ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE^® 2022 Results Announced

 WHISKY – CANADA

WhistlePig The Boss Hog VIII LapuLapu’s Pacific Straight Rye

WHISKEY – IRELAND

Blended: J.J. Corry The Gael

Single Pot Still: Redbreast 21 Years Old

Single Malt: Knappogue Castle 21 Years Old 

WHISKY – SCOTLAND

Blended: Dewar’s Double Double 32 Years Old

Blended Malt: The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Batch #13 Tabanco Time 11 Years Old

Single Malt-Highland: Glenmorangie Truffle Oak Reserve 26 Years Old

Single Malt-Island: Highland Park Viking Honour 12 Years Old

Single Malt-Islay: Ardbeg Uigedail

Single Malt-Speyside: Mortlach Cowie’s Blue Seal 20 Years Old

WHISKEY – USA

Bottled-In-Bond: Old Fitzgerald Spring 2022 Edition 17 Years Old

Bourbon: Eagle Rare 17 Years Old

Rye: Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Series

Single Barrel: Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel

Single Malt: Courage & Conviction Cuvée Single Cask, Cask No. 1266

Tennessee: Jack Daniel’s 10 Years Old

Wheat: Bainbridge Battle Point Two Islands Islay Cask

Other: Barrell Whiskey Private Release DJA1 Blend 1 Finished in a St. Agrestis Brooklyn Amaro Cask

WHISK(E)Y – WORLD

Japanese: Matsui The Kurayoshi Sakura Cask Japanese Single Malt

World: Seven Seals The Age of Pisces Oloroso Sherry Wood Finish Single Malt

June 8, 2022 (Hawthorne, NY) – Ultimate Spirits Challenge (USC), since 2010 the world’s most prestigious global spirits competition, today releases the results of the 2022 Challenge. USC 2022 proved to be the thirteenth consecutive year of record submissions. Entries arrived from more than 50 spirit-producing nations.

The judging, held through May and early June, determined 57 Chairman’s Trophy winners, 274 Finalists, 446 Great Values, and 143 Tried & True Award winners. As always, USC was conducted at the custom-designed Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) Evaluation Center, located in Hawthorne, NY.

Says UBC Co-Founder and Judging Director F. Paul Pacult, “Aside from being the largest USC ever, this year’s Challenge was likewise the most global, with an impressive array of quality distillates from places as far away from New York as China, Australia, Ecuador, India, and Chile. Virtually all categories saw healthy gains, most notably gin, Ready-to-Drink cocktails, mezcal, rum, tequila, rum, vodka, and all whiskey and brandy categories.

“Since producers tend to enter their top-shelf marques into USC, it’s clear that they look to us for the most accurate and unbiased data in the industry. We already look forward to USC 2023!”

ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE…No shortcuts. Just honest, impartial judging

After undergoing careful analysis through multiple panels, all products are rated on the 100-point scale by the spirits industry’s most renowned judges including buyers, journalists, educators, authors, and bar owners.

Spirits scoring 85+ points receive a detailed tasting note. All spirits scoring 80+ points receive an individual results page, which provides all downloadable marketing material.

USC results are promoted globally and on social media.

ABOUT ULTIMATE BEVERAGE CHALLENGE

Ultimate Beverage Challenge (UBC) provides expert evaluation of spirits for producers, importers, and marketers through its innovative annual competition: Ultimate Spirits Challenge. UBC partners are F. Paul Pacult, Sue Woodley and David Talbot.

Our June auction is now LIVE!

Place your bids from Friday 17^th June until Sunday 26^th June.

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, investor enjoy!

Glen Grant – 70 Year Old (1952)

Bowmore – 50 Year Old (1969)

Springbank – 50 Year Old

Macallan – 1940 (Rinaldi)

Glenfarclas – Worlds Series (Complete Set)

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.

The Grand Tour – Touchdown on Mars!

