OLD & RARE PICK
GLEN ORD 12 YEAR OLD

Glen Ord can easily fly under the radar of Old & Rare whisky fans, but this 12-year-old expression from the 2000s – one of the last to be presented in the old-school square bottle – is fantastic value-for-money. This expression came about just before this old Highlander was relaunched under ‘The Singleton’ banner and is our Old & Rare head buyer Jason Vaswani’s pick of the month.

This single malt is a little spicier and more sherried than most Glen Ords we encounter today, with some very pretty orchard fruit notes on the nose that lead into a well-textured palate with notes of apricot tart and vanilla ice cream.

£250

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The stillhouse, known as the heart of a distillery, is where the magic happens after milling, mashing and fermenting. Copper plays a crucial role here, not just because it’s durable and easy to work with, but also because it helps create and remove flavours. It gets rid of unwanted sulphur compounds and helps form fruity esters, making it a key player in the flavour game.

The flavour journey doesn’t stop with the copper stills; it also involves worm tub condensers. These old-school cooling systems use long, coiled copper tubes submerged in cold water to condense vapour back into liquid. Worm tubs give the spirit a rich, robust character, often described as meaty or dirty, by letting heavier, flavourful compounds stay in the liquid. In contrast, modern shell and tube condensers cool more efficiently and produce a lighter, cleaner spirit. That’s why distillers who want a more complex and intense flavour profile love worm tubs.

Ready to delve deeper into this flavourful adventure? Join us as we explore the insights shared by Gavin D Smith in our latest feature on flavour-focused distillation.

READ THE FEATURE

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 here for membership information

This is your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers!

Spot the SMWS bottles in this amusing You Tube video

NOSE:Umami-rich mushroom, rancio-style Madeira, Worcestershire sauce, truffle, decomposing wood, aged parmesan, old book, venison jus, eucalyptus, aged balsamic, Saint Nectaire cheese, and juniper.

PALATE:Stock cube, sweet celery, Bovril, poutine, hawthorn berry, smoked Old Fashioned, leather armchair, and cigar ash.

FINISH:Integrated and subtle peat smoke, endless complexity.

It’s time to get excited for these new and delicious Single Malts making their debut in the US; and to be grateful for some fantastic expressions returning to shelves.

It’s also San Francisco World Spirits Competition season, if you missed our post, scroll down to the bottom of the email for the slideshow featuring our 25 Gold and Double Gold Winners available here in the US.  We also had GlenAllachie, Indri, and M&H bring home wins for expressions that are not available here, so a heartfelt congrats to them for the amazing whiskies they are producing for other markets worldwide!

Let’s get started with the new arrivals…

Like Rory, Kilchoman’s Bull, Batch Strength typifies the rugged power  and intensity of Kilchoman!

Learn More about Kilchoman Batch Strength

Introducing Lochlea’s first ever age stated whisky!

Learn More about Lochlea 5 yo

“Ploughing Edition (Second Crop) is definitely one to try if you like smoky whiskies. The cask influence gives it a different edge to if it were made using peated malt. We love what Lochlea are doing and cannot wait to see what may be next.” – Matt Chambers, Whisky For Everyone

Learn More about Lochlea Ploughing Edition (Second Crop)

The 2024 Na’Sia Single Cask have arrived – 6 in total, 3 Peated and 3 Unpeated showcasing the 6 cask types that come together to form the Isle of Raasay classic Hebridean Single Malt

Learn More about the 2024 Isle of Raasay US Exclusive Single Casks

This multi award-winning Limited Release just doesn’t quit!  Try it before it’s gone, you won’t be disappointed.

Learn More about Isle of Raasay Dùn Cana

“Aon means one in Gaelic and represents our collection of single cask bottlings. Each cask has been hand-picked because it is delicious, unique and unrepeatable. Every year we release a select few of these in partnership with some of our closest friends.​​​​​​​​” ~Nc’nean Distillery

Learn More about our first US Exclusive Single Cask from Nc’nean

Thick and rich, this latest Single Cask offers creamy vanilla and caramel popcorn with a peaty finish – luxurious to the last drop!

Learn More about the Ardnamurchan US Exclusive 2016 Peated ex-Bourbon Single Cask 1047

and Making Their Return….

Back in limited quantities.  If you missed it the first time, grab it now – this is the last of this absolutely gorgeous expression.

