This week Joe Ellis reviews Port Charlotte Scottish Barley Heavily Peated Bruichladdich! 

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Jolly Jaunt
Annandale Distillery Visit
12 October, 2014

Jolly Toper on the Road

Prior to its official opening, the distillery invited Jolly Toper to organize a sneak peak tour of the facility, for a group of twenty-five whiskyphiles from the Edinburgh area. A rare glimpse into a distillery that is yet to begin production was quite a treat, particularly considering this is a Lowland distillery. When it begins production, which may peak at 250,000 liters per year capacity, Annandale will serve as Scotland’s most southerly active distillery.

Touring and Tasting

The day-long trip included an assembly in central Edinburgh and a pleasant two-hour coach ride through the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. Upon arrival the visitors assembled at the Village Inn in Kirtlebridge, a few miles from the distillery. Because of the space available and construction works still in progress, the visitor team was divided in two manageable groups. Jolly Toper’s program included an educational tasting on closed distilleries—a lineup of five whiskies—but in a manner slightly different from his usual tasting program. It proved to be an interesting approach. After the first group departed for the distillery, the others engaged in a three-whiskies tasting session. Upon the return their roles changed. Later, the groups joined into another session with two more whiskies.

This approach has created an inspiring whisky experience, which became a conversation topic in the aftermath. The members of each group compared notes on the first three separately-tasted whiskies and the distillery tour with their counterparts.

Equal Attention to Past and Future

At the distillery, Michael Hanratty, Annandale’s Whisky Experience Manager, took special care in giving equal attention to everyone, answering questions about its past, present, and projections for the future. Here, one feels that “the present is the fruit of the past and contains the seeds of the future,” as a scholar of culture, E. Rostlund, once noted. Emphasis on history is evident in an attempt to integrate the distillery into the landscape and cultural context. Remnants of the 19th century masonry, discovered during the recent construction, have been preserved to illustrate this very point. Future visitors will be in position to learn about the four iterations of Annandale Distillery, its place in the industry and the local and overall Scottish history.

Within the Walls

Inside, creating an aesthetically pleasing environment has received much attention. This is particularly evident—to the visitors’ great satisfaction—in the open floor still room. A comment that this was one of “the most beautiful” in Scotland was not inappropriate. The photographs speak even louder than words. Stills, slightly elevated from the washbacks made of Douglas fir, make for an enjoyable view the moment a person steps in the room. Condensers are outside. Although it does not appear that way, the stills are actually at the ground level, because the building is dug into the ground.  The future tasting room leaves an impression of a cozy place where the visitors will have fun. Distillery’s theme of rock and crafted wood are represented in the tasting room, too. During our visit the work to finish the details was still ongoing.

Wrapping Up

Time flies by fast when people have fun. After the tour and the final part of the tasting, an occasional pint and a war story or two, the group gathered for the departure. In a cheerful mood Jolly and the Topers carried conversations about the latest adventure to Edinburgh. Already in the making are future Jolly Jaunts to other Scotch whisky destinations.

Whiskies tasted:

North of Scotland 1972 42yo single grain bottled by Pearls of Scotland
Littlemill 22yo bottled by Cadenheads
Cambus 22yo single grain from a re-filled sherry butt bottled by Signatory
Caperdonich 1999 bottled by Gordon & MacPhail
And a peaty dram to finish: Machir Bay 2014 release from Kilchoman

About: Jolly Toper Whisky Tastings (jollytoper.com) is Edinburgh’s premier whisky tasting event. Regularly scheduled and the special events are designed for novices and experts alike and take place in different venues, including tastings on a canal barge, whisky walks, and most recently a tasting on the road while visiting a distillery. The latter, under that name Jolly Jaunt, has been created to accommodate customers’ growing requests for a niche-type touring of distilleries. Contact at info@jollytoper.com or +44 (0)757 434 694. Facebook: http://goo.gl/CzSIWD

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ISLE OF ARRAN’S DRAMATIC LANDSCAPE INSPIRES NEW LOOK FOR CORE RANGE

Whisky lovers are invited to raise a glass to the natural beauty of the Isle of Arran with a dram of whisky from the distillery’s redesigned core range…

Isle of Arran Distillers has given its core range of single malts a makeover after being inspired by the dramatic landscapes of the place where the whisky is made.

The distillery has redesigned the packaging of its four key expressions of the Arran Malt to reflect the quality and provenance which lie at the heart of the spirits.

The colours on each of the new bottles have been specifically chosen to mirror the hues of the landscapes on the Isle of Arran where the whisky is made.

Isle of Arran Distillery Managing Director Euan Mitchell said: “Arran is known as ‘Scotland in miniature’ and offers in a single location the stunning and varied landscapes for which Scotland is noted – we could have no better inspiration.

