And the award goes to…

One of the leading whisky guides in the world, Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible contains over 4,600 detailed, professionally analysed whisky tasting notes. The cream of the crop are awarded the enviable title of Liquid Gold, receiving a score of over 96 points out of 100.

Coinciding with the release of the 2017 Whisky Bible, this year’s top whiskies in the Gospel according to Jim have been announced and you can get your hands on these prized drams at The Whisky Shop.

Next day delivery available on UK orders

Glen Grant 18 Year Old Rare Edition

Taking the dual title of Scotch Whisky of the Year and Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks) as well as coming 2nd in the World Whiskies of the Year, this 18 year old from Glen Grant has all the characteristics of a modern Speyside: smooth, exuberant and well-balanced.

The nose has delicate floral and vanilla notes with wood and sweet spices. The palate is refined with caramelised cereals, raisins and more vanilla, before a long and nutty finish.

€115 Buy Now

Available from The Whisky Shop Paris with free UK delivery

Please click here to view the latest review.

Benromach 2007 Hermitage

Limited release from the Speyside distillery matured in wine casks from Hermitage Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, in the northern Rhône region of France. A sweet, fruity dram, with succulent dark cherry and orange flavours. £40.12 Benromach Distillery was designed by Charles C. Diog and constructed at Forres in the Speyside whisky region for D. McCallum and F.W. Burickman in 1898. Following numerous periods of closure, it was purchased in 1993 by Gordon & MacPhail who charged up its single pair of stills in 1998 and have nurtured Benromach ever since. Striking new labelling combined with an increasing range of single malts is forging a very popular brand of single malt whiskies which includes Benromach Organic, Benromach Peatsmoke and Benromach 10 Year Old.

Mark’s Whisky Ramblings 145: Kavalan Podium

Mark Dermul, Belgian whisky blogger, tries the Kavalan Podium. It is their virgin oak expression. Mixed with some refill bourbon and sherry casks to keep the strong influence of the new oak under control, the Podium turned out to be a very summery dram, quite straight forward but very pleasant indeed.

https://youtu.be/H5V-7ECv0GA

VERY SPECIAL SINGLE MALTS

Cadenhead Single Malt Scotches – This is the newest Independent Scotch bottler we’ve been working with. They have access to a sensational lineup of beautifully aged Scotch Single Malts from all over Scotland. Though a little pricey, once you taste any one of these you will know your money was well spent; and you will be reassured that the age, to price, to quality ratio is certainly worth the price of admission.

Kavalan Taiwanese Single Malts – This is the distillery that took down Scotland in the 2015 World Whisky Awards. That’s right, a single malt from Taiwan unseated a centuries old reigning single malt king. The particular whiskey I speak of is the Kavalan Vinho Barrique Cask Strength. But the greatness of Kavalan doesn’t stop there. All their whiskies are very good.

Duncan Taylor Single Malts – Duncan Taylor is one of the most esteemed and top-shelf independent Scotch bottlers. The depth and breadth of their portfolio is incredible and speaks to their long and storied history. Their company motto is, “Whiskies of Distinction”, and they live up to it. If it says Duncan Taylor, it means you’re in for a treat.

Nikka Japanese Single Malts – We are the fortunate recipient of a little bit of these highly sought after, older age statement, Japanese single malt whiskies. We currently have some Nikka 17yr and Nikka 21yr. These selections are hard to come by and won’t last long. This wonderful Japanese single malt producer, who has roots very much in the Scottish tradition of producing world class single malt whisky.

www.thepartysource.com

95 Riviera Drive, Bellevue, KY 41073  (859) 291-4007

A cultural visit to Ireland 

An Irish venture into their culture of whiskey and grand beers. An edited blog from a much longer piece of drivel by Paul. 

