ralfy review 985 – Filey Bay Double Oak 

Hard Truth Distilling Co. Completes New Rackhouse

Increased Demand and Upcoming New Products Drives Need for More Space

Nashville, IN – Hard Truth Distilling Co., one of the nation’s most visited destination distilleries, today announced the completion of its second rackhouse. With barrels already being rolled in, Rackhouse #2 is twice the size of Hard Truth’s first rackhouse, tripling storage capacity from 4,000 to 12,000 barrels for its critically acclaimed sweet mash whiskies. Bryan Smith, Hard Truth Master Distiller, said the new rackhouse and process upgrades have enabled the distillery to increase overall whiskey production by 800 percent and it is now operating 24/7. With sales increasing 400% this year the extra production is critical to meeting future demand for Hard Truth’s award-winning whiskies.

In addition to ongoing sales gains in existing markets, Hard Truth continues to add significant new markets including most recently New York in partnership with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of New York.

“Introducing our line of spirits into the New York market has been a goal since we starting doing business,” said Smith. “Our ever-expanding product line of sweet mash rye whiskies, and wide range of premium craft spirits has seen success in other markets including Florida, Texas and Illinois.  We are confident they will experience the same success with consumers and retailers in New York and all major markets including California, which is next on our market expansion list.”

Hard Truth sweet mash rye whiskeys have seen their fair share of awards and praise. Hard Truth’s first batch of Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey was named in the top 50 of Fred Minnick’s Top 100 American Whiskeys of 2021, and since then has taken home a Gold Medal in USA Spirits awards, Double Platinum Medal in the Ascots and earned two 93 ratings in other tasting competitions.

Recently, Hard Truth Master Distiller’s Reserve Chocolate Malt Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey and Hard Truth Master Distiller’s Reserve Caramel Malt Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey received the prestigious Double Platinum rating at the 2023 Ascot Awards. In addition, the third spirit in the line of Hard Truth’s Master Distiller Reserve’s collection, Hard Truth Master Distiller’s Reserve Malted Rye Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey won the prestigious 2023 Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition.

“We have no intention to rest on our laurels, We will continue to drive this sweet mash revolution forward,” said Smith. “You will see new products coming out this fall that will extend our line of award-winning sweet mash rye whiskey.”

Growth Right From The Start

Hard Truth Distilling Co. began distilling in 2015 by developing and consumer testing its award-winning products on a 120-gallon pilot system while our destination distillery was being built. Since then, sales have grown steadily year over year, including a 110 percent increase 2021 to 2022.

The distillery’s portfolio of award-winning spirits can now be enjoyed in 21 states and in the Bahamas, and according to Jeff McCabe, Hard Truth Co-Founder, market expansion is a priority.

“We expect to see our brands in 24 states by the end of 2023,” said McCabe. Hard Truth’s portfolio of award-winning premium spirits in addition to its line of Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskies includes Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, Toasted Coconut Rum Cream, Maple Bourbon Cream and Cinnamon Vodka, which has become the best-selling cinnamon vodka in the U.S.

Hard Truth: A Leading Midwest Tourist Destination

Many distilleries offer tours and tastings, but few sit among 325, explorable, wooded acres in some of the most beautiful countryside in the Midwest. Visitors to Hard Truth can tour the distillery, dine at its 250-seat restaurant, and hop on an ATV with a tour guide to explore the property while learning about the history of distilling.

Hard Truth hosts festivals, health and wellness adventures, mixology classes, and more. The forest-framed Hard Truth on the Rocks terrace and stage area offers live music and special events, a unique terrace food menu, and drinks.

“A key component of our mission at Hard Truth is offering visitors an opportunity to experience this place and our brands, and by doing so, become part of the Hard Truth family,” said McCabe. “We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in just eight years, and there’s so much more to come.”

About Hard Truth Distilling Co.