“We feel very lucky to call such a beautiful place home. It offers us so many perfect conditions for making top quality whisky and as so many of our expressions are inspired by the legends and landscapes of Arran, it makes sense that the packaging does too.”

The Arran Ten Year Old Malt, the distillery’s classic expression and flagship bottling, has been redesigned in shades of green which reflect the mossy green of Arran’s hills.

The Arran 12 Year Old, the only cask strength expression in the core range, now comes in shades of grey inspired by the rugged rocks and stones that adorn the island while the 14 Year Old has shades of purple in an echo of the heather scattered across Arran’s hills.

The new look of the Lochranza Reserve, a non-aged Single Malt bottled at 43%, uses shades of blue inspired by the often dramatic skyline of Arran.

Euan added: “We’ve gone for a modern feel but kept some of the classic design cues such as the copper edging as these are our classic single malts which our loyal followers will recognise.

“The new packaging is being rolled out gradually and has already been very well received – as we find is the case when people taste the Arran spirit.”

Each of the whiskies in the Arran range are non-chill filtered and made without the addition of any artificial colours. The distillery only ever uses ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks to achieve the characteristic well-rounded flavour.

Retailing at £32.99 to £44.99, the Arran core range is available from specialist whisky shops and from http://www.arranwhisky.com/. The Lochranza Reserve should soon be available in supermarkets.

Notes

For more information visit www.arranwhisky.com

Accolades for Isle of Arran Distillery include Winner for: Best New Exporter (2004), Queen’s Award for International Trade (2005), Scottish Distiller of the Year (2007) and Scottish Drinks Producer of the Year (2007.)

Product awards include: Best Whisky Liqueur (2007), ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 12 Years & Under’ for The Arran Malt Amarone Cask Finish (2008) ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for The Arran Malt Sherry Single Cask 1998 (2010) and ‘Best Single Malt Scotch 11-15 Years’ for the Icons of Arran Peacock (2011.) ‘Double Gold Award’ for Arran’s 14 Year Old Single Malt and ‘Gold Award’ for Arran’s 10 Year Old Single Malt at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2012). Double Gold in FiftyBest.com awards (2012). Double Gold Medal for the 12 year-old Cask Strength in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2013). Double Gold for both the 10 year-old and 12 year-old Cask Strength at the China Wine & Spirits Best Value Awards 2014.

Arran Machrie Moor

“Machrie Moor is named after a peat bog located on the west coast of the Isle of Arran where bronze age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across the terrain…”

Arran Machrie Moor / Fifth Edition

The fifth edition of Arran Machrie Moor has arrived and is the first release of this series at a peating level of 20PPM – (The fourth edition was 14PPM). Sure to be another solid release from Arran distillery, bottled at 46% vol.

£39.98  (£33.32 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Arran Machrie Moor 5th Edition

Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength
First Edition

The first release of Arran Machrie Moor, cask strength edition…Only 480 bottles of this limited edition bottling released to the UK. A peating level of 20PPM, bottled at 58.4% vol.

£47.98  (£39.98 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Arran Machrie Moor Cask Strength 1st Edition

Arran Machrie Moor / Fourth Edition

The fourth edition of Machrie Moor from Arran distillery, named after a peat bog located on the west coast of the Isle of Arran where bronze age stone circles and standing stones are strewn across the terrain… Bottled at 46%, this fourth release has been released at a peating level of 14PPM.

£41.95  (£34.96 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Arran Machrie Moor 4th Edition

Arran Single Cask #815 / 1998

The 2014 Spring release from Arran distillery is single sherry cask #815. A limited edition release, distilled in 1998 and aged for 15 years. Bottled in 2014 at 55.3% vol, 269 bottles filled.

£66.95  (£55.79 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Arran Single Cask 815

Arran 17 Year Old

A limited edition release from Arran distillery produced from un-peated malted barley and aged for 17 years in casks that previously held Spanish sherry.

This bottling is the second in a series marking the countdown to the launch of The Arran Malt 18 year old in Spring 2015.

£66.95 (£55.79 ex vat)

Click here to purchase Arran 17 Year Old

Here’s a quick update of products that showed up this week. Some are new arrivals and some are back in stock. Our Private Barrels from Wild Turkey, Ridgemont Reserve and Buffalo Trace have finally arrived. We can’t stress enough how good our Russell’s Reserve Barrel #556 is.

