In-person teaching returns

We’re looking forward to getting back to Arniston House next month as our in-person whisky diploma courses resume for the first time since September. There are a few spaces available on the Diploma in Single Malt Whisky (Thursday 17 & Friday 18 June) and Diploma in the Art of Tasting Whisky (9 July), with further availability from September onwards.

We do hope to make more places available on all courses as the requirements for physical distancing are relaxed, so do keep an eye out for updates on our website and social media channels. We also have a full diary of dates for 2022, so, if you’re planning to join us in the future, let’s make it a date!

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Live Virtual Tasting

The GlenAllachie

Tasting Packs to be enjoyed live with Billy Walker, Master Distiller

Join industry legend and proprietor of GlenAllachie distillery Mr Billy Walker on Facebook live for a virtual/live tasting event of the new Wine Cask Finish series plus a MacNair’s Lum Reek 12 Year Old on Thursday 24th June 2021 at 7pm GMT with this tasting kit.

A limited number of packs containing:

1x 25ml GlenAllachie 11 Year Old Grattamacco Wine Cask

1x 25ml GlenAllachie 12 Year Old Sauternes Wine Cask

1x 25ml GlenAllachie 13 Year Old Rioja Wine Cask

1x 25ml MacNair’s Lum Reek 12 Year Old

BUY NOW – GlenAllachie Tasting Kit

Scottish Whisky Awards Announces
St Andrews Day Event

The national independent awards programme for the Scottish Whisky industry has opened for entry with a promise to recognise, reward and promote the many achievements in Scotch, despite the challenges of the last year.

The 3^rd annual Scottish Whisky Awards line-up features new categories and plans to celebrate success at a black-tie St Andrews Day dinner in Glasgow which will also be broadcast live on 30 November 2021.

Chair of the Judging Panel, Professor Alan Wolstenholme, commented;

“These awards are eagerly anticipated as they give us all an opportunity to promote and celebrate the diversity and quality of Scotch Whisky.  The industry continues to be faced with several challenges, but fortunately these awards give everyone working in the industry some much needed fuel to fire up the engines of success.

“The plans for an industry dinner on St Andrews Day is something which we can all look forward to as the return of live events looks ever more promising over the coming months.”

The awards are sponsored once again by Bruce Stevenson Insurance Brokers and feature 9 business categories including Product Launch of the Year, Sustainable Scotch Distillery of the Year and Tourism Destination of the Year.

The creative response of marketing teams to the global pandemic has presented a range of new digital experiences for the whisky consumer worldwide. Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year is a new award introduced to the line up to recognise the achievements of marketing teams in creating an innovative digital campaign.

This year will also see the return of the presentation of the Dr Jim Swan Memorial Award for Services to Scotch Whisky to an individual chosen by the judging panel.

The panel, which consists of over 40 whisky experts, will be meeting in a few months’ time to assess the talent and skill crafted in the Scotch whisky industry through a carefully staged blind tasting competition moderated by sensory management experts, Cara Technology.

The Scottish Whisky Awards is open for entry until Wednesday 4 August 2021.  For full details on the categories, how to enter the competition and product delivery details please visit www.scottishwhiskyawards.org.uk   For details on available sponsorship opportunities, please contact maxine@kdmedia.co.uk.

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Greetings Shelter Point Community

The first of this year’s crop of barley has started to sprout here at the Farm, a sign of more great things to come in 2021.

While it still remains unclear when we’ll be able to open our doors to the public for tastings and retail sales, our webshop absolutely remains open for business. All of our classic Shelter Point Spirits are available, along with our core lineup of Whiskies, and if you stay tuned in the coming weeks, some tantalizing upcoming Distillery Exclusive whisky releases…

With freight and packaging costs increasing, we will be making an upcoming change to our order minimums to qualify for Free Shipping for online orders. Starting June 1^st, all orders $125 and over (before tax) will be eligible for Free Shipping. If you want to take advantage of our old minimum of $89 (pre-tax), you only have a handful of days left to do so. Savvy buyers should take advantage now while they still can!

We’re so pleased with how many of you out there have continued to support us while our doors remain closed, and we can’t thank you enough for your continued patronage. As soon as we’re allowed to open again we can’t wait to welcome you all back to Shelter Point Distillery for tours, tastings, and fun.

Until then we are still hosting virtual tasting every 2 weeks and there are currently 2 different options for Virtual Tastings. The first being a whisky exclusive option which will include five 50ml samples of our award winning whiskies and the second being a spirit tasting which will include five 50ml samples of our other spirits, Whisky and Liqueur. Both tastings kits will be delivered to your door and ready to sample along with a group of friends & new acquaintances, and are hosted by members of the Shelter Point team, including Distiller Leon Webb, Distillery Manager Jacob Wiebe, Distillery Spirit Guide Brian Ingle and Distillery Spirit Scribe Pat Dunlop. For more information and for booking, please visit https://shelterpoint.ca/distillery-tour-booking/

Cheers and stay tuned to our newsletter for further updates and announcements regarding events, new releases and more fun goings on here at Shelter Point!

