Certificate in Irish Whiskey

Exploring the world of Irish whiskey across eight modules, this fun and accessible online course will boost your appreciation of all things uisce beatha.

Written by Irish whiskey experts Fionnán O’Connor and Matt Healy, you’ll work through a series of video lessons and interactive exercises, discovering more about the history and business of Irish whiskey before covering the production process, modern innovations and an all-important sensory analysis.

So whether you’re just starting out on your journey in Irish whiskey or have been an enthusiast for some time, this course is perfect for improving your knowledge.

 LEARN MORE 

Lots of amazing new Signatory whisky including Glenallachie, Old Pulteney, Benriach, Mortlach, Strathmill, Royal Brackla, Caol Ila and more! Andrew and Brian Symington established their bottling business in 1988. They were based at Newhaven on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, to the north and within shouting distance of Edinburgh. Having taken over the business in 1997 and purchased Edradour Distillery near Pitlochry in Perthshire in 2002 Andrew Symington move his bottling business into new premises next to the Highland distillery. Brands include Cask Strength and Unchillfiltered.

Shop – Latest Signatory Vintage

ralfy review 870 – Mortlach 13yo @ 47.5%vol (Carn Mor)

BILLY WALKER RETURNS TO HIS BLENDING ROOTS AS GLENALLACHIE

UNVEILS FIRST BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKY

The iconic whisky distiller reverts to his career origins in blending to recreate White Heather as a premium aged small batch blend 

With more than 50 prestigious awards in three years, and a Master Distiller with almost 50 years’ experience at the helm, The GlenAllachie Distillers Company is renowned for its exceptional single and blended malt whiskies, and now launches its first-ever Blended Scotch Whisky: the limited release White Heather 21-year-old.

With only 2,000 bottles available worldwide, and a particularly high single malt content, White Heather 21-year-old (UK RRSP £120) is a premium small batch blend, expertly crafted by industry icon, Billy Walker.

White Heather sees Walker call upon his first forays into the industry as a blender whilst taking inspiration from a whisky brand which was discontinued in the 1980s as the industry consolidated. White Heather was acquired by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by Walker, in 2017, along with The GlenAllachie Distillery and MacNair’s Lum Reek Blended Malt brand.

Walker has put his own unique spin on White Heather, elevating the favour profile with skilful wood management and a watchful eye on the maturation process.

To create this rare and luxurious small batch blend, Walker first sourced some of the finest single malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Islay and Speyside. The whiskies spent 18 years maturing in a combination of first fill American barrels, sherry butts and second-fill barrels and hogsheads.

In the GlenAllachie Distillery lab, Walker expertly crafted a unique recipe with an unusually high single malt content, including vintage GlenAllachie. The blend was then laid down for an additional maturation period, highlighting Walker’s acclaimed wood management skills; spending three years in a carefully selected mix of Pedro Ximénez puncheons, Oloroso puncheons and Appalachian Virgin Oak casks to let the flavours marry together and take on additional layers of depth and complexity from the wood.

The resulting whisky, which is presented at 48% ABV with no added colouring or chill-filtration, perfectly balances gentle peat from the Islay contribution, archetypal Speyside fruity notes, the heather honeyed sweetness of the Highlands, and a rich and rounded foundation from the grain components.

Commenting on the landmark release, Walker said: “This whisky is particularly close to my heart. Creating this blend took me back almost 50 years to when I started my career at Hiram Walker. It was there I started to learn the art of blending and the specialist skills required to select whiskies that when interfaced with each other ultimately amplified the overall flavour experience.

“With White Heather, I poured everything I’ve learned on my whisky journey into crafting a truly memorable small batch aged blend that sits proudly alongside even the very best single malts. I wanted to honour the original blend whilst recreating it in a much more premium form with exceptional wood.  It’s a fine balance bringing together the character of such different whiskies and cask types, but I’m incredibly proud to now unveil the end result.”

White Heather is being unveiled in the same week that The GlenAllachie’s Master Distiller Billy Walker is inducted into Whisky Magazine’s prestigious Hall of Fame. In 2022, Walker will celebrate a remarkable 50 years in the whisky industry.

White Heather 21-year-old is available from specialist retailers globally, with a UK RRSP of £120.

Further information on the brand can be found at www.WhiteHeatherWhisky.com

Instagram – @WhiteHeatherWhisky

TASTING NOTES

White Heather 21-year-old – 2,000 bottles, 48% ABV

• Colour: Natural Gold-Bronze.
• Nose: Beautifully soft background with heather honey, butterscotch, peat reek and hints of tannins.
• Taste: Rich notes of heather honey, butterscotch, orange peel, and soft tannins, with a wonderful presence of peat and smoke.

