Whisky Ramblings Via Video #128

Mark Dermul, Belgian Whisky blogger, tries a single cask from Kavalan, recently released as bottling for the Belgian whisky club The Finest Notes. Kavalan is a young distillery from Taiwan, but their offerings have already won numerous awards. Especially their Solist range has proven to be very good to quite spectacular. It is a bourbon cask at cask strength. It turned out to be a powerhouse! 

https://youtu.be/xshl__3w0hY

MAKE THIS FATHER’S DAY FAMOUS FOR A REASON 

With Father’s Day just around the corner (Sunday 19^th June 2016), The Famous Grouse is on hand to offer some gifting inspiration to toast your Dad on this special day. With a wide range of premium whiskies in the family, there is sure to be one that will whet your Dad’s whistle. You never know he might even share it with you.

The Famous Grouse – Perfectly Balanced

The Famous Grouse, the UK’s number 1 whisky, is a blend of the finest malts, including Highland Park and The Macallan, and sweet grain whisky creating a Famously rich and well-rounded whisky.

The Famous Grouse is the perfect ingredient for quality drinks at home, best served with friends, over ice or topped up with ginger ale and a wedge of orange. The Famous Grouse is available widely in all major retailers.

RRP £17.14 for 70cl bottle or £23.01 for 1L bottle

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold – Blended for Smoothness

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold is the latest addition to The Famous Family and has been crafted to deliver a subtly sweeter, mellow flavour.

This premium expression blends whiskies from rare, handcrafted Spanish sherry casks and charred American oak bourbon casks to arrive at a famously smooth, mellow character. The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold is best served over ice or topped with cloudy lemonade and a wedge of orange.

The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold is available in select Tesco and Waitrose stores. This April, The Famous Grouse Mellow Gold will debut a new slim line premium gift carton pack.

RRP £20.00 

The Famous Grouse Smoky Black – Blended for Smokiness

The Black Grouse has been re-named The Famous Grouse Smoky Black, delivering the same distinctive smoky character our drinkers have come to know and love. The Famous Grouse Smoky Black blends more peated malts, including the rare Glenturret, and sweet grain whisky for a famously intense flavour.

For a simple serve we recommend The Famous Smoky and Cola – The Famous Grouse Smoky Black with cola, over ice and a wedge of orange.

The Famous Grouse Smoky Black is available in all major retailers, including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys stores. This April The Famous Grouse Smoky Black will debut a new slim line premium gift carton. 

RRP £20.00  

The Naked Grouse – Unwrap the Naked Truth

The Naked Grouse is a small batch, craft whisky from The Famous Grouse.  The Naked Grouse is a pure expression of the Master Blender’s craft. Selecting aged whiskies from famous distilleries like the Glenturret, these are then double matured in small batches in the best quality, first-fill sherry casks. This extra time spent in cask imparts a rich colour, smooth character and a naturally sweet and spicy taste profile. An aroma of cherries and oak gives way to sweet winey notes, plums and a hint of cinnamon. The Naked Grouse is often compared to a Christmas cake in a glass.

For a classic cocktail, treat yourself to The Naked Grouse signature serve The Naked Old Fashioned. Simply put a small heap of ice into the bottom of the glass then pour in the whisky, bitters and sugar syrup in any order. Stir vigorously for 20 seconds, before garnishing with orange zest.

The Naked Grouse is available in high end bars and select Sainsbury’s stores.

RRP £25.26

For even more Father’s Day inspiration, take a look round The Famous Grouse’s online shop at www.thefamousgrouse.com/shop.

NOTES

About The Famous Grouse

The Famous Grouse is the no. 1 whisky in UK and no. 4* standard blended whisky worldwide (*IWSR data 2014).

The Famous Grouse has been the best-selling whisky in the home of Scotch whisky, Scotland since 1980.

The Famous Grouse is exported to over 100 countries.

Created in 1896 by founder Matthew Gloag, it was originally called The Grouse Brand. The brand became so popular that on August 12^th 1905 it was renamed The Famous Grouse.

