Father’s Day Whiskies and Glassware

Whether your Dad is a whisky connoisseur or a complete beginner, a quality bottle of whisky always makes a great gift for Father’s Day.  Take your inspiration from the following whiskies ranging from the easy going, mellow and creamy Glenmorangie Original, to the untamed, peaty, smoky Ardbeg An Oa as well as the Seville orange and dark chocolate flavours of Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

And don’t forget some special glassware to make each dram taste even better …

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Years Old, £52

A popular whisky in Glenmorangie’s extra mature range and two years older than its predecessor, Quinta Ruban is a bold and velvety 14-year-old Highland whisky, with flavours of Seville orange and dark chocolate shining through stronger than ever. Glenmorangie is renowned for pioneering the art of extra-maturation. For this single malt, the whisky is first aged in bourbon casks, then finished in ruby port pipes and barriques from Portugal. Enjoy neat, with a little water or 2-3 large rocks of ice, for the perfect serve.

Available through www.clos19.com  www.glenmorangie.com

Ardbeg An Oa, £49

An Oa – part of Ardbeg’s core range of whiskies – is named after the Mull of Oa in the south west of Islay where the distillery is situated. The whisky is singularly rounded due to time spent in the bespoke oak Gathering Vat where whiskies from several cask types – including; sweet Pedro Ximénez; spicy virgin charred oak; and intense ex-bourbon casks, amongst others, mingle unhurriedly. The result is a dram with smoky power, mellowed by a delectable, smooth sweetness and a truly untamed single malt. Perfect for those whisky lovers who prefer a more peaty, smoky dram.

Available through www.clos19.com.  www.ardbeg.com

Glenmorangie Original, £36

You can’t go wrong with Glenmorangie’s award winning flagship single malt Scotch whisky, Glenmorangie Original. It is matured for ten years in casks which are only ever used twice to create a smooth rounded taste. The Original is the truest definition of the Glenmorangie house style – elegant and floral, soft, mellow and creamy. Ideal for newcomers to whisky as well as connoisseurs.

Available through  www.clos19.com.    www.glenmorangie.com     

The Glencairn Crystal Glassware Range

Every whisky aficionado will tell you that the only way to drink whisky is from the iconic Glencairn Glass. It’s the world’s favourite whisky glass and over 3 million are sold each year. Endorsed by the Scotch Whisky Association as the official glass for whisky, its unique and stylish shape has been crafted to enhance the enjoyment of both single malts and aged blends. The tapering mouth of the glass captures those all-important aromas, and its wide bowl allows the fullest appreciation of the whisky colour with the thistle style base designed to be comfortable in the hand.

There’s a wide range of Glencairn Glasses and gifts available to suit all budgets starting from a beautifully presented single glass (uncut or hand cut crystal) with prices from £6.

The range can be personalised with bespoke engraving to create a truly unique gift and is available at the Glencairn Crystal online store.  Enter the code DADSDRAM20 to receive a Father’s Day 20% discount.

Responsible Drinking:

Glenmorangie and Ardbeg advocate responsible drinking and suggest that drinkers savour whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption.

Buffalo Trace named Distillery of the Year by

Tasting Panel Magazine at 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition 

The Spirits Produced at the Distillery Received 19 Awards

             FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 28, 2020) – With expansions underway everywhere you look at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the whiskey maker is expanding its status as World’s Most Award Winning Distillery. The Distillery was just named Tasting Panel Magazine’s Distillery of the Year at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This prestigious award recognizes the single distiller earning the most points, measured by the number and level of awards won in a given year. That honor is bestowed to Buffalo Trace Distillery in 2020 after its spirits garnered a total of 18 medals and a Best in Class designation. This includes five Double Gold medals, four Gold medals, six Silver medals and three Bronze medals and the title of Best Small Batch Bourbon 11 Years and Older for its Eagle Rare 17 Year Old.

“Our focus has always been on making quality spirits, so this honor motivates us to continue the hard work and maintain the high standards we’ve set for ourselves,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said. “This is an ongoing team effort. We’re very proud and thankful for the work every one of our team members puts forth for our whiskies to reach this level of recognition.”

Garnering more than 1,000 awards over the years, this Distillery of the Year title further underscores Buffalo Trace’s commitment to produce excellent spirits. As its collection of honors continues to grow, so too is the popularity of Buffalo Trace’s whiskies and spirits. With the second phase of its Distillery expansion underway, Buffalo Trace is making significant progress on its $1.2 billion investment to expand its distilling capabilities and make more award-winning whiskey.

Double Gold medals went to

• Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight American Rye Whiskey
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Gold medals were awarded to

• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Weller Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Silver medal recipients were

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Bottled-in-Bond Straight American Rye Whiskey
• Weller CYPB (Craft Your Perfect Bourbon) Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Bronze medals went to

• Weller Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon
• Wheatley Vodka
• Buffalo Trace Distillery Bourbon Cream Liqueur

Spirits entered into the San Francisco World Spirits Competition are judged over four days of highly controlled blind tastings by a panel of more than 40 judges made up of respected, experienced industry experts. Complete results for the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition can be found at http://www.sfspiritscomp.com/results/.

