We’ve been really busy since you’ve been away and redesigned The Whisky Shop website! As well as getting a brand new facelift you’ll find the new website much easier to navigate. Don’t worry, we still have the same fantastic selection of whiskies from new releases, exclusives, old & rare, customer favourites and everything in between!
Take a look today!
GlenDronach Parliament
Our Malt of the Month for May is the magnificent GlenDronach Parliament. Matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years, this fine Highland dram has won numerous accolades, including a Gold Medal at the San Fransisco World Spirits Competition…
Available at Abbey Whisky for only £105!
*Limited stock at this price*
Liz, Paul & Charlie
Why is our whisky blog called the ANGEL’S BLOG?
Named after a few things really, the angel’s share; the amount of alcohol (whisky) that is lost to evaporation when the liquid is being aged in oak barrels. Up to 2% (in Scotland) of the volume of the cask can be lost each year through evaporation, called the angel’s share. Paul’s dad; he has been an angel for some 60 years or so, liked a dram when he was with us (I was told by my Uncle Harry) and I believe he is still taking his share in that distillery in the sky. No, not Heaven Hill, that is American and worldly, the other heavenly distillery with a unique membership policy. Our Paul; he writes almost all of the whisky blogs, with a few being from friends around the whisky world now and then. Club Patron (It did used to be a club) is another Maclean, this time of the Charlie variety; Charles Maclean. We know Charlie well (cousin) early on Paul (McLean) asked Charlie did he wish to become a club member, his reply; Yes, I will be your Club Patron. And so it came to pass … you can find him here; https://whiskytours.scot/charlie
Our blogs https://whiskytours.scot/blog are a blend of interviews, product launches and information, stories and observations, many of which are Paul’s views, good or bad, Paul is no literary giant, mostly he struggles with grammar etc, so Liz often amends his work. He writes as if he is talking to you, we have had so many people on tour and email, saying they prefer it this way, so – he carries on! This is quite ironic when he numbers amongst his friends authors Charlie Maclean and Ingvar Ronde – who DO write whisky books (Very well). Not only does he continually write these whisky blogs (and whiskey blogs), but also does every blog for our McLeanScotland web; http://mcleanscotland.com At the top of this blog you will see an angel reading a whisky book … or is it Paul’s blog?
So, if you like this drivel he writes, carry on logging in every week, as Liz will place another online, sometimes monthly when he is away on tour. Afraid there is no stopping him, maybe it’s something to do with being a west coast child of Scottish/Irish blend? They do tend to chat a bit.
BrewDog, Compass Box, Duncan Taylor and Zuidam have huddled together to release a new range of ‘boilermaker’ whiskies. The launch has been timed to coincide with the renaming of the brewery’s LoneWolf distillery as BrewDog distillery. The three whiskies in the new series have been created to bespoke recipes designed to pair with BrewDog’s beers as a boilermaker or hauf and hauf serve. Transistor, a blended Scotch by Compass Box’s John Glaser, is designed to partner with BrewDog’s flagship beer, Punk IPA. A blend, the whisky contains a ‘good proportion’ of grain from Cameronbridge, as well as malts from Linkwood, Teaninich, Dailuaine and Clynelish, with some maturation in French oak? Bottled at 43% abv, described as ‘pineapple, orange and lychee’ notes, with a sweetness that is cut through by the ‘spiky, tropical, hoppy bitter notes of the beer’. Who writes these notes?
Torpedo Tulip is a 100% rye whisky from Millstone, made at the Netherlands’ Zuidam distillery. Matured exclusively in ex-oloroso Sherry casks and bottled at 46% abv, the whisky is described as ‘rich stone fruit’ and ‘underlying spice’, and has been chosen to pair with BrewDog’s American pale ale, Dead Pony Club.
Skeleton Key is a blended Scotch whisky created in collaboration with Duncan Taylor to pair with BrewDog’s Jet Black Heart stout or Zombie Cake porter. Containing a proportion of peated Bunnahabhain and a high ration of single malt, including whisky from Glentauchers distillery, Skeleton Key (46% abv) is described as having ‘bold, maritime and peat smoke aromas’ which pair with the chocolate and coffee notes in the beers.
All three no-age-statement expressions are available to purchase in all BrewDog bars as well as through its online retail site for £52 for a 70cl bottle – a wee bit high if you ask me. The brewery recently appointed ex-Johnnie Walker boss David Gates as its managing director of BrewDog Distilling Co., the company’s spirits arm. BrewDog opened its own distillery at its Ellon site in 2016, and following years of barley, yeast, distillation and maturation trials, has now settled on a recipe for its flagship single malt. Now known as BrewDog distillery, the site is set up to produce a number of spirits, including vodka and gin. The LoneWolf brand will continue to be used for BrewDog’s gin. How will Diageo etc react to this news re their drams? Paul McLean, Perth.
