Cask No. 76.118                            $210

We ♥ Whisky!

Speyside, Spey

This reminded the panel of delicious buttery toast with slabs of marmalade and raspberry jam. Mint toffee and a lively lemon sherbet took time before more creamy rhubarb and custard took over. It made all participants a little dreamy, we all felt relaxed as if we’d been on a tropical holiday. Water opened more waxy apple, greengage and lemon hanging from the tree. The sweet, earthy orchard carpet was laden with pine needles. It became extremely juicy and the panel were in no rush. Roasted sweet potato sprinkled with white pepper and macadamia nut concluded this enjoyable journey.

Drinking tip: Stop the clocks

Colour: Fading sunlight

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 27 years

Date distilled: April 1987

Alcohol: 49.5%

USA allocation: 120 bottles

Flavour profile: Sweet, fruity & mellow 

Cask No. 77.38                              $135

Why? Why not?

Highland, Northern

On the nose neat we had a Thai green chicken curry with coconut milk, lime leaves, lemongrass, basil, garlic and pea aubergines on a sunny warm beach. The taste was somewhat different. We had a good old breakfast ‘fry-up’ consisting of eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans as well as grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, plenty of brown sauce and all washed down with the perfect cuppa. The aroma after dilution was ‘bizarre’ with loads of character; engine oil, lavender sweets, deep-fried Mars bars and the flavour was that of tempura courgette flowers with cream cheese, basil and honey

Drinking tip: Let’s have another one please!

Colour: Daffodils

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 14 years

Date distilled: March 2000

Alcohol: 52.2%

USA allocation: 102 bottles

Flavour profile: Spicy & sweet

Cask No. 3.229                      $205   

A mermaid in a meadow

Islay

Our mermaid sits amidst fresh lavender and kelp delicately nibbling on salted ciabatta with chorizo. She has prepared a rockpool bath with fragrant lemon and petal bath bombs. Hints of parma violet and sherbet emerge as she dips her fishy tail. After bathing she reclines on a freshly laundered blanket scented with wild flowers. She found seaweed sushi spritzed with lemon juice with wasabi and salmiak. To finish there was toasted cereal, American in style, pops, loops and flakes all in attendance. And with all said and done and a flick of her tail she disappeared into the misty depths.

Drinking tip: When your imagination needs a wee lift

Colour: Wishy washy gold

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 26 years

Date distilled: April 1988

Alcohol: 51.3%

USA allocation: 153 bottles

Flavour profile: Old & dignified 

Cask No. 93.64                              $130

Holidays at the beach

Campbeltown

Four seasons in one day. Cool flint and dewy moss underfoot as our campers emerged from their tent. The sun crept over the dunes so they huddled in wax jackets before last nights fire munching BBQ crisps for breakfast. They rekindled the fire with green twigs, which warmed with intense woody spice, and grilled white fish and oysters in the shell. Sea salty spray blew in their faces as a squall blew over, but after the rain came calm. Old fashioned tanning oil, and floral aromas emerged, laced with sugared almonds and nectarine with brooding smoke in the distance.

Drinking tip: Teasing smoke will tickle your tongue

Colour: Washed sand

Cask: Refill barrel

Age: 13 years

Date distilled: April 2002

Alcohol: 57.4%

USA allocation: 90 bottles

Flavour profile: Lightly peated

http://www.smwsa.com/

Cambus

30 Year Old 1984 Sovereign Whisky

Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Cambus 30 Year Old 1984 vintage Lowland single grain Scotch whiskey. Single cask refill hosghead #11741 bottled August 2015 by Hunter Laing & Co. for the Sovereign series. 180 numbered bottles.

This golden coloured whisky has a mellow and sweet nose on custard powder, followed by sweet peaches and overripe pears. The palate is rich with vanilla and toffee and another layer of fruits and spices. It finishes long and sweet with fruits and a tad of mouth drying oak.

Cambus

Cambus Distillery opened at Cambus near Alloa in 1806 to produce malt and grain whisky. Prior to closure in 1993 Cambus produced grain whisky. The buildings now house a Diagio cask filling centre. Cambus is a lost Scottish lowlands whisky distillery.

Cambus 30 Year Old Sovereign $136.89

Strathcolm Single Grain Scotch Whisky Press Release – October 2015

Angus Dundee Distillers is delighted to announce the launch of the Strathcolm Single Grain Scotch Whisky product range consisting of the following three versions: an un-aged, and an 8 and 12 years old.

