Springbank Society – October 2017 Bottling 

We trust this newsletter finds you in good health.  Here in Campbeltown the trees are shedding their leaves and the days getting shorter as we race through autumn into the depths of winter.  The perfect time to bring a bit of warmth to our lives with the release of our next society bottle!

Longrow 9yo Sauternes 56.3%

Available to order from 30th October 2018.

Please note we will not take pre-orders for this release. Only email orders from 30th October onwards will be accepted. 

An email will be sent on this date to signal when you can start ordering the bottle.

The purpose of this newsletter is to provide you with information on the release and how to order it. You will receive a society newsflash on the release date to remind you when the bottles are available.

Springbank Society October 2017 Bottling

Longrow 9yo Sauternes

Cask type: Fresh Sauternes Hogsheads

Distilled: November 2007

Bottled: October 2017

Strength: 56.3%

Outturn: 1134 bottles

Tasting notes:

Nose :  Light smokiness, fresh plums, honeycomb, chocolate peppermints, walnuts, almonds, sticky toffee pudding, chocolate crepes, sugarcane, dark chocolate.

Palate : Cocoa powder, spice, pepper, dates and prunes. Raspberry coulis, caramel, ripe bananas, cherries and a mineral note. Slightly dry with a sticky mouthfeel.

Finish : Cherries, dry smoke, soot, raisins, burnt embers, baked apples, poached pears, biscuit base, shortbread, caramel shortcake, ginger and crushed black pepper.

For the avoidance of doubt: the bottles are not available yet and we will not be taking pre-orders.

Purchasing and delivery/collection

Please read this section carefully to ensure this process goes as smoothly as possible.

The bottle shall be available for £45.00 and initially it will be 1 per person however, once it becomes clear what the level of interest is, then it is possible you could get a second. 2 bottles per member will be the maximum. When you order a bottle next week, please state if you would be interested in a second bottle.

We will only process email orders. No phone orders.

When you first order a bottle, please tell us if any of the following things apply to you.

•  If you would like a second bottle
•  If you would like to collect it from one of our Cadenhead shops
•  If you are based in Canada
•  If you have any other delivery preferences (not covered by the points above) then it may be helpful, but not essential, if you would include them in your original email too.

Once you place your order you will receive an email back, letting you know that your order has been received and that a bottle has been reserved for you.  As is usual with a Society release, this may take several days. Please do not be alarmed if you do not hear back immediately.

Again, as is standard practice with Society bottles, if you wish for your Society bottle(s) to be sent to a Cadenhead shop on mainland Europe (now Baden, Cologne and Odense) you will pay for them upon collection. We have processes in place to make sure these bottles arrive much faster than they have done for previous releases.
In previous years we have been able to send Society bottles to Cadenhead shops in Berlin and Salzburg however, Springbank Distillery does not have another shipment bound for these shops and soon neither of them shall be Cadenhead stores. As such it is no longer an option to send the bottles to these shops.

Please note that if you want your order sent to Berlin or Salzburg shops you must let us know, no later than November 8th.

If you plan to have your Society bottle(s) sent to the Edinburgh or London shops then, as with the previous release, deliveries to these shops will be handled in a similar way to when Society bottles are sent to the other Cadenhead shops. Instead of charging £2 per bottle and delivering them individually, we will not charge anything for delivery and they will be sent as part of the scheduled Cadenhead shipments.

Once again and finally, we will only process email orders from 30th October 2017 (Campbeltown time). No phone orders.

We will send out an email on 30th October to let you know when you can start ordering.

To join the Springbank Society please email Springbank Society 

Glenrothes 12 Year Old 2005 Old Malt Cask #14095

Just-in! A sumptuous single cask sherry butt bottled August 2017 by Hunter Laing & Co. Flavours of ripe figs, dark chocolate, caramel and sweet oranges. Nose: Ripe figs, dark chocolate and caramel. Palate: Sweet with oranges, caramel and white pepper. Finish: Long with gentle spices, a hint of oak and oranges. Glenrothes Distillery was established in the narrow valley of the Rothes Burn on the west side of Rothes in the Speyside whiskey region by James Stuart & Co. in 1878. This is a large malt whiskey distillery owned by Berry Bros & Rudd of London, with eighteen washbacks, ten copper stills singing in their own mighty cathedral and has retained its traditional pagoda roof. Popular distillery releases include Glenrothes 1995, 1998 and Glenrothes Peated.

