January 2015 Auction Ends on Monday 2^rd Febuary!

View January Auction

Our January auction is now live and will finish on Febuary 2^rd from 19:00.

There are close to 1000 lots in this auction and these Bowmore’s are without a doubt one of the highlights! These Whiskies are legendary, distilled in 1964, this trilogy has garnered the highest amount of praise from both drinkers and collectors. A piece of liquid history.

For the Islay collectors among you we have every official release Port Ellen up to and including 2013. If there is a gap in your collection now is the opportunity to plug it.

Complete Flora & Fauna collection, certainly not something to shrug off this is an impressive 26 Bottles, some are still available, many have been discontinued. This is rare opportunity to get the entire collection. 

The Macallan Remix/Remixed is one of five hundred bottles released to commemorate the 75th birthday of photographer Daido Moriyama. Released as part of The Macallan Masters of Photography range this was only released for the Asian Duty free market and is one of only 500!

Other Macallan’s featured this month include an 30 Year old Sherry Oak which has become excedingly rare and also the Royal Marriage bottling which was released in 1981 to celebrate the marriage of The Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer.

There is a range of interesting single cask Japanese whisky on offer this month. Yamazaki, Karuizawa and the especially rare Kawasaki, a grain distillery which closed in the early 80s. This particular bottle is a 33 year old from a single cask which only produced 60 bottles! 

Please remember!

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 over 15 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!

THE WHISKYSHOP SALE 

The Whisky Shop are having a sale of a variety of different whiskies for a limited time, including:

Laphroaig 10 Year Old is distilled on the seashore and it shows.  This very distinctive whisky comes from Islay’s south shore.

Tasting Notes:

Color:  Sunlight

Aroma:  Salt Sea air, tar and seaweed

Taste: Ocean salt, tar, ashes and seaweed with

medicinal undertones

Finish: Long and lingering

Laphroaig 10 Year – $49.99

Ardbeg Auriverdes Limited Edition Bottling – golden whisky (auri), unmistakable green bottle (verde) –  The Ardbeg team is renowned for its technical expertise and Auriverdes is a winning example of this, with the toasted lids producing a mocha coffee flavor at one end, flowing into creamy vanilla at the other – truly a dram of two halves.

Tasting Notes:

Color: Gold(Auri)

Aroma: Tarry and herbal with hints of mocha

Taste: Coffee grounds, maple-cured bacon,

smoked salmon

Finish: A lingering, smoky vanilla note

Ardbeg Auriverdes – $95.00

This is an online only promotion although you can still order online and choose the option of picking up instore.

The following link will take you to our Sale Page!

TAKE ME TO THE SALE!

The Whisky Shop

360 Sutter Street

San Francisco, CA, 94108

415 989-1030

www.whiskyshopusa.com 

LATE JANUARY & EARLY FEBRUARY EVENTS

Glasgow Burns Tasting, Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow- Sat 31 Jan

New List Steak & Chips Tasting, The Vaults, Leith – Tue 3 Feb

New List Open Tasting, 9 Greville St, London – Sat 7 Feb

Steak & Whisky Tasting, 9 Greville St, London – Mon 9 Feb

Valentines Day Tasting, 19 Greville St, London – Fri 13 Feb

The Vaults’ Valentine Dinner, The Vaults, Leith – Sat 14 Feb

Scotland v Wales Tasting Lunch, 28 Queen St, Edinburgh – Sat 15 Feb

Whisky and Sausage Tasting, The Vaults, Leith – Tue 17 Feb

Browse All 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

The Whisky Shop Dufftown’s Great Speyside Bake Off

2015 is The Year of Food and Drink in Scotland and to celebrate pairing whisky and food The Whisky Shop Dufftown is running a competition to find the best Speyside whisky inspired Muffin or Cupcake. The final judging will take place during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 at a tasting open to the public.

