www.ralfy.com knows the problems you encounter with Whisky! Here’s one problem’s solution with Whisky Review 218 – keeping open Whisky bottles fresh.

Macallan Lalique 55 Year Old Crystal Decanter

£15,000

£12,500

For a limited time only… 

Macallan Lalique 55 year old is an exceptional malt whisky that hasmatured for 55 years in Spanish oak, Sherry casks.

This beautiful Lalique decanter draws its inspiration from Macallan’s natural colour, with the design based on a perfume bottle design by René Lalique from the early 1900’s. Only 420 crystal decanters of this exceptionally rare malt have ever been released. 

www.abbeywhisky.com

enquiries@abbeywhisky.com or 07890 983 844

Bowmore Partners with Colin Prior and Whisky Shop to launch

‘Great Outdoors’ Photography Workshops

For those who want to fine-tune their outdoor photography skills this autumn, Bowmore, the first Islay Single Malt whisky, is collaborating with renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior to host a series of complimentary Bowmore ‘Great Outdoors’ Photography Workshops. Hosted in conjunction with whisky specialists, The Whisky Shop, the workshops will coincide with the launch of the National Geographic UK 2011 International Photography Contest (IPC), which Bowmore is sponsoring for the second year. The workshops will take place in four cities across the UK and will allow budding photographers to pick up hints and tips before entering the contest.

Taking place within the Whisky Shops, the workshops fit 10-15 guests and are open to all levels, from beginners to keen and aspiring photographers, or those who are fans of a good dram. Colin will take guests through a relaxed andinformal tutorial on how to best capture the great outdoors, providing anecdotes to some of his photographs as well as sharing technical advice. Guestswill also learn how to develop or refine their skills to produce original photos that are attention-grabbing and incorporate interesting light, mood and patterns into the composition.

In between talks, Colin will also take guests through an exploration of the three special and unique bottlings from Bowmore, where they will experience the unique warm and smoky characteristics of this perfectly balanced Islay spirit, and learn the finer points of Single Malt whisky.

The workshops will take place at the following Whisky Shops (Each workshop starts at 6pm):

Fri 30 Sept York

The Whisky Shop, 11 Coppergate Walk, York, YO1 9NT

01904 640300

york@thewhiskyshop.net

Thur 6 Oct Birmingham

The Whisky Shop, Unit 35 Great Western Arcade, Birmingham, B2 5HU

0121 212 1815

birmingham@whiskyshop.com

Fri 7 Oct Edinburgh

The Whisky Shop, 28 Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2JW

0131 225 4666

edinburgh@thewhiskyshop.net

Tue 11 Oct London

The Whisky Shop, Unit 7, Queens Head Passage, London, EC4M 7DY

0207 329 5117

london@thewhiskyshop.net

To attend, readers can simply call or email the individual Whisky Shop whose workshop they wish to take part in.

As a champion of the outdoors, Bowmore is inviting readers to capture outdoor moments at their finest, for a chance to feature in a future issue of National Geographic magazine and win a truly unforgettable trip for two to the magical island of Islay, the home of Bowmore. Inspired by the key elements that come together to create the warm and smoky character of Bowmore, the categories for entries are fittingly: People,Places and Nature. To enter the IPC, photographers can submit their best shots to www.ipcuk2011.nationalgeographic.com before the contest closes on 31st October 2011.

The International Photography Contest forms part of a long-term international partnership that Bowmore has signed with the National Geographic, the world-renowned authority on the photography and the outdoors. The partnership is also part of a wider national marketing campaign for2011 for Bowmore, which sees it extending its presence further to the outdoors, including the ‘A Taste of Islay’ experience – an experiential sampling activity at the UK’s most popular outdoor events – and the sponsorship of the Bowmore Ben Nevis challenge.

Notes:

Bowmore

The best-balanced Islay Single Malt whisky is the perfect reward after your outdoor experience.

Founded in 1779, Bowmore is the oldest Distillery on Islay, one of the Scottish isles, which make up the region known as the ‘Islands’ in the lexicon of Whisky. The other regions are the Highlands, Speyside and the Lowlands. Islay malts are famous for their characteristic smokiness and Bowmore is no exception; we carefully smoke our malt and use skills handed down from generation to generation to craft a perfectly balanced Single Malt.

Bowmore’s adherence to traditional production methods helps to shape the character of our

Single Malts. We’re one of only a few distilleries anywhere which still produces its own floor malted barley,hand-turned by traditional wooden malt shovel and hand drawn machinery. For our whiskies we draw water from the Laggan River, with its rich peaty overtones, and it’s the same Islay peat that fires the malt drying kiln.

Bowmore Distillery’s close proximity to the sea is also vital in determining the final character of our spirit. The legendary Bowmore No. 1 Vaults is where most of our whiskies spend their long lives resting quietly in the cool, dark, damp cellars below sea level, oblivious to the waves thrashing the Vault’s sea-facing wall.

They mature in oak casks, previously used for bourbon, sherry or claret, gradually developing rich and mellow flavours.

