Friday, November 30th, 5-7 PM:

Local Bourbon: Wright and Brown 

Anyone curious about craft Bourbon is sure to enjoy this tasting!

Distilled in American-made copper whisky stills, each Wright and Brown release is truly handcrafted. First, the distillers seek out the most flavorful non-GMO grains, working with local organic farms to get the best ingredients. Every step of the whisky process is then done in-house, from milling the grain to mashing, fermenting, distilling, aging, and finally bottling. The result is a decadently flavorful small-batch whiskey, made right here in the Bay Area.

More Details & RSVP

The Party Source Bourbon Harvest has finally arrived and we couldn’t be more excited. A big thank you to all those that participated in the raffle and congratulations to those that were selected. The Bourbon Harvest will have something for everyone and we hope to see you there.

Cheers,
-The Party Source Liquor Department

Bourbon Harvest

The Bourbon Harvest will begin at 11:00 am, Saturday, November 24^th. Everyone is invited to take part in the day’s activities as we celebrate all things Bourbon. For those that weren’t selected – not to worry there will be plenty of opportunities to go home with something special. The Bourbon Harvest isn’t just for raffling off Old Rip Van Winkle (ORVW) or Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC), we will also be releasing other rare and sought after Bourbons throughout the day, in addition, we’ll have some amazing Bourbons samples on hand, and Braxton will have food to offer. Come down and make a day of it.

Bourbon Harvest

Here are a couple of reminders to those that have been selected to participate in the ORVW and BTAC raffle.

• Each raffle participant has been emailed with a specific time slot, stand-ins will not be accepted
• Failure to show up for your time slot will mean forfeiture of your opportunity, no exception
•  To enter the raffle you’ll need to have printed your email verification that was sent with your time slot. Please note, time slots are not transferable in any way
• You must have your valid ID present at check-in and that ID must match with what we have on file when you signed up

Check-in will start at the beginning of each time slot. During each time slot names will be drawn at random for an opportunity to pick one bottle and one bottle only of either ORVW or BTAC from whatever selection remains when your name is drawn.

Custom Barrel Heads and Barrel Staves

Just in time for Christmas, we’ll be taking orders for Custom Barrel Heads and Barrel Staves. These make perfect presents for birthdays, weddings and, don’t you know, Christmas. If you have Bourbon enthusiasts on your list, these are a must. There are two options for customing Barrel Staves and eight options for customizing your Barrel Head.

Private Barrel Selection

For over a decade we have scoured the rickhouses of our favorite distilleries, home and abroad, for single barrels that we think best represent those distilleries. We currently have a selection of over 30 unique expressions from all over the world that include Bourbon, Rye, Single Malt Scotch, Tequila, Brandy, and Rum. These unique expressions are hand selected with care and each selection is unique to the barrel it was selected from. Sampled next to a distillery’s selection – that uniqueness stands out. Each Private Barrel has a fitting place on your bar.

The Party Source Private Barrel Selection

Holiday Gift Sets

As you head out to friends’ and families’ this season, don’t forget to take something special to show your appreciation for the season and hospitality. One great way to show your appreciation is to bring a special Spirit Gift Set, which are beautifully packaged and often include a little something extra that makes these gifts even more appreciated. We currently have 70 available gift sets that are great for the host with the most, secret Santa, or a reward to yourself for getting through the holidays.

Holiday Gift Set Selection

Seventh Annual Whiskey Obsession Festival

April 10 to 13, 2019

November 19, 2018

Sarasota, Florida

The Seventh Annual Whiskey Obsession Festival (WOF) will be held April 10 to 13, 2019 in Sarasota, Florida. Whiskey Obsession is the largest world whiskey festival in the U.S., with four days of classes, tastings, lunch and dinner pairings, bartender activities, interactive panel discussions, cigars, VIP pours, a fabulous grand tasting with hundreds of whiskies and cocktails, plus free live music street party in the heart of downtown. Last year, Whiskey Obsession attracted 3,500 attendees from 20 states and Canada. Tickets go on sale on Saturday, December 1 at www.whiskeyobsessionfestival.com.

