Dear Whisky Lovers,

We are pleased to announce a very special edition to Chieftain’s Range Single Malts – Springbank 40 yrs old. 
 
This expression of Springbank was matured in a first fill Oloroso Sherry cask for over 40 years and bottled at its natural strength. It’s a real treat for a Single Malt collector or a great gift idea for that special someone.  This last cask at this rare age rests in a silver, leather-lined, piano finished, solid oak box which has been stained black and lacquered 11 times to enhance the natural wood grain.  There are two silver plaques on the front of the box, featuring individual details and are personally signed by the Chieftain’s Rare Malt Manager (they serve as a certificate of authenticity).  There is a mini tasting notes book which hangs on a silver chain on the neck of the bottle. The inside of the box is lined with silver leather and contains text describing the Chieftain’s range.  The bottles are individually numbered. The oak box is protected in a branded, black, drawstring, cloth bag within a rigid, black presentation box, and again, branded with a silver Chieftain’s logo.

History

The last remaining traditional family-owned distillery to produce its malt whisky from start to finish in one location; from the malting of the barley, using Islay peat, to the bottling operation. The distillery is thought to have been established at the turn of the 18th century by the Reid family, as a licensed operation. Prior to that time illicit distilleries, thought to have numbered 30 at one point, were operating in the small town of Campbeltown, on the Mull of Kintyre peninsula.

Since 1937 Springbank distillery has been owned by successive generations of the Mitchell family. The whisky produced is second to none, a truly top class malt.

 Wood Type First fill Oloroso Butt
 
Cask No. 1414 
 
No. of Bottles 398
 
Strength  54% 70cl 

Distillation Date October 1968
 
Bottling Date October 2008

Rated 92 points by John Hansell, Malt Advocate.

Bruichladdich Black Art
2nd Release 49.7%

21 Year Old 1989 vintage.Traditional lightly peated Bruichladdich.

Spellbinging Laddie’ matured in a selection of 5 different cask types.

£82.99 (£70.63 ex VAT)

Visit the Whisky Barrel at http://www.whiskybarrel.com Scotland’s Online Whisky Shop

Inchgower DR 1974 36yo 56.4%alc.

Distilled 16.09.1974

Bottled 22.10.2010

From Bourbon cask # 7762

Limited to 229 bottles

(Abridged tasting note:

Superb!, so much going on, just buy it! and now!)

Here’s a theory, it’s mine (Richard J at LFW)  and unresearched so please don’t try and test it…

Once long ago, if the seventies fits that description, a chap called Raymond Miquel was in charge of Bell’s Scotch Whisky Distillers, who owned four distilleries (I think, I’m not going to check this stuff) one of which was Inchgower. Mr. Miquel (who is still active in Scottish business as head of Lee’s Confectionary) was an exceptionally dynamic entrepreneur who sent a well drilled army of impeccably blazered (double-breasted) reps out into the UK market to promote Bell’s whisky, and it rather worked well, today Bell’s remains the number one blend in the UK.

So successful was the sales drive that more malt had to be made to meet demand, a demand that was not prepared to wait five years for stock to mature, ‘but no matter, they thought, make it faster and pile it higher in what facilities we have, no problems’, they thought.

So Bell’s distilleries turned up production, fermentation time was reduced (as I say, not checked), stills went into overdrive and new make crammed into casks and stuffed into warehouses while new ones were being built.

You can’t rush Scotch, that’s why we love it and that’s why the boffins and accountants have been unable to streamline the production, leaving it a quality sensitive quirky hands-on process, even at state-of-the-art Roseisle.

So what is now predictable with hindsight happened, the quality of 3-5 years old malt for Bell’s plummeted and the Scottish Scotch drinker turned to Grouse. (Quality recovered by the late eighties by-the-way).

Now.

We noticed during the Rare Malts releases of ten years ago some superb old drams being offered at about 25 years matured and some were, after so many years, still at strengths of 65%alc! Blair Athol, Dufftown, Inchgower and Rosebank in particular, the Bell’s distilleries! Duff angels or concentrated filling strength? Although they forced their spirit production and stuffed it into tired wood at very high strength eventually mother maturation has done her job and produced exceptional drams.

And here at 36 years is another example.

Further reading, ‘Business As Usual – The Miquel Way’

Flavour Map Ref: Debatable E5
Complex

A Dewar Rattray Independent single cask strength bottling.

