Tasting Notes: GlenDronach 1995 PX Cask Exclusive to TWE

Never say we’re not good to you.  TWE have teamed up with Glendronach to bring you a very special heavily sherried single cask.  Bottled in March 2013, Cask #4682 was distilled on 8th November 1995 and was a Pedro Ximenez sherry … Continue reading >>

Scotch-MaltWhisky.com gives away collectable 1930s and 1940s vintage whisky labels 

Scotch-MaltWhisky.com today announced that it is giving away several 1930s and 1940s vintage whisky labels as prizes for their monthly random draw contest. With participation as simple as leaving a name and email address on their website, Scotch-MaltWhisky.com hopes that the contest will encourage whisky consumers to discover and appreciate fine whisky, and join their social community of like-minded enthusiasts.

Scotch-MaltWhisky.com started in 2012 as a website that was devoted to the promotion of fine whisky, and was built and designed to help enthusiasts find their favourite brews and discover new ones. Today, it features over 3000 whisky products ranging from the rare and expensive to the treasured miniature. It also has a growing collection of articles on whisky appreciation, history, and facts about the most sought after bottles.

“We are passionate about helping whisky enthusiasts rediscover their love for fine whisky”, said James Parker, writer for Scotch-MaltWhisky.com. “These vintage whisky labels will be a great addition to any enthusiast’s collection, and we hope that they will ignite the passion in appreciating the history and legacy of fine whisky in our social community.”

With whisky developing an ever growing popularity around the world, James noted that, “whisky appeals to people’s sense of continuity and longing for something of quality.” He added that, “the diaspora of visitors we have to our website is amazing, it cuts across all income groups and geographical regions around the world. The great thing about the whisky industry is that they offer something for everyone. Whisky is a timeless product that we should all be proud of.”

With whisky labels having a vibrant collector’s scene the vintage nature of Scotch-MaltWhisky.com’s labels is likely to draw particular interest. Many of the labels being offered capture a period of huge change within the world represented in their iconography and style. They present a world of exploration and hope while appealing to the timeless nature of whisky.

James adds: “Scotch-MaltWhisky.com is continuously updated with the whiskies we discover and want to share with our fellow enthusiasts. Our goal is to become an authority in whisky with an active social community of people with similar interests.”

The first contest to give away vintage whisky labels is underway and runs through 7 April 2013. To participate, visit the contest web page or Scotch-MaltWhisky.com.

Karuizawa 2012 Cocktail serie of Honshu Single Malt

The Cocktail series is a range of four Karuizawa bottlings exclusively sold by La Maison du Whisky, featuring labels by the Japanese artist Hideyuki Katsumata. He was inspired by the link between single malts and cocktails that apparently exists in … Continue reading →

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Whisky Wednesday reviews Balcones True Blue 100 Corn Whisky.

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Explore Campbeltown 

Springbank Distillery now have a tourism and events person, our very own Mairi Paterson.   Mairi is presently working on an exciting new project which will we hope benefit all local businesses.

Springbank Distillery, Ardshiel Hotel and the Machrihanish Holiday Park have got together to set up a web page under the name www.explorecampbeltown.com which will create an online directory of all local businesses.

Currently there is no other site offering this type of information and we feel there is a great need to showcase all of the goods and services we have here to encourage people to come to this beautiful part of the world. Our intention is to include each and every business in the area to emphasise exactly what we have to offer as a community. We get between 4,000 and 5,000 visitors to the distillery each year and we are extremely keen for as many of those as possible to spend at least one night in Campbeltown/Kintyre and explore the area in general. At present, a significant number of our visitors are merely “day-trippers” and heading straight from Springbank to the ferries to Islay or Arran, but we would much prefer it if they would spend more time in our area.

