THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS GIFTING 

Are you searching for the ultimate Christmas gift this year? Well, your search ends here! Our very own Santa’s little helper, Mads Schmoll, has the ideal presents in store. Discover a selection of hand-picked introductory sets and educational resources that will not only kindle their passion but also serve as a guide through the enchanting world of whisky.

GIFT GUIDE

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

WHISKY OF THE YEAR
SIX YEARS OF WINNERS

This week a group of industry experts and whisky enthusiasts attended our Whisky of the Year blind tasting at our Great Portland Street shop to vote for the next standout dram to take the crown for 2024.

The votes are in and we have whittled down our shortlist of six whiskies to one winner. Keep your eyes peeled to find out our Spirits of the Year 2024 in the next few weeks and in the meantime, here’s a look back on the excellent whiskies that have been awarded Whisky of the Year over the years, along with special discounts until the end of the month.

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Tormore 40 Year Old – 1983 | Cask 8025101 | Private Collection

£1,480.00

Distilled in 1983 this luxurious 40 year old Speyside single malt Scotch whisky was matured at the hidden gem distillery that is Tormore!

Distilled 15th June 1983, this incredible malt spent it’s entire life slowly maturing in a refill sherry puncheon. Bottled 15th August 2023 from cask #8025101 at natural cask strength and colour.

Released by Gordon & MacPhail as part of the prestigious Private Collection range.

Last remaining bottle…

Free UK Shipping on orders over £95

Fast EU & Worldwide, Tax Free Shopping

Slàinte

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Our 2023 Whisky Magazine Christmas special.

Perfect for anyone on your Christmas list!

This Christmas, give the gift that any whisky enthusiast would love – Whisky Magazine! Whether you want to treat yourself or surprise someone special, we have an exclusive offer just for you.

For a limited time only, enjoy 3 ISSUES of Whisky Magazine for just $5! That’s right, three jam-packed issues filled with the latest news, expert reviews, and captivating stories from the world of whisky. But that’s not all -as an added bonus, you’ll also receive a Whisky Tasting Journal and Tasting Poster absolutely FREE.

But wait, there’s more! As we approach a significant milestone, we want you to be a part of the celebrations. We have exciting plans for 2024, including big competitions and amazing giveaways. By subscribing to Whisky Magazine today, you’ll be joining us in the festivities and not miss out on any of the incredible experiences we have in store.

Don’t miss out on this incredible offer – it’s the perfect opportunity to share the joy of whisky this Christmas.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

Great Reasons to Subscribe

• Enjoy 3 Print issues

• Receive FREE Whisky Tasting Journal & Tasting Poster

• Full access to every digital edition of your subscription via your desktop, iOS or Android device

• Receive FREE magazine delivery direct to your door

• Automatic Entry into 25th Anniversary Competitions

The Legend Continues: Mark Littler Ltd Releases Second Instalment In Their Johnnie Walker Video Series 

In the new video, Mark Littler takes a deep dive into Johnnie Walker’s core range. 

Johnnie Walker is the biggest blended Scotch whisky brand in the world, and in 2022 the brand saw a 34% increase in net sales, as well as a 63% growth in Johnnie Walker Blue Label. To understand the impact that the brand has had on the development of both blend and single malt markets, Mark Littler is releasing a three-part series on his YouTube channel, delving into the history, the core range, and tasting reviews of the famous Johnnie Walker brand. The videos feature fun-facts, detailed histories, and reviews from some special collaborators.

Part one, How Johnnie Walker Conquered the Whisky World (JW Series Part 1) is all about the history of the brand and the people that built it, including the eponymous John Walker. Walker and the Johnnie Walker brand came from humble beginnings and became one of the drinks giants of the world. Find out how by watching part one of Mark’s series on Johnnie Walker.

Part two, The Complete Guide to Johnnie Walker: Unveiling the History of Each Bottle (JW Series Part 2) is now available to watch on Mark’s YouTube channel. The second instalment in the series looks in detail at each bottle in the Johnnie Walker core range, its history and its packaging, with interesting insights about the blended whisky market and Johnnie Walker’s marketing strategies.

