ROYAL SALUTE LAUNCHES ALL NEW 21 YEAR OLD POLO EDITION

Limited edition flagon celebrates the ‘King of Whisky’ and the ‘Sport of Kings’  

Royal Salute, the exceptionally crafted and aged Scotch whisky, has unveiled an all-new 21 Year Old Polo Edition featuring a more delicate-flavoured blend designed to be enjoyed during the day and as an accompaniment to sophisticated sporting occasions such as polo, a sport synonymous with Royal Salute’s values of luxury, tradition and prestige.

Sandy Hyslop, Royal Salute’s Director of Blending, developed the new blend from a combination of fragrant grains and fruity malts aged for a minimum of 21 years. The new liquid embodies the values of polo as a sport and a lifestyle: strength, balance and finesse. Brighter in texture and tone with notes of ripe honeydew melon, homemade berry jam and creamy toffee, this new expression is smooth and sophisticated, providing a long-lasting tasting experience, perfect for basking in the sunshine and outdoor entertaining.

The new Scotch whisky is housed in Royal Salute’s iconic hand-crafted, porcelain bottles with a distinct polo theme, unique to the limited edition whisky. Eye-catching turquoise heroes the bottle and complements three shades of blue to mimic the blue sky and green grass of the traditional polo field. The bottles are embossed with intricate but powerful scenes of polo players in action.

Peter Moore, Prestige Brand Director at Chivas Brothers, commented: ‘‘Polo is a noble game of honour, skill, integrity and respect – all values inherent in Royal Salute. We wanted to continue to celebrate the iconic pairing of our ‘King of Whisky’ with the ‘Sport of Kings’, and this new Polo Edition does just that in a more delicate tasting blend ideal for outdoor, daytime enjoyment.  We’re thrilled to bring it to whisky aficionados around the world.”

The Royal Salute Polo Edition will be showcased at a polo event in Singapore and is exclusively available in Singapore duty free in June. It will be available globally from September at a RRP of USD $140.

Notes

About Royal Salute 

Royal Salute is a careful blend of matured malt and grain whiskies – with its youngest whisky matured for a minimum of 21 years. Created to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, which was honoured with a traditional 21 gun salute, Royal Salute is steeped in tradition, while still firmly engaged in the modern world by constantly pushing the art of blending into new, creative and ambitious forms. Royal Salute is deeply involved in polo – the world’s oldest surviving team sport and a game that’s expanding in the modern era. The brand sponsors more than 15 international tournaments from the UK and the USA through Argentina and China to Korea.

www.royalsalute.com

About Chivas Brothers 

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, the world’s n°2 in wines and spirits. Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky and the No.1 Scotch whisky in China; Ballantine’s, Europe’s No.1 Scotch whisky; The Glenlivet, the single malt whisky that set the standard; and Royal Salute, the world’s only exclusively prestige Scotch whisky range. The portfolio also includes two of the world’s leading English gins – Beefeater, the world’s most awarded premium gin, and Plymouth gin – plus a selection of highly acclaimed single malt whiskies, including Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, Strathisla and Tormore. The range is completed by a collection of blended Scotch whiskies operating in many of the world’s key whisky markets which includes 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.

www.chivasspirit.com

About Pernod Ricard 

Pernod Ricard is the world’s n°2 in wines and spirits with consolidated Sales of € 8,682 million in FY16. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector: 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 and Malibu, Mumm and PerrierJouët champagnes, as well Jacob’s Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricard employs a workforce of 18,500 people and operates through a decentralised organisation, with 6 “Brand Companies” and 85 “Market Companies” established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics.

Pernod Ricard is listed on Euronext (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is part of the CAC 40 index.

Announcing our 7th Anniversary Whiskey Release and Distillery Birthday Celebration Saturday June 24th  11am – 6pm

Can you believe it’s been 7 years? Time flies when you’re having fun!

