Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 435: Clonakilty 9 Year Old 2010 Single Grain Bordeaux Finish

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a new Irish whiskey. The whiskies of Clonakilty, founded in 2016, are still quietly maturing. But in order to be able to pay the bills in the meantime, they also bought some whiskey that they finish and market themselves. This is a good example. This Clonakilty is a single grain that they finished on Bordeaux wine barrels before being bottled at cask strength. Only 180 bottles of this whiskey have been filled.

https://youtu.be/wRV0MbXgxg4

BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY UNVEILS LARGEST EVER BOTTLES OF O.F.C. VINTAGE 1982 BOURBON WHISKEY WITH PROCEEDS DONATED TO CHARITY 

THE DISTILLERY WILL BE AUCTIONING OFF FIVE, SIX-LITER BOTTLES OF THE RARE BOURBON WHISKEY VIA BLOCKBAR AS NFTs WITH PROCEEDS BENEFITING FIVE GLOBAL CHARITIES 

FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (March 9th, 2022) – Today the 234-year-old Buffalo Trace Distillery is announcing a major milestone with the release of O.F.C. Bourbon Whiskey, distilled in 1982. The ultra-rare whiskey is the Distillery’s only vintage-dated bourbon and will be the first bourbon released in a colossal six-liter sized bottle and sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) on BlockBar.com – the world’s first DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits. The five bottles of this highly limited release are part of the 2,022 bottles that Buffalo Trace Distillery has pledged to give away in the year 2022 and will be auctioned off during a five-day event starting Monday, March 14th in collaboration with NFT platform BlockBar. It marks BlockBar’s first-ever auction and the first bourbon sold on its platform.

The five bottles of O.F.C. Vintage 1982 will each be auctioned off with a starting bid of approximately $25,000 USD (8.83 ETH). Bids can be placed via BlockBar.com HERE and can be made via Ethereum or Fiat starting at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, March 14th through 10 a.m. EST on Friday, March 18th. Proceeds from each of the winning, final bids will benefit the following charities:

• World Central Kitchen – a non-profit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises, currently supporting thousands of refugees in and around Ukraine
• The James Beard Foundation – through their Open for Good campaign, the Foundation is committed to helping independent restaurants survive this crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term
• Elton John Aids Foundation – a global HIV charity that funds frontline partners to prevent new cases of HIV, fight stigma and provide care for those affected
• The Art of Elysium – an artist organization built on the idea that through service, art becomes a catalyst for social change
• 261 Fearless – a global, non-profit women’s running organization dedicated to encouraging and uniting women through running

“We have been inspired by what our charity partners have done to help communities worldwide and are proud to help further their missions through the release of our exclusive O.F.C Vintage 1982 NFTs,” said Vice President of Marketing for Buffalo Trace Distillery, Sara Saunders. “We are thrilled to bring our rich history and philanthropic efforts to the forefront of today’s technology and we couldn’t ask for a better ally than BlockBar to help us achieve that,” she continued.

Each of the five NFTs will represent an authentic six-liter sized bottle of O.F.C Vintage 1982, available to be redeemed by December 31st, 2022. When redeemed, the NFT holder will also unlock a personal invitation to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, KY for a private VIP tour experience that includes exclusive tastings of whiskeys from its rarest and most sought-after private collection, including some previous vintages from the O.F.C. collection.

“Buffalo Trace Distillery is world renowned and we’re honored to launch our first bourbon on Blockbar.com with five of their most coveted bottles,” comments Dov Falic, co-founder and CEO of BlockBar. “The partnership marks our first live auction and to mark this milestone we are delighted to donate the proceeds of this drop to support the chosen non-profits of Buffalo Trace.”

All of the O.F.C. vintages are named after Buffalo Trace Distillery’s original moniker, the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. The bourbon in the O.F.C. six-liter release was distilled in 1982, at what was then the George T. Stagg Distillery, now known as Buffalo Trace Distillery.

When an inventory of all barrels was taken in 1998, these barrels were noted and left to age until 2001, when at that time the 19-year-old bourbon was vatted into stainless steel tanks, which is a very common process distillers use to halt the aging effects of the barrel on the whiskey.

