Here is a link to our latest newsletter covering the latest goings on here in the centre of the middle of nowhere.  Please note the section on new releases.  As you have signed up to hear from us we will be updating you directly on the new products we get in on the run up to the festival.

Also, we now have in stock Bunnahabhain Moine Oloroso.

All the best

Mike

The Whisky Shop Dufftown Ltd
1 Fife Street, Dufftown, Keith, Scotland AB55 4AL
Telephone: +44 (0)1340 821097
http://www.whiskyshopdufftown.com/

Website now fully updated

With tickets going on sale this coming Monday March 27 at 10am, the Spirit of Toronto website has now been fully updated, including the schedule for our 2017 Masterclass Series.

For those of you attending the show for the first time, these masterclasses are seated tutored tastings presented by a variety of guest speakers on the lower level of Roy Thomson Hall. Seats may be reserved when purchasing tickets for the show. For full details please visit us online at http://www.spiritoftoronto.ca

Canada150: Let’s Celebrate!

For our 2017 edition we have programmed some special guests and special whiskies to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday. In addition to our Canada150 showcase, we look forward to offering previews of a number of new Canadian releases, as well as taking guests back in time as we unearth some special gems and look back at Canada’s rich distilling heritage. For lovers of history, whisky and Canada this year’s Spirit of Toronto should not be missed!

2017 Masterclass Series

The word rare is bandied about easily these days. Too easily in most cases, so let’s skip the hyperbole and simply state that this year’s headline masterclass is not one that you’re likely to attend anywhere else. On that note we ask you to extend a warm welcome to Canadian whisky ambassadors Johanne McInnis and Graham MacKenney as they take guests back to the dawn of Confederation to taste and learn more about the silent stills of a bygone era — ’nuff said.

Fast forwarding to the present, Dr. Don Livermore and Drew Mayville, two of the foremost blenders of Canadian whisky, will also be joining us to unveil the impending releases from the Hiram Walker distillery and the Sazerac Co. We also look forward to welcoming brand ambassador Chris Thompson of Forty Creek as he presents some highlights from its short but storied past and – fingers crossed – a possible sneak preview of the near future. Warning: exceptional whiskies will be tasted.

While we celebrate our whiskies past and present, we don’t for a moment forget that Canada owes a debt of gratitude to Scotland for our rich distilling heritage. On that note, rest assured that this year’s line-up offers an embarrassment of single malt riches showcasing the best of Scotland courtesy of The Balvenie, Benromach, Bowmore, Bunnahabhain, The Dalmore and John Dewar’s Fine Whisky Emporium including Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Aultmore and Royal Brackla.

Looking south of the border, we are excited to have Matt Jones regale guests with bourbon and lore as he presents the Legends of Bourbon, a must for fans of the late, great Booker Noe. Also to be noted is that Irish whiskey is experiencing its own renaissance and there is no better way to learn about its DNA than through Jamesons, the world’s best selling Irish whiskey, to be presented by Conor Timmons as he walks guests through a line-up that includes the latest releases.

Automatic ticket notification

Those of you subscribed to this list will receive an automatic notification the night before tickets go on sale next week.

First time purchasing tickets to the show? We’re often asked about the best way to secure your first choices for masterclasses but regrettably we can offer no guarantees as tickets will be available online, by telephone and in person, and all three purchase methods are certain to experience a queue, but do note that there is always the possibility of attending on a stand-by basis for the 7pm and 8:30pm classes—for the ins and outs of the masterclass series, please visit our FAQ.

Old Forester “1920 Prohibition Style” Kentucky Bourbon Whisky (750ml) ($59.99)

91 points Wine Enthusiast: “The perfect proof. Rich in color, aroma, and flavor. It begins with powerful caramel, baking spice, chocolate, cherries, cinnamon, and toffee. Then nuance and complexity. Honey, jalapeño, rosemary, crème brûlée, malt, and fruit, from the spicy citrus of grapefruit to prunes and dried apricots. Hard to believe this is over 100 proof, as you never sense the strength challenging you to find whats next amidst the subtlety. Extremely long finish with cherry, cinnamon, and caramel. Value Pick.(FM, Winter 2016)”

K&L Notes: As one of the few distilleries allowed to remain operational during Prohibition, Old Forester is celebrating this part of its history with with its Whiskey Row series. According to the distillery: “The 115 proof expression represents a barrel sample that company president Owsley Brown I would have batched at the beginning of Prohibition. The nose is an intense medley of cherry preserves, drippy caramel, dark chocolate, thickened maple syrup and seasoned oak spiciness. Dark caramel coats layers of malt nuttiness and sweet graham cracker all warmed by green peppercorn and coriander spice brightened with a hint of cedar. Tart apple crispness gives way to a long smoky finish full of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham cracker sweetness.”

