Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Receives Master Medal, Prestigious Taste Master Medal at American Whiskey Masters 2020

13 Buffalo Trace Distillery Whiskies Earn Top Honors 

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Aug. 18, 2020) For the second year in a row, Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch received a Master Medal in the Ultra Premium category at the American Whiskey Masters. This year, the whiskey was also presented the Taste Master Medal. The Taste Master Medal is awarded at the conclusion of the competition to the overall taste winner, and is determined by re-tasting all of the entries that earned Master Medals.

Five of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s whiskies were awarded Master Medals this year, and eight received Gold Medals.

Master Medals were awarded to:

• Eagle Rare 10 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Whiskey
• Stagg Jr. Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Weller CYPB Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Gold Medals were awarded to:

• Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Weller Special Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Weller Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Old Weller Antique 107 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Old Charter Oak French Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The American Whiskey Masters is chaired by The Spirits Business and a panel of leading spirits specialists. Spirits are judged in a blind taste test and awarded by category.

For more information about Buffalo Trace Distillery whiskies, visit https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/buffalo-trace.html.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 35 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year by “Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2018” and its William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac were named 2^nd and 3^rd finest whiskeys in the world, respectively, in the “Jim Murray Whiskey Bible 2020.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.

Whyte & Mackay in the celebratory spirit with prestigious industry award

Whyte & Mackay is raising a toast to light spirit drink Whyte & Mackay Light after being awarded Gold at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Whyte & Mackay Light scooped up the Gold award in the Light Spirit Drink category, scoring a total of 95 points in recognition of its clean, vibrant taste of which presents fresh citrus and light floral notes, balanced by soft wood and warming spice.

Whyte & Mackay Light, launched in 2019, is a premium spirit drink aimed to meet increasing consumer demand for spirits which are lighter in alcohol content. Blended with Scotch whisky and sherry, the spirit drink is crafted by expert distillers at Whyte & Mackay and enriched by sweet sherry casks and freshly emptied Bourbon barrels. Whyte & Mackay Light offered at 21.5% ABV and can be enjoyed either neat, over ice or mixed in a long drink.

Richard Paterson, Master Blender at Whyte & Mackay, said: “People are the heart of our business. Throughout our history we have always sought to listen to the consumer – we believe that is so important. We saw that there was a consumer demand for a lower-strength spirit, which led to our new Whyte & Mackay Light – a new lighter spirit drink, from Scotland. It was a project for myself personally that I am very proud of. It was a great test to the art of blending, and is a testament to the incredible skill and passion of our team that knew how to create a quality spirit, with incredible taste, but at a lower strength. To win a prestigious award from the IWSC is a great honour indeed, especially for our latest innovation”

The IWSC aims to reward excellence in drinks worldwide, and to set the international benchmark for quality. The winners, announced on 7th August, were chosen after a rigorous judging process. Judges ‘double-blind’ taste test the spirits – each in pre-poured and numbered glasses to ensure they never see a bottle.

Trophy winners from the spirits competition will be announced alongside the Scotch Whisky trophy winners in September.

About Whyte & Mackay Light

Tasting Notes: Smooth with a subtle hint of smoke.

ABV: 21.5% ABV

For more information, visit www.whyteandmackay.com 

About Whyte & Mackay Group Ltd.

Whyte & Mackay was founded in Glasgow in 1844, and today celebrates its 175^th anniversary with a multi-award-winning portfolio of brands which includes The Dalmore, Jura, Tamnavulin and Fettercairn whiskies alongside its namesake Whyte & Mackay Blended Whisky.

The award-winning whisky makers are proud partners of Flor de Caña, Camus and RumChata distributing their distinctive brands in the UK, while in recent years their focus on pioneering innovation has seen them reveal a plethora of brand extensions and new to world brands. From an exclusive 50 Year-Old Highland Single Malt from The Dalmore celebrating the career of Master Distiller Richard Paterson to a full range revamp on Jura. In the last twelve months, more than five new brands have been revealed, to name a few – Shackleton, Woodsman, and Wildcat, as well an independent boutique bottling arm The Whisky Works, fronted by whisky maker, Gregg Glass.

