A note from Angus at Mulberry Bank Auctions;

Hello All

Happy summer, the sun is with us here at last in Glasgow, all the more reason to take a break from the toil of your daily lives and come on up for our rare whisky auction on Tuesday June 18^th.  It’s quite a gargantuan sale this time around so take your time sifting through the catalogue and I hope you all find plenty that catches your eye. Our pre-sale tasting is just as extravagant as our sale this time with ten incredible bottles to taste. There are still a few places available so if you’d like to come along then please get in touch. I hope to see many of you at the sale and best of luck to those of you who are bidding.

Kind regards

Angus MacRaild

Whisky Specialist

Mulberry Bank Auctions

Mobile: +44 77301 31533

TOMATIN DISTILLERY SPONSORS SCOTTISH NINE‐HOLE OPEN

Inverness‐shire Whisky Company to Sponsor Local Golf Event for 3rd Year Running

Inverness – 05/06/13 – Tomatin Distillery is to continue its headline sponsorship of the Scottish Nine‐Hole Open held at Carrbridge Golf Club on Saturday 6th July 2013. The Highlands‐based whisky company is also extending its support this year by sponsoring the inaugural Scottish Nine‐Hole Ladies Open, held at the same venue the following day.

The competition, now in its third year, is played the same week as the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open held at nearby Castle Stuart Golf Links, allowing participants to be an Open Champion the same week as the Scottish Open.

John Walker, Club President at Carrbridge Golf Club, said: “We are delighted that Tomatin Distillery has continued their sponsorship for the third year of this tournament. Since 2011, the Scottish Nine‐Hole Open has grown in popularity as we welcome golfers from around the UK. The course is not easy; it is an exciting challenge and a test of golfing nerves with fewer holes to recover from errant shots. Located in the Cairngorms National Park, it is one of the most scenic courses in the UK and we know participants will not be disappointed.”

“We are delighted to not only maintain but also extend our support to Carrbridge Golf Club with these two events in 2013” said Stephen Bremner, Tomatin Sales Director. “As a Highland company we strive to support local events and initiatives and it’s undeniable that golf and whisky are an ideal partnership.”

Golfers interested in participating in the Scottish Nine‐Hole Open or the Scottish Nine‐Hole Ladies Open on the 6th and 7th July 2013 should visit www.scottishnineholeopen.co.uk.

2012 Scratch Winner Laurie Chancellor (R) and runner up Gordon Hay

TOMATIN DISTILLERY CO LTD

The Tomatin Distillery Co Ltd is a producer and blender of Scotch whisky, boasting a strong core range of single malt whiskies along with a range of popular blends. Sponsors of local golf events at Kingussie, Carrbridge & Boat of Garten Golf Clubs, as well as the Highland Golf Links Pro Am. Website: www.tomatin.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/Tomatin1897 Twitter: www.twitter.com/Tomatin1897 The distillery was established in 1897, and while historically the whisky produced was primarily sold for use in other brands of blended whisky, the company is now very focussed on growing the Tomatin single malt brand in its own right. The company’s most popular blends are The Antiquary, The Talisman and Big ‘T’. The distillery is owned by Japanese company Takara Shuzo: http://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/index.htm
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CARRBRIDGE GOLF CLUB

Located in the Cairngorms National Park, just 2 miles off the A9 and 7 miles north of Aviemore. The Club has 300 members and attracts almost 2500 visitors per annum. Carrbridge golf course is one of the most scenic courses in Scotland, having been established over 100 years ago. Website: www.carrbridgegolfclub.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarrbridgeGolf Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarrbridgeGolf. Sheltered by a pine forest to the north, golfers enjoy spectacular views of the Cairngorms and Cromdale Hills to the south and west. Natural hazards present challenges on every fairway ‐ streams, hillocks and heather test the best. Sharing the fairways with deer, hare, oystercatchers and red squirrel. The Clubhouse café offers light snacks. 2012.

While the history of whisky is long and proud, with legend telling of Saint Patrick bringing the craft of distillation to Scotland, the history of the Quaich is no less long or illustrious.

 The word Quaich comes from the gaelic “cuach” which means cup and they have been used for centuries to welcome or bid farewell to guests, or as a mark of comradeship or friendship. Sharing a dram of whisky from a Quaich has long been symbolic of binding people together in love, friendship or comradeship or to welcome or bid farewell to favoured guests. Today quaichs are often given as a gift to someone held dear.

