TWE Whisky Show 2012 – From Scotland to Japan
One of the things that we’ve become known for at TWE Whisky Show is our masterclasses. From the legendary Port Ellen vertical in our first year, to Serge Valentin’s Brora masterclass in year two and last year’s Gordon & Macphail … Continue reading >>
We’re excited to share some good news with you. Arran Premium Bourbon Single Cask and Arran Premium Sherry Single Cask have finally made their way to our warehouse. They are both personal picks of Isle of Arran Distillery Manager James MacTaggart. They were matured in first fill Bourbon cask # 96/2096 and Sherry cask # 96/1979 respectively, bottled at natural strength. Each bottle is individually numbered and rests in a beautiful presentation box.
Around 30 6-packs 750 ml of each are available in the US. RRP: $ 129.99 We hope this will be a great addition to your holiday portfolio.
Elijah Craig 20 Year Old
The latest addition from Heaven Hill Whiskey Distillery is this stunning 20 year old Elijah Craig, single barrel bourbon. Introduced to replace the younger 18 year old bottling, the whiskey in this release has been drawn from the same lot as Whisky Advocate’s ‘American Whiskey Of The Year’.
Aged for 20 years in a single charred oak barrel, only 69 bottles of this bourbon whiskey have been made available for the UK market.
£123.00 (£102.50 ex vat)
Click here to buy Elijah Craig 20 Year Old
Macallan Fine Oak Masters’ Edition
The Macallan Masters’ Edition, originally released as part of the 1700 series for the Travel Retail market. Triple cask matured in a combination of European sherry oak & American bourbon & sherry casks. The result is a smooth, delicate yet complex single malt whisky.
£34.90 (£29.08 ex vat)
Click here to buy Macallan Masters’ Edition
Macallan Gold
Macallan Gold, released as part of the 1824 series, a range of no-age-statement malts, created to showcase the range of natural colour found in Macallan whiskies.
£35.90 (£29.92 ex vat)
Click here to buy Macallan Gold
Abbey Whisky
enquiries@abbeywhisky.com
www.abbeywhisky.com
0800 051 7737
GLENTAUCHERS 1991 £10 OFF PER BOTTLE – NOW ONLY £28.99
TASTING NOTE
Colour: Dark straw.
WITHOUT WATER:
Nose: Delicate esters – very fresh and fragrant. Fruity influences with a sweet honey edge.
Palate: Mouth warming with a delicate hint of spice. Sweet with influences of freshly cut grass.
WITH WATER:
Nose: A distinct freshness dominated by a sweet influence, soft and rounded
edge with hints of butter toffees.
Palate: Initially sweet with delicate hints of cereal notes – malt. Mouth warming and fresh.
Body: Light.
Finish: Long and balanced.
Cask Type(s): Refill Sherry casks. Whisky Style: Sweet, fruity and well balanced.
www.ralfy.com gets a bit tacky with Whisky Review #312 – Bell’s Decanter Advice!
Advice is drink it!
Whisky & Ice
THE CARMEN CURLERS WHISKY & CURLING TOUR 2012 was taken here in Scotland during mid October.
As usual, chaos reigned, only slightly overshadowed by the curling and the whisky! Eight brave Swedish souls came to enjoy the water of life, with a blend of curling and of course, fun. The first day (arrival day) was cut short, rather than arrive into Aberdeen 10am, they arrived at 2pm! So a few items on the itinerary were lost, amongst them Glen Moray distillery and the Cooperage. We still managed the important call at Duncan Taylor in Huntly, saw casks, bottling in progress and purchasing some very, very nice whisky. From here to Craigellachie and lunch at the Highlander, where I (Paul) ran into chums Rachel, Fraser and Claire and Yumi Yoshikawa from Ashikaga, Japan. Also from Japan, Tatsuya with his wife and wee lad (in a kilt, they had been to a friends wedding). The Carmens ate well while Allan (driver) and myself chilled oot! From here directly to Inverness where we stayed overnight, a long day, specially for Paul and Allan, as they had started at 7.30am dropping our Russian group back at Aberdeen. If I said they enjoyed Inverness, it would be an understatement.
Day two saw us depart for Urquhart Castle, a good visit (in the rain), followed by an even better visit to Drumnadrochit, lunch at Fiddlers, many thanks to John here for his help and humour. Our group does like to sing! Great food, even better whisky and a good time had by all! Back to the hotel, change, rest and doon again at the coach for the curling rink. Two teams of our Swedes challenged two local teams, on this instance, Scotland won! After the curling back to the hotel to watch Wales Scotland match, enough said; we were robbed! But some fine whisky and enjoyed with good company. Carmens went out on the town again – in kilts
Day three, an early start – too early for some, 9am back to the ice. Mind, a Monkey appeared on the bus at 9am!!! Before curling, a dram or two at the bar to settle nerves, then curling. I am wondering why they do not win the games here??? Scotland 2, Sweden 0. However, more drinks with lunch followed at Inverness Ice before heading down to Tomatin distillery. 2pm; tour and taste and purchases. A bottle for the coach, as we headed back to Craigellachie, staying here tonight. Dinner booked at the Highlander, much liquid was enjoyed with dinner. By now the staff were getting used to singing Swedes, sorry guys, but I think you enjoyed them all. Bed beckoned to me, at least if no the group!
