CELEBRATING 200 YEARS WITH A RARE LAPHROAIG® 32 YEAR OLD

Laphroaig^® Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky continues to celebrate its bicentenary with the release of the Laphroaig 32 Year Old.  The very special bottling, distributed by Maxxium UK, has been aged for over three decades in a single cask type.

Matured exclusively in a first-fill ex-Oloroso cask, the Laphroaig 32 Year Old is a whisky that has picked up all the flavours so typical of spirit laid down in ex-Sherry casks – the dark Christmas fruits, the nuts and spice, and at the same time possesses the extraordinary delicate balance common to old, excellent whiskies. It is an extremely rare and accomplished whisky.

On the nose the aroma of caramelised brown sugar is predominant, with notes of dark, bitter chocolate and nutmeg leading the palate, followed by a dry and lingering sherried oak finish.

Laphroaig 32 Year Old, an intensely rich single, malt will be available in October 2015 in selected specialist whisky retailers with a RRP of £750.00.

NOTES

http://www.laphroaig.com/  

Tasting Notes for Laphroaig 32 Year Old:

• Colour – Deep Mahogany
• Nose – Reminiscent of a Christmas fruit cake, the rich, sherry sweetness and the aroma of caramelised brown sugar is predominant. A drop of water reveals notes of cinnamon spiced red apples, with just a hint of bitter dark chocolate.
• Body – Intense and rich.
• Taste – The dark, bitter chocolate follows through to the palate, with nutmeg and an intense spicy oakiness. Adding a touch of water allows sweeter, sherry flavours to come through, together with just a hint of salt tang and subtle peat smoke.
• Finish – Dry, long and lingering, sherried oak finish.

Editors Notes:

• Laphroaig is the No.1 selling Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky globally
• Unmistakably peat-smoke flavours are delivered by burning local Islay peat, containing unique traces of seaweed and heather.
• One of only a few distilleries that still uses traditional malting floors and dries and infuses its own malt with the thick blue smoke from old peat-fired kilns.
• The Friends of Laphroaig programme keeps fans of the brand up to date with special offers and news from distillery manager, John Campbell. On signing up, members are allocated their own square foot of land on Islay, and their names are added to the members’ book in the friends lounge at the distillery. Members who visit the distillery are invited to collect their ‘rent’ – a dram of Laphroaig. The community comprises more than 669,000 like-minded Scotch fans from more than 190 countries.

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 http://www.beamsuntory.com/ and www.drinksmart.com.

Heaven Hill just reopened their private barrel program with Evan Williams Single Barrel; and we couldn’t be more excited about it and the other selections to come! So with a few of our guys having just taken a trip down to Bardstown and selecting two delicious barrels (which should arrive early November), what better time to talk about Heaven Hill! The company was started post prohibition by the Shapiro family. About ten years into business, Earl Beam, yes, as in the Beam family, became the master distiller for Heaven Hill. His son, Parker Beam, succeeded his father in 1975 and is still the master distiller at Heaven Hill. With the Shapiro family still manning the helm today, Heaven Hill is the largest independent and family owned distillery in America. They are also the seventh largest spirits supplier in the US and have the second largest stock of aging bourbon in the country. They produce five different mash bills across across all their whiskies. I say whiskies because if I said bourbon, I’d be leaving out their excellent wheat whisky. Check out their offerings:

EVAN WILLIAMS

HEAVEN HILL

LARCENY Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon

BERNHEIM Original Small Batch Wheat Whisky

HENRY MCKENNA Bourbon

HENRY MCKENNA Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Year

www.ralfy.com catches up with an old single malt companion with Whisky Review 556 – Caol Ila 18yo single malt

Whisky Offerings from Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery

Well Autumn is officially here and we absolutely adore it! It looks so picturesque here at the distillery with all of those beautiful colours surrounding us. They go perfectly with the golden hues of our whiskies as well! When the nights are drawing in and there’s a wee chill in the air, we love nothing more than sitting in front of the fire with a wee dram or two. Why not pop up to the distillery and see what we’re talking about for yourself. We guarantee you’ll love it.  Don’t forget that you can buy all of our whiskies online or in store.

Whisky of the Month

This October you have the chance to own your very own limited edition premium bottle of The Famous Grouse 16 Year Old Edition. Featuring art work from Vic Lee, it’s one that’s definitely not to be missed. Available in store and online.

The Famous Tasting Experience

Come along to the spiritual home of The Famous Grouse for a tasting experience you won’t forget in a hurry. Learn the art of blending and taste several Famous samples which is all included in your tour. You can book this or one of our other tours here.

The Famous UK Shop

Take a minute to visit our UK Shop and browse our full range of products including; The Famous Grouse and The Glenturret, all available for UK delivery. Whisky isn’t all that we do either, we also have a fantastic range of gifts and glassware available. Let us help take the hassle out of Christmas! Visit our UK Shop here

The Famous Global Shop

Now International customers can order our range of Whiskies from our Global Shop. Choose from the wide range of The Famous Grouse and The Glenturret Special Editions available for International delivery. Perfect for non-UK residents and for sending Christmas gifts to family and friends overseas.  Visit our Global Shop here

The Famous Grouse Experience

The Glenturret Distillery

The Hosh

Crieff, PH7 4HA

United Kingdom

A new blog post about Isle of Harris Distillery may be viewed HERE

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold – Life in the freezer

I love it when people send me whisky, and a nice drop of Dalwhinnie? Great.

Winter’s Gold is the latest in Diageo’s No Age Statement versions of core Classic Malts, following on from the likes of Talisker Skye and Oban Little Bay. Reading between the lines of marketing hyperbole, Diageo, along with nearly every brand owner, is struggling with stock levels and these new lines help protect the existing product range, rather than replace them. It seems a small price to pay, if we can keep the whiskies we already know and love.

Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold. In ice?

When I first read the press release that accompanied my sample, the thing that struck me was the suggested serve. ‘The suggested serve of Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold is frozen. Freezing the liquid transforms the texture of the liquid to create a syrupy mouthfeel.’

Reading this, you may well explode in a volley of curses aimed at anyone who has ever worked in marketing, but I was intrigued, as this approach mirrors closely what Rémy Martin did with their iconic VSOP when Rocky and I visited them in 2008: ‘Freezing the Rémy Martin VSOP enhances the aromatic smoothness of the Cognac, giving it an entirely different and very exciting profile…‘

Seven years ago I was rather underwhelmed, both with the concept and the Cognac. But being fair-minded, my sample of Winter’s Gold snuggled up to the leftover chicken curry, bottle of gin and bag of peas. I also decided to try it, as I would any other whisky, at room temperature.

Straight out of the freezer, does Winter’s Gold ‘amplify the rich, heather, honeyed flavours that the distillery is famed for‘? Sort of, but… In the glass it’s very syrupy; oozing rather than flowing. The nose is unsurprisingly quiet, crème brûlée and peaches, but really soft. The palate however is a bit more interesting. I’m getting plenty of creamy heather and honey, along with a bit of waxy, sappy oak and lemon, with just a hint on menthol at the finish.

So does frozen whisky make me rethink the habits of a lifetime? No. Is it an enjoyable way of drinking whisky? Yes, it’s OK. Like freezing grain whisky, it brings out the creaminess.

What if you treat it like any other malt and don’t put it in the freezer at all? At room temperature, the Dalwhinne looks, smells and tastes; like Dalwhinnie. The nose is light and nutty with a distinct nut-toffee edge and just a whiff of wood smoke. The palate is light, fresh and honeyed, with a nice cut of citrus running through. A good Dalwhinnie that would make a really good aperitif dram.

Why bother putting the bag of peas to so much trouble? Don’t worry about the frozen part. It’s a great expression of Dalwhinnie. If you like Dalwhinnie 15, you’ll like Winter’s Gold, too.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Dalwhinnie Winter’s Gold – Life in the freezer

This week Joe Ellis was selected to take part in the Littlemill Flash Blog event. Here he reviews the brand new official distillery release of Littlemill 25 Year Old Lowland Single Malt.

https://youtu.be/8bvTegoZqmE

To view other blogs please search #Littlemill on Twitter.

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

https://www.facebook.com/whiskytube

CAOL ILA 2001 DISTILLERS EDITION, 43%

Each month, we choose a whisky and a spirit that we particularly like and knock a chunk off the price. We’re nice like that. October is no exception, and we’re delighted to be able to offer three cracking deals on a trio of great products: the whisky is a rich, smoky dram from Caol Ila

Let’s start with our Malt of the Month. Caol Ila is the largest distillery on Islay, and much of its 6 million litres of alcohol per year find their way into bottles of Johnnie Walker. But the distillery has also found fame as a single malt in its own right, and quite right, too.

The 2001 Distillers Edition was finished in sweet Moscatel wine casks, adding rich fruitiness and layers of spice; a fine counterpoint to Caol Ila’s smoky, citrusy tones. We’re knocking £14 off our normal price, making the whisky a very reasonable £49.95.

CAOL ILA 2001 DISTILLERS EDITION, 43%

Producer’s Tasting Notes

Nose: Wonderfully concentrated pure, clean Caol Ila – peaty and medicinal, with rich fruit, spicy and fragrant. With water, the fragrant smokiness comes singing through.

Palate: Sweetness and maltiness strike first, then are quickly overwhelmed by peat smoke and intense, clean, crisp flavours. Caol Ila’s signature smoky bonfires are here, and build to quite a size. Overall, drying, in a beautifully balanced, complex, elegant development, complemented with cinnamon spice.

Finish: Long, rounded, robust and multi-layered.

Scotland

2000 Aberlour 14 Year Old Cadenhead Single Malt Whisky 750ml  $89.99

1992 Bruichladdich 22 Year Old Cadenhead’s Single Barrel Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky 750ml  $199.99

1996 Glen Keith 19 Year Old Exclusive Malts Single Cask Single Malt Whisky 750ml  $154.99

1988 Highland Park 26 Year Old Cadenhead’s Small Batch Cask Strength Collection Single Malt 750ml  $299.99

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

Aultmore 25 Year Old

1990 vintage sherry butt matured expression bottled July 2015 for our Burns Malt range. This one is selling fast! Aultmore 25 Year Old 1990 vintage Highland single malt Scotch whiskey. Single sherry butt #3241 bottled July 2015 for our exclusive Burns Malt® series.

Aultmore

Aultmore is a Scotch whisky distillery in Keith, Banffshire, producing an epinomous single malt whisky. Its name is a derived from the phrase An t-Allt Mòr, Gaelic for big burn, referring to its water source the Auchinderran burn. It was founded in 1895 by Alexander Edward.

Aultmore 1990 – $109.90