GLENFARCLAS 105 20 YEAR OLD LIMITED TO 1200 BOTTLES FOR THE UK £200 PER BOTTLE

Speyside, September 2012 – J & G Grant are to launch a new limited edition expression of their iconic Glenfarclas 105 Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky. Aged for 20 Years and bottled at natural cask strength of 60% vol., only 4000 bottles of this remarkable whisky will be available worldwide.

This is the second time J & G Grant have released an older expression of Glenfarclas 105 – the first was in 2008 when a 40 Year Old 105 was released to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the first bottling of 105.

In 1968 when George S. Grant, 4th generation of the owning family, bottled a single cask straight from the warehouse, and sent the bottles to family and friends as Christmas gifts. By chance the strength of the cask George S. Grant selected was ‘105’ British Proof, and along with the name of the distillery, this was all the information he detailed on the hand written label. By the end of January the recipients of the gifts requested further bottles, hence Glenfarclas ‘105’, the first commercially available cask strength whisky of the modern age was born. The name refers to the strength in the British Proof system, equivalent to 60% alcohol by volume.

George S Grant, Director of Sales and 6th generation of the owning family commented; ‘My family have been producing Glenfarclas 105 for 3 generations now and the 20 Year Old makes a great addition to the ‘105’ family, along with the 105 and 105 40 Year Old. This is a 105 as it should be – big and powerful with all the classic Glenfarclas flavours coming through. Definitely a dram to savour as the finish just goes on and on.’

Glenfarclas 105 is a Cask Strength whisky. The vast majority of whiskies are ‘reduced’, water is added at the point of bottling to take the strength down to 40% or 43% Vol. Glenfarclas 105 is not reduced, instead casks are vatted together to obtain a constant strength of 60% Vol. Most whiskies would be deemed too over powering served at 60% Vol., however with a heavily sherried house style, Glenfarclas 105 is surprisingly smooth for its strength.

The British Proof system developed prior to the invention of the hydrometer. It is well known that most distilleries evolved from what were originally illicit stills, so the early distillers were not always completely straight in their business dealings. One trick was to sell watered down whisky to innkeepers. To check for this potential fraud the innkeepers devised a method to check the strength. They would add gun powder to the whisky and try to light the whisky, if it did not light, water had been added. If it lit, the whisky was ‘proved’. 105 stands for 5 over proof, equivalent to 60% vol.

Tasting Note by George S Grant:

Strong, rich oak, a 20 yo copper still. As 105 should be! Big Powerful aromas, of course be a little wary it is 60% alc. A very typical Glenfarclas nose, demerara sugar, figs. The end bit of a Christmas cake, a little drier than the middle but you get the extra sugar.

Remarkably smooth for a 60% whisky. More sweetness in the front of your mouth giving way to bitter sweetness. Chocolate covered coffee beans spring to mind sweet then melting into bitterness. Lots of fruit, brandy flavours are very apparent, delicate sherry tones also coming through after a while in the glass.

Lovely long finish, the age really coming through here over the strength, definitely a dram to savour as the finish will last a very long time.

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CONTACT US BY EMAIL OR BY PHONE ON 01387256601 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER

www.ralfy.com takes you to Tasmania with Whisky Review #298 – Sullivan’s Cove Bourbon cask (60% vol:)

Loch Fyne Whiskies Posts A New Article, ‘No bad whiskies? A wee essay…’

My first tasting of this was sufficiently interesting to warrant buying a dozen bottles to sell on to you, dear LFW.co.uk visitor. I was thinking this has an interesting, meaty, character. Ardmore is a favourite, consider Highland peat and wine?, okay let’s give it a try.

However, I have tried this twice again to consider if […please clcik on the link below to read the remainder of the article…]

THE LINK

Best regards,
Loch Fyne Whiskies
david@lfw.co.uk

EXCLUSIVE DRAMBUSTER SPECIAL OFFER THE WILD GEESE CLASSIC BLEND IRISH WHISKEY ‘UNTAMED’ 50CL 40%

In 1691 Ireland was torn by injustice and natural disaster. The soldiers and refugees who were forced to set sail on ships for other lands became known as ‘The Wild Geese’

Nose: Berries, fresh oak and a hint of spice
Taste & Finish: light sweet fruity taste; balanced and smooth. The grain comes through gently and it ends with a tingle of honey and citrus fruit. The finish is soft, fresh and clean.

SHELF PRICE £19.99 – DRAMBUSTERS PRICE- £13.99

Happy Birthday Nico!

A quick shout out and slightly late Happy Birthday to Sahara Force India’s Nico Hülkenberg. But what do you get the F1 driver who has everything? Why a personalised bottle of whisky of course…

As with any personalised whisky, I’ve had a look at who Nico is, what drives him and from seeing that he’s a patient, self confident individual who wants to succeed both personally and on the track, I pulled together some nice drams.

