Tamdhu 12 Year Old Provenance

46% alc/vol

Tamdhu 12 Year Old Provenance was distilled in 1999.

**Spring Distillation**
Sweety honied and warmly spuiced on the nose. The palate is chewy, vanilla, toffee’d – even more specied now – and runs to a finish which is cough drops warmingly spiced again, with late barely sugar tone evident.

Douglas McGibbon & Co were formed in 1949 & they are still firecely independent & family owned.
£33.99

(£4 off for one week only)

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Single Malts Limited | 36 Gordon Street | Huntly | Aberdeenshire | AB54 8EQ

2012 Commemorative Bottle

How do you do a whisky to celebrate 2012 without infringing on Olympic trademarks and rules? Impossible – so here it is anyway. 366 bottles – one for each day of the year!

2012 has been an amazing year for GB. We have had the Jubilee, which seemed to go very well and now we have the Olympics which, despite the eternal British grumbles, also appears to be a true success. 2012 has been such an amazing year it would be wrong not to celebrate it, so we have.

There is a limit to how much we can engrave on a bottle, but of particular note is the fact that each and every bottle has had it’s own bottle number engraved by hand, something we haven’t done before – it looks amazing. Apart from having a very cool bottle and tube, the whisky in the bottle’s excellent.

Please note this will not be despatched until Friday 10th August at the latest.

Click Here

Keeping this message short and sweet – I’ve just put the following up on my online shop:

21 year old Lowland Single Malt Whisky distilled at Littlemill Distillery 21yo, 700ml, 55.1%, £45

Due to its closure in 1994 and loss of the distillery buildings, Littlemill Distillery is unlikely to ever re-open, except by possible re-incarnation in a brand new building on a brand new site. This makes the whisky extremely collectable, and it can only get rarer with time.

By the way – please feel free to let me know what you think of the new labels, or anything else! I’m always keen to have feedback.

Thanks,

Martin Armstrong

www.whiskybroker.co.uk

WHISKY & HISTORICAL (hysterical) TOUR OF SCOTLAND Taken by Paul McLean (Scotland) and Ravn Sivertsen (Norway)

Originally meeting up in Bergen, Norway at the whisky festival, this tour was planned by the two to take place in July 2012. It started well, meeting up in Aberdeen on day one (evening), the two whisky “nutters” shared a dram or two in the Grill, a superb whisky pub of world acclaim, in Union Street (Aberdeen). Some time later retiring to the hotel for relaxation and further planning. Day two saw the duo take off for Huntly, calling in for an unscheduled appearance at Duncan Taylor. Ravn had expressed a desire to take a bottle on tour with him, so where better than DT, Duncan certainly looked after the request and a brief stop was completed on a happy note; a bottle in the bag! Continuing on, they stopped at Strathisla distillery for a tour and taste, as you do. Then along to Clava Cairns and Culloden Battlefield – the history starts here! The day ended as the whisky searching fell into place – they arrived at Fiddlers in Drumnadrochit, what a whisky place this is, a superb restaurant with a fantastic choice of drams available. A fine meal with one or three drams, ending with a complimentary whisky “on the hoose”!

“Is there another pub nearby?” the question was asked. “Aye” came the reply, “just around the corner past the fire station”. As Paul says; off we went just around the corner, it turned out to be at least a mile dondering along dodging midgies until we found the said pub, ell, a bar in a hotel. To say it was strange upon entering was an understatement. Apart from the four dogs lingering, a few locals – the whisky boys wandered to the bar and ordered, sat doon and looked aboot. “do you know the movie Deliverance?” “aye” said Ravn, “I can hear banjo music”. This one phrase started off a whole tour of “banjo pubs”. Back in the safety of Fiddlers, a dram to settle the nerves and a worrying night ahead.

