‘Dram-packed’ schedule announced for Jura Tastival 2015 

Tickets are now on sale for Jura’s annual whisky festival, Tastival, a two day island celebration for whisky lovers on 27 & 28 May 2015. 

A packed schedule of tastings and tours has been announced for Jura Tastival 2015, inviting whisky fans from across the globe to discover the unique flavours of Jura as part of the annual Feis Ile festival.

A variety of sensory experiences in whisky, food and craft beer, will open the mind and palate of attendees, offering them new and exciting ways to enjoy a dram.

The festival will bring taste to life in the Cooperage, where a street artist will paint the personal tasting notes of attendees live on the walls of the distillery while they sample a dram from Jura’s range, resulting in a continuously evolving mural of flavour.

An experiential dining session, inspired by the sweet and smoky sides of Jura’s whiskies, will be hosted by Dram & Smoke and fans can also enjoy a specially brewed bottle of craft beer from Drygate Brewing Co., which has been created to pair with the limited edition Jura Tastival whisky.

Unique tasting sessions from the rarest casks in Jura’s warehouse will take place with Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, and a special distillery tour and tasting will see Jura Master Distiller, Willie Tait and Jura Distillery Manager, Willie Cochrane relay their stories about the passion and dedication it takes to craft the Jura range.

Willie Cochrane, Jura Distillery Manager: “Jura may be a small island, but we extend a large welcome to whisky fans from all over world every year at Tastival.”

“This year’s festival focuses on bringing flavour to life and offering fans new ways to appreciate whisky. Whether it’s seeing your tasting notes appear in front of your eyes on large scale canvases, exploring the unique smoky and sweet flavours of our whiskies with a tasting menu, or discovering a dram that pairs excellently with craft beer, there’s something different for everyone.”

Ticketed sessions are limited and range from £10-45, with complimentary distillery tours and access to the Dramming Bar on both days. Tickets are available to purchase now at: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jura-tastival-2015-wednesday-27-thursday-28-may-tickets-16411651692

#JuraTastival  

NOTES 

About Jura:

Jura is an island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland. With only one road, one pub, one distillery and 200 people, Jura is as beautiful as it is remote.

The distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to revive the community.

Inspired by our history and our island home, we create single malt with a true passion for the craft of whisky making.

Tastival 2015 – Full breakdown of ticketed sessions:

Discover Two Sides of Jura (1 hr)

Join Jura Ambassador Kieran Cusker and the guys from experiential pop-up eatery, Dram & Smoke, to tuck into a whisky and food taster menu that is inspired by the sweet and smoky sides of Jura.

Learn which flavours perfectly complement Jura whiskies and find out how to smoke your own food, in this shared tasting experience.

£25

Rare Cask Selection with Richard Paterson (45 mins)

Ever wondered what inspires a Master Distiller to create such distinctive maturation processes and finishes?  In this unique tasting session, Richard Paterson sniffs out a very special selection of our rare and vintage whiskies from the Jura warehouse, as well as sharing his passion for fine wines and sherry.

£45

JURAFEST (45 mins)

Jura meets Oktoberfest in this beer and whisky tasting session with Ambassador, Sam Amfo-Okoampah.

He will introduce you to the new Jura Tastival 2015 whisky which will be matched with an exceptional craft beer created especially for the event by Glasgow-based craft brewery, Drygate. At this session you will have the rare opportunity to try Jura Brooklyn, an exclusive bottling for Jura’s friends in the US, as well as Jura Origin which will be both paired with craft beers from Williams Bros.

£15

The Masters Tours (1 hr)

Join Jura Global Brand Ambassador Willie Tait and Jura Distillery Manager Willie Cochrane for a unique tour of the Jura Distillery and a dram Jura 21 Years Old and the recently released Jura 1984 Vintage.  With over 79 years of experience between them, the Willie’s will share their passion and the craftsmanship that goes into creating Jura whiskies.

£15

Whisky on the Waves (30 mins)

Cruise with Captain Nicol and our Jura Ambassador, into the open sea for a tasting of Jura Turas-Mara.  You will experience a sensory journey out at sea to enjoy this dram the way it was meant to be – with the wind and sea spray in your face.

£10

SOCIETY EVENTS 

Game of Pairs Tasting > The Vaults, Leith – Tue 14 Apr

Match Society and proprietary drams in this exciting game of tasting pairs

Free Live Music > The Vaults, Leith – Wed 15 Apr

Featuring Reece Hillis, a very talented, young Folk/Blues musician from central Scotland

Browse All Tastings >

Bleatings from Speyside – Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Programme is a Shear Delight

For black sheep who don’t follow the flock, if whisky tours or tastings aren’t your thing, then there are craft opportunities by the bagful to be had during this year’s Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival which takes place from April 30-May 4.