New developments for 2019 include the formation of Spirit Guide, Inc., a nonprofit corporation that will sponsor all WOF events, allowing us to strengthen our community and industry partnerships. Whiskey Obsession continues its collaboration with Bourbon Women, an independent resource and inspirational forum, uniting women who share an affinity for bourbon. We are excited to partner with the Black Bourbon Society, bringing together African American bourbon enthusiasts from across the country. WOF welcomes new media partner, Bourbon Plus magazine, telling the stories of farmers, distillers, and mixologists. We’re working to expand the range of Irish, Scotch, and Japanese whiskies presented this year as well.

Having reached capacity at some of our former venues, the Whiskey Obsession Panel of Whiskey Experts and Grand Tasting main event will now be held at The Hyatt Sarasota with more space for vendors and consumers. The Thursday lunch master class will be held at one of Sarasota’s newest hotels, Art Ovation. Our Late Night Brand Showcase will be held at Social Eatery and Bar, and the Sips, Suds, and Smokes cigar and whiskey pairing will be held at Smokin’ Joes. The WOF Fine and Rare Series continues in January, February and March with exclusive tastings of unique whiskies at select Sarasota locations (details will follow).

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Whiskey Obsession Kickoff Dinner @ Sarasota Yacht Club (SYC), 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Elegant dinner pairing with a prominent speaker featuring a special four course menu from executive chef Anthony Puccio. Tickets are $125 per person. Open to the public; SYC membership not required.

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Exclusive Focus Lunch Master Class @ Art Ovation, 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lunch whiskey pairing with a prominent speaker, featuring a special menu from the Art Ovation. Tickets $45 per person and include meal, whiskies and commemorative Tervis custom tumbler.

Panelist Small Group Dinner @ The Hyatt Sarasota, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The pre-panel dinner features an intimate meal with a brand ambassador or master distiller. Tickets are $125 per person and include meal, whiskies and commemorative Tervis custom tumbler. Limited to 20 guests.

The Panel of Whiskey Experts Interactive Tasting & Discussion @ The Hyatt Sarasota, 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

Tickets are $75 and seating is limited to 130 guests. Panelists include eight brand ambassadors and master distillers representing multiple styles of premium whiskies.

Late Night Brand Showcase at the Social Eatery and Bar, 10:00 p.m. until late.

Tickets are $25 and include cocktail, whiskey samples and commemorative Tervis custom tumbler.

Friday, April 12, 2019

Masterclasses at Select Downtown Restaurants, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Lunch masterclasses feature prominent speakers in a small group setting. Tickets are $40 per person

and include meal, whiskies and commemorative Tervis custom tumbler.

Grand Tasting and Brand Experiences @ The Hyatt Sarasota, 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

With hundreds of whiskies and cocktails available to sample, the Grand Tasting features dozens of the world’s premium global brands as well as emerging craft distillers from around Florida and the United States.

• 7:00 p.m. VIP Admission
• 8:00 p.m. General Admission
• 10:15 p.m. Last Pour
• 10:30 p.m. Event concludes

Three ticket levels are available:

VIP $195:

• VIP admission is limited to 200 guests and includes one commemorative Glencairn glass and one hour early entrance at 7:00 p.m..
• VIP hour pours of ultra-premium, fine, expensive, and rare spirits (details will be available on the event website). At least 25 premium whiskies will be available during VIP hour.
• One $50 retail voucher for purchases placed with our online retail partner. Note that retail sales will not be conducted on-site.
• Greater opportunity to interact with distillery ambassadors and industry professionals.
• Unlimited tasting of over 200 spirits.
• Priority seating at other WOF events including lunch and dinner classes during the Festival.
• Wine, soft drinks, buffet and hors d’ oeuvres.

General Admission $95:

• Limited to 500 guests includes one commemorative Glencairn glass; entrance at 7:30 p.m.
• Unlimited tasting of several hundred whiskies and cocktails.
• Wine, soft drinks, buffet and hors d’ oeuvres.

