Greetings fellow whisky-lovers!

Stuff Brexit – who knows what’s going to happen??? At no other time in history have the good people of the UK been in more need of dram than right now! So we are here to help soothe and comfort you, with our unique experiences. Together we can truly enjoy the last days of Babylon!

Read on for festival updates, masterclass tickets and all things whisky…

London-folk; are you ready for The Whisky Lounge’s biggest and most ambitious event to date? The legendary London Whisky Weekender takes place over the weekend of the 10th-12th of May and we’re flat out here at TWL HQ making absolutely sure this year’s whisky weekender is the biggest and best Whisky consumer show ever!

Tickets are already sold out for the Saturday early session, so don’t miss out on the last tickets available for our other sessions. You won’t want to miss this!

BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS

As well as the usual shenanigans, this year the Whisky Weekender will see a few new additions to the festival – plus a series of featured tastings, masterclasses, workshops + more. Tickets for these are now available online so check out what’s on offer below and get booked in!

First come, first served…

The Founder’s Tasting
with TWL’s Eddie Ludlow

The Art of Blending
with Chivas Regal

Whisky Cocktail Workshops
with The Whisky Lounge
BenRiach & GlenDronach
with Matt Chambers

Berry Brother’s & Glenrothes
with Ronnie Cox

The Ultimate ‘GOT’ Tasting
with Tam Gardiner and Eddie Ludlow

Amazon’s ‘Three Drinkers’ do Glenmorangie
with the show’s stars, Colin, Helena and Aidy

BUY MASTERCLASS TICKETS

Whisky Heaven at TWL 2019 Festivals

We’ll be welcoming our friends at Scotch Whisky Auctions as they host London’s legendary ‘Whisky Heaven’; an area with drams that one can only dream of. Escape the main hustle and bustle of the festival and join the SWA team as they talk you through an incredible line-up of carefully and selected bottlings, most of which are long out of ‘print’.

With entry costing just one black token (£10), and drams ranging from 1-3 black tokens, this is truly an unmissable opportunity for festival-goers to experience the finer drams in life. Tam and his SWA Ambassadors will be on hand to offer their vast knowledge and recommendations; well-worth taking advantage of.

Black tokens are available to purchase once inside the festival from one of The Whisky Lounge stands. Both orange and black tokens can be redeemed against ‘Under the Counter Drams’, whilst only black tokens can be used in Whisky Heaven.

Join us as we sample some of the finest whiskies from Fèis Ìle 2019!

After celebrating all things Islay in May, we’ll be bringing back an array of our favourite festival bottlings from some of the island’s most recognisable and treasured distilleries! We welcome you all to these special tasting series, in which you’ll get to taste through these truly rare and exciting drams. Find your nearest venue below and get booked in!

Dates and Venues:

Wednesday 5th June –
York – Brigantes, YO1 6JX

Friday 7th June –
Newcastle – Blackfriars, NE1 4XN

Wednesday 12th June –
London – Green Man, NW1 3AU

Wednesday 19th June –
Leeds – The Northern Monk, LS11 9YJ

Thursday 20th June –
Manchester – The Briton’s Protection, M1 5LE

MORE INFO & TICKETS

MALTSTOCK 2019

SoS is coming

Dear maltstockees!

…and we are coming to Speyside again! We love the Spirit of Speyside festival! So many great events and relaxed people. We go every year. This year it will be slightly different for us though. Somehow we thought it would be relaxed to be put to work…

Annette, Bob, Klaas, Stan, Teun

Spirit of Speyside festival

We’re very happy to help out our relaxed friends at the Whisky Shop Dufftown by becoming part of their volunteer crew this festival.

This basically means doing the dishes for 6 days. Making sure all tastings are set up and cleaned in time. We’ll be in St. James Hall, Dufftown for most of the festival, so do stop by to say hi! Or even better, come to one of the 14 very relaxed tastings held there during the festival.Check out the full program here

Keepers galore!

Remember this man? He was at Maltstock last year, and will be with us this year! There are many reasons why Joshua Hatton is now a Keeper of the Quaich. Doubt if coming to Maltstock several times made the difference. But we’re extremely happy and relaxed that Joshua is joining us again this year! And he will be brining his Single Cask Nation partner Jason Johnstone-Yellin.

He tells all about becoming a keeper on his very entertaining podcast: One Nation Under Whisky

Gordon MacPhail

Things are just getter better and better. Already so many fantastic people and brands have said to come to Maltstock this year. And we can now add another very relaxed one: Steven Cameron will return to Maltstock, of course bringing some excellent whiskies from Gordon MacPhail. Not to be missed!

