Glenfarclas £511.19s.0d – I call that a bargain

A lot of distilleries talk about their history, but there are few still in operation who can point to generations of family ownership. One of the best known distilling families in that exclusive club are the Grants of Glenfarclas, owners of the distillery for 150 years. To celebrate this milestone, they have released a new whisky, the cryptically named Glenfarclas £511.19s.0d.

John and George Grant: the first and second generations of the family

The story behind the name is actually simple: On 8 June 1865, 29 years after its founding, John Grant bought Glenfarclas for the princely sum of £511.19s.0d. A bit of digging on the Bank of England’s website suggests that this was equivalent to about £57,000 in today’s money, quite the bargain for a working distillery. The distillery was only part of the purchase, as the family were actually buying the tenancy of Rechlerich farm, and the distillery came along with it – the total bill was £1224.19s.7d. The Grant’s leased out the distillery but when their tenant, distant cousin John Smith, resigned in order to found Cragganmore, John and his son George took over. Since then, the family have run the distillery.

John L S and George S Grant: the fifth and sixth generations

As George S Grant, son of current director John L S Grant, has said at tastings, it’s unnerving to visit the family graveyard and see your name on so many gravestones – the Grants have been quite conservative when naming their children and over the years they’ve almost all been called John or George. However, it does mean that now, 150 years after the family bought the distillery, a John and a George again run the company as a father and son team.

Filling the celebratory casks

Along with the release of £511.19s.0d, the distillery celebrated the anniversary by filling 10 sherry butts and 10 sherry hogsheads, ready for the future generations. The family are still planning for the long-term, laying down stock now to ensure that years down the line they’ll have all of the whisky they need.

Glenfarclas is well known for its heavily sherried whisky, and this celebratory dram starts off down the same path, consisting mainly of first-fill sherry butts. However, there’s more to it than just a blast of dried fruit:

GLENFARCLAS £511.19S.0D FAMILY RESERVE, 43%

Nose: Honey and raisins with gentle charred-cask bitterness hidden behind. Stewed apples and pears develop in the glass, along with golden sugar, Portugese custard tarts, buttered fruit cake, nutmeg and clove. Despite those heavier notes, it’s still quite fresh, with freshly sliced Golden Delicious apple and hints of candied lemon.

Palate: Soft and rounded, with delicate sherry-cask spice and fruit to start. The flavours get darker as it develops, moving on through raisins and dark fruit cake to gentle notes of char and mixed spice. Just before the death, fresh apple pops up, accompanied by damp leaves and forest floor earthiness.

Finish: Nutmeg and cinnamon toast, soft and lingering with tart apple sauce and a hint of liquorice.

Comment: A game of two halves, with fresh fruit and weighty sherry-matured flavours balanced carefully, with each taking their turn on the nose and palate.

Lighter and more elegant than some of Glenfarclas’s drams, but still with the classic sherry cask punch hidden underneath. It is available now from The Whisky Exchange.

Auction is now live folks. Enjoy.

The 52nd Auction

Kind regards from Glasgow – The SWA Team

Heaven Hill Brands Celebrates its 80^th Anniversary by Giving Back

BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Heaven Hill Brands, the country’s largest family-owned and -operated distilled spirits company, is celebrating 80 years of success this year by giving back. To thank the community for being a valued partner over the last eight decades, Heaven Hill is planning a philanthropic effort, with the help of its employees.

Starting July 17, Heaven Hill will draw names of employees each Friday, for a total of 80 names, all leading up to an Employee Appreciation event on Sept. 12 at Heaven Hill corporate headquarters in Bardstown, Ky. Heaven Hill will donate $80 to a charity of those people’s choosing. In total, 80 employees will give $80 each to 80 charitable causes.

“We wanted to thank our employees for their hard work, as well as thank the community for 80 years of support,” said Max Shapira, Heaven Hill Brands President.