The many different Speyside whiskies have a tremendous range of flavours and pairing them with food is a true delight. It can emphasise flavours in the food or in the whisky. It can even bring out entirely new flavours as well. Home baking is again a focus for people so what better way to celebrate Scotland’s finest whiskies by letting them inspire you? The Muffin or Cupcake can either be created to pair with a specific Speyside dram, contain the whisky in the recipe or be inspired by Speyside’s finest in some other way. The whisky chosen should be readily available in the UK.

The best recipes selected by local whisky and food experts will be featured at a whisky tasting during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 hosted by The Whisky Shop Dufftown where visitors to the festival will be able to choose the best combination. The creator of that combination will win 2 nights accommodation at the fabulous Dowans hotel in Aberlour, a special distillery tour and a voucher for The Oakwood Cookery School in Elgin.

Can you rise to the challenge? We don’t want any half-baked ideas. Be inspired!

To enter please supply a detailed recipe, a picture of your finished baking and a short piece on how you have been inspired (no more than 300 words). We would also love to see a video of you making your Muffin or Cupcake that we can use on Social Media. You do not have to be coming to Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 to enter

Entries to be received by no later than 31st March 2015 and should be sent by email to enquiries@whiskyshopdufftown.com.

Further information can be obtained by contacting The Whisky Shop Dufftown (enquiries@whiskyshopdufftown.com, 01340 821 097). Tickets for the tasting will go on sale on www.spiritofspeyside.com at 12 noon on 3 February 2015.

2015 is The Year of Food and Drink in Scotland and to celebrate pairing whisky and food The Whisky Shop Dufftown is running a competition to find the best Speyside whisky inspired Muffin or Cupcake. The final judging will take place during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 at a tasting open to the public.

The many different Speyside whiskies have a tremendous range of flavours and pairing them with food is a true delight. It can emphasise flavours in the food or in the whisky. It can even bring out entirely new flavours as well. Home baking is again a focus for people so what better way to celebrate Scotland’s finest whiskies by letting them inspire you? The Muffin or Cupcake can either be created to pair with a specific Speyside dram, contain the whisky in the recipe or be inspired by Speyside’s finest in some other way. The whisky chosen should be readily available in the UK.

The best recipes selected by local whisky and food experts will be featured at a whisky tasting during Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 hosted by The Whisky Shop Dufftown where visitors to the festival will be able to choose the best combination. The creator of that combination will win 2 nights accommodation at the fabulous Dowans hotel in Aberlour, a special distillery tour and a voucher for The Oakwood Cookery School in Elgin.

Can you rise to the challenge? We don’t want any half-baked ideas. Be inspired!

To enter please supply a detailed recipe, a picture of your finished baking and a short piece on how you have been inspired (no more than 300 words). We would also love to see a video of you making your Muffin or Cupcake that we can use on Social Media. You do not have to be coming to Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2015 to enter

Entries to be received by no later than 31^st March 2015 and should be sent by email to enquiries@whiskyshopdufftown.com.

Further information can be obtained by contacting The Whisky Shop Dufftown (enquiries@whiskyshopdufftown.com, 01340 821 097). Tickets for the tasting will go on sale on www.spiritofspeyside.com at 12 noon on 3 February 2015.

Expo Update

Now for an update on some of the amazing spirits and features you will find at the 16th annual WOW Expo in San Francisco on Saturday, March 28. The expo features three ballroom sized decks full of whiskies, music, and food on board the docked San Francisco Belle. And as they say “anticipation makes half the pleasure”, allow your taste buds to anticipate hedonistic pleasures as you familiarize yourselves with the tantalizing, list.

