SUNSHINE IN A GLASS – THE HIVE AND CLOUDY LEMONADE

Summer signifies long evenings and long drinks. Whisky highballs such as The Hive and Cloudy Lemonade make the perfect summer sippers, showcasing the brilliance of blended malt in mixed drinks. Here, we take a look at the art of blending and the beauty of a blended whisky highball 

Blending whisky is an art – and it is a big part of Scotch’s history. The practice was introduced in the 1860s by the ‘godfather’ of blended whisky, Andrew Usher in Edinburgh, and blending helped to put Scotch whisky on the world stage. Today, the biggest Scotch whisky brands on the planet are blends – and they date back to the same era.

Blended malt is just that: a blend of single malt Scotch whiskies from more than one distillery. And the beauty of a blend is that a skilled blender can accentuate certain notes, adding all kinds of nuanced flavours to create a whisky that is versatile. This makes blends a great bet for all kinds of drinks – from sophisticated solo sippers, right through to even the most complex cocktails.

Vibrant blend The Hive’s recipe is divided into three segments: the base, support and signature malts – and the whisky is created using all Speyside malts. Steven Shand, blender at Wemyss Malts explains that the region has a vast amount of single malt variety, including light, nutty, spicy, oily, light fruit, rich fruit, meaty and even smoky characteristics.

“The base of the Hive is made from a variety of Speyside malts to provide a malty, cereal-rich and sweet foundation to the smooth, medium-bodied blend,” he explains. “The support Speyside is richer, with dried fruit flavours and this adds some depth to the blend.”

Lastly, he says that the signature malt is an ester-rich malt with lots of citrus fruits and floral character, thanks to long fermentation times, clear wort, shell and tube condensation and the early cut point of the new make distillation.

“The combination of all of these variations of Speyside whisky lead to a sweetness that we describe as ‘sweet as honey’, as it has depth, richness and both floral and fruity notes,” he says.

At Wemyss, the blended malts are primarily aged in refill casks that showcase the fruity quality of Speyside. This helps with the consistency of the liquid from one year to the next. And it is also part of the fun of blending – first-fill casks, for example, can provide a range of intensity of flavours such as vanilla, coconut and spice. So, it really depends on what a blender is trying to achieve.

When it comes to using a blend like The Hive in mixed drinks,  Shand says the aim should be to use a soft drink that matches the sweetness and approachability of the whisky.

“Soda would have diluted and dried out the whisky and ginger beer worked OK, but overwhelmed the whisky,” he says. “A good quality cloudy lemonade really enhances the floral and fruity flavours in the whisky, while matching the same amount of sweetness.”

BUY THE HIVE

The latest edition of Hamish’s Hidden Malt:
Win a bottle of Balblair 25 Year Old!

Our giveaway last weekend with Benromach went down so well that we thought we would try it again! This time we have partnered with Balblair – for this weekend only in Hamish’s Hidden Malt giveaway we will be hiding a bottle of Balblair 25 Year Old (worth £525!) in one lucky winner’s order. Purchase either the 12, 15 or 18-year-old 70cl Balblair to enter – simple as that.

Even if your order arrives without the prize you’ll still have a brilliant bottle of Scotch to enjoy regardless!

Restock of award-winning Glen Scotia 25 Year Old!

This Glen Scotia has been matured in American oak casks for a quarter of a century before being hand-selected by the distillery’s Master Blender, Michael Henry, to be married in first-fill bourbon casks for up to a year before bottling. Bottled at 48.8% ABV, free from chill-filtration and artificial colouring, this is a smooth and refined Campbeltown single malt with an exceptional mouthfeel. Liquid gold! Maybe you tried to purchase a bottle last time around and were not quick enough – well now you’re in luck! A limited restock has arrived at Loch Fyne, so don’t hesitate if you want to get your hands on a bottle of this incredible single malt whisky.

Last month at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Glen Scotia 25 Year Old was awarded the highest accolade of ‘Best in Show’. With around 3800 entrants Glen Scotia came out on top and are proud to be labelled as the current best whisky in the world – not bad eh?

Glen Scotia
25 Year Old

£375.00

Buy Now

One of the most common questions whisky fans ask is “How long has Glenfarclas been around for?”

The answer is – we genuinely don’t know.  The oldest evidence we have of whisky production here is from 1791, the date of this painting which clearly shows an active distillery.

That being said, you can’t really celebrate an inexact date, so we choose instead to mark the first official licence that the distillery was awarded, and this happened in May 1836. Although some would argue we shouldn’t be celebrating when our whisky was first taxed!

To mark the occasion, Callum Fraser (Distillery Manager) and Douglas Belford (Managing Director) were given the enviable task of going out in to the warehouses to hunt for casks from across the decades that they felt best represented our 185 year history. This was a long process, but after almost 2 years of adding a few casks at a time, they are more than delighted with the final result. This well layered dram with a phenomenal finish showcases the true Glenfarclas character. It was bottled at 46% and will be available soon from specialist whisky shops via our network of international distributors.

The bottle takes pride of place next to the original distillery typewriter/Douglas and Callum pose with the fruits of their labour while on a break from selecting casks.

