EARLY MARCH TASTINGS

Glenturret, Macallan & Highland Park – The Vaults, Mon 7 Mar  More >

Scotland V. France Warm-Up – 28 Queen St, Sat 13 Mar  More >

Chocolate & Whisky Pairing – The Vaults, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Cheltenham Preview Tasting – Jury’s Inn, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Dundee Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Inverness Preview Tasting – Kingsmills Hotel, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Leeds Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Tunbridge Wells Preview Tasting – Hotel du Vin, Fri 18 Mar  More >

FREE EVENTS AT THE VAULTS

Poker Night – Tue 8 Mar   More >

6 Nations on the Big Screen – Next match Sun 13 Mar   More >

Peat Lovers’ Night – Tue 15 Mar   More >

Browse All Events & Tastings >

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

Our February auction is now LIVE!

To find out more, please email info@whisky.auction, call Enrico Gaddoni on +44 (0)20 8838 9381 or visit the website www.whisky.auction.

Our latest auction is now live and will end on Tuesday 8 March. The auction features some of best Islay whisky ever produced, a strong line-up of Irish whiskeys, a Johnnie Walker Blue Label Year of Monkey Set, and two Karuizawas available only at the distillery before Number One Drinks bought the remaining stock. You can also find never-released-for-sale miniatures, including Mortlach 75 Years Old, Glenlivet Generations Sample Set, Bowmore Devil’s Cask III and Black & White 60 Years Old. Look out for the following bottles, and good luck with your bids! 

• Ardbeg 30 Years Old
• Bowmore 1963 Bot.1980s
• Johnnie Walker 150th Anniversary
• Karuizawa 1975 Cask #6736 LMDW
• Laphroaig 1980 27 Years Old Cask Strength
• Macallan 1940 Handwritten Label
• Mortlach 1936 43 Years Old G&M  
• Van Winkle 12 Years Old Lawrenceburg  

You can bid in two ways: either increase the highest bid by a fixed amount, or place your maximum bid straightaway – ideal if you can’t be online on the last day of our auction. Be the first to bid!

Get bidding, and good luck! The Whisky Auction team.

FEBRUARY AUCTION LIVE! 

Plenty of great bottles this month, exciting new releases, interesting older bottlings. There is a huge range of bottles available in our biggest auction ever, a great range of products that should please collectors, investors and especially drinkers.

SPRINGBANK 50 YEAR OLD 

One of the many auction highlights this month is the Springbank 50 Year Old. Distilled in 1919 and bottled in 1969, this 50 Year Old is a rare opportunity to own a rare expression from one of Scotland’s most iconic distilleries.

YAMAZAKI SHERRY CASK 2016

Best whisky in the world is a hard act to follow, this hasn’t stopped Suntory from trying.  The only problem is everyone wants one and there isn’t enough to go around.  So here’s your chance, get bidding!

BRORA 1976 SMWS 61.1

A legendary bottling of Brora! This is the first bottling of Brora released by the Scotch Malt Whisky society and also the first time the world saw Brora as a single malt. That’s right… The First Brora!

KARUIZAWA FIGHT CLUB COLLECTION 1986/1987/1988

We are about to break the first two rules! A presentation of three single sherry cask Karuizawa distilled in 1986, 1987 and 1988. As usual they come with fantastic labels, this impressive collection depicts an epic samurai battle!

OLD FORESTER BOURBON 1946

Old Forester is the longest running bourbon on the market, celebrating its 145th year. This was part of their personalized label range and was bottled in 1946.

DALMORE 1966 SINGLE CASK

There was a time with whisky when simple elegance reigned. This 30 Year Old Dalmore lacks the ostentation of today’s releases… But a 1966 single cask can’t be ignored!

There is no registration fee, our commission structure is very competitive and we offer worldwide shipping. For our terms and conditions please click here.

With close to 20 years of experience in the whisky industry, Whisky Auctioneer specialises in auctioning whisky whether it be fine, old, rare, collectable or affordable. Formed in 2013 and based in Perth, central Scotland, we aim to be the most comprehensive website for the buying and selling of whisky online.

http://www.whiskyauctioneer.com/

 Happy Bidding!

EARLY MARCH TASTINGS

Glenturret, Macallan & Highland Park – The Vaults, Mon 7 Mar  More >

Scotland V. France Warm-Up – 28 Queen St, Sat 13 Mar  More >

Chocolate & Whisky Pairing – The Vaults, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Cheltenham Preview Tasting – Jury’s Inn, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Dundee Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Inverness Preview Tasting – Kingsmills Hotel, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Leeds Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 18 Mar  More >

Tunbridge Wells Preview Tasting – Hotel du Vin, Fri 18 Mar  More >

FREE EVENTS AT THE VAULTS

6 Nations on the Big Screen – Next match Fri 26 Feb   More >

Poker Night – Tue 8 Mar   More >

Peat Lovers’ Night – Tue 15 Mar   More >

Browse All Events & Tastings >

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

Hello and welcome to our 59th Auction,

You can catch up with our very own Big Peatrie as he takes us through the stars and interesting bottles of this month and you can see his vLog here.

