Meet Diageo’s Territory Sales Executive at Diageo India, Vittal Reddy. Vittal talks about his experiences working for Diageo and describes what a typical day looks like as a Territory Sales Executive. Working with a variety of different outlets, Vittal explains why he is proud to sell Diageo’s products.
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019 – The Winners
It’s that time again: Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2019 is landing imminently and Jim’s picks of the world’s top whiskies are in.
After a few years of controversial choices, with Scotch whisky bouncing in and out of the top three, and Japanese and Canadian whisky making headlines around the world, we’re back to safer ground with the most traditional set of results since 2014.
To grab all the results you can grab your own copy of the bible from our website, but in the meantime…
The winner of Jim Murray’s award for 2019 World Whisky of the Year is:
An old favourite and one of Jim’s top three whiskies in every year but one since 2012. Unfortunately, as is always the case with the whiskies in the yearly Buffalo Trace Antique collection (BTAC), it’s sold out. You can sign up for an email alert in case we do find some more on the William Larue Weller 2017 page.
A third appearance in the top three for the Glen Grant: second in the Whisky Bible 2017, third in 2018 and now second in the 2019 edition. Not bad for a whisky that hadn’t been officially released when it received its first award. It’s a delicate and complex dram and a worthy entry in the line-up. As of writing we have a few bottles left, but it’s sure to be sold out shortly – you can find out over on our Glen Grant 18 year old page.
Another BTAC entry, the Thomas H Handy has long been the geek’s choice in the yearly collection, and it has popped up in Jim’s top list a few times. Again it’s sold out, but you can sign up to get an email if we find more on the Thomas H Handy Sazerac 2017 page.
While full-sized bottles of both the Weller and Handy are sold out, we’ve just had a few more sample packs of the whole of the 2017 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection arrive – you can find them on our website here.
A potentially contentious winner: a bourbon that’s not regularly available in the USA. Blanton’s Gold almost all goes overseas, and a lot of it ends up being sent back to American whiskey lovers. It’s, as the award name suggests, a single-barrel bourbon, with every bottle produced from a single cask, without any mixing with others. Unfortunately, this does mean that it’s unlikely that you’ll get to try the same one as Jim, as we get a mix of different bottlings in every order and can’t guarantee which you’ll get. However, if you do get a bottle of barrel #40 dumped on 3 June 2017 and matured in warehouse H, rick 79 then you’re in luck – that’s the winner.
It’s in stock as I type, but it probably won’t last long – don’t worry, we get it in regularly. You can grab a bottle from our Blanton’s Gold Edition page.
The Whisky Bible is more than just the top awards, with Jim’s year-long tasteathon throwing out more great drams. Here’s the full list:
2019 World Whisky of the Year
William Larue Weller 128.2 Proof
Second Finest Whisky in the World
Glen Grant Aged 18 Years
Third Finest Whisky in the World
Thomas Handy Sazerac Rye 127.2 Proof
Single Cask of the Year
Blanton’s Gold Edition Single Barrel
Scotch Whisky of the Year
Glen Grant Aged 18 Year Old
Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant Aged 18 Year Old
Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask)
The Last Drop Glenrothes 1969 Cask 16207
Scotch Blend of the Year
Ballantine’s 17 Year Old
Scotch Grain of the Year
Berry Bros & Rudd Cambus 26 Years Old
Scotch Vatted Malt of the Year
Collectivum XXVIII
No Age Statement
Laphroaig Lore
10 Years & Under (Multiple Casks)
Laphroaig 10 Year Old
10 Years & Under (Single Cask)
Berry Bros & Rudd Ardmore 9 Year Old
11-15 Years (Multiple Casks)
Lagavulin 12 Year Old 17th Release Special Releases 2017
11-15 Years (Single Cask)
Cadenhead’s Rum Cask Mortlach 14 Year Old
16-21 Years (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant Aged 18 Year Old
16-21 Years (Single Cask)
Bowmore 19 Year Old The Feis Ile Collection
22-27 Years (Multiple Casks)
Talisker 25 Year Old Bot.2017
22-27 Years (Single Cask)
Scotch Malt Whisky Society Glen Grant Cask 9.128 24 Year Old
28-34 Years (Multiple Casks)
Convalmore 32 Year Old
28-34 Years (Single Cask)
Gleann Mor Port Ellen Aged 33 Year Old
35-40 Years (Multiple Casks)
Benromach 39 Year Old 1977 Vintage
35-40 Years (Single Cask)
Glenfarclas The Family Casks 1979
41 Years & Over (Multiple Casks)