Callum and George enjoy the first taste of the new bottling/the bottle sits under a suitable moody Speyside sky.

Greetings Shelter Point Community

The first of this year’s crop of barley has started to sprout here at the Farm, a sign of more great things to come in 2021.

While it still remains unclear when we’ll be able to open our doors to the public for tastings and retail sales, our webshop absolutely remains open for business. All of our classic Shelter Point Spirits are available, along with our core lineup of Whiskies, and if you stay tuned in the coming weeks, some tantalizing upcoming Distillery Exclusive whisky releases…

With freight and packaging costs increasing, we will be making an upcoming change to our order minimums to qualify for Free Shipping for online orders. Starting June 1^st, all orders $125 and over (before tax) will be eligible for Free Shipping. If you want to take advantage of our old minimum of $89 (pre-tax), you only have a handful of days left to do so. Savvy buyers should take advantage now while they still can!

We’re so pleased with how many of you out there have continued to support us while our doors remain closed, and we can’t thank you enough for your continued patronage. As soon as we’re allowed to open again we can’t wait to welcome you all back to Shelter Point Distillery for tours, tastings, and fun.

Until then we are still hosting virtual tasting every 2 weeks and there are currently 2 different options for Virtual Tastings. The first being a whisky exclusive option which will include five 50ml samples of our award winning whiskies and the second being a spirit tasting which will include five 50ml samples of our other spirits, Whisky and Liqueur. Both tastings kits will be delivered to your door and ready to sample along with a group of friends & new acquaintances, and are hosted by members of the Shelter Point team, including Distiller Leon Webb, Distillery Manager Jacob Wiebe, Distillery Spirit Guide Brian Ingle and Distillery Spirit Scribe Pat Dunlop. For more information and for booking, please visit https://shelterpoint.ca/distillery-tour-booking/

Cheers and stay tuned to our newsletter for further updates and announcements regarding events, new releases and more fun goings on here at Shelter Point!

Shelter Point Website

Father’s Day is a day to honour the role of fathers and father figures in our lives.  What a great excuse to treat them!

We have chosen a selection of gifts that may interest you for this special day.

The English – Smokey 70cl
£42.50

BUY NOW

GIFT PACKS TO SUIT ALL TASTES

See our range of award winning English whisky or gift packs.  We stock a variety of gift packs that include whisky and gift items

FOUNDERS PRIVATE CELLAR THE FINAL SIGNATURE 

Extremely Limited Release – hand selected casks by our Founder James Nelstrop. The last release of any bottle with our founders signature on.

SHOP ALL GIFT PACKS

Scottish Whisky Distilleries
Edited By Matt Falcus

A full colour guide to Scotland’s whisky distilleries across all regions, aimed at whisky fans and the many tourists visiting the country each year.

Whisky is a major industry in Scotland which ties in both with the country’s history and present-day attraction. Thanks to its modern-day surge in interest, there are now more whisky drinkers and enthusiasts than ever.

This book celebrates Scotland’s whisky producing heritage and looks at the current distilleries operating across the country, in the Campbeltown, Highland, Islay, Lowland and Speyside regions.

Each distillery covered in the book features information about its history, important milestones and product ranges. Each is also illustrated with professional photographs of their buildings, location and bottles.

The distilleries that have visitor centres are covered in more detail, as these are the ones that act as tourist attractions and a draw to visitors.

Maps show off the locations of the whisky producing regions, and of each individual distillery.

The book is not a critique or product tasting guide, but a celebration of the distilleries (including recently opened ones) that make whisky so important to Scotland.

This colourful, photographic book is perfectly at home on the bookshelf of both the whisky enthusiast and the tourist planning a trip to Scotland. It acts as both tour guide and whisky guide, and will sit comfortably in mainstream bookstores, and independent sellers across Scotland. It should also be an important product in the gift shops of the many distilleries across Scotland.

ISBN: 978-1-8380086-9-7 RRP: UK£12.99 SIZE: 148mm x 210mm PAPERBACK

Release Date 24 June 2021
Order now from www.destinworld.com Also available on Amazon and from good book stockists.

Greetings Shelter Point Community

It’s officially Fawning Season in this neck of the woods, and Shelter Point Farm is teeming with new life, which includes our local Black-Tailed Deer population giving rise to a new generation. We’ve also had our first Black Bear sighting of the season at Shelter Point, always another sign of Spring in full bloom.

On the distillery front: You may have seen a post we put out on social media last week, explaining why you may notice a slightly different bottle design for our Shelter Point Whiskies popping up here and there in the near future. For those who missed it, due to an indefinitely delayed shipment of our classic Shelter Point Whisky bottles, we’ve had to make a temporary switch. These new bottles are quite similar in shape and style, but they don’t fit with our trademark glass stoppers. We’ve switched to wood-topped corks for now (the same as you’ll see on our Gin bottles), and we feel like it’s still a good look. Opinions are always appreciated however, and we’ve received a mountain of feedback on both sides. Whether you like the old style, or appreciate the new look, the consensus amongst everyone is that, “It’s the liquid inside that counts” and we couldn’t agree more!