I started with whiskies aged between 19 and 25 years old to reflect his birth date and his age.

I’ve also included malt from our Dalmore distillery that has been matured in Oloroso sherry casks in sunny Gonzalez Byass which not only represents his tarot symbol, The Sun, but the bodega is near the Jerez circuit which seems more than a fitting match for a Formula One driver.

The overall result is a whisky that is strong, highly complex but with secretive layers that unfold as you get to know the whisky – and I hope he’s enjoyed it with good company!

presents The Drambusters Whisky Festival 2012

Tickets are now on sale for our second Whisky Festival at Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton, Dumfries at £20 per person. We have organised two Master Classes, Bruichladdich and either Tomintoul or McKillop’s Choice. The Master Classes will cost £15 each and are on sale online too.

BUY FESTIVAL TICKETS HERE

The festival will run from 12 noon until 4.30pm on Saturday 24th November at our new venue and we are anticipating a larger turnout of both visitors and exhibitors. More information will follow both in the newsletters and also online, so keep an eye on our email newsletters, website and facebook pages as well as our tweets @drambusters and also by text.

www.ralfy.com asks all you maltsters, . . . have you tried any American Malt Whisky recently? Well this might put you in the mood, Whisky Review #297 – St. Georges American Malt Whisky.

The Relaxed Whisky Weekend

7 – 9 September 2012

The taste of Maltstock

Fellow whisky enthusiasts,

Less than three weeks until Maltstock commences. Time to talk about food! Maltstock is all about good company and whisky. Both are best enjoyed on a healthy diet of good and tasty food. No worries! At Maltstock there will be plenty of that…

Indonesian/ Chinese buffet
The taste of Maltstock Friday will be spicy, sweet and sour. We’ll have a Indonesian/ Chinese dinner buffet prepared for you. Four different dishes will be presented to you with noodles, rice and fried rice. A good base for an evening of whisky fun and the Whisky Quiz by the Whisky shop Dufftown. www.whiskyshopdufftown.co.uk

Breakfast by Highlander Inn
The taste of Maltstock Saturday and Sunday morning is hearty and healthy! The Highlander Inn team will make sure everybody has the best possible start of the day. A full Scottish breakfast will be prepared for you on Saturday and Sunday. Baked beans, eggs, the famous Highlander Inn haggis, it will all be there!.

The Highlander Inn is a must visit place for every whisky enthusiast. Perfectly located in Craigellachie, in the heart of Speyside, they provide excellent accommodation, fantastic food, an amazing selection of whisky, and the best service! Visit their website for more details: www.whiskyinn.com

Food market
Tasting great food in combination with great whisky is an experience in itself! On Saturday afternoon two great chefs will create culinary snacks to accompany whisky. The chefs will suggest some whiskies that will probably match their creations. But it’s up to you to try the delicious food and come up with your own suggestions.

This is the only event at Maltstock that is not part of the all inclusive formula. But don’t worry: for just a few euro’s you can taste great culinary creations and combine them with whisky and discuss with fellow whisky enthusiasts which combinations work best.

Lunch
Of course lunch is included and our great volunteer team will prepare and present filled rolls for you on Saturday afternoon.

BBQ by BBQGuru and Ardbeg
Tasting continues because dinner on Saturday will truly be a tasting experience! There will be no dinner menu this year but a ‘line up’ of amazing foods and Ardbeg whisky.

*Whole hog, (whole spit roasted, pig) basted with Alligator mop sauce
*Whole salmon, with Ardbeg Uigeadail.
*BBQ sundae with pulled pork, baked beans, coleslaw, a Pickle slice (BBQ sundae is a cup filled with baked beans, pork shoulder cooked for 15 hours on the BBQ, with coleslaw and a pickle disk)
*Smoked chicken

Side dishes:

*baked beans
*coleslaw
*pasta salad

These guys are truly passionate about BBQ and that shows! They travel the world to go to BBQ competitions. Visit www.BBQGuru.nl for more information.

Ardbeg whisky will be included in some dishes. Furthermore, Ardbeg has kindly provided for whisky to accompany these great foods. For more information about Ardbeg and on how to become a Committee member: www.ardbeg.com

Midnight snack
The taste of night: for all night dwellers BBQGuru will prepare a little snack Saturday night to keep you going untill…

Moinkballs
Jakitori skewers
Bruschetta with grilled brie
So… be there and have a taste of Maltstock!

Remember: there will be no ticket sales at the Maltstock gates. All tickets have to be ordered online in our web shop. Click here to order tickets. If you can’t make it this year, we already have the dates for next year: 6-8 September 2013.

Hope to see you all in September, see you at Maltstock!

Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun