This weekend our office is closed, that means no office opening hours on Saturday through to Monday. We do so hope no inconvenience is caused. A few days of foxing it up, like our foxy friend above, and then back to working hard on Tuesday for our 90th auction.
Diageo Special Release 2018
The latest batch of limited editions from the Diageo portfolio have now arrived at Loch Fyne! From your favourite distilleries like Lagavulin and Talisker, to more obscure distilleries like Pittyvaich and Inchgower, and even a very special blended malt – the latest line-up is as exciting as ever!
We ship all over the world!
Saturday, September 22nd 11AM-5:30PM
Scotch Tasting: Kilchoman & Exclusive Regions
Join us this Saturday for a taste of Islay, Speyside, and Orkney Scotch, presented by whisky expert Sam Filmus! Some of our own favorites from the Exclusive Regions line will be poured, as well as rare drams from Kilchoman Distillery.
Pourlist:
Exclusive Regions Speyside
Exclusive Regions Orkney
Kilchoman Single Malt Scotch
29-30 SEPTEMBER 2018
OLD BILLINGSGATE, LONDON
The Whisky Show 2018
FINAL MASTERCLASS REVEALED
We’re very pleased to announce the final masterclass of the 10th anniversary Whisky Show.
Three Pillars of Islay Sunday 30 September 2018
4.30-6.30pm. £75
Join three of Islay’s best known whisky personalities – Lagavulin and Port Ellen’s Georgie Crawford, Ardbeg’s Jackie Thomson and Bruichladdich’s Lynne McEwan – for a slice of island life.
Tickets for this class are on sale now!
Please note: you must have a valid ticket to the Sunday of The Whisky Show to attend this masterclass.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
Products are offered subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
2. We do not issue physical tickets. When you make your booking, your name will be added to a guest list for the event.
3. In the case of cancellation on part of the organisers, the full ticket price will be refunded to you. We reserve the right to make cancellations up to 24 hours before the event.
Isle of Arran Distillers move closer to completion of new distillery as stills arrive
Isle of Arran Distillers Ltd have edged closer to the completion of their new Lagg Distillery, having recently welcomed the arrival of their new custom-made copper pot stills to the island.
Following their departure from Rothes on the east coast of Scotland, the stills made the ferry journey from Ardrossan to Brodick on Thursday 30th August, before travelling down to the Lagg Distillery site early the following morning.
Master Distiller James MacTaggart, along with Graham Omand, the newly appointed Lagg Distillery Manager, and Faye Waterlow, the Lagg Visitor Centre Manager, were on site to welcome the copper pot stills to their new home, where they will begin the production of the signature Lagg Single Malt in early 2019.
The copper pot stills were manufactured by renowned still-maker, Forsyths. They have been specifically tailored to create a heavily-peated (50ppm) earthy spirit that will become the flagship Lagg Single Malt. It is expected that this spirit, despite being very different in nature, will retain many of the characteristics that are the staple flavours of the celebrated Arran Malt.
The wash still has a capacity of 10,000 litres and the spirit still a capacity of 7,000 litres. The new Lagg stills will allow for a production level within the first year of 200,000 litres of alcohol.
Speaking about the arrival of the stills, James MacTaggart said: “The copper pot stills will now be installed into their new home and complete a commissioning phase. The anticipation of waiting for them and then watching them arrive has created a great buzz on the site and on the island.
“Now the stills are here, it truly feels like the start of an exciting new chapter, not just in the story of whisky production on Arran, but for the island as a whole. I look forward to working closely with Graham to ensure that they get up-and-running and that the spirit produced at Lagg is of the highest quality.”
As well as the arrival of the stills, the three warehouses on site at the Lagg Distillery have been completed and the keys have officially been handed over from the construction team to Isle of Arran Distillers. This allows the team based at Lagg to start preparations to store the casks that will be filled at the new distillery.
When fully operational in 2019 the Lagg Distillery will increase Isle of Arran Distillers production capacity to 2 million litres. Furthermore, the total visitor numbers to both distillery sites is expected to exceed 200,000 by 2020.
To see footage of the stills arriving at Lagg Distillery, and to find out how you can become part of a new island whisky legacy, please click here.
In other news, the Isle of Arran Distillers have launched a search for the official poem of the Lagg Distillery, which will be immortalised at the site. Budding writers have been tasked with producing a poem that beautifully captures the Isle of Arran’s history, landscape or, quite simply, it’s spirit – whisky or otherwise.
The closing date for entries is Friday 14 December and the winner and two runners up will be announced on Burns Night, Friday 25 January 2019. As well as being immortalised within the Lagg Visitor Centre, the winning entry will be exclusively published in Scottish Field magazine, the official media partner for the competition. The winning poet will also be invited to the official opening of the new Lagg Distillery & Visitor Centre in Spring of next year. The two runners up will receive an exclusive Lagg Distillery goodie bag.
All entries can be submitted to Scottish Field magazine by emailing Kenny Smith at ksmith@scottishfield.co.uk with the subject ‘Isle of Arran Distillers – Poetry Competition’. Entrants will also need to include in their name, contact information and date of birth as this competition is only open to those over the age of 18.
