A Can’t-Miss Best Buy in Sherry-Aged Single-Malt Scotch
2013 Glen Ord 8 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength First-Fill Sherry Butt Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Pre-Arrival) ($49.99)
“Despite the relative youth of this whisky, it’s absolutely packed full of character and offers one of the best values we’ll be seeing for some time in my humble opinion.”
— David Othenin-Girard, K&L Spirits Buyer

The Hart Brothers deliver the goods once again, this time in the form of a stunning value from the rarely seen Glen Ord. Part of the Diageo stable that forms a critical component of Dewar’s, this remarkable distillery in the northern Highlands (with neighbors like Clynelish, Balblair, and Glenmorangie) is almost never seen on the independent market under its own name, so we were absolutely thrilled at the opportunity to get our hands on this cask. When we saw the price, it became a no-brainer. The first-fill sherry butt worked tremendous magic on the youthful spirit, resulting in a wildly expressive and nuanced dram at just eight years of age. David Othenin-Girard’s review below details just how kaleidoscopically complex this 8 Year Old is, both with and without water added. Bottled at a cask strength of 57.5% ABV without chillfiltration, it retains every last bit of its Highland character and even takes it up a notch or two, if that even seems possible. The rarity of this opportunity cannot be overstated, especially at the razor-sharp price of just $49.99. So spirits enthusiasts are highly advised to go big, as this wonderful cask has all the makings of a true smash hit.

2013 Glen Ord 8 Year Old “Hart Brothers Finest Collection” K&L Exclusive Cask Strength First-Fill Sherry Butt Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml) (Pre-Arrival) ($49.99)
*Pre-arrival item is expected to be available for shipment or pickup in June 2022.

K&L Notes: Glen Ord distillery was built in 1838 in the plains to the north of Inverness and was part of the Dewar’s family for most of the last century. In the ’60s, their floor maltings were replaced with the popular Saladin Box, and subsequently a drum malting was added. It became an important hub for malt in Northern Scotland and was eventually acquired by a predecessor of Diageo in 1985. Bottled under “The Singleton” brand for the Asian market, the distillery is not typically available in the US. This wild cask of heavily-sherried Glen Ord is an absolute wonder for us. We very rarely get offered Glen Ord, and when we do it tends to be in third- or fourth-fill blender’s casks. While this doesn’t necessarily mean the whisky is bad, it certainly doesn’t provide the level of complexity that one might hope for, even with decent age. This fabulous Sherry butt shows us, once again, that age isn’t everything. Eight years in a first-fill Sherry butt is enough to cut right through the raw spirit character of this bold northern Highlander. Full bodied, rich, and full of spice, there will be few better deals in full-term Sherry coming this year. Bottled without coloring or chillfiltration at a cask strength of 57.5% ABV.

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Spirits Buyer | Review Date: December 02, 2021

Glen Ord isn’t one we see too often and even less so in dark, first-fill sherry like this one. Despite the relative youth of this whisky, it’s absolutely packed full of character and offers one of the best values we’ll be seeing for some time in my humble opinion. Ord is one of those Diageo properties that gets totally forgotten, since they don’t bother to sell it as a single malt in this market. It’s also part of the little crew of exemplary distilleries in the “Northern Highlands.” That is to say the distillers north of Inverness in an area collectively known as the North Coast. The other names in this area are becoming quite famous—Clynelish, Glenmorangie, Pulteney, and Balblair—so it’s a real pleasure to feature this exceptional cask. Distilled on February 11th, 2013 and filled into a fresh sherry butt, the color is a fiery, old oak tawny. Rested for ten minutes before nosing, we’ve got an immediate raisiny sherry character, almost to the point that I might have guessed PX, although without the overt sweetness one might expect. Instead of saccharine sweetness on the nose, we get baking spice, French roast, black tea, ginger snaps, and some pumpernickel. The palate is rich and full of roasted malt, more coffee, sweet black cherry compote, bold clove, and some tobacco leaf. It’s absolutely delicious at cask strength and doesn’t need the water, but adding creates tons of nuance on the nose instead of the more straight-forward and powerful initial nose. Now we’re getting all we had before, plus some interesting mossy-ness, earthy, freshly tilled soil, the tiniest hints of peat in the distance, and gorgeous salted plum character. On the palate, the spice remains, and the sweet barley comes through more, but we lose a bit of the “oomph.” It’s tough to tell which is better—maybe just a few drops (no more!) and some air to capture the best of both worlds. For everyone who loved those dark Sovereigns we did with Hunter Laing, this is your next bunker stuffer.

NEW VAULTS COLLECTION BOTTLING

Whisky this good deserves to be shown the love! With amazing orange notes – orange sherbet, orange grove, orange filled with orange sorbet and boozy blood orange trifle next to maple syrup, candle wax and cinnamon coconut cookies – this whisky is something special. Bottles are available one per member, order NOW to avoid disappointment.