Our exclusive series of single cask whiskies celebrating some of the explorations of our Solar Sytem and beyond. Marking Mars probes Viking 1 and 2, we have two exceptional Palo Cortado sherry casks.

GIRVAN DISTILLERY

30 Year Old 1991 Viking 1

Cask #TWB1022

£150.00

Girvan 30 Year Old 1991 Viking 1, 53.6%

Girvan 30 Year Old 1991 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whisky. Single cask 1st fill Palo Cortado sherry Hogshead #TWB1022 bottled September 2021. The fourth release of The Grant Tour series. Viking 1 space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on August 20th 1975. Its lander was the first in history to successfully land on Mars. 162 numbered bottles.

After an eleven month journey the Viking 1 lander separated from its orbiter on July 20th 1976. The lander captured the first ever clear image from the martian surface and its biological instruments searched for life on the red planet.

Sweet sherry antimatter, carona of pineapple and Cripps Pink apples leading to a dark chili chocolate nedbular. Gravitational toasted cereals, honeycomb halo and galactic lemon cake finish with sherbet elements.

Girvan Distillery is a Scottish Lowland grain whisky distillery situated on the Ayrshire coast. It looks out to the island of Ailsa Craig the source of granite from which curling stones are shaped. William Grant and Sons Ltd opened this distillery in 1963 to supply grain whisky to their blends of scotch but with careful maturation in quality casks Girvan is also able to produce excellent single grain whiskies.

NORTH BRITISH DISTILLERY

30 Year Old 1991 Viking 2

Cask #TWB1023

£150.00

North British 30 Year Old 1991 Viking 2, 47.6%

North British 30 Year Old 1991 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whisky. Single cask 1st fill Palo Cortado sherry Hogshead #TWB1023 bottled February 2021. The third release of The Grant Tour series. Viking 2 space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 9th 1975. Together with Viking 1 it would search for signs of life on Mars. 159 numbered bottles.

Travelling for 333 days to Mars, Viking 2 lander separated from its orbiter on September 3rd 1976 making touchdown on Utopia Planitia, one of the largest crater impact basins in our Solar System.

Lunar sweet sherry, popcorn clusters, planetary ripe pears, toasted cinnamon nebular, telescopic double cream with supernova strawberries. Protoplanetary runny honey circling runaway burnt cedar shavings.

North British Distillery was established on farmland to the west of Edinburgh in 1885 by Andrew Usher, John M. Crabbie and William Sanderson. Since then the city has expanded ever outwards and now the distillery resides in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh. North British opened in 1887 to guarantee supplies of grain whisky for its owner’s cordials and scotch whisky blending businesses. It is equipped with four Coffey stills to produce grain spirit at 94.5% alcohol and multi-million litres of spirit annually. Whilst most of its whisky matures in racked warehouses in the central Lowlands, a small number of casks spend at least eight years at the distillery in dunnage Warehouse No.1. Official releases are very few but excellent independent ones are available from Hart Brothers and Hunter Laing.

Whisky regions… relevant or redundant?

It is only over the last few decades that whisky marketers have really begun using the Scotch whisky regions to promote regional variations (in a similar way that wine producers have for many years). The usefulness of regional classification, however, has always been questioned by some in the whisky industry. 

When the Scotch Whisky Association originally named five regions (which included the Islands as a sub-category of the Highlands), there were only a small handful of Island distilleries. However, with the opening of distilleries from Shetland to the Outer Hebrides and others, an Island region is arguably justifiable. But does it really matter?

READ MORE

In-person Stateside study

Excitement is building for our first in-person teaching trip to the USA this September. There are two opportunities to study the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky with us in-person. First up, we’ll be in New York at Kings County Distillery (10 & 11 Sep) before moving to New Hampshire for a special ticketed event (13 & 14 Sep) ahead of the Highland Games & Festival (16-18 Sep). Places are filling up for both courses, so if you – or someone you know – might be interested in attending, be sure to secure the spot(s) soon.

