Port Ellen 1983
Aged 33 Years
57.1% vol – Cask No: 16055SALE – £828.00
Don’t forget you get free marble coaster with this purchase.

Visit our website to purchase

Springbank Society Quarterly Newsletter – Autumn 2018

To the members of the Springbank Society,

Good news! We have survived the heatwave, the residents of Campbeltown will be talking about the summer of 2018 for generations to come. In fact, many of you experienced the wonderful weather when you visited us in May for the Campbeltown Malts Festival. Speaking of which, we have a quick recap of the event later in this note.

Now that the sun has disappeared back behind the clouds we have stopped sunbathing and returned to work – so it seemed like the perfect time to send out a Quarterly Newsletter to Society members to let you all know what we have been up to over the last few months (and to tell you about what is to come in the very near future).

Included in this email, in addition to the aforementioned Festival recap, we have a section introducing the new distillery shop (recent visitors will have seen it in action) and brief details about upcoming distillery releases – more details will be released soon enough.

Also, we have an extensive list of upcoming tastings and events that our Sales Team are involved in, so check that out if you are interested in sharing a dram or two (or three or four…) with any of the team. We also have a social media recap, detailing where you can find us online and a couple of internet highlights from recent times.

Hope you enjoy it!

Campbeltown Malts Festival 2018 

This is the first Society Quarterly Newsletter since the Campbeltown Malts Festival so we wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who joined us for the celebration. We were absolutely delighted with how the week went and we hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as we did.

We started with the Society tasting, where those in attendance chose the next Society bottle – Springbank 15yo Fresh Port. They also wrote the tasting notes, although… it turns out that allowing 100 people to write tasting notes results in a strange combination of tastes.

 Release date to be announced soon.

 Thank you to everyone who joined us in the Malt Barns for the distillery dinner which was, once again, the fruits of the labour of Donald Brown. There were also 3 other whisky dinners taking place at the same time throughout Campbeltown with many Springbank and Kilkerran fans embracing the dinner and drink offered at Food For Thought, the Ardshiel Hotel and The Craigard House Hotel.

The Springbank Open Day on Thursday 24th May was the usual mixture of whisky and organised chaos. The sun baked the town in heat so the distillery was crowded with both visitors and locals. We put on a large number of tastings throughout the day, hosted by our dedicated Sales and Distillery Teams. We hope every single visitor enjoyed these tastings, whether you attended the first tasting of the day, Getting to Know Longrow and Hazelburn, the final Springbank Warehouse tasting in the evening or anything in between.

On the Friday we had a day dedicated to Kilkerran (and Wm Cadenhead’s). Once again we had a range of tastings including the Kilkerran Masterclass and the Kilkerran Cocktail Tasting which were both well attended. Going forward we aim to make the Kilkerran Open Day as celebrated as its Springbank counterpart and your participation and enjoyment on the final day of the festival shows us that you all want the same thing.

It would be remiss of us not to mention, as we are sure you all noticed, the hard work carried out by all distillery, bottling hall and office staff throughout the festival. Their willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty is what really made the festival the success it was.

The dates for next year’s festival are – Tuesday 21st – Friday 24th May 2019

Slainte

New Distillery Shop

We have opened a new shop based at Springbank Distillery.

Those who attended the Campbeltown Malts Festival were among the first to experience the new Springbank Distillery shop recently opened on site to enhance the visiting experience.

This shop stocks the Springbank core range as well as distillery merchandise, gifts, souvenirs and Cadenhead products too.

The shop also serves as the hub for distillery tours as it is the starting and finishing point for tours as well as the place to contact should you have any enquiries regarding visits, tours or tastings.

If you are thinking of booking a tour, please use the details below:

E: tours@springbank.scot

T: +44 (0)1586 555468

W: http://springbank.scot/tours/

Upcoming Releases

We are pleased to say that there will soon be two new distillery releases available. These special, limited releases are:

• Longrow 14yo 57.8% Sherrywood

• Springbank 12yo 56.2%

You will all receive a Newsflash email to announce the launch date very soon so you will all have a chance to get your hands on a bottle or two. Also included in this Newsflash will be a request for you all not to post any product details on social media as this counteracts the effect of members getting to know about launches in advance.

