Caldera Distilling and its Macallan Connection

When Caldera Distilling’s Jarret Stuart told us his great-great-grandfather had introduced the Macallan Scotch whisky to Canada, we had to know more. We soon learned that in 1824, Macallan’s owner, William Reid bought a license and the secret farm distillery went legal.

When Reid died in 1847, James Shearer Priest and James Davidson took over. Then, in 1868 Jarret’s distant ancestor, James Stuart acquired the lease for Macallan and rebuilt the distillery.

A decade later, in 1878, James Stuart and Company, built the Glen Rothes distillery from scratch. Stuart left Glen Rothes the following year, and in 1892 he sold Macallan, but not before sending Jarret’s ancestor to Canada, to sell Macallan whisky.

Jarret Stuart’s noble whisky heritage reveals itself in two distinctive Caldera whiskies he distils in River John, Nova Scotia.

Caldera Hurricane 5

Hurricane 5 is distilled in a tiny alembic still, using local organic grains. The whisky tastes sweet and fruity, with butterscotch, charred wood, something herbal, and brisk peppery spices until hints of vanilla devolve into citrus pith. It finishes with rye spices and clean woody tones.

Caldera Champlain

This traditional Canadian whisky includes some Cognac in the blend to honour the birthplace of mariner and explorer, Samuel de Champlain. Rich flavours of saltwater toffee and sweet fruits with briny hints of the seaside evolve into a rich and creamy palate with red wine tones, grape skins, pipe tobacco, growing pepperiness and tingling rye spices.

Nestled in the heart of New England, WhistlePig are committed to crafting the world’s finest and most interesting Rye whiskeys. They bottle an exceptional range of rye forward whiskies, distilled in the USA and Canada, and finished at their farm in Vermont.

Since 2015, WhistlePig have distilled whiskies using grain, water, and Vermont oak harvested from WhistlePig farm. Located in a 150 year old barn, the distillery houses a unique copper pot still designed by the late world-renowned Master Distiller Dave Pickerell.

WhistlePig’s rich, complex, and flavoursome whiskies have gone on to win multiple awards and to receive global critical acclaim.

BROWSE OUR FULL WHISTLEPIG RANGE HERE

Price drop: Old Pulteney 17 Year Old

Nab a bottle of Old Pulteney 17 Year Old for just £89.95. Now discontinued, this delicious expression won’t be around for long! Known as the ‘maritime malt’, Old Pulteney creates a delicious single malt influenced by the distillery’s coastal location and unique wash stills.  This 17-year-old expression has been matured in second-fill ex-bourbon and ex-Oloroso sherry casks. Enjoy sweet notes of of butterscotch, honey and chocolate, alongside signature Old Pulteney sea salt.

Old Pulteney 17 Year Old
£89.95
Limited to one bottle per customer and available at this price only while stocks last.

Lady Of The Glen is a range of premium, independently bottled single cask Scotch whiskies. Each cask is hand-sourced, independently bottled, and 100% natural – bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, and with no added colouring. Each release represents one special distillery, one single oak cask, and a limited edition of individually labelled bottles of Scotch.

BROWSE OUR FULL LADY OF THE GLEN – SCOTTISH WHISKIES OF DISTINCTION RANGE HERE

Smokeheads, we have some new badass merch available for you to help drop the pressure during these crazy times. There’s some stand-out items like the glorifier, apron, lighter, jigger, shot glass and notebook to elevate your home bar and take your Smokehead appreciation to the next level.

Head over to smokehead.com/shop now and take a look. We’re offering free shipping on all UK orders over £30.

Stay safe, stay indoors Smokeheads.

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During this challenging time, £1 from the sale of each bottle purchased from www.smokehead.com will be donated to the Drinks Trust and The Ben to support their mission of providing care and support to our hospitality colleagues.

