JOURNEYMAN DISTILLERY MAKES HISTORY IN GOLIATH BLIND TASTING COMPETITION

THREE OAKS, MI – In a historic, game-changing victory, Journeyman’s Corsets, Whips and Whiskey single-grain, cask-strength wheat whiskey has won three of the highest honors bestowed at the 2022 ASCOT Awards, including Double Platinum, Best Wheat Whiskey, and Best in Class: Whiskey of the Year. Additionally, Journeyman’s Silver Cross Four Grain Whiskey earned a Gold Medal in this year’s awards.

Journeyman Distillery’s victory is a landmark in more ways than one. Besides this whiskey outshining more than 800 submissions for Best in Show—including spirits from some of the most acclaimed distilleries in the world—wheat whiskeys are often overlooked. To be honored with this accolade having been tasted alongside bourbon, scotch, and Irish and Tennessee whiskeys emphasizes the colossal achievement. In laymen’s terms:

“This is like a minor-league team beating the Yankees at the World Series…this is Rich Strike winning the Kentucky Derby,” says Fred Minnick, founder of the ASCOT Awards. “For the first time in any major spirits competition, a wheat whiskey was judged to be best.” 

Corsets, Whips and Whiskey showcases the quality and terroir of the organic Michigan wheat used to produce it, offering a soft, sweet smoothness brought to you by the golden hour sunsets overlooking the wheat farm directly behind the distillery and aquifer flowing just beneath the Featherbone Factory. The distillery’s fervent commitment to hand-made quality is precisely what made this victory possible. As one of the few certified organic distilleries in the nation, Journeyman works hard to ensure every one of their grain-to-bottle spirits reaches full potential.

“Journeyman started in 2010 and was built on the core principle of ‘Always a Journeyman.’ A mindset of never a Master but always in pursuit of distilling excellence,” says Bill Welter, founder of Journeyman Distillery. “It’s amazing to have competed with some of the true Masters of the trade and to have fared so well!” – Bill Welter, Founder of Journeyman Distillery.

To commemorate the accolades, the Corsets, Whips and Whiskey Summer Celebration will take place at the Distillery in Three Oaks, Michigan from June 23-26 including a multi-course dinner hosted by founder Bill Welter, backyard BBQs with live music as well as special distillery tours and features at Staymaker, the distillery’s on-site family-friendly restaurant. The distillery will also be releasing a limited Corsets, Whips and Whiskey bottle that was finished in Schramm’s Mead barrels at the celebration.

Screenshot from Fred Minnick’s Instagram

The competition created by famed spirits personality Fred Minnick, the ASCOT Awards highlight spirits from across the globe. Submissions underwent a blind taste test by a panel of industry-leading experts, who then determined winners for both individual categories and the Best in Show. See all category winners here.

Judges include Minnick; author, bar owner, and educator Martin Cate; the world’s first female Master Bourbon Taster and founder of the nationwide organization Bourbon Women Peggy Noe Stevens; educator, influencer, and highly sought-after special events bartender Tiffanie Barriere; world-renowned mixologist and spirits industry educator Francesco Lafranconi; craft cocktail entrepreneur Denaya Jones; and author and bourbon columnist Susan Reigler.

World Whisky Forum Sets Sights on Sustainability

The fourth World Whisky Forum, taking place from 21^st to 23^rd June at Stauning Whisky Distillery in Denmark, will turn its attention to the importance of sustainability in the whisky industry.

The Forum, which brings together distilleries and stakeholders from around the world, is dedicated to building bridges in the whisky community, sharing open-minded thinking, insights and innovations.

The programme will focus on sustainability and its impact on the whisky industry; from how sustainability can impact production, distribution and consumption, to the sustainability of cereal crops and supply of wood, to the design of next-generation whisky distilleries and the future of packaging.

Following an opening day of introductions, scene setting and a keynote speech from Tommy Rahbek Nielsen of sustainable energy provider Vestas Wind Systems, day two will feature two special study sessions exploring the future of sustainability within global whisky.

‘The Use of Finite Resources’ will feature Whyte & Mackay Master Whisky Maker Gregg Glass, Magali Picard from Demptos Cooperage Research and James Brosnan from the Scotch Whisky Research Institute.