Events: Where can you find our Sales Team over the next 3 months?

Over the next 3 months our dedicated and hard working Sales Team will be travelling the globe spreading the word of Springbank and share a few drams with you all. Below is a list of dates, places and events detailing what our sales team will be up to in the near future.

August:

10th-12th: Grant Macpherson and Ronan Currie will be representing Springbank (and Kilkerran) at the Edinburgh Whisky Fringe. Join our boys in Scotland’s capital.

11th-25th: Sales Manager David Allen will be on USA Sales Tour. Consisting primarily of trade visits, he will be making visits to LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

18th: Grant Macpherson will represent Springbank and Kilkerran at the Falkirk Whisky Social on 18th August 2018. Grant will be on hand to serve you drams from our wide range of whiskies – see you there!

September:

1st: Grant is in Oban for an in-store pouring at The Oban Whisky and Fine Wines Shop – everyone is welcome to join him and have a few drams on the first day of September.

7th-8th: Ronan Currie will be getting back on the road again because he will be representing us at Whisky Herbst Berlin. Join Ronan at the show on 7th and 8th September and he may possibly (definitely) share some Springbank, Longrow, Hazelburn and Kilkerran with you. Visit them on Facebook.

10th-14th: David Allen will be in Belgium for a Sales Tour. Visits to Belgium are always busy and action packed whenever we head over there and we are sure this time will be no different. No doubt David will be happy to share a dram with any Springbank fan he meets on his travels.

15th: Grant Macpherson will be serving drams at the Scotch Whisky Festival in Kirkcaldy.

22nd: Grant Macpherson nevers seems to spend a weekend at home – we’ve sent him away again, this time he’s spending the weekend in the wonderful city of Liverpool. Make sure you catch Grant at the Liverpool Whisky Festival – we promise he will be happy to serve you all quality drams. Visit the Whisky Lounge on Facebook.

 22nd-24th: David Allen will be in Italy for the hotly anticipated Whisky Revolution Festival. He will be serving drams out to guests and he will also be hosting a tasting while he is in town. Check out the Whisky Revolution Facebook Page.

24th-28th: Ronan Currie will be going on a tasting tour in Finland. Details TBC.

29th: Ranald Watson, Grant Macpherson and Donald Brown are down in London for the Whisky Exchange Whisky Show. It’s one of our favourite events of the year and we cannot wait to see you there.

October:

1st:  Two members of the Springbank Sales Team will be in Paris for Salon Dugas. Please note: this is a trade show and is not open to the public. However, no doubt we will see a few Society members during the day.

1st-5th: David Allen embarks on a sales tour of Taiwan for Springbank and Kilkerran. One of David’s favourite places to visit, he can’t wait to meet fans of our whisky in Taiwan.

8th-10th: Ranald Watson is attending the International Bar and Beverage Trade show at Bar Convent in Berlin. Please visit the website here for full details.

8th-14th: Ronan Currie will be touring Japan for a week on behalf of both Springbank and Kilkerran. The tour will consist of a number of trade visits but, although there will be no official public events included on this trip, we are sure Ronan will end up sharing a few drams with some Springbank (and Kilkerran) fans along the way.

20th: Grant Macpherson is back on the road as he heads to Bakewell for Wee Dram Fest 2018 in Bakewell Town Hall. Join Grant in Derbyshire for this regular event on the Springbank calendar.

29th – 3rd November: Ranald Watson is travelling to Alberta, Canada for Willow Park, Whisky in the Warehouse. Join Ranald in Calgary – visit the Willow Park website here.

Events taking place further in the future will be included in the next Quarterly Newsletter and, please remember, the Events Section of the Springbank Website is updated whenever we have new information to share with you all.

