Welcome to this weeks episode of the show. Today I’m looking at the range of bottlings from the new Irish distillery Hinch.

https://youtu.be/DyhV1JDppMY

WHISKY ANGEL WITH SILVER LOCKET LAUNCHED BY GLASSMAKERS

A glass angel holding a silver locket and filled with rare whisky from a `lost distillery’ is the latest innovation from Stirling firm Angels’ Share Glass.

The talented glassmakers have joined forces with Stirling jewellers Lily Blanche to create a batch of just 25 limited-edition Littlemill Angels.

The Angels are hand-filled with 26-year-old Littlemill Whisky and feature a silver locket decorated with a single golden feather. The lockets can also be personalised by adding a photograph inside.

Angels’ Share Glass Managing Director Karen Somerville said: “With our limited-edition angels, we always select a whisky which is rare and no longer widely available.

“Littlemill Distillery closed many years ago and is now what’s known as a `lost distillery’. We were lucky to source its whisky for the Angels as only 234 bottles were ever released.

“The distillery now exists only in memories and photographs and it was that notion which sparked the idea for an Angel holding a locket since they are also very much linked to memories and photographs.

“There’s a real synergy there and we also used a feather on the locket design to reflect the popular saying `When feathers appear, Angels are near’ which seemed very apt.”

Mrs Somerville commissioned Gillian Crawford, managing director of Lily Blanche, to create the Angel’s locket.

Both women are Ambassadors with Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES) and leading figures in the Scottish business world.

Ms Crawford said: “We loved collaborating with Karen and the team at Angels’ Share Glass on this limited-edition Angel.

“We share the same values of craftsmanship, love of Scotland’s heritage and traditions and attention to detail as our friends at Angels’ Share Glass, so we were delighted when they commissioned us to make the lockets for this special Angel.

“The finished product is stunning and we are really pleased with it.”

The Littlemill Angel costs £225 and only 25 are available – each with a batch number inside the locket.

They are around 70mm in height with wings made of platinum and a halo made of gold and are placed on an oak stand.

Each one is filled with 25ml of Littlemill whisky which represents the `Angels’ Share’ – the measure of whisky lost to evaporation during the maturing process which, according to distillers’ legend, is taken away by angels.

They also come complete with a Lily Blanche silver locket which can be personalised with images.

For more details and to order the limited-edition Littlemill Angel, go to www.angelsshareglass.com/collections/angels/products/new-limited-edition-littlemill-angel

For more information about Angels Share Glass, visit www.angelsshareglass.com

For more information about Lily Blanche, visit www.lilyblanche.com

Notes:

Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm was co-founded by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young MBE – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for 60 years. More information about the company can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com

Lily Blanche is based in Kings Park, Stirling and was founded by Gillian Crawford. She is also a director of the Institute of Ecommerce and chair of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs. Ms Crawford is an Ambassador for Women’s Enterprise Scotland and a commentator for the Sunday Times. For more information visit www.lilyblanche.com

We’re open for business

We thought we’d send you an update on our business and how we are coping with the current situation.

Despite being a small family firm we’ve taken steps to respond to what is happening. Most of us can and will work from home. When in the office and warehouse we are washing hands thoroughly and regularly and taking extra precautions in line with official guidance and advice.

Trade is moving Worldwide and throughout the UK. We have multiple logistic partners, a very fortunate position to be in, so your parcels will be delivered – there just might be a delay of a day or two to your door. Now, more than ever, we all need a good dram!

The continued support of our customers during this period has been incredible and we value your ongoing support.

Keeping you in good spirits.

Alastair & Chris @ The Whisky Barrel

Our San Francisco store will be closed for the next few weeks, and all in-store tastings effectively cancelled until further notice.

We’re still open online!

You can still order scotch, single malt, whiskey, spirits and more at

 whiskyshopusa.com

The Spirit of Song event at Glengoyne Distillery, due to take place this Friday (March 20^th), has been postponed.