Companion $45:

• Limited to 75 guests includes entrance with VIP or general admission ticket holders.
• Wine, soft drinks, buffet and hors d’ oeuvres

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Women of Whiskey Brunch @ Sarasota Yacht Club, 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Second annual! We are thrilled to present the Women of Whiskey Brunch in partnership with the Sarasota Whisky Society, Bourbon Women and the Black Bourbon Society, featuring a panel of three prominent women making contributions to the whiskey industry. The event emcee Jennifer Wells and moderator Peggy Noe Stevens will be joined by Samara Rivers to explore the whiskies and discuss the brunch pairings. Two whiskies from each panelist will be paired with a special menu created by SYC Executive Chef Anthony Puccio. Tickets are $40 per person and include meal, whiskies and commemorative Tervis custom tumbler. Open to the public; SYC membership not required and all are welcome!

Sips, Suds, and Smokes presents Beer, Bourbon, and Cigars @ Smokin’ Joes, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Join Bob Howell, Maury Jayson, and Mike Woods from Sips, Suds and Smokes radio show for a multi-faceted pairing of cigars and whiskey. This fun, casual event will be held in the lounge upstairs at Smokin’ Joes. Cost is $25 and includes cigars, beer, and whiskey samples.

Whiskey Rocks Live Music Street Party, @ Lemon and Main Downtown, 6:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

Whiskey Rocks continues its third year with great regional and national acts performing live downtown on North Lemon Avenue. Free and open to all ages!

Tickets and information are available at whiskeyobsessionfestival.com.

For more information contact Turner C. Moore, 941.400.9889

Website: www.whiskeyobsessionfestival.com

Video: https://youtu.be/qilNWayZxhc

Whiskey Obsession Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhiskeyObsessionFestival

Saturday, November 24th, 2-5 PM:

Scotch Tasting: Aberlour 

Traditional Speyside scotch pours at this expert presented Aberlour Tasting! We’ll be pouring new and rare drams by the storied distillery, with whisky experts present for all your scotch questions.

More Details & RSVP

Friday November 23rd, 5-7 PM:

Mystery Scotch & Chutney Tasting 

Master and expert of all things Scotch, our friend Sam Filmus returns to The Whisky Shop with a mystery selection of world-class single malt! While the pourlist is yet to be revealed, Filmus has a history of bringing rare and world-class drams to our guests. His previous pourlists have included 30+ year old single malts, ‘The Whisky Shop’ exclusive bottlings, and rare drams by The Exclusive Malts, Kilchoman, Signatory Vintage, and more.

Sam Filmus

Our mystery pourlist will be paired with a selection of Mcquade’s Celtic Chutneys. Created by San-Francisco based ‘Chutney Chef’ Alison Mcquade, each of her chutneys utilizes local ingredients and delicious whiskies to make unique, award-winning products. They’ve been featured at numerous bay area restaurants and tastings –

a must-try for any scotch fan!

More Details & RSVP

As we fall into cooler temps and get closer to the holiday season, Kensington Wine Market has put a bunch of SMWS bottles on sale – this weekend only! Enjoy 20% off the bottles below from Friday, Nov. 16th to Sunday, Nov. 18th while stocks last. Please note your membership must be in good standing. Shop online or in person at 1257 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary, or by phone at 403-283-8000 (toll-free 1-888-283-9004). Browse the list of 20 sale bottles below and act fast to secure your fave (if it says “out of stock” on the KWM website, there may still be some in the warehouse, so please enquire):

20% OFF:

Cask No. 5.53 EXOTIC FRUITS AND EASTERN SPICE

16 years old; 2nd fill Sauternes hogshead; flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow

20% off of $173.99

Cask No. 7.157 CLEOPATRA MEETS ROBIN HOOD

12 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Spicy & dry

20% off of $145.99

Cask No. 9.124 MADEIRA MARKET COFFEE BREAK

12 years old; refill hogshead; flavour profile:  Spicy & dry

20% off of $131.99

Cask No. 35.157 REWARD FOR A BRASS BAND

14 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

20% off of $154.99

Cask No. 36.102 AFTER THE RAIN

12 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

20% off of $146.99

Cask No. 36.113 SAWMILL IN A SUMMER MEADOW

13 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy

20% off of $148.99

Cask No. 36.118 CAVORTING IN FLOWER MEADOWS

12 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

20% off of $138.99

Cask No. 37.85 EASTERN PROMISE

14 years old; refill hogshead; flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy

20% off of $149.99

Cask No. 41.85 ADD A LITTLE SPICE!

11 years old; virgin oak hogshead; flavour profile:  Spicy & dry

20% off of $122.99

Cask No. 44.78 PEEK-A-BOO

14 years old; virgin oak hogshead; flavour profile:  Spicy & dry

20% off of $154.99

Cask No. 46.31 SNIFFING A BEE’S KNEES

22 years old; refill hogshead; flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

20% off of $224.99

Cask No. 48.82 VIVACIOUS, ZESTY & PENETRATING

12 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

20% off of $131.99

Cask No. 48.83 “…AND THE LIVING’S EASY”

13 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Light & delicate

20% off of $149.99

Cask No. 48.84 SEIZE THE MOMENT

12 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

20% off of $119.99

Cask No. 48.87 FRISKY WHISKY

11 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Sweet, fruity & mellow

20% off of $123.99

Cask No. 55.38 FLAMING RED WINE PUNCH

15 years old; 2nd fill barrique; flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy

20% off of $168.99

Cask No. 64.81 FLAMBE CREPE SUZETTE

13 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy

20% off of $139.99

Cask No. 64.91 PORRIDGE OATS ON A TROPICAL BEACH

10 years old; 1st fill barrel; flavour profile:  Juicy, oak & vanilla

20% off of $124.99

Cask No. 85.42 PUT YOUR FEET UP

16 years old; refill sherry butt; flavour profile:  Sweet & spicy

20% off of $169.99

Cask No. 121.94 DRIED CHERRY LATTICE PIE

16 years old; refill hogshead; flavour profile:  Spicy & dry

20% off of $141.99

www.smws.ca

Finalists announced in the Spirit of Speyside Festival Whisky Awards – now public must vote for winners

Battle lines have been drawn in an annual contest to find the best whiskies in Scotland’s most prolific whisky-producing region. Judges have selected eight finalists in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards – and are now handing the difficult task of crowning the best of the best to the public.

A panel of industry experts and drinks writers sampled dozens of drams from across the region, whittling the malts down into a shortlist that whisky fans will be able to sample in a blind taste test at sessions taking place in North America, Europe and across the UK.

In the 12 year and under category, Benromach 10 year old will go up against Cardhu 12 year old, while in the contest for malts aged 13 to 20 years, another Benromach – the 15 year old – will battle it out with Glen Grant 15 year old.

Glenlivet 21 year old will take on Aultmore 21 year old in the 21 year old and over category, and in the non-age statement class it is a head-to-head between Tamdhu Dalbeallie Dram and Glen Moray Classic Cabernet Finish.

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards are a key feature of the annual festival, which next takes place from May 1 to 6, 2019. Comprising over 500 events across Speyside – home to some of the world’s most recognisable whisky brands – it has become a bucket list event for aficionados.

Festival director Julie Fraser, who is responsible for organising the awards, said: “We have been lucky enough to sample some exquisite drams and yet again our distillers have blown apart the myth that a typical Speyside whisky exists. From floral to peated, the whole spectrum of flavour is there.

“We’ve been running the whisky awards as part of the festival for many years now and it’s always a very competitive event. They are different from others in the industry in that the winners are voted for by the whisky-drinking public, and not by a panel.

“Distillers think very highly of these awards: they consider it a real honour to win one because it is the people who will actually go out and buy a bottle or order it in a bar who are endorsing their product.