Additionally, the company is asking each employee to bring a canned good or other food item to the Employee Appreciation event. The collected items will be weighed with the goal of reaching 380 pounds of food that will be donated to a local food pantry serving those in need.

“This is another way for all of us here to celebrate all our achievements so far by giving back,” Shapira said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the company and how far we’ve come since my father and his brothers started it. Eighty years of success is just the beginning.”

The company kicked off its yearlong 80^th anniversary celebration by unveiling a new corporate name, Heaven Hill Brands, and a new logo that captures the company’s evolution from a leader in American Whiskey production – a position it continues to hold today – to the nation’s sixth-largest distilled spirits supplier.

Through internal product development and strategic brand acquisitions, Heaven Hill has built on its foundation of American Whiskeys to become a broadly diversified supplier of whiskeys, liqueurs, vodkas, rums and other spirits.

Heaven Hill’s portfolio includes the world’s second-largest selling Bourbon, Evan Williams Bourbon, and category leaders Christian Brothers Brandy, Burnett’s Vodka and Admiral Nelson’s Rum. The portfolio also includes a growing line of leading imported brands from around the world, such as Hpnotiq and Domaine de Canton liqueurs. Likewise, the company has a stable of innovative brands including PAMA Liqueur, Blackheart Spiced Rum and Evan Williams Flavors.

About Heaven Hill Brands: Founded in 1935, Bardstown, KY-based Heaven Hill Brands (www.heavenhill.com) is the nation’s largest independent, family-owned and operated spirits producer and marketer and the world’s second-largest holder of Kentucky Bourbon. Heaven Hill’s diversified portfolio of brands includes Evan Williams Bourbon; Larceny, Elijah Craig and Henry McKenna Bourbons, Burnett’s Vodkas and Gin; Admiral Nelson’s and Blackheart Rums; HPNOTIQ Liqueur; The Christian Brothers Brandies; PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur; Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur; Lunazul Tequila; Cinerator Hot Cinnamon Flavored Whiskey and Rittenhouse Rye Whisky.

Days out Summer 2015

Visit us for a tour of the Distillery. We aim to run the St Georges Tour every hour on the hour (10am – 4pm) 7 days a week. This tour includes coffee or tea whilst you wait for the tour to start. A guide will then take you onto the distilling floor and explain how whisky is made. You then move onto Warehouse 1 to see the whisky in casks, and to breathe in the amazing aroma caused by the Angels Share escaping, before finally finishing with a taste of one or two of our wonderful malt whiskies. A full price adult ticket for just £10.00, comes with a £5.00 voucher to spend in the shop for any English Whisky over just £30.00.

It’s back!

Upon the arrival of our third batch of Cut Spike yesterday, I immediately popped a bottle and took a quick sip. A huge smile quickly washed over my face. “It’s the best parts of batch one and two combined!” I said to Kyle. “It still has tremendous richness, but it’s really moved beyond the core of creaminess. It’s beginning to develop its own house style.” The tremendous achievement inside these bottles is not only the deliciousness of the whisky, but the fact that the Cut Spike truly has its own unique character. It’s not just a good tasting single malt; it’s full of spruce, and ginger, and other exotic elements that are completely unlike any other whisky I’ve tasted. But where do those flavors come from? In an attempt to learn more about what exactly goes on over there in Nebraska, I reached out to distiller Jason Payne for a more detailed explanation.

Here’s what he had to say:

(Jason Payne) I have listed some of the “magic stuff” that I think makes Cut Spike Single Malt Whiskey unique and special! Let me know if this is what you were thinking.

1) The limestone filtered water from the Ogallala Aquifer that we ship in from the Sandhills of Nebraska is something, as far as I’m aware, nobody else is doing. The water is truly delicious, and acts as the perfect compliment to our hand-crafted whiskey when proofing the spirit. Hardly touched by the elements of man, the liquid is pumped directly from the Blue Spring Creek that runs beneath the prairie land of the Sandhills. Only a simple filtering process is implemented that removes sand and sediment before it is packaged and shipped off to the distillery.

