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. The Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve is a wonderful balanced whisky. Full of soft, fresh fruits and Mizunara (Japanese Oak) aromas, this is a classic example of Japan’s number one whisky. Accompanied by The ice sphere mould to make the perfect ice ball and a stylish whisky tumbler.

£85 Click to buy

THE LOCH FYNE 1745 GIFT SET

The Loch Fyne 1745 is named after the historic year in which the whisky’s home town, Inveraray, was founded. Inspired by its west coast location and the many tourists who pass through the town on the way to Islay. The Living Cask 1745 is a unique marriage of well aged single malts all from Islay distilleries and is fast building a reputation for its incredible flavours. This gift box also comes with a couple of award winning Glencairn whisky glasses – perfect for appreciating the finest malts.

£92 Click to buy

GLENFARCLAS 2000 GIFT BOX SET

This single malt Scotch whisky was specially selected for The Whisky Shop, and is an utter delight from start to finish – a juicy, fruity, playful, classic Speyside whisky. There is enough Glenfarclas character here for fans of the distillery to love it. But this is also a great way to start your exploration in to the distillery if you are not yet familiar with it. A great malt. Accompanied by two award winning Glencairn whisky glasses and housed in a luxurious presentation box.

£80 Click to buy

HAUF AN’ A HAUF Gift Box Set

This gift pack brings back a bit of Glasgow nostalgia. It pairs a whisky from Glasgow’s closest distillery, Auchentoshan 12yo single malt, with a premium beer that has been brewed in Glasgow, Tennents beer aged with whisky oak – a great Glasgow combination.

Pack Includes a 5cl miniature of Auchentoshan 12 year old, one bottle of Tennents whisky beer, a Tennent’s beer glass and a malt blender’s whisky glass. Bring on the nostalgia!

£25 Click to buy

Haig Club

Diageo have partnered with David Beckham and Simon Fuller, to create one of the most trendy and popular whiskies of 2015.

The liquid has been crafted using a unique process that combines grain whisky from three cask types. This creates a fresh, clean style and an ultra-smooth taste – perfect for drinking either neat, with ice or in cocktails.

It is presented in a square blue flask, with the name embossed in the glass and a copper stopper – if you are going for cool this Christamas this is a must buy. Now available at our best ever price!

£35 Click to buy

Christmas is fast approaching and as the Scottish winter evenings draw in, that tantalising first dram of Wolfburn’s inaugural whisky is getting ever closer!

It has been a busy couple of months since the last edition of the Laydown. We’ve built a major new warehouse, which will provide maturation space until the end of 2018. The bottling plant has been installed and tested – everything is working like a charm. Our first labels and cartons have been printed (you can see the pics on Wolfburn’s Facebook and Twitter pages). And nestling inside the distillery are several thousand empty bottles, waiting for the magic moment when filling commences.

In this edition of the Laydown: Test your knowledge and win! A small test of your whisky-making knowledge – with prizes of Wolfburn spirit samples for the winners. Next, if you enjoy sampling whisky (and who doesn’t?) then here’s a list of the shows and exhibitions you’ll find us at over the coming weeks. And finally: A Day in the Life of Iain Kerr, Wolfburn’s stalwart and always smiling production operator.

Slàinte

The Wolfburn Team

Whisky Offerings from Scotland’s Oldest Working Distillery

November saw us celebrate 240 years of making Whisky By Hand and By Heart here at Glenturret Distillery and we had a brilliant time celebrating with everyone. Our world record attempt to ‘Raise a Dram’ saw 152 people on the night and our Open Doors Weekend was a huge success. Now we have some time to prepare for Christmas which (don’t shoot the messenger) is just around the corner! We have some exciting offerings for you to help you on your way with the Christmas shopping…

Don’t forget that you can buy all of our whiskies online or in store.

Sherry Edition

The Glenturret Core Range Sherry Edition has been matured in both Spanish and American oak sherry seasoned casks, delivering a sweet spiciness with a soft oak background. All three whiskies in the Core Range are available to purchase online here and in store.