Day four, 10am we set out for a tour of Glenfiddich. Bert was conveniently away (poor excuse a wedding anniversary mate!) so Allan and myself sat it out with a cuppa. More tastes, x 3 drams each, before the shop. Then, sadly time to return to Aberdeen, we stopped for Sunday lunch at a local carvery and dropped our group at Dyce, hugs, kisses and farewells. I have to say, amongst those bottles that had disappearing contents on the coach were; a grand Irish Jameson, Woodford bourbon, Makers Mark, Glengoyne, Monkey Shoulder, Glenfiddich and a couple from DT. My thanks to the Carmen Curlers from Sweden for coming over to Scotland (yet again!), thanks to suffering Allan and all we “made” join in the fun on tour. See you next time.
Paul McLean’ www.mcleanscotland.com info@mcleanscotland.com
Top Picks
• Balvenie 17 Year Old Doublewood Single Malt Whisky 750ml ($125.99) Hot on the heels of the tremendous success from the Doublewood 12, Balvenie is reaching further into its wonderful aged stock and releasing a double-matured single malt from 17 year old casks. First aged in ex-Bourbon casks then finished for another spell in ex-sherry casks, this is the richest and smoothest expression from Balvenie we’ve seen in a while. Big flavors of cakebread, cinnamon, fresh baking spices, and butterscotch that move over the palate at a slow crawl, but it’s never overtly sweet or cloying. The flavors are very much grounded in single malt with a holiday dessert accent. It’s decadent stuff and we expect it to sell VERY fast. Demand has been pent up for the last year once word of its release became imminent. Don’t wait on this one. It’s very good Balvenie. (David Driscoll, K&L Spirits Buyer)
• Compass Box Flaming Heart Fourth Edition Malt Scotch Whisky 750ml ($89.99) Here we go! The wildly popular Flaming Heart Series is back with one of the years most anticipated new blends. Coming from four of the official Scotch Malt regions, we all know that our dear friend Mr. Glaser tends to knock this out of the park. Serge Valentine writes, “Colour: dark straw. Nose: impeccable start, on a rather more refined peat than elsewhere (I mean in youngish single malts) and touches of agave and cane juice on top of an elegant Laphroaigness. Beeswax and seawater, antiseptic and overripe apples, bandages and damp clay, Japanese green tea and linseed oil. Then fresh mint, lime, oysters and just touches of diesel oil. Lovely lovely lovely. Mouth: the first thing I like here is the strength. Sounds odd, I know, but these 48.9% work extremely well, it’s nervous and big but approachable and, well, drinkable. Other than that, it’s a superb combination of pink grapefruits, shellfish, olive brine, marzipan, lemon, touches of fresh coriander, lemon balm, some kind of waxy citrons and plain green olives. Passion fruits, cough syrup, liquorice… It’s very smoky too. Finish: great as well because it remains elegant, zesty, even kind of ethereal despite all the oomph. Leaves your mouth a fresh as a baby’s! Comments: no, really, this is truly excellent. The bottle’s lovely too, it’ll be hard to throw it away once it’s empty (which will happen fast). Potential lamp stands? Nah, too narrow” 91 points whiskyfun.com
Back in Stock
United States – Bourbon and Rye
• Knob Creek Rye 750ml ($37.99)
K&L Wine Merchants http://www.klwines.com Phone: 877-KLWines (toll free 877-559-4637) Email: wine@klwines.com San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA
Winner!
11-15 Years Single Cask Scotch Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible™ 2013 Berry’s Own Selection Macduff 2000 for The Whisky Barrel Single sherry cask #5774 Buy – $53.83
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible™ 2013 Buy – $20.98
A Most Wonderful October To You Fellow WhiskyLover
If you haven’t done so, you owe it to yourself to read the two most recent articles on FWL: Ian Buxton’s article on the Glenfiddich Artists in Residence proramme, and Caroline Dewar’s insightful take on the critical role blended whiskies still play in the Scotch Whisky industry. Both are delightful reads…
I’m suffering today from a major case of “morning after” syndrome. Last night, I tortured myself by flipping back and forth between my Yankees getting beat again by the Tigers, and Obama vs. Romney II.