2) We should not disregard that fact that our stills are hand-pounded copper stills produced in the far land of Scotland. Hailing from the mecca of great whiskey, our pot stills were constructed by a family run company that has been producing whiskey stills since the early 20th century. This company has been producing stills for many of the renowned distilleries of Scotland, and we are fortunate to have two traditional pot stills here in our distillery in Nebraska. Even more interesting, is that the design of our stills is based off the design of one of our favorite distilleries (I think I don’t want to reveal exactly which distillery our stills are modeled after – it may be proprietary info). When producing a premium whiskey, the exact shape of the still being used matters, just ask the Scottish. We modeled our stills off one of the best distilleries out there, but exactly who that is will have to remain confidential…

3) The blend of barrels we use to age the whiskey is ever evolving as we continue to hone our craft and strive to create one of the best whiskeys around. The barrels we buy are premium dry-aged barrels used to promote maximum interaction between the wood and the whiskey. We implement new charred oak barrels in our aging process, and then blend the whiskey that has been aged in barrels of different char levels ranging from toasted to a #4 (alligator) char. Used bourbon barrels and freshly emptied wine casks are used in finishing single malt aging process. The distillers at Cut Spike distillery have a proprietary blend that gives Cut Spike its own unique flavor. The exact blend will remain a secret with the distillers.

4) Before whiskey there must be beer – without the hops that is! We are fully trained brewers who decided to jump into the distilling world. So making whiskey wash was our expertise upon entering this wonderful world, and making a great wash is the first step to making a great whiskey. First and foremost, we use only the highest quality suppliers of barley. We have quality control measures throughout the process that do everything from: calculating fermentable sugars in the wash to maximize yields, counting yeast cells for proper fermentations, controlling the temperatures of these fermentations to reduce unwanted by-products, and resting the wash for at the appropriate temperature and for the appropriate length of time to “clean” the wash before distillation. All these controls and measures ensure that we are producing consistent wash at the highest quality. And this is not something that can be learned overnight. It is as much a desired skill as that of distilling amazing spirits.

Does that explain it? I don’t know. All I know is that this batch of Cut Spike is bigger than the last batch-and despite the greater amount of available bottle-it’s the best batch yet, which is really saying something. – David Driscoll

Cut Spike Nebraska Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($59.99)

At first we couldn’t believe our mouths. We knew that Cut Spike single malt had just taken Double Gold honors at the 2014 San Francisco Spirits competition (the highest possible honor), so obviously other people thought it was good, too. But after tasting so many mediocre American attempts at single malt whisky, we had become accustomed to the idea that the Scottish style of distillation would never be recreated here at home. There would be spin-offs, and experimental grasps at greatness, but that supple, malty profile would simply be something we needed to import from abroad. Then the folks at Cut Spike sent us a sample of their two year old Nebraskan single malt whisky made from 100% malted barley on a pot still crafted in Rothes, Scotland. Fermented at the brewery next door to Cut Spike in La Vista, the malt was matured for two years in new American oak with varying levels of char. The result is an incredible hybrid: soft, barley and vanilla-laden whisky that tastes somewhat like your standard Scottish single malt, but has its own unique character simultaneously. It’s the kind of whisky that you taste once and enjoy, but then the next day suddenly crave intensely. It impresses you instantly, yet doesn’t really reveal its full character until weeks later. The new oak blurs seamlessly into the malty mouthfeel, adding a richness on the finish normally not tasted in standard Scottish selections. Cut Spike is a major accomplishment for American distillation, pure and simple.

Jim Boyce | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 21, 2015
We, along with enough customers (and critics) to quickly sell out the last couple batches, fell in love with the Cut Spike whiskey. The first time we tasted this American Single Malt we were floored. This current bottling is a bit brighter, with great clove, ginger and banana bread spice notes. Grab a bottle while you can! ‘Merica!

