On the 18th January we will putting on sale over 30 new products with 18% Off – that’s 18% Off on the 18th for 2018.
No heads up on what’s going to be added you will just have to wait and see.
Friday January 19th 5-7 PM
Glen Scotia & Loch Lomond
Treat yourself to a traditional whisky tasting. From 5-7 PM, we’ll be tasting new releases and rare favorites by both distilleries. Both established in the 19th century, Glen Scotia and Loch Lomond have contributed a wealth of great drams to the whisky world – we’re very excited to see what will be brought to this event.
Pourlist to be revealed as event approaches- RSVP to know first.
Isle of Arran Distillers announce Burns Unbroke events
Isle of Arran Distillers, sponsors of Burns Unbroke, a brand new multi-arts Robert Burns Festival have announced a series of masterclasses at the inaugural celebration, and a cocktail reception on the opening night of the Festival.
To be held on the 26th January, 1st February, 15th February and 1st March, the masterclass tastings will include a selection of expressions from the award-winning Arran Malt range including the Robert Burns Malt – the only whisky officially endorsed by the World Burns Federation.
Under the tutelage of the experienced, friendly staff from the Isle of Arran Distillery Festival goers will have the chance to taste the ‘Arran Waters’ with five drams of the Arran Malt, as well as the delicious Arran liqueur, discovering the inspiration and craft behind each. You will be guaranteed an informal and enjoyable evening.
Running at the Summerhall in Edinburgh for six weeks from the 25th January 2018, the program for Burns Unbroke will celebrate the plethora of artistic and performing talent in Scotland, and beyond, through the prism offered by new interpretations of the life and work of Robert Burns. The opening night of the Festival take place on Wednesday 24th January for press.
Invited guests will be welcomed at the evening reception by two bespoke cocktails created for Arran Whisky by Glasgow agency The Drink Cabinet, who specialise in experiential events in the drinks industry. Using Arran Whisky’s Robert Burns Malt, the specialists from The Drinks Cabinet will offer guests the chance to taste two delicious cocktails inspired by the Bard himself, a most fitting way to kick start the Burns Unbroke Festival celebrations.
The Isle of Arran Distillery is a headline sponsor of Burns Unbroke alongside Creative Scotland and Scotland.org.
James MacTaggart, Master Distiller at Isle of Arran Distillery, said: “As the producer of the official Robert Burns Malt, we were delighted to be involved in a festival that shares our passion for the poet.
“At Arran, we regard whisky making as a form of story telling. Each of our expressions take inspiration from the landscape, history and legends of the island we call home.
“We’re really looking forward to sharing these stories with festival goers and, of course, raising a glass to the Bard.”
Sheilagh Tennant, Burns Unbroke Director, says “Just as ‘ freedom an’ whisky gang thegither’, so to does Burns Unbroke and a quality dram.
“The Arran masterclasses will be a great chance for people to learn more about the history and heritage of our national drink, and we are looking forward to enjoying the cocktails inspired by their whisky and Burns himself on our opening night.”
Burns Unbroke open to press and invited guests on Wedneday 24th January and runs at Summerhall from 25 January – 10 March 2018, with the majority of performance events focussed around the weekend of 26-28 January.
The Arran masterclasses will be held in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre of Summerhall at 6:30pm on four dates; 26th January, 1st February, 15th February and 1st March 2018. Tickets are priced at £10 which includes five tasting drams and a cream liqueur. The tasting lasts approx. 1hr 30mins.
Tickets are available here.
Notes: For more information visit www.arranwhisky.com
Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007.)
Scottish Field Visitor Experience of the Year 2014 & 2015.
Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.) ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013). Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.
The Whisky Exchange Blog Review of 2017
It was a busy year, 2017. Lots of new things to drink, lots of tastings to attend and lots of new posts on the blog. So, before we properly commit to 2018 (it’s only a day old, and we’re not sure of it yet) here’s what happened last year:
It’s no secret that our annual posting of Jim Murray’s picks for the whiskies of the year is one of our most popular posts. But last year we got a triple dose of Jim, with an exclusive two-part interview popping up in January. It gave us an insight into Mr Murray’s take on the whisky world as well as what the front cover of the Whisky Bible 2017 was all about – yellow eyes and Jim as Luke Skywalker? Part 1 and part 2.