“The eight selected finalists are truly outstanding drams. I know that people who go along to our judging sessions at home and abroad will really enjoy them – but they will have a very difficult task in selecting a winner in each category.”

Judging sessions take place at the festival itself, but in recent years panels have been staged at a host of international locations. Over the next few months, the whistle-stop tour for the roving judging sessions will take in cities including New York, Malmo, Cologne, Rome, New Brunswick, Amsterdam and Paris, as well as Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and London.

All of the results cast on the road will be added to those made at the festival. The overall winners will be announced at a ceilidh which will bring the curtain down on event and six days of whisky, food and fun.

As well as offering unique experiences for those passionate about whisky, such as the chance to visit distilleries not normally open to the public and meet with key individuals from the industry, the programme also has lots to entertain those with a passing interest in whisky – or none at all.

Events include dinners and food tasting, music and dancing, outdoor and heritage attractions, as well as local community events. The full programme for the festival, including details of the whisky awards judging sessions, will be announced early in 2019 at www.spiritofspeyside.com

A video of the awards judging can be found here

Picture captions – The public will cast their votes for winners in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards in a blind taste test after a panel of judges whittled down entries into a shortlist of eight drams.

Springbank Quarterly- November Newsletter 

For the members of our Springbank Society,

Summer is certainly behind us now as autumn has heralded its arrival with a combination of a chilly breeze and series of storms over the past few weeks. Consequences have included the relatively trivial (Springbank Towers are absolutely freezing) to the more serious (the high rainfall has caused a landslide on the A83, closing the road and leading to a diversion of 58 miles).  It could be a long, cold winter… guess we will have to enjoy a few drams to warm ourselves up.

In this Quarterly Newsletter we shall discuss some Distillery news, bring you exciting new bottling announcements and update you on our Sales Team’s upcoming trips and events.

And for UK based Society members, we are going to point you in the direction of a recent TV programme focusing on Kintyre – information on that can be found towards the end of this email.

Distillery News

The production year started afresh in August and it’s full steam ahead here in Campbeltown.  This year production will increase to 400,000 litres between both Springbank and Mitchell’s Glengyle distilleries. Five years ago, annual production was 125,000 litres in total so output has increased significantly over this period. Kilkerran will be produced at Glengyle distillery for 3 months this year, so the future is looking very exciting for our sister distillery. The malt barns are back in operation too and the distillery staff have been malting local barley for the last few weeks.

The distillery shop is beginning to look like it has always been there. The new warehouse being built between Springbank and Glengyle now has foundations and a cement floor in place. This is a long term project and we will provide updates to members as the construction continues. This monster racked warehouse will be a sibling to the other 2 racked warehouses we have, warehouses 6 and 15. We’re looking to forward to learning the number of this warehouse, safe in the knowledge that it can’t be any more confusing than the current situation where there are 8 warehouses in total but the numbered warehouses go up to 15.

Since we are discussing Distillery news, now seems like a good time to announce the release of 2 upcoming bottlings; 1 from Springbank and 1 from Glengyle.

Springbank 9 YO Local Barley 57.7%

The much anticipated 4th annual release of Local Barley from Springbank Distillery. A 9yo whisky at 57.7%, this offering is the penultimate release in our series of 5 annual Local Barley bottlings.

Kilkerran 8 YO Cask Strength 56.5%

Also coming soon: the newest edition of Kilkerran 8yo cask strength. This 56.5% abv release comes from our sister distillery, Mitchell’s Glengyle, the home of Kilkerran Single Malt.

You will all receive a Newsflash email to announce the launch date very soon to give you a chance to get your hands on a bottle or two. Also included in this Newsflash email will be a request for you all to not post any product details on social media as this counteracts the effect of members getting to know about launches in advance. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Next Society Bottle

Although the next Society exclusive release is not scheduled for release until February/March of 2019, we thought we would let you all know about the changes we will be implementing then. We have been aware that our existing methods of ordering and paying for bottles has become antiquated, slow and, due to the Society’s increasing membership, difficult to manage on our end so we have decided to make a change.