Springbank Website – Events Page

Social Media

You can follow Springbank on Social Media:

Facebook – Official Springbank Whisky

Twitter – @Springbank1828

Instagram – springbank1828

You can also follow our Sister Distillery, Mitchell’s Glengyle, on Facebook too:

Facebook (Mitchell’s Glengyle): Kilkerran Single Malt

Information and announcements regarding Kilkerran will also be made through the Springbank channels so you never miss a thing.

If you visit the Springbank Website now you can find a staff interview with Catherine McDougall. This is the most recent edition of our staff interview series Catherine talks about the history of the bottling hall, her time working at Springbank and how things have changed over the years.

Staff Interview: Catherine Mcdougall

And lastly, filmmaker Jeff Bradford visited Springbank recently and made a short film about his time here – click here to go to Youtube and watch the video.

Thanks for reading the Springbank Society Quarterly Newsletter of Autumn 2018.

As usual, if you have any questions or queries you can contact us via email at the usual address – society@springbank.scot

But don’t worry, you’ll be hearing from us again very soon!

Slainte

Springbank Society

Please contact the Society at society@springbank.scot to join.

The Springbank Team

Springbank Distillers

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve

Save £12.05
Now £56.95

Bowmore 12 Year Old Gift Pack

Save £14.05
Now £31.95

HIGHLAND PARK VALKNUT 

The second release in Highland Park’s Viking Legend series. This nuanced Norse dram continues the distillery’s exploration of Orkney’s Viking heritage, invoking Odin himself with notes of warm mulling spice and lingering peat smoke.

SHOP NOW

NEW MORTLACHS

The Beast of Dufftown’s recent incarnation as Diageo’s super-premium Speyside has been cast aside in favour of a new, more nuanced approach: pre-release tastings indicate a real return to form for a distillery which deserves to succeed. Billy’s got the scoop.

READ MORE

Customer Review

TALISKER 10 YEAR OLD 

“One of my favourite whiskies ever… very rarely does a whisky actually invoke imagery in me, but this does it and is the only one I have tasted so far to do so. Makes me think of eating freshly caught fish cooked over a wood fire, sitting on a cliff watching the waves crash against the rocks. The only word I can use to describe this whisky is magical…” – Chris.

SHOP NOW

Our Favourite

INSTAGRAM POST

As a community, we whisky folk can get pretty technical about our drinks, so sometimes it’s nice to see someone just enjoying a dram by the fire. Plus, lighting a fire in this heat requires serious dedication. Cheers @parker_1303! https://www.instagram.com/p/Blq03ggAnQT/

If you’re tasting our whiskies or visiting us in London, please tag us @whiskyexchange with your photos.

FOLLOW US

Our events

WHISKY SHOW: OLD & RARE 

Old and rare whiskies are a constant point of interest and conversation, but how many of us actually get to taste that ancient Ardbeg or sip a dram of Port Ellen Queen’s Visit? Well, you could, thanks to The Whisky Show: Old & Rare – an opportunity to explore some truly delectable and seriously collectible spirits.

TICKETS HERE

Japanese Whisky at the  Park Avenue Liquor Shop

The Japanese Whisky is a hot as any spirits category has ever been.

Is it the water? The different types of wood? The attention to detail? Or is just good? The answer – all of those things and more. Ever increasing demand for certain Japanese bottlings has caused some products to be cut from production altogether. (ie Aged Hibbiki and Hakushu). Even bottles that were supposed to supplant aged statements and be more readily available, have become difficult for us to keep in-stock.

With that in mind – we wanted to share with you some items that have just arrived and are sure to sell fast. The bottles listed here aren’t our only Japanese Whiskies, so if you’re not seeing something you’re interested in just ask.

Kanpai!

Marlon, Jonathan & Eric
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442

whiskyconn@gmail.com
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com

www.parkaveliquor.com

Nikka ~ From the Barrel 

This is a blend of multiple types of malt and grain that Nikka reserves. Nikka From the Barrel was created to deliver full flavors and richness of whisky “from barrels” which only blenders can sniff and taste. As the whisky contains so many characteristic components at a higher alcohol of 51.4%, it is essential to let the liquid “marriage” in used casks for 3-6 months for it to stabilize and harmonize. The concept of the unique short squared bottle is “a small lump of whisky”, which perfectly visualizes the rich and strong taste of the whisky inside. Won top prize in its category at the World Whisky Awards in 2007 and 2010.

