Watch Hill Proper Opens this Week;

Grand Opening Celebration to be held April 13th

Louisville, KY (April 6, 2022) – Louisville’s first premier bourbon club will open to the public on Friday, April 8th. A Grand Opening Celebration, complete with a red-carpet entrance, photo opportunities, and a celebratory toast, will be held on Wednesday, April 13th. Located in Norton Commons, Watch Hill Proper offers a unique and immersive opportunity to discover a world of bourbon and American whiskey. While membership offers many perks, the club is open to anyone over 21 who wants an incredible experience.

The menu, designed by Executive Chef Michael Crouch, will feature a variety of sharables and small plates to start, including customizable charcuterie boards and lobster hushpuppies. Additional menu items will be added to the opening day menu including a sharable 48oz Porterhouse, braised greens, roasted red potatoes and several desserts.

Guests can choose from over 1,500 bottles of American whiskey, which are beautifully displayed on a massive “Whiskey Wall” behind the bar. A variety of interesting craft cocktails with names inspired by Kentucky legends will be offered, including the Katniss Cosmo served in an elegant bird-shaped glass and the Gonzo Colada. All cocktails are made with house-made syrups, tinctures, and juices, and of course – American whiskey. The club also plans to offer more than 100 selections of wine, and creative Zero Proof options for those who choose not to indulge.

The bartenders and servers are trained to provide guests with an experience that is both elevated and educational. Only members can make reservations, but the club is open to everyone on a first come first served basis. The club offers a bar in the waiting room, also known as “The Fermenter,” for patrons to enjoy before being seated at their table. Watch Hill Proper membership options are available and provide many perks including discounts on drinks, ability to purchase barrel picks, and invitations to special events.

For more information or membership details, please visit watchhillproper.com or contact Bev Reese at (502) 230-1982.

About Watch Hill Proper:

Watch Hill Proper, located in Norton Commons, is Louisville’s first premier membership-based bourbon club. The Club is open to the public, but also offers memberships with amazing benefits. The purpose is to be a community built around a common interest – bourbon. The goal is to be a community of ambassadors for Kentucky’s signature industry and do it in style. For more information about Watch Hill Proper, or to apply for membership, visit www.watchhillproper.com.

The 130th auction is up and running, and bids are coming in thick and fast.  In case you missed them first time around here are a few auction highlights you might have missed.

Brora 1972 40 Year Old

This fabulous beast is one of the oldest Broras ever released, and certainly one of the most highly regarded.  Distilled way back in 1972 this 40 year old dram was Diageo’s most expensive expression at £7,500 when it was first brought to the market in 2014.  Seems like a bona fide bargain now compared to today’s market.

Macallan 1967 Sir Peter Blake Anecdotes of Ages ‘Down to Work Limited Edition’

This fantastic 1967 vintage Macallan was made in collaboration with British pop art legend, Sir Peter Blake.  Almost 4 decades worth of colloboration between the esteemed artist and Speyside heavyweight Macallan has produced some memorable expressions, the most recent being the Anecdotes of Ages Collection.  This particular bottling is the ‘Down to Work Limited Edition’ and the label depicts the era when Macallan rededicated itself to using solely European Sherry Oak to age their whisky.  This is an especially rare and exquisite lot.

Glen Grant 1956 65 Year Old Connoisseurs Choice for La Maison Du Whisky

It is rare to see a whisky of this age, this Glen Grant 1956 has spent an incredible 65 years in a first fill sherry cask before being bottled by famed indie bottlers Gordon & MacPhail to mark the 65th anniversary of celebrated French whisky house La Maison Du Whisky.  Rich in colour and with a surprisingly high ABV given it’s time in cask, this is a special bottling and would be a welcome addition to even the most exclusive whisky collections.

Falklands Charity Bottles

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, this month we have a Glen Moray 2008 13 Year Old Pauillac Single Cask bottling and a Port Dundas .  All proceeds from the sales of these bottles go to the Falklands Veterans Association and the South Atlantic Medal Association.