The Yanks, with their $195,998,004 payroll, would be pummeled by Helen Keller HS they way they are playing…and I found the debate, complete with mud-slinging, refusal of both candidates to actually answer a question, bickering like an old married couple and complete break down in civility embarrassing and unbecoming for a nation as great as ours. It’s enough to make you turn off national news, and focus completely on local teams and local politics.
So with the desire to emphasize what can be done on a local level, we found a whisky that was produced with the same mission: doing good locally. Bruichladdich’s recently released Islay Barley 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky.
With the focus these days on production efficiency and sourcing raw material globally, the real sense of place…the terroir from which Scotch whisky originated, has been lost. For example, evidence of Islay’s earliest farmers dating to 8,000 BC, was discovered on the island only last year. By the mid 1800’s, over 4000 acres of malting barley were grown on Islay, but due to The Great War (WWI for those under 50) and its Islay casualties, the yield collapsed to zero by the mid 20th Century.
The chaps at Bruichladich have set out to rectify this with The Islay Barley Series: single malts produced from barley sown and grown on the Isle of Islay, conceived as Bruichladdich’s ultimate expression of whisky from Islay. The provenance and traceability of these single malts is as unparalleled as the origin is unique, and the first single malt whiskies in a century to be exclusively Islay produced: from barley to barrel to bottle
The iniative by Bruichladdich, to re-establish the cereal on the island, has resulted in 800-1000 tons (a quarter of the Victorian era yield) is now harvested for Bruichladdich.
For this latest edition of Bruichladdich’s Islay Barley Series, the unpeated barley was sourced from from Dunlossit Farm, located in a desolate place known as the ‘headland of the the gallows’. This lonely field is a rare patch of fertility amongst the barren, rocky outcrops and peat bogs tilled continually since Neolithic times.
In this remote, unsullied earth, Chalice barley was grown by farmer Jim Logan in what is now called the Jubilee field (Queen Victoria’s, not Elizabeth’s), on Dunlossit land owned by Bruno Schroder, a Bruichladdich shareholder. The Dunlossit Farm barley was harvested in September 2006 and distilled eight weeks later into Bruichladdich whisky, then warehoused and matured, and finally bottled still on the Hebridean island at Bruichladdich Distillery.
Jim McEwan, Bruchladdich’s Head Distiller describes “The texture of this amazing spirit is incredibly smooth for such a youngster. The mouth feel is irresistible: It’s fresh and zesty with the quality of the Islay-grown Barley unrestrained by the presence of a long relationship with the oak….This whisky is walking sunshine…summer in a glass…it has Islay charm with the most seductive texture I have ever experienced.”
The 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky is non chill-filltered, colouring-free, and was bottled at 50% ABV. It is an extremely limited production whisky, and really really hard to find. But thanks to our man Nicky The Neck, who takes great pride in “getting involved at the local level”, we’ve been able to secure more than our fair share.
So we’re excited to also do our part locally by offering you the opportunity to purchase a bottle of Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2006 Dunlossit Farm Ceannacroic Whisky for $69.95/bottle.
But as always, the supply is extremely limited…and once its gone, it’s gone.
Until next week…I wish you high spirits!
Doug Stone
Founder
ForWhiskeyLovers.com
BRUICHLADDICH ISLAY BARLEY 2006 DUNLOSSIT FARM CEANNACROIC SINGLE MALT WHISKY
JIM MCEWAN’S TASTING NOTES
COLOR: Brilliant, luminous lemon with a harvest gold hue
NOSE: Aromas of yellow flowers in bloom on forest river-banks and heather-covered Moorlands, orchards filled with ripe fruits, all embraced by the warm, westerly ocean breeze. This is the beauty of young Bruichladdich spirit; you can reach into its soul and transport yourself to this amazing island simply by closing your eyes and inhaling. It’s a remarkable harmonious bouquet.
PALATE: The olfactory concentration continues onto the palate. On tasting, a squeeze of lemon, honey, pear and green apple, little hints of tangerine, chocolate, light notes of marzipan, cinnamon and sweet, oaky vanilla. The harmonious freshness of barley and wild flowers rising on that irresistible marine presence unique to the islands of Scotland. The taste buds rejoice in the warmth of the spirit and the sweetness of the malt.
FINISH: The finish is outstanding. How can you say good-bye to a kid that’s stolen your heart with his beauty and honesty. It’s difficult, but it’s not good-bye. Because as you enjoy the final drops, John Logan, the farmer at Dunlossit, is about to start plowing for this years harvest – Dream Fulfilled!
New Elements of Islay and Port Askaig
One of the very many really great things about The Whisky Exchange Whisky Show is the massive raft of new releases put out by TWE, plus Elements of Islay, Single Malts of Scotland and Port Askaig. 2012, we’re happy to … Continue reading >>
