Fruity whisky – The Whisky Agency and The Whisky Exchange

Our latest exclusive whisky releases are here! This time it’s a showcase of one our favourite styles of whisky: the fruit bomb. We’ve teamed up with German indie bottler The Whisky Agency to bring you a pair of fruity drams: one from Bowmore and one from an anonymous Irish distillery.

Bowmore 1998, 19 year old

While Bowmore isn’t that well-known for its fruity drams these days, step back a few decades and you’ve got stacks of fruity whisky. Bowmore from the 1960s is, quite rightly, the most famous, but more recent vintages have also seen the distillery start to reclaim its old reputation.

For Bowmore, the end of the 1990s is when we’ve started regularly finding tropical fruit turn up in the whisky again, and when The Whisky Agency sent us over some samples of 1998 Bowmores, this one stood out – fruity but balanced.

Nose: A seaside sweetshop – minty rock, aniseed balls, wine gums and midget gems scoffed on a beach with a splash of sea spray and peat smoke winding down from nearby chimneys. Fruitiness sits at the core, with pineapple, mango and Granny Smith apples surrounded by barley sugar. Rock pools and sea breezes sit around the outside.

Palate: Gentle and definitely Bowmore. Soft and spicy peat smoke blankets juicy wine gum and jelly baby fruit, with chocolate limes and black liquorice to follow. The chocolatey notes build, adding a bittersweet backbone to the fruity character.

Finish: More chocolate limes along with a hint of mint. That fades to leave a puff of peat smoke.

Comment: It’s fruity, it’s got a maritime tang, it’s got a lick of peat smoke: this is the sort of Bowmore I like. It’s not as fruity as a 1960s’ bottling, but its definitely facing in the right direction.

Buy now >

Irish 1993, 24 Year Old

We can have a good guess at which distillery this came from (I reckon it begins with B), but we don’t know for sure. However, it is definitely the same spirit that we’ve bottled a few times over the past couple of years and it’s as fruity as ever.

While we don’t know quite how they managed to imbue the whiskey with so much fruit, we’re very happy they have. Dear <anonymous redacted Irish distillery, more like this please.

Nose: Sweet and sour nose, balancing dried and candied fruit against sharp fresh fruit. Dried apple and pear rings are piled on top of fresh and dried mango, sherbet lemons and a handful of just-peeled lychees. Hints of vanilla and soft spice waft out from underneath.

Palate: Soft and sweet, with vanilla pods balanced on top of the fruit from the nose. Royal icing sweetness sits alongside candied pineapple pieces and gentle oaky spice develops. Buttery and biscuity grain notes hang around the edges, creating a pie crust for the tropical-fruit filling.

Finish: Lemon shortbread and a tingle of cinnamon lead to lingering sherbet lemons and wine gums.

Comment: More restrained in its fruitiness than some of our previous releases, and more complex with it. The tropical fruit provides a tasty backdrop with grain and spice dancing around in front.

Buy now >

You can find these and all of our other exclusive whiskies on our Exclusive to The Whisky Exchange page.

Limited Editions

If there’s one thing we love more than whisky it’s discovering new whisky to love! This week three new limited editions have found their way to Inveraray and each one is a wee gem!

From Highland Park Valknut, the follow up to last year’s Valkyrie, to a fully certified organic 15-year-old from Deanston, and Arran Brodick Bay, the first release in the Explorers Series, each one offers a new take on its distillery’s signature flavour.

If you can get your hands on a bottle before they’re gone, we’re sure you’ll love discovering them too.

Next day UK delivery available
We ship all over the world – including the USA!

Highland Park Valknut

£58 

Arran Brodick Bay

£130 

Deanston 15 Year Old Organic

£70

The Good Dram Show – Episode 275 ‘Glengyle & Springbank’

This week’s episode of the show features some new releases from Springbank along with last years Kilkerran 8 year old cask strength release.

https://youtu.be/dBRg5DfgMbY

NH Liquor Commission Raffling Rare Pappy Van Winkle Bourbons to Raise $100,000 for Best Buddies NH 

Prize package includes Pappy Van Winkle’s 10-year, 12-year, 15-year, 20-year, 23-year and 25-year bourbons; only 710 bottles of Pappy 25-year bourbon exist worldwide 

Joseph W. Mollica, Chairman | Michael R. Milligan, Deputy Commissioner

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is giving bourbon lovers the chance to acquire the world’s most sought-after bourbon while contributing to a worthy cause. NHLC launched the third annual Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience today, providing bourbon enthusiasts the opportunity to obtain the entire collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, including the oldest bourbon Pappy Van Winkle has ever released: the Old Rip Van Winkle 25yr Handmade Bourbon. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold for $100 each with proceeds benefiting Best Buddies New Hampshire. Tickets are available until October 2 at www.distillersshowcase.com/pappy.

