What a remARKabLE collaboration!

So what’s this all about I hear you ask? Take one renowned illustrator (Peter Arkle) and one fantastic, refreshingly modern whisky (anCnoc), and mix these creative and forward thinking collaborators together and voila! A cracking new whisky with distinctively cool packaging is born.

Scottish born Peter Arkle is a modest and amiable fellow who also happens to be an internationally acclaimed and hugely prolific illustrator. Despite loving a dram this is the first whisky project he has worked on, having already worked with some of largest brands in the world. You will undoubtedly have seen his work in newspapers, magazines, advertising and now on the packaging of anCnoc single malt whisky.

anCnoc has supported the creative arts for some years, but this vibrant project is on a new scale and a bold step which will hopefully lift it to the levels of appreciation that Old Pulteney and Balblair enjoy. This is the first of three limited releases, and although no details have yet been revealed of the later bottlings Royal Mile Whiskies are proud to be the sole UK retailer of the first edition.

This is a really interesting new whisky in ways other than the packaging. That sweet and easy drinking anCnoc spirit we love has been matured entirely in sumptious sherry casks for the very first time. Traditionally anCnoc is matured in American oak, so the Spanish oak with its spice and dried fruit flavours offers a new layer on top of the usual anCnoc notes of honey, zest and orchard fruit.

The initial edition is limited to just 6000 bottles worldwide, with all UK stock being sold exclusively by www.royalmilewhiskies.com online and in our London and Edinburgh shops, as well as our Drinkmonger stores in Pitlochry and Bruntsfield. If you visit us and ask nicely, they even have a bottle open to taste in store!

Since Peter visited us on the Royal Mile and shared a dram, the whisky has been officially launched with great gusto. Hats off to Inverhouse for finding such a talented and charming man to work with, and for filling the bottles with such tasty malt. In the meantime check out both of these cool websites: www.peterarkle.com and www.ancnoc.com (Watch the promotional film…it takes 15 minutes but is well worth it!)

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.” — Albert Enstein

FOR ALL GENERAL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CALL: 0131 524 9380 or email: contact@royalmilewhiskies.com

Royal Mile Whiskies Whisky Magazine’s ‘Retailer of the Year 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011’

Royal Mile Whiskies (Edinburgh) 379 The Royal Mile Edinburgh EH1 1PW Tel: 0131 225 3383 Mon to Sat 10 ~ 6pm Sun 11 ~ 6pm

drinkmonger (Pitlochry) 100 Athol Road Pitlochry PH16 5BL Tel: 01796 470 133 Mon to Sat 10 ~ 8pm Sun 12 ~ 5pm

Royal Mile Whiskies (London) 3 Bloomsbury St London WC1B 3QE Tel: 0207 436 4763 Mon to Sat 10 ~ 6pm (Thurs 10 ~ 8pm) Sun 12 ~ 5pm

drinkmonger (Edinburgh) 11 Bruntsfield Place Edinburgh EH10 4HN Tel: 0131 229 2205 Mon to Wed 11 ~ 7pm Thur to Sat 11 ~ 9pm Sun 11 ~ 7pm

Sweet Dreams: Island Parcel Only £149

We’ve put together a very dreamy parcel…three mouth-watering  bottles from the Islands, and all for only £149!   Enjoy….
       
    3.183 Beach rugby with a hotdog (15YO Islay)
    Initially your nose may detect a slight prickle as it adjusts to 
    our system, followed by the smell of damp driftwood and 
    heather. 

    29.115 Candy floss in a fairground (22YO Islay)
    The nose was savoury (lamb, gammon, smoked sausage) with 
    definite tobacco (Players Navy Cut), peanut M&M’s, Stollen, 
    banana loaf, raisins, cumin and jasmine

    4.160 In a gentleman’s club (14YO Highland Island)
    The nose had polished wood, cigars and leather chairs ‘like a 
    gentleman’s’ club’, lots of cinder toffee, chocolate fingers, 
    pastrami and various fruits 

    Only £149…..BUY 

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

STOP PRESS ………..STOP PRESS…

Springbank 21yo

BACK IN FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY

£200
Only 6 bottles available. Limited to ONE ONLY per customer
If you would like one please call us on
01387256601 between 9am – 5.30pm
or on
07713 566 222 if out of those hours.

BE QUICK THOUGH AS THEY WON’T HANG AROUND TOO LONG!

Our mailing address is:

T.B.Watson Ltd.
11/17 English Street
Dumfries, Scotland DG1 2BU
United Kingdom

When it rains it pours… The next full edition of the Malt Messenger is a week away, but who can wait until then when you have news like this: Firstly, the Bowmore Laimrig is back. This enormously fruity, seductively smooth and bargain priced Bowmore was a hit at Christmas, selling out in little more than a month. Little wonder why, its amazing and a no-brainer at less than $90/bottle. If you missed out on the Laimrig the first time around or are interested to know more, details on this delicious dram follow below! 