OH-SO-ORANGE

Cask No. 12.64

Cask: Second fill bourbon barrel
Region: Speyside
Age: 31 years
Distilled: 7^th May 1990
Outturn: 112 bottles
ABV: 43.4%

LIMITED TO 1 BOTTLE PER MEMBER

We all got, in one way or another, the scent of orange; orange sherbet, orange grove, confit of orange filled with orange sorbet and boozy blood orange trifle next to maple syrup, candle wax and cinnamon coconut cookies. On the palate, thick, luscious, creamy and wonderfully chewy like chocolate-covered marshmallow kisses with a maraschino cherry on top as well as a Fish House Punch – orange pekoe tea, dark rum, cognac, peach brandy and lemon juice. With water we had a picture of rolling cigars in an old factory in Cuba as the newspaper was read to us while to taste, juicy and incredibly soft like honey orange macarons.

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!

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PRIVATE BALLOT NOW OPEN

Aged for 21 years in a mixture of bourbon and madeira casks, it is the sixth and penultimate entry in the series. It brings together the classic, floral-and-grassy character of Rosebank – closed since 1993 – and adds layers of vanilla and spice thanks to the carefully selected casks. It’s an old-fashioned style of whisky that is rarely seen these days, and a slice of history from a distillery that closed almost 30 years ago.Valentine’s Day is here and with it the latest release in the Rosebank Roses series – Rosebank Unity.

As whiskies from Rosebank are so rare and sought after, the very limited numbers of bottles available will be sold via ballot.

The ballot will run until 11.59pm GMT on Wednesday 16 February 2022. Details of how to enter the ballot are below.

HOW TO ENTER

• Click the ‘ENTER BALLOT’ button and you will automatically add the bottle to your basket.
• No other items may be added to your basket as part of this transaction.
• To confirm your entry, complete the checkout process.
• You must enter your card details as part of the checkout process, but you will not be charged unless you are successful.
• You will receive an email confirming your ballot entry.
• The ballot will remain open until 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 16 February 2022.

ENTER BALLOT

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• Winners of the ballot will automatically be charged for the price of the product they are successful in purchasing (price breakdown will be detailed at checkout), plus any relevant taxes and charges.
• Only one entry per person. Multiple entries will be ignored.
• The ballot will close at 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 16 February 2022.
• The draw will take place on or after Thursday 17 February 2022.
• Ballot winners will be contacted with confirmation of purchase.
• Those unsuccessful in the ballot will receive confirmation that they have not been selected.
• This ballot is not open to employees of The Whisky Exchange or associated companies

MACNAIR’S ADDS 10-YEAR-OLD CASK STRENGTH

EXPRESSION TO LUM REEK WHISKY RANGE

The boutique spirits house, led by veteran blender Billy Walker, extends its Blended Malt line

with a small batch release 10-year-old product 

MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, expertly curated by legendary blender Billy Walker, today unveils a line extension for its Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whisky range; the 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1.

The inaugural batch (UK RRSP £59.99) combines Single Malt Scotch Whiskies from Speyside and Islay – two of the most sought-after whisky producing regions – resulting in a subtly smoky yet sweet favour profile.

The aged whiskies were personally sourced by Walker before being blended together with GlenAllachie Single Malt. The spirit was then re-racked into specially selected Spanish Sherry casks, wine barriques and virgin oak casks for secondary maturation, allowing the whiskies to marry and additional characteristics to be attained from the wood.

Once the final cask selection was determined by Walker, Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 was bottled at a natural cask strength of 55.4% ABV, without added colouring or chill filtration.

Lum Reek, which scooped World’s Best Blended Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2020 and Best Blended Malt Scotch at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2021, is owned by independent spirits firm The GlenAllachie Distillers Company.

In July 2021, MacNair’s underwent a brand refresh and repositioning, becoming a Boutique House of Spirits. The new identity coincided with the introduction of a new rum line, Exploration Rum; Walker’s first endeavours into a new spirits category beyond whisky.

This latest Blended Malt offering comes as Walker celebrates his fiftieth year in the spirits industry, spanning both distilling and blending for highly successful, global brands.

Reflecting on his latest product innovation, Walker comments:

“Without a doubt, the most fulfilling element of my role is blending and developing new recipes which enhance the taste experience of individual whiskies. MacNair’s Lum Reek allows me to think outside of the box and blend such a wide variety of Single Malts from across Scotland to achieve the profile I am looking for.

“Whilst I delight in blending GlenAllachie expressions, introducing other Single Malts into the mix is incredibly interesting and creates something really magical. Having won incredible awards for The GlenAllachie 10-year-old Cask Strength batch releases, including World’s Best Single Malt 2021, I was keen to explore this concept as a Blended Malt, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the outcome. Expect an indulgent amalgamation of dark chocolate fondant, vanilla pods, stem ginger and citrus tones alongside puffs of peat smoke – delicious!”