If you are a member of the Cadenhead Club run by our friends at Wm Cadenhead’s you will know that they recently entered the 21st century by allowing members to pay online for Club bottles and we are delighted to say we are following in their footsteps – thanks to feedback from members we have decided to adopt an online ordering and payment system in the interest of fairness and practicality. Long time members will be aware that occasionally we have to make changes to the way the Society is run due to its growing size and this is one of those situations.

Further details will be released nearer the time.

Events: Where can you find our Sales Team?

Over the next few months our dedicated and hard working Sales Team will be travelling the globe spreading the word of Springbank (+ Kilkerran) and sharing a few drams with you all.  Below is a list of dates, places and events detailing what our sales team will be up to in the near future.

November:

10th: Glasgow Whisky Festival – Grant Macpherson will be in attendance at the Glasgow Whisky Festival. Join Grant in Glasgow as he shares drams of Springbank, Longrow, Hazelburn and Kilkerran. Full details on the show can be found here.

10th & 11th: Spirits in the Sky – David Allen and Mitch Graham will be in Belgium for Spirits in the Sky. Find out more details on one of our favourite events here.

15th-17th: Malta Whisky Festival – Ronan Currie and Mitch Graham travel to Malta for Market and Account visits on the 15th before attending the show on 16th + 17th. We are also hosting a tasting on each night too.

22nd-25th: Whisky und Rum Schiff – Melanie Stanger is in Zurich representing Springbank at Whisky & Rumschiff Zurich.

23th & 24th: Dublin Whisky Festival – Grant Macpherson takes the first of two back-to-back trips out of the UK (he is heading to Zurich at the end of November) as he attends the Dublin Whisky Live event.

24th: Drambusters – Ranald Watson will be at Drambusters Whisky Festival in Dumfries on Saturday 24th November. We look forward to seeing you all in Dumfries.

23rd-29th: South Korea Tasting Tour – Ronan Currie will be in Seoul, Korea for Market and Account visits between 23rd and 28th November 2018. Further details can be found on our website.

26th-30th: Sales Manager David Allen and Mitch Graham are in the Netherlands for a sales tour on the week commencing Monday 26th November.

29th – 1st December:  Whiskyschiff Zurich Albisgutli – Grant Macpherson will be in Zurich at the end of November for Whiskyschiff representing Kilkerran Single Malt. For full details – click here

Events taking place further in the future will be included in the next Quarterly Newsletter and, please remember, the Events Section of the Springbank Website is updated whenever we have new information to share with you all.

Springbank Website – Events Page

Social Media

You can follow Springbank on Social Media:

Facebook – Official Springbank Whisky

Twitter – @Springbank1828

Instagram- springbank1828

You can follow Kilkerran Single Malt on Facebook and Instagram too.

Finally, if you are missing Kintyre, we recommend catching up on Paul Murton’s excellent series, Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs, series 2, episode 6, Decline and Fall which takes you on a picturesque and informative tour of the Kintyre peninsula. You can find it on the BBC iPlayer (originally broadcast on BBC 2, Monday 15 October at 7.30pm).  Unfortunately, this is only available to those living in UK.

Thanks for reading the Springbank Society Quarterly Newsletter of (late) autumn 2018.

As usual, if you have any questions or queries you can contact us via email at the following address – society@springbank.scot

Goodbye for now…

But you’ll be hearing from us again very soon!

Slainte
Springbank Society
The Springbank Team

Springbank Distillers

www.springbank.scot

To join the Springbank Society contact them via society@springbank.scot 

Friday, November 16th, 5-7 PM: 

Bavarian Whisky Tasting: Purgeist

Pürgeist Bavarian hop-flavored whisky is a hopped whisky inspired by the Bavarian tradition of distilling beer. It is a dry and smooth sipping whisky that showcases the characteristics of both malt and hops. As delicious as it is unique, Pürgeist is made with no caramel color, no chill-filtration, no climate control, and no mass production. As such, this ‘low-tech’ whiskey is only available in very limited quantities.

More Details & RSVP