Hi all,

Apologies for the further intrusion this month but I had a few things I wanted to tell you about, but either hadn’t the room or hadn’t them organised by the time of the last email.

Springbank Tasting – London Date

I know many of you have been waiting for this and many apologies for the confusion and upset caused! I have now settled on a date and venue, which will be…

Thursday 28th October 2010
The Red Lion, Crown Passage, St. James’s, London SW1
£20 per person, 8.30pm start

Should be another great night with the entertaining and informative Iain Scott from distillery present. Please also note the slightly later than usual start time. To book online please go to http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/Events.aspx

The Whisky Show London and Glasgow’s Whisky Festival

Although not Whisky Lounge events, I do feel strongly that I should tell you about these two worthwhile events.

The Whisky Show London takes place on Friday and Saturday the 29th and 30th October at The Brewery, London, EC1Y 4SD

It is very much at the top end of whisky events with exhibitors displaying and tasting through their top-end bottlings. This is the second year of the event and from the list of exhibitors and the venue, it should be even better than the first edition last year. I was there all too briefly last year and was highly impressed with the set-up and the drams on offer, with many bottles well in excess of £100 – many at several hundreds of pounds. The ticket price of £95 does reflect the privilege of tasting such whiskies, but for that you get a 2-course ‘whisky-infused’ meal in the ‘Whisky Kitchen’, a voucher to taste an ‘ultra-premium’ whisky (all valued at over £800) and a free whisky tasting glass. There is no voucher system for the exhibited whiskies in the main hall and there are several mouth-watering masterclasses for an additional cost. To find out more, view the exhibitors and buy tickets go to www.thewhiskyshow.com

Glasgow’s Whisky Festival takes place on Saturday 13th November at The Arches, Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL

It has arguably been a long time since there was a strongly supported whisky festival in Glasgow. Put together by two enthusiasts who were keen to bring the best of local (and not so local!) product back to the fair city. As far as I can see this can only be a good thing, and looking at the support they already have from exhibitors from all over the world, I am not alone! Tickets are a very reasonable £15 and include all of your drams – I am reliably informed that tickets for this are being put on the ‘endangered species’ list as it has sold very quickly.
To find out more, view the exhibitors and buy tickets got to www.glasgowswhiskyfestival.com

And Finally…

For those of you based in and around my home city of York (and in fact for those not too…), we welcome back finger-pickin’ acoustic blues legend Catfish Keith. If you’ve never experienced him before then you really should as it is not only fantastic music but fantastic craic, with Keith being a real performer and a genuinely good guy.

In York he will be playing at City Screen on Friday 22nd October at 8.30pm and tickets (£9 in advance, £10 on the door) can be found here.

If you would like to find out more about Catfish Keith and if and when he is playing a town or city near you, then go to his website… www.catfishkeith.com

Coming soon…

Our final events of the year including a series of ‘blind’ Islay Tastings…

Take care for now!

Cheers,
Eddie

Eddie Ludlow
Whisky Evangelist

thewhiskylounge
IWSC Spirit Panel Judge 2009-present
www.thewhiskylounge.com
eddie@thewhiskylounge.com

COMPASS BOX 10th Anniversary Tasting 22nd October 2010  

An incredibly exciting event to celebrate exactly 10 honourable and innovative years since Compass Box was founded by gentleman John Glaser. The man himself will be there to lead punters through 8 drams (a rare mix of greatest hits and the new anniversary bottlings).

Where and When

Where: The Scottish Cafe underneath The National Gallery on Princes St.
When: Friday 22nd October 2010
Timings: 7.30 to 930pm.
What: 8 boutique whiskies presented by the man who made them.

Background To A Great Night

On 22nd October 2000 John Glaser walked into Royal Mile Whiskies and sold his first ever bottles of Compass Box boutique whisky. It was the glorious Hedonism, delivered from the boot of his car, and signalled his intention to provide a fresh, innovative approach to a largely traditional industry. Exactly ten years later (to the day!) the man himself is treating us to an exclusive Edinburgh tasting to celebrate a decade of good service to the whisky buying public.

John is probably too modest to say it, but we think he singlehandedly re-invented and re-invigorated the following categories, which were unloved and ignored before he waved his magic wand:

– Fine Grain Whiskies. No longer just padding for blends, now a style in its own right thanks to Hedonism.
– Small Batch Blended Peaty Malts. Smokehead, Big Smoke, Big Peat and the rest have a lot to thank Peat Monster for.
– Small Batch Blended Malt Brands. Plenty of people now understand vatted malts (well they did before we had to start calling them blended malts).

