Macaloney’s Island Distillery breaks new ground with inaugural release of peated whiskies

Vancouver Island distillery extends tradition with inaugural launch of locally sourced, peated single malt whiskies.

SAANICH, BC (June 19, 2023) – In a groundbreaking venture, Macaloney’s Island Distillery, known for their World’s Best and multiple Canadian best gold medal whiskies is thrilled to debut the inaugural release of its exquisite peated single malts:

• An Aba 12ppm, Sherry-influenced – 45 per cent bourbon, 25 per cent virgin American, 10 per cent Portuguese red wine and gold medal winner at the World Whiskies Awards (WWAs)
• Sio Dugall 27 ppm – 65 per cent bourbon, 25 per cent virgin American, 10 per cent Portuguese red wine and a gold medal winner at the WWAs
• Peat Project 54ppm single cask red wine – 100 per cent Portuguese STR red wine, with a gold medal at the WWAs, and
• Peat Project 54ppm single cask white wine – 100 per cent Moscatel sweet white wine

Each of these exclusive whiskies invites aficionados to exploer a world where the unique Pacific Northwest character harmonizes seamlessly with an age-old Scottish whisky craft.

Driven by a passion for authenticity and terroir, CEO and master whisky maker Dr. Graeme Macaloney championed the use of ingredients local to the Pacific Northwest. The superior flavour complexity of Canadian barley has led to the distillery adopting the practice of smoking their locally sourced barley on-site, a practice only still done by five of the greatest Scotch distilleries at this scale. This novel approach, combined with imported peat from Seattle, Washington, imbues the whiskies with a distinct taste and aroma that can be traced back to their roots.

“Our goal with the peated whiskey was to use the traditional peat-smoking methods I studied at Laphroaig, Bowmore, and Kilchoman on Islay, and marry these with our local ingredients,” said Dr. Macaloney, “Using a slow distillation process and one of the industry’s narrowest cuts, we were able to achieve an amazing newmake that won World’s Best in blind tastings at the World Whiskies Awards in the UK.”

The resulting range of peated whiskies showcase a uniquely approachable palate for connoisseurs and those new to exploring whisky. Enjoy a peated whisky with a medium peat nose with lots of fruity esters in balance with the phenols, and a peat palate with a dry finish and hint of salt, which reflects the distillery’s island location.

“I’m pretty proud of these whiskies,” says Macaloney. “The launch of these inaugural peated whiskies isn’t just about releasing new products for me. It’s also about realizing a dream steeped in passion and local craftsmanship. Every bottle is a testament to our team’s tenacity and relentless pursuit of excellence, and the gold medals awarded by the World Whiskies Awards reflect this.”

VIDEO: Inside the peat smoker

About Macaloney Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery: Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery is a destination craft distillery & brewery funded by Canadian single malt whisky & beer enthusiasts from coast-to-coast via an on-going crowdfunding campaign. The Visitor Centre gift store is normally open 7 days per week for kilt-clad guided tours & tutored tastings.

Macaloney’s Island Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery
761 Enterprise Crescent, Saanich, Greater Victoria, BC, V8Z 6P7
| 778-401-0410
macaloneydistillers.com

We Choose To Go
To The Moon

TWB Apollo Whisky Collection

With the recent release of our two Apollo whiskies, Glencadam ‘Call That A Grand Prix, 11yo Apollo 16 and Deanston ‘ Magnificent Desolation’ 11yo Apollo 11, we are delighted to have now completed this ‘black label’ series.

Featuring images from each of the manned Apollo missions and an accompanying quote from members of the crew, the series began back in 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Featuring a range of interesting and exciting whiskies, with Apollo 11 featuring four times and a double release for Apollo 10, each of the manned missions from Apollo 7 to Apollo 17 have been celebrated.

Check out the full series below. Some have sold out completely, some we’ve released a small number more and some down to the last bottles.

For what has become a collectable and sought after series and in the words of President John F. Kennedy ahead of the Apollo missions, “We choose to go to the moon”. And we did.

Shop – TWB Apollo Whisky

NEW IN AT
THE WHISKY EXCHANGE

Our latest exciting whiskies include the new Ardrary blended Scotch whisky from the minds of Suntory’s blending team in Japan, a smoky and maritime Talisker single malt finished in ex-Cognac casks and presented in a bottle made from 100% recycled glass from biofuel, and a 15-year-old sherried single malt from Glenfarclas bottled at a higher strength of 95° proof – 54.2% abv – exclusively for The Whisky Exchange.

