ralfy review 1017 – Torabhaig Allt Gleann single malt @61.1%vol:

Lochlea gives a nod to Islay for new seasonal release:

Ploughing Edition (Second Crop)

Multi award winning, family-owned Lochlea Distillery in Ayrshire is delighted to launch the fourth and final release from its Second Crop series of the distillery’s seasonal releases: Ploughing Edition (Second Crop).

The release of Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) marks winter on the farm when the fields are ploughed in preparation for spring’s sowing season in the months ahead. It is also the only Lochlea whisky with a distinctive smoky profile, achieved through it being matured exclusively in 100% ex-Islay 200 litre casks.

Inspired by this season, coupled with Production Director John Campbell’s Ileach (Islay) heritage, Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) gives John the chance to talk about his homeland and the influence it brings to Lochlea’s whisky profile, whilst also celebrating the beauty of winter on the farm itself.

John grew up on Islay and, up until he joined Lochlea in 2021, had spent his life living and working on the Inner Hebridian island – firstly as a lobster fisherman, then more famously as Laphroaig’s renowned Distillery Manager for 27 years. His move to Lochlea in 2021 marked his first time living and working off the island and on Scotland’s mainland, whilst still in the whisky industry he is so passionate about.

John said: “We are excited to share our new Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) that shows the experimental side of Lochlea that we are always looking to explore more. As Islay whiskies are so well respected and much loved, we wanted to ensure we tip our hat to this unique style of whisky carefully and done in the right way.”

“We know people love Islay whiskies – with Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) we want to play on our fruit-forward, characterful and biscuity Lochlea house style and give it a special Islay twist using casks that have spent a significant amount of time housing and maturing some of Islay’s finest single malts.”

Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) has been matured solely in 200 litre ex-Islay barrels giving it a distinctive earthy, peaty character, whilst the previous Ploughing Edition (First Crop) in 2023 was matured in both peated quarter casks and ex-Islay barrels, revealing more charcoal smoke characteristics.

Lochlea’s seasonal releases are as follows:

• Ploughing Edition: released in winter when the fields are ploughed in preparation for spring.

• Sowing Edition: inspired by spring when the seed is sown for the year’s barley crop.

• Harvest Edition: inspired by the annual harvest on the farm.

• Fallow Edition: reflects the season of autumn on the farm when the fields are left fallow to rest after a busy harvest.

As with all of Lochlea’s whiskies, Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) is non-chill filtered – it has been bottled at 46% and has an RRP of £51.50. It is available from Lochlea stockists from 7^th March 2024 onwards.

In addition to the seasonal limited edition releases, Lochlea has a core whisky expression available all year round – Our Barley. This unpeated single malt has been matured in a combination of three different casks: first fill ex-bourbon, Oloroso sherry casks and STR barriques, all of which add depths of flavour to the spirit. Launched in July 2022, Our Barley has received much acclaim as a superb example of a young non-age statement (NAS) Lowlands whisky, made entirely from the distillery’s own home-grown barley.

Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) – Tasting notes:

Nose: fresh green apple, signature Lochlea cereal

Palate: succulent fruit, freshly cut summer hay

Finish: sea salt, lingering peaty embers

 ABV: 46%

About Lochlea Distillery:

Lochlea was originally a 222 acre livestock farm before being purchased by Neil and Jen McGeoch in 2006. After much consideration of the future of the farm and a successful trial to grow its own barley in 2015, the couple transformed the land and existing farm buildings into a fully-operational distillery in 2017 and started distilling the following year. The farming side has remained a unique part of Lochlea, with the move into barley production – paving the way for Lochlea to be one of the very few fully grain-to-cask distilleries in Scotland. It also has a rich Scottish heritage with strong links to Robbie Burns, with the bard having worked and lived on the farm a several years.

For a full list of Lochlea stockists, visit: Lochlea Distillery stockists

The March Outturn has landed at Legacy Liquor Store in Vancouver and Strath Liquor Merchants in Victoria – this month, join us on a journey of exploration. Get set to enjoy the fantastic taste journey in every sip. And be sure to download the pdf of this month’s Outturn from our website to read all about the SMWS Whisky Team – the beating heart of our club!