Three Bags Wool is a speciality craft shop in Aberlour where festival visitors can spend an afternoon making a needle felt sheep scene.

All the tools, equipment and materials will be provided to enable people to work on their own masterpiece. No experience is needed but the workshop comes with its own warning – this craft activity may prove addictive!

You’ll leave with your own hand made artwork and a basic knowledge of needle felting.

Or how about branching out and trying wood turning under the expert guidance of master carver Julian Schmechel at Burnside of Ballintomb Furniture Makers?

With just four places per session, these day-long workshops include lunch and would be just the thing for anyone wishing to learn wood carving, as no experience is needed.

Meet local craft workers and see them in action at the Speyside Crafts Market in Grant Hall in Rothes. The friendly, knowledgeable stall holders will represent a wide range of local crafts and will be happy to demonstrate their skills and chat to visitors on May 2.

Meanwhile exhibitors from Creative Cairngorms and other craft businesses will display their expertise and have a range of their creative output for sale at an open day at The Glenlivet Distillery also on May 2 which will include bee-keeping, embroidery, information about  salmon in the River Spey and its tributaries, as well details of activities in the area.

Should you make purchase of some of the finest liquid produce from Speyside, then you’ll need a glass from which to drink it. So why not have a go at making your own from a selection of Speyside timber at a green wood crafting workshop?

This is a centuries-old craft will see participants learning how to select, cleave and carve out freshly felled logs using a selection of hand tools and devices, including carving axes, drawknives, carving knives, shaving horses and pole lathes.

Or watch a master glass blower at work in a demonstration at The Macallan Distillery. Small groups will be taken on a guided tour with tutored nosing and tasting of four expressions of The Macallan plus its new-make spirit.

The experience ends with Tom Young from the Angel’s Share Glass Works in Bridge of Allan demonstrating the handcrafting of ‘hanging angels’ or ‘water droppers’.

From stitching to woodcarving there’s all kinds of arts and crafts featuring in this year’s festival programme alongside comedy, food, activities, music and of course whisky events.

With almost 400 events over the five day festival, there will be lots to do and see across the region.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival takes place from April 30 to May 4, 2015.

Visit www.spiritofspeyside.com to buy tickets and follow the Festival at www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival or www.twitter.com/spirit_Speyside

*** Auction LIVE *** 

Biding in Just Whisky’s latest auction ends this Sunday at 8PM. Their biggest auction yet has some very interesting bottles – some of which we’ll highlight here.

One of the lots that stand out is from the depths of the sea; specifically a rare salvaged bottle of what is believed to be Auchnagie whisky from 1893. The bottle was retrieved from the wreck of the Wallachia in the Firth of Clyde on Saturday the 31st of March 2007 by a group of divers. It was located in the forward hold of the wreck, encased in silt.

The Wallachia, an iron steam ship sank on the 29th of September 1895 (the same day it left port) after colliding with the 1406 ton Norwegian Floss on Skelmorie Bank, 3.5 miles east of Toward Point. Today the wreck lies upright on a muddy seabed in 34 meters of water.

An incredibly rare opportunity to buy a piece of history.

Next us from a vast selection, is a limited edition of 1000 Macallan Master Of Photography sets. The Macallan Masters of Photography series has previously featured collaborations with photographers such as Rankin, Albert Watson, Elliot Erwitt and Annie Leibovitz.

Only 1,000 of bottles were available for purchase worldwide and each comes in a black lacquered presentation box designed together with Testino. Each case features one of four iconic shots taken by Testino.

Included in the presentation box is a photo-archival booklet with 20 images from the shoot, a bottle of single malt whisky and six miniatures from each of the selected casks, hidden in a secret compartment.

If you are a Macallan fan or collector then this month Just Whisky has an incredible selection. In fact over 100 lots from this Distillery. View them all here.

Ardbeg is also well represented this month. The latest distillery only release (Ardbeg Perpetuum) has made it to the auction shelves, and with demand for the bottle high, this release is one to watch.

There are so many lots on offer this month it’s best to head over there and check them all out for yourself. Once again bidding ends on Sunday at 8PM.

View the auction at http://www.just-whisky.co.uk/

JOIN OUR ‘DRAM PACKED’ ISLAND WHISKY FESTIVAL

A sensory experience in whisky, food and craft beer. Join us on our island home for Jura Tastival 2015.

