Ralfy Publishes Whisky Review #399 – Whisky News
October 8th, 2013
www.ralfy.com spends a short, but quality moment with Whisky Review 399 – Cooper’s tools
News
IRISH DISTILLERS INTRODUCES NEW FLAVOURS AND NEW LOOK FOR PADDY IRISH WHISKEY – Irish Whiskey News
October 7th, 2013
IRISH DISTILLERS INTRODUCES NEW FLAVOURS AND NEW LOOK FOR PADDY IRISH WHISKEY
Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, the world’s leading Irish whiskey producer, has given its iconic PADDY Irish Whiskey a packaging makeover and announced the release of two new PADDY flavour variants aimed at bringing sociable millennial consumers to the Irish whiskey category.
An eye-catching new bottle for the core PADDY expression – Irish Distillers’ special three-whiskey blend of pot still whiskey, grain whiskey and malt whiskey – features new tactile embossing features to the sides of the bottle while the famous multi-coloured map of Ireland on the label is retained. Also new is a heritage endorsement flashing The Paddy Flaherty Brand in homage to the man from whom the brand takes its very name, a ‘Soft & Mellow’ liquid taste profile on the neck, while a new signature of approval from original founder James Murphy demonstrates the rich history and crafted credentials of the brand.
The new PADDY flavour variants have been created with a lighter flavour profile which, coupled with a distinctive bottle design and impactful marketing campaign, aim to challenge many of the traditional perceptions of whiskey.
Available initially in the US and France from October 2013, each market will receive flavoured PADDY variants tailored to their differing consumers. The US will receive packaging with a bright modern design, bearing the names ‘Bee Sting’ and ‘Devil’s Apple’, while France will receive a more classic design focusing on the liquid as a spirit drink, bearing the names ‘Irish Honey’ and ‘Spiced Apple’.
An integrated campaign, ‘Sleep When You’re 30’, will be activated initially in the USA through a new website – www.paddywhiskey.com – plus a social media campaign, drinks strategy and advertising to reinforce the brand’s image of “Irish craic”, the Irish word for enjoyment.
Brendan Buckley, Global Innovation and Category Development Director for Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, says: “It’s a very exciting time for Irish Distillers, as PADDY is our first entry into the flavoured whiskey segment. Of course, Ireland has a long tradition of adding flavours to our whiskeys with drinks like the Hot Toddy and Irish Coffee, so PADDY Flavours is rather a natural progression. We are equally excited about introducing more consumers throughout the world to the flavour and quality of Irish whiskey and we are confident that the new look PADDY is primed for success in its launch markets”.
“With flavoured whiskey standing at more than three million cases annually and growing strongly, there is a real opportunity for us to offer something a little different that will appeal to people who already enjoy flavoured whiskey, and also recruit new consumers to the category. The ‘Sleep When You’re 30’ marketing platform will work to engage sociable twenty-somethings and encourage them to begin their Irish whiskey journey.”
NOTES
About PADDY Irish Whiskey
Dating to 1779, PADDY Whiskey was originally sold under the name “Cork Distilleries Company Old Irish Whiskey”. Things began to change however when a young salesman by the name of Paddy Flaherty joined the company in 1882. Paddy was a larger than life character. As he travelled from pub to pub, he always drew a crowd as it was well known that this most generous of fellows would always stand a round in each pub he visited.
Over time, Paddy became synonymous with the whiskey and publicans began writing to the distillery asking for another case of “Paddy’s whiskey”. The name stuck, so much so that in 1913, Cork Distilleries Co. officially changed the name to PADDY Whisky. And thus 100 years ago, the PADDY brand was born.
About Irish Distillers, Pernod Ricard
Irish Distillers Group was formed in 1966, when a merger took place between Irish whiskey distillers, John Power & Son, John Jameson & Son and the Cork Distillery Company. In an attempt to reverse the decline in Irish whiskey sales, the board of directors decided to close the existing distilleries in Cork and Dublin, and to consolidate production at a new purpose-built facility.
A site alongside the existing distillery in Midleton, Co. Cork was chosen as the location for the new distillery, as there was no room for expansion in Dublin. Both the Old Jameson Distillery and the Old Midleton Distillery currently operate as visitor centres attracting over 330,000 visitors annually. Following an early unsolicited takeover offer and one of the most protracted battles in Irish corporate history made by GrandMet, Allied-Lyons and Guinness, Irish Distillers was taken over by Pernod Ricard in June 1988 with the support of the management and employees.
