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.

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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.

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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
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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.

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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.

ANGEL’S ENVY® RELEASES LIMITED-EDITION RYE WHISKEY FINISHED IN ICE CIDER CASKS   

The fourth release in ANGEL’S ENVY’s Cellar Collection, this limited-run of just 6,000 bottles marks the brand’s first new finished rye offering since 2013

Beginning today, members of ANGEL’S ENVY’s 500 Main can enter to win the chance to purchase the release ahead of the official launch; public sale will begin on February 25 at select retailers in NY, CA, FL, TN, IL, TX and KY, as well as at ANGEL’S ENVY’s distillery

LOUISVILLE, KY (February 15, 2022) – ANGEL’S ENVY®, the Louisville-based craft distiller that produces small batch, finished whiskeys, today announced the release of its ANGEL’S ENVY Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks. ANGEL’S ENVY created this first-of-its-kind release by finishing seven-year-old, 95% rye whiskey for 364 days in ice cider casks from Vermont-based Eden Specialty Ciders. It is the fourth release in ANGEL’S ENVY’s Cellar Collection, the brand’s special release program that honors the late Lincoln Henderson’s pioneering and innovative spirit.

“The flavor profile of this whiskey is very unique – the spiciness of the rye is balanced by the fruity sweetness from the ice cider casks, and there’s a crispness that is really distinct. We’ve never seen a whiskey finished in ice cider casks before, so we’re excited to introduce this finish as part of our Cellar Collection,” said Kyle Henderson, ANGEL’S ENVY’s Distillery Production Manager. “My brother, Andrew, was the one who found these barrels and raised the idea of an ice cider finish; he’s really championed this project from the beginning. As we tasted samples and learned more about the craftsmanship, time and resources required to create each bottle of ice cider, we fell in love with the product and the process and knew these special casks would be an excellent match for our rye.”

Ice cider is a dessert-style cider that is produced primarily in the northern US and Canada. The French oak casks used to finish this ANGEL’S ENVY release were used by Eden Specialty Ciders to create an ice cider from tart, late-season Northern Spy apples that had been naturally cold-concentrated in Vermont before partial fermentation and aging. Inspired by the unique, climate-driven elements of ice cider production, ANGEL’S ENVY packaged its Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks in a frosted glass bottle and commemorative gift box.

The limited-edition release, which consists of just 6,000 bottles total, will be available for purchase beginning on February 25 at select retailers in NY, CA, FL, TN, IL, TX and KY, as well as at ANGEL’S ENVY’s downtown Louisville distillery. Beginning today, ANGEL’S ENVY500 Main members can enter for the chance to purchase a bottle ahead of the public sale for pickup at ANGEL’S ENVY’s distillery. A total of 500 bottles will be reserved for the 500 Main presale lottery.

ANGEL’S ENVY Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks is 107-proof (53.5% ABV). On the nose, it offers notes of caramel candy apple and toasted oak, with faint notes of nuttiness and cinnamon. The palate features bold peppery and cinnamon notes accompanied by vanilla, ripe apple, toffee and butterscotch. The finish is long and transitions from spicy to sweet, with notes of brown sugar and apple with hints of earthiness and oak. Suggested retail price for a 75omL bottle, which may vary by market, is $249.99. For more information, visit angelsenvy.com/whiskey/IceCiderFinish.

About ANGEL’S ENVY

ANGEL’S ENVY is a Louisville-based craft distiller that produces small batch, finished whiskeys. Co-founded in 2010 by the late Master Distiller Lincoln Henderson and his son Wes Henderson, it began as a passion project that combined their family’s deep-rooted passion for and knowledge of the industry with an innovative outlook on bourbon making and finishing. Today, the ANGEL’S ENVY team continues to produce several highly acclaimed core offerings – a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels and a Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks – as well as a variety of innovative, special releases.

ANGEL’S ENVY opened the doors to its distillery in 2016 – it was the first full-production whiskey distillery in downtown Louisville and is located at 500 East Main Street. The company distributes to all 50 U.S. states and several select international markets as of February 2020. ANGEL’S ENVY is produced by Louisville Distilling Company, a subsidiary of Bacardi Limited.

For more information, please visit us at www.angelsenvy.com, or on:

Facebook: facebook.com/AngelsEnvyBourbon or facebook.com/TourAngelsEnvy

Twitter: @angels_envy

Instagram: @angelsenvy

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

Heaven can wait. Please drink responsibly.

©2022. Angel’s Envy. Bottled by Louisville Distilling Company, Louisville, KY. Rye Whiskey Finished in Ice Cider Casks—53.5% Alc. By Vol.

Benromach 41 Years

1977 vintage single cask American oak hogshead yielding just 122 bottles.

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£1,250.00

Benromach 41 Year Old 1977 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whisky. Single cask Refill American Hogshead #1269 released 2019. 122 bottles. Presented in a bespoke wooden box, made in oak, and designed to reflect the colour of the wooden washbacks at Benromach Distillery. MAXIMUM 1 BOTTLE PER CUSTOMER.

Take a short inhalation, appreciating the wonderful aromas without water… enjoy the tantalising notes of warm apple pie, poached pear and hints of ginger, mingling with subtle floral notes complemented by rich apricot jam. Now take a sip. Savour the notes of velvety crème brûlée beautifully balanced by undertones of warm pepper. Hints of banana develop, leading to a touch of toffee apple and delicate citrus edge. Add a few drops of water and take time to enjoy the nose as it develops… Vibrant citrus and floral aromas emerge, followed by fragrant vanilla. Now lift it to your lips and enjoy a slow sip… Sweet heather honey and soft peaches mingle with smooth milk chocolate. Candied citrus peel leads to a touch of oak and tobacco on the finish. Sublime!

Benromach Distillery was designed by Charles C. Diog and constructed at Forres in the Speyside whisky region for D. McCallum and F.W. Burickman in 1898. Following numerus periods of closure, it was purchased in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail who charged up its single pair of stills in 1998 and have nurtured Benromach ever since. Striking new labelling combined with an increasing range of single malts is forging a very popular brand of single malt whiskies which includes Benromach Organic, Benromach Peatsmoke and Benromach 10 Year Old.

New whisky

EDRADOUR 2011

New in, we have the heavily sherried 2011 Highland single cask dram from Edradour distillery, matured for ten years and bottled in 2021 as part of its Straight From The Cask series. These whiskies are the Edradour team showing off their excellent cask-sourcing skills, and it’s a must for sherry-bomb lovers.

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