Speaking about the decision to postpone the evening of music and whisky, Scottish singer/songwriter and the event’s host Kerri Watt said “We have made the decision to postpone this Friday’s event ‘The Spirit of Song’ at Glengoyne Distillery. The health of our audience, performers and the Glengoyne staff and their families are our priority. However, we are excited about rescheduling the event for later in the year – hopefully on a gorgeous summer evening! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us – stay safe and we’ll see you soon!”

The new date will be announced on Kerri’s website kerriwatt.com and social media @KerriWatt

Ticket holders should contact point of purchase for refund.

For more information email me at jade@republicmedia.net

New and exclusive

SINGLE CASK WORTHY PARK
AND BENROMACH

The latest bottles to join our range of 20th anniversary exclusives come from very different places. One is a dry, fruity and powerful 12-year-old rum from Worthy Park by way of Dornoch Castle and the Thompson Brothers, who bottled it for us. The second is an eight-year-old, single sherry-cask single malt from Benromach distillery – a vibrant and fruity whisky with a rich and smoky undercurrent.

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New and exclusive
LEDAIG, GLENBURGIE AND LAPHROAIG –
BOTTLED BY THE WHISKY EXCHANGE

Our next wave of exclusive, single cask whiskies has arrived: a fresh, fruity and subtle Glenburgie, a rich, smoky and beautifully integrated sherry-cask Laphroaig, and a 13-year-old Ledaig. Bottled from our own stocks, this range contains only the whiskies we like so much that we’re willing to put our name on them.

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Sale
SAVE ON GAME OF THRONES
SINGLE MALTS

While stocks last, you can now save up to 33% on Diageo’s range of Game of Thrones single malt whiskies. Whether you’ve been dying to try them, need gifts for an upcoming occasion, want to run a great tasting for your whisky club, or just want to add some great bottles to your collection from some of Scotland’s best-known distilleries, now’s your chance!

SHOP NOW

Saturday, March 28th 11AM-6PM: 

Single Malt Tasting: Penderyn & Kilchoman w/Sam Filmus 

Sam Filmus presents rare and award-winning drams by Welsh distillery Penderyn at this tasting, plus our store exclusive ‘The Whisky Shop Kilchoman Machir Bay Collaborative Vatting. 

  Click Here to RSVP

(or email us at info@whiskyshopusa.com)

Don’t Miss Out On the Final Stock of A Must-Have, Aged Single-Malt
2003 Glen Scotia “Malts Festival 2019 Limited Edition” Rum Cask Finish Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) ($69.99)
“I fell in love with this whiskey… It’s the perfect sweet peater.”
– Andrew Whiteley, K&L NorCal Spirits Buyer

Pretty much anything from Campbeltown is by default a niche whisky, considering the region is home to just three distilleries nowadays. So, what does that make Glen Scotia’s 2003 limited-edition, peated single-malt aged for 15 years in American bourbon casks and finished in demerara rum barrels? For starters, it’s about as niche as collectible whisky gets. Furthermore, it’s just flat-out delicious. To make a simple point: we believe in this whisky, so much so that we just had their U.S. importer gather up every last bit of stock they had in the country and ship it to us. When we sampled it, there was no question that we had to get this to as many of our clients as possible. We’ll lead with the bad news—once this stock is gone, there is no more on the way. This is your last shot. The good news? We’re offering this one-of-a-kind dram for under $70, while the rest of the market hovers in the vicinity of $100. Bottled at cask strength specifically for the 2019 Malts Festival, it was nonchillfiltered to capture the epitome of the “sweet peat” style. As Scotch whisky profiles go, the 2003 Glen Scotia Campbeltown Single Malt Rum Cask-Finish is as unique as it gets. As incredible bargains go, this stunning limited-edition might just take the cake.