Bottles as fine as these don’t come around that often so register your bids now before the auction closes on Sunday night.  We have thousands more bottles up for auction this month with something to suit every palate and pocket, so delve into the auction before time runs out and find your perfect bottle.

Bid Now

GlenDronach
Cask Strength Batch 10

New 2022 bottling of the full strength single malt from GlenDronach distillery. Bottled at 58.6% ABV, batch 10 has matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. Always a popular one, grab a bottle or two while you can! Glendronach 10 Year Old Cask Strength Batch 10 Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Full strength matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks. 2022 release. Fruity and elegant nature of The GlenDronach, with notes of dark bramble fruits and gentle spices. Pedro Ximenez contributes the robust and full-bodied richness of The GlenDronach, often characterised by notes of dark chocolate and stewed fruits.

Buy – GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 10 >>

Glendronach Malt Whisky Distillery was established north east of Huntley in the Highland whisky region by James Allardice in 1826. The malting floors at Glendronach Distillery closed in 1996 and it was the last distillery in Scotland to heat its stills directly with flames from a coal-fired furnace, until it had to comply with new regulations in 2005. Glendronach Distillery is resplendent with a traditional cask iron mash tun, wooden washbacks, four stills. Famous for its well-aged and top quality sherried single malt, for example Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament, and single cask releases. The distillery is now owned by Brown Forman of America.

1991 North British 30 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Single Bourbon Barrel

Cask Strength Single Grain Scotch Whisky (750ml) (Pre-Arrival)

$149.99 View

Once a bastion of ridiculous value, the single grain market has seemingly jumped the shark over the past couple of vintages. Supplies are tight and prices are high, but occasionally we come across casks that still far outpace their price point in terms of quality. This 30 year old North British is exactly that. One of the more complex grains we’ve had in some time, it was aged for three decades in a fresh bourbon barrel, which likely accounts for the exceptional quality. The North British distillery was established in 1885 not far from Edinburgh Castle. Now controlled as a joint venture between Diageo and Edrington, it can produce upwards of 65 million liters of pure alcohol per year from mostly corn. The exceptional size of this distillery does not proclude it from making high quality grain and while most of the production is used in Famous Grouse and Johnnie Walker, we occasionally get access to product of high quality at reasonable prices. The key, it would seem, to producing high quality grain seems to be using high quality wood and allowing long maturation. This is exactly what we’ve got here. A gorgeous creamy and very approachable old grain for a very solid price.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Please note this is a pre-order. We are expecting this release in stock this week!

PRE ORDER NOW

This release is from Linkwood Distillery has been bottled exclusively for TyndrumWhisky. Coming in the ‘Cask Strength’ range of Connoisseurs Choice.

Distilled: 1998
Bottled: 20th of December 2021
Batch number: 21/214
Cask number: 13808
Cask Type: Refill Sherry Hogshead
Aged for 23 Years
One of only 267 bottles

Notes: Sherry influences complement aromas of plump raisin and seville orange zest. Smooth flavours of clementine accompany stewed apple and cinnamon spice. A medium-bodied finish with toasted hazelnut and oak.

Bottled exclusively for TyndrumWhisky by Gordon & MacPhail

Double Win for Abbey – Icons of Whisky Global Winners!

We’re absolutely delighted to report that Abbey Whisky has been awarded Global Online Whisky Retailer and our very own Mike Sharples named Global Buyer of the year at Whisky Magazines Icons of Whisky Awards.

A massive shout out to you our amazing customers, we couldn’t have done this without you! Thank you very much for your continued support, it really means the world to our family run business!

Slàinte

The team at Abbey Whisky

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 436: Wave Distil 10 Year Old 2011 Fine Spirits ’40 Bottles’

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a Belgian malt. Patrick Ludwich of Fine Spirits has been working for some time to put Belgian whisky on the map once and for all and this bottle, which appeared together with the book ‘All Belgian Whiskies’ on 6 December 2021, is a wonderful part of that.  Patrick’s intention is to bottle no less than 40 Belgian whiskies at the end of the day. Hence the ’40 Bottles’ on the label. Perhaps a bit confusing, because of this release there are indeed 268 bottles. So you have to know the context. Mark already recommend the book. Hopefully he can do that for this 10-year-old whisky too. It was distilled by Wave Distil, a small distillery in Dinant – hence the Saxophone on the label.

https://youtu.be/M2G2M5doROI

CHIVAS BROTHERS BRINGS HOME A COMPLETE ABERLOUR A’BUNADH COLLECTION

AND CELEBRATES AN INDUSTRY ICON AT SPIRIT OF SPEYSIDE WHISKY FESTIVAL 2022

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch Whisky business of Pernod Ricard, unveils its line-up of in-person events at this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. The events will take place at its world-famous distilleries across the Scotch heartland of Speyside between 27th April – 2nd May 2022.

The Scotch producer is offering festival-goers the first-ever opportunity to taste a flight of the rarest and finest whiskies from the Aberlour A’bunadh (“Original”) collection. A cult classic among whisky fans, a full collection of all 71 Aberlour A’bunadh expressions released to date was recently brought home to Aberlour after being acquired through whisky broker Mark Littler LTD. The only known and available series (outside of the Chivas Brothers archive) will be selectively and exclusively accessible to whisky fans and Scotch enthusiasts at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival ‘Celebrating 25 Years of A’bunadh’ inaugural tasting session on Thursday 28^th April. Inspired by the iconic A’bunadh’s aromatic richness, the evening will include a dining experience in the Fleming Hall, paired with five different expressions of this collectable Speyside single malt.

The full Aberlour A’bunadh collection will then be made available for special tastings at Aberlour distillery until the whisky is gone.

This year’s festival also marks Alan Winchester’s swansong, as the Master Distiller of The Glenlivet prepares to embark on a new chapter in his illustrious 45-year career in the Scotch whisky industry. Fans will get a rare opportunity to delve into Alan’s career, listen to his personal highlights and celebrate his invaluable contribution to whisky-making at the ‘An audience with Alan Winchester’ event, held at The Glenlivet Distillery on Friday 29^th April at 5:30pm.

New whisky discoverers and discerning drinkers alike are invited to explore, taste, and learn about the renowned Speyside region in some of Chivas Brothers’ brand homes. Through expertly guided tastings and historical experiences hosted by head distillers and ambassadors at The Glenlivet, Aberlour and Strathisla visitor centres, whisky lovers will be fully immersed in Scotland’s water of life and rich culture, while soaking up Speyside’s beautiful scenery.

In addition to learning about the craftsmanship behind some of Chivas Brothers’ world-renowned whiskies, visitors will be able to purchase their favourite blends and single malts from the shops at each site, including select and unique batches of Aberlour A’bunadh and the Distillery Reserve Collection – a carefully curated selection of 48 new single cask expressions from Chivas Brothers’ 13 single malt distilleries.

Graeme Cruickshank, Aberlour Master Distiller, commented: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome fans back to our distilleries for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2022 to celebrate Scotland’s national drink. This year’s festival is extra special for us, as we finally get to share the only known full Aberlour A’bunadh collection for Scotch fans to taste and we raise a toast to the man-of-the-hour, Alan Winchester, and his impressive career. We look forward to sharing our rich Scotch heritage over the long weekend, and welcoming visitors to our brand homes to explore, taste and learn more about Speyside.”

