https://youtu.be/5GMj6Lcp_xs

Giants being slayed in the whisky industry seems to be a 50/50 split between outrageous pricing from multinational conglomerates, or underselling a product for years in a supermarket and then watching your cask quality decline into the ninthe circle of hell. Or maybe it’s both at the same time?

Ardbeg 10YO. Glenlivet 12YO. Highland Park 12YO. Glenfiddich 15YO. Eagle Rare. Sazerac Rye, and our subject of the day, Lagavulin 16YO.

I’m not one to air negative reviews, well, maybe one a year, at most. But with two seperate rounds of price increases from Diageo, woeful stock availability for almost a year and mass undercut selling from huge retailers for years, is it any wonder that Lagavulin 16YO has been the victim of its own success?

What was once lauded as the finest of product from Islay is now a thin, veiled shadow of itself. Does it still taste good? Yeah, it does. But that becomes bye-the-bye when you factor in everything else that is peated and availabile in the world of whisky.

Speyside Whisky Festival to make a spirited return in 2023

Internationally renowned Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has announced its return in spring 2023 – with the highly coveted tickets going on sale this Friday (27 JAN).

Taking place from 26^th April to 1^st May, this annual celebration of Scotland’s national drink has become one of the largest events of its kind anywhere in the world, bringing thousands of visitors to Speyside each year since its creation in 1999.

With ticket previews available from Wednesday 25^th January, this year’s event will offer a bumper programme of whisky-inspired events designed to entice and inform the most experienced of connoisseurs, to the whisky novice.

From distilleries to village halls, to local whisky bars, historic castles and the great outdoors, a range of events will take place throughout the scenic region of Speyside – the biggest whisky producing region in Scotland – located in the Moray area in the north-east of the country.

Supported by Speyside businesses, communities, members and locals, it is this master blend of talent from the iconic whisky making region that makes the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival each year. Platinum partners include Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Festival Ambassadors of the Year 2022, Steph & Lauren Murray at the Dowans Hotel, as well as some of whisky’s most distinguished brands like The Glenlivet, Diageo, Craigellachie, Benromach, and newcomer to the festival, Speyburn.

To mark the distillery’s 125^th Anniversary, Speyburn is joining the Spirit of Speyside Festival and opening its doors to the public for the first time. During the festival, Speyburn will be running two tours, three times a day, led by its Distillery Manager and Senior Brand Ambassador. Guests will discover the history and heritage of Speyburn, and of course, enjoy a dram or two of Speyburn’s award-winning single malt.

With over 500 events planned for this year’s Festival, other highlights include:

• Raise A Barrel: Join Balvenie Distillery’s expert cooper Ian McDonald for a morning learning to raise your own barrel. Afterwards share a dram with Ian and hear a story or two.
• Tamnavulin Discovery Tour and Tasting Experience: Join Distillery Manager Leon for a guided tour and explore where they craft their exceptional single malt whisky, usually closed to the public. Then enjoy a guided tasting of 4 Tamnavulin expressions and their perfect pairing, complete with a signature Speyside cocktail.
• Keith & Dufftown railway “Dram Tram” evening journey: Take a two-hour evening return train journey from Dufftown station and sample five specially curated whiskies associated with the railway’s original route stations Dufftown, Drummuir, Auchindachy, Earlsmill, and Keith.
• 19 Holes of Golf and Whisky with Glenfarclas: An exclusive opportunity to play 18 holes of golf at the Elgin Golf Club Championship Course with Glenfarclas manager Callum Fraser, enjoy a tasting in the clubhouse before a two course meal provided by Hardhillock Bar and Bistro.

George McNeil, Chairman of The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, said: “Whether you’re a dram expert or just entering the world of whisky for the first time, we will be delighted to welcome you to Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival in spring.

“Taking place across Elgin, to Kingussie, to Forres, our comprehensive programme of events brings the journey of Scottish whisky to life for visitors, creating truly world-class and unforgettable experiences set among spectacular scenery.

“Our visitors travel from as many as 35 different countries, bringing everyone together over a shared passion and interest for whisky.  I can think of no better antidote to the various challenges of the past few years.”

Tickets for the festival’s top events will be available at the time of launch on 27^th January, with previews beginning the 25^th.  Visitors are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment and ensure their spot in popular and exclusive activities.

For more information, visit https://www.spiritofspeyside.com

Spirit of Speyside

Spirit of Speyside organises some of the world’s premier whisky events, welcoming visitors to the beauty of Speyside from across the globe each year.. The organisation is responsible for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival each year with hundreds of events incorporating the Whisky School and Whisky Awards. The same team also hosts Spirit of Speyside: Distilled exclusively for whisky distillers.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival

First launched in 1999, the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival’s annual celebration of Scotland’s national drink has developed into one of the largest events of its kind anywhere in the world. With a programme of over 700 whisky-inspired events over 6 days, the Festival is a mecca for the curious beginner and the whisky connoisseur alike. Festival events take place throughout Speyside, the biggest whisky producing region in Scotland, located in the Moray area in the North-East of the county between Aberdeen and Inverness. Over the years, the Festival has developed close links with many Speyside businesses and communities who help to fund the festival. It is a true team effort to deliver an ever-improving range of events and services to make the six days of the Festival a truly unforgettable experience.

