The Good Dram Show – Episode 489 ‘James Eadie’
Welcome to this week’s episode of the show, in which I’ll be taking a look at the latest batch of single cask releases from James Eadie. The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 489
HIGH COAST SWEDISH SINGLE MALT CASKS LEAD BONHAMS ONLINE WHISKY SALE
Yamazaki 1984. Estimate: £13,000-18,000 (left). Macallan-Glenlivet 22 year old. Estimate: £6,000-9,000 (right).
London – The small High Coast distillery (formerly known as Box), located in the village of Bjärtrå in the Ångermanland region of northern Sweden, has been producing its unique whiskies since 2010. The distillery produces two styles of single malt; a fruity and fresh unpeated spirit, and a smokier and peaty type. It uses an array of different wood types such as Refill Sherry Hogshead, Virgin Charred America Oak and Bourbon Barrel.
Bonhams’ online Fine Whisky and Spirits sale from Friday 2 December – Tuesday 13 December 2022 offers both these great styles in a curated selection of four casks as follows:
Diego Lanza, Bonhams Senior Whisky Specialist, said: “High Coast puts the spotlight on quality single malts produced outside Scotland. Their visionary Distillery Manager and Master Brewer Roger Melander set out to create the best Swedish whisky with the precision of the Japanese whisky craft and the strong character of Scotch single malts. The eclectic casks selection in the sale demonstrate how he succeeded in creating a versatile and well-rounded single malt, and we are delighted to be featuring four of High Coast’s distinctive casks of single malt in the sale.”
Other highlights of the sale, which consists of 82 lots, include:
The sale also offers a selection of desirable independent bottlings:
Sale: Fine Whisky and SpiritsLocation: OnlineDate: Friday 2 – Tuesday 13 December
Link to catalogue
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and collectables, motor cars and a luxury division, including jewellery, watches, wine and whisky. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 53 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com
The Grand Whisky Auction ENDS TONIGHT!
There are 3500+ lots to browse and bid on this month with the highlight being this 52 Year Old single malt from The Macallan.
The auction closes on the 28th November @ 9pm!
Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?
T. +44 (0)1463 210 427 – sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com
The final outrun of 2022 is here!
Our final outrun for 2022 contains 6 exceptional single casks. We’ve got a great selection of whiskies from a variety of cask types. There’s a great Balmenach with a re-char cask finish, a first release from this distillery for Lady of the Glen and also our first re-char finish. We’ve also got a very rare 27 year old Glenburgie with loads of complexity, sweetness and spice. For the peat fans we have an excellent Caol Ila finished for three years in an ex-oloroso sherry cask. All releases were bottled at our site in Dalgety Bay by hand.
If the bottle you want is sold out don’t worry as we have sent orders to various independent shops and traders across the UK!
Outrun 4 2022
Below are some selected highlights from our new outrun.
There are 6 casks in this outrun.
you can check them all out on our shop here.
SKU #1636997
$149.99
Hunter Laing has been sitting on this one for some time. This is not a true K&L Exclusive, as it was sold in the UK and Europe, but it’s sat in bottle at the Hunter Laing warehouses for almost 10 years now. This is a fun peppery style from Longmorn that offers rich malty, citrus oil and savory spice. The Longmorn Distillery was founded outside of Elgin in 1894 by John Duff. Just one year later, he built a second adjacent distillery now called BenRiach. Longmorn was unique in the area for keeping their direct fire stills operational until 1994. That means that this old bottling is likely some of the last malt to be distilled over burning coal embers and perhaps this is what gives it such wild oldschool character. The intensity of flavor is unique and somewhat surprising as modern Longmorns can be very soft and creamy, but certainly for anyone who loves an old style malt, this will be a very fun and exciting bottling. 700ml. 50% ABV. No color added, no chill filtration.
SKU #1636995
$79.99
We continue to get lucky with these lovely no name Orkney’s. While some suppliers are confident to charge prices similar to what we’d expect from the named version of this, others are offering incredible values for these lovely classic Orkney stocks. Over the past several years, it seems that the owners of this wonderful traditional distillery had decided to liquidate some of the stocks. Perhaps they had miscalculated there blending needs or simply needed cash, but the result is a plethora of high-quality single cask offerings in various age ranges. While we’re not at liberty to discuss the exact origins of this lovely malt, we can narrow it down for you: It’s not Scapa! Considering the pedigree, we’d have been comfortable selling this whisky for much more, but this whisky isn’t just good on paper. It’s a fabulously balanced version of the great Orkney malt with plenty of hearty heath character and twinges of gorgeous ocean-y smoke. An excellent malt by any measure made that much more delicious its ease on the pocketbook.
SKU #1636993
$59.99
While Benrinnes complex partial triple distillation has become a simpler and more straightforward affair since 2007, the distillery hasn’t lost it’s charm. In large part that charm is due to the use of worm tub condensers – the old fashioned (read ‘slow’) way to return spirit vapor to liquid form. This slower process typically results in a much richer and fuller spirit but most modern producers have moved away from the worm tub in favor of greater efficiency and control provided by shell and tube condensers. This has made Benrinnes something of a rare bird and that weight and texture is a prized quality for blending to this day. When you get a chance to have it on its own in single malt form, it’s a treat and an opportunity not to be missed.
SKU #1636971
$59.99
The wonderful Auchroisk distillery is one of Speyside’s truly unsung heroes. Often filled into subpar casks, intended only for blending, it’s unique character can still shine through even when the wood is lacking. Add a great high quality barrel and you’ve got a recipe for a gem. The fact that it’s so affordable shouldn’t not scare off the more discerning malt nuts out there, we are the lucky beneficiaries of some outstanding relationships in Scotland, which has afforded us unparalleled access and pricing in the market. The Auchroisk distillery is relatively young in Scottish terms, built to bolster the stocks of the famous J&B Blended Scotch, along with their other stalwart malts – Knockando, Glen Spey and Strathmill. Based near Mulbern, the single malt brand was not used initially, instead opting to use “The Singleton” name, presumably due to the difficult pronunciation. It should be said, “Ah-Thrusk!” Meaning the shallow burn beyond the red stream, it’s remarkable how much meaning can be packed into so few syllables. Likewise, it’s a shock they’ve been able to pack so much flavor into this humble little bottle. It was originally distilled and filled into a 3rd fill sherry butt in 2010 before being transferred to a freshly dumped bourbon barrel in the middle of 2020. Bottled at cask strength of 56.6% abv without chillfiltration or coloring of any kind.
SKU #1636994
$54.99
Macduff sits well under the radar in the single malt world. The official bottling from the distillery goes by the name of Deveron – the river on which the distillery sits. The only Macduff the world sees comes from the indendent bottlers and with the current ownership falling to Dewar’s under the Bacardi umbrella, it is a wonder we see any at all. Fortunately this 12 year old hogshead snuck away from corporate ownership and wound up in our hands. Bottled at 57.9% ABV without chill filtration or coloring, it’s a beautiful malt highlighting sweet vanilla and rich fudge notes all with a bit of fruitiness to round it out.
SKU #1636992
$54.99
The gorgeous Benrinnes malt is one we’ve come to seek out. All it needs is a bit of good wood and a decade or so. We’ve rarely found such inviting and approachable pure Speysider’s of this quality at such exceptional prices. This 10 year malt comes in at a price point that is untouchable by our competitors for single cask Scotch bottled at cask strength and without chill filtration or color added. It’s a terrific deal for a classic malt. Charged from a Bourbon barrel this cask yielded just 236 bottles at 57.5% ABV. It’s loaded with Benrinnes classic array of fruits and a hint of floral and herbal notes. The sweet vanilla from the Bourbon barrel is the perfect canvas for an elegant painting from “The Ben.”
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
Arran 18 Year Old Island single malt Scotch whisky. Sherry cask matured is a wonderfully balanced expression of The Arran Malt which displays the tremendous depth of character of the Distillery. Caramelised citrus and tropical notes on a background of toasted oak have created an intense, well rounded dram with charm and personality. A luxurious mix of our finest aged Sherry Casks, this fully mature expression of The Arran Malt is exceptional.
This bottling is being sold as a bundle which includes:
1x botte of Arran 18 Year Old (2022)
1x bottle of Arran 10 Year Old Core Release
1x bottle of Arran Quarter Cask Core Release
MAXIMUM 1 SET PER CUSTOMER.
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.
Lagavulin 12 Year Old Special Release 2022
The legend states that one day the King of Islay was reborn from a blaze of fire set by a spark from the sun. A phoenix rose from these ashes and smoke… What we do know is that this a powerfully smoky and spicy dram, emphasised by use of maturation in virigin oak casks.
Nose: dry peat, charcoal, spice, sweetness.
Palate: oily, minerality, lemon.
Finish: intense smokiness, spice.
INTRIGUING INTENSITY: BUY BOTH TOGETHER FOR £145
134.8 SPICE UP YOUR LIFE & MARMALADE OVERDRIVE
These two whiskies make a powerful pair. Cask No. 134.8 is an Indian whisky, that at only 5 years-old is a beauty to behold. With whisky maturing much faster in hotter climates, the layers and depth of flavour in this bottling are quite something. Fast track over to our Marmalade Overdrive bottling for another unique experience with lashings of crimson marmalade and popcorn in melted butter. You can’t help but be captivated by these characters AND with Cask No. 134.8 usually priced at £145 this is a complete whisky winner.
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
Bimber debuts first peated single malt whisky
Bimber becomes first 21st century English distillery to entirely floor malt and kiln its peated spirit onsite
‘Bimber The 1st Peated’ displays an ‘in-bottle’ PPM in order to kickstart a new dialogue about what’s actually inside a bottle of peated whisky
London’s Bimber Distillery today announced the upcoming release of ‘The 1st Peated’ – the distillery’s inaugural peated single malt whisky. Crafted from a marriage of four heavily peated American oak ex-bourbon casks, The 1st Peated is entirely composed from the distillery’s earliest fully peated distillation that took place in May 2019.
The release consists of 1,140 bottles at an ABV of 54.1% and possesses an ‘in-bottle’ PPM of 14.4. Bottles are priced at £130 and will be available via a weighted ballot on the Bimber website from Monday 28th November.
The 1st Peated began its journey at Bimber’s single farm (Fordham & Allen in Basingstoke) where 100% of the distillery’s barley is grown. Two-row Concerto was transported to London where it was steeped 3 times over 40 hours before being turned every 8 hours over the following 5 days. The barley was then dried using a combination of dry and wet Aberdeenshire peat by the Bimber team in a custom-made kiln.
The pungently smoked grains were than mashed and fermented for seven days in the distillery’s iconic in-house crafted washbacks, before being unhurriedly distilled using two directly-fired alembic pot stills.
The four casks married together to create The 1st Peated (#463. #464, #470 and #471), were selected to produce the perfect partnership of Bimber’s fruity and textural single malt whisky style with the intensity of fragrant and smouldering Highland peat smoke.
Speaking of the launch, Bimber Founder and Master Distiller Dariusz Plazewski said “The team and I are truly thrilled to be able to share The 1st Peated with whisky lovers. This release represents a major milestone on the continued journey of Bimber and of our single malt London whisky. Not only is it the culmination of several years of investigation and passion, but being entirely produced by-hand, in-house – it is also truly embodies our continued dedication to traditional production methods.”
The 1st Peated is presented with an ‘in-bottle’ PPM, standing in contrast to most other the whiskies which indicate the initial phenolic content of the barley prior to distillation. Distillery spokesperson Matt McKay noted the reasoning behind this decision by stating “For too long the debate about peat levels has been a race to the top. Producers have sought to display the biggest PPM numbers possible without ever trying to contextualise to customers what these numbers mean in terms of the actual peated character of a whisky once it is inside of a bottle.
Barley PPMs ignore the fact that at every stage of the whisky-making process there is a decrease in the volume of phenols present. They also ignore the large variations that distinct production methods across different distilleries have on this inevitable decline. A 50 PPM barley utilised at one distillery will not directly equate to 50 PPM barley used by another. By presenting The 1st Peated with an in-bottle PPM we’re looking to kickstart a dialogue about PPMs which hopefully leads to a more considered reflection of what’s actually inside a bottle of whisky.”
Bimber The 1st Peated
A marriage of four heavily peated ex-bourbon barrels (#463. #464, #470 and #471),
Nose: Pineapple juice and apricot cobbler sit alongside creamy toffee whilst damp, feathery smoke envelopes fallen leaves and touches of salinity.
Palate: A weighty arrival delivers immediate peat influence – smouldering logs, leaf mulch and smoked vanilla fudge. The development unleashes a wave of bright, vibrant fruitiness together with wood spice.
Finish: Mentholated oak with lingering vivid fruit sugars.
70cl
14.4 PPM (in-bottle)
54.1% ABV
RRP £130
Available via weighted ballot from 28th November
About Bimber
Bimber Distillery produces world-class single malt whisky, handcrafted with passion in West London. As a leading distiller of English whisky, we combine generations of rich distilling heritage with the finest quality ingredients to create the ultimate craft whisky experience.
For fans of The Ten, this has the same cask make-up yet is elevated in richness and complexity by age
The iconic age statement from Benriach was in recent years not produced due to very high demand, but it is back with a bang! For fans of The Ten, this has the same cask make-up yet is elevated in richness and complexity by age. Matured in a combination of bourbon, sherry and virgin oak, and bottled at 43% abv at natural colour.
Discover a wisp of smoke alongside aromas of baked apples, hazelnut and ginger-spiced apricots, leading to flavours of stone fruits, nutty oak and honeyed malt. Bottled at 43% abv at natural colour.
