Continuing the annual tradition of hosting its fans, Forty Creek’s distillery will open its doors in Grimsby, Ontario to offer fans unprecedented behind-the-scenes access with tours, tastings and seminars for a fully immersive experience.

For the first time ever, Forty Creek will be hosting a concert on the Saturday night, where attendees will have the chance to see three Canadian performers for only $10.00! Hollerado, will be performing with special guests Terra Lightfoot and Kris Barclay.

Tickets to concert

https://whisky-weekend-2019.myshopify.com/products/in-concert-with-hollerado

Tickets to Seminars

https://whisky-weekend-2019.myshopify.com/collections/seminars

Whisky Weekend is a celebration of all things Canadian and this year is a special event as it will be launching Victory, a limited-release that commemorates the 205^th anniversary of the Engagement at the Forty, a battle between American forces and combination of local militants, indigenous peoples and the British Navy during the War of 1812. The battle took place near where today stands the Forty Creek Distillery and was critical in preventing the further advancement of American troops.

With Victory, Forty Creek continues the tradition of experimentation in aging with unique types of wood. Master Blender, Bill Ashburn selected only his best Canadian Whisky to further age with the addition of vanilla wood staves. The resulting whisky was then artfully blended, resulting in a product that is signature Forty Creek.

The Forty Creek Victory 2019 limited release will be available to the public for the first time at the distillery during Whisky Weekend (September 21^st and September 22^nd).

Seminars

Deconstructing Victory – ft. Chris Thompson and Bill Ashburn

Saturday 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Mixology 101 ft. Doug Blendell

Saturday 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Dispelling Canadian Whisky Myths – ft. Chris Thompson and Blair Phillips

Saturday 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

Deconstructing Victory – ft. Chris Thompson and Bill Ashburn

Sunday 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Mixology 101 – ft. Doug Blendell

Sunday 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Dispelling Canadian Whisky Myths – ft. Chris Thompson and Blair Phillips

Sunday 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm

2019 LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL SPIRITS COMPETITION AWARDS THREE SAZERAC CANADIAN WHISKIES

Sazerac’s Canadian Whiskies Receive Two Gold Medals, One Silver Medal, One Best of Category Award.

MONTREAL (Sept. 4, 2019) –High River Canadian Whisky received a Gold Medal and a special award at the 2019 Los Angeles International Spirits Competition, winning Best of Category with 91 points. Another Gold Medal was awarded to Royal Canadian Small Batch, and Caribou Crossing was awarded a Silver Medal.

The 2019 Los Angeles International Competition received 399 spirits from 147 producers and 24 different countries. The spirits were judged by 21 judges from around the world comprised of the discerning palates of mixologists, spirits journalists, esteemed bar owners and educators. Judges tasted spirits and looked at packaging label designs over two days at Fairplex and determined winners using a point system.

Every brand Sazerac entered garnered a medal. For a full list of participants and award winners, visit LASpiritsComp.com

About Sazerac

Sazerac is one of America’s oldest family owned, privately held distillers with operations in the United States in Louisiana, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Maryland, California, and global operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, India, Australia and Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com.

We’ve relocated our whisky

Only in the virtual world, we’re still based in The Green Welly Stop, Tyndrum, however, we’ve now taken the domain name TyndrumWhisky.com, which will mean we can serve you more and more, instead of sharing space with wellies and clothing across our main homepage! We have some exciting releases, all to be uncovered shortly, so stay tuned.

Myths & Legends Trilogy

A fantastic looking trilogy from Compass Box, with a message to get everyone tasting the whisky and judging, instead of being hooked on describing a whisky by where it’s came from.
It’s intriguing, and available for Pre Order now

Don’t forget we have reduced the price of our Glentauchers 1996 as we would love to sell the remaining bottles.

It’s a beautiful single malt which has been very well received by everyone who has tasted it at events we have attended.