“We are proud to offer our customers from across the country this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain the most sought-after bourbons on the planet,” said NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “This initiative is indicative of both our longstanding commitment to offering customers limited, rare and premium products, and our dedication to supporting the New Hampshire nonprofit community. We are honored to partner with Best Buddies New Hampshire, a remarkable organization making a significant impact on people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

In its inaugural effort in 2016, 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 the 2016 raffle, NHLC made the decision to expand the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience to feature the entire line of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons in 2017. Last year, the raffle generated more than $42,000 for Best Buddies New Hampshire.

With high demand for Pappy Van Winkle and overwhelming support for Best Buddies New Hampshire, NHLC decided to increase the amount of tickets available to 1,000 and to enhance the prize package by including a bottle of the Old Rip Van Winkle’s 25-year Handmade Bourbon.

Introduced in April 2017 with just 710 bottles available worldwide, the Old Rip Van Winkle 25yr Handmade Bourbon has a suggested retail price of $1,800 per bottle, but some retailers list it at $15,000 per bottle.

In addition to the full collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, one winner will receive VIP access to one of the largest spirits tasting events in the country, the Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits, which features more than 400 premium and ultra-premium spirits for sampling and draws more than 1,000 guests. The Distiller’s Showcase takes place on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at the Manchester Downtown Hotel in Manchester, NH. The prize package also includes access to an intimate Pappy Van Winkle tasting and fine dining experience in Manchester.

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
  • Van Winkle Special Reserve 12yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
  • Old Rip Van Winkle 25yr Handmade Bourbon
• Two VIP tickets to Distiller’s Showcase of Premium Spirits
• Two seats at a Pappy Van Winkle Tasting Dinner on Tuesday, October 30
• The five-course dinner will include samples from Pappy Van Winkle’s line of bourbons
• Transportation for two to New Hampshire
• Hotel accommodations for three nights in Manchester

Best Buddies New Hampshire helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience friendship and build a life-giving social network outside of their families and service providers. The organization’s programming allows students and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to take part in age-appropriate social activities through one-to-one friendships.

“Best Buddies New Hampshire is honored to have been chosen as the nonprofit partner for the Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience,” said Best Buddies New Hampshire Director Sarra Dennehy. “This is a terrific opportunity for our organization and we plan to use this funding to expand and enhance our School Friendship Programs in elementary, middle, high school and colleges. We are also planning to use this critical funding to establish our Citizens program, which offers the thousands of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in New Hampshire the opportunity for one-to-one friendships. We are extremely grateful to NHLC for continuing to support our mission of inclusion and friendship for everyone.”

In addition to Best Buddies New Hampshire, NHLC has worked with suppliers, brokers and customers over the past five years to raise more than $1.47 million for nonprofit organizations making an impact in New Hampshire and beyond, including Community Foundation Sonoma County, the Napa Valley Community Foundation, New Hampshire Food Bank, Currier Museum of Art, Easterseals New Hampshire, Homes for Our Troops, Operation Care for Troops, Toys for Tots, Granite United Way, Concord Hospital, Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, Crotched Mountain Foundation, Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association.

Photo caption: The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) is giving bourbon lovers the chance to acquire the world’s most sought-after bourbon while contributing to a worthy cause. NHLC launched the third annual Pappy Van Winkle Raffle & Exclusive Tasting Experience today, providing the opportunity to obtain the entire collection of Pappy Van Winkle bourbons, including the Old Rip Van Winkle 25yr Handmade Bourbon. Only 1,000 tickets will be sold for $100 each with proceeds benefiting Best Buddies New Hampshire. Tickets are available until October 2 at www.distillersshowcase.com/pappy. Pictured are the 10, 12, 15, 20 and 23-year bourbons.