They key to http://www.explorecampbeltown.com/ will be in the fact that it is designed to be 100% inclusive – we would like to include every independent shop, every hotel, every visitor attraction, every service, whether you are a hairdresser or a retail outlet, a town centre hotel or a rural campsite, a golf course or a surf school, car hire or bike hire. Most importantly, there will be absolutely no charge to anyone and no business will be given priority over any other. We intend to list each business alphabetically under relevant categories, with a link to your own website, if you have one, where you can then promote your own business to the visitors.

We are happy to pick up the cost involved with setting up, designing and hosting the website as part of our company’s overall commitment to creating a brand to promote the area on a global basis.

We will be printing the www.explorecampbeltown.com web address on every carton of whisky, gin and rum we sell to 42 different countries to help spread the work and we will encourage every local business to either add stickers to their gifts and/or carrier bags or their packaging materials and to add the address and logo to their own websites and stationery which they may use.

All local companies will be treated equally with no single company being favoured over another so that even very small companies have the same opportunities as the larger ones who could perhaps afford to advertise on a bigger scale.

The directory will simply be a well-designed, easy to use website, with a listing for each business including phone number and a link to each business’ website, if they have one. If they do not, Mairi will be on hand to advise them  how they can a free, one page site which can be set up with the minimum of effort.

Springbank Distillery hosted an open evening a few weeks ago in the Tasting Room for representatives from local businesses and were overwhelmed with the positive response.

Mairi has been very busy since then, taking registration forms and details of what each business has to offer so that visitors to the town can have a look at the directory and see just what they can look forward to when they come to Campbeltown.

The website is in the process of being set up but to keep up to date with what’s going on login to Facebook where you can go into explorecampbeltown.

SLÁINTE

Janet

for Springbank Society

For the Springbank Society

(Please contact Janet directly to join the Springbank Society society@springbankwhisky.com )

Grant’s in Taiwan

Hi all,

This week I am on a tour of Taiwan, visiting the capital city, Taipei, as well as Taichung and Kaohsiung, which is further south. Trips to Taiwan are usually busy as I reported last year and this one is no different, as you can see from the pictures below. My schedule is full with media…(please click on the link below to read the remainder of the article)…

THE LINK

Kind regards,

Ludo

SPRINGBANK SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Greetings from a very sunny but still quite cool Campbeltown. We have had a very nice week after the long wet winter and we’ll soon be putting away the winter woolies.

We are looking forward to the visitors’ season and will be ready to welcome everyone to the distillery and Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop. Although things tend to be a little quiet over the winterwe do still have visitors and Jim, Mairi and George are still taking folks round both distilleries, with Mairi and George gaining confidence and experience. Jim, of course, is an old hand at this game!

Springbank Whisky School

The whisky school is filling up nicely but you’re not too late if you would like to join us this year. If you are interested please email me at whiskyschool@springbankwhisky.com and I will be happy to send you out a registration form and some information. We have kept the price the same for another year, so don’t delay, book while there is still a chance.

The Distillery staff are all very friendly and love passing on their knowledge to our students. You will be made to feel very welcome for the duration of your stay. We still have former students coming back to visit us on a regular basis.

Society Bottling

The next cask for Society has been chosen, labels are ordered so once they are here we are good to go. I have a little sample from the cask sitting on my desk, just in case any Society Members happen to pop into the shop. It’s a very nice Springbank 15y/o – distilled 1997 from a Madeira cask – it’s not just very nice, it’s delicious. I don’t have an availability date as yet but once the labels are here I’ll have a better idea and I’ll also get a price for it. We had a wee tasting a couple of weeks ago, so here is the tasting note:

Nose– The nose on this is very fruity, citrus fruits such as mandarins are particularly dominant. These initial notes are replaced by aromas of caramel and spices.

Palate– This is a full bodied, smooth and creamy whisky. The spices of cinnamon and nutmeg are noticeable and really tickle the taste buds. It is an oily and chewy dram.

