BRUICHLADDICH PROGRESSIVE HEBRIDEAN DISTILLERS

1977 DNA: THE ULTIMATE ESSENCE OF BRUICHLADDICH.

DISTILLED TOWARDS THE END OF AN ALTOGETHER MORE INNOCENT WHISKY ERA, BEFORE TODAY’S INDUSTRIALISATION, DISTILLERY RATIONALISATION AND CORNER-CUTTING THAT HAS DOMINATED WHISKY PRODUCTION EVER SINCE.

THIS SMALL BOTTLING, FROM THE CUSP OF THAT GOLDEN AGE, REPRESENTS SOME OF THE VERY LAST OF OUR SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES CASKS, A HANDFUL OF LITRES OF WHISKY FROM NEAR-EMPTY BARRELS MARRIED TOGETHER CREATING THE VERY ESSENCE OF BRUICHLADDICH: OUR DNA.

Distilled in two lots on 1st July & 26th October 1977 – the year Elvis died – it was matured on Islay for over 32 years in 100% American oak Bourbon casks. Such was the purity of this spirit when tasted from cask that legendary distiller Jim McEwan decided that such was the elegance, complexity and fruit of this noble spirit it was impossible to improve any further; consequently it has been bottled straight, “as is”.

MCMLXXVII IS EDITION TWO IN THE DEFINITIVE BRUICHLADDICH DNA SERIES.

SELECTED CASKS OF OUR RARE 1977 SPIRIT PROVIDE A GLIMPSE IN TO THE SOUL OF BRUICHLADDICH SINGLE MALT. THIS IS A SATISFYINGLY EXTRAORDINARY COMING TOGETHER OF RARE OLD SPIRIT AND FRESH AMERICAN OAK.

1977 – AGED 32 YEARS WHEN BOTTLED. MYSTERIOUS BLACK PRESENTATION WITH ROMAN NUMERALS (MCMLXXVII) TO ELICIT CURIOSITY. 2ND IN THE DNA SERIES EXPLORING THE VERY SOUL OF BRUICHLADDICH. A UNIQUE ONE-OFF RELEASE – UNREPEATABLE COMBINATION OF SPIRIT AND AGE. CLASSIC AMERICAN OAK MATURATION. ONLY 844 SEQUENTIALLY-NUMBERED BOTTLES. BOTTLED SEPTEMBER 2010 AT CASK STRENGTH OF 47.4% THE ULTIMATE INDULGENCE IN AN ERA OF AUSTERITY. NATURAL WHISKY: NON CHILL-FILTERED AND COLOURING-FREE. BOTTLED AT BRUICHLADDICH DISTILLERY USING ISLAY SPRING WATER. MCMLXXVII – A RARE LIMITED EDITION RELEASE.

Visit Bruichladdich Distillery at www.bruichladdich.com

Alchemy is the black art, the eternal search for rejuvenation and immortality, which gave us whisky. Geber the Arab was the first distiller of ‘al-iksir’, the water of life, in Persia around 790 AD. The clear spirits Eau de Vie, Aqua Vitae, Vodka, Aquavit, Uisque Beatha share that same original meaning. For he had discovered how to extract gold from its ore by way of a liquid medium, his elixir. Surely, he therefore believed, gold could be created by the very rearrangement of a base metal’s qualities by another elixir? And if that could turn corruptible metal into incorruptible gold, what could it do to life itself? Eternal life? It must be the veritable water of life.

Black Art – the never ending search for immortality.

This is a mysterious single vintage cuvee by distilling wizard Jim McEwan concocted for ultimate complexity. A bottling that specifically explores the mysteries of cask selection, coopering skills, techniques, oak types, cask sizes, oak grains, forest origins, and their other-worldly interaction with the spirit.

1989 SINGLE VINTAGE BRUICHLADDICH – AGED 21 YEARS.

BLACK ART – THE EXPLORATIVE BOTTLING THAT PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF CASK KNOWLEDGE. THE SECOND BLACK ART RELEASE, NOW AN ON-GOING PART OF THE BRUICHLADDICH RANGE. AN UNASHAMEDLY THOUGHT-PROVOKING, COMPLEX DRAM. MATURED IN A WIDE VARIETY OF AMERICAN & EUROPEAN OAK CASKS.

