GLASGOW’S BLUE LAGOON & FIFE WHISKY BOTTLER TEAM-UP TO GIVE AWAY 50 FISH SUPPERS WITH WHISKY-INFUSED SAUCE

Glasgow institution Blue Lagoon has partnered with The Single Cask to celebrate International Fish & Chip Day on Thursday 6th June – offering 50 free Fish Suppers with whisky-infused sauce to take-away from their famed city-centre Gordon Street venue. 

To celebrate International Fish & Chip Day on Thursday 6th June, Scottish Whisky bottler The Single Cask announces a special partnership with Glasgow’s iconic fish & chip shop Blue Lagoon.

Located next to Glasgow Central Station, Blue Lagoon Gordon Street will give 50 take-away Fish Suppers with whisky-infused sauce to the first customers who walk through the venue’s doors and ask for a ‘The Single Cask Saucy Sensation’ – with the offer lasting until the 50 are gone.

Fife-based The Single Cask have been working with local supplier The Whisky Sauce Co to create a range of delicious single cask whisky sauces*. The bottles will be on offer at The Single Cask events throughout the year and are available to buy online now from The Single Cask.

The Single Cask ‘Chippy Sauce’ is made using a 9-year-old single cask whisky from Benrinnes Distillery and uses balsamic vinegar of Modena to create that classic sweet & spicy flavour. Often associated with Edinburgh residents, The Single Cask are confident that Glaswegians will approve of their delicious single cask whisky ‘Chippy Sauce’.

Blue Lagoon has been a Glasgow phenomenon for nearly 50 years. Italian born entrepreneur Ersilio Varese & childhood sweetheart Edda Varese opened the first Blue Lagoon fish and chip shop on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street in 1975. The company is now headed up by Director Alessandro Varese, who manages venues across the city.

Founded in Fife, The Whisky Sauce Co specialises in creating the best whisky sauces in the country – creating a single cask range for the first-time which were debuted to lucky whisky fans at Feis Ile whisky festival on Islay at the end of May.

The Single Cask recently took on the challenge of demystifying whisky flavour as they relaunched their brand. By using five mood categories, whisky fans can quickly navigate to whichever whiskies they are in the mood for.
Helen Stewart, Brand Marketing Manager at The Single Cask, said: “Glasgow is such an exciting city and to partner with someone with the legendary history of Blue Lagoon is really special. We believe this collaboration showcases both flavour and character extremely well, two things that are very important to us at The Single Cask.

“We are always searching for the ultimate single cask experience and we really believe this can be found in so many different and innovative ways. Our brand new approach to flavour profiling is where each whisky we bottle is allocated to one of five moods. Partnerships like this really show the variety of possibilities when exploring, tasting and enjoying the ultimate single cask experience.”

Adding his thoughts on the partnership, Alessandro Varese, Director at Blue Lagoon said: “We strive to give the people of Glasgow the best fish and chips in the city. The Single Cask whisky is exceptional. It works deliciously in the ‘Chippy Sauce’ they have created. Their approach to flavour lends itself perfectly to our Fish Suppers at Blue Lagoon.

“As we always say, think fish and chips, think Blue Lagoon – this partnership will definitely get people thinking about our fish suppers on International Fish & Chip Day!”

The Single Cask pride themselves on bottling only the most outstanding, characterful, and distinctive single casks of whisky. The company values the distinct personality and cherishes the individuality of every single cask – celebrating whiskies that start conversations through their irresistible attraction: https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/

*Full single cask sauce details: 

CHIPPY SAUCE – THE FRENCH POLISHER

Created using a 9-year-old single cask whisky from Benrinnes Distillery.

With burger sauces also available: 

SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY – THE DANCING HONEYBEE

Created using a 34-year-old single cask grain whisky from North British Distillery.

BBQ SAUCE – THE CHEEKY CAMPFIRE KIPPER

Created using The Single Cask’s OFFICIAL FEIS ILE 2024 release, a 12-year-old single cask whisky from Bruichladdich Distillery.

HOT SAUCE – THE JOLLY APPLE

Created using a 14-year-old single cask whisky from Linkwood Distillery.

The Single Cask
The Single Cask was founded in 2010 by Ben Curtis, built on the belief that the search for the ultimate dram never ends. Bottling unique spirits, hand-picked one cask at a time – The Single Cask bottles award-winning whiskies at natural cask strength, without any intervention such as chill filtration or artificial colours.

Powered by the incredible sense of togetherness whisky creates and a growing fascination with the one-of-a-kind personality of single cask bottlings, the passion soon led to the launch of their first bar in Singapore.

Now with a Glenrothes-based warehouse home to over 3000 casks, new retailers, on-trade partners and importers (such as the newly appointed High Spirits in the Netherlands) they are creating an ever-growing fan club family.

The Single Cask’s expertise is in the sourcing of casks and in the maturation – a bold pursuit to uncover whiskies that are both of exceptional quality and character. All their bottlings are tasting panel approved by The Single Cask Taste Masters – an exclusive panel of experts who seek out the thrill of the taste, helping it to become the best experience possible.

Website – https://www.thesinglecask.co.uk/

Social media:

Facebook – @thesinglecaskuk

Twitter – @thesinglecask

Instagram – @thesinglecask

Laphroaig Elements 2.0

Laphroaig Elements 2.0 pushes fermentation to its limits, by taking the distillery’s standard of 55 hours, and lengthening it with of a range of longer fermentations, all the way up to 115 hours. Bottled at a cask strength of 59.6% abv.

£170.00

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Hamish Says…

Grain whisky is produced using a column still from grains like wheat, oats, and corn with a small component of barley. Just like the single malts the grain whisky has to be aged for 3 years and 1 day in oak casks.

Most grain whiskies are used as a component in blended whisky, as their more neutral flavour is a perfect canvas for creating incredible blends.

Patent stills or column stills are at the heart of grain whisky production. Continuous distillation allows for larger production volumes and more efficiency. Two men responsible for modern column stills are Robert Stein and Aeneas Coffey. Stein created the continuous still, while Coffey improved on the invention. The first continuous still of Stein’s design was implemented in Cameronbridge Distillery in 1830.

Try Single Grain Whiskies

Girvan 25 Year Old Copper & Oak Series II

A cask strength single grain from Girvan Distillery. Born in the Lowlands across from Ailsa Craig a quarter of a century ago, this whisky spent it’s entire life in a refill bourbon hogshead. A beautifully delicate dram with soft buttery shortbread notes.  Just 107 Bottles have been produced

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Delicate, understated nose, with fruity feints.

PALATE: Hints of sweet Scottish tablet, followed by creamy, buttery notes in the centre.

FINISH: A sweet and gentle char rounds out the finish.

£77.00

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Girvan 26 Year Old Permutations Series II

A cask strength single grain from Girvan Distillery. Born in the Lowlands across from Ailsa Craig over a quarter of a century ago, this whisky spent 25 year in a bourbon hogshead, before a 9 month finish in a Pedro Ximénez hogshead that had previously held Caol Ila. An intriguing dram balancing soft buttery shortbread notes with smoky sultana tones.  Only 140 Bottles have been produced.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE: Fresh peated barley

PALATE: Sweet smoke balances with buttery biscuit base notes.

FINISH:  Scottish tablet and shortbread are just as prevalent as the smoky, dried sultana tones.

£83.00

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North British 34 Years Old

North British distillery is of great significance to the Thomson family, as Finn’s grandfather and great-grandfather’s company, Peter Thomson Ltd, once had a stake in the distillery and used the grain base for their popular Golden Beneagles blend. At almost 60% ABV, there’s no doubt this is a strong whisky, but there’s a real elegance about it. Aged single grains are often overlooked gems of the whisky industry and this is no exception with the sweet toffee and caramel notes coming through the strongest. Distilled on the 17th June 1988 and aged for 34 years in a Hogshead before being bottled on the 17th July 2022 at natural cask strength of 58.1%ABV, without chill filtration. Only 199 Bottles have been produced.

£180.00

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North British 35 Years Old

Distilled in 1988, a magnificent 35 years of ageing have created a cornucopia of sweet tropical fruit notes reminiscent of a well-aged Caribbean rum. North British Distillery has played a fundamental role in the Thomson family’s journey through the whisky industry. Its younger whiskies were the core component of Finn’s grandfather’s blend, Beneagles, where their sweet and buttery character was expertly blended with the richness of Macallan and other hand-selected Speyside malts. After three and a half decades, this cask has developed a new richness all of its own. Old grain whiskies in particular have the ability to absorb sweetness from the cask and, combined with the oily mouthfeel of the spirit, this exquisite whisky tastes like rum and raisin ice cream in a glass. Single grain whiskies continue to be under-appreciated but this single cask release proves that, with time and patience, single grain whisky has every right to be regarded as highly as the finest single malts. Only 194 bottles were produced.

£168.00

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Dumbarton 26 Years Old Infrequent Flyers

This single grain whisky was distilled in 1997 at Dumbarton Distillery, which once was a powerhouse of Scottish single-grain distilling, but was shut down and mostly demolished in 2002. It was aged for 26 years in a single Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon and was bottled at natural cask strength, without chill filtration or artificial colouring by Alistair Walker for his Infrequent Flyers Collection.  Only 677 bottles were produced.

TASTING NOTES

NOSE

This has the classically sweet and solventy aldehydic notes typical of mature grain – coconut ice cream, Battenberg cake and fresh cinema popcorn, combined with heavy sherry aromas, predominantly stewed fruits.

PALATE

Velvety and indulgent. Intense dark chocolate, weighty raisin and sultanas, morello cherries and espresso, with underlying frutta martorana and almond muffins. A rare bottling from the iconic and sadly lost Dumbarton distillery.

£136.99

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Dumbarton (silent)

26 YEAR OLD
70cl | 53.8% ABV

A rare bottling from the iconic and sadly lost Dumbarton distillery, this Single Grain was allowed to mature for an impressive 26 years. Finished in PX Sherry wood, this Whisky is velvety and indulgent.

Nose: This has the classically sweet and solventy aldehydic notes typical of mature grain – coconut ice cream, Battenberg cake and fresh cinema popcorn, combined with heavy sherry aromas, predominantly stewed fruits.

Taste: Velvety and indulgent. Intense dark chocolate, weighty raisin and sultanas, morello cherries and espresso, with underlying frutta martorana and almond muffins.

£136.95

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JUST LANDED:
CHICHIBU RED WINE CASK 2023

The latest Chichibu single malt has been matured in a combination of wine casks from France, the United States, New Zealand and Japan. Distillery founder Ichiro Akuto – one of the world’s most respected whisky makers – carefully married the contents of these casks together to create a layered dram of remarkable complexity.

This is rich and thick on the palate with Chichibu’s hallmark tropical fruit notes supported by blueberries and blood oranges. The palate brings a little liquorice, subtle oak tannins and warming spices before a long finish with milk chocolate and wild honey.

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https://youtu.be/HI5NkzC1PYs

Loch Lomond 8YO Distillery Edition 5, 59.1% 

One of the reasons that we’ve all come to love Loch Lomond is experimentation. Not many other distilleries have four different types of still, their own cooperage, or as huge amount of unusual and standard liquid as Loch Lomomd. But what is most important is that if it works then they sell it! At a rather affordable price, too.

This is an 8YO release that was taken off of their straight neck pot stills at 85% ABV, then matured in a selection of American Oak casks. Prior to this very high distillation point, the mash was fermented using Chardonnay wine yeast. All of these rather incredible points have concluded in a very approachable cask strength liquid that smells like butter in all of its glorious forms.

This bottle costs £57, with free shipping, there were 68 left when I bought it, so probably not many left now. But it’s worth keeping an eye on Loch Lomond’s website in the future to see what other incredible releases pop up. Another contender for bargain of the year!

