Introduced in 2010, after cask strength versions in 2004 and 2005, this is the first officially-bottled Caol Ila 25yo to be bottled at 43%. It’s nice to see growing recognition for this excellent distillery, and this is a very welcome addition to the official range, with a rich, gentle mouthfeel and restrained, coal-esque phenols.
Whisky Ramblings 386: Chaos Batch #1 North Star Spirits
Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, experiences Chaos… Name-wise this is very apt considering what North Star Spirits already bottled with Spica, Vega and Sirius. All of them are references to the galaxy. Chaos was, after all, what came after the Big Bang. In this case it’s a whisky composed with three casks of Caol Ila. Two PX hogsheads that were put to sleep in 2010 and a refill hogshead that was filled in 2009. After vatting they yielded no less than 1.200 bottles of single malt at 50%.
THE SOCIETY HAS GOLD RUSH AT SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITON
All whiskies entered by the SMWS took either Double Gold or Gold at prestigious awards
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) have continued their annual success at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition by taking home a ‘Best in show’ award along with a host of ‘Double Gold’ and ‘Gold’ awards.
The Society took home the coveted top award for their bottle 46.104 Turn Me Inside Out as well as a range of other ‘Double Gold’ medals for G7.18 A Colourful Oldie and 112.75 Queen of Tarts.
There was also ‘Gold’ accreditation at the 2021 awards for casks 112.74 A Preternatural Good-Striker and 35.264 Midnight Marmalade, overall recognising the consistently outstanding quality of their whiskies across the board.
Founded in 2000, the influential San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC) is the oldest of its kind in the U.S. and has become one of the world’s most respected spirits competitions. A SFWSC medal is a universally recognised indicator of exceptional quality and craftsmanship.
A seasoned panel of experts review over 1,000 whisky entries before world-class judges score and award only the highest calibre liquids with a globally prestigious SFWSC medal.
The Society, which is ‘the world’s most entertaining whisky club’, specialises in single cask whisky and takes a unique approach to their bottlings by celebrating the flavours across whisky through 12 flavour profiles.
Membership to The Scotch Malt Whisky Society includes access to buy from their unique whisky range, as well as entry to exclusive Members’ Rooms, partner bar discounts, colourful tasting events, whisky education and content including a monthly members magazine Unfiltered, all for only £65: https://smws.com/whisky-club-membership
Kai Ivalo, Spirits Director at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society said: “We’re excited to have continued our success and picked up another haul of prestigious awards for our excellent array of single malt whiskies. These triumphs demonstrate that now is the perfect time to get on board with our entertaining whisky club.”
Full awards listed below:
Double Gold
Gold
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About The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
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Virginia Distillery Company’s Whiskies Win at San Francisco World Spirits Competition
Courage & Conviction line recognized with double gold and gold awards
Lovingston, Va. (May 5, 2021) – Three new Virginia Distillery Company whiskies recently took home awards at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, an awards program that has become one of the most respected and influential spirits competitions in the world since its start in 2000.
The distillery’s Courage & Conviction Sherry Cask and Courage & Conviction Cuvée Cask were both recognized with a double gold medal while Courage & Conviction Bourbon Cask was recognized with a gold medal.
“We’re thrilled that these new additions to our product lineup are already being recognized with awards from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition,” Virginia Distillery Company CEO Gareth H. Moore said. “I’m very proud of our team, the work that went into making this happen and for the guidance of our mentors who have helped to shape our whisky.”
The three whiskies were released in March as a part of the Courage & Conviction product line, featuring individual bottlings of the core trio of casks – bourbon, sherry and cuvée – that make up the flagship offering of Courage & Conviction. Courage & Conviction is the distillery’s flagship American Single Malt whisky line, distilled on-site using 100% North American malted barley and mountain spring-fed water.
Each expression is an American Single Malt whisky, aged a minimum of three years. Each expression is available in a 750ml, retailing for $84.99 per bottle with a 46% ABV. The whiskies are available to purchase through direct-to-consumer shipping and at select retail locations throughout the country, with availability throughout Virginia at Virginia ABC stores.
The 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition had more than 3,500 entries. All entries were tasted blind by a panel of judges made up of spirits industry experts throughout a four-day judging process.
For more information about Virginia Distillery Company or American Single Malt whisky, visit the distillery’s website and complete guide to American Single Malt whisky. For more details about the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, visit the website.
About Virginia Distillery Company
Staffed by a local Virginia team mentored by Scottish consultants with decades of experience, Virginia Distillery Company is the largest dedicated American Single Malt whisky distillery in the U.S. The distillery has a current annual production volume of 80,000 4.5L cases and growing. At full capacity, the distillery can produce over 8,000 casks yielding 350,000 4.5L cases annually. The distillery produces Courage & Conviction American Single Malt on-site using malted barley from North America and water from Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. In addition, the distillery offers the award-winning VHW series, made with 100% malted barley. Showcasing both Old and New World whisky-making, the award-winning line marries whisky made on-site in Virginia with whisky from Scotland.
Golden Moon Distillery Receives a Double Gold Medal at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC)
Golden, CO (23 April, 2021) – Golden Moon Distillery, founded in 2008 by Master Distiller Stephen Gould and Karen Knight, received A DOUBLE GOLD Medal for Golden Moon Triple – A Colorado Single Malt Whiskey.
Golden Moon Distillery has now taken major awards (i.e. gold medal or above at one of the most respected spirits competitions in the industry) with every single grain-to-glass product we’ve produced at Golden Moon (and by that we mean mashed, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled at Golden Moon Distillery).