A RICH, COMPLEX DRAM DEMANDING SERIOUS ATTENTION AND REFLECTION – A LATE-NIGHT DRAM. AVAILABLE FOR BETWEEN 1 TO 3 YEARS DEPENDANT ON SALES AND STOCKS. BOTTLED AT CASK STRENGTH OF 49.7%

NATURAL WHISKY: NON CHILL-FILTERED AND COLOURING FREE. DISTILLED, MATURED AND BOTTLED AT BRUICHLADDICH DISTILLERY ON ISLAY. THE SECRET ALCHEMY OF THE BRUICHLADDICH SPIRIT… WE DON’T EXACTLY KNOW HOW JIM CONJURED-UP THIS SUBLIME DRAM – IT’S HIS SECRET.

BUT IT IS VERY FINE, INCREDIBLY ELEGANT, DECADENTLY HUED, PERPLEXINGLY COMPLEX, MISCHEVIOUSLY PREPARED AND BEGUILINGLY PROVOCATIVE.

Visit Bruichladdich Distillery at www.bruichladdich.com

A very Happy New Year to you all, and to chase away the post Christmas blues we thought you’d like to know that tickets are now available for our next tutored tasting.   We’re going to start the year off with a selection of Irish whiskey and are very fortunate to have Noel Sweeney, Master Distiller, coming along from Cooley Distillery on Wednesday 9th February.

 
Recently named European Distiller of the Year for the third year running at the 2010 International Wine and Spirit Awards, Cooley distillery was established in 1987 and so is only relatively young.  However, the vision when it was created was to restore the ancient distilling techniques of Irish whiskey and bring back to life some of the famous old Irish whiskey brands. This means that Cooley distillery uses centuries old methods of Irish pot still distillation when producing their whiskey.  Additionally, whilst all their brands display the characteristic smooth and sweet taste of Irish whiskey the fact that Cooley have both malt and grain distilleries means they are able to produce a wide range of styles – including peated and unpeated single malts, aged blends, wood finished and cask strength whiskies, and single grain whiskey. 

As you can see, this is going to be an interesting and diverse whiskey tasting, with something for every taste and the added bonus of the master distiller himself being here to take us through the drams and give us the inside story on this award winning independent distillery.  A great start to our whisky tasting year so don’t miss out!

The tasting will be held at Stanton House Hotel, Stanton Fitzwarren (www.stantonhouse.co.uk), and will commence at 7.00 for 7.30pm.  Tickets are £10.00 per person, and this also entitles you to a discount of £3 against a bottle of one of the featured whiskies if bought or ordered on the night of the tasting.

Tickets are very strictly limited, and allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis and, as most of you already know, these tickets always sell very quickly so it is best to book ASAP.  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 most, if not all, of the whiskies tasted will be available to purchase on the night so come prepared.

These evenings are a great chance to try some new whiskies that you might not encounter otherwise, and to be educated and entertained at the same time.  Come along and join us!

Slainte!
Fran and Ken
Arkwrights Whisky and Wines
www.whiskyandwines.com

Stanton House

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked a new item, ‘Edradour Bourbon Cask Decanter’

Edradour OB Bourbon Decanter 2003 57.4%alc.

Limited cask strength release of 1,545 bottles, sorry decanters, of Edradour’s first all-bourbon matured single malt and what a honey it is!

We don’t normally mention the colour of a dram here, but this one is a captivating light new gold, quite distracting. The aroma is of clean honeyed spirit, purified beeswine. Tasted neat it is sweet, juicy and estery. Rich and weighty and some elements of light oak (beech) with cloves in the swallow. The finish is long and rinses itself. Best neat I think, water gives wet card and slight smoke.

Ignore the age, it has been selling well over the past couple of Christmassy weeks. And unanimously an ace!

On the Flavour Map it’s in square G4
Complex, Rich & Delicate. Yummy-honey!