Finish– The sweet finish is long and lingers with oak in the background. It ends on a peppery tingle. Of course the next bottling will be chosen by some lucky Society Members who are going to be in Campbeltown on Wednesday 22nd May

Society Tasting

As you know we are having a tasting in the Tasting Room on Wednesday 22nd May in the afternoon – time to be confirmed. This is for Society Members only and will allow them to choose a cask for the Society Members to be bottled in the Autumn. I have asked Gavin to come up with some nice samples for you and will keep nagging him between now and then. The places are almost all filled up, we really only have room for a very few more, so if you’re not on the list and are planning to be here that afternoon you’ll have to be very quick as we really only have two or three places going.

Kiln Dinner

This year we are starting the Open Day early by having an exclusive dinner in the Kiln at the Distillery. You begin by seeing some Longrow hand drawn from the casks, then you will be piped to the Malt Barns by a local piper where you will be served champagne and canapes. From there you will be guided to the Kiln room for a three course dinner, accompanied by fine wine. Joining you for dinner will be our MD, Neil Clapperton, Director of Production Frank McHardy and Distillery Manager Gavin McLachlan. After dinner you will return to the Malt Barn for a dram of the hand drawn Longrow and a chat with some of the distillery staff who will be on hand to answer questions you may have. At the end of the evening you will be presented with a bottle of Longrow which will be specially labelled and numbered to remind you of your time with us. The cost of the entire evening is £350. The dinner will be restricted to a maximum of 40 people. If this appeals to you please contact mairi@springbankwhisky.com who will be delighted to take enquiries.

Springbank Open Day

Plans are well under way for the Open Day, which is on Thursday 23rd May. This year Mairi is coordinating events with help from Lea and Catrona and it looks set to be another great day for everyone attending. There will be food from Argyll, our own sandwich shop, MacMillan Smoke House and Campbeltown Cheese. The local crafters will also be there with lots of interesting goods for sale. Masterclasses of course are a must with Frank & Gavin, Grant & Mark, Ranald, Jenny, plus warehouse tastings with Melanie & John.

Times for Masterclasses are –

Frank & Gavin – 11.30 AM

Jenny – 1.15 pm

Grant & Mark (Cadenhead’s) 2.45 pm

Ranald 4.30 pm

There will also be music, free tours and of course two single casks being bottled on the day. In the evening we will have music, food and a performance by a ‘Whisky’ stand up comedian. All in all a good day out. The Tasting Room will also play host for teas, coffees and perhaps even some cake!

Mairi will be taking bookings for the Masterclasses, she can be contacted at mairi@springbankwhisky.com or by telephoning her on +44 (0) 1586 552009

Springbank Open Golf Competition

The golf competition this year is on Friday 24th May and will take place at Machrihanish Golf Club. It will again be in teams of four with the format being “better ball”. There will be a full handicap allowance up to a maximum of 36. Tee off times are between 8.42am and 9.54am and will be allocated by Ranald and myself, to book your tee time please contact me on +44 (0) 1586 555492 or email me at society@springbankwhisky.com

The entry fee for non Machrihanish members is £32.50 and for members £10.00. We will be arranging breakfast rolls with coffee and a carvery lunch for £15 per person. Hopefully this year I will have time to be out at Machrihanish to attend to the registration for players and of course to collect money!! Hopefully I will also have time to be at the prize giving. You never know I might just also play in the competition – what a handicap for that team.

We are all getting excited thinking of the Open Day this year and hopefully most of the staff will be involved in some way so that you can meet everyone who is normally ‘behind the scenes’ but vital to the smooth running of the Distillery.

Brand New News

We are starting a new club for those whisky enthusiasts who enjoy Cadenhead’s Whisky. As you know Cadenhead’s buy casks from various distilleries and bottle them at cask strength under the Cadenhead name.

The new club ‘Cadenhead Club’ members will receive a folder containing tasting notes for a range of Cadenhead whiskies, a membership record card and a leather wallet with the club logo embossed on it.