Shop – £46.75

Yellowstone® Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2017 Launching in October

(Lebanon, Ky.) October 12, 2017 – Limestone Branch Distillery introduces the 2017 version of Yellowstone® Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon, finished in charred wine casks, set to hit the market in October. This year’s limited edition combines hand-selected, seven and 12-year Kentucky Straight bourbons, with a special addition of Limestone Branch Distillery’s first available, 4-year Kentucky Straight bourbon. The bourbon is then rested in once-filled, double seasoned barrels, which are toasted and then lightly charred.

“We are beyond proud to be using some of our own distillate in this year’s Yellowstone Limited Edition,” says Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery. “This is a momentous release for our family and it is meticulously handmade, grain to glass, right here at our distillery.”

Bottled at 101 proof and available in 750ml bottles signed by Steve Beam and nestled in commemorative tubes, Yellowstone Limited Edition offers an earthy flavor, dark and rich, with a nose of toasted oak, caramel and butterscotch at the front of the palette, giving way to rich leather and dark summer fruit on the finish. Approximately 7,000-8,000 bottles of this bourbon are being produced this fall at Limestone Branch Distillery, and the suggested retail price is $99.99.

“By finishing the bourbon in charred wine casks, we allowed the juice to intensify and evolve, creating a wonderful result,” says Beam. “While last year’s edition was more about subtle nuances, this year’s edition we focused on intense flavors and a richer final product.”

About Limestone Branch Distillery

Steve Beam and his brother Paul Beam opened Limestone Branch Distillery in 2011, with the goal of crafting the finest whiskey in small batches, honoring their long family heritage. With a history of distilling on both sides of their family – Beam and Dant – the brothers are seventh-generation distillers. In 2015, by partnering with Luxco, they brought the Yellowstone brand back to the family, just in time to commemorate the brand’s 105th anniversary. As one of the founding members of the Kentucky Craft Bourbon Trail, Limestone Branch Distillery is located in Lebanon, Ky., in the heart of bourbon country. The distillery is well-known for its handcrafted products, including Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon and Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey.

For more information on Limestone Branch Distillery and Yellowstone, please visit www.limestonebranch.com, www.yellowstonebourbon.com or www.facebook.com/limestone-branch-distillery.

Released in time for Hallowe’en, November Outturn takes taste buds to another realm with 12 full-bodied single cask whiskies to taste and explore. Treat the senses to a rich and indulgent experience with spiced fruits, treacle toffee pudding, gooey chocolate cake, blood oranges and pumpkin pie.

READ OUTTURN

To Join:

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

A Pair of Very Attractively Priced Whiskies from Luxco

These newest additions to our whiskey section are poised to earn many adoring fans. Not only are they very attractively priced, but they hold their own against some of the more coveted bottles in the market today.

Let’s start with the 100 proof Wheated Edition. Just to make double sure, I put a few glasses in the hands of my assistants here at K&L and told them it was a sample from a new Weller 107 single barrel that I had just purchased. Their eyes lit up and not one of them assumed the whiskey wasn’t what I said it was. In fact, they were downright stoked about the quality. Then I immediately confessed. Alas, it was not Weller 107, but rather a new 100 proof wheated Bourbon from Luxco, the folks behind Rebel Yell and Ezra Brooks. How much would it cost, they asked? A cool $26.99, I replied.

The nose is an absolute dead ringer for Weller. If you poured it for me blind, that’s what I’d say. Pencil shavings, sweet oak, and caramel. Big spice. 50% ABV booming right out of the glass. The palate has more of those three elements, but also a creaminess that’s perhaps even more compelling. The finish has another flurry of oak spice, pepper, cinnamon and clove. It’s basically a really great version of Old Fitzgerald BIB in a different bottle and for the price I’m backing up the truck. I’ll have no problem selling every single bottle we have before the week is over.