The global spirits business is headquartered in the heart of Glasgow, and employs over 500 people around the globe, across five international offices, five distilleries and a state-of-the-art bottling plant in Scotland.

Today, with the support of its owners Emperador Inc,. Whyte & Mackay is building a progressive, passionate and ambitious company for the future. Emperador is a subsidiary of Alliance Global Group, Inc (an international conglomerate listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange).

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana Raffling a Rare Flight of Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon

Last year’s raffle helped provide nearly 1,400 nights of lodging for families

Louisville, KY – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana (RMHCK), which is raffling five Pappy bottles packaged as a rare flight, is expecting the 1,500 tickets to fly off the shelves during its second annual bourbon raffle. Click here to get your tickets!

Each ticket will be sold for $100 each and 100 percent of the proceeds benefit families who stay at the House when they travel to Louisville for medical care for their children.

“You can nab five coveted bottles offered as a group and help sick children,” said bourbon expert and author Fred Minnick, who serves as an advisor to the organization for the charitable cause. Minnick appraises this raffle item at $16,000.

The flight includes one bottle each of:

-Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year (2018)

-Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year (2019)

-Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year (2019)

-Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year (2019)

-Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year (2019)

“When people want to build their bourbon collection, they’re almost always hunting for a Van Winkle. These rare bourbons continue to be the most in-demand whiskeys in the world,” said Minnick. “And, it’s rare you can actually pay suggested retail price for one, because retailers frequently tack on ridiculous markups and the secondary market pricing reveals the true demand of Pappy,” he explained.

“This raffle is going to make somebody very happy. It will make their home bar look like a billionaire’s.”

The flight will be raffled Oct. 15. Winner does not have to be present. More details can be found at pappyraffle.org.

Founded in 1984, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana (RMHCK) is a Louisville, KY nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation that provides the home and support that allows families to stay together while they focus on the healing of their sick children at a critical time. In partnership with area medical facilities, RMHCK also operates Ronald McDonald Family Rooms at Norton Children’s Hospital, Frazier Rehab Institute and Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital where local families can seek respite. All programs and services are free of charge to families.

In 2019, RMHCK served 1,259 families for a total of 9,514 nights lodging. For more information, visit rmhck.org or connect with us at @RMHCKentuckiana on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

#ardbeg #untamed #islay #ardbegdistillery

ARDBEG ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF A

NEW DISTILLERY MANAGER

<Ardbeg bids ‘farewell’ to Mickey Heads and extends ‘greetings’ to Colin Gordon>

In October of this year, Mickey Heads, Ardbeg’s Distillery Manager will retire after 13 years at the helm – leaving big boots (as well as casks) to fill at the Islay distillery.

Now Ardbeg is happy to announce the appointment of Mickey’s successor – Colin Gordon – who is joining as Distillery Production Manager. Colin will report into Pete Nelson, Operations Director.

Colin brings a wealth of whisky industry experience from his eight years at Diageo. His substantial knowledge of distillery production has been gained through a number of roles at the company. These include a stint as Site Operations Manager at the Port Ellen Maltings, which provides barley to eight of the 10 Islay distilleries. More recently, Colin was based at the Lagavulin Distillery on Islay as the Distillery Manager.

Colin is joining on 1 October 2020. Meanwhile, although Mickey Heads is leaving his post as Distillery Manager, he has agreed to continue in his role as Chair of the Ardbeg Committee, the worldwide army of Ardbeg fans.

Pete Nelson, Operations Director, said: “We’re delighted Colin is joining to lead the team at the Ardbeg Distillery. His knowledge will help take Ardbeg forward and shape the future of the Distillery. We have lots of exciting new expressions in the pipeline and Colin will play a major role in crafting those.”

Mickey Heads said: “I’ve known Colin for a long time and I can’t think of a more worthy successor. He’s joining a brilliant team whom I know will welcome him warmly and make him feel at home. As I continue as Chair of the Committee – and indeed, as just one of a legion of Ardbeg fans – I look forward to enjoying the fruits of his labours for years to come.”

Colin Gordon said: “Ardbeg is an iconic name in whisky with an immense reputation. I’m absolutely delighted to be joining an experienced team producing such an exceptional dram.