Despite claims to the contrary, Jim’s eyes do not glow in real life
And then, of course, there were the 2018 picks themselves themselves – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2018 winners. In usual fashion, the World Whisky of the Year is one that’s not easy to find here in the UK, but with the next two spots going to Redbreast 21yo and Glen Grant 18yo we have a chance of seeing whether we agree with Jim – when they’re back in stock…
We met lots of interesting drinks people this year. While we managed to have a chat with a few of them – Buffalo Trace’s Drew Mayville, Benriach and Glendronach’s Stewart Buchanan, Cotswolds’ Dan Szor, Old Pulteney’s Malcolm Waring, and Ardbeg and Glenmorangie’s Brendan McCarron – we also convinced some others to write us guest posts: Sexy Fish’s Jerome Allaguillemette and his love of Japanese whisky and Compass Box’s John Glaser’s on the importance of blended whisky, We even managed to convince TWE boss Sukhinder Singh to write about whisky investment and his love of Irish whiskey. Hopefully we’ll see more from him in the new year…
There are a few events that pop up each year that we really like. First was Feis Ile: the Islay Festival of Music and Malt. While we generally see it as a whisky festival, there’s loads going on during the week, and The Whisky Exchange was up on Islay running a pop-up old and rare whisky bar. We’re still working out if we can make it again this year, but in the meantime you can live vicariously through my pictures of the trip.
Port Ellen in the sun. Can you spot the excitable Whisky Exchange events manager?
Next was my favourite launch of the year, the Diageo Special Releases. Ten great whiskies, including the now-obligatory ‘annoy the whisky geeks’ entry: Collectivum XVIII – a blended malt made up of whisky from all 28 of Diageo’s working malt distilleries. I liked it… You can find the remaining bottles from this year’s line-up on our Diageo Special Releases 2017 page.
And not forgetting our Whisky of the Year, as chosen by our customers: Bowmore 15 Year Old. They may have taken the word ‘Darkest’ off the label in the latest rebranding, but it’s still the same great combination of sherry, fruit and gentle smoke that we know and love. A worthy winner.
We’ve got The Whisky Show: Old & Rare in February and the 10th anniversary edition of The Whisky Show in October already in the calendar. Along with that, we are lining up loads of great tastings in central London – sign up here to be the first to hear about them. We’ve got a load of great new Whisky Exchange exclusives on their way and the ‘save the date’ emails have already started arriving from the producers for new releases, so we certainly won’t be lacking for tasty things to drink.
Happy New Year!
Burns Night in Soho
On Thursday 25th January 2018, Blade Hairclub in Soho will be raising a glass to the famous bard, Rabbie Burns. Celebrating with whisky tastings and cocktails, the evening is sure to attract both Scots and Londoners with a penchant for whisky alike.
Priding itself as stocking some of the best whisky selections in town, Blade’s owner Stroo has stocked his subterranean bar with a fine hand-picked selection of whiskies from across the world. Personal favourites include the Bunnahabhain 26, Springbank 15 and Kilkerran 12.
This Burns Night, Blade is inviting every guest through the door to indulge in whisky tastings coupled with delicious whisky cocktails.
Blade Hairclub is an innovative bar and hair concept, combining great cuts and treatments from a bright young team of talented stylists, with an invitation to indulge in a meticulously curated drinks menu, created in-house and served from a cosy bar.
HOW TO HOST
YOUR OWN BURNS SUPPER
This month we’re giving thanks for the extraordinary life and work of Robert Burns, the ploughman poet whose life and work is remembered on or around 25 January, the anniversary of his birth in 1759.
The Burns Supper is a worldwide event and has grown to include certain key elements. But as a maverick himself, we’re confident Burns would have approved of any form of celebration – as long as it includes a few drams.
If you can’t make it to one of the Society’s official events, why not organise a Burns Supper of your own?
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ
Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information
This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!
Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video
24-25 FEBRUARY 2018, 11.30AM 6.30PM
THE GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL, GLASGOW
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
GORDON & MACPHAIL CONNOISSEURS CHOICE 50TH ANNIVERSARY
MASTERCLASS ON SALE NOW
SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY, 11AM 12.30
Gordon & MacPhail is one of the best-known names in the world of independent bottling. Founded in 1895, it is one of the oldest bottlers, with more than 100 years of selecting and bottling great whisky. Among them is the Connoisseurs Choice range, a landmark in the whisky world, now 50 years old. In this tasting we will try whiskies from across the years, finding out what has made the series so successful.
