New Products
Golden Moon Distillery Launches Two New Single Malt Whiskies in Colorado and New York – American Whiskey News

Golden Moon Distillery Launches Two New Single Malt Whiskies in Colorado and New York
Denver Colorado – 13 April 2010 – Golden Moon Distillery is proud to announce the release of two new Colorado Single Malt Whiskies in the Colorado and New York Markets.
Golden Moon Distillery, located in Golden Colorado, was founded in 2008 by Distiller Stephen Gould and Dr. Karen Knight. Golden Moon currently produces over 20 award-winning products including single malt whiskies, gins, absinthe and a variety of brandies, liquors, liqueurs and other whiskies.
The new releases are Golden Moon Principium, A Colorado Single Malt and Golden Moon Triple, an Irish-Style Colorado Single Malt.
According to Mr. Gould …
We’re really excited to release these two new uniquely Colorado single malt whiskies. Both are made from 100% two-row Moravian barley, grown in Colorado and the surrounding states and malted right here in Golden Colorado. Both are milled, mashed, fermented, distilled and cask-matured here at Golden Moon Distillery. We use a unique mashing procedure and a proprietary strain of yeast for fermentation for all our single malts whiskies.
Principium is a double-distilled single malt whiskey that is matured in charred white American oak casks. It is a smooth, approachable whiskey, full bodied with a malty character and nice caramel notes. It is bottled at 46% ABV / 92 Proof. It took a Gold Medal this past year at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Triple is a limited release (allocated) triple-distilled single malt whiskey that is also matured in charred white American oak casks. We’ve only produced 500 bottles of this whiskey. I have been a consulting master distiller in Ireland for the last couple years, and that work has inspired me to play around with traditional Irish-style whiskey production techniques here at Golden Moon. This is one of the results. It is a light and friendly whiskey with a wonderful mouthfeel, slightly sweet with a touch of brown sugar character. It is bottled at 46% ABV / 92 Proof.
Golden Moon Distillery’s products are distributed in Colorado by RNDC and New York by Blue Print Brands.
New Online Tool to Stop £23m Whisky Scam Market – Whisky News

New Online Tool to Stop £23m Whisky Scam Market
Cheshire based whisky broker Mark Littler Ltd has released a Cask Calculator to help stop the £23m global whisky scam market.
The increase in fraud during the Covid 19 outbreak has been well documented but fraudulent activity isn’t just limited to pandemics. Since the 1990s, globally over £23 million pounds has been pumped into fraudulent whisky cask ventures; and that is just the ones that have been shut down.
Mark Littler developed the Cask Calculator as a straightforward way to show all the costs involved in bottling a cask of whisky including, duty, VAT, uplift, bottling and shipping. The calculator gives an equivalent per bottle cost that can be cross referenced against bottle value prices to verify the cask price and prevent fraud.
‘Until now there has been no resource available to verify whisky cask prices like there is for property or shares (e.g. Zoopla or Morning Star). However prices for whisky bottles are widely available, so if you can turn a cask cost into a true per bottle cost then you can start to verify the price of a cask,’ explains Mark Littler, founder of Mark Littler Ltd and creator of the Cask Calculator. ‘By simply adding the details of a cask into the Cask Calculator it generates a realistic figure for a per bottle cost, which can then be compared to publicly available per bottle prices.’
The free calculator has been used more than 2,000 times in the last month alone.
Whisky cask scams are an issue in the unregulated industry. The Napier Spirits Company was set up in 1995 and alone sold £3.2million of casks to the unsuspecting public. In some instances Napier sold casks that were worth £500 for £3,500.
Napier Spirit Company was eventually shut down but cask mis-selling still happens today.
‘One of the worst instances I have encountered was just a few months ago at the start of 2020,’ says Mark Littler. ‘The asking price on a cask was so inflated it would have been cheaper to purchase comparable distillery bottled product at full retail price including shipping and taxes and decant those bottles back into a cask than pay the asking price for the cask. We want to make that kind of price disparity impossible.’

