Throughout the month, we’re celebrating the diversity of our whisky and our wonderful members. Explore all 12 of our flavour profiles and discover your whisky character – share your discoveries with us on social media using the hashtag #whiskycharacter
Great to see so many members at The Spirit of Speyside festival last week, thank you for making our events so special. For those members celebrating at home, do let us know what Society drams you were sharing, and of course your thoughts on our celebratory bottlings. There’s still time to grab a bottle from our online shop.
CAN’T DECIDE? WHY NOT TRY A WEE SIP OF EVERYTHING?
The Society is taking its show on the road and across the sea throughout May, with an extensive programme of events and an exceptional range of special celebratory bottlings for the Spirit of Speyside, the Campbeltown Malts Festival and the Islay Festival.
Read everything you need to know to get involved – whether you’re able to travel in person or not.
This private bottling single cask expression from Islay’s Bruichladdich distillery was aged for 10 years in a Rivesaltes hogshead number #1525 before being bottled at a natural cask strength of 58.5% abv. Limited to only 290 bottles, each one hand numbered.
A private bottling of Islay single malt from Bruichladdich distillery, this single cask edition is limited to just 290 bottles, each one individually hand-numbered. Aged ten years in a Rivesaltes hogshead (#1525) and bottled at 58.5% abv, it’s described as ‘Hebridean Heaven’.
Capturing the spirit of the region with a classic Speyside whisky…introducing Cask Speyside 10 year old, a new limited edition Single Malt from A. D. Rattray.
Among the rolling hills, lush grass and fresh flowing streams which feed the mighty River Spey, lie over one third of Scotland’s distilleries. The region has been home to whisky-making for centuries, and Speyside has long been synonymous with the very finest Scotch whisky.
Through generations, Speyside’s skilled crafters have continued to harness the outstanding natural resources of the region through a mix of tradition and innovation. It is the perfect marriage of a unique heritage, world-leading engineering and the finest raw materials which lends Speyside whisky a special place in the heart of so many.
Cask Speyside captures the spirit of the region in a series of single malts with great character. This first batch release was distilled at one of Scotland’s most prestigious distilleries, and exhibits all the soft, gentle hallmarks of a classic Speyside whisky.
Cask Speyside is a limited edition single malt release which has been matured for 10 years in refill bourbon casks. It fits neatly into A. D. Rattray’s portfolio alongside their other award-winning small batch single malts Cask Islay and Cask Orkney 18 Year Old.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Golden shimmer.
Nose: Zesty lemon, creamy vanilla fudge, subtle mint and jasmine blossom.
Palate: A silky texture exuding barley sugar and hazelnut, livened with cinnamon, and concluding with malt biscuit and black pepper.
Finish: Sweet, citrus fresh and silky smooth.
Information
700ml 46% Alc./Vol.
Non-chill filtered. Natural colour.
Available worldwide. Limited release.
www.adrattray.com/single-malts/cask-speyside
About A. D. Rattray
A.D. Rattray, an independent whisky company established in 1868, are renowned for selecting and maturing Scotland’s best casks of single malt whisky for their Cask Collection single cask range. Their whisky portfolio also includes the award-winning single malt brands Cask Islay, Cask Orkney and Stronachie. Based on the West Coast of Scotland, you can visit their 5 star visitor attraction and home of their brands, the A. D. Rattray Whisky Experience and Shop in Kirkoswald, Ayrshire.
WhistlePig 100% Amburana – exclusive to The Whisky Exchange
It’s not every day I try a whiskey that stops me dead in my tracks. It happens even less often to our head buyer Dawn Davies. She’s dedicated her life to tasting interesting things, and when she tells you that you need to try something, you listen to what she says. The most recent thing that it happened with? WhistlePig Amburana.
What is amburana?
When it comes to types of wood used to make whisk(e)y, it pretty much starts and stops with oak. You get the occasional chestnut cask, or tales of weird and wonderful things hiding in warehouses around the world, but most spirit sees the inside of an oak cask or two, and nothing else.
In the world of cachaça it’s much more likely that you’ll see other wood used. Still far from common, as cachaça is normally unaged, but when it comes to ageing Brazil’s national spirit they like to use something they can find locally – step forward amburana, a tree that grows across Latin America.
Outside of cachaça, there are a few other amburana experiments, with a handful of rums and beers now using the wood to add something a little different to their make-up. But, as far as we know, WhistlePig are the first people to use it to age whiskey, and they’ve not done it often – thanks to some detective work by the British Bourbon Society‘s Andrew Watson, we’ve found two other releases, both only available in the USA and both sold out.
What does amburana do to flavour?
The key flavour that amburana brings to the party is tonka, a bean with a complex character that brings together vanilla, cinnamon and coconut in a big, perfumed combination.
While tonka is a favourite tasting note of whisky fans around the world, it’s usually just used as a synonym for vanilla – a crime I am occasionally guilty of committing. After sniffing our WhistlePig Amburana, it’s an offense I will no longer perpetrating – there’s a lot more to tonka than vanilla.
Our WhistlePig Amburana
At the Whisky Show back in 2018, there was a mysterious sample floating around. WhistlePig’s Daniel Khan was pouring it for other exhibitors and the occasional adventurous guest, and word spread quickly. It came around to me and I was sold – it was totally unlike anything else I’d ever tried. TWE buyer Dawn tried it and quickly did some buying: we secured a few casks to be bottled specially for us.
Jump forward a few months and it’s now here.
The whiskey started out at MGP Ingredients in Indiana, made using the distillery’s 95% rye/5% malted barley recipe that is the base for many of the great American ryes available today. It was matured in new 200-litre American-oak barrels – medium/long toast and char 3. While the label says 12 years, it was actually 13-and-a-half years before the folks at WhistlePig decided to add their own twist to it.
They sourced new amburana casks from the Kentucky branch of the Speyside Cooperage and filled them with the now-mature rye for just ten days. That’s all it took to turn the whiskey from being a classic MGP rye into the complex beast it now is.
WhistlePig Old World Cask Finish Rye 100% Amburana
Nose: Fragrant wood, with coconut, real tonka bean, glacé cherry, mint fondant, pine resin, fresh cut grass, butter-icing and sultana-studded fairy cakes all popping up. Cherry Bakewells, minty spongecakes and a freshly mown field.
Palate: More coconut starts us off: Lamingtons and milk-chocolate Bounty bars. Mint and toasted spice builds through the centre, followed by creamy sweetness and a touch of balancing green grassiness. Darker notes of brown sugar and treacle hide at the bottom.
Finish: Grassy notes fade to leave chocolate, creamy coffee, coconut and green apples.
It’s one of the most unique whiskies I’ve ever tried – there is simply nothing else like it. At its heart, it’s still a great, spicy rye whiskey, but the layers of flavour on top of that add another dimension that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. It’s not for everyone, but if you want to explore the edges of the world of whiskey, this is one for you – we’ll have Perfect Measure samples arriving soon.
With May First Friday and festival fever just around the corner, click over to our website now to browse the new Outturn ahead of the release. This month we’re celebrating our wonderfully unique whisky with all 12 flavour profiles making an appearance, including two special festival bottlings. Don’t miss out, GO…
Our new collection of colourful characters is available on Friday, 3 May at 9am.
Bulleit Celebrates 18th Annual Tribeca Film Festival With A Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier Lounge
Bulleit Frontier Whiskey will unite next-generation technology, film, music & cocktails through its latest Frontier Works project – Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier
NEW YORK, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Bulleit will return to this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, for the second year, bringing the brand’s latest Frontier Works project — The Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier Lounge — to one of New York City’s hottest cultural events. Film, technology, music, art and design will converge in the space to create an immersive and intimate 3D printed whiskey experience unlike anything anyone in the Big Apple has ever seen before.
Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier Bar at its previous stop in cultural hotspot Oakland, CA.
Robotic arm printing the Bulleit 3D Printed Beta Test Cocktail.
Bulleit 3D Printed Beta Test Cocktail at the Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier Lounge.
Close-up shot of the Bulleit 3D Printed Bar.
In collaboration with the architecture and design practice FAR frohn&rojas, the 3D fabrication team at Machine Histories, popular bartender Melissa Markert, and robotics pioneer from Print A Drink Benjamin Greimel, Bulleit brings its 3D Printed Frontier experience to Tribeca Film Festival. During a series of private invite-only events at Studio 525, Melissa, along with a team of other well-known New York bartenders will serve some of the world’s first 3D printed cocktails. The space will be further brought to life with music from cutting-edge New York-based DJs, Odalys and Angel and Dren, as well as a series of high-tech lighting projections featuring content from some of the films debuting at this year’s Festival.