Rare chance to own a true monument in the world of whisky

The signed Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli 15 Year Old is expected to break previous auction records for the bottle

PERTH, SCOTLAND – A standout Samaroli classic whisky – the Laphroaig 1967 15 year old Sherry Wood – is due to go under the hammer this week in the July online auction held by Perth-based Whisky Auctioneer. This follows on the heels of the record-setting Bowmore 1966 Samaroli Bouquet that was snapped up for a £51,611 hammer price in Whisky Auctioneer’s auction last month.

Meetings between the Islay distilleries and the legendary Italian bottler, Silvano Samaroli, have produced an absolutely stellar selection of whisky over the years, but this Laphroaig 1967 Sherry Wood is revered by whisky connoisseurs the world over and is generally regarded as the best whisky ever committed to bottle.

One of only 720 bottles produced, this bottle is also signed by Silvano Samaroli himself making this a very rare opportunity to own this bottling as well as a truly one-of-a-kind whisky collectible.

According to research conducted by Rare Whisky 101, the Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli achieved £5,700 the last time it went under the hammer in 2014. It is expected to fetch over £25,000 in this auction.

The Laphroaig 1967 is highly regarded and finds itself a hair’s width away from being top of Whiskybase.com’s top 1000 whiskies of all time, currently stood just below Samaroli’s other masterpiece the Bowmore 1966 Bouquet. Serge Valentin of WhiskyFun.com has given the Laphroaig 1967 98 points, one of his highest scored reviews of all time.

Sean McGlone, director at Whisky Auctioneer, said: “The Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli is a true monument in the world of whisky. Countless whisky connoisseurs across the world who have been lucky enough to try a dram consider it the best, most flawless whisky of all time. The interest in this should be huge, but now even more so as, following on from our recent auction of the Bowmore 1966 Bouquet, it is another unique opportunity to own one of Silvano Samaroli’s most fantastic and lauded whiskies, with this bottle even signed by the master himself.”

The Laphroaig 1967 Samaroli is an example of two heavyweights of the whisky world at the very top of their game. The 1960s was a golden era in production for many Islay distilleries, with the southeast coast’s Laphroaig no exception. Today it is one of the few remaining Scottish distilleries with its own in-house malting floor, and this vintage dates to the time when this provided 100% of the malt they used. Modern Laphroaig uses only a small percentage of its own malt, the rest sourced from Port Ellen, making this a truly pure example of what the distillery can produce, and a rare one at that.

The auction is the latest in a growing line of rare treasures to be sold by Perthshire firm Whisky Auctioneer which specialises in auctioning fine, old, rare and collectable whisky.

Over the past two years, Whisky Auctioneer has broken auction records on a monthly basis, and in addition to the recent Bowmore 1966 Samaroli Bouquet sold for £51,611, standout lots include a rare collection of Corti Brothers whiskies for £52,865, and the world’s largest known collection of rare and collectable Karuizawa whisky from Japan for £770,000.

The auction goes live on 27 July and will close on 6 August. For more information on the auction or to register to participate please visit www.whiskyauctioneer.com or https://whiskylink.co/laphroaig67

Additional Information

1. Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky, whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable.
2. Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, Whisky Auctioneer aims to be the most comprehensive website available for the buying and selling of whisky.
3. Whisky Auctioneer holds regular monthly online auctions as well as specialist auctions for collectible whiskies and exclusive releases – for example, recently holding an exclusive auction for 99 of the first 101 bottles of The Lakes: Genesis – the first single malt produced by The Lakes Distillery and the first in the North of England in over a century which received a world-record price for the first of the inaugural bottles from a new distillery of £7,900 hammer price.
4. To buy or sell on the Whisky Auctioneer website, a free account must be first set up here: https://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/register
5. Social Media Handles:
a. twitter: @whisky_auction
b. facebook: @WhiskyAuctioneer
c. web: www.whiskyauctioneer.com
d. hashtag:#Laphroaig67

Saturday, July 28th, 2:30-5:30PM: 

Welsh Whiskey: Penderyn

Treat yourself to a variety of new, rare, and award-winning whiskies by unique Welsh distillery Penderyn at our whisky expert presented in-store tasting! Penderyn is the first whisky distillery in Wales in over a century. Dreamed up by a group of friends in the late 1990’s, they aimed to continue Wales’ distilling history with a whisky as pure and precious as Welsh gold, represented today by Penderyn’s ‘gold seam’. Today, Penderyn’s malted barley spirit has received worldwide recognition as a fantastic whisky, with numerous awards for their expertly distilled bottlings.