For event tickets and more information around the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2022 please visit: https://www.spiritofspeyside.com/festivals/whisky

 All distillery exclusive bottlings are also available for purchase at Aberlour, The Glenlivet and Strathisla online stores below:

Aberlour: https://www.aberlour.com/en/distillery-reserve-collection/

The Glenlivet: https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-UK/buy-now

Strathisla: https://www.chivas.com/en-GB/page/strathisla-eshop

The full event line-up includes:

THURSDAY 28 APRIL 2022

Celebrating 25 Years of A’bunadh

Time: 7pm – 10pm

Location: Charlestown of Aberlour, The Fleming Hall

Ticket: £250

Buy tickets here

A must for the A’bunadh fan. Join our Master Distiller, Graeme Cruickshank, in conversation with Chris Brousseau (Archivist), Caris Simpson (Brand Ambassador), and the Visitor Centre team in celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of our iconic Aberlour A’bunadh.

The evening, hosted by Caris Simpson, explores A’bunadh from its beginnings. Graeme Cruickshank takes you into the heart of our spirit while Chris Brousseau adds the historical soul.

Celebrating the original Sherry cask bottlings created by our founder, James Fleming, every batch of A’bunadh is unique. His ethos of placing exceptional quality above all else is still upheld by those who continue to craft Aberlour’s spirit. The celebration will be held in the Fleming Hall, built in his memory for use by the community he loved.

The evening includes a flight of our rarest and finest batches. This first-ever sampling is combined with a dining experience inspired by our iconic A’bunadh’s aromatic richness. Each guest will also take away a bottle of the latest A’bunadh batch available in our Visitor Centre.

FRIDAY 29 APRIL 2022

Under Lock and Key

Time: 10:30am – 1pm

Location: The Glenlivet Distillery

Ticket: £200

Buy tickets here

Join our Master Distiller, Alan Winchester, on his swansong at The Glenlivet to discover the truth behind generations of struggles between patrolling excise officers and our distillery team in this wild, rugged landscape.

Along the journey you’ll meet some of Alan’s esteemed colleagues, with over 120 years of whisky experience between them, as we see our infamous sma’ still at work and visit both our original Minmore Still House and 1824 distillery site.

With “dramming” ceased on several occasions, experience first-hand the bold and inventive ways our whisky was smuggled, pilfered, and syphoned, not only in 1824, but up until the late 1970s.

This incredible opportunity includes a tasting of once-in-a-lifetime whiskies and a signed bottle of The Glenlivet 12 Years Old Licensed Dram limited edition to celebrate Alan’s closing hurrah.

(Not suitable for non-walkers)

Sleeping Giants

Time: 2.30pm – 5pm

Location: Strathisla Distillery, Visitor Centre

Ticket: £250

Buy tickets here

Great whiskies have hearts of oak. Character-building, flavour-creating wooden casks racked silently in the shadows and stillness of a bonded warehouse. Each one carefully nurturing new spirit for as long as it takes. You really must experience the atmosphere, so for the first hour of this event, Brand Ambassador, Caris Simpson, will accompany you out from Strathisla to Mulben, where Ross and Duncan, from our North Operations team, will reveal fascinating insights about cask selection and the long maturation process.

On returning to our Visitor Centre Boardroom, you’ll explore the results of this highly skilled craft. Chivas Regal blending expert, Kevin Balmforth, will guide you through tastings of five aged editions from the Distillery Reserve Collection. Then, moving on to the Chivas Cellar in Warehouse No.3, we’ll offer you a farewell dram drawn straight from the cask, together with Strathisla 25 Years Old, a 50cl bottle, to take away with you.

An Audience with Alan Winchester

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm

Location: The Glenlivet Distillery

Ticket: £25

Buy tickets here

Alan Winchester, Master Distiller of The Glenlivet, will soon be leaving us in person, though never in spirit. We’d love you to join us and raise a dram in celebration of his invaluable contribution to whisky-making: mashman, brewer, stillman, distillery manager and master distiller… As we open the big, red book on his 45-years in the industry, providing a unique, never to be repeated experience to delve into his knowledge and stories. So, this is a rare opportunity to hear Alan’s anecdotes, his views on the industry’s past – and future – and ask him those burning questions. Hosted by Director of Blending, Sandy Hyslop, and Alex Robertson, our Head of Heritage, Education and Archives.

