FOUR BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY SPIRITS NAMED “TROPHY FINALISTS”

IN 2018 ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE

20 spirits from Buffalo Trace Distillery awarded 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 15, 2018) A total of 20 spirits from Buffalo Trace Distillery were awarded at the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. Four of those were named “Trophy Finalists,” including, George T. Stagg, Stagg Jr , Sazerac Straight Rye and Buffalo Trace Distillery Bourbon Cream Liqueur.

            Those awarded as “Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation” include:

• George T. Stagg Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Those awarded the distinction of “Excellent, Highly Recommended” were:

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• W. L. Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• W. L. Weller “Old Weller Antique” Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• W. L. Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Sazerac Straight Rye
• Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Whiskey
• Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Buffalo Trace Distillery Bourbon Cream
• Benchmark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Sazerac Straight Rye, Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, W. L. Weller 12 Year Old, Buffalo Trace Distillery Bourbon Cream were all deemed to be “Great Values.” Receiving a designation as “Tried & True” were Sazerac Rye, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s Single Barrel, E. H. Taylor Single Barrel and E. H. Taylor, Jr. Rye.

This competition, in its eighth year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

Complete results for the 2018 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2018results. 

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 21 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year by “Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2018.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 500 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

Sit back and relax, this may take a while. We’ve selected five recommendations that demand attention, spend some time with these drams and your patience will be rewarded with layers of mouth-watering, juicy fruit sweetness. Just wait for the colourful character twist. Browse our online shop, with over 70 single cask whiskies available to explore.

LATEST OUTTTURN            VIEW WHISKIES

36.143 – Spend a little time with me

“With water it really shows its age – vanilla, tobacco and old leather furniture aromas are followed by foamy banana sweets, mace and clove spice, barley sugars, toffees, orange peel, tropical fruits and hint of saltiness.”

Age: 17 years

Price: £65.20

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ

Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

MAY AUCTION NOW LIVE
(ends Sunday 27^th May)

…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!

https://youtu.be/J3_5_IM0UtQ 

Balblair, a distillery, that for those who know it are aware of it’s powerhouse presentation and delightful craft when it comes to delivering whiskies that are ready to bottled to suit them rather than the rest of the current market. Previously, the 1990, 2003 and 1997 have all received high praise from myself and Joe, let alone the rest of the whisky world. This bottle is laced with classic Balblair contrast, a nose of sweet chocolate orange and sticky toffee – backed up by a luxurious palate that continues the flavours from the nose – the finish is spicy and herbaceous which for me takes us back to classics like the 2003 & 2005 vintages which lure you in with a sweet style and then hit you with classic Highland clout towards the end. She’s a beauty! Cheers!

Whisky Reviews every Wednesday ~ Facebook.com/whiskytube ~ Twitter.com/whiskytube ~ Youtube.com/whiskywednesday

Heaven Hill Distillery Receives Best Bourbon, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Numerous Medals from 2018 San Francisco Spirits Competition

Awards continue legacy of excellence for Heaven Hill Distillery portfolio

BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Heaven Hill Distillery’s tradition of producing award-winning American Whiskey continues with the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition naming Henry McKenna Single Barrel “Best Bourbon” across all categories of Bourbon, as well as “Best Single Barrel Bourbon.” Elijah Craig Small Batch was named “Best Small Batch Bourbon,” placing second overall only to Henry McKenna.

Both Bourbons and Pikesville Straight Rye Whiskey also received the Double Gold designation, which the competition defines as “awarded to the very few entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel; these are among the finest products in the world.” This recognition comes on the heels of a banner award year for Heaven Hill Distillery. At the 2018 WSWA Spirits Tasting Competition Elijah Craig Small Batch was named “Best of Show Bourbon” and Pikesville was named “Best of Show American Rye Whiskey,” both receiving Double Golds. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof received the 2017 Whisky Advocate “Whisky of the Year” award, was named a 2018 Ultimate Spirits Competition Finalist and previously won Best Small Batch Bourbon in the 2017 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The World Whiskies Awards named Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and Pikesville Rye their respective category winners for 2017.