More Details & RSVP

The Tweeddale | Whisky Tasting Evening | Coldstream

The Tweeddale whisky was established in Coldstream on Duke Street in 1820. On Saturday 4th August, as a festive precursor to the annual celebrations of Civic Week The Tweeddale will be returning to its spiritual home in Coldstream for a  tasting evening and talk from The Tweeddale Master Blender, Alasdair Day.

Alasdair Day, is the great grandson of Richard Day who ran a small licensed grocer’s shop in Coldstream where he blended and bottled whisky to sell to the local community. He meticulously recorded his secret ‘recipes’ in a cellar book which he left to his family. This fateful book was passed down through the family to Alasdair and in 2009 he was inspired to recreate The Tweeddale using Richard Day’s original recipes.

At this fascinating event, taking place in Coldstream Community Centre, Alasdair will be talking about how the business has evolved in recent years and will be providing tastings of the three different expressions of The Tweeddale that he has created to date. The evening will be the perfect opportunity for whisky and Coldstream History lovers to uncover the fascinating heritage of this spirit, while sipping a dram or two.

This is a free event and will run from 7pm – 9pm. There will also be whisky available to purchase.

Ralfy.com describes Caledonia with . ralfy review 736 – Edradour 12yo “Caledonia” @ 46%vol

https://youtu.be/Ie-g4SBM7jI

WHISKY AND WINE, FEELING FINE! 

Tomatin release limited edition Moscatel finish single malt

Highland whisky distillery Tomatin has today (Tuesday 17^th July 2018) announced the release of its new limited edition Moscatel finished whisky.

The expression, which was distilled in 2003, is aged 15 years and has a limited run of just over 6,000 bottles available worldwide.

The whisky has been finished in first fill Portuguese Moscatel wine barriques for a period of five years, with the maturation imparting flavours of toasted almonds and oranges, sun-dried raisins and figs, creating a sweet and creamy finish.

This isn’t the first time Tomatin have experimented with unusual cask maturation. Fans of the distillery will remember, for example, the limited edition 14 year old Cabernet Sauvignon and 9 year old Caribbean Rum expressions, which proved popular in 2016.

This ongoing experimentation is a result of Tomatin’s exceptional wood policy which ensures there is a wide range of casks sourced from prestigious partners within the industry.

Jennifer Masson, Tomatin’s Marketing Manager, said, “We are delighted to be able to release such an interesting and unusual cask maturation to our range of limited edition whiskies.

“Moscatel releases are relatively rare and tend to be limited as the casks aren’t widely available – making this expression a must-have and we expect it will prove very popular with our customers who are looking for something a little different, but still typically Tomatin.”

Known for ranging from chestnut to an intense mahogany in colour, the Moscatel wine and non-chill filtration give this whisky a distinctive character and rich, beautiful golden colour.

Moscatel wine, made from the muscat grape variety, delivers pronounced fruity notes, whilst also featuring an intense aromatic nose. The Portuguese wine characteristically has aromas of jasmine, orange blossom and honey suckle, with addition of citric notes of lime and grapefruit and other hints of sweetness.

Graham Eunson, Tomatin’s Distillery Manager, said, “This full bodied and intense Single Malt may be unusual in as much as it is finished in first fill Moscatel barriques, however this really accentuates what Tomatin whiskies are known for being: smooth, light, sweet and fruity.”

The limited edition Moscatel expression is available from specialist retailers at a cost of RRP £75 and comes in a 70cl bottle (46% abv).

For additional information please visit: http://www.tomatin.com/muscatel-15-year-old

Notes: 

Tomatin is located in the Scottish Highlands (near Inverness) and is famous for its portfolio of thirty soft and mellow whiskies, including a core range, a limited-edition range and a premium archive range (prices range from £35 – £2,500). Tomatin is one of the fastest growing whisky brands in the UK and ranks within the Top 10 Single Malt brands in the USA. Tomatin recently reported its turnover increased by almost 25% during the company’s most recent financial year (Dec 2016 – Dec 2017). Tomatin won Distiller of the Year 2016 and Brand Innovator of the Year 2017 at the Icons of Whisky Scotland Awards.

