Laphroaig 18 Year Old

2000 vintage single cask bottled for the Old & Rare Platinum Selection.

Shop £275.45

Laphroaig 18 Year Old 2000 Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask refill hogshead bottled October 2018 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Old & Rare Platinum Collection. 209 bottles. Laphroaig Distillery was established in 1815 on the rocky south coast of the Isle of Islay off the west coast of Scotland. This malt whisky distillery continues to malt barley using its traditional malting floors and malt kiln. In 1994 the distiiley was awarded the Royal Warrant. The core range is quite extensive and supplemented by limited releases including a 21 year old was issued in 2015 to celebrate 21 years of Friends of Laphroaig. Independent bottlings are also available from Signatory, Cooper’s Choice and Hunter Laing. Laphroaig distillery also participates in Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 237: Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, visited the Kavalan Distillery in Taiwan. They have a beautiful range of single casks bottlings in their so-called Solist range. This is one of them: Vinho Barrique, a wine cask. Mark is very fond of the bourbon and sherry matured Kavalan, but wine for him is often hit or miss. But in this case – cask W090220005 that was bottled in 2009 – Mark thinks it is an absolute stunner. The video was shot at the Kavalan Distillery!

https://youtu.be/JLTBrTGS-uc

Investing in whisky; the good, the bad, the ugly.

Like us, have you ever thought of getting a piece of the whisky action? We have had a go, it is bloody hard to get right, much of what we did was luck, or being in the right place at the right time. We have so many of our guests/clients on whisky tours, asking us about investment, we say be careful. At the end of the day why is whisky made? To drink of course. Looking at this from another angle, if you bought a super doper E Type Jag 20 years ago, what is it worth now? Whisky; how long do you need to hold onto it before profit creeps up? A cask; many years. A bottle; depends on the bottle and luck, or is it skill? There are so many websites offering you a service, some are really helpful and worthy, some I’m sorry to say are not, just look at this … Available online as rare; Balvenie  40 year old £3,500.00  – it is available at Glenfiddich and many other outlets, it is on Amazon; The Balvenie 40 Year Old Single Malt Whisky  FREE delivery,  how is this rare?  Another so called rare whisky website state: We specialise in excellence – we only stock rare malt whiskies. Every single bottle we present to you will be in some way significant: it may be a single cask edition or a one-time release bottling… but on this website it shows  Glenfarclas Distillery Exclusive 2004 Port Cask £199.00 (it sold at auction for 85 quid) and Aberlour A’Bunadh Batch 58 at £79.00 (same auction site 55 quid, sorry guys these are NOT rare or hard to find.  Rare; adjective: rare; comparative adjective: rarer; superlative adjective: rarest. synonyms: infrequent, few and far between, scarce, sparse, scattered, thin on the ground, golden, like gold dust, as scarce as hen’s teeth; (of a thing) not found in large numbers and so of interest or value.

Phrases such as; specialising in Old & Rare Whiskies. Using passion, knowledge, experience we specialise in sourcing the rarest of world whiskies, but if you look at that site (not mentioning this by the way) it offers Yamazaki 12 Year Old for £149.00, BUT it’s available at Amazon – Suntory Yamazaki Whisky 12 Year Old 70cl for only £113.00. This is not rare or hard to find. Do your own homework. People, you have to be so careful when buying “rare or hard to find whisky”, with some bottles going for obscene prices at auction, this is creating a panic in whisky buying, forcing prices up, when there is no need for this. You can buy a bottle of Macallan Double Cask 12 Year Old whisky for $71. You could also, if you have have $11,000 in your back pocket buy a bottle of Macallan Fine & Rare 1990. A 750ml single malt 60 year old Macallan 1926 whisky sold at Bonham’s in Edinburgh for a record price of £848,800 or just over $1.1 million. WHO IS BUYING these bottles? Are they ever going to drink them? How large is the market for whisky of this ilk? Be careful when venturing into the whisky investment world, there are pitfalls like every other investment. AN INVESTMENT IS ONLY PROFITABLE WHEN SOMEONE OFFERS TO BUY IT! Otherwise it’s a white elephant. We have dabbled in this on a very small scale, some are duds and we have learnt the hard way, others we have had good luck. With these good luck sales, it has enabled us to buy “drinking whisky” to enjoy, not for a dusty cupboard or safe vault.

A personal blether from Paul McLean. www.whiskytours.scot

Conor O’Driscoll Joins Heaven Hill Distillery as Fifth Master Distiller

Industry veteran brings extensive distilling, innovation expertise to largest family-owned and operated American Whiskey company

BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Heaven Hill Distillery is proud to announce Conor O’Driscoll as the fifth Master Distiller in its 84-year history. O’Driscoll’s wealth of experience in the industry and technical expertise gives him the ability to focus on quality, authenticity and innovation, all hallmarks of the Heaven Hill distilling legacy.

“Conor is among the finest young distillers in our business and we could not be more thrilled to have him at the forefront of distilling for our historic portfolio,” said Max L. Shapira, President, Heaven Hill Brands. “In his 15 years in the industry, he’s played a key role in growing production and innovation, with an expectation of quality and a respect for craftsmanship. In that regard, he is a perfect fit for us.”