The Famous Grouse Experience is located at Scotland’s oldest working distillery – Glenturret. Originally established as a single malt distillery in 1775, today The Famous Grouse Experience is the most visited distillery in Scotland. (www.thefamousgrouse.com/experience)

Ohishi K&L Exclusive Single Sherry Cask #653 Japanese Whisky (750ml) ( $74.99)

The special Ohishi distillery is located on the banks of the Kuma River one Japan’s fastest flowing rivers. The distillery was founded in 1872 and produces some of the most exciting whisky coming out Japan. Ohishi grows at least 30% of the rice that they distill and thanks to the fertile soils and exceptional growing climate make for some of the finest base ingredients available. The strain of rice is call “gohyakumanishi” (meaning 5 million stones) and utilizes an organic method of cultivation which requires the use of koi carp for weed control. The rest of the grain is procured from local farms in Kumamoto prefecture and is of the short grained Mochi varietal. The grains are partially malted and then distilled on the traditional Japanese stills before being filled into ex-sherry and brandy casks and aged for long periods of time in the high altitude warehouses. This cask brings in a great balanced sherry influence and definitely feels more like Scotch than our single cask from the Fukano Distillery. This cask will likely be the only one we get for a while considering the recent events in Kumamoto prefecture. Our cask of Fukano sold out in a flash, so we can expect this special cask to go very quickly as well.

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

Glendronach 25 Year Old Grandeur Batch #7

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Caol Ila 32 Year Old 1984 Magnum Old & Rare

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

1988 Blair Athol 26 Year Old “K&L Exclusive’ Signatory Single Sherry Butt Cask Strength Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky SKU #1227525

Last year’s cask of 1988 sherry-aged Blair Athol from Signatory drove our customers into such a frenzy that we still get phone calls asking about it over a year later. The big, rich, caked-in-sherry flavor blended beautifully with the soft-fruited core of the Highland whisky’s profile, creating an absolute beast when bottled at full proof. We’re happy to announce to all those who’ve been begging us for more that we were able to return to Signatory this past spring and purchase the lone sister cask to that beloved Blair Athol, bringing one last batch of that sherry-matured magic to K&L customers one last time. Whereas last year’s cask showcased all the sweetness and sugary spice that Oloroso sherry can offer, this whisky is much drier and earthier on the palate. It’s full of coffee bean, dried prunes, and burnt almonds, lingering far longer on the finish with a more dynamic finale of dried earth and savory splendor. It’s a fitting finale to one of the most talked-about and requested whiskies in K&L history. We’re happy we were able to finish out the legacy with a bang!

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 15, 2016
This cask absolutely shocked me. It’s supposed to be “refill sherry.” But DANG it’s dark like cola. So, on first nosing there’s tons and tons of dark cacao flavors. Not chocolate, but straight up cacao powder. The palate is dry and rich, not unlike the exceptional single barrel Glendronachs we used to get at around this price. Big spice, big dry sherry, mostly bigness. I like this with a solid dollop of water. It will take a few minutes to open up after addition, but when it does we go toward the exotic wood and candied orange peel flavors that I really love. The structure remains but a new mellowness exists. Whether you take it neat or add a bit of water, this is unquestionably one of the finest sherried casks in the store.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 15, 2016
After the Blair Athol craze of 2015 at K&L, we immediately called our friends at Signatory and had them hold the last sherry butt in their warehouse. Signatory has long had a relationship with the nearby distillery and they’d been sitting on these ultra-rich casks of whisky for some time. This whisky is an absolute beast of malt. It’s brimming with cakebread, Christmas spice, cocoa, and toffee. At cask strength, it can withstand a few drops of water quite well, which only open up more of that complexity. Unfortunately, I can’t call Signatory and ask for more after we sell through this barrel, because this is the last one. Alas…

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: December 07, 2015
An expressive, rich and round single malt that is full-bodied. It is packed full of flavor with the sherry barrel aging showing itself. Malty and dried fruit flavors are part of the delicious flavor profile

$179.99

Glenrothes 1971 Macphail’s Collection

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$588.44

Glenrothes 1971 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Sherry cask matured bottled 2015 by Gordon & MacPhail for the Macphail’s Collection series. Nose: Reminiscent of Christmas cake – rich fruits with some fresh orange peel notes and a hint of chocolate. Taste: Underlying sweetness, fresh pear notes and a subtle almond in the background. Glenrothes Distillery was established in the narrow valley of the Rothes Burn on the west side of Rothes in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region by James Stuart in 1878. Now one of the largest malt whisky distilleries in Scotland with eighteen washbacks, ten copper stills singing in their own mighty cathedral and a traditional pagoda roof. Glenrothes Distillery participates in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival and is a major contributor to the Cutty Sark and Famous Grouse blends of scotch whiskies.

• Four Roses “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel OBSQ (8 years, 11 months) Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ( $64.99) The lastest cask of OBSQ marks one of the last of our Jim Rutledge picks and it’s the fruitiest of the bunch. Soft banana and tropical notes coat the entry, dusted with wood shavings and peppery notes. At no point does this whiskey ever feel like its 114.2 proof. It’s lithe and light on its feet, finishing with clean flavors of vanilla and oak, never once packing the richness or the power that the alcohol percentage might suggest. It would make a fantastic rocks Bourbon or a perfect Manhattan mixer due to it’s pure whiskey flavor but lack of cloying sweetness or big wood richness. It’s a finesse Bourbon through and through, but with plenty of fruit and flavor to back it up. Lovely stuff.

• Four Roses “K&L Exclusive” Single Barrel OESO (11 years, 4 months) Cask Strength Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) ( $64.99) Those looking for dark and decadent should snag a bottle of this 11+ year old OESO cask selection from the end of our Jim Rutledge series. As a contrast to some of the younger, fresher 8-9 year old barrels we picked, this 55% stunner of a whiskey is like a perfect wave of red fruits, vanilla, sweet oak, and dark chocolate, each flavor integrated and almost imperceptible from the next. This is a throw back to a style of Bourbon that has almost vanished off the face of the earth: a rich, full-boded, thick and supple whiskey that really shows the sweetness of the charred oak maturation and balances it against a fruity and vibrant spirit. You’ll be kicking yourself for not buying two of these. But only after it’s empty, of course!

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

Springbank Society Newsletter

May 2016

Dear Society Members,

I hope you are all well and those of you who are attending Campbeltown Malts Festival…Did you know? It’s less than 3 weeks to go! Official posters for the festival will be uploaded to social media sites next week so keep an eye out!  Here are a list of events that still have limited spaces available, get booking with mairi@springbankwhisky.com ;

Thursday 19th May 2016

12:45pm – Kilkerran Mini Masterclass: Trio of Single Casks (£15)

Friday 20th May 2016

2pm – Kilkerran Question & Answer Session with expert panel (£10)

Springbank Open Day Bottlings 

We have three exciting bottlings which will be bottled especially for Springbank Open Day 2016.

• The first will be a Springbank Aged 9 Years which has been matured in a Refill Marsala Hogshead, bottled at 58.7% with only 276 bottles available. This will retail at £50.00 on the day.
• The second will be a special Longrow Aged 21 Years Refill Bourbon, bottled at 46% with only 230 bottles available. This will retail at £250.00 on the day.
• The third bottling is an Open Day special Kilkerran Aged 8 Years Fresh Sherry Wood, bottled at 56.4% with 305 bottles available. This will retail at £50.00 on the day.

Please note that these cannot be pre-ordered ahead of the day, but if there are any left after the Festival then we’ll let you know.

NEW! Springbank Society April release – READY TO ORDER NOW!

You have all been so patient waiting for the next Society bottling and I am delighted to tell you that it is now ready to order.  Springbank Aged 8 Years bottled at 57.2%abv, matured in a Fresh Sherry Butt.  There are 594 bottles available at £45.00 per bottle.