2003 Glen Scotia “Malts Festival 2019 Limited Edition” Rum Cask Finish Peated Campbeltown Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $100) ($69.99)

93 points Whisky Advocate: “The nose has sweet smoke and more prominent aromas of banana, vanilla, guava, papaya, jasmine, hibiscus, and citrus oil, with some salinity and chalky minerality. The palate is consistent: intense tropical fruit—guava, mango, coconut—plus hazelnut, smoked almonds, milk chocolate, and salty kelp. It finishes with smoked nuts, toasted tobacco, chalky minerality, dry oak, and persistent fruitiness. Lots to unpack here, and it develops beautifully with water—take your time. (SSB, Fall 2019)”

K&L Notes: Once hailed as the whisky capital of the world, Campbeltown has seen its number of distilleries reduced to just three. All three make peated and unpeated whisky in a unique style that gives credence to Campbeltown’s designation as a unique whisky producing region in Scotland. This 2019 limited release for Campbeltown’s Malts Festival spent 15 years in American oak hogsheads and then an additional eight months in demerara Guyana rum barrels. The results are stupendous—sweet peat jives with malty goodness loaded with orange peel and sweet baking spices. The mellow smoke goes perfectly with the caramel and brown sugar notes of the American hoggies. Bottled at cask strength and unchillfiltered with no coloration, this is a pure celebration of Campbeltown from Glen Scotia.

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 11, 2019

I fell in love with this whiskey months ago when I tasted a preview sample. Now that’s it’s here I simply cannot get enough of it. It’s the perfect sweet peater, in fact it should be the definition of “easy peat.” There is just enough smoke to frame the presentation of the other aromatics and to bolster the intensity of the wonderful citrus and tropical fruit that takes over the nose. Sweet baking spices and molasses coat your palate. There is a bit of salinity, particularly on the finish, that leaves you satisfied and yet going back for sip after sip. While most other places are selling this at $110 bucks, we backed up the truck and are able to offer it at just $69.99! I suggest you do the same since this limited Malts Festival release won’t be around for long.

Alex Schroeder | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 12, 2019

This is the most expressive, balanced peated single malt I’ve tasted in a while. Aromas of bright tropical fruits like pineapple and mango mixed with honeycomb, wet gravel, toasted wheat, and scorched earth, with a rich mouthfeel and super-smooth profile. What a pleasure to sip!

Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: October 11, 2019

Bountiful butterscotch and wisps of earthy smoke characterize this tasty Scotch. Glen Scotia is one of only three operational distilleries in the Campbeltown region, and I’m very happy they’re carrying on the tradition and keeping distillation alive in this historically important area in Scotland. Of course, none of that history matters much if the whisky isn’t good, and thankfully this bottling is great. The peat is very moderate (unlikely to scare away too many folks) and exquisitely proportioned with the influence of the rum cask finishing. Tropical aromas of freshly-opened vanilla bean morphs into salted caramel that then becomes rich butterscotch. Scents of buttery dessert biscuits topped with pepper-peach jelly make my mouth water. The palate has more dessert flavors without becoming cloying at all. Then that peat comes in, yet it always stays in check and never dominates the other flavors. It’s earthy, robust, and leathery with just a little medicinality. The rum and peat continue to roll over each other again and again on the palate, and it seems like there’s just no stopping this Scotch. There’s not really a finish in a sense because the whisky just melts into the tongue and stays with you.

ralfy visits Orkney !

https://youtu.be/Z0yzI4nMTTQ

The American Whiskey Convention returns to Philadelphia for its 5th annual whiskey and bourbon extravaganza.

The largest annual gathering of All-American distillers in the country features over 250 bourbons and whiskeys, interactive discussion forums with industry experts, southern BBQ, lifestyle attractions and artisan crafts.

PHILADELPHIA, PA. – The American Whiskey Convention, the largest celebration of American whiskey in the country, returns to Philadelphia for its 5th year on April 3rd, 2020 at the historic Independence Seaport Museum.