“Ardbeg has built a reputation for producing amazing whiskies with Mickey Heads at the helm. He is a huge name in the industry and will be a very hard act to follow. It’s a privilege to be chosen to take over the reins from him. Islay has been our home for five years and to be given the honour of overseeing the running of Ardbeg is very special indeed. I will do my very best to protect and enhance the reputation of the distillery and ensure it keeps producing the world class spirit of Ardbeg.”

www.ardbeg.com

Follow us on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ardbeg

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ardbeg_com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ardbeg/

NOTES: 

Ardbeg:

Ardbeg prides itself on being The Ultimate Islay Malt Whisky.  Established in 1815, Ardbeg is revered by connoisseurs around the world as the peatiest, smokiest and most complex of all the Islay malts.  Despite its smokiness, Ardbeg is renowned for its delicious sweetness, a phenomenon that has affectionately become known as ‘the peaty paradox’.  During the 1980s and 1990s, Ardbeg suffered from an uncertain future and it was not until the brand was purchased by The Glenmorangie Company in 1997 that the Distillery was saved from extinction.  Since then, the Distillery has risen like a phoenix and today Ardbeg is well established as a niche, cult malt, with a passionate following.

Ardbeg Committee:

The legacy of the whisky was safeguarded in 2000 by the formation of the Ardbeg Committee.  The Committee is made up of thousands of Ardbeg followers worldwide who are keen to ensure that “the doors of Ardbeg never close again”.  Today there are more than 100,000 members of the Ardbeg Committee in over 130 countries.  Committee members are regularly consulted on new bottlings and expressions and are offered exclusive Committee bottlings.  Members also receive invitations to special gatherings, tastings and events.  The Committee, chaired by Mickey Heads, is free to join at ardbeg.com.

Awards:

Ardbeg is the world’s most highly awarded smoky single malt whisky.  Since 2008, Ardbeg has won more than 50 gold and double gold medals in key whisky competitions.  Ardbeg was voted ‘Scotch Whisky of the Year’ twice by Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible (2008, 2009) and has twice been awarded ‘World’s Best Single Malt’ at the World Whiskies Awards (2010, 2013).  At the 2014 Global Icons of Whisky Awards, Mickey Heads was voted ‘Distillery Manager of the Year’.  The following year, Ardbeg’s expressions took the top three spots in Whisky Advocate magazine’s review of the best single malt Scotch whiskies under US$100.  Meanwhile, both Ardbeg Corryvreckan and Ardbeg Uigeadail have been awarded gold medals at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In 2019, Dr Bill Lumsden was awarded Master Distiller of the Year for the third time in four years. Ardbeg 10 Years Old also won the Best Single Malt Scotch 10 Year Old at the International Whisky Competition 2019, while the Ardbeg Distillery won the Distillery of the Year 2019. In 2020, the International Whisky Competition awarded Ardbeg Corryvreckan first place for Best Single Malt Scotch, Best Single Malt Scotch (No Age Statement), Best cask Strength (Over 57% ABV), Best Peated Scotch and Best Islay Single Malt. Ardbeg Wee Beastie also earned first place for Best Single Malt Scotch Under 10 Year Old and The Ardbeg Distillery achieved another Distillery of the Year award.

The Glenmorangie Company:

The Company is one of the most renowned and innovative distillers and marketers of Scotch whisky brands worldwide and is part of Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.  Headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Company produces Glenmorangie Single Highland Malt whisky and Ardbeg Single Islay Malt.

Responsible Drinking:

Ardbeg and The Glenmorangie Company advocate responsible drinking and suggest that drinkers savour Ardbeg whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption.

Garrison Brothers Distillery Expands West Coast Distribution Partnership with

Republic National Distributing Company/Young’s Market Company to include California and Washington

Austin, TX (August 12, 2020) – Garrison Brothers Distillery is excited to announce an expansion of distribution partnership with Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) together with Young’s Market Company (Young’s) to include Washington, effective immediately, and California starting September 1, 2020. Since 2015, RNDC/Young’s, has distributed Garrison Brothers throughout Arizona. While Garrison Brothers has been available in parts of California since 2015, this update in partnership will make the award-winning ultra-premium small batch bourbon more readily available across the entire state of California and Washington.

“We are excited to embark on this new chapter of Garrison Brothers’ California and Washington story with RNDC/Young’s. This expanded partnership will give West Coasters the opportunity to experience and enjoy the full line of our handcrafted bourbons, whether it be from the comfort of their own home or at their favorite bars and restaurants,” shares Cole Kephart, Garrison Brothers Western Sales Director.

Established in 2006, Garrison Brothers is the first and oldest legal whiskey distillery in Texas. Located on a beautiful ranch in the Hill Country, Garrison Brothers authentically produces straight bourbon whiskey one barrel at a time. Their expressions, which include Small Batch, Single Barrel, Balmorhea, Cowboy, HoneyDew, and Laguna Madre, have earned a devoted following across the country, with limited-releases regularly selling out. This month, Garrison Brothers released its HoneyDew 2020, a honey-infused expression. In addition to being served in the best bars and restaurants across 30 states in America, Garrison Brothers is available in liquor stores, markets, shops across the West coast as well as online at shop.garrisonbros.com. Bottle prices typically range from $89.99 to $299.99. 

ABOUT GARRISON BROTHERS DISTILLERY

Garrison Brothers Distillery is a small farm and ranch located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country that authentically produces straight bourbon whiskey. Garrison Brothers introduced the first bourbon whiskey legally made in Texas in 2010 and has since developed a rabid fan base. They currently have a waitlist of more than 15,000 just to volunteer on bottling days, and their Cowboy Bourbon™ normally sells out within hours of its release. Garrison Brothers is the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas history and is one of the first distilleries in America outside of Kentucky to produce authentic, handmade bourbon whiskey—and only bourbon whiskey. The business was founded in 2006.

Every expression of Garrison Brothers bourbon is made from a sweet mash bill and barrel-aged in the intense Texas climate. The extreme heat creates multiple aging seasons in a year, resulting in a darker, richer, and fuller bourbon; bolder than almost any other bourbon on the market.

At the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020, the Garrison Brothers team was awarded a double gold medal for its Balmorhea Twice-Barreled Bourbon, a silver medal for its Single Barrel Bourbon, and a bronze medal for its Small Batch Bourbon. Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible named Garrison Brothers Cowboy Bourbon “American Micro Whiskey of the Year” in 2014 and again in 2017. Whisky Bible awarded the same distinction to Balmorhea Twice-Barreled Bourbon for 2019 and 2020. Garrison Brothers was voted Best Craft Whiskey Distillery in America by readers of USA Today in 2017.

Garrison Brothers is a proud and active member of the communities of Blanco, Fredericksburg, Hye, Johnson City, and Stonewall. The distillery and its barrel barns are open to the public for tours in Hye, Texas. Anyone interested in learning more about Garrison Brothers Bourbon or in taking a tour of the distillery should visit garrisonbros.com or follow @garrisonbros on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Republic National Distributing Company  

RNDC, a world-class distributor of fine wines and spirits in North America, has operations in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Young’s Market Company, a partner of RNDC, distributes wines, spirits, and select beverages in the western United States including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Visit www.rndc-usa.com, www.youngsmarket.com, or contact Reace Smith, Vice President, Corporate Communications at reace.smith@rndc-usa.com.

Howard Cai Select releases Grand Islay Peat & Sherry Single Cask range from Bowmore

Distilled in 1998 at Islay’s famous Bowmore Distillery and aged in Sherry Casks for 21 years within the walls of the legendary No. 1 Vaults, these whiskies are exclusively available at Howard Cai Select.

While each of the eight single casks has unique characteristics, they all share a robust peat profile, with complicated Sherry notes, rounded by the Hebridean sea air.

The whisky was then non-chill filtered and bottled keeping the spirits natural rich, deep colour. With a wonderfully long and delightful finish, this range of single casks results in a truly magical experience.

Plus, to celebrate the Year of the Rat, four of the casks were treated with traditional Chinese zodiac imagery.

About Howard Cai 

Established in 2009, Howard Cai Select is China’s first independent Single Malt Whisky bottler. A life member of The Keepers of the Quaich and renowned whisky expert, Howard has made it his mission to broaden people’s appreciation for fine Scotch Whisky in China. Howard successfully pairs these whiskies with Nouveau-Chinese cuisine in his exclusive fine-dining establishments. Each hand-picked cask is aged and bottled in Scotland at its original strength. Then detailed information of when the whisky was distilled and bottled is provided, guaranteeing provenance. Also, the packaging design includes Chinese-cultural elements to help celebrate this combination of East and West. Each batch is a truly unique experience.

For more information about Howard Cai Select Single Cask and the investment opportunity please contact: HowardCaiSelect@gmail.com

The Epicurean Launches Its 3^rd “Wood Series” Single Cask Bottling

Douglas Laing & Co has today released a Rivesaltes Wine Finished Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky as part of The Epicurean Wood Series.

The Epicurean’s latest specialist Single Cask release is bottled at a high alcohol strength of 48%, and offered without chill-filtration. The 100% natural bright gold colour of the spirit is imparted by the Rivesaltes-seasoned Single Cask used for maturing the award-winning Lowland Malt. With this innovative series, The Epicurean seeks to demonstrate that flavour is created throughout the Whisky-making process but most significantly during the interaction between the spirit when it is in oak casks.

The Epicurean Malt was first matured in premium American Oak wood barrels before being re-racked into hand-selected Rivesaltes Single Casks for a second maturation period of more than twelve months. The result is a full-bodied Malt with layers of complexity and character.

The Rivesaltes Wine casks hail from the town Rivesaltes in the south-west corner of the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region of France.

Chris Leggat, Managing Director, who selected the Rivesaltes casks used said: “The Epicurean brand is growing well – its spirit quality coupled with its versatile style is increasingly recognised but from time to time, we like to experiment and innovate with this Malt as it lends itself so well to cask finishes. The cask and the Whisky add their own unique personalities and with this Rivesaltes finish, the outcome is a balanced marriage of cask and spirit character – we are delighted with the result.”

With only two Single Casks of this specialist Malt released, the spirit is said to have a sweet, honeyed style showing sugared cereal, milk chocolate, hazelnuts and crystallised citrus fruits.

Packed in a premium gift tube, The Epicurean Rivesaltes Finish Limited Edition is expected to retail at £59.99 

ABOUT DOUGLAS LAING:

www.douglaslaing.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/douglaslaingwhisky

Instagram: @remarkable_malts

Douglas Laing & Co. is a leading independent Scotch Whisky blender and bottler specialising in the selection and release of Single Cask Single and Small Batch Malt Scotch Whiskies.

The company was founded by Fred Douglas Laing in 1948 and is still owned and run by the Laing family – Fred Laing Jr and his daughter Cara Laing.

The company philosophy is to bottle the way the distiller intended – at a high strength and without chill filtration to preserve the robust and unique character of the Whisky. Douglas Laing’s industry reputation and many awards is testament to this ethos.

Douglas Laing’s Remarkable Regional Malts, the Ultimate Distillation of Scotland’s Malt Whisky Regions, encompasses The Epicurean Lowland Malt Scotch Whisky, Timorous Beastie (Highlands), Scallywag (Speyside), The Gauldrons (Campbeltown), Rock Islands (Islands) and Big Peat (Islay). Beyond its Blended Malts expertise, the award-winning Douglas Laing portfolio also includes Provenance, Premier Barrel, Old Particular and Xtra Old Particular, collectively known as the firm’s “Exceptional Single Casks”.

We don’t do many press releases, but as an award-winning small independent bottler we wanted to get the message out about our new Winter 2020 outturn as they are all very different and have all been driven by consumer feedback and requests (sometimes demands!).

“Despite all the surreal times, tough times and frankly sad times we have all been through during 2020, the last twelve months have been an exciting year for GreatDrams as a business; we have started exporting our limited edition whiskies abroad, we have rebuilt our website and brand from the ground up, we have refocussed the company to offer more bottlings than ever before, to act as a cask brokerage too and we through challenging times we have built a thriving online virtual whisky (and gin) tasting platform too” – Greg Dillon, co-founder of GreatDrams.

