This week Joe Ellis reviews the Jim Beam Black 8 Year Old U.S.A edition.

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For the Collector

Here at The Whisky Shop, we stock some of the rarest and most valuable whiskies available anywhere in the world. So, when you shop with us online, you’re never more than a click away from tasting luxury in a glass. Available while stocks last!

Yamazaki 18 year old

Yamazaki is Suntory’s flagship single malt. The surprising, delicate yet profound experience of a Japanese single malt was born at Yamazaki. Spiritual and deep, its signature multi-layered taste is highly praised by whisky connoisseurs all over the world. Today, Yamazaki is not only the No.1 single malt whisky in Japan, but is enjoyed in more than thirty-five countries. The 18 year old is rich with mature autumn fruit and Mizunara (Japanese oak) aroma.

£299 Buy Now

The Last Drop 50 year old

Only 898 bottles of this exceptional, complex and delicious whisky exist. Each one has been meticulously bottled and wax-dipped by hand, and is presented in a forest green The Last Drop Distillers leather case. Each case includes a generous 50ml miniature and a beautifully bound booklet with tasting cards for your personal tasting notes. Awarded 97 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2016:”A superstar whisky”• 2016 Scotch Blend of the Year • 2016 Blend of the Year (26-50 Years) Highly Limited

£3000 Buy Now 

Tullibardine 1952

Created over 60 years ago, only to be released this year, The Tullibardine 1952 release numbers only 70 bottles, with 25 of those already reserved before its release. Each bottle features a specially commissioned gold and crystal decanter Baccarat, inspired by the ‘Tullibardine Drop’. Every Custodian of the 1952 will also enjoy an exclusive membership card, created by Black Astrum. £16,000 Buy Now

£16,000 Buy Now

Balvenie 50 year old Cask 4567 (2014 Release)

Cask 4567 produced just 131 bottles in total; the liquid has a beautiful deep reddish hue and aromas typical of European oak maturation. In keeping with the traditions of The Balvenie, the bottles are presented in stunning wooden cases comprising 49 layers of wood and a single brass layer, handcrafted by furniture designer, Sam Chinnery. Deep caramel in the development. Perfumed hand-soap in the taste, which is dry overall, tangy, with allspice and pepper across the tongue. Most unusual. Tasting notes by Charles Maclean

£26,500 Buy Now

GLENFIDDICH 50 YEAR OLD

Only 500 individually numbered bottles of this incredibly rare and precious whisky will ever be produced, with just 50 being released each year since 2009. The whisky itself was drawn from just two casks, one from 1955 and one from 1957.  Fittingly for a whisky of such rarity, each bottle is hand-blown by independent Scottish glass studio, Glasstorm, dressed with a heavyweight stopper, neck collar and label plaque fashioned from Scottish silver by sixth-generation silversmith Thomas Fattorini. Every bottle is then finished with a numbered wax cartouche.

£20,000 Buy Now

Glenfiddich 40 year old

The world-renowned Glenfiddich 40 Year Old is made from a remnant vatting process, where selected individual casks are married together with a previous 40 year old vatting. Each bottle is individually numbered and wrapped in a hand-stitched calf leather case, and accompanied by a leather bound book telling its 40 Year Old story with certification hand-signed by Glenfiddich’s longest-serving craftsmen. Only 600 bottles are released to the world each year. Expect an exceptional, silky smooth and luxurious taste with intense dried fruit flavours of christmas cake, dates, raisins and stewed apples.

£2300 Buy Now

Malt of the Month 

Already priced exceedingly well – save a further £5.45 whilst stocks last!

Now only £63.60!

Buy Now

New and limited

A special Haig Club expression available to purchase only at The Whisky Shop, created specially to mark the incredible achievement of Leicester City winning the English Premiership. Plus your chance to purchase new and limited Japanese whiskies – available while stocks last!

You can also enjoy free delivery on all orders over £75 posted to a UK address. Next day delivery available!

Haig Club Leicester City Personalised Edition

Created to celebrate the incredible achievement by Leicester City to win the English Premiership 2015-2016 – this limited Haig Club offering is something to enjoy and savour wherever you are in the world! Full, bright gold. A light aroma; fresh, clean, simple, delicately sweet (Frosties breakfast cereal, butterscotch), with fresh fruit undertones. A pleasant smooth mouthfeel; a fresh, sweet and sherbet-like taste

£45 – Buy Now

Togouchi 18 Year Old

Hiroshima-based distiller Chugoku Jozo presents Togouchi 18 Year Old, a well though-out blend of cereals with a rounded texture and complexity, similar in profile to a Lowlands Scotch whisky. The nose is smooth with hints of peach and pear, the palate is powerful and balanced with notes of white pepper, malted cereals and violet, while the finish is dry and lingering revealing tones of pine nuts and sunflower seeds.