Spirit of Speyside: Distilled

The team behind the annual Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival brings another fantastic event to the sampling table – Spirit of Speyside: Distilled. Where the world’s best whisky distillers unite under one roof on their own doorstep. At the festival, Speyside’s whisky distillers are accompanied by award-winning brewers, gin crafters and there will be lots of local food on offer.

Raise a dram to Address the Haggis!

Below are our section of the finest ‘amber bead’ to raise a glass of this Burns Night on Wednesday 25th January.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

New Releases →

The Akkeshi Distillery, based on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido has been releasing fantastic whiskies since its inception. Explore these fabulous expressions now.

Dekanta

2-49-7 Minamiikebukuro Toshima-ku, Tokyo,

Silver Springs “Barrel #15321” Cask Strength Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (750ml)

$39.99 View

This undeniably original expression comes one of Kentucky’s finest operations, while the contract prohibits the disclosure of its source and it is from one of the new distillers in the state, there are few out there who would argue that it’s not making some of Kentucky’s best rye whisky. This special mashbill was developed by the illustrious Ed Kohl, industry veteran and Keeper of the Quiach, a totally original take on the old recipe. Distilled on the traditional Kentucky bourbon column still with a traditional doubler. Ed envisioned fa “sweet rye” with a higher-than-normal malt and corn content. This might give you some clues to the source as the great rye recipe he’s referring to when telling this story is from across the river and has migrated to Kentucky at certain choice establishments. The mashbill -65% Rye, 15% Corn, 20% Malt-was distilled in a single batch and filled into newly charred 200L white oak barrels in fall of 2018 and transported to Ed’s warehouses in Tennessee. The barrels are stored in the hot and humid southern climate and this barrel was harvested in fall of 2022 at cask strength without chillfiltration. No other high quality American whisky distiller is offering 4-year-old cask strength single barrel rye for less than $40. You may try to guess the source and we’re certain hope that you do as it’s one of the best values in rye whisky on the market today. Expect it to be a deeper, sweeter side of rye that still packs plenty of spicy character.

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

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show. As nothing new is happening at the moment I have taken advantage of that to dig out a selection of distillery bottled samples to review.

https://youtu.be/nZjX7B0TwYM

The First Cask Collection: A Missed Opportunity? 

Direct Wines commissioned the First Cask bottlings for their exclusive members’ club. 

The First Cask collection is something of an enigma in the whisky world; high age statement, vintage releases, but at a fraction of the cost of most modern releases. They are often overlooked on the secondary market too. But what on earth are they?

Direct Wines created the First Cask Collection in order to distribute vintage whiskies to their members on a quarterly basis. The members were part of the First Cask Whisky Circle, entitling them to some impressive bottlings throughout the year. The series includes whisky from the likes of Caol Ila, Balvenie, Highland Park, and Macallan.

Direct Wines Ltd are a Berkshire-based wine merchant company which has an impressive outreach, with operations in Europe, the USA, and Australia. Although mainly dealing in wine, Direct Wines Ltd have also bottled numerous single malt whiskies and well over 500 casks since this venture first began in the early 1990s.

The First Cask Collection began in the 1990s and continued until the late-2000s. There is a very impressive range of whiskies in the collection, with 60s and 70s vintages and high-age statements (the oldest being a 41 year old Strathclyde released in 2007). As the collection was released exclusively to First Cask Whisky Circle members, it was not highly publicised, meaning that many of these bottlings have been flying under the radar on the secondary market.

First Cask is a generally undervalued series, with some fine examples of well-aged whiskies from renowned distilleries going for relatively low prices compared to similar ages and vintages from other independent bottlers or official releases.

With an incredible range of bottles to collect, the First Cask Collection is a great venture for any whisky enthusiast or collector.

Just some of the bottlings available on the Mark Littler Shop are a Caol Ila 1981 21 Year Old (£510), a Highland Park 1975 22 Year Old (£345), a Glenlivet 1968 27 Year Old (£498), and a Glen Grant 1976 24 Year Old (£615).

Browse the full collection on the Mark Littler Shop.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you are interested in the First Cask bottles or would like to chat with one of the team about our other services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

Macallan Robert Burns Semiquincentenary

A very highly prized Macallan decanter released to coincide with Homecoming Scotland 2009 marking the 250th anniversary of Robert Burn’s birth. A mix of two casks one each from 1997 and 1998 with identical cask numbers #1759 (the year of Burn’s birth). The presentation box is made from Scottish red pine and includes a Burns poem unique to the individual bottle. Limited release of 250 bottles which were only available to visitors at the distillery shop.

Buy – Macallan Burns Semiquincentenary – £25k / us$25.3K*

The latest stunning single casks on offer at Loch Fyne!

We have a fleet of indie bottlings and single casks from the likes of First Editions, Duncan Taylor, Old Malt Cask and more! If you’re after something a bit out-of-the-ordinary then look no further.

🔥 Free delivery over £75 🔥

View all Single Casks →

The Octave Brackla 2011 11 Year Old LFW Exclusive #9336209

A stunning release from Duncan Taylor’s Octave series bottled specially for Loch Fyne Whiskies. This eleven-year-old Brackla single malt aged in oak casks before a nine-month finish in an octave cask. Just 84 bottles were filled in 2022 at 54% abv.

£110.00
BUY NOW

The Macallan Lifestyle Collection