Alongside the cask calculator Mark Littler Ltd. have released a large number of other educational tools to help potential cask buyers purchase a whisky cask at a fair price. Resources include a 10 part video guide series, a 52 page printed or PDF Cask Buying Guide and dozens of blogs that cover everything from avoiding scams to everything you could possibly want to know about a cask.
Mark Littler Ltd is an independent antiques consultant and whisky broker with over 300 five star reviews of their services. They have sold everything from medieval rings, classic Porsche, vintage Rolexes and casks of Macallan. They also provide a cask brokering service with the ethos of helping their customers buy quality whisky casks at a fair price.
Contact:
Mark Littler
casks@marklittler.com
01260 218 718
Virginia Distillery Company Offer – American Whiskey News

Buy Two or More Bottles, Get $1 Shipping

Need a restock? Our Port Cask Finished Virginia-Highland Whisky is available for online purchase, along with our other award-winning products.
When you order two or more bottles, you’ll only pay $1 shipping.

REDBREAST REVEALS ITS THIRD DREAM CASK – Irish Whiskey News

REDBREAST REVEALS ITS THIRD DREAM CASK
Introducing Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition
Limited edition whiskey released to celebrate World Whisky Day 2020
Today, Redbreast Irish Whiskey, which is produced by Irish Distillers at its world-renowned Midleton Distillery in Cork, announced the release of its third limited edition Dream Cask to mark World Whisky Day. Inspired by the flavours of the Iberian Peninsula, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single port cask, taking whiskey drinkers on a journey from the home of Irish whiskey to Portugal’s wine region.
The inspiration for the 28-year-old Dream Cask began during trials for Redbreast 27 Year Old – the oldest permanent expression in the Redbreast family. During this time, the Midleton Masters discovered a liquid worthy of the Dream Cask name which uniquely comprises both a ruby port cask component and finish.
Created by Master Blender Billy Leighton, in collaboration with Blender Dave McCabe, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the culmination of four extraordinary whiskey journeys dating back more than 30 years, which were set aside during the crafting of Redbreast 27 Year Old. Aged for a minimum of 28 years in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels, an oloroso sherry butt and a ruby port seasoned cask, these exceptional liquids were then married in the ruby port cask to mature further as a single Dream Cask.
The result is a smooth and silky Irish whiskey with notes of assertive spices, dark chocolate and cinnamon which slowly reveal a luxurious layer of sweet ripe plums and exotic fruits reminiscent of the signature Redbreast style. Bottled at 51.5%, the ruby port cask finish further contributes notes of raisins, sultanas and berries, adding an extra layer of depth and complexity. It is this final marrying phase which also gives the expression an intense mahogany colour.
Master Blender Billy Leighton explains: “It’s more than three decades since my predecessors went to the Douro Valley and hand selected the cask which would become Redbreast Dream Cask 2020. I’m delighted to be able to share its creation with whiskey lovers around the world.
“Our third Dream Cask was created with a very significant fortified wine component. This imparts a unique balance of flavours, with less vanilla sweetness and more fleshy fruits that are associated with port.”
Blender Dave McCabe adds: “Because a Dream Cask is not constrained by volume, we have great licence to select a unique expression with a bold flavour which couldn’t be replicated in a permanent offering. Thankfully, Billy and I were in absolute agreement that this was the right time to release this year’s Dream Cask.”
Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition will be available exclusively through an online ballot hosted on Redbreast’s private members’ club, The Birdhouse. The ballot will be live from 15:00 (GMT+1) on Monday, May 25th until 14:59 (GMT +1) on June 2nd when successful participants will be given an opportunity to purchase a 500ml bottle for €490.
Tasting notes
Nose: Initially abundant with herbs and spices, some lighter notes of rosemary and garden mint combining with cedar and red peppers. Some zesty citrus notes develop into a rich compote of ripe fleshy fruit, melon, kiwi and black cherry on top of marcona almonds. The spicy sweetness of vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg acknowledge the contribution of the oak cask.
Taste: A very rich silky mouthful of assertive spices combined with sweet ripe plums. Dark chocolate and cinnamon notes slowly reveal a luxurious layer of ripe dark fruits which combine with raisins, sultanas and exotic fruits and berries which are typical of the Redbreast style.
Finish: The signature Redbreast mix of fruit and spice is slow to fade.
Additional production information:
Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition represents four unique whiskeys which were aged for a minimum of 28 years and then vatted together and left to marry in the ruby port pipe cask. These include:
- Cask 1- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1989, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a ruby port cask in 1995.
- Cask 2- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
- Cask 3- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in a second-fill ex-bourbon barrel.
- Cask 4- a single pot still Irish whiskey distilled in 1991, matured in an ex-bourbon barrel and re-casked into a sherry butt in 2011.
Notes:
About Irish Distillers
Irish Distillers is one of Ireland’s leading suppliers of spirits and wines, and producer of some of the world’s most well-known and successful Irish whiskeys. Led by Jameson, our brands are driving the global renaissance of Irish whiskey. Jameson is the world’s bestselling Irish whiskey, experiencing 30 years of consecutive growth and hitting sales of 8m cases in 2019. Our brands are exported to 130+ markets, with over 70 of those experiencing double or triple-digit growth.
Irish Distillers was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and Cork Distilleries Company. In 1988 Irish Distillers joined Pernod Ricard, gaining access to unprecedented levels of investment and an extensive global distribution network. Since 2012, we have invested over €400 million to double our production and bottling capacity to meet global demand for our products.
We employ over 600 people across our operations in Cork and Dublin.
About Pernod Ricard
Pernod Ricard is the No.2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €9,182 million in FY19. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantine’s, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard’s brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Group’s decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of “Créateurs de Convivialité.” As reaffirmed by the Group’s three-year strategic plan, “Transform and Accelerate,” deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricard’s strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 roadmap supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “We bring good times from a good place.” In recognition of Pernod Ricard’s strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in the beverage sector in Vigeo Eiris. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nation’s Global Compact LEAD company.
Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.
Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada Mid-May Outturn (2020) – Scotch Whisky News


