Serge Valentin of Whisky Fun fame has been inducted into the illustrious Keepers of the Quaich

NEW GLOBAL CHIVAS CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES BELIEF THAT BLENDED IS BETTER

Chivas champions Blended Scotch category 

Chivas, the original luxury blended Scotch whisky, is causing a stir with its new global creative campaign, Success is a Blend. Rolling out through the line globally from October, the campaign celebrates the belief that blended is better, in life and in Scotch.

Chivas’ belief in blending was instilled by founding brothers, James and John Chivas, who pioneered the art in 19^th century Scotland.  Two centuries later, Chivas is still demonstrating how the art of blending can create a more complex and generous Scotch. Through Success is a Blend, Chivas looks to champion blended Scotch and demonstrate the cultural truth that our own unique blend is what makes us who we are – and when we collaborate with others we can achieve the greatest success.

The Success is a Blend campaign, created in collaboration with McCann London, marks a creative evolution from previous Chivas campaigns, with striking colour and bold text bringing a fresh look and feel for the Scotch whisky category. All Chivas products will be brought under the Success is a Blend campaign, keeping a common thread across the portfolio that talks to both product and brand values. The nature and design of the campaign allows flexibility for bespoke adaptation in markets around the world, with Success is a Blend being activated in over 45 markets in year one.

The campaign made its debut with the launch of the three-year partnership between Chivas and the world’s biggest football club, Manchester United.  Just as Chivas Scotches bring together the best malt and grain whiskies, Manchester United brings together the world’s top footballers, a dedicated Club team and a legion of fans all around the world to create one of the world’s most successful teams. Together Chivas and Manchester United aim to show that blended is better – in life, football and Scotch.

Richard Black, Global Marketing Director for Chivas, comments: “Chivas has had a strong year, recording a return to growth with +5%* value worldwide. There is real momentum behind the brand and we believe this new campaign is going to take us to the next level. It’s a bold move for the category, but – crucially – one that speaks to the very heart of Chivas’ DNA.”  

Notes 

About Chivas

Chivas believes that blended is better, in life and in Scotch. The original luxury blended Scotch whisky, Chivas’ belief in blending was instilled by founding brothers, James and John Chivas, who pioneered the art of blending in 19th century Scotland. Since then, Chivas has been integral to the growth of the Scotch whisky category worldwide – by bringing together the best malt and grain whiskies to create something extraordinary.

Chivas believes in the power of blending in life, as well as in Scotch. In bringing people together to create a greater whole – which is why Chivas is proud to be the global spirits partner of Manchester United, the world’s biggest football club; and in blending ambition with generosity and using success to enrich the lives of others – which is why the Chivas Venture supports social start-ups with $1m in annual funding.

Chivas blends its home in Speyside, Scotland, with more than 100 countries across the globe, who together have made Chivas the global success it is today, selling more than 4.2 million 9L cases every year. The Chivas range blends timeless classics with modern innovation, including: Chivas 12, Chivas Extra, Chivas XV, Chivas Mizunara, Chivas 18, Chivas Ultis, Chivas 25, Chivas Regal The Icon, and the Global Travel Retail exclusive Chivas Brothers Blend.

Chivas. Success is a Blend. www.Chivas.com

JOIN WEMYSS MALTS AT EDINBURGH COCKTAIL WEEK
FOR THE SECRET TO BLENDING WHISKY TASTING

Join Wemyss Malts at The Secret Spirits Study pop-up and learn the history, skill and insider secrets of blending Scotch whisky, which to this day largely remains a closely guarded secret.

A Wemyss Malts Ambassador will take you through the unwritten guide to blending, including a flavour and aroma sensory evaluation session and a laboratory scale blending class. The masterclass culminates in a blend your own experience, in which you can test your skills and newly acquired knowledge as a blender and see if you have the delicate touch needed to craft a quality Scotch whisky.

A selection of Wemyss Malts and other whiskies can be sampled during this masterclass, finishing with guests creating a 100ml custom-made blended malt Scotch whisky to take away as a keepsake.

When: 5.15pm (Mon, Tues, Wed and Sun) | 4.30pm (Thurs, Fri and Sat) | Approx 1 hour

Where: 15 Queen Street (in the basement)

Tickets: £10 (includes tastings and blending 100ml of your own whisky to take home).

Please note, you do not require an ECW wristband to attend this event.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS

Our mailing address is: 4 Melville Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7JA

Octomore 9.3 Islay Barley

Octomore 9.3, a 2012 vintage Islay malt, created from 100% Islay Concerto barley, grown in 2011 at Octomore farm. Distilled at the Bruichladdich distillery – 133 PPM for 9.3, compared to 156 PPM for 9.1, and matured for 5 years in a combination of American whisky and French wine casks. Bottled in 2018 at a tame, 62.9% vol.

