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Sherry divides me. Some days I adore its influence, others I see it as a mask for not great distillate. Kind of like what distortion can do for bad guitarists. But now, more and more indie bottlers are taking advantage of Octave Casks, Quarter Casks. Blood Tubs, etc. All to give a deeper, darker product for what is the average price of a cool single cask whisky. This Craigellachie is a very cool example of that. A wonderful colour, great nose, but a finish that is a little…underwhelming. If it says Craigellachie then I would like to be able to taste a little more of it. The colour is captivating, but has it got in the way of making it a better whisky?

First annual batch release of Benromach 40 Years Old single malt Scotch whisky released 

Benromach Distillery in Speyside has unveiled the first annual batch release of its 40 Years Old, with just over 1,000 bottles available worldwide.

Bottled at a cask strength of 57.1%, this rare single malt whisky is natural in colour and was laid down in 1981 before spending four decades maturing in the finest first-fill Oloroso sherry casks. The result is an exquisite single malt and the oldest expression released in Benromach’s new look line up which was launched in June 2020.

Benromach is a traditional Speyside distillery owned by a family intent on producing single malt using time honoured methods. Its small team of distillers rely entirely on their expertise and senses to make the finest handmade whisky. A small number of casks maturing in its dunnage warehouses were selected for this first annual batch release, with a further release planned each year.

Keith Cruickshank, Distillery Manager at Benromach, said: “This is the first time we have added a higher aged expression into our portfolio as an annual batch release. Each batch will be bottled at natural strength and will reflect the nuance and character of the casks selected for bottling each year.

“Our first Benromach 40 Years Old displays rich ginger and stewed fruit aromas, Seville orange, red apple and demerara sugar flavours before finishing with citrus zest and a subtle hint of charred oak. It truly is something special.”

The single malt is displayed in a striking black stained solid oak wooden box with copper- coloured detailing and printed metal plaques. The deep amber single malt is presented in the bespoke Benromach bottle which features a heavily embossed and gold foiled label to complete the quality feel.

Benromach 40 Years Old is priced at £1,500. Prices in international markets may vary due to local taxes and import duties.

Benromach 40 Years Old is available online and at selected retailers worldwide from 16 August. For more information, visit: www.benromach.com

Tasting Notes: 

Benromach 40 Years Old is natural in colour, non-chill filtered and is bottled at cask strength – 57.1% ABV.

• • Colour: Deep Amber
  • Aromas: Rich ginger and stewed fruit aromas followed by citrus, cinnamon, toffee and beeswax polish.
  • Palate: Intense Seville orange flavours with red apple and demerara sugar
  • Finish: Citrus zest and a touch of charred oak
  • Maturation: First fill Oloroso sherry hogshead casks
  • RRP: £1,500

About Benromach Distillery

Originally built in 1898, Benromach Distillery was brought back to life when the Urquhart family realised a lifelong dream to own a distillery and purchased it in 1993. The distillery was extensively re-equipped over a five-year period before it was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Rothesay in 1998.

In reopening Benromach Distillery, the Urquhart family wanted to create a single malt whisky that has a classic Speyside character: beautifully balanced with a light touch of smoke.

Benromach Distillery is located on the outskirts of the ancient market town of Forres. Its five-star visitor centre is currently closed but is planned to reopen in the spring of 2022 for tours and tastings. Benromach Distillery is a member of the world-famous Malt Whisky Trail.

For more information, visit: www.benromach.com

After more than a year of planning, months of writing and weeks of proofreading, we are very proud to announce the launch of a very special project: our first-ever book – Everything You Need To Know About Whisky (but are too afraid to ask), by Nicholas Morgan.

At The Whisky Exchange, we’ve been talking about writing a book about whisky for years, but could never find the right person to take up the mantle of actually writing it. However, when Dr Nicholas Morgan announced his retirement from Diageo – where he had been working in whisky communication for decades – the perfect author became available.

We didn’t want the same sort of whisky book that others have written in the past, instead wanting to head away from that well-trodden path with something that both looked and sounded different, with new viewpoints that aren’t often explored in whisky writing. With three decades of working in the industry for the largest producer of Scotch whisky, Nick certainly has a unique take on the whisky world compared to most whisky writers.