Glentauchers – 20 Years Old – Single Cask Bottling – Cask Strength 53.2% – £60.00

(Free UK Next Day Delivery as always)

CLICK HERE TO BUY

Saturday September 14th 2-5PM: 

Glen Grant with Robin Coupar 

Join us for a tasting of Glen Grant single malt scotch, presented by global brand ambassador and whisky expert #RobinCoupar! Established in 1840, this centuries-old Speyside malt remains one of the biggest selling single malts in the world.

About Robin Coupar:

Robin Coupar has spent over 26 years in the scotch industry on innovation and developing new liquid expressions. A native of Edinburgh, his passion and knowledge of whisky started in Scotland but extended well beyond to famous international brands, including Moet Hennesy and Diageo before accepting his current position as Global Whisky Advocate for Campari Group’s whisky portfolio. In 2016 he was inducted into the Keepers of the Quaich.

Click Here to RSVP

LOUISVILLE SPEED ART MUSEUM UNVEILS RARE

WHISKEYS UP FOR BID

“Art of Bourbon” Auction Offer Bidders Chance to Own History

LOUISVILLE, KY September 9, 2019 — The Speed Art Museum unveiled a stunning lineup for its second online and live bourbon auction on September 19 featuring some of the rarest and most prized bourbons and ryes available anywhere.

Here’s a tasting of the most sought-after lots up for bid:

T.W. Samuels Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottle in Bond, 1942 Estimate: $10,000 – $15,000

Quite possibly one of the rarest American whiskeys in the world. It was bottled before the government ceased distilling operations in 1942 for the World War II effort, before Maker’s Mark, before the iconic red dripping wax, and before whiskey-maker Bill Samuels Jr.’s father allegedly burned the family recipe. Before all of it.

• This bourbon is part of the Samuels family legacy and is one of the rarest bottles from the 1940s.

• At the time of this T.W. Samuels bottling in early 1942, Maker’s Mark didn’t even exist. The T.W. Samuels brand belonged to the Samuels family, who later founded Maker’s Mark.
• Present-day Samuels family lore holds that Bill Samuels Sr. burned the original T.W. Samuels recipe. And if this legend is true, this bottle contains extinct liquid that can never be duplicated.

Eight. Bottles. Of. Pappy.

Referred to as the bourbon so exclusive that even billionaires can’t buy it. But what makes this lot of Pappy Van Winkle even rarer? Five bottles are auctioned as a group. Sold as part of Julian P. Van Winkle III’s private collection, each bottle has been personally signed by Van Winkle specifically for this non-profit auction. This lot could bring as much as $15,000 at auction.

• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 year, 2018
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 year, 2017
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 year, 2018
• Old Rip Van Winkle 10-year old, 2017
• Van Winkle Special Reserve, 12 year, 2017

Auctioned individually and signed by Van Winkle:

• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20 year, 2015, Estimate $8,000
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 year, 2018, Estimate: $5,000
• Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15 year, 2018, Estimate: $1,500

With demand far exceeding supply coupled with purchasing limits, “you can’t even buy eight bottles of Pappy at one time,” said renowned bourbon author Fred Minnick, auction curator and editor of Bourbon+ Magazine.

Van Winkle acknowledged that while many collectors and enthusiasts will be eyeing this valuable brown water, he’s particularly pleased the family can support the Speed Museum. “Of course we’re going to donate to the Speed. It’s our way of stepping-up and contributing to a worthwhile cause and I can’t think of a better reason to share Pappy,” said Van Winkle, Pappy’s grandson and a third generation whiskey maker.

Overholt Rye 1909 Estimate: $15,000

So elusive that it’s considered the unicorn of whiskeys and has enough star power to entice the most serious of collectors. It remains today one of the best reviewed, most sought after and rarest old whiskies known. Specifically bottled for the Mellon family and solely auctioned at Christie’s, it hasn’t seen an auction block in years.

“A 1.5-ounce pour will set you back $1,250, and that’s if you can even get it,” said Minnick. “It has such a historic taste. They just don’t make whiskey like that anymore.”

