BenRiach Batch 16
At Loch Fyne Whiskies

Don’t miss out on Batch 16 of BenRiach’s highly rated bottling series. Master Blender Rachel Barrie brings together 24 hand-selected casks showcasing the richness and diversity of BenRiach Distillery. Click the button below to shop the full BenRiach Batch 16 range.

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 262: Lagavulin 18 Year Old Feis Ile 2018

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries another Lagavulin. In 2018 they launched for the third festival an a row an 18 Year Old. Mark admits that those Feis Ile releases, the distillery exclusives and mostly the Jazz Festival bottlings are very much to his liking. It is a vatting of refill hogsheads and sherry butts.

https://youtu.be/9KVKPRo_h9Q

Lagg Distillery on the Isle of Arran officially opens to the public

Lagg Distillery, the second on the Isle of Arran, has officially opened its doors to the general public and is now welcoming visitors to the brand new site.

Becoming one of Scotland’s newest single malt whisky distilleries, Lagg has opened its state-of-the-art building, which focuses on the visitor experience throughout, and has also begun whisky production.

Its spanning visitor centre includes a shop, an interactive video showcasing Arran’s whisky history as well as a café and restaurant which will provide food and drink with ingredients sourced from the exceptional range of local produce.

The facilities contain two new copper stills and four wooden washbacks within the same room, allowing visitors the opportunity to be guided through every stage of the whisky journey.

The site brings whisky making back its traditional heartland on the South of the Isle of Arran, sitting on the most Southern point of the island, boasting stunning views from Ailsa Craig across to Campbeltown.

Throughout the visitor experience Arran’s unique place in the story of the nation’s favourite spirit is explored, with frequent references to past distillation in the South of the island, both legal and illicit.

 Isle of Arran Distillers initially announced the project plans in 2016 to deal with ever-increasing visitor numbers to the island and continuing growth in whisky tourism throughout Scotland. Construction at the distillery subsequently began in February 2017.

Lagg is the first new distillery on the island since the opening of Isle of Arran Distillers’ original site in Lochranza, which opened in 1995. It is expected that the total visitor numbers to both sites will increase to over 200,000 by 2020.

The independently owned distillers’ commitment to local people and businesses will be continue to be upheld at the new site, with 22 members of staff employed across both the visitor centre and the production facilities, all of which are island based.

Whisky production at Lagg commenced earlier this year, as the first middle cut of spirit was recorded on Tuesday 19^th March 2019. This spirit is expected to mature into a rich, smoky, heavily-peated (50ppm) Lagg Single Malt which will be very different in character to what the distillers currently produce at their original distillery in Lochranza.

Production will be overseen by Distillery Manager, Graham Omand, an Islay native who has spent the past eight years at the Lochranza distillery, and Master Distiller James MacTaggart, who has over 40 years of experience in the industry.

Omand, Distillery Manager at Lagg Distillery, said: “We’re all thrilled to be celebrating the opening of our spectacular new Lagg Distillery and to bring production back to the heart of whisky-making on the Isle of Arran.”

“It’s an outstanding achievement from everybody that was involved in the process and something that people on the island and beyond can be very proud of.”

“The whole team here is passionate about bringing Arran’s fascinating whisky story to life and to give it the recognition that it deserves. We can’t wait to start writing the next chapter of this story and welcoming whisky-lovers from around the world to Lagg.”

The first cask of what will become Lagg Single Malt, ‘Cask Number One’, has been reserved for members of the Lagg Cask Society, formed of individuals who have purchased casks of Lagg spirit.

Over half of the 700 first fill casks available for purchase from the distillery have already been sold. However whisky lovers can still be part of the exciting story of the Lagg Distillery, by purchasing one of the remaining casks for sale, and becoming members of the Lagg Cask Society. For more information, visit www.laggwhisky.com

Arran Master of Distilling II

Arran Distillery are delighted to present a 12 year-old Single Malt bottled in honour of their Master Distiller James MacTaggart. This characterful limited edition of the Arran Single Malt has been specially created by Master Distiller James MacTaggart as a stunning example of a successful partnership between whisky and cask.