*** special pre-order price***

Buy Now

After-Hours at Park Ave with Dalmore & Jura

Join us for an evening with
Jura & The Damlmore

After we close – The whisky flows!

Who’s in ~ for a night out?

Our super friend, Jordyn Zimmerman will be back for her record 3rd ‘After-hours at Park Ave’ event! On Wednesday, November 7th Miss Single Malt Specialist, Three-time Sommelier, Cheese guru, Marathon runner Zimmerman will present the whiskies of both Jura and Dalmore. Always a fun and educational experience – We hope to see you.

As usual, these events have limited space so please confirm your spot early.

Details below.
Contact us with any questions.

Cheers!
Marlon, Jonathan & Eric
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
whiskyconn@gmail.com
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

Where: The Park Avenue Liquor Shop (270 Madison Ave)
When: Wednesday, November 7th 2018
Time: 7:15- 9:30~ish
Fee: $100 (but you eat & get a gift so…)
RSVP: Eric or Marlon @ Park Ave 212-685-2442
Space is limited – so please confirm that you would like to attend. We are not responsible for any typographical errors or the seemingly endless ways the New York Giants find to lose. Please contact the store with any questions.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com

ralfy.com has a big peaty shock with ralfy review 747 – GoodSpiritsCo 4yo Peat/Bunnahabhain @59.2%vol

https://youtu.be/450ZVUtw7V0

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY SET TO OPEN NEW LONDON POP-UP

The iconic whisky club’s newest venue in Clapham will open its doors to all

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) will be opening a new whisky and cocktail pop-up in London on Friday 12^th October, in celebration of its 35^th anniversary.

SMWS will be bringing their whisky expertise to 78 Northcote Road, SW11 6QL, situated in Clapham, an area of the city that is home to a high concentration of Society members and is just a stone’s throw from Clapham Junction train station.

The venue will also be open to the general public, giving whisky enthusiasts in the city the opportunity to experience the world’s most colourful whisky club. However, members will receive additional benefits including exclusive access to the latest SMWS Outturn stock, reserved seating options and special tasting events.

SMWS UK Operations Director, Jan-Willem Damen, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to give our members a second location in London to come together and enjoy our amazing selection of bottlings with other whisky enthusiasts, as well as a delicious menu of food and cocktails.

“We’re also excited to open the space up to potential future members to allow a new audience of whisky fans to experience everything we have to offer and unlock the door to a world of exclusive single cask whiskies.”

Visitors can enjoy specially created whisky flights to get immersed in the Society’s range of exceptional spirits.

‘The Maiden Voyage’ flight is the ideal introduction to the SMWS and the fundamentals of the single cask whiskies, with three drams from three different flavour profiles; ‘Juicy Oak and Vanilla’, ‘Deep Rich and Dried Fruits’ and ‘Lightly Peated’.

As well as offering a range of their world-renowned single cask single malts, the bar will also serve a menu of cocktails created with exceptional whiskies and the Society’s range of Single Cask Spirits.

These include ‘The High Road’, which is made with whisky from the ‘Young and Spritely’ flavour profile mixed with Martini Rosso and Krupnik Honey vodka and the ‘Northcote Spritz’ made with SMWS Grain Whisky, apple and lemon juice, Crème de Poire and Cremant de Bourgogne.

A vibrant food menu will include tapas-style sharing platters, pub classics with a Scottish feel and Sunday brunch. The menu will be created by James Freeman, chef at The Dining Room at the Society’s Queen Street venue, which was awarded AA’s Restaurant of the Year for 2017.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society will open its doors for an exclusive event for members only on Thursday 11^th October before opening to the public on Friday 12^th October. 

For more information on membership visit http://bit.ly/2P9wdTT

Twitter: @SMWSUK 

Notes:

About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society 

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international whisky club that bottles rare single cask, single malt whisky, and a range of other spirits
• The Society was established in Edinburgh in 1983 and now has more than 26,000 members and branches around the world
• The Society only ever bottles single casks – each cask is unique, making every Society bottling a limited edition
• The Society has bottled whisky from more than 136 distilleries in its history
• The Society releases a new batch of around 30 single cask, single malt whiskies every month
• The Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar and Shop has over 200 whiskies on offer and is open to everybody
• The Society offers a variety of membership’s packages which can be tailored. Please see http://bit.ly/2P9wdTT
• For more information about the Society, visit http://bit.ly/2P9wdTT

Britain’s United Whisky Kingdom!