In 2004, O’Driscoll started his journey in whiskey as Operations Manager for the Brown-Forman Distillery in Shively. After five years, O’Driscoll moved to oversee operations at the Woodford Reserve Distillery. Shortly thereafter, he added warehousing and processing responsibilities beginning a robust warehouse expansion program. In 2017, O’Driscoll left Woodford Reserve to lead the operations efforts at Angel’s Envy Distillery in Louisville.

“I’m very proud to be a part of Heaven Hill’s storied whiskey legacy,” said O’Driscoll. “The trust of the Shapira family is humbling. And I am excited and honored to carry on the traditions of the Master Distillers that helped establish Heaven Hill’s place in the industry.  I am especially honored to carry on the legacy of Parker Beam, whose expectations for quality and consistency live on today.”

As Master Distiller, O’Driscoll will oversee historic brands reflective of the pioneers, places and principles of American Whiskey. Heaven Hill Distillery has long preserved the heritage of Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and John E. Fitzgerald Larceny among its flagship brands while recognizing the whiskey traditions of Pikesville, Maryland, Rittenhouse Square, Pennsylvania and the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky which date back to the mid-18th century. Beyond that, it is Heaven Hill’s steadfast commitment to the principles of quality, authenticity and innovation that make it among the global leaders in whiskey production.

O’Driscoll will immediately begin leading the distilling and warehousing teams at the Bernheim Distillery in Louisville.  Recent renovations at that facility, including a new still, earned it the designation of the largest single-site Bourbon distillery.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, O’Driscoll moved to the United States in 1989 after completing his degree in Chemical Engineering at University College Dublin. His early experiences with Pfizer and Aker Kvaerner paved the way for his move to whiskey distilling where he’s pursued his passion ever since. He resides in Louisville with his wife and family.

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 1.5 million barrels aging in 57 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.”

First ever Distillery crowdfunding in Canada

soars past 90% subscription

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, February 5th, 2019.

Two months ago, the Victoria Caledonian Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery launched the first equity crowdfunding for a distillery-brewery in Canada and is 93% towards its $500,000 goal. The business intends to continue crowdfunding beyond this target to accelerate its international exports and launch a N.W. Whisky Trail. This crowdfunding campaign allows regular Canadian residents to secure a front seat pass into the craft spirits and beer industries just as these sectors are experiencing explosive growth.

Graeme Macaloney PhD, President & Founder of the Victoria Caledonian, said; “From the beginning we wanted to build a community around our brewery and distillery. By setting the minimum investment at $250, we’ve been able to invite more passionate whisky and beer enthusiasts into the industry. The community we’ve built is so engaged and excited about what we’re doing that they’ve helped us grow the business significantly. Thanks to this support, we’re well on our way towards achieving our aims of demonstrating to the world that Canadian Single Malt Whisky can be just as great, or even better than, Scotch.” The brewery and distillery currently has over 300 Canadian investors with dozens more about to join the fold as the crowdfunding campaign reaches its target.

With a prior $2.4 million in funding from Agriculture Canada one of the largest craft distilleries in N. America has been established, and proprietary rapid maturation know-how transferred from the late-great Scotch maturation expert, Dr. Jim Swan. Since opening in 2016, their spirit at just 15 months old, and can’t be called whisky until later this year, has already been turning heads and scoring as high as 91 points (a score usually reserved for 17 year old Scotches). Also, their craft beers took two top awards at the prestigious BC Craft Beer Awards, placing them in the top 10% of local craft beers thanks to Head Brewer Nicole MacLean who previously apprenticed at BrewDog, Scotland.
Investments start at $250 with brewery-distillery ownership conferring a potential return on investment, product discounts, attendance to their 3-day brewing & distilling academy, and other perks which give Canadian investors behind the scenes access to a brewery and distillery! The early-bird pricing ends February 8th at 11:59 pm. Those considering a possible investment of $250 to $5,000 should check: https://www.frontfundr.com/Company/victoria-caledonian-brewery-distillery. For investments of $10,000 or more please contact Graeme Macaloney per contact details below.

Victoria Caledonian Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery
Graeme Macaloney PhD, PEng.
Graeme@MacaloneyDistillers.com
www.VictoriaCaledonian.com

Old Perth 23 Year Old

Shop £151.88

1994 vintage blended malt Scotch whisky. Rare blended whisky consisting mainly of sherry cask matured Macallan. Bottled 2018 by Morrison & MacKay. 515 bottles. Blended Scotch whiskies are produced by blending whiskies distilled at two or more different Scottish distilleries and the whiskies may be single malt whiskies, single grain whiskies, or single malt and single grain whiskies.

Friday February 22nd, 5-7PM:

The Macallan & Highland Park

Treat yourself to some of the most popular whisky names in the world! We’ll be pouring a variety of new releases and highly-rated favorites, with distillery representatives and our own in-store whisky experts present throughout.