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 03, 2017

The Old Forester 1920 is as fabulous as it is frustrating. Yes, it’s no age statement! Some of the marketing has alluded to it being an old expression, but nothing concrete can be found. The mashbill remains a mystery, though we can assume it’s the modern Old Forester recipe (72%, 18% Rye, 10% Malt), Brown-Foreman isn’t above experimenting. All we know about this stuff is that it’s high proof, it’s got something to do with Prohibition and it’s absolutely delicious. Big powerful nose of pepper and rye spice unfolds into caramelized apples and dark exotic spice. The spice takes front and center on entry, but brings in some red fruits and burnt sugar as it lingers toward a long soft finish of nutmeg, cloves and green apples. The only other fact we know for sure is that we’ll all be kicking ourselves when we finish our bottle and realize we should have bought more.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: February 03, 2017

This was my favorite single Bourbon release of 2016 and I’m thrilled we were able to get another large allocation of it. Regardless of whether you want to get wrapped up in the story about how this was based on the Prohibition era recipe, there’s no doubt about it: this is a delicious bottle of American whiskey and it easily stands out from the crowd of currently available options. There’s a weight and a richness that coats the palate and the 115 proof brings plenty of punch with a flurry of baking spices. I love the graham crackery goodness as well. I don’t taste a lot of Bourbons these days that really have a deeply concentrated flavor of dark grains. This has it in spades. Add this to your short list of new and exciting Bourbons right now.

Fukano and Ohishi Whiskies

with Distillery Guests

10AM – 2PM  

Join us March 31st for a full day of world whiskies. From 10AM-2PM we’ll be pouring Japanese whiskies by Ohishi and Fukano distilleries, presented by the distillery owners themselves. Then from 5-7, we’ll be pouring Pürgeist Bavarian whiskey with distillery representatives.  

Click Here to RSVP

Japanese Whiskey Pour List:

Ohishi Brandy Cask
Ohishi Sherry Cask
Fukano Brandy Cask 

About Fukano:

Fukano Distillery is located in Hitoyoshi City, of the Kumamoto Prefecture of Japan on the island of Kyushu. Owner Shigeruriku Fukano is the fifth generation of his family to run the distillery. They use a combination of malted and un-malted rice to make their whisky, resulting in a smooth, deliciously balanced product with hints of old wheated bourbon, sea salt, and caramel. Each bottling of this special, limited edition whisky is only available a few times a year. Our guest Fukano-san is the American sales manager from Fukano Distillery.

 About Ohishi:

 is the closest distillery to the source of the Kuma River, a river renowned for its superior water quality. Blessed with fertile soil and clear underground water, Ohishi Distillery produces it’s own rice for use in their whiskies, with traditionally organic methods – koi fish are employed to keep the rice fields free of weeds. With about 1200 Sherry and Brandy casks, Ohishi Distillery puts a lot of effort into maturing its products over a long period of time, transforming their locally produced rice liquor into engaging and flavorful whiskies. Our guest Oishi-san is the 6th generation master distiller from this distillery.

The water wheel at the Old Midleton Distillery

My love affair with Irish whiskey

Many people believe that whisky is all about Scotch. Even though whiskies from other countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Ireland are pretty good, why bother when you have such an array of styles from Scotland?

The truth is that what I find in Irish whiskey, I cannot find in any other whisky. There is an elegance and fruitiness that is unique to these style of whiskies, the older whiskies even have a tropical-fruit character that is a personal favourite.

Irish whiskey styles

What makes these whiskeys different? Firstly, they produce a style of whiskey called pot still – this is whiskey made with both malted and unmalted barley. Secondly, most of the Irish single malts and pot-still whiskeys are triple distilled rather than the traditional Scottish style of being double distilled. Triple distillation produces a lighter and fruitier style of whiskey, whilst the pot-still style gives a rich, fuller-style whiskey with complexity and creaminess.

Blended Irish whiskey is also slightly different to Scotch blends in that it usually contains a mix of all three styles of Irish whiskey: single malt, pot still and grain. I find these Irish blends very good – they are great for introducing new people to whisk(e)y and mix very well with water, soda or ginger ale to create long drinks.

In my 30-year whisky journey, I have changed preferences many times. I have been crazy about whisky from sherry casks, then I was a peathead, changing from style to style, although not really from distillery to distillery as you can find many styles even within each distillery. But I never fell out of love with Irish whiskey, and as time evolves, I am more and more in love with it. It is the fruit element that brings me back again and again, as well as the creaminess of the pot-still character.

The Old Bushmills Distillery in Northern Ireland

POWER OF TWO

In some ways I find the Irish whiskey industry similar to that of Japan. Ireland is dominated by two big players: Irish Distillers and Bushmills; in Japan, it is Suntory and Nikka. In both cases, the distillers in these countries were competitive and did not swap stock for use in blends, as they do in Scotland. They were therefore reliant on their own production to produce enough variants of malt or pot-still whisky that could be used to make up their house blends and core range. And in terms of flavour, both countries produce whisky which are easy drinking; they are different, but are both lighter in style.

In Japan, Yamazaki produces many styles of malt whisky by using different-shaped stills and numerous cut points, whereas Irish Distillers uses a variety of mash bills (as well as different cut points).

Suntory’s core range of Yamazaki whisky consists of the 12 Year Old, 18 Year Old and 25 Year Old, but even though these whiskies are produced in one distillery, they actually contain different styles of malt whisky produced at the distillery. By contrast, Irish Distillers uses its variety of mash bills for its core range of products. This means that all the pot-still whiskies in the range we see are from one distillery: Midleton. Its core range includes Redbreast, Green Spot, Powers John’s Lane and, of course, Midleton.

Irish whiskey companies have been very pioneering and sales of Irish whiskey are growing fast. With this increased popularity, many new distilleries have opened recently and more are in the pipeline; I believe that there are more than 30 current planning applications for new distilleries across Ireland. Watch out, Scotland!

If you have never tried Irish whiskey, I hope I have convinced you to try some. I would recommend the following to begin your journey:

Jameson

Teeling Single Grain

Bushmills 10 Year Old

Connemara Green Spot

Redbreast 12 Year Old

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gents

A quick update on a few stock items that may be of interest. We have listed below a new selection of collectable and investible whiskies for your perusal. That being said, the whiskies listed below are not only collectable and investible, they are also affordable and damn-good drinking whiskies. Please note that the stock that we carry of these products is very limited. This is only a tiny representation of our collectable range, for more details on the full selection visit our Old & Rare, Collectible, Luxury and our Non-Auction sections online.

Kind Regards

Robbie

https://youtu.be/JcTkF1ALwlw – Jameson Crested Review

Hello everyone! Sadly I missed the boat last week for a Saint Patrick’s day review, but alas, here is my review on Jameson Crested! I’ve always had a love affair with Irish whisky. It culminates everything that is great about whisky as a whole; history, art, work ethic and enjoyment. But the Irish have always had a hearty and rebellious element following them through history, the whisky is no different. The Crested brings more pot still whisky into the mix, a long with focusing maturation more towards the sherry side. It’s a wonderfully affordable, easy drinking product that no whisky drinker should over look. Enjoy!

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 157: Turv Exloo Prime Whisky 2016 Single Cask

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries a controversial release from Holland. The Turv Exloo Distillery, founded in 2015, released their Prime Whisky in July 2016. But of course this is not whisky – it is a three-month-old spirit. So the Dutch authorities stepped in and forced the distillery to remove the word ‘whisky’ from the label. The owners felt this was ‘rubbish’ and ‘narrow-minded’ as they can make whisky that is ‘as good or even better’ (their words, not Mark’s!) than Scotch. A bold statement. Let’s find out.

https://youtu.be/ringkE1ZIFw

Since 2005 The Macallan and master French crystal maker Lalique have united behind an unwavering commitment to craft, mastery and beauty. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Macallan in Lalique Six Pillars odyssey, an exclusive series of limited edition decanters inspired by the foundations upon which The Macallan creates its exceptional single malt whiskies. Now, for the first and only time direct from The Macallan, the complete Six Pillars collection will be available to buy at auction, with all net proceeds going to charity.

Celebrating the decade-long partnership and the unique approach to the art of both crystal and whisky production in the obsessive pursuit of perfection, The Macallan in Lalique Legacy Collection brings together some of the rarest of The Macallan single malts, aged from 50 to 65 years old. The Legacy Collection is housed in a bespoke natural ebony cabinet created by Lalique Maison and includes six pairs of specially designed Lalique Macallan glasses. The cabinet also holds six of The Macallan Fine & Rare miniatures; two from each of the 1937, 1938 and 1939 vintages, signifying the zenith of Lalique’s creative contribution in the French Art Deco period. The grand finale of an incredible collaboration, The Macallan in Lalique Legacy Collection will go to auction for charity at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on Sunday 2nd April 2017.

Contact The Macallan

Ledaig 19 Year Old | Marsala Cask Finish

Ledaig distillery started producing peated single malt in 1997, this 19 year old Ledaig has been created using some of the first spirit distilled back then. Laid to rest in American oak casks, then transferred and finished for period of time in Marsala wine casks, resulting in a rich, sweet peated single malt.

£123.90