Archive for April, 2022

Arran 12 Year Old single sherry cask – on sale now 🏁 at The Whisky Barrel – Scotch Whisky News

Arran TWB 15th Anniversary Exclusive

2022 marks the 15th Anniversary of TheWhiskyBarrel.com and what better way to celebrate than a year of single cask distillery exclusives! Opened in 1995 Arran distillery is located at Lochranza on the Isle of Arran just off the west coast of Scotland.

We simply could not pass on the opportunity to bottle a fresh sherry hogshead filled December 2009. This single cask #934 has yielded 245 bottles at cask strength 55.4%. In the interest of fairness, these bottles are limited to 2 bottles per customer.

Buy – Arran 12 Year Old Single Sherry Hogshead >>

Arran Distillery was commissioned by the Isle of Arran Distillers in 1995 and lies amid stunning scenery just to the south of Lochranza on the northern tip of the Isle of Arran. This distillery has four stills, dunnage warehouses, a visitor centre offering distillery tours and a distillery café. Arran distills both un-peated and peated malt spirit and matures its whisky in sherry, bourbon, port and wine casks in order to produce an ever-evolving and expanding range of whiskies including Arran single malts such as Arran Machrie Moor and The Illicit Stills, and Arran blended scotch.

Glencairn Ruby Tribute Whisky raises £15,000 for charity! – Whisky Glass News

 

Glencairn Ruby Tribute Whisky raises £15,000 for charity!

At the end of last year our Glencairn Ruby Tribute Blended Whisky was auctioned as part of The Worshipful Company of Distillers’ One-of-One Charity Auction, in partnership with Sotheby’s. It sold for an incredible £15,000 – all the money raised has gone to The Distillers’ Charity Youth Action Fund, helping to improve the lives of Scotland’s young people who need it most.

This very special whisky containing contributions from some of the world’s most iconic master blenders was presented to Glencairn Founder and CEO Raymond Davidson back in 2004. It was auctioned in a unique hand crafted ruby adorned decanter, created by our team of talented craftspeople, to mark our 40th anniversary.

Fettercairn 46 Year Old at The Whisky Shop – Scotch Whisky News

Fettercairn
46 Year Old

An exceptional malt matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and finished in tawny port pipes, this incredibly rare Highland dram was distilled on 8th May 1973. Bottled aged 46 years old at a strength of 42.5% abv, only 55 bottles have been produced! 

£8,500.00
BUY NOW

Fettercairn 46 Year Old Description

Matured in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels and finished in tawny port pipes, this incredible Highland single malt was distilled on 8th May 1973. Bottled aged 46 years old at a strength of 42.5% abv, only 55 bottles have been produced globally.

The nose has over-ripe bananas, toasted bread, citrus fruit and plum, giving way to raisin, bitter chocolate, fig and spice. The palate is rich with flavours of spiced pear, coffee, caramelised orange and liquorice, followed by black cherries and treacle with a finish of plum, demerara sugar and chocolate.

Whisky Wednesday Reviews Hibiki Harmony- Japanese Whisky News

https://youtu.be/DfaoZcVKTt0

Hibiki, as a brand, has become unstoppable. Never before, in my era, have I seen a blended whisky fight for the top spot of ‘most sought-after whisky in the world’.

Now there are many factors to this:

– Well made whisky.

– An incredibly designed bottle.

– Stocks from two of the most sought-after whiskies in the world: Yamazaki & Hakushu.

– An award winning reputation of its own.

– No real marketing campaign at all…apart from a sole reference in Lost in Translation.

One could argue that with a bottle that pretty you don’t need a marketing campaign. It’s memorable enough already.

Established as a brand in 1989, outside of Irish whisky, no other product has seen sales growth like Hibiki. Growth which was so incredible that they discontinued their 12YO in 2015, then their 17YO in 2017 – rounding into 2020 with just a 21YO occasionally available, a 35YO rarely available and this, Japanese Harmony. A NAS Japanese blended whisky with huge appeal but with a varying price tag and dwindling availability of its own.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube/

Instagram: @thisiswhiskywednesday

Twitter: @whiskytube

Contact: thisiswhiskywednesday@gmail.com

Logo Design: @wenbilson – Instagram

Badachro Distillery releases limited edition new port cask single malt whisky expression – Scotch Whisky News

Badachro Distillery releases limited edition new port cask single malt whisky expression

A Highland distillery has unveiled its latest limited edition single malt – a smooth, velvety whisky finished in ruby port casks.

Badachro Distillery has released a run of Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask, limited to just 1,200 hand-filled and numbered bottles.

The unpeated Highland single malt is the latest cask expression of the distillery’s popular Bad na h-Achlaise series. Aged in bourbon barrels and refill hogsheads for several years, it has been vatted and filled in handpicked ruby port casks and matured in the Badachro dunnage warehouse for a full year before bottling.

