Macallan 25 year old Platinum Old and Rare

A single cask Macallan whisky bottled at 44.8% volume. Distilled in 1989 and bottles in 2014, A sweet smooth and rounded Macallan whisky which has a soft and lingering finish. One of only 188 bottles! Make sure this is on your Christmas list this year. Next Day UK delivery available.

Was £560

£420 Click to buy

MAXXIUM UK UNVEILS AN UNRIVALLED SMOKY GIFT THIS CHRISTMAS

Ahead of the key festive season, Maxxium UK has unveiled the Peated Malts of Distinction gift pack which features each whisky from the Beam Suntory portfolio – The Ardmore Legacy, Connemara Original, Bowmore Small Batch and Laphroaig Select – united in one box set for the first time.

Each expression comes as a 50ml bottle and is inserted in an eye-catching box which feature a traditionally cut peat block and also includes a mini-booklet explaining the traditional peated whisky process and the variety of peat flavours present in the range. Launching this month at specialist whisky retailers in the UK, it is aimed at both whisky enthusiasts and consumers looking to explore a unique set of flavour profiles.

Peter Sandstrom, Marketing Director at Maxxium UK said: “The peated malts category is showing strong growth and as distributors of an unrivalled portfolio of peated malts in the UK we’re in a unique position where we can offer customers a variety of taste experiences. The Peated Malts of Distinction gift pack brings together a collection of peated malts for every palate, with each expression boasting its own unique and distinctive smoky flavour.

“From the lightly peated Highland single malt, The Ardmore, which is a perfect introduction to the peated malts category, to the iconic Laphroaig, which is often considered the archetypical Islay peated single malt, the gift pack will provide consumers with a unique taste journey through peated malts.”

Beam Suntory launched the Peated Malts of Distinction in 2014 in order to forge the company’s leading position in the Peated Malts category and educate both consumers and trade on the versatility and variety of taste profiles available.

Peated Malts of Distinction gift will retail at RRP 14.99 and is available at specialist whisky retailers including Royal Mile Whiskies, The Green Welly Stop and The Whisky Exchange.

Notes:

The Ardmore Legacy (ABV 40%)

A lightly peated Highland single malt whisky, The Ardmore has been produced using the same traditional whisky distilling methods since 1898, and is regarded as the perfect entry into peated malts.

The Ardmore is the perfect way to start your peated malt journey.

• Colour: Light honey
• Nose:   Heather Honey with hints of cinnamon and toffee bonbon. Very subtle hints of peat smoke
• Palate:  Creamy vanilla spice gives way to more overt smoky charcoal notes, especially with the addition of water. Smoke doesn’t dominate and    is balanced by the sweet honey and spice          flavours
• Finish: Full bodied, silky mouth feel with a (trademark Ardmore) dry, tangy and lingering aftertaste, coupled with delicious spice notes 

Connemara Original (ABV 40%)

Inspired by Ireland’s ancient distilling traditions, Connemara’s smooth sweet malt taste and complex peat flavours make it a truly Irish whiskey. As the only peated Irish single malt whiskey, Connemara is highly decorated with huge collection of gold medals and has been honoured as the ‘World’s best Irish single malt’.

The smooth and mild peat of Connemara is a balanced step up into the peated malts of distinction.

• Colour: Lightly golden.
• Nose: Smoky peatiness balanced by heather floralness with hints of honey and oak.
• Taste: Silky smooth with a honey sweet start, followed by more complex aromas of malt and fruit giving way to the intensifying full bodied peat. A well-balanced yet complex taste with vanilla oak notes.
• Finish: A long and glorious finish with golden honey notes and deep peat spreading across the mouth and palate. Hints of chocolate vanilla and oak leave a mouth-watering taste! 

Bowmore Small Batch (ABV 40%)

As the first distillery on Islay and one of the oldest in the whole of Scotland, Bowmore is nurtured in the legendary No.1 vaults, and widely acknowledged to be among the finest and most perfectly-balanced malts in the world.

Bowmore Small Batch is exclusively matured in first and second fill ex-bourbon cask, then blissfully married together, exhibiting the best qualities of both.

This combination of sweetness, subtle spices and peaty smokiness leads to a more intense peated malts experience.

• Colour: Warm gold
• Nose: Vanilla fudge, sea air and peat smoke, balanced beautifully by honeycomb and cinnamon spice
• Palate: Mouth-watering citrus, gentle saltiness and vanilla with flakes of coconut
• Finish: Wispy smoke, bourbon vanilla and lime finish 

Laphroaig Select (ABV 40%)

The Island of Islay is situated on the rugged west coast of Scotland, a beautiful yet uncompromising place at the mercy of the sea, wind and rain. In the corner of the island is a distillery in a special place, a “beautiful hollow by the broad bay” or in Gaelic “Laphroaig”. The Laphroaig distillery was founded here in 1815, and is viewed as the archetypical Islay peated single malt.