Taking place on the 27th and 28th of May, #JuraTastival will bring flavour to life – with a packed line-up of tastings and tours, each offering new and exciting ways to enjoy a dram.

We’ll welcome you to the island with a dram in The Cooperage, where a street artist will be on hand to paint your personal tasting notes live onto the walls of the distillery. After that you’ll have a number of ways to discover the unique tastes of Jura.

Explore the sweet and smoky sides of Jura by joining us on an experiential dining session with pop-up eatery Dram & Smoke or enjoy a specially brewed bottle of craft beer from Drygate Brewing Co., created to pair with the limited edition Jura Tastival whisky.

Explore the rarest casks in Jura’s warehouse in a unique tasting with Master Distiller, Richard Paterson, and hear stories on the passion and dedication it takes to craft the Jura range on a special distillery tour and tasting with Jura Master Distiller, Willie Tait and Jura Distillery Manager, Willie Cochrane.

Whisky on the Waves will take you to the open sea for a tasting of Jura Turas-Mara as it was meant to be enjoyed – with the wind and sea spray on your face.

There’s something for everyone at Jura Tastival 2015.

We hope to see you there.

Book your space now by clicking here.

Willie Cochrane and everybody at the Jura Distillery.

#JuraTastival

Please join the award winning Victoria Gaelic Choir on April 18^th for an evening’s enjoyment of the finest Scottish presented by the very knowledgeable members of the Pacific Whisky Society. The tariff for the evening is a reasonable $50.00 per person and the tasting includes appetizers plus Scottish singing by the Choir members. The Pacific Whisky Society will be presenting whiskies from Aberlour, an Cnoc, Ballantine’s, BenRiach, GlenDronach and Laphroaig distilleries (the final line–up has yet to be finalized).

The tasting will be held at the famed The English Inn at 429 Lampson St, Victoria, BC V9A 5Y9 and tickets are available by email guthnaneilean@gmail.com

The evening will start at 7PM.

We hope you have had/are having a fantastic Easter! There are only a few days now to one of our most exciting events of the year! The London Whisky Weekender returns to East London and The Oval Space on April 11th and 12th. We thought we would just run you through a few of the very special tastings we have lined up for this year’s events – just in case you were wavering, or if you’re already coming!

Meet the Maker – Phil Brandon Rock Town Distilling, £10 Saturday 12pm Ever wanted to know how craft Bourbon or Rye is created? Fancy tasting some amazing stuff with the man who made it? Well now’s your chance! Phil Brandon, now an award-winning distiller, is here in the UK to talk to YOU about his whiskey and his attitude to making it. An amazing opportunity that might not come around again.

Skye Diving – Colin Dunn, Diageo £20 Saturday 1.30pm The living legend that is Colin Dunn takes you through a sextet of whiskies from this most extraordinary distillery. A peaty puzzle wrapped in a malty mystery embalmed in a peppery poser. Talisker has it all – and so does this tasting as Colin takes you through the core range up to, and including, the amazing 30 Year Old…

Meet the Maker – Kent Fleischmann, Dry Fly Distilling, £10 Saturday 5pm A second opportunity to meet and be entertained by an award-winning US craft distiller on one day? You betcha! Kent is regarded by many to be a trail blazer for the US craft distilling movement. His attitude is one of fun and innovation and it shows through in his whiskies. Come and find out for yourselves what all the fuss is about.

Vintage Single Malt Whisky – Scotch Whisky Auctions Team £40 Saturday 6.30pm For those who like their single malts old fashioned and hard to find. We have talked the guys at Scotch Whisky Auctions into bringing a handful of trinkets from their collection for your delication. To try any of these whiskies is a priviledge – to try them all in one amazing sesson is a dream come true.

Six of the Best – Colin Dunn & Eddie Ludlow £20 Sunday 1pm Colin and Eddie separately are entertaining and, some might say, enlightening. However, when they are together ‘it was murder’! (look it up kids!) Two people who don’t take themselves too seriously, presenting to you six of their current favourite whiskies. Expect fireworks both on the stage and in your glass as the enjoyment level of your day is turned up to 11…

Blending Workshop – Joe Clark, TWL £10 Sunday 3.30pm We have always championed the ‘humble’ blend – good whisky is good whisky, right? Blended whisky is literally the bedrock of the whisky industry and can – at its best – compete with any single malt. This class is designed to show you how challenging, but rewarding, blending whisky is. Joe Clark, newly published author and key member of team Whisky Lounge, shares industry secrets and challenges you to make your own blend worthy of being bottled – for you to take home! Sound good? Well the only way to get involved is to be there this weekend and to have an entrance ticket for the relevant session.