It’s this combination of peat, barley, sea breeze, water, wood, people and tradition that together create the perfectly balanced warm and smoky character of Bowmore Single Malt Whiskies.

The Bowmore domestic product range:

Bowmore Legend
Bowmore 12 Years Old
Bowmore 15 Years Old ‘Darkest’
Bowmore 18 Years Old
Bowmore 25 Years Old

Islay

Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides, and is also known as “The Queen of the Hebrides.” Its mild climate and rich peaty soil make it ideal for creating whisky, anddespite having a population of not much more than 3,000, it’s home to no fewer than eight distilleries.

National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations. Founded in 1888 to “increase and diffuse geographic knowledge,” the Society’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. National Geographic reflects the world through its magazines, television programs, films, music and radio, books, DVDs, maps, exhibitions, live events, school publishing programs, interactive media and merchandise. National Geographic magazine, the Society’s official journal published in English and 33 local-language editions, is read by more than 38 million people each month. The National Geographic Channel reaches 370 million households in 34 languages in 168 countries. National Geographic Digital Media receives more than 15 million visitors a month. National Geographic has funded more than 9,600 scientificresearch, conservation and exploration projects and supports an education program promoting geography literacy. For more information, visit www.nationalgeographic.com.

Colin Prior

Colin Prior is one of the most celebrated and distinctive travel photographers working anywhere in the world today. Born in Glasgow in 1958, Prior is a fellow of the Royal PhotographicSociety, a founding member of the International League of Conservation Photographers and spends much of his life seeking out the edges of the world. He has travelled to some of the most remote and hostile places on the planet and lived alone for extended periods of time in the wild just to understand his subject. Finding the right conditions for any one image can often take years and involves months of preparation, physical effort and a personal vision. He has published several books including, Highland Wilderness, Scotland – The Wild Places, Living Tribes, World’s Wild Places, and High Light and runs photographic workshops in Scotland and around the world.

The Whisky Shop

Today, The Whisky Shop chain is the largest specialist retailer of whiskies in the UK with 17 outlets in Scotland and England and an active shop on line at www.whiskyshop.com .

The Whisky Shop offers customers a unique shopping experience where they can browse (and in some cases sample) a range of over 400 different whiskies, including many independent bottlings exclusive to the store. By far the largest category is single malt Scotch, for it is here that there is an enormous variety of tastes and makes. As well as Scotch, there are whiskies from Ireland, Canada, America, Japan and India and then there are cream liqueurs, Scotch liqueurs and a vast miniatures collection.

Davin de Kergommeaux of www.canadianwhisky.org has joined the Whisky Magazine team as Canadian Contributing Editor.

True Tales Events

Hello,

You may remember I recently wrote about True Tales in Toronto, an evening of storytelling and whisky, hosted by New York based professional storyteller, Peter Aguero and Jian Ghomeshi,  an award-winning broadcaster and musician.

Grant’s True Tales was born in Manchester, UK and events have taken place around the world but Canada was the first to…

http://blog.grantswhisky.com/2011/09/true-tales-events/

Kind regards,
Ludo

Highland Park 1978 / Vintage Collection

This 1978 single malt whisky is the latest release from the very

popular ‘Vintage Collection’ from Highland Park Distillery.

Presented in a beautiful wooden casing, the designs represent the skills of the

Viking craftsmen working with wood. The picture on the front of this 1978 bottling

features the beasts head, considered the masterpiece of a craftsman.

This, the sixth release in the range is bottled at 47.8% vol, higher than the other whiskies in this range. Other expressions include; Leif Eriksson and whiskies from 1998, 1994, 1973, and 1990.

“The Highland Park vintage collection is a celebration of the wanderlust of the Viking’s whose spirit lives on in the intrepid travellers today”

Available in very limited numbers.

£499.00

Click here to view all our new arrivals!

Sláinte!

Abbey Whisky

The RETURN of the Legendary Cask Ends Sale

The Legendary Cask Ends Sale is BACK, and what a sequel! High Tasting Panel scorers, Golden Oldies and Hard-to-find casks are part of the mystery action. But keep a tissue at the ready, our parcels will melt the heart and bring a tear to the eye with sheer joy!

Cask Ends Parcel A: Ex-bourbon casks
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-21YO, gauranteed one 13YO)
£99 inc. free p&p

Cask Ends Parcel B: Ex-sherry & bourbon mix
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-23YO, gauranteed one 23YO)
£105 inc. p&p

Cask Ends Parcel C: Ex-sherry casks
3 x Highland & Speyside (10-18YO, gauranteed one 26YO)
£115 inc free p&p

(New price reflects the sheer quality of the parcel bottlings)

ADDITIONAL Bottle Offer: Buy 41.51 for only £43.50 (save £21) *with ANY Cask Ends Parcel…

41.51 Hokey Pokey, Super-kid and Monkey Blood
Speyside Spey
WAS £64.50..NOW * £43.50 inc. free p&p
A densely fruity nose – Mr. Kipling’s Fruit Slice, mincemeat, Jordan’s muesli with dried raspberries, raspberry ripple vanilla ice – all drenched in Cherry Cola

Sale Ends: Fri 30 Sept (subject to availability). Limited number of MYSTERY Cask Ends Parcels available. An alternative bottle will be offered if 41.51 runs out.