Each time you buy a 70cl bottle of Cadenhead Whisky from one of our shops your card will be stamped. Each card has 6 spaces so when your card is filled this is exchanged for a new card. There is no limit to the number of cards you can fill. You can fill the card as quickly as you like, or take a whole year to do this.

In November of each year a special bottling will be done and a free bottle will be sent out, to the shop of your choice, for each card that you have completed. The bottles will be exclusive to club members and will be specially labelled and numbered. The type of whisky will be chosen by Cadenhead staff.

Newsletters will be emailed to members along with tasting notes for each new bottling for you to print and add to your folder. The cost for membership is £50 for the first year and £30 to renew your membership each year.

It will take time to perfect the club and there will of course be teething problems but we are hoping that at the end of the day members will enjoy being part of this new club, and we will bring you news of what’s going on in and around the Cadenhead shops. We will keep you up to date with proposed new bottlings for the various shops and advise you when they are likely to be available.

If you are interested in joining, or in just finding out more about the club please contact me at shop@wmcadenhead.com and I will be happy to email you

HUGE NEWS

We are delighted to announce that on the 18th March 2013 our Director of Production, Frank McHardy will have been continuously active in whisky production for 50 years. We are delighted and honoured that Frank is with Springbank to mark this momentous occasion. During his time with Springbank he has produced a high quality of whisky for the company and has helped to spread the Springbank name throughout the globe. This truly is his forte. He is a true ambassador for Springbank Whisky and has travelled all over the world, sharing his knowledge of whisky with so many people, encouraging whisky enthusiasts to visit Campbeltown and our distilleries.

We know you will be saying “he must have been making whisky when he was still in primary school” and I’m sure he will agree with you that he’s still only a boy!

At the present time Frank is passing his precious knowledge to Gavin, our Distillery Manager, to ensure the quality of Springbank can be maintained.

Well, I think that’s about it for now but as soon as I have a release date and a price for the Society bottle I will send another email to everyone.

SLÁINTE

Janet

for Springbank Society

Please contact Janet at society@springbankwhisky.com for your chance to join the Springbank Society….

Paul McLean was talking to Lord Alex Mount Charles, Slane Castle. 4^th March 2013.

Good Morning Lord Alex, good of you to give me some time for this wee chat. As you know, I love visits to castles (in Scotland and Ireland), even more so when said castle has its own whiskey! I will be introducing others to the whiskey and the castle later this year, as we are bringing a few whiskey clubs to visit – looking forward to it!

Q; I believe the whiskey was introduced at an Oasis concert at the castle, did you get any comments from the band on the whiskey? A; We took down a couple of bottles when the band arrived and soon received a request for an encore so it went down well. The Kings of Leon at the following gig were so impressed with the whiskey they took seven cases of the stuff for their crew – quite a party that was…

Q; The whiskey is a premium blend, having tasted it, I can say it IS a premium blend, I liked it. Wee hints of wood, spice and honey, it’s a smooth dram, easy to taste, easy to like! My question is; do you intend increasing to a range? A; When the distillery is built, we will produce a range of premium and super premium Irish whiskeys which will include Triple Distilled Single Malt and Pure Pot Still whiskey, all made in copper pot stills.

Q; The whiskey is produced at the Cooley Distillery not far away, who do you work with to select the unique blend? A;The existing blend came from Cooley but that came to an end when Beam purchased them. The result was that we lost our supply line as they chose to discontinue providing us. You will have seen the recent court case that Sidney Frank is taking against Beam for taking a similar action.

Q; and how is this different from other blends in their stable? A;The blend was different from the other blends in that it was chosen personally by three generations of my family, the Conynghams. We worked closely with Noel Sweeney, their very talented Head Distiller, to produce the kind of blend we wanted but the final decision came down to tasting the final samples with my father and grandfather and narrowing it down to the one we all liked best. We also used a high proportion of first fill bourbon casks and that gives the blend good depth and a long finish.