The Famous Grouse

Scotland’s favourite whisky is a blend drafted from the finest malt whiskies, such as The Macallan and Highland Park, married with exceptional grain whiskies, for the smoothest possible taste. The perfect gift for the whisky lover in your life this Christmas. Purchase it here now or in store.

Personalised Bottles

Looking for something a little “special” this Christmas? Why not personalise the label on a bottle of The Famous Grouse? Just visit our online store here to personalise and order yours today.

Gifts Galore

Our famous gift shop has a whole range of gifts suitable for this Christmas. From stocking fillers to gift sets, we’ll have just the thing to help take the hassle out of your festive shopping. Visit our online store for the full range here.

Glenlivet 33 Year Old 1981 Signatory

Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$246.90

Glenlivet 33 Year Old 1981 vintage Speyside single malt Scotch whiskey. Single cask refill sherry hogshead #9463 bottled April 2015 by Signatory Vintage for the Cask Strength range. 156 numbered bottles. Glenlivet Distillery was established in 1824 and following expansion in 2010 is now equipped with fourteen stills making it one of the largest malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Glenlivet Distillery is situated in Scotland’s Speyside whisky region near the River Livet and has a visitor centre which offers distillery tours with the opportunity to sample Glenlivet single malt whiskies. Glenlivet also participates in the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival.

Read All About It: Canadian Whisky is Hot

As Canadian whisky moves onto the connoisseur’s radar, the search for information leads to one source, a book called Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert.

Released in soft cover in May 2014, this award-winning book reviews production methods, history, the individual Canadian whisky distilleries and over 100 whiskies.

Join whisky authority Davin de Kergommeaux on a pan-Canadian journey from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, celebrating the diversity of Canada’s unique spirit. With his conversational and accessible tutelage, de Kergommeaux offers readers a carefully researched, reliable, and authoritative guide to Canadian whisky that is, quite simply, not available anywhere else.

Not only a book describing the history and culture of the spirit, Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert is also an informed exploration of taste. For the first time, whisky consumers — experts and novices alike — can approach Canadian whisky with a connoisseur’s appreciation of its rich subtleties.

In this Gourmand Book Award- and IACP Award-winning book, Davin de Kergommeaux takes readers on a journey through the first systematic presentation of Canadian whisky: how it’s made, who makes it, why it tastes the way it does, its history, and the rich, centuries-old folklore surrounding it.

This is an important time for Canadian whisky and this is an important book which isn’t just a story of a drink, but a story of Canada itself. It makes you want to get a bottle and a glass, pour yourself a stiff one, sit back and dive in. I’d suggest you do exactly that.” –Dave Broom, author of The World Atlas of Whisky and Whisky: The Manuel.

“Simply THE book on Canadian whisky.” Norbert on Amazon.com

“Great historical background on all the Canadian whisky distillers and superb reviews of the whisky itself. Indispensable for the whisky enthusiast no matter what you like to drink.” Gary Nijman on Amazon.ca

Available in bookstore and at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other on-line booksellers.

Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2016 – the winners

Excitement builds every year about the big winners in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible. Last year, Jim chose Yamazaki Sherry Cask 2013 as his 2015 World Whisky of the Year, which had an astonishing effect on demand for this now-rare bottle – and boosted the fortunes of the entire Japanese whisky category overnight.

Look into my eyes, not around the eyes…

So, who is this year’s winner? For the first time, it’s from Canada: Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye. Jim scored it 97.5pts/100: ‘Rye, that most eloquent of grains, not just turning up to charm and enthral but to also take us through a routine which reaches new heights of beauty and complexity,’ he said. ‘To say this is a masterpiece is barely doing it justice.’

CROWN ROYAL NORTHERN HARVEST RYE, 45%

Producer’s Tasting Notes:

Nose: Baking spices, cereal, light wood spices.
Palate: Gentle oak note, rich butterscotch, spiced vanilla, develops into soft peppery notes.
Finish: Smooth and creamy.