In addition to this he has pushed the boundries of wood technology, occasionally falling foul of the (in this case a bit silly) lawmakers.

Speaking of which, there are wholly-entirely-absolutely-ok-then-not-really unsubstantiated rumours that the ‘illegal’ Spice Tree may come out of hiding for a taste during this very special night. The line up is still under discussion as John kindly has a look at what is in his archive cupboard, but there is speak of the very first Hedonism being dusted off among other treasures. A few canapes too. 

Visit http://tinyurl.com/CompassBoxRMW for tickets

Berry Brothers – 2010 Reboot (£20 / ticket)
Blackfriars, Newcastle Upon Tyne 
Friday October 15th 2010, 7.30pm 
www.blackfriarsrestaurant.co.uk

Berry Brothers and Rudd have long been associated with fine wine and their shop in St. James’, London is a real experience and akin to stepping back in time to Dickensian Britain. For some years now they have also been developing a formidable reputation for bottling fine whiskies. These normally take the form of single cask, single malt and bottled at no less than 46% ABV. Join us on this fantastic evening when Ed Bates will be showing off some of their latest and greatest additions. Due to the sheer breadth of what they bottle, this tasting really is suitable for all tastes and we believe your breath will be taken away by the quality on offer!

The whiskies will be available to purchase on the night and we are able to accept credit cards on the night for these purchases (apart from Amex)

As always each tasting is designed to be fun and enjoyable for all levels of whisky drinker, and is not a lecture. You will almost certainly learn something new every time, but if you don’t walk out with a smile on your face then there we have done something wrong!

You will not be sent a ticket through the post. Your details will be added to the event register and all you need to do is print the payment confirmation page and bring it with you to the event
 
http://www.thewhiskylounge.com/Events.aspx?id=142

*BOWMORE & AUCHENTOSHAN WHISKY TASTING – TUESDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2010*

On Tuesday 9th November Zoran Peric, Brand Ambassador for Cellar Trends, will be returning and this time he will be presenting whiskies from Auchentoshan and Bowmore distilleries. Both these distilleries are owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers (a subsidiary of Suntory) but Auchentoshan hails from the Lowlands and is characterised by its light, refined profile whilst Bowmore is the oldest distillery on Islay and produces a medium peated whisky that is not as heavy hitting as the typical Islay malts but has its own fragrantly smoky style. 

As Zoran will explain to us, the whiskies may be quite different but both distilleries have interesting features in their production processes that are unusual in this day and age. Auchentoshan is one of only two distilleries that still carries out triple distillation and this is one of the elements that contributes to its light, fresh style. As for Bowmore, not only does its peating level vary from the Islay ‘peat monsters’ such as Ardbeg and Laphroaig but also it is one of the few distilleries in Scotland to still have a working floor maltings (which produces from 30-40% of the malt required by the distillery).

This is a great chance to compare and contrast two quite different but equally delightful single malts. The Auchentoshan provides a taste of how triple distillation can produce a delicate yet robust whisky and, even if you have shied away from peated whiskies in the past, the smoky yet perfumed Bowmore may make you change your mind as it is a great introduction to that style of whisky. This is sure to be a popular tasting so book your tickets now!

*How to book*

The tasting will be at Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren  www.stantonhouse.co.uk and will commence at 7.00 for 7.30pm. Tickets for the event are priced at just £10.00, and this includes a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Most, if not all, of the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night. We accept cash, credit/debit card or cheques.

Tickets are limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. To buy them just log on to www.whiskyandwines.com

and place an order for the number you require, or telephone us on (01793) 765071, or call in and see us at Arkwrights, The Dormers, Highworth, Wiltshire. Admission to the tasting is by ticket only, and Arkwrights reserve the right to restrict the number of tickets per person.

Tasting tickets always sell very quickly (usually within 48 hours) so it is best to book ASAP.

We look forward to seeing you for another great evening of whisky tasting.

Slainte!

Fran and Ken

Arkwrights Whisky and Wines

Friday 29th October  – Bowmore & Glen Garioch Distilleries SOLD OUT

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Thursday 11th November –  Welsh Penderyn Distillery

To celebrate the Ryder Cup victory at the Celtic Manor course     Cost: £25 per head. Its about time we had a more local distillery up for a tasting session  and we are pleased to welcome the distilling leek troffers from Penderyn to satisfy us on this occasion to sample some of their more rarer fare.