Monday started late. Teelings at noon was our scheduled visit and it was good! A complimentary visit (thanks) led by Ruard, who knew his stuff (makes a change for some distillery guides), all the staff here are young, very young and I wonder what they actually know about whiskey? Our welcome at reception? Not good, they didnee wish to know, too busy chatting to eachother. We were told “take photos anywhere”, so we did, the pot stills come fae Italy, Sienna, 19^th century design/shape. There were NO padlocks on the spirit safe, they have 5 distillers on a rotating basis, the small batch 80% corn, 20% barley. We tasted 3 drams; grain, small batch and single malt (a 6 wood job 9year old). Teeling Distillery is the first new distillery in Dublin in over 125 years and right back where Teelings started in 1782 and only a stone’s throw away from where Walter Teeling’s old distillery was. Located in an ancient market square called Newmarket (not really a square) in the heart of the Liberties of Dublin. Their philosophy is that while they are respectful to the heritage of Irish whiskey, as a new generation of Irish whiskey makers they are confident to forge a new future for Dublin and Irish whiskey. After our tour we hit their bar, Dave had another single malt, I went in for a cocktail and was told it’s a girly drink, och well. Overall impression; very touristy, hard line whisky tourists would be bored, it’s more a tourist destination than a distillery. We headed into Temple Bar, some grub and some cultural research (drinks).

Tuesday we met PJ from the Malt Teasers whiskey club, swapped stories, rounds and bottles of Irish whisky. The remainder of the day spent researching. Wednesday saw us fall into the Irish Whiskey Museum depicting the origins of Irish whiskey, its rise to glory, its dramatic fall and of course, the revival of new Irish whiskeys. Again, it is a tourist trap, not really a visit for hard line whiskey nuts like myself. No one knew what to do with us, even though we had pre – arranged our visit, we didnee even get offered a dram! We left for the pub. I delved into a Powers, known as the Priests Bottle because it was always kept (in Ireland ) for when the Priest came to visit. At McDaids bar we were having a quiet drink when a film crew came in and interrupted us! So we chatted to 10 folks from USA who had won a bar tenders competition fae Tullamore DEW. Thursday; pubs.

Friday, a taxi to the railway and a train to Drogheda, dumped luggage and a bus to Dundalk. The Great Northern Distillery welcomed us. John Teeling was going to take our tour, but a board meeting came up so we had another guy, who knew nothing. They have column and pot still runs here, though all they do is make new spirit, sell it on. They run 24 hours x 5 days a week – the train station is right beside the distillery in Dundalk which was real handy.  You can see the pot stills from the station carpark (Laura PA to John Teeling (Chairman) was my helpful contact here, a true LFC supporter!). John Teeling, also known as the founder of Irish whiskey renaissance, used to own the Cooley Distillery. In 2013 he acquired the GND after selling Cooley to Suntory a year earlier, he now supplies new make and grain to other distilleries and own labels. This is a huge site, former Diageo (Harp brewery) it’s a 5.5 hectare site of which 2 are used now. There is a grand pub opposite, Kennedy’s, we researched more in here, barman John is Scottish! We headed back to Donore for overnight. I must apologise to Sally Anne at Boann distillery – we couldnee make the planned visit – but I will do the blog as promised. Saturday we headed back to Dundalk (don’t ask), a donder around Dundalk, great station information on the 1916 rising, loved it. Russell’s pub saw us twice, we ventured into 4 others before Kennedy’s again. Dundalk FC were playing tonight at 7pm – they lost. We stayed overnight opposite the stadium.

Blog and story/visit by Paul McLean  http://www.whiskytours.scot/

A spiritual Sunday Whisky School

It was all a part of a long tour (16 days to be exact) that had been to the west coast, Highlands, Speyside and Edinburgh.

We had started a while before, as we met at Edinburgh airport (plane landed 4 hours late) and headed up to the west coast, a half hour south of Oban. On our second day we had arranged a private boat trip for all four of us, myself, Liz and 2 guests Julie and Chris. At high speed we went to Islay to visit Bunny Heaven distillery, which was good by the way. Sailing down to Jura and the distillery there, also good, then hit the Corryvreckan whirlpool with high seas, exciting stuff.

Anyhow, to cut a long story short, we visited Oban, Tobermory, Talisker, Macallan, Balvenie, Glen Moray, Glenfiddich, Glenlivet, Cardhu (and fed the hairy coo’s), Dalmore, Glenmorangie, Edradour distilleries – amongst others, but staying in Speyside for 4 days/nights we arranged our friend Vic Cameron to take a whisky school. Now, apart from his whisky activities (with Diageo 25 years) now teaching, holding tastings etc, he is a Pastor with his own church. Our school was held in his own church on a Sunday, just the four of us again. This went on for several hours and all enjoyed the spiritual experience, tasting 5 drams and a follow up, Rebecca Creek from Texas, less said about that one the better. We had an almost black Glenmorangie which was really weird. With questions flying in everywhere Vic was kept busy, whilst telling us all about barley, and how Liz got upset that the barley is alive when processed! Vic had also done a whisky school for us at this years Speyside whisky festival, in addition to many tastings, talks etc with other guests of ours over the year.