Cask Ends Sale

Society Tastings & Events (57 Society tastings online)
All about smoke – Queen Street, Tue 20 Sept
Colin Dunn’s Society Choice – London, Thu 22 Sept
Steak & Chips Tasting – The Vaults, Sat 24 Sept
From Leith to Bavaria – The Vaults, from Mon 26 Sept
New Outturn for the Cheese Lover – Queen Street, Tue 27 Sept
New Outturn for the Meat Lover – Queen Street, Wed 28 Sept
All things Bavarian – The Vaults, Wed 28 Sept

October Outturn Preview Tastings: taste and explore October’s Outturn (FIVE drams!) with a spot of supper:
Guildford – Manor House Hotel, Thu 29 Sept
Dunfermline – Garvock House Hotel, Thu 29 Sept
Brighton – Hotel du Vin, Fri 30 Sept
Manchester – Malmaison, Fri 30 Sept

More Society tastings

EXPLORE our Sept Recommendations:
PAIR: Buy 23.69 & 7.67 for only £91.30 (save £10)
23.69 Dusty muesli and green bananas
7.67 Breakfast dram

TRIO: Buy 125.51*, 9.61 & 30.66 for £146.40 (save £15)
125.51 Perfumed sweetness and zesty fruits
9.61 A hot summer’s day among the gorse
30.66 Muscovado, Macadamia and Manuka

CASE: Take the Sept PAIR, TRIO and ADD *76.86 for £272.50 (save £30) 76.86 Winter Warmer

*alternative bottle
Browse all bottlings

Whisky Magazine’s
2012 Independent Bottler of the Year www.whiskymag.com/awards/ibc/2011/ 

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Oranges and Cinnamon, After Eights and Roaring Flames….

This year, the Society is capturing the Essence of Christmas with delicious private dining, all wrapped up with flaming sensory cocktails and Christmas whisky ‘affogatos’!

FESTIVE FROLIC FREEBIE!
Book your private Christmas celebration before 30 Sept and the booker goes free!

FESTIVE DINING
Indulge the senses with a flaming sensory cocktail on arrival, followed by a delicious three course festive meal, lovingly prepared by our Michelin applauded team. Wrap up your special occassion with a Society whisky ‘affogato’ before your celebrations continue on into the night.

Festive dining from £40 and suppers from £25 per person, available in all of our six unique and distinct function rooms in Scotland’s capital.

Contact the SMWS Events Team on 0131 555 2266 or email events@smws.com and quote ‘Essence11’

Visit www.smwsevents.co.uk for more one-of-a-kind whisky tasting, dining and meeting inspiration.

Terms: Festive Frolic Freebie offer applies to bookings of Christmas package for 10 or more people. Not applicable with any other offers.

NO BULL… We hope our previous email featuring a matador didn’t cause offence.

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 http://www.smws.co.uk/memberships for your chance to join and to take advantage of their great offers.

Glasgow has been the heart of Scotland’s whisky industry for decades, and while it retains much of its gritty character, there’s plenty to make whisky lovers feel welcome. This time around, we’ll look at some of Glasgow’s best places for whisky lovers to visit, including a special focus on McTear’s, one of the world’s top whisky auction houses. In the news, the Bourbon Hall of Fame welcomes the Class of 2011, new whiskies, and the latest on whisky exports.

Visit WhiskyCast at www.whiskycast.com

Hello everybody,

Boy does time fly. But what an amazing Maltstock weekend we all enjoyed! And even summer joined in. We’ve had so many unforgettable moments during the weekend. And we love to hear yours. So send us an e-mail or drop us a line at Facebook.

Thank you all for coming to Maltstock and making it a very fun, relaxing and unforgettable weekend. We really enjoyed seeing everybody having a great time.

Of course also a big thank you to all the whisky industry people who were at Maltstock. What did we have some unique masterclasses. Lost distilleries, upcoming releases, a behind the scenes look and of course a very unique Balvenie Tun 1401 breakdown. And then there was the unique morning walk, the fabulous BBQ and of course the camp fire. And so much more.

Also a huge thank you to all our sponsors! Thank you all for making Maltstock possible!

And last but certainly not least a big thank you to our crew. Without their hard work Maltstock would just not be possible.

Photo / movie competition
We love to see all your pictures and movies. And remember to send them to us before 9 October to be entered into the competition. Our crew will select a winner which we will announce in the end of October.

Maltstock 2012
Although we’re all still really enjoying (and recovering from) Maltstock 2011, we’re also already working on Maltstock 2012, which will be 7-9 September 2012. You can buy your tickets at the Maltstock website. As a matter of fact we already sold tickets. Hope to see you all again next year!

Thank you all!

Arthur, Bob, Eline, Rogier & Teun

Take a peek at Maltstock at www.maltstock.com