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 35 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” and its William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac were named 2^nd and 3^rd finest whiskeys in the world, respectively, in the “Jim Murray Whiskey Bible 2020.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit  www.buffalotracedistillery.com

Thursday, June 18th, 5:30PM:

Dalmore Scotch

Please join Jennifer Wren, Single Malt Specialist, in a guided history and tasting of The Dalmore Single Malt Scotch whisky. Jennifer will discuss The Dalmore’s brand history and explore 45 Years of The Dalmore – The Dalmore 12 Year Old, 15 Year old & 18 Year Old – in an hour long masterclass. These three expressions are the perfect embodiment of The Dalmore’s high standards of whisky production, utilizing some of the rarest sherry casks in the world. Following the tasting, Ms. Wren will open up the discussion for a lively Q&A session.

Click Here to RSVP

Tasting Pourlist:

(click to purchase)

Dalmore 12 Year Old

Dalmore 15 Year Old

Dalmore 18 Year Old

Get 10% off all Dalmore with the code

‘DALMORE‘ at checkout!

 Click Here to See our Full Selection of Dalmore

Welcome to the NEW TheWhiskyBarrel.com

We are delighted to officially present the brand new home for TWB | TheWhiskyBarrel.com

Our cutting edge Progressive Web App (PWA) means lightning fast whisky shopping on your desktop, tablet or mobile.

Read more about all the new features of TheWhiskyBarrel.com on our blog article and look out for more exclusive bottlings in the near future!

READ MORE – TWB Blog : From The Cask

You won’t want to miss this special offer for American Whiskey Magazine!

You’ll get a year of tasting notes on the greatest American whiskey brands, city guides and distiller profiles for a special low rate. Just click below to start your subscription – risk free!

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BIG PEAT UNVEILS 8 YEARS OLD “A846 EDITION” FOR FEIS ILE 2020

Big Peat, cult Islay Malt Scotch Whisky brand from family-owned Douglas Laing & Co, today unveils “his” special bottling for Summer 2020: Big Peat 8 Years Old, “A846” Limited Edition.

Aged 8 Years and bottled at 46% alcohol strength, Big Peat’s latest bottling honours the A846; Islay’s legendary road that takes thousands of Whisky lovers from one glorious Distillery to the next, year after year.

Packaged in a premium gift box with a striking label depicting Big Peat himself on his Hebridean island home, just 500 cases of this commemorative bottling are available globally. In line with the Remarkable Regional Malts’ ethos, the new release is proudly offered without colouring or chill-filtration.

Commenting on Big Peat’s latest innovation, Chris Leggat (CEO) said: “A journey along the A846 is a rite of passage for Islay Whisky lovers, and a road that carries countless memorable moments for many. Whilst Feis Ile – Islay’s annual festival – exists in an entirely different “virtual” form this year, we (and Big Peat) wanted to mark the occasion the best way we know how – with a particularly innovative limited edition, featuring a cracking story and spectacular spirit within”.

Cara Laing, Director of Whisky in the family business, added: “Each year, we proudly donate to the Feis Ile charity, an organisation that works tirelessly to showcase Islay to the world. At a time when many of us are dreaming of one day making the journey back to the Queen of the Hebrides once more, a sip of Big Peat’s A846 Edition seeks to bring his much-loved island home to you, via its unmistakably “Islay” notes of chewed leather, streaky bacon, punchy peat smoke and rock salt.”

Continuing Feis Ile celebrations, the independent Whisky specialist is currently hosting a competition on Big Peat’s Facebook page (Facebook.com/bigpeat) whereby fans of the brand can enter for a chance to win 1 of 40 tasting packs, and join the Douglas Laing team for a virtual tasting in June 2020.

Big Peat 8 Years Old A846 Edition will be available from specialist spirits retailers globally from 8^th June 2020 and is expected to retail at £45.

BIG PEAT 8 YEARS OLD A846 EDITION TASTING NOTES

Nose: Opens with puffs of peat, smoked ham and a fresh seaside-saltiness

Palate: A Big Peat hit closely followed by chewed leather, streaky bacon and rock salt

Finish: Satisfyingly long with notes of Madeira cake and more of that earlier smoked ham

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING & CO:

 www.douglaslaing.com

Instagram: @remarkable_malts

Facebook: www.facebook.com/bigpeat

 Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky blender and bottler 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 (from the Islands) and Big Peat (Islay). Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Provenance, Premier Barrel, Old Particular and XOP, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

HOW WE DRINK 

GREAT KING STREET ARTIST’S BLEND

Here’s our prediction:
The Iceless Highball will spark a renaissance for one of our favourite ways to drink whisky.

It’s counter-intuitive, but then again, some of the most delightful ideas are. You can only truly understand the appeal of the Iceless Highball by trying it, but here’s the method behind the (apparent) madness.