You’ve been waiting for it and it’s finally ready. In celebration of our seventh year anniversary, we’re releasing our “Rock Town Sherry Cask Wheat Whiskey”. It is a limited edition, one time bottling and will be available for purchase only at the distillery in downtown Little Rock, starting at 11am on Saturday, June 24th.

 • $49.99 per 375ml bottle
• 100 proof
• Available only at the distillery tasting room

7th Anniversary Celebration Tasting

Rock Town’s 7th Anniversary Warehouse Masterclass is a seated tasting hosted by founder and head distiller Phil Brandon at the distillery. During the tasting you’ll learn about the production of Rock Town’s whiskey, the influence of the flavor grain in bourbon and learn about the influence of sherry cask aging. The tasting will include these Rock Town whiskeys:

• 7th Anniversary Sherry Cask Wheat Whiskey
• Arkansas Bourbon – Flavor Grain Series – Chocolate Malt
• Arkansas Bourbon – Flavor Grain Series – Golden Promise Malt
• Arkansas Bourbon – Flavor Grain Series – Peated Malt
• Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey

Starts at 6:30 on Saturday, June 24th. Space is extremely limited for the tasting and the cost is $40 per person. Tasting reservations can be made here

7th Anniversary Celebration Free Tours, Food Trucks, and More

As a thank you to our friends and supporters we will be offering:

• Free tours 11am to 5pm (held periodically throughout the day on Saturday June 24th)
• Food Trucks in our parking lot for your dining pleasure
• Cocktails and local craft beer in the warehouse

Wyoming Whiskey Pours into California

Kirby, WY (June 1, 2017) – America’s next great bourbon has landed on the West Coast. Wyoming Whiskey is now available in California through its boutique distributor, The Craft Spirits Cooperative. Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch Bourbon, Outryder Straight American Whiskey, Private Stock Single Barrel Bourbon, and limited quantities of sherry-finished Double Cask are now available throughout the state.

“We tested the California waters in Los Angeles during a six month trial period.” Said co-founder David DeFazio. “During that time, the Cooperative proved that it is the right partner for our brand and we look forward to seeing them distribute our whiskies across the state.” Peter J. Scheufele, Director of The Craft Spirits Cooperative stated, “With our hybrid program, pairing brand building efforts with distribution, we are singularly focused on bringing exceptional products to remarkable accounts. Our salespeople practice an education-first selling style to let the unique stories and liquids produced by our suppliers shine, and the reaction to Wyoming Whiskey has been outstanding. We are excited to begin introducing these authentic products our accounts across the state.”

Wyoming Whiskey is a family-owned and operated craft distiller built on a simple (but not easy) concept: to create a traditional bourbon in an untraditional place. Using only Wyoming-sourced, non-GMO ingredients, and water from a mile-deep, limestone aquifer, Wyoming Whiskey respects the maxims of great bourbon, yet also reflects the feel and taste of the state where it is made. Wyoming Whiskey holds fast to its western heritage.

Californians can now experience these award-winning Wyoming spirits firsthand. National bourbon connoisseurs have testified that exceptional bourbon is being made on the Wyoming frontier. This year, Wyoming Whiskey’s limited release Barrel Strength Bourbon received a “Liquid Gold” award in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. The flagship Small Batch Bourbon received a score of 95 from WhiskyCast’s Mark Gillespie, stating it is “one of the best bourbons [he’s] ever tasted.” The Spirit Journal’s Paul Pacult also called Wyoming Whiskey “a whiskey distiller to watch” after sampling Small Batch and awarding it 4/5 stars.

The following Wyoming Whiskey offerings now available throughout California:

Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch ($39.99 / 44% ABV / 88 Proof): Wyoming Whiskey’s Small Batch Bourbon is medium amber in color with a nose of sweet corn, molasses, and clove. It is medium-bodied with a palate of vanilla, caramel, charred oak, and a hint of citrus. The finish is mild with lingering caramel and toast, and is very smooth. Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley. Age: 5 years.