High Spirits

Time: 8pm – 10pm

Location:  Aberlour, The Fleming Hall

Ticket: £50

Buy tickets here

Our exhilarating night ‘flight’ around Speyside is prepped for departure, with Ethan Miln heading the cocktail cockpit team.

Day job? Brand Ambassador for Ballantine’s. Highly trained, global outlook, fun to fly with.

Your route? The Glenlivet, Aberlour, Glenburgie, Strathisla. Discover each spirit’s true character through crafted bespoke drinks and in-flight insights from our deep-knowledge crew.

Cocktail service, music and food – all complimentary.

Check-in online – right now.

SATURDAY 30 APRIL 2022

Pioneering Spirit

Time: 1pm – 2pm

Location:  The Glenlivet Distillery

Ticket: Free

Get tickets here

Who doesn’t love a dram? Call it uisge beatha, the water of life, whisky…Scotland’s national drink is known worldwide as a very special part of our culture. But what does it have to do with archaeological digs and the National Trust for Scotland?

Pioneering Spirit is a unique research project led by The National Trust for Scotland in partnership with The Glenlivet that aims to unearth the real history of whisky. Pairing archive research with archaeological digs at the original distillery site of The Glenlivet and National Trust for Scotland locations, the project is uncovering the illicit stills and forgotten bothies that were used to illegally produce and smuggle Scotch whisky across the Highlands in the early 1800s.

Join The Glenlivet’s Brand Ambassador Caris Simpson as she talks with Master Distiller Alan Winchester and The National Trust for Scotland’s Archaeologist about Pioneering Spirit, the impact of illicit whisky distilling on Scottish history and how The Glenlivet’s founder, George Smith, risked life and liberty to produce illicit single malt whisky that came to represent Speyside’s signature style.

THE DEVIL’S KEEP BY THE CRAFT IRISH WHISKEY CO. 

IS CROWNED BEST SINGLE MALT IN IRELAND ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES

(London – 25 March 2022) The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has been crowned Best Single Malt in Ireland across all categories at The World Whiskies Awards with its inaugural release The Devil’s Keep.

The industry’s finest gathered together at the Honourable Artillery Company in London on Thursday, 24 March to celebrate the 2022 Whisky Magazine Awards. Returning to London as an in-person event, the global awards ceremony saw the announcement of the World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky global winners, as well as four new inductees to Whisky Magazine’s renowned Hall of Fame. The Whisky Magazine Awards seek to honour the very best in the industry, across its people, places and products.

The Devil’s Keep beat off stiff competition from five other Irish Single Malt whiskeys across five different categories including Knappogue Castle 12 Years Old in the Single Malt 12 years and under, Teeling Whiskey Brabazon Series 4 in the Single Malt 13-20 year category, Teeling Whiskey 30 Years Old Single Malt in the 21 years and over category, Clonakilty Distillery O’Hara’s Cask Finish Special Limited Edition in the Small Batch Single Malt category and The Irishman 17 Years Old in the Single Cask Single Malt 13-20 years category.

Unfortunately, Ireland missed out on being crowned the World’s Best Single Malt with the title going to England’s winner in the Single Malt no age statement category – The Lakes Distillery The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4, who was up against 18 countries from all over the world.

Commenting after being crowned winner of Best Single Malt across all categories in Ireland, Jay Bradley, founder and CEO of The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. said: “While we didn’t win the World’s Best I am ecstatic and equally humbled that The Devil’s Keep was crowned Best Single Malt in Ireland, seeing off some fantastic whiskeys including two from the Teeling stable. For the first whiskey that I’ve ever created to go on to be crowned best whiskey to come out of Ireland that year, that’s unheard of and an amazing achievement. It just reinforces to me that what we are doing is working and that the critics and experts are enjoying what we are creating. We have so much more to do and winning this award makes me hungrier than ever to forge on and keep making phenomenal whiskeys.”  