And then I’ll be backing up a few trucks after that. There’s no amount of this whiskey that will satiate the current demand for delicious, high proof, wheated Bourbon right now in California right now. We have guys selling their souls for Weller Reserve, yet the Nicholson is far better.

Now let’s talk about the Nicholson Reserve, a classic corn/rye mashbill Bourbon also at 100 proof. Basically, if you liked our 100 proof Faultline release from a few years back, this is like a baby version for a $12 discount. There are some great herbaceous accents, lots of pepper from the rye, and a gush of savory notes on the finish, but again the texture is the real star. The nose is brimming with toasted wood and the 50% ABV really dials up all that oak from front to back. The Nicholson Reserve at $32.99 is like the perfect middleground between the standard Elijah Craig and the Barrel Proof.

Basically, you’re gonna want at least one of each and there’s plenty to go around. When I sell out of the first lot, I’ll be heading back to Luxco for more. And more after that. And more after that. This is exactly the type of Bourbon I’m after right now: abundant, delicious, with no hype, and plenty of availability and no allocations.

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

There’s still 62 days until the big day, but you can cross one thing off your Christmas shopping list early with the brand new 12 Drams of Christmas. Guaranteed to be on every whisky fan’s letter to Santa, these fantastic whisky selection packs feature twelve 3cl drams, one for each day of the festive season, and come in Standard and Deluxe editions – now in stock and available for immediate dispatch at The Whisky Shop!

Next day UK delivery available International Shipping

12 Drams of Christmas

Fresh off the first sleigh from the North Pole workshop, this whisky selection pack is the perfect gift for your true love this Christmas! Featuring twelve 3cl bottles of some fantastic whiskies, one for each day of the season, 12 Drams of Christmas will keep the festive spirit going to January 5th.

We’re all about Christmas surprises, but if you really can’t wait to find out which whiskies are included in this wonderful gift pack, just click on the link below for the full list.

£70 Buy Now

12 Drams of Christmas Deluxe Edition

Looking for something a little bit extra special for your true love this Christmas? The 12 Drams of Christmas Deluxe Edition has a 3cl bottle for each day of the festive season.

Featuring some rare and old whiskies including limited edition Scotch, Japanese whisky and a single cask exclusive to The Whisky Shop, you can find the full list of drams by clicking the link below.

£125 Buy Now

The Newest “Old Particular” Single Cask Selection – Talisker 8 Year

As promised, we’re about to being moving into the Fall/Winter segment of our Old Particular single cask selections. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and that little nip in the air starts awakening our thirst for peated Scotch whisky. Let’s begin with the perfect October warm up: an absolutely perfect cask of Talisker 8 year old. If you liked the Lagavulin 8, you’re going to love this Talisker (especially since this one’s at full proof and costs about the same).

Anyone familiar with Talisker understands its role in the pantheon of Scotland’s greatest distilleries. Located on the Isle of Skye, a rugged and remote locate battered by the wind and sea, the malt produced at Talisker has always captured the imagination of whisky drinkers with its maritime flavors of salt, smoke, oil, and peat. It has also long been one of Scotland’s most refined and elegant whiskies, balancing those elements with restraint and delicacy in comparison to Islay’s more powerful and intense expressions like Ardbeg and Laphroaig. Talisker is a smoky whisky, full of bonfire and soot, but the standard 10 year distillery release manages to mellow out the phenolic elements with ample fruit and vanilla. It’s that ability to restrain those rugged island forces into something accessible and beautiful that has made Talisker’s reputation.

What this single barrel cask strength eight year old edition allows for is an unbridled and unrestrained look into the whisky’s true power and potential. It’s everything we know and love about Talisker, just dialed up. The first sip brings sweetness from the malted barley and oak cask maturation, followed by fruit and baking spices as well, but then the power of the proof kicks in and the peat takes over. There are notes of tar and salt, followed by more chimney smoke and earth, before those notes begin to fade and the earthier notes of pure peat highlight the finish. All in all, it’s a Talisker lover’s dream, but it’s Talisker with an ode to Islay in terms of power and potency. I’ve tasted it on seven different occasions today and I can’t get enough of it.