Bimber Distillery celebrates sporting excellence with 

The Spirit of the Underground Release No.6

London’s Bimber Distillery today announced the launch of the sixth release of its celebrated The Spirit of the Underground Collection, produced in conjunction with Transport for London (TfL).

Release No.6 travels to four new stations, each connected to a revered sporting location. All four single cask releases – Oval, Stratford, Wembley Park and Wimbledon – showcase the past and present of these legendary London locations. However, for this release the eye-catching labels and packaging designs also celebrate the sporting excellence which has taken place at each hallowed ground and thrilled people around the world for generations.

Drawn from Bimber’s finest casks, this release presents the distillery’s first selection of ‘double maturations’. Each expression has been matured in a combination of American and European oak, spending over 3 years within the second cask in order to masterfully weave both wood styles together. Each double cask expression has been crafted to tease out new aromas and flavours from the twin-cask approach. Carefully selected, monitored and then bottled at just the right moment, these new Spirit of the Underground releases present with an incredible depth of flavour and a perfect balance between the two casks and Bimber’s naturally fruit-forward spirit style. All four new releases showcase a different double maturation, with each bottled at natural cask strength and without filtration:

• Oval – moscatel sherry cask double maturation 57.6%, 307 bottles
• Stratford – fino sherry cask double maturation, 58.5%, 325 bottles
• Wembley Park – marsala cask double maturation, 58.3%, 305 bottles
• Wimbledon – Vino de Naranja cask double maturation, 56.6% 298 bottles

The Collection, which will total 44 individual releases, features a selection of iconic single malt whiskies that celebrate the heritage and diversity of the distillery’s home city. With eye-catchingly unique designs, each bottle presents a different Tube station on the London Underground network – the oldest underground passenger railway service in the world.

Release No.6 of The Spirit of the Underground Collection will be available directly from Bimber’s Spirit of the Underground website from Wednesday 5^th till Sunday 9th June via a ballot and with an RRP of £135 per bottle.

Speaking of the launch of the sixth release, Bimber’s Matt McKay said: “We have been excited about releasing these four new stations since we first launched the Collection back in May 2021. Every great sporting moment is accompanied by a memorable story, whether that’s about perseverance, friendship, victory or loss. The sixth release of The Spirit of The Underground celebrates not only the history of four iconic locations but also the shared ability of both sport and whisky to bring people together. For this very special release we are delighted to unveil our first ‘double maturation’ casks. We have been internally trialling this new, longer approach to the maturation of our European oak casks and are thrilled to now offer these new Bimber flavour journeys to customers. Each tells its own double maturation story, and we’re tremendously excited to see how our double cask programme develops over the coming years.”

Ellen Sankey, Brand Licensing Manager at TfL, said: “The continuation of our partnership with Bimber Distillery sees the release of four new bottles, all with an association with key sporting locations across our network. We are proud to be collaborating with a London based independent brand, highlighting again that the city houses products of great quality. The creative and original use of our branding to help portray unique elements of our city’s association with sporting history shows the benefit that an innovative, long-term collaborations like this can have.”

This collection is the latest addition to a robust licensing programme, developed by TfL and its international licensing representative IMG, that brings the London Underground’s rich legacy and iconic brand identity to global audiences in unique and authentic ways.

All the expressions in The Spirit of the Underground Collection 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 customised stills which possess an increased copper surface area, which results in a rich fruit-forward, layered spirit.

The Spirit of the Underground Collection – Release No.6

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 meticulous 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.

About Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s strategy and commitments on transport. It runs the day-to-day operation of the Capital’s public transport network, including London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway, London Buses and Elizabeth line services, as well as managing London’s main roads. TfL does all it can to support the millions of journeys that are made every day and keep the city moving, working and growing. TfL reinvests all income generated through fares and commercial revenue to run and improve services and is committed to reducing costs.

About IMG

IMG is a global sports, events and representation company. It is a leader in rights management, multi-channel content production and distribution, consultancy and fan engagement; owns, produces and commercially represents hundreds of live events and experiences; and manages licensing programs for the world’s best-known brands and trademarks. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery Offers Custom Bourbon Bottles Perfect for Father’s Day  

FRANKFORT, KY (May 30, 2024) –  Forget neckties for Father’s Day, give Dad a custom bottle of double-staved™ bourbon with your own personalized label from J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery.  Order online and choose Dad’s favorite mash bill from hundreds of proprietary double-staved barrels pre-selected by the Mattingly team of blenders.  Customize it even further by choosing the bottle shape, wax color for the stopper, and your own personal message on the label for Dad.  The J. Mattingly 1845 team will hand bottle it to your custom specifications and have it shipped to Dad’s door.   Orders placed before June 5 will be received by Father’s Day on June 16.  Orders placed after June 5 have the option of a downloadable gift card which can be printed and given to Dad on his special day.

All of J. Mattingly 1845’s whiskeys undergo its proprietary double-staving process, allowing the whiskey inside the barrels additional surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color.  This extra surface exposure of the charred staves inside the barrels imparts more caramel and vanilla naturally from the wood, resulting in a more flavorful taste profile.  The barrels are then married together and after rigorous taste tests from J. Mattingly 1845’s team of blenders, a one-of-a-kind blend is created.

“The online custom bourbon bottles truly are a one-of-a-kind gift that dad, or any bourbon lover, will treasure,” said Harry Richart, president of J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery.  “Not only is the liquid inside with our double-staved bourbon blends never repeated, but your choice of bottle shape, custom message for the label and wax color combination make it a unique creation not found on the liquor store shelf.  It’s a gift that stands out from all others with all the customization opportunities.”

J. Mattingly 1845 Bourbon and the custom bourbon creation option are available online at jmattingly1845.com and in person at its Distillery in Frankfort, KY. Gift cards are available for the custom bourbon creation experience.  Prices for the online bottles start at $120 for a 750 mL bottle.  Shipping is available to 45 U.S. States.

About J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery

The Mattingly family has been synonymous with distilling in Kentucky for more than two centuries, having a hand in the development of at least nine separate distilleries in the Commonwealth.

            In 2010 Jeff Mattingly took up the family mantle and started his own craft bourbon business.  Today, Jeff’s son Cameron has joined the team as Vice President of Production, continuing the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly Distillery 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Together father and son offer their proprietary double-staving process as well as a custom bourbon blending experience unparalleled in the spirits industry, available on-site in Frankfort or online at www.JMattingly1845.com.

OLD & RARE PICK
GLEN ORD 12 YEAR OLD

Glen Ord can easily fly under the radar of Old & Rare whisky fans, but this 12-year-old expression from the 2000s – one of the last to be presented in the old-school square bottle – is fantastic value-for-money. This expression came about just before this old Highlander was relaunched under ‘The Singleton’ banner and is our Old & Rare head buyer Jason Vaswani’s pick of the month.

This single malt is a little spicier and more sherried than most Glen Ords we encounter today, with some very pretty orchard fruit notes on the nose that lead into a well-textured palate with notes of apricot tart and vanilla ice cream.

£250

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ROSEBANK
LEGACY RELEASE – 32 YEAR OLD

1990 Vintage | 70cl | 47.6% ABV

Distilled in the final three years prior to the distillery’s closure, this 32 year old Single Malt from Rosebank is the third and final instalment in the Global Series of Legacy Releases. This Whisky perfectly exemplifies the qualities that earned Rosebank reverence as the ‘King of the Lowlands’.

Rich and complex yet elegant and balanced, this 32 Year Old offers sweet aromas of pineapple and candied ginger mingling with lemon and marzipan with hints of white pepper and café latte. The mouthfeel is velvety with good body and hints of malt, thyme, butterscotch, tropical fruits, drying oak and softly warming spice. A soft and long finish has notes of lemon, honeyed porridge and toasted walnut.

An elegant 32 year old limited release offering sweet aromas of pineapple and candied ginger mingling alongside lemon and marzipan, with hints of white pepper and caffe latte. The soft and long finish has notes of citrus, honeyed porridge and toasted walnut.

£1,999.95

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