A Virtual Tasting with Ben Chambers from the Speyside GlenAllachie Distillery Friday 22nd April 7pm
Water of Life Movie, Tasting and Q&A with Charles Maclean and Ben Chambers 2nd – 4th April 2021
We are hugely excited to introduce our collaboration with the makers of the whisky film Water of Life to present a fantastic bespoke event for customers of the Inverurie Whisky Shop.
Not only will you gain exclusive access to the film for three days, you will also receive a tasting pack (featuring some extraordinary drams tied in to the movie’s timeline) to enjoy during the 88 minute feature length film.
If that wasn’t enough, you will also gain access to our Question and Answer session on Saturday, 3rd April at 7pm, featuring whisky legend Charles Maclean, and Ben Chambers from the GlenAllachie Speyside Distillery
The tasting pack includes 6 specially selected whiskies:
Bruichladdich Classic Laddie
Balvenie 17 Year Old Double Wood
GlenAllachie Single Cask 7169
Port Charlotte 10 Year Old
Nc’Nean Batch #3
Waterford Sheestown 1.2
The movie will be available through a link that will be sent out to you and you will be able to view at your leisure between 31st March and 4th April, in preparation for the Question and Answer event. You can taste your pack during the movie, or spread it out over the three days, or wait until the live session with our great guests – it really is up to you!
£50.00
Virtual Tastings – April 2021
We’re almost done with March, so it’s time to announce our April virtual tastings. This month we’ve got a couple – a taste through the Elixir Distillers’ Whisky Trail and a secret one that we’ll reveal soon…
14 April 2021 2021, 7-8.30pm – Whisky Trail by Elixir Distillers with Oliver Chilton and Billy Abbott: Elixir Distillers may be best known for Port Askaig, Elements of Islay and Single Malts of Scotland, but they also have a selection of other ranges. While they were originally available overseas, we are now getting a few bottles over here in the UK, and I will be joined by blender and cask selector Oliver Chilton to taste through some of his latest whiskies from the Whisky Trail. We’ll be trying whiskies from the Retro Cars and Concert series: Cambus 1990, Linkwood 2010, Girvan 1989, Glenburgie 1998, Blended Malt 2001 and Ardmore 1998.
We’ll have another April tasting appearing soon – keep an eye on The Whisky Exchange website in early April to find out more… Planning for our first in-person show of the year continues: Whisky Show 2021 is on its way. Tickets are available for both the in-person and virtual show, and we’ll have masterclasses and packs up soon.
…and don’t forget that if you’ve missed a tasting, you can find them all up on Facebook and YouTube.
Whisky Magazine Awards A. Smith Bowman Bourbons Bronze Medals at 2021 American World Whiskies Awards
FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA (Mar. 17, 2021) – John J. Bowman Single Barrel Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Bowman Brothers Small Batch Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey both received Bronze Medals in the Bourbon taste category at the 2021 World Whiskies Awards.
The competition, now in its ninth consecutive year, has set a worldwide standard for the selection of internationally recognized styles of whiskies based on taste and design. Awarded medalists are selected from many high profile, top-quality entries.
“We are ecstatic that our John J. Bowman Single Barrel and Bowman Brothers Small Batch have been recognized as Bronze Medalists in the taste category,” said Master Distiller Brian Prewitt. “This recognition is not only an honor, but an affirmation of the rich history and unwavering dedication that goes into our whisky processing.”
Whiskies in each category were subject to blind tastings in a three-round judging process to reward and promote the world’s best whiskies to consumers and trade across the globe. The winners from the World Whiskies will now compete with counterparts from all over the world, and global winners will be announced later this month. For more information about the World Whiskies Awards visit www.worldwhiskiesawards.com.
About A. Smith Bowman
A. Smith Bowman’s distilling roots date back to the years before Prohibition when the Bowman family had a granary and dairy farm in Sunset Hills, Virginia. They used excess grain from the family estate to distill spirits. In 1934, after the Repeal of Prohibition, Abram Smith Bowman and his sons continued the family tradition and built a more modern distillery in Fairfax County, Virginia called Sunset Hills Farm. The Distillery was moved in 1988 and is now nestled in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location.
As a small and privately owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery continues the time-honored traditions on which it was founded. Considered a micro-distillery by today’s standards, A. Smith Bowman produces an assortment of hand-crafted spirits distilled from only the finest natural ingredients and using the latest technology. This micro-distillery focuses on the production of premium spirits honoring the legacy of Virginia’s first settlers. As Virginia’s oldest and most award-winning distillery, its various brands have earned numerous prestigious awards over the years, including John J. Bowman Single Barrel, which was named America’s Best Non-Kentucky Single Barrel Bourbon at the 2020 American World Whiskies Awards. For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.
Malt of the Month:
Ledaig 18 Year Old
Our Malt of the Month for March is the indomitable Ledaig 18 Year Old – a subtle bruiser of a dram distilled at Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. Peated and finished in ex-sherry casks, this smoky, maritime dram has softened with age, and which is laden with dried-fruit, zesty-citrus and earthy coffee and tobacco notes. Bottled at 46.3% ABV this is a distinguished, full-flavoured whisky.
VIRTUAL FIFE WHISKY FESTIVAL RAISES FUNDS FOR CHARITY
A virtual whisky tasting hosted by the team behind Fife Whisky Festival has boosted the funds of a local charity.
The `Fae Fife’ online tasting was organised specifically to support Age Concern Cupar raising £1,000 for the group.
It also brought some lockdown cheer to Scottish whisky lovers who were disappointed the annual Fife Whisky Festival had to be cancelled this year.
Instead, 40 whisky fans from across the country were treated to ten drams from a range of Fife distilleries during a two-hour tasting session.
Fife Whisky Festival co-founder Karen Somerville said: “When we realised we wouldn’t be able to have our usual 700-strong crowd gather for the Festival we decided to host the next best thing – a tasting from Fife distilleries.
“We always raise money for Age Concern Cupar at the Festival with a raffle and we didn’t want them to miss out this year especially when they need funding more than ever to support elderly people through the difficult times we are all facing.
“The distilleries and our festival retailer, Luvians, kindly provided the whisky for us and we were limited to just 25 tickets which meant we sold out in about three minutes as hundreds of whisky lovers tried to snap them up!
“It was a great night and everyone had fun – the drams were great; we heard some interesting presentations from the distillers and brand ambassadors and best of all we raised £1,000 for Age Concern through ticket sales and some generous donations.”
Anne Ronaldson, Manager of Age Concern Cupar, was delighted with the funds raised by the whisky tasting.
She said: “I’d like to thank the team at Fife Whisky Festival for their continued support which is much appreciated.
“We’re closed now, due to lockdown, but are looking forward to welcoming people back for activities and social evenings when we can and this donation will make a big difference to us.
“I really appreciate the organisers thinking about us and hosting the tasting to help us this year.”
The distillers and brand ambassadors involved in the event also enjoyed the evening.
Murray Stevenson, UK Sales Manager and Brand Ambassador at Lindores Abbey Distillery in Newburgh, said: “It’s a real honour to be part of an event showcasing the thriving industry of Fife Whisky distilling which has gone from strength to strength during the past decade with Single Malt Whisky from our little corner of the globe now among the most sought after worldwide.
“For us here at Lindores Abbey Distillery attending the Fife Whisky Festival, be it virtual or the real thing, is one of our most important and enjoyable dates in our calendar.
“With Lindores being a young distillery, we relish the opportunity to engage with whisky enthusiasts in our local community and introduce them to our phenomenal malt spirit, beautiful distillery and incredible history of the ancient Abbey that is on their doorstep.
“The Festival is also a fantastic platform to communicate our brand and story to those further afield from Fife too and it is a real joy to be part of the new wave of whisky tourism coming to the area and welcoming the world’s whisky pilgrims to the Kingdom of Fife.”
The tasting session began with drams from Lindores Abbey Distillery and Lady of the Glen – an independent bottler whose new warehouses are in Dalgety Bay.
They were followed by a dram presented by Kingsbarns Distillery’s Peter Holroyd, who also treated viewers to a live tour of the distillery, before Francis Cuthbert presented a single cask whisky from Daftmill Distillery in Cupar.
The fifth dram was a single malt from Eden Mill Distillery in St Andrews followed by a taste of last year’s festival bottling of a 22-year-old Cameronbridge which was finished in a marsala cask for 12 months.
This dram was presented by Vince Fusaro, owner and founder of Luvians Bottle Shop, and Hugh Barron – Sales Manager for whisky specialists James Eadie who bottled the Cameronbridge.
The ‘Fae Fife’ finale featured four tasting samples in a deluxe pack from InchDairnie Distillery in Glenrothes and a presentation from distiller Scott Sneddon.
Karen Somerville and her co-founder Justine Hazlehurst are now planning the next Fife Whisky Festival which takes place in March 2022.
Ms Hazlehurst said: “We’ve already booked the Corn Exchange in Cupar for March 5 and aim to bring the Festival back to Fife bigger and better than ever.
“As usual we’ll have more than 30 distilleries and independent bottlers from all over Scotland showcasing their whisky wares.
“It will be an opportunity not to be missed and I think we’ll all be looking forward to it after having to cancel our 2021 event.”
Mrs Somerville, Managing Director of award-winning giftware firm Angels’ Share Glass, and Ms Hazlehurst, founder of Kask Whisky, launched Fife Whisky Festival in 2017 with the first event held in March 2018.
The annual Festival aims to showcase the renaissance of whisky-making in Fife by bringing together the best whisky producers from the region and beyond with the next event scheduled for March 4-6, 2022.
It will feature an Opening Dinner at Lindores Abbey on Friday March 4 followed by tasting sessions at the Corn Exchange in Cupar on Saturday March 5 with additional, smaller events on the Sunday.
Tickets for the 2022 event are due to go on sale in September this year.
For more details about the Festival, visit www.fifewhiskyfestival.com
Notes
Fife Whisky Festival was launched in 2017 by Justine Hazlehurst and Karen Somerville and the first event, opened by endurance cyclist Mark Beaumont, was held at the Corn Exchange in Cupar on Saturday March 10, 2018. For more details, go to www.fifewhiskyfestival.com
Angels’ Share Glass is a family-run business based in Bridge of Allan, near Stirling. The firm is co-directed by Karen Somerville and her father Tom Young – a world-renowned Master Craftsman who has been glassblowing and making lamp-work glassware for nearly 60 years. More information about the company can be found at www.angelsshareglass.com
Justine Hazlehurst is the founder of Kask Whisky, a whisky events company based in Edinburgh. She has established the Fife Whisky Trail and the Leith Whisky Trail and works alongside Holyrood Distillery developing and leading the distillery’s Whisky Walking Tour. For more details about Kask Whisky, go to www.kaskwhisky.com
Speyside Distillery Tasting 26th March 7pm
We have another fantastic value tasting event to enjoy with the little known Spey Distillery taking centre stage with 5 wonderful whiskies. Paul Dempsey will join Russell Brinklow in an informative but relaxed discussion about the distillery that lies the furthers upstream of all the Spey Distilleries. Also guesting will be Distillery Manager Allan Findlay, who brings his wealth of experience and humour to the night.
£20.00
2nd – 4th April with The Inverurie Whisky Shop featuring
Charlie Maclean, Ben Chambers and Greg Swartz
We are hugely excited to introduce our collaboration with the makers of the whisky film Water of Life to present a fantastic bespoke event for customers of the Inverurie Whisky Shop.
Not only will you gain exclusive access to the film for three days, you will also receive a tasting pack (featuring some extraordinary drams tied in to the movie’s timeline) to enjoy during the 88 minute feature length film.
The film features Jim McEwan, Dr Rachel Barrie, David Stewart, Charlie Maclean, Billy Walker and a host of other well known and legendary whisky icons.
If that wasn’t enough, you will also gain access to our Question and Answer session on Saturday, 3rd April at 7pm, featuring whisky legend Charles Maclean, and Ben Chambers from the GlenAllachie Speyside Distillery.
The movie will be available through a link that will be sent out to you and you will be able to view at your leisure between 2nd – 4th April, in preparation for the Question and Answer event.
You can taste your pack during the movie, or spread it out over the three days, or wait until the live session with our great guests – it really is up to you!
The 2021 global Whisky Magazine Awards
Where we’ll be presenting our Icons of Whisky, World Whiskies Awards winners, and our newest Hall of Fame inductee in a virtual awards ceremony. You can watch our presentation from the comfort of your own home – just head to our Facebook page or YouTube channel at 16:00 GMT on Thursday 25th March.
We’ll be celebrating the people, places, and drams that make the whisky world so wonderful, and the 2021 awards are particularly special given the challenges we have seen over the last year; above all, these successes demonstrate the tenacity and creativity that runs throughout the industry.
Don’t forget to set your alarms! And remember, you can join in with the action on social media using the hashtag #WhiskyMagAwards
This Sunday, we will be hosting the first event in our new series ‘Adventures in Deliciousness’ as we celebrate the launch of our limited edition Magic Cask. An Evening of Magic, Art & Science is happening on March 21st at 8pm GMT (1pm PDT and 4pm EDT), and we’d love for you to join us.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
We’ll be exploring this marvel of a whisky with a tasting that will take a detailed look at the components that make up its recipe. Plus there’ll be a live Q&A, and an exclusive giveaway with the chance to win one of ten limited edition Magic Cask jigsaw puzzles.
Our founder John Glaser and whiskymaker James Saxon will also be joined by some special guests. Guy Pratt from Stranger & Stranger, who designed the label for this whisky and world-renowned magician Joshua Jay, who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, will be bringing his own kind of wizardry to entertain us.
You don’t need to have the whisky to follow along at home but if you would like to stock up before the event, you can buy Magic Cask via our website or from your local specialist spirits retailer. Contact us if you need help finding your nearest stockist.
Click the below banner to sign up and we will send you all the information you need to join on the day.
We hope to see you there!
The Compass Box Team