In many ways, Overholt Rye’s distinguished provenance rivals the bottle’s contents:

• Andrew Mellon purchased a third of the Overholt distillery from Henry Clay Frick, the founder’s grandson. Frick and Mellon, both wealthy industrialists from the gilded age, were lifelong friends. Upon his passing in 1919, Frick left his shares to Mellon who became the distillery’s majority owner.

• Before Prohibition in 1920, Mellon and his brothers stored the best barrels of rye from the preceding 15 years. Later, Mellon was forced to sell his share in the distillery after he was named U.S. Treasury Secretary.

• During Prohibition, the Mellon brothers would bottle some for personal consumption, eventually bottling the remaining barrels at the end of Prohibition.

• Richard Mellon Scaife, the billionaire publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, inherited the rye. In 2014, following Scaife’s death, a wine cellar was discovered containing about 60 cases of Overholt Rye from 1904-1912. Christie’s auctioned off those cases, and well-known collector and Speed patron, Marc Abrams, purchased six cases and donated one bottle to the Speed. 

Maker’s Mark Barrel Selection: Your Own Unique Barrel of Maker’s Mark and Dale Chihuly Artwork Estimate: $20,000 – $25,000

Hands down this is considered the best, once-in-a-lifetime experience in American whiskey. As personal guests of Maker’s Mark Chief Distillery Officer Rob Samuels, an 8th generation whiskey maker, the winning bidder and nine friends won’t simply select a barrel at Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Ky. Instead, the winner gets to create his/her own special Maker’s Mark “taste vision.” Using the same process as head honcho Bill Samuels Jr. did when he created Maker’s 46, the Samuels will work alongside you to formulate a personalized, never-been-made barrel of Maker’s Mark bourbon.

Maker’s Mark upped the ante for the night: Bringing art and bourbon together in a way that only Maker’s Mark can offer, the winner will also receive a rare piece of iconic Dale Chihuly’s glass artwork, gifted from the distillery’s private collection.

“I’ve always felt a deep connection between fine art and the vision my grandparents created at Maker’s Mark, which was all about the painstaking attention to detail it takes to handcraft something truly unique,” said Samuels. “They also believed it was important to give back to the community in meaningful ways. So it seems a natural fit for us to provide this once-in-a-lifetime experience to celebrate that shared vision and support the remarkable work of the Speed Museum.”

This specific bourbon offering has never been offered before and the Chihuly addition further sets the exclusive tone for this auction. The bidder gets a complete Loretto, Ky. experience that no private individual has ever had. To top it off, Maker’s Mark donated a dinner at the distillery’s Star Hill Provisions with a special menu created by Chef Newman Miller, a Top Chef judge. 

John Poindexter Old Bourbon Estimate: $5,000

Bottled during Prohibition, this vintage “dusty bottle” was distilled in Spring 1916 and bottled in 1928 by the James E. Pepper Distillery in Harrison Country, Ky. During Prohibition, six companies could legally sell “medicinal” whiskey, all of it bottled-in-bond at 100 proof and government stamped. This pint, aged 12 years, would have had to be prescribed by a doctor and labeled “medicinal” during a time when it was illegal to sell alcohol but legal to prescribe.

“It’s so rare because these bottles just don’t exist anymore. And as a collector, it’s very frustrating because they’re going extinct,” said Minnick.

W.L. Weller Centennial 10-Year-Old Estimate: $2,000 – $5,000

Bottled in the late 1990s, this ultra-rare private barrel selection may have been one of the first Buffalo Trace products bottled shortly after the distillery acquired Weller from United Distillers in 1999.

This bottle, which does not come up for auction often, is a 10-year-old wheated bourbon distilled at Stitzel-Weller and bottled at Buffalo Trace. It’s one of the most sought after and legendary bottles because of its link to the W.L. Weller Bourbon Heritage Collection. 

“This particular bottle is causing some serious buzz among collectors,” said Minnick. “This seems to be the one that could surprise us all.”