“Heaven Hill Distillery’s pedigree of producing Bourbons and whiskeys with award-winning flavor is a tale of more than 80 years of family passion,” said Heaven Hill President Max L. Shapira.  “Parker Beam’s favorite two words were ‘quality’ and ‘consistency,’ and we are proud to see that tradition carried on through the work of our Master Distiller Denny Potter and all that help bring the product to life. We don’t make whiskey to win awards, but it certainly helps validate all that we do here to make our American Whiskey the best way that we know how.”

The San Francisco Spirits Competition was founded in 2000 and has become a premiere tasting competition grounded in integrity and experience. All spirits are tasted over four days through a controlled blind tasting by expert panelists. No information on producer or price point is given out prior to tastings to ensure each is judged fairly and without bias. For insight on the judging process, Fred Minnick, Wall Street Journal best-selling author, chronicled Henry McKenna’s path to Best Bourbon on his blog here. For more information on the San Francisco Spirits Competition, check out the website at https://sfspiritscomp.com/, as well as the August 2018 issue of the Tasting Panel Magazine.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY: Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 1.4 million barrels aging in 55 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky and Parker’s Heritage Collection. Heaven Hill Distillery currently holds the title of 2018 San Francisco Spirits Best Bourbon, 2017 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, and previously held the titles of 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year, 2016 Whisky Advocate American Whiskey of the Year and 2016 Rye Whiskey of the Year from “Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.” For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.

Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”

ROCK TOWN ARKANSAS BOURBONS & RYE SCORE GOLD AND SILVER AT THE SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

Little Rock, AR – (May 16, 2018) – Rock Town Distillery is excited to announce that it’s main line Arkansas Bourbon Whiskey has won a prestigious Gold Medal at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The competition was held April 13 – 15th and the full results just announced May 15th and can be found here: https://sfspiritscomp.com/results/search/

Rock Town also won silver medals for their Straight Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, Four Grain Sour Mash Bourbon and their Rye Whiskey.

“The competition was fierce again this year” said distillery founder and head distiller Phil Brandon. “There were 2,469 entries with the bourbon entries up 60% from last year, so we’re extremely proud to win Gold and Silver this year. Wining 5 medals for our whiskeys is a testament to our hard work and quality”

ABOUT ROCK TOWN DISTILLERY

Rock Town Distillery produces the award winning Arkansas Bourbon, Arkansas Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey, Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey, Arkansas Rye Whiskey and Rock Town Vodka which are distributed to 15 states and the United Kingdom, Canada and Taiwan. Winner of the 2015 US Micro Whisky of the Year Award in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible.
Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first legal distillery since prohibition, is located in downtown Little Rock at 1201 Main Street in Little Rock.  The distillery is open for tours 7 days a week. To find out more please visit www.rocktowndistillery.com
About The San Francisco World Spirit Competition
The San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC)) is one of the most prestigious spirits competitions in the world and recognized internationally as one of the most influential events in the world of spirits. The competition was founded in 2000 by Anthony Dias Blue, a James Beard Award winner.

The 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held at the Hotel Nikko, San Francisco from April 13th through April 15th. The 2018 Competition was another record-breaking year that featured 2,469 spirit entries from all corners of the world, marking an 11% increase over last year’s competition.

Scotch Whisky Auctions Feis Ile 2018 Tasting

As the Feis Ile is fast approaching we wanted to let you all know about our plans this year. We’ll be hosting our tasting at the Ballygrant Inn on Monday 28th May.

We’ll be pouring 7 phenomenal whiskies for you to enjoy over the evening with a 3 course meal from David and the team at the Ballygrant Inn.

Just to whet your appetite with a sneak preview of the drams – we’ll be pouring the legendary Rare Malts Brora 1977 24 year old and GlenDronach’s beautifully sherried distillery exclusive 24 year old. We’ll have a couple of golden oldies from
Islay and our Glenfiddich charity bottling.

The tickets are available here to buy in advance of the event. Speaking of which, you’ll want to be arriving at the Ballygrant Inn at 7pm for a 7:30pm start.

All the money is going to charity, so you can enjoy yourself in the knowledge that you’re supporting a good cause too.

So to summarise: 7 drams, 3 delicious courses, 7:30pm start on Monday 28th May all for £100 a ticket. We don’t need to tell you that this is an event not to be missed, you already knew that.