Headquartered in Nashville, Indiana, Hard Truth Distilling Co. produces more than 20 premium spirits, including critically acclaimed Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey and top-selling Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka, Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, and Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream.

To join the Springbank Society contact them at society@springbank.scot

2023 SO FAR AT SPRINGBANK

As the first half of 2023 comes to an end we thought we would give our Society members an update on what has been happening at the distillery this year, what the team have been up to, and what to look out for in the remainder of the year.

MALTS FESTIVAL 2023

In May we hosted our Springbank Open Day as part of the 2023 Campbeltown Malts Festival, which brought whisky lovers from all over the world to the distillery to enjoy a wide selection of drams, unique tastings, demonstrations from our production team, and tours of the distillery among other events. Around 240 Society members joined the Springbank Sales Team in the Malt Barns for two blind tastings where we sampled core range Springbank with the twist of being matured fully in Bourbon casks.

We also released our annual Festival bottles, which this year consisted of a 24 year old Springbank matured in Sherry and Port, an 8 year old Longrow and a 14 year old Hazelburn, each matured in Sherry.

The dates for next year’s festival have now been confirmed as Tuesday 21st – Saturday 25th May. We hope to see you there!

SOCIETY ON TOUR

With Society members worldwide, the sales team have recently been globe-trotting in order to take the Springbank Society “on tour”. Since December, the team have hosted tastings in Frankfurt, Cologne, Vienna, Aberdeen, Hong Kong, Liverpool, Manchester and, last but not least, Campbeltown!

These tastings have been a great opportunity for us to connect with members and share some exciting drams. We hope that those of you who have attended one of these tastings enjoyed it as much as we did.

If you are interested in attending a Society tasting in your area, keep your eyes peeled for future tastings as the Society tour continues to make its way around the world. You will be contacted with details of tastings if/when they are planned in your area.

UPCOMING RELEASES & TASTING PACKS

In the latter half of 2023, we have some exciting limited releases to come such as the new Springbank 18 and 21 year olds, Longrow 21, the new Hazelburn Sherrywood, and the next edition of the Springbank Sherry series: Palo Cortado.

In our continued efforts to ensure that as many of you are able to sample these limited releases as possible at a time when it can be difficult to obtain bottles, we look forward to introducing tasting packs of limited releases later this year. These will be made available exclusively to Society members in the first instance, with the potential to be extended to non-members depending on demand. We trust that this will come as good news and will follow up with more information in due course.

DISTILLERY UPDATE

In our continuing transition from red diesel to liquified petroleum gas, six LPG tanks have been installed and hooked up to our boilers at Springbank and Glengyle, as well as to the kiln burner and wash still burner. We are hopeful that all works will be completed and up and running by the beginning of July. In another move towards becoming more environmentally friendly, we are looking into the possibility of installing Electric Vehicle Charging Points at the Distillery for visitor use.

We are on to the thirteenth term of our 2023 whisky school, which kicked off in February and will continue until the end of the Springbank production year. Hazelburn, Longrow, Local Barley and Springbank have all been produced this year so far, and the remaining production period will focus solely on Springbank.

We are in the initial planning phase for our new Bottling and Dispatch facility, which will be situated at Glengyle distillery but will accommodate bottling for the full J&A Mitchell range.

Once again, we have had barley sown this year at High Ranachan Farm which is based around 2 miles from the distillery. The variety this year is Westminster, which was last grown on behalf of the distillery in 2020 at High Ranachan and distilled with in 2021.

Varieties: Westminster (left) vs Bere (right) 

Springbank Distillers Ltd, 9 Bolgam Street, Campbeltown, Scotland, PA28 6HZ
http://experience.springbank.scot/
society@springbank.scot

To join the Springbank Society contact them at society@springbank.scot

The Grand Whisky Auction is now LIVE!

There are 2500+ lots to browse and bid on this month with one of the highlights being this 50 Year Old Glenturret Lalique!

