cards we’ve got some recent arrivals we’d like to introduce you too. Who knows – you may just find a new love!

Next day UK delivery available
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New Macallan
15 Year Old Fine Oak

Matured in the perfect balance of sherry and bourbon seasoned casks for at least 15 years, this single malt from The Macallan is part of the Fine Oak series of triple cask matured releases from the Speyside distillery.

The nose is full, with aspects of rose and cinnamon. The palate brings intense rich chocolate and a touch of orange and raisins, which linger on in the finish with dried fruits emerging.

£150 Buy Now