Poems can also be submitted by post using the following address:
Kenny Smith
Scottish Field
496 Ferry Road,
Edinburgh,
EH5 2DL
Notes:
Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for:
Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007) Scottish Field Visitor Experience of the Year 2014 & 2015
Drinks Business Best Contribution to Wine and Spirits Tourism (2017)
Best Brewery/Distillery Tour – Scottish Outdoor Leisure Awards (2017)
Product Awards include:
Arran 10 year -old: San Francisco World Spirits Competition Double Gold Medal (2018). International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold Medal (2018). Category Winner and Gold Medal ‘Best Scotch Under 12 Years’ Islands Non-Islay at the World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018). Ultimate Spirits Challenge 91 points (2018). Ultimate Spirits Challenge Cocktail Commendation for the Rob Roy (2018). Double Gold Medal China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards (2014)
Arran 18 year-old: International Wine & Spirits Competition Gold Medal (2018) Category Winner & Gold Medal ‘Best Scotch 13-20 Years – Islands (Non- Islay) World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018)
Quarter Cask ‘The Bothy’: Category Winner & Gold Medal ‘No Age Statement Single Malt’ for The Bothy Batch 3 World Whiskies Awards (2018). International Wine & Spirits Competition Silver Outstanding Medal (2018). International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018)
Arran Lochranza Reserve: International Wine & Spirits Competition Silver Outstanding Medal (2018), International Spirits Challenge Silver Medal (2018)
The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is almost upon us! It’s our tenth show this year and we’re celebrating in style – we’ve got more whisky than ever before, bigger masterclasses, excellent show bottlings and even a guest spirit…
We’re still building the complete dram list (expect it on the Wednesday before the show, like every year – please stop asking me…) but we’ve broken the 650 mark and are still chasing up the final few bottles.
So far on the list we have whisky from Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Sweden, Denmark, India, Japan, Australia, Canada, USA, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Israel and the Netherlands.
The Dream Drams are back: some of the world’s rarest and seldom-tasted whiskies, all open and ready to try. We’ll be updating the final list until the start of the show – as the distillers find dusty bottles hiding at the back of cupboards and at the bottom of spreadsheets – but you can find the current line-up over on the show website.
A few of the old and rare bottlings from last year
Like every year, make sure you get your Dream Drams in early – there isn’t much of any of these whiskies and they do run out. Grab any extra tokens you want early and make a beeline for your first choices.
Current highlights for me include Douglas Laing’s 50yo ‘Speyside’s Finest’ (it’s almost certainly a Glenfarclas), Springbank 32yo and the Rosebank Jealousy release, which I’ll be pouring on the Show Bottlings stand up on the mezzanine.
And if that’s not enough for you…
Every year we up the game when it comes to masterclasses and this year is no different. The Port Ellen Special Releases class (tasting the ninth through sixteenth editions with Georgie Crawford, former Lagavulin manager and now manager of the project to rebuild Port Ellen) and our ‘six of the best show bottlings’ classes are sold out, but there are still a few tickets left for the others.
They run the gamut from a beginners tasting hosted by me, to a Signatory Vintage 30th Anniversary tasting hosted by Edradour and Signatory owner Andrew Symington, who started working in the whisky world before I was born. There’s food pairing, geeky examinations of casks, history lessons, bourbon, new whisky makers, whisky heroes, and even a rum vs whisky battle featuring Luca Gargano and Whisky Exchange boss Sukhinder Singh. On top of all that, we’ve got cigar-pairing classes running through the day, matching up three different whiskies with the different stages of smoking a cigar. Truly something for everyone.
The complete list of classes is up on The Whisky Show website.
Along with the masterclasses, we have a full program of short talks and demos through the weekend. Meet the distillers, hear what’s coming next, get geeky and try some great drams.
There are more seats this year, but definitely get there early to secure your spot
They’re all free to attend, but make sure you get there early – seats fill up quickly. You can find the complete schedule up on the show website.
This year’s overarching theme is ‘the future of whisky’ and we’ve asked soft drinks expert Fever-Tree and whisky magazine Scotchwhisky.com to each create a room that shows what they think is coming next. As you might expect, they’ve come up with very different ideas…
Head into the Fever-Tree Perfect Pairings bar to try a range of highballs. Whisky is commonly mixed around the world, but drinkers are realising there’s more to it than taking a random dram and splashing in soda or Coke. Fever-Tree have pulled together a collection of great pairings and they’ll be serving them up for you to try.
Scotchwhisky.com have created the Future Trends Lab, a curated room of experimental ideas from packaging to production to drinking, bringing together drinks experts from across the industry. Step into the unknown in the sensory transportation room, leap into European rye spirit, explore non-alcoholic whisky and discover botanical spirits that combine the past with the future of drinking. There’s quite a lot to see…
While there’s loads more to see at the show (including lunch, whisky and food pairings, coffee, book signings, photo competitions and more), make sure you come and see me on the show bottlings stand. I’ve got a stack of great whiskies to pour, from very special bottles that are being to launched at the show to new Whisky Exchange exclusives and a couple of secret treats.