Failing that, the lure of a certain cheesecake should seal the deal……!

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Tam or Jess and we’ll be happy to help.

We’re looking forward to a great night!

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 203: Wolfburn Aurora

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries the Wolfburn Aurora. In Thurso, a town with only 9000 inhabitants in the north of Scotland, the Wolfburn Distillery filled its very first cask with spirit in 2013, meaning that the first single malt appeared in 2016. After the initial release of their three year old malt, this Wolfburn Aurora appeared. It is a single malt that matured in three types of casks: 40% in second fill quarter casks, 40% on first fill bourbon casks and the remaining 20% on first fill oloroso sherry hogsheads.

https://youtu.be/iRFNcv7q7A8

The Good Dram Show – Episode 264 ‘A.D. Rattray’ – In this episode of the show, I’m celebrating the independent bottling company A.D Rattray’s 150th Anniversary, by looking at some new releases from them.

https://youtu.be/L9FWsOtUJl0

Gordon & MacPhail unveils new ‘Discovery’ range of single malt Scotch whiskies

Family-owned single malt whisky creators, Gordon & MacPhail, has announced the launch of ‘Discovery’, a new range that is part of the company’s commitment to strengthen and streamline the brand’s portfolio.

The range of carefully selected whiskies is grouped and colour-coded under three flavour profiles – ‘Smoky, ‘Sherry’ and ‘Bourbon’. Designed to help whisky drinkers to begin an exploratory journey through the Gordon & MacPhail portfolio, each bottle features a brief tasting note and either a vintage or age statement.

The first expressions to be released within the new ‘Discovery’ range comprise spirit originally from Balblair, Tormore, Miltonduff and Caol Ila distilleries, then matured in Gordon & MacPhail’s own hand-selected casks. Prices start from £49.95 UK (RSP) and vary in available markets around the world due to taxes and duties.

Stephen Rankin, Director of Prestige and a fourth-generation member of the Urquhart family, owners of Gordon & MacPhail, remarked: “We’re proud to be the curators of the world’s most diverse stock of single malt whiskies from over 100 distilleries. We’ve spent several years working to develop this new range for whisky lovers globally.

“’Discovery’ offers whisky drinkers the opportunity to begin a journey with us through the Gordon & MacPhail whiskies portfolio. By offering flavour profiles and tasting notes, we want to help the discerning consumer navigate their choices with confidence, beyond their usual malt.”

‘Discovery’ is the second range to launch as part of the updated portfolio, which offers consumers five distinct ranges. The new look ‘Connoisseurs Choice’ range was unveiled last month (April 2018). The additional ranges for ‘Distillery Labels’ and ‘Private Collection’ will be revealed to consumers in the summer and autumn respectively. The launch of the next ‘Generations’ release is yet to be revealed.

For more information about the new ‘Discovery’ range and the streamlined portfolio, visit www.gordonandmacphail.com.

Notes 

• Discovery – Utterly dependable, this flavour-led range is the perfect introduction to our portfolio of quality single malt Scotch whiskies.
• Distillery Labels – A range celebrating our long-standing relationships with Scotland’s distilleries.
• Connoisseurs Choice – The heart of our portfolio – always unique, these non-chill-filtered, natural coloured, small batch expressions are genuine one-offs.
• Private Collection – Greatly-aged single malts from celebrated, little-known, or closed distilleries specially selected by members of the Urquhart family.
• Generations – A prestigious collection of old, rare, and exclusive masterpieces. 

Gordon & MacPhail

Gordon & MacPhail is a family-owned single malt Scotch whisky creators based in Elgin, Scotland.

Since 1895, Gordon & MacPhail has sent carefully selected casks to distilleries throughout Scotland, filled them with new-make spirit, and matured them either at the distillery of origin or in the company’s own bonded warehouses in Elgin.

Today, Gordon & MacPhail is the curator of the world’s most diverse collection of single malt Scotch whiskies – a liquid library of flavour. Pursuing a singular path to become the master of whisky maturation, each generation of the Urquhart family strives to expand its knowledge and expertise to pass on to subsequent generations.