A personal blether from Paul McLean. www.whiskytours.scot
For more information about any of the below events, please contact info@glenfarclas.com
Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival, 1st – 6th May
Robbie Drams Festival, Ayr Town Hall, Ayrshire Scotland, 1st June
Whisky Fringe, Royal Mile Whiskies, Edinburgh Scotland, 9th – 11th August
Whisky Social, Waterfront Hall Belfast, 14th September
Whisky Exchange, Old Billingsgate, London, 28th – 29th September
The Wee Dram Festival, Bakewell, Derbyshire, 19th October
Whisky Live, The Printworks, Dublin, 22nd – 23rd November
Glasgow Whisky Festival, Hampden Park Glasgow, 9th November
After an astonishing 46 years service, mashman Alistair Miller has officially retired from Glenfarclas. He is pictured here with John and Ishbel Grant, who presented him with gifts including a bottle of 1972 Family Cask (distilled just before he started with us) and a framed picture of the distillery. Many thanks for all your years of hard work, Ali!
Keepers of the Quaich Spring 2019 Banquet which was held at Blair Castle.
(In the picture on the left – Shareen Yew of Single Malt Sdn Bhd, with her husband, Ben Lip and in the picture on the right George Grant of Glenfarclas, Michael Urquhart of Gordon & MacPhail, Ian McWilliam of Glenfarclas)
Sunday, 3rd March saw the official “handing over” of a special 3 litre Glenfarclas bottle which John Grant donated to the CairnGorms Branch of The Gillies Club (Australia). The bottle will be the perpetual trophy for the ‘Norman Case Whisky Of The Year Award’.
Norman Case was the first person to import Glenfarclas to Australia, so it was our honour to contribute to this memorial award in his name.
The Macallan is one of the most highly revered whisky brands in the world. It is the third largest selling single malt whisky in the world and the second largest by value.
Macallan 18 Year Old Sherry Oak 2018
This annual release of The Macallan’s popular 18 Year Old Sherry Oak is matured exclusively in sherry seasoned casks, built from both Spanish and American oak, providing a beautifully dark flavour with rich aromas. The nose opens with dried fruits, ginger and hints of citrus with vanilla and cinnamon. The palate is rich in dried fruits, spices, orange, cloves and wood smoke, before a full and lingering finish with sweet toffee, ginger and a hint of smoke.
70cl / 43% abv
Macallan 25 Year Old Sherry Oak 2018
The sumptuous Macallan 25 Year Old Sherry Oak is becoming harder to find and delivers everything you would expect from an older, sherry-matured expression from this highly-revered Speyside distillery. The nose has citrus notes balanced with cinnamon, sherry and wood smokehe palate is full and rich, with dried fruits and a hint of wood smoke and long smokey and spice finish.
70cl / 43% abv
This incredibly rare Macallan has been crafted from a hand selected first fill sherry seasoned oak cask resulting in a whisky that is full of the most luxurious rich flavours imaginable. To match this unparalleled whisky comes the sublime, handcrafted crystal decanter in which the whisky is housed in. Luxury defined!
70cl / 43%
Introducing the final part of the Macallan 1824 series. A whisky to get the heart racing, incredibly the Macallan M contains whisky from as far back as the 1940’s. Furthermore the whisky boasts possible one of the most luxurious of presentions we have ever seen. Housed in a crystal decanter created especially for this expression by legendary fashion designer Fabien Baron and crafted by Lalique who also collaborated with Macallan on earlier expressions. The Whisky is spectacular with rich, smooth notes balanced with the softest hint of wood smoke!
70cl / 44.5%
Only 3 More Sleeps. Buy Tickets.
Check your calendar – Spirit of Toronto is this Saturday May 4, and tickets are almost sold out. Read on for more details…
We broke the Internet – sorry!
We apologize to those of you who had trouble connecting with us online this past week! Higher than usual traffic crashed the Spirit of Toronto website but we are back up and running, and the remaining tickets can be purchased online through Roy Thomson Hall’s box office.
Rumour has it that some masterclass seats have become available thanks to last minute returns, so please call the box office directly at 416-872-4255 if you’d still like to reserve a seat!