We’ve also welcomed new expressions from Glenglassaugh that showcase different aspects of the distillery’s character, drawing inspiration from the local landscape, including the nearby town of Portsoy and the picturesque Sandend Bay.

  SHOP NEW ARRIVALS 

Say hello to Whisky Baba, the latest release from our award-winning series of small-batch blended malts. This intensely fruity beauty will have you basking in the heat of the Jamaican sunshine with an explosion of rum-soaked pineapple along with gentle spices, like whisky baba in a glass.

To create it, we took some French oak barriques previously used to mature Jamaican rum in the Cognac region of France. We filled them with a selection of Speyside malts for 28 months of additional maturation, then blended selected casks together to create this unmissable dram – which has already won a Double Gold medal in the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

DISCOVER MORE

Price: £75.00 ABV: 58.6% Age: 12 years

On the nose, golden syrup and honey on to wheat biscuit breakfast cereal. Some indulged in chocolate-coated marzipan and slices of rich madeira cake, while others baked a golden syrup sponge that was heavy on orange peel and dried papaya. The taste was an explosion of rum-soaked pineapples while the French oak contributed spices such as anise and cinnamon. A satisfying toasty oak note evolved into vanilla pods, mace, nutmeg, orange oil and mango. With a splash of water, we could smell a bowl of sugar-coated puffed rice, varnish and resinous oak, ginger cake, orange zest and barley sugars.

Grab a bottle now and share enjoy it in good company, before it’s gone forever.

WHISKY BABA

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

New independent whisky bottler Halcyon Spirits unveils its inaugural release

— A 30 Year Old Macallan (matured in a first fill sherry cask) will be the first whisky released by the independent bottling brand —

A new family-owned independent whisky bottler, Halcyon Spirits, has launched today and debuted its first-ever release – a single cask Macallan 30 Year Old which was distilled in 1993.

The independent bottling brand, which is based in Aberdeenshire, was developed by brothers Daniel and Craig Milne, who also co-founded global auction platform Whisky Hammer and whisky e-retailer Still Spirit.

The Macallan 30 Year Old has been matured in a first fill sherry cask and bottled by Halcyon Spirits at 49.8% ABV cask strength. Priced at £2,950 per bottle, only 238 bottles are available for purchase online via the Halcyon Spirits website.

The whisky has been described by David Robertson, an independent whisky expert and former Macallan Master Distiller, as “a superb example of a well matured Spanish oak sherry vintage whisky, displaying many of the classic characteristics of a 25–35-year-old Macallan.”

To support global action on climate change, Halcyon Spirits will fund the planting of ten trees for every bottle sold, meaning this inaugural release alone will result in 2,380 trees being planted.

Daniel and Craig Milne launched Halcyon Spirits following the recent completion of a state-of-the-art cask warehouse housing over 2,000 casks – a decision that allows the brothers to securely store, mature, and bottle whisky from Scotland’s most sought-after distilleries.

The casks selected by the Halcyon team are bottled on site in Aberdeenshire. As single cask releases, only a few hundred bottles will be available from each cask, with this inaugural release marking the first of just a few must-have releases from Halcyon Spirits planned for this year.

Daniel Milne, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Halcyon Spirits, said: “Launching Halcyon Spirits has been a true passion project for my brother Craig and I. As whisky fanatics ourselves, our goal is to be able to find and share incredible whiskies with others.

“The name ‘Halcyon’ encapsulates our dedication to bottle exceptional whiskies which, when enjoyed, can allow our customers to relive memories of joy and nostalgia. The name also has deep significance to our family as it pays homage to our grandfather’s fishing boat, Halcyon BF187.

“We are in a fortunate position to have direct access to a fantastic selection of quality maturing whisky casks, which makes the journey of selection and bottling incredibly exciting.”

To find out more about Halcyon Spirits, visit www.halcyonspirits.com

Tasting Notes

By David Robertson, independent whisky expert and former Macallan Master Distiller

Colour – Mahogany with rich red highlights. Terrific beading and viscosity.

Nose – Rich dried fruits – prunes, dates, figs and raisins. Intense old-style orange zest marmalade. Treacle and vanilla toffee sweetness. A cornucopia of redolent spices – cloves, cracked black pepper, aniseed and liquorice. Roasted tropical fruits – pineapple and mango – and polished antique oak.

