GLENGLASSAUGH – THE MASSANDRA CONNECTION

The Glenglassaugh Distillery is pleased to announce the launch of an exclusive and unique range of single casks, each one of which has been finished in different wine casks from the world famous Crimean winery, Massandra.

Massandra is the oldest winery in the Crimea, it has been producing fine wines for more than 110 years winning international acclaim for their exceptional quality. The winery was built in 1894 – 1897 near Yalta, Crimea and the subtropical air climate of the region and the protective shields of mountain chains create unique conditions for the production of high quality fortified and dessert wines.

Glenglassaugh has exclusively purchased a small quantity of casks from Massandra which had previously been used for maturing the very best wines from this winery. Each cask has imparted it’s own unique character and style and these now form the exclusive Glenglassaugh Massandra Connection Single Cask Series.

Each cask has helped the single malt Scotch whisky to develop its own exclusive, distinctive character while still retaining all of the award winning qualities for which Glenglassaugh is rightly very highly regarded. This range is different, it is truly outstanding and each of the styles is unique.

Madeira Style Finish 33 Year Old 44.8% – £350 BUY NOW

Muscat Finish 39 Year Old 44.1% – £390 BUY NOW

Aleatico Finish 39 Year Old 50.7% – £440 BUY NOW

Sherry Style Finish 39 Year Old 53.3% – £460 BUY NOW

Red Port Style Finish 45 Year Old 50.2% – £690 BUY NOW

Single Malts Limited | 36 Gordon Street | Huntly | Aberdeenshire | AB54 8EQ |

The Macallan Gold Is Now Available Online At The Whisky Shop

The Whisky Shop is pleased to announce that the brand new Macallan Gold is now available to order via the Whisky Shop. Only whilst stocks last.

This range brings together two of the greatest strengths of the Macallan – natural colour and sherry seasoned oak casks. Together they create a signature Macallan character embracing all the defining elements which have made it one of the worlds truly great single malt whiskies.

Tasting Notes:

A burnished gold spirit offering a lemon citrus nose, then orange peel and sweetness that softens but doesn’t eliminate the zest. A note of vanilla followed more assertive by dark chocolate – with lingering floral and light oak notes. Citrus and boiled sweets dance on the palate, along with hints of ginger and cinnamon, while soft oak tones reveal toasted apples. The finish is medium sweet, malty and slightly dry.

Only £35.99

Click Here To Buy

The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com www.whiskyshop.com

FLAMING HEART is back!

Rock ‘n’ Roll-inspired Limited Edition whisky from Compass Box Whisky Co. returns to popular acclaim

Award-winning boutique whiskymaker, Compass Box Whisky Company, announces the fourth release of its popular, rock’n’roll-inspired FLAMING HEART Blended Malt Scotch whisky. It is big, bold and smoky with rich, concentrated vanilla and spice character.

John Glaser, American-born founder and whiskymaker of the London-based company, has created this new, fourth edition which once again pushes the boundaries by melding three Scotch styles: smoke, spice and sweetness. Only 9,147 bottles have been produced – perfectly in time for the holiday entertaining season. FLAMING HEART has previously won numerous awards, including Malt Advocate’s ‘Blended Whisky of the Year’ in 2011, and was awarded 95.5 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Glaser believes this version is probably the best yet:

“This is really one of our whiskies I am most proud of. Because there is, to our knowledge, no other Scotch whisky like it. No other that combines peat smoke and sweetness like this.”

“This is a whisky inspired by a rock song. Appropriate, perhaps, as rock music has long been associated with rebellion against societal norms and our humble company has been associated, for better or for worse, with a reaction against the “traditions” of Scotch whisky production. We like to think of our approach as reflecting a craft ethos –making whisky better for the sake of it. Flaming Heart is an ideal example of this approach. In the melodramatic parlance of a rock lyric, it is a whisky born of fire, yet one with a big heart.’

Befitting its name, the packaging of FLAMING HEART is thought-provoking and representative of the whisky’s rebel-like personality. The front label is illustrated by London-based artist, Alex Machin, while the packaging is designed by London and New York-based agency, Stranger & Stranger.

To celebrate the worldwide launch of Flaming Heart, Compass Box is designating Wednesday 3rd October FLAMING HEART DAY, encouraging as many people as possible to raise a glass of Flaming Heart together, wherever they are in the world.

ABOUT FLAMING HEART
“With this edition we worked hard to maintain the style of the popular 2010 version, but adding slightly more complexity. We started with some beautiful casks of Clynelish aged in American oak. Adding a large quantity of heavy-peated whisky and a large quantity of whiskies which had gone through a secondary maturation in new French oak. And to top it off, we added a tiny amount of whiskies aged in sherry casks, just 1% of the total recipe, but it helped to contribute added complexity which you can notice.” – John Glaser, Whiskymaker.