The Penderyn Distillery  

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Friday 19th November –  Speyside Glenfarclas Distillery, a Masterclass with George S Grant (6th generation family owner)

Cost: £35 per head

Unmissable opportunity for us to assist at an George Grant Master class and to hear his legendary tales of whisky and far off adventure, 15yo, 25yo, 30yo, 40yo and a Family Cask. The Glenfarclas family!

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Jim Murray’s WHISKY BIBLE 2011 is now on sale in the shop.

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Tickets available for November dates now!

01384 394518

info@nickollsandperks.co.uk

david@nickollsandperks.co.uk

Slainte

“I’m hosting a whisky tasting on Friday Oct 29th 2010 @ 8pm in the small village of Keyworth, South Notts. Tickets are £17.50 and those that know me will hopefully concur that I give good value (in whisky I mean, my jokes are awful…  ) – email me at david@creativewhisky.co.uk for booking tickets.

Whiskies to be confirmed but there will be at least 6 (whatever I have kicking about ).

Hope to see some of you there!!”

David Stirk

www.creativewhisky.co.uk

From Tim Forbes at the Whisky Exchange Blog;

I just got a heads-up that there’s going to be a very special prize draw at The Whisky Show this year… and TWENTY lucky visitors will get the chance to taste the world’s oldest whisky!!  Obviously I’m biased, but I think that’s worth a post from any whisky blog worthy of the name (not that I’m saying that my sputterings are a whisky blog worthy of the name, but you get my drift).

Seriously, you could be tasting the Mortlach 1938

Yes, Gordon & Macphail have confirmed that they will be re-releasing the last few remaining 20cl bottles of the record-breaking Mortlach 70 year-old at this year’s Show (you’ll recall that the 54 full-size bottles sold out in a heartbeat on release earlier this year).  And to celebrate this rather exciting event, 20 entrants in a knee-tremblingly excellent prize draw at this year’s Whisky Show will win a 1cl sample of this legendary liquid…

Here’s the full press release:

Samples of the World’s Oldest Whisky to be Won by 20 Lucky Visitors to The Whisky Show!

 Earlier this year saw the release of the world’s oldest whisky, The Mortlach 70 year old. Originally this exceptional whisky was only released in 54 full sized bottles (70cl) which were sold in a matter of days for £10,000 each. The last of the original 163 miniature ‘dram’ bottles (20cl) will be available to Whisky Show visitors by way of a second release.

In celebration of this fact, Gordon & Macphail are inviting visitors of The Whisky Show to pass by their stand to enter a competition to win their very own sample of this fine and rare malt to take home.  By way of an exclusive prize draw on the 29th and 30th October, 20 lucky Whisky Show guests will win a free 1cl sample of this piece of liquid history. 

Distilled at the Mortlach Distillery in Dufftown on the 15th of October 1938, this unique and exceptionally rare Single Malt Scotch Whisky is bottled at natural cask strength (46.1%), having been patiently matured for 70 years in a first fill sherry hogshead – the best wood for such a rich whisky. It has been described as “a superb, beautifully-made whisky” with “layers of flavour”.

The Whisky Show returns this autumn after the success of its show last year providing the ultimate whisky experience for whisky fans, investors and connoisseurs and new comers. It will take place at the Old Truman Brewery, Chiswell St in London on the 29th and 30th October. The show will give visitors access to some of the world’s finest whiskies, a complimentary whisky infused lunch cooked by chefs from the renowned Craggan Mill Restaurant in Speyside, cocktails, blending master classes and entertainment. Tickets to the whisky show are available for £95 from www.thewhiskyshow.com

 20cl miniature bottles of Mortlach 70 year old are available from The Whisky Exchange www.thewhiskyexchange.com

Pretty exciting stuff – and believe it or not, each of those 1cl samples are worth £122.50 based on the price of a 20cl bottle!  Obviously, only visitors to The Whisky Show will be able to enter the draw – if you haven’t got your ticket yet, you’d better get your skates on – click here to buy your ticket.   It’s £95 (cheaper than last year) and for that you get free samples of all the exhibited whiskies (and there is some very special stuff this year), plus a free, two course, hearty, slap-up, gourmet whisky-infused meal and a whole range of delicious whisky and food pairings (cheese, chocolate, haggis, salmon etc).  Oh, and one dram of your choice from the Whisky Show’s Ultra Premium Collection (y’know, Glenfiddich 40yo, Glengoyne 40yo, Glenlivet 1959, Highland Park 40yo…that kind of thing).  

