A NEAT OPPORTUNITY TO DRAM UP SOME TRADE THIS  WORLD WHISKY DAY™ SIX TOP WHISKY SERVES FROM DIAGEO

World Whisky Day (21 May) is a global event that celebrates all types of whisky with the single aim to encourage everyone to learn a little more about the so-called “water-of-life” and enjoy drinking it responsibly.

To mark the day, events will be taking place all over the globe, from Nashville to Newcastle, so it is the perfect opportunity for outlets to make whisky the star of their cocktail menu and create an atmosphere of celebration around this unique spirit.

To inspire licensees, Diageo has created a downloadable whisky cocktail menu, available via its Bar Academy website at www.diageobaracademy.com/drinkspiration/seasonal_suggestions.

Colin Dunn, Whisky Brand Ambassador at Diageo, comments: “Whisky is an extremely versatile and popular spirit. More and more customers are seeking alternative ways to enjoy the drink so Diageo has created a range of whisky cocktails to inspire the on-trade to experiment with new whisky serves.

“World Whisky Day offers the perfect opportunity for licensees to put these whisky serves on the menu and take advantage of the spirit’s raised profile to increase profits. There has a never been a better time to rally behind whisky and get inspired to serve fantastic whisky cocktails.”

Find out more about World Whisky Day at: http://www.worldwhiskyday.com/ and follow the global buzz on Twitter @WorldWhiskyDay.

WHISKY SERVE TOP TIPS

MIXED DRINKS

Whisky & Ginger
o 50ml Haig Club
o 150ml Ginger Ale
o Cucumber slice to garnish

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a slice of fresh cucumber and serve.

A Whisky and ginger ale is a tried and tested combination but the use of cucumber as a garnish in this Haig Club and ginger combo instantly cools the spice of the ginger whilst complimenting the ultra-smooth taste of the Haig Club Single Grain Scotch.
2 UK Units

Whisky & Coconut Water
o 50ml Johnnie Walker Black Label
o 150ml Coconut water

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a slice of shaved coconut and serve.

Not as Traditional as a Whisky and ginger ale or lemonade but just as simple, tasty and refreshing, the sweetness of the coconut water serves as the perfect complement to the intensity of the Johnnie Walker Black.
2.2 UK Units

Johnnie Walker Black Label & Soda
o 50ml JOHNNIE WALKER® BLACK LABEL®
o 200ml Soda

Johnnie Walker Black Label served with soda for a smoky, rich drink with a slightly dry finish. Into a highball glass, pour Johnnie Walker Black Label and fill the glass three-quarters of the way with ice. Top up with soda.
2.2 UK Units

Whisky & Cloudy Lemonade
o 50ml Johnnie Walker Red Label
o 150ml Cloudy lemonade
o Lemon Wedge to garnish

Add all the ingredients to a tall glass full with ice, stir to mix, garnish with a wedge of lemon and serve.

A Whisky and lemonade is a standard serve up and down the country but using traditional style cloudy lemonade takes the combination to a new level, the citrus bite of the lemon combining perfectly with the rich honeyed tones of Johnnie Walker Red Label.
2 UK Units

COCKTAILS

Old-Fashioned
o 50ml Bulleit Bourbon
o 15ml Sugar syrup
o 2 dashes bitters

Add all the ingredients to an Old-fashioned glass full with ice and stir patiently to mix, chill and dilute, add more ice to fill the glass, garnish with a large orange zest and serve.

The Grandfather of Whisky Cocktails the Old-fashioned showcases the flavour of the Whisky used as its base but softens the intensity via dilution, makes it more approachable via sweetening and adds complimentary flavours and aromatics via the addition of bitters and orange peel.
2.2 UK Units

Langatun Swiss whisky – one man’s dream

I’ve never tried Swiss whisky before, and I suspect that quite a few of you reading this are the same. It’s always fascinating to try a whisky from one of the non-traditional whisky countries/regions, so when four bottles from the Langatun distillery arrived at HQ, I was keen to taste them.

The Langatun distillery (above) is housed in a former grain store

Langatun was created in 2007, but the family behind it has a history in brewing and distilling that stretches back more than 100 years. Jakob Baumberger took over a small brewery in the 1860s, acquiring a top-quality spring-water source a decade or so later. After his death, his son Hans carried on the work, setting up a peat-cutting business to provide fuel for the distillery and malting plant. Fast forward to the present day and his grandson Hans Baumberger III has continued the story, producing Langatun whisky, as well as rum, vodka and liqueurs.