Part three will be released on a date as yet unconfirmed. But, keep your eyes on Mark’s YouTube channel and don’t miss the conclusion to this fascinating series featuring tasting reviews from some of your favourite whisky YouTubers.

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit www.marklittler.com

If you are interested in the Distillery Maps or would like to chat to one of the team about our other services, please get in touch.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

A Rare Opportunity: Loch Dhu & 1920s Macallan Samples Available Now 

Mark Littler Ltd is selling 10ml drams of Macallan-Glenlivet 22 Year Old Whisky Liqueur distilled in the 1920s, as well as drams of the infamous Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky. 

The opportunity to try rare and expensive whiskies is increasingly scarce, thanks to the rising prices and increasing rarity of prized whiskies. However, much to the excitement of whisky lovers, Mark Littler Limited has bottled 10ml drams of two rare whiskies for you to taste in what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Macallan-Glenlivet 22 Year Old Whisky Liqueur 10ml Dram – £100 

This Macallan-Glenlivet 22 Year Old Whisky Liqueur was distilled in the 1920s and bottled in the 1940s by Row & Company Distillers Ltd for export to the USA. The importation into the USA followed the Prohibition, the Wall Street Crash, the Great Depression, and World War II.

The whisky-making process at Macallan, as well as the barley varieties used, would have been very different in the 1920s. This is one of the oldest bottles of Macallan on the market, and so is one of the only chances to sample authentic 1920s Macallan, distilled in the same era as the iconic Macallan 1926 60 Year Old.

The Macallan-Glenlivet 22 Year Old Whisky Liqueur was tasted and reviewed by Angus MacRaild at WhiskyFun, who awarded the whisky an astonishing 93 points. The tasting notes, also drawn up by Angus, feature notes of bitter marmalade, crystalised ginger, and fir on the nose. On the palette, drying peat smoke, cocktail bitters, and eucalyptus. The finish is long with notes of crystalised honey, saltiness, and old-school sherry.

Each dram comes with a tasting note card showcasing Angus’s tasting notes so that you can drink along with one of the experts. Can you pick out the flavours in this dram?

Only 30 of these drams are available. Don’t miss out! 

Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky 10ml Dram – £15  

The Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky is one of the most polarising and controversial whiskies on the market. The whisky was created in the late 1990s and was something of a marketing gimmick on the part of Mannochmore.

The deep black colour is produced by a very high amount of spirit caramel, which itself is a very controversial topic in the whisky industry. Spirit caramel, or E150a, is the only additive legally allowed in Scotch whisky. It is most often used to create colour consistency and brand familiarity both in blends and in single malts and, in small quantities, it does not affect the taste or mouthfeel of a whisky (or does it?).

Whilst some hail the Loch Dhu as a sweet and smooth whisky, some describe it as a car crash with an overwhelming taste of burnt caramel. Serge Valentin of WhiskyFun gave the whisky 49 points, describing the palate as “catastrophic”.

The question is: just how bad is it? Is the Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky the worst whisky in the world? Or do you find it palatable? There is only one way to find out.

Each Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky dram comes with a postcard showing Serge Valentin’s tasting notes so that you can drink along. They also come with complimentary Tic Tacs just in case you think Serge is right!

The Loch Dhu 10 Year Old The Black Whisky 10ml Dram is available now on the Mark Littler Shop. Perfect for satisfying your own curiosity or perhaps a great secret Santa gift for that one relative or colleague…

About Mark Littler Limited

Mark Littler is an independent whisky broker, market analyst and consultant with over a decade of experience in the industry. Each week he publishes new videos on his YouTube channel about topics such as cask investment fraud (and how to avoid it), the history of distilleries and bottles, debunking whisky investment myths and much more. For more information visit marklitter.com.

Email: whisky@marklittler.com

Telephone: 01260 218 718

Lindores Abbey Distillery | The Oct Newsletter

On the 5^th October we were delighted to celebrate the Distillery’s 6^th anniversary. With the help of renowned Tartan Noir author Ian Rankin and whisky legend Richard Paterson, the doors to the Distillery and Visitor Centre opened six years ago and the legacy of whisky making was reinstated to Lindores. Of course, in a way, we are celebrating our 529^th anniversary, and it has been a pleasure over the past years to share the incredible story of Lindores with visitors from across the globe.