£160 Buy Now

Yamazakura 16 Year Old

Yamazakura 16 Year Old is a very limited release from Japenese distillers Sasanokawa Shuzo. Composed of 20% malted barley and 80% corn, this expression is matured in Bourbon barrels for 16 years before being transferred to specific tanks and then finally finished in Bourbon casks for a few months. The nose is sweet and smooth with aspects of vanilla, cedar, fruitcake and citrus. The palate is fluid and subtle with notes of toast, coconut, fig, pear and a hint of liquorice. The finish is lingering and elegant with orange marmalade, sweet spices and woody elements revealed.

£130 Buy Now

Akashi Single Malt

Akashi Single Malt is a powerful expression from the White Oak distillery based in near Kobe, Japan. Matured for 2 years in Spanish sherry casks and 3 years in hogsheads, this malt is un-chillfiltered and has no artificial colouring added. The nose is delicate with hints of camomile and sherry, the palate is rounded and subtle with vanilla and creamy notes, while the finish is sweet revealing vanilla and woody hints.

£95 Buy Now

QC’s fourth issue of Relish and Whisky is now available online. Sumptuous recipes paired with the finest drinks.

Dive into the world of Scotch, Whisky, Bourbon and beyond…

Read us by clicking here

Whisky News from Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery

We’ve had another busy month at The Famous Grouse Experience and we’re looking forward to some whisky celebrations in May, what with it being VisitScotland’s Whisky Month and World Whisky Day taking place on 21st May – there’s plenty of excuses to pay us a visit! Make sure you stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter to find out what exciting offers we’ve got to celebrate.

This month, we’re also offering four lucky people the chance to WIN a pair of tickets to see KT Tunstall as part of Perth’s Festival of the Arts on 27th May. To enter, simply fill out your details here. Find out what else is going on at Scotland’s award winning, five star visitor attraction this month…

Whisky Month Offer

It’s Whisky Month and to celebrate we’re offering visitors who take one of our Finest Tasting Experiences £10 OFF our Andy Murray Bottle Your Own. To book and to find out more visit the website.

Famous For A Reason Competition

There’s still time to ENTER this months Famous For A Reason competition. Last month’s winner received his personalised bottle of The Famous Grouse – now you can get yours! Entries close 31st May. *T&C apply. Open internationally (excl. US & Canada)

Voted #1 on TripAdvisor

We’ve been getting some great reviews on Tripadvisor. One lovely visitor commented: “It was a great afternoon and the tasting was all I hoped for! Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and fun.” We love to hear your feedback!

Evening Dining at Wilde Thyme

Enjoy a spot of evening dining at our restaurant Wilde Thyme at Glenturret. Open Friday and Saturday evenings from 6.30pm with last orders at 8.30pm. To book call 01764 657031 and to have a peek at the menu click here.

Scotland

Bruichladdich “Octomore 7.4 Virgin Oak” Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt Whisky (750ml) (Elsewhere $270) $199.99

Compass Box Flaming Heart 15th Anniversary Limited Edition Malt Whisky (750ml) $119.99

1972 Mortlach 22 Year Old Rare Malts Single Malt Whisky (750ml) $999.99

K&L Wine Merchants
http://www.klwines.com
Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637)
Email: wine@klwines.com
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

GLEN SCOTIA DISTILLERY – INTERVIEW WITH IAIN McALISTER

Distillery manager Iain McAlister, from Campbeltown. Iain has worked at the distillery for over 9 years and is very hands on in the day to day production of the Glen Scotia spirit. Managing a small team of only 7 the distillery ‘,

Q  what did you do in this industry before GS? A Glen Scotia distillery was my first and only experience with the whisky industry. My passion and hobby is Glen Scotia Distillery and the people who work here, we have come a long way in the last few years and still have a bit to go yet to reach our goal.

 Campbeltown or Lochhead as it was earlier known, was reportedly the ancient seat of the Scottish Parliament set up by King Fergus in 503AD. Indeed the site of the Glen Scotia distillery is built near to Campbeltown’s ancient parliament square. The whisky produced here is special too – so much so that it’s classified as a separate region, quite apart from the Highland, Speyside, Lowland and Islay whiskies.

Q  where do you get the water supply? A All our process and production water comes from Crosshill Loch, a man made reservoir built in the early 19th century to supply the growing number of distilleries in Campbeltown. Two cast iron pipes were laid to supply the distilleries. We still use this pipe which was laid in the 1860s.

Q Peat and Grain?  A We produce both peated circa 15 ppm for lightly peated and 55 ppm for heavily peated. Presently we use Concerto malted barley from Glenesk malting – all scottish barley.

Q  What are your day to day tasks? A My daily tasks are an everlasting list! I have no assistants, so i complete all my daily tasks from distillery paperwork to obtaining samples for tasting and analysis myself. I  take my job very conscientiously and love the fact that i am involved in every part of the process. I never have two days the same and love the variety this position gives me.

Q In 2015, you opened your new Visitor’s Centre at the distillery. It is a beautiful room. Using traditional materials including local stone, wood and specially commissioned Glen Scotia tweed. There is also a very well stocked shop where you can purchase a bottle of favourites.  I will be bringing the Finnish “horde” here in August, what will they be tasting? A Our distillery bottlings are presently the Double Cask – using Bourbon with Sherry finishing. The 15 year old and the Victoriana, which are finished in Oloroso and PX sherry casks with a deep char finish respectively. This trio gives a very nice representation of Glen Scotia Distillery. Apart from that, we have distillery select editions which come and go!

Q  What first got you interested in whisky? A The history of Campbeltown and the part whisky played in its past is fascinating and was what brought me to work at Glen Scotia Distillery, now I am here all the facets make the distillery so interesting.

Q  Next question comes easy (to me); what part of a distillery do you get most satisfaction from? A The whole place make me tick! We recently renovated redundant warehouses, which just seems the natural thing to do, as it is part of the overall distillery.

Q  Do you have any thoughts about finishing? Port, Sherry etc. More and more finishes are now on offer. In fact, do you have a favourite finish (mine is sherry)? A Yes finishes are all appropriate if done correctly. I also like sherry.

Q what do you look for in a new whisky? A I look for balance in new make spirit, with the appropriate higher alcohols that will ultimately give a whisky that is representative of Glen Scotia.

Q  Where do you see this industry being/going in 5 years from now? A I see Glen Scotia becoming a lot stronger and whisky in general still being a sought after commodity.

Q  Weird question; if Aliens came and took ALL our whisky in the world, what would you then do with your time? A I would write a book on the whisky industry and its relationship with Campbeltown.

Q  Relaxing at home what whisky would you pour yourself? A I nearly always drink Glen Scotia, I particularly like the Double Cask.

Q  So far what has been your proudest moment in the Whisky Industry? A The day I walked in the door of Glen Scotia Distillery! Campbeltown had 28 distilleries by 1851, and proudly proclaimed itself ‘the whisky capital of the world’. Today only three distilleries remain, of which ours, Glen Scotia, is one of the finest in Scotland.

HISTORY – DISTILLING DATES BACK TO 1609 WITH THE GRANTING OF THE FIRST LICENCE TO PRODUCE ‘AQUA VITAE’.

Whisky making on the Campbeltown peninsula dates back to 1636 when a farm at Crosshill made a return for 6 quarts of Aqua Vitae payable to the town of Lochhead, the former name for Campbeltown. With the ready availability of local barley ‘bere’, peat for drying the malted barley and fresh water, the area became a rich bed of illicit whisky production through the late 18th century and the first years of the 19th century. The final key element was the Armour family, a firm of local plumbers and coppersmiths, who arrived in Campbeltown in 1798. Robert Armour’s coppersmith business, set up in 1811, was the perfect cover for the manufacture of 4 part illicit stills made up of ‘The Vessel’, typically less than 40 gallons, ‘head , arm and the worm’. Robert Armour kept detailed records in his Still Book up until 1817.

Many thanks Iain, great interview, will see you in August when we come for a visit/taste with our friends The Malt Whisky Association of Finland.

PAUL MCLEAN   www.whiskytours.scot & www.mcleanscotland.com

The countdown is on to Jura Tastival 2016 – group bookings now available

BOOK NOW

With just 18 days to go until Tastival, the countdown is on as we make final preparations before welcoming you to our world-class whisky festival on the 24^th & 25^th of May.  And with a limited number of spaces left, we wanted to remind you, our honorary Diurachs, to make sure you’ve booked all the tickets you need for Tastival 2016, before it’s too late.

This year’s schedule includes a whole host of exciting sessions – from experiential dining, to craft beer pairings and even a tasting out at sea – each designed to open your mind and palate to new ways of experiencing whisky.

&We’ll also be exclusively revealing our limited edition Tastival 2016 bottling at the festival, where you’ll be amongst the first in the world to try this special expression. The dramming bar will be open with music, live art and a bottle signing station, where you can catch up with our distillery team one on one. It’s set to be a monumental year for Tastival – don’t miss out!

Travelling in a group? Group bookings can now be made

On Islay for Feis Ile? Enjoy a warm Jura welcome, with a complimentary passenger ferry service to and from Port Askaig on Islay, and a free shuttle bus connecting all Tastival ticket holders from the Jura Feolin ferry stop to our distillery. Just check the timetable here and show staff your ticket confirmation on arrival.

Laphroaig 25 year old

Matured for 25 years and bottled at cask strength, this was released in 2014 and is has been in high demand ever since. Newly distilled spirit has been left to mature in European Oloroso Sherry Casks, followed by ex-American Bourbon Barrels. If your an Islay whisky fan, be prepared to be blown away!

Tasting Notes:

There is a burst of peat at first, this yields to  sweet sherry and spiced apple, providing a deep and unique Islay experience.

Only a few bottles remain…

£338 Click to buy