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

BUBBLEGUM BUNS

CASK NO. 72.118

REGION:  Speyside

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  11 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Apple segments played dodgeball against chunks of toffee armed with blackcurrants. A cloud of cotton candy lingered overhead, raining down bubblegum, brioche buns and coconut.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

EFFERVESCENT SPARKLE

CASK NO. 5.96

REGION:  Lowland

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  18 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “A sweet floral aroma permeated the room followed by honey-glazed brioche hot cross buns as we enjoyed a sparkling grape, pear and apple juice.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Spicy & sweet

A BREAKFAST LIKE NO OTHER

FIRST APPEARANCE FROM THIS DISTILLERY FOR SMWS CANADA

CASK NO. 79.10

REGION:  Highland

CASK TYPE:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  11 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “We poured apple juice over clotted cream, lemon icing and lavender on toast, then tucked into cinnamon buns with currants, all dusted with teak wood shavings.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

A REAL TONIC

CASK NO. 85.78

REGION:  Speyside

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  1st fill oloroso hogshead

AGE:  14 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “The wooden fragrance of Scots pine, starting a barbecue, flapjacks and maple pecan pie. Diluted, rum and raisin fudge and fresh ginger juice.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Deep, rich & dried fruits

MASSIVE OAK EXTRACTION

LIMIT ONE PER MEMBER

Distillery 24 Rare Release

REGION:  Speyside

CASK TYPES:  1st fill & refill oloroso & PX butts & hogsheads

AGE:  14 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Crème brûlée, chocolate fudge sundae and peaches in syrup confronted tannic oak, burnt heather, aniseed balls, PX, espresso and charcuterie.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Lightly peated

POISED PEAT

CASK NO. 4.349

REGION:  Highland Island

INITIAL CASKS:  Ex-bourbon hogsheads

FINAL CASK:  1st fill ex-bourbon barrel

AGE:  12 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “A beautiful, understated and complex example of this Orkney classic. Single malt, originally from bourbon hogsheads, married in this cask.”

FLAVOUR PROFILE:  Heavily peated

MIND THOSE CHILLI FINGERS

CASK NO. 10.246

REGION:  Islay

INITIAL CASK:  Ex-bourbon hogshead

FINAL CASK:  Refill hogshead heavy char #4+

AGE:  9 years

BOTTLE NOTE:  “Chock full of gutsy peaty power, but at the same time wonderfully syrupy, resinous and sweet – as we discovered tar, resins, wood extracts, teas and iodine.”

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB  T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca

BRAND NEW OFFERS:DISTILLERY RESERVE COLLECTION

This week only we’re offering discounts on several Speyside single malts from The Distillery Reserve Collection, including £15 off a nutty Tormore and £10 off a rich and warming Glenlivet matured in a first-fill sherry butt.

This range of distillery reserves from Chivas Brothers are all single cask expressions, non chill-filtered, and bottled at natural cask strength. Usually only available to buy at the distilleries themselves, these limited Scottish single malts are rarely seen outside the realms of blends and independent bottlings.

  SHOP NOW 

Bruichladdich 18 Year Old Unpeated Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (blue wrap) (750ml)

We’ve waited almost 2 decades for this expression from the special distillery on Lochindaal. The beautiful Classic Laddie is all grown up now and their core range officiall expended. In conjunction with the release of a new sexy bottle shape, the famed “unpeated” Islay distillery is offering this exceptional, authentic expression of its most mature modern stock at an altogether reasonable price. Designed to capture the house style in its purest form, the 18 year is almost entirely made up of first fill ex-bourbon with just a handful of specially selected wine casks of undiclosed origins. The result is one of the most exciting malts we’ve seen in years. Textured and rich, briming with honey, tropical fruit, toasted oak and citrus oils. A benchmark malt that proves these guys were really onto something all those long years ago.

$189.99 View

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

Scapa Signatory Bottling, 46%

What is going on with Scapa?

Never before with any whisky distillery have I had to search every website in the UK for an interesting bottle of it. Finally, I found a bottle of not so ‘Secret Orkney’ that so happened to be from the distillery, but even then, it took some righteous digging through reviews to confirm it was this modern unicorn distillery.

Scapa seems to have been turned into something super premium without any rhyme or reason. I thought the 16YO was an okay product, but it was discontinued, and prices jumped to £300 a bottle at its peak. Are you actually taking the piss?

It isn’t a large distillery by any means, nor the most famous on the Island of Orkney, so why the jump in pricing? Why the almost impossible to find age stated release, and I’m not a stickler for age statements, but the struggle to even find and indie of it was pretty soul destroying as a whisky fan.

I can hear you all saying that there are plenty of older bottlings to try. Yes, that’s true. But as much as I’d love to sample an 30+YO Scapa, I don’t quite fancy paying the £1,000+ price tag for it.

I thought this would be a really cutting, intense, slightly funny rant about a distillery that just needs some love, but inevitably, it just made me sad. I’m not crying, but what are Pernod doing in this place, and why can’t they run a Scottish distillery effectively that isn’t a household name?