Laphroaig is the ultimate peat experience and a must for any peated malts journey.

• Colour: Full sparkling gold
• Nose: Burning embers of peat in a crofter’s fireplace, hints of coconut and banana aromas
• Body: Full bodied
• Palate: Deep, complex and smoky yet offers and surprises the palate with a gentle sweetness
• Finish: Really long, dry with smoke and spice

About Maxxium UK

Maxxium UK Limited is part of the global sales and distribution alliance between Beam Inc and The Edrington Group. Its portfolio of premium spirits includes: The Famous Grouse, Teacher’s and Cutty Sark blended Scotch; Highland Park, Laphroaig and The Macallan single malts; Courvoisier cognac; Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark bourbon. In addition Maxxium has premium brands across a number of other drinks categories including Sourz, Brugal, After Shock, Sauza and Harveys. Maxxium UK also represents third-party drinks brands including Stolichnaya vodka, Bols liqueurs, Galliano and The Glenrothes.

For further information on our brands and how to enjoy them log on to www.mixxit.co.uk 

About Beam Suntory Inc.

As the world’s third largest premium spirits company, Beam Suntory is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including the flagship Jim Beam bourbon and Yamazaki Japanese whisky, as well as world renowned premium brands including Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, Hakushu and Hibiki Japanese whiskies, Teacher’s,  Laphroaig, and Bowmore Scotch whiskies, Canadian Club whisky, Courvoisier cognac, Sauza tequila, Pinnacle vodka, and Midori liqueur.  The company generates annual worldwide sales exceeding $4 billion excluding excise taxes.

Beam Suntory was created in 2014 by combining the world leader in bourbon and the pioneer in Japanese whisky to form a new company with a deep heritage, passion for quality, innovative spirit and entrepreneurial culture. Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam Suntory is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan.  For more information on Beam Suntory, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamsuntory.com and www.drinksmart.com.

Glenfarclas Family Cask 1957

The Glenfarclas Family Cask range is one of our all time favourite whisky collections – in our minds it offers some of the oldest and rarest single cask whiskies at superb prices. More importantly the quality is there and we can see this in the 1957 vintage. Rich, treacle, figs and thats just on the nose. Spoil yourself!

£2300 Click to buy

This week Joe Ellis celebrates his birthday and reviews Old Pulteney 1990 Vintage Single Malt.

https://youtu.be/Kk_cURI1fW0

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The Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2016

With Christmas approaching, it means it’s time to announce the Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2016. This now-traditional annual event moved north of the river this year to The Rooms at Browns, just round the corner from our new Covent Garden shop.

Oliver (aka) Judge Chilton got into the spirit of the occasion

The room was the former main courtroom of Westminster County Court, making it the ideal venue to pass judgement on the eight whiskies in front of us, with Oliver and Andy in charge of proceedings.

The tried-and-tested criteria was unchanged from previous years: ongoing non-cask-strength releases of single malt Scotch at £60 or less, that we’d be happy to have as a whisky we could enjoy every day. The TWE team had whittled down their favourites from the year to a final eight, which were presented in four pairs: light and fruity, medium-bodied, full-bodied and smoky.

The whiskies

So here’s the line-up in tasting order, with comments and quotes from the customers:

1. Arran 14 Year Old – fruity and floral, my table was divided on this, with guesses including both Lowlandand Old Pulteney. ‘It’s a real breakfast whisky’
2. Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley – this was fruity and creamy. ‘The nose is really interesting. I keep wanting to go back to it’ (he did…)
3. Benromach 15 Year Old – medium-bodied and lightly smoky. It was agreed this wasn’t from Islayand educated guesses ranged from peated Highlander Ardmore to Highland Park. ‘It’s a breakfast whisky, but one that’s a bit more interesting’
4. Tomintoul 16 Year Old – this had a ‘real sweetness’ and opened up through the tasting. Unfortunately being the weakest in terms of strength, it did get overwhelmed by what went before and afterwards.
5. Glenlivet 18 Year Old – rich and sweet on the nose and palate, and ‘dried sultanas on the finish’
6. Dailuaine 16 Year Old Flora & Fauna – rich and full of dried-fruit flavours, this is a classic sherried whisky. One of my table said ‘that’s my whisky of the year!’
7. Talisker 2003 Distillers Edition, 45.8% – a classic maritime and smoky whisky, Talisker was guessed early on in the discussion. The guests remarked: ‘it’s medicinal, but not full-on Islay’, ‘this would make a great Old Fashioned‘ and ‘it’s a really fun whisky’.
8. Ballechin 10 Year Old – ‘an Irish whiskey sweetness’ and ‘like toned-down Octomore‘ were two of the comments; most guesses were for Islay distilleries with Caol Ila and Laphroaig both mentioned.