Nose: Graceful and well balanced – like an Olympic gymnast.  Notes of fresh cut flowers and fresh cut fruits, and a little oak (fresh cut of course).

Palate: A full-bodied punch in the mouth. If that fist had plenty of winter spice, toffee, a little caramel, vanilla and a good amount of fruit.

Finish: Long, warming and fruity with a wee bit of oaked spice.

PRICE = $75/btl

Yame: The Eight Goddesses

(NEW ARRIVAL)

Yame – Eight Goddesses – is a pot-still Japanese Whisky blended from 100% Barley matured in oak for 10-13 years. Inspired by the mythical Yametsu Hime said to protect the scenic mountainous beauty of the Yame Region, home of the famed Kitaya distillery.

Notes: Super Mellow, Delicate notes of Vanilla interlaced with Citrus.

PRICE: $65/btl

Nikka ~ Miyagikyo 

This is a single malt from the Miyagikyo distillery, Nikka’s second distillery built in 1969. The founder Masataka Taketsuru chose this site in the mountains of Sendai to contrast with his first distillery, Yoichi, located in the coastal area. Using less peaty malt and distilled in a pot still heated by indirect steam, Miyagikyo single malt has an elegant fruitiness and a distinctive aroma with a strong Sherry cask influence.

Nose: Iris notes hit first then aromas of malted barley, tropical fruit and spiced licorice all hit back. There’s also hints of campfire yet also a honey floral element (yeah, a lot happening here).

Palate: So. Much. Malted barley. More licorice, sweet spices and chocolate/tobacco tones join the party.

Finish: Tangy Orangina with lingering tobacco leaf, baking spice, roasted nuts and stewed fruits.

PRICE: $92/btl

Nikka ~ Yoichi  

This is a single malt from the Yoichi distillery, Nikka’s first distillery built in 1934. The founder Masataka Taketsuru chose Yoichi in Hokkaido because of the similar environmental conditions to Scotland, where he learned whisky making. Yoichi single malt has pleasant peaty notes and smokiness originating from the traditional direct coal-fired distillation as well as a briny hint delivered by the sea breeze during the aging process.

Nose: Like it was poured through a sometimes used chimney! A mellow peat, smoke, soot and salt. Then candied citrus fruit, black licorice and ginger spices. Finally – the flowers arrive.

Palate:  A well-balanced attack involving peat, smoke, spices, tropical fruit salad and bowl of almonds and walnuts. Chocolate then enters the fray, trailed by more smoke watching your 6.

Finish:  Overflowing and overwhelming with all kinds of juicy fruits that were dipped in malt and sprinkled with sea salt.

PRICE: $92/btl 

Contact us with any questions. Due to ever-changing inventory, we cannot guarantee bottle availability. We are not responsible for any typographical errors or the decision to allow Jose Reyes to pitch in a Major League Game.

parkaveliquor.comThe Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 |

The W Club Membership

Love whisky? Join the club! Whether you’re a novice or knowledgeable about our favourite tipple, we’ve created a whisky club to help you continue unlocking the mystery of whisky…

For just £20 per year you’ll receive quarterly issues of Whiskeria magazine, free members-only tastings at your local branch of The Whisky Shop, huge savings in Whisky Wednesday flash sales, exclusive whisky auctions, in-store and online discounts all month long and priority notice on rare and limited releases.

Choose the Luxury Gift Box to receive all the benefits of membership plus the latest copy of Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible, the famous Glencairn whisky glass and a tasty whisky miniature to get you started!

Luxury Gift Box – £39.99
Membership Only – £20

Is age just a number?

Is a whisky no good without an age, or is it flavour that’s the most important indication of quality? The debate continues to rage in the whisky world, but one thing we know for certain is that there are some fantastic aged whiskies available at The Whisky Shop.