Vic Cameron (BSc DipDist). Vic has over 25 years experience in the distilling industry, for the largest Distiller in the UK. Vic is proud to have been the 4th International Malt Whisky Nosing Champion. He is now on the organising committee for the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival whisky school and also the Whisky Lecturer for the University of the Highlands and Islands. History; Distillery Manager, Maltings Manager, Laboratory and Cereals Manager Diageo plc. UK Malt, the Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain.

Sunday School was held in Lossiemouth near Elgin,

story by Paul McLean                     www.mcleanscotland.com/www.whiskytours.scot/

Compass Box Whisky:
End of the run and new releases.

We know. We know.
‘Another Compass Box email?’

Hear us out. Some interesting things are happening with Whiskymaker John Glaser’s innovative company. We wanted to let you know that we are almost out of some limited edition bottles, as well as tell you about CB’s newest creations.

Like so many of their past bottlings ~ some Compass Box whiskies are just about at the end of their run at the Park Avenue Liquor Shop. Below – we will give you one last crack at bottles like “Lost Blend”, “Circus”, “Enlightenment”, “Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary” & “This is not a Luxury Whisky”. (And maybe remind you about our exclusive ‘Peat Monster 10th Anniversary- cask strength edition’.)

Though some bottles are leaving us – two new statements are coming to our shelves in the very near future. Introductions to “Spice Tree: Extravaganza” and “Three Year Old Deluxe” are also part of this email.

So in summation ~ Yeah, another Compass Box email:)

Cheers!
Jonathan & Eric
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop
270 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
212-685-2442
jonathan@parkaveliquor.com
eric@parkaveliquor.com
www.parkaveliquor.com

The following Compass Box statements are on ‘last call’ at Park Avenue. We currently are unable to replenish our stock and have very few left in inventory.

Compass Box: ‘Circus’ ~ $290/btl

“We know little of the component distillery whiskies used in these blends for The Circus, only that they contain both single malt and single grain whiskies and that the ‘marrying casks’ are sherry butts. However, the provenance of the components isn’t important to us now, as what we have are old casks containing whiskies that are extraordinary.” Notes: “A lithe frame and opulent mouthfeel showcasing the supple softness of mature grain and the complexity of aged Blended Scotch Whisky. Brimming with dried fruit character, a luscious maltiness and nuances of almond and hazelnut.”

Compass Box: ‘Enlightenment’ ~ $115/btl

“Since launching the Compass Box Whisky Co., I have always been a firm believer in the spirit of enlight- enment – that the more information we can share with our customers about the Scotch whisky we produce, the better. Alas, it transpires such beliefs fall foul of current EU and UK regulations, which prevent us from sharing information about the age of every component whisky used in the creation of our blends.”  Notes: “Fresh, vibrant and uplifting with a mouthfeel that is moreish and mouth-watering. On the nose you will find bright apple and pear, vanilla cream and light violet; on the palate soft spice, gentle citric notes and more of that uplifting orchard fruit character.”

Compass Box: ‘The Lost Blend’ ~ $150/btl

The Lost Blend from Compass Box is comprised of 2 unpeated Highland whiskies, coming from the Clynelish and Allt-á-Bhainne distilleries, and a peated whisky from the Caol Ila distillery. It has been named in honor of their past Eleuthera
expression, which was lost to the ravages of time, and also shares a name with the 1907 story by O. Henry about two bartenders trying to remember and recreate a blend of spirits which possessed almost supernatural qualities. ‘The Lost Blend’ received a very impressive score of 95.5 in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2016. Notes: “An elegantly complex union of two fruity Highland single malt s and a peaty Islay single malt. An ethereal fruit and herbal character and a sweetness on the palate is buttressed by an underlying smokiness.”