Shelter Point Website

Father’s Day is a day to honour the role of fathers and father figures in our lives.  What a great excuse to treat them!

We have chosen a selection of gifts that may interest you for this special day.

The English – Smokey 70cl
£42.50

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GIFT PACKS TO SUIT ALL TASTES

See our range of award winning English whisky or gift packs.  We stock a variety of gift packs that include whisky and gift items

FOUNDERS PRIVATE CELLAR THE FINAL SIGNATURE 

Extremely Limited Release – hand selected casks by our Founder James Nelstrop. The last release of any bottle with our founders signature on.

SHOP ALL GIFT PACKS

Let Scotch whisky take you to a new world of flavour

It’s time Scotch whisky got reacquainted with its distant cousin: beer. Because despite their obvious differences, these two drinks come from the same family, and get on like a house on fire. Curious to discover more? Then join us for our next Adventure in Deliciousness when we’ll be exploring what happens when you bring these two gregarious characters together.

Ideal for Father’s Day

In June, our founder John Glaser will reveal how three of our whiskies – The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree, and The Story of the Spaniard – strike up fascinating conversations with certain styles of beer. So, whether dad is a fan of the dram or the draught, we’ve got a great gift to satisfy his curiosity. Pick up a gift pack of our Malt Whisky Collection then sign him up for the event. For those in the US, a freshly designed gift pack will be available from early June – new packaging, same award-winning whiskies.

Save the date…

It’s happening on Sunday, June 27th at 8pm BST (12pm PDT / 3pm EDT) and of course, you don’t need to be a dad to join us. Everyone’s welcome! Is there someone in your life who loves a beer and you want to bring them into the delicious world of Scotch whisky? Then be sure to invite them along on the journey.

We look forward to seeing you there!
The Compass Box Team

PRIVATE BALLOT COMING SOON

This ballot for a small number of bottles of Ardbeg 25 Year Old 2021 will run from Friday 28 May until Sunday 30 May 2021. In order to qualify for entry, prospective entrants must have purchased a full-sized bottle of Ardbeg single malt whisky from The Whisky Exchange within the 24 months prior to the ballot opening, and must be signed up to receive our emails.

The deadline for purchase and thus eligibility for entry into the ballot is 23:59 BST on Thursday 27 May 2021.

The cost of each balloted bottle of Ardbeg 25 Year Old 2021 will be £795 including VAT, plus any relevant taxes and shipping costs, and winners of the ballot will be drawn on or after Ardbeg Day, 5 June 2021.

We’re also pleased to announce that we will be selling a small quantity of the limited-edition Ardbeg Scorch (General Release) on The Whisky Exchange website on Tuesday 25 May.

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ABOUT ARDBEG 25 YEAR OLD

Since its purchase and subsequent re-opening by Glenmorangie in 1997, Ardbeg’s stocks of maturing whisky have been growing larger and older. Snapshots of well-aged ‘modern’ Ardbeg have been available from time to time – tantalising glimpses of the heights such spirit can achieve.

The Ardbeg 25 Year Old is one such glimpse. Extremely limited in number, this truly exceptional Islay single malt shows a quality and character we can only hope will become more attainable as Ardbeg’s mature stocks grow. For now though, it remains a rare insight into one of this well-loved distillery’s possible futures.

BUY ARDBEG

Just a very quick note to let you know that our line-up of ‘exhibitors’ for our Festival in a Box 2.0 is coming together nicely! We have the list of these, so far, on the Eventbrite page…

So if you were waiting to find out the contents of the packs themselves before buying, hopefully this will go some way to satisfying your curiosity!

Read on…

This pack and event is gearing up to being our best yet, with over 20 samples included in each pack, plus, plus!

Not forgetting that the live events take place over the Father’s Day weekend and the ‘mini-masterclasses’ go live at the same time. So if you want something truly unique and worthy for your whisky-loving dad, this could be the one…

As promised, here is a list of just a few of the whiskies on ‘show’;

Spey Fumare Cask Strength
Langutan Old Deer 46%
Nikka Miyagikyo
Laphroaig 10yo Sherry Cask
Glen Moray Tokaji Cask
Port Askaig 100 Proof
Waterford Grattansbrook
Pike Creek 10yo Rum Barrel Finish

It is going to be a real smorgasbord of cracking drams from all over the world, with video tastings of all of them available by the time the weekend comes around!

So what is included and what does it cost?

Festival in a Box – Standard Edition £45 (inc. delivery)

– ALL samples of ALL of the exhibitors mini-masterclass whiskies. This will be around two dozen samples of 30ml or more.