Working with Nick, publisher Ebury Press (a non-fiction division of Penguin) and illustrator Jonny Wan, we have created something quite different from other whisky books. It’s beautifully presented and packed with information you won’t find anywhere else. It’s not a book of whisky recommendations and it won’t give you a still-by-still breakdown of different distilleries, but is full of whisky and the people who love it.

I managed to grab Nick Morgan for a quick chat last week, and we talked about him, how he came to be involved with the project, and all about the book itself.

Everything You Need To Know About Whisky (but are too afraid to ask) is available now exclusively from The Whisky Exchange, and will appear in book stores in September.

GLENURY ROYAL DISTILLERY

35 Year Old 1984 125th Anniversary Edition

Glenury Royal 35 Year Old 1984 Highland Lowland single malt Scotch whisky. Single first fill sherry butt bottled May 2020 for the Gordon & MacPhail 125th Anniversary series. 397 bottles.

Stewed fruit aromas with notes of polish lead to cinnamon. Sweet and drying with flavours of cherry, orange peel and subtle coffee. A medium and fruity finish with lingering aniseed and sherry.

Shop Glenury Royal 1984 »

£2,750.00

Glenury Royal Distillery was established to the north of Stonehaven in 1825. Only three distilleries in Scotland have been permitted to use ‘Royal’ in their title and it was granted to Glenury in 1835 by King William 1V. Glenury Royal was a malt whisky distillery which operated from 1825 with just two stills until they were increased to four in 1965. The distillery closed in 1985 and was demolished in 1993 but the square support base of the round brick chimney remains with a plaque attached. The site is now a private housing estate on the edge of Stonehaven. Glenury Royal Distillery is a lost Scottish Highland malt whisky distillery.

James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail began their business in Elgin in 1895 with John Urquhart joining the workforce at that time, to become a partner in 1915 when MacPhail retired. When Gordon died in 1817 the Urquhart family took over the business. This independent family business prospered and built up a stock of good quality casks from a wide range of distilleries over the years. In 1993 they purchased Benromach Distillery. Brands include Connoisseurs Choice, Cask Strength, Rare Old and Speymalt.

THE WHISKY KITCHEN IS OPEN

Whisky and food have long been a popular pairing, offering lots of opportunity to get creative with meat, fish and even cheese. But with the ever-increasing popularity of vegan diets, we’re dabbling in food matching with a difference this month, creating a plant-based dinner menu to work aside a trio of Society whiskies.

We asked Shiruna, Adrian and Gauri Boelle, the family team behind My Elephant Kitchen, to combine their expertise in vegan cuisine with Adrian’s Society whisky knowledge to conjure up a three-course meal paired with suitable SMWS flavour profiles. Pull up your chair, raise your glass and prepare for a feast sumptuous enough to make an elephant do a joyful jig.

GET COOKING NOW

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

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at the relatively newly Distillery Select No2 release alongside the re-named No1 and comparing them to an original Distillery Select bottling.

https://youtu.be/eN0gyrEsdYU

BENRIACH KEEPS TRADITION ALIVE WITH FIRST EDITION OF MALTING SEASON

Celebrating traditional methods dating back to the earliest days of Benriach Distillery, Benriach Malting Season will be the first expression in a century to be produced entirely using barley malted from the Speyside distillery’s historic floor maltings.

The floor malting method is a highly skilled process requiring the delicate and skilled hand of Benriach’s team of dedicated craftspeople. After being steeped in water, the barley is spread across the malting room floor and turned by hand over several days to allow for optimum germination of the barley. Using their keen eye, the malting team decides when the barley is ready to move to the kiln and the iconic pagoda shaped chimney comes alive.

The first edition of Benriach Malting Season is two-cask matured in bourbon and virgin oak barrels to bring out the wholesome, creamy flavour we find in the distillery’s floor malted spirit, giving a beautiful barley gold colour to the liquid. The expression boasts a rich aroma of barley sugar, almond fudge and poached orchard apple with smooth, rounded flavours of vanilla and honeyed pear, with a lasting nuttiness of slowly kilned malt.

For each new edition of Malting Season, Master Blender Rachel Barrie, will carefully select the type of barley and bottling strength, making each annual edition a truly unique expression in its own right. This inaugural release is made from concerto barley and has a bottling strength of 48.7% ABV.

Stewart Buchanan, Global Brand Ambassador at Benriach, commented:

“Passed from distiller to distiller throughout the generations, the floor malting process keeps a traditional part of the whisky making process alive with Benriach being one of only seven distilleries in Scotland to continue the practice of floor malting. Distilling spirit from barley malted here on site is a true labour of love and something we are passionate about keeping alive here at Benriach as an ode to our creative whisky making heritage.”

Rachel Barrie, Master Blender at Benriach Distillery, said:

“At Benriach, we never stop exploring how fruit, oak and barley flavours intertwine and mature in our broad range of eclectic casks. The unique process behind Malting Season allows the cereal flavour from the concerto barley to pull through and when married with the creamy, wholesome flavour from being two-cask matured in bourbon and virgin oak barrels, creates a truly unique expression.”

The first edition of the small batch release is comprised of 23 barrels, all distilled on 2nd November 2012, yielding 6672 bottles in total. Timing of product availability will vary by country.

Click on image to view video

NOTES

UK RRP: £99 (Global Markets may vary)

Benriach Malting Season will be available in the US from October 2021.

Timing of product availability will vary by country.

For more details on our full portfolio please visit www.benriach.com 

About Benriach Distillery

A Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky as intriguing and extraordinary as Benriach could not have come to be without a unique whisky making heritage, dating from 1898, when founder John Duff built his distillery. Ruggedly beautiful, Benriach stands on the site of the old Riach farm in north Speyside, drawing water from a mineral-rich aquifer, deep beneath the distillery.

Thanks to a long-standing tradition of distilling three styles of whisky; classic unpeated, Highland peated and triple distilled, together with an eclectic selection of casks from around the world, our whisky makers are able to explore the full flavour possibilities of Single Malt, creating some of the richest, most multi-layered whiskies in Speyside.

This tradition continues today, under the guidance of Master Blender, Rachel Barrie. Benriach is the story of a hidden Speyside gem, quietly revealing its treasures to be discovered and savoured.

Facebook @Benriach

Instagram @Benriach

Twitter @TheBenriach 

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The Grand Whisky Auction is closing soon…

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2900+ lots will close Monday 16th Aug at 9pm!

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

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Gordon & MacPhail 1994 Connoisseurs Choice Tormore 26 Year Old

A first fill sherry butt #8355 bottled May 2021. Cask strength 58.0% with notes of toffee, fruitcake, oprgange peel, spiced plum, dark chocolate, oak and roasted hazelnuts. Tormore 26 Year Old 1994 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single first fill sherry butt #8355 bottled May 2021 by Gordon & MacPhail for the Connoisseurs Choice series. 596 bottles.

NOSE: DARK TOFFEE AND BROWN SUGAR AROMAS INTERTWINE WITH UNDERLYING VANILLA. SULTANA FRUITCAKE DEVELOPS ALONGSIDE CINNAMON , CLOVE SPICE AND HINTS OF ORANGE ZEST.
TASTE: SMOOTH WITH SPICED PLUM FLAVOURS, SWEET RED APPLE AND SUBTLE COCOA. CHARRED OAK AND UNDERLYING COFFEE BEAN FLAVOURS DEVELOP.
FINISH: A MEDIUM FINISH WITH HAZEL NUT AND ANISEED.

Tormore Distillery was established in 1958 in the Speyside whisky region to supply malt whisky to blending houses. It was designed by Sir Albert Richardson, President of the Royal Academy and is set in stunning landscaped gardens. Resplendent with green-coppered roofs, decorative pagoda roofs, a clock tower and clock which still chimes Scottish tunes, a rectangular curling pond, topiary and houses for the staff. Tormore Distillery is now operating with eight stills in its tall still house and Tormore malt whisky is still mostly flowing into scotch blends. Whilst official bottling are sparse it features amongst the ranges of a number of independent bottlers including Signatory Vintage and Connoisseurs Choice.

Shop Tormore »

James Gordon and John Alexander MacPhail began their business in Elgin in 1895 with John Urquhart joining the workforce at that time, to become a partner in 1915 when MacPhail retired. When Gordon died in 1817 the Urquhart family took over the business. This independent family business prospered and built up a stock of good quality casks from a wide range of distilleries over the years. In 1993 they purchased Benromach Distillery. Brands include Connoisseurs Choice, Cask Strength, Rare Old and Speymalt.