Ralfy re-visits an affordable, available malt in Ralfy Review 723 – Strathisla 12yo @ 40%vol: (re-reviewed 2018)

A distillery considered Scotland’s best lowland whisky maker has confirmed it’s very first whisky festival attendance – a year before it will start to produce malts once again.

The highly coveted Rosebank distillery was purchased by Iain MacLeod Distillers last year and a rumoured £12million will be spent to start producing whisky once again from the site on the Union Canal, Falkirk.

Rosebank Distillery will attend The Whisky Social Falkirk this year, bringing rare Lowland single malts for the lucky attendees to sample.

Organiser of Whisky Social Falkirk – which also has events in Dundee and Belfast – Andy Ure said: “When we heard Rosebank was going to start producing again we thought it would be great to get them involved in the festival so we are over the moon that not only will be attending, but it will be the first festival they ever attend.

“There is real nostalgia surrounding the distillery, and people are excited that soon there will be new bottlings. With Falkirk Distillery also coming to fruition shortly, Falkirk is cementing itself as a whisky town once again.”

Brand ambassadors will be pouring Rosebank 12 year old to sample and discussing plans to re-open the distillery at Whisky Social Falkirk.

The malt stopped being produced in 1993 when owners Diageo decided to cease production over upgrading costs as well as road access difficulties. The warehouse was sold to be turned into a Beefeater restaurant while the distillery was sold to British Waterways. Iain MacLeod bought the rights to the name and the site and plan to install three sills to recreate Rosebank’s historic sweet, floral malts as well as a visitor centre to give an insight into the history of the distillery that opened in 1817.

Whisky Social Falkirk is on Saturday, August 18 at the Dobbie Hall, Larbert. Limited tickets are still avaiable from www.harbroevents.co.uk

Kilchoman Sanaig and Port Askaig 8yr Have Each Won 95 Points!

Both of these core expressions exemplify what is best about Islay whiskies.  

KILCHOMAN SANAIG

Sanaig has a predominantly sherry cask influence owing to the significant time spent in oloroso sherry Hogsheads. These aged oloroso casks contribute a drastically transformed depth of colour.

PORT ASKAIG – 8 year

Yielding an eight year natural color and being non-chill filtered, this award-winning small-batch production expression daily drinker was created by Islay whisky fans for Islay whisky drinkers.  The elegant, soft, sweet, classy, minerally, medium-peated style is perfect for novices to discover Islay and connoisseurs to enjoy as their regular dram.

Thanks again for being part of our family and enjoying these fine whiskies with us!

We’ll be in touch about other exciting news as the year drinks on …

Please feel free to reach out for more details on the bottlings: office@impexbev.com

Single Malt Scotch Tasting
This Thursday, April 26th
4:30 OR 6:00 PM
Speyside Distillery
with Ed Kohl

We’re excited this week to have importer and industry veteran Ed Kohl joining us for a rare appearance to lead a tasting of his new partner, Speyside distillery!

Speyside Distillery (which is in Speyside, the region) was the ongoing dream of submarine captain, George Christie. Construction on the distillery was started in the 1960’s and was completed in 1987, with distillation beginning in 1990. Fermentations are long and distillation is slow, everything goes at its own pace at Speyside.

The distillery is now in the hands of The Harvey Family, who have strong ties to the whisky industry (Lord Byron presented his friends with “Harvey’s Spey Whisky” upon his wedding in 1815, though obviously it was a different “Spey”). These days, most of the whisky is destined for Asian markets, especially Taiwan, though Ed Kohl may have swayed them to work more with the States.

Pricing for this week only will be as follows:

Spey

Cuveé – Regular Price – Sale Price

Tenne – $49.99 – $44.99
Trutina – $56.99 – $51.99
Fumare – $56.99 – $51.99
Chairmen’s Choice – $114.99 – $100.00
18 Tear Old – $134.99 – $114.99
Benn Dubh – $58.99 – $52.99
Six Isles – $49.99 – $44.99

Joe Howell

APRIL AUCTION NOW LIVE
(ends Sunday 29^th April)

…place your bids at www.whiskyhammer.co.uk

With an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits there is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest, enjoy!

THE REVIEW

A few of you Bourbon fans may be thinking, ‘he’s a bit late with this one.’ – Well yes, you’re kind of right, however, after I only recently purchased a few bottles did I find out that people were in a rush to pick up as many as they can due to it being discontinued. Coincidentally, I had a conversation with a BA for this brand and he assured me that there are palate’s of the stuff sitting around in UK warehouses – so that stopped me from dropping my savings account on some cases and I’m now going to open them all as that’s what it’s all about anyway! Elijah Craig, The Rolling Stone of barrel maturation, loads of people did the same thing but he is the most famous for it. Using it as a storage vessel, it’s only real intended purpose, one winter the Mississippi River froze over and he had stored his spirit in a barrel that had been charred either on purpose or by accident, history still can’t really decide on that yet and here we are today with the idea of charring wood and storing whisky for a maturation process. James Pepper experimented a with this stuff and a whole heap of other famous Bourbon-ites…(new word) – Twelve years old, 47% ABV and a nose that is dominant with white chocolate, maple syrup, breakfast waffles and everything else that I love in life. Cheers.