Seriously, this year’s Whisky Show is shaping up to be even better than last year’s fantastic inaugural event. There’ll be several more announcements in the next couple of weeks about more brain-fryingly awesome stuff happening at this year’s Show, so if you want to keep up, best subscribe to the feed.  I haven’t even told you about the Masterclasses, either.

Of course, I’ll be there on both days of the show, but don’t let that put you off –  once again, this Show is going to be the highlight of the whisky calendar, and if you’ve got the chance to come along and you don’t do it, you’ll probably end up feeling foolish and angry with yourself.  Grab a ticket while you still can.

Thursday October 14th Longmorn £20/17*
1971 43% Gordon & Macphail
official 15yo 45%
official 16yo 48%
Duthies 19yo 506 bottles 46%
12yo 25.11.1997 – 23.03.10 hogshead 264 bottles 53.4% Bladnoch Forum

Thursday October 28th Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual £t.b.c.
Arran 20.04.1998 – 03.07.2010 12yo sherry cask 56.4% 326 bottles
Port Charlotte An Torus Mor multi-vintage 46%
unpeated Caol Ila
something old
+ a mystery dram

Thursday November 11th World whiskies No. 3 £t.b.c.
Millstone 01.2000 – 06.2009 8yo 43% American oak (Holland)
Kilbeggan 15yo 40% blend (Ireland)
Weidenauer diukelwalz 42% (Austria)
Eddu Silver ble noir 40% (France)
+ 2 others probably from India, Japan or U.S.A.

Thursday November 25th Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual £t.b.c.

Thursday December 9th non-Islay peaty drams £t.b.c.
Caperdonich 10yo 58.5% The Whisky Exchange
Talisker 53.9% from distillery only
Longrow
2 others

Thursday December 23rd Old/Sherried/Peaty/Rare/Unusual £t.b.c.
Future tastings:-
peaty blends 40% : date and price tbc
Islay Mist
Islay Hallmark 8yo
Black Bottle 10yo
Black Grouse
Black Bottle
plus a special guest (Brora or Port Ellen)

All whisky tastings take place on Thursday nights from 7:30pm until approximately 10pm at the Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotchland.

http://www.jollytopertastings.co.uk/

A Japanese Whisky Evening with Suntory

A new idea for Vinology… for their November whisky evening, Vinology wine and whisky merchants will be welcoming the guys from multiple award winning Japanese whisky producers Suntory.

Suntory are now world renowned for producing some of the best whiskies ever made, picking up countless awards including the coveted Whisky Magazine’s ‘Best of the Best’. Whisky guru Jim Murray also rates some of Suntory’s offerings as among the best in the world. So book your ticket for the discovery of an amazing range of Japanese whiskies.

Price is just £30 including a full dinner and all of your whiskies.

Please note that a £10 per person non-refundable deposit will be required to secure your booking.

A free minibus collect and return service is available from Stratford-Upon-Avon for this event. This will collect from Rother Street at 7:00pm and return at approximately 11:00pm. To take advantage of this service, please inform them when you book.

What is it?
A Japanese Whisky Evening with Suntory

Where is it?
The Angel Hotel, 143 Regent Street, Leamington Spa, CV32 4NZ

When is it?
Friday, 26th November, 7:30pm start

How much is it?
£30.00 per person – including a full meal and all of your drams

How do I book?
Call 01789 264 586 or email info@vinology.co.uk

Visit at http://www.vinology.co.uk/

elitemarket.com – Press Launch of the Fine Malt Whisky Cellar –  3 November 2010

This will be web’s first ever operational Malt Whisky Cellar and will allow visitors to purchase some of the world’s finest malt whisky in a fully-immersive 3-D environment.

They will also be giving an overview of the other launches scheduled for the coming weeks including Ski Prime Property, and Luxury Ski Retail.

We would be delighted if you will join us for a dram or two of the good stuff in the Robert Adam Room at 33 St James’s Square on the 3rd of November and, if you would like to bring a colleague, just let us know. 

Come and celebrate a UK based company taking the lead in innovation on the web.

Best Wishes

Darshna Patel
Media Director
Lehmann Communications plc
020 7266 3020
dp@lehmanncommunications.com