Q; how many bottles you have on sale annually? And if I may ask, how many do you (castle) keep personally? A; We hit sales of about 7,000 cases by the time we had to withdraw the blend in early 2012. Now the only place in the world you can buy the existing blend is at the castle itself. There are only a few hundred cases left and that’s going pretty quickly as it’s now a collector’s edition.

Q; do you have any signed bottles or special numbered bottles for collectors? A; As I said, the current blend is effectively a collector’s edition but if you come to Slane Castle, I am happy to sign bottles for people as I am proud to put my name on it.

Q; Slane Castle Whiskey, won a Gold Medal at the 2011 Irish Whiskey Masters in London, also in the USA where it was awarded 94/100 in the 2011 Ultimate Spirits Challenge in New York. What rewards you most, awards, or people actually liking the dram? A; Awards are important because they help to raise the profile and encourage people to step away from the mainstream brands. However, for me, nothing beats the chance of being able to talk people through your own whiskey and explain why you did something a certain way. It’s something I really enjoy doing but I can’t be everywhere and that’s where the awards help out.

Q; I know this probably out of sequence (but that is me all over) but what made you want your own whiskey brand? A; Back in 2000, I used to work for Pernod Ricard on the Jameson brand and got interested in whiskey then but more recently the family needed a new business to sustain the family estate and keep the slates on the castle. My father suggested making whiskey and I jumped at the chance as it embodies all that Slane Castle is about – farming, heritage, family and a little rock and roll.

Q; Do you have any thoughts about finishing? Port, Sherry etc. A; We aim to specialise in unusual and higher end cask finishes and maturation in the longer term. I enjoy Sherry in particular in its own right and so that interest will definitely transfer over to the whiskey. My ancestor, William Burton Conyngham travelled extensively in Spain and Portugal in the 18^th Century and collected both Sherry and Port so we are going to try and retrace some of his steps in selecting our casks.

Q; Finally; a winter night, it’s snowing and cold enough to scare monkey’s, you are sitting in front of the fire, what dram do you have? A; Until my own Slane Castle Pure Pot Still is ready, and given the choice, I would take a Knappogue Castle, 1951

Many thanks for being honest and putting up with all of this shannanigans, do you have a parting shot? A; Straight up but not straight down – that’s a good way to drink whiskey…

Many thanks and I shall call in again later in the year with my whiskey lovers tours! Lord Alex was interviewed by Paul McLean, Angels Whisky Club/MCLEANSCOTLAND.

http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/slanecastlewhiskey.asp

Slane Castle Distillery goes ahead

New Irish Distillery to be built 

Slane Castle Whiskey Distillery 

Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner, The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net

After their take over Beam Inc decided not to supply whiskeys to independent bonders and bottlers anymore. In April 2012 the rock-and-roll aristocrat and bonder Henry Mount Charles, The Marquess Conyngham, was shocked by the decision of the new owners of Cooley Distillery. He argued that Beam’s cut of supply was anti-competitive and had forced him to withdraw immediately from his plans to increase sales figures of his Slane Castle Whiskey in the premium U.S. market. “Beam did not even grant a grace period of further supply.”  He was also forced to cancel his annual Festival.

Willie McArthur from Beam explained that bonders and own-label sellers were victims of the recent huge success of Irish whiskey. He said: “The speed at which sales are growing caught everybody by surprise, including the new owners of Cooley. They have done a full review and the sales people say we may need more whiskey than we actually have. We aim to create another Jameson – we are thinking at that kind of level. We have to make sure we do not run out of whiskey in three years’ time.” See Irish Independent, April 12, 2012.

The world-famous Irish Master Blender Noel Sweeney crafted an Irish whiskey selecting various grain and malt whiskeys from Cooley’s warehouses. His Slane Castle Whiskey blend has been very much appreciated and received accolades in spirit competitions. It won a gold medal at the Irish Whisky Masters and was very successful at the Ultimate Spirits Competion in New York in 2011. No wonder that the acceptance in the U.S. and Asia has grown after its first release.