Gregg Glass comments: “The World Whisky Forum offers an exciting opportunity to meet with likeminded individuals across our industry from around the globe.

“It’s an honour to have been invited to discuss the use of finite resources. Last year, at Whyte & Mackay we announced our Scottish Oak Programme, through which we’re helping to establish the use of native oak across distilleries in Scotland. It’s an ongoing and rewarding project and I’m proud to be able to share our insights at the World Whisky Forum.

“Dave Broom, one of the co-founders of the World Whisky Forum, has been key within in the industry in supporting my journey as a whisky maker, as well as our Scottish Oak programme in particular. His perspective is truly unique in our industry.”

The second session, ‘Building Sustainable Distilleries and the Financial Upside of Sustainable Production’ will involve Annabel Thomas from Nc´nean Distillery, Alex Bruce from Adelphi Distillery, Todd Leopold from Leopold Bros., Oskar Bruno from Agitator and Bastian Heuser from Stork Club Whiskey / Spreewood Distillers.

The final panel sessions on the third and final day of this year’s Forum will include Joanna Watchman from Content Coms, Ryan Chetiyawardana from Mr Lyan and Peter Kreiner from Noma, who will discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding ‘Communicating with the Consumer’.

The World Whisky Forum was co-founded by Jan Groth, Ingvar Ronde and Dave Broom, the latter of which will moderate all panel discussions.

Dave Broom comments: “The role of the World Whisky Forum is to be a place where anyone working within the category can come, listen, debate, learn, and share. It is an example of the industry at its best, a collegiate space where everyone’s opinion is valid, no matter how big or small your operation may be.

“No topic is more important than sustainability and navigating this complex area successfully will only be achieved by collective action and debate. I am looking forward eagerly to see what emerges at Stauning and encourage anyone interested to either attend in person – or virtually.”

The three previous World of Whisky Forums have taken place at High Coast Distillery in Sweden, Cotswolds Distillery in the UK and Westland Distillery in the USA. The fourth meeting will be held on the beautiful west coast of Denmark at Stauning Whisky Distillery, a pioneer in the New Nordic whisky movement.

For the first time, attendees can also participate virtually, to watch panel discussions and even tour the distillery. Tickets can be purchased via the World Whisky Forum website – https://worldwhiskyforum.org/tickets/

Aberdeen Whisky Shop
Price
£30.00

Join our virtual mystery dram tasting on Friday the 24th of June at 7 pm. A fun and informative evening showcasing some more unusual and overlooked drams. A great way to discover new flavours and find a new favourite.

Your tasting set will include 6 x 20ml drams and will be hosted by Bryan Roberston of Aberdeen Whisky Shop. Please note to join the tasting you will need a device with access to zoom.

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SUPERHERO WHISKIES

Whether it’s for sharing, gifting or raising a glass, don’t forget Father’s Day NEXT Sunday (19 June). We’ve hand picked a special selection of 12 whiskies to celebrate our heroes on the day. Fly on over to our website now to view the selection OR keep on scrolling for some superhero highlights.

DAD DAY DRAMS

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

Stunning Quality and Value from a K&L Speyside Favorite
2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside
Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)
“These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight … when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes DOWN, we just can’t say no.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

The bounty of new K&L Exclusive casks coming through our doors is seemingly without end. The latest edition is from Craigellachie, a K&L-favorite Speyside distillery that has provided us with some of our most popular single casks over the years. This time they’ve not only brought their signature style in spades, but they’ve also trimmed the price to make this a surefire contender for the single malt deal of the year. Bottled at cask strength from a first-fill sherry butt, this is a spectacular expression of the style, as the distillery’s singular profile is a perfect match for the barrel’s influence. As spirits buyer David Othenin-Girard notes, “This is an absolutely wild whisky and definitely one for the lovers of a bit of funk.” It’s also one for lovers of unbeatable quality for price. Last year’s 16-year-old cask wowed our sherried Scotch fanatics, and this year’s 15-year-old iteration offers arguably higher quality and an absolutely more distinctive profile for a significant discount. Whether you’re a fan of Craigellachie, Speyside, or sherried single malts in general, this gem is an unequivocal must-have in any well-curated collection.