Advanced Tickets for Saturday are £35 per session, and £30 for the Sunday and include sampling of all whiskies apart from any ‘Under the Counter’ drams or masterclasses.  The sessions are; 11am-3pm Saturday 11th April 4pm-8pm Saturday 11th April 12pm-5pm Sunday 12th April You can buy tickets and get more information by clicking HERE. Tickets for the special classes can be booked on the same page. It’s going to be a great weekend and we hope to see many of you there.  For those of you unable to make it for whatever reason, don’t forget to checkout the website for an event near YOU!

Slainte, Eddie, Amanda and Joe The Whisky Lounge Team.

New Society Bottling READY FOR PURCHASE!

I have a nice Easter surprise for you all….the new Society bottling has been bottled and is now ready for purchase!!

The new release is a Longrow 13 year old and for the first 7 years, this whisky was matured in a Fresh Bourbon Barrel with the final 6 years being spent in a Fresh Chardonnay Hogshead. It was distilled in October 2001 and bottled on Monday this week (30th March). It has been bottled at a cask strength of 56.7% and is limited to 366 bottles.

The cost of this bottling is £60.00 and similar to the last few releases, will be limited to one bottle per member. If we have any bottles left after a 2 month period then it will be possible to purchase another.

I can truthfully say that this whisky is divine!! When deciding on the next Society bottling, we tasted 4 different Longrow casks in the office and this was a firm favourite amongst us!  I promise I’m not being biased when I say this could be my favourite Longrow ever! The tasting notes are as follows:

Nose:  Fresh green apples and gooseberries to the fore, with hints of lemon grass and a subtle peat influence. There are also maritime notes combined well with a smoked applewood aroma.

Palate:  A very smooth, creamy dram with notes of pine wood, vanilla and banana. Peat is also present which complements the sweet, saltiness of this whisky.

Finish:  A long and chewy finish with an intense vanilla butter cream ending. A classic Longrow whisky, oily with the peat rolling back after each sip.

If you would like to reserve a bottle then please email me ASAP as it will be based on a first come first served basis. My inbox usually goes a little crazy after a new release so please don’t panic if I don’t get back to you straight away – I will email back as soon as I can. If you get in touch within the first few days of this email being sent, the chances are that you will be able to get a bottle.

We have welcomed over 100 new members to the Springbank Society over the past few months and we are delighted to have you all on board!

For those who are not sure how the Society bottles work then it’s fairly simple. We release 2 bottlings per year and in the past there have been no set months for releases but we’re keen to make this more uniform so from now on we will release one each Spring (March/April) and one each Autumn (September/October).

When we release a new bottling, I will email you with all the details and if you would like to order a bottle (there is no obligation to do so) then you should email me back with your request and also include where you would like the bottle to be delivered to and how you would like to pay.

There are a couple of different options for delivery. You can either have the bottle sent to your home address or have it sent to one of our Cadenhead Shops for collection.

Excluding the USA (due to strict import laws), we are able to ship bottles worldwide so if you would like to know the shipping costs for 1-6 bottles to your country then please email me and I will send you over the details. Our prices include all taxes and costs on our side but does not cover any entry fees or taxes which may incur when the whisky reaches it’s destination country.

As mentioned above, we can also ship your Society bottles to the following Cadenhead Shops for collection:

• Edinburgh (UK)
• London (UK)
• Cologne (Germany)
• Berlin (Germany)
• Salzburg (Austria)
• Odense (Denmark)

If you would like your bottle delivered to any of the Cadenhead shops mentioned then PLEASE state this when ordering your bottle.

If you order your bottle to be delivered to any of our UK Cadenhead stores then payment for the bottle will be organised through me plus a £2.00 packaging fee and we will send it out with their next order (this is usually once weekly).

If you order your bottle to be delivered to any of our European stores then you will pay for the bottle when you collect it from the stated shop. The European shops usually get orders every 2-3 months so if you would like it sent there then please let me know and I can arrange it for the next shipment. Please allow a bit of time for the delivery and as soon as I have a shipping date then I will let you know. Can I kindly ask that you wait until you have heard from me before phoning the shops to ask if they have arrived.

In addition to the two options above and for any of our members living in Canada, one of our stockists in Calgary, Kensington Wine Market, are able to import Society bottles so if you would like to have your bottle sent to them for collection then please let me know this and we can get it arranged.