Other notables among the 54 lots offered

In addition to the above auction items, the Art of Bourbon will include other lots of covetable whiskeys and bourbon-related packages. Organizers expect the online portion of the event to draw interest from serious bourbon enthusiasts and connoisseurs from around the globe.

“We wanted our distillery to shine right out of the gate at this auction, so we donated special items that we knew all levels of bourbon collectors would be eyeing,” said Kyle Henderson, of Angle’s Envy. Henderson is the distillery’s production manager and is son and grandson, respectively, of Angel’s Envy legendary co-founders Wes Henderson and Lincoln Henderson.

Angel’s Envy donated a bottle of each 2013-18 Cask and a bottle of the Angel’s Envy grand opening release, the first port barrel ever filled in 2010. This 100-proof port was privately released for the distillery in 2016 and was never available to the public. It could bring as much as $5,000 at the event. “It’s our way of thanking the Speed for continuing to bring arts to the community,” said Henderson.

Louisville-based Brown-Forman pledged its support to the Museum event by donating many high-profile items, including a coveted bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon, 2008.

“It’s funny and, in this case, exciting what we find tucked away in our closets. Uncovering this 2008 Old Forester Birthday Bourbon was a bit of a happy surprise. We’re thrilled it will be part of the Speed auction this year,” said Campbell Brown, president and managing director of Old Forester, and a fifth generation descendent of company founder George Garvin Brown.

That particular Birthday Bourbon release date is widely praised and even given an astounding 96 rating by Whiskey Advocate’s founder John Hansell, who is heralded as having one of the great whiskey palates of a generation.

“You do not come across this much anymore,” said Brown. “Arguably the crowd favorite of the bunch thus far. Hurts a little to put this in an auction, but for the Speed, happy to wave goodbye to this delicious bottle.” It’s estimated to bring $2,500 at auction.

Brown also is donating a bottle of the storied King of Kentucky Bourbon, which could bring as much as $2,000 at auction. The second-year limited release is of a 15-year-old bourbon, presented non-chill filtered at barrel strength.

Another Brown-Forman bottle up for bid: the Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition. It is the traditional Woodford Reserve that’s aged for an additional three years in XO Cognac casks and bottled in handmade crystal decanters from artists at Baccarat. Having tasted it direct from the barrel, Minnick noted this is the best Cognac finished bourbon he’s ever tasted. However, it’s not widely available and currently only sold in duty free stores. That bottle is estimated to bring $1,500 at auction.

The Speed added sharks to the whiskey mix when Jefferson’s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller donated a shark-tagging experience aboard the vessel that carries four barrels of Jeffersons Oceans Bourbon as part of its payload.

The winning bidder gets to travel aboard an at-sea shark laboratory in the North Atlantic Ocean and pick his/her own ocean-going bourbon barrel as part of the entire shark-tagging experience.

For three years, barrels of Jefferson’s Bourbon are aged at sea with the idea that constant movement of the liquid in the barrels age the whiskey faster because more of the liquid is in contact with the wood. “When we tapped into the barrels, it completely exceeded my expectations. The liquid was black, almost syrupy. The sugars had caramelized. It was fantastic,” said Zoeller. (Auction estimate: $12,000 – $17,000).

The Speed Takes its Angel’s Share

In addition to bourbon, the Speed Art Museum will serve up another rarity, and it doesn’t have to do with “dusty bottles.” The biggest heavy hitters in the industry will attend the Art of Bourbon Auction.

Bourbon royalty – families with last names like Van Winkle, Brown, Samuels, Henderson and Dedman – will gather under the museum’s Beaux-Arts roof for the event. Guests will mingle with master distillers, members of the old-guard bourbon families, distillery executives and founders of new distilleries that have sprung up on and off the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Prominent collectors from around the country fly in for this event.

“The Speed Art Museum, Kentucky’s largest and oldest art museum, is proud to have launched the premier, national nonprofit bourbon auction,” said Museum Director Stephen Reily. “For one night only, the Speed will rival the nation’s best bourbon bars so that all year long we can share the best art in the world with all of the people of Kentucky.”