Cheers,
-The Party Source Spirits Department

RUSSELL’S RESERVE Single Barrel Bourbon TPS Private Barrel – $48.99

WILD TURKEY Kentucky Spirit Bourbon TPS Private Barrel – $43.79

1792 RIDGEMONT RESERVE Barrel Select Bourbon TPS Private Barrel – $23.49

BUFFALO TRACE Bourbon TPS Private Barrel – $22.49

JACK DANIEL’S Winter Jack Tennessee Cider – $17.99

AMRUT Single Malt Whisky – $44.99

AMRUT Single Malt Whisky Fusion – $51.99

AMRUT Single Malt Whisky Intermediate Sherry – $102.99

AMRUT Single Malt Whisky Cask Strength – $58.99

AMRUT Single Malt Whisky Peated – $51.99

GARRISON BROTHERS Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Fall 2013 – $79.99

GARRISON BROTHERS Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Fall 2014 – $79.99

GARRISON BROTHERS Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Spring 2014 – $79.99

BLACKADDER Raw Cask Single Malt Scotch Bladnoch 1991 22 Year – $168.99

BLACKADDER Raw Cask Single Malt Scotch Bunnahabhain 1990 24 Year – $168.99

BLACKADDER Raw Cask Single Malt Scotch Clynelish 1995 19 Year – $154.99

BLACKADDER Raw Cask Single Malt Scotch Glen Ord 1996 18 Year – $119.99

A.D. RATTRAY Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch – $68.99

WOODSTONE CREEK Single Malt Whiskey Sherry Cask 13 Year – $139.99 (750ml), $73.99 (375ml)

CANADIAN HUNTER Rye Canadian Whisky – $8.99

www.ralfy.com explores an iconic malt moment with Whisky Review 494 – Springbank 18yo @ 46%vol

Bulleit 10 is Tom Bulleit’s selected reserve. Aged in charred American white oak, select Bulleit Bourbon barrels were set aside to age for 10 years. The result is a special expression of Bulleit that provides a rich, deep, incredibly smooth sipping experience.

$49.99 – $37.99

Garden House Midleton

The Gateway to Distilleries – Illustrated Distillery-Guide upgraded – 

The Gateway to Distilleries

Illustrated Encyclopedic Distillery-Guide upgraded 

The ultimate photographic professional free guide to distilling whisky. More than 140 distilleries are illustrated and described in full detail by thousands of pictures.

“Join in a comprehensive journey to the distilleries of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Mainland Europe and Asia. Meet the people behind the labels and learn more about the making of whisk(e)y,” says the editor Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner.

„…we are talking lots of great images,“ Ingvar Ronde wrote in his Malt Whisky Yearbook 2015. The Gateway to Distilleries refers to historic aspects of whisky distilling and explains details of production methods. The quality of information may give whisky enthusiasts a detailed understanding of distilling whisky. People of the industry may study and virtually visit neighbouring distilleries. The presentation is accompanied with a host of information on historic and cultural highlights.

A full list of independent bottlers, whisky festivals and whisky literature is also offered to the reader. Portraits of people in the whisky industry make for a complete personal presentation.

It is an excellent teaching website about the whisk(e)y industry.

“The definitive virtual distillery tour – of a stunning number of distilleries. An unbelievable resource…” The Coopered Tot

“Your website is very impressive!” www.liquidirish.com

See: The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

Contact: info@whisky-distilleries.net

Glentauchers 2008 5 Year Old Dimensions Cask 900535 55.2% ABV | 70cl

The Dimension Collection from Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited is an outstanding range of single malt and single grain whiskies from across the length and breadth of Scotland.

Released in small batches, these unique expressions from renowned and lesser known distilleries offer a comprehensive overview of Duncan Taylor’s award winning portfolio. Neither chill filtered nor coloured, only the finest whiskies are selected for inclusion in the Dimensions Collection, ensuring that each release represents the true multi-dimensional character of the distillery and delivers the company ethos: Whisky Without Compromise.

Established in 1938, Duncan Taylor Scotch Whisky Limited are specialist independent whisky merchants who hold one of the world’s largest private collections of vintage single malt and single grain Scotch whiskies. Using only the finest oak casks, Duncan Taylor lays down whiskies that are only bottled upon meeting rigorous standards of quality, ensuring optimum dimensions of character and flavour for the whisky enthusiast.

The balance of craftsmanship and attention to detail that is central to Duncan Taylor’s award winning reputation is evident in complexity and depth of each release in the Dimensions Collection.

Price: £40.83 ex VAT  £49.00 inc VAT

Back in Stock…

 Knockando 12 Year Old 40% ABV | 70cl

Save £5.00 (RRP £39.75)

 Knockando 12 Year old single malt Scottish whisky comes from one of our neighbours here in Speyside. Described as light, sweet and fruity the Knockando 12 year old is still a serious single malt whiskey with a great heritage. As well as its great taste qualities it is also very well priced making the Knockando 12 year old a Scotch that`s kind on the palate and the purse. A very popular whisky with our customers.

Tasting Notes:
Nose: Delicate and sweet with fresh almonds.
Palate: Light sweet and fruity cereals and gentle spice.
Finish: Clean and satisfying.

£28.96 ex VAT £34.75 inc VAT