More Details & RSVP

Ralfy Publishes Ralfy Review #762

TOBERMORY 2002 MADEIRA CASK FINISH

https://youtu.be/IZzC3XITrNY

1883 FERMENTER FILLED FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN 100 YEARS AT BUFFALO tRACE

Distillery recommissions one of Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s original fermenters

Click here to watch a short video

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Jan. 23, 2019) – Having long been buried and forgotten, one of Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s original fermenters is getting a new lease on life. For the first time in 100 years, the fermenter, which dates back to 1883, has been recommissioned and once again filled with Old Fashioned Sour Mash.

            Buffalo Trace Distillery made a historic discovery in 2016 when it uncovered Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr.’s intact fermenting vats dating to 1883, the original foundation wall Taylor built in 1869 and a second foundation built by Taylor in 1873. The distillery remnants and fermenters had been decommissioned, covered with a cement floor and forgotten, until the Distillery began work on the O.F.C. Building to turn it into more meeting and event space. With this historic find, the Distillery altered its plans and immediately began working to excavate and preserve this piece of distilling history with the help of a bourbon archaeologist. The space is now famously referred to by the nickname “Bourbon Pompeii.”

            Once uncovered, the National Historic Landmark distillery set forth to bring one of the fermenters back online. The top of Fermenter No. 7 has been lined with some of the cleaned-up bricks that were uncovered during the excavation, and was relined with copper like it would have been during Taylor’s tenure. After adding piping to connect the fermenter with the Distillery’s microstill, the fermenter was tested earlier this month and then filled with mash for the first time in 100 years on the morning of Jan. 10^th.

            As a testament to Taylor’s legacy at Buffalo Trace, the Distillery plans to use the fermenter to produce Old Fashioned Sour Mash, similar to how Taylor did nearly 150 years ago. The Distillery applied for a patent on this sour mash process and received patent pending status in 2017.

            The O.F.C. Building, including the recommissioned fermenter and other Distillery remnants can be seen on the Distillery’s complimentary E.H. Taylor Tour, which is offered Monday through Friday by reservation. The tour, which allows visitors to get up close with the now active fermenter, also makes stops at the Old Taylor House and Warehouse C.

            In the future, Buffalo Trace also plans to use the upper levels of the O.F.C. Building as event space as originally planned, offering another unique way to view the sour mash process and experience this unique discovery.

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

January Newsletter 2019

Welcome back to our first newsletter of the year. It’s been a cold, cold month but we’re still working hard to make sure we get our goods out to you all!

What a week for our Single Malt Whisky 

Our Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky has been the star of the show this month, receiving some fantastic feedback from some of the biggest food and drink gurus out there.

We woke up on Saturday morning only to spot our whisky on ITV James Martin’s Saturday Morning show, where celebrated wine critic Oz Clarke and James Martin himself shared their thoughts – definitely worth a watch!

Elsewhere, The Evening Standard recommended our flagship whisky as the perfect alternative to a classic Scotch for Burns Night, and Phillip Schofield also had some good words to say in Waitrose Weekend.

With distilleries becoming increasingly popular south of the Scottish border, it’s brilliant to see us flying the flag for English whisky!

Not forgetting our cask strength…

Just as we were about to send out our newsletter, we received some fantastic news – our Founder’s Choice Single Malt Whisky has been named as Whisky of the Month over on Whiskyexperts.

Fortunately for the ‘translate page’ option, the review makes a great read. Our newest whisky has been described as having ‘great body’ and a ‘beautiful, harmonious balance’ of flavours – we couldn’t ask for more!

If you’d like to learn a little more about our Founder’s Choice, head over to our website.

Click here to learn more

A quick update on our visitor centre 

If you’ve stopped by the distillery recently, you’ll have noticed that our new visitor centre is very nearly finished.

The windows have been fitted, 65% of the Cotswold stone floor has been put in place, and the timber on the exterior is up.

The stairs are due to go up within the next couple of weeks, along with the interior timber cladding.

We’re hoping to unveil the new building in April – it won’t be long until we’re all settled in our new home!

A very warm welcome to the team

We’ve welcomed a few friendly faces over the past month or two as our brilliant team continues to grow.

In the office, Lucy has joined us as our new Sales Coordinator, keeping our accounts and sales team in order!

We’ve also had a couple of new additions to the production side of the distillery – Peter has joined our bottling team and Romy has helped lighten the load as our new Warehouse Operative.

Love is in the air

Chocolates and flowers are lovely, but why not surprise your loved one with one of our Outstanding Natural Spirits this Valentine’s Day?

If your other half prefers to sip on a good dram of whisky instead, our Founder’s Choice Whisky is perfect for that extra special someone.

We have lots to offer, so head to our online store for more ideas.

Click here to browse

Out and about next month

It’s a quiet time of year for events, with this cold weather making everyone want to curl up in front of the fire instead of heading off outside, but Edward will be out championing the Cotswolds cause at a couple of exciting international events in February.

First up, Ed will be attending the Uisge consumer fair in Helsinki, before jetting off to Mumbai for The Vault Biennale – a new premium spirits festival to arrive in the Indian city which will be showcasing some of the best luxury beverages in the world.

As always, keep an eye out on our social media for any upcoming events.

Cotswolds Distillery ~ Phillip’s Field, Whichford Road ~ Stourton ~ Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 5HG ~ United Kingdom