Compass Box: ‘Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary’ ~ $150/btl ~

“First released in 2006, Flaming Heart was the first whisky to combine the rich, complex spice of Scotch aged in new French oak with the evocative peat-fired smoke of Islay malt. It created a genre-defying style that was smouldering, spicy, complex – and so popular that we re-released it three more times in the years that followed. In our fifteenth year, we felt compelled to revisit this unique style one more time. The anniversary release is a huge, layered, long-lasting mouthful of a whisky to enjoy late into the night. Brooding, indulgent and older than ever before, this is a whisky born of oak, smoke and fire – with a big heart all of its own.” Notes: “A unique interplay between spice, sweet and smoke characteristics. Sweet fruits and wood-smoke on the nose. Fat and full-bodied on the palate with a spicy sweetness and a brooding complexity that is rich, sweet and addictively decadent.”

Compass Box: ‘This Is Not A Luxury Whisky’ ~ $240/btl ~

Or is it? The inspiration for this limited release is René Magritte’s 1929 work “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”, a Surrealist painting which challenges peoples’ perceptions of reality. Notes: “Complex, rich, lightly smoky and opulent. Sultanas, sweet sherry and concentrated floral notes combine with deep demerara sweetness, cacao and lighter creamy coconut character. An inviting nose, fat and full-bodied on the palate with a long, lingering sweet-smoke finish.”

Compass Box: The Peat Monster 10th Anniversary
~ Cask Strength Edition ~
Park Ave Liquor Shop exclusive
~ $120/btl ~

Over ten years ago Compass Box created a bespoke blend of VERY peaty single malts for us. It was christened, “Monster” and labeled with a stranger creature that captured the essence of the whisky. It sold so well that when it became endangered they decided to share the idea with the rest of the world. Thus ‘The Peat Monster’ was born and has since become their best-selling whisky. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of our collaboration, Compass Box has created a special cask strength version of this celebratory bottling. Just 300 were produced.

The following Compass Box statements are expected to arrive in early November. They are both ‘Limited Edition’ so please contact the store if you are interested.

Compass Box: ‘Spice Tree Extravaganza’

~ $135/btl ~

As the name suggests, the liquid draws its inspiration from our Signature Range classic, The Spice Tree, but reinterprets it through the use of older components and a significant portion of sherry-cask aged malt whisky. The Spice Tree’s trademark spice character is retained but set within a richer, more elegant frame with a new depth of flavor and complexity. Notes: Decadent and playful on the nose, you will find notes of sherry wine, dark berries and the fragrant sweetness of traditional sweet shops.
On the palate there is juicy red fruit, a dark brown sugar richness, the trademark Spice Tree ginger and clove spice character and an endlessly long, spicy, substantial finish.

Compass Box: ‘3 Year Old Deluxe’
~ $280/btl ~

“Composed of less than 1% three year-old malt whisky produced near the village of Brora, 90% malt whisky of an unstated age from the same distillery and around 9% peaty malt whisky distilled on the Isle of Skye, regulations only permit us only to share details of the age of youngest component! No matter. For it is this three year-old that is most important to us. Aged from new-make spirit in our own first-fill American oak casks, it imparts a lively vivacity and represents a milestone in our development as whisky makers.” Notes: “The rich vanilla notes, waxy mouthfeel and decadent baked orchard fruit notes from the larger parcel of Highland malt whisky provide a beautiful platform on top of which the brooding qualities of the peaty malt whisky and the clean, bright character of the three year-old parcel are able to shine.”

We cannot guarantee availability of these bottles as they are all in short supply. Please feel free to contact the store to see if they are still in-stock or if the others have arrived.
The Park Avenue Liquor Shop | 212-685-2442 | 212-689-6247 | parkaveliquor.com

THREE SAZERAC CANADIAN WHISKIES AWARDED SILVER MEDALS AT

2016 NEW YORK WORLD WINE & SPIRITS COMPETITION 

NEW ORLEANS, lA.  (Oct. 5, 2016) – Results are in, and this year’s New York World Wine & Spirits Competition concludes that three Canadian whiskies from the Sazerac Company were awarded silver medals.

The honorable silver medals were presented to Sazerac’s Caribou Crossing Single Barrel, Rich & Rare Reserve, and Legacy Canadian Whisky.

“We are fortunate to be able to compete against such prestigious brands at the NYWWSC,” Kevin Richards, marketing director of whiskies and specialty brands, said. “We are very thankful for the awards and the opportunity to showcase our brands each year.”