Wyoming Whiskey Outryder ($54.99 / 50% ABV / 100 Proof): Launched in October 2016, Outryder Straight American Whiskey is Bottled in Bond and represents Wyoming Whiskey’s first use of rye, along with corn and malted barley, to craft a straight whiskey from two distinct mash bills. These two whiskies were laid down in November of 2011 at the behest of co-founder David DeFazio. The first mash bill contains 48% winter rye, 40% corn, and 12% malted barley and the second reflects a traditional bourbon mash bill of 68% corn, 20% winter rye, and 12% malted barley. Outryder has an initial nose of creamy browned butter with cinnamon, clove and allspice, along with freshly baked, dark-rye bread. Hints of orange blossom honey are on the palate. A long, spicy rye finish is coupled with hints of buttery toffee. Age: 4 years and 10 months.

Wyoming Whiskey Private Stock ($49.99 – $54.99/ 92-112 Proof): Wyoming Whiskey retailers have the option to hand-select one-of-a-kind Wyoming Whiskey bourbon barrels. Head distiller Sam Mead and industry consultant Nancy Fraley will choose the initial barrel samples based on their unique, and varied, flavor profiles. Through the Private Stock Barrel Program, retailers can select from five different 100ml Wyoming Whiskey barrel samples. Accounts will select their barrel, and proof, and it will become uniquely theirs as indicated on the custom label. Depending on the barrel, and proof, a 34 – 38 case yield should be expected. Stores will have the unique option to pick the proof of their chosen bourbon between 92 – cask strength of approximately 112 proof. This gives retailers the ability to further customize their barrel selection to suit the desires of their customers. Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley. Age: 5 years

Wyoming Whiskey Double Cask ($59.99 / 50% ABV / 100 Proof): Wyoming Whiskey Double Cask is the first sherry barrel-finished bourbon offered out of Wyoming. Pedro Ximenez barrels were chosen to compliment the flavor profile of specifically chosen barrels of fully-matured Wyoming Whiskey bourbon. Double Cask features dark, autumnal notes of dried apricot and fig, stewed prune, black currant and toasted nuts. There are hints of candied orange peel, vanilla butter cream, and molasses underneath. The finish is comprised of dark, dried fruit followed by warm, brown baking spices. Mash bill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley. Age: 5 years.

Wyoming Whiskey product character highlights:

• All water used to produce WW award-winning bourbon comes from a mile-deep, limestone aquifer in Manderson, Wyoming.

• Wyoming Whiskey’s wheat, corn, barley, and rye have been grown within 100 miles of the distillery in Kirby, Byron, Thermopolis, and Riverton, Wyoming.

• Wyoming Whiskey’s barley is malted in Great Falls, Montana, the nearest malting facility.

• Wyoming Whiskey’s grains are milled on-site daily with a two-stage roller mill guaranteeing freshness.

• All fermentation and distillation occurs on-site through the use of four 2,500 gallon fermentation tanks and a continuous distillation system comprised of a 38’ tall and 18” wide column still and a 42” by 40” pot still.

• Wyoming Whiskey bourbon is bottled on-site. No product, other than their own, makes it into the bottle.

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About Wyoming Whiskey
Wyoming Whiskey has a simple goal: to create America’s next great bourbon. Based in Kirby, Wyoming, the company and product is a collaboration between its partners and 97,818 square miles of Wyoming. The Mead family first came to Wyoming as ranchers in 1890 and the state defines them, and their whiskey. They use the finest corn, wheat, barley, and water from the Big Horn Basin and promote Wyoming’s natural and human resources. Every drop of this bourbon is 100% Wyoming. To learn more, visit wyomingwhiskey.com.

Highland Park Valkyrie – Viking Spirit

One in three people living on Orkney have Scandinavian ancestry, so it was no surprise when Highland Park embraced this heritage with its Warriors Series, a range of whiskies named after proud Vikings: Sigurd, Harald, Einar, and the like. But the next stage in the conquest has arrived: the Viking Legend series, the first of which is Valkyrie, named after the female spirits with the power to choose who would live or die on the battlefield.