Tickets are available

Make sure you don’t miss out on what promises to be a very special edition of Maltstock! We’ll get the full program online soon, but what a line-up it is, wow!! And we have the very relaxed Dave Broom at the Maltstock campfire, which makes us very relaxed!

So if you haven’t done so already, get relaxed and get your Maltstock ticket here

Click here to go to our webshop

Upcoming events

Maltstock will be present at:

• Spirit of Speyside Festival – www.spiritofspeyside.com – May 1-6

…and many other events (t.b.a.) during the rest of this year…

THE WHISKYBASE GATHERING

19TH AND 20TH
OF OCTOBER
2019

DISCOVER THE INDIES: BERRY BROTHERS & RUDD

WITH DOUG MCIVOR

Tuesday 21 May 2019
7pm-8.30pm
£30

Spaces limited. Tickets on sale now.

BOOK NOW

Independent bottlers have always been a hugely important part of the whisky industry. Today there are dozens of great indie bottlers bringing us excellent whisky without distilling a drop, whether it’s a note-perfect example of your favourite dram, or a totally different spin on a favourite style.

Discover these indies with our new series of events at The Whisky Exchange Fitzrovia – each of which will highlight one of the bottlers we love. We’re immensely privileged to kick off our discovery series with industry legend Doug McIvor, a wizard of cask selection and master blender for Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchant – Berry Bros & Rudd.

Berry Bros & Rudd are the innovators behind an impressive range of whiskies bearing their own label, and even hold a Royal Warrant for both Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales. Join us as we explore some of the whiskies bottled by Berry Bros & Rudd under Doug McIvor’s expert tutelage.

THE LINE-UP

Berry Bros & Rudd Sherry Cask Blended Malt
Berry Bros & Rudd Islay Blended Malt
Berry Bros & Rudd Orkney 2000 17 Year Old
Berry Bros & Rudd North British 1996 20 Year Old
Berry Bros & Rudd Glen Keith 1994 23 Year Old
Berry Bros & Rudd The Perspective Series 35 Year Old

TUESDAY 21 MAY 2019
7PM-8.30PM

£30

Spaces limited. Tickets on sale now.

BOOK NOW

VENUE

THE WHISKY EXCHANGE
FITZROVIA

90-92 GREAT PORTLAND ST
LONDON
W1W 7NT

Saturday, May 4th 2-5PM: 

Old Malt Cask

RSVP and save the date! This expert presented tasting of Old Malt Cask features legendary distilleries and rare expressions not to be missed. Old Malt Cask is unashamedly for connoisseurs of the finest expressions of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. As one of the most established brands in the single cask market, Old Malt Cask has bottled some of the most noteworthy scotches available today, with Laphroaig, Bruichladdich, and Glen Keith being just a few.

Click Here to RSVP

New  Category Announced in Inaugural Scottish Whisky Awards

The organisers of the new national celebration for the business of Scotch have added a new category to their line up as the programme progresses to the judging stages.

The Scottish Whisky Awards have added an ‘Excellence in Branding’ category which will be judged by a high-profile panel of experts from across the drinks industry.

The award will recognise the creation of a whisky brand which aims to make its mark in a competitive market.  Judges will consider the use of the brand in the context of product, packaging, marketing and communication strategies.

The awards have recruited a highly regarded judging panel which comprises of 35 experts from across the whisky business and related industries.  They will assess written entries in 7 categories covering a wide range of business including marketing, tourism destination, brand experience and community contribution.    The tasting panel which includes some of the world’s authorities in whisky tasting will blind taste a range of samples in 10 categories at the end of May.

The programme has the support of several sponsors including Shawbrook Bank, Bruce Stevenson, Wolffe Design and Barr Printers.

Details of the new category can be viewed here.

The deadline for entries is Thursday 9 May and it’s easy to enter following these simple steps.

Visit www.scottishwhiskyawards.org.uk

1. Register as a user in the My Account section
2. Go to Enter Now
3. Select your categories and fill in the form.
4. Process the registration fees and submit

For advice on the entry process or for support with your entries, please contact pippa@kdmedia.co.uk.

The Scottish Whisky Awards takes place on Thursday 5 September 2019 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh.

4-6 Coltbridge Avenue, Edinburgh, EH12 6AH
info@kdmedia.co.uk

Saturday, May 4th 2-5PM: 

Old Malt Cask

RSVP and save the date! This expert presented tasting of Old Malt Cask features legendary distilleries and rare expressions not to be missed. Old Malt Cask is unashamedly for connoisseurs of the finest expressions of Single Malt Scotch Whisky. As one of the most established brands in the single cask market, Old Malt Cask has bottled some of the most noteworthy scotches available today, with Laphroaig, Bruichladdich, and Glen Keith being just a few.