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Hillrock Estate Solera Aged K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) $139.99 View

2019 bottling of GlenDronach 15 Year Old

Fresh from the bottling hall, the Oloroso sherry cask matured Highland single malt is back in stock, while stocks last, which won’t be very long!

Shop – GlenDronach 15 Year Old – $65.59

Benromach 40 Year Old

1978 vintage single sherry hogshead from the Speyside distillery. Just 184 bottles. Benromach 40 Year Old 1978 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Single cask Refill sherry hogshead #2608 released 2018. 184 bottles. Presented in a bespoke wooden box, made in oak, and designed to reflect the colour of the wooden washbacks at Benromach Distillery.

Honey and vanilla, ripe fruits, lime, butterscotch and fresh ginger. On the palate, the whisky is said to have flavours of pear, kiwi, chocolate, spices and a touch of subtle peat smoke on the finish.

Benromach Distillery was designed by Charles C. Diog and constructed at Forres in the Speyside whiskey region for D. McCallum and F.W. Burickman in 1898. Following numerus periods of closure, it was purchased in 1993 by < b>Gordon & MacPhail who charged up its single pair of stills in 1998 and have nurtured Benromach ever since. Striking new labelling combined with an increasing range of single malts is forging a very popular brand of single malt whiskies which includes Benromach Organic, Benromach Peatsmoke and Benromach 10 Year Old.

Shop £1,250

https://youtu.be/pFQ8CtNcDAg

Old Pulteney haven’t ever been known for big sherry cask whiskies, certainly not in my years experience with the brand. This is where single casks expressions really come into their own, showing you the side of a brand that you may not be fully aware of. This thing reminds me of a baby Bunnahabhain/GlenDronach hybrid, but with a lot more punch and a finish that is truly extraordinary. Needless to say, i bought one…welcome to the club! Cheers!

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

Douglas Laing Rocks with Two New Rock Island Releases

Douglas Laing & Co, award-winning Scotch Whisky firm, today announces two new releases under its “Rock Island” brand coupled with a new campaign.

A Limited Edition Rock Island 21 Years Old release is available via specialist spirits retailers at an expected retail price of £89. Just 4,200 bottles have been produced.

Rock Island 10 Years Old, expected to retail at £45, will join the range as a continually available offering, joining fellow Remarkable Regional Malts age statement offerings launched earlier this year; Timorous Beastie 10 Years Old and Scallywag 10 Years Old.

Bringing the Rock Island brand to life, a new campaign is also unveiled today, featuring the headline “A remarkable encapsulation of Scotland’s Whisky islands” and showing the maritime Malt in an elaborate setting. The bespoke illustration highlights the Whisky’s tasting notes of barley, smoke and crashing waves, and will form the basis of a multi-channel Marketing campaign spanning both print and digital advertising, social media and trade collateral. The late summer months will also see Douglas Laing & Co host a series of Rock Island seafood-paired dinners in key markets globally, whilst cocktail and food influencers will be recruited to bolster online presence for the brand.

Cara Laing, third generation and Director of Whisky, comments:

“We’re thrilled to celebrate sea-faring Scotch Whisky this summer with our new global brand campaign and two new releases in our Rock Island range – Rock Island 10 Years Old and Limited Edition 21 Years Old. Created by marrying together Single Malts distilled on the Whisky Islands of Islay, Arran, Jura and Orkney, Rock Island and its special edition counterparts genuinely encapsulate the archetypal salty, smoky, peppery warmth that Island Whiskies are famed for, and our new master visual, print and digital advertising alongside events across key markets globally are designed to bring those mouth-watering qualities to life”.