Learn More about Kilchoman PX Sherry Cask Matured

The very first whisky ever to be aged in the lowest place on earth – the Dead Sea. With temperatures climbing as high as 50ºc, this whisky is as strong and intense as the climate where it has matured. As part of the daring Apex Dead Sea project, an array of casks from a variety of types and sizes were placed on the roof of a hotel on the coast of the Dead Sea, exposed to the harsh and dynamic weather for one year of its entire aging period. resulting in almost 25% angels’ share during that time. You don’t want to miss the latest batch of M&H APEX Dead Sea – there’s nothing else like it!

Learn More about M&H APEX Dead Sea

As promised… look at all these beautiful medals!ImpEx Beverages celebrates award wins from the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition & London Spirits Competition for our exceptional portfolio of brands!

If you have any questions or would like any additional information, please don’t hesitate to email Office@ImpExBev.com. Fan of our Brands and our people? We would love to hear your feedback! Please feel free to leave your reviews and to share your experiences here!

ImpEx Beverages Inc.
360 Swift Ave
Side B # 9
South San Francisco, CA 94080

Taste the adventure!

Buy any bottle from our Soho Selection and Vintage Reserve collections, and you could win a classic car experience

Milroy’s Soho Selection and Vintage Reserve competition 2024 is open to entrants 25-75 years old. Entries accepted from 16:00:00 BST on 09 MAY 2024 to 23:59:59 BST on 15 JUNE 2024. UK only. See full T&Cs for details. Purchase necessary for entry.

Caol Ila 4 Year Old Rivesaltes Cask (Fully Matured) Soho Selection

£59.95

While we fully agree that whisky and driving should never mix in real life, we know that many of you enjoy classic cars. Which is why we’ve teamed up with our friends at Super Stars to offer one lucky winner an incredible adventure behind the wheel!

Our winner plus their favourite co-pilot will spend 27 September 2024 taking in the glorious Cotswolds countryside from not one, not two, but six different classic cars. You’ll get to share your time taking models such as the Jaguar E-Type Roadster, AC Cobra, Austin Healey 3000 for a spin. We’ll even throw in a glorious gourmet lunch at the The Lygon Arms by James Martin too!

Check out our blog below for all the details – there are some specific driver requirements from Super Stars. All good? Read on.

To enter, simply pick up any bottle from our Vintage Reserve and Soho Selection collections between now and 23:59 on 15 June and we’ll automatically enter you into the draw!

Top of our list is this gorgeous Caol Ila expression, part of our Soho Selection line up. Aged for just four years in a rivesaltes cask, it is rich, vibrant and powerful. The red fruit notes from the French fortified wine are a perfect match for the classicly smoky Islay whisky.

Scroll on for more of our new releases and old favourites from the two collections. And good luck!

Full Terms & Conditions can be found here.

From the Milroy’s Measure: Everything you need to know about our classic car competition.

ARCHIVE EXCLUSIVES

We had a wee rummage through our warehouse recently and unearthed some superb archive drams from previous Abbey Whisky exclusives.

Sometimes we hold one or two bottles aside for tastings etc so we’re very excited to be able to list a very small quantity back onto the site as we’re super proud of each and everyone of these drams that we’ve put our name to. Some go back a good number of years, won awards and all highly spoke of when reviewed. (Serge loved Anon Batch 3 – 90 points!)

First come, first served and limited to 1 per customer. Head over to the site via the link below to have a browse.

As ever, if you have any questions or queries, please just get in touch.

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Slàinte

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Westie Sponge Three is a 1^st fill sherry butt of 1999 Springbank. Fully matured in Campbeltown for 24 years and bottled at natural cask strength.

Westie Sponge celebrates the whiskies of the Western Highlands and Islands of Scotland, so when we got the chance to bottle another of these amazing old sherry butts of Springbank, we felt this one was the perfect fit for this series.

This is a particularly powerful and rugged example of Springbank. Very coastal and salty, with a leathery, nutty and almost tarry sherry profile, and then layers of familiar waxiness, mineral oils and soft, background peat smoke underneath. The whole thing is drenched in distillery character and is beautifully evocative of the west highlands.

We also felt this cask was a perfect candidate for the hand-blown cognac glass treatment. We think it looks every bit as bonnie as it tastes.

LAST CHANCE TO SAVE £100 ON CAOL ILA FÈIS ÌLE 2021

The Islay Whisky Festival is underway and there is less than a week left to claim our special offer and stock up on Islay malts. Save £100 on Caol Ila 12 Year Old Fèis Ìle 2021 when you spend £50 on any Islay whisky. Simply add the Caol Ila bottle to your basket, along with another Islay whisky priced at £50 or more and enter the code ISLAY100 at checkout.

This limited edition single malt uses the same recipe as the Distillers Edition, with a finishing period in ex-Moscatel wine casks, except the Fèis Ìle 2021 release has been bottled at cask strength. Offer lasts until 31 May or while stocks last.