As the spirit has been quietly maturing for over a quarter of a century, gaining greater complexity, the Buffalo Trace tasting panel is excited by how the whiskey developed. Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery, details the taste as sophisticated, with an extraordinary richness and butteriness with layers of apple, pecans, ripened pear, dark Belgian chocolate, caramel and a kiss of black cherries.

“This remarkable whiskey transitions to a memorable finish of dried dark fruit with delightful lingering oak. All the time knowing that you’re tasting history as you taste the last drops,” said Wheatley. “This truly is a once in a lifetime taste experience.”

Like its predecessors in the O.F.C. line, the 1982 Vintage will be in an elegant, hand-cut crystal bottle with inlaid copper lettering custom created for the brand, but “supersized” in a six-liter bottle. A bottle of this magnitude has rarely been seen on the whiskey market. At six-liters, this bottle is nine times the size of a usual whiskey bottle and holds over a gallon of whiskey, standing at 2 feet tall and weighing 22.5 pounds with liquid inside. The cap itself weighs in at a hefty six pounds. Glass artisans cut the shoulder facets of the bottle using equipment created exclusively for Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each bottle was manually polished to achieve maximum glass brilliance before in-laying cut copper lettering to spell out “O.F.C.” on the front. The bottle is housed inside a wooden display case, along with a provenance card that notes the milestones of the year 1982, including iconic moments like the launch of the first CD player and Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ being named the #1 album seller of all time.

To make a bid using ETH you must have the funds in your wallet and connected to BlockBar. At 10:00 AM EST, all winning bidders have two hours to submit the full balance; payment will be accepted through Eth or fiat. Full Terms & Conditions may be found on BlockBar.com. Bids planning on using Wire Transfer must pre-approve the funds by going to BlockBar.com, selecting your payment method under the profile icon on the top right of the screen and clicking payment methods, and select “verify funds” for pre-approval.

Upon purchase of the NFT, the cryptographic version will be held securely by BlockBar.com, with a record of authenticity held on the blockchain as a digital certificate of ownership. The buyer may choose to redeem the physical product, and have it delivered from BlockBar’s secure storage facility, safely trade its NFT version within the BlockBar.com marketplace, keep in their virtual bar or gift the NFT through BlockBar’s new gifting platform.

For more information on O.F.C. Vintage 1982 and a guide to placing bids on BlockBar, please visit https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/o-f-c-vintages.html and www.blockbar.com

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 1775 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 George T. Stagg was named World Whiskey of the Year for 2022 and its Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye was named 2^nd Finest Whiskey in the World for 2022. 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. To download images from Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/media

About BlockBar

BlockBar is a platform that offers NFTs (digital assets) directly from luxury liquor brands. Each NFT corresponds to a physical bottle. Consumers have the ability to exchange the digital version for the physical version. In simple terms, consumers own the physical bottle, BlockBar stores it for them, and the digital version serves as proof of authenticity, verification of ownership, and the right to have the physical bottle delivered. BlockBar proves authenticity via Ethereum’s blockchain. By buying the NFT directly from the brand, we not only make the process easier, but we ensure that your asset has proven authenticity. Whether you grow your collection, send it as a gift, or resell it, authenticity will never be an issue. Bloc Bar ensures 100% instant authenticity to all collectors up until the moment they redeem the bottle. More so, we offer this service with no commitment. Our platform will still be selling exclusive bottles

directly from the brands at MSRP and consumers have the ability to pay by credit card and can redeem the bottle immediately.

Mothers Day
Sunday 27th March 2022

It’s time to make up for the lockdown years and make some great memories with Mum. We have a special Mothers Day 3 course menu with complimentary Prosecco, so just the treat Mum needs.

Our normal a la carte menu is also available as normal so with stunning views over Edinburgh and a fabulous setting at the Whiski Rooms, we will make it special. Call us on 0131-225-7224 to book or book online.