Campbeltown Malts Festival Update

We are still working away behind the scenes to get all events confirmed for the Campbeltown Malts Festival and we’re getting increasingly excited about the festivities – less than 7 weeks to go now!! I will hopefully have more information to share with you next week regarding Glen Scotia’s Open Day on Wednesday 20th May, Thursday evening events at Springbank Open Day on Thursday 21st May and events taking place on Friday 22nd May. For the tastings which have already been announced, we still have space on the following:

Less than 5 places available on:

• Thursday 21st @ 2.30pm – Distillery Manager’s Warehouse Tasting with Gavin McLachlan (£25 per person)

• Friday 22nd @ 12pm – Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting with Mark Watt (£25 per person)

• Friday 22nd @ 3pm – Cadenhead Warehouse Tasting with Mark Watt (£25 per person)

Few places left on:

• Thursday 21st @ 12pm – Kilkerran Masterclass with Jenny Karlsson (£25 per person)

Jenny will share some never ever tasted Kilkerran whisky with the lucky people attending her Open Day tasting. Cask samples starting from year 2004 will be opened and enjoyed at its natural strength. Just because we can!

• Thursday 21st @ 1.30pm – Springbank Masterclass with Ranald Watson & guests (£25 per person)

An opportunity to try some of the Springbank Distillers team’s favourite cask samples – some might be released, some might not, some might be old, some might be young – but they’re all brilliant drams. Also get the chance to ask anything you’ve ever wanted to know about Springbank and its whiskies.

• Thursday 21st @ 3pm – Cadenhead Masterclass with Mark Watt & Martin Mccallum (£25 per person)

A selection of current and future bottlings from Cadenheads including the now annual sample straight from the cask! What will this years special cask be? Nobody knows……

If you would like to book a spot on any of the above then please let me know and I can get this organised for you.

I think that should be all for now folks so have a great Easter Weekend and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sláinte,

Mairi

Mairi Paterson

For the Springbank Society

To join the Springbank Society please contact them at

society@springbankwhisky.com

Not got your ticket yet? Don’t miss out on a fantastic day of dramming!

Tickets available here Only £25

The French Connection – serving up a taste of Speyside, from glass to plate

From cheese to champagne, France is famous the world over for its food and drink – but now a French food writer is ensuring Scotland’s finest food and drink receives the recognition it deserves during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

French-born journalist Martine Nouet has been writing about food and drink for more than 25 years.

And while the nation of her birth is famed for its fine wine and champagne, Martine has developed a passion for whisky, so much so that she has become known as the Queen of the Still.

On her first visit to Scotland two decades ago, she visited Tamdhu Distillery on Speyside and became so fascinated by the distillation process, the aromas and the culture and heritage behind making malt that she fell in love with the ‘water of life’.

She now lives in Scotland, on the island of Islay, and her love of drams and her talent for cookery has seen her become widely regarded as a specialist in matching food and whisky.

Martine has an international reputation in the world of food and drink and is looking forward to sharing her skills with audiences during the upcoming Festival.

She is leading three demonstrations showing just how well whisky can be used as both an accompaniment and an ingredient to both sweet and savoury recipes.

Her from glass to plate Cooking with Malt Whisky Demonstrations take place at the Oakwood Cookery School, Elgin, on Friday, May 1. Each lasts for an hour and a half, starting at 10am, 1pm and 3pm. Each session costs £20 and tickets are available now on the Festival website.

Martine believes that whisky goes so well with food because of its very special flavours and characteristics.

She says: “Whisky has such a wide and complex array of aromas and tastes, as much, if not more, than wine and when paired with food, the two bring out new flavours.

“I’m giving three cooking demonstrations as I’d like to show people easy to reproduce recipes and show that whisky at the table is a great sensory experience. The people attending will of course taste the dishes: a seafood starter, mushroom risotto for the main and a quince jelly, pear and ricotta dessert.

“The festival helps visitors learn or develop an interest in whisky and the aim of my cookery sessions will be to harmoniously mix entertainment with education.”

Martine is also hosting a vintage dinner on Saturday, May 2 with Ronnie Cox from Glenrothes in Rothes House, as well as being part of the Victorian Picnic in the gardens of Glen Grant distillery on Sunday, May 3.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival runs from Thursday, April 30-Monday, May 4 2015. Check out www.spiritofspeyside.com for up-to-date news and follow the Festival at www.facebook.com/WhiskyFestival or www.twitter.com/spirit_speyside

Photo – Food and drink writer Martine Nouet is leading three malt whisky themed cookery demonstrations at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Notes 

The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival is committed to promoting responsible drinking.

Visitors travelling to and from festival events can take advantage of a range of transport options.

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival has received funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is also financially supported by many other private and public partners.