Secondly, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada is now 6 months old, and to celebrate they’re throwing a special promotion. Sign up for a Society Membership between now a April 22nd, and you’ll receive two Society glasses! The Society is the worlds largest whisky club, and the hottest new whisky brand in Canada right now. Curious? There’s more below and at www.smws.ca . 

Thirdly, we have an excellent Glendronach Vintages tasting coming up on Tuesday night, which will very likely be your last chance to sample our excellent 1972 cask, 711. We will also sample 6 other Glendronachs (7 total) including the new 21 Year Parliament, 1993, 1991, 1989, 1978 and another 1972 cask, 716. Participants will also get a Glendronach logo glass for attending! 

Finally, there are new whiskies coming in this week too, including a Kilchoman, three new Springbanks ( Rundlets and Kilderkins, 21 Year 2012 and Longrow 14 Year Burgundy Finish) as well as a new KWM exclusive the Glenrothes Alba Reserve. Some details are available on these whiskies below, and there will be much more in the next full Malt Messenger.  

Slainté! 

Andrew Ferguson

Kensington Wine Market’s Scotchguy 

PS-Don’t forget you can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/scotch_guy , and on Facebook and LinkedIn.   

The Bowmore Laimrig Is Back In Stock – $88.99 

The Kensington Wine Market launched the Bowmore Laimrig as an exclusive whisky in late November of this past year and it sold out before Christmas. Why was the Laimrig so popular? Firstly, because it is a cask strength version of the 15 Year Old Darkest (43%), but at cask strength for less than $5 more… Secondly, because it is massively fruity, lightly peated and smooth, almost shockingly so! And finally, because its a Bowmore, and its hard not to fall in love with Bowmore. Well it is finally back in stock… in limited quantities.  

Laimrig is Scots Gaelic for jetty or pier, which is a curious name for a whisky and I’m not 100% clear why the distillery named the whisky thus. What is clear is that it was originally bottled for the Swedish market. The Laimrig is in short a limited edition cask strength version of the 15 Year Old Darkest, but this description doesn’t really do the whisky justice. It is a massively fruity Bowmore with big sherry cask notes colliding with Bowmore’s signature salty peat. Laimrig is exclusive to the Kensington Wine Market in Alberta and is making its mark. The first 60 bottles sold out in just 9 days and I expect it will continue to boom in popularity as more and more people have the opportunity to sample it.

Bowmore Laimrig 15 Year – 54.4% – Sherry Cask Finished – 15,000 Total Bottles Released – My Tasting Note: Nose: Sun-Rype Fruit Source bars, figs, raisins and other dark fruit notes; dark milk chocolate, a newly tarred roof in the distance with a neighbouring camp fire; with patience some classic grassy peat notes start to emerge along with salted fish and briny kelp drying on the beach; the nose has a lot of layers to it with a treacle sauce, Panda brand black liquorice and dense chocolate cake; Palate: sweet, nutty and chocolaty with salty smoke; brunt fruits and a mix of nutty Oloroso and sweet Pedro Ximenez sherry notes; teriyaki beef jerky with cloves, black pepper and sea salt; there is depth to the fruit notes with jujubes, braised strawberries and more Fruit Source; Finish: drying and yet moist with soft dark fruits, leather, tobacco and drying salty smoke; Comment: this whisky has so much depth to it and yet it is all in balance; the nose is deep and enticing, the palate satisfying and the finish rich, long and soothing! – $88.99 

Glendronach Vintages Tasting 

If you haven’t sampled our spectacular 1972 Glendronach single cask bottling, this could be your last opportunity. Fewer than 40 of the original 300 bottles selected by and bottled for Kensington Wine Market remain unsold. And what better opportunity to sample our Glendronach, than in a vertical tasting with 6 other Glendronachs? We’ll sample 6 different vintage bottlings of Glendronach: 1993, 1991, 1989, 1978 and two different 1972’s Cask 716 and our amazing single cask 711. Add to this the Glendronach 21 Year Parliament with which we will wet our lips, and you’ve got one exceptional whisky on your hands. And as an added sweetener, participants will receive a Glencairn whisky glass with the Glendronach logo. Call 403-283-8000 to register or visit https://www.kensingtonwinemarket.com/tastings/register.php . 

Scotch Malt Whisky Society Canada 6 Month Anniversary Promotion 

IT’S OUR SIX MONTH ANNIVERSARY! 

SIGN UP TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY BETWEEN FRIDAY, APRIL 13TH AND TUESDAY APRIL 22ND AND RECEIVE TWO SOCIETY TASTING GLASSES (A $24 VALUE)! 

CURIOUS? READ ON… 

The world’s largest selection of single cask, single malt whiskies has arrived in Canada – straight from the cask, to the bottle, to you. Unfiltered. Undiluted. Unrivalled.  

Capturing rarity and perfection in a glass, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s single malt whisky attracts curious and discerning whisky lovers from all corners of the globe.  

Only ever bottled from a single cask and selected from a range of over 125 whisky distilleries every Society bottling is exceptional.  

As a member you gain exclusive access to the world’s best selection of fabulous and interesting malt whiskies right here in Canada.  

Discover why the Society is the world’s premier destination for the true malt whisky lover. 

READY TO INDULGE YOUR CURIOSITY? 

www.smws.ca 

New Whiskies Coming in this Week 

1. Springbank 21 Year 2012 – The Legend Continues? Only 48 bottles coming into Alberta! – $389.99 + GST
2. Springbank Rundlets & Kilderkins – Whisky Matured in 60 and 80L casks – Only 300 bottles coming into Alberta. – $92.99 + GST
3. Longrow 14 Year Burgundy Finish – 11 Years in Refill Bourbon and 3 Years in Burgundy Hogsheads. – $95.99 + GST
4. Glenrothes Alba Reserve – A new KWM exclusive matured only in Refill Bourbon casks, or American Oak, Quercus Alba, which is also the Greek word for Scotland. Check out the price… – $64.99 + GST
5. Kilchoman 2006 Vintage Release – Technically this came in lat week, but it is well worth a try at 5 Years (the oldest Kilchoman to date)! – $80.49 + GST

Bell’s Diamond Jubilee Decanter 2012 Now In Stock! – April 2012 The latest Bell’s Decanter has arrived and it look… (please click on the link to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind Regards

The Whisky Shop
www.whiskyshop.com

Bunnahabhain 21 Year Old Jubilee Malt II

TheWhiskyBarrel.com Exclusive

Extra Regal second release! Matured in a fresh sherry butt cask #3 TheWhiskyBarrel.com presents a limited edition Islay Malt commemorating the Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee (1952-2012).

Featuring a rather splendid Crown Jewel only 200 bottles are available bottle at natural strength 54.5%.

£64.99 (£54.16 ex VAT)

April 2012 Outturn Offerings

Character and contradictions 

Cask No. 27.96                     

Campbeltown, Argyll 

The nose was sweet, nutty and buttery, with heather, fig and honey, but the salt, Swarfega, hair grease, garage and harbour aromas suggested a Campbeltown fisherman going out on the town. A splash of water made it even more aromatic – sweet barley, walnuts, pepper, oven chip trays and brown sugar-glazed, clove-studded ham. The unreduced palate was big, intense, woody and sweet, with tobacco and manuka honey in hessian bags. With water, we found Madeira cake (bolo de mel), clove, ginger, pistachios in honey (baklava) and salt – a dram of distinctive character and some happy contradictions from the independent Campbeltown distillery. 

Drinking tip: A campfire dram – or after sailing 

Colour: Dark honey                                          
Cask: Refill gorda                                             
Age: 13 years                                      
Date distilled: May 1998
Alcohol: 57.2% 

$110 

Spritzy, lively and stimulating 

Cask No. 3.181                     

Islay,LochIndaal 

The central aroma was lightly citric (lemon shortbread, pineapple cake, lemon squeezed on scallops) but either side of that bright window hung heavier drapes of smoke, ferry-boat ropes, sugary espresso dregs and railway stations. To taste, it was spritzy, lively and stimulating, tickling the mouth with fruit pastilles and buttercup linctus – the after effect was drying, like chewing burnt sticks and licking ash. The reduced nose had lemon barley water, cake mix and ladies hats – perhaps a Womens’ Institute meeting? The reduced palate combined delicious sweetness and smoke with a tangy, tart, lemony bonus. The Queen visited the distillery in 1978. 

Drinking tip: To wake up or refresh the palate 

Colour: Translucent primrose                           
Cask: Refill hogshead                                       
Age: 15 years                                      
Date distilled: October 1996
Alcohol: 60.5% 

$115 

A charming evocation of summer 

Cask No. 5.33                       

Lowlands,Western Lowlands 

The nose was a fresh and charming evocation of summer – apple pie, cinnamon, rhubarb and custard, pineapple juice, lime, papaya, pear and banana. To taste, we found it a sweet and citric mix – lemon curd on digestive biscuits, sherbet lemons, grape skins, flying saucers, etc. – but along with that, some varnished pine and green beans. The reduced nose was very pleasant, with light vegetable oil, cider or perry, cranberry juice, icing sugar and a forest glade with boulders, after the rain. The reduced palate found Empire biscuits and pleasant creamy textures – exceedingly drinkable. From a distillery just west of Glasgow. 