LEARN MORE

The Loch Fyne
The Living Cask Batch 12

Using some Batch 11 as the base this latest Batch 12 is comprised of whiskies from Linkwood, Mortlach and Ben Nevis. The Linkwood and Mortlach elements have been finished in Muscatel wine casks to add scrumptious sweet complexity.

£46.00
BUY NOW

Welcome to this weeks episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at a selection of relatively new releases from Mossburn Distillers.

https://youtu.be/g6BUwN6FAdA

ANNUAL GREAT BUFFALO CHASE 5K TO RETURN IN-PERSON AND VIRTUALLY FOR TWENTY-FIRST YEAR

 Race Proceeds to Benefit VFW Post 4075 

        FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (June 9, 2022) – Buffalo Trace Distillery’s 21^st annual Great Buffalo Chase 5K will return to an in-person race on July 4^th on the grounds at the National Historic Landmark. The race will also include a virtual option for those unable to join in-person. At the Distillery, the certified race will once again wind around historic aging warehouses and the Distillery’s scenic grounds. Proceeds from the race will help fund VFW Post 4075’s Annual Fourth of July fireworks show for the city of Frankfort, as in years past.

Historically, this summer holiday classic has attracted top runners from across the United States – and sometimes across the world – to the Distillery for the scenic run.

        As per tradition, cash prizes for the top three overall male and female runners will be awarded to in-person participants. Third place will receive $2,000, second place will receive $2,500 and first place will receive $3,000. Additionally, a $1,000 bonus will be awarded to the first male who beats the Great Buffalo Chase record finish time of 13:41 and first female who beats the record finish time of 15:26. Awards will also be given to the top finishers in each age group.

The race will kick off with the singing of the national anthem. Throughout the event, WKYT television news anchor Amber Philpott will be the emcee. Everyone is encouraged to tag Buffalo Trace Distillery on Facebook and Instagram and use #ChaseTheBuffalo. All walkers and runners are also invited to dress in red, white and blue, as special awards will be given on-site for the most patriotic attire.

        The in-person race will begin at 8 a.m. Independence Day and will be limited to the first 1,000 people who register. Chip timing (electronic measurement of a runner’s time and speed) will again be utilized to track race results.

For virtual participants, runners and walkers will participate in the virtual 5K in their hometowns and local neighborhoods wherever they are located during the period of July 2-4.

Registration for the in-person and virtual race is open online until noon July 2. Before June 25 the registration fee is $20, and after that it is $25. All proceeds will again benefit the city of Frankfort’s VFW Post 4075 which has been sponsoring the community fireworks show for more than 40 years. Participants can pick up race materials, which includes a commemorative T-shirt and bib, from noon to 6 p.m. on July 3 at Buffalo Trace Distillery, or can pick up at 7 a.m. the morning of the in-person race. Virtual race participants also have the option to have race materials shipped for an added $5 shipping and handling fee. To ensure race materials are shipped and delivered in time for the race, participants are encouraged to register by Tuesday, June 22.

For more information and to register go to https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/great-buffalo-chase.

Race times will be posted to the Buffalo Trace Distillery website on July 5. 

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.

Father’s Day 2022: Old Pulteney’s Taste of The Sea 

Whisky and Seafood Masterclass

To celebrate Father’s Day this year, Old Pulteney, The Maritime Malt, has partnered with a top Manchester cooking school, to create the ultimate whisky and fish cooking experience for you and your dad.

An unforgettable gift experience for a dad who enjoys spending time in the kitchen, Old Pulteney’s Taste of the Sea Whisky and Seafood Masterclass aims to teach attendees everything they need to know about preparing fish dishes at home, from removing bones to filleting, all enjoyed over a dram of Old Pulteney’s 12 Years Old Single Malt, the definitive expression in the distillery’s collection.

The relaxed evening class will include basic fish preparation skills, including how best to use your fishmonger and tips and tricks on how to create sumptuous coastal recipes at home. Attendees will also learn three delicious recipes, all created with Old Pulteney’s delicious core collection.