Complimentary glass of Prosecco

STARTERS

Cream of Mushroom Soup (V)
artisan bread

Cullen Skink traditional Scottish Fish Chowder
made with haddock, potatoes, milk & onion served with artisan bread

Mozzarella,sundried tomato and rocket salad
with a balsamic glaze dressing

 MAINS 

Roast Breast of Chicken
potato gratin, caramelized honey roasted carrots, tarragon jus & pea shoots

Scottish Rib-eye Steak (£8 supplement)
Scottish Beef ribeye from our local butcher John Gilmour, grass fed, dry aged & matured for 35 Days, served with chunky chips, roast tomato and pepper sauce

Haggis, Neeps & Tatties
a traditional Scottish dish of haggis (minced meat, spices and oatmeal), bashed neeps (pureed turnips) & tatties served with our whisky cream sauce Choose from traditional meat haggis or vegetarian haggis (V)

 DESSERTS

WHISKI CRANACHAN (V)
a traditional Scottish dessert – a mix of honey, whisky-soaked raspberries, toasted oats with raspberry gel served with vanilla ice cream

BRAMLEY APPLE CRUMBLE
with madagascan vanilla pod custard

Book Now

We are so delighted to share with you all that our Lindores Abbey Scotch Whisky has been deemed OUSTANDING Gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition this year!

Here is what the judge’s had to say:
“Sweet combining with sour: custard, cooking apples, greengages, white grapes and honey. Spiced, fruity and sweetly fragrant with cask notes and cinnamon. Well-rounded and complex.”

This means the world to us as a young distillery and we will be raising a dram tonight to celebrate!

Thank you as always for supporting us.

Buy your bottle here: https://lindoresabbeydistillery.com/shop/lindores-single-malt-scotch-whisky/

Slàinte

Elliot Wynn-Higgins
Cask Custodian Lindores Abbey Distillery

2014 Bunnahabhain Staoisha Heavily Peated 6 Year Old “Signatory” Dechar/Rechar Cask Strength Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

$99.99 View

A GREAT NEW SEA OF GREEN

NEW WHISKY ON SALE NOW

We could all do with some cheer, so for some mid-month escapism we’ve hand-picked a selection of TWENTY-THREE NEW limited edition whiskies for our members to taste and explore PLUS we’re welcoming back two Distillery 24 favourites. This is an exceptional list. It’s AVAILABLE NOW, only in our online shop.

BROWSE THE NEW WHISKY

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

Circumstance Distillery Announces Carbon Neutral Certification

Bristol’s Circumstance Distillery is proud to announce that the business has achieved Carbon Neutral  status.

Looking to do their part to actively work towards stopping climate change, Circumstance Distillery engaged with Carbon Neutral Britain in 2021, with the ambition of measuring and reducing  the total emissions of their business . They then offset the unavoidable emissions to become one of the few Carbon Neutral distillery in the UK.

Circumstance Distillery co-owner Liam Hirt commented, “We are absolutely delighted to have achieved Carbon Neutral status. In the UK, businesses account for over 85% of total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions – making corporate action the number one priority in helping stop climate change. We have always had a clear sustainability strategy  and we have been working towards carbon neutrality from the outset . This certification is a huge achievement for us and a major step towards our sustainable business goals.”

James Poynter, Director of Carbon Neutral Britain commented “We are delighted to partner with Psychopomp Micro distillery and Circumstance Distillery to help identify and offset their environmental impact for 2021 and beyond.”

The Agency Standards measured and calculated the total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions produced directly and indirectly from Circumstance’s activities. As a whisky producer specialising in organic grains and long fermentations,  water usage from the distillation process was identified as the main source of emissions. Total carbon footprint measured in  tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) was also calculated,  and the report is available on their websites.

In addition to achieving Carbon Neutral status, Hirt and the distillery team, are on a sustainability mission and have already implemented a number of environmentally friendly changes across both their distilleries, including using recycled glass bottles, creating a Woden gin refill station at Pyschopomp micro distillery, and Woden refill cans for nationwide delivery. They have also committed to recycling all organic waste through GENco to create biofuel.

