James Edie was a firm fan of Fife whisky. Such a fan, in fact, that more than half of all the grain whisky he purchased came from one Fife distillery: Cameronbridge. In 2005, just over 100 years after Mr. Eadie’s death, Fife saw the return of malt whisky distilling to the region. It now boasts five of the most innovative malt distilleries in Scotland.

For batch 1 of The Fife Blend, they have selected a cameronbridge (25 years old) finished in marsala cask – a favourite of Mr. Eadie – combined with a fifteen year old malt whisky, fully matured in a fresh bourbon barrel, from an Unnamed Farm Distillery in the Heart of the Kingdom of Fife.

Batch No.1
1 of only 458 bottles produced.
Natural colour & unchillfiltered.

£129.99

TyndrumWhisky.com
The Green Welly Stop
Tyndrumwhisky, Tyndrum
Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8RY
United Kingdom

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 527: Tomatin 12 Year Old 2011 Double-V

Mark Dermul, Belgian whiskyblogger, tries an independently bottled Tomatin. This young Tomatin was bottled by Belgian bottler Double-V for a local whiskyshop – The Whiskybarn – & a local whisky club – The Green Door Whisky Club. It was in fact presented last summer when Mark was at their club hosting a tasting. At the end of the tasting the final bottles were offered and Mark was able to grab the very last one. He promised them he’d do a Rambling on it, so here we are. Mark added: ‘Let me first apologize for the long wait, but I really wanted to take it to Austria with me’. Nice detail: the malt was matured on a Koval cask, a craft whiskey producer in Chicago!

https://youtu.be/z9batJbbPSU

Lux Row Distillers’ Blood Oath Pact 10 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey arrives at retail in April

 In honor of the double-digit age milestone, the latest offering is double finished in Cabernet Franc and Merlot casks

ST.LOUIS (April 23, 2024) – Lux Row Master Distiller and Master Blender John Rempe marks a decade of distinction – and secrecy – as he renews his annual pact with bourbon drinkers by releasing Blood Oath Pact 10 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey double finished in Cabernet Franc and Merlot casks. A limited supply of 17,000 (3-in) cases will arrive at retail this month at a suggested price of $129.99 per 750 ml bottle. As with all of Rempe’s pacts, Blood Oath Pact 10 is offered at 98.6 proof (49.3% ABV).

Blood Oath Pact 10 combines some of the finest rare bourbons Rempe could find, including two well-bred ryed bourbons and one finished bourbon each complementing the others. In honor of Blood Oath’s double-digit age milestone, Rempe achieved a double finish for this year’s special, secret blend. The first finish was perfected in Cabernet Franc barrels, imbuing rich flavors of tart raspberries and black pepper. The second finish was refined in Merlot barrels, instilling the tastes of red stone fruits with undertones of vanilla, cocoa and anise. The result is a delicious and distinctive pour.

For a decade Rempe has sought out famous and forgotten rare bourbons and bottled them in combinations for his limited-release Blood Oath Pacts. Not to cater to anyone’s loyalties, he has sworn to never reveal where he finds his bourbon, but only promises to choose and make the best he knows.

“We wanted to create something truly distinctive and unique to mark our 10^th edition of Blood Oath and we did just that,” said Rempe. “For this offering I sourced three extraordinary bourbons that could be elevated even further through a double finish in Cabernet Franc and Merlot casks, and would ultimately deliver the kind of rich, fruit-forward notes and smooth drinking experience I wanted to achieve. It’s a superb blend and I’m excited to share it.”

Lux Row only releases one new Blood Oath Pact annually, and each limited edition features a distinct and thoughtfully designed label. This year, a black label with striking silver highlights adorns the Blood Oath Pact 10 bottle. And like its predecessors, each bottle of Blood Oath Pact 10 comes in a commemorative fire-branded wooden display box.

The official launch of Blood Oath Pact 10 will include a total allocation of 51,000 bottles, 1,400 of which will be held for a future Trilogy release. The first Trilogy featuring Pacts 1, 2 and 3, was released in 2018, and the second Trilogy featuring Pacts 4, 5 and 6, was released in September 2021 in conjunction with National Bourbon Heritage Month. The next Blood Oath Trilogy, featuring Pacts 7, 8 and 9, will be offered later this year.

About Luxco

Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux Family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products. Our mission is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Merged with MGP Ingredients, Inc. in 2021 (Nasdaq: MGPI), Luxco operates as MGP’s Brands Division and manages all MGP/Luxco brands. This extensive and award-winning spirits portfolio includes well-known brands from four distilleries: Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Ezra Brooks, Rebel, Blood Oath, David Nicholson and Daviess County; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey and Bowling & Burch Gin; Jalisco, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas, El Mayor, Exotico and Dos Primos; and Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey are produced. The innovative and high-quality brand portfolio also includes Penelope Bourbon, Everclear Grain Alcohol, Pearl Vodka, Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey, Green Hat Gin and other well-recognized brands. For more information about the company and its brands, visit luxco.com.

The Macallan 1926, featuring the Valerio Adami label, set a new auction record for any bottle of whisky or wine ever sold, achieving $2.7 million

NEW YORK, April 2024 — Today, Sotheby’s Wine is pleased to share our 2023 Wine & Spirits Market Report, offering a comprehensive review and analysis of our global auction and retail sales. The report features what we believe are the most interesting developments in our Wine & Spirits business, illustrating changes in sales categories, insight into where demand is coming from, top producers, and other captivating trends

Last year, Sotheby’s annual worldwide auction sales of Wine & Spirits achieved a record total of $159 million, surpassing last year’s high of $158 million.

Notably, the number of auctions held worldwide increased for the fourth consecutive year, doubling pre-pandemic levels with a +17% increase of lots offered year-over-year.

Last year was also a critical year for new talent across both auction and retail with two important additions to the global team: Nick Pegna was appointed Global Head of Wine & Spirits and Vanessa Conlin was appointed Global Head of Wine Retail, both bringing an expanded number of roles across the global team.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Auction sales reached a new high for the third year in a row, achieving $159 million
• In November, Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits achieved the Highest Grossing Week of Wine & Spirits sales ever staged by any auction house, realizing a combined total of $50 million across three regions within the same week
• The Macallan 1926, featuring the Valerio Adami label, set a new auction record for any bottle of whisky or wine ever sold, achieving $2.7 million
• Sotheby’s remains the undisputed global leader in Single-Owner auctions, surpassing $100 million in Single-Owner sales for the first time
• The first tranche of the world’s most important and valuable wine collection ever to come to market was offered with The Epicurean’s Atlas: The Encyclopaedic Cellar in Hong Kong
• Sotheby’s remains the market leader in Asia for wine and spirits auctions, and held inaugural auctions in Shanghai and Singapore
• Charity auctions raised nearly $40 million for philanthropic causes, including for the 163rd Hospices de Beaune auction and second Distillers One of One auction
• U.S. buyers were the strongest bidders by country in wine and spirits auctions, while Asia remained the leading market overall
• 19 Scotch whisky distillery records were set in one auction alone, with Distillers One of One
• In response to a global demand for fine wine available at retail, Sotheby’s opened a wine boutique in Zurich

About Sotheby’s

Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. Sotheby’s promotes access to and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions and buy-now channels including private sales, e-commerce and retail. Our trusted global marketplace is supported by an industry-leading technology platform and a network of specialists spanning 40 countries and 70 categories which include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits, and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate. Sotheby’s believes in the transformative power of art and culture and is committed to making our industries more inclusive, sustainable and collaborative.

About Sotheby’s Wine

Sotheby’s Wine’s annual worldwide auction sales of wine and spirits achieved a record total of $159 million in 2023, surpassing the previous record total of $158 million in 2022. Sotheby’s currently holds the world records for any whisky collection ever sold at auction, any private wine collection ever sold at auction, the most valuable bottle of wine ever sold at auction and the most valuable bottle of spirits ever sold at auction, in addition to the highest ever total for a charity wine auction.

In addition to auction, Sotheby’s Wine launched a retail business in 2010. With a retail store located in Sotheby’s New York headquarters and e-commerce at www.sothebyswine.com, Sotheby’s Wine offers a carefully curated selection of wines from the world’s most prestigious producers and important regions. Expertly assembled by our experienced specialists, the selection is built upon lasting relationships with winemakers from across the globe, with bottles that are ready for immediate consumption, in addition to investment-worthy wines from highly sought-after vintages. A second retail location opened in Sotheby’s Hong Kong galleries in 2014.

 *Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Prices achieved include the hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are net of any fees paid to the purchaser where the purchaser provided an irrevocable bid.

Stream live auctions and place bids in real time, discover the value of a work of art, browse sale catalogues, view original content and more at sothebys.com, and by downloading Sotheby’s apps for iOS and Android.

The second release of our island whisky is now on sale direct from the distillery and specialist spirits retailers across the world.

While Batch 10 is sold out in our online store you can find bottles of No. 9, 10, 11, and 12 available from other retailers and also at our distillery shop here in Tarbert. This week we’re sharing the story behind the beautiful bottle of HE 00012 24, also known as Batch No.12 of The Hearach single malt.

