The cold snows are gone but the winter weather continues as we battle the wild winds of Atlantic storm systems which continue to swing in.

Thankfully, we’re well-used to such high-on-the-Beaufort-scale blasts, and with ever-watchful eyes on the weather forecast we usually have our hatches well battened down by the time the pressure drops.

Despite all the meteorological mayhem, the team in Tarbert have been staying busy behind the scenes and we’re pleased to say the first bottles of The Hearach whisky in 2024 are being bottled as we speak.

Batch number 9 is now safely secured in glass and the new white and red seals are being applied as we say goodbye to the copper and grey stopper strips which marked out the First Release last year.

More information on forthcoming release dates coming very soon…

Order your bottle with us online here in the UK or find a local stockist across the country and beyond via our stockist map and partner pages…

Wherever you are, we hope you’re raising a glass of something good in great company!

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Mike Donald, Chief Storyteller

VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE

Last week brought more snow to Harris than many of the older residents here in Harris can remember.

While it was very pretty to see the landscape covered by deep veils of bright white, it made travelling the many long and winding roads around the island to work a slightly treacherous affair!

Here are some Scottish Gaelic words to try next time the temperatures tumble…

Sneachd : Snow

Sneachdadh : Snowing

Sneachdach / sneachdail : Snowy

Cith sneachda : Heavy snowfall

Sneachd àirde nan taighean : Snow as high as the houses

Click below to learn how to pronounce these wintery words and more…

SPEAK SOME GAELIC

Our whisky is made with little automation, and we prefer to rely on the ‘human touch’ throughout our whisky-making.

Our local distillers use their judgement and experience to decide the cut-points by nose and sight, they manually adjust the steam valves, and process decisions are made as a team at every step on a daily basis.

The difference this makes to the final dram may be hard to define but we feel the use of island hands will bring something extra to the spirit we finally bottle.

The emphasis on people throughout the production process also serves to create employment that would otherwise be lost in a more ‘push-button’ operation.

Right now the first batches of 2024 are being bottled, labelled and sealed by hand. More news on release dates and other details coming very soon…

DISCOVER OUR WHISKY

Ardbeg 2006 15 Year old Single Cask #2643 53.7% ABV 70cl

From the highly acclaimed Islay distillery, Ardbeg, this single cask (#2643) , matured in a 1st fill madeira barrique.

Ardbeg’s single cask #2643 was distilled in 2006, and matured over fifteen years in a first-fill Madeira barrique. Limited to a run of 319, it’s a distinctly Islay whisky, bottled at cask strength and presented in a special case.

Shop now

for the CHEAPEST PRICES ANYWHERE

Distillery Corner: Lagavulin

Vic explains: “Lagavulin use the same malted barley as Caol Ila. It comes from the same malt bin (at Port Ellen maltings). Lagavulin, however, tends to run further into the feints cycle compared to Caol Ila. That longer spirit cut allows the more phenolic and medicinal peat-derived aromas to develop on top of the smoky, bonfire, ashy aromas of Caol Ila. Obviously there’s more to it than that but It kind of takes away the myth that you must use heavily peated malt to get a heavily peated whisky.”

🎬 Watch the Video | 📖 Read the Post

Browse Courses

John E. Fitzgerald “Larceny C923” Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The highest proof Larceny we’ve seen in a while. At a whopping 63.2% ABV this is a wheated hammer.

(750ml)
$59.99

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Barton Distillery 1792 “Full Proof” K&L Exclusive Single Barrel #9520 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey

(750ml)
$49.99

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Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

Two centuries have passed since Alexander Reid, founder of The Macallan, distilled the first batch of whisky in his curiously small stills in Speyside, Scotland, beginning the extraordinary legacy of the single malt Scotch whisky.

2024 marks the 200th anniversary year for The Macallan, commencing with the reveal of a ‘200 Years Young’ logo and an evolved identity that recognises the brand’s illustrious past and a celebration of the future.

Designed by the acclaimed visual artist Alex Trochut, the anniversary logo features a wave pattern that evokes the connection between the brand’s foundations and its future, merging the curve of the River Spey that weaves its way through The Macallan Estate to the rolling curves of the striking Distillery.

The introduction of the evolved brand identity features an elevated and simplified logo, red colour statement, pattern and iconography that are inspired by the Six Pillars, the foundation stones for The Macallan’s character, and its rich history.

The Macallan worked closely with David Carson, one of the most influential designers of the modern era, blending the principles of art and branding. The result is a combination of craftsmanship and creativity that embodies The Macallan’s legacy: past, present and future.

George Remus “Repeal Reserve” Series VII Indiana Straight Bourbon Whiskey (750ml)

($99.99)

K&L Notes: The Remus Repeal is MGP’s flagship older bourbon blend and represents their finest stocks hand-selected by the masters on their blending team. This year’s batch is a mix of five bourbons from the two main mashbills at MGP. These two mashbills are the same you’d see at other former Seagram’s distilleries like Four Roses. The precise breakdown includes some good old 15-year-old and excellent 9- and 10-year-old whiskeys—6% bourbon distilled in 2007 (21% rye), 26% bourbon distilled in 2013 (21% rye), 21% bourbon distilled in 2014 (21% rye), 26% bourbon distilled in 2013 (36% rye); 21% bourbon distilled in 2014 (36% rye)—for an average age right around ten years old. Bottled at 100 proof as always, this is the quintessential MGP bourbon and puts many much more expensive and younger versions of the same whiskeys bottled by other producers to shame. The gorgeous art deco bottle captures the old-school nature of this distillery, but it’s what’s inside the bottle that really counts here.