This two handled Scottish drinking cup may have originated with the practise of drinking whisky from a scallop shell and progressed to forming these shallow cups from wood, stone or horn. Over the years the cups became more elaborate and highly skilled craftsmen fashioned wooden quaichs with beautiful celtic designs. From the 17^th century, as metals came to be more commonly used, quaichs have been made of  brass, pewter, silver or a combination of all three. The original outer shape was retained but the thick bases were thinned to reduce the the weight.

Quaichs originated in the Highlands and weren’t used in Lowland Scotland until the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie when the quaich travelled south in the canteens of the Prince’s army. The quaichs of the army were reputed to have glass bottoms enabling the drinker to keep an eye on those around him; a sad reflection on treacherous times.

Alex Scott & Co Ltd, a long established Aberdeen based company would like to offer you the chance to win a beautiful quaich so you may sup your dram in the traditional way and our gift set even provides a miniature of MacAllan Gold single malt whisky for the first filling.

To enter simply email the answer to the following question along with your name and address to sales@kiltmakers.co.uk using the subject line Quaich Competition, and we will draw the winner, at random, from the correct answers. Closing date June 19th, 2013…….. Please don’t forget to title your email Quaich competition.

What is the Centenary Quaich?

1. Quaich which resides in the Scottish Parliament building and is used for ceremonial occasions.
2. An international rugby union trophy contested annually by Ireland and Scotland.
3. A annual flat race run at Ayr races each September with the Centenary Quaich also being the name of the trophy.
4. A quaich presented to Queen Victoria by her loyal Scottish Subjects at the turn of the twentieth century.

Terms and Conditions:-  The winner will be notified of their win by email and the prize sent by post. No further correspondence will entered into and the judges decisions are final. The prize cannot be substituted or exchanged for cash. The competition is open to all except employees or relatives of Alex Scott & Co (kiltmakers.co.uk) or employees and relatives of Red Evolution. Important – entries will only be accepted from those who are 18 years old or over. This contest will run until Wednesday June 19th, 2013.

This once in a lifetime tasting event features three Ardbegs from the 1970′s and the legendary 17 Year in addition to Corryvreckan, Uigeadail, Galileo & and the new Ardbog. This is one tasting event you don’t want to miss:

The Utlimate Ardbeg Experience Featuring Ardbeg Double Barrel- 1974 is the most sought after of all Ardbeg vintages, and we’ll be sampling two 1974 single casks from the very rare Ardbeg Double Barrel ($15,210.49) set. In addition, participants will sample a selection of other Ardbegs including: 10 Year, 17 Year, Corryvreckan, Uigeadail, Galileo, Ardbog Day and another rare vintage; the delightful 1977! The event will feature some tasty morsels, and will be held at the Southern Alberta Pioneers Hall, 3625 4th Street S.W., Friday June 14th at 7:00PM. – Friday June 14th – $300

Purchase Tickets at Kensington Wine Market Ultimate Ardbeg Event

The Edinburgh Whisky Stramash, May 2013. Scotland.

Angels whisky club flew in a few angels for this event, held at the Surgeons Halls Edinburgh.

A very good show with many drams to try, Angels were lucky enough to be given free tickets for the event, we arrived 1pm on Sunday 26 May; Paul, Lizzie and Kevin, eager for a dram of 12.

A wee bit early, so we had a brief drink in the Monkey Drum pub just around the corner. Great wee place.

Upon entry we hit the first room; Scotch Malt Whisky Society room, had a dram or two here, moved on to the main room, a pleasant find; Stewart from Ben Riach!  Paul hasnee seen him for ages, so it was good to have a laugh and share handshakes! Of course we all just HAD to try a BenRich and GlenDronach! as usual, all went down well. More friends dotted about, Glen Moray had a great wee bottle, only just available, fits into handbags and with a push, a sporran.  Peated spirit 60.6% in a wee bottle, as shown in our photo, I need a few of these!

Another pal, big Jan Beckers, once again providing the giant Big Peat!  Fred was also there with some grand bottles, we did try a few, all for research you understand. Totally new, never met before, a young man, Michael D’Souza, master distiller from India with the Paul John distillery bottles, very interesting drams (2), liked them a lot, this will soon be available and I urge you to try them.   Tomatin drams never fail to satisfy me, today was no different, Alistair Mutch was presenting the drams, good man, lives near us around Perth.  By this time, many drams had sank in, so we took a break, Liz and Kevin were enjoying the event and participating, (afraid Paul participated more though!)  Something different; Ola Dubh from the Harvieston Brewery, great ale and strong!

Back to the whisky; we sampled a few more, a good afternoon, Paul researched too much, Liz and Kev made sure he was ok, we disappeared back to the Dome for a champagne cocktail, where Jill met up with us. Needless to say, Paul never made the dinner afterwards!

Looking forward to the 2014 stramash, couldn’t make any sense of the barber though!

Attended by Paul, Lizzie and Kevin, all Perth Angels.

Angels whisky club, free membership, members worldwide.

www.angelswhiskyclub.com

Dear Companions, Friends & Fellow Whisky Enthusiasts:

Many of us have had a passion for seeing how Scotch or Irish whisk(e)y and real ales are made, and even dreamt about participating in or becoming a founder-owner of a distillery or brewery.  Well, a new full-scale distillery is now being planned — not in Scotland or Ireland but right here in Canada. Graeme Macaloney, an experienced fermentation engineer and a Scotsman, is launching the Victoria Caledonian Distillery and is conducting a series of “Show & Tell” presentations including whisky tastings in Ontario (see dates below), BC., and Alberta.

Sun., 9th Jun., Newmarket:- 7:00pm,  Newmarket Masonic Temple, 441 Millard Ave., Newmarket, ON, L3Y 2A4

Mon 10th Jun., Ottawa:- 5:30pm,  Media-X’s boardroom at 1825 Woodward Drive, Ottawa, ON, K2C 0P9

Tues., 11th Jun., Cornwall:- 6:45pm, Quinns Inn, 17329 Kings Road & Highway 138, St. Andrew’s West (near Cornwall), ON, K0C 2A0

Wed., 12th Jun., Kitchener:- 6:15pm, Rum Runner Pub, 1 King St. West, Kitchener, ON, N2G 1A1

Thurs., 13th Jun., Oakville:- 7:00pm, The Oakville Club, 56 Water Street, Oakville, ON, L6J 2Y3

June, July & August:- Various locations in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton & Calgary

 Founder-Owners receive a range of whisky and real ale benefits, including:

 + A five-day hands-on brewing and distilling academy;

+ Founders Reserve whisky (bottles or cask) or real ale keg(s);

+ Founder-Owner branded jacket and branded glassware;

+ Annual maturation party with meal, real ales & whisky, etc.

The new distillery plan has the full support of highly experienced whisky industry experts, including Mike Nicolson (Master Distiller who worked at 18 Scottish distilleries) and Dr. Jim Swan, who is an acknowledged global leader  in cask maturation. If you are interested in learning more about this opportunity to get in on the ground floor, Graeme will be presenting information and answering questions at the above Ontario locations as well as in Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary during June, July & August.

The information sessions will, of course, include tastings of two very appropriate whiskies. If you would like to attend and you are genuinely interested in this program, please RSVP by email to Graeme@MacaloneyDistillers.com with your preferred date and Canadian location.

Slàinte!

Ed Patrick

Founder & President

The Companions of the Quaich

Ed examines a bottle of Benromach Traditional....

P.S. Graeme, in his consummate professionalism, has asked me to include the following:

This communique is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in MacMhaol-onfhaidh (‘Macaloney’) Brewers & Distillers Ltd (MBD). This document is not an offering memorandum and should not be construed as such. Anyone who wishes to invest in MBD should refer to MBD’s Offering Memorandum and should carefully consider the risk warnings and disclosures contained therein before making an investment decision. You may request a copy of the Offering Memorandum by contacting MBD at Graeme@MacaloneyDistillers.com.

EVENTS 2013 – 2014

July
As a Royal Warrant holder, we will be at Buckingham Palace for the Coronation Festival.

August
THE FAMOUS GROUSE BIRTHDAY – Celebrate with us on Sunday 11th

November/December
CHRISTMAS FAYRE WEEKEND WITH SANTA – Stock up with food, crafts and gifts. November 30th & December 1st 10am – 6pm

SANTA’S GROTTO
December 14th & 15th, 21st & 22nd 1pm – 4.30pm  December 23rd & 24th  10am – 4.30pm

Visit their blog http://blog.thefamousgrouse.com for full info on all of our upcoming events.

Texas and Georgia: Whisky is Coming!

WoW Expos Austin and Atlanta

Ten months is a long time to wait for the WOW San Fran 2014 and we don’t have to; there are two more WoW Expos this year!  The Second Annual Whiskies of the World Expo Austin, Texas, is coming back on October 2 to the Austin Music Hall. The Inaugural Whiskies of the World Atlanta, Georgia to take place on November 1 at the Intercontinental Buckhead. Tickets are now on Early Bird sale for both shows, so don’t miss out on the deep discounts. WoW Austin and Atlanta promise two stupendous evenings of nosing and tasting the world’s finest whiskies, special and limited bottlings during the VIP hour, unique Masterclasses, whisky swag, cigars—all the fun WoW staff, now with a local twist! If you live in Texas or Georgia, you have already made it easy on yourself; for all those non-locals who include Austin or Atlanta on their tourist destination map, now you have both an excuse and an occasion. Take a whisky mini-vacation, and in addition to spirits celebration, enjoy the beautiful scenery, authentic foods, and the atmosphere the beautiful cities have to provide.

While the history of whisky is long and proud, with legend telling of Saint Patrick bringing the craft of distillation to Scotland, the history of the Quaich is no less long or illustrious.

 The word Quaich comes from the gaelic “cuach” which means cup and they have been used for centuries to welcome or bid farewell to guests, or as a mark of comradeship or friendship. Sharing a dram of whisky from a Quaich has long been symbolic of binding people together in love, friendship or comradeship or to welcome or bid farewell to favoured guests. Today quaichs are often given as a gift to someone held dear.

This two handled Scottish drinking cup may have originated with the practise of drinking whisky from a scallop shell and progressed to forming these shallow cups from wood, stone or horn. Over the years the cups became more elaborate and highly skilled craftsmen fashioned wooden quaichs with beautiful celtic designs. From the 17^th century, as metals came to be more commonly used, quaichs have been made of  brass, pewter, silver or a combination of all three. The original outer shape was retained but the thick bases were thinned to reduce the the weight.

Quaichs originated in the Highlands and weren’t used in Lowland Scotland until the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie when the quaich travelled south in the canteens of the Prince’s army. The quaichs of the army were reputed to have glass bottoms enabling the drinker to keep an eye on those around him; a sad reflection on treacherous times.

Alex Scott & Co Ltd, a long established Aberdeen based company would like to offer you the chance to win a beautiful quaich so you may sup your dram in the traditional way and our gift set even provides a miniature of MacAllan Gold single malt whisky for the first filling.

To enter simply email the answer to the following question along with your name and address to sales@kiltmakers.co.uk using the subject line Quaich Competition, and we will draw the winner, at random, from the correct answers. Closing date June 19th, 2013…….. Please don’t forget to title your email Quaich competition.

What is the Centenary Quaich?

1. Quaich which resides in the Scottish Parliament building and is used for ceremonial occasions.
2. An international rugby union trophy contested annually by Ireland and Scotland.
3. A annual flat race run at Ayr races each September with the Centenary Quaich also being the name of the trophy.
4. A quaich presented to Queen Victoria by her loyal Scottish Subjects at the turn of the twentieth century.

Terms and Conditions:-  The winner will be notified of their win by email and the prize sent by post. No further correspondence will entered into and the judges decisions are final. The prize cannot be substituted or exchanged for cash. The competition is open to all except employees or relatives of Alex Scott & Co (kiltmakers.co.uk) or employees and relatives of Red Evolution. Important – entries will only be accepted from those who are 18 years old or over. This contest will run until Wednesday June 19th, 2013.

The Talisker Distillery hides famously on the island of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland and its from here that our tasting selection of Single Malt Whiskies proudly presents itself to the lucky drammers attending on 7th June.

The Talisker masterclass will be held in the Malt cellars of Nickolls and Perks in Stourbridge and we will be tasting 100 years of dramatic wonderful whisky.

Just a few tickets remain for this special evening, so don’t delay!

You also have a chance to reserve your Early Bird tickets for our Autumn Whisky Festival.

Click here for more information or to reserve tickets

or use the  “Buy” buttons or phone us on 01384 394518

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

The Nickolls and Perks team