Whisky Flavours“ Poster – Alba-Collection Verlag – New Publication July 2018

We did not want to reinvent the whisky aroma wheel. There are already numerous versions in text form. Then we met Luise Poley with her project “Whisky Flavours“. Luise had collected over 320 whisky flavours in about 3 years and photographed them individually in a whisky glass.

We were so enthusiastic about their idea that we joined forces and decided to make this idea available to everyone interested in whisky, whether professional or amateur, in a visually appealing form.

The aroma and taste sensory system is different for each person, based on his or her personal experience. Everyone can train and improve their sensors. The 320 whisky aromas shown are the best known aromas. These can be found in numerous tasting notes of various whisky bottlings or aroma descriptions.There are certainly many other flavours which we have not listed or taken into account here. Be honest – who of us can already verify 320 different flavours, if so, then you definitely belong to the circle of “whisky super noses”.

So may some whisky lovers forgive us, that we had to do without some nice sounding associations like wet dog, old horse, cow stable, campfire etc.. But some objects just can‘t be put in a whisky glass to be photographed. Unless you help with an image-editing program. But we weren‘t about to do that. All photos are real, the aromas actually photographed in a conventional whisky glass.

With a little practice you can now easily decipher and present the aroma profile of every whisky bottling for yourself and others. The two posters “Whisky Flavours Wheel“ and the “Whisky Flavours Collection” are the result. The “Whisky Flavours Wheel”, the analysis tool, is constructed like the well-known aroma wheels. It contains 8 primary aromas, 35 secondary aromas and 207 aroma associations (now new as photo). The “Whisky Flavours Collection“, is something for explorers, 239 pictures of aroma associations are shown in a grid, of these 113 additional aroma associations are only included on this poster.

The “Whisky Flavours Booklet” is the link between the two posters. The 28-page booklet contains all 320 whisky flavours of both posters and is arranged and illustrated according to the 8 primary and 35 secondary flavours. In addition, the booklet contains selected stories of the origins of some associations. In it we tell you how individual associations emerged, and also how the path to the perfect picture sometimes turned out to be very laborious or almost impossible.

We hope these little stories will entertain you and inspire you to browse, smile or think.

New publications July 2018:

– Whisky Flavours Wheel poster; sizes: 700 x 1000 mm (28 x 40 inch) & 420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch)
– Whisky Flavours Wheel RollUp; sizes: 850 x 2000 mm, 1000 x 2000 mm & 1200 x 2000 mm
– Whisky Flavours Collection Poster; Size: 700 x 1000 mm (28 x 40 inch)
– Whisky Flavours Collection poster; size: 420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch); (set of 2 posters (A-L and L-Z))
– Whisky Flavours Booklet; Format A4 (landscape format), 28 pages

All posters are now available in well-stocked whisky shops, bookstores or directly from the publisher.

Press Release Alba-Collection Verlag July 2018

In July 2018 the following updated editions of our distillery maps were published:

· 6th updated edition Scotland‘s Distilleries with approx. 30 current changes; size 420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch)
– 2nd updated edition Islay‘s Distillerie with the Ardnahoe Distillery; size 420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch)
– 4th updated edition of Islay‘s Distillerie size 240 x 340 mm (10 x 14 inch)
– 3rd updated edition Irish Distillerie size 240 x 340 mm (10 x 14 inch)
– 3rd updated edition Irish Distilleries with approx. 12 current changes; size 420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch)

Now all our Scotland and Ireland maps are up to date.

On all publications, the month and year of opening are noted for the distilleries newly opened after 2014. The development of the distillery landscape in Ireland over the last five years has been particularly impressive. To document this we have compared the map of 2013 with the map of 2018 in the booklet „Irish Distilleries“. The current edition of the new booklet is part of the premium version of the „Irish Distilleries“ Map (420 x 600 mm (17 x 24 inch) size).

All cards are now available in well-stocked whisky shops, in bookshops or directly from the publisher.

With kind regards
The team of Alba-Collection Verlag
Contact: Alba Collection Verlag GbR Hamburg
Meldorfer Strasse 11b
D-20251 Hamburg, Germany
+49(0)40-41425316
info@alba-collection.com
www.alba-collection.com
facebook: Alba-collection