Tomatin Warehouse 6 Collection 1972
41 Years & Over (Single Cask)
The Last Drop Glenrothes 1969 Cask 16207
No Age Statement (Standard)
Ballantine’s Finest
5-12 Years
Johnnie Walker Black Label 12 Year Old
13-18 Years
Ballantine’s 17 Year Old
19 – 25 Years
Royal Salute 21 Year Old
26 – 50 Years
Royal Salute 32 Year Old Union of the Crowns
Irish Whiskey of the Year
Redbreast Aged 12 Year Cask Strength
Irish Pot Still Whiskey of the Year
Redbreast Aged 12 Year Cask Strength
Irish Single Malt of the Year
Bushmills Distillery Reserve 12 Year Old
Irish Blend of the Year
Bushmills Black Bush
Irish Single Cask of the Year
The Irishman 17 Year Old
Bourbon of the Year
William Larue Weller 128.2 Proof
Rye of the Year
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac 127.2 Proof
US Micro Whisky of the Year
Garrison Brothers Balmorhea
US Micro Whisky of the Year (Runner Up)
Balcones Peated Texas Single Malt
No Age Statement (Single Barrel)
Blanton’s Gold Edition Single Barrel
No Age Statement (Multiple Barrels)
William Larue Weller 128.2 Proof
Up To 10 Years
Eagle Rare 10 Year Old
11 – 15 Years
Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 Year Old
16 – 20 Years
Abraham Bowman Sweet XVI Bourbon
11 Years & Over
Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 24 Year Old
No Age Statement
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac 127.2 Proof
Up to 10 Years
Knob Creek Cask Strength
11 Years & Over
Sazerac 18 Year Old (2017 Edition)
Canadian Whisky of the Year
Canadian Club Chronicles: Issue No. 1 Water of Windsor 41 Year Old
Japanese Whisky of the Year
The Hakushu Paul Rusch
European Whisky of the Year (Multiple)
Nestville Master Blender 8 Years Old Whisky (Slovakia)
European Whisky of the Year (Single)
The Norfolk Farmers Single Grain Whisky (England)
Asian Whisky of the Year
Amrut Greedy Angels 8 Year Old (India)
Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year
Belgrove Peated Rye (Australia)
The return of a legend. New 2018 bottling following a three year absence. Aged in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. On the nose incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange. A very dynamic and full bodied dram for its age. Chewy with coffee chocolate and treacle scones. Glendronach Malt Whisky Distillery was established north east of Huntley in the Highland whiskey region by James Allardice in 1826. The malting floors at Glendronach Distillery closed in 1996 and it was the last distillery in Scotland to heat its stills directly with flames from a coal-fired furnace, until it had to comply with new regulations in 2005. Glendronach Distillery is resplendent with a traditional cask iron mash tun, wooden washbacks, four stills. Famous for its well-aged and top quality sherried single malt, for example Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament, and single cask releases. The distillery is now owned by Brown Forman of America.
Buy – GlenDronach 15 Year Old – £59.95
Award Winners!
Our very own Loch Fyne Exclusives have been certified ‘brilliant’ (scoring more than 90) in the latest edition of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible! While the most important thing to us is our customers’ enjoyment, it’s always nice to have the drams get the recognition they deserve!
Next day UK delivery available
We ship worldwide!
Kilchoman
2006 Single Cask
Loch Fyne Exclusive
SCORE: 93.5
n23.5 a spattering of citrus over peaty embers; t23.5 seriously sweet: the smoke takes a back seat to the sharp, salivating almost lemon sherbet eye-watering buzz on the palate; a big dose of vanilla at the mid-point; f23 the phenols begin to reconfigure, though not before some mocha has turned up; some hickory accompanies the spice; b23.5 high grade malt taking a slightly different course from this distillery’s usual style.
£130 Buy Now
Last bottles remaining!
The Loch Fyne
Bunnahabhain
12 Year Old
SCORE: 92
n23.5 nutty and dry, this is old-fashioned oloroso at its best. The molasses peep through in their roastiest form, for we are now heading into serious Melton Hunting Cake country. And few whiskies can lay claim to that today…; t23.5 magnificent. The delivery is well weighted without becoming remotely stodgy, the fruit growing in intensity without shutting down all the other flavour avenues. Spices enter the fray with a spring in their step and gather intensity without undue haste; f22 a sulphur candle has been waved around briefly in the butt, but much shorter in time than normal. So the resulting buzz is secondary to the fruit; b23 a way above average sherry butt, not something normally associated with Bunna. For a 12-y-o, the delivery and follow-through could hardly be any better. Superb!
