SOCIETY BOTTLE – LONGROW 12 Y/O MATURED IN FINO CASK

The new Society bottle has been on offer for a few weeks now to give all the members a chance to order it.   Again this bottle has been very popular, we are getting some very positive feedback from those members who have bought and sampled it.

We do have a few bottles left, so if anyone would like another bottle, please let me know.   These will be sold on a first come first served basis, so don’t hold back in case you miss out!!   As usual – e mail me at society@springbankwhisky.com or telephone on 01586 552009, or the shop at 01586 551710 option 1.

GLENGYLE OPEN DAY

If you were there we hope you had a good day!!!   We were very busy all day, from opening time until the last visitors were dragged away.   The Masterclasses with Stuart and Frank were very popular, as we expected they would be.   Stuart’s class incorporated a tour of Springbank Distillery with several stops along the way to sample the “goods” – quite a technical class I understand with facts and figures galore!   Frank’s class was more along the lines of a story – a very informative one, I’m sure – with again plenty of “samples” to add to the enjoyment of the whole experience.

We had music –  which we hope the visitors enjoyed – the staff didn’t get much of a chance to lounge about and listen – which shows how busy we were.   The farmers’ market were busy selling their produce (we did take time off for a quick burger) and another local – John Brown was also there selling some very interesting wood carvings.

Grant MacPherson from Cadenhead’s was promoting the new line from Duthie’s which again received a bit of attention from the visitors, although Grant was hijacked into pouring from the Kilkerran casks and selling from the shop.    A member of our bottling hall – Ian Rich – very kindly gave up his afternoon to come along and fill bottles for the hungry mob waiting for the Kilkerran – his knees will never be the same again!!

Frank was coerced into signing bottles after his masterclass – I think he enjoyed it really and would have been upset if you guys hadn’t asked him to do it.

All in all we thought the day was a great success and hope that everyone who managed to come along had a good time with us.   We are having a Springbank open day next year, on the Thursday before the Islay festival, and  perhaps we can persuade even more of you to come along and spend a day with us.

Slainte

Janet
for Springbank Society

Visit http://www.springbankwhisky.com/ to join the Springbank Society

The whiskey diaries
An Indian distiller changes with a country’s more sophisticated palates.
By Jason Overdorf – GlobalPost
Published: May 26, 2009 06:28 ET-A +ANEW DELHI — A funny thing happened while Scottish whiskey makers were fighting to pry open India’s tightly controlled, protectionist liquor market: A mass market Indian booze maker in Bangalore decided to develop its own premium, small-batch single malt — and launch it worldwide.

What’s more, the stuff is pretty darned good.

Indian owned and operated Amrut Distilleries has been distilling malt whiskey since the early 1980s, because India’s excise laws prevented it from sourcing it abroad, and the company needed malt to mix with molasses-based alcohol to produce what’s known in the trade as “Indian whiskey.”

As Indian consumers grew more sophisticated, though, the company started aging its malts longer and longer. And then one day, the patriarch of the family-owned business, chairman Neelakanta Rao Jagdale, pulled the trigger. “It was around ’98 or ’99, when we had enough [quantity] of matured malt whisky, that we thought, ‘Why can’t we look at the possibility of producing our own single malt?’” Jagdale said in a telephone interview with GlobalPost.

Drawing on the expertise of Scottish consultants and a large network of professional tasters, the company spent the next four years developing its first single malt, and another two years developing a marketing plan. The first bottles hit shelves in the United Kingdom in 2004 with little fanfare. But over time, the Indian distillery — which produces nearly a million cases of mid-range Indian whiskey for every case of single malt — has slowly been collecting accolades. So far, it has won silver and bronze medals at the International Wine and Spirits Competition, at the Wine & Spirits Magazine International Spirits Challenge, and last year its Blackadder single malt was awarded the top prize in the sub-50 euros categories by Malt Maniacs.

Frankly, nobody was more surprised than the Indians. “Being an Indian and having tasted only molasses-based Indian whiskies for decades, you normally scoff when somebody says that India has produced a decent dram,” said Krishna Nukala, a Hyderabad resident who has rated more than 1,000 single malts from Scotland, Japan and other countries as a member of Malt Maniacs. “[But] Amrut’s whiskey is as good as any SMSW (single malt Scotch whiskey) that is produced any where in the world.”