At Compass Box we’ve been singing the praises of the Whisky Highball since launching Great King Street Artist’s Blend in 2011. Beautiful simplicity. And making one without ice just takes it to another level.

As Dylan James Ho wrote in an article
about Rock Fish, the Tokyo bar world-famous for this serve: “The harmony of these ingredients, at the perfect temperature, is a revelation.”

IT’S ALMOST
A BEER IN REVERSE

No ice means no dilution, so you get refreshment with full flavour consistency right down to the last sip. And don’t worry about it not staying cold enough. Preparing both the whisky and the glass in the freezer means it will stay cooler than a half-pint of beer.

There’s another reason to make the comparison too – in a sense an Iceless Highball is a reconstructed beer. Whisky is essentially a beer made from malted barley that’s been distilled. Adding back water
and carbonation reverses that process.

The components list is far from complex,
but the process, ingredient choice and measurements are critical. Check our social media and you’ll see a great recipe for our take on the classic
Rock Fish Iceless Highball.

Share & Enjoy!

Round Two of the Ultimate Whisky Deal in Miniature
Classic Malts “Strong Collection”
Lagavulin 16, Talisker 10, Cragganmore 12
Single Malt Gift Pack 3-Pack x 200ml
(Previously $80) ($39.99)

NOTE: In accordance with local directives, our walk-in retail locations are currently closed. We have curbside pickup and low cost (often free) delivery options available in ZIP codes where we can ship lawfully, including anywhere in California. We can also include any new or existing will call orders in your delivery batch. Choose local delivery at checkout to learn if you qualify.

Fresh off the heels of our previous offer on the Diageo Classic Malts “Coastal” trio, we’re at it again. This time around we’ve got the “Strong” trio, three undeniable powerhouses of Scotch whisky in the same 3-pack, 200ml format as the “Coastal Malts.” As we mentioned in the previous offer, the Diageo Classic Malts 3-packs have always been a fun novelty for aficionados and a charming alternative format for spirits novices introducing themselves to Scotch, but thanks to some aggressive negotiating from our spirits buyers, they’re now the best bargains in our inventory. For less than $40, this trio of Talisker 10-year, Lagavulin 16-year, and Cragganmore 12-year is a showcase of three distinct styles with one thing in common—unabashed power and bravado. These are big whiskies. At a price per volume that actually bests that of the standard 750ml formats, the “Strong” 3-pack has so many appealing facets that it’s hard to think of a reason not to jump at this deal. In fact, it’s quite simple—if you love Scotch, you should take advantage of this deal.

Classic Malts “Strong Collection” (Lagavulin 16 Year Old, Talisker 10 Year Old & Cragganmore 12 Year Old) Single Malt Gift Pack 3-Pack x 200ml (Previously $80) ($39.99)

The classic malts gift packs are always such a fun way to try some of Scotland’s most renowned distilleries, but we often don’t stock them due to the premium the small sizes usually command on price terms. But we’ve been lucky enough to secure a huge quantity of these packs at 50% off their standard retail price, which coupled with the massive price increases on these same malts in the standard size, has made these gift packs one of the absolute best deals we’ve seen out of Scotland in years. Here you get three of Diageo’s flagship strong malts on offer. The deep smoldering intensity of Lagavulin 16, the briny ocean smoke of Talisker and the rich malty character of Cragganmore, available for a limited time at significantly lower cost by volume than the standard size bottles. There is absolutely no better way to buy any of the Classic Malts than in this excellent gift pack. (Contains 1 x 200ml each of Lagavulin 16, Talisker 10, Cragganmore 12).

We hope everybody enjoyed participating in our 108^th auction.

In an endeavour to maintain social distancing, our office is operating on an appointment only basis for collections and drop offs. These appointments can be made using the form on our website HERE. During this period our reception area will be closed to the public and all drop offs / collections will be conducted from our loading bay area (large roller shutters immediately to the right of the reception area).

In order for this system to function properly, all orders that are being collected must be paid for in advance (online or over the phone) as we are unable to take payment in person. When booking your appointment please specify all the orders you intend to collect so we can have them ready when you arrive.  We would also ask that you adhere as closely as possible to your allotted appointment time to avoid overlapping with other customers, and if you arrive early please wait in your vehicle.

Upon arrival, please make yourself known at the reception window, or by ringing the doorbell.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.

Whether you’re together or apart, make Father’s Day extra special this year by sending your Dad a Message in a Bottle. Add a personalised video message to any of our selected Talisker, The Singleton and Lagavulin single malts, completely free of charge. Upon receiving his dram, your Dad will be able to scan a QR code that will reveal your video message – a gift he will truly cherish! Plus, enjoy free UK shipping on all Message in a Bottle products.

ORDER NOW

Deliveries

Our team are working hard to dispatch all orders quickly and securely, however due to increased demand and local restrictions, delivery may take longer than usual. We thank you for your continued patience and understanding.