Cadenhead’s Small Batch Collection
Caol Ila 22 Year Old 52.2%
One Week Special on a Federal wine Exclusive

The William Cadenhead Company has claim to being Scotland’s oldest independent bottler, making fine handcrafted spirits since 1842. They have been owned for the last forty years by the family that owns the famous Springbank Distillery. Cadenhead made a brief appearance in the American market in the ‘90s but we haven’t been able find it since.

Caol Ila is the largest of all the Islay distilleries. Malt lovers prize Caol Ilas because because they have a softer, subtler smoke than many others on the island.

Aged for 22 years, this cask strength bottling is one of the oldest Caol Ilas we have been offered in quite some time. It’s is a wonderful peaty whisky for the warmer months (or the colder ones!) as it shows very little oak but has very nice depth. Like other Cadenheads it is all natural, not chill-filtered and with no caramel coloring.

We took all we could. There is no more at Cadenhead. We have only 18 bottles of this rare old malt. Our sale will go for only a week or until they are sold, whichever comes first. 

Cadenhead Caol Ila  22 Y.O. 52.2%

Nose: Fruity and malty, dark fruits, black currants followed by rhubarb and custard.
Palette: Toffee, hints of peat /smoke, peanut butter, oily, mellow and soft smoke.
Finish: Dry Finish

Regularly 199.99 — On Sale 169.99  –  one week only

Joe Howell

Federal Wine & Spirits

Phone: 617-367-8605

Web: http://www.federalwine.com

This week Joe Ellis breaks his own rule and posts a video on a day other than Wednesday! Today he has reviewed the brand new Ardbeg Auriverdes. 

http://youtu.be/teSuVoSMrM4 

http://Facebook.com/whiskytube 

http://Twitter.com/whiskytube

Highland Park 12 – Malt of the Month

We do lots of special offers over on The Whisky Exchange website, and every month we choose a new Malt of the Month to do a great deal on. While we’ve been doing this quietly for a while, we’ve decided to make a bit more of a song and dance about it, and are kicking off with a great whisky – Highland Park 12 year old.

Malt of the Month isn’t about rare and hard-to-find whiskies, but instead the fantastic drams that we sometimes overlook. Highland Park 12, upsettingly, often falls into that category.

Consistently one of the best-value single malts on the market, Highland Park 12 combines the maritime climate of Orkney with the island peat’s heathery smoke and lots of fruity flavour.

Highland Park 12 year old, 40%. £27.95 this month, usually £30.95.

Nose: Salted lemons, a whiff of charcoal smoke, crunchy green apples, tropical fruit chews, unripe mango, beeswax, honey, dusty wood and fruity dark chocolate – maybe chocolate limes? It develops in the glass, picking up more fruit and slowly losing some of the citrus notes.

Palate: It starts with syrup sweetness, quickly moving on to sour and creamy wood, with more tropical chews, pineapple and smoked orange rind.

Finish: Smoky wood, malt syrup, green pine cones and woody spice.

Comment: While the older and more expensive Highland Parks have often become legendary, this shows that even at the other end of the scale, they know what they’re doing.

While the Highland Park 18 year old is the big award winner in their lineup – with 95+ point entries in The Whisky Bible, and The Spirits Journal having to create a Hall of Fame so that the HP18 could be retired from entering (and winning) their awards every year – but the 12 year old props up the range: a perfect everyday dram for those who know the distillery, and a great place to start if you don’t.

A cracker, and £3 off for the whole of June. Grab a bottle over on the Whisky Exchange website.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – Highland Park 12 – Malt of the Month

This Father’s Day we’ve got a fantastic selection of stunning gift sets and Whisky Shop exclusives that you will not find anywhere else. What’s more we are offering free postage on all UK orders over £60. If you would like to have your order delivered to a Whisky Shop near you simply check out our Click and Collect service.