Circumstance Distillery was established in 2018

For further information visit circumstancedistillery.com

Our March auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 18^th March until Sunday 27^th March.

www.whiskyhammer.com

Every month, we present an incredible selection of whiskies and other fine spirits to our members right across the globe. You will find everything here from limited edition releases and vintage bottles to whole casks of rare whisky. There is certainly something for everyone – whether you are looking to collect, invest or enjoy!

Macallan – 50 Year Old (Red Collection)

Highland Park – 50 Year Old (2021)

Macallan  – Peter Blake @LXXX (Eight Decades)

WhistlePig – The Boss Hog (16 2/3 Year Old & 17 Year Old)

Whisky Hammer Ukraine Fundraiser. 100% of all proceeds going to the British Red Cross Disasters Emergency Committee appeal.

Selling whisky? Why not arrange the pick-up of your bottles using our global courier service? If you’re based in Scotland, you might want to arrange the personal collection of your bottles. Wherever you’re based in the world, we will make getting your bottles into our monthly auction as simple as possible. Get in touch with the Whisky Hammer team now by dropping them a message at sales@whiskyhammer.co.uk.

Heaven Hill Distillery Announces Spring 2022 Edition of the Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Series

Bottled in an ornate decanter, the spring edition denotes a green label, consistent across all spring releases. As was the case for the past editions, this edition’s tax strip, which has always been a signature of transparency on bottled-in-bond products, will disclose when the liquid was produced and bottled. The Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond spring edition will be available in the 750ml size on an allocated basis. It meets the strict requirements of a bottled-in-bond: the product of a single distillery from a single distilling season, aged a minimum of four years, and bottled at 100 proof or 50% alcohol by volume. The edition is available at a suggested retail price of $185.BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Heaven Hill Distillery announced today the release of the spring 2022 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey at 17 years old. Comprised of barrels produced in fall of 2004, and bottled in spring of 2022, the ninth national release ushers in the latest hallmark series to the bottled-in-bond legacy.

The spring 2022 edition of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is the first 17-year-old of the nationally released series and features Bourbon pulled from across three floors of rickhouse V at Heaven Hill Distillery’s main campus. As a leader of the Bottled-in-Bond category, Heaven Hill is proud to offer a premium, allocated product within this special class that showcases the authenticity and quality of the American Whiskey portfolio. Acquired in 1999 by Heaven Hill, the legendary Old Fitzgerald line is well-known for its distilling pedigree and intriguing story behind its namesake, John E. Fitzgerald.

ABOUT HEAVEN HILL DISTILLERY: Founded in Kentucky by the Shapira family in 1935, Heaven Hill Distillery continues its legacy as one of the foremost American Whiskey producers. Heaven Hill has cultivated the traditions and history of America’s Native Spirit with its fierce independence, passionate family ownership, dedication to quality, and thoughtful innovation. Today, Heaven Hill Distillery maintains over 1.9 million barrels aging in 63 warehouses throughout Nelson and Jefferson Counties. It is home to an award-winning collection of American Whiskeys including Elijah Craig Bourbon, Larceny Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, Pikesville Rye Whiskey, Rittenhouse Rye Whisky and Parker’s Heritage Collection. Heaven Hill Distillery currently holds the title of 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition Distillery of the Year, Best in Show Whisky, and previously held the titles of 2018 San Francisco Spirits Word Spirits Competition Best Bourbon, 2017 Whisky Advocate Whisky of the Year, 2016 Whisky Magazine Distillery of the Year, 2016 Whisky Advocate American Whiskey of the Year. For more information, please visit www.heavenhilldistillery.com.

Heaven Hill reminds you to “Think Wisely.  Drink Wisely.”

We, too, all feel deeply concerned about Ukraine. We appreciate the situation will be causing us all anxiety, concern or sadness.

And so, join us for a special tasting near you to raise money for those
impacted by the crisis in Ukraine. The evenings will include a 4-dram tasting led by one of our Venue Ambassadors.

100% of the ticket price will be donated to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

VARIOUS DATES AVAILABLE – SEE EVENTS PAGE FOR MORE

VIEW ALL EVENTS

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society,
The Vaults, 87 Giles Street,
Edinburgh, EH6 6BZ

t: +44 131 555 2929