To keep the customers entertained during the vote counting, there was a ninth whisky. Completely different to the first eight, it was sweet with lots of apple and vanilla, backed up by a shedload of mint and a hint of spice. The whisky? Jim Murray’s 2016 World Whisky of the Year, Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. One attendee said they would have voted for it above the eight candidates, and it was generally well received, with a handful who didn’t like it. Overall, it was as I expected – classic well-made Crown Royal with extra spice. Great value at around £40 in the UK (if you can find it), but the best whisky I’ve had this year? No.

The eight-strong shortlist for Whisky of the Year (plus Jim Murray’s award-winner, far left)

The TWE Team’s choices:

The TWE editorial team also participated in trying all the whiskies blind, so were allowed to vote. Here’s what we thought:

Billy My top two were numbers three and eight. First up: Benromach 15 Year Old. I have a soft spot for the distillery, having had a great time when visiting, but I’m also a big fan of their old-fashioned spirit – weighty and oily, with a nice bit of fruit in the mix. From the voting, it seems it’s not for everyone.

In the end, the Ballechin 10 Year Old was the star for me. I wrote about it when it was released, and it’s remained one of my favourite new smoke bombs of recent times. On my table during the tasting, the debate was whether it was Ardbeg, Caol Ila or Laphroaig, and looking at it that way, it reminded me of a really good, young Ardbeg. A worthy runner-up.

Rocky I went for the Ballechin as my runner-up – it was rich and complex with an earthy style of peating that I’d associate with Ireland, but with none of the dryness. My whisky of the evening was the Arran. Despite being the lightest of the line-up, I went back to it throughout the evening, and even at the end, the freshness and floral notes were not overwhelmed by the smoky notes left on my palate from the Talisker and Ballechin.

Stuart The whisky that really stood out for me was Tomintoul 16 Year Old. In a world of sherry bombs and peat monsters, its whistle-clean fruitiness shone through – clementine, mango and orchard fruits – with heady aromatics and gentle perfume. The brief for this tasting was to choose the best everyday drinking whisky, and for me the Tomintoul fitted the bill perfectly. My runner-up was Dailuaine 16 Year Old, which ticks all the fruity boxes but adds richness in the form of honeyed fruit and malted biscuits. Very rich in the mouth with a touch of smoke, this is a full-flavoured dram that really delivers.

The results:

Joint seventh: Benromach 15 Year Old and Bruichladdich The Classic Laddie Scottish Barley Sixth: Tomintoul 16 Year Old Fifth: Arran 14 Year Old Fourth: Dailuaine 16 Year Old Flora & Fauna Joint runners-up: Ballechin 10 Year Old and Glenlivet 18 Year Old

And the Whisky Exchange Whisky of the Year 2016 is…

Talisker 2003 Distillers Edition, 45.8%

A resounding triumph, winning more than half the first-choice votes. Bottled in 2014 at the classic Talisker strength of 45.8%, here are the notes from the night.

Billy

Nose: Fruit and sea spray to start: baked apples on the beach. The coastal edge is powerful but softens to reveal more fruit – raisins, cherries and freshly sliced apple – and delicate floral and herbal touches – spring meadows and autumnal leaves.

Palate: Rich and fruity, with raisins and plums up front. Behind the fruit is peppery spice, savoury leather and earthy flavours. More rich fruit builds, with blackcurrant jam and figs, joined by sweet and dark liquorice touches, all topped by freshly polished oak.

Finish: Gentle spice leads into fruit cake with a sprinkling of sea salt, and then fades to a sweet and herbal end.

Comment: A whisky that allies Talisker’s coastal nature with darker, richer and heavier notes without going overboard.

Rocky

Nose: Pronounced notes of sea salt and smoke, backed up by juicy raisins, dark chocolate and a hint of balsamic vinegar.

Palate: Rich and creamy in texture, the salinity and the smoke from the nose are still present, but do not mask the other flavours. There is a delicate balance of sweet and dry, with heather honey, black pepper, vanilla, dark chocolate and orange all expertly balanced.

