Woodford Reserve Announces 5-Year Commitment to Buy Rye from Kentucky Farmers as Part of Research Project

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Ryusui-Hyakka Limited Edition 2021

Commemorating the 90th anniversary of Suntory, this pays tribute to Japan’s blossoming and the ever-changing flow of water.

£550.00

SHOP NOW ❯

Hibiki Japanese Harmony Ryusui-Hyakka Limited Edition 2021 Description

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. Find out more ❯

NEWS ABOUT VAULTS MEMBERS’ ROOM RENOVATIONS

The renovation of our Members’ Room upstairs at The Vaults is progressing well and we can’t wait to see you again soon in the new space.

We will be ready to welcome you back from Tuesday, 26 September.

It has been great to host so many of you in the pop-up Members’ Room on the ground floor over the last few weeks. The team very much appreciates your feedback. Throughout September, you can continue to join us for drams, food from an adapted menu, or to pick up whiskies from the Bottle Shop from 5pm to 10pm, Wednesday to Friday and 12 noon to 10pm, Saturday and Sunday. Our Courtyard outdoor space will remain open, as will our pop-up Members’ Room on the historic ground floor of The Vaults. Our Live Music nights will continue to take place in the pop-up ground floor space on a Wednesday night.

We look forward to welcoming you to the newly refurbished Members’ Room upstairs from 26th September – click here to book your visit to The Vaults.

And don’t forget The Gathering is officially upon us! You are in for a treat as we have a PACKED calendar of tastings and events at our venues, partner bars, Members’ Rooms and more throughout the month. It’s a great time to get involved and make the most of your membership.

JOIN THE GATHERING

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

Angel’s Envy “K&L Exclusive” Cask #230367 Private Select Port Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon 

$89.99

View

(750ml)

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

ralfy review 994 – Glen Wyvis 2018 vintage @ 46.5%vol:

INTRODUCING MAKER’S MARK® CELLAR AGED, AN INSPIRED NEW TAKE ON OLDER AMERICAN WHISKY

Matured in a Limestone Whisky Cellar, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged is Aged to Taste, Not Time

London, UK (August 2023) – Maker’s Mark® is proud to debut Maker’s Mark® Cellar Aged Bourbon, an annual, global limited-release expression that proves whisky aging is about more than just a number. Featuring a marriage of 11- and 12-year-old bourbon, Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged delivers the distillery’s highly anticipated oldest release, stemming from the question: What if age isn’t just about time, but instead about how you use that time to evolve, develop and mature? 

Since its founding in 1953, Maker’s Mark has aged its whisky to taste – not time – to achieve the vision set by its founders: bourbon without the bite that’s always smooth, soft, and creamy. Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged stays true to this philosophy, delivering a richer, deeper, and more complex older bourbon, free from the harsher tannic effects commonly found in extra-aged American whiskies, as a result of our innovative maturation process that starts in traditional Kentucky warehouses and finishes in the distillery’s one-of-a-kind limestone whisky cellar.

“For more than 65 years, aging our whisky for a decade-plus wasn’t something we did,” said Rob Samuels, 8th generation whisky maker and grandson of the founders at Maker’s Mark. “It’s not that we didn’t believe in it; we simply hadn’t found a way to do it that didn’t compromise on our taste vision – until now. Cellar Aged embodies an older whisky that’s distinctly Maker’s Mark. One rooted in challenging convention, delivering new flavour experiences from the environment that surrounds us, and building on a taste vision that’s been generations in the making.”

To become Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, barrels of the distillery’s classic distillate first spend approximately six years aging in traditional bourbon warehouses, where they endure the Kentucky climate and its temperature swings season after season until they reach full maturity and can be called “Maker’s Mark.” Barrels are then moved into the distillery’s proprietary whisky cellar for an additional five to six years of aging before being blended to taste and bottled. Built into the natural limestone shelf of the Kentucky hills, the cellar’s consistently cool environment slows down the tannic impact that occurs during maturation, while allowing the bourbon to develop a deeper, darker flavour with hidden depths, but no bitterness.

This innovative and taste-led approach in pursuit of an older Maker’s Mark expression continues the boundary-pushing mindset that has shaped the brand since the beginning. Founders Bill and Margie Samuels challenged category norms when they burned their 170-year-old family recipe, choosing to use red winter wheat instead of rye in their mashbill for a softer, smoother bourbon. This spirit of asking “what if?” was present in the introduction of Maker’s Mark 46, which is crafted using a proprietary wood-stave finishing technique, and in Maker’s Mark Private Selection, which became the industry’s first custom barrel program upon its launch in 2016.

Cellar Aged will be an annual, limited release available in specific markets around the world. The unique maturation approach of Cellar Aged will be consistent every year, but the specific blend of aged bourbon will vary based on which barrels are ready, by taste. The inaugural release of Cellar Aged is a marriage of 12-year-old and 11-year-old whisky – 87% and 13%, respectively – bottled at cask strength (115.7 proof).

Cellar Aged will be available in the UK from October 2023 at £145 RRP at retailers including Berry Bros & Rudd London.