2006 Craigellachie 15 Year Old “Old Particular” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) ($99.99)

K&L Notes: Another stupendous sherried Craigellachie from Old Particular. Like last year’s 16 Year Old, this butt retains significant distillery character while not forgetting that it aged in a sherry butt for a decade and a half. The fabulous distillery just across the river from the famous Macallan distillery was once one of Speyside’s most undervalued. Now, due to repositioning and tariffs, even the entry-level distillery offerings seem out of reach in value terms, let alone their extremely well regarded “Exceptional Cask” bottlings, which have gone up in price 30-40% over the last year. We’ve managed, on the other hand, to lower the price of this exceptional malt by over $20 for something of equal or greater quality and just one year younger than the former offering. The bold, sometimes funky malt character of Craighellachie does wonders when married with sherry, and the resulting malt won’t disappoint sherry lovers, although it’s not the sweet, raisiny style some drinkers have come to associate with modern, sherry-matured single malts. Instead, it’s a deeply complex and slightly esoteric style that will appeal to drinkers looking for something more classical and contemplative.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: June 08, 2022

These sherried Craigellachies are an absolute delight. We don’t like to do the same thing year in and year out, but when they keep dropping these on us and the price goes down, we just can’t say no. This new one is a classic funky Craigie, which reminds us that this is one of Speyside’s most flavorful malts and loves to play against a great sherry butt. The color is deep gold. The nose offers that great Craigellachie funk, industrial and old school, which few modern malts offer. The sherry is there, but it doesn’t feel artificially vinous like some modern bottlings can. We get almond butter, roast pecans, bright red fruit, slight camphor smoke, wisps of engine oil, black olive, kirsch, and golden raisins. On the palate, it’s sweeter than expected, now offering some gorgeous dark chocolate, Figgie pudding, sweet candied plums, and a slight minty note on the finish. With water we add some nutty notes on the nose, but it stays pretty much in line. On the palate, there’s now a wonderfully rich, velvety texture and more tropical fruit. This is an absolutely wild whisky and definitely one for the lovers of a bit of funk, although I waffle on whether to add water or not. It’s not sulphuous though, so if you’re sensitive to that, I don’t think it will be a problem. I feel like this is a very underrepresented style that I wish we saw more of—even last year’s excellent 16-year was much more straightforward, and this one offers much more nuance.

JOHNNIE WALKER

BLUE LABEL
GLASS SET

70CL | 40%

£155

WAS £180

SAVE £25

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An impressive gift pack of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, joined by two elegant tumblers. Johnnie Walker’s signature dry smokiness reveals itself on the nose, followed by a velvety mouthfeel and an explosion of hazelnuts, honey, dark chocolate and spices on the palate.

ralfy review 930 – Aultmore 18yo @ 46%vol:

ANGEL’S ENVY® UNVEILS $8.2 MILLION BRAND HOME EXPANSION AND FIRST VIRTUAL DISTILLERY IN DECENTRALAND

The $8.2 million Brand Home expansion adds 13,000 square feet and doubles annual guest capacity at ANGEL’S ENVY’s distillery in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.

From June 14, National Bourbon Day, through June 20, fans can visit the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery virtual pop-up for a gamified bourbon-making experience, interactive cocktail quest, POAP token, NFT wearable giveaways, and more

Louisville, Kentucky (June 7, 2022) – ANGEL’S ENVY®, the Kentucky-based craft distiller that produces finished whiskeys, today unveiled its completed $8.2 million Brand Home expansion at 500 E. Main St. in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. The expansion, which adds 13,000 square feet to the facility, will allow ANGEL’S ENVY to welcome an additional 64,000 visitors each year, doubling annual guest capacity. To celebrate, ANGEL’S ENVY, the super-premium whiskey owned by Bacardi Limited, is inviting fans to plan an in-person visit or experience the Brand Home virtually via the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery, the first-ever distillery experience in Decentraland. The ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery – which includes a gamified and educational distillery production tour and bourbon-making experience, interactive cocktail challenge, Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP) token, non-fungible token (NFT) wearable giveaways, and more – will launch in Decentraland on June 14, National Bourbon Day, and remain open through June 20.