The New York World Wine & Spirits Competition is named one of the largest competitions for the retail beverage industry. The competition attracts top professional judges from a broad spectrum of wine and spirits expertise. Competition participants continue to increase each year, as well as the number of top medal winners.

Complete results of the 2016 New York World Wine & Spirits Competition are available at www.nyworldwineandspiritscompetition.com/.

About the Sazerac Company

Sazerac is one of New Orleans’ oldest American family owned, privately held companies and has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Frankfort, Bardstown, Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson, California; Baltimore, Maryland; Lewiston, Maine; Manchester, New Hampshire; and Montreal Canada. For more information on Sazerac, please visit www.sazerac.com/.

The Isle of the Unexpected? Jura Relocates to London

Jura takes its island to central London, as it learns that 70% of Londoners don’t know where it is

Jura Whisky announces that it is taking its remote island home to London – as it reveals that more than 70% of Londoners don’t know where it is, geographically.

While almost half knew of the island’s Single Malt Scotch Whisky, a massive 72.5% of 1,000 Londoners surveyed didn’t actually know where to find it on a map – with 12% thinking it is somewhere in England, 10% thinking it is in Hungary and 14% of those surveyed unable to guess at Jura’s location*.

Now Jura wants to put its island home in the spotlight, giving Londoners a unique chance to explore its incredible coastlines, community, culture and craft without leaving the city – with a new experiential event created in collaboration with immersive art duo Art of Disappearing.

From 13^th October, The Isle of the Unexpected invites Londoners to join an interactive, mystery adventure to help a fictional film director, Eric, find the inspiration he needs to finish his script. The answer lies on the island of Jura, which ticketholders can access through a secret door in The Looking Glass bar in Shoreditch. Londoners can expect to discover the island over a dram or two as they are guided by audio headset through physical sets, experience virtual reality flight and hunt for clues.

Nestled in the Inner Hebrides just off the West Coast of Scotland, the isle of Jura is as beautiful as it is remote. It has just one road, one pub, one shop and one iconic distillery, which employs 10% of the island’s population to craft Jura’s single malt whisky. Jura is just over half the size of central London, except with a population of just 200 people, who are vastly outnumbered by over 6,000 deer which roam the island.

This isn’t the first time Jura’s location has caused confusion – in 2013, it made headlines as it fell off Google maps. And while the general population in London might be unsure of its whereabouts, Jura’s remote location and dramatic coastlines have certainly made an impression amongst the cultural community – author George Orwell wrote 1984 while living there and the KLF notoriously burned one million pounds on the island. Jura has also served as a writing retreat for a number of musicians, most recently the Glaswegian band Errors, which wrote tracks for the album Lease of Life there.

Graham Logan, Jura Distillery manager, said:

“People don’t know exactly where on the map you can find us. I’m not surprised as it can take up to 16 hours by train, plane, ferry and car to get from London to Jura and back again – but I’m proud of our award winning whiskies, which are enjoyed across the whole world.

Our island, distillery and community is full of wonderful stories just waiting to be uncovered, and it has inspired many authors and artists over the years. We welcome hundreds of visitors to the island every year, though The Isle of the Unexpected is the next best thing for those who want to discover the different sides of Jura and can’t make the long trip!” 

The Isle of the Unexpected, 13-15 & 19-22 October, The Looking Glass, 49 Hackney Rd, London E2 7NX, £5 plus 50p booking fee (includes two drams of Jura Whisky)

Tickets available now from: https://billetto.co.uk/discoverjura 

@Jura_Whisky #DiscoverJura

*Jura surveyed 1,000 Londoners through One Poll 

www.jurawhisky.com 

www.twitter.com/jura_whisky

www.facebook.com/jurawhisky

Instagram: jura_whisky  

NOTES                                                           

About Jura:

Jura is an island nestled off the West Coast of Scotland. With only one road, one pub, one distillery and 200 people, Jura is as beautiful as it is remote. The distillery was established in 1810 and reborn in 1963 to revive the community. Inspired by our history and our island home, we create single malt with a true passion for the craft of whisky making.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-23331456

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/george-orwells-son-revisits-jura-3655402

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/into-the-wild-errors-interviewed