See ‘label explanations’ above for more information.

Price excluding VAT: £84.25
£98.99 Including VAT at 17.5%

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

November BIG Outturn: 41 single cask bottlings

Daylight is dwindling and the nights drawing in.  The geese grow fatter by the day.  Summer may be a distant memory, but we couldn’t be happier.  Whisky Season is here.

And how else would we mark the occasion, than with an outstanding selection of the very best single cask bottlings to be found. November BIG Outturn brings 41 winter warmer whiskies.

With no less than 10 Islay malts, including:

10.72 A hawker market in Singapore
Islay, £45.70
Buttery egg custard, vanilla, syrup, doughnuts, light smoke, struck matches, dried flowers, plus pork char siu, duck and hoisin sauce

23.67 Islay twinned with Algarve
Islay, £40.20
In reduction we found this nose sexily seductive, with sweet tobacco, sherbet straws, vanilla and mimosa flowers nodding in the warm breeze

53.145 Hebrides in a glass
Islay, £63.40
Salt spray and rock pools, enhanced by pine needles and herbs, and a trace of cider vinegar

And of course it wouldn’t be our Christmas Countdown List without a few festive recommendations and offers:

Regional Trio: buy together for £129 (save £22.70)

27.85 Manly and penetrating £53.20
121.38 Sumptuous and stunning £39.20
36.48 Waves of pleasure lapping the tongue £59.30

Best Buys: buy together for £81 (save £9.90)

3.42 Explosion in a honey factory £42.10      
29.91 Bovril and neeps £48.70

November Nosey Pair: buy together for £110 (save £14.70)

3.169 Pagoda reek drifting over Loch Indaal £60.30
125.41 Everything under the sun£64.40

What’s one plus one minus £5?

Another stonking offer! Pick two bottlings from the same distillery (from our BIG list) and save £5.  Why? To compare the dram-atic differences.

A distillery is borne…128

And lo, from the val-lees, a new distillery has come unto the Society.  These first Welsh casks are available, one bottle per member, on Fri 19 Nov, 10am.

128.1 A string quartet of flavours £49.50
128.2 Caribbean breeze  £49.50

All prices include free P&P
 
Love a particular bottling? Don’t forget to leave a review or comment for fellow members
                                                                                              
SMWS Whisky Tasting & Events

Tis the season to be jolly well-entertained.  And the Society once more is bringing you a wintery wonderland of events to warm your fingers, tongues and toes…..
Christmas Outturn Tasting – Queen Street, Thu 25 Nov
Winchester Preview Tasting – Hotel du Vin, Thu 25 Nov
Glasgow Preview Tasting – Malmaison, Fri 26 Nov
Pan-Asian Curry Experience – London, Sat 27 Nov
Christmas Parcels Tasting – London, Thu 2 Dec
Newcastle Christmas Tasting – Northern Counties Club, Fri 3 Dec
Christmas Drinks 101 – Queen Street, Fri 3 Dec
New Outturn Open Tasting – London, Sat 4 Dec
New Outturn & Sunday Roast Tasting, The Vaults, Sun 5 Dec

Visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships

THE SCOTCH MALT WHISKY SOCIETY TRADES IN WELSH GOLD

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is known the world over for sourcing and bottling only the finest single cask, single malt Scotch whiskies for its members to buy.  It takes an extraordinary whisky to make it past The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Tasting Panel and this month it has secured a brace of exceptional casks from the Penderyn distillery in Wales. The Society is renowned for getting its hands on the rarest of whiskies and this is the first time anyone other than the Welsh Whisky Company has bottled Penderyn.

The Society was formed in the 1970s when a group of friends discovered the joys of drawing their whisky straight from the cask, straight from the distillery. The full flavour was retained and each cask was unique. No two casks are identical even if they’re filled with the same spirit and laid down for the same amount of time and it’s this diversity the Society celebrates.

Today that spirit of adventure and curiosity continues on in each of the casks The Tasting Panel approves and each of the bottles made available to members. Occasionally, only very occasionally, one from outside of Scotland makes it. There have been a few from Ireland and Japan to date and very well received they’ve been too. But Wales? Who’d have thought?

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society has had its eye on Penderyn for some time. A scout was dispatched earlier this year who reported back in wildly enthusiastic fashion about the qualities of a single cask port finish 7 year old he was allowed to try when the public weren’t looking.