If you recognise this whisky, then definitely come to the show bottlings stand…
Full details will be released soon, but for now all I can say is that the show bottlings are unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, and that if you like fruity Irish whiskey, you need to pop by.
While Saturday is sold out, there are still Sunday tickets and a few weekend passes available. You can get them and find out loads more information at The Whisky Show website.
The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show takes place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 September at Old Billingsgate in London. It is going to be excellent.
We just love boasting about our 0% commission for sellers with SWA. We know ‘mother’ always says don’t boast, but when it is this good, it’s hard not to.
Did you know we travel the length of the country collecting whisky from our greatly valued clients? Once a month we visit Inverness, Elgin, Aberdeen, London and Manchester, offering drop-off points for sellers. Not only do we visit mainland locations we also visit Orkney and Islay a few times a year. To sign up for the monthly reminders for each location please click on the map above.
Our mailing address is:
mail@scotchwhiskyauctions.com
New Arrivals on our
Whisk(e)y wall.
As the rain pours down here in NYC – we remembered that our favorite thing about water is how it can expand the nuances of whisk(e)y. Then when we realized it has been awhile since we told you about some new arrivals. So – Happy reading and hopefully…ordering:)
Please contact us with any questions you might have.
Note – We will be closed Wednesday, September 19th in observance of Yom Kippur.
Cheers!
Jonathan, Marlon & Eric
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
whiskyconn@gmail.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com
Glenrothes ~ ‘Whisky Maker’s Cut’
Matured only in first fill sherry seasoned oak casks, and bottled at natural color at a strength selected by our Master Whisky Maker. Creamy vanilla, orange peel and nutmeg character.
Aroma: Resinous, candied peel and fresh oak notes.
Taste: Rich, spicy, creamy vanilla and orange peel.
Finish: Long, fruity, orange peel notes with a hint of nutmeg.
PRICE: $88/btl
’08 Ardmore by Mossburn: No. 6
“This is a 9 year old Ardmore single malt, independently bottled by Mossburn, owners of the Torabhaig distillery on the Isle of Skye (its own whisky is waiting to come of age, in case you were wondering).”
Nose: Freshly baked pretzels, cedar, dry smoke.
Palate: Lemon drizzle cake, milky coffee, earthy peat and peppercorn.
Finish: Waves of vanilla and a floral, oak smoke.”
PRICE: $71
Pinhook 2018 Bourbon release
Each fall, Pinhook releases a new bourbon connected to a promising young thoroughbred horse. The whiskey in each release is the best expression of their barrels at that moment in time. They blend and proof each release to be as unique as the horse on the label. The result is an annual vintage of Pinhook Bourbon that become instant collectibles. While it is impossible to know if the horse on the bottle will go all the way to the Kentucky Derby, there is no gamble on the quality of what’s inside. “Bourbon Country” is the 8th release. It’s been aged more than 3 years at Castle and Key Distillery in Millville, KY . Notes: A vibrant burst of ripe pear and baked apricot up front seamlessly give way to toffee, dates, and vanilla bean. A lingering and lifting finish of cinnamon, cedar, and peppercorn round out this complex, and exceptionally balanced expression.
PRICE: $55/btl
Boone County Distilling Co. 12 Year Old
“Boone County, once the largest producer of bourbon in Kentucky, has resurrected local distilling under the name Boone County Distilling Company and the launch of “Eighteen 33″- a 12 year-old straight bourbon whiskey. It has been profiled as rich and full bodied in the mouth with an almost everlasting finish, notes of aged oak, vanilla, caramel, and a hint of cinnamon.”
PRICE: $75
Corsair Ryemageddon
Corsair Ryemageddon American Rye Whiskey is distilled from a mash of 80% malted rye grains and 20% chocolate rye grains. After the grains have been harvested by local farmers, they are mashed and fermented before being twice distilled, first through an antique wash still and then again through a 240-gallon copper-pot still. It has an aroma of milk chocolate and peanut butter, along with notes of fresh rye toast, baking spices and buttered bread on the palate. The flavors lead gently to a warming finish with a touch of fruit, butter and vanilla.
PRICE: $53/btl
Matsui Whisky by Matsui-Shuzo The Kurayoshi 1910 Sherry Cask
Matsui Shuzo is known in Japan as both a sake brewery and shochu distillery. While the juice in Kurayoshi is 100% malted barley, the spirits themselves have been sourced from distilleries around Scotland before making their journey to Japan, where they are blended with Japanese-distilled malted barley then aged (3-18 years).
Nose: Walnuts and chocolate peanuts, with a touch of cranberry.
Palate: Sultana and honeyed bread, with a lingering touch of ground ginger.
Finish: Crunchy brown sugar, stewed pears and blueberries.
PRICE: $82
Due to ever-changing inventory, we cannot guarantee bottle availability. We are not responsible for any typographical errors or the New York Giants ‘revamped’ Offensive Line. Please contact the store with any questions.
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com
ralfy.com buys blended scotch for a change with ralfy review 744 – Hankey Bannister 12yo Blended Scotch @ 40%vol:
