Whiskies Matters October Newsletter – Whisky News
A big thank you to everyone who made the Austin and Houston Whisky tasting events such a success. Join us for the final whisky tasting of the year and plenty of warm southern hospitality in Atlanta on Saturday, October 22nd, 6-10pm.
We are so excited about the San Francisco Bay Area Whisky Tasting events that are taking place on March 30th and 31st, 2017! These always sell out so don’t delay too long in making plans to attend!
Links to buy tickets:
WOW Atlanta is right around the corner! Be sure to sign up for one of the complimentary masterclasses in Atlanta (registration links provided after tickets are purchased): Ardbeg Virtual Reality with by Clarke Boyer, US Brand Ambassador for Glenmorangie & Ardbeg High West Distillery: The Journey, with founder of High West, David Perkins. Micro Distillery Innovation with Eddie Varsalona, Spirits Specialist for Troy and Sons and Yellow Rose Scotch Whisky : Laphroaig Select Deconstructed with Simon Brooking, US Brand Ambassador for Laphroaig Cocktail Class with Nic Vaughn of 18.21 Bitters Cigar and Whisky Pairing with Smooth Draws Radio Show We could not be more excited for the event in Atlanta!
Here are some highlights to help you start to plan your night: Stalk and Barrel comes from the first micro-distillery in Ontario Canada, Still Waters, and is the result of two friends named Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein (no joke!), who loved whisky and knew they could take the produce of their home province, Ontario, and make great whisky. In March 2009, the distillery opened and they have never looked back. They oversee every aspect of whisky making and their award winning whiskies are the result of this passion and dedication. WOW Atlanta is excited to offer you a taste of the Rye and their Red Blend Canadian whiskies. The Rye is made form 100% locally grown Ontario rye, and aged in ex bourbon casks for three years. The sweetness and pepperiness of this rye surprises you when considering the youthfulness of a three year old rye! The Red Blend is a perfect marriage of their rye, single malt, and corn whisky. What is most often said about Red Blend is how perfectly matched and balanced are all the flavors, not too sweet or spicy or woody or fruity. Just right. Whiskies of the World in Atlanta provides the opportunity to taste many of these world class whiskies. See you on October 22.
Teeling Irish whiskey is bringing Whiskey distilling back to Dublin. Walter Teeling first distilled whiskey in 1782 and his descendants have started distilling again in 2015, very close to where Walter started! Jack Teeling was the manager of Cooley Distillery until it was purchased by Jim Beam and he decided to start his own distillery. Though using sourced whiskey for now, soon whiskey distilled in Dublin will be at the heart of Teeling Irish whiskey. Three expressions are being tasted at WOW in Atlanta, the Small Batch, the Single Grain and the Single Malt. The flagship whisky for Teeling, the Small Batch, is a blended, sourced whiskey from carefully selected casks which is then further aged in ex rum barrels. This is unusual for Irish whisky and though this whiskey has a sweetness, it also has a some woody and peppery notes that balance it out. The Single Grain is sourced form Cooley, and then aged in ex wine barrels and is drier than expected, but the wine finish gives this a sweetness at the end. The Single Malt is very unusual in that it is finished in 5 different barrels: Sherry, Port, Madeira, Cabernet Sauvignon and White Burgundy. It is a NAS but contains whiskey up to 23 years old and is a premium whiskey at an every day price. Try all three of these Irish whiskeys at WOWATL.
Preserving the legendary whiskey distilled at Stitzel-Weller, Blade and Bow Kentucky straight bourbon is made from a Solera aging process that preserves some of the oldest bourbons made by Stitzel-Weller, insuring that some always remains for the next batch. The name comes from the parts of a skeleton key and pays homage to the keys which always hung on the door at Stitzel-Weller. These keys represent the five steps of crafting bourbon: grains, yeast, fermentation, distillation and aging. The spirit gives aromas of fresh fruits and tastes of dried fruits and winter spices. Though distilling at Stitzel-Weller stopped in 1992, Blade and Bow whiskey gives you the chance to taste historic whiskeys and it is with great honor WOW brings it to you in Atlanta on October 22.
Troy and Sons whiskeys from Asheville Distilling Spirits Company in North Carolina are the only spirits in the world being distilled from Crooked Creek Corn, an open-pollinated heirloom white corn. The grains used in Troy and Sons whiskeys are all grown at Troy’s father’s farm, Peaceful Valley Farm, in North Carolina. While at the Atlanta WOW event, you will get the chance to try all three expressions from this distillery, The Platinum, The Oak Reserve and Blonde. Troy Ball is one of only a handful of female distillers in America, and her moonshine, The Platinum, is regarded as the smoothest ever tasted by anyone who has tried it. The Oak Reserve is that corn and Appalachian water moonshine rested in ex Bourbon barrels. Blonde is a wheated whiskey that incorporates a rare heirloom wheat, Turkey Red, brought to America by the Mennonites and lovingly planted and grown for generations in North Carolina. Blonde is a mellow, light whiskey, with notes of caramel and vanilla. Troy and Sons was recently honored to be chosen to be served at Walt Disney World resorts, but you can try it for yourself on October 22 in Atlanta.
Wolfburn distillery in the Highlands of Scotland has some notable distinctions. It is located in the most northern mainland town in Britain, and the production in the rebuilt distillery began just 3 and half years ago, in January of 2013. Despite this, the two releases so far, Wolfburn 3 Year Old Single Malt and Wolfburn Aurora, have received rave reviews, sparking excitement for what’s to come from the newest and most northern mainland distillery in Scotland. Very few people in the world have tasted these spirits, and having just recently arrived in the US, even fewer Americans have had a chance to taste these Scotches. It is with great pride and pleasure that Whiskies of the World is offering you a chance to try both of these expressions, Aurora being offered in the VIP section and the Wolfburn 3 year old Single Malt being poured all throughout the event. The whisky is overall a fruity, malty spirit, with spice and floral notes evident. Make the Wolfburn table one of your first stops at Whiskies of the World in Atlanta, October 22.
Cheers, Doug Smith Event Director Whiskies of the World