The original limited edition of FLAMING HEART debuted in 2006 and was then followed-up by small-batch productions in 2007 and 2010. The whiskies for the fourth Limited Edition of FLAMING HEART come from Single Malt whiskies from distilleries located in the Northern Highlands, Islay, Speyside and Islands, primarily from the south shore of Islay and the village of Brora (Highlands). The recipe is made up of 66.7% Highland Single Malts (for fruitiness and perfume) and 33.3% Islay and Island Single Malts (smokiness and peat). The whiskies are matured in 75% American Oak (which imparts notes of vanilla), 24% New French Oak (clove spice) and 1% Sherry cask (dried fruits).

Bottled at 48.9% alcohol by volume, this limited release of 9,147 bottles was bottled in August 2012. It is non-chillfiltered and has a natural colour. Sip neat or with the addition of water, to taste. Pricing will be approximately $115 in the USA, £83 in the UK and €100 in Europe. It will be available in Europe from September and from early October in the USA.

ABOUT COMPASS BOX (www.compassboxwhisky.com)
The Compass Box Whisky Company is a boutique Scotch whiskymaker and craft blender, started in 2000 by John Glaser. Compass Box produces and bottles a range of Scotch whiskies, available in over 25 countries around the world. A four-time winner of the Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year award, Compass Box is known throughout the whisky world for quality, innovation and passion for great whisky. The Compass Box signature range of whiskies includes Asyla, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree and Hedonism. They also produce limited release whiskies annually, and Orangerie, a Scotch whisky infusion. Their latest creation is a ground-breaking range of Blended Scotch whiskies called Great King Street. The first in the range is Artist’s Blend.

ABOUT JOHN GLASER
American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000. Having started his career on a path to become a winemaker, then re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London, Glaser has a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch whisky.

Glaser established Compass Box based on his commitment to evolving practices in the industry to make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people. From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality and style in the industry.

A Scotch Whisky Blend Made Just for New York

Great King Street to Release the First of its Limited Release Regional Blends

GREAT KING STREET, the Blended Scotch whisky specialist brand launched by the Compass Box Whisky Company last year, has announced they will launch next month their NEW YORK BLEND, the first of the brand’s Limited Release regional blends.

Compass Box founder and Great King Street whiskymaker John Glaser explains: “We were approached by the New York Whisky Fest last year asking us to debut a new whisky at this year’s festival, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to start a series of regional blends, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. What better place to begin than New York?”

Glaser has long been inspired by the old Scotch whisky blending houses of 120 years ago who commonly made different blends for regional tastes. He has also been inspired by the ways in which blends were made in this period, delivering far more flavour than those of today. These things have formed the basis of his whiskymaking approach for the Great King Street brand.

For the New York Blend, Glaser made two key discoveries that inspired this one-off, limited edition bottling. One was an ancient New York Times article describing an 1890s bartender named Patrick Duffy who was responsible for instigating the importation of branded Scotch whisky in glass bottles for the first time into New York. Second, was an old Scotch blend recipe from a Glasgow blending house from the same era. Glaser fashioned a blend based on the old recipe and dedicated the bottling to Duffy, and the New York Blend was born.

What sets this Great King Street blend apart from Scotch whisky blends of today is flavour. The New York Blend uses lots of peaty single malts, plenty of sherry cask-aged single malts, and a much higher proportion of malt to grain whisky (80%/20%) than is typically used today (generally 30%/70%).

The Great King Street “New York Blend” will be launched on Saturday, October 27th, 2012 at the New York Whisky Fest at the Marriot Marquis hotel in Manhattan. Only 1,840 bottles are being released and it will be available primarily in the New York metropolitan area and via the Compass Box Whisky Company web site. The suggested US retail price will be $75.00. Glaser plans more Great King Street regional blends in the future, but for now he is mum about the details of where or when!

ABOUT GREAT KING STREET www.greatkingstreet.com
“This is more than a brand; it’s a mission. A mission to get people – all people – to take a fresh look at Blended Scotch; to join in the Rebirth of the Blend: in how Blends are made, how they are viewed, how they are consumed.” – John Glaser, Whiskymaker

Great King Street is a new range of whiskies solely dedicated to Blended Scotch Whisky. The first in the range, the Artist’s Blend, launched in 2011. The name and label are inspired by Compass Box’s registered office address in Scotland – 24 Great King Street, in Edinburgh. By applying the same skill, techniques and philosophy used for the Compass Box Signature Range of whiskies, Great King Street will offer a style and approach to Blended Scotch that has not existed before. The keys are using individually chosen casks from some of Scotland’s best distilleries, a high proportion of malt whisky, truly excellent quality grain whiskies, and the careful use of new French Oak aging for added complexity. All bottled at a natural colour and without chill-filtering. They call whiskies made with this approach ‘craft blends’.