Interested in selling whisky in our next auction?

T.+44 (0)1463 210 427 – sales@thegrandwhiskyauction.com

Win a special meal at The Gannet Glasgow

Buy any bottle from the Fettercairn range for the chance to win a trip to the highly-acclaimed Glasgow restaurant, The Gannet. Enjoy a five-course tasting menu, inspired by Fettercairn, accompanied with paired wines and three drams, as well as an overnight stay in the city & UK travel.

SHOP FETTERCAIRN →

Giveaway: Fettercairn x The Gannet

View full T&Cs here →

Win A Special Meal at The Gannet Glasgow

Fettercairn and The Gannet share a passion for local sourcing and partnering with their local communities. At Fettercairn, the next 100 years are more important than the last with a commitment to the future through the founding of the 200 Club, meaning for generations to come, every golden ear of barley used in the making of Fettercairn will be harvested from fields within a 50-mile radius of the distillery, grown by local farmers. At The Gannet, a seasonally changing multi-course menu is inspired by a network of small artisan producers, foragers and farmers to create a distinctly modern Scottish fine dining experience.

Shop Fettercairn →

Free Next Day Delivery for 12 Months

For just £14.95 you can enjoy free next day delivery on all your orders for a whole year!
Geographic restrictions apply, see full T&Cs.

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Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 493: Virginia Highland Malt Whisky Port Cask Finished

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries something… special. Recently his American friend John came by again. And once again he had a bottle with him that Mark hadn’t seen before, let alone tasted. From Virginia, yes. The Virginia Distillery is located at the foot of the famous Blue Ridge Mountains. But when Mark read the label, he looked up, because it says very clearly: ‘A marriage of Scotch malt whisky and American whisky finished in port wine casks’. This is actually a blended malt because the American whisky is also 100% single malt. Mark calls it a hybrid. And you should know that the American in the mix matured for 5 years and that the whole thing was finished on port casks for another 12 months after marriage. The whisky has won the title of Best American Blended Malt 5 years and running at the World Whisky Awards in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021! Mark does wonder how many entries there were for that category. But enough of that, pop that bottle!

https://youtu.be/g1GjHX8rdnc

ISLE OF RAASAY X SELFRIDGES EXCLUSIVE SINGLE CASK RELEASE
HEBRIDEAN ISLAND DISTILLER LAUNCHES EXCLUSIVE NEW RELEASE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SELFRIDGES

This peated Isle of Raasay single cask expression was hand selected by the Isle of Raasay team exclusively for Selfridges London, Manchester and Birmingham stores, and Selfridges.com.

This whisky was initially matured in ex-rye casks, building layers of peppery spice and black pepper to the flavour profile. The spirit was then further matured in an ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry quarter cask, resulting in delicious hints of almond, nuts and sweet fruit.

As always, this release was distilled, matured and bottled entirely on the Isle of Raasay, encapsulating the spirit and character of the Hebridean island. Bottled at natural cask strength with an ABV of 56.3% ABV, natural colour and non-chill filtered. Only 166 bottles have been produced in total.

The Isle of Raasay x Selfridges exclusive single cask retails at £99.99 for a 70cl bottle. It can be purchased from Selfridges London, Manchester and Birmingham stores, and on Selfridges.com from 6th July 2023.

BACKGROUND

Co-founders Bill Dobbie and Alasdair Day first met in 2013 and formed R&B Distillers with the common goal of building Scotland’s leading artisanal distillery. Focusing on local production, provenance, quality and doing things differently. By 2015, they had identified the Isle of Raasay as providing the ingredients for the perfect spirit, and planning permission to begin work revitalising the Isle of Raasay’s nineteenth century Borodale House into a state-of-the-art distillery, visitor centre, and luxury accommodation was granted in 2016.

Starting with a blank sheet of paper, they set about designing a distillery to create exceptional whisky  that develops elegance, complexity, and depth early on in the maturation process and a handcrafted Hebridean gin that encapsulates Raasay’s style, character and impressive geological variety.