Part two of our May Outturn still takes inspiration from the wild, rediscovering whiskies influenced by animals and the outdoors. Don’t let these rare beasts escape you – grab one now and take a walk on the wild side of flavour.
We’ve matched each of our flavour profiles to different forms of wildlife. Delve into your personality and taste preferences, and take our Find Your Spirit Animal quiz online at smws.com/hub. Share your discoveries with us on social media using the hashtag #spiritanimal.

SCOTTISH TRIFLE WITH ITALIAN LIQUEUR
CASK: Refill hogshead
AGE: 10 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Juicy, oak & vanilla
SPIRIT ANIMAL: Brown Bear
CHARACTER TRAIT: Power, wit and wisdom balanced with a gentle soul; a harmonious experience

PEPPERY PEARS AND PRALINE
CASK: 2nd fill barrel
AGE: 13 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Spicy & sweet
SPIRIT ANIMAL: Spicebush Swallowtail
CHARACTER TRAIT: Plays on the senses; a sweetness seeker, flouncy and soft but with an edge

WAR SEAHORSE
CASK: Refill barrel
AGE: 8 years
FLAVOUR PROFILE: Peated
SPIRIT ANIMAL: Moose
CHARACTER TRAIT: A noble force of nature – mighty, strong and headstrong, leaving a long-lasting impression
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada
Suite 160
104 – 1240 Kensington Road NW
Calgary, AB T2N 3P7
403-969-8225
curious@smws.ca
www.smws.ca
Bowmore One Small Step 17 Year Old 2002 – Apollo Moon Landing – Scotch Whisky News