Anyway, watch the video for the review, let me know your thoughts on this expensive cloak and dagger story of why Scapa is now the whisky equivalent of trying to find Lord Lucan riding Shergar over a finish line in Atlantis

WHISKY AUCTIONEER HOLDS WORLD’S FIRST AUCTION

DEDICATED TO WOMEN IN WHISKY

Whisky Auctioneer, the leading global online whisky and spirits auction platform, will host the world’s very first auction dedicated to recognising the achievements and contributions of women in the sector. The auction is in partnership with OurWhisky Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting, recognising and empowering professional women in whisky. It will offer whisky enthusiasts and collectors from around the world the opportunity to acquire rare bottles while supporting a worthy cause.

Named after the goddess of grain, The Demeter Collection will feature a curated selection of unique releases, all of which have been crafted and inspired by the industry’s most talented women. Each bottle in the collection will not only showcase the craft involved in distillation and maturation, but also highlight compelling stories of the women involved in their creation.

The inaugural auction will run from March 29 to April 8 at www.whiskyauctioneer.com. Funds raised from the auction, including Whisky Auctioneer’s buyer’s fees, will be donated to the OurWhisky Foundation in support of its work providing initiatives and projects that support women working in whisky. This includes its widely acclaimed mentorship programme, groundbreaking stock image library, The Modern Face of Whisky, and work with brands and stakeholders to build a more welcoming, diverse and inclusive industry.

Joe Wilson, Head Curator and Spirits Specialist at Whisky Auctioneer, said:

“Historically, our industry has lacked diversity, and that’s something we’re determined to change. To that end, we have been delighted to witness the incredible achievements of The OurWhisky Foundation and are thrilled to host this auction and shine a spotlight on the stories of women within our industry.

“The Demeter Collection is an exciting group of one-of-a-kind and collectible bottlings from very diverse distilleries. Our hope is that this auction will not only catch the attention of enthusiasts and collectors worldwide to raise important funds for The OurWhisky Foundation, but also inspire current and future generations of women in whisky.”

The world’s first survey of women in the global whisky industry conducted by the OurWhisky Foundation last year revealed widespread sexism and bias. More than 80% of respondents making, selling and promoting whisky reported being asked by both colleagues and consumers if they even like the spirit, with a staggering 89% agreeing that consumers still widely perceive whisky to be a man’s drink.

Becky Paskin, founder of the OurWhisky Foundation, added:

“Despite her important role within Greek mythology, Demeter remains one of the lesser-known of the Olympians, her story largely untold in popular culture. Yet her heroic tale of overcoming obstacles to support her daughter, all while sharing her knowledge and wisdom with others, embodies many similar values as the OurWhisky Foundation.

“Just like Demeter’s sidelining in pop culture, women’s contributions to whisky have been vastly under-recognised. Through the Demeter Collection we want to honour the grain goddess and tell the untold stories of women in whisky, while raising much-needed funds to enable the OurWhisky Foundation to support, recognise and empower future generations of women in the industry.”

A total of 18 lots will be included in Whisky Auctioneer’s March auction. Highlights include exclusive expressions from distilleries such as an exclusive 32 year old blend from House of Hazelwood, The Loch Lomond Sonata Collection, a 44 year old commemorative bottling of Dalmore celebrating whisky maker Margaret Nicol’s 50th anniversary, a 20 year old Ardbeg created by master blender Gillian Macdonald to celebrate 20 years in the industry and an inaugural cask release from Cooper King distillery. 

The auction will be hosted online from March 29, coinciding with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. To register for the auction, click HERE.

Full lot listing:

• Aberfeldy 40 Year Old
• Ardbeg Twenty
• Arbikie Farm Experience + Hand-filled Rye Whisky
• Atonia’s Legacy: The Sarah Burgess Edition
• Cooper King Cask No. 1: Inaugural Release
• Cotswolds Distillery One of One
• CRN57
• House of Hazelwood:  The Long View
• JJ Corry x Tipperary: The Founders Bottles #1
• Laphroaig 25 Year Old: The Bessie Williamson Story
• Loch Lomond Sonata Collection
• Nc’nean Aon 17-302
• SMWS Christmas on the Beach
• Strathearn Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• The Borders Distillery IWD Quarter Cask
• The Dalmore 44 Years Old
• The GlenDronach 30 Year Old Single Cask
• Wire Works Love, Sweat & Tears

For more information on the lots, see here.

About The Demeter Collection:

The OurWhisky Foundation is delighted to introduce the Demeter Collection, the world’s first auction of whiskies celebrating female achievement, held in partnership with Whisky Auctioneer.

Named after the Greek goddess of grain, the Demeter Collection will highlight unique and exquisite whiskies crafted and inspired by some of the industry’s most talented women, maintaining a particular focus on the compelling stories of those involved in their creation.