And like Japanese Scotch makers, Amrut is succeeding. “Currently we are selling in the UK, where we have our global office, as well as in France, Germany, Belgium, a little bit of Italy and Holland as well,” Jagdale said. “The only major market that we have yet to enter is the United States.”

And India.

It may sound weird, but Amrut’s single malts are only for export. That’s because India has to be the strangest liquor market in the world. Due in part to the famous “Patiala peg” (the frightening large serving favored in the Punjab), India is the globe’s biggest whiskey consumer — downing about 90 million cases a year. But that doesn’t mean it always goes down smooth. Thanks to Gandhi’s ideas on prohibition, booze is banned in Gujarat and attracts punitive taxes in other states. The sugar lobby has ensured that traditional tipples (a.k.a. “country liquor”) remain illegal. And though the premium market segment is growing fast, ludicrously high taxes on imported spirits still ensure that so-called Indian-Made Foreign Liquor — the locally produced, molasses-based, artificially flavored versions of vodka, gin and whiskey known in these parts as IMFL — remains the unrivaled king of the hill.
Now, that looks set to change. Scotch exports to India rose 19 percent to a value of £7 million in 2008, according to Scotch Whiskey Association estimates, even though genuine Scotch made up less than 1 percent of India’s spirits market and the association has approached the European Union about making an official complaint to the World Trade Organization over India’s prohibitive taxes. Single malts, too, are on the rise. Forecasting near 50 percent growth rates in single malt consumption, Bacardi launched Dewar’s White Lable, Dewar’s 12, Dewar’s Signature, Aberfeldy 12 and Aberfeldy 21 in India last year, and there’s plenty of competition.

“There’s a lot of room for growth, because the alcohol industry itself is changing from lower quality spirits and country liquor to higher quality alcohols,” said Jagdale, who also revealed that Amrut plans to start selling its own single malts in India by the beginning of next year.

That said, the jury is still out on whether Amrut will be able to call its single malts and other whiskeys “Scotch.” Last year, under pressure from the Scotch Whiskey Association, China agreed to prohibit any whiskey makers whose products are made outside of Scotland from calling their beverages Scotch, and a similar campaign is underway in India — which might be more amenable to the Scots’ argument if its own claims on Basmati rice had been successful.

But to Jagdale, a malt by any other name, if it’s a top-quality one that is, would smell as sweet.

http://www.globalpost.com/ 

http://www.amrutwhisky.co.uk/

From the Society;

Introduce a friend to the wonders of the Society and we’ll give you a £10 voucher to spend on drams, bottles, lunch, dinner or a Society whisky tasting that tickles your fancy.

Even if you don’t buy your friends and family membership you can still receive a £10 Society voucher for each new member who joins up and mentions your name.

So why not forward this email to everyone you know and invite them to become a Society member? Why not indeed, especially when you see what’s on offer…

Homecoming Scotland Membership Offer: FREE Society bottle
HURRY OFFER ENDS SOON
Until the end of May only, in celebration of Homecoming Scotland’s Whisky Month, we are delighted to offer a FREE bottle of our finest single cask, single malt whisky when buying Society membership online – any bottle up to the value of £50.

Simply use the promotional code BURNS followed by the bottle number you would like i.e. BURNS – 3.146.

Once you’ve received your FREE bottle remember to return the favour to the friend that recommended you by sharing (the adventure!).

HURRY OFFER ENDS: Sun 31 May
Only available online at www.smws.co.uk

From the WhiskyCast website;

It’s festival week on Islay, and thousands of people are on the island for this year’s Islay Festival of Malt & Music. The festival is more than just a celebration of the island’s 8 distilleries…it celebrates a unique cultural heritage as well and Feis Ile chairman Kevin Murphy will explain. In the news, U.S. Senators are eyeing whisky and other alcoholic beverages with an eye to raising taxes, there are new 40-year-old malts from Glengoyne and it’s sister label Chieftain’s, Suntory releases a new 12-year-old Hibiki in the U.K., and we’ll get an update on the revival of Glenglassaugh from Stuart Nickerson.