Golden Moon Distillery was given “Highly Commended” for Distiller of the Year (i.e. first runner up).
According to Mr. Gould “It’s been a busy few weeks. Taking double gold and gold medals at the the San Francisco World Spirits Competition … We’ve been very fortunate this spring to get this level of attention and number of accolades from the spirits industry. Golden Moon has survived the pandemic and is headed in a great direction.”
Currently, Golden Moon Distillery is distributed in 17 states in the U.S. as well as internationally in the U.K, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Norway and Taiwan. Within the next year, Gould plans to have presence in 20 states as well as India and Japan.
About Golden Moon Distillery http://goldenmoondistillery.com,
Golden Moon Distillery was founded in 2008 by Master Distiller Stephen Gould and Karen Knight, in Golden, CO. Golden Moon currently produces 21 different handcrafted liquor and liqueurs, which are sold in various major markets in the United States and Europe.
Gould has been distilling on and off for over 30 years, and he is a board member of the Colorado Distiller’s Guild, a national craft advisory board member of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the chariman of the veterans committee of the American Distilling Institute and a member of the American Craft Spirit Association (ACSA).
Current Golden Moon offerings include: Golden Moon Colorado Single Malt Whiskies plus other spirits. They also produce the Gun Fighter family of whiskies.
CHIVAS BROTHERS WELCOMES BACK VISITORS TO SAFELY ENJOY ITS WORLD-FAMOUS SCOTCH DISTILLERY EXPERIENCES
We are welcoming visitors into our world-famous distilleries once again, following their temporary closure in January earlier this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In line with Scottish government guidelines, whisky lovers can now enjoy outdoor guided tastings at The Glenlivet and Strathisla visitor centres, whilst visitors to Aberlour distillery can purchase whiskies from its on-site shop from this week.
In addition to learning about the craftsmanship behind some of Chivas Brothers’ world renowned whiskies, Scotch enthusiasts will be able to purchase their favourite blends and single malts from the shops at each site.
Each site has been equipped with extensive health and safety measures to ensure visitors can take part in the adapted tasting experiences, operating with clear social distancing, increased cleaning procedures and at a reduced capacity across the sites.
At The Glenlivet, visitors will be able to enjoy the Single Cask Tasting experience in an outdoor socially distanced setting overlooking the breath-taking views of The Livet Valley. Tastings will be available at 1pm or 3pm, from Wednesday to Friday.
Visitors to The Glenlivet will be welcomed at a temporary visitor space in the Malt Barn as the visitor centre is currently undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment that will be opening its new look doors to visitors from July 2021.
The heart of Chivas Regal, Strathisla Distillery is inviting visitors to explore Speyside’s oldest and most picturesque working distillery. Whisky fans will be able to discover the history behind the world-famous blended Scotch through outdoor flight and sampling experiences between Tuesday and Saturday.
Whisky fans will be able to purchase any of the world-class whiskies available at the on-site shop, before being invited to enjoy indoor guided tasting experiences such as The Fleming Flight and Speyside Collection from the 19th May.
For more information outdoor tasting experiences, tickets and opening times, visit https://www.maltwhiskydistilleries.com/.
Those wishing to visit the distilleries and experience a socially distanced guided tasting will be required to pre-book their tickets online in order to effectively manage visitor numbers and ensure strict social distancing measures are adhered to at all times. Each site is also operating in accordance with the COVID-19 Test and Protect initiative to ensure the safety of visitors, staff and the surrounding community.
This Glen Scotia has been matured in American oak casks for a quarter of a century before being hand-selected by the distillery’s Master Blender, Michael Henry, to be married in first-fill bourbon casks for up to a year before bottling. Bottled at 48.8% ABV, free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring, this is a smooth and refined Campbeltown single malt with an exceptional mouthfeel. Liquid gold! Maybe you tried to purchase a bottle last time around and were not quick enough – well now you’re in luck! A limited restock has arrived at Loch Fyne, so don’t hesitate if you want to get your hands on a bottle of this incredible single malt whisky.
Last month at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Glen Scotia 25 Year Old was awarded the highest accolade of ‘Best in Show’. With around 3800 entrants Glen Scotia came out on top and are proud to be labelled as the current best whisky in the world – not bad eh?
£375.00
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Further than anyone or anything in history
4.1 billion miles away from Earth, NASA has revealed Voyager 1 has picked up a ‘cosmic hum’… could this be a signal from bottle #1 of The Grant Tour series?
Selling fast… don’t miss out on this fascinating discovery!
The Voyager space probes launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in 1977 and continue to communicate with earth today. Voyager 1 is 14.1 billion miles away has detected a new cosmic “hum” in interstellar space.
Dalmunach distillery is located on the site of the lost Imperial distillery and began distilling in 2014. Single Oloroso sherry hogshead. These are amongst the very first vintage bottlings from Scotland’s contemporary distilleries.
In the interest if fairness Voyager 1 is strictly 1 bottler per customer.
Shop – Dalmunach 5 Year Old – £99 / €95 / $115 / c$145*
Our favourite Scottish whisky festivals may have been postponed or cancelled this year, but the Society are still celebrating these iconic whisky regions with our unique festival bottlings. Today we’re bringing you three eclectic drams from Speyside which will transport you straight to the heart of whisky country.
If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one of these special bottles, why not try it alongside Vic Galloway’s suggested music pairings, and truly bring the spirit of Speyside festival home?
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ
Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information
This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!
Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video