Managing director Gordon Quinn said: “Our new port cask expression reflects the tranquillity and peacefulness of our corner of the Scottish Highlands. We selected ruby port casks for their distinct dark chocolate and vibrant red fruit influence and, once all four finishing casks were married together, we knew we had created a unique single malt.

“Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask is a smooth, unpeated whisky that we believe is the perfect dram to begin a tasting session with. And, if you’re anything like us, continue with too!”

Tasting notes:

  • Nose: sweet with jams, blackberries, vanilla, fresh sawn oak and currants
  • Mouth feel: sprightly with powerful black cherry and glazed red cherries, a hint of bitter chocolate and pink jelly baby or strawberry sherbets
  • Finish: lively with dried fig then a long lasting stewed mix of red fruits and berries

Bad na h-Achlaise Port Cask is available from www.badachrodistillery.com and selected stockists.

46% ABV, 70cl, £56.95 – limited to 1,200 bottles.

Badachro Distillery in the western Scottish Highlands is home to a range of uniquely handcrafted whiskies, gins and vodkas that have gained a reputation for bold, complex flavours that leave you coming back for more. The distillery is a true family venture – founded by Gordon and Vanessa Quinn who met at the Badachro Inn and married just 12 weeks later. After travelling the world together, the pair returned to Badachro to follow their dream of setting up a craft distillery.

Find out more about Badachro Distillery at www.badachrodistillery.com, or follow the distillery on Instagram (@badachrodistillery), Twitter (@badachrospirits) or Facebook (/badachrodistillery).

Maltstock 2022 is on!

Maltstock 2022 is on!

A few weeks ago we had to bring you the not so relaxed news that Maltstock 2022 might not happen, since the Buitencentrum venue is currently used to house Ukrainian refugees. But we bring you very relaxed news now:

Maltstock 2022 is on!
Yes, that’s right: Maltstock 2022 is on! We have managed to find an alternative venue where we can have Maltstock with a relaxed twist!

Relaxed twist!

Nothing much will change! Good food, good whisky, good company, outside and indoor space, plenty of seating, lots of ‘bring your own bottle’ -sharing, tastings, a retox walk and our infamous raffle. Relaxed as always, all will be there. A very relaxed weekend, meeting old and new friends and sharing relaxed drams.

New dates
The venue we found had only one weekend still available in September. This means that this years Maltstock will be held from 23 to 25 September.

New venue
So where is this new venue? It’s in a lovely town called Lievelde.

We are impressed with the standard and quality of the accommodation. More info on this venue will be available soon from our Facebook page and website. Everything is available for having a relaxed weekend!

Now what?
In the next couple of months you can expect updates regarding our relaxed program. We hope to see you all in September at Maltstock (with a twist)!

Tickets
Tickets are available from our shop on the website: www.maltstock.com/shop

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Bob, Klaas, Stan & Teun

Glengoyne lands Gold – Scotch Whisky News

A QUADRUPLET OF AWARDS AT SFWSC

We are thrilled to announce Glengoyne picked up four awards at this year’s prestigious San Francisco World Spirit Competition awards, renowned for being the “Oscars of the whisky world.”

Glengoyne, 10 Year Old, was awarded Gold, recognising “…products that set the standard in their category.” Glengoyne 12, 21 and 25 Year Old were each rated Double Gold, with the judging panel unanimous in their gold medal rating for these single malts being “amongst the finest in the world.”

DISCOVER OUR AWARD-WINNING COLLECTION

MATURED FOR A QUARTER OF A CENTURY

Matured exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks for a quarter of a century, this bright amber beauty includes notes of brown sugar, soft oak, cinnamon, stewed fruit and spicy liquorice.

25 YEAR OLD

The Glencairn Glass launches its first ever crime short story competition 🕵️‍♀️ – Mystery Whisky News

The Glencairn Glass launches its first ever crime short story competition 🕵️‍

The Glencairn Glass launched its first very own crime short story competition in autumn last year, inviting all budding crime writers to enter stories around the theme: ‘A Crystal-Clear Crime’. The competition was in partnership with Scottish Field Magazine and the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, attracting entries from all over the world.

A big congratulations goes to Brid Cummings for her winning story ‘Halmeoni’s Wisdom’ and also to the two runners up: Jennifer Harvey with ‘Teardrops’ and Judith O’Reilly with ‘Auld Bride’.

Find out more about the competition, the winning authors and read their stories

GlenDronach Cask Strength – limited stock left! 💥 at The Whisky Shop – Scotch Whisky News

There’s some GlenDronach Cask Strength left!

Yesterday we released The Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 10 to our W Club members who had Priority Access, and we have a very limited amount leftover which is now live on general sale – so be quick! Below (via link) is a round-up of some other interesting bottles that have landed recently too.