2008 Talisker 8 Year Old “Old Particular – K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (750ml) – $59.99

Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old 2009

Bunnahabhain 8 Year Old 2009 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in first fill sherry hogsheads freshly bottled September 2017 by Gordon & MacPhail for the Cask Strength series. Sweet and spicy with treacle, baked apple and raspberry flavours. Bunnahabhain Distillery was established in 1881 on the north eastern tip of the Isle of Islay by the shore of Bunnahabhain Bay and overlooking the Sound of Islay. All the building materials were transported by puffer and unloaded at the distillery pier. Now tucked away at the end of the single track ‘main’ road with spectacular scenery all the way. Bunnahabhain Distillery is equipped with four huge pear shaped stills and produces Scottish malt whiskey which is released in blends and in single malt and single cask bottlings. A participant in Feis Ile, the annual Islay Festival of Malt and Music. Core editions include Bunnahabhain 12 Year Old and 18 Year Old

Shop – £48.74

Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky launches 1990 Vintage Cask travel retail exclusive with World Duty Free at Heathrow

Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky has today released its eagerly anticipated 1990 Vintage Cask Travel Retail Exclusive in partnership with World Duty Free, a Dufry company and Heathrow Airport. The limited expression is available to purchase exclusively in World of Whiskies and World Duty Free stores in all terminals at Heathrow as part of a dedicated in-store activation until January 2018.

Taking you on a historical journey of Old Pulteney, this exquisite Vintage tells a tale of craftsmanship and dedication, dating back over a quarter of a century. This full-bodied spirit began its story in American oak ex-bourbon casks, developing its characteristically complex nature, before moving to Spanish oak where it became richer, darker and adopted a sweetness with hints of spice. The unique expression finished with a brief spell in casks which previously held heavily peated whisky – providing a unique smoky final flourish for this powerful Maritime Malt.

Glimmering bronze in colour, the 26 Year Old 1990 Vintage Cask has an aroma of spice, vanilla, toffee and sweet honey, balanced by a thin veil of warming wood smoke and oak. Bitter orange marmalade and caramel apples soon follow on the nose to create a long-lasting sensory experience for this exquisite and complex dram.

Rich in mouth feel and intense in flavour, the palate opens up with strong praline and sultana sweetness on a thick bed of warm, savoury smoke. Citrus strikes the top note with hints of vanilla lingering in the background, giving a finish, which is long and smoky.

James Bateman, Director, Global Travel Retail at International Beverage commented: “We’re very excited about the exceptional new Old Pulteney 1990 we’re releasing exclusively with World Duty Free for Heathrow airport. We’re looking forward to giving Heathrow travellers something special to pick up and enjoy at their journey’s end.” 

Nigel Sandals, Liquor Category Buying Manager UK at Dufry continues, “Customers in our World Duty Free and World of Whiskies stores are always looking for something a little different – collectors and connoisseurs want to add something unique to their collection, whilst many travellers are looking to purchase whisky as a special gift. The Old Pulteney Single Malt 1990 Vintage Cask is an exclusive and outstanding whisky and we’re delighted to have been able to work with closely with our partners at International Beverage, to make this exclusive whisky available to our customers”.

Old Pulteney 1990 is neither chill-filtered nor coloured and is bottled at its natural cask strength of 46% ABV. It has a RRP of £288 per bottle.

For further information about Old Pulteney visit www.oldpulteney.com

Notes 

Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Old Pulteney is one of the world’s finest and most distinctive single malt Scotch whiskies. Known as the ‘Maritime Malt’, it is crafted in the windswept coastal town of Wick, home to the Pulteney Distillery which is one of the most northerly on the Scottish mainland. The distillery was established in 1826 in the heart of ‘Pulteneytown’, the town created to house fishermen during Wick’s famous herring boom which drew a fleet of over 1000 boats and 7000 workers to this remote and rugged harbour.