The distillery is based in an old grain store in the village of Langatun, situated about 30 miles north-east of the capital, Bern. We currently stock two lines: Old Deer and Old Bear. Old Deer is unpeated, and matured in both ex-sherry and Chardonnay wine casks; Old Bear, which is named as a tribute to the family’s former brewery, which had a bear as its emblem, is peated, and spends time in Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine casks. Let’s give them a try:

LANGATUN OLD DEER 2009, 40% ABV

Nose: Good mix of woody spice and rich fruit – roasted banana, toasted marshmallows, Parma violets and a savoury, almost rubbery note.

Palate: Soft and balanced, alternating between soft fruit and toasty spice. Plenty of creamy fruit on the palate – stewed apples and melon – along with cinnamon and nutmeg, cracked black pepper and a touch of banana skin.

Finish: Fruity and peppery, with the soft spice gently fading.

LANGATUN OLD DEER CASK PROOF 2008, 62.1% ABV

Nose: Creamy aromas, laden with ripe fruits, pink peppercorn, banana skin and wet grass, along with honey-drenched toast and sponge-cake batter.

Palate: Hot and peppery at full strength, with orchard fruit and a soft citrus note. A splash of water calms things down, bringing out fresh lemon, bramble fruit and buttery richness.

Finish: The fruit and toasty spice linger.

LANGATUN OLD BEAR 2010, 40% ABV

Nose: Herbal and pine-cone freshness leaps from the glass, then richer aromas of vanilla custard and stewed red berries.

Palate: More custard notes on the palate, subtle smoke and black pepper, along with stewed fruit, cake spices and toasty oak.

Finish: Burnt sugar and cinnamon, with a hint of red berries.

LANGATUN OLD BEAR Cask proof 2010, 62.8% ABV

Nose: Woody spice at first, with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, followed by stewed red fruits, marshmallow and custard tarts. A faint grassy note, too.

Palate: Rather hot at full strength, but keep going and sweet flavours of sponge cake, stewed fruits and custard. Adding water brings out the fruitiness, with notes of summer berries, fruit cake and brioche. A slight rubbery note, too.

Finish: Rich and sweet, with the red fruits lasting longest.

After trying all four, it’s clear that the flavour profile is a little different to most Scottish and Irish whiskies – what really stood out were the tempting red-fruit and sweet custard notes. I didn’t get much peat from either Old Bear bottling – perhaps the influence of the Châteauneuf casks outweighed the smoke. Either way, if you’re looking for an alternative to your regular go-to bottlings, these are well worth a try.

All four Langatun whiskies are available to buy here.

MALTSTOCK PROGRAM

This is the day, the day you’ve all been waiting for. We are almost done with the Maltstock 2016 program and thought you would be interested in reading what we have to offer you at this year’s Maltstock. We have a couple of very relaxed Masterclasses for you to choose from.

Cadenheads – Mark Watt
ChiChiBu – Yumi
Chieftains, Tamdhu, Glengoyne – Antony
Creative Whisky Company – Paul McKendrick
Douglas Laing – Jan Beckers
Inverhouse – Lukasz
the Macallan – Sietse Offringa
Speciallity drinks – Billy Abbot
Zuidam – Patrick Zuidam / surprise
+ maybe even more

Campfire Tasting by Donald MacLellan (Loch Lomond Group)

Quiz winners Tasting – Hans Offringa Breakfast – Hielander restaurant Alkmaar
>Raffle – with a huge amount of relaxed prizes
Pizza, BBQ, Midnight Cafe and relaxed Pop-up fun

Trust us, you don’t want to miss this edition of Maltstock. We still have some tickets available, but please be fast in a relaxed manner of course, before we sell out.

Get your ticket(s) here: TICKET SHOP

MALTSTOCK RAFFLE PRIZES

Some of the grand raffle prizes are confirmed and we would like you to know about them. There we go:

1. A very relaxed tasting at Douglas Laing in Glasgow
2. A visit to Tomatin Distillery with 10 of your friends.
3. Probably more to come

As always there’s a very good chance to win bottles of whisky and other whisky related prizes. All sponsord by many of our very relaxed sponsors.

TWO WHISKEYS NAMED “CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY FINALISTS”

AT ULTIMATE SPIRITS CHALLENGE

Ten whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery receive top honors 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (May 12, 2016) Judges selected Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey as Chairman’s Trophy Finalists at the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge, where 10 whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery were awarded top honors.

            Those awarded as “Extraordinary, Ultimate Recommendation” include:

• Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Blanton’s Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Thomas H. Handy Straight Rye Whiskey

Those awarded the distinction of “Excellent, Highly Recommended” were:

• Sazerac Rye Straight Rye Whiskey
• Benchmark Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

• Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Colonel E. H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Awarded the distinction of “Very Good, Strong Recommendation” were:

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, Stagg Jr. and Benchmark were deemed to be “Great Values.” Receiving a designation as “Tried & True” were Blanton’s, Sazerac Rye and Stagg Jr.