Glen Scotia
2005 Single Cask
Loch Fyne Exclusive
SCORE: 91.5
n22.5 a dense smokiness and spice prickle. The odd (in both senses of the word) touch of anthracite and kiwi fruit: not an everyday combination; t23 palate gripping in old-fashioned and delicious GS style as the phenols tear into the taste buds. Thin bodied but fattened by Manuka honey joining the smoke; f23 major complexity now as the peat backs off enough to allow the oak to come through clearly now with chalky vanilla building steadily; b23 a peaty whisky for sure, but so much else happening, too. What entertainment!
£85 Buy Now
Last bottles remaining!
Kilchoman
100% Islay Cask Release
Loch Fyne Exclusive
SCORE: 91
n23.5 vanilla dominant: the peat is relatively shy; t23 smokier on delivery, but the crisp Demerara sugars virtually crackle on the palate; f22 a light smoky farewell; the oak is not performing as you might hope; b22.5 such is the high class of Kilchoman, even an exceptionally good malt on the whisky stage is not quite up to the distillery’s normal performance. Not a bad place to be…
Balvenie 25 Year Old DoubleWood
Released to celebrate 25 years of the Balvenie DoubleWood, this 25 year old expression is a limited edition specially selected by Malt Master David C Stewart.
£525 Buy Now
Limited to 1 per customer
Lagavulin
Islay Jazz Festival 2018 Release
Lagavulin Jazz Festival 2018 Islay single malt Scotch whisky. Matured in first fill American Oak barrels, refill American Oak hogsheads & European oak puncheons and bottled to celebrate the 2018 Islay Jazz Festival. Lagavulin Distillery was established in 1816 by John Johnston on the rocky south coast of the Isle of Islay. In 1908 the Malt Mill Distillery was built next to Lagavulin Distillery but closed in the early 1960s and, whilst some of its buildings remain as part of Lagavulin, the Malt Mill is now a lost distillery. Lagavulin has four stills and produces superbly balanced peated whiskey. The core range is limited to the Lagavulin 16 Year Old and Distillers Edition with a limited edition single cask bottling produced each year for Feis Ile, the Islay Festival of Malt and Music.
BRINGING THE SOCIETY CLOSER TO YOU
Following the successful trial of our Devonshire Square bar in London, we’re super excited to bring you a brand-new Members’ Rooms in the vibrant area of Northcote Road in Clapham. We listened to feedback from members and looked at where many of you are based, and we’re delighted to bring you a new space that will complement our existing Members’ Rooms at 19 Greville Street in Farringdon.
Open to both members and future members, the new Members’ Rooms contains a private tasting room, a packed schedule of events and a menu curated by our award-winning chef James Freeman, as well as a host of perks for our members.
We’ll throw the doors open with a special Members’ Event on Thursday, 4 October – check the Society website and Facebook for more details and to secure your place. You won’t want to miss out!
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 here for membership information
This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!
Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video
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Red Fife Whisky Presale
We are thrilled, that our small batch of whisky will be ready to be released in February 2019! 313 bottles!
We are preselling this limited Whisky…the price includes one bottle of Whisky (available in Feb 2019), with the addition of a Whisky T-shirt and tasting book…click below for more info!
262-6731 West Coast Rd
Sooke, BC, V9Z 0S9
GREVILLE STREET REFURBISHMENT
It’s going to be a busy month in London – not only do we have a new location but we’ll also have a new look for the original Members’ Rooms at 19 Greville Street.
Works starts on Monday, 1 October to bring you a new Members’ Room on the second floor, and is expected to last around two weeks. While you’re enjoying this fantastic new space, we’ll then give the existing first floor a bit of a facelift as well.
While we’ll aim to keep disruption to a minimum, the Members’ Rooms will open at 3pm while the work is being carried out. Members are also advised to check the 19 Greville Street Facebook page or give us a call for the latest updates while the work is on-going.
We’ll of course be celebrating the new look in true Society style with an ‘Open Doors’ event at the end of October – keep your eyes peeled for more details soon.
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 here for membership information
This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!
Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video
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