Set against the backdrop of the Independence Seaport Museum along the Delaware River, the theme of the 2020 American Whiskey Convention is ‘Whiskey On The Water’. This year’s American Whiskey Convention explores the fascinating role the region’s waterways played in the history of America’s whiskey. VIP Guests can join noted American whiskey historian and author, Michael Veach, as he conducts a tasting and leads a discussion on “The Ohio River and the Birth of Bourbon”.

Attendees can also attend talks with industry legends like American whiskey’s ‘Godfather of Rye’, Larry Ebersold, and meet master distillers such as Dick Stoll, Greg Metze, and countless other industry superstars including Lisa Roper Wicker, chemical engineer and chief distiller Becky Harris, and brand ambassadors JoAnn Street, Daniella Solano and Tim Heuisler.

More than just sipping whiskey and hob-knobbing with industry experts, guests can enjoy authentic southern BBQ from Philadelphia’s own Sweet Lucy’s Smokehouse and locally made whiskey-infused treats. Amongst the exciting food and drink, guests will find captivating – and pampering! – attractions. Sit for a close shave from Bryce Harper’s The Blind Barber barbershop (yes, that Bryce Harper), smoke a cigar with the Wooden Indian Tobacco Shop and Drew Estate, check out the latest Harley Davidson motorcycles from Barb’s HD, relax with a massage, and shop hand-made creations from local artisans.

And of course – the farmers. The American Whiskey Convention is famous for bringing together not only America’s best whiskey, but also the farmers and producers responsible for the grains behind them.

 “Once people connect the farmer with their favorite whiskey, it really brings home the entire Grain-To- Glass idea. It is so much fun watching people discover new tastes and learn the important role local farmers play,” says Laura Fields, Delaware Valley Fields Foundation CEO and founder of the American Whiskey Convention.

Proceeds from the American Whiskey Convention benefit local farmers through the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation’s outreach programs and innovative SeedSpark project.

“Our goal was to build an event for American whiskey lovers,” said event founder, Laura Fields. “From meeting farmers and grist millers, to chatting with maltsters and sampling products, it’s a completely immersive experience. What I find so great is that there’s something for everyone- from the casual whiskey drinker to the aficionado.”

Have a drink, Help a farmer: The American Whiskey Convention was created to support the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation’s mission- to build a bridge between Pennsylvania grain producers and fast growing industries like craft distilling. The groundbreaking Seed Spark Project brings together local farmers, academic research institutions, and commercial industry experts to help build profitable markets for regional businesses. At the event, the first collaboration between the Delaware Valley Fields Foundation, Penn State Agriculture Extension, and Stoll & Wolfe Distillery will be debuted. The SeedSpark project is helping restore a ‘lost’ heritage rye grain called Rosen rye. In September of 2019, 1,000 lbs of local grain (including approximately 600 lbs of DVFF’s Rosen rye) was distilled by Dick Stoll (the man behind the fabled A.H. Hirsch bourbon). This partnership takes center stage with Original Grain, a photographic art installation by acclaimed photographer, Jordan Bush, bottle auctions, and limited tastings of this historically important distillate.

Grain to Glass, an American journey: Gain a new perspective and appreciation of American whiskey and bourbon with an immersive experience into every aspect of the craft distilling process that gives rise to your favorite drink. Meet the farmers who grow the crops, the maltsters and millers who process the grains, and the master distillers who dedicate their life to distilling the spirits we enjoy.

Event Details:

When: Friday, April 3rd | VIP Ticket Start 5:30pm | General Public Start 6:30pm Where: Independence Seaport Museum Get Tickets: americanwhiskeyconvention.com Proceeds Benefit: The Delaware Fields Foundation

About Delaware Valley Fields Foundation The Delaware Valley Fields Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes local farming and its history. The organization works with farmers and other non-profits to bring attention to the vital role small farming plays in communities. Members educate the public through events, including the American Whiskey Convention. To learn more, visit delvalfieldsfoundation.org.