While you cook, experts will guide you through the tasting notes of the Maritime Malt and explain how its unique flavour compliments each dish.

Each expression in Old Pulteney’s range of single malt scotch whiskies captures the essence of its home on the Northerly shores of the Caithness Coast, in rural Scotland.  Matured by the sea, Old Pulteney casks breathe the sea air year after year, leaving a distinctively briny taste that pairs perfectly with seafood dishes.

A perfect Father’s Day gift, the experience aims to create an opportunity for fathers across the UK to spend quality time with loved ones, but can also be enjoyed solo. Afterwards, dad will receive an Old Pulteney recipe book so that he can make more delicious dishes at home.

The three hour masterclass takes place on Saturday, July 02 at Manchester’s Food Sourcery cooking school. Tickets cost £95 per person and can be purchased here.

To learn more about Old Pulteney, visit their website here.

Can’t-Miss Exclusive Gems from Knob Creek
“Bottled at 120 proof, these 9-year-old casks are incredible values when measured against their Bluegrass State peers.” — Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

Not one but two exceptional K&L Exclusive Casks have just landed from Knob Creek, and fans of the iconic Kentucky distillery should take serious interest. Our long-time relationship with them allows us access that few others in the industry have, and we’ve brought in some true showstoppers over the years. But thanks to surging demand in the market, the distillery is starting to hold back some of these stocks, meaning opportunities like this may very well become increasingly rare. The two 9-year-olds on offer today boast distinctly different profiles, but they each offer an equally thrilling, cask-strength drinking experience. Barrel #14479 is the brash and boisterous one, as it aged in a much warmer warehouse location. “Big and spicy,” according to spirits buyer Andrew Whiteley, “this specimen is sure to please” any avid Knob Creek aficionado. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Barrel #14675 “is superbly easy to drink and go back to time and time again for neat pours, rocks pours, and it’s got the stuffing to stand up to any cocktail recipe.” At under $60 each, these are two of the finest buys in our bourbon inventory. As the market for stellar finds like these changes rapidly, collectors and connoisseurs should take advantage of every opportunity that comes along.

Whiskey fans should also be on the lookout for our spectacular, best-in-market price on the Knob Creek Rye Whiskey in 1.75L format. At a can’t-miss Insider’s deal of just $39.99, it can become a regular staple on your bar for over 30% less than you’ll find it anywhere else in the market.

Knob Creek “Single Barrel Select” K&L Exclusive Barrel #14479 (Distilled 10/10/12, Warehouse I, Floor 6, Rick 68) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($59.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 02, 2022

Knob Creek routinely offers some of the finest drinking out of Kentucky at very fair prices. The single barrel program has always had a 9-year-old minimum age statement, but folks really took notice when they started routinely bottling 13- to 15-year-old barrels. While they’ve moved back to barrels in the 9-10 range thanks to surging demand (and the creation of much more expensive 12- and 15-year-old official releases), the drinking is still excellent. It would be a mistake to overlook these 9-year-old gems due to the relatively younger whiskey—nine years is still a mighty long time in today’s bourbon landscape. Bottled at 120 proof, these 9-year-old casks are incredible values when measured against their Bluegrass State peers. Both of our current casks were distilled on 10/10/12, but saw considerably different aging conditions. This cask was aged in warehouse 1 on the 6th floor, a much hotter location than Barrel 14675’s 3rd floor resting place. The result is a bourbon with lots of barrel extraction. It is big and spicy with sweet maple tones on the nose. The palate is a bold amalgam of succulent raw corn, brown sugar, maple, cinnamon bark, just a touch of fresh cut grass, and feels thick like syrup on the tongue. Cooked down vanilla on the finish leaves a very pleasant aftertaste. At 60%, it’s big, but no monster hazmat-style bourbon. With an ice cube it drinks very easy without losing intensity. If you’ve ever enjoyed a sip of any Knob Creek, this specimen is sure to please.