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 is available to purchase via global specialist retailers at a UK RRSP of £59.99.

ABOUT MACNAIR’S BOUTIQUE HOUSE OF SPIRITS:

Since Master Distiller Billy Walker became custodian of MacNair’s, his singular, defining purpose has been in step with the spirit of 19^th Century founder Harvey MacNair.

Over the course of 50 years in the spirits industry, Billy has earned widespread acclaim for his peerless blending prowess.  At the heart of MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits sits a meticulous attention to detail. Billy’s renowned hands-on approach has earned numerous hats-off accolades, and he now looks to carry this philosophy into new spirits categories.

At MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits, we are pushing the boundaries of convention to create a boundless range of exceptional small-batch spirits. We are founded on whisky, with a future of diversity.  We are wholeheartedly invested in enhanced maturation, and believe age and integrity matter, which is why all our expressions are bottled at a minimum of 46% ABV, natural colour and non chill filtered for maximum flavour experience.

MacNair’s houses Lum Reek Blended Malt Scotch Whiskies and Exploration Rum expressions. 

Further information on MacNair’s Boutique House of Spirits can be found at macnairs.com

Facebook – @macnairs

Instagram – @macnairs_spirits 

For information on The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, visit  www.theglenallachie.com

TASTING NOTES

MacNair’s Lum Reek 10-year-old Cask Strength Batch 1 – 55.4% ABV

• Colour: Rich Bronze.
• Nose: Waves of smoke, heather honey and ginger, fusing with cinnamon, treacle and vanilla.
• Taste: Lashings of dark chocolate, ginger and citrus, with smoked spices, plantains and tannins.

Dennis Malcolm – Master Distiller at Glen Grant

Glen Grant Dennis Malcom 60th Anniversary Edition

When it comes to veterans of the whisky industry, Glen Grant’s Dennis Malcolm leaps to mind as someone who has spent his entire life almost literally immersed in whisky. This year he celebrates his 60th year of working in whisky, an occasion that the distillery has marked with a very special bottling – Glen Grant 1960 Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition.

Born on the grounds of Glen Grant distillery in 1946, Dennis Malcolm was all but destined to work in the whisky industry, and 1961 saw the beginning of a career that has spanned six decades.

Starting as an apprentice cooper, Dennis has worked as distillery manager and ambassador for Glen Grant, Glenlivet and others, before returning to Glen Grant in 2006 as master distiller – only the eight in the distillery’s long history.

Glen Grant Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition

This year Dennis is celebrating his 60th anniversary in the whisky industry and to commemorate this milestone achievement Glen Grant have released a 60-year-old single malt. Drawn from a single hand-selected oloroso sherry cask, filled on 24 October 1960, this is the oldest single malt released by Glen Grant to date.

A limited-edition 60-year-old Glen Grant celebrating Dennis Malcom’s 60th anniversary in the whisky industry

The Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition is presented in a hand-blown Glencairn crystal decanter based on the shape of the distillery’s tall, slender pot stills and a presentation case made of sustainably-sourced walnut wood that has the master distiller’s signature engraved within it.

We are very fortunate to have secured a bottle of this whisky and, if it’s not already been snapped up, you can this impressive single malt on our website.

Buy now >

A Piece of History

Founded in 1840 by brothers James and John Grant, and industrious pair who helped develop crucial infrastructure for the whisky industry in Speyside, including The Morayshire Railway Company, which ran trains from Elgin to Lossiemouth allowing for easy transportation of building materials and fuel. In 1872 the distillery was inherited by another James Grant, nephew of John Grant, who revolutionised whisky production at Glen Grant, introducing water cooling purifiers and elongated stills. In time James would come to be known as The Major.

Prior to the 1960s and the bourbon barrel boom that came in the years to follow, almost all of Scotland’s whisky producers used predominantly sherry casks to mature their whisky to some degree. When Douglas MacKessack took over the distillery from his grandfather, The Major, in 1931 he sourced sherry casks from Bodegas Duff Gordon, as his grandfather had done, but eventually found it hard to get enough casks from them. After some research it was decided that oloroso sherry casks in particular married well with Glen Grant’s fruity character and, though bourbon barrels began to make an appearance in the Glen Grant warehouses, oloroso sherry butts became the norm for the distillery.

Casks at Glen Grant

The oloroso sherry butt used to mature the Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary Edition was always intended to be aged over many decades. Speaking about the bottling Malcolm said “it’s always been the plan to see how far Glen Grant can go… because, like everyone else in the industry, in the 1960s and 1970s the distillery didn’t just lay down stock for themselves, nearly 60% of your total production was sold to blenders or brokers.” What this meant for Glen Grant was that there was not a lot of stock laid down just for the distillery in this time, and what there was mostly went into the younger releases, especially the five-year-old and 10-year-old single malts.