One Small Step Bowmore 17 Year Old
Wednesday the 20th of May, 2020, Fife, Scotland
Specialist online whisky shop, TheWhiskyBarrel.com, is proud to release an exclusive single malt Scotch whisky distilled at Bowmore Distillery to mark the 51st anniversary of the Apollo Moon Landing in 1969. Following on from the 2019 Deanston, One Giant Leap (SOLD OUT) and 2020 Highland Park, Houston We’ve Had a Problem (SOLD OUT) whiskies.
One Small Step
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Bowmore 17 Year Old, 2002 Vintage
On the 20th of July 1960 Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon in what was one of the most historic, scientific and culturally significant events of the 20th Century. Those famous words spoken by Armstrong really do sum up the event – “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” And fifty years on, we’re all still talking about it.
To mark the 51st anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, TheWhiskyBarrel.com has selected a single cask of Bowmore single malt Scotch whisky. Distilled in October 2002, this whisky has been aged for 17 years before bottling in March 2020 at 54.6% ABV. Matured in a single first fill Oloroso hogshead (cask reference #TWB1010), this whisky is limited to just 270 numbered bottles.
Available exclusively from TheWhiskyBarrel.com, shipping to customers Worldwide including the United States of America, Canada and Japan.

‘One Small Step’ Bowmore 17 Year Old | 2009 | TheWhiskyBarrel.com | 54.6%
Tasting notes
Colour: Deep sherry.
Nose: Galactic quantities of rich dark sherry, Meteoric spiced ripe pears in a crater of hot chocolate.
Taste: Solar summer fruits dusted in a smokey nebular.
Finish: Light years of sweet oak on a supernova finish.
Price: £150 GBP inc VAT / $150 USD (+ P&P) *
The Whisky Barrel E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com
Visit www.thewhiskybarrel.com
T: +44 (0)845 2248 156
Find us on: Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
Notice for Editors:-
Q) What is the product called?
A) ‘One Small Step’ Bowmore 17 Year Old 2002 Exclusive.
Q) When will this product be released/was it released?
A) Wednesday the 20th of May 2020.
Q) Where is it available?
A) Scotland, off-trade, TheWhiskyBarrel.com.
Q) Is this product already available in other markets?
A) Scotland only, TheWhiskyBarrel.com ships worldwide.
Q) How much is it?
A) £150 GBP / $150 USD (+ P&P)
Q) Who handles the product’s distribution?
A) In-house at TheWhiskyBarrel.com.
Q) How many bottles are there?
A) 270 bottles from a single cask limited to one bottle per customer.
Q) What is the ABV of this product?
A) 54.6% ABV natural cask strength.
Q) Why has this product been launched?
A) Limited Edition single cask exclusive for TheWhiskyBarrel.com whisky shop.
Notes
The Whisky Barrel is a specialist online whisky and spirits merchant based in Fife, Scotland and was established in 2007. In 2019 The Whisky Barrel won The Queens Award for Enterprise: International Trade. The Whisky Barrel is also a winner of the Whisky Magazine Online Retailer 2018 and was International Wine & Spirits Competition runner-up in 2016.
*N.B. Prices correct at the time of publishing and are subject to currency fluctuation.

Bartels Whisky “New Bottling – Auchentoshan 2010” – Scotch Whisky News
– Auchentoshan 2010 –
Aged 9 Years
Distilled 28.6.2010 – Bottled 21.11.2019 – 60.0%vol – Cask No. 700923 – 216 bottles
We are delighted to announce the release of our single cask bottling of Auchentoshan 2010
A slight delay due to the current situation. On that note we hope everyone is keeping safe, well and positive in these strange times.
Perhaps this will cheer you up a little!
Sorren at OCD Whisky has written a lovely review and tasting notes on our bottling. He is what could be described at ones the worlds biggest Auchentoshan fans so to get such lovely feedback from him is fantastic! Check out his full write up here
£52
Free, Next Day Delivery.
(order before 12pm)
Click here to read full Tasting Notes
Bartels Whisky
4 The Old Glebe
Loughborough, Lec LE12 8LB
United Kingdom