Visit http://www.whiskycast.com/ to listen to this episode.

Issue 146 “Outturn” the May 2009 Bottling List has now been published by the Society for their members. Visit www.smws.co.uk for information on the Society and how to join.

Posted By KATHLEEN HAY, KHAY@STANDARD-FREEHOLDER.COM

From the mineral waters of France, to the water of life in Scotland, Regis Lemaître has found himself a home among the finest of single-malts.

One of Europe’s premier Whisky Masters, the Vittel, France native arrived in England in 1989 with the intention to learn English, before life lead him north to Scotland.

“I had planned to go to Spain,” said Lemaître, guest speaker at the Companion of the Quaich -Cornwall Chapter meeting recently, “but then I was offered a job as bar manager at the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews.

“When they told me they had 122 single malts, I said, ‘Absolutely!'”

Since then he’s made it his business to learn and share his knowledge with others. In 1997, he won the first Hotel Whisky Bar of the Year award, and for three years he has managed Gleneagles Hotel (Scotland) bar where he was responsible for its extensive collection of nearly 200 Scotch whiskies.

So it’s no wonder in 2005 he established his own company, Regis Whisky-Mad, and is recognized as one of the most highly-respected individuals in his field.

As well as conducting master classes and leading taste testings, he is a juror for many panels and is an independent bottler.

In fact, two of his whiskies, Linkwood (1992) and a 22-year-old Tullibardine (tasted two days pre-bottling May 15), were among those sampled at the bimonthly local dinner.

“What’s most important is you must have fun with whisky,” said the personable Lemaître, an interesting blend of kilt-cladded Frenchman, who’s accent has notes of German, English and Scottish brogue. “You need someone to celebrate with when you open a bottle, it’s not something to be had alone when you’re feeling down.

“Secondly, people are interested in a basic understanding, without jargon, a clear message.”

Scotch whiskey, he continues, is a very personal and subjective experience. Learn to listen to your tastebuds. Taste it a couple of times – first with the tip of your tongue, then hold a few drops on your tongue, then decide how much water to add.

Yes, water. But not too much . . . a little drop will often do you.

“People are armed with the ability and understanding,” he said. “Listen to your tastebuds.”

Frank McDonald, chapter convener, was introduced to the club about five years ago by his late uncle, Ernie Bellefeuille. Currently, there are about 70 members and spouses who attend the bimonthly gatherings, held at the Best Western Parkway Inn.

“What I especially enjoy is the opportunity to get together with people who like single-malts, too,” he said. “You have the opportunity, too, to taste single-malts that are very limited.

“For instance, there are only going to be 93 bottles of Tullibardine when it’s bottled, and we’ve got five here in Cornwall.”

One thing that doesn’t surprise McDonald is the broad scope of people who enjoy the libation. They come from all walks of society, all professions and all ages, from 20-somethings to retired folks.

The club meets every two months, with the next get-together slated for July 24. In addition to special occasions like Robert Burns Day and St. Andrew’s Day, guest speakers, like Lemaître, are booked from time-to-time.

For more information on the club, call 613-936-1761.

Article ID# 1573783. Send us a letter at letterstotheeditor@standard-freeholder.com

Perfect place for a wee dram

By CATHY STAPELLS, SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

Val Schroder adds a pinch of this and that during the Master Blender Class at Glengoyne Distillery in Scotland. (Sun Media)
 
NEAR KILLEARN, Scotland — Hunched over the row of beakers, I felt like a mad scientist. I was in the midst of a master blender class at Glengoyne Distillery trying to determine which of the eight whiskies in front of me I would combine to blend my very own, perfect dram.

Over the course of an hour or so, and with the assistance of our whisky instructor, Lauren Wylie, our group swirled amber liquids, added a few drops of this, a bit more of that, laughed and wondered whether it was all going to be drinkable when we were finished.

The master blender class is one of several tours and tastings available at the award-winning Glengoyne Distillery, which has been producing single malt whisky since 1833. Located in a beautiful wooded valley near Killearn, it is about 24 km north of Glasgow.