The boutique blended Irish whiskey was launched in 2009 at an Oasis concert.  “Slane Castle Irish Whiskey is a small batch, premium blend of Irish single malt and grain whiskeys which are made and matured in the traditional Irish style that has remained largely unchanged for hundreds of years.” It has been selling over 7,000 cases.

The world-wide increasing demand of Irish whiskey stopped Cooley from selling its whiskeys to anybody who could pay. This policy which made Cooley so successful in recent years had to be ended by a drastic cut back selling grain and malt whiskeys to independent bonders and bottlers. Private labels like Michael Collins, Feckin and others will have to seek different sources. The current small batch of Slane Castle Whiskey will be discontinued as Slane Whiskey Ltd. was given no warning there is not enough stock. According to the Conyngham family which owns Slane Castle there will new whiskey available only by 2018.

New activities commenced at Slane Castle. New plans were conceived andthe Marquess’s son Lord Alex Mount Charles, co-proprietor of  Slane castle, took a closer look to the independent whiskey trade in Scotland in order to implement a new distillery in County Meath. Test holes were being sunk on site to find sufficient processing water supply for a future distillery. The nearby running water of the famous River Boyne was checked for production and cooling water.

As a result  an ecofriendly distillery with a visitor centre will be built within the grounds of Slane Castle. Disused farmyard builds, stable houses, barns and cottages will be used as a whiskey production site.

However, the first planning application was rejected by Meath County Council as it was regarded as incomplete. A second draft proposal and design of a future distillery was discussed publically in November at Slane Castle. Planning continued.

After a period of further intensive research the Mount Charles family applied again for planning permission. The present very detailed application includes special Natura Impact Statements and detailed substudies like a dive-based Report and Tree Survey including archeological and architectural studies, traffic and access reports. The Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Ltd. applied at the Meath County Council for planning permission of a whiskey distillery at Slane Castle which is a protected building within the Slanes Castle Demesne Conservation Area at the end of February 2013.

The planning proposal comprises the building of a new distillery and visitor centre in the stableyard and in neighbouring buildings of the castle estate which are presently not in use. Water will be sourced from on site boreholes, collected rainwater and the River Boyne. A packaged waste treatment plant will also be built. “1,200 tonnes of barley will be grown on our own estate,“ Lord Mountcharles explained, “All going to plan, distillation will start in 2014, producing 5,000 casks a year of high-end single malt and pot still whiskeys. There will also be an option to produce blended whiskeys.”

The €10 million development is now on its way. The Council’s planning approval is expected by mid-April 2013.

About Slane Castle

The 18th century neogothic castle is located in the Boyne Valley only 25 minutes north of Dublin and west of Dundalk in Co. Meath. The castle has been the family home of the Conynghams for more than 300 years. Since 1981 the castle ground has hosted rock concerts. In the natural shaped amphitheatre U2, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Queen, Bob Dylan, Brian Adams, Guns and Roses and others played within crowds of 80.000 people. At Slane Castle U2 took residence for recording their album The Unforgettable Fire. In 1981 Thin Lizzy staged their world-famous song Whisky in the Jar.

On the Hill of Slane Saint Patrick lit the first paschal fire in 433 AD in direct defiance of the nearby pagan High King Laoire who had forbidden any other fires during the festival fire burning on the Hill of Tara. Photo Courtesy of Slane Castle Irish Whiskey Ltd.   About Slane Castle Whiskey please see: http://www.slanecastle.ie

About the Author: Ernie – Ernst J. Scheiner M.A. was a director in an adult education centre. Ernie offers courses on whisky distilling, writes for newspapers and magazines in Germany. He is the editor of The Gateway to Distilleries at www.whisky-distilleries.net which gives an excellent photographic and educational insight into the whisky industry of Scotland, Ireland, Europe and Asia. Please see also: http://www.whisky-distillery.net

Joe from Whisky Wednesday reviews Bushmills Black Bush Irish Whiskey for St. Patrick’s Day 

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