As a company of two people, husband and wife duo Greg & Kirsty Dillon, we are able to be really nimble when it comes to what we do with our range, what we release and when we release new limited edition whiskies.

“Every whisky we release is limited edition, never repeated and never released for the sake of it”, as Kirsty likes to explain, “we deliberately set the company up to only release small releases of each product a it keeps it interesting for us, and for our customers who come back time and again, and really shape what we do as a business”.

And now we have three new releases going into the final few months of the year.

KNOCKDHU SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

This whisky is the first Port Cask-matured single malt we have released, having spent its whole maturation period in a First Fill Ruby Port Barrique. The flavour profile, a thick spirit owing to reduced reflux in the stills and the use of worm tubs in the process, is full of with luscious berry fruity notes and an indulgent dark chocolate note has a thick, creamy mouthfeel that will bring you back time and again.

“For the lucky few who have already got their bottles of this release, virtually all have said its their favourite of our releases to date; the rich flavour profile is stunning and we have been blown away by the positivity received for our Knockdhu already,” notes Greg.

Age: 8 Years Old     |     Distilled: 23rd April 2012     |     ABV: 48.2%     |     Only 183 bottles ever released

CHRISTMAS 2020 SPECIAL RELEASE SINGLE CASK SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY

This much anticipated, and requested, Christmas Series release is a Single Cask Single Malt whisky from the Blair Athol Distillery in the Highlands. For this release we wanted something truly indulgent and Christmassy with a lovely sherried character to it – big winter fruit notes, some zesty orange and lime and subtle, soothing spice and a hint of marzipan notes create a luxurious flavour profile to conjure the flavour of Christmas cake, and with it a dram to reminisce with and to celebrate with those you love, no matter how surreal the year has been.

“Last year our Christmas release sold out in nine days which was hugely unexpected, so we are excited to see what happens with it this year!” – Kirsty

Age: 9 Years Old     |     ABV: 46.2%     |     Only 150 bottles ever released

GIRVAN 30 YEAR OLD SINGLE CASK SINGLE GRAIN SCOTCH WHISKY

An ancient grain whisky from the Girvan Distillery – distilled in 1989, this 30 Year Old has spent thirty years patiently sleeping, maturing, developing… This limited edition Girvan 30 Year Old Single Cask Single Grain Scotch Whisky bottling is a release of just 96 bottles globally. With fruity and buttery notes being the most forward, a lovely vanilla sweetness develops on the palate to give a luxurious texture, and a rather indulgent whisky to sip, savour and celebrate with.

Our oldest release to date, bottled at natural cask strength, this whisky comes from the Girvan distillery in Ayrshire, having been distilled just after Christmas, 1989.

Age: 30 Years Old     |     ABV: 54.5%     |     Only 96 bottles ever released

All our releases are non-chill filtered and of natural colour.

“We have been toying with when to release our ancient Girvan for a while now and it felt right to do so now as it is just over 30 years old, is so rich and luxurious in its flavour composition and, frankly, like all our releases, we fell in love with it… who doesn’t love an ancient grain whisky?!” – Greg

In addition to new releases, GreatDrams is now taking bookings for private virtual whisky and gin tastings September through December, so far since lockdown was announced GreatDrams’ virtual tastings – public and private – have had over 2,000 participants and has added a fun dimension to what we do. Greg notes that he “never expected to do virtual tastings, and set the first one up as a way to get around 20 people to have a drink with him to alleviate the monotony of lockdown and it just spiralled from there”.

To get in touch and talk whisky contact info@greatdrams.com or to buy limited edition whisky www.greatdrams.com/whisky-shop

ABOUT GreatDrams

www.GreatDrams.com
www.twitter.com/GreatDrams
www.Instagram.com/GreatDramsGreg
www.Facebook.com/GreatDrams

GreatDrams is all about raising spirits.

We launched GreatDrams, a family business, to bring great quality, limited edition whiskies to the people. Never repeating a release and never compromising on flavour. Award-winning from our first dram, we aim to make great whisky more approachable and available to whisky drinkers.