This single grain whisky range has been distilled in Scotland in classic column stills and has been made using the finest wheat and malted barley.

Marketing Director, Duncan Baldwin commented: “For years Grain Scotch Whisky was thought of, only, in terms of – a core ingredient of blended Scotch whiskies. The grain whiskies that we have selected for the Strathcolm range prove that there are real and admirable qualities in single grain whisky. The flavours and aromas are mild, soft, floral and light. The result is a range of whiskies with great appeal to suit a wide range of palates”.

Tasting Notes:

Un-aged

Colour: Harvest gold

Nose: Toffee sweetness with orange blossom floral notes and a rich vein of vanilla

Palate: Attractively sweet and floral alongside nutty and fruity flavours

Finish: Endearingly smooth and creamy drawing out to a light vanilla close

8 yo

Colour: Warm gold

Nose: Floral and dry with herbal notes

Palate: A mixture of set honey and garden flowers with a dry-ish, dusty wheat layer

Finish: A light and dry finalé

12 yo

Colour: Amber

Nose: Mature oak and floral tones intermingle and hints of cut geraniums emerge

Palate: Rounded and light with harmonious flavours of vanilla and orange

Finish: Light, soft and enduring

The Strathcolm range has been packaged in cases of 6 x 70cl bottles in cylindrical cartons at 40% vol. The design is contemporary and stylish.

The product is immediately available and will be sold in key markets of Europe and Asia and as well as the USA. Consumer prices are likely to be in the region of:

Un-aged: £22.50 / €32

8 years old: £26.99/ €38

12 years old: £31.99/ €45

Contact: Duncan Baldwin

Angus Dundee Distillers

20-21 Cato Street

London W1H 5JQ

Tel: 0207 569 2000

dbaldwin@angusdundee.co.uk

NOVEMBER PREVIEWS: HAPPY DRAMS

This week’s preview selection is all about happiness and contentment. A job well done, an early morning walk on the beach, celebrating a special moment; all come with a warm glow of satisfaction, as do these lovely drams. So whether you work hard or play hard, being the first to hold one close is sure to bring a smile…

Sweet, fruity & mellow

36.90

Happy, frivolous, smoochy dram
A fruity nose (mandarin, melon) with Victoria sponge, biscuits and wood shavings; candy necklaces, coffee kisses and freesias with water. The palate is sweet (millionaire shortbread, chocolate M&Ms, toffee, coffee fudge) and lively (honeydew melon, raspberries, tinny tingles of toasted oak).

15 years old First fill ex-bourbon barrel

£55.20 Buy >

Spicy & sweet

48.63

Up all night editorial
Her desk is chaos, scattered with dusty magazines, lemon drizzle cake, marmalade, spiced banana bread. She chews lemon bon bons, aniseed balls and nibbles chocolate buttons and tablet. Dawn creeps slowly and rewards with hot, buttered toast and freshly iced buns.

11 years old
First fill ex-bourbon barrel

£45.60 Buy >

Oily & coastal

3.254

Sweet & salty seaweed
Like an early morning walk on a pebble beach with the enticing smell of salty and sweet seaweed in the air. To taste, scallops and sweet chilli on rocket leaves. Diluted, we ended up with a bowl of steaming smoked haddock chowder.

19 years old
Refill ex-bourbon hogshead

Only 18* preview bottles!
£87.90 Buy >

Expect your next email on Friday 30 October

Browse New Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

*We release a small number of bottles as a preview – it’s one of the perks of being an email subscriber! But don’t worry if you don’t get one tonight; the majority of bottles are released on First Friday.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact:mailto:sales@smws.comor 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

Glencraig

1975 Rare Old Whisky

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Glencraig 38 Year Old 1976 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Lot #R0/12/02 Matured in Refill American Hogshead, bottled by 2012 Gordon & MacPahil for the Rare Old series.

Glencraig Scotch was distilled using the Lomond stills at Glenburgie distillery between 1958 & 1981.

Nose: Sweet and fruity with tropical fruit and sweet vanilla notes. A Spicy edge with charred oak and orange peel aromas.

Taste: Dry and earthy initially on the palate, with a subtle spiciness, hints of dark chocolate and orange zest.

Glenburgie

Glenburgie Distillery was established near Forres in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region by John Paul in 1829. Equipped with two pot stills until 1958 when two Lomond stills were installed and two malt whiskies were produced, Glenburgie from the pot stills and Glencraig from the Lomond stills. The Lomond stills were removed in 1981 and replaced with two pot stills. Glenburgie Distillery is now producing malt whisky from pot six stills.

