MACNAIR’S ADDS 10-YEAR-OLD CASK STRENGTH

EXPRESSION TO LUM REEK WHISKY RANGE

The boutique spirits house, led by veteran blender Billy Walker, extends its Blended Malt line

with a small batch release 10-year-old product 

MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, expertly curated by legendary blender Billy Walker, today unveils a line extension for its Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky range; the 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1.

The inaugural batch (UK RRSP £59.99) combines Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from Speyside and Islay – two of the most sought-after whisky producing regions – resulting in a subtly smoky yet sweet favour profile.

The aged whiskies were personally sourced by Walker before being blended together with GlenAllachie Single Malt. The spirit was then re-racked into specially selected Spanish Sherry casks, wine barriques and virgin oak casks for secondary maturation, allowing the whiskies to marry and additional characteristics to be attained from the wood.

Once the final cask selection was determined by Walker, Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 was bottled at a natural cask strength of 55.4% ABV, without added colouring or chill filtration.

Lum Reek, which scooped World’s Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2020 and Best Blended Malt Scotch at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021, is owned by independent spirits firm The GlenAllachie Distillers Company.

In July 2021, MacNair’s underwent a brand refresh and repositioning, becoming a Boutique House of Spirits. The new identity coincided with the introduction of a new rum line, Exploration Rum; Walker’s first endeavours into a new spirits category beyond whisky.

This latest Blended Malt offering comes as Walker celebrates his fiftieth year in the spirits industry, spanning both distilling and blending for highly successful, global brands.

Reflecting on his latest product innovation, Walker comments:

“Without a doubt, the most fulfilling element of my role is blending and developing new recipes which enhance the taste experience of individual whiskies. MacNair’s Lum Reek allows me to think outside of the box and blend such a wide variety of Single Malts from across Scotland to achieve the profile I am looking for.

“Whilst I delight in blending GlenAllachie expressions, introducing other Single Malts into the mix is incredibly interesting and creates something really magical. Having won incredible awards for The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Cask Strength batch releases, including World’s Best Single Malt 2021, I was keen to explore this concept as a Blended Malt, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome. Expect an indulgent amalgamation of dark chocolate fondant, vanilla pods, stem ginger and citrus tones alongside puffs of peat smoke – delicious!”

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 is available to purchase via global specialist retailers at a UK RRSP of £59.99.

ABOUT MACNAIR’S BOUTIQUE HOUSE OF SPIRITS:

Since Master Distiller Billy Walker became custodian of MacNair’s, his singular, defining purpose has been in step with the spirit of 19^th Century founder Harvey MacNair.

Over the course of 50 years in the spirits industry, Billy has earned widespread acclaim for his peerless blending prowess.  At the heart of MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits sits a meticulous attention to detail. Billy’s renowned hands-on approach has earned numerous hats-off accolades, and he now looks to carry this philosophy into new spirits categories.

At MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, we are pushing the boundaries of convention to create a boundless range of exceptional small-batch spirits. We are founded on whisky, with a future of diversity.  We are wholeheartedly invested in enhanced maturation, and believe age and integrity matter, which is why all our expressions are bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV, natural colour and non chill filtered for maximum flavour experience.

MacNair’s houses Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whiskies and Exploration Rum expressions. 

Further information on MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits can be found at macnairs.com

Facebook – @macnairs

Instagram – @macnairs_spirits 

For information on The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, visit  www.theglenallachie.com

TASTING NOTES

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 – 55.4% ABV

• Colour: Rich Bronze.
• Nose: Waves of smoke, heather honey and ginger, fusing with cinnamon, treacle and vanilla.
• Taste: Lashings of dark chocolate, ginger and citrus, with smoked spices, plantains and tannins.

Dennis Malcolm – Master Distiller at Glen Grant

Glen Grant Dennis Malcom 60th Anniversary Edition

When it comes to veterans of the whisky industry, Glen Grant’s Dennis Malcolm leaps to mind as someone who has spent his entire life almost literally immersed in whisky. This year he celebrates his 60th year of working in whisky, an occasion that the distillery has marked with a very special bottling – Glen Grant 1960 Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition.

Born on the grounds of Glen Grant distillery in 1946, Dennis Malcolm was all but destined to work in the whisky industry, and 1961 saw the beginning of a career that has spanned six decades.

Starting as an apprentice cooper, Dennis has worked as distillery manager and ambassador for Glen Grant, Glenlivet and others, before returning to Glen Grant in 2006 as master distiller – only the eight in the distillery’s long history.