Since its establishment, the Isle of Raasay Distillery has brought job opportunities to the island, worked closely with other local businesses and become embedded in the island’s tight-knit community.

Part of the distillery’s ethos is to produce, mature, bottle and market every drop of spirit directly from the island. This seeks to maximise the influence of the island on the spirit, and the distillery on the island. To quote the inimitable Whisky Writer Dave Broom at our distillery opening: ‘we are not just making alcohol, we are making spirit.’

The distillery now employs more than 25 people on the island and the average age of the Raasay workforce is approximately 30 years old. An early indicator of creating inter-generational values and making sure this special island of 161 people continues to thrive. We can’t wait for you to come and visit our wonderful island and enjoy our Hebridean spirits for yourself.

THE ICONIC BOWMORE 1964 TRILOGY GOES TO AUCTION IN NEW ZEALAND

Available at auction for the first time in New Zealand, the team at Whisky Galore Auctions are proud to present the Bowmore 1964 Trilogy for sale.

Comprised of three bottles, the Bowmore White, Gold, and Black, this Trilogy represents some of the rarest whiskies ever released by the Bowmore distillery.

Filled into a small handful of cask types on the 5th of November in 1964 at the Bowmore distillery on Islay, the start of this series was first released in 2007 with the Black, following the White and Gold in 2008. This Trilogy has remained one of the most sought-after and iconic releases from any distillery on Islay, and given the small number of each bottle produced, their availability has dwindled over the years.

The reputation that these 3 whiskies have is not exclusively due to their rarity; they are regarded as among some of the best whisky that Scotland has ever produced. This lot contains three 700ml bottles including their presentation boxes:

Bowmore ‘Black’ Sherry Cask 1964 / 42 years old 40.5% 700ml
Bottled from five ex-Oloroso sherry casks for 42 years, only 827 bottles were produced of the Bowmore Black.

Bowmore ‘White’ Bourbon Cask 1964 / 43 years old 42.8% 700ml
Bottled from six ex-bourbon that matured for 43 years, only 732 bottles were produced of the Bowmore White.

Bowmore ‘Gold’ Fine Oak Cask 1964 / 44 years old 42.4% 700ml
Bottled from a selection of three ex-bourbon casks and one ex-Oloroso sherry cask that matured for 44 years, only 701 bottles were produced of the Bowmore Gold

This rare opportunity to own the trilogy of these iconic releases begins with bidding opening from the 12^th of July at https://whiskygaloreauctions.co.nz, with the sale ending on the 18^th of July.

We welcome bidders and interested parties from around the world – you can register to bid at https://whiskygaloreauctions.co.nz, and enquiries for further information can be made at info@whiskygaloreauctions.co.nz or by phoning Whisky Galore on +64 3 3776824.

Overseas bidders are encouraged to please contact WGA to confirm shipping and insurance arrangements.

ABOUT WHISKY GALORE AUCTIONS

Founded by whisky industry veteran Michael Fraser Milne (MQ), Whisky Galore Auctions was established to offer a specialist whisky auction service for New Zealand, serving clients around the country and overseas. Based at the Whisky Galore store in Christchurch, they are the leading specialist importers, sellers and auctioneers for whisky in New Zealand.

Something new from The Balvenie…

We can’t say much about this release, or anything at all, but The Balvenie will be launching the latest release from their Stories Range this week. This expression is limited and sought-after, so we would like to register interest ahead of time in anticipation of a ballot to purchase the product. Sign up below and have a shop of the rest of their range too.

Register Your Interest Here →

The Stories Collection allows The Balvenie to tell the stories of the people and places where the whisky is made, tales of character written in whisky. At the heart of their newest whisky sits a tale of craft, intuition and a generations-old cultural exchange that spans the European continent.

Register Your Interest in the new release here →