– Glencairn tasting glass

– Can of Larkfire Wild Water for Whisky

– Access to ALL festival sessions, whether live or on-demand

BUY NOW – Festival in a Box 2021

There are other editions to accompany the live sessions, as follows. Each one includes EVERYTHING within the Standard Edition, plus…

The BBQ and Cocktail Edition £55 (inc. delivery)

Includes the cocktail ingredients and BBQ rubs you’ll need for the Friday night session. Only 50 packs originally available.

The Blending Edition £55 (inc. delivery)

Includes the blending components you’ll need for the Saturday night session. Only 50 packs originally available.

The Desert Island Drams Edition £55 (inc. delivery)

Includes the special drams you’ll need for the Sunday night session. Only 50 packs originally available. (previously the Desert Island Karaoke Edition)

The Ultimate Edition £95 (inc. delivery)

Includes everything you need to take part in ALL of the above three sessions. Only 20 packs originally available.

Whichever ‘Edition’ you prefer, just hit the button below and select your preference directly in Eventbrite.

BUY NOW – Festival in a Box 2021

Please note that the packs will NOT be sent out until just before the event itself, so please be patient and bear this in mind when ordering! For those of you with tickets for festivals that have been postponed, without a confirmed date re-arranged, you can put the value of your tickets towards one or more of the Festival in a Box packs. Please hit the button below and fill in the pre-fab’d email with your details.

Festival Ticket = Credit towards Festival pack

That’s it for now!

Best Wishes,
Eddie
The Whisky Lounge

Three American Oak Single Cask Whiskies

In the coming days, we will release three American Oak Single Cask whiskies.—

In addition to an American Oak Bourbon Single Cask (TD0177), we will be releasing an American Oak Tawny Single Cask (TD0317) and an American Oak Second Fill Single Cask (TD0121). All three are exceptional examples of the malt-led Sullivans Cove spirit working alongside the characteristics of American Oak for long-term maturation.

TD0177 American Oak Bourbon Single Cask, bottled at 47.2% was matured for over 14 years in a 200L cask and yielded only 122 bottles.

TD0317 American Oak Tawny Single Cask, bottled at 47.9% was matured for over 12 years in a 300L cask and yielded 427 bottles.

TD0121 American Oak Second Fill Single Cask, bottled at 47.5% was matured for 14 years and 5 months in a 300L cask and yielded 440 bottles.

Further cask information and tasting notes can be found on our online store.

“American Oak casks complement our malt-driven spirit and suit our gentler approach to all aspects of the whisky making process. With a more porous surface, American Oak lends itself to long-term maturation, with the vannillan characteristics of the wood marrying perfectly with our new make spirit.” – Heather Tillott, Head Distiller

These whiskies will be released via ballot.

The ballot will open for 24 hours from 11am Hobart time on Tuesday 25th of May, 2021. Further details will be sent via email prior to the ballot opening. Please note, entries will be strictly limited to one bottle per cask, per person. You’re welcome to enter all three ballots. Successful entries will be notified shortly after the ballot closes.

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Shene Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky Takes Home Five Double Gold and 1 Gold at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition was held at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco from April 1st through April 20th, with Shene Distillery taking home prestigious Double Gold medals for Shene Elixir of Life Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky 49% abv, Shene Solera Cask Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky 49% abv, Shene Mackey Trinity Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky 49% abv, Shene Trinity Enigma Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky 49% abv, Shene Mackey Triple Distilled Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 63.3% abv, and a Gold medal for Shene Cognac Release Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky 49% abv.

Founded in 2000, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition is the oldest and largest competition of its kind. This year the competition was another record-breaking year that more than 3,500 entries from all corners of the world.

“Each year’s results are closely followed, both by consumers eager for the expert judgements and more importantly by the trade, especially the distributor community. Many a craft distillery startup has found that recognition by the SFWSC is the golden key to unlocking broad national, and often, international distribution. Even established producers look to the SFWSC for confirmation of their core ranges, as well as validation of new products and new production techniques.” – Joseph V Micallef in a 2021 Forbes Article.

The 30+ judges of the 2021 Competition are established spirits industry experts, including Anthony Dias Blue (Executive Director), author, editor, publisher, and one of the most influential food, wine,and spirits writers and lifestyle personalities in the U.S.A and Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Director of Judging), of Clyde Common at Portland’s Ace Hotel, named America’s Bartender of the Year and the country’s Best Cocktail and Spirits Writer at the 2016 Spirited Awards.

The SFWSC is a blind-tasting competition considered one of the most reliable indications of spirits excellence globally. The judges determine which entries are worthy of Gold, Silver or Bronze based on tasting alone. “Double Gold—Awarded to the entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel; these are among the finest products in the world.” San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Shene Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky is proudly milled, mashed, fermented, distilled, matured and bottled onsite.

Shene Distillery
www.shene.com.au