Here are the tasting notes ;

Nose: Pine nuts & oak, raspberry ripple, blueberries and natural yogurt.

Palate: Round, full bodied with raisins, dates and cherries. Chewy & oily with toasted wholemeal bread.

Finish: Ending fairly dry, becoming earthy, coastal & salty.

Initially there will be one bottle per Society member but with a high possibility of being able to obtain a second bottle. When placing your order (via e-mail society@springbankwhisky.com) please state if you would be interested in a second bottle and you will be contacted soon to let you know if there are anymore available once everyone has had a chance to place their order.  Please note that the Campbeltown Cadenhead’s Whisky shop will not be taking any reservations for these, ordering will solely be done via society@springbankwhisky.com.  When placing your order, please provide payment details and confirm delivery address.

If you would like your bottle delivered to any of the European Cadenhead shops then PLEASE state this when ordering your bottle.

For any of our members living in Canada, one of our stockists in Calgary, Kensington Wine Market, are able to import Society bottles so if you would like to have your bottle sent to them for collection then please order directly though them.

We won’t be in over the weekend, so please expect to receive confirmation of orders from Monday onwards.

Shipping of orders out-with the UK

We have finally (just this morning to be precise) sourced a courier to ship orders out-with the U.K, although unfortunately we are still unable to ship to the USA & Canada.  If you have a pending order with us that you have already paid for and are just awaiting shipping then please get in touch. Please find Shipping Price List at the end of this Newsletter.

Springbank UK exclusive Single Cask

An update on the UK exclusive Single Cask – our Campbeltown, Edinburgh & London shops have now sold out of this.  If you head over to the “where to buy” section of our website then you will be able to get details for our UK stockists that may still have it in stock.  As there was no Society discount on this bottle then you should be able to get it at or close to our recommended guide price of £85.00.

WORLDWIDE May Releases ;

Please see below for the worldwide releases that are due out in May ;

Longrow 18 y/o

First up, is the annual release of Longrow 18 y/o.  This 2016 bottling differentiates from previous years where 100% Sherry casks have been used for maturing this classic Longrow.  This year 60% Rum & 40% Refill Sherry casks have been used.  Here are the tasting notes for this years release ;

Nose:  Spicy; cinnamon & ginger. Apple cider spirit reminiscent of Calvados; pastry and pear drops.

Palate:  Very buttery. The ginger is there as the nose suggests developing into marzipan & coconut notes. A thick sweetness of sugar cane molasses and juicy apples.

Finish:  More peat coming through in this years bottling. Spicy with hints of nutmeg and burnt embers.

Springbank Burgundy

Secondly, is the beautiful Springbank Burgundy Aged 12 Years and this will be bottled at cask strength 53.5%vol.  Matured in Fresh Burgundy Casks and will yield 10,260 bottles for general release worldwide.

Nose:  Bold and rich with mineral and dunnage warehouse notes combining with maple syrup, pancetta, cranberry and red currants.

Palate:  A soft velvet like texture with buttered brown toast and chocolate shortbread complimenting light herb & oak notes.

Finish:  A medium dry finish gives up liquorice and mint accompanied woody tannins.

*Your 10% Society discount applies only to Longrow 18 y/o and the Springbank Burgundy will retail at £60.00 from our Cadenhead’s Shops with no discount applicable.

Personal News!

Me, my partner Andrew and our daughter Emily are delighted to be welcoming another member to our family in August, I will be going off on Maternity leave around the middle of July.  When I return to work early next year, I have been offered a position elsewhere within the company that was just too good an opportunity to pass up, so this will be my last newsletter with all you lovely members.  I have really enjoyed my short time running the Springbank Society and will be sad to say goodbye, although with a newborn – I have a feeling that he will be a good distraction.

So, effective immediately – the Society reins have been handed over to our new staff member, Nathan Currie. Nathan is a Marketing Assistant here at Springbank and shall also be watching over our social media accounts so be sure to follow us at the addresses below:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/officialspringbankwhisky/

Twitter –  https://twitter.com/Springbank1828

Instagram –  Search Springbank Whisky (@springbankwhisky1828)

Slainte,

Julie

Julie Jordan

For the Springbank Society

Please contact Julie at society@springbankwhisky.com for information on how to join the Springbank Society

Shipping 1-6 bottles – Economy & Standard

(Economy only available in zones 1-5)

Economy prices are shown on the left, standard shipping cost is shown on the right. (Please note that the Economy service could take up to 2 weeks). Following customer feedback it became apparent to us that longer shipping times were not a problem if prices were relatively low.

Zone 1

Belgium  /  Luxembourg  /  Netherlands  /  ROI

• 1 bottle:   £31.00 –  £39.00
• 2 bottles:  £33.00 – £42.00
• 3 bottles:  £35.00 – £47.00
• 4 bottles:  £38.00 – £49.00
• 5 bottles:  £40.00 – £53.00
• 6 bottles:  £42.00 – £57.00

Zone 2

France  /  Germany

• 1 bottle:   £34.00 – £42.00
• 2 bottles:  £36.00 – £45.00
• 3 bottles:  £40.00 – £50.00
• 4 bottles:  £44.00 – £55.00
• 5 bottles:  £47.00 – £61.00
• 6 bottles:  £50.00 – £68.00

Zone 3

Austria  /  Denmark  /  Finland  /  Italy  /  Portugal  /  Spain  /  Sweden

• 1 bottle:   £38.00 – £43.00
• 2 bottles:   £41.00 – £51.00
• 3 bottles:   £45.00 – £58.00
• 4 bottles:   £49.00 – £64.00
• 5 bottles:   £53.00 – £71.00
• 6 bottles:   £56.00 – £80.00

Zone 4

Cyrus  /  Czech Republic  /  Greece  /  Poland

• 1 bottle:  £40.00 – £44.00
• 2 bottles:  £45.00 – £52.00
• 3 bottles:  £52.00 – £58.00
• 4 bottles:  £55.00 – £66.00
• 5 bottles:  £61.00 – £71.00
• 6 bottles:  £66.00 – £82.00

Zone 5

Norway  /  Switzerland

• 1 bottle:  £34.00 – £50.00
• 2 bottles:  £38.00 – £56.00
• 3 bottles:  £45.00 – £63.00
• 4 bottles:  £50.00 – £69.00
• 5 bottles:  £55.00 – £75.00
• 6 bottles:  £60.00 – £84.00

Zone 6

USA – N/A

• 1 bottle:
• 2 bottles:
• 3 bottles:
• 4 bottles:
• 5 bottles:
• 6 bottles:

Zone 7

Canada – N/A

• 1 bottle:
• 2 bottles:
• 3 bottles:
• 4 bottles:
• 5 bottles:
• 6 bottles:

Zone 8

Australia  /  China  /  Hong Kong  /  Japan  /  Taiwan  /  United Arab Emirates  /  Vietnam

• 1 bottle:  £54.00
• 2 bottles:   £62.00
• 3 bottles:   £72.00
• 4 bottles:   £82.00
• 5 bottles:   £90.00
• 6 bottles:   £100.00

Zone 9 

New Zealand

• 1 bottle:  £59.00
• 2 bottles:   £71.00
• 3 bottles:   £83.00
• 4 bottles:   £90.00
• 5 bottles:   £105.00
• 6 bottles:   £120.00

Zone 10

Brazil  /  Peru

• 1 bottle:  £64.00
• 2 bottles:   £77.00
• 3 bottles:   £90.00
• 4 bottles:   £103.00
• 5 bottles:   £115.00
• 6 bottles:   £132.00

www.ralfy.com talks about smugglers and liquor with Whisky Review 581 – Arran 12yo Cask Strength (Batch 5)