70cl / 43% abv

This limited edition bottling from the world famous Johnnie Walker was never available to the public. The fifth release in The Directors Blend series, this expression was produced as a personal gift for esteemed friends of Johnnie Walker. This bottle was produced in 2012 and was the penultimate release in the series.

Littlemill 26 Year Old

1988 vintage single sherry cask exclusive to TWB. Just 150 numbered bottles. Littlemill 26 Year Old 1988 vintage Lowland single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask refill sherry hogshead distilled November 1988 and bottled March 2015 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare Platinum Selection. Selected and bottled Exclusively for The Whisky Barrel. Just 150 numbered bottles from this lost distillery.

Nose: A light gold whisky with a nose of vanilla custard powder giving way to apples, pears and slightly leafy notes of butterscotch coming through late. Taste: On the palate it has a creamy mouthfeel with butter shortbread at the start, followed by apple skins and a cinnamon note. Finish: The finish is long, dry and slightly fruity, with a hint of oak.

Littlemill Distillery was established in 1772 to the west of Bowling by the north shore of the River Clyde and on the main road into Glasgow. Subsequent modifications during the 1930s resulted in a number of novel features including double ventilation towers which sat over a single drying kiln and pot stills with rectifiers rather than the traditional swan necks. The combination of pot and column stills in Littlemill Distillery was designed to produce malt whiskey which was expected to mature quickly. When production ceased in 1992 Littlemill Distillery was the oldest working malt whiskey distillery in Scotland. Closed in 194 and demolished in 2006 and now Littlemill is a lost Scottish distillery although the shell of the manager’s house remains.

Shop £599.95

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show,in which I’ll be reviewing some new-ish releases from Mossburn Distillers.

https://youtu.be/pUFLuEcV5tw

Wemyss Malts add two new Highland malt whiskies to their Family Collection range

Family run whisky makers Wemyss Malts have released two additional bottlings into its Family Collection range of blended Scotch malt whiskies and have named them ‘Blooming Gorse’ and ‘Flaming Feast’ after the flavours found in each whisky.

Both malt whiskies have been crafted from the family’s private collection of maturing whisky casks which were sourced by Isabella Wemyss and filled under her supervision. Years later, the mature whisky casks were selected by famed whisky writer Charlie Maclean and the Wemyss Malts team only when the spirit and casks had reached absolute balance and harmony, ready for crafting into exceptional blended malt whiskies.

‘Blooming Gorse’ is the third release of the Wemyss Family Collection range. It is a combination of two Highland single malts matured in a total of fifteen 1st fill ex-bourbon barrels and 1^st fill ex-bourbon hogsheads. Blooming Gorse is a malty and floral Highland Scotch whisky with the fresh notes of coconut, gorse flowers and vanilla. 6900 bottles have been produced.

‘Flaming Feast’ created as the fourth release of the Wemyss Family Collection range, is a combination of fifteen casks from two smoky single malt distilleries from the east Highlands and west coast, Inner Hebrides. Contrasting sweet and maritime smokes, as well as maturation in either 1st fill bourbon barrels or spicy de-charred and re-charred American oak casks lead to a mouth-watering and complex whisky. The 6000 bottle release of Flaming Feast is noted for a complex mix of sweet and savoury smoke, heather-honey and wood spice.

Each Wemyss Family Collection release focuses on a specific influence that impacts Scotch malt whisky, be it regional, spirit style or cask effect. For these two releases The Wemyss Malts blenders decided to focus on the Highland region for these twin releases, as whisky blender and Wemyss Malts brand manager Steven Shand explains:

 “The brief we set for these blended malts was to really illustrate the diversity of Highland malt whisky and show that there really is no one Highland regional style. Casks selected for the Family Collection are always very well balanced with active oak therefore the recipes were purposely kept simple. We selected casks from only a few single malt varieties for each blend to find complementing flavours that establish depth and complexity once combined and left to marry.”

Both blended malts are bottled non chill-filtered, in their natural colour and are 46% abv. They are presented in screen printed 70cl bottles with a striking charcoal and copper detailed gift carton.

Wemyss Family Collection; Blooming Gorse and Flaming Feast will be available initially  to Wemyss Malts Cask Club members and then in June from selected retailers in the UK, EU and Asian markets with suggested retail prices of £46 and £48 respectively.