Finish: Medium to long, with the peppery notes and spice balanced by sweet vanilla.

Comment: This was my third choice. Although it was arguably the stand-out in terms of complexity, I felt it was a little too rich and complex to be my everyday whisky.

Stuart

Nose: Gorgeous combination of sea spray and brine, oyster shells and pink peppercorns, along with chewy malt, orange peel and plenty of fruit to tame the pepper and smoke. Classic Talisker fire but softer and sweeter.

Palate: Seville orange marmalade, then freshly ground black pepper, along with woodsmoke, clove and coriander seed. The aromatic smokiness builds, kept in check with the sweet, juicy notes of orange, grapefruit and lemon. Good fruity undercurrent to the savoury, peppery kick.

Finish: Like the dying embers of a fire, with a sprinkling of aromatic citrus.

Comment: A delightful combination of classic Talisker smoke and pepper, lifted with heady citrus notes.

To celebrate the award, we’ve knocked £6.80 off the price – it’s now just £49.95. Pick up a bottle here and see if it’s your Whisky of the Year.

Whistle Pig 10 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Agreeable Interlude” Cask Strength Single Barrel #15-124 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) $84.99View

Whistle Pig 10 Year Old K&L Exclusive “Sippin’ to Lippin'” Cask Strength Single Barrel #15-59 Straight Rye Whiskey 750ml (ships as 1.5L) $84.99 View  

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

www.ralfy.com meets the oak-sap rascal with Whisky Review 563 – Royal Brackla 12yo @ 40%vol

We are delighted to announce that a new Whisky Exchange shop has opened in Covent Garden, London. Spread over two floors, it is a treasure trove of delicious whiskies and fine spirits, and is run by a knowledgeable team keen to ensure you find the right bottle. We’re open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and from noon to 6pm on Sundays.

Huge selection of whiskies and fine spirits

Knowledgeable, passionate staff

Fill-your-own-bottle service

Personalised bottle engraving
(coming soon)

The Whisky Exchange Shop
2 Bedford Street
Covent Garden
London WC2E 9HH

+44 (0)20 7100 0088
coventgarden@thewhiskyexchange.com

The Japanese Whisky Gift Box Set

We know how important gifts are to our customers – especially at Christmas. This year we have developed a range of beautiful gift boxes containing some of your, and our, favourite whiskies. Whether you’re looking for traditional single malt for your Dad, or a fashionable Japanese whisky set – we’ve got it covered. A 70cl bottle of Hakushu Single Malt Distillers Reserve with an ice sphere mould. In Japan ice is almost as important as the whisky itself. Traditionally, perfect ice spheres were hand carved so that the ice would roll around the glass.

£85 Click to buy

The Loch Fyne Living Cask Gift Box Set

This gift contains one of the best selling whiskies of 2015. The Loch Fyne Living Cask is a combination of single malts that have all spent time in a cask that is never emptied – hence the concept that it is living! Different malts are introduced periodically and the cask is bottled in a series of batches. Batches one and two and now three have been released. The gift box contains a 50cl bottle of Living Cask and two Glencairn glasses.

Smooth, Rich and complex – one of our fastest selling gift packs!

£59 Click to buy

GLENFARCLAS 1994 THE WHISKY SHOP EXCLUSIVE

Winner of the coveted Liquid Gold award in the 2016 Jim Murray Whisky Bible – scoring an imprssive 95.5 points: Bottled exclusively for The Whisky Shop and limited to only 1200 bottles. Bottled at 43% volume. In the words of Jim Murray: ‘Very close in character and quality to distillery’s latest official 1994 release. Which means it’s not far off God’s gift to present day sherried malt whisky.’

£84 Click to buy

TAKETSURU 21 YEAR OLD

Rare Japanese whisky:

The Taketsuru range is named after the founder of the Nikka Whisky Company, Masataka Taketsuru. The Taketsuru whiskies are a combination of single malt whiskies from Nikka’s two distilleries, Yoichi and Miyagikyo. This award winning bottling is made up of whiskies which have been aged for a minimum of 21 years.

£195 Click to buy

HIBIKI 12 YEAR OLD

The perfect gift for someone who likes their whisky to be that little bit different.

Hibiki means resonance in Japanese. It speaks to the soul and emotions of the most discerning whisky lover. The legendary Hibiki represents true harmony, the ideal of perfection, the paragon of ‘The Art of Japanese Whisky’ and its artisans. Numerous pure single malt whiskies aged in a variety of cask types, including Mizunara, a rare Japanese oak, all combine to create a dazzling, echoing roundness in the Hibiki 12 year old.

£49 Click to buy