“ANGEL’S ENVY has seen significant growth over the past several years, and that will only be amplified with our Brand Home expansion as we can now better meet the incredible demand from visitors who want to tour our facilities and experience our distillery. We’re proud to be part of such a strong community in Louisville and will continue to invest in our hometown,” said Gigi DaDan, ANGEL’S ENVY General Manager. “We’re thrilled to launch the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery on National Bourbon Day and look forward to engaging and celebrating bourbon with new audiences from all over the world through the virtual experience.”

The expansion to the ANGEL’S ENVY Brand Home will create approximately 20 new jobs in Louisville and includes new spaces and experiences for guests, such as a larger retail area, five new tasting rooms, an additional bar space, event space, and full catering kitchen and a designated room for ANGEL’S ENVY’s “Bottle Your Own” experience, which will now offer guests the chance to fill their own bottles of a distillery-exclusive Single Barrel offering. ANGEL’S ENVY worked with Joseph & Joseph, Contagious, and Sullivan & Cozart on the design and build for the expansion; construction began in late 2020. Visitors can now learn more about distillery experiences, book tours, and inquire about private events at angelsenvy.com/distillery.

With the launch of the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery, the super-premium bourbon brand becomes the first in the Bacardi portfolio of brands to create a Brand Home in the metaverse. Users (age 21+) are taken on a series of gamified experiences such as a mash bill challenge, cask personalization in the barreling room, and an ingredient quest to create cocktails. In addition, users have the opportunity to plant virtual white oak trees around the distillery, correlating to trees planted in real life through ANGEL’S ENVY’s “Toast the Trees” initiative – a program created in 2014 to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy white oak tree population to preserve the future of bourbon. ANGEL’S ENVY partnered with Terrazero Technologies Inc., a metaverse products and services technology firm and experience development studio, to create the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery.

“We are excited to welcome the first distillery in Decentraland with the ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery,” said Adam de Cata, Head of Partnerships for Decentraland Foundation. “As we have seen over the past several months, people want to engage in the metaverse with activities and goods that they can relate to from this reality. The ANGEL’S ENVY Meta Distillery creates a new way for people to engage and celebrate in the metaverse.”

Throughout the experience, which is easily accessible for first-time or established users of Decentraland, users will earn virtual badges, a POAP token, and free customized NFT wearables. Users within the U.S. will be able to purchase physical items from the ANGEL’S ENVY web shop and a metaverse cocktail delivered to their door via Cocktail Courier. They can also enter to win an ANGEL’S ENVY mixology kit. More information about how to access and engage with the experience can be found here.

About ANGEL’S ENVY

ANGEL’S ENVY is a Louisville, Kentucky-based craft distiller that produces finished whiskeys. Co-founded in 2010 by the late Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes Henderson, it began as a passion project that combined their family’s deep-rooted passion for and knowledge of the industry with an innovative outlook on bourbon making and finishing. Today, the ANGEL’S ENVY team continues to produce its award-winning core offerings – a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels and a Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks – as well as a variety of innovative, special releases.

ANGEL’S ENVY opened the doors to its Brand Home, the first full-production whiskey distillery in downtown Louisville, in 2016. In June 2022, ANGEL’S ENVY completed an $8.2 million expansion to its Brand Home, doubling annual guest capacity. The ANGEL’S ENVY distillery is located at 500 East Main Street.

ANGEL’S ENVY is available in all 50 U.S. states and several international markets, and it is produced by Louisville Distilling Company, a subsidiary of Bacardi Limited.

For more information, please visit us at www.angelsenvy.com, or on:

Facebook: facebook.com/AngelsEnvyBourbon or facebook.com/TourAngelsEnvy

Twitter: @angels_envy

Instagram: @angelsenvy

Personalise your bottle for dad!

Get personal and add a special touch to that bottle of whisky! Nothing will brighten up your dad’s day better than a new bottle of the water of life and a wee heartfelt message – aww. All the bottles below can be personalised so take a gander!

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

Check out Personalised bottles → 

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