Notes:

• Edinburgh based Wemyss Malts is family run company operated by brother and sister William and Isabella Wemyss. The Wemyss family Castle has been home to the family since the 1300s and is featured in the company logo.
• Blooming Gorse and Flaming Feast join the Wemyss Family Collection range with previous releases being Vanilla Burst and Treacle Chest in 2017. Wemyss Malts craft blended malt whiskies such as The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney as well as Batch Strength versions and single cask whiskies.
• Wemyss blended malts have recently won double gold medals for The Hive and Spice King as well as ‘Best in Class’ for The Hive at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The latest release of The Hive, Spice King and Peat Chimney Batch Strength, Batch No.002 all received gold medal wins from the Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters.
• The Wemyss family premium wines and spirits brands also include Lord Elcho blended Scotch whisky and Darnley’s Gin, together with the premium wine estate of Rimauresq Cru Classé in Cotes de Provence.

The family opened a single malt distillery at Kingsbarns, near St. Andrews in Fife and in July 2017 also added Darnley’s Gin distillery to the site. www.kingsbarnsdistillery.com

GlenAllachie Wood Finishes

GlenAllachie PX Wood

Colour: Rich Mahogany.

Nose: A storm of raisings, sultanas, dark chocolate, bananas and orange peel.

Taste: Brimming with fruit cake, dark chocolate, toffee, bananas, orange peel and sweet spices.

Order Now »

GlenAllachie Port Wood

Colour: Red Ruby.

Nose: Waves of heather honey and sweet spice, laced with rose hip and dark chocolate.

Taste: A flood of heather honey, butterscotch and treacle, with damson, rose hip and dark chocolate.

Order Now »

GlenAllachie Koval Rye

Colour: Rich Gold.

Nose: Full on rich spices, cinnamon and nutmeg, with waves of honey and butterscotch.

Taste: Intense sweet spices enriched with honey, butterscotch, cooking apples and cloves.

Order Now »

The next few weeks will be busy with our upcoming Whisky Cask Sale and its associating Tasting Event so here are some early highlights from the sale to mull over.

1. The oldest Whisky in our sale is a fantastic Single Grain from the silent North of Scotland Distillery in Cambus (between Alloa & Tullibody in Clackmannanshire).  Distilled on 29^th December 1970 this cask isn’t far away from turning 50 Years of Age and seems to be in brilliant condition with a good RLA of 101.4 litres at 46.3% abv.  A real showstopper of a cask!
2. In the last sale we had a great cask of Springbank 1999 from a First Fill Sherry Cask, this time it is a Springbank 1999 from a First Fill Bourbon Cask, it is a cask full of golden deliciousness!
3. If you like it peaty we have a Bowmore beast for you from 1995 in a refill Butt.  With size comes volume and this cask is sitting with a great Regauge litres of alcohol of 152.9 Litres at 55.6% abv.  A truly delicious, smoky chewy treat!

Our catalogue will be online this week or so and physical copies will be available soon after.

The Pre-Sale Tasting Event will take place on 17^th July at 7pm in the Trades Hall of Glasgow, Glassford Street in the beautiful Saloon.  Tickets are £50 per person and available by contacting Stewart Smith on 0141 225 8181 or by email: stewarts@mulberrybankauctions.com

More highlights will be released on social media over the next couple of weeks, so watch or updates on our Facebook page or find us on Instagram.

Mulberry Bank Auctions

15 Kelvin Avenue
Hillington Park
Glasgow
G52 4LT

www.mulberrybankauctions.com

Ultra-Rare Whiskies Hitting K&L’s Auction Site

We are pleased to announce a truly special set of rare whiskey lots from the estate of a long-time K&L customer and avid whiskey collector. Due to California State law, there is an exceptionally narrow band of circumstances in which the auctioning of spirits is permitted, making this a very unique opportunity. This collection includes ultra-rare releases from George T. Stagg, Parker’s Heritage, Jefferson’s, Weller, and more. Keep an eye on our website for the individual lots launching throughout the next month.

David Othenin-Girard & Andrew Whiteley
K&L Spirits Buyers

http://spiritsjournal.klwines.com
http://onthetrail.klwines.com

ralfy.com tastes Campbeltown malt fest 2019

https://youtu.be/xL4Ixtj6mbA

If you like my content you can buy ralfy a ‘wee dram’ at https://www.patreon.com/ralfy, thanks !

Balcones Distilling partners with That Boutique-y Whisky Company

to launch legendary Texas independent bottlings… 

Four big, bold Texas whiskies are being released by That Boutique-y Whisky Company and the Lone Star State’s most celebrated distillery 

Balcones Distilling and That Boutique-y Whisky Company has announced the launch of four limited single cask spirits that will be available from this month and into the autumn.

