Bladnoch 19 Years

2022 release matured in PX sherry casks, a first for the distillery. Rich with spices and decadent warmth. Bladnoch 19 Year Old Lowland single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks, the first release of its kind by the distillery. The flavourful casks have imparted delectable notes of dark liquorice sticks, dried apricots and warming nutmeg into the golden-hued whisky.

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NOSE: Dark liquorice sticks and aged oak with a floral background.
PALATE: Liquorice sticks with dried apricots, almonds and nutmeg.
FINISH: Long with a dry sweetness.

Brothers John and Thomas McClelland opened Bladnoch Distillery in 1817 on the northern bank of the River Bladnoch at Bladnoch Bridge just upstream from Wigtown in south west Scotland. Bladnoch Distillery is a small Lowlands single malt whisky distillery equipped with two small stills. Having closed once again in 2009 it is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment with re-opening planned for late 2016. Bladnoch whisky is available from independent bottlers including the Gordon & MacPhail the Old Malt Cask range from Hunter Laing.

Dewar’s 15 Year Old

Aromas of toasted nuts, Granny Smith apples, and baking spices

£46.00
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This 15-year-old dram from Dewar’s blends together whisky that has matured in both bourbon casks and sherry casks. The result is a wonderfully sweet and nutty expression. Expect aromas of toasted nuts, Granny Smith apples, and baking spices. The palate brings fresh vanilla, thick toffee, malt loaf, and walnut whip before leading into the sweet and satisfying finish.

Our Gathering Outturn has landed, bringing 20 new bottlings PLUS a pair, trio and case special sharing offer. We’ve created this NEW collection specially to bring our members together to share our love for all things Society and of course, exceptional single cask whisky.

These new bottlings are available online now and at our Members’ Rooms. Click over to our website to buy or get your whisky shoes on and join as at the bar later for a dram.

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READ NEW OUTTURN

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

Highland Park adds new whisky to award-winning Cask Strength series 

— Cask Strength Release No.3 celebrates the harmonious balance of traditional whisky-making and modern flavour exploration — 

EMBARGOED: LONDON, UK – 01.09.2022: Orkney-based single malt distillery, Highland Park, has added a new whisky to its award-winning Cask Strength series, designed to challenge whisky drinking norms. The range strikes a harmonious balance between the traditional whisky-making craft, while encouraging flavour exploration to suit individual palates.

Launching as a permanent addition to the Highland Park range and created using the traditional ‘straight from the cask’ method, Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3 is whisky in its purest form. No water is added after maturation which delivers a robust and intense flavour with a greater depth of finish.

Cask Strength Release No.3 uses whisky made with a higher proportion of Orkney peated malt resulting in a smokier style compared to the other single malts in the series. It has been matured predominantly in first-fill sherry seasoned American and European oak casks and a small quantity of refill casks. The result is an extraordinary combination of contrasting yet perfectly balanced flavours of charred oak, tropical fruits, aniseed, heather honey, vanilla cream, aromatic violet, sponge cake and peat smoke.

Highland Park, Master Whisky Maker, Gordon Motion champions this style of whisky as an opportunity for flavour discovery. Gordon explains:

“With Cask Strength, you are at a great place to start exploring the taste that best suits your palate by adding water, ice or your preferred serve. It’s your whisky and should be enjoyed your way. 

“For me, a Cask Strength whisky really celebrates that balance between old and new and I look forward to seeing how consumers enjoy the new whisky.”

The Highland Park Cask Strength series, a prestige offering within the portfolio, has been created by bringing together dozens of single casks. The whisky is at full strength, straight from the cask, and has only been gently filtered before bottling.

The releases within the Cask Strength range share the same underlying character but with each batch featuring different flavours coming to the fore based on the cask make-up. The ABV will also vary from batch to batch.

Release No.1 was matured predominantly in sherry seasoned American oak casks of different ages, delivering a harmonious contrast of flavours of toffee, heather, honey, and peat smoke. Release No. 2 was matured predominantly in sherry seasoned European and American oak casks and a small quantity of ex-bourbon casks, producing tastes of pear and almond cake, toasted oak, liquorice, cracked black pepper, aromatic peat.

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3 will become available globally from 1^st September across specialist whisky retailers, including The Whisky Exchange, Master of Malt, and The Whisky Shop, and from the Highland Park online shop, distillery, and Albert Street store in Orkney. The UK RRP is £65.

About Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3:

UK RRP: £65

ABV: 64.1%

Volume: Available in 70cl and 75cl depending on region

Tasting notes:

Appearance: Natural deep golden

Taste: Lightly charred oak, honey-glazed lemons, crushed aniseed, ripe mango, cloudy heather honey, whipped vanilla cream, aromatic violet, pink grapefruit zest, rich sponge cake, smouldering peat smoke. 

Key differences between the whiskies of the Cask Strength series: 

Cask Strength Release No.3:

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3 has been matured predominantly in first-fill sherry seasoned American and European oak casks and a small quantity of refill casks using a higher proportion of Orkney peated malt for a smokier flavour profile. 

Cask Strength Release No.2:

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.2 was matured predominantly in sherry seasoned European and American oak casks and a small quantity of ex-bourbon casks. Which delivered tastes of pear and almond cake, toasted oak, liquorice, cracked black pepper, aromatic peat. 

Cask Strength Release No.1:

Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.1 was matured predominantly in sherry seasoned American oak casks of different ages which delivered tastes of toffee, heather honey, nutmeg, citrus fruits and aromatic peat smoke.

Recent awards:

• Double Gold at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition
• Gold medal at the Scotch Whisky Masters
• Scored 95/100 as a finalist at the 2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge

What is a cask strength whisky?

Most whiskies are diluted with water prior to bottling to reduce the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) strength, typically to 40% or 43%. Cask strength is a term used to describe a whisky that has not had water added when it is bottled after maturation in casks. Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.1 and Cask Strength Release No.2 has been created by bringing together dozens of single casks. The whisky is at full strength, straight from the cask and has only been gently filtered prior to bottling.

About Highland Park:

We’ve been crafting our award-winning whisky at the Highland Park Distillery in Kirkwall, Orkney since 1798. Now, 224 years later, we are one of the ten oldest working distilleries in Scotland. Age, experience and respect for tradition may define our whisky but it’s Orkney that differentiates it. Something magic happens here and we call it A Wild Harmony.

It’s not just the influence of the finest sherry seasoned oak casks on our whisky at it matures, it’s the salty sea winds that batter Orkney’s rugged coastlines, the intensely floral character of our treeless but heather-rich peat, and the fiercely independent Viking spirit that drives us. These are the elements that go, untamed, into our whisky-making to create a wild harmony of sweet-smoky flavours that is, uniquely, Highland Park. www.highlandparkwhisky.com

GRAND VINTAGE 

8TH RELEASE – 1998 – 23 YEAR OLD

70cl | 43% ABV

Delicate and spicy with a wonderful amber glow, the Grand Vintage 8^th Release showcases some of the first Glenmorangie ever aged in new charred oak. Aged for 23 years, the Whisky is extraordinarily vibrant with rich fruits, smooth toffee and ginger – truly a testament to the elegant, experimental style of Glenmorangie.

£629.95

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Grand Vintage Malt 1998 is like embarking on a transatlantic journey from the world of classic bourbon, to the sherry bodegas in Jerez, both finessed with virgin new charred oak. Rich with vibrant fruits, smooth toffee, and ginger, this whisky’s eloquence is a symbol of our elegant, experimental style.

Delicate and spicy with a wonderful amber glow, this whisky showcases some of the first Glenmorangie ever aged in new charred oak. Dr Bill was particularly eager to explore the wonders new charred oak barrels might bring to Glenmorangie’s soft, fruity spirit. And so he earmarked a handful of carefully crafted casks, tailormade to enrich the Distillery’s single malt. By charring the virgin wood of these bespoke casks for the first time, Dr Bill hoped to create a striking style of single malt, intense in colour and spice. Dr Bill used most of these early casks to wood finish whisky, balancing their spice with Glenmorangie’s complex fruits. But with a true creator’s vision, he also filled a few with new-make spirit, dreaming of a spectacular single malt. He left those experimental new char casks to age in the cool, quiet of an earth-floored warehouse for more than two decades. As he waited, the spirit transformed into a deliciously buttery whisky, surging with vanilla, chocolate laced with orange, ginger and sweet chilli. In addition he layered those oaky notes with soft, fruity Glenmorangie aged in first-fill bourbon casks. Then brought sweet subtlety with a hint of whisky finished in oloroso sherry casks. Aged 23 years, his creation bursts with ripe fruits and rich orange chocolate, gently threaded with sugared almonds and spice. Extraordinarily vibrant, Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1998 amplifies the Distillery’s signature elegance with a glorious spicy glow.