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING:

www.douglaslaing.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dlrockisland

Twitter: @remarkablemalts

Instagram: @remarkable_malts

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky company, specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, the Ultimate Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions, encompasses The Epicurean Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky, Timorous Beastie (Highlands), Scallywag (Speyside), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Island (Islands) and Big Peat (Islay). Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Old Particular Single Casks, XOP and Provenance, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

There has never been a better time for Kilchoman expressions.  Not only are the core expressions being honored with more accolades, but the level of depth and age in these Islay titans is a tribute to the innovation this distillery exemplifies.<

KILCHOMAN STR CASK

A creation of the late Dr. Jim Swan, STR refers to a specific formula for the Shaving, Toasting and Re-Charring of Red Wine Hogsheads. A total of 43 casks filled in 2012 were selected by Anthony Wills, Kilchoman’s founder and Managing Director, bottled at a strength of 50% abv without chill-filtration or coloring.

The process of shaving, toasting and re-charring has had a huge influence on these casks and the flavors this single malt possesses. Kilchoman released a full maturation Red Wine Cask release in 2016 which took on lots of the big and bold wine flavors.  The STR cask, however, provides a different approach.

The shaving has reduced some of the bolder flavors on the surface of the oak, producing a more subtle red wine influence.  The casks were then toasted and charred over a natural oak fire, fueled exclusively using oak chips from used staves, removing harsh tannins and undelivered flavors as well as breaking down unwanted chemical bonds of lignin, celluloses, and hemicelluloses, replacing these undesirable characteristics with the creation of basic sugars, vanilla, and spice notes.

“The STR cask, created by the late Dr Jim Swan, balances influence from both the new and used oak to create a powerful combination of rich fruit, oak, spice and maritime peat smoke.”
~ Anthony Wills, Kilchoman Founder and Managing Director

Bottled at 50% ABV     ||     RRP: $119.99

Nose:  Summer fruits with a hearty measure of cinnamon spice, toffee, and gentle peat smoke.

Palate:  Soft caramel at first, with layers of red berries, lemon tart, and earthy peat smoke.

Finish:  Long, with a pronounced spice, honey and caramel notes.

KILCHOMAN LOCH GORM 2018

Bottled at 56.4% ABV     ||     RRP: $174.99

Nose: Floral sweetness, caramel, vanilla, and citrus.

Palate: Balanced and complex with fresh fruit, butterscotch, lemon tart, and cinnamon with hints of soft peat smoke.

Finish: Long and clean with citrus, creme brûlée with waves of Islay peat smoke.

Loch Gorm is the name given to the annually released Sherry cask matured limited edition from Kilchoman. The loch, murky and peaty in color, reflects the dark copper tone of the Sherry matured Loch Gorm release.

As the only expression in the Kilchoman range to be fully matured in Sherry casks, Loch Gorm has always attracted special attention from whisky fans, especially given that just 15,000 bottles will be released and made available around the world.

Over the years the Loch Gorm range of limited edition releases have been evolving, each new edition containing a different combination of casks. This, the 2019 edition, is no different. Twenty oloroso Sherry butts from 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 have been selected for this release, meaning that for the first time Loch Gorm will contain 12 and 13-year-old casks from the Kilchoman warehouses.

Bottled at 46% ABV     ||     RRP: $109.99

Nose: Dried fig, orange peel, sea salt with hints of bacon, oaky spice, cinnamon, and citrus sweetness.

Palate: Stewed plums, morello cherries, dark chocolate with layers of salted caramel, herbaceous heather, honey, and wet ashy peat smoke.

Finish: Cooked apples and pears with babes of all-spice, dark chocolate, and barbecue smoke.

IMPEX CASK EVOLUTION
11 Year Old Single Cask

The ImpEx Cask Evolution Series aims to demonstrate the importance of quality casks in the development of a fantastic Scotch whisky.

These single casks are carefully selected by Kilchoman Distillery and are exclusively available in the U.S.  Each cask is specifically chosen to exhibit the diversity of character achieved by using different types of cask to mature Kilchoman single malt.

Matured in a first-fill ex-Bourbon cask for over 11 years, this is the oldest Kilchoman available in the U.S. for general distribution.

“Single cask single malt is the pinnacle of any Scotch whisky.  It is an unadulterated marriage of distillate and cask type.”
~ John Maclellan, Distillery Manager

Please feel free to reach out for more details on the bottlings: office@impexbev.com