For more information about Maker’s Mark Cellar Aged, please visit www.MakersMark.com.

About Maker’s Mark® Bourbon

In 1953, in Loretto, Ky., Bill Samuels, Sr., fulfilled his dream to create a handmade and delicious bourbon. He decided to make his whisky in small batches, using soft red winter wheat to enhance the softness and sweetness. He then rotated each barrel by hand for consistency and, finally, aged each barrel to taste. Bill Samuels, Sr., transformed bourbon from a “commodity” into a premium handmade spirit, and today Maker’s Mark continues to make its bourbon the same way. That time-tested approach seems to still be working just fine 60+ years later, as Maker’s Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon was awarded a Gold medal at the esteemed International Spirits Challenge in 2022. In recent years, Maker’s Mark has introduced thoughtful, super-premium innovations to its portfolio, including Maker’s Mark 46, Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series, Maker’s Mark Cask Strength and Maker’s Mark Private Selection, the brand’s first-ever custom barrel program. Today, Maker’s Mark is the largest bourbon distillery in the world to achieve B Corp Certification and the first distillery to achieve Regenified certification, a reflection of the brand’s dedication towards building a more inclusive and sustainable economy. For more information, visit www.makersmark.com.

About Edrington UK

Edrington UK is the UK’s number one whisky supplier, part of the global Edrington family and responsible for the UK sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of premium brands including The Macallan, Highland Park, The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and Brugal. As a distribution partner of Beam Suntory, Edrington UK also represents many of its brands in the UK marketplace, such as Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Bowmore, Laphroaig, Courvoisier and The House of Suntory range of Japanese craft spirits.

WE MAKE OUR BOURBON CAREFULLY. PLEASE ENJOY IT THAT WAY.
Maker’s Mark® Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky, 45% Alc./Vol. ©2023 Maker’s Mark Distillery, Inc., Loretto, KY.

https://www.makersmark.com/

Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® Inducts

Eight New Members

NEW HAVEN, Ky. – The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® today inducted eight luminaries into its elite ranks, including distillery founders and craftsmen, influential government leaders, a groundbreaking activist and the first father and son to share the prestigious honor in the same class.

An all-time high of 300 guests attended the luncheon ceremony at The Legacy at Log Still Distillery in Nelson County. The invitation-only event, known for attracting the industry’s most revered legends and champions, is held annually in conjunction with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated the inductees and thanked the packed crowd for investing billions of dollars to grow the global industry here at home while building and strengthening local communities in every part of the Commonwealth.

“Kentucky’s signature Bourbon industry employs thousands of our people to produce a product that is known and loved around the world,” Gov. Beshear. said. “The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame ceremony is a great chance to celebrate this industry and the innovators whose vision keeps pushing Kentucky Bourbon to new heights.”

Created in 2001 by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® recognizes individuals and organizations that have made a significant and transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness. It is the highest honor given by the signature industry.

KDA President Eric Gregory said, “The Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame is always my favorite event of the year. It’s the one time where we all gather together to share our successes and toast the lives, legacies and journeys of those who have forever changed our timeless craft and played a major role in building a stronger Kentucky for generations to come.

“On behalf of the KDA, we offer our deepest thanks and heartfelt gratitude to this year’s inductees for their distinguished service to our industry and our beloved Commonwealth. We are an industry built on friendship and collaboration, and this year’s class is a testament to that tradition.”

This year’s inductees are, in alphabetical order (full bios, as provided by each inductee, are attached):

• Jerry O. Dalton, retired Master Distiller, Jim Beam. A 22-year industry veteran, Dalton worked as a chemist for Barton Brands before moving to Jim Beam where he spent 12 years, finishing out his career as Master Distiller succeeding the legendary Booker Noe.

• The late Mrs. Dixie Sherman Demuth, Owner, Dixie’s Elbow Room. A bar owner in the 1950s, Demuth took her fight for women’s rights to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, which overturned a 200-year-old law to allow women to serve and enjoy alcohol in a public bar.

• Greg Fischer, former Mayor of Louisville, Ky. As a three-term mayor, Fischer is hailed for coining and promoting “Bourbonism,” a burgeoning hospitality movement focused on Louisville’s leading position in the Bourbon, tourism and local food scenes.

• Pete Kamer, Owner, Distillery Engineering. After retiring from a 45-year industry career with Seagram’s and Barton Distillery, Kamer started a leading consulting business that has helped launch dozens of distilling companies, including many Kentucky craft distilleries.

• Joseph J. Magliocco, President & CEO, Michter’s Distillery. Celebrating an industry career that spans 40 years, Magliocco resurrected the storied Michter’s brand and brought it to Kentucky, helping to lead the Whiskey Row renaissance in downtown Louisville.

• Dean Watts, Former Nelson County Judge-Executive. As the longest serving judge-executive in Nelson County history, Watts created a hospitable economic environment for the industry to flourish and welcomed several new distilleries during his 28 years in office.