Our newest addition to the local whiskey scene is Venus Spirits. It just recently opened in beautiful Westside of Santa Cruz known for growing community of brewers, wine makers, restaurants and artists.  The founder, Sean Venus (and we believe it’s a real last name) received much popularity and managed to crowd-found  a tasting room to allow the eager crowd to experience both the distilling process and the spirits that are made there. The Expo tasting will present an amorous standout: Wayward single malt whiskey, made from organic malted barley, twice-distilled and aged in new American oak, thus disobeying Scottish tradition of ex-bourbon cask maturation. Sean’s background in crafting beer, and successful experimenting with it, inspired him to make the leap and create the whiskey in his best-loved beer, pale ale style: light, aromatic; yet caramelly and woody: a truly unique malt. Interesting are production methods: while some of Venus spirits rest in standard 53-gallon barrels, a portion will mature a mere six months in 10-gallon versions, thus achieving a deeper oak flavor. Also, Wayward whiskey oozes terroir: not only local ingredients add to the distinction, the coastal climate specifically the micro-climate of Santa Cruz go into the essence of every sip. Beer drinkers, whiskey fans or ocean lovers, we all can unite in Venus enjoyment!

WoW 2015 Expo tickets

If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, we wholeheartedly recommend not waiting any longer! The VIP and Dram Club tickets sold out even faster this time around. We expect the General Admission to be gone soon as well. To our friends who already bought tickets, we will publish our pour list shortly, so you can start planning your sampling routes and whisky destinations. In the meantime check out our attending brands page .

General Admission:          $125

VIP:                                       $155 (Sold out)

Dram Club Admission:     $180 (Sold out)

KEENS TASTING

Masters Series Winter 2015

Join us for a series of tastings featuring wine and spirits chosen by one of America’s foremost wine and spirits authorities, F. Paul Pacult, editor of The Spirit Journal.

Wednesday, January 28, 7:00 p.m.

ROBBIE BURNS NIGHT…THE TRADITION CONTINUES with Highland Park, Chivas, Glenlivet, and Aberlour

This evening continues the custom of celebrating the life and work of Scotland’s Robert Burns, the composer of Auld Lang Syne, A Red, Red Rose, Tam O’Shanter, Ode To A Haggis, and many more.

Robbie Burns Night at Keens is an annual festival of bagpipe music, searing poetry, haggis and, most of all, the sensory enjoyment of 100% barley malt whiskies produced at iconic distilleries, Highland Park, Chivas, Glenlivet, and Aberlour.

$95 per person For reservations call Keens Steakhouse (212) 947-3636 – Please register early as we expect this event to sell out –

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD REGISTRATION FORM

Please fax back to us at (212) 714-1103

or email to banquets@keens.com

Whisky Pizazz is coming to South Bay

This year on March 26, WoW brings the ‘Art of Whisky’ to San Pedro Square Market, downtown San Jose’s most unique culinary and entertainment venue.  Giving San Jose their own taste of the wonderful world of whisky, there will be over 150 whiskies to sample and pair with food from most of the San Pedro Market culinary kitchens. The all-time favorite Glenlivet and High West Distillery will conduct a whisky Seminar, and a premium cigar exhibitor will give a Whisky and Cigar pairing seminar.

Contact:

 Doug@Whiskiesoftheworld.com | t. 408.225.0446 | w. whiskiesoftheworld.com

Hi folks. the 46th auction is now live. Enjoy.

VIEW THE 46th Auction

Kind regards from Glasgow – the SWA Team

Spirit of Toronto returns May 2!

A belated Happy New Year; winter may be in high gear but hopefully this missive finds you in good health and good spirits as we count down to the 11th annual Spirit of Toronto on Saturday, May 2 at Roy Thomson Hall.

Following up on the excitement of our 10-year birthday bash, we’re ready and eager to welcome you back to Canada’s premiere tasting event. A full programme of whisky and spirits is in the works, and once again we aim to feature something for everyone, including a small reprise for Islay-ophiles, and a special treat for lovers of straight rye.

Tickets for this year’s Spirit of Toronto Annual Whisky Gala go on sale Monday, March 23 at 10:00am. and may be purchased from Roy Thomson Hall’s box office. Those of you subscribed to this list will receive an automatic email notification the night before.

The schedule for this year’s Spirit of Toronto Masterclass Series will be published ahead of our on-sale date in March. Seats for these tutored tastings may be reserved when purchasing tickets to the show. Stay tuned for full details in the next update.

Coming in from out of town?

No need to wait to arrange your travel plans, once again our hotel partner is offering a discounted rate within walking distance of Roy Thomson Hall.