Glen Grant Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition

This year Dennis is celebrating his 60th anniversary in the whisky industry and to commemorate this milestone achievement Glen Grant have released a 60-year-old single malt. Drawn from a single hand-selected oloroso sherry cask, filled on 24 October 1960, this is the oldest single malt released by Glen Grant to date.

A limited-edition 60-year-old Glen Grant celebrating Dennis Malcom’s 60th anniversary in the whisky industry

The Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition is presented in a hand-blown Glencairn crystal decanter based on the shape of the distillery’s tall, slender pot stills and a presentation case made of sustainably-sourced walnut wood that has the master distiller’s signature engraved within it.

We are very fortunate to have secured a bottle of this whisky and, if it’s not already been snapped up, you can this impressive single malt on our website.

Buy now >

A Piece of History

Founded in 1840 by brothers James and John Grant, and industrious pair who helped develop crucial infrastructure for the whisky industry in Speyside, including The Morayshire Railway Company, which ran trains from Elgin to Lossiemouth allowing for easy transportation of building materials and fuel. In 1872 the distillery was inherited by another James Grant, nephew of John Grant, who revolutionised whisky production at Glen Grant, introducing water cooling purifiers and elongated stills. In time James would come to be known as The Major.

Prior to the 1960s and the bourbon barrel boom that came in the years to follow, almost all of Scotland’s whisky producers used predominantly sherry casks to mature their whisky to some degree. When Douglas MacKessack took over the distillery from his grandfather, The Major, in 1931 he sourced sherry casks from Bodegas Duff Gordon, as his grandfather had done, but eventually found it hard to get enough casks from them. After some research it was decided that oloroso sherry casks in particular married well with Glen Grant’s fruity character and, though bourbon barrels began to make an appearance in the Glen Grant warehouses, oloroso sherry butts became the norm for the distillery.

Casks at Glen Grant

The oloroso sherry butt used to mature the Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition was always intended to be aged over many decades. Speaking about the bottling Malcolm said “it’s always been the plan to see how far Glen Grant can go… because, like everyone else in the industry, in the 1960s and 1970s the distillery didn’t just lay down stock for themselves, nearly 60% of your total production was sold to blenders or brokers.” What this meant for Glen Grant was that there was not a lot of stock laid down just for the distillery in this time, and what there was mostly went into the younger releases, especially the five-year-old and 10-year-old single malts.

“In 1990 it was the 150th anniversary of Glen Grant” Malcolm went on, “the owner, Douglas MacKessack, decided to do a special bottling for that and he selected three sherry butts of 30-year-old Glen Grant. Now this was laid down in 1960, the same as this sherry butt, so I knew at 30-years-old that it was absolutely fantastic and letting it sit for another 30 years was not a worry for me.” Perhaps this means there are even older bottlings on the horizon. Only time will tell.

It’s The Taste That Counts

After six decades in a single cask, you can guarantee that this is a complex single malt with a rich character and understandably Dennis is very proud of it – “the reason I chose that one, out of a few of them, was because it had all the characteristics of Glen Grant – the fruitiness, the nuttiness, toffee, vanilla and the little hint of  smoke – but I could hardly detect any oakiness.”

Tasting Notes By Ning 

Nose: Honey-drizzled dates, raisins and sultanas burst forward on the palate, swiftly followed by pancakes liberally covered in maple syrup, vanilla caramel and sweet malt.

Palate Sharp citrus to start with, quickly mellowed by raisins, plums, sultanas, sticky dates and ripe figs. Dark chocolate, green tobacco leaves and sticky ginger cake follow.

Finish: Savoury malt and crystallised ginger mingle with tobacco and soft spices.

I was surprised by how smooth this whisky is, I doubt that the effect would be all that similar if you just distilled a Christmas cake. There was a tiny bit of oaky dryness in the finish, but it didn’t detract from the flavours in any way, instead adding extra depth to its character. This truly is a whisky worthy of one of the loveliest people in whisky.

You can find out more about this whisky on The Whisky Exchange website:
Glen Grant 1960 60 Year Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary >

It’s that time again!!!

Below you will find our first UK Collection schedule of 2022. Please note the week we collect is now a week later with the exception of the North West of England. Please pay attention to the deadline dates as we are now on a tight schedule to get the North West routes planned.

To register your interest in a collection please complete the form which can be found here.

Please note home collections are available to those customers sending 10+ bottles or bottles to the value of £1000 and above in towns and cities where we do not offer a collection point. Please get in touch if your area is not listed below but you would like a home collection. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.