Buy – $790.86

Yes, we know, it’s hard to believe: an actual seventeen year old Bourbon that you can actually get from an actual Kentucky whiskey distillery.

Not just any distillery either—Wild Turkey, the famous Kickin’ Chicken still under the watchful eye of legendary distiller Jimmy Russell. A release like this in the whiskey industry is a pretty big deal, so obviously we wanted to know more about how the product came to be. Seeing that my colleague and I happened to be searching for casks in Kentucky all last week, we decided to stop by the Wild Turkey distillery to see if we could get a sneak preview of the new release. Jimmy greeted us as we walked in and was more than happy to oblige.

In the current American whiskey environment, finding an age statement older than ten years is becoming an anomaly. The first question we had for Jimmy before tasting was straight-forward: where did Wild Turkey find these barrels? Were they purposely being held back for a future release? “Back in the late 90s we were having storage issues on site and we needed to offload some of our inventory,” he told us. “We needed somewhere to put some of our whiskey.” This isn’t an uncommon practice in the whiskey industry—distilleries borrowing or renting warehouse space from other companies. “The Master’s Keep is made from a batch of barrels we had been storing off-site,” he told us. We nodded in understanding. Then we took a sip.
“This is incredibly soft!” I reacted in surprise. “It’s very rich, but at the same time it’s incredibly mellow. Was there a reason you guys proofed it down to 43%?” I asked. Then came the shocker: “That’s actually right about at cask strength for these barrels,” Jimmy answered. “You see at one point we had to transfer the whiskey over to the Old Taylor distillery. Are you guys familiar with that place?”

“Do you mean the haunted old site down the road from here?” I asked.

“That’s the one,” Jimmy said. “The warehouses at Old Taylor are made from brick, which isn’t the standard material for a Bourbon warehouse these days. You don’t get the same fluctuation of temperature like you do in a wooden rickhouse, so the whiskey tends to lower in proof over time. These casks spent a lot of time in those old brick warehouses, so they were aged more like Scotch.” We took another sip.

“It doesn’t taste watered down. It’s loaded with candy corn and vanilla and toasted oak, but I can’t get over how silky it is,” I said. “When you noticed that the casks were lowering in proof did you eventually pull them back over to the Wild Turkey site?”

“Yes,” Jimmy answered. “If you look a the label you’ll see it says ‘1. Wood, 2. Stone, 3. Wood’ and that’s to indicate the three types of warehouses in which the whiskey was aged. This is the oldest whiskey we’ve ever released. My son Eddy did the blending and we’re very proud of it.”

Not only is the new Master’s Keep stunningly smooth and delicious, it also comes in one of the most beautiful whiskey bottles we’ve seen, adorned with a handsome gift box. It’s one of the most impressive releases from Wild Turkey ever—period. A seventeen year old Bourbon from Jimmy Russell, made from a batch of barrels aged at the ghostly Old Taylor distillery? How could we temper our excitement?!

Now let’s just hope we’ve secured enough to satiate demand! I’d order now while it’s still here. -David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer

Wild Turkey 17 Year Old Master’s Keep Kentucky Bourbon 750ml ($129.99)

Finding an age statement in today’s Bourbon market is like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Finding one that’s above ten years of age is like finding a needle in a haystack. Because of the current state of affairs, the prices for American whiskey are going bananas. So how is it that Wild Turkey can come in and drop a 17 year old gem of a Bourbon for the same price as some non-age statement MGP-bottled mystery? We weren’t sure, so we headed on down to the distillery recently to try ourselves a pour. Soft, round, and rich on the palate, this is a velvet textured whiskey for those looking for “smooth”. It’s loaded with candy corn, toasted oak, and even a touch of maple syrup on the finish. We visited with Jimmy Russell soon after and it turns out the reduced proof and softness of the spirit came due to the brick warehouses at the Old Taylor site where these casks were kept. It reduced the ABV, rather than increased it because brick does a better job of keeping out the heat, so the low proof is a natural phenomenon of the environment. And it tastes like 17 year old Bourbon with extra weight on the palate and concentration of oak you just don’t find in 10 year old whiskies. I doubt we’ll see anything this good in this quantity any time again soon. For those of you who need that special Bourbon Christmas gift this year, I’d start shopping right now.(David Driscoll).