Drinking tip: To relax – maybe after a bath 

Colour: Palest misty sunrise                             
Cask: Refill hogshead                                       
Age: 10 years                                      
Date distilled: October 2000
Alcohol: 60.4% 

$95 

A cheeky treat for afternoon tea 

Cask No. 36.54                     

Highlands, Speyside 

Summery themes develop from the start with rich blossom honey, hay, toffee, raisins and a range of sumptuous puddings – crème brulee, tarte tatin and stewed apples with a hint of cloves. Fresh tobacco with pencil shavings emerge and to taste the tannins come to the fore in a rich syrupy sweetness. With water, the tobacco and honey are joined by tea leaves, hay barns and golden syrup on hot buttered toast. To taste, the water adds fresh laundry but is shorter than you might expect. Go careful with the amount that you add. The distillery takes its name from the local Corbett. 

Drinking tip: To accompany a delicious cake at afternoon tea. Or instead of it! 

Colour: Freshly baled straw                              
Cask: Refill ex Sherry butt                               
Age: 23 years                                      
Date distilled: May 1988
Alcohol: 59.2% 

$155 

Elderflowers dangling in June 

Cask No. 77.27                     

Highlands,Northern Highlands 

The nose was sweet, fresh and appealing – warm dessert wine, peardrops, lavender-flavoured iced gems, lemon bonbons, sugar-crusted pansies and dusty barley sacks. The unreduced palate was ‘clean as a whistle!’ – like peeled twigs dipped in syrup, then lots of floral impressions and hints of menthol and bath salts in the finish. The reduced nose had attractive, syrupy sweetness; sponge-cake with lemon icing and Battenberg cake; also freshly laundered linen. The reduced palate suggested traditional lemonade and elderflowers dangling in June – fresh, sunny and bright, right to the sherbet tingle at the end. The distillery lies near the town of Beauly. 

Drinking tip: Perfect for a summer garden party – or a good introduction to single malts for the uninitiated  

Colour: Moonlight on a golden chain                
Cask: Refill hogshead                                       
Age: 11 years                                      
Date distilled: March 2000
Alcohol: 55.2% 

$100

Littlemill 21 Year Old / Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 70cl / 46% / 495 Bottles

Lowland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Hart Brothers Bottling

Littlemill 21 year old is a rare vintage release bottled by Hart Brothers in celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Bottled in 2012 at 46%vol with a limited release of 495 bottles.

£108.00
(£90.00 ex Vat)

Abbey Whisky
enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com

07890 983 844

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee 2012 Islay Cask Exclusive

Online whisky shop TheWhiskyBarrel.com releases a new 21 year old Scotch whisky commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee. Jubilee Malt Extra Regal is a single sherry cask bottling from the Bunnahabhain Scotch malt whisky distillery on the Isle of Islay, Scotland.

This second release cask #3 follows on from cask #35 which sold out in just a few hours. Matured in a fresh sherry cask and bottled at natural cask strength without any nonsense, only 200 bottles are available exclusively from The Whisky Barrel shipping to customers Worldwide.

Bunnahabhain Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Extra Regal 21 Years Old / Sherry Cask / 54.5%

£54.16 GBP ($85 USD) £64.99 inc VAT.

Tasting Notes:

Nose – Huge sherry! Very sweet dried fruits, grapefruit and pineapple, butterscotch, green apple orchard pollen leading to closing seaside brine.

Palate – Incredibly clean, huge sherry overload explodes on the mouth, great proof in this one. Oily mouth feel, ash, menthol, with long warming spices and butter – excellent balance leading to a soft finish of runny honey and more sherry!

Order online at http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com

The Whisky Barrel

http://www.thewhiskybarrel.com/
facebook.com/thewhiskybarrel
twitter.com/whiskybarrel @WhiskyBarrel
www.thewhiskybarrel.com/blog
E: info@thewhiskybarrel.com
T: +44 (0)845 2248 156

Notes :-

Q) What is the product called?
A) Jubilee Malt Extra Regal 21 Years Old

Q) When will this product be released/was it released?
A) 13th April 2012

Q) Where is it available?
A) Scotland, off-trade, TheWhiskyBarrel.com

Q) Is this product already available in other markets?
A) Scotland only, TheWhiskyBarrel.com ships worldwide.

Q) How much is it?
A) £64.99 (£54.16 ex VAT) GBP 70cl

Q) Who handles the product’s distribution?
A) In-house at TheWhiskyBarrel.com

Q) What is the ABV of this product?
A) 54.5% ABV natural cask strength

Q) Why has this product been launched?
A) To coincide with the year of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee 1952-2012