• Chester ‘Chet’ Zoeller, Author, Historian and Co-founder, Jefferson’s Bourbon. After years of research, Zoeller wrote Bourbon in Kentucky, a comprehensive publication of his findings, cataloging nearly 1,000 distillers and brands across the Bluegrass State.

• Trey Zoeller, Founder, Whiskey Maker & Chief Strategist, Jefferson’s Bourbon. Since founding Jefferson’s Bourbon in 1997, Trey has developed dozens of award-winning Bourbon and rye expressions using unique blending and maturation techniques.

Candidates are nominated each year by the KDA and its member distilleries. A blue-ribbon committee – including all living recipients of the Parker Beam Lifetime Achievement Award – painstakingly reviews and selects applicants in three categories: Industry, Roll of Honor and Lifetime Achievement.

Representatives of the prestigious Parker Beam award include Jimmy Russell, Master Distiller of Wild Turkey; Bill Samuels, Jr., Chairman Emeritus of Maker’s Mark; Max Shapira, Executive Chairman of Heaven Hill Brands and Even Kulsveen, Executive Director of Willett Distillery.

Other member of the 2023 selection committee were Chris Morris, Governor of the Order of the Writ and Master Distiller Emeritus at Brown-Forman Corp.; Kevin Smith, immediate past chair of the KDA Board and Vice President of Kentucky Bourbon Affairs for Beam Suntory; and noted author Dixie Hibbs of Bardstown, who was appointed by KDA President Gregory.

Since the event was sold out, the KDA worked with noted Bourbon author Fred Minnick for day-of-event live streaming coverage in celebration of the ceremony, which can be viewed and shared at Live Stream Event  @FredMinnick.

The 2023 Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame® ceremony was sponsored by Blue & Co., LLC, Independent Stave Company, Joseph & Joseph Architects, Mint Julep Experiences, Shepherdsville/Bullitt County Tourism, and Vendome Copper & Brass Works Corp.

Bardstown-Nelson County Tourist and Convention Commission was the presenting sponsor of the luncheon and the signature toast with spirits from the annual Bardstown Collection of hand-picked expressions from local distilleries celebrating the rich heritage of Bardstown and Nelson County.

The KDA once again commissioned glassblowing artist Brook Forrest White, Jr. of Flame Run in Louisville to craft unique and contemporary awards that incorporate Bourbon-inspired motifs such as amber colors, copper and water.

For the first time ever, the award bases are made of Kentucky limestone from Kentucky Cut Stone in Lancaster, Ky. Limestone is one of the chief reasons why Kentucky continues to produce the overwhelming majority of America’s only native spirit.

Limestone acts as a natural filter for water used in the Bourbon-making process, removing iron and other impurities that could damage the whiskey’s color and taste. It also adds important minerals that are used by the yeast during the fermentation process.

Visit www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com to learn more.

About the Kentucky Distillers’ Association:

Founded in 1880, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association is the legendary voice for Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry. Its diverse and growing membership produces the overwhelming majority of the world’s Bourbon, from historic, global brands to emerging micro distilleries that are fostering the next generation of the Commonwealth’s landmark economic engine and its thriving, timeless craft. Member benefits include media relations, international trade development, private sampling events, technical assistance, economic development support, networking, legal defense, marketing strategies, governmental and regulatory advocacy and innovative tourism experiences through the KDA’s world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour® adventures. A 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization, the KDA maintains an open membership policy, champions a strong commitment to the responsible and moderate consumption of spirits, and fights to curb underage drinking and drunk driving. Learn more at www.kybourbon.com and www.kybourbontrail.com

This wonderfully rich and chocolatey whisky has spent it’s entire life maturing in a Virgin Oak cask, having been made from totally unpeated malted barley. Try it neat, but a little splash of water really allows this whisky to open up.

Limited Edition: Only 2800 bottles released.

Non-chill filtered. Natural colouring.

70cl

TASTING NOTES

Maker’s Mark Private Selection “Take the Cannoli” K&L Exclusive Stave Finished Cask Strength Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

(750ml)

$69.99 View

The Good Dram Show – Episode 525 ‘German Whisky’

Welcome to this week’s episode of the show in which I’ll be taking a look at some bottlings from three German distilleries. St Kilian Distillers, Hercynian Distillery and the Feinbrennerei Simon’s Distillery.

The Good Dram Show with Chris Goodrum Episode 525 – Nur zu Unterhaltungszwecken.!

Filmed in The Study Nottingham

Featuring

Hercynian Distilling Co. ElsBurn ‘The Journey Edition 2022’ 43%

Hercynian Distilling Co. Emperor’s Way ‘The Imperial Abbey’ 48%

Hercynian Distilling Co. ElsBurn Exceptional Collection 2013 (6 year old) Single Sherry Octave V13-67 57.2%

St Kilian Distillers Ambassador’s Choice III ‘Private Cask Mario Rudolf & Gavin Ryan Thomson’ 63.3%

St Kilian Distillers Turf Peak – Master Distillers Selection 60.2%

Simon’s Whisky Is Art Bavarian Single Malt Cask No2 (5 year old) 48%