Event proceeds support the art institution’s education programs and exhibitions. Bill Menish will serve as auctioneer.

Event organizers have again partnered with Bourbon & Beyond, a Louisville bourbon, food and music festival that coincides with the auction and draws more than 50,000 people. Minnick also serves as Bourbon & Beyond’s curator.

Art of Bourbon tickets, which are $200, include a cocktail hour, bourbon tastings and a seated dinner with a bourbon-inspired menu.

About the Speed Art Museum

The Speed Art Museum is Kentucky’s largest art museum. Its mission is to “invite everyone to celebrate art forever.” An independent and encyclopedic museum located on the campus of the University of Louisville. In 1927, Louisville philanthropist Hattie Bishop Speed founded the Speed Art Museum, with a belief in the power of art to change people’s lives. The Speed Art Museum is free on Sunday through March of 2021, thanks in part to Brown-Forman. After Hours @ the Speed draw large and diverse crowds every third Friday of the month with music, drinks, and of course art. For more information, visit www.speedmuseum.org.

#artofbourbon

Jura launches limited edition dedicated to its island community

Jura Two-One-Two #1; 13 Years Old

Jura Single Malt Whisky is set to pay homage to its small and vibrant island community with the launch of the new series of limited annual releases, Jura Two-One-Two, dedicated to the 212 (ish) members of the Jura community.

The first limited edition is a 13 Years Old single malt with a bold ABV of 47.5% which accentuates the unique house of Jura.  The added dimension is created by concluding its maturation in Chinkapin Oak casks from the Ozark Mountain Range of Missouri.  Known for its acorns, this is a highly prize white hardwood which adds a distinctive twist to the sweet, spicy and smoky character.

With a warm honey hue, this small batch whisky is elegant on the nose with an aroma of lemon cake that gives way to cinnamon spice and creamy toffee. A whisper of poached pear and of sherbet then lead into a spirit that is charming on the palate. Vibrant flavours of nutmeg and ginseng are bolstered by roast pistachios wrapped up in the tang of the Chinkapin oak.

Kirsteen Beeston, Head of International Malts at Whyte and Mackay, said, “We talk about Jura being a long way from ordinary and this latest creation certainly supports this.  By celebrating the people who make up our community, we are not only acknowledging the fundamental role they each play in our whisky, we are also highlighting the vital role of community to the Jura brand.

“Two-One-Two is special.  From its inspiration, to its ABV and finish, this single malt offers consumers something full of character which is both affordable and collectable.  Being small batch, we are excited to be able to up the age with every release which we know will appeal to those who love Jura and the wider whisky fraternity.”

Gregg Glass, Whisky Maker at Whyte & Mackay Ltd remarks, “Chinkapin is a wood that is rarely seen in the industry, but the impact it imparts on Jura’s light grassy spirit is worth the experiment. It’s a fantastic partner which pushes the boundaries of what people expect of Jura’s house style, while its pioneering nature is the perfect way to celebrate the exceptional community which our distillery sits at the heart of.”

Highly collectable and affordable, the inaugural Jura Two-One-Two will be limited to just 6000 bottles at an RSP of £90/Euro 100/$120 and released annually over the next five years.

The hand crafted style and design of Jura Two-One-Two reflects natural textures of its island home and sees the classic Jura bottle wrapped in paper adorned with imagery from the island.

Jura Two-One- Two #1 is available now in select markets internationally including the UK, France, Germany, Africa, Russia and Greater Europe.

www.jurawhisky.com

Instagram – Facebook – Twitter @jurawhisky

NOTES

About Jura:

Jura is a tiny Scottish island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland. With only one road, one pub, one distillery and 212(ish) people, Jura is as beautiful as it is remote.

The distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to revive the community.

Inspired by our history and our island home, we create single malt with a true passion for the craft of whisky making.

Jura Two-One- Two #1

RSP – £90

Non-chill filtered

6000 bottles only to be made

Maturation – Bottled at 47.5%ABV and at 13 years of age. Matured in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels and finished in Chinkapin Oak casks 

Colour – Warm honey

Nose – Lemon cake, cinnamon spice and creamy toffee

Palate – Poached pear, sherbet and roasted pistachio

Winners Revealed in Inaugural
Scottish Whisky Awards

The winners in the inaugural competition to assess the business of Scotch whisky have been revealed at a sell-out event held in Edinburgh last night.

The Scottish Whisky Awards welcomed over 400 guests to celebrate and to hear who had been crowned the best in the wide-ranging competition which assesses taste and business performance.

Scottish Whisky Distillery of the Year 2019 was presented to The GlenAllachie Distillery in recognition of an outstanding year of business and after winning five medals in the blind tasting competition. The distillery has successfully served a full range of single malt into the market, opened a visitor centre and created a strong distribution network.  Their awards haul included two gold medals for their 18 and 12 year old single malts.   Craigellachie, Glen Scotia, Highland Park and Loch Lomond Distilleries were also nominated in the category.

Angus-based Arbikie Distilling collected the award for the Newcomer of the Year and were applauded by the judging panel for their field to bottle ethos and innovative approach.  They also collected a silver medal for Arbikie Highland Rye in the single grain category.

Other winners on the night included Johnnie Walker White Walker for their Game Of Thrones campaign whilst the Glasgow Distillery Company triumphed with multiple awards for their recently launched 1770 Single Malt.

Professor Alan Wolstenholme, Chair of the Judging panel commented;

 “Very many congratulations to the winners in the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards.  Winning a Scottish Whisky Award is a huge opportunity to further the promotion of Scotch whisky at home and abroad. I hope that all the medallists and winners take the opportunity to promote their success and achievements in what was a very tough competition.”

The awards are supported by commercial sponsors including Shawbrook Bank and Bruce Stevenson.

Kevin Boyd, Managing Director at Shawbrook Bank commented;

“Congratulations to all the finalists and winners in the inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards.  Shawbrook Bank are proud supporters of our whisky industry and we are delighted to support these awards and their work to promote the business of Scotch and all our wonderful whiskies at home and abroad.”

Graeme Dempster, Account Executive at Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers commented;

“We’d like to congratulate all the finalists and winners at the Scottish Whisky Awards. The quality of talent up for nomination clearly demonstrates the strength of the Scotch Whisky industry today.  At Bruce Stevenson, we’re very proud to have a wide-ranging and deep involvement in such an exciting and growing sector.”

The awards also recognised one of the whisky industry’s most accomplished scientific and technical advisers with a special award presented posthumously to Dr Jim Swan.  The award for outstanding contribution to Scotch whisky was accepted by Dr Swan’s daughters and was presented in recognition of his forty-year career as a research scientist and trusted adviser to whisky distilleries around the world.  The award will be presented annually as The Jim Swan Award for Services to Scotch Whisky to an individual making a significant contribution to the Scotch Whisky industry.

Full results in the competition were unveiled for the first-time last night after being held as a closely guarded secret since the business and taste competitions were carried out in May.  In the taste sessions, adjudicated by the international sensory management consultancy, Cara Technology, over 100 whiskies were blind tasted and scored by a 32-strong judging panel from the UK, mainland Europe and Asia.

The awards which will now become an annual fixture and will be hosted in Glasgow next year, were also a fundraiser for two charities; The BEN, the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, set up by rugby legend Doddie Weir to help improve the lives of those affected by Motor Neurone Disease.

Continue September’s journey of colourful exploration with four dazzling new casks, available online today. Each one delivers a kaleidoscope of bold flavours so gather up your friends, share the experience and see what you uncover in each one. Bottles are limited – grab one today before they disappear.

NEW WHISKIES        ALL BOTTLINGS

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

Award Winning Whisky

Batch 7 of The Loch Fyne The Living Cask won a Gold Award at last night’s (September 5th) Scottish Whisky Awards. Learn more about this fantastic whisky and more.

Buy Now

Best Blended Malt under 12 Year Old – Scottish Whisky Awards 2019