On the tastings and tour side of things here at the Distillery: We are still closed to the public, however we have increased our volume of Virtual Tastings to accommodate the increased demand. Their are currently 2 different options for Virtual Tastings. The first being a whisky exclusive option which will include five 50ml samples of our award winning whiskies and the second being a spirit tasting which will include five 50ml samples of our spirits, Whisky and Liqueur. Both tastings kits will be delivered to your door and ready to sample along with a group of friends & new acquaintances, and are hosted by members of the Shelter Point team, including Distiller Leon Webb, Distillery Manager Jacob Wiebe, Distillery Spirit Guide Brian Ingle and Distillery Spirit Scribe Pat Dunlop. For more information and for booking, please visit https://shelterpoint.ca/distillery-tour-booking/

Cheers and stay tuned to our newsletter for further updates and announcements regarding events, new releases and more fun goings on here at Shelter Point!

For all the latest news and information visit our website at www.shelterpoint.ca

A Tightly Allocated Whisky That’s In Stock Now
Suntory “Hibiki Japanese Harmony” Japanese Whisky (750ml) ($74.99)
“Today, we…want to let everyone know it’s here. The trick is, with the insane popularity of all true Japanese whisky, it won’t be here for long.” — Andrew Whiteley, K&L Spirits Buyer

Our most recent allocation of one of the best buys on the market in Japanese Whisky has just landed. The Suntory “Hibiki Japanese Harmony” is always a hot item, considering its reputation as a go-to for many collectors. It also just happens to be one of the most compelling and versatile spirits in our shop. Our spirits buyer recently opened a bottle to taste, and he was “blown away by the richness in particular. The flavors are a delight…” It’s a no-brainer to load up now while it’s still available, as this whisky always sells out.

Suntory “Hibiki Japanese Harmony” Japanese Whisky (750ml) ($74.99)

Wine & Spirits: “You can’t be a Japanese whisky enthusiast without having noticed that there’s a shortage of the stuff. What once was readily available is now hard to find. What once was affordable now costs various bodily limbs. It is due to more than a fad. The best Japanese whisky is remarkable stuff, and none are better than the top single malts from Suntory, Yamazaki, Hakushu and the blended whisky Hibiki. Hibiki comes in 12-, 17- and 21-year-old expressions, but even the youngest of these is now allocated. Harmony, the newest release, carries no age statement, indicating that it contains younger whiskies than other bottlings. Nevertheless, this is a welcome concession, with Suntory’s classic sense of balance, nuance, and delicacy. *Best of 2015* (JM)” (11/2015)

Andrew Whiteley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: April 30, 2021

If you haven’t had Hibiki Harmony recently, you must retry it. In all honesty, it’s not something we’ve opened for the staff here in a long time since it is so tightly allocated and sells out so quickly. It just wasn’t necessary. With our most recent drop of one of the most asked for Japanese whiskies on the market, I decided it was time to make sure the staff all knew what exactly we had. I must say, I was blown away by the richness in particular. The flavors are a delight: crisp apple, fresh stone fruits, a touch of piquant pepper, and a surprising amount of vanilla and caramel. The palate has much more weight, presumably from a higher malt content, than I recall. It coats the tongue but is never heavy. The finish is clean and bright and decidedly entices you to have another sip. We spend most of the year out of stock on this whisky, just sadly telling customers, “No, it’s not available.” Today, we are sitting flush and want to let everyone know it’s here. The trick is, with the insane popularity of all true Japanese whisky, it won’t be here for long.

Neal Fischer | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 21, 2019

This whisky contains single malts from both Yamazaki and Hakushu, so there are chops to this blend. Toasted grain, vanilla syrup, new wood, and light tropical fruit notes on the nose with just a touch of spice to keep things playful. The palate has more caramel and honey characteristics, balanced by more tingly spice. There’s a great salinity here as well with a gentle medicinal note and robust malt character.

Despite the lack of tourists, spring has been a hugely busy time at the distillery. We took advantage of the cool damp weather before Easter to have our best-ever production period, with our mashmen and stillmen working long hours to produce great volumes of spirit, and without any loss of quality – quite an achievement. Simultaneously we were lucky enough to take delivery of an entire truckload of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso hogsheads; these have all now been filled and we look forward to seeing the results in five, ten, fifteen years… in this game it pays to be patient.

Happily the lack of tourists is now behind us, as the distillery formally reopened for visitors today – something we have been looking forward to for many months. All tours are fully compliant with current covid guidelines – Click here for details on how to book.

Today we are also announcing a brace of new bottlings: our Fathers Day special (last year’s was a huge hit, so we thought a sequel would be a good idea) and the much-anticipated issue of bottles from Iain’s private cask: the Manager’s Cask release. They’re now both be released from our webshop.

Finally, we’re offering our friends and followers a chance to win both the new releases: if you’re feeling lucky and fancy getting hold of a Fathers Day and Manager’s Cask bottle, please enter our competition. Wishing all our friends and followers a very happy summer!

Slàinte

The Wolfburn Team