We have a wonderfully deep and flavoursome collection this month of some of the world’s best loved, most sought after and highly thought of whiskies.

In the spirit of Dickens we are visited by three Ghosts from Hanyu, Karuizawa and Kawasaki, these wonderful whiskies were bottled by Nonjatta and have gained mystical status in a very short space of time.

Yamazakura brings us a bottle released for its 250th Anniversary and there are some lovely Yoichi single cask releases from 1988, 1990 and 1991.

Johnnie Walker presents a powerful presence with Director’s Blends from 2012 and 2013 as well as the Sir Alexander Walker release from their Master Blender Collection and finally two sets from the Johnnie Walker Houses of Taiwan and Singapore.

Glen Grant is represented by two bottlings by Gordon & MacPhail from 1954 and 1956 as well as a dark and mysterious 1964 bottling from Cadenhead’s.

Glenfiddich has whisky distilled in 1955 and two 40 year old bottlings one from Hart Brothers and an official bottling released in 2002.

Macallan brings us a Sir Peter Blake and Mario Testino, as well as a mini distilled in 1948 and an independent bottling from Douglas Laing’s Old & Rare range.

There is a wonderful range of spring cap bottles from Haig, Black & White, Crawford’s and Dimple that offer an insight into the rise of blend whisky across the world and a Irish Crawford’s Special Old Irish Whisky from before the adding of the ‘e’.

From the islands comes a Talisker Single Cask 34 Year Old, a Jura 40 Year from 1966 and 1957 Highland Park from Cadenhead’s.

As always there is a plethora of great drinking drams and great examples of liquid history available for you all to peruse at your leisure and bid away to your hearts’ content.

All the best from us here at SWA HQ!

Whisky Mash Goes Bigger and Better for 2016

Aberdeen’s Whisky Mash Festival is aiming big for this year’s event on Sunday 1^st May. After the success of last year’s inaugural Whisky Mash, the team behind the whisky tasting festival with a difference are looking to recreate the atmosphere that towed the line between informal and informative.

CASC – the event organisers – are already well-known in the city for providing the crowds with excellent drams from their impressive gantry at CASC Bar, a dedicated craft beer and whisky venue in the heart of Aberdeen’s Merchant Quarter. For Whisky Mash 2016, however, the team will be moving the event outside the confines of the bar itself and into a larger venue, the Carmelite Hotel.

“The move has allowed us a more spacious venue so we’ve invited even more exhibitors to the Mash this year,” said CASC’s Whisky Ambassador, Aly Mathers. “It’s all about the drams, and by using the Carmelite we can make sure to cram in as much excitement as possible.”

“The best thing about last year’s event was that we focussed primarily on independent bottlers and local producers of Scotch whisky. We always like to showcase everything that is available in the world of whisky and not just the major players, so you can expect a few surprises this year.”

Not only will attendees be able to sample some amazing drams from specially selected producers of Scotch whisky, rum and gin but there will be a series of exclusive masterclasses being held on the day too.

With tickets for this year’s event set to be released on Tuesday 1^st March the team are expecting the event to prove popular with locals. “We know there are a huge amount of whisky lovers in the North East of Scotland, just like ourselves. We can’t wait for them to come down and enjoy their day with us at Whisky Mash 2016,” said Mr. Mathers.

For more information on Whisky Mash 2016 (and tickets from 01/03/16) – http://www.whiskymash.co.uk/

For more information on CASC – http://www.cascbar.co.uk/ and http://www.cascshop.co.uk/

GREETINGS FELLOW WHISKY-LOVERS!

Spring has finally sprung here at The Whisky Lounge HQ! We even spotted a snow drop, which is making us come over all springy! With that in mind lets spring straight into what we have going on in the next few weeks…

First thing to note is that we have a shiny new website. We think it looks good and works well but we always love to get your feedback so please feel free have a look around and let us know what you think! We also recognise that one or two features are either missing or not functioning as they should be, so please bear with us whilst we make the necessary adjustments…

Meanwhile, read on to find out all the dram-tastic events we have lined up for you!

KAVALAN TASTINGS

To celebrate new happenings at TWL we are sampling the delights of award winning Asian distiller Kavalan.

Kavalan emerged on the UK whisky scene in 2011, making their debut at our Manchester Whisky Festival. Since then they’ve been releasing some dynamite whiskies and scooping dozens of medals in spirit competitions both at home and abroad. They were even crowned best in the world in the 2015 World Whisky Awards, a title previously held by a Japanese Whisky.