Glaser explains, “In a world where malt whisky gets all the attention, people often overlook the pleasures of good Blended Scotch. We believe that Great King Street will change this. There are good reasons why the blending of grain whisky and malt whisky has been the mainstay of the Scotch industry for over 100 years. Well-made Blended Scotches have an elegance and approachability that make them a joy to drink. Great King Street will offer a new and compelling alternative for both whisky enthusiasts who ordinarily drink only malt whiskies, and for whisky novices.”

ABOUT COMPASS BOX (www.compassboxwhisky.com)
The Compass Box Whisky Company is a boutique Scotch whiskymaker and craft blender, started in 2000 by John Glaser. Compass Box produces and bottles a range of Scotch whiskies, available in over 25 countries around the world. A four-time winner of the Whisky Magazine Innovator of the Year award, Compass Box is known throughout the whisky world for quality, innovation and passion for great whisky. The Compass Box signature range of whiskies includes Asyla, Oak Cross, The Peat Monster, The Spice Tree and Hedonism. They also produce limited release whiskies annually, and Orangerie, a Scotch whisky infusion. Their latest creation is a ground-breaking range of Blended Scotch whiskies called Great King Street. The first in the range is Artist’s Blend.

ABOUT JOHN GLASER
American ex-pat John Glaser started Compass Box Whisky Company from the kitchen of his west London home in 2000. Having started his career on a path to become a winemaker, then re-routing himself through the corporate world and ending up as marketing director for Johnnie Walker in London, Glaser has a unique perspective on both the creation and the marketing of Scotch whisky.
Glaser established Compass Box based on his commitment to evolving practices in the industry to make great Scotch whisky more approachable and relevant to more people. From the beginning, his vision has been to create one of Scotland’s finest and most exciting whisky companies, re-establishing the standards for quality and style in the industry.

The Ambassador of Bourbon: Maker’s Mark and the Rebirth of America’s Native Spirit, a visual depiction of the Maker’s Mark bourbon brand. Featuring photography of the famous distillery at the Star Hill Farm in Loretto, Kentucky from the lens of master photographer David Toczko, The Ambassador of Bourbon flawlessly conveys the story of the iconic Kentucky bourbon’s celebrated history.

The Ambassador of Bourbon is an amazing coffee table book for your home and makes a heartfelt gift to give to family and friends this holiday season.

Having taken over 10,000 photographs at the distillery, Toczko presents more than 250 of his favorite images, including several historic shots from the Samuels’ family archives that demonstrate why Maker’s Mark truly is The Ambassador of Bourbon.

The Ambassador of Bourbon can be purchased online at Barnes & Noble and Makersmarkshop.com for a retail price of $39.95.

New 2013 Edition of Malt Whisky Yearbook
t h e  f a c t s , t h e p e o p l e , t h e n ews , t h e s t o r i e s

*The Distillery Section completely revised with all the latest news
 *The chapter on Foreign Distilleries now bigger than ever – no less than 188 distilleries
 *New exciting articles by distinguished writers such as Charles MacLean, Ian Buxton, Gavin D Smith, Dominic Roskrow, Neil Ridley, Ian Wisniewski and Jonny McCormick
*Completely new Japanese chapter by Nicholas Coldicott
 *More than 250 tasting notes, including Japanese malts and independent bottlings
 *Meet brand ambassadors, retailers and whisky evangelists in Working on the Frontline
 *Learn about Whisky Cocktails and Whisky Tapas
 *Expanded section on Independent Bottlers
 *Last year´s success, Meet the Manager, continues with ten new interviews
 *The Whisky Year That Was – the most comprehensive summary you´ll find of the news and trends in the industry
 *All the latest info on bottlings, web sites, whisky shops, books as well as the latest statistics and figures
 *More than 500 colour photos

All in all – the most updated whisky book on the market! 

Published by MagDig Media Ltd.
Publication date; 1 October 2012
Number of pages; 300
ISBN 978-0-9552607-9-7
Recommended retail price in UK; £13.95
Contact; ingvar.ronde@magdig.com http://www.maltwhiskyyearbook.com/