In 2019 we were crowned Cheshire Drinks Producer of the Year at the Taste Cheshire awards, picked up one double gold and one gold at the Great Taste awards and were awarded 91.5 points and 80.5 points in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020 respectively for our two core releases of the year. We will introduce whisky drinkers to their next favourite dram.

We are experts in finding incredible tasting rare casks of whisky. Each bottle is hand numbered, is limited edition, only a finite amount of it will ever be bottled, and it is all available exclusively from us; once they’re gone, they truly are gone.

We also help ordinary people, businesses and anyone who’s interested in owning a cask of whisky make that dream or commercial objective a reality. Get in touch to discuss owning your own part of whisky history.

We love what we do and are constantly searching for whisky that not only has a story behind every drop and means something to us, but tastes sensational.

Buffalo Trace Distillery Continues Expansion

 $1.2 Billion Investment Underway to Increase Bourbon Supply For Future Years

FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (Aug. 11, 2020) Buffalo Trace Distillery is grateful it has been able to survive Prohibition, the Great Depression, numerous floods, two World Wars, and is now working hard navigating through a pandemic, all the while never ceasing to make whiskey.  Currently in the middle of a $1.2 billion infrastructure investment, this National Historic Landmark has made great strides in the past year. Still, Buffalo Trace predicts it will be a few more years before their whiskey supply catches up with demand, as consumers’ taste for its whiskeys continue to increase.

In the past year, this 247-year-old Distillery has installed four new cookers, four new fermenters, opened a new high speed-bottling hall, and completed construction on three more barrel warehouses. Here are more details on each project:

Just before the end of 2019, Buffalo Trace started cooking corn in its four new 22- foot tall cookers.  The cookers are responsible for pressure-cooking the milled grain before the mash is cooled and fermented.  The new cookers span three floors in height and give Buffalo Trace 80,000 gallons of cooking capacity, which is more than two and a half times the volume of the old cookers. The roof of the 1930s era Mash House was removed to install the massive cookers into the building.  New cookers for the other grains were also installed to cook rye, wheat and malted barley.

Four new fermenters were also added last summer in the 1880s building that formerly housed the larger bottling operation.  Each of these 93,000 gallon vats are slightly bigger than the twelve existing fermenters in use since 1933. A new cooling tower, which cools down the grains after they are cooked into mash, was also added.

A new $50 million high-speed bottling hall was completed in late 2019, located on site near the distribution center.  The bottling hall is 110,000 square feet and offers improved efficiency, flexibility and overall quality for the Distillery’s award-winning brands.  Happily, it came online just in time to also package hand sanitizer, which the company started producing on March 27^th in response to Covid-19.  The hand sanitizer is being made for some of the world’s largest organizations in healthcare, government, military, retail, airline, pharmacy and financial industries.  The Distillery plans to continue to supply hand sanitizer for as long as the need is there.

 Three new barrel warehouses have been completed in the past year, EE, FF, and GG, joining four other newly filled warehouses. Each warehouse holds 58,800 barrels, costing about $7 million each to build and another $21 million each to fill with barrels.  Barrel warehouses HH, JJ and II are in various stages of construction now. Fifteen new barrel warehouses will be built on the 200 acres of land known as the “Whiskey Farm,” purchased adjacent to Buffalo Trace a few years ago. Every warehouse at Buffalo Trace is heated during the winter months, a rarity for bourbon warehouses, but a tradition started by E.H. Taylor Jr. in the 1800s. The reason for heating the warehouses is to keep the bourbon moving in and out of the wood to yield more flavor and color as barrels mature during the cold Kentucky winters, rather than lying dormant when the temperature drops.

Also in the works are eight more fermenters, a new dry house (the area where spent mash is dried and shipped out), a water treatment facility, a second still house, more barrel warehouses, and in the future, another craft bottling hall.  Another craft bottling hall will allow Buffalo Trace to produce more single barrel and small batch bourbons.

 Tours resumed July 1, and guests are now able to see the expanded Visitor Center at Buffalo Trace, which backs up to the recently completed fermenter expansion and includes additional tasting rooms and more retail space. The expanded Visitor Center triples the size of the former space, to accommodate for the ever-increasing interest in bourbon tourism, which accounted for nearly 300,000 visitors to Buffalo Trace in 2019.