If you are travelling in the area, don’t bypass Glasgow. Once easy to miss, in the last decade or so, it has come on strong as a capital of fashion, design, arts and music. Seasoned clubbers like to party there, and for shoppers, it’s retail therapy to the max.

Glengoyne is the southernmost distillery in the Scottish Highlands. The village of Balloch at the southern end of Loch Lomond is just 19 km away. Gorgeous Loch Lomond’s rugged peaks and hidden glens are steeped in mystery and romance. This is the land of the legendary Rob Roy MacGregor, immortalized by Sir Walter Scott, and visitors can visit his cave and the farm where he was born.

 In one of those quirky things that make Scotland such an engaging place to visit, the Highland line, which notionally divided Highland from Lowland Scotland, splits the distillery in two. Glengoyne is distilled in the Highlands and matured in the Lowlands. There’s no doubt this is an ideal spot for making whisky. Clear, soft water is filtered through the rocks of Dumgoyne Hill that towers behind the distillery and flows through the wooded glen to the waterfall at the distillery. It imparts a delicate flavour to the whisky that reflects the milder climate of the southern Highlands.

As we learned on the tour, Scotch whisky is made with just three ingredients: Water, barley and yeast. The distillation process for all whisky is basically the same, but the fascinating thing about Scotch is how different it tastes depending on how many years it is aged, the skill of the craftsmen, and especially, on the region where it is made.

Traditionally there are four main whisky regions in Scotland — the Lowlands, the Highlands, Campbelltown and Islay, along with a couple of areas such as Speyside (where more than half of Scotland’s distilleries are located) and the Islands (Mull, Skye, Orkney, Arran and Jura), which are subdivisions of the Highlands. The Lowlands in the south produce soft, light spirit with a refined, delicate flavour; and the mountainous Highlands to the north result in a variety of characteristics from dry and heathery to sweet and fruity, and some with a hint of smoke. Campbelltown single malts are full bodied and known for their slightly salty finish with a peat flavour similar to that found in an Islay malt. The Islands produce robust whiskies with a coastal salty tang and fresh sea air. And Speyside produces mellow, sweet, malty and particularly fruity malt whiskies.

BLENDING SESSION

Along with the distillery tour, we sampled Glengoyne’s 10-year-old offering, a light, golden-coloured whisky with a sweet, apple flavour that is a good introduction if you’re not too familiar with the liquor. For those with a more knowledgeable palate, there is an opportunity to sample from Glengoyne’s full range that includes 12, 17 and 21-year-old whiskies. Then it was on to the blending session.

You don’t have to be a whisky expert to enjoy the class. Nose (smell) each whisky, taking note of its characteristics and colour and then just mix as you please. The certificate of excellence we each received recorded the amounts of our special formula, and although I can’t divulge the recipe, mine was a blend of two grain whiskies, plus a bit of Glengoyne, and others from the Lowlands, the Highlands, Speyside and the Islands.

Each of us got to take home a wee bottle of our blend, and it was every bit as tasty as I hoped it would be.

DETAILS

The master blender session is L30 (about $53) per person and includes a welcome dram of 10-year-old single malt Highland whisky, guided distillery tour, a dram of Glengoyne’s award-winning 17-year-old single Highland malt whisky, and the master blender class complete with a 100 ml bottle of their own blend.

Other activities include: The Glengoyne Tour (about $10) per person, which includes a welcome dram of 10-year-old whisky, a video and guided tour; Wee Tasting Tour (about $13.50), includes the Glengoyne Tour, plus an additional tasting of 17-year-old whisky; Tasting Tour ($27), includes the Glengoyne Tour above, plus additional sampling of the 12-year old, the 17-year-old and 21-year-old whisky. See www.glengoyne.com for more.

As part of Homecoming Scotland 2009, May has been declared Whisky Month. More than 30 festivals, events, special distillery tours and tastings, are taking place across the country. These include whisky weekends, a whisky auction and Whisky Galore — A Musical. See www.homecomingscotland2009.com for details. For information on travelling in Scotland, see www.visitscotland.com and www.visitbritain.ca.