Taste – Deliciously powerful, intense, tannic Spanish oak. Spices of cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sweet treacle and vanilla toffee and fudge.

Finish – Lingering, long, beautifully drying and moreish. Mature oak spices with dried fruits and a late fresh orange marmalade finish. 

About Halcyon Spirits

Halcyon Spirits is a family-owned independent bottling brand based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was incorporated in 2020 by Daniel and Craig Milne, two brothers with an enduring passion for whisky, before launching its inaugural release in June 2023.

As founders of the Whisky Hammer auction platform and Still Spirit online whisky e-retailer, and having recently completed the build of a state of the art cask warehouse, releasing their own independent whisky bottler was the next step in a long-held ambition.

To find out more about Halcyon Spirits, visit www.halcyonspirits.com

Two French Oak ex-Tawny
Single Cask Whiskies

On Monday we release two 14 year old single cask whiskies. We welcome back the rich and decadent French Oak ex-Tawny in a double release, each with a unique character. One brings savory, herbal, and briny flavors with juicy brightness, while the other combines confectionery sweetness and fruity notes with the intriguing depths of the oak. Two whiskies, both 14 years old, both matured in 300L French oak ex-Tawny barrels, yet uniquely different. That’s the beauty of single cask whisky.

French Oak ex-Tawny TD0287

Combining the complexity of earthy oak driven chocolate and warm spices, with confectionary sweetness. A satisfying finish of oaky maple syrup sensations. Matured for 14 years, in a first-fill 300L French oak ex-Tawny cask, yielding just 418 bottles of Sullivans Cove single cask whisky.

Read the full tasting notes here

French Oak ex-Tawny TD0323

A delightful blend of dark chocolate, herbal notes, and a touch of tobacco and coffee.

As for the play between spirit and oak?
“A tight-rope walker level of balance.”
– Sullivans Cove tasting panel

Matured for 14 years, in a first-fill 300L French oak ex-Tawny cask, yielding just 421 bottles of Sullivans Cove single cask whisky.

Read the full tasting notes here

These whiskies will be released via ballot. The ballots will open for 24 hours from 10am Hobart time on Monday 26th of June. Further details will be sent via email prior to the ballots opening. A note on our ballot system. Our policy is one entry per person, per household, per ballot. Our fraud detection algorithm detects multiple entries and removes them to ensure our whisky lands in the hands of our genuine supporters, so to ensure your entry counts, please enter each ballot once only.If you have any questions around our ballot process, you can email us at info@sullivanscove.com Successful entries will be notified shortly after the ballots close.

Dates announced for 2024 

If you like to plan ahead, you’ll be pleased to know we’ve published the 2024 dates for the in-person Diploma in Single Malt Whisky & Diploma in the Art of Tasting Whisky at Arniston House. Plus, we’ve added (another) extra date in November this year due to popular demand.

Diploma in Single Malt Whisky

16 & 17 November 2023

23 & 24 May 2024

23 & 24 September 2024

26 & 27 September 2024

Diploma in the Art of Tasting Whisky

25 September 2024

Space is limited to 16 per course. Pay upfront or spread the cost over 3, 6 or 9 months with a payment plan. Prefer to study at home? The online course is waiting for you. With anytime access to the seven modules, you can learn to your own schedule, approaching the interactive material on-demand, at your leisure.

Save 20% when you enter the code EWA2306 at checkout – but hurry, you only have until midnight on Friday 30 June.

Browse Dates

STORYMAN

ANNANDALE

70cl | 46% ABV 

Renowned Scottish actor and raconteur James Cosmo has teamed up with Annandale Distillery to create Storyman Blended Whisky. Inspired by the art of storytelling, Annandale have crafted a truly convivial blend, that includes their award winning Single Malts.

Each batch is personally selected by James Cosmo, who is famous for his roles in Game Of Thrones, Braveheart, Highlander and Trainspotting. The resulting whisky is deliciously mellow and made for sharing.

NOSE Creamy toffee and caramel lead into vanilla and black pepper. A tiny hint of peat smoke lingers lightly in the background.

PALATE Fruity notes, including pear drops, give way to luscious tones of apricot yoghurt, creamy vanilla, and a gentle hint of smoke.

£54.95

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