Two casks were identified by The Tasting Panel; a 6 year old first fill port cask and a 7 year old first fill Madeira cask with only 233 of the former and 227 bottles of the latter available. Although relatively young, each is beautifully well-balanced and mature (for their age).

The Society releases new single casks every month and the Penderyn bottles are part of its biggest ever release with a total of 41 single casks being offered in November. It is anticipated that the Welsh wonders will be of particular interest so members will be restricted to one bottle of each (priced at £49.50) when they go on sale on November 19.
 
The sole distillery in Wales, The Welsh Whisky Company is one of the smallest (legal) distilleries in the world and only produces a hogshead of its Welsh gold each day. Established in 2000, Penderyn uses a unique design of still for its malted barley spirit. The still was developed by weapons inspector Dr David Faraday (a descendant of science legend Sir Michael Faraday).

Kai Ivalo from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society said: “Our Tasting Panel searches far and wide for the best whiskies for our members and we’ve been watching developments at Penderyn with interest. Our members are a smart lot and many had guessed that we were going to be bottling a single cask from the Penderyn distillery so we’re and pleased to be able to finally get the news out there. No-one other than the Welsh Whisky Company have bottled Penderyn which is the kind of coup that we like at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. These are two great single cask examples and they’ll definitely delight malt whisky enthusiasts.”

Stephen Davies, managing director of the Penderyn Distillery said, “To be recognised by The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an immensely proud moment for all of us at Penderyn.  Not only is this an appreciation of the whisky, but also of our innovative distillation technology.  When we embarked on reviving the tradition of Welsh whisky, our objective was to ensure that we created a spirit that we and Wales as a nation could truly be proud of.  In particular, the efforts of Master Distiller Dr Jim Swan and Gillian Macdonald have to be commended for creating a world class whisky that has earned such critical acclaim.  And with less made in a year than many distilleries produce in day, Penderyn truly is Welsh gold!”

Notes

• Membership of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is the perfect Christmas gift. Membership costs from £100 for the first year and offers the sheer pleasure of exploring the world’s widest selection of single cask single malt whiskies. New members receive a beautiful membership box with a specially-selected quartet of bottles on joining and admission to the Society’s exclusive Members’ Rooms.

• The Scotch Malt Whisky Society began 27 years ago when a group of discerning friends shared the price of a single cask of fine malt whisky.

• The Society bottles over 300 single casks of malt whisky a year for its members and selects them from a range of more than 128 distilleries.

• Members can choose from the world’s widest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies with only the very best selected and approved by the Society’s respected Tasting Panel.

• Exclusive Members’ Rooms are located in Edinburgh and London for tastings, dinners, meeting and presentations.

www.smws.co.uk 

PENDERYN TASTING NOTES:

128.1 A string quartet of flavours
The evocative nose delivered blood orange, strawberry, sangria, cola cubes, Calpol syrup and Covonia cough medicine; ‘pink’ Chartreuse, ‘After Shock’ and wine gums. Slightly different aromas appeared with water – furniture polish, shoe polish, bubble gum and freshly valeted cars. The unreduced palate had layers of flavours in harmony, like a string quartet – scented wood and spice in the middle, strawberry syrup, redcurrant and cranberry on top, with bass notes of smoke, embers and struck matches. The texture was deliciously thick and the finish long. The reduced palate had lip-smacking red fruits and Haribo sweets.

Colour – Deep Zinfandel blush
Cask – First fill ex-Port Barrique,

Drinking tip
A summery dram suitable for any sunny moment, real or metaphorical
Distillation Date Strength Age Outturn UK bottle price
Sep-03 55.6% 6 233 £49.50

128.2 Caribbean breeze
The relaxing nose brought cherry lips, rhubarb tart and redcurrants; ginger cake and Pledge furniture polish.   The unreduced palate was multilayered and mouth-filling with fruitcake, marzipan and icing sugar, fresh root ginger and redcurrants.  Water brought out softer antique-like aromas with leather, beeswax and resin; Battenburg and sponge cake.   The reduced palate became “oh so creamy” with almond and cherry cake, palm trees and green ginger – the sweetest parts of the oak. The finish was surprisingly dry. 
 
