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The Whisky Exchange “In Their Own Words – James Buntin, Brand Ambassador, Balvenie” – Scotch Whisky News

January 2nd, 2015

In Their Own Words – James Buntin, brand ambassador, Balvenie

James Buntin is the new brand ambassador for Speyside single malt Balvenie

After 14 years in Australia, new Balvenie brand ambassador James Buntin is back in the UK, on a mission to spread the word about this highly regarded distillery and its whiskies. We met up with this impressively hirsute Scot to share a dram and a story or two – and he didn’t disappoint.

‘I’m 46, and I’ve been drinking whisky for 46 years – my mum used to take a drop of whisky and rub it on my gums’

‘There’s nothing better than a nip and a half [a dram and half a pint of beer]’

‘I walk into a bar and see all the bottles on the backbar; when I look at all the different labels, I don’t see them as brands, but as stories’

‘I’ve worked for a lot of brands in my life, but working for Balvenie is the highlight. Everything is hand-crafted’

‘They’re really into whisky in Australia. The big difference between there and here is that even in basic bars in Oz, their whisky ranges start with a 10 year old, a 12 year old. And they have 20 different whisky shows a year’

‘You’ve got to live with a bottle of whisky. You’ve got to live with it when you’re happy or sad, in love, or mad’

‘I do love a big, smoky whisky. I’ve worked with Speyside distilleries for a long time, but I do like some of the younger Islays, like Ardbeg 10 and Laphroaig PX cask’

‘American oak is like white sugar; European oak is like brown sugar’

‘Can you imagine looking after an orchard and only going in there after 50 years? You wouldn’t pick all the apples at once – you’d go in for the first time and pick the ones you know, then you’d go back in later. Whisky barrels are like an apple tree; you go in and visit them now and again and pick what you need’

‘In the next few years, you’re going to see a whole new generation of whisky distilleries opening up’

‘Whisky has the biggest loyalty; people will defend it to the end of their days. Johnnie Walker drinkers won’t drink Chivas, and vice versa; it’s like supporting rival football teams’

Posted in News @ 12:04 am by admin

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D&M “Scotch Clubs” – Scotch Whisky News

January 2nd, 2015

ABOUT OUR SINGLE MALT SCOTCH CLUBS

Members of our buyers’ club share an enthusiasm for the malt elixir in the most practical way, by saving time and money. No initiation or fees of any sort are charged. We simply ask that you undertake to remain in the club for the period of one year. As a club member you will receive a carefully selected, often unique bottling, complete with background information, shipped directly to your home or office every other month. The Single Malt Aficionados’ Club is dedicated to seeking out and enjoying the rarest and most classic of truly aged malts, has a limit of $119.99, per shipment on the cost for the bottle itself. (Does not include tax and or shipping) That’s it. No strings just pure enjoyment.

In October 2014 our members received:

Kilchoman Sherry Cask 5 Year Old Cask Strength

Most of these letters to you, our club members,start with the story of a distillery that was founded in the dusty and distant part of the early 1800s,and almost to a one, the characters that started them. For this bottling and the last club shipment,we have been exploring the new distilleries at the vanguard of Scotch Whisky; those that against wise and prudent advice have decided that they were going to go against the commoditization and consolidation of the whisky industry and make simply unique and delicious whisky.

So with that introduction, we bring you a young but lovely Kilchoman Sherry Cask Five Year.Those of you that follow the American Whiskey market have probably heard the phrase“Grain to Glass” being used to describe how the new wave of American distillers choose to make their spirits. The New Scots have a similar take on starting with the raw ingredients and working through to a finished product.

“From Barley to bottling,” was the slogan that the Kilchoman Distillery chose to represent their way of doing business. This way of thinking includes being at the farm that grows the grain that makes the whisky. Kilchoman was established on Rockside Farm in 2005 by Anthony Wills, taking a decided gamble to launch the first new distillery on Islay in 97 years. Anthony began in the whisky industry running his own independent bottling company for eight years, and having seen the resurgence of Single Malts in the market place, he and his family decided to bring whisky back to its roots with farm distilling.

In this, the family endeavor was helped by Anthony’s wife being descended from a family that has owned land on Islay for over 60 years. With the combination of place, access to great barley, water from Machir Bay, peat, and four sons to do the grunt work; Anthony knew he could make a great whisky. Kilkoman remains a small operation and currently runs two stills, which produce 90,000 liters per year. This new make spirit rests first in ex-Buffalo Trace Bourbon barrels, and then some is moved into Oloroso Sherry casks. No filtration is done and no caramel coloring is added. When we tasted this bottling back in March we were given pause by the youth of the spirit, but after the whisky convincing us that age is nothing but a number, we decided to present this young and precocious Islay to you all.The color of this young whisky is darker than its ex-Bourbon comrades with more of a copper hue. The nose has a good depth of aromas with smoke, leather and some nutty notes.The palate is richer and more rounded with crushed nuts, citrus fruit rinds, and a quite nice ripe fruit note. The finish is long with the nutty tone from the Sherry Cask predominating.