Irish Distillers announces the appointment of Henry Donnelly as new Distiller at the Micro Distillery at Midleton 

Dublin, 17th of April 2018 – Irish Distillers, Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines and producer of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys, today announced the appointment of Henry Donnelly as the new Distiller of the Micro Distillery at the Midleton Distillery in Co Cork. As part of his new role, Henry will be responsible for the day to day operations of the Micro Distillery in Midleton and will work closely with Master Distiller Brian Nation on the production of innovative and experimental new whiskeys to add to the existing Irish Distillers portfolio.

Henry graduated from University College Cork in 2016 with a degree in Process and Chemical Engineering and joined the Jameson Graduate Distiller programme. Following successful completion of the programme, Henry was appointed as Process Technologist in the Midleton Distillery, a role that combined the role of brand ambassador with process optimisation.

Commenting on the announcement, Henry Donnelly, Distiller at the Micro Distillery, said: “I started my journey with Irish Distillers in 2016 when I was accepted on the graduate distiller programme and was lucky to learn from the masters about the intricacies of the entire whiskey production process – from grain to glass. As the new Distiller of the Micro Distillery, I am looking forward to working closely with Brian and using my training and experience to produce a range of exciting and innovative new whiskeys.”

Commenting on the appointment, Brian Nation, Master Distiller at Midleton Distillery, said: “We opened the Micro Distillery in 2015 and since then it has allowed us to explore experimental and innovative new mash bills and distillates, all of which are currently maturing. We are also looking to the past and experimenting with recipes and production techniques used by the great distillers that have come before us from the Jameson and Powers families and the Murphy family of the Cork Distilleries Company. On top of that, it is a space where we can train the up and coming distillers of tomorrow. It is a fully manual operation which requires our young talent to hone and test their skills every day and to really understand the fundamentals of how to make the finest whiskeys in the world. We are delighted to announce the appointment of Henry to the role, we have no doubt that he will play his part in adding exciting new chapters to the incredible story of Irish whiskey.”

As the Distiller in the Micro Distillery, Henry will also provide training to colleagues on the entire production process and enhance the visitor experience in the Jameson Experience Midleton.

Henry replaces Karen Cotter, who has moved into a role on the main site of the Midleton Distillery.

Notes 

About Irish Distillers

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard is Ireland’s leading supplier of spirits and wines and producer of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s fastest-growing Irish whiskey, experiencing 28 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 6.5m cases in 2017. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 71 of those experiencing double- or triple-digit growth.

Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €250m to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.

We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin. 

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s no.2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of €9,010 million in FY17. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of approximately 18,500 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 86 “Market Companies” established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

Ever wanted to know more about the most diverse spirit in the world?

The Whisky School is designed for anyone with an interest in whisky and wants to learn more in an informal but informative fashion. All in the atmospheric and grand setting of the Malmaison.

Find out how whisky is made and discover the different styles produced all over Scotland and the rest of the World. The history, regionality and provenance will be discussed as well as in-depth looks at wood maturation and the new-make spirit.

PLUS attendees will get the chance to blend their very own whisky, choose a brand name for it and take a miniature of it home with them!

After completing the course and successfully passing a final exam, the ‘candidate’ will receive a signed certificate and more importantly the confidence to speak the ‘language of whisky’.

A rough outline of the ‘syllabus’:

Introduction.

History overview. Look at whisky regions of Scotland and tasting.

Production:

Looking at what makes each single malt ‘tick’. All processes looked at with particular emphasis on maturation and wood management.

Blending Workshop:

History of blending, tasting and hands-on blending workshop World Whiskies:

History and production of world whiskies (Japanese, Taiwanese, Indian, American). Maturation/wood management.

Final Exam & ‘graduation dram’

The price includes:

All whiskies sampled (around 20-25)

All course material

2-course light lunch

A Glencairn Whisky Tasting Glass to take home with you A signed Whisky Lounge ‘Whisky School’ Certificate – for successful candidates!

June 23rd

The Whisky Lounge – Whisky School

Malmaison, Barbican, London

https://thewhiskylounge.com/event/whisky-school-london-23-june/

Glenglassaugh 1986 30 Year Old Batch 3

The signature expression within the batch 3 Glenglassaugh limited edition series.Part of the third batch of Rare Cask Releases from Glenglassaugh, this Highland single malt was distilled on 19th February 1986 and aged in a single Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, cask #1393, for three decades before bottling in November 2016 at a cask strength of 42.6% abv. Limited to just 425 bottles.

The nose has dark chocolate notes with red grape and blackcurrant, black pepper and a floral oak spice. On the palate there’s fresh plum syrup, heather honey, gentle chocolate notes and candied ginger, with soft barley sugar.

£310 Buy Now