The Glenlivet Gallow Hill 16 year old Whisky Shop Exclusive

The latest release from Glenlivet has already attracted some high praise for its well balanced Invigorating flavours. Available to purchase only at The Whisky Shop!

Nose: Bursting with concentrated fruit flavours. Sweet clementine orange and fruity pear complemented perfectly with a sensation of toasted almonds and moist gingerbread. Taste: Coats the mouth with wonderful sweet orange flavours intermingled with rich milk chocolate and a hint of sweet treacle toffee. Finish: Long and refreshing. Bottled at a natural cask strength of 51.8% volume.

Simply Click here to buy – £235

Exclusive products available only at The Whisky Shop make the ideal Father’s Day gift. Take pride in the fact that you will not find these products anywhere else!

Simply click here to discover more Whisky Shop Exclusive products!

This week Joe Ellis reviews the Jura Origin 10 Year Old. 

http://youtu.be/qA9-hRAhm5Q 

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The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15yo – My Sherry Amour

Ears certainly pricked up at TWE HQ when news came in of a new release from The Balvenie. There will be those still mourning the loss of the bourbon-matured 15 Year Old Single Barrel (officially discontinued, but we still have a few bottles left). Well, cheer up, because we have good news: it’s been replaced by The Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old. 

This new Balvenie follows on from last year’s Single Barrel First Fill 12 Year Old, which we rather liked. David Stewart (we’re still impressed by the coolness of his job title, ‘Malt Master’) and his team drew 650 bottles from each oloroso sherry butt. Our sample was from butt number 4440 – obviously, each cask is different, so flavours will vary, but note that this is an ongoing release, not a limited edition.

So, how does this new sherrified 15YO compare to its younger brother? Well, as expected, it doesn’t pussyfoot around. There’s much more depth and richness compared to the lightly honeyed, floral notes of the 12YO First Fill. It feels more grown up, like that buzz you get when you’re get in to see a 15-certificate film for the first time, leaving the 12s behind – from Spiderman to Final Destination, if you will.

The dried-fruit elements are more pronounced on the nose, with more obvious oak influence, too. On the palate, real swathe of sherry influence, with rich dried fruits and nuts, burnt sugar and a hint of milk chocolate, finishing with a creamy flourish. 

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old

Nose: Rich aromas of candied fruit and mixed peel, slight creaminess, with notes of almonds, Christmas cake and Toffifee, countered with some soft fruits – green apple and pear.

Flavour: Obvious sherry influence: concentrated dried fruits, toasty oak, milk chocolate and burnt sugar, with some biscuit in there.

Finish: The creaminess mingles with the rich fruit. Very precise.

In all, a good crowd-pleaser, and Balvenie fans will not be disappointed. And towards the end of the year – hey, just in time for Christmas – The Balvenie will be releasing its third Single Barrel release: a 25 Year Old drawn from refill American oak.

The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel Sherry Cask is now available on the TWE website for £77.95.

Originally published on The Whisky Exchange Blog – The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15yo – My Sherry Amour

THE #JURATASTIVAL BOTTLING 2014 IS ARRIVING AT LAST!

Let the flavour revolution continue…

Our drams are at the ready, the cooperage waiting and friends from far and wide are beginning to arrive on our beautiful island. Our journey into the heart of the flavour experience continues as the curtain finally rises over the #JuraTastival 2014, and a new limited edition Jura bottling is born.

Aren’t able to join us for this year’s celebration? We understand. Jura is an un-get-at-able island after all. But not to worry! You can still experience the flavour of this year’s festival with our #JuraTastival Bottling 2014, available from 10am on Friday in our online shop. A limited number of bottles are available for shipping to UK addresses only, so be sure to act quickly and secure yours.

Let your mind wander as you savour that first dram and your senses awaken. Explore the myriad flavours in every sip, and share your personal tasting notes with us for the chance to join us on the island for #JuraTastival 2015.

Visit us at http://www.jurawhisky.com/en/what-are-we-up-to or on Twitter @jura_whisky to get started.