North British 1988 34YO

Distilled: 17/06/1988
Bottled: 17/07/2022
Cask No: 34451
Cask type: Hogshead
One of only 199 bottles available worldwide

£185.00

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Without even knowing at the time, North British was Finn Thomson’s first introduction to the world of Scotch whisky. Nestled between Murrayfield and Tynecastle Stadium, the malty smells from the distillery were synonymous with his trips to watch football and rugby matches. Even now, living in central Edinburgh, he still gets wafts of the sweet, biscuity wort being produced when the wind blows the right way.

It is a distillery of great significance to his family as his grandfather and great grandfather’s company, Peter Thomson Ltd, once had a stake in North British and it formed the grain base for their popular Golden Beneagles blend.

This particular cask has been filled into a fairly active American Oak hogshead. The creamy character of the spirit has been transformed into toffee and caramel sweetness. The American oak has worked its magic and those trademark vanilla notes are very present.

Demand Triggers Increased Production Of Hard Truth Distilling Co.’s Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey

NASHVILLE, IND. (August 29, 2022) – Hard Truth Distilling Co. has announced an increase in production of its Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey following a successful late-2021 launch and current high commercial and consumer demand.

This comes on the heels of Hard Truth’s recent announcement of a major expansion that includes constructing a second rackhouse twice the size of its current rackhouse, tripling storage capacity from 4,000 to 12,000 barrels for its critically acclaimed Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey and other whiskies.

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey is Hard Truth’s debut sweet mash whiskey — the first to be distilled, aged, and bottled on Hard Truth’s 325-acre campus in Brown County, Indiana. It’s crafted using the sweet mash method and 100 percent fresh ingredients before aging in new, custom-charred, white oak barrels for a minimum of two years. Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey – Batch #001, Mash Bill 01 was released in November of 2021, with batches #002 and #003 having entered the market in the first half of 2022.

This was the first whiskey released in what will become a series of sweet mash whiskeys from Hard Truth. Over the next few years, the distillery will introduce whiskeys from four unique rye mash bills and four unique bourbon mash bills, bringing a variety of flavor profiles to market.

“We’re on the forefront of a new era of whiskey-making as sweet mash pioneers here in the state of Indiana,” said Hard Truth Master Distiller Bryan Smith. “There is a small, but mighty group of distillers making sweet mash whiskey and celebrating this innovative way of making whiskey, and I feel honored and proud to be in such great company.”

Most whiskeys are produced using a sour mash method — a process that uses leftover mash from previous distillations in each new batch of whiskey. Historically, this was done out of necessity because the high acidity of the leftover mash helps ensure no bacterial contamination or other infection in the new batches.

Advances in distilling systems and sanitization processes, however, enabled the development of sweet mash — a process where each new batch starts entirely fresh — an exciting way to create whiskeys with characteristics unique to the method.

“The standard sour mash process can mute some amazingly complex and pleasant grain flavors that the sweet mash process tends to highlight. It is a more expensive and labor-intensive process to make whiskey this way, but the final product speaks for itself,” explained Smith.

Hard Truth’s Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey has a layered and complex flavor profile and the sweetness of the grain features more prominently on the palate. According to Smith, “Most rye whiskey drinkers expect savory and spicy only from a rye whiskey, but with Hard Truth’s sweet mash, you expect bright fruit, complex brown sugar and mocha with baking spice in the finish.”

Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye is a deep, clear mahogany color with an aroma featuring notes of mocha, nutmeg, and ripe orchard fruit. It offers rich toffee, brown sugar, and peach flavors that envelop the palate, and the finish is smooth with lingering notes of chocolate, oak, and pepper.

“Authenticity is at the core of our whiskey making, which is why we are bottling our sweet mash rye whiskey at barrel strength, uncut and unfiltered — a true expression of our whiskey making,” Smith explained. “We are so very pleased with our whiskey at this younger age and are incredibly excited about sharing future releases as the whiskey gets older.”

Smith encourages rye fans to come to Hard Truth’s Brown County, Indiana campus to see it being made, taste it, and experience Hard Truth in a very real and up-close way.

“We are hardworking, real people, making incredibly innovative, high-quality whiskey, and that passion for hard work and making a quality product resonates with people.”

Available in 750 mL bottles, Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey is bottled at barrel strength — with batch proofs ranging between 100 and 120, with ABVs ranging between 50 and 60 percent. Bottles are available for purchase on the Hard Truth campus and in retailers throughout Hard Truth’s distribution area with a suggested retail price of $69.95 plus tax.