It has been an amazing and eventful six years – even with the slight hiccup of a global pandemic, we have managed to achieve an awful lot. Our visitor centre team have won and maintained a five-star reputation, whilst our production team have been raking in the awards for our spirits: gold at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition and gold at the International Wine and Spirits Competition to name a few!

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the tireless work of our fantastic Lindores team and our loyal members and customers. We can’t wait to see where the next six years will take us!

Slàinte

Drew & Helen McKenzie Smith
Custodians of Lindores Abbey

Opening Day!

DISTILLERY NEWS

We are thrilled to have returned to mashing following silent season. Our break has allowed us to carry out some essential maintenance, and now we are back up and running with all guns (or mash tuns) blazing! Production has been running smoothly with October being an easier month to make spirit thanks to temperature and humidity sitting just right. The staff from the distillery and visitor centre alike are happy to be back working again amongst the delicious aromas of distillation.

We received a delivery of 60 casks from Casknolia in Spain. With three varieties of Sherry Butts on board, the team swiftly unloaded a mixture of Oloroso, Pedro Ximinez and Paulo Cortado casks. We can’t wait to see what complex flavours they impart on to our spirit – the hard part about whisky making is always the waiting!

The bottling hall has been busy bottling and labelling a variety of single casks for both export and home markets as well as producing our core products, the cask owners release and 1494 member’s release.

Slàinte

Gary Haggart
Distillery Manager at Lindores Abbey

 SQUAREMILE INTERVIEW

Have you ever wondered how we have managed to blend our desire for innovation with our respect for the 800+ years of Lindores history? Well, for those who missed it – our founder, Drew Mckenzie Smith, answers just that in a fascinating interview in Square Mile magazine.

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ONE OF ONE AUCTION

On the 5^th October, Sotheby’s hosted the second edition of their Distillers One Of One auction at Hopeton House. We were delighted to donate a very special Thiron virgin oak cask to the auction to be included amongst some other incredible and unique lots.

The sale of the cask contributed towards the £2.25 million raised for the Youth Action Fund which helps to improve the lives of disadvantaged youth across Scotland. We hope that the successful bidder will join us in raising a dram for such a brilliant cause!

WHISKY LIVE WARSAW

Production Operative, Scott, was excited to attend his first international whisky show. He, and his girlfriend Lily (who handily speaks Polish!), jetted over to Poland for Whisky Live Warsaw as our Lindores representatives. They had a fantastic time and Scott reported that the show was great fun. He was pleased to meet so many Lindores fans (and to convert some new ones!) and he said that several visitors to the stand were “blown away” that our whisky was so young given its depth of flavour and complexity.

Judging by how much he enjoyed it, we’re sure he will be first to volunteer for the next show, so maybe some of you will meet him repping for Lindores at a stand in the future!

LINDORES INTERNATIONAL

On the export side of things, we have had a great beginning in Sweden, officially launching there on the 16th October. It was fantastic to receive a call just two days later that all of their Lindores had sold out. The second order is leaving imminently, and we have a feeling that we have a bright future with Sweden!

 DISTILLERY EXCLUSIVE

Our newest release hit the distillery shelves earlier this month and the reception has been excellent.

Available exclusively to buy at the distillery, our Old Forester Bourbon ASB has a delicious aroma and palette. On the nose you can expect, smooth buttercream and caramel, whilst the taste will give you mellow vanilla, apple and banana.

As a cask strength bottling, this dram packs a punch at 60.8% ABV, but the delicious complexity of our spirit really comes through in this dram, with a sweet compliment lent from the impressive Old Forester casks.

The chance to get your hands on a bottle definitely makes a visit to the distillery more tempting than ever!

WATCH: Whisky Magazine goes on tour in Kentucky

The teams from Whisky Magazine and American Whiskey have been on tour in Kentucky! A jam-packed itinerary of distillery tours, tastings, interviews, and more culminated in a visit to the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown — and we caught the whole trip on camera.

We’ll be releasing a video per week for the next 10 weeks and we don’t want you to miss a moment. Hit subscribe, enable notifications, and follow us on our journey as we receive some real Kentucky hospitality!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel now!