For even more authenticity, the distillery enlisted the help of Danish designer Jim Lyngvild, who can trace his lineage all the way back to the Viking era – his 36th great-grandfather was Ragnvald Eysteinsson, the first Earl of the Orkney Islands. Jim’s design for the Valkyrie bottle adds a bold splash of red (a departure from Highland Park’s traditional black and silver) to symbolise the blood of fallen warriors.

The Highland Park whiskymaking team (are you sure about this? – Ed)

The whisky itself is bigger and bolder than Highland Park’s 12 Year Old. Master whisky maker Gordon Motion says he ‘dialled up the peat’ with Valkyrie, and that sweet, aromatic smoke really comes through on the palate, along with plenty of spice and fruit – the 12yo seems rather refined in comparison.

Gordon adds that Orkney’s topography has an impact on its whisky, too: ‘There are very few trees on Orkney, so you’ll find gorse, bracken and heather in our peat,’ he says. ‘It gives a much sweeter, more floral character than, say, Islay peat. It’s like an incense stick – still very smoky, but it gives you an aromatic, floral note.’

2018 will see the next release in the Viking Legend series – Valknut – named after the tattoo the Valkyries used to identify the special warriors fit to join Odin’s army, while Valhalla, so named after the hallowed Viking afterlife, will complete the trilogy in 2019.

Keep an eye out, too, for new branding and packaging for the Highland Park core range. The liquid will remain exactly the same, and the age statements will stay, but the 10yo will be called Viking Scars; the 12yo will become Viking Pride; while the 18yo will be known as Viking Honour. Click here to see our extensive range of Highland Park whiskies.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Highland Park Valkyrie – Viking Spirit

Ardbeg “Kelpie” Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) ($109.99)

The much anticipated release of Argbeg’s newest expression is finally upon us. As with all of the Ardbeg’s limited releases, we expect this newest edition to fly off our shelves in the matter of hours, so this is an offer that demands quick action. Called “Kelpie,” this new edition is named after the mythical beast from Corryvreckan, but also alludes to “kelp” or seaweed. Aged in Russian oak barrels from Adygea, near Georgia along the Black Sea, the whisky exudes a whirlwind of dark fudge, earthy peat, and of course a healthy dollop of seaweed and salt water flavors. As we’ve come to expect from Ardbeg’s director of distilling, Dr. Bill Lumsden, Kelpie is every bit as a profound and expansive Scotch as we’ve ever had. Bottled at 46% ABV, it has a rich and warming mouthfeel that reveals flavors of treacle, espresso, smoked meats, clove, a host of orchard fruit notes, as well as touches of black pepper spice. Ardbeg produces towering expressions of whisky and the Kelpie is no exception. For fans of whisky’s rarest and most elite bottlings, this is simply a must have.

Brand New from Bunnahabhain

We’ve got a brand new release from Islay’s Bunnahabhain distillery now available to pre-order at Loch Fyne. Read on for all the details of Stiuireadair – not least how to pronounce it!

Bunnahabhain Stiuireadair

Stiùireadair, pronounced “stew-rahdur” and meaning Helmsman in Gaelic, has been matured in first and second fill sherry casks in the coastline warehouses of Bunnahabhain on Islay. Presented without chill-filtration and without artificial colouring, Stiùireadair exposes the coastal nature of Bunnahabhain.

£40 Pre-Order Now

Delivery w/c 5th June

Glen Scotia 25-year-old sets sail 

Independent Campbeltown distillery, Glen Scotia, has added a 25-year-old single malt to its award-winning range.

The single malt, which is dominated by maritime influences, was launched at the Campbeltown Whisky Festival on Wednesday 24 May.

Founded in 1832, Glen Scotia distillery is one of three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown, which is one of Scotland’s five recognised regions of Scotch whisky production. The Argyll town was known as the “Victorian Whisky Capital of the World” when there were over 30 distilleries operating on the Kintyre Peninsula.

Michael Henry, who is Master Blender for Loch Lomond Group, owners of Glen Scotia, explained the unique flavour of this complex single malt.

He said: “I created the 25 year old with the history of Campbeltown in mind. For many years, trade has come through this port town bringing fruits and spices from all over the world on its salty sea breezes. I wanted the liquid to reflect this.

“The signature nose has hints of vanilla oak, interwoven with subtle notes of sea spray and spicy aromatic fruits. On the palate, it boasts tangy orange and juicy red apples mixed with a caramel sweetness. Its finish is a long lingering taste of sea salt with a spicy note of ground ginger.”

The 25-year-old is bottled at 48.8% ABV and is non-chill filtered for increased depth of character and flavour. The liquid was matured in the finest American oak barrels, before each cask being hand selected by Michael Henry and then married in first fill bourbon casks for a final 12 months before bottling.

Iain McAlister, Glen Scotia distillery manager, said: “We’re extremely proud of our newly released 25 year old malt and we’re confident that everyone who gives it a try is going to love it too. In recent years, our single malts have won some major industry awards and I can see our 25 year old challenging the current leaders for a few more titles.

“While our 25 year old maintains the unique character associated with Glen Scotia single malts, its gentle maturation in American oak and then finished in first fill bourbon casks delivers an intense depth and a nose that will have drinkers almost feeling the Atlantic breeze blowing in over the Campbeltown coast.”

The 25 year old won praise from renowned whisky writer Charles MacLean, who conducted a tasting of the new malt at its launch.

He said: “I’m very impressed by Glen Scotia’s new 25 year old. Even on the nose you can detect the age.

“It has all the characteristics that you’d expect from Glen Scotia but with a roundness to it. It is very nice indeed.”

The single malt will be stocked in all good whisky shops from June and will retail at £250 for 70cl bottles. The emblematic Glen Scotia bottle is presented in an oak case engraved with the Campbeltown coordinates.

Glen Scotia was recently named the Best Campbeltown Distillery of the Year at the 2017 Berlin International Spirits Competition.

Glen Scotia 25 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky tasting notes

• Nose – Bracing Atlantic breeze gives strong maritime influence.
• Palate – Red apple and tangy orange peel with vanilla syrup and caramel sweetness.
• Finish – Long lingering sea salt with a spicy note of ground ginger. 

About Glen Scotia:

• Independent distiller Glen Scotia has been producing single malt whisky in Campbeltown since 1832.
• Glen Scotia is one of three surviving distilleries in Campbeltown.
• Glen Scotia was named Best Campbeltown Distillery of the Year at the 2017 Berlin International Spirits Competition.
• Images and interviews with key staff from Glen Scotia are available upon request.

Glen Scotia variants

• Glen Scotia Double Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Glen Scotia Victoriana Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Glen Scotia 15 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky
• Glen Scotia 25 year old

Glen Scotia stockists

Glen Scotia will be available to purchase in June from all good specialists and online retailers including:

• Robbie’s Drams (www.robbieswhiskymerchants.com)
• Royal Mile Whiskies (www.royalmilewhiskies.com)
• The Whisky Shop (www.whiskyshop.com)
• Master of Malt (www.masterofmalt.com)

www.glenscotia.com /Twitter: @GlenScotiaMalts

Malt Messenger Bulletin – Great Tastings & New Whiskies

June is a very busy whisky month at Kensington Wine Market, with a lot going on. The month starts out with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Outturn tastings, as does every other month. Last night’s was the first of 3 June Outturn tastings, and the whiskies were a hit. Nothing unusual there… there are 1-2 tickets each remaining for 6PM and 8PM seatings tomorrow. The Society tastings are just the warm-up. Tonight, Thursday June 1, I am hosting a Whisky Dinner at the Ranchmen’s Club, which they have opened up to the public. For $155 including taxes and gratuity you’ll enjoy a custom cocktail, six whiskies selected by yours truly and have a great meal. If you are in to smoking cigars, there is an opportunity to do that at the end of the night. If you are interested in attending this event please send me an email.

Saturday is all about Ardbeg, as we launch the new release Ardbeg Kelpie with Master Classes at KWM. The 3PM Master Class is sold out, and there are but 4 spots left in the 1PM seating. Ardbeg Day continues on to the evening in Calgary with PRLR Lounge, also in Kensington, hosting an event from 7-11. June 8th is our Sold Out Spring Single Malt Festival. You need to get in on the Spring Single Malt Festival early, it usually sells out in weeks after we’ve announced the date. The following week we are very excited to welcome John Glaser to KWM, for his first tasting in Calgary in nearly a decade! John is coming to help us launch a very exciting bespoke Compass Box / KWM collaboration Blend! We have two tastings with John on Tuesday May 13, at 5PM and 8PM. There is only 1 spot left at 8PM and there are about a dozen left at 5PM. You won’t want to miss this one!

The week following John Glaser’s tasting we are having a Scotch Malt Whisky Society 5½.25 Festival. Why the oddly named 5½.25 Festival? First it is play on the Society’s unique numbering system for its bottles. But it is also marking two occasions, Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary and the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 5½th Anniversary in Canada. There will be around 80 Scotch Malt Whisky Society whiskies open for sampling, including some long sold out old friends, current releases and previews of a few things yet to come. The SMWS Festival is open to the public for the price of $60, $50 for Members. In the 72 hours since we opened ticket sales to members, half of the tickets have already sold! As an added incentive, at least $10 per ticket will be donated to the Calgary Food Bank!

The night after the SMWS Festival we are having a very special version of our ever popular Master Malts tasting. As 2017 is Kensington Wine Market’s 25th Anniversary we thought it would be fun to pit a range of 7 25 year old whiskies head to head. Master Malts 25 Year Old Edition, Friday, June 23rd, is more than half sold out! And last but not least we will be celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday at the end of the month with a Spirit of Canada, Canadian whisky tasting on Thursday, June 29th. Details on all of these events can be found on our website. Some of them are highlighted below.

There are a lot of great events to get excited about this month, but also same great whiskies. We are expecting our first KWM exclusive single barrel of Wyoming Whiskey (KWM Cask) next week. At the same time we will also see the first bottles of our Compass Box KWM 25th Anniversary Blend. There are 11 new releases from Hunter Laing, including a new First Edition and 9 excellent value, Old Malt Cask Expressions. There is also an amazing price being offered on the Tomatin 25 Year 375ml, at just $150, two bottles of it are $50 cheaper than a 750ml of the same whisky… We don’t often see small format bottles of older whiskies like this. It is also a discontinued product! And finally there is a new limited edition Highland Park Fire. We have yet to sample the whisky, which is the follow up to last year’s Highland Park Ice. But it did get a 90pt Score from Serge on Whisky Fun. Limit 1 per customer.

I hope this Malt Messenger Bulletin finds you well, and that we will see you at one of the great events we have planned this month in Calgary!

Slainté!

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market

PS – Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter:

 @scotch_guy, Instagram:  @thescotch_guy/

or @kwmwhisky and Facebook:  facebook.com/scotch.guy.1

In This Edition

1. Ardbeg Day 2017
2. Compass Box with John Glaser & a KWM Blend
3. Scotch Malt Whisky Society 5½.25 Festival
4. New Wyoming Whiskey KWM Cask
5. New Hunter Laing Whiskies
6. Great Deal: Tomatin 25 Year 375ml
7. Introducing Highland Park Fire

Ardbeg Day 2017 

This week the whisky world has been celebrating the 2017 Islay Festival of Music and Malt, or Fèis Ìle to locals. All 9 of Islay’s distilleries have their own open day, and there is also a special guest appearance by neighbouring island distillery, Jura. To celebrate the day, Jura haved released the latest limited edition of Jura Tastival and we’ve managed to get a hold of a few bottles for our customers!

Stictly limited

Only available while stocks last

Jura Tastival 2017

Released in celebration of Jura Tastival at the 2017 Fèis Ìle, this limited edition from the island distillery marries some of the finest aged spirits in the Jursa warehouses, enhanced in first-fill American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels and hand-selected Graham’s Port pipes from Portugal’s Douro Valley. Bottled at a natural strength of 51% abv, each bottle in uniquely numbered.

Amer gold in colour with falshes of crimson mahogany. The nose opens with Black Forest fruits, chewy liquorice, ripe plums and creamy white chocolate. The palate brings orange zest and glazed pineapple with walnut cake and crème de cassis.

£85 Pre-Order Now

THE REBRANDING OF LUXCO

When I first started learning about American whiskey back around 2007, one of the first things I noticed when talking and emailing with drinkers across the country was how much good, value-oriented, drinkable Bourbon was available outside of California. That’s not to say we didn’t have quality, inexpensive options here in the Golden State, but rather there didn’t seem to be a real appreciation of them. Everyone was dead set on drinking “the best” rather than something dependable on the daily. I remember Chuck Cowdery at one point telling me to try Very Old Barton on my first trip to Kentucky, a whiskey not distributed out west that symbolized to him a great example of Bourbon’s true value. To this day I buy a 1.75 liter bottle of Barton each time I visit. At the CVS in downtown Louisville you can get the giant Weller-shaped jug for about $22, which comes out to about $9.50 per 750ml. Whiskey at that price is suspicious to us snooty San Franciscans who think great Bourbon has to cost at least $50 to even be considerable.

The joke is on us, however.

Bourbon wasn’t expensive when the boom hit back around 2009 and-with the exception of the oft-discussed, impossible-to-find trophy bottles-it still isn’t priced like a luxury liquid in most places. Not only can you still get a top-notch bottle of Bourbon for less than $30, in many states you can get a decent bottle for less than $20. Two such brands that come to mind are Rebel Yell and Ezra Brooks, labels owned by Luxco-a St. Louis-based company that contracts much of its whiskey from Heaven Hill and MGP, but recently has begun production on a new distillery along the Kentucky Bourbon trail. While I often hear serious Bourbon drinkers and industry professionals discuss Luxco’s labels with a smirk or a snicker, I’m not sure what’s so ridiculous about quality Heaven Hill and MGP-distilled products between $10 and $20 a bottle. Am I supposed to be embarrassed? I don’t get it.

The only thing that would have embarrassed me about drinking Rebel Yell Bourbon a few years ago might have been the label, but that’s all changed now. Luxco has finally brought their new and improved packaging out to the West Coast so that we can finally get a taste of what $13 wheated Bourbon tastes like out of a more respectable bottle. The other kicker is the $24 bottle of 101 proof 7 year old Kentucky Bourbon from Ezra Brooks. It’s the same price as Elijah Craig, likely comes from the same formula, and it’s higher in proof. Again, what am I supposed to be snickering about? It’s delicious, inexpensive, and easy to drink with a supple graininess that really hits the spot. If you’re a whiskey purist, you can always take shots at MGP rye products that have the name of a different distillery on the front (like the Minor Case), but at the same time there aren’t a lot of sherry-aged ryes out there to choose from. At least Luxco is offering you something different here, in a nice little flask no less.

Luxco’s Bardstown distillery is still in the construction phase, but in the meantime enjoy the closest thing we have out here in CA to a Very Old Barton-like value. Ezra Brooks rye for $15? Wheated Bourbon for $13? They’re all yours starting today…

Rebel Yell Straight Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) ($12.99)

Rebel Yell “Reserve” Straight Kentucky Bourbon (750ml) ($21.99)

Rebel Yell Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($21.99)

Ezra Brooks Kentucky Straight Bourbon (750ml) ($14.99)

Ezra Brooks Kentucky Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($15.99)

Ezra Brooks 7 Year Old Bourbon (750ml) ($24.99)

Minor Case Sherry Cask Rye Whiskey (750ml) ($49.99)