The Old Particular Collection

Here at Milroys we have always loved the rare, unusual and special one off cask. Douglas Laing delivers that on multiple levels by finding the those dark corners in warehouses across Scotland where those whisky gems hide. Here are some of those gems from the Old Particular range, reviewed by our very own Soho whisky bar team.

Eddy on Inchgower 21

“Oh this Inchgower 21 is like an old friend visiting, bringing with it so many memories? I remember the first time we had this in the bar, it got a lots of attention, no wonder ! It’s sweet, gentle and elegant full of Speyside character is all what you want in a old and well matured dram. I once had a gentleman that kept refusing samples of different whiskies based on colour and label, so after the 3rd refusal I decided to give him a taste of this, but blinding the label and its colour. He was overwhelmed as he described it as of honey and ice cream. He a bought a bottle on the spot. For me this is one of those distilleries that you don’t get your hands on easily, Douglas Laing should be thanked for such a pleasure.”

Katie on Caol Ila 14

This 14 year old unpeated – yes, unpeated Caol Ila! – makes for a treat for Caol Ila fans, or those looking for a gentle Islay sip. This has all the gentle earthy and ozone notes of usual Caol Ila without any smoke, resulting in a deliciously umami and elegant character. Vanilla, lemon zest, black tea and ginger are some of many exotic notes to be found here. Now, if only we were drinking it on an Islay beach.

Jason on Jura 12

This Jura was left to mature in an ex-refill bourbon barrel. Subtle hints of dried fruit, citrus, vanilla, with spice on the back end which has only been enhanced by sherried fruitiness, and just a hint of smoke like a spent memory of childhood camp fires.

Some tend to pass it by because of it’s pale straw colour, well, I see that as challenge. Grabbing the bottle and putting it right in front of the them so they can get a good look at it, their face changing, eyes brows coming down and chin boss going up in the usual expression of ‘I’m not sure about this one’, by this time I already have a glass in my hand ready to pour a small taste. They try it. I win.

In this line of work you come across a lot of Independent bottling’s that make you wonder why the distillery doesn’t follow suit. Douglas Laing just get it right. A lot.

Frankie on Braeval 18

Braeval Distillery, also known as Braes of Glenlivet, one of the highest distillery in Scotland – (355m above sea level). I guess not many people heard of this distillery as most of their spirit distilled goes for blending primarily into Chivas Blends, and you may see some independent bottlers bottled as single cask sometimes. I still remembered the first time when I tried this dram, It reminded me one of my fall road trip in Japan. I was taking a break at a tea house, enjoying some spiced biscuits and buttery jam toast in the mountain forest with the lovely woody dry leaves smell surrounding me.

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Founded in 2009, Smooth Ambler Spirits produce small batch, artisan American whiskies in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Set among historic mountains and rich earth, Smooth Ambler pulls the best ingredients from the region – real mountain water and locally grown grain.

Curated by a truly dedicated team, Smooth Ambler whiskies are known as much for bold yet balanced flavour as they are for pride of place. It’s easy to see why each and every whiskey is best enjoyed one slow sip at a time. Delicious flavours, accessible and easy-drinking, these whiskeys are meant to be savoured and enjoyed!

BROWSE OUR FULL SMOOTH AMBLER RANGE HERE

Water is our most important ingredient, but is also a precious shared resource which is coming under increasing pressure in many parts of the world. Water is essential to our production processes and used widely throughout our value chain. It is vital to ecosystems, local economies, communities in which we live and work, and especially to grow the crops we use. Managing our impact on water, and being good stewards of this resource, is our highest environmental priority.

That Boutique-y Whisky Company is a multi-award-winning independent bottler established in 2012, bottling exceptional single malts, blended malts, blended whiskies, grain whiskies, bourbons and more from around the globe. These whiskies are small batch, expertly sourced and adorned with cultish graphic novel style labels! On a mission to open up the big world of whisky, TBWC was named Brand Innovator of the Year at Icons of Whisky Awards 2020.

BROWSE OUR FULL THAT BOUTIQUE-Y WHISKY COMPANY RANGE HERE