The inaugural auction will be hosted 29 March- 8 April 2024, coinciding with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, as well as the OurWhisky Foundation’s second anniversary. The carefully curated Collection will be held every two years with all proceeds donated to the OurWhisky Foundation.

Demeter (Duh-mee-tuh) was the Greek goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains and the fertility of the earth. Known as the ‘good goddess’, she gifted humankind with the knowledge to grow and harvest their own crops. Such was her deep connection to the planet that she is often likened to Gaia, while some claim her name translates to ‘Mother Earth’.

According to legend, her daughter Persephone was abducted and held hostage in the underworld by Demeter’s brother, Hades. Racked with grief, Demeter plunged the world into a deep famine as she searched far and wide for her lost daughter. Ultimately Hades allowed Persephone to return to the surface for just eight months a year. It was only during this time that Demeter allowed crops to grow once more, thereby creating the seasons, a continuous evolution of time that symbolises the eternal cycle of life and passing of knowledge from generation to generation.

About Whisky Auctioneer

Whisky Auctioneer is the global market leader and trusted authority on the buying and selling of whisky and spirits at auction. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Perth, Scotland, Whisky Auctioneer utilises its expertise and knowledge combined with its auction platform to increase interest and passion in the whisky and spirits community. The business currently sees over 150,000 bids per month and has conducted deliveries to 74 countries across the globe.

The central Scotland headquarter’s success paved the way for international expansion with secondary offices now located in central London and the Netherlands.

Whisky Auctioneer endeavours to make the secondary market more accessible for buyers and sellers of any background and demographic, wherever in the world they are based. Its monthly global auctions feature the most comprehensive selection of old, rare and collectible whiskies and spirits online, and are unmatched in volume, variety of bottles offered and prices achieved. Alongside an unrivalled selection of rare Scotch whisky and Irish Whiskey, Whisky Auctioneer has also established the business as the market-leading specialist in presenting world whiskies for sale; from rare American whiskey and bourbon to iconic Japanese whiskies.

In February 2021, the online auction house made history during the iconic sale of The Perfect Collection, when a bottle of The Macallan 1926 Fine and Rare 60 Year Old sold for a hammer price of £1 million. This was the first time a single bottle of whisky has sold at an online-only auction for one million pounds.

About The OurWhisky Foundation:

The OurWhisky Foundation is the world’s first non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting, recognising and empowering professional women in whisky across the globe, while advocating for a more inclusive and diverse industry.

Founded in 2022 by drinks journalist Becky Paskin, the UK-based organisation works with the global drinks industry to provide diversity and inclusion consultancy, as well as surveys, reports, events and initiatives that inspire change.

Its ground-breaking mentorship programme, which pairs mentees with some of the biggest names in whisky while providing free workshops and networking opportunities, has so far guided 175 women and non-binary individuals toward reaching their goals, with many securing new jobs and promotions as a result.

In 2023 the Foundation introduced the Modern Face of Whisky stock image library, an evolving, free-to-use collection of professional photography enabling the media and wider industry to more accurately represent the diversity of today’s whisky drinker beyond the masculine stereotype. Within its first eight months, the library received 10 million views and 100,000 downloads with the images featured across global print and digital media.

In the same year, the Foundation surveyed over 600 women for its Do You Even Like Whisky? report – the world’s first survey of women in whisky, which revealed the extent of sexism and unconscious bias prevalent in the industry. The report has since led to policy changes within many whisky organisations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Visit:  www.whiskyauctioneer.com

Instagram: whiskyauctioneer

Facebook: WhiskyAuctioneer

X:  Whisky_auction

We hope you are enjoying the the first days of Spring! With that in mind, we have sprung into action with announcing Liverpool Whisky Festival, in September, and a reminder for Bristol and Manchester festivals. Liverpool tickets go on sale right now, so don’t hang around here too long! Bristol and Manchester still have early-bird tickets available, but they won’t last forever!

We also have a new exciting element to our festivals this year, called ‘The Nose‘. Basically if you can tell us what a mystery whisky is, just by smelling it, you win the remainder of that bottle to take home! Easy-peasy…or is it…?!

Look out for this at all 2024 TWL festivals, but for now here are the essentials…

Saturday 21st September 2024
The Crypts

Early Bird tickets from 1pm today!

Buy Tickets Now!

Friday & Saturday 18th/19th October 2024
Manchester Cathedral

Some Early Birds still available

Buy Tickets Now!

Saturday 6th July 2024
Bristol Beacon

Early Birds available 

Buy Tickets Now!

We will have more for you in the coming weeks and months, but for now, happy ticket hunting and have a great weekend ahead!

Slàinte!

Eddie & Amanda
The Whisky Lounge Team