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Strathisla 1965 – Rare Vintage

Much of Strathisla’s production is used for blending, in brands such as Chivas Regal. When released as a single malt it’s usually exceptional and this rare bottling is no exception. Distilled in 1965 and aged in a first fill sherry butt until 2013, bottled by Gordon & MacPhail under their Rare Vintage series.

Awarded a ‘Liquid Gold’ Award in Jim Murray’s 2014 Whisky Bible.

£529.80

Strathisla 1969 – Rare Vintage

A beautiful 1969 vintage Strathisla bottled by Gordon & MacPhail under their very impressive, Rare Vintage series. Founded in 1786, Strathisla was originally known as Milton Distillery, with the whisky itself being called Strathisla!

£419.40

Strathisla 1970 – Rare Vintage

Gordon & MacPhail hold some very impressive stock within their warehouses. This Strathisla whisky from 1970 was matured in a first fill sherry butt before being bottled in 2014 at 43% vol under their Rare Vintage series. A big, robust & very moreish Speyside single malt Scotch whisky.

£398.40

Brora 1977 37 year old

Quite possibly one of the most collectable whiskies available anywhere in world, Brora has developed a cult following over the years and this is the oldest Brora ever released in the Diageo special release series.

Limited to only 2976 bottles and bottled at 50.4% volume.

If a chocolatier made a malt it would surely taste like this, with cocoa-rich shells and centres of caramel, cherry fruit and marzipan offset by a perfectly judged sea-salt piquancy.

£1300 Buy Now

Port Ellen 1983 32 year old

The magic year for any Port Ellen fan and the very last year of production for this Islay distillery. Limited to only 2964 bottles which have been individually numbered. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 53.9%

Like some memory of a fiery event, this sweet, intense, enigmatic and uncompromising Port Ellen displays a complex tour de force of aromas and flavours; it has a profound smokiness, more easily approached with water: deeply complex and carrying its years elegantly, this is an outstandingly dark expression, exceptional both as a Port Ellen and by any standards.

£2400 Buy Now

Pittyvaich 1989 25 year old

Incredibly this bottling has lived longer than the distillery did. Established in 1975 and closed in 1993 Just 5922 individually numbered bottles available world-wide.

This Pittyvaich is easy to drink at natural strength yet is also a complex, attractive and slender whisky, ideal for after dinner contemplation: well balanced, with a sweet, malty nose and palate, and also a refined oiliness and subtle pungency, with a smooth, aromatic and drying conclusion.

£250 Buy Now

The Cally 1974 40 year old

Dailuaine 1980 34 year old

Clynelish Select Reserve

The Dalwhinnie 25 year old

The Caol Ila 17 year old

Lagavulin 12 year old

Kilchoman 2008 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whiskey. The oldest Kilchoman whisky released to date – aged 7 Years. Matuerd in fresh American bourbon barrels, bottled August 2015 limited to 10,000 bottles.

Kilchoman 7 Year Old 2008 $83.82

Nose: Lemon, citrus and butterscotch notes are prominent with soft peaty aromas in the background.
Palate: Soft sweetness first with peat smoke and ripe fruit notes following.
Finish: Long, clean and sweet with peat smoke and soft fruits at the end.

Kilchoman

Kilchoman Distillery was established by Anthony Wills in 2005 at Rockside Farm near the centuries old Kilchoman Cross and the old Kilchoman Church on the Isle of Islay. Kilchoman Distillery is a malt whisky distillery which malts barley grown in Rockside fields and bottles Kilchoman single malt whisky at the distillery using local Islay water. Field to bottle. Kilchoman is the newest and most westerly of Islay’s distilleries and with just two small stills it is one of the smallest working distilleries in Scotland.

Compass Box – This is Not a Luxury Whisky

“This particular luxury has been designed to be consumed, not preserved on a shelf. Use it to celebrate life’s little victories – a new job, a chance meeting with a friend, the conclusion of an enjoyable dinner. Above all else, share and enjoy..”

– John Glaser.

This is Not a Luxury Whisky, a 2015 release from The Compass Box Whisky Company.

The inspiration for this limited release is René Magritte’s 1929 work “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”, a Surrealist painting which challenges peoples’ perceptions of reality… A release, very much about the liquid itself and asking people to consider, what is a luxury whisky?

£144.60

Compass Box – Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary

A new limited edition Flaming Heart from the excellent, Compass Box Whisky Company. This, the fifth and also the 15th Anniversary release of Flaming Heart combines Scotch whisky aged in new French oak with peaty, smokey malt from Islay. As ever, the packaging is stupendous!

£99.48