For more information on The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, please go to theglenallachie.com

What’s New?…

Long time no see! Literally…

I hope you are all safe and well and staying sane.

I wanted to update you on where we are in terms of physical and virtual events, as it has been some time since I last emailed you.

With the government’s easing of lock-down, and the ‘end-game’ date of the 21st June approaching, we are keen to get out and about again, as I am sure you are too.

We have some ideas of what we would like to do, but it matters not a bit if it does not fit with what you want and need.

To this end, we would love it if you can help us shape what the future of our events looks like. We want you to come and see us, but we want you to feel safe in doing so.

Therefore this email is all about research and getting your more valuable than ever feedback. We would be massively grateful if you could take a look at the 10 question survey in the ‘Survey Monkey’ by clicking the button below.

Please take the survey!

Bristol, London & Edinburgh 2021

If you have tickets for any of these events, you should be receiving a separate email from us via Eventbrite, our ticket platform, today.
It is not, unfortunately, possible for these events to go ahead in their current form or date, so we have given you some possible options that hopefully will satisfy.

Festival in a Box 2021

On the back of the success of our first virtual whisky festival last October, we are planning our follow-up on the weekend of the 18th, 19th and 20th June. Whilst I cannot give you too much detail right now, plans are well in motion and we hope that as many of you will join us for this fantastic event.
Plus, if you have a festival ticket to Bristol, London or Edinburgh, you can put the value of this towards the festival pack.

We will also be re-starting our regular online tastings, so there will be plenty for you to go at whilst we are still in this limbo!

Keep an eye out for more details soon…

Autumn 2021 Festivals

We have plans and dates in place for Liverpool, Manchester and York in September, October and November. We will be releasing more info on these in due course, but just to say that we will be honouring tickets bought for the 2020 festivals that were postponed.

That’s it. No sales patter, no ‘click here to buy’, just a genuine catch-up and appeal for you to give us your thoughts.

Don’t forget to catch up on the latest whisky news from Connas HERE and we look forward to seeing you – on-line – soon!

In the meantime – Stay Safe. Stay in. Have a dram.

Sláinte and best wishes,
Eddie, and the whole Whisky Lounge Team

Want to sell your whisky in our next auction? With no sellers fees?

We’re offering a FREE personal courier collection service (UK)

From Monday 19th April, the TWSA team will be on the road from London to Glasgow (and everywhere in between!) to pick up your bottles from your doorstep. It can all be carried out contact-free, and we’ll take care of the cost.

Looking to sell your whisky before April 19th?

We can organise a courier to pick up your bottle(s) free of charge and get you booked in the next available date.

To find out more or book your free collection:

✉️ Email auctions@whiskyshop.com

📞 Phone +44(0)141 427 2950

Please note that our offices are shut on weekends, but we’ll answer your query as soon as we reopen on Monday at 9am.

Built in 1965 Tomintoul Distillery lies in the heart of the stunning Cairngorms National Park, located close to Tomintoul, the highest village in the Highlands of Scotland. Situated in the ancient Glenlivet Estate, the distillery takes its water from the pure, natural Ballantruan Spring, nestled in the Cromdale Hills. The natural environment, high altitude and exclusive use of the Ballantruan water source combine to produce the smooth and well balanced single malt that is Tomintoul, known as “the gentle dram”.

Shop All Tomintoul Whisky

 Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at the new make spirit and the different cask types that are being used at Lindores Abbey Distillery.

https://youtu.be/BD54Lag3tsU

A very warm welcome to all of you from far and wide. The daffys are blooming and spring is finally on its way! As to be expected, we’ve got a packed selection in our liquid treasure trove so let’s get stuck in and show you a mere taster of the goods.

If you’re looking to take your palate on a journey of Japanese discovery, then we’ve got the perfect starter kit for you. This Nikka Six Pillars Gift Box is packed with 6 Japanese malt titans including Nikka From The Barrel, as well as their Taketsuru Pure Malt 17 Year Old.

Striding back over to Speyside we have some biiig age statements from our most loved distilleries including a Glen Grant 50 Year Old from Gordon & MacPhail and a Macallan 72 Year Old Lalique Genesis decanter.

A true heavyweight in every sense of the word, the whisky as well as the hand-blown crystal decanter and handcrafted bespoke wooden case!

FREE UK COLLECTIONS

We continue to offer free doorstep collections for over 10 bottles or collectively worth a minimum of £1000. Contact us to find out more and check availability.