Click Here to RSVP

 NEW HEBRIDEAN WHISKY FESTIVAL LAUNCHES FEATURING ISLE OF RAASAY DISTILLERY

The first ever Hebridean Whisky Festival is to take place across the islands of Skye, Raasay and Harris between 21st-25th May 2019.

Spread between the four distilleries along the Hebridean Whisky Trail, the festival will feature free tours, tastings, music, casks and special events at Talisker, Torabhaig, Isle of Raasay and Harris distilleries and the Aros Centre, Portree.

Launched in 2018, the Hebridean Whisky Trail is a spectacular 115-mile route set amidst Skye’s stunning Cuillin mountains, Raasay’s beautiful coastline and seascapes and the famous white sandy shores of Harris At the Isle of Raasay Distillery on Thursday 23rd May 2019, whisky pilgrims can hop across the water to the youngest distillery on the Hebridean Whisky Trail for the launch of the exclusive new warehouse and whisky and chocolate tours.

This fantastic experience will take visitors to the inner sanctum of the distillery’s cask warehouse filled with the aroma of spirit maturing in Bordeaux, virgin oak and rye whisky casks.

Seasoned whisky connoisseurs and intrepid island explorers alike can enjoy the spectacular views from the warehouse terrace above the distillery across to the Cuillin mountains on Skye. Those with a sweet tooth can also enjoy the launch of the distillery’s new whisky and chocolate tour with delicious pairings of whisky and chocolate by Finlay MacDonald’s Glenshiel Chocolate Company.

The festival kicks off with two days on Skye at Torabhaig Distillery on Tuesday 21st May followed by events at Talisker, the oldest distillery on the trail, on Wednesday 22nd. Raasay Distillery on Thursday 23rd and then you can follow the self-guided whisky trail route up to Isle of Harris Distillery on Friday 24th May. Meanwhile in Portree the Aros Centre will showcase the distilleries at a special Hebridean Whisky Festival tasting stand for the duration of the festival.

The festival finale is the ‘Big Day at Slig’ taking place at the Sligachan Hotel on Saturday 25th May in Skye. Here all four distilleries will come together in one place for a day of whisky tastings, Hebridean Whisky cocktails, Distillery vehicles, cask displays, craft ales and a visit from the Isle of Skye pipe band. The festival will offer a chance to try all the spirits, as well as other local brews from Cuillin Brewery, sweet treats from the likes of Chocolates of Glenshiel and delicacies from the Skye Smokehouse. The festival will conclude in true Hebridean style with a ceilidh into the night at the Sligachan Hotel. These events are free entry and festival-goers can or choose to experience part of the festival or follow the full trail over five days by land or sea.

Notes 

The trail can be followed by land or sea with three CalMac ferry crossings linking the destinations as well as yacht berthing facilities near to each distillery. By sea, the Trail can be charted clockwise or anti-clockwise around Skye. Intrepid sea-farers can set sail from any of the four distilleries from points north, south, east or west. Road travellers can begin their journey either by crossing over the Skye Bridge at Kyle, or start at the Trail’s northernmost point on Harris, or its southernmost point at Torabhaig on Skye’s Sleat peninsula. Raasay is only a short 25-minute ferry journey from Sconser on Skye and the distillery is a short stroll from Raasay ferry terminal.

The Hebridean Whisky Trail’s total length is 115.2 miles.

Distances between each distillery:

Armadale–Torabhaig 4.2miles

Torabhaig–Talisker 36.1 Miles

Talisker –Raasay 14.5 miles

Raasay–Harris 60.4 miles

Contact information:

Raasay Distillery: harriet@kapranos-pr.com

Talisker Distillery: Susan.MacLean@diageo.com

Torabhaig Distillery: anne@torabhaig.com

Isle of Harris Distillery: shona.macleod@harrisdistillery.com

Scotch Whisky Association: pressoffice@swa.org

www.hebrideanwhisky.com

www.Calmac.com

www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

Raasay Distillery, Borodale House, Isle of Raasay, Kyle IV40 8PB raasaydistillery.com

T: 01478 470178

Opening times: 10am – 5pm

Instagram/ Facebook: @raasaydistillery, Twitter: @RaasayWhisky, YouTube: bit.ly/raasayyoutube

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival combines great drams and the great outdoors

Scotland’s national drink is intrinsically linked to the landscape in which it is produced – and now the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is bringing the two together in a series of events which celebrate both the amber nectar and the great outdoors.

Event providers have pulled out all the stops to deliver on their promise to ensure the Festival, which takes place from May 1 to 6, provides something for everyone by organising a range of whisky-themed outdoor activities.

From golf outings and geocaching to canoe trips and trail runs, visitors to this year’s Festival can spend every day surrounded by stunning scenery, learning about history, heritage and how geography influences Speyside’s drams.