Scotland – Pre-Arrival

Kilchoman K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($115.99)
Getting to taste fresh Kilchoman, right of the still, was one of the highlights of the trip this year for David and me. Something magical is going on inside this tiny farm distillery. Their formula is so delicious, even as a white dog, that it hardly needs much aging at all. However, we were very curious to see what five years in a first-fill sherry cask would do to soften up some of the spice. Sitting in the warehouse with manager John MacLellan, we tapped into one of the fresh butts and poured ourselves a sample. This malt is loaded with fresh earth, chewy oils, petrol and peat smoke, mossy, dried grass, and a maritime sea air note that really hangs on the finish. It’s a beast of a whisky, showcasing everything we love about both Kilchoman and sherry-aged Islay whisky. Of all the Kilchoman whiskies we’ve tasted, this one by far had the most maturity and was precocious beyond its years. It was only a matter of seconds before David and I looked at each other, nodded, and added another distillery-direct cask to the list. Years from now, when Kilchoman is one of the most sought-after malts in the world, no longer bottling private casks, we’ll look back and say, “We used to buy them right out the warehouse.” These are heady days for Islay fans. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)

United States – Bourbon and Rye

Larceny Kentucky Bourbon 750ml – 9 available ($22.99)

BACK IN STOCK…

Bourbon and Rye

Old Potrero Single Malt 18th Century Style Whiskey 750ml – 8 available ($69.99)

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

Fall Outturn Postcard Offerings 

A big, eye-watering slap 

Cask No. 23.72

Islay, Loch Indaal 

The nose forced shotgun shells and fireworks on us – but also gave barley sugars, custard and chocolate-coated foamy bananas; peppermint tea, liquorice, smoked ham and old bonfires. The palate’s big, eye-watering; sherry slap took our breath away – sweet red liquorice, cinder toffee, crème brûlée, treacle, cooked apples, ash and peat. The reduced nose suggested barbecued lamb chops dripping on embers, singed mint leaf and burnt lemon skin. Water definitely improved the palate – now sweeter (toasted coconut, vanilla, golden syrup, raisins, cherries) – also woody spices, crispy sage, and grilled lobster. The distillery is on the road from Port Charlotte to Bridgend. 

Drinking tip: Let some water open it up and don’t rush it 

Colour: Golden mother hen

Cask: Refill sherry butt

Age: 9 years

Date distilled: July 2002
Alcohol: 66.4% 

$90 

Old-fashioned tea chests and maple candy 

Cask No. 125.48 

Highlands, Northern Highlands 

The nose, initially offering orange liqueur, balsa wood and old-fashioned tea chests, took some time to open; a drop of water helped us to discover the depth and complexity – caramel, Mars bar, fruit tea with honey, a mixed bag of dried fruits and nuts and Dorset Cereals muesli with maple syrup. The palate, at natural strength, had good heat in it, plus flavours of leather, wood, tea leaves and coconut, with cinder toffee, burnt sugar and honeycomb crunch. The reduced palate developed malt and candy sweetness, with pleasant warm spices in the finish. ‘Perfected’ by the sixteen men of Tain. 

Drinking tip: Pretty versatile really, but not one to be rushed 

Colour: Vintage marmalade

Cask: Dechar/rechar hogshead

Age: 12 years

Date distilled: November 1998

Alcohol: 52.1% 

$110 

Black tea in a greenhouse 

Cask No. 2.81 

Highlands, Speyside (Livet) 

Rich and heady aromas of butterscotch, molasses and rum soaked raisins together with crème brulee, orange oil, geraniums and a greenhouse on a warm day. Toffee sweetness was balanced by balsamic and a trace of struck matches. The taste was hot, there was liquorice, black tea tannins, toffee and black pepper. Water improved it offering smooth buttery toffee, tobacco and balsamic. The palate was still tannic (like chewing sticks) with brown sauce bitterness but also sweet with vanilla, butterscotch and caramel. This Speyside distillery is close to the famous pack horse bridge. 

Drinking tip: A pudding dram 

Colour: Mahogany

Cask: First-fill sherry butt

Age: 15 years

Date distilled: April 1996

Alcohol: 59.9% 

$120 

A bag of assorted boiled sweets 

Cask No. G1.8 

Grain 

Lots of fruit on the early nose (pear flan, rhubarb, lemon curd, apricot) growing richer in the glass – soon we found marzipan, fudge, toffee, Bakewell tart, butterscotch, vanilla and straw. The palate was just as fruity but also sweet and nippy (some found it fiery) – like a bag of assorted boiled sweets. In reduction, the nose split between citric components and banana toffee – also some dustiness, like rubbing butter into flour. The palate opened and became cleaner and fresher, but evaporation from the tongue left rich joys of tobacco, liquorice and dark chocolate Bounty bars. From Edinburgh’s only grain distillery.

Drinking tip: A summertime dram – or maybe while making cakes 

Colour: Pale apricot gold

Cask: Refill hogshead

Age: 21 years

Date distilled: December 1990

Alcohol: 62.9% 

$145

Please visit the Scotch Malt Whisky Society of America at http://www.smwsa.com/ for further information on their single cask bottlings.

THE BIG SMOKE 46 £33.00 BUY NOW

THE BIG SMOKE 60 £43.00 BUY NOW