Collections are limited and by appointment only. If you would like to attend please complete the form which can be found here. Please note dead lines apply for collection requests. It would be appreciated if bottles could be packed for uplift. In addition the attached submission form and label should be completed.

A winner in our auction? We are now offering a delivery (to collection point) service to customers who are dropping bottles off for a future auction. This service is charged at £12 (inc VAT), optional loss and breakage cover is available.

Submission Form & Label

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Sweet, Fruity & Mellow, new Vaults Collection bottling, Peaty daredevils

This month we’re feeling the love for our Sweet, Fruity & Mellow flavour profile. Join us on a tropical laid-back adventure as we explore this mouth-watering profile. Our very own Julien Willems delves into where this profile’s enticing aromas come from and what leads the Society’s Tasting Panel to place a single malt in this category.

For those who love to compare and contrast, why not explore our Lightly Peated whiskies alongside – we’ve listed some of our favourites, keep on reading.

READ 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

Valentines Special Offer

This Valentines treat someone special (or yourself) to this exclusive Whisky Magazine subscription offer and get 3 issues for £6*

ORDER TODAY

*Your 3 issues for £6 offer is valid in
all countries and for all currencies…

Europe: 3 issues for €6
–
US/Canada: 3 issues for $6
–
RoW: 3 issues for £6

ralfy review 913 Extras – Keeping bottles for a long time successfully.

Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Attendance Sees Rapid Rally in 2021

FRANKFORT, Ky. – The world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® experiences continue their rapid rally from COVID and closures, with total visits up 160% from 2020 and just below the pre-pandemic record set in 2019.

Visitors accounted for more than 1.5 million tours at KBT® and KBT Craft Tour® distilleries last year, compared to a total of only 587,000 stops during the pandemic in 2020, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association announced today.

That’s off only 13% from the attendance record of 1.7 million set in 2019.

KDA President Eric Gregory hailed the news as testament to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s bucket list destination status and said 2021 would have been another record-setting year if not for reduced tour sizes, limited hours and closures due to COVID and staffing issues.

Plus, he noted several KBT® destinations were closed or at limited capacity because of major expansion projects. Most notably, James B. Beam Distilling Co. was closed for 10 months while constructing its new $60 million tourism experience in Clermont, which is now open.

“The numbers tell the story: the global demand for the authentic Kentucky Bourbon experience is as high as it’s ever been,” he said. “Our distilleries have moved mountains to provide safe, engaging tourism experiences during a pandemic for guests from all over the world.

“With more Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries than ever before, we are looking forward to welcoming a record number of visitors in 2022.”

Meanwhile, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® charted its best year ever in 2021 with more than 615,000 in total attendance, an increase of 170% from 2020 and 40% higher than its previous record in 2019.

The KBT Craft Tour® also added four new stops for an all-time high of 23 distilleries in the nation’s first-ever adventure to showcase the micro distilling movement: The Bard Distillery in Muhlenberg County; Castle & Key in Woodford County; Copper & Kings in Louisville and Log Still in Nelson County.

In addition, Gregory said the KDA and its 50 members are advocating legislation in the General Assembly to further modernize Bourbon tourism laws, help distillers continue to rebound from COVID and attract repeat visitors to the Commonwealth.

This includes giving distilleries the opportunity to offer satellite tasting experiences, sell bottles at fairs, festivals and farmer’s markets, and offer bottles that are only available at distillery gift shops – privileges already enjoyed by Kentucky wineries and breweries.

“The industry’s partnership with the General Assembly is paying huge dividends across the state as the legislature modernizes our archaic alcohol laws and paves the way for distilleries to achieve their Napa Valley potential,” Gregory said, noting that there are now distilleries in 40 of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

The KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® experiences are an integral part of local and state tourism efforts with 41 participating distilleries across the Commonwealth. The KDA, a non-profit trade group, founded the world-famous attractions in 1999 and 2012, respectively.

KBT® attendance grew a phenomenal 315% from 2009 through 2019, with more than 70% of visitors coming from outside Kentucky. Research shows Bourbon tourists trend younger, spend between $400 and $1,200 on their trip, travel in large groups and stay longer than the average visitor to Kentucky.

Nearly half have household incomes over $100,000, compared to approximately $60,000 for the average Kentucky tourist.

Founded in 1880, the KDA is the voice for Bourbon and spirits issues. Its diverse membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from legendary, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are building the next generation of America’s only native spirit.