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Lindores Abbey Single Cask 591 | Abbey Whisky Exclusive

Following on from our exceptional Daftmill exclusive, we’re excited to release our second Lowland single cask hailing from our home region of Fife. Presenting Lindores cask 591, our latest Abbey Whisky Exclusive. You might recall our recent Friday Focus feature about our visit to Lindores Abbey Distillery with its historical connection to whisky. We were so impressed with the work going on at the distillery and the quality of the spirit being produced that when presented with the opportunity to bottle our own cask, we jumped at the chance. And what a beauty of a cask it is…

Barley – What You Need to Know to Make a Good Dram.

This is an insider Industry profile by Paul McLean, working closely with Crisp Maltings. With a hard look at Maris Otter malt. This could have been a really long article, as I am excited to be educating myself about Malt, Vic would be pleased. Many thanks Danni at Crisp.

A PASSION FOR FLAVOUR & SCIENCE Crisp Malt Laboratory. Crisp are unique amongst UK maltsters in that the majority of the technical sales team consists of brewing industry professionals. On the production side – no less than six master maltsters. Backed up by a central lab team and 150 years of malting know-how with a deep passion for the flavour and science of brewing, distilling and malting. Crisp has been making distilling malt in Scotland for over 40 years. They now have two maltings, one in the traditional brewing town of Alloa and the other in the heart of Speyside at Portgordon. These areas have long traditions of consistently producing high-quality malting barley in Scotland; between them, they cater for the requirements of Scotch Whisky production; plain, peated and high diastatic malt. Their peating process on Speyside ensures the fullest absorption of ‘reek’ by the grain during the peat burn. Whereas with some dry smoked peated malts the flavour and aroma quickly fades over a short time, their method produces a lasting rich peat smoke character in the malt, so it can be transported all over the world without issue. To cater to small and large distillers alike, their plain pot still and peated malts are available in bulk, one tonne or 25kg bags.

Maris Otter; Picture the summer sun shining down on fields of golden barley (start singing a Sting song!), swaying gently in the cool sea breeze. Maris Otter. A variety that, against the odds, has survived for over 55 years. A malting barley variety unique to England, that grows at its best in this northern part of East Anglia. It was cross-bred from Proctor and Pioneer in the late 1950’s by the Plant Breeding Institute in Cambridge. It malted well, as Crisp’s maltsters at the time attested. That explains its rapid growth in popularity among brewers of the time. Crisp work closely with agronomists, biologists, local farmers, brewers and distillers, and with the expertise of the malting team at Great Ryburgh, they are able to bring the finest Maris Otter malts to distilling customers all over the world.

THE LATEST NEWS (at the time of writing, March 2024) Plans have been submitted for a new state-of-the-art maltings in Moray. Portgordon Maltings, part of Crisp Malt, has lodged a planning application with Moray Council with the intent to develop a sustainable maltings on the grounds of its current site on the Moray Coast. Due to ever increasing demand from the distilling sector, there is a real need to invest in malting capacity in Scotland to support the long-term growth of Scottish distilling. The new maltings will be powered by the best available energy technologies making it one of the most efficient maltings in Scotland and the UK. Crisp Malt will be working in close consultation with Moray Council and the local community to ensure that they have an opportunity to discuss any concerns. The new maltings will house state-of-the-art technologies to achieve sustainability goals and produce high quality malt for distilling customers in Scotland whilst also increasing the annual production capacity of the entire site from 42,000 to up to 162,000 tonnes. Crisp Malt has been supplying the Scottish distilling industry since the 1960’s. The site at Portgordon opened in 1979 and produces 42,000 tonnes of malt to Scottish distilleries every year. They work directly with almost 270 individual farms in Scotland. The malt is packaged, either whole or crushed, at a state-of-the-art bagging facility in Alloa; ensuring the malt arrives in the best condition possible. To ensure low food miles and carbon impact, all Scottish Malt is 100% grown, malted and packaged in Scotland.

Farmer quote – From a farmer’s point of view, we’re pleased to work with a company like Crisp Malt which is committed to developing a lasting relationship and shortening the supply chain. It’s good to know that our barley stays in Scotland. Provenance has become so important for consumers and brands and having this focus on a local supply chain allows provenance to be tracked from the field right through to the beer.

This is a lot to take in, and I have only pulled a wee part of the process, it amazes me, hopefully it has educated you also. Many thanks Danni from Crisp, she has sent me lots of samples.

MCLEAN SCOTLAND WHISKY TOURS