Old Pulteney is the embodiment of this place, its people and its remarkable history. The skilled Pulteney Distillery team continues to craft whisky using the most traditional and time-honoured techniques that most others have long abandoned. This includes the uniquely shaped Pulteney stills, which are reflected in the design of the Old Pulteney bottle on shelves today.

Matured in hand-selected oak casks, the resulting whisky has been acclaimed for its excellence, its smooth drinking style and faint hint of the sea. Old Pulteney holds the coveted title of ‘World Whisky of the Year’ for 2012 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible – one of the industry’s highest accolades – and most recently the ‘World’s Best Single Malt Whisky’ of 2016 by the prestigious World Whiskies Awards. The whisky also achieved top ten status in the UK single malt market in 2012 and is flourishing in many other countries around the world.

About International Beverage

International Beverage Holdings (www.interbevgroup.com/) was established in 2005 as the international arm of ThaiBev, one of South East Asia’s leading alcohol beverage companies. With a network of regional offices in Asia, Europe and North America, the company is responsible for the production, sales, marketing and distribution of a portfolio of premium global brands in over 80 countries and territories.

Inver House Distillers (www.inverhouse.com/) is globally integrated into International Beverage Holdings and drives the distillation and maturation of Scotch through its five distilleries. The holding was also named ‘Distiller of the Year’ 2016 and 2017 in the Scotland round of Whisky Magazine’s annual Icons of Whisky Awards.

International Beverage brands include:

• Chang Beer: Thailand’s iconic beer brand
• Single Malt Scotch Whiskies: Old Pulteney, Balblair, anCnoc, Speyburn
• Blended Whiskies: Hankey Bannister
• Mekhong: ‘The Spirit of Thailand’ since 1941
• Caorunn – a small batch distilled Scottish Gin infused with 5 Celtic botanicals

The company’s success is built on the combination of a strong understanding of local cultures and markets with the creation of a truly global operational network. Brand building pays respect to heritage, provenance and craftsmanship whilst delivering innovative and highly effective strategies at global level. A skilled and dedicated team of more than 12 nationalities speaking over 14 languages delivers the highest standards of customer service and attention to detail across all aspects of the business.

About Heathrow:

Heathrow is Europe’s largest airport and one of the world’s top international aviation hubs. As the UK’s global gateway, Heathrow welcomes more than 76 million passengers every year with a commitment to making ‘every journey better’. The airport is home to more than 80 airlines and is Britain’s largest cargo port, helping to drive British trade growth by connecting the nation to more than 190 destinations around the world. Following an investment of more than £11 billion over the last 10 years, Heathrow is currently ranked by passengers as the ‘Best Airport in Western Europe’ for the third year running and the ‘Best Airport for Shopping’ for eight years in a row.

New K&L Exclusive Japanese Single Cask from Fukano

When I first met Fukano-san over some very tasty Korean BBQ, her air of sophistication and elegant demeanor belied her ability to drink the entire crew under the table. She was rather restrained that evening, but the other distillers regaled me with stories of her prowess. They have great respect for her not only because she is champion of the bar, but also because they know her distillery is producing some of Kumamoto’s finest spirit. Fukano-san is the head of one of the Kuma Valley’s best producers, famous for a local Shochu called Saiba as well as sake and other liqueurs. While Saiba is her bread and butter, a certain amount of the spirit is distilled from malted rice and destined for a grander purpose -Whisky! We have a great relationship with the importer of Fukano, so when they have single casks to sell, we get pick of the litter. This only the second single cask we’ve managed to get out of there since the brand launched nearly 2 years ago. Our last cask sold out very quickly, not just because of the hype around Japanese whisky, but because people opened their bottle and came back for more. We still get requests for that special whisky but this one is even better. Rich and buttery oak, spiced exotic fruits, bold whole vanilla bean. Anyone who loves the smooth complexity of a great old grain whisky or the subtle soft sweetness of a wheated bourbon will appreciate the elegant depth of this Fukano Single Cask. Aged in new French oak puncheons.

Fukano K&L Exclusive Single Cask #2827 Japanese Whisky (750ml) – $69.99