Bourbon is one of Kentucky’s most treasured industries, a thriving $9 billion economic and tourism engine that generates more than 22,500 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1.2 billion each year, over $285 million in local and state taxes and $1.8 billion in federal alcohol taxes.

A key export, the iconic industry is currently in the middle of a $5.2 billion building boom, from innovative new tourism experiences to expanded production facilities, bottling centers and aging warehouses, all to meet the growing global thirst for Kentucky Bourbon.

Bourbon production has skyrocketed more than 435% since the turn of the century.

Kentucky now boasts more than 10.3 million barrels of Bourbon aging in warehouses across the Bluegrass, the most in its revered distilling history. Distillers filled more than 2.4 million barrels in 2020 alone, the third year in a row that production topped the two million mark.

Visit www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com to learn more.

Gregory encouraged visitors to plan ahead when booking a Kentucky Bourbon Trail® trip this year. Most distilleries require reservations and the KDA strongly encourages masks regardless of vaccination status. Some distillers also have closed a couple days each week to handle COVID-related staffing issues.

“Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries set the bar for world-class experiences and work hard to raise that distinguished status every day,” he said. “We’re proud to welcome everyone to the one, true home for Bourbon so you can see for yourself. The proof is here.”

The Kentucky Distillers’ Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association that passionately unites, promotes, protects and elevates the Commonwealth’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. The KDA maintains an open membership policy, champions a strong commitment to the responsible and moderate consumption of spirits, and fights to curb underage drinking and drunk driving.

KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL®, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL CRAFT TOUR®,, KENTUCKY BOURBON AFFAIR™, KBT®,, BOURBON TRAIL™, KENTUCKY BOURBON HALL OF FAME®,, ORDER OF THE WRIT®,, KENTUCKY BOURBON TALES®,, KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL WELCOME CENTER®,, URBAN BOURBON TRAIL® and THE PROOF IS HERE®are trademarks/service marks of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

Please enjoy Bourbon like a true Kentuckian – Responsibly.

BREAK-IN NEWS

I hope this note finds you well.

By now many of you will likely have seen or heard that Kensington Wine Market was the target of a break-in early in the morning of Friday, February 11th, 2022.

The good news is that our store was closed at the time and no one was injured.

The bad news is that the incident caused a considerable amount of damage to the front of our store, completely destroying the main entrance. This has left us unable to safely welcome customers into the shop for the time being.

Our team has been working hard to pickup clean up the mess and pick up the pieces. We are working with our landlord, insurers and a restoration firm to get things back into working order as soon as possible, but unfortunately this will take time.

But we are not closed!

We are still offering curbside pick-up and delivery for orders placed over the phone and via our website.

Our temporary hours for curbside pickup will be 11 AM to 7 PM daily, 6PM on Sunday, until we can open our doors again.

Pick-ups can be handled at our back entrance and in the parking lot behind our building.

Please call us at 403-283-8000 when you arrive and we will bring your purchases out to you.

On behalf of everyone at Kensington Wine Market, I want to thank you all for your patience and continued support of our business.

We have been blown away by the well-wishes, offers of help and the generosity we’ve been shown over the last 36 hours.

We are grateful to be part of an amazing community, not just in Kensington, or the broader city of Calgary, but also through our connections in the drinks business all over Canada and the world beyond.

To our amazing customers, our neighbours in Kensington, and the agents, suppliers, and importers who work with us: Thank you for everything that you do. We are lucky to have you, and we cannot wait to open our doors and welcome you into our store once more!

We will keep you posted.

Cheers,

Evan Eckersley

Store Manager

Kensington Wine Market

– ORDER ONLINE HERE –

OR REACH US AT 403-283-8000 / TOLL FREE AT 1-888-283-9004

CURB SIDE PICKUP

Order online or by phone, wait for confirmation your order is ready then call us when you are out front.

FREE DELIVERY

We are proud to offer Free City Wide Delivery on all orders over $100 Monday-Friday! Orders under $100 are subject to a flat rate $10 deliver fee. We are expecting high demand for delivery after the sale so please be patient!

CHECK OUT OUR OTHER UPCOMING ONLINE TASTINGS

Tuesday, March 8th, 7 PM

Women In Whisky

Behind many of our favourite whiskies, there is a woman, or many… This is not a new trend, many women have made their mark on whisky. From Helen Cumming the woman responsible for the rise of Cardhu and the legendary Bessie Williamson of Laphroaig to the BenRiach Distillery Co.’s and Caitlin Quinn of Turner Valley’s Eau Claire Distillery, women have helped shape the whisky industry. We’re highlighting Women in Whisk(e)y to mark International Women’s Day, and hosts Harmony and Chelsey have a lot to choose from. Thanks to the generous support of some of our partners, 100% of the ticket price collected from this tasting will be donated to The Brenda Strafford Centre, a local women’s shelter.