Price excluding VAT: £39.58
£47.50 Including VAT at 20%

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

Visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Happy New Year!

It has been a busy end to 2010, with a delivery of casks arriving on the 21st of December, some requiring re-gauging, some re-casking and some re-painting before stowing them safely in the warehouse. The recent bad weather during most of December has caused significant delays in the removal and transportation of casks. Some warehouses, particularly Diageo’s Broxburn complex, are quite difficult to get casks from and I sigh every time I discover that casks I’m purchasing are held there. The cost of transportation is increasing which requires me to try to collect as many casks as possible in one load and linking and timing pick-ups between various warehouses can prove difficult. 

They included 10 hogsheads of very tasty 2008 Benriach. Most of you are budget conscious and I was asked to re-cask some into refill bourbon barrels (first filled with Scotch whisky 10 years ago). This has meant the price could be reduced. These have been re-gauged and contain between 185-192 bulk litres at a strength of around 63.6%. Priced to sell at £900 – much less than you can buy casks of new make spirit for! For those of you who prefer more whisky there are still 5 hogsheads left.
 
Also delivered were the 2010 hogsheads of Glenfarclas (sadly all sold) and Royal Brackla (1 remaining) as well as two delicious 12 year old Blair Athol hogsheads, again both sold but two more have still to be delivered.

Only 2 of the 10yo Caol Ila barrels remain, with a couple reserved. I have sold 14 of these and it seems unlikely that any more will become available in the near future so if you want one of them don’t end up disappointed!

For those traders among my customers, I hope to be bottling a couple of casks of the Grain Whisky. At 20 year old it should be good value.

There is something for every taste in the list below with all casks priced lower than you will find them elsewhere (if you find one cheaper let me know!).

AVAILABLE NOW

There will be a new range coming within the next month or two so keep checking the website. More details on each of the above whiskies can also be found on the website, or by sending me an email about a specific whisky.

Please write a comment on the guestbook of my website, especially if you have purchased a cask. Finally, if you have any website related suggestions, don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk

info@whiskybroker.co.uk

Arran Peated Machrie Moor 1st Release

New limited release with just 900 bottles available for Scotland & UK. Bran, favourite dog of the legendary Hebridean warrior Fingal says… “This is classic Arran with hints of fudge, coconut & spice with a teasing touch of glorious peat reek. Woof!”

£37.99 (32.33 ex VAT)

www.thewhiskybarrel.com

Scotland’s Online Whisky Shop

Society 2011 Burns Celebrations
There is one statue of him in New York’s Central Park and several in China.  Bob Dylan described him as his “biggest inspiration”, his birthday is celebrated in the Kremlin and his work has been in films from Sex and the City to It’s a Wonderful Life…

Join us this January as we celebrate the one and only Rabbie Burns.  From our mouth-watering single casks drams to toast the bard to our Burns Suppers – celebrate Burns 2011 with a special Society touch.

Drams to toast the bard:

2.78 Kissed up by sweet promises  £65.40 inc. free P&P
Some seconds of spikiness, with pine resin and potato schnapps; then lovely sweet promises kissed up – vanilla, honeycomb, Ferrero Rocher

19.47 Dried roses in a shoe-box   £58.30 inc. free P&P
Creamy porridge, custard creams, bread and butter pudding, biscotti, Kahlua and cocoa-dusted praline balls; then something more curious…

29.91 Bovril and neeps  £48.70 inc. free P&P
Immediate Islay identity – creosote, footbaths, disinfectant – with profound meaty notes – Bovril, beef flavoured Hula-hoops

39.79 A lush chameleon  £58.30 inc. free P&P
This ‘Top Class’ Speyside from near Elgin is usually of the ‘light and fragrant’. “Laura Ashley’ school; not this example, it’s big and complex