As well as being fantastic drams that have spent around two decades or more taking on their rich flavours and aromas, these aged whiskies are the perfect for birthdays and anniversaries.

Next day UK delivery available
International shipping

Hibiki 17 Year Old Japanese Whisky

£495 Buy Now

Springbank 21 Year Old 2018

£239 Order Now

Macallan 25 Year Old
Sherry Oak 2018

£1,750 Buy Now

Distillery News

THE GLENROTHES DISTILLERY TAKES A REST

We’ve been basking in some unusually high temperatures at The Glenrothes Distillery this month.  It’s perfect weather for enjoying the beautiful countryside that surrounds us, but sometimes hot and dry conditions can be problematic for whisky production. Some nearby distilleries have had to start their Silent Season a bit earlier this year to save water. Luckily, as we’re blessed with our own abundant source of water right here on the estate, we’ve been able to keep up production until the very last minute.

Now, however, it’s time for us to take a break, close the distillery and begin our own Silent Season. That’s the time of the year when we carry out essential maintenance at our production facilities. Tasks like cleaning out the washbacks and rinsing out the stills, as well as giving everyone who works here a well-earned break for summer. We’ll be back in August, rested, perhaps a little bit tanned and ready to get back to what we do best: making one of Speyside’s finest Single Malts.

SOMETHING SPECIAL IS HAPPENING AT THE GLENROTHES

A new era is on the horizon.  As a friend of The Glenrothes we wanted you to be the first to know that September is going to arrive with some very exciting news at our distillery. Stay tuned.

The Glenrothes Distillery Team.

The Glenrothes
Highland Distillers Ltd
100 Queen Street
Glasgow, G1 3DN
United Kingdom

Drinking and eating on Islay

Talking of Islay, how many times have you heard people say “tasting an Islay dram is like sucking petrol”?  My first thought is, how many people have actually sucked petrol???  I did famously say Laphroaig reminds me of my grandads farm and tastes like a pirates boot! They labelled up a bottle and sent me it. I am reliably told that as a 4 year old in Kilkenny, I did lick my grandads boots!

Getting off Islay can be tricky at times, just this month our ferry was 2.5 hours late, due to Storm Hector, we had two hours to fill in Port Askaig, not easy! Managed it though, when the ferry did sail it was ok, as the storm was at our backs, pushing us into Kennacraig. Aye but upon landing the crew could not get the ramp down, took em 20 minutes fiddling. So what if you get stuck on the island due to bad weather, my advice, go back to your hotel and ask for another night, if you cannee get out, no one else can get in.

PAUL MCLEAN www.whiskytours.scot

What distillery offers the best food?

Having been to many, many whisky distilleries, which one has the best food on offer?

Ardbeg for me takes top dog, a fabulous menu, with tempting starters, mains and puddins! Their menu includes great fish plates, seafood, burgers, surf & turf and deserts. It reads like a big smile on a piece of paper! They also have excellent background music Creedence Clearwater Revival when I was there last. If I were Jim Murray (thank the Lord I am NOT) I would give them 99/100, and the girls are all pretty too! Glenfiddich has a lunch menu, small but perfect, especially the haggis and the cheese selection, soups are good and cakes to die for, very nice staff and a great bar. Glenlivet, easy going a wee bit limited choice but all is good – soups, baked tatties, sandwiches and cakes, lots of drinks. Really good but not in the same bracket as Ardbeg.  Edradour, they don’t have any facilities here for food, but as one of my favourite visits I must include them, Tunnock cakes and biscuits, crisps and shortbread, but, and it’s a big but, the bar drams far outweigh the lack of food! Macallan new distillery, café is a wee bit dark, havnee eaten here yet but will do soon, the fact that they have a café is good. Aberfeldy, limited menu, sarnies, cakes, drinks etc. They have facilities but not a large choice, but we have pals here so like going!

So the jury was not out long, the winner by a mile was Ardbeg. I will have eaten here three times in as many months, love the drams, the food, the craic and the girls are pretty! Do you, our readrer have anything to add?  Let Liz know  liz@mcleanscotland.co.uk