Day three saw an early start heading west to Oban, via several historic sites, canal locks and great Scottish scenery, with a common (laughter) reminder of the banjo pub the night before. We all know when we are in “banjo land”, and certainly the previous night was certainly a banjo experience. And so to Oban and the distillery of the same name, as Paul filled the fuel tank, Ravn wandered around the distillery, followed by a drink at Auley’s pub in toon. Meeting up later at the ferry for the Isle of Mull. A dram on board for Ravn, Irn Bru for Paul and a landing at Craignure, then a road trip to Duart Castle. As Ravn experienced the Maclean castle, Paul dropped into the castle tea room to collect some more (pre ordered) 18 year old Tobermory Maclean Gathering whisky. It has to be done! After a quick chat with the Chief, Pau then took Ravn down to Tobermory, checked into the accommodations and began a pub crawl (there are only 3) at the best of them; MacGochans Pub, www.facebook.com/pages/Macgochans-Tobermory/224301588713  a friend of Paul’s owns and runs this pub (Niel Morrison), along with a really good whisky http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/isleofmull.asp

Food and drink flowed, a wee call into the Tobermory distillery and some real ale all followed. A great end to the day. Day four; a tour of the island around the coast road, up to a point, as a section of this was closed, due to rain/weather seeing off a good part of the road, so a reverse and back to Tob. Och but there were stops for a whisky tasting en route, the Isle of Mull blend, Bruichladdich waves, a Famous Grouse Black Alpha edition, just a few drams sampled by Ravn as Paul was only allowed to imagine what it was like, oh the devil of being a driver! More drinks before a fantastic array of food at the Café Fish www.thecafefish.com you are “urged” to test this oot for yourself; obviously mcleanscotland.com can take you there! Oh did we no metion a trip to Mull Cheese? Walking through a garden ( strange gardener) into the shop with no one there, a wee sign asking you to leave money for what you take in the honesty box. So, both enjoyed a wee slab of Mull cheese with a dram in their rooms that night.

Day five; the ferry at Fishnish, taking our lads to Lochaline and Corran, where they boarded another (smaller) ferry and a stop at Inverlochy castle, site of a battle (clan battle really) where amongst friends, the Clan Maclean killed 1500 Campbell’s, before another stop at the Ben Nevis distillery. Different. Onwards to Spean Bridge woollen mill for a rest, shop and a dram. After a ride along scenic roads and Inverness, Tomatin distillery called, a good visit and tour here, resulting in a purchase of course. Then on the road again to Elgin, overnight here. Another real banjo pub encountered tonight, just what was that conversation aboot in the pub with the guys playing pool? When that fella entered and asked for “the cheapest whisky you have”, then added water, .. time to leave. Into a Wetherspoons for grub and drink before another “local” pub. No quite a banjo, but a strange one anyhow. Ending the night at a hotel bar with say, 200 whisky bottles, heaven for angels eh!

Day six; a highlight certainly, as Glenglassaugh yelled at the lads. A pre booked tour (as was most actually) taken by Ronnie, it was good to see Ronnie again, “known him for ages” said Paul. A 10am tour lasted until back of 1pm, Ronnie surpassed hiself here and Ravn was suitably impressed. Both Ravn and paul enjoy Glenglassaugh, but Ravn had no idea what awaited him… after a tour of everything, including a great whisky history lesson of the distillery, Ronnie took a tasting sesh and oot came so many drams, Paul could only let his tongue hang as Ravn enjoyed them all. A highlight was the trip to the roof! Getting doon again was no a highlight! Ronnie; many thanks, once again you have stolen the show and we shall no forget it. Slainte! So what could follow that? Well. A stop in Cullen for a bowl of Cullen Skink of course. Actually, the very recent Cullen Skink world championships tok place here with the Revival taking a huge part http://angelswhiskyclub.com/awc/cullenskink.asp  After a skink, Glen Grant distillery came next. Ravn had another personal tour, one on one tour of this distillery and of course, a taste or five followed. They decantered back to Elgin and a meal and dram selection again at the 200 malts bar! A strange one this; the barman said; “if you can dink them all and walk out, they are free”. Not the thing to say eh! A return to that bar is planned. Who wants to go with them?

