Now available: Macallan Rare Cask 2020

What a whisky! The 2020 release of The Macallan Rare Cask has just dropped. This release is crafted from some of the rarest and most precious whisky maturing at The Macallan Estate in Speyside. Each batch in the Rare Cask series represents the volume of just 50 European sherry seasoned oak butts. Presented at 43% abv in a beautifully sculpted glass decanter.

Don’t miss out – order today! 

Macallan Rare Cask 2020

£225.00

🚚 Free UK Delivery on all orders over £25 📦
🌎 We also ship worldwide 🌍

Join us for a Virtual Whisky Tasting!

During these extraordinary times as we shelter-at-home, we can still get together remotely to enjoy some great drams and discover more about our favorite spirits. 

Look out for more virtual tastings & #stayhome whisky events in the future!

Upcoming Virtual Tastings Calendar

(click listings for more details) 

 Monday, May 4th, 5PM:

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch

Thursday, May 7th 5:30PM:

Balcones Bourbon

Monday, May 4th,  5PM:

Glenmorangie Single Malt 

Join us for a Virtual Happy Hour with Glenmorangie Scotch, presented by Global Ambassador and Keeper of the Quaich David Blackmore! This roughly 1 hour presentation will feature the Original 10yr, La Santa, Quinta Ruban, and Nectar D’or Glenmorangie expressions. Additionally The Whisky Shop has a special sale price for featured whiskies: The Glenmorangie Collection Taster Set is $20 off. (Was $45, now $25).

 Click here to purchase the Taster Set
Tasting set includes all featured whiskies for this tasting.

All other Glenmorangie Whiskies are 10% off with coupon code ‘GLENMORANGIE’ at checkout

Click Here to Purchase Glenmorangie Whiskies

Thursday, May 7th,  5:30PM:

Balcones Bourbon 

Join us for a virtual tasting of Balcones Texas Single Malt!  From humble beginnings an old welding shop under a bridge in Waco, Texas, Balcones distillery is now recognized worldwide for their bold and intense flavors. From blue corn grown in New Mexico to the first Texas-grown malted barley, they’ve taken pains to create a truly Texas spirit – which is then distilled in magnificent copper pot whisky stills designed by Forsyths of Scotland.

Click Here to RSVP

Additionally through May, Balcones Distillery will donate $5 of every bottle sold to the USBG bartender emergency assistance fund. Get 10% off all Balcones whiskies with the coupon code ‘BALCONES’ at checkout.

Click Here to Purchase Whiskies

Tasting experiences are held over Zoom and allow a limited number of participants, so please do not wait until the last minute to reserve your ticket! After purchasing and shortly before the tasting, an email will be sent to you with instructions to access the tasting via Zoom.

Smokeheads, we have some new badass merch available for you to help drop the pressure during these crazy times. There’s some stand-out items like the glorifier, apron, lighter, jigger, shot glass and notebook to elevate your home bar and take your Smokehead appreciation to the next level.

Head over to smokehead.com/shop now and take a look. We’re offering free shipping on all UK orders over £30.

Stay safe, stay indoors Smokeheads.

SHOP NOW

During this challenging time, £1 from the sale of each bottle purchased from www.smokehead.com will be donated to the Drinks Trust and The Ben to support their mission of providing care and support to our hospitality colleagues.

Evan Williams Bourbon Launches American-Made Heroes Foundation Fund

2020 funds will support nonprofit organizations that serve the veteran community negatively impacted by COVID-19

BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Evan Williams Bourbon today established the American-Made Heroes Foundation Fund, continuing the brand’s support of veterans since launching the American-Made Heroes program and limited-edition label in 2015.

As an American-made and American-owned brand, Evan Williams recognizes true American heroes each year by sharing their exceptional stories of honor, bravery and service to their community on a special edition label. The American-Made Heroes Foundation Fund will extend this recognition by helping to fund independent, nonprofit organizations that support veterans and their families. The purpose of the foundation is to provide a platform for sharing inspiring veteran stories, raising public awareness for causes impacting the veteran community, and supporting nonprofit organizations that help veterans and their families through a specialized grant program.