For more information on where to purchase Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey or any other Hard Truth product, visit: hardtruthdistilling.com/spirit-finder. Visit hardtruth.com for the complete Hard Truth experience.

About Hard Truth Distilling Co.

Headquartered in Nashville, Indiana, Hard Truth Distilling Co. produces more than 20 premium spirits, including critically acclaimed Hard Truth Sweet Mash Rye Whiskey and top-selling Hard Truth Cinnamon Vodka, Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum, and Hard Truth Toasted Coconut Rum Cream.

Hard Truth’s spirits are distributed throughout Indiana and Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine with several new states coming on board in 2022.

Founded in 2015, Hard Truth Distilling Co. quickly outgrew its original production space, and, by 2017, construction had begun on its current facility, an 18,000-square-foot distillery equipped with a state-of-the-art Vendome Copper & Brass distilling system. Hard Truth’s destination campus spans 325 wooded acres in Brown County, Indiana — an artists’ colony and tourist destination known for its natural beauty.

Benromach 2012 B1 Cask Strength

Rich and spicy sherry aromas, vanilla and hints of chocolate with a palate of orange zest, black pepper and a soft smoky finish. Their cask strength single malt whisky delivers rich and spicy sherry aromas, vanilla and hints of chocolate with a palate of orange zest, black pepper and a soft smoky finish. Tasting notes: Colour: Light Mahogany Aroma: Vanilla pod and fruit cake aromas with hints of dark chocolate. Festive spices give way to citrus fruit and charred oak. Palate: Black pepper on the palate initially, leading to orange zest and stewed fruit. Red berries and subtle ginger spice. Finish: Long and full with lingering sulatana and soft smoke.

Only £59.95

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DUNCAN TAYLOR

Ben Nevis 9 Years Old Battlehill

This single malt was distilled in 2012 at the Ben Nevis Distillery, located in the Highland Region of Scotland. It was aged for 9 years in oak casks and finished in a Cognac cask, before bottling by Duncan Taylor for their Battlehill collection. This collection was named after a landmark located on the outskirts of Huntly, known for the skirmishes between clans and English, which took place there.

£58.49

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THE WORLD’S RAREST JAPANESE WHISKY REDISCOVERED

The World’s Rarest Japanese Whisky, Shirakawa 1958 Single Malt Japanese Whisky from Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd will be released and distributed worldwide by Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd from 13th September 2022.

Shirakawa 1958 is a single malt whisky from the lost Japanese distillery, Shirakawa, which was located 200km North of Tokyo, Japan. The whisky produced was rumoured to be exquisite, but destined only for blending and never to be captured as a single malt until now, with a collaboration between Tomatin Distillery and Takara Shuzo. This remarkable and incredibly rare expression will be the only official single malt bottling from Shirakawa Distillery; limited to 1,500 bottles globally and is the earliest single vintage Japanese whisky ever bottled.

“There are no known examples of Japanese Whisky claiming to be from a Single Vintage that predate Shirakawa 1958,” confirms Stefan van Eycken, the pre-eminent authority on the world of Japanese whisky and distilling. “Even though Shirakawa Distillery was one of the pioneers of malt whisky making in Japan, the liquid was never officially available as a single malt. This limited 1,500 bottle release will see the Japanese Whisky category, one of the most sought-after categories of spirit in the world, continue to grow from strength to strength”

The Shirakawa Distillery was built in the Fukushima Prefecture, in 1939 by Daikoku Budoshu and purchased by Takara Shuzo in 1947. Operating for nearly six and a half decades, it produced malt whisky between 1951 – 1969, one of the first distilleries in Japan to do so. The vast majority of the whisky produced was used in Takara Shuzo’s flagship ‘King’ blended whisky brand. The Shirakawa Distillery then was demolished in 2003.

Stephen Bremner, Managing Director of Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd. had become intrigued by parent company Takara Shuzo’s history of malt whisky production in Japan and why so little was known about this aspect of the company’s history. Determined to uncover more, he pieced together anecdotal information from previous employees about whisky production and searched for long lost documents that might shed some light on Shirakawa’s single malt Japanese whisky making past.

The final remaining parcel was identified in Takara Shuzo’s Kurokabegura in 2019. The liquid had been distilled in 1958, aged in cask, then transferred to ceramic jars at the distillery. When Shirakawa closed, it was put into stainless steel tanks at Takara Shuzo’s factory in Kyushu where it lay untouched until now.

“Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd had been bought by Takara Shuzo in 1986 and I became fascinated by the story of Shirakawa and its history of whisky production. There had never been an official single malt bottling, and the distillery had long gone, but I couldn’t help wondering what if a part of liquid history lay unearthed. After several in-depth discussions with colleagues at Takara Shuzo the last remaining parcel of Shirakawa was identified in 2019. When I discovered that the last remaining stock was distilled in 1958, I was astounded! It was a genuine WOW moment as I realised very quickly that what we were dealing with was extremely rare.” Explains Stephen Bremner, Managing Director of Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd.

This rare discovery brought further mystery both for the liquid unearthed, as with the history of the distillery itself. The precise age of the whisky cannot be specified; although it is clear the liquid was matured in oak casks, the type of cask and length of maturation remains unknown to this day. Though production details are unclear, it is from a time when the distillery used predominantly Japanese malted barley and Mizunara oak casks.

The 1958 vintage – 49% ABV – bottled by Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd in Japan, will exist as the only official single malt ever to be released from Shirakawa Distillery and the earliest known single vintage Japanese whisky ever bottled.

THE TASTE OF LIQUID HISTORY

Award winning and internationally acclaimed whisky writer Dave Broom presents his tasting notes for Shirakawa 1958 Single Malt Japanese Whisky from Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd:

Nose: Resinous, slight dry earth, dried citrus peels, a hint of wax. Aromatic. A drop of water makes it more vibrant and also shows clear maturity as well as a hint of incense. Exotic.
Palate: The palate is expansive with a succulent texture and hints of fragrant grass. Fruits emerge in the middle. Layered, spiced, and dry. Water brings out ash from an incense burner, a satisfying mouthfeel and surprisingly perky acidity.
Finish: Nicely balanced and persistent on the finish which picks up mint flavouring and makes it more camphor-like.

SHIRAKAWA 1958 FROM TARAKA SHUZO CO.,LTD

1,500 (70cl) bottles will be available from 13th September 2022 via tomatindistillery.com and selected retail partners worldwide including Harrods, Berry Bros, The Whisky Exchange & Royal Mile Whiskies
RRP: £25,000

The only UK consumer tasting of Shirakawa 1958 will take place at The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show at 12:45pm on Saturday 1 October 2022. Tickets for the masterclass can be purchased from 24th August 2022 via www.whiskyshow.com/london/, guests must also hold a Saturday ticket for the show in order to attend.

Shirakawa Distillery

Shirakawa Distillery was built in the Fukushima Prefecture, 200km North of Tokyo, in 1939 by Daikoku Budoshu and demolished in 2003. Even though Shirakawa Distillery was one of the pioneers of malt whisky making in Japan, it was never officially available as a single malt. That category didn’t take off in Japan until the mid-80s, and by that time, Takara Shuzo’s focus lay elsewhere. The land where Shirakawa Distillery once sat was subsequently gifted by Takara Shuzo in 2011 to build emergency housing to accommodate the locals who had been displaced by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd

In 1897 Tomatin was nothing but an isolated and idyllic setting for a distillery. With the new Highland Railway came opportunities, and so the distillery was born. Since then, the distillery has been at the heart of the community and the community at the heart of the distillery. Today, the Tomatin Legacy lives on in the form of an exciting and varied range of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies (Tomatin Single Malt & Cù Bòcan Single Malt).

Tomatin Single Malt exudes luxury among its batch releases and prestige limited editions. The Private Cask Program presents an esteemed collection of hand-selected single casks, truly remarkable expressions of the versatile spirit which Tomatin Single Malt offers. All vintages will be delivered within a crystal decanter with beautiful gold collar and stopper, a fully customisable label, bespoke engraving and cased within a contrasting textured wood and high gloss wooden box.

https://tomatin.com
Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd

Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd produces sake, other alcoholic beverages, and seasonings. This division comprises the original business; the holding company including it was formed in 2001 as Takara Holdings Inc. Takara Shuzo, one of Japan’s leading manufacturers of traditional alcoholic beverages since sake brewing operations in 1842, acquired Tomatin Distillery Co. Ltd in 1986.

In 1951, Takara Shuzo became one of only a handful of distilleries in Japan to produce malt whisky and it continued to do so uninterrupted until 1969. The vast majority of this malt whisky used in Takara Shuzo’s flagship ‘King’ blended whisky brand. https://www.takarashuzo.co.jp/english/