Knob Creek “Single Barrel Select” K&L Exclusive Barrel #14675 (Distilled 10/10/12, Warehouse G, Floor 3, Rick 48) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ($59.99)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 10, 2022

Cool and easy going—this cask is Arthur Fonzarelli. Laid back, emanating chill, but not lacking a fiery, tough-guy attitude when he needs to step up. Beautiful copper in color, it’s a striking pour. Barrel #14675 was, like its sister barrel, distilled on 10/10/2012. It did, however, age in the center of the rickhouse on the 3rd floor, rick 48. It’s a much cooler profile than our other in stock cask. It’s more sandalwood than cinnamon, more mint than grass, and of course still tons of that sweet corn and butterscotch/vanilla profile at a robust 60% ABV. There is a freshly popped popcorn note, sweet, buttery, and while not salty, it is set off by a more herbaceous tone in the whiskey—a cool spearmint. Tobacco leaf makes an appearance along with freshly cut cedar. Maple and butterscotch sweeten the aromatic profile up a bit. With time in the glass, things tend towards more spice. On the palate, it is a rich, mouth-coating pour. More cinnamon and pepper heat things up, but there is still an overarching mellow note that carries on through the finish. This cask is superbly easy to drink and go back to time and time again for neat pours, rocks pours, and it’s got the stuffing to stand up to any cocktail you want to throw it in. While just a few short years ago we were spoiled for choice on as many Knob Creek casks as we could shake a stick at, these days we are getting fewer and fewer barrels allocated to us as nationwide demand for these epic casks skyrockets. While we don’t expect the tap to get shut off completely, we don’t know how many more of these we will be able to bottle this year.

Knob Creek Rye Whiskey (1.75L) (Elsewhere $60) ($39.99)

Whisky Advocate: “Unlike the Knob Creek bourbons (which are 9 years old), theres no age statement with this new rye, which tastes relatively younger. Its bracing, vibrant, and spicy. (The rye contribution is unmistakable.) Cinnamon spice and crisp mint dominate, with charcoal, botanicals, ginger, nutmeg, honeyed fruit, vanilla, and caramel. Warming spice finish. Its dynamic personality should shine in cocktails, but from a sipping, drinking neat perspective, I wish it was a little older like its siblings. (Summer-2012)”

Wine Enthusiast: “Look for a dry, distinctly oaky, toasty profile, with plenty of deep, dark toffee and cayenne winding into the spicy, warming finish. Dilution pulls the flavors back to vanilla and buttered toast. Small batch. (KN)” (07/2016)

K&L Notes: An insane price on the 1.75L bottles of Knob Creek Rye—there is no better time to stock up on one of the best cocktailing Rye whiskeys in the store than on this one-time deal. Jim Beam’s entry into the super-premium Rye has really made some waves. While there is no age statement, this contains Rye up to nine years old. Voted “Best Rye” and brandishing double gold medals, the Knob Creek Rye has elevated Jim Beam’s profile in the burning hot cocktail scene. While this bottling shares the eminent Knob Creek name, the profile is very different. Losing the ultra-forward sweetness, you’re going to feel a strong herbal rye spice in its place. Very robust without being overly thick, you’ll find this holds up nicely in your cocktails thanks to the Knob Creek tradition of bottling at 100 proof. A nice addition to the burgeoning Rye category.

As we head towards the historic release of our first whisky, we’re proud to have two local folks in the distillery blender and assistant blender roles. Shona Macleod and Harrison ‘Harry’ Wood have taken on these respective titles, and both are drawn from our existing Harris team.

Alongside friend and collaborator Gordon Steele, they’ve been honing the ‘recipe’ for The Hearach Single Malt, referred to behind the scenes here as ‘R18.’ We’ll be spending more time with Shona, Harry, and Gordon as the months go by to learn more about their work.

Meantime, we raise a glass to the day we can share this dram with you all. Learn more about our whisky-making via the button below…

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WHISKY