Taiwan wouldn’t be the most obvious country for making an award-winning malt whisky, but like Japan, Kavalan employ the same traditional whisky making methods as Scotland, and mirror beautifully the process of producing top-notch malt whisky.

But are they really all that??? Well we’re going to let the whiskies do the talking and let you, the good whisky drinking public, make up your own minds as to who deserves the number one spot. This tasting features 6 whiskies and as usual you won’t be tasting these whiskies alone but in the company of fellow whisky folk and of course one of our whisky experts, who will be on hand to entertain and enlighten you in the ways of the dram.

Manchester: February 19 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Book Now

Newcastle: February 19 @ 7:00 pm-  9.00 pm – Book Now

Liverpool: February 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Book Now

London: February 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Book Now

Leeds: February 25 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Book Now

FESTIVALS – NOW ON SALE!

The Newcastle Festival venue has now changed to the hallow grounds of St James Park, where we will be launching at least one world-exclusive new whisky, so don’t miss out! Book Now – last few tickets remaining.

The London Whisky Weekender Festival is a must for whisky newbies and seasoned whisky nuts alike. See our annual return to the Oval Space with distillers coming from all over the globe. Last remaining early bird tickets available here.

It’s been a little over 2 years down the track since our inaugural Aberdeen Whisky Fest and we’re excited to be heading back again to flood one of the cities most iconic venues with whisky! After the huge success of both the 2013 and 2015 shows we’re back for a 3rd round. Book now to get 2 tickets for a £40 bargain!

And finally our Bristol Whisky Fest – undoubtedly the biggest whisky event in the South West and after the tremendous success of the 2013 & 2015 shows we’re heading back to the fantastic Brissle and we’re not coming alone. We have a whole carnival of distillers and whisky in tow and we’re all set to give you a unforgettable day of all things whisky. Book now for the last few 2 tickets for £40.

TWL GUIDE TO WHISKY

For those looking to find out more about ‘the water of life’, having perhaps enjoyed one or two drams, then this is for you. A tasting of six whiskies will help bring it all to life whilst learning why whisky tastes the way it does.

Guide to Whisky London: 9th March 7-9pm, £20

For more information and dates click

GET BACKSTAGE

After a couple of years of (very successful) trips to the Feis Ile, we have decided in 2016 to do one trip to Islay outside of festival week and one in Speyside.

Both are incredible opportunities to get up close and personal with distilleries and their personnel in the respective areas and to spend some quality time with us! With both trips you will experience more quality whisky than you can shake a stick at, great food, lovely accommodation, beautiful scenery and amazing craic. That enough superlatives for you? As previously, you can choose from 3 day tours or a full week if you’re willing and able… also you can pay deposit with the balance payable a month before the trip.

Back Stage Speyside Options:

Tour 1:   9th – 12th July

Tour 2:        13th – 16th July

Full Week:   9th – 16th July

Book Now!

Back Stage Islay Options: Tour 1:         1st – 4th October

Tour 2:         5th – 8th October

Full Week:   1st – 8th October

Book Now!

NOW FOR THE QUIZ! 

Well actually it’s not really a quiz, more a TWL Landy treasure hunt, but you do get a prize for your Whisky Mission! To celebrate the last Land Rover Defender being produced and The Whisky Lounge getting our very own Defender this month, we will be offering free tickets to The Whisky Lounge Tastings and Festivals! 

To take part, all you have to do is send us a selfie of yourself and the TWLLANDY throughout February 2016 via Twitter, mention @TheWhiskyLounge using the hashtag  #ByeByeLandy and #Defender or email us at info@thewhiskylounge.com.

Check out our Facebook Page below to see just what a cracking prize we are offering you to show you the whisky love!

Find out more…

CREATE YOUR OWN BLEND

It’s not all about the Malt Whisky here at The Whisky Lounge. We love ALL whisky, including (good) blended whisky. Long ago we recognised, having dabbled in it ourselves, that blending is an art-form and is also a lot of fun.

You do not have to be a whisky expert, but you do have to come with an open mind and be prepared to apply both your palate and your brain as you construct your very own blended whisky.

You will be given the chance to try one or two classic blends to see where the benchmark lies before being let loose with your own set of whiskies and equipment.

You need to not only come up with your best possible blend, but also come up with an appropriate name for it. You will then bottle it into miniature, label it and take it home with you to proudly show it off to all and sundry!

8th March: Sheffield, The Tap, Sheffield Station, 7pm

10th March: Leeds, The Cross Keys, Water Lane, 7pm

10th March: Brighton, Grand Central, 29-30 Surrey St., 7pm

And that’s a wrap for now! Kick back, enjoy some drams and we hope to see you at a TWL event soon.