Even with all this expansion progress, demand for Buffalo Trace Bourbon and other whiskeys made at the award-winning Distillery continues to outpace supply, as most of its whiskeys age for eight years or more.  “Although we’ve been increasing production on all of our bourbons for the past several years, the consumer demand also continues to increase,” said Kris Comstock, senior marketing director. “We understand fans are frustrated when they can’t find our brands on liquor store shelves.  While we are bottling and shipping record amounts, overall demand outstrips supply, and as a result our brands will continue to remain allocated to ensure every state receives some each month.”

Allocations of favorite brands like Eagle Rare, Weller, Blanton’s and E.H. Taylor are increasing faster with each passing year and at the same time Buffalo Trace has been able to unveil  several new whiskeys, such as Weller Full Proof and Weller Single Barrel, Double Eagle Very Rare, Blanton’s Gold in the United States, Old Charter Oak, and several others.

“We promise we are doing everything we can to make more, as evidenced by our progress we’ve made in the past year with our expansion,” said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “But great bourbon does take time to age, and we won’t comprise age, taste, or proof just to fill more bottles.  We’re just asking our fans to remain patient as we wait for our stocks to mature.”

To see a video of the progress Buffalo Trace has made on its $1.2 billion expansion in the past year, click here.

About Buffalo Trace Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee.  Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 35 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year by “Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2018” and its William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac were named 2^nd and 3^rd finest whiskeys in the world, respectively, in the “Jim Murray Whiskey Bible 2020.”  Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies.

4 year old Inchfad bottled for the NHS with profits going to Healthcare charities

Independent Bottler The Single Cask have bottled a unique single cask whisky and is donating all profits to Healthcare charities.

The COVID crisis has been tough for everyone, and continues to present challenges. The heroes of the hour are our NHS, healthcare, and frontline workers. They have, and continue, to look after us all.

As soon as warehouses in Scotland opened again after lockdown, The Single Cask decided to swing into action and bottle something special. They chose a unique single cask Inchfad, distilled at Loch Lomond in the Highlands. Inchfad is rare today, with the distillery itself no longer bottling this range. This heavily-peated single malt scotch whisky is renowned for its soft fruit and malt notes.

The Single Cask selected a four year old ex-bourbon cask, distilled in 2016. At cask strength of 61.4% the whisky has been bottled in its natural colour and without chill-filtration.

Tasting notes for this whisky are:

● Nose: barbecued, smokey pineapple with sweet malt, seasoned with white pepper and cinnamon.

● Palate: soft tropical fruit in the form of pineapple and mango, with both the malt character of the original spirit and the influence of the oak cask coming through, together with a touch of white pepper and cinnamon.

● Finish: long and satisfying with elements from both nose and palate present – smoked pineapple with malt, oak and wood spice.

All profits from the 197 bottles of this single cask expression will be donated by The Single Cask to healthcare charities in recognition of, and in support of, their ongoing efforts fighting COVID.

This 4 year old Inchfad bottled for the NHS is available to buy for £49 at www.thesinglecask.co.uk/nhs

For further queries please contact Ed Leigh: ed@thesinglecask.co.uk

Notes

About The Single Cask

The Single Cask bottles unique spirits one cask at a time. We search hard to find exceptional single malt whisky, Irish whiskey, and American bourbon. We like whiskies that showcase a distillery’s characteristics or an interesting maturation technique. But in the end, if it’s delicious, we put it in a bottle. We bottle our whiskies at cask strength, natural colour, and without chill-filtration. This keeps the whisky as pure and natural as possible; just as we found it in the cask. Our glass bottles are styled like a decanter, designed to be passed around a group of friends as they enjoy sharing a dram together. The best whisky should be opened, shared and enjoyed; not left to gather dust on a shelf. We’re passionate about what we do. We’re here to get these single cask releases into whisky-lovers’ hands.

The Single Cask be found here

● Website: www.thesinglecask.co.uk
● Instagram: @thesinglecask
● Twitter: @the_single_cask
● Facebook: @thesinglecaskuk