Waiting until Saturday to see how your weekend shapes up? We understand, but please note that any tickets left will go up to $199 apiece.
Our biggest show to date!
We’ve come a long way since our humble beginnings in 2004, and fifteen years later we look forward to presenting our largest showcase to date!
Once again we invite you to stretch your wings and palate as we offer a taste of le cinq à sept courtesy of Martell Cognac, a piece of Islay courtesy of Bowmore, la dolce vita courtesy of the Italian Trade Commission, and the best of Scotland, Ireland, the US and Canada courtesy of our esteemed exhibitors. Of special note is Canada’s latest crop of homegrown whiskies which leave us much to be proud of. Last but not least fans of Islay and its whiskies are in for (another) treat – enough said.
In the mood for something off the beaten path? Seek and ye shall find hidden gems from Japan, the Caribbean and Europe (and Israel!) scattered throughout the show floors.
Some last minute reminders…
A few things to note, particularly if you’re joining us for the first time:
The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2019
A family run company in the Kingdom of Fife has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2019.
TheWhiskyBarrel.com is one of 200 organisations nationally to be recognised with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Announced today (Tuesday 23 April 2019) TheWhiskyBarrel.com has been recognised for its excellence in international trade.
TheWhiskyBarrel.com was established in 2007 and since then has gone from strength to strength and become a World-renowned online retailer of premium Scotch whisky. The company collaborates with independent whisky merchants and micro distillers to make Scotch whisky and single cask rum available to international customers, primarily in North America and Asia-Pacific.
Managing Director, Alastair Brown, said “we are delighted that the company has been recognised for its achievements in and contributions to international trade. Winning this award is a great boost for TheWhiskyBarrel.com as we continue to expand over the coming years.”
TheWhiskyBarrel.com continues to grow rapidly and to further develop its own range of original and exclusive cask bottlings.
Now in its 53rd year, the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious business awards in the country, with winning businesses able to use the esteemed Queen’s Awards emblem for the next five years.
TheWhiskyBarrel.com will celebrate its award during a royal reception at Buckingham Palace for Queen’s Awards winners in the summer.
Applications for Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2020 open on the 1st May 2019.
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/queens-awards-for-enterprise.
NOTES
Please find images attached to this email for use.
Q) What is the Queen’s Award
A) The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise are the most prestigious awards for UK businesses, recognising and celebrating business excellence across the UK. Winners have demonstrated outstanding success in their respective fields of innovation, international trade, sustainable development and promoting opportunity (through social mobility.)
Q) What is the name of the Award won by TheWhiskyBarrel.com?
A) Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2019.
Q) When will TheWhiskyBarrel.com receive the award?
A) The award will be presented to TheWhiskyBarrel.com by the Lord-Lieutenant of the County in the early summer. In addition, HRH The Prince of Wales will be hosting a Reception for The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise winners at Buckingham Palace in the summer.
TheWhiskyBarrel.com is a specialist online whisky and spirits merchant based in Fife, Scotland and was established in 2007. TheWhiskyBarrel.com won Whisky Magazine Online Retailer 2018 and was International Wine & Spirits Competition runner-up in 2016.
Read our Blog article about winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2019.
Wemyss Malts strikes gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2019!
THE SAN FRANCISCO WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION (SFWSC), founded in 2000, is one of the oldest competitions of its kind with medals from the competition being recognized globally as an indicator of the highest calibre of quality.
Judging of spirits that are entered into the SFWSC is done so blindly to ensure impartiality and the competition is held in high global regard due to the esteemed and seasoned spirits experts on the panel.
With the former in mind it is with great honour and pride that Wemyss Malts can announce that The Hive has achieved the massive honour of winning Best in Class against all other Blended Malt Scotch Whiskies that were judged.
Further credit was bestowed on The Hive and Spice King, two of our Core Range malt whiskies as they both won Double Gold Medals in this year’s Best Blended Malt Scotch Whisky category.
Wemyss Malts ranges of blended malt whiskies have now achieved over 80 medals and awards.
THE HIVE is a honey-sweet and fruity malt whisky that is made from a carefully sourced and blended selection of Lowland, Highland and Speyside whisky. This quality malt whisky now boasts several medals and awards since its release including 93/100 points awarded by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and a gold medal for The Spirits Business Scotch Whisky Masters.
SPICE KING; a complex whisky made from multiple malts from across Scotland with a peppery and maritime flavour has also won many awards since its release including 93/100 points awarded by the Ultimate Spirits Challenge and a Gold Medal with Concours Mondial Bruxelles.