Dulcinea Gonzalez | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 17, 2015
Now this is a whiskey to get excited about. The sensation of flavor is an American hybrid marrying qualities of bourbon and Scotch. This sits in the glass with deep hues of burnt orange. The nose on this whiskey is totally delicious with fruity notes of tangerine, freshly cut fennel, and dried apple. The mid-palate is clean, soft and delivers characteristics reminiscent of cream soda, all culminating in a spiced, toasty rich finish. Get a bottle while they last!

Jeffrey Jones | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 17, 2015
Delicious and interesting. There are wonderful aromas that are a mixture of floral notes with some spice and citrus. In the mouth it is malty, juicy and smooth, with spicy undertones. The Cut Spike promises to be one fun drink.

Kyle Kurani | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 15, 2015
With this being only their third release, the anticipation of what is in the bottle was very high: a chance to try and flesh out exactly what is the house style that the good distillers at Cut Spike bring to the table. This bottling does a great job of solidifying them in my mind as one of the highest quality single malt producers in the States. This whisky is incredibly vibrant and fresh without tasting young or harsh. The nose is lifted with bright notes of candied ginger and Douglas fir, a sense of promised vanilla sweetness wafts in at the end. In the mouth there is sweetness, orange marmalade, a hint of clove for spice, and then the same vanilla cream from last batch that really adds roundness to the palate.

Danielle Freschet | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 15, 2015
Extremely unique and complex whisky with lots of gorgeous pine, rosemary and ginger notes melded together with the perfect amount of vanilla. It’s great to be drunk by itself or mixed in cocktails. Also being that K&L is the only major retailer to carry this whisky, it is something rare to share with friends!

Heather Vander Wall | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 15, 2015
The new Cut Spike is incredibly intriguing! This batch displays a full range of baking spices on the nose with just a hint of cardamom. Nice weight and balance on the palate, with just the right amount of creamy, toasty characteristics to complement the exotic spice elements. A great buy!

David Driscoll | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 13, 2015
When I first tasted the Cut Spike whiskey, I thought it was simply the best American single malt out there; a true revelation for the domestic category. However, as I’m now tasting the newest batch from the Nebraskan producer, I’m realizing that the whiskey is starting to morph into something very particular and unique to the brand. That classic creaminess is still very pervasive, but for the second time in a row there’s a pronounced note of pine that soon mutates into ginger and Asian spices before quickly turning back into rich vanilla and oak on the finish; smoothly seeping its way into my taste buds as that last little sip goes down. What we’re starting to witness here is the development of a house style–a flavor that defines this distillery. It’s very exciting, and it’s becoming infectious.

Dave Genevro | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: July 12, 2015
This is a delicious American Single Malt! Round, rich and great balance and length…don’t miss this great craft whiskey that you’ll only find here! Salute!

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 22, 2014
I have to say my palate wasn’t quite sure where to place this flavor profile Scotch or Bourbon…Bourbon or Scotch…? But the one thing my taste buds certainly weren’t confused about was how delicious it is! There is plenty of the detail and delicacy of single malt but everything is lacquered with the exotic wood spice and richness of American oak. The two flavor bases (the malt and the wood) have married together really well making this a fascinating drop that I really think will please both types of whisk(e)y drinkers.

Joe Manekin | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 15, 2014
Here is our latest entrant in American craft whiskey, a very tasty, skillfully made whiskey from Nebraska. Nebraska? Yes, Nebraska! As mentioned earlier, this is stylistically a Bourbon-meets Sherry-barrel-aged Single Malt. Lovely richness, lots of sweetness and spice from new American oak barrels, but most importantly, the balance, drinkability and elegance of a well made single malt Scotch. These folks clearly studied how things are done in Scotland, and it shows. Very cool new whiskey that is well worth a try!