Here’s the incredible line-up:
Ardbeg 1974 bottled 2003
Laphroaig 1969 bottled 1986
Ledaig 1972 bottled 1989
Glenburgie 1968 bottled 1989
Benromach 1965 bottled 1979
Mortlach 1936 36yo (Black Label)
THE WORLD PREPARES FOR CELEBRATIONS TO MARK INTERNATIONAL SCOTCH DAY ON FEBRUARY 8th 2018
LONDON, JANUARY 8 2018: Scotch, the world’s favourite whisky, will be celebrated across the globe on Thursday 8th February with a series of events to mark International Scotch Day.
Now in its second year, the day is a true celebration of Scotland’s greatest gift, cementing Scotch’s status as both the world’s favourite whisky and the perfect drink to be shared with good company, wherever, whenever.
Celebrations will take place in homes, bars, clubs and events across the world, as Scotch aficionados, enthusiasts and fans alike raise a glass to their favourite whisky.
Ronan Beirne, Global Brand Marketing Director at Diageo said: “Last year we launched International Scotch Day and its huge success proved what we at Diageo already knew – the world loves Scotch. This year is going to be even bigger, with celebrations taking place globally, from Scotch Whisky tastings to opening the doors to Diageo’s archive in Scotland, free passes to distillery visitor centres and celebrity events in cities from Manila to Johannesburg”.
International Scotch Day is an opportunity to celebrate the world’s favourite whisky and to shine a spotlight on the entire Scotch Whisky category. The popularity of Scotch has been built through its integrity, quality and authenticity, and no other spirit can offer as diverse a range of tastes, textures and flavours.
Ewan Gunn, Global Scotch Whisky Master from Diageo commented: “Scotch is made all the way across Scotland – from the romantic west coast, through the whisky heartland of Speyside, to the vibrant urban central belt of Scotland, and though it is made here, it belongs to the world and is truly the world’s favourite whisky. Hosting International Scotch Day for a second year shows how confident we are about the popularity of this truly international drink.”
2018 celebrity ambassadors and global locations will be revealed in February.
Join the celebration and get involved by using #LoveScotch #InternationalScotchDay and #jointhecelebration. For more information visit facebook.com/LoveofScotch
Please drink responsibly.
NOTES
People interested in visiting the Diageo archive on February 8th should email archive.menstrie@diageo.com to secure a ticket. There is no charge, but places are limited.
Diageo distillery Visitor Centres will be open free of charge on February 8th, 10th and 11th. The Visitor Centres are at Blair Athol, Caol Ila, Cardhu, Clynelish, Cragganmore, Dalwhinnie, Glenkinchie, Glen Ord, Lagavulin, Oban, Royal Lochnagar and Talisker. Places are limited. Details will be announced in due course.
About #LoveScotch:
LoveScotch is about getting the world talking, thinking and trying the world’s favourite whisky and celebrates all that gives scotch its unique character, flavour and personality. The LoveScotch annual event, International Scotch Day on February 8th, is a day for people everywhere to join in and celebrate during the week of the birthday one of the world’s most influential Master Blenders – Alexander Walker the son of John ‘Johnnie’ Walker.
About Diageo: Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.
‘Bring me a pint o’ wine’
– Robert Burns
This year Milroys will be joining forces with Douglas Laing to celebrate Burn’s night. There will be whisky, there will be haggis, there may be bagpipes. Come and join us for some tipsy singing, fantastic, rare whiskies and frivolities.
Milroy’s of Soho
3 Greek Street
London, England W1D 4NX
United Kingdom
Friday, January 12th 5-7PM:
Bourbon Tasting: Four Roses
Handcrafted since 1888, Four Roses Bourbon survived Prohibition, The Great Depression, Two World Wars, and 40 years of exile from the US, only to be named American Whisky Distiller of the Year for 2011, 2012 and 2013 – three years in a row – by Whisky Magazine. This tasting will feature our exclusive
The Whisky Shop bottling of Four Roses, plus more limited edition and award-winning releases presented by whisky experts.