Sláinte

Eddie, Amanda and Joe

The Whisky Lounge Team

MONDAY 29 FEBRUARY AT 7.30PM

£50 PER TICKET

Tickets on sale now

BOOK YOUR TICKET »

ELEMENTS OF ISLAY TASTING

WITH OLIVER CHILTON 

We have a few tickets remaining for our evening of Islay whisky, tasting some of the latest releases from the Elements of Islay range as well as a brand-new release – Elements of Islay Peat!

VENUE

THE JUDGES COURT, BROWNS,
82-84 ST MARTIN’S LANE,
LONDON WC2N 4AG
 
PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE VENUE
FROM 7.15PM FOR A 7.30PM START

SOUGHT-AFTER GLENFIDDCH 50 YEAR OLD

LEADS BONHAMS’ FINE WHISKY SALE IN MARCH

The Glenfiddich 50 year old, estimate £12,000-15,000; three bottles of Black Bowmore 1964, estimate £4,000-4,500 per bottle

A bottle of The Glenfiddich 50 year old leads Bonhams’ next Fine Whisky sale on Wednesday 2 March in Edinburgh.  It is estimated at £12,000-15,000.

The whisky was bottled in 1991 from casks filled in 1937 and 1939 and is numbered 448 of an edition of a limited edition.  It comes in its original fitted wooden presentation case and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity provided by The Glenfiddich distillery.

Bonhams Whisky Specialist, Martin Green commented: “The Glenfiddich 50 year old is one of the most sought-after whiskies at auction and always excites much interest when it appears.  Whisky collecting is very much an international pursuit and I would not be surprised to see bidding for this bottle from the USA and countries in the Far East as well as closer to home.”

The sale also features three bottles of Black Bowmore 1964 to be sold separately with estimates of £4,000-4,500 per lot. Bottled in 1993, 1994 and 1995 respectively, they represnt the three editions of 1964 whisky distilled by Morrison’s Bowmore Distillery in casks previously used to age Oloroso Sherry.

As usual, the sale also offers some rarely-seen bottles including The Glenrothes-Glenlivet 20 year old distilled in 1946 and bottled in 1966 by Hepburn & Ross Ltd, Glasgow.  It is estimated at £1,500-1,800.  The company was founded in 1920 by two former First World War soldiers with experience of the whisky trade, Charles Hepburn and Herbert Ross, and had a policy of employing almost exclusively demobilised servicemen.  Although the firm passed out of the founders’ hands in 1959, its name persists and it is still remembered as the original producers of a blended whisky called Red Hackle after the decoration worn in the Tam O’Shanters of the Black Watch Regiment in place of a cap badge.

The Fine Whisky Sale takes place at Bonhams, 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 on 2 March starting at 11.00.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. Today, the auction house offers more sales than any of its rivals. The main salerooms are in London, New York and Hong Kong. Sales are also held in the UK in Knightsbridge and Edinburgh; in the US, in San Francisco and Los Angeles; in Europe, in Paris and Stuttgart and in Sydney, Australia. Bonhams also has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

Whisky News from Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery

We’ve had a busy month of tours at The Famous Grouse Experience and there’s just a few days left to make the most of our fantastic £5 Distillery Experience tour offer! Visit Scotland’s oldest working distillery and see exactly how Glenturret Single Malt is made using traditional methods. Tours run hourly and can be booked online here. Find out what else is going on at Scotland’s award winning, five star visitor attraction this month…

Afternoon Tea at Wilde Thyme

For those looking for an extra special treat, Afternoon Tea is available at our cafe Wilde Thyme at Glenturret daily between 1.30pm-3.30pm for just £12.50 per person. Enjoy tasty sandwiches, a freshly baked scone with clotted cream and a selection of mini cakes. Find out more and how to book online.

Top Spot on Tripadvisor

Everyone at The Famous Grouse Experience is delighted to have been voted #1 for ‘Things to do in Crieff’ on TripAdvisor, with many people giving us an excellent ‘five star’ rating! Read more about this story here and don’t forget to leave us a review if you’ve recently visited.

The Famous Shop

A visit to The Famous Shop is a must when you visit Glenturret Distillery! Full of whisky exclusives including The Black Grouse and The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold, you can even bottle your own whisky from our current Andy Murray cask. With lots of great gift ideas, it is the perfect place to pick up something extra special.

Famous Tasting

Discover how the Glenturret Single Malt is made and learn the art of blending with The Famous Tasting Experience. Enjoy five different tastings of The Famous Grouse and Glenturret whisky and receive a souvenir nosing glass to take home with you. Find out more and book online here.