Viva la #JuraTastival Revolución!

Willie Cochrane and everybody at the Jura Distillery.

www.ralfy.com continues exploring obscure, less-known single malts with Whisky Review 460 – Royal Brackla Cask Malt 16yo @ (Adelphi)

Loch Fyne Whiskies ‘The Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old Sherry Cask’ 

Join us as we sit down with the exquisite Balvenie Single Barrel 15 Year Old Sherry Cask; it makes for great company! Read full review…(Please click on the link to read the full article)

THE LINK 

david@lfw.co.uk
Loch Fyne Whiskies

WEST COAST WHISKY TOUR, MAY 2014. 

Our friends from Finland (Malt Whisky Association of Finland) once again came on tour with us, this time for a scenic west coast whisky tour. 

We started in Glasgow, driving to Oban, where the first distillery visit had been arranged; Oban distillery, a good tour and taste.  At 5pm we had a whisky tasting at the Oban whisky/wine shop, 3 good drams including Tobermory, really good! Group dinner followed, a good first day! 

Taking the 09.55 ferry to the Isle of Mull, first stop; Duart castle, home to the Macleans! A good and interesting tour here we had 7 in the group purchase the Maclean gathering special whisky; chosen by Charlie Maclean, and Adelphi 18 yo Tobermory. As Paul was on hand, he introduced his chief to the group, who signed the bottles!  Nice touch, he has not signed that many, so a good keepsake. From here to Tobermory, our next distillery tour. We all stayed in Tob overnight, met up at Macgochans pub for dinner and drinks, many thanks Neil for the drams! 

Day 3 we had to alter plans somewhat (in advance 2 days earlier) as calmac had changed the ferry to a much smaller boat, for the sail to Ardnamurchan, meaning we had sent our coach the night before on a round trip, to meet us at the ferry next day – it couldnee fit on this wee ferry! After a dram on the ferry, we met the coach and drove via tiny roads to Adelphi distillery, for a good tour and a great tasting. Not quite up and running yet, but we did taste two really good drams before sadly departing.  From here to Glenuig and lunch! Before our next and final ferry to the Isle of Skye. First call on the island; Gaelic whiskies, a good range of whisky at this independent bottler.  Highlight (for the very few) was a 30 year old, now no longer available – superb! From here the hour drive to our hotel, which by the way, had 400 whiskies behind the bar!

Day 4 we headed down to Talisker distillery – why are we here so early (09.30) Liz asked me, to get an early tour and a longer day I said, she didnee believe me – until we went in at 09.30!!! Lesley did a great job on our extended tour and extended taste! Many thanks Lesley, see you again soon. Leaving here for the road bridge and our lunch stop Eilean Donan castle.  Through some rain we headed to Loch Ness, staying at Drumnadrochit, dining at Fiddlers.  Jon did a great job, lots of great food and whisky, gin, wine and beers! Thanks for my aged drams Jon, went down smooth! A good night! 

Leaving at 9am, we headed through Inverness down to Perth for lunch, followed by the visit to Scotland’s smallest distillery; Strathearn (not, as the signs says still, Edradour), here Tony took us through the processes he uses, very traditional, tasted many gins, took lots of photos, a farm setting, surrounded by horses and cattle (smells).  Alas – from here we drove to Glasgow were there was a Scottish Cup Final being played at Parkhead – the Perth team, St Johnstone won! A final tasting at the hotel by a good friend of ours, with some very exclusive drams, we cannot mention – too exclusive! Then to waxy O’Connors pub for dinner.  A grand tour, we hope all went back to Finland happy – we do know a lot of whisky bottles went back! 

 Message from Mika Jansson, Finland; What a fab tour it was, many many MANY thanks to Liz and Paul!!! We all had a grand time, and saw many a beautiful places! 

The tour was worked with Mika Jansson in Finland, designed and operated by www.mcleanscotland.com

Story by Paul McLean

www.mcleanscotland.com

www.angelswhiskyclub.com

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