This story was posted on Wed, May 20, 2009

A new edoition of WhiskyCast, Episode 200 is now available online, please visit http://www.whiskycast.com/ to listen to this milestone episode.

It’s a milestone episode of WhiskyCast, and we’ll hear from veteran whisky writer and Malt Maniac Dave Broom of Whisky Magazine in this week’s episode. In the news, there’s a controversy developing over whisky tastings at The Gathering in Edinburgh in July…Regis LeMaitre has two new bottlings to go mad over, and Willie Tait tells us about the return of The Dalmore to the U.S.

The Malt Advocate Volume 18, Number 2 (Second Quarter 2009 Issue) is now available, visit www.maltadvocate.com for further details.

As far as whisky labels go, The Balvenie has been known to only a select group of connoisseurs in Malaysia. Recently, however, it was given its first official introduction to the public at a special tasting session in the city.
 
The Balvenie is a unique range of single malts produced in Speyside in the Scottish Highlands. This whisky has a rich history dating back centuries when William Grant founded the distillery in 1886. Since then, the distillery (bottom) has remained in family hands, and today, is owned by William Grant & Sons Ltd.

What sets The Balvenie apart from other whiskies is the fact that it still retains and nurtures a high level of craftsmanship from start to finish.

The distillery grows its own barley, nourished by the fertile ground and rich water source. It is also one of the last few distilleries in the Scottish Highlands to still use the traditional floor malting technique (middle) to create the sugar essential to producing alcohol.

The Balvenie also employs its own coppersmith, who is the distillery’s longest serving employee, with 60 years of service. It is his job to maintain the copper stills where The Balvenie is distilled.

The distillery has its own coopers as well, whose job is to build and maintain the casks where the whisky is matured.

The Balvenie is one of the few companies to still have such employees stationed permanently on site to continue their work and preserve their craft.

 
Its range of single malts is crafted by respected malt master David Stewart, the longest-serving malt master in the industry.

Introducing those malts to Malaysians was The Balvenie ambassador David Mair, who travels the world to explain the heritage and flavour of the label.

Mair led the tasting of the four different whiskies brought over (top): The Balvenie DoubleWood Single Malt Scotch Whisky (12 Years), The Balvenie Single Barrel Single Malt Scotch Whisky (15 Years), The Balvenie PortWood Single Malt Scotch Whisky (21 Years), and a special vintage cask, The Balvenie Thirty Single Malt Scotch Whisky (30 Years).

The 12 Years single malt is matured in two different casks, a traditional oak whisky cask and an European oak sherry cask. This results in a fruity nose with sherry notes, layered with honey and vanilla. The taste ends up a combination of flavours, nutty sweetness, cinnamon spiciness and a dash of sherry, with a long, warming finish.

The 15 Years single malt is specially selected by the malt master, from casks which he believes has the essential characters like honey, vanilla and oaky notes. The single malt comes in hand-numbered bottles, each unique and unrepeatable.

The taste is a honeyed maltiness with vanilla oak flavours and spiciness. The long finish also has a touch of liquorice.

 
The 21 Years single malt is described as a marriage of rare Balvenie which is transferred to port casks, or pipes, which have held fine port wines.

This gives it a very fruity nose, backed by a dry nuttiness, and a creamy, silky taste with fruit, honey and spice notes with a long, gentle nutty finish.

The rare 30 Years single malt is another specially selected brew, picked from exceptional casks which were laid out 30 years previously.

The whiskies produced are rich and mellow with unusual depth and complexity. The nose is silky smooth and honeyed, with mellow oaky tones and hints of candied orange peel.

The taste is tinged with flavours of rich, dark chocolate, plum, marzipan and caramelised pear. It has an exceptional smooth and warming finish, with gentle spice and a lingering sweetness.

The Balvenie has won over a hundred whisky awards in the last 10 years alone, with the world’s most acclaimed experts and discerning connoisseurs all recognising the dedication and rich heritage that go into creating every bottle.

Coming with such credentials, it looks as though The Balvenie might soon win over the hearts and palates of whisky lovers here as well.

https://www.whiskyintelligence.com/wp-admin/article.cfm?id=33405