We have a limited number of bottles of this particular batch left in our online store if you’d like to get hold of one of your own to enjoy, share, or gift to a good friend. Captured in stunning glass wrapped with organic lines and curves, every bottle is presented in a specially designed bespoke box which unfolds to reveal a myriad of hidden details.

Batch No.12 is priced at £65.00 and UK orders placed with us online will be delivered to your door free of charge in around 3 working days.

Read on to learn more about this special part of our second release!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

VISIT THE HEARACH SHOP

Every batch of The Hearach single malt we release comes with accompanying tasting notes from a local person. jkkjmm,.The tasting notes for Batch 12 were created by Steve Brown who lives in our home village of Tarbert.

A former native of Glasgow, Steve has now settled with us here in the Isle of Harris setting down roots in our island community alongside his wife and family.

Steven sat down with us to enjoy a dram and we had a good chat about the flavours and aromas she found in her glass…

“I’m originally from Glasgow so the aroma of peat smoke is a very island thing for me now I live here. I get spices on the nose and a lovely heat to it sipping it neat. There’s a barbeque-like smoke on the palate too and crisp, sharp apple flavours, like the fruit we used to pick from trees on the way home from school. A bit of water really opens it up and I’m reminded of sweet Scottish ‘tablet’. I always make my own tablet, my Granny from Cork in Ireland taught me how. Overall, it’s very smooth, smoky, sweet, and quite refreshing.”

We’d love to know what you find in your glass next time you pour a good measure of our island spirit, so drop us a line to share your stories!

Donald Macrae, shown above, is part of our young team of distillers, trained from scratch in this age-old craft and just one of five whisky-makers working in our Spirit Hall each day. In the spirit of being open, straight, and true we also want to share as much information about the making of our whisky batches as we can.

Whether you’re a whisky geek or just interested in diving a little deeper into your dram, you’ll find a wealth of wonderful little details and data on your batch sheets. Here are just a few of the facts you can find for Batch 12…

Batch Run
12,100 Bottles

Bottling Dates:
29.02.24 – 12.03.24

Casks Used
Heaven Hill Bourbon (21%) + Buffalo Trace Bourbon (64%) + Oloroso Sherry (11%) + Fino Sherry (4%)

Fermentation Times
40% Short (70 hours) + 60% Long (120 Hours)

Marrying Time
17 Weeks + 5 Days

Barley & Yeast
Concerto Barley
Lallelmand + Distilamax MW yeasts

Peating Level
13.1 PPM (Averaged)
_

If that’s not enough for you, please click below to read more!

READ THE BATCH 12 SHEET

We also want to connect you to Harris as you sit and sip our whisky. So, we capture a snapshot of Harris on the day your whisky is bottled by writing a few words about island life, weather, and distillery goings-on to transport you back to our Outer Hebridean home. Here’s the wee tale from our Batch 12 bottling day which took place on the 29th of February 2024…

“Although we are poised on the cusp on meteorological spring, snow still dusts the heights of the Clisham mountain and the surrounding Harris hills. Far below, across the bay at Ardhasaig lies our whisky warehouses where Domhnall, Billy, and Scott stay busy behind the scenes looking after our precious casks. As far as workplaces go, few come much finer, with peace, quiet, and some of the most spectacular views on the island to take in when the tea-break comes around. Meantime, just a few miles down the road, our bottling team are setting to work on Batch 12 in good time for the next release of The Hearach on the 26th of March.”

READ MORE ABOUT THE HEARACH

Introducing the much-awaited next edition of our esteemed Hearts & Crafts series: Hearts & Crafts 5, Pineau des Charentes. This new release promises to elevate your whisky experience to new heights.

This yearly limited edition series celebrates the Arts & Crafts movement which flourished here in the Cotswolds and stood for the importance of traditional craftsmanship – the same values upon which our beautiful rural distillery was built.

We have selected a small parcel of premium French oak ex-red wine casks seasoned with Pineau des Charentes – a wonderful blend of fresh grape juice and Cognac. The sweet notes of this golden aperitif wine are well balanced by the French oak tannins, resulting in wonderfully rich notes of summer berries, almond and rich spices.

All of these bottles are presented in a beautiful limited edition tubes designed by William Morris. Bottles are available on a first come first served basis and available online from 25th April 2024.

SHOP NOW

ralfy review 1023 – Loch Lomond 18yo @46%vol:

Bimber Distillery debuts ‘Shoulders of Giants’ single malt whiskies

Bimber today revealed the first releases from ‘Shoulders of Giants’ – the distillery’s homage to the diverse tapestry of thinkers, innovators and visionaries who have shaped our world. Exploring the breadth and depth of human endeavour and achievement, each release features attention-grabbing artwork and biographical details that celebrate the accomplishments of historical figures who have dared to dream and defied status quos.

Drawn from Bimber’s growing inventory of fruit-forward single malt whiskies, each Shoulders of Giants release offers a different story both inside and outside of the bottle. The initial bottlings consist of releases for the UK market: Dickens; Newton and Shakespeare, alongside Polish exclusives: Copernicus; Chopin and Curie.

The three UK exclusives will be launched on Friday 26^th of April via Bimber’s website, each with an RRP of £94.00.

‘Dickens – The Novelist’ is drawn from a 1st fill American oak ex-bourbon cask and celebrates the Charles Dickens contribution to our appreciation of literature. Offering vibrant sweet tropical fruits, a syrupy honied texture and perfectly integrated wood spice, it is a reflection of the growing maturity of Bimber’s single malt whisky.

‘Newton – The Mathematician’ celebrates Sir Issac Newton’s contribution to our understanding of science. Crafted from lightly peated spirit, this release has been fully matured in 1^st fill American oak. It is fruit-forward and classically Bimber, with notes of pineapple and papaya weaved with delicate threads of smoke and char.

The final UK exclusive release is ‘Shakespeare – The Playwright’. This release highlights William Shakespeare’s contribution to the English language. Finished in an ex-beer cask – this single malt whisky is drawn from the distillery’s first release of ex-barley wine casks, created in partnership with French brewery La Debauche. Rich and bold, it combines stone and tropical fruits with smooth caramel, complex maltiness and hints of nutty umami on the palate.

The Polish Shoulder of Giants releases will be available from selected Polish retailers including Tudor House from the end of April 2024 onwards.

‘Copernicus – The Polymath’ celebrates Nicolaus Copernicus and his contribution to our understanding of astronomy. This beautifully sweet single malt has been finished in a single Pedro Ximénez sherry cask which has imparted a delectable selection of bright and rich fruit-forward notes.

‘Chopin – The Composer’ honours Frédéric Chopin’s contribution to our appreciation of music. Finished in a single fino sherry cask, this Shoulders of Giants release offers the perfect harmony between the whisky’s naturally sweet fruit character and the nutty, saline freshness that has been imparted by the fino sherry cask.

‘Curie – The Scientist’ commemorates Marie Curie’s contribution to our understanding of radioactivity. Finished in a Spanish oloroso sherry this single malt has been imbued with a deep colour and rich notes of fruitcake and chopped nuts.

Speaking of the launch, Bimber’s Matt McKay said: “Our whisky making methodology is to take the learning of the past and to adapt it to make the whisky of the future. As such, it is entirely fitting for Bimber to be looking to historical figures who have shaped our societies and consciousnesses.

The Shoulders of Giants releases not only pay homage and celebrate the achievements of national heroes – they also demonstrate the growing maturity and complexity of our single malt whiskies, which are proving to be increasingly versatile in a wide range of cask types and styles. Going forward we have many more giants to explore, and we’re looking forward to telling their stories.”

All six Shoulders of Giants releases were crafted to Bimber’s exacting standards. The spirit was produced from the distillery’s single farm barley and malted on a dedicated floor at Warminster Maltings before being fermented for seven days in bespoke, on-site constructed American oak washbacks. Distillation took place in Bimber’s directly fired copper pot stills which produce a richly layered and remarkably fruit-forward spirit.

www.bimberdistillery.co.uk

SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

UK Exclusives

Dickens – The Novelist

Single American oak ex-bourbon cask #398

259 bottles

70cl

58.3%

Newton – The Mathematician

Lightly peated Single American oak ex-bourbon cask #467

257 bottles

70cl

58.3%

Shakespeare – The Playwright

Single ex-beer cask finish #517/30

271 bottles

70cl

57.7%

Poland Exclusives 

Copernicus – The Polymath

Single Pedro Ximénez sherry cask finish #241/18

300 bottles

70cl

56.8%

Chopin – The Composer

Single fino sherry cask finish #513/28

328 bottles

70cl

52%

Curie – The Scientist

Single oloroso sherry cask finish #250/15

300 bottles

70cl

57%

About Bimber 

Founded in 2015, Bimber Distillery produces world-class single malt whisky, handcrafted with passion in West London. Our traditionally-focussed approach to whisky creation combines the finest ingredients with heritage production methods that are rarely seen today and an absolute commitment to quality. Our detailed approach has seen us recognised as a leading light in whisky production and garnered multiple industry awards. Producing a wide array of fruit-forward, textural single malts we deliver the ultimate craft whisky experience to a rapidly growing global community of Bimber whisky lovers.

www.bimberdistillery.co.uk