This competition, in its seventh year, is judged by a panel of the spirit industry’s most renowned judges including award-winning authors, buyers, journalists, educators and bar owners, who rate each spirit on a 100-point scale.

Complete results for the 2016 Ultimate Spirits Challenge can be found at www.ultimate-beverage.com/usc2016results.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 17 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named “Brand Innovator of the Year” by Whisky Magazine at its Icons of Whisky America Awards 2015.  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 300 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/.

Kavalan whisky – made in Taiwan

We’ve been big fans of Kavalan since it first made an appearance on our shores in 2011, so much so that we spent a year to be the first to stock its whiskies in the UK, and it has been winning awards ever since. We welcomed Ian Chang, Kavalan’s master blender to TWE for our latest tasting to find out more about the major player of Taiwanese whisky.

In their own words – Ian Chang

Ian Chang, master blender at Kavalan

‘I’m head of research and development, global brand ambassador and master blender; in Taiwan it’s normal to be paid one salary for three jobs. It’s the best job in the world though; I get paid to drink every day‘

‘It’s free to visit our distillery and taste our whisky. We have a coffee shop above the visitor’s centre, but you have to pay for the drinks – I never go upstairs!’

‘Our distillery receives more visitors per year [one million] than all of Scotland’s combined. So the Taiwanese are more alcoholic than the Scots!‘

‘Dr Jim Swan [freelance distilling consultant] is my mentor, and not just for whisky – if I ever get divorced, he’s the man to blame!‘

‘We used to use bourbon casks from Jim Beam, but we can’t any more since they merged with Suntory – we now use sexier casks from Four Roses, Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey’

‘We built the distillery in nine months – it Scotland it would take five to six years’

‘In the summer we close the windows in the warehouse to keep the heat in [it gets up to 42°C] which speeds up extraction of flavour from the casks, and open them in winter to let the casks breathe again. We have 95% humidity for most of the year, which helps to keep the angels’ share down to 10-12%’

The Kavalan tasting line-up

We tasted

Kavalan Classic – the flagship of the range, this has the distillery’s classic notes of mango, green apple, vanilla and coconut.

Kavalan Concertmaster – finished in ruby-port casks, this has notes of dark chocolate and blackberries.

King Car Conductor – similar recipe to the Classic, but with more use of sherry casks adding extra dried-fruit flavours.

Kavalan Solist Bourbon – luscious and rich with lots of vanilla and coconut notes.

Kavalan Solist Sherry – thick texture with an abundance of treacle and raisins.

Kavalan Solist Vinho – aged in re-charred wine casks; creamy and fruity with a hint of spice – a masterpiece.

Kavalan Solist Moscatel – available later this year; fruity and floral with notes of honey, lychee and rose.

Best #TWETasting Tweet

Boooooom! That palate Blimey Charlie Chocolate orange and cloves on and ooooon Powerhouse @kavalanwhisky #TWEtasting pic.twitter.com/dfsErkw7k5

— WhiskyAlex (@WhiskyAlex) May 9, 2016

Whisky of the night

All of the whiskies are very different, yet maintain the fruity house style, with varying degrees of warmth and complexity. Each has its own time and place for enjoyment, and on the evening it was the original – Kavalan Classic, a great introduction to the distillery and the whisky that highlights the quality of the range.

Nose: Very fruity – predominantly mango and apple, with an abundance of vanilla and coconut, too.

Palate: This displays the classic distillery character with notes of mango, green apple, cherry, vanilla and coconut, held together with a creamy texture.

Finish: Medium in length with coconut, butter and a hint of cinnamon.

Comment: This was released by the distillery on 4 December 2008, the first whisky to be sold. Aged in a mixture of four types of cask (refill, sherry, bourbon, and one secret), of which 99% is American oak. The recipe adds complexity and lots of vanilla and coconut, and the hot and humid climate allows much more extraction of flavour from the wood, so this tastes mature, despite only being around four years old.

It was a pleasure to be led through the range by Ian, who was awarded Master Distiller of the Year and shortlisted for Brand Ambassador of the Year at Whisky Magazine‘s Icons of Whisky awards in 2015. To keep up with growing demand, the distillery is continuing to expand – the original four stills were joined by six more at the start of the year and a further 10 will be operational by August, allowing them to produce nine million litres of alcohol per year (which would put it in Scotland’s top 10). Ian stressed that the new stills will be the same shape as the original pairs, so while volume may be changing, the style and consistency will not. There are a number of new Solist releases due later this year, with the Moscatel joined by Brandy and Amontillado, among others. Solist Vinho won World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the 2015 World Whisky Awards, so if you’ve never tried Taiwanese whisky before, why not pick up a bottle of Kavalan? Gānbēi 幹杯!