Mars Launches Tsunuki The First – Japanese Whisky News

Mars Launches Tsunuki The First by LIAM HILLER

Hombo Mars have finally announced the release of the first single malt whisky produced at their Tsunuki distillery – Mars Tsunuki The First.
Tsunuki is the newest of Mars distilleries, built in 2016. Until now no Tsunuki single malt has been released, but you may have seen the name appear on some whiskies distilled at Mars’ other distillery, Shinshu. That’s because the Tsunuki cellars have been used to age Shinshu whisky on a number of occasions, but now, we’ve finally got a first Tsunuki single malt to explore, and it’s just as good as we’d hoped.
Kagoshima To Yamanashi And Back Again
The Hombo Shuzo Co, the owners of Mars Whisky, have been producing spirit in Japan since way back in 1872, when they specialised in making shochu and plum wine. It wasn’t until 1949 that they gained a license to produce whisky at their Kagoshima plant, but even then, they only used it to produce blends from whisky sourced elsewhere.
Another decade would pass before they started to make their own whisky, however, they chose to do that at a new plant in Yamanashi. Kiichiro Iwai, an advisor at Mars who had been the great Masataka Taketsuru’s supervisor at Setsu, built the distillery armed with Taketsuru’s famed notebook, allowing him to incorporate many of the techniques and skills that the “Father of Japanese Whisky” had picked up throughout the years.
Despite successfully building the distillery and producing their own whisky, things weren’t to be for Mars in Yamanashi. The market simply wasn’t ripe for whisky, with Shochu dominating spirits sales around the country, and so in 1969 they stopped production. The plant is still there today and is used for wine production, but whisky is longer distilled there.
Not quite ready to throw in the towel, Mars tried again in 1981, this time back in their home of Kagoshima. This attempt lasted just 3 years, before it was closed down in 1984, with operations being moved to the newly built Shinshu distillery, located in the Nagano prefecture. Shinshu operated uninterrupted until 1992, but yet again, demand for Japanese whisky was simply not there and so they could no longer continue production.
Despite closing the doors, Mars were still not ready to give up on whisky production and, after the Japanese whisky boom of the early 2000s, production was started up again in 2011. Since then Shinshu has produced some incredibly impressive expressions, mostly sold under the Mars Komagatake label, a couple of which have even won World Whiskies Awards.
In 2016, after getting a taste of success at Shinshu, Mars decided that the time was right to go back to their roots, and so they opened the Tsunuki distillery in Kagoshima.
Tsunuki The First
Until now, Tsunuki was yet to release their first single malt whisky and the hype and excitement has been building. Thankfully, the brand new Tsunuki The First does not disappoint.
Distilled in 2016/17, this superb expression was then laid to mature in bourbon barrels. The distillery workers would have tasted the whisky along every step of the way before deciding that they had it just right for bottling in 2020.
It comes in at 59% ABV and brings citrus fruits, vanilla and fresh bread on the nose, followed by more sweet fruits, grassy notes and gentle spices on the palate. The finish is of medium length with a soft sweetness and cracked black pepper.
It’s a truly memorable and exciting new whisky that highlights the expertise and knowledge of those working at Mars, though with them having so much experience in the industry that’s hardly surprising.
The First kicks off the Mars whisky range in style and given it is literally ‘the first’ whisky from the distillery, we expect a lot more to come from them in the coming weeks,months and years, as they look to carve out their own portion of the Japanese whisky market.
Will they manage to become as successful as Shinshu? We’ll just have to wait and see, but more distilleries producing good quality Japanese expressions is surely a fantastic thing for both the industry and whisky-lovers everywhere.
Order Today
To be one of the first (no pun intended) to get your hands on the outstanding Mars Tsunuki The First, simply order online today and we’ll deliver direct to your door. Worldwide delivery is available, so no one has to miss out!
Bottles begin shipping in the first week of May.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society “TALES FROM THE WEE TOON” – Scotch Whisky News

It might be affectionately known as the Wee Toon, but Campbeltown was once known as a giant of whisky-making. The local Malts Festival might have been put on hold for this year but with our exclusive Society festival bottling, you can still get a flavour of the region in your own home.


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

