Gary Westby | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 15, 2014
This rich, layered whisky shows just how good young craft malt can be. I am not a believer in paying a high price for young stuff just because it comes from a small hands-on distillery. It has to be in the bottle, and the Cut Spike has the stuffing to justify the price. It is rich and textural without being over the top, and has layers of complexity that caught me by surprise. If you are interested in seeing how good a new distiller can be, check it out!

Shaun Green | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: August 14, 2014
Fantastic! This didn’t really take too long to grow on me, I was hooked at the first waft of the wonderful vanilla and malty aromatics. Long and rich with a great touch of sweetness–who knew the Nebraskans had been hiding this gem? It’s definitely Scotch-like, but with a wonderful, smooth, rich twist that more than hints at its American roots.

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

Looking back on Tastival 2015

Tastival has come to an end for 2015, but we’re looking back with fondness at another laughter (and dram) filled festival on our island home.

From impressive chocolate ganache mountains or ‘Jura paps’ served up by Dram & Smoke, to whisky and beer pairings with Drygate Brewing Co., our partners once again helped us bring taste to life in new and inspiring ways, which we hope you enjoyed. We certainly did!

Anyone who shared their Jura tasting notes with our live artist Guy Mckinley in the Cooperage has contributed to a beautiful and permanent fixture in our distillery, with the resulting mural now hanging proudly in the Tun Room for visitors to enjoy.

Almost 2,000 of you passed through our Dramming bar, and whether you joined us on our special Masters Distillery Tour, sampled a unique dram on our Rare Cask Selection, set sail for Whisky on the Waves, joined a food pairing session or simply soaked up the atmosphere (in person or from afar, via social media) we thank you for helping make another year so enjoyable.

See you next year!

Willie Cochrane and everybody at the Jura Distillery.

#JuraTastival

www.ralfy.com gets all egalitarian with Whisky Review 545 – Jameson Gold Reserve Whiskey

United States – Bourbon and Rye

• Peach Street Colorado Straight Bourbon Whiskey 750ml – 12 available ($59.99)

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

INTRODUCING SCAPA SKIREN, A SINGLE MALT FORGED BY THE ELEMENTS OF ORKNEY

September 2015 marks the launch of Scapa Skiren, an artisanal single malt forged by the elements of Orkney; a remote island of natural contrasts.

Crafted by five dedicated artisans at the manually operated Scapa distillery, Scapa Skiren’s smooth taste embodies the unexpected contrasts of the Orkney Islands, setting it apart from traditional Island Malts. A unique barrel-shaped Lomond wash still – the only remaining working Lomond in the Scotch whisky industry – is used for distillation, resulting in a richer and fruiter honeyed spirit. Exclusive maturation in First Fill American Oak casks gives Scapa Skiren a smooth creamy sweetness with a hint of tropical, citrus fruit and coastal heather, uncommon for an Island Single Malt but distinctly Scapa at its core.

Scapa Skiren gets its name from the Old Norse for glittering bright skies and lights up the senses with its delicate scented floral flavours as well as fresh pear, sweet and fruity pineapple notes on the nose. The smooth and sweet taste of ripe honeydew melon slices as well as bursts of fruity pear contrast with the tantalising taste of sweet sherbet on the palate. The end result is a long refreshing sweetness, reminiscent of the summer Orcadian skies after which it is named.

Scapa recently opened its distillery to the public, for the first time since its launch in 1885, on the beautiful, wild and untameable Orkney mainland. It is situated on the shore of the Scapa Flow, a natural harbour and one of Britain’s most historic stretches of water.

Scapa Master Distiller, Brian MacAulay says “It has been a real pleasure to bring the dynamic and unexpected contrasts of Orkney to life in Scapa Skiren. It is a product of our island; forged by the elements and the expertise of our dedicated team who use traditional methods and skills honed over several generations to create our distinctive Island malt with its unique smooth honeyed taste.”

Scapa Skiren, priced at $60 USD RRP, will be released in September 2015, in selected retailers in the UK and France and rolled out in Global Travel Retail from October 2015.