The Marriott Residence Inn Downtown Toronto is 3 blocks from Roy Thomson Hall and has a limited number of Studio Suites with full kitchen and living area available for $159 per night which includes WiFi, highspeed internet and a hot buffet breakfast. These can be booked by calling the hotel directly at 416-581-1800 and quoting “Spirit of Toronto” or by clicking here.

Discounted rates are also available from the Fairmont Royal York across from Union Station; these can be booked by calling the hotel directly at 416-368-2511 and quoting “Spirit of Toronto”.

Single Minded 2015: A Modest Guide to Really Good Whisky

For those of you feeling thirsty between now and May 2, Single Minded 2015 is now published and available to order online at www.singleminded.ca.

Based on more than ten years worth of tasting and travel—both as an enthusiast and in my role as executive producer of the Spirit of Toronto—this is my love letter to whisky, featuring the everyday drams that I purchase for myself, at my own expense.

This third edition covers more than three dozen whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States. No limited editions, no ratings and no Pappy: just affordable whisky within easy reach that is every bit as good (and often better) than bottles costing twice the price.

Beside the popular whisky sailing journeys along the Westcoast of Scotland the Thalassa will sail a most unique whisky expedition in 2015, starting from the rugged Westcoast, passing by the Northern treasures of Scotland and ending at the more quiet Eastcoast.

Decide to join our newest whisky expedition and visit within one week not only the West of Scotland (Islay), but also the beautiful North(Skye and Orkney) to end this spectacular holiday at the Eastcoast, Buckie. A journey that cannot be made with regular means of transportation is within reach by ship for you.

A rather unique combination of pure sailing pleasure with the most famous whisky distilleries of Scotland, this can only happen on board of tall ship Thalassa!

Would you like to experience such a special adventure in 2015? Take your chances and make your reservation inmediately!

Read more…

Program and prices whisky expedition

Start: Saturday 6th of June 2015 in TROON

End: Saturday 13th of June 2015 in BUCKIE

Price: € 995,- per person

The whisky expedition includes:

– 7 overnight stays on board in a double cabin, each with its own shower;

– all meals during the journey (breakfast, lunch and dinner);

– drinks during the meals (coffee. tea, milk and water) and

– 2 whiskytastings on board, presented by whisky experts.

Not included are alcoholic beverages (whisky, wine and beer), soft drinks, the entrance tickets to the whisky distilleries or attractions ashore. Also you are responsible for arranging your means of transportation to and back from Scotland, these costs are not included in the price for this whisky expedition.

Sailing schedule whisky expedition

The journey starts in Troon, on the Westcoast of Scotland and ends in Buckie, at the Eastern coast of Scotland.

Day 1: Embarkation in Troon, leave for Islay

Day 2: Port Ellen, visit numerous distilleries, at evening head towards Bunnahabhain

Day 3: Visit distillery of Bunnahabhain, leave North to Skye

Day 4: Visit Tallisker distillery, sail towards Orkney

Day 5: Prolong journey to Okrney, sleep over in Stromness

Day 6: Orkney, visit distilleries of Highland Park and Scapa

Day 7: Sail to Buckie

Day 8: Disembarkation in Buckie

NB: The definite sailing route depends on wind and weather conditions. Because of thisthe ship’s captain has the right to change this schedule if necessary. 

The ship

During the trip the guests are facilitated on board of tall ship Thalassa in one of the 15 high quality double cabins, each with a private shower.

With her 14 sails , altogether 800 square metres, tall ship Thalassa makes an ipressive appearance. Rigges according to century-old traditions and equipped according to the latest security regulations , tall ship Thalassa is extremely safe and seaworthy.

Information and online booking

More information about this whisky expedition can be found on our special website http://www.whiskyzeilreizen.nl/index_uk.php. For further questions  please contact us by email or phone: +31 – (0)10 – 4156600. Click here to book this journey online.

Welcome on board!

HOLLANDS GLORIE

Liesbeth Wammes – de Graaf

Brigitte Beckers