Jack Daniel’s Continues Friday Night Livestreams with Kesha Performance Benefitting Sweet Relief Musicians Fund

Weekly artist livestream to support musicians in need

LYNCHBURG, Tenn (April 30, 2020) – Jack Daniel’s today announced the continuation of their multi-genre weekly Friday night livestreams aimed at raising money for musicians in need amid COVID-19. GRAMMY-nominated popstar Kesha is the next artist in the line-up to perform Friday, May 1^st, at 7pmEST.

Airing live on Kesha’s Facebook and Instagram page, the livestream will feature a five-song set including never before performed songs from her new chart-topping album High Road. Fans will be able to donate in real time to Sweet Relief’s COVID-19 fund, a 501c3 providing financial assistance to all types of career musicians and music industry workers to provide immediate assistance with medical expenses, lodging, clothing, food and other vital living expenses to those impacted due to sickness or loss of work, through a link on the Facebook livestream.

In recent weeks, Chase Rice, Ashley McBryde and Rotimi have participated in the Jack Daniel’s livestreams from home and helped raise thousands of dollars for Sweet Relief. Additional artists will continue to perform every Friday night live on their social channels to connect with fans through the power of music and help raise money for Sweet Relief.

About Jack Daniel’s:

Officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866 and based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the first registered distillery in the United States and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Jack Daniel’s is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple, Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Select and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. Today, Jack Daniel’s is a true global icon found in more than 170 countries around the world and is the most valuable spirits brand in the world as recognized by Interbrand.

About Kesha:

The singer/songwriter, named one of Time Magazine’s Time 100, has sold more than 14 million total album equivalents worldwide, has approximately 6.9 billion audio streams and 1.7 billion video streams worldwide, and has had 9 Top 10 hits on The Billboard Hot 100. In 2017, Kesha’s critically acclaimed #1 album ‘Rainbow’ earned her the first GRAMMY nominations of her career and was called “an artistic feat” by Entertainment Weekly.  Her latest album ‘High Road’ was released on January 31st via Kemosabe/RCA Records, and was called a body of work “wise and wild in equal measure” (Billboard)  that “electrifies from the inside out” (American Songwriter).

Hebridean Businesses Collaborate for Remote Tastings

A company which sources ‘wild water’ from the Isle of Lewis for whisky drinkers to enjoy with their dram is uniting remote island communities in a digital collaboration with a small whisky shop in the Outer Hebrides, a well-known Scottish distiller and a whisky expert.

James McIntosh, the founder of wild water brand Larkfire, is launching an online ‘Whisky & Wild’ tastings series together with whisky expert Matt Chambers and Jura single malt whisky, produced on the island of Jura nestled off the West Coast of Scotland.

Larkfire is sending free tasting packs of its wild water and samples of 12, 18 and 21-year-old Jura single malt whisky to islanders with the aim of keeping spirits high while businesses and communities are on lockdown and tourism is on hold.

Whisky blogger and awards judge Matt Chambers will be hosting the live whisky tastings on Instagram, encouraging islanders to connect and communicate during lockdown.

James McIntosh, whose Larkfire business already supports local initiatives through a partnership which donates a percentage of sales to The Stornoway Trust, hopes that the new digital initiative will support communities.

He said: “We’re keen to support communities and businesses on the islands and were mulling over what we could do to help, just to raise spirits a little.

“We heard about Stornoway start-up business, the Island Spirit Whisky shop, having to postpone its opening because of the current situation, and it gave us the idea of doing something virtually.  We contacted owner Iain Faller and he’s put us in contact with other businesses.

“What sounds like the start of a joke about a bar – a wild water for whisky, a whisky shop and a distiller start working together – is happening, ironically, because there are no bars open.

“We are launching the first ‘Whisky & Wild’ tasting on 1 May, inviting islanders to join a free online session hosted by Matt.  We hope to unite many people in raising a glass during lockdown, supporting each other and promoting local businesses across the islands and beyond.”

Kirsteen Beeston, Head of International Malts at Whyte and Mackay which owns the Jura brand, said: “We are delighted to support this creative initiative of bringing together fellow Scottish island communities.”

Larkfire – a natural ‘wild water’ that brings out the full flavour of whisky – is stocked by prestigious venues including Boisdale Group sites in Mayfair, Belgravia, Canary Wharf and Bishopsgate. Soho Whisky Club also uses Larkfire for its tasting events, and Islington restaurant Frederick’s offers Larkfire alongside its range of world whiskies.  It was named Best Premium Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards.

To enquire about future ‘Whisky & Wild’ online tastings email James@larkfire.co.uk

Sazerac Company Donates N95 Masks to Healthcare Industry to Help with Covid-19 Pandemic

America’s Largest Producer of Distilled Spirits Donates Nearly 15,000 Respirator Masks

in Wake of Ongoing Need 

LOUISVILLE, KY (April 27, 2020) – The Sazerac Company, the largest producer of distilled spirits in North America, is donating 14,800 N95 respirator masks to the healthcare industry in various markets across the country.

            In addition to the donation of N95 masks, Sazerac is supplying all of its team members with cloth face covers for personal protection.  Team members working at all of Sazerac’s production facilities will receive face covers for each shift they work as the company produces hand sanitizer for some of the world’s largest organizations in healthcare, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy, and banking industries.

            “Unfortunately N95 respirator masks remain scarce, so we are happy to be able to supply these to the healthcare industry in the fight against this pandemic,” said Matt Maimone, Sazerac’s chief operating officer.

Maimone adds, “We know the demand for hand sanitizer on an industrial scale is still great. To date, we’ve produced nearly 2,000,000 liters of hand sanitizer across our sites in North America and are continuing to source more ingredients to produce more every day.  Our workforce has risen to the occasion to help meet this demand, and we appreciate their willingness to step up.”

The initial run of sanitizer started in Kentucky at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Franklin County, and Sazerac continues to increase production at The Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro and across its other locations.

In addition to providing face covers to team members, all Sazerac plants have taken additional steps to operate in a safe and responsible manner and are following all CDC guidelines including rigorous cleaning, observing six feet social distancing, mandating its team members to stay home if not feeling well, and implementing protective screens where appropriate.

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.

Demonstrating a vinous quality with notes of peach, honey and oak wood spice, our new Hearts & Crafts Sauternes Cask Single Malt Whisky has been aged in the finest French oak casks seasoned with deliciously sweet Sauternes wine and was inspired by the British Arts & Crafts movement.

If you’d like to learn more about how the Arts & Crafts movement came about, its links to the Cotswolds and why Sauternes wine is one of the most expensive wines to produce in the Bordeaux region, be sure to have a look at the latest blog on our website.

READ MORE…

The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries

It’s nearly 4 weeks since Blair and I launched our new book into the strangest world any author could imagine. No book tour, no signings, no nothing as everyone sits at home in isolation. So, word of our coast-to-coast guide to Canada’s distilleries is very slow in reaching armchair travellers. Too bad. They might otherwise enjoy passing their stir-crazed days reading the book’s distillery profiles and charting new adventures on its regional maps.

We are thankful for our friends on social media who are helping us get the word out. We’ve hosted some virtual tastings and met online with book and whisky clubs. We’d love to join you on your podcast, YouTube channel or Zoom meeting.

And, if a copy of the book has found its way to you, we’d be very grateful if you could post a photo of it along with a few notes on social media and let the world know about it. Include your favourite spirit and tag us @davindek and we’ll publish a selection of your photos online and in our next newsletter.

Cheers!

Davin & Blair

Authors of The Definitive Guide to Canadian Distilleries

Amazon Canada · Chapters/Indigo · Amazon US · Barnes & Noble ·

Independent book sellers in Canada

End-of-Line Whisky Sale

Our overstock & end of line sales continue with more local whiskies and rare single malts to pick from – get them while you still can!

Click here to see the sale at whiskyshopusa.com