Colour – Burnt ochre
Cask – First fill ex-Madeira Hogshead

Drinking tip
A sweet and exotic dram for holidays relaxing in the sun
Distillation Date Strength Age Outturn UK bottle price
Sep-02 60.5 7 227 £49.50

Loch Fyne Whiskies has stocked  several new items;

Kilchoman Winter 2010 Release £44.90 inc vat

Glengoyne 1996 Port Cask Finish £62.50 inc vat

Glencadam 14yo Oloroso Finish £40.50 inc vat

Tomintoul 12yo Portwood Finish £32.90 inc vat

Tomatin 21yo £110.00 inc vat

plus the 5cl miniature of Kilchoman Winter Release

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk and visit Loch Fyne Whiskies at www.lfw.co.uk

Very rare 1975 St Magdalene (LCBO # 203455)

This elusive whisky is now available at a limited number of LCBO stores in Ontario.  This is a 1975 St Magdalene single malt whisky and might just be the perfect Christmas Gift for that special someone.

History:

Founded in 1790 on the outskirts of Edinburgh this distillery used water from Loch Lomond.  The lowland distillery took its name from St Magdalene’s Cross, once a site of a mediaeval fair and leper colony. The Union Canal ran behind the distillery and not only supplied the cooling water, but in the distillery’s heyday it was also the main method of supply, with barley and other materials brought in by barge to its jetty. The distillery was closed down in 1983, and sold for property development. 

Tasting notes:

WITHOUT WATER

Nose: Sherry notes with strong fruit aromas – melons, red apples. Dry hessian note with a herbal aroma.

Palate: Sweet, with wine, oak and hop flavours. Some heather blossom (honey) elements are also present.

WITH WATER

Nose: Floral with polished oak influences initially. Subtle malt, dark chocolate and nuts aromas follow.

Palate: A little smokiness initially followed by sweet, Sherry elements with floral flavours also present.

Body: Mellow.

Finish: Light with a Sherry edge.

Cask Type(s): Refill Sherry hogsheads.

Whisky Style: A smooth, sweet whisky with the Lowland style evident.

This unique whisky is available in EXTREMELY LIMITED quantities, and once sold will probably never come back to Canada.  You can order directly from any LCBO store quoting LCBO# 203455 or pick up at one of these four locations.

·         LCBO Store    #10   Summerhill (Toronto)

·         LCBO Store    #38   275 Rideau    (Ottawa)

·         LCBO Store  #217   Queens Quay (Toronto)

·         LCBO Store  #355   Bayview Village (Toronto)

Also arriving very soon: Benromach 10 and 25yo, Dhallas Dhu and a Glen Grant.  We’ll keep you posted!!

Regards,

Bill at Claymore Imports

Currently available are barrels of;

10 yo Caol Ila, distilled 3/11/2000, £2200 (ready for bottling)
4 yo Tomatin, distilled 10/2/2006, £1000,
5 yo Linkwood, distilled 20/7/2005, £1100
7 yo Craigellachie, distilled 27/6/2003, £1100,
4 yo Balmenach, distilled 2/8/2006, £1000
4 yo Miltonduff, distilled 6/3/2006, £1000

All of the above casks are refill bourbon barrels, and warehoused at Bladnoch Distillery (1 year’s warehousing included in price). All prices are Under Bond – Duty & Tax payable before they are removed from the warehouse.
 
Also available are some casks of older whiskies.
 
I intend to bottle one of the barrels of 10yo Caol Ila which will be available in approximately 2 weeks time on www.whiskybroker.co.uk . Price per 70cl bottle at 54% is likely to be £25, plus postage.
 
Many thanks,
 
Martin Armstrong
www.whiskybroker.co.uk

PIONEERING WHISKY BORN FROM 2010’s “GREAT WAREHOUSE COLLAPSE”

Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded single malt Scotch whisky, today announced the launch of Snow Phoenix – a unique whisky born of chance and adversity which commemorates a moment of drama in Glenfiddich’s long history.

In January 2010, after weeks of heavy snow and record low temperatures, four feet of densely compacted snow covered the Glenfiddich distillery roofs, which housed hundreds of casks of fine aged whisky, gently maturing in semi-darkness.

On the evening of 7th January, in the most remote part of the distillery estate, a number of warehouse roofs dramatically collapsed under the weight, leaving the maturing oak casks exposed to the night sky.  In wintery conditions and temperatures of -19˚C, distillery staff swung into action, working round the clock to clear the snow.