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA

For the whisky fans among you who are currently planning your summer travels, why not check out the Hebridean Whisky Trail – the world’s most adventurous trail for the discerning whisky drinker.

Comprised of six distilleries in the Scottish Hebrides, from Jura to Harris, the Hebridean Whisky Trail takes in some of the world’s most spectacular scenery and most mouthwatering malts.

Have a look at the website for suggested itineraries, festival dates, and information from each distillery.

Hebridean Whisky Trail

LOCAL SINGLE MALTS

to Celebrate Burns Night

‘Freedom and Whisky Gang Thegither! ‘
– ROBERT BURNS

Our whisky shop is in the heart of Ayrshire, in the village of Kirkoswald. Our village is famously the place where Robert Burns attended school and some of the locals he met were the inspiration for characters in his poems.

Ayrshire is also home to a number of distilleries and so what better way to celebrate Burns Night and our Ayrshire heritage than by enjoying a dram of local whisky…

Single Malts from Ayrshire…

Robert Burns Single Malt

Lochranza Distillery on Arran is the only whisky distillery to produce a whisky that is officially endorsed by the World Burns Federation. A versatile, light and aromatic single malt, ideal to enjoy before or during a meal… perhaps with haggis!

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Lochlea Our Barley

Lochlea is a family-owned farm distillery located in the heart of Ayrshire and was once home to Robert Burns. This is their first core expression, matured in 3 types of casks that all come together to give this malt extra creamy, fruity notes.

SHOP LOCHLEA

LAGG Kilmory Edition

Lagg Distillery on Arran, produces a heavily peated style of whisky that harks back to the illicit stills of the islands past. The Kilmory Edition is a pure embodiment of the earthy smokiness and vanilla notes that make LAGG Single Malts so special.

SHOP LAGG

Ailsa Bay Sweet Smoke 1.2

Our closest distillery, Ailsa Bay is only 8 miles from our shop. Just along the coast that looks out onto the magnificent Ailsa Craig. This heavily peated whisky is balanced with the right level of sweetness to cut through the smoke.

SHOP AILSA BAY

SHOP ALL LOCAL WHISKY

While there is lots to look forward to this year, there’s one piece of news that the whole team is more than a little excited about, whisky time!

With our brand new, custom designed equipment arriving in the early spring, we’re all counting down the days until we can unwrap those shiny new stills, watch them slot into place at Nunton, and fire them up with our very first batches of North Uist Distillery whisky!

Distilled from our very own heritage bere barley, grown right here on the machair in partnership with our trusted keepers of the grain, as soon as the whisky starts flowing we will be getting those year one casks filled and stored with the promises of future drams.

Operation
Whisky.

While there is lots to look forward to this year, there’s one piece of news that the whole team is more than a little excited about, whisky time!

With our brand new, custom designed equipment arriving in the early spring, we’re all counting down the days until we can unwrap those shiny new stills, watch them slot into place at Nunton, and fire them up with our very first batches of North Uist Distillery whisky!

Distilled from our very own heritage bere barley, grown right here on the machair in partnership with our trusted keepers of the grain, as soon as the whisky starts flowing we will be getting those year one casks filled and stored with the promises of future drams.

Cask
Countdown (II).

If you weren’t lucky enough to get your hands on a Year One cask (and selling out in a record breaking two minutes, it is no surprise that many missed out!) we have great news, our Year Two cask offer will be going live in the coming weeks and this time there will be 100 casks up for grabs for those with the fastest fingers on the button.

While we’ll be sharing general whisky news here in the island dispatch, cask offer details including countdowns will go out directly to our whisky mailing list, separately from the island dispatch. If you would like to receive more information about cask offers and be in with a chance of buying one, please reply to this email and ask to be added to the whisky mailing list if you’re not already on it. If you’re not sure if you’re on it then feel free to drop us a note to check.

www.northuistdistillery.com

Psst! We know you’re going to love every sip of our latest issue of Unfiltered magazine. But here’s the real deal: the fun doesn’t end when you finish that last drop. We’ve got an abundance of extra content waiting for you – like the cherry on top after savouring a dram.

From juicy behind-the-scenes stories to exclusive sherry deep dives, you’re missing out on some seriously great bits if you’re not checking out the latest at SMWS. It’s like leaving the party early – the real magic happens when you stick around!

Here’s the lowdown on what you can’t miss:

Throughout 2024, we’re spotlighting our unique approach to sherry-cask maturation. Check out Julien Willems’ feature on our history in this area and a Q&A with Euan Campbell during a visit to the Sherry Triangle in Spain.

We’re also exploring the origins of flavour in the whisky-making process. Gavin D Smith kicks off the series by focusing on malted barley.

READ NOW

Our pals at the Outturn podcast, Unfiltered editor Richard Goslan, and Calum Lawson from the Society’s Spirits Team, are kicking off the year with an overview of what to expect from the monthly Outturn release of new bottlings, including some sherry-matured beauties. Tune in to discover how to make the most of your Society membership and snag the perfect bottling!

Pop in those earbuds and join the conversation

TUNE IN

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