Day seven; A scheduled visit (this time) to Duncan Taylor, bottling plant, history lesson and cask warehouse, followed by drams of course and – aye you guessed it; purchases! Lunch, a mobile phone breakdoon, before another planned trip, this time to GlenDronach distillery. Another personal tour followed by drams and of course, a bottle! A really good tour here, this distillery is a favourite of mcleanscotland and angels, friends of course. See the interview with Paul and Stewart (BenRiach).on www.angelswhiskyclub.com  Moolachs!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Mull  Another whisky tour was crammed in, this time at Cardhu. They both took the tour, apart from the usual Diageo stuff, Rebecca did a good job here, she and Paul exchanging lafs and nods at certain members on the tour. Remember parma violets? Back to the “digs” at Craigellachie. Food and drams followed! Liz turned up tonight – the other half (better lookin) of mcleanscotland and joined in the whisky celebrations as a meal at the Mash Tun was followed by more drams – well, it was a whisky tour!

Day eight; a fantasic insight into Glenfiddich with Bert, many thanks Bert. A quick run up to Benromach distillery where ravn took the tour, while Liz and Paul called into Macleans Bakery www.macleansbakery.com  many thanks to Carol, Paul, being a McLean has been here bofore and enjoyed the bakers crafts. Tehn, collect Ravn and doon to Dufftown for the Highland games. Och, just brilliant! Beer, whisky, heavy events, tug o war, dancing, pipe bands, everything you imagine from a highland games. Pubs followed; banjo in the extreme but so much fun and so enjoyable, what a laff! Massed pipe bands at 6pm, drams,, back to Craigellachie for food and drams (again), a good day had by all, polished off with some more drams of course. (Liz; Paul has your bag you left in the bar!)

Day nine; all things must end (all things must pass). Ravn and Paul head back to Aberdeen, Paul then home, Ravn into the Grill bar.

A great tour, Ravn will certainly be back, look out for some reviews from Ravn and, some banjo bar reports!!!

Other distilleries did feature, such as BenRiach, Dufftown distilleries, the Dufftown Whisky Shop and a fantastic “hidden” tour with Bert at Glenfiddich (another pal of Paul’s), some great stops at the wayside each day with hip flasks, bottles and samples did occur quite regularly! All in all, a grand tour and one both enjoyed, plans afoot to do it again sometime, maybe Islay and other distilleries next time? Plans afoot also for a banjo pub tour.

Written by Paul McLean www.mcleanscotland.com  www.angelswhiskyclub.com

The Finest Japanese Whiskies Now Available At The Whisky Shop

Simply Click on a product to buy

Hibiki 21 year old

The Hibiki 21 Years Old is Autumn gold in colour. The nose shows sweet brambles and pears with vanilla toffee and a hint of dark rich sherry. At first the palate is pleasantly woody and then comes the cleansing fruitiness of brambles and blueberries with a lingering flavour of dark sherry. The finish is long rich and fruity.. Awarded an incredible 93/100 by Jim Murray!

Hibiki 30 year old

An absolutely stunning release from Hibiki. This was awarded the Trophy at the International Spirits Challenge in 2004, 2006 and 2008. It was also awarded the coveted title “World’s Best Blended Whisky” at the World Whiskies Award in 2007 and 2008!

Hakushu 25 year old

Rated 93/100 by Jim Murray, who called it “a malt which is impossible not to be blown away by”.

Color : red amber
Nose : ripe persimmon, jam, smoked meat, chocolate
Palate : custard, caramel, fruity sweetness with a hint of acidity
Finish : smoky yet fruity, long and sweet

Yamazaki 18 year old

This is a full-bodied whisky with spicy cherry-like tones. The toffee aromatics of this copper-gold colored whisky offer a pleasant, long, dry finish.

The distillery’s location on the outskirts of Japan’s ancient capital of Kyoto offered pure waters, diversity of climate and high humidity—the ideal environment for the maturation of good whisky.

Yamazaki 25 year old

This is a super premium whisky carefully vatted from key malts and aged over 25 years in sherry butts. It’s available in limited quantities only of approximately 12,000 bottles per year. A great aromatic complexity of sweet and bitter flavors brought out by long aging with whiffs of sweet sherry notes. Has an enchanting deep, long finish.

The Whisky Shop Tel 0141 440 0600 info@whiskyshop.com www.whiskyshop.com

www.ralfy.com invites you to examine young Islay Malts with Whisky Review 293 – Introducing Young Islay Malts. Younger whiskies make more profit for Distillers but can be immature, . . . so beware malt-mates.

Krishna Nukala has written a very nice E-Pistle about his Maniacal Dalwhinne visit in June: “Visit to Dalwhinnie – An Armchair Travelogue”

THE LINK

Greetings Fellow WhiskeyLover!!

Next week my family and I will be headed into the woods of Maine for our annual summer vacation. So this will be my last email to you until early September.

With that in mind, I wanted this weeks email to feature a really special whisky. So I called my man Nicky The Neck, and asked him to consult his contacts. A few phone calls later, The Neck scored big…which brings me to this weeks featured whisky: Benromach 21YO Speyside Single Malt Whisky.

Duncan MacCallum and F.W. Brickmann founded the Benromach Distillery Company in 1898. The distillery is located on the outskirts of the ancient Royal Borough of Forres, and is Speyside’s smallest working distillery. Duncan MacCallum had previously been working at the Glen Nevis Distillery in Campbeltown and FW Brickmann was a spirit broker in Leith, Edinburgh. Construction work started at the sight of Benromach Distillery in 1898 however due to the depression in the Scotch Whisky industry in 1898 the distillery did not start producing whisky until 1900 and closed the same year due to a lack of money.

In 1911 Benromach was acquired by the London based Harvey McNair & Co who continued distilling until the onset of the First World War. After the war Benromach was acquired by Benromach Distillery Ltd and was run by this new private company until 1925. In 1938 Benromach was acquired by Associated Scottish Distilleries Ltd which later became a part of Scottish Malt Distillers Ltd. Between 1966 and 1974 the distillery was modernized and continued to run until 1983 when the distillery was officially closed.

In 1993 Gordon and Macphail took over the site and in 1997 they started to restore the distillery to a working order. Finally in 1998 the distillery was officially reopened by Charles, Prince of Wales and bottling of the new malt started in 2004.

Just two experienced distillers create Benromach 21YO using the finest Scottish barley and the purest spring water from the nearby Romach Hills. Matured in a mix of First fill and Refill Sherry casks, Benromach 21 Years Old is a rich, elegant Speyside Single Malt with rounding Sherry influence.

ForWhiskeyLovers Contributing Editor Gavin Smith described Benromach 21 as “A lovely, poised Benromach, with clear evidence of the good work done by the Sherry butts.”

This whisky is not longer being produced by Gordon & Macphail/ Benromach, and so it is incredibly difficult to find. But thanks to The Neck, we are able to offer you a bottle of Benromach 21YO for $130/ bottle, while supplies last.

So if you want a bottle, buy it now, because once it’s gone…it’s gone.

I wish you a most enjoyable remainder of your summer, and look forward to getting back in touch in September.

Until September….have fun!

Doug Stone

Founder

ForWhiskeyLovers.com

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BENROMACH 21YO SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALT WHISKY

__________________________________________
DISTILLERS TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Bright gold.

UNDILUTED NOSE: Sweet, fruits – peaches and nectarines. Hints of toasted malt and a green leafy aroma.

PALATE: Sweet, sherrywood flavours. Some charred oak and resinous flavours. Rich.

WITH AN ICE CUBE/ WATER NOSE: Sherry influence more prominent. Mulled fruits and a sweet chocolate aroma. Toasted maltiness remains.

PALATE: Sherry wood, sweet spices – cinnamon and a little dry grass, hay like note. Charred oak flavours lead to a drying finish.

BODY: Rich and smooth.

FINISH: Slightly dry with sherry overtones.

Angels Whisky Club – the big whisky interview;

Paul McLean (Angels) was chatting to Stewart Buchanan, Distillery;.BenRiach and GlenDronach Title; Brand Ambassador

Hello Stewart, many thanks for talking to us at Angels. Might I start with; How long have you been in the industry? A; I have been in the industry for almost 20 years now.

Q; What is your current role? A; I am the Brand Ambassador for both distilleries, covering all of the world markets.

Q; how did you get into this industry? A; I started off as a stillman in Tobermory Distillery and it has basically just snowballed from there and I’m lucky to have covered most roles within the company from production and warehousing to distillery management and everything else in-between. My new role as Brand Ambassador is the first time I have worked outside of production and it’s great to see this totally different side of the industry and experience firsthand the whisky markets across the world.

Q; unpeated V peated, do you have any preferences for your own brands? A; I like both styles but with the peated BenRiachs being such unique expressions I feel they really stand out among the other peated styles on the shelf. The Curiositas has been a favourite of mine since its creation back in 2004. I suppose I am quite lucky that we have an expression for every occasion and that when I do tastings I have a great portfolio to choose from, so every tasting is different, I love putting together a tasting with the fantastic range we can offer from both distilleries.

Q; any major plans/announcements coming soon? A; This year we have been concentrating on reinstating the traditional floor maltings at BenRiach, they last worked in 1998 and luckily since then it has remained relatively untouched so it has just been a case of sorting out the water supply and drainage at the steeps then oiling everything up and replacing any worn belts and bearings. We did think we were going to have to replace the perforated drying floor at the kiln head but our engineer Les Shand has done a great job getting it into a usable condition which should at least get us started and hopefully last a few years. Another lucky twist is I managed to get in contact the old maltster, so we took a walk around and he has passed on some invaluable production information. The thing now is physically finding the time to give it a try I would hope it will all come together by the end of the year.

Q; do you have any “special” whisky coming soon? A; We are just about to release this year’s batch of single casks from BenRiach covering some fantastic vintages from 1976 through to 1990 as usual we have a great mixture of cask styles including finishes in Sauternes, Port and Rioja as well as the full maturation in traditional barrels, hogsheads and butts. We are also working on a cask strength bottling at GlenDronach which will be hitting the shops soon and will be a fantastic addition to the portfolio so keep your eyes open for the official press release.

Q; what are your views on “Jubilee” whisky releases, anniversary releases etc, are they a collectors bottle or just an “excuse” for another release? Any comments? A; I think the idea of these types of bottling are fine as long as there is exclusivity to them and the whisky is of a superior quality, I personally wouldn’t just buy a bottle just for the label. Every bottle of whisky I have at home is for drinking. Although some on more special occasions than others.

Q; Have you /planning to, take any whisky risks? A new ideas, innovations, a new concept, or just stun the whisky world? A; I think at BenRiach Billy Walker has been experimental from day one, sometimes you have to push your casks to the limit to find out how they are going to react and it takes a brave man to do that but with our cask evaluation programme and quality control over the last 8 or so years we really know our whisky inside out. At GlenDronach the focus is on tradition and to maintain that classic sherry expression it is really a case of a huge financial commitment to bring to the distillery the best casks possible. As Billy says ‘we have only scratched the surface at GlenDronach’ the next 3 to 4 years at GlenDronach are going to be extremely interesting, so watch this space.

Q; Why do you think people are so curious and interested in your brands? What makes you stand out from the pack? A; Obviously I’m going to say it’s all about Quality,Quality,Quality  I think when you start a distillery you will automatically take on the “new kid on the block” tag so year 1 and 2 could give you some deceiving figures but with both our brands the markets continue to grow and grow. Getting the core range right is key to longevity, offer good value, quality and a diversity in the portfolio and you have won a watch as we say. From Heavily Peated and Classic Speyside to a good old traditional sherry casks all warehoused at BenRiach and GlenDronach I feel we do have a whisky for every palate. Also, being a small independent distiller we don’t work with a multimillion pound advertising budget so it’s just about covering the ground and getting the whisky to the drinker and hopefully when they hear our story and have a dram or two our passion rubs off on them and they connect with what we are trying to do in the industry, word of mouth has always played a great part in our growth.