Texas’ most trailblazing distillery has created four extraordinary whiskies for the multi award-winning independent bottler – That Boutique-y Whisky Company.

The range of single casks showcases the ever-experimental side of Balcones Distilling – renowned for its full flavor, characterful and cask strength drams and maverick approach to whisky producing. Of the four, three single malts have been especially bottled – all made using the retro Golden Promise malted barley sourced from Scotland – each one then aged for various timescales in unique wood from around the world.

Batch 1 – a single malt that has been finished in a Balcones Brimstone Cask, imparting notes of smoky bacon, hickory, mesquite and campfires into the final dram.

Batch 2 – a single malt that has been matured in a Tequila cask for 24 months, giving it a bold vegetal, yet dried fruit sweetness.

Batch 3 – the third single malt – has been finished in an Oloroso sherry cask, ensuring it takes on a ton of plum fruit notes with spicy treacle characteristics. This is the third spirit that Balcones has bottled that has been finished in a sherry cask – the other two being a single malt released in celebration of the distillery’s 10^th anniversary and a dark rum finished in a Pedro Ximénez cask.

The fourth spirit will be launched in the autumn and is perfect for those wanting an absolute treat of a blue corn spirit that the distillery is so well known for: the spirit is made from 100% blue corn – Balcones signature corn grain – finished in Pedro Ximénez casks, giving their signature blue corn popcorn notes a level of unctuous richness that has not been found in any Balcones drams ever before.

Dave Worthington, That Boutique-y Whisky Company’s Brand Ambassador said: “Balcones has a special place in my heart as the first ever whisky festival I worked was for Balcones, so I’m so happy to see some of their Texan spirits wrapped up in our Boutique-y labels. Y’all gonna love this y’all (in my best Texas accent).”

Jared Himstedt, Balcones’ Head Distiller said: “”We are delighted to partner with our friends at That Boutique-y Whisky Company to release these rare and special spirits, all of which are a nod to our passion for exploration and testing the waters of what’s possible. We wanted to share some single casks that showcase some of our fun experiments and finishes, alongside the versatility of our blue corn spirit, which we’ve not release in Sherry casks before. We hope that people who enjoy our spirits have a chance to taste and enjoy these limited releases.”

Makers of the first legally sold Texas-made whisky since Prohibition, Balcones has become one of the most recognised and acclaimed craft whisky distillers in the world, earning over 350 awards, including the recently named Innovator of the Year and Master Distiller of the Year at the 2019 Icons of Whisky America Awards.

Batch 1, 2 and 3 are on sale now at www.masterofmalt.com, each priced at £69.95 (per 50cl bottle). The fourth release will be available in September. There will be a very limited number of bottles available of each batch, so whisky collectors and Balcones lovers will have to be quick to snap up their own to enjoy. 

Notes: 

About Balcones Distilling:

Driven by a passion to create something original and authentic, Balcones Distilling marries centuries of tradition with the bold flavors of Texas. Balcones is synonymous with quality and innovation in the whisky industry, known for emphasizing high quality ingredients and drawing influences from all over Texas. To date, the distillery has earned over 350 international tasting awards and accolades for their whiskies and spirits.

Balcones distills all of their beloved spirits inside the historic Texas Fireproof Storage Company building in Waco, Texas. At its heart are four copper pot stills built by the best artisans in Scotland. You can now visit and tour the facility, with tastings and events held regularly, and see why Balcones is always Distilled to Appreciate. Visit www.balconesdistilling.com for more information.

About That Boutique-y Whisky Company:

That Boutique-y Whisky Company is a multi-award-winning independent bottler established in 2012, bottling exceptional single malts, blended malts, blended whiskies, grain whiskies, bourbons and more from around the globe. TBWC was named Whisky Magazine’s Islands Independent Bottler of the Year 2016 and their Macallan 25 Year Old was named Scotch Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask) in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2017. Most recently, their Glengoyne 17 Year Old was recognised with a Master medal in the Spirits Business’ 2019 Spirits Masters awards.

Maker’s Mark Private Select Batch #2 Exclusive

This limited edition single barrel bourbon from Maker’s Mark is one of the first of its kind and an exclusive to The Whisky Shop. Taking inspiration from the process used to create Maker’s 46, this Kentucky bourbon is crafted from a barrel made from a bespoke selection of different wooden staves, chosen by a team from The Whisky Shop. Limited to just 252 bottles.

£85.00

Buy Now