Irish whiskey brands within the Irish Distillers’ portfolio include Jameson, Paddy and Powers, with Single Pot Still brands, Green Spot, Yellow Spot, Redbreast and the much-revered Midleton, which includes prestigious expressions such Midleton Barry Crockett Legacy and Midleton Very Rare, completing the line-up.
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Rare & Collectable Whiskies at Single Malts Direct – Scotch Whisky News
October 7th, 2013
Port Ellen 1979 Rare Old
Port Ellen is one of the three main villages on Islay and one of the two ferry terminals on the island. The distillery was founded in 1825 and expanded in the 1960s. In 1983 production ceased, however the maltings are still currently operational.
£569.00 Buy it Now!
Rare Old Glenlochy 1979 46%
This single malt whisky was distilled at the now demolished Glenlochy in 1979. Located in Fort William, the distillery would close just 4 years later. This rare independent release from Gordon & MacPhail was bottled in 2012 after a maturation period of over three decades spent in a refill sherry hogshead.
£345.00 Buy it Now!
St Magdalene 1975 Rare Old
St Magdalene was founded in 1790 in Linlithgow. The Union Canal, behind the distillery, supplied cooling water, and at one time was the main transport method of supplying fuel and barley to the distillery. The distillery was closed in 1983 and sold for property development.
£399.00 Buy it Now!
The Whisky Exchange “Whisky Show Bottlings, and a trip to Signatory” – Scotch Whisky News
October 7th, 2013
Whisky Show Bottlings, and a trip to Signatory
Ah, Signatory. Finally the secret can be revealed. Some time ago, back in April in fact, a delegation from TWE made a trip up to Scotland, to Pitlochry and Elgin, on a secret mission. The purpose of that mission, as … Continue reading >>
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Royal Mile Whiskies “Bowmore Devils Casks” – Scotch Whisky News
October 7th, 2013
The Devil may care for the marketing fanfare with this new Bowmore, but he sure as hell will appreciate the whisky in the bottle!
Ralfy Publishes Whisky Review #398 – Scotch Whisky News
October 7th, 2013
www.ralfy.com has a monsterous moment with Whisky Review 398 – Loch Ness Whisky Festival 2013
The Whisky Lounge “SMWS Series 2013 – Review” – Scotch Whisky News
October 6th, 2013
SMWS Series 2013 – Review
by Joe Clark
The Six Single Cask Stunners
After the runaway success of our first Edinburgh Whisky Festival in conjunction with the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s 30th anniversary, we thought it fitting to take some of their bottlings on tour around the UK to help spread the word on what is simply one of the best Indie bottlers going.
So we set out to all our usual haunts London, Brighton, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, York and Sheffield. The series saw a fantastic uptake from you all with Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield all selling out. This in my mind shows just how keen people were to try these elusive single cask beauties.
Before we look at the results, its worth quickly explaining the SMWS, so if nothing else this review makes some sense to people other than those in the know.
The SMWS have been bottling single-cask whiskies exclusively for their members for three decades, and have a collection of slinky venues for members to kick-back in all over the world. Unlike other independent bottlers the SMWS never disclose the distillery of origin on their labels. Instead you get a quirky title which gives a suggestive nod to the whisky’s style and a mysterious code which (with a little research) reveals the whisky’s origin and release within the SMWS archive.
The beauty of single cask bottlings like these is that they are selected and bottled under their own merits and offer a one-off snap shot of the distillery in question. They will often display characteristics which are unique to that individual cask – characteristics which can be lost when casks are vatted together to iron out differences and create consistency in regular distillery bottlings.
Make sense? No? Well you should have booked onto one of these tastings! Never mind, the opportunity to taste single cask whiskies with us will no doubt come up again.
Now being single cask is both a strength and a weakness depending on how you look at it. The merits of bottling an individual cask which shines with unique and delicious character is a given, but what if you want to drink that dram for weeks, months, years to come? Well then quite simply, you’re scuppered, unless of course you had the foresight (and cash) to buy a case or two of the whisky in question. Indeed the whiskies that were featured on this flight of tastings might have already been lost to the pages of whisky history never to be repeated. So like I say strengths and weaknesses….
Here was the line-up
4.167 Perfumed and Sultry, 21yo, 53.7%
35.87 Exuberant, Confident, Energetic, Vivacious, 9yo, 60.1%
G7.3 Fresh Toffee and Glossy Magazines, 27yo, 59.4%
73.52 Speakeasy Perkiness, 23yo, 57.5%
3.193 Baby-Faced Arsonist, 14yo, 57.7%
53.176 Pain is So Close to Pleasure, 20yo, 56.6%
Just look at that lot, you know you’re in for a good a tasting when you kick off with a 21yo Highland Park. Apologies if you’re looking at this and thinking “what the hell does that all mean?” that’s ok, there was a day when I would have thought the same too. If you quickly search any of the codes and their titles on line you’ll soon find out which distilleries they’re from.