Society Burns Whisky Tasting & Events
Aberdeen Burns Tasting – Caledonian Thistle Hotel, Fri 21 Jan
Edinburgh HDV Burns Offer – Bistro, Mon 24 – Fri 28 Jan
Traditional Burns Supper – The Vaults, Tue 25 Jan
Traditional Burns Night – London, Tue 25 Jan
Burns Dinner, The Dining Room – Queen Street, Tue 25 Jan
Bristol HDV Burns Dinner – The Sugar House, Tue 25 Jan
Girls’ Burns – Queen Street, Wed 26 Jan
Dunfermline Burns Tasting – Garvock House Hotel, Thu 27 Jan
Newcastle Burns Tasting – Northern Counties Club, Fri 28 Jan
Glasgow Burns Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 28 Jan
Edinburgh HDV Burns Dinner – Bristo Place, Fri 28 Jan
Harrogate HDV Burns Dinner – Prospect Place, Fri 28 Jan

YOUR OWN Private Burns Celebrations
Did you know you could arrange your own private Burns dinners and suppers at the Society? Including theatrical entertainment and music, delicious food and of course, the finest whisky. 

2010 Celebrations: Of course there’s still masses of Society sparkle left in 2010…                        

* Queen Street Boxing Day Sale, Sat 26 Dec
Unique Queen Street bottle offers and more

* London Member Room Sale, Fri 28 Dec
London celebrates NY with a host of bottle offers

* Vaults Cask Ends Sale cont., Mon 27 – Fri 31 Dec
Three Mystery Malts for only £90

* Hogmanay at Queen Street (tickets still available)
The Dining Room
Members’ Room

*Carvery at The Vaults, Sun 2 Jan (12.30 – 3pm)
Not quite 2010 but near enough…for the first time ever (and after many member requests) The Vaults is open on Sun 2 Jan. Enjoy mouth-watering meats and scrumptious single casks. Contact The Vaults for more details.

Visit http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join the Society

“Octave Invigorated” Our Octave Cask range has invigorated the Single Malts and Single Grains industry.
 
After a second maturation of three months, the octave cask has breathed new life into the whisky, quickly changing hue, taste, form and character of the spirit. The whisky is rejuvenated, a little more aggressive, with the commanding presence of a mature, well-balanced Scotch Whisky. With fewer bottles from each cask, the spirit becomes all the more exclusive.
 
Select your cask today, contact our sales team on +44 (0)1466 794055 or email enquiries@quartercasks.com
 
Promotional Offer! Through 31st December 2010  
 
1 pre-octave mini of every 70cl bottle = 66 free pre-octave minis. Personalised Duncan Taylor Octave label (restrictions apply). Receive the empty octave cask with order (for display purpose). Order-Bottling-Shipping lead time 4 months.

 
 
Available Octaves include:
Aberlour 1993
Auchentoshan 1999, 2000
Auchroisk 1999, 1988
Aultmore 1989
Balblair 1991
Balmenach 2000
Ben Nevis 1995, 1998
Benriach 1990
Bowmore 1968, 1982, 1998, 2002
Bunnahabhain 1968, 1969, 1970, 1997
Cameronbridge 1978, 1979
Caol  Ila 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984
Caperdonich 1968, 1969, 1972
Carsebridge 1979
Cragganmore 1992
Craigellachie 1999
Dalmore 1990
Glenburgie 1988
Glen Elgin 1991
Glen Grant 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1991
Glenlivet 1968, 1970
Glen Moray 1971, 1973, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988
Glengarioch 1991
Glenrothes 1968, 1969, 1970
Highland Park 1970
Imperial 1997
Isle of Arran 1996, 1999
Isle of Jura 1992
Invergordon 1965
Kinclaith 1969
Ladyburn 1973
Laphroaig 1997
Linkwood 1991
Macallan 1969, 1996, 1997
Macduff 1968, 1969
Mortlach 1993
North British 1978
Port Dundas 1973
Strathclyde 1973, 1980
Strathisla 1968
Tamdhu 1968
Tamnavulin 1989
Teaninich 1996
Tomatin 1965, 1976

 
 
Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited
4 Upperkirkgate, Huntly, Aberdeenshire, AB54 8JU Scotland
Tel: +44 (0)1466 794055  Fax: +44 (0)1466794618

Visit our Website http://www.duncantaylor.com/

Dumgoyne: Glengoyne Distillery is to launch its SLOWEST ever bottling. Taking over four years to complete, this is a world’s first small batch release from a single cask, creating a live experiment which whisky enthusiasts can take part in.