403-283-8000

*All Prices Quoted here are subject to change and do not include GST. In the case of pricing discrepancies, the price at our point of sale will be taken as correct.*

The 128^th auction will close on TONIGHT, but before it does here are a few impressive lots to pique your interest.

Karuizawa 38 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #7582

The Karuizawa 38 Year Old Ruby Geisha Cask #7582 is the second last release in the impressive Geisha Series by Elixir Distillers.  Karuizawa Distillery closed for good in 2011 so these releases represent one of the only ways to purchase your own drop of Japanese distilling history.

Bid Now

Macallan 2008 Distil Your World London Single Cask #21853

Single cask releases from Macallan are rare and memorable and this Macallan 2008 Distil Your World London Single Cask #21853 is no different.  As with the Macallan Edition No2 this expression has been made in collaboration with the Roca brothers of El Cellar De Can Roca, twice voted best restaurant in the world.

Bid Now

Balvenie Tun 1401 Full Set Batches #1-9 (6 x 70cl & 3 x 75cl)

It’s not often you get the chance to purchase a full set (including exclusives for international markets) of something this special at auction, the Balvenie Tun 1401 Full Set Batches #1-9 (6 x 70cl & 3 x 75cl).  This series showcases Balvenie Malt Master David Stewart’s skill and expertise, combining specially selected casks in marrying tun 1401 to create some truly unique single malts.

Bid Now

We have thousands of other bottles available this month with something to suit everyone, so whether whisky, whiskey or  bourbon is your tipple come browse the auction and find your new favourite bottle.

View Auction

BARDSTOWN, KY – Heaven Hill, America’s largest independent, family-owned and operated distilled spirits supplier, has today acquired Samson & Surrey, including its portfolio of brands and facilities. The acquisition of Samson & Surrey further extends Heaven Hill’s portfolio with six high-growth, super-premium brands in several of the industry’s fastest growing categories.

“Throughout our 86-year history, our focus has been building a business with a portfolio of great brands sold through a great team,” said Max L. Shapira, president, Heaven Hill Brands. “The Samson & Surrey portfolio strategically enhances our portfolio with emerging brands in strong growth categories. Together with their team, Heaven Hill is poised to leverage the tremendous potential of these exciting brands.”

Under the leadership of Robert Furniss-Roe and Juan Rovira, Samson & Surrey has built a remarkable portfolio of highly differentiated premium brands growing at 60% per annum, tracking $40m in Sales and present in over thirty markets worldwide. Included in the acquisition are Tequila Ocho, Widow Jane American Whiskey, Few Spirits, Brenne French Whisky, Bluecoat Gin, and Mezcal Vago. The company will continue to operate as an independent division of Heaven Hill lead by Robert and Juan.

“Over the last five years we have enjoyed unprecedented success thanks to the talents of our team, the truly remarkable award-winning liquids we make, and the engaging consumer stories we tell. The combined talent, scale, and resources of Heaven Hill now present a unique opportunity to provide a long-term home for Samson & Surrey and to further accelerate our growth,” said Robert Furniss-Roe, co-founder and CEO, of Samson & Surrey. “We believe strongly in the potential of our brands which are perfectly positioned to capitalize on the key spirits market trends. We could not be more delighted to join Heaven Hill and work together to continue building a strong portfolio in the premium and super-premium segments,” further commented Juan Rovira, co-founder and COO of Samson & Surrey.

According to DISCUS Super Premium Tequila and Whiskey continue to enjoy growth rates more than 30% over the last five years as American consumers continue to adopt more premium products.

Perella Weinberg Partners LP acted as exclusive financial advisor to Heaven Hill with respect to the transaction. RBC Capital Markets, LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Samson & Surrey.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL BRANDS: Founded in 1935, Bardstown, KY -based Heaven Hill Brands (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Larceny, and Henry McKenna Bourbons; Rittenhouse Rye Whisky; Deep Eddy and Burnett’s Vodkas; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; Black Velvet Canadian Whisky; Lunazul Tequila; The Christian Brothers Brandies; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; Carolans Irish Cream Liqueur; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur.
Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely. Drink Wisely.”