“In 1990 it was the 150th anniversary of Glen Grant” Malcolm went on, “the owner, Douglas MacKessack, decided to do a special bottling for that and he selected three sherry butts of 30-year-old Glen Grant. Now this was laid down in 1960, the same as this sherry butt, so I knew at 30-years-old that it was absolutely fantastic and letting it sit for another 30 years was not a worry for me.” Perhaps this means there are even older bottlings on the horizon. Only time will tell.

It’s The Taste That Counts

After six decades in a single cask, you can guarantee that this is a complex single malt with a rich character and understandably Dennis is very proud of it – “the reason I chose that one, out of a few of them, was because it had all the characteristics of Glen Grant – the fruitiness, the nuttiness, toffee, vanilla and the little hint of  smoke – but I could hardly detect any oakiness.”

Tasting Notes By Ning 

Nose: Honey-drizzled dates, raisins and sultanas burst forward on the palate, swiftly followed by pancakes liberally covered in maple syrup, vanilla caramel and sweet malt.

Palate Sharp citrus to start with, quickly mellowed by raisins, plums, sultanas, sticky dates and ripe figs. Dark chocolate, green tobacco leaves and sticky ginger cake follow.

Finish: Savoury malt and crystallised ginger mingle with tobacco and soft spices.

I was surprised by how smooth this whisky is, I doubt that the effect would be all that similar if you just distilled a Christmas cake. There was a tiny bit of oaky dryness in the finish, but it didn’t detract from the flavours in any way, instead adding extra depth to its character. This truly is a whisky worthy of one of the loveliest people in whisky.

You can find out more about this whisky on The Whisky Exchange website:
Glen Grant 1960 60 Year Dennis Malcolm 60th Anniversary >

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Sweet, Fruity & Mellow, new Vaults Collection bottling, Peaty daredevils

This month we’re feeling the love for our Sweet, Fruity & Mellow flavour profile. Join us on a tropical laid-back adventure as we explore this mouth-watering profile. Our very own Julien Willems delves into where this profile’s enticing aromas come from and what leads the Society’s Tasting Panel to place a single malt in this category.

For those who love to compare and contrast, why not explore our Lightly Peated whiskies alongside – we’ve listed some of our favourites, keep on reading.

READ NOW

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

Convalmore 1975 45 Year Old Private Collection

A whisky like this shows up once in a blue moon find. From a distillery with a history that reaches back into the 19th century, its rare expressions are becoming more challenging to find by the year.

£1,895.00
Buy Now

CONVALMORE 1975 45 YEAR OLD PRIVATE COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

Dalmunach 5 Years

Grand Tour release #1. Final bottles from the Oloroso cask matured new Speyside distillery.

Shop Dalmunach 5yo »

Dalmunach 5 Year Old 2015 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. The first release of The Grant Tour series. Voyager 1 space probe launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on September 5th 1977. The spacecraft is the most distant human made object from Earth and continues to transmit data to Earth over 43 years later. On 25th August 2012 the space probe entered interstellar space, the first spacecraft to do so having completed flybys of Jupiter, Saturn and its moon Titan. Matured in a 1st fill Oloroso Hogshead bottled March 2021. 290 numbered bottles.

Interstellar sweet sherry detonation, metrioric brown butter, clusters of roasted pecan and walnuts. Explore strawberries and cream, solar blood orange peel, cinnamon winds and a rich fruit basket nebular finish.

Dalmunach distillery was built by Pernod Ricard (Chivas) in 2014, on the site of the former Imperial Distillery which was demolished in 2013. Dalmunach whisky is mainly produced for suplying the companies blended whiskies such as Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s. A small number of independently bottles casks have been release such TheWhiskyBarrel.com exclusive.

Aberlour 14 Year Old Double Cask

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Distillery Bottling

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A 14-year-old single malt from Aberlour, matured in a combination of oloroso sherry casks and first-fill American oak casks. The result is aromas of cloves, cardamom, toffee, milk chocolate and orange zest on the nose, complemented by notes of black cherries, mocha coffee and fresh mint throughout the palate.

Vellichor’ refers to the aromatic atmosphere of a second-hand bookshop. To encapsulate this unique fragrance, Compass Box combined complex and impressively aged single malts from Macallan, Highland Park, and Caol Ila with selected parcels of old Sherry Cask matured Whisky.

Hints of leather, polished furniture and the crackling dustiness of decades-old pages on the nose. The palate is stacked with sumptuous malty notes, tropical fruit and Sherry character, with a delicate but persistent peatiness.