Q; how does a person ”learn” to nose a whisky? Or is it within already? A; Related; I have a feeling that some “experts” make up a nosing/expression and use this so they appear a hell of a lot “better” than we can ever do, do you have any thoughts on this? EG; has a nose like diesel from a submarine been at sea for 6 months. Nosing is such a personal thing, you can only work with the palate you have so you don’t particularly “learn” how to nose, you learn how to expand your palate. I’m sure most people as adults are reminded of smells from their childhood so the trick is to try and train your brain to recall the smells and tastes you experience throughout your life time. Wherever I am I try and hold on to what smells are around me and put them in a wee box in the back of my mind wither it’s the sea air, pine forests, tobacco, cigar box, different fruits, nuts and desserts the list is endless. Just get out there and smell everything is all I can say, although I would tend to stay away from “wet socks and sandshoes” etc or you’ll end up getting some funny looks or even arrested!!

Q; if pushed what is the next best whisky making country after Scotland? A; I suppose the natural country next to Scotland would be Japan, with their history and presence in the market they are the next big player, they really do produce some great expressions. My world whisky of choice would be from the Indian Amrut range; I admire how the deal with maturation is such difficult climatic conditions and the care they take in their cask selection, and it’s always on my dram list on a night out.

Q; would you say there is an age that any good whisky has to be bottled? In other words, is there a cut off point (in your view) where a whisky HAS to be bottled? A; Obviously there are limits as far as how well a cask holds its strength, below 40% and it’s no longer whisky. Some whiskies and also different cask styles will take up the “wood” note in different degrees over time which is a line I personally wouldn’t over step. We will bottle a 1966 hogshead at BenRiach in the near future which is still bursting with big tropical fruit notes and has maintained a great strength of around 44% which is great for a cask that age. Our philosophy is to bottle when the whisky is at its best and not just to aim for an age statement to put on the label. The 66 for example probably could stay above 40% until 50 years of maturation but with the lower alcohol the risk is it would become too one dimensional. At the end of the day it’s about good cask management, constantly evaluating your casks no matter what age and trying not to get caught up in the age game.

Q; what are your views on; adding water to a dram, ice, coke etc? A; I like my whisky straight but that’s probably after many years of sampling from the cask (officially of course). If anything I would take down a young peated whisky just to release its full character but just a drop at a time. More and more around the world you see single malts be used in cocktails, this might be sacrilege to some but it is something I enjoy although wouldn’t particularly pay for myself.

Q; if water is acceptable, is this bottled water, tap water? A; It all depends where you stay but if in doubt I would always use bottled spring water.

Q; does winning a gold medal really help sales of a whisky? A; It’s always fantastic when any of our whiskies have won medals or awards; it lets us know that we are doing something right. You also gain additional press coverage which is always good, I don’t know the figures but I’m sure it does have an impact on sales at the end of the day.

Q; If you HAD to enjoy a dram not of your own making, where would this come from? Or shall I rephrase that; what did you last drink, your company did not make? A; I first tasted both the Auchantoshan Valinch and Glenlivets Nadurra at Whisky Ships Show in Zurich last year and always have a bottle of each at home, the cask strength bourbon style is right up my street and being a “tight Scotsman” it’s even better that I normally get a free dram of them as I go through duty free when I travel.

Q; finally, how do you relax after a hard week? A; If I’m not chilling with family and friends I like being outdoors as much as possible so festivals and camping are always a laugh. I don’t do or watch any sports particularly but give me a motorbike, snowboard or even a horse  and I’ll get it going flat-out, I can be a bit of an adrenalin junky sometimes.

Q; finally finally; I like humour and am known as a wee bit of a joker (numpty in some cases) do you add humour to your work? I think too many whisky experts and drinkers are lacking on humour, any thoughts? A; Ach! I think everyone has their own ways of doing things so each to their own but personally I stay pretty laid back and always have a bit of a laugh after all drinking whisky is meant to be fun and enjoyed in good company.

Paul was talking to Stewart Buchanan, Brand Ambassador for BenRiach & GlenDronach

www.angelswhiskyclub.com
www.mcleanscotlandd.com

More awards for English Whisky

Silver Outstanding Awards

Our Chapter 11 and Chapter 11 Cask Strength have done it again. Both have won “Silver Outstanding” at the 2012 IWSC competition. All at the distillery are rightfully chuffed. This is a true testament to the work our distillers and the rest of the team do; to ensure only the very highest quality whisky is created at St George’s!

More here >>