All new arrivals →

TWO NEW WHISKIES JOIN GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERS’ PORTFOLIO – Scotch Whisky News

TWO NEW WHISKIES JOIN

GLENALLACHIE DISTILLERS’ PORTFOLIO

The distillers behind the World’s Best Single Malt 2021 add GlenAllachie 8-year-old

 and White Heather 15-year-old to growing core range offering

The GlenAllachie Distillers Company today reveals two new product innovations for its brands’ core ranges: The GlenAllachie 8-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky and White Heather 15-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky.

Both products are expertly created by industry stalwart Billy Walker, renowned for his exceptional wood management and blending skills, and who this year celebrates reaching his 50th year in Scotch whisky.

The GlenAllachie 8-year-old (UK RRSP £42.50) marries together spirit aged in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry puncheons, along with virgin oak casks and red wine barriques, each specially selected by Walker.

The Speyside Single Malt offers up the brand’s classic heather honey character, leading to rich notes of stem ginger, mint chocolate and chewy raisins, achieving 92 points at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) 2022.

Looking to follow in the footsteps of highly successful younger releases, such as The GlenAllachie 10-year-old which was named World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2021, the 8-year-old will be an ongoing, accessibly priced offering within the brand’s core range.

White Heather 15-year-old (UK RRSP £59.99) is a premium Blended Scotch containing both peated and unpeated malts from Speyside, Islay and the Northern Highlands along with carefully selected grain whiskies.

The White Heather brand sees Walker return to his roots in the Scotch Whisky industry when he earned his stripes as a blender, developing world-leading products for the global market.

To create the new 15-year-old, the whisky underwent a complex dual maturation system, beginning its life in Sherry butts and American oak barrels, before being skilfully blended by Walker and re-racked into Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso Sherry puncheons as well as American virgin oak casks to spend an additional three years.

With a high malt content of 47 per cent, the amber toned liquid scooped Gold with 95 points at the IWSC 2022, being described as “outstanding” by the expert judging panel.

The new expression joins White Heather 21-year-old, first unveiled in March 2021, to form a core range for the premium Blended Scotch brand.

Both GlenAllachie 8-year-old and White Heather 15-year-old are proudly presented at their natural colour, non chill filtered and at a high strength of 46% ABV for maximum flavour.

Commenting on the new products, Walker reveals:

“From the outset, it has been my aim to release quality whiskies at fair and accessible price points. This can be a significant challenge when you also choose to deploy an extensive and costly wood management policy, however, I believe The GlenAllachie 8-year-old fits the bill without any compromises or corner-cutting.

“In terms of White Heather, this has been a real passion project for me. It takes me back to my first forays in the industry and allows me to select and blend whiskies from across Scotland in order to achieve the intended flavour profile. I hold a strong belief that interest in the Premium Blend category is growing, and we very much want to be at the forefront of it with White Heather.”

Both The GlenAllachie 8-year-old and White Heather 15-year-old are available on an ongoing basis through global specialist retailers, with UK RRSPs of £42.50 and £59.99 respectively.

ABOUT GLENALLACHIE:

One of Scotland’s few independently owned and managed distilleries, The GlenAllachie is led by industry veteran, Billy Walker, who boasts a 50-year tenure in whisky. With an emphasis on wood policy, The GlenAllachie’s cask budget for 2022 stands at an eye-watering £2m/$2.6m. With 16 on-site warehouses holding over 50,000 casks, we have complete control of the end-to-end maturation process.

The GlenAllachie focusses on quality over quantity, which is why we chose to reduce our production capacity from 4m to 500,000 Litres of Alcohol and increase our fermentation period to 160 hours for an ester rich, fruity spirit.

We believe age and integrity matter, which is why all our whiskies carry an age statement, and are bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered for maximum flavour experience.

Our other brands are MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits – encompassing Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky and White Heather Blended Scotch Whisky.

Further information on the distillery and company can be found at www.theglenallachie.com

Facebook – @TheGlenAllachie    |    Twitter – @TheGlenAllachie    |    Instagram – @theglenallachie_

TASTING NOTES

The GlenAllachie 8-year-old Single Malt Scotch Whisky – 46% ABV

  • Colour: Sunset Bronze.
  • Nose: Heather honey, butterscotch and cinnamon, followed by waves of ginger, toasted almonds and mocha.
  • Taste: Lashings of treacle, dried sultanas and butterscotch, with cinnamon, peppermint and honeycomb.

White Heather 15-year-old Blended Scotch Whisky – 46% ABV

  • Colour: Golden Bronze.
  • Nose: Waves of heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, pineapple, mint and a hint of peat.
  • Taste: Layers of treacle, heather honey and butterscotch, followed by orange peel, grapefruit and almonds, with mocha, ginger and a light whisp of peaty smoke on the finish.

Powered by WordPress