Jim has increased his World Whiskies of the Year to five, as opposed to his normal three, accompanied by his choice of Single Cask of the Year. Here are the winners:

Jim Murray’s 2016 World Whiskies of the Year

1. Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye
2. Pikesville Straight Rye
3. Midleton Dair Ghaelach
4. William Larue Weller Bourbon (Bot.2014)
5. Suntory Yamazaki Mizunara (Bot.2014)

SINGLE CASK OF THE YEAR

Glenfarclas The Family Casks 1957 #2110

This year – just like last year – there are no Scotch whiskies in Jim’s list. And Midleton Dair Ghaelach’s achievement is the first time that an Irish whiskey has finished in the top three.  Jim said: ‘Last year people were shocked when I gave Yamazaki the award – until they tasted it. Then they saw it was not the affront to Scotch they first thought and something truly extraordinary.  ‘This year, doubtless there will be many more eyebrows raised because rarely is Canada mentioned when it come to the world’s top whiskies. But, again, I have no doubt people finding the bottling I tasted will be blown away with this whisky’s uncompromising and unique beauty. It certainly puts the rye into Canadian rye.’

You can sign up to be notified when the 2016 edition of The Whisky Bible becomes available here.

The Winners
SCOTCH

Scotch Whisky of the Year
Glenfarclas 1957 Family Casks #2110

Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 10yo

Single Malt of the Year (Single Cask)
Glenfarclas 1957 Family Casks #2110

Scotch Blend of the Year
The Last Drop 50yo

Scotch Grain of the Year
Clan Deny Cambus 1987 25yo #9320

Scotch Vatted Malt of the Year
Compass Box The Lost Blend

Single Malt Scotch
No Age Statement (Multiple Casks)
Ardberg Supernova 2009

No Age Statement (Runner Up)
Laphroaig An Cuan Mor
10 Years & Under (Multiple Casks)
Glen Grant 10yo

10 Years & Under (Single Cask)
Saar Gruwehewwel

11-15 Years (Multiple Casks)
Gordon and MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice Strathmill 2002

11-15 Years (Single Cask)
SMWS 4.199 (Highland Park 1999)

16-21 Years (Multiple Casks)
Old Pulteney 21yo

16-21 Years (Single Cask)
Old Malt Cask Highland Park 1998

22-27 Years (Multiple Casks)
Glen Moray Port Cask Finish

22-27 Years (Single Cask)
Wemyss Kirsch Gateau (Bunnahabhain)

28-34 Years (Multiple Casks)
Tomatin 1988 25yo Batch 2

28-34 Years (Single Cask)
Glenfarclas 1985 Family Casks #2593

35-40 Years (Multiple Casks)
Tomatin 36yo Rare Casks Batch 1

35-40 Years (Single Cask)
BenRiach 1977 Batch 11

41 Years & Over (Multiple Casks)
Ledaig 42 Years Old

41 Years & Over (Single Cask)
Glenfarclas 1957 Family Casks #2110

BLENDED SCOTCH

No Age Statement (Standard)

Ballantine’s Finest

No Age Statement (Premium)
Ballantine’s Limited

5-12 Years
Johnnie Walker Black Label

13-18 Years
Ballantine’s 17

19 – 25 Years
Royal Salute 21

26 – 50 Years
The Last Drop 50 Years Old Sherry Wood

IRISH WHISKEY
Irish Whiskey of the Year
Midleton Dair Ghaelach

Irish Pot Still Whiskey of the Year
Midleton Dair Ghaelach

Irish Single Malt of the Year
SMWS 118.3

Irish Blend of the Year
Powers Gold Label

AMERICAN WHISKEY
Bourbon of the Year
William Larue Weller 2014

Rye of the Year
Pikesville Rye 110 Proof

US Micro Whisky of the Year
Notch 12

US Micro Whisky of the Year (Runner Up)
McCarthy’s Batch U14-01

BOURBON
No Age Statement (Multiple Barrels)
William Larue Weller 2014

No Age Statement (Single Barrel)
Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project Barrel 20

9 Years & Under
Booker’s Bourbon 63.95%

10-17 Years (Multiple Barrels)
Eagle Rare 17yo 2014

RYE
No Age Statement
Thomas H Handy

Up to 10 Years
Pikesville Straight Rye 110 Proof

11 Years & Over
Sazerac 18yo 2014

WHEAT
Wheat Whiskey of the Year
Parker’s Heritage 13yo / Release 8

CANADIAN WHISKY
Canadian Whisky of the Year
Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye

JAPANESE WHISKY
Japanese Whisky of the Year
Yamazaki Mizunara 2014 (Japan only)

Single Malt of the Year (Multiple Barrels)
Yamazaki Mizunara 2014 (Japan only)

Single Malt of the Year (Single Barrel)
SMWS 119.14

EUROPEAN WHISKY
European Whisky of the Year (Multiple)
English Whisky Co. Chapter 16 / Peated Sherry Cask

European Whisky of the Year (Single)
Kornog Taouarc’h Chweec’hved 14 BC

WORLD WHISKIES
Asian Whisky of the Year
Amrut Greedy Angels 10yo

Southern Hemisphere Whisky of the Year
Heartwood The Good Convict

FLEETING FEEL-GOOD MOMENTS: SEIZE YOURS

With seven popular picks already gone, there’s not a minute to lose – particularly if you are partial to peat or soft on sherry. But no need to panic (yet)… check out the charmers below to find that perfect present: an exciting late entry from lightly peated 53.232 released tomorrow, rarely available 100.12 and 80.7 now for sale online. Share your feel-good moments with us over the festive season #feelinggood

Top Tip: Favourite bottle sold out? Pop in to a Society venue for a different selection of drams. You can sample at the bar and get advice from our lovely staff, who do their level best to taste them all!
(P.S. Rumour has it there are still a few bottles of Bourbon at The Vaults)

LAST CHANCE: SELLING FAST

Spicy & sweet
13.27 It’s a knockout £51.70

80.7 Indian Summer Sangria  £59.10

Heavily peated

53.231 Eat until I die £89.70

SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

Juicy, oak & vanilla

100.12 Trip to a shopping mall £47.00

Deep, rich & dried fruits

66.76 Guilty pleasure. First fill ex-white wine hogshead! £75.60

Lightly peated

53.232 The perfect ending to a perfect day. Second fill ex-sherry butt! £69.00

BAR STAFF LOVE IT

Juicy, oak & vanilla

41.68 Liquefied “Bounty bars” £50.20

Browse Latest Outturn >
Browse All Bottlings >

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact:mailto:sales@smws.comor call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

We pride ourselves on the incredible growth and selection we’ve been able to achieve with our single malt program over the last ten years. But as much as we love searching through Scotland, hunting down the rare and interesting whiskies of the world, nothing gives us as much excitement as finding a great deal–especially when those deals provide as much bang for your buck as the two we’re featuring today.

Old Malt Cask is an independent whisky label known for supreme quality in its selections and we tracked down two outstanding expressions with prices so good you’re doing to do a double-take. Craigellachie is a Highland distillery of great esteem that is just beginning to make waves in the U.S. with a few official distillery releases. We’ve found some extremely-tasty sherry-aged selections from the Pernod-owned producer over the past few years, but nothing on the level of this Old Malt Cask edition. Simply put: it tastes like Macallan 18 at less than half the price, and at 100 proof! Not only is it a great deal when compared to Macallan, but also when compared to other editions of the same whisky. We’ve noticed a few stores in the area selling Craigellachie 19 from Old Malt Cask for $150 a bottle, yet we’re offering it for $60 less. As if that weren’t enough, we tacked on an incredible 16 year old of peaty, smoky, classically-styled Laphroaig with the same great savings. Other editions of Old Malt Cask Laphroaig 16 sell for as much as $200, yet we’re offering it for $119.99. The math is pretty simple. The whisky is pretty great.

1995 Craigellachie 19 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” Single Sherry Barrel Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $150) ($89.99)

It’s a wonderful thing when you can find a substitute for your favorite brand at half the price. In the case of this new Craigellachie 19 year old sherry cask we just discovered, we think it tastes exactly like Macallan 18 year–a whisky that is now up to $230 a bottle when you can even find it. All that soft and integrated oloroso sherry flavor permeates the palate, while the delicate and malty flavors of the Highland whisky work in conjunction to balance out the richness. Even at 100 proof, this is a delicate whisky. It has a little more punch than your standard bottle of Macallan 18, but a few drops of water can temper that storm quite easily. As if the Macallan comparison weren’t enough, we’ve found other stores in the area and across the nation selling the Craigellachie 19 from Old Malt Cask for $150, yet we managed to work out a deal to get the price down under $100. Even the distillery version of the Craigellachie 23 sells for $240 a pop, yet this whisky someone how costs less than three figures? We hope that’s enough of a savings to get you excited because we’re pretty excited ourselves! Pour yourself a glass of this superb sherry-aged Craigellachie, enjoy that elegant marriage of toffee and caramel, and know that you got one of the best whisky deals of the year–hands down.

Kyle Kurani | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2015

This single cask of Craigellachie is a throwback in every sense of the world. It is a perfect example of old school Highland whisky, not from a 200% first fill sherry barrel, not peated to more PPM of smoke then the inside of your smoker, just absolutely delicious Scotch, and more importantly at a price for a 19 year old that hasn’t been seen for years on a single malt shelf. This starts off with sweet gingerbread and dried apricots, pure and elegant, followed by hints of richer poached pears. The palate is filly with butterscotch and round rolly viscosity, dense and opulent. Finishing through with toffee and caramel-topped brownie. One of the best deals we have seen in a very long time here at K&L.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2015

I think Kyle summed it up best: classic Highland whisky, no frills, for an unbeatable price. This is right there with the Glenlivet 19 we just released, but this one really tastes more like Macallan or some of the more graceful single malt whiskies of Scotland. When you look at what other stores in the area are selling Craigellachie 19 for, the deal becomes clear. You could almost buy two of this for the price of their one.

1998 Laphroaig 16 Year Old “Old Malt Cask” Single Barrel Single Malt Whisky 750ml (Elsewhere $199) ($119.99)

As if our stunning Craigellachie 19 year old edition of Old Malt Cask wasn’t enough, we also managed to track down a delicious 16 year old edition of Laphroaig, bottled at 100 proof, for an incredbile price. We noticed retailers on the East Coast selling 16 year old Laphroaig versions of Old Malt cask for up to $200 a bottle, and even the standard Laphroaig 18 year from the distillery goes for $120 or more. This concentrated, single barrel expression of Laphroaig brings all the peat smoke, saline sea water, and iodine notes you expect from your Islay whisky, but it adds a layer of vanilla from the cask maturation that balances the punch and the intensity of the island style. Even fans of Lagavulin and Bunnahabhain (those who like more richness and texture in addition to their smoke) will have a tough time finding a bottle better than this for the price. The finish is like a caramel candy covered in Islay peat, the perfect way to end a meal this holiday season.

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: November 16, 2015

The levels of richness and smokiness here in this Laphroaig 16 are equal. It’s both chock-full of classic Islay flavor and simultaneously quite supple and round on the palate. I can’t decide if I think it’s sweet or spicy. That’s a sure sign of perfect balance if there ever was one. And the price….

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

Ardbeg
19 Year Old 1995 Dun Bheagan

Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Ardbeg 19 Year Old 1995 vintage Islay single malt Scotch whiskey. Matured in bourbon barrels #804 & #807 bottled 2015 Ian MacLeod for the Dun Bheagan range. 593 bottles.

Ardbeg Distillery was established in Ardbeg on the Kildalton Peninsular on the Isle of Islay in 1815 by John McDougal. Ardbeg Distillery draws soft peaty water from Loch Uigeadail and Loch Airigh nam Beist up amongst the hills behind the distillery. Ardbeg Distillery is a participant in the world famous Feis Ile, the annual Islay Festival of Malt and Music. Visitors are welcome at the distillery visitor center which offers Ardbeg Distillery tours and serves delicious Scottish fare in the Ardbeg Café.

‘Hunter Laing & Co, The Sovereign, Caledonian Distillery 41 year old‘

Another fantastic rare lost whisky has landed with us here at TheWhiskyBarrel.com from our chums at Hunter Laing & Co. This latest treat is the appearance of a 41 year 1974 old single grain whisky from the Caledonian Distillery…..(please click here to read the remainder of the article)…