Festival chairman James Campbell said: “With over 660 events on the Festival programme, this year is the biggest on record. It is also the most varied programme that I have ever seen, with some very imaginative and innovative activities planned.

“If anyone thought that the only thing to do at a whisky festival was to enjoy a dram or visit a distillery, this year’s programme completely dispels that perception. The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is very much about having fun while creating great memories – and these events will certainly deliver.”

One of the more unusual events is Secrets of Spynie on May 4 which combines walking and canoeing. During their guided journey by foot and by voyageur canoe, visitors will be able to learn about the 1,500-year history of the Laich of Moray where much of the barley used in local whisky is grown.

Guides will also be sharing the story of Macbeth, the history of Spynie Canal and will visit Spynie Palace, which dates back to medieval times.  This is an easy to moderate activity which is suitable for all.

Visitors can also enjoy a dram against the backdrop of one of Speyside’s most photographed attractions – Craigellachie Bridge. John Dewar & Sons, which operates nearby Craigellachie Distillery, will be hosting Scottish Aperitivo hour at the iconic landmark on May 4 and 5 at 6pm.

Complimentary drams of some very special Craigellachie and Aultmore single malt whisky will be served at the free event, which is designed to get people to stop, think and simply enjoy a dram in beautiful countryside.

Dog lovers will revel in the hunt to find Rebel, the missing Murray McDavid dog. This treasure hunt with a difference takes place on May 5 and will task visitors with finding 10 wee ‘Westies’ that have wandered off into the Speyside countryside.

Participants will get a map of where the dogs were last spotted – and every map can be redeemed against a 5cl miniature. However, the Murray McDavid team will ensure that those who are able to reunite Rebel with his owners are richly rewarded with a bottle of whisky.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place in locations across the region – the spiritual home of Scotland’s whisky industry – from May 1 to 6. Over 660 events are on offer during the six days, including exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, whisky nosing and tasting, food pairing and outdoor and heritage activities.

The programme is designed to appeal to people of all levels of interest in whisky, from the connoisseurs who have a deep-rooted passion for Scotland’s national drink to those who have never tasted it before. While many events are ticketed, some are free – and it is possible to enjoy the excitement and atmosphere of the Festival without touching a drop.

Tickets for individual events are on sale now at www.spiritofspeyside.com with regular updates on social media: facebook.com/whiskyfestival and Twitter and Instagram @spirit_speyside

Picture caption: Craigellachie Bridge is an iconic location in Speyside, where visitors to the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival will find whisky galore.

“Park Avenue After Hours

“Castle Brands Night!”

MAY – we have this evening?

We’ve booked our next ‘After Hours’ for Wednesday, May 15th. We hope you can join us for something a little different this time. For this event, we’re bringing in Castle Brands to pour from their library of spirits. There will whisk(e)y from around the world,  it’s a way to expand minds and palates. The gang at Park Avenue hopes to see you there – Please see the official invite below and remember space is limited.

While we have your attention – we thought we’d also tell you about 2 exciting new Bourbons that have arrived. See below after the invite for details 🙂

Have a very Happy Holiday and be sure to let us know if you have any questions.

Cheers!
Jonathan, Eric & Marlon
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com

whiskyconn@gmail.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

BOURBONS!  

2 New – ‘Old’s to our shelves.

These are in limited supply ~ Please contact the store to order.  

“Old Pepper 10 Year Old”  

We got our distributor’s last 18 bottles of this 115proof wonder.  As you know – age-statement Bourbons are rarer and rarer these days.  We grabbed what they had left because this one brought a heat that had layer upon layer of flavor that lingered in the best way.  We probably liked because there a high % of Rye here which brings spices to the sweet corn – there’s notes of nutmeg, clove and vanilla/cinnamon.  When we sample something here and the guys pass the cup around and say, “Try this” – you know it’s good.

$135/btl  

“Old Elk”  

We’ve been waiting for this one! Brought to us by Greg Metze – Veteran Master Distiller and probably the guy behind some of your favorite spirits to come out of Lawrenceberg, Indiana. #MGP. They talk a lot about proprietary “Slow process distillation” – just know it’s good 🙂 The mashbill has a bit more malted barely than normal but its all the better for it!

NOTES…

Aroma: Sweet vanilla and caramel, clove spice, slight maple, and nutty almond

Taste: Maple syrup, almond, raw bran, chocolate, deep wood, and coconut

$60/btl 

The listed Bourbons are in limited supply so please contact the store to order. RSVP for the ‘After Hours’ so we can get a proper head count. We are not responsible for any typographical errors or Bran being the first person Jaime Lannister awkwardly makes eye-contact with the minute he arrives at Winterfell. Please contact the store with any questions.

The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 |  parkaveliquor.com