* English and Welsh drams awarded their own new section in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019.

* Sassenach distillers’ challenge to old order after record year.

* “We have something special on our hands,” says Jim Murray.

First it was wine. But now it is whisky. For Single Malt produced south of Scotland has been awarded a region all of its own. 

The author of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible has announced that for the first time ever England and Wales now gets its own section in the book, classing it as a region of significance alongside Scotland, Ireland, Kentucky, Canada and Japan. 

Previously included with other European offerings, in the 2019 edition launched today, Jim Murray hands them stand-alone status and charts the remarkable rise of a region that now boasts ten producers. 

For the first time, as many as three of their whiskies – St George’s Norfolk Farmers Single Grain, Norfolk Single Grain Parched and Penderyn Icons of Wales No.5 Bryn Terfel – have notched scores of 96.5 out of 100. 

Mr. Murray says: “Such has been the consistency coming from the likes of Penderyn, St George’s and The Cotswolds Distillery, it became clear we had something special on our hands. 

“They each produce a Single Malt of exceptionally high standard year after year so it would have been a disservice to them had I not given them their own region. 

“Now that Britain is leaving the EU, I hope these distillers get together to form their own association on lines similar to the Scots. It’s what they need to do to fuel their growth.” 

The news has been met with delight by both Welsh and English distillers with the Managing Director of Penderyn, South Wales, Stephen Davies saying: “This is just the shot in the arm the industry needs. We know we make excellent whisky, but it is sometimes hard to get people around the world to understand this. Now whisky lovers from the USA to China will see us as a whisky from a recognised region of quality, rather than a curiosity. This really is wonderful news.” 

And David Fitt at St George Distillery, Norfolk, added: “People trust Jim Murray’s judgement and if he says that something is worth trying, then they probably will. Us now having our own region means we can take the distillers of other countries head on as equals, not a little distillery somewhere south of Scotland. 

Australia, too, has been awarded its own section for its “bold and brave” malts. 

Winner of World Whisky of the Year, though, goes to Kentucky bourbon William Larue Weller 128.2 Proof, the third consecutive American champion. 

Mr. Murray praises “its unique brilliance” and describes it as “the most delicious lesson in whiskey structure imaginable”.  

The runners-up, from the 1,263 new drams tasted this year, are the Glen Grant 18 Years Old Single Malt from Speyside, Scotland and, third, the Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye 127.2 Proof, which is also a Buffalo Trace dram. 

The distillery’s president Mark Brown said: “These wins are special to us – they are a testament to the skill and craft of the men and women of Buffalo Trace, who consistently produce the best whiskies in the world.”  

Regional winners include: Canadian Club Chronicles: Issue No1 Water of Windsor Aged 41 Years (Canadian Whiskey of the Year); Redbreast Aged 12 Years Cask Strength (Irish); Amrut Greedy Angels 8 Years Old (Asian); Hakushu Paul Rusch (Japanese). 

Editor’s Notes

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019 contains tasting notes for nearly 5,000 drams from around the world.

This is the biggest selling whisky guide, now in its 16^th edition.

Available from 9/10/18 at all good bookshops, retailers and whiskybible.com, priced £14.99.

Press enquiries: Vincent Flint-Hill +44 (0)117 317 9777; vincent@whiskybible.com

Whisky Vault is a startup, building handcrafted whisky cabinets with luxury safe features. 

I’m (Todd Lawrence) originally from Los Angeles and have been living in Taiwan for the past 23 years working in the manufacturing industry. I designed, developed and built the Whisky Vault initially for my office but started making them for friends when I saw how popular they were among whisky collectors who were looking for a secure place to show their collection without having to worry about bottles going missing or accidentally being opened by drunk friends (which has happened).

Priced at US$6000 we offer custom made whisky cabinets for collectors and whisky enthusiasts.

We are preparing a global December 2018  launch on Indiegogo crowd funding with an amazing 51% discount.  Only 50 units offered at this low price.  

* steel plate construction

* vault door with locking bolts

* machined aluminum tri-spoke handle

* UL certified La Gard electronic lock system

* individually numbered / limited edition / custom built

* solid handcrafted teak cabinet

* design patent / Taiwan, China, Japan, United States, Germany, United Kingdom, France

* BULLETPROOF WINDOW

Vault: 77 cm x 40 cm x 62 cm (H) / holds 21 bottles.

Cabinet: 77 cm x 40 cm x 64 cm (H) / holds 21 bottles.

Total weight 140 kg / 308 pounds.

info@whiskyvault.tw

www.whiskyvault.tw