Available from Tuesday 28 December 2010, The Glengoyne Christmas Cask will be released each Christmas until 2014. Just 100 bottles will be released at a time, exclusively available to buy in person from the distillery shop. This highly innovative, first of a kind bottling will allow single cask lovers to trace the flavour evolution in this remarkable, yet typical, Glengoyne cask over its next four years of maturation.

Cask 790, a First Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt distilled in 2002, is currently rich, with hints of rosehip syrup, cocoa beans, oak and spice. It still clings to the last of its spirited youth, but delivering plenty and promising much more.
 
Glengoyne’s unique flavour is derived from Scotland’s SLOWEST malt whisky distillation and the use of some of Spain’s finest sherry casks. Every year a team of dedicated noses search the warehouses for casks that are just right, releasing between two and four Single Casks a year.  Once in the bottle the whisky stops maturing, so Single Cask bottlings represent a snapshot in time.

Stuart Hendry, Glengoyne Brand Heritage Manager explained “One day, after a particularly productive tasting session, we got to thinking – what if there is something more? We at the distillery are able to taste casks as they mature, witnessing their highs and lows, their flavour peak and troughs as they wind their way towards maturity. What if we were able to share that with our anorak-wearing whisky chums?”

‘Headspace’ – the area within the cask unoccupied by liquid – is normally created through evaporation at the rate of approximately 1.5% per annum. In the case of the Christmas Cask we will be removing 70 litres from the cask each year, leading to much increased headspace, giving the potential for higher rates of evaporation and interactive maturation. Stuart continued: “We don’t know for sure what will happen, but we’re looking forward to finding out.”

The release of the Glengoyne Christmas Cask is something completely different, a first of its kind for the distillery, and the world, representing the Glengoyne SLOW ethos. It is an utterly unique insight into the life of a Single Malt Whisky cask, with the staggered bottlings perfectly demonstrating the long slow path each and every cask takes to reach the moment of perfect maturity. Each bottle will be numbered and signed by the Glengoyne Tasting Panel, but will be presented without packaging in order to keep the price down.

The release date for the first 100 bottles is 28th December 2010 and the bottles must be purchased AT the distillery, priced £100. They will not be available online or through telesales.

For further information visit: www.glengoyne.com or call the distillery on 01360 550 254

Ian Macleod Distillers encourages responsible drinking

www.drinkaware.co.uk  www.scotch-whisky.org.uk

Notes:

Award-winning Glengoyne is one of the leading premium malt whiskies in the world and has been distilled at Glengoyne distillery since 1833. The Glengoyne portfolio consists of the 10 Years Old, 12 Years Old Cask Strength, 12 Years Old at 43%, 17 Years Old , 21 Years Old and Vintage 1972 as well as other limited edition special bottlings. 

Following a recent 25% increase in case sales Glengoyne recently announced a new long-term marketing initiative based on the concept “SLOW”, and is to invest upwards of £1m in the campaign drive over the next two years.

The campaign is centred on Glengoyne’s distillation speed, which is SLOWER than any other Scotch Whisky. Glengoyne attributes its high quality, smooth tasting malt to its slow distillation, which is about one third the normal rate.
 
SLOWLY distilling the spirit allows more contact with the copper stills, removing unwanted sulphur which can result in bitterness and encouraging the formation of esters creating Glengoyne’s distinctive apple fruitiness. The increased copper interaction also helps draw more flavour from the slowly handcrafted Spanish Sherry oak casks during maturation.

Arran Machrie Moor 1st Release (46.0%)
 
The peated Arran Malt (14ppm) limited release of 9,000 bottles. The bottle depicts Bran, favourite dog of the legendary warrior Fingal who is said to have tethered the dog to the standing stone Fingal’s Cauldron Seat. One of the many stone circles and standing stones that are strewn across Machrie Moor on the Isle of Arran. £37.99 (£32.33 ex VAT). In-stock and ready to ship at www.thewhiskybarrel.com