Glenfiddich Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, commented: “Standing amongst the wreckage and exposed casks, we were working out our next steps and assessing the situation.  I was thinking about how the casks, some of which were very old, contained some beautiful whisky and it occurred to me that they would create a fantastic non-aged single malt. A limited edition bottling from the whiskies in the damaged warehouses would be an appropriate way of celebrating the pioneering spirit of the distillery team at this moment in Glenfiddich’s history. “

“A photographer was shooting the scene and rather fittingly, when we looked at the pictures, the light shining through the warehouse roofs looked like a phoenix rising above us. I suppose this was the moment of conception of Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix.”

Snow Phoenix was created by marrying together natural strength and non-chill filtered casks of different ages and finishes, including American oak and Oloroso sherry.  The result is a single malt, gold in colour with bright copper highlights.  Its nose is creamy vanilla mingling with vibrant notes of apple and pear complemented by the scent of fresh blossom. The taste is reminiscent of apples roasted in the embers of a campfire, sweetened with heather honey and accompanied by a piece of chocolate, rich and complex with a whiff of burned sugar, coffee and woodsmoke.  It has an exceptionally long finish – austere sherry notes mellow into a satisfying sweetness. The distinctive monochrome packaging and amazing photography pays dramatic homage to this exceptional whisky and details this exceptional story.

Shifting snow around the clock gave the Glenfiddich distillery team a deep admiration for those who work in extreme conditions. Glenfiddich has therefore dedicated Snow Phoenix to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT), who battle harsh environments to save lives in the heart of Speyside, and has made a special contribution to their funds.

To celebrate this partnership, Brian Kinsman invited a group of CMRT volunteers to a unique mid-mountain tasting where they developed the Snow Phoenix tasting notes. By conducting the tasting notes at a high altitude, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master was able to explore the difference temperature has on the taste of whisky. 

Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix is a one of a kind, limited edition single malt Scotch whisky which has been bottled in 2010. One thousand bottles will be made available exclusively to members of the online club, Glenfiddich Explorers, www.glenfiddich.com/explorers, with the remainder available in selected markets* from mid-November, ABV 47.6%, priced £49.99 RRP for a 70cl bottle**.

*Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix will be available in UK, Portugal, Netherlands, South Africa, Russia, USA, Taiwan, Cyprus, Lebanon, Spain, Andorra, Canary Islands, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, China, India, South Korea and selected airports around the world.

** Glenfiddich Snow Phoenix 75cl is also available priced $89.99 USD

Notes
 
Tasting Notes

Colour: Gold with bright copper highlights.
Nose: Creamy vanilla aromas mingle with vibrant notes of apple and pear – the whole complemented by the scent of fresh blossom.
Taste: This is Glenfiddich in the wild – apples roasted in the embers of a campfire, sweetened with heather honey and accompanied by a piece of chocolate, rich and complex with a whiff of burned sugar, coffee and woodsmoke.
Finish: An exceptionally long finish – austere sherry notes mellow into a satisfying sweetness.

William Grant & Sons Ltd:

William Grant & Sons is an independent family-owned distiller founded by William Grant in 1886 and today still controlled by the fifth generation of his family.  The Company distils some of the world’s leading brands of Scotch whisky, including the world’s favourite single malt Glenfiddich®, the handcrafted range of The Balvenie® single malts and one of the world’s best loved blended Scotches, Grant’s®, as well as selected other spirits, including Hendrick’s® Gin, Sailor Jerry® Spiced Rum and Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey®

Click on www.williamgrant.com for more information on the Company and its brands.

Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky announce special Christmas Octave cask offer

Last year, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky launched its newest innovation: The Octave Cask range. After years of experimentation, the company found that whiskies which had spent years maturing in full size casks could be decanted and matured for a short period of time in smaller casks, known as Octaves. The result was a spirit which was superior in nose, palate and colour, enhanced and invigorated beyond all expectation.

After a very successful first year, Duncan Taylor are now making the Octave range available to non-trade customers. Order and pay before 31st December to receive the following:

-66 Bottles with accompanying ‘pre’ Octave miniature -Personalised Octave labels -The empty Octave cask for display

Whiskies available include Bowmore, Caol Ila, Glen Grant, Kinclaith, Macallan and many more. For further information and prices, please get in touch using the details below.

(CONTACT) Mark Watt, Duncan Taylor Sales Director
01466 794055
mark@duncantaylor.com