At the 3D Printed Frontier Lounge, Bulleit will host actors, filmmakers, and celebrities, for post-film screening after parties for films including Crown Vic, Plus Oneand the 25th anniversary celebration of Emmy Award-winning cultural sensation, In Living Color. In addition, all fans and festival-goers 21 years of age and older can visit https://guests.bulleit.com/for a chance to experience the space from 7-10pm ET beginning Wednesday, April 24th through Friday, April 26th. Please note that space is limited and therefore confirmed RSVPs will be accepted on a “first-come, first-serve” basis.
In addition, as the official sponsor of this year’s New York Shorts Film program, Bulleit will support 63 diverse and engaging shorts, and the pioneering international and U.S. filmmakers who created them. Continuing the brand’s dedication to empowering those on the frontier of culture, Bulleit is proud to be a part of Tribeca’s tradition of discovering talent and encouraging filmmaker development.
“Cultivating cultural partnerships and making friends on the frontier is at the heart of Bulleit and our Frontier Works projects,” said Sophie Kelly, Sr. Vice President of Whiskey at Diageo North America. “When you think about Tribeca Film Festival, it’s a celebration that goes beyond filmmakers. It’s a massive cultural program and we’re thrilled to bring the Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier to this iconic moment in this iconic city, giving people an amazing social and cultural experience, which is at the core of what we do.”
The Bulleit Frontier Works Experience previously made stops in cultural hotspots Oakland, CA at the city’s historic Sixteenth Street Station, and Austin, TX ahead of this year’s SXSW conference and Festival. For more information about the Bulleit 3D Printed Frontier, adults 21 years old and older can check out @Bulleit on Instagram.
We know the top shelf bartenders in our 3D printed lounge are among the best in our craft, but adult consumers who join Bulleit on the frontier are always encouraged to drink responsibly.
About Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Bulleit is one of the fastest-growing whiskeys in America, founded in 1987 by Tom Bulleit, who attributes that growth to bartenders and cultural partners who’ve adopted it as their own. The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey portfolio is distilled and aged in the Bulleit family tradition, using a distinctive high rye recipe, which gives them a bold, spicy taste. Most recently, Bulleit Barrel Strength Bourbon won a Double Gold medal and Best Straight Bourbon at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Now ranked as one of the fastest-growing whiskeys in America, Bulleit Distilling Co. calls Shelbyville, Ky. home since the 2017 opening of its state-of-the-art distillery and the much-anticipated spring 2019 opening of its high-tech and sensory-rich Visitor Experience. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about the past, present and future of Bulleit when visiting this latest addition to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. For more information, visit www.bulleit.com or follow @Bulleit on Instagram.
About the Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, brings visionaries and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. The Festival champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.
The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its 18th year, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity that reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities. The 18th annual edition will take place April 24 – May 5, 2019. www.tribecafilm.com/festival
About Diageo Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan’s whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness. Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.
Follow us on Twitter for news and information about Diageo North America: @Diageo_NA.
Since its inaugural release back in 2013, Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has grown into an easy favorite among collectors. But collectors weren’t the only ones thrilled with this very special bottling, as the previous release earned Whisky Advocate’s top title of “Whisky of the Year.” “Batch C918” very much follows in this tradition of excellence. A seductive mélange of sweet caramel, brown sugar, baking spice, pepper, and woodsy notes all work together in perfect harmony. Clocking in at 131.4 proof, this is no timid beast. Nonetheless, it is surprisingly approachable even without a splash of water. Coveted bourbon releases often are priced upwards of $100, as demand remains at an all-time high. So it’s nothing short of remarkable that we have it here for only $60. This coupled with its irresistible profile means our allocation won’t last long. For fans of bold, unbridled Kentucky bourbon, you can’t go wrong here.
93 points Whisky Advocate: “When complex spice meets complex caramel, it makes for a wonderful American whiskey experience. That’s exactly what happens here with a cadre of baking spices over fruit, such as cinnamon baked apples, nutmeg sprinkled over pears, and peaches dusted with clove, followed by butterscotch, vanilla custard, and crème brûlée. The balanced and brilliant finish stays true to its complexity. (FM, Spring 2018)”
K&L Notes: The exceptional full strength version of Elijah Craig has become one of the most well regarded new releases in years. Luckily they’ve been able to offer it at a very reasonable price and while it continues to be allocated, it is not as elusive as some of the other high proof limited releases on the market today. An exceptional bottle that should be on most whiskey lovers’ bucket lists.
