‘ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER WHISKIES IN THE WORLD’ AT BONHAMS WHISKY SALE

TWO WORLD CLASS MACALLANS LEAD WHISKY AUCTION IN EDINBURGH

A bottle of The Macallan Millennium distilled in 1949, aged for 50 years in Spanish oak sherry casks, and bottled in 1999 is a highlight of Bonhams Whisky Sale in Edinburgh on 7 June. It comes in a Caithness glass decanter accompanied by a stopper, and in its own fitted oak presentation case.  It is estimated at £15,000-17,000.

With a taste described as Christmas cake style fruit, The Macallan Millennium is considered the greatest aged Macallan whisky of them all and, at 900 bottles, one of the most sought-after whiskies in the world.  In 1949, the Speyside distillery still used its own traditional malting floors, heating the air to dry the fermented barley and turn it into malt. Facing a post-war shortage of coal, they solved their fuel problem by adding more peat than usual to the mix. Connoisseurs can detect an extra hint of peat smoke in The Macallan Millennium to this day.

The sale also features a crystal decanter of Duncan Taylor Macallan-42 year old estimated at £12,000-15,000. Distilled at the Macallan Distillery in 1969, it was bottled by the acclaimed producer Duncan Taylor of Speyside and is part of the Duncan Taylor The Rarest Collection. The decanter is housed in a presentation case made from the oak cask in which the whisky matured.

Bonhams whisky specialist Martin Green said, “These two Macallans are among the finest whiskies to come to auction in recent times. The reputation of both is justifiably very high among collectors. This is reflected in the high estimates and the decanters will, I am sure, be keenly sought after.”

THE WHISKY SALE

Bonhams, 22 Queen Street, Edinburgh E2
7 June 2017, 11am
Specialist: Martin Green, Bonhams Whisky Specialist

NOTES 

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers of fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with sales also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers sales advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full listing of forthcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.

R&B Distillers – 10 year membership to an exclusive whisky club – Na Tùsairean Club

R&B are building the first distillery on the Isle of Raasay in Scotland. Na Tusairean Club members are given the opportunity to invest in an evolving craft whisky brand and to add rare and exciting new drams to their personal whisky libraries. Members will receive an annual supply of single malt including as well as  exclusive use of luxury members’ lounge and accommodation on the Raasay distillery site with three with striking views of the Cuillin mountain range on the neighbouring island of Skye.

Membership is valued at £1990 worth of benefits for 10 years but is priced at £999 (one of payment) or £55 a month over 18 months. 

Environmental first as Glenmorangie reintroduces Native oysters to the Dornoch Firth

Scottish Highland Single Malt distillery Glenmorangie has taken home five gold awards at a leading industry competition.

A range of expressions were lauded at the International Spirits Challenge, which receives more than 1,300 entries from almost 70 countries worldwide.

The gold winners were Glenmorangie Signet, Glenmorangie 18 Years OId, Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, Glenmorangie Tarlogan and Glenmorangie Duthac.

Bill Lumsden, the Glenmorangie Company’s Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks said: “I am extremely proud to see five of our whiskies recognised with gold awards by such an esteemed body – and the response from whisky lovers around the world has been equally rewarding. This has been one of our most successful award years yet at the ISC.”

Another six expressions from Glenmorangie took home silver awards.

R&I Cruden Awarded GlenWyvis Distillery Biomass and Mechanical contract 

R&I Cruden are delighted to announce that they have been awarded the Biomass and Mechanical contract for the boiler and steam production at the world’s first 100% community owned whisky distillery.

GlenWyvis will be the first distillery in Dingwall for over 90 years and construction is planned to begin in 2017. The distillery will be powered by various sources of renewable energy including a biomass boiler and aims to have bottles of eight-year malt on sale by the middle of the next decade. The initial production run will be 30,000 litres a year, although this could rise to as much as 200,000 litres annually.

R&I Cruden, an established Mechanical and