This is the ninth award for The Devil’s Keep, a rare triple distilled, Single Malt whiskey and one of the finest whiskeys that Ireland has ever created. The launch of The Devil’s Keep in November 2020 saw just 333 bottles released. It was the most expensive inaugural first release in history, selling at auction for USD $60,000 (almost £46,000 and €51,000 Euros), and the oldest triple distilled Irish whiskey in existence, only to be topped by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.’s second release in February 2021 of the 30-year-old The Emerald Isle Collection.

Amongst its other accolades is a Gold award from the world-renowned International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) 2021 and a Gold from the Global Luxury Spirit Masters 2021.

A second release of The Devil’s Keep is due in the coming months and will only be available to Whiskey & Wealth Club members.

For more information on The Devil’s Keep and other whiskeys from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com

About The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is on a mission to reinvent Irish whiskey, elevating its potential as a luxury product and restoring Ireland’s reputation for crafting the finest whiskeys in the world.

Formed in 2018 by Irish entrepreneur Jay Bradley, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. was born from a desire to return Irish whiskey to the heights it once enjoyed. To achieve such a goal has taken a complete reimagining of the craft; honouring centuries of tradition but questioning convention and adding scientific understanding to reinvent the maturation of the whiskey. No expense is spared, no corners are cut.

To elevate Irish whiskey’s potential, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. has looked to the past, revisiting the art of whiskey-making perfected by the country’s master distillers. While the rise of mass production and blends has pushed this art to one side, the company is invested in restoring it by adding scientific knowledge and a willingness to push boundaries. Underfilling the barrels allows maturation to start at once. Adding water before maturation, or before finishing, allows the water and whiskey to marry over time and avoids the need to dilute the single malt before bottling. The whiskeys are bottled at cask strength to preserve the complex flavour profiles and rich viscosity. Using ultra-premium finishing barrels to mature the single malt delivers rich, rounded notes, while a deep understanding of barrel craft ensures the barrels are moved, rotated and the whiskey disgorged into new ones to create a bespoke journey. The whiskeys are accompanied by skilfully designed and scientifically-perfected accessories that deliver a whiskey experience worthy of the liquid.

In 2021, The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. became the most awarded new company of the year amassing a total of seventeen awards across both Taste and Design for four of its ultra-rare whiskey releases.

The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. is the exclusive Michelin Plaque Distribution Partner for The Michelin Guide Star Revelation Great Britain and Ireland 2022.

For more information visit www.craftirishwhiskey.com  

The Devil’s Keep – Tasting Notes 

Colour: 

1.4 Tawny Characterised by its distinctive tawny, amber colour 

Nose: 

The Devil’s Keep opens with a nose of the rich aromas of a traditional Christmas cake and Vermont maple syrup, followed by powerful notes of ripe banana, sherry-soaked raisins and hints of 70% dark chocolate adding depth. 

Palate: 

The sweetness of golden honey combines with Amarone and accents of dark cherries to add a velvet softness balanced beautifully by a dusting of rich dark chocolate to round off the palate. Rich and warming yet fresh and well-balanced, with supple sweetness and a rich texture. 

Finish: 

Beautifully constructed, long and viscous with remanence of maple syrup and chocolate which opens up the liquid to a fine balance of smooth and rich flavours. Rich and oily on the palate, but not overwhelmingly so, and underpinned with a slightly dry finish, providing an indulgent and inimitable taste that will remain on the taste buds.

The Grand Whisky Auction is live!

(Auction Ends April 11th, 2022)

www.thegrandwhiskyauction.com/live-auction

2000+ lots to browse and bid on!

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

T. +44 (0)1463 210 427

E.  sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com