So with such an unusual and incredibly strong line-up like this is not surprising that everyone fortunate to taste this lot were blown away. I’ve worked with some strong line-ups over the years but this is probably one of the strongest and a real roller-coaster ride with sherried twists and peaty turns. Here’s some of the high lights from twitter, you can see what various people thought by searching the hashtag #scstunners
It’s often the case that single cask whiskies can display characteristics a far cry from their regular off the shelf counterparts and this lot was no exception. Whisky #2 was for me absolutely mind blowing, after having tried several releases from this distillery, including some rather old and expensive releases. This particular cask left all of these other examples in its dust. It also came in as the second favourite of the tour. Proof beyond any doubt yet again that you can never condemn a distillery as you never know when a little gem like this might appear to surprise and delight you.
I think it’s fairly safe to say that if you like whisky and are always on the hunt for interesting things to try you can do a lot worse than getting on board and becoming a member with the SMWS.
Check out http://www.smws.co.uk/ for more info on this cracking organisation!
See you next time!
Cheers, Joe
Scotch Malt Whisky Society “October Outturn: Very Inviting” – Scotch Whisky News
October 6th, 2013
We’re thirty. You’re thirsty. What better excuse for the Society to splash out on a party (or five) so we can all celebrate our pearl anniversary in style?
And if you can’t join us in person, we invite you to select a suitably celebratory bottling from this month’s Outturn and raise a glass from wherever you are instead.
Young & spritely
48.39 Red Liquorice Shoelaces
£41.80
125.70 A dram of two halves
£68.40
Sweet, fruity & mellow
121.64 Maggie Thatcher at the funfair
£48.10
9.68 Plentiful fruit – super-charged sweetness
£82.20
30.79 Wherever I hang my jacket…
£87.20
Spicy & sweet
73.57 Jamaican Rumtopf
£77.60
Spicy & dry
50.52 Tales of the River-bank
£95.90
Old & dignified
76.10 Summer fruit salad with cream
£126.00
Light & delicate
36.64 An old-fashioned sweetie shop
Exclusive to offers
Juicy, oak & vanilla
35.96 Tour of a stately home
£44.70
64.51 Tuck time in a stately home
£87.20
Lightly peated
4.184 Restrained smoke in a gun room
£51.80
Peated
53.195 Smoked ham and pineapple
£60.00
Heavily peated
127.37 Dinosaurs dancing to Stravinsky £52.80
Click on the links above for full tasting notes, or… Browse all bottlings
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith EH6 6BZ Contact: sales@smws.com or call 0131 555 2929 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm). Visit the Society at http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.
Spot the SMWS bottles in this You Tube video
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Scotch Malt Whisky Society of Canada “Vancouver Retailer” – Scotch Whisky News
October 6th, 2013
BIG NEWS!!
We are very pleased to announce that we have joined forces with Legacy Liquor Store in Vancouver and our October Outturn bottles will be available there in the coming days.
Legacy will not only be the home of our bottles, but will also host monthly Outturn tastings beginning on Wednesday, November 6th.
We look forward to a strong partnership with Legacy and we encourage you to stop in, say hi to Darryl and the crew and browse their beautiful store.
LEGACY LIQUOR STORE
1633 MANITOBA STREET
VANCOUVER, BC V5Y 0B8
604-331-7900
info@legacyliquorstore.com
www.legacyliquorstore.com
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New Arrivals and Old Favorites Back in Stock at Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits (E. Setauket, New York) – Scotch Whisky News
October 5th, 2013
New Arrivals and Old Favorites Back in Stock at Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits (E. Setauket, New York)
The Arran Malt Devil’s Punchbowl Chapter II Single Malt Scotch 106.2 Proof – $134.99 (6 bottles in stock)
Glen Grant Five Decades Single Malt Scotch 92 Proof – $137.99 (6 bottles in stock)
Kilchoman Machir Bay 2013 Single Malt Scotch 92 Proof – $55.99 (6 bottles in stock)
Bowmore 15 Year Old Darkest Single Malt Scotch 86 Proof – $69.95 (3 bottles in stock)
Mora’s Fine Wine & Spirits
631-941-4458
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