A limited release from BenRiachs Wood expressions range. The BenRiach 15 Year Old Dark Rum Finish is first matured in American Bourbon Casks. The Whisky is then finished in Jamaican Rum barrels, where it takes on some of those deep and chocolatey flavours associated with the Rum that was housed before it.

£42.99 incl. VAT

Buy now

A peated Speyside Whisky, not something you’d usually have in the same sentence, but BenRiach have done just that! Their Peated range is a hark back to the classic Speyside whiskies of the 19th century, and the 10 Year Old Curiositas is an excellent place to start.

£31.99 incl. VAT

Buy now

The Septendecim is the latest edition to the BenRiach Peated range. This 17 year old peated whisky has been matured in ex-bourbon casks and is a real robust heavyweight. Septendecim is non chill filtered, and bottled at natural colour with a strength of 46% vol.

£48.00 incl. VAT

Buy now

www.ralfy.com finds great enjoyment and a precious malt-moment with Whisky Review 583 – Isle of Arran 18yo @ 46%

Fantastic prize draws – enter today!

WIN A BOTTLE OF PORT ASKAIG 45 YEAR OLD WORTH £1,200

Port Askaig is the superb range of Islay whiskies from our sister company Speciality Drinks. The 45 Year Old is a vatting of five sherry butts distilled on Islay in 1968 and aged for more than four decades – the result is a delicious combination of ripe fruit, coastal flavours and spicy chocolate. To be in with a chance of winning, you need to buy a bottle of Port Askaig 100° Proof, the newest addition to the Port Askaig range, and a great everyday Islay whisky. To find out more, click here. The draw ends on Friday 27 June.

WIN EIGHT BOTTLES OF TALISKER WORTH MORE THAN £800

Talisker is the much-loved smoky, peppery whisky from the Isle of Skye, and we’re giving away a mammoth eight-bottle collection with all your favourite bottles, including the 25 and 30 Year Olds. We’ve also included the ever-popular 10 Year Old and also the 2003 Distillers Edition, which is the current Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year. If you buy a bottle of Talisker 18 Year Old, we’ll enter you into the draw, which ends on Friday 27 June. To find out more, click here.

WIN A BOTTLE OF BALBLAIR 1969 WORTH £1,295

Located by the Dornoch Firth north of Inverness, Highland distillery Balblair has garnered a great reputation for top-notch single-vintage whiskies. We are offering one lucky person a bottle of the majestic 1969, which displays classic fruity Balblair notes of apples and honey, but with an extra layer of Christmas-cake spices and dried fruit. To enter, buy a bottle of Balblair’s excellent 1999 bottling, and we’ll add your name to the list. This draw also ends on Friday 27 June and you can find out more here.

WIN ALL NINE EDITIONS OF PARKER’S HERITAGE COLLECTION WORTH OVER £2,500

Parker’s Heritage Collection began as a tribute to Parker Beam and his five decades of hard work at Heaven Hill. The first whiskey, launched in 2007, was an 11-year-old cask-strength Kentucky straight bourbon but the style changes each year, from Cognac-finished bourbon to wheat whiskey and even straight malt. To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous nine-strong whiskey collection, simply buy a bottle of Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage 2004, a sweet, fruit and spicy single-vintage bourbon. To find out more, click here.

All of our draws end at 11.59pm BST on the specified date. And if you are lucky enough to be one of our winners, we’re always delighted if you send us a photo of you and your prize – you can get in touch with us via our Facebook page or via Twitter. Good luck!

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Chivalry 18 Year Old Special Reserve Scotch Whisky

https://youtu.be/byoyi5oDI70

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

Hello SWA friends,

We will be on Islay during the Feis Ile this year, and due to popular demand we will be returing to the legendary Ballygrant Inn to host not one, but two tastings! We have teamed up with David to provide 6 of the finest quality drams with a fantastic 3 course meal. All this for a mere £40 a ticket!

The tastings will be on Tuesday 24th and Thursday 26th May evening, starting at 7:30pm. We’re limited in the number of spaces available for each tasting so make sure register your interest early by either replying HERE or contacting us at the office. We know that these tickets will sell out quickly so don’t miss out!

Tam and the team will be on Islay all week, look out for the famous SWA van and folks in SWA polo shirts if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

The SWA Team