Notes:

Scapa Skiren (40% ABV) tasting notes

Character: Honeyed and tropical

Nose: Delicate scented floral flavours with a hint of fresh pear. Sweet and fruity pineapple notes with an unexpected citrus tang

Taste: Smooth and sweet, ripe honeydew melon slices with bursts of fruity pear contrasting with the tantalizing taste of a sweet lemon sherbet

Finish: Long, refreshing, shimmering sweetness

About Chivas Brothers

Chivas Brothers is the Scotch whisky and premium gin business of Pernod Ricard, the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits. Chivas Brothers’ award-winning portfolio features some of the world’s most revered Scotch whisky brands including Chivas Regal, the world’s first luxury whisky and the No.1 Scotch whisky in China; Ballantine’s, Europe’s No.1 Scotch whisky; The Glenlivet, the world’s No.1 single malt whisky; and Royal Salute, the world’s only exclusively prestige Scotch whisky range. The portfolio also includes two of the world’s leading English gins – Beefeater, the world’s most awarded premium gin, and Plymouth gin – plus a selection of highly acclaimed single malt whiskies, including Aberlour, Longmorn, Scapa, Strathisla and Tormore. The range is completed by a collection of blended Scotch whiskies operating in many of the world’s key whisky markets which includes 100 Pipers, Clan Campbell, Something Special and Passport Scotch.

http://www.chivasbrothers.com/

@ChivasNewsRoom

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the world’s co-leader in wines and spirits with consolidated sales of €7,945 million in 2013/14. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has undergone sustained development, based on both organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin & Spirit (2008). Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the sector and employs a workforce of approximately 18,000 people, operating through a decentralized organization with 6 ‘Brand Companies’ and 80 ‘Market Companies’ established in each key market. Pernod Ricard is strongly committed to a sustainable development policy and encourages responsible consumption. Pernod Ricard’s strategy and ambition are based on 3 key values that guide its expansion: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust and a strong sense of ethics. Pernod Ricard is listed on the NYSE Euronext exchange (Ticker: RI; ISIN code: FR0000120693) and is a member of the CAC 40 index.

http://www.pernod-ricard.com/

Cornelia Parker – Blue Luna, 2015

Single malt Scotch whisky, includes a series of 6 lithographs and a photographic print. £1000 plus VAT (strictly limited to first 5 customers)

We thought you may like to know that we currently have a half price offer on our forthcoming edition by Cornelia Parker.

For this McLean’s Artist Malts commission, Parker has been intrigued by whiskies maturation process, how time and more specifically the moon cycle can effect the spirit. In a continuation of Parker’s lunar series, this latest work “Blue Luna” is very much a time orientated piece. Currently you do not get to see the spirit but an empty vessel. For Parker’s whisky remains in the cask in the highlands of Scotland. Blue Luna will be bottled upon a blue moon on the 31st of July 2015, a rare event of two full moons in a single month. The total age of the whisky is stipulated on the label by full moon cycles rather than years – the final colour, nose, taste and alcohol volume of Parker’s whisky will be unknown until this special date. As well as this fine whisky filling the empty vessel, the piece will be accompanied by a photograph by Parker taken during the Blue Moon on the 31st July 2015. How this photograph looks is also dependent on many unknown particulars; location of the artist, weather, and equipment will be significant to the outcome. What we do know is that the accompanying photograph is as mystifying as the whisky itself.

As with all of our editions a printed element is produced by one of the world’s most respected print houses, Poligrafa Obra Grafica. Cornelia Parker’s bottle will be accompanied by six lithographs listing each and every full moon that has influenced the spirit whilst in the cask since August 1997. Upon payment you will receive the signed series of 6 lithographs. The entire completed artwork  including the whisky is due for delivery in September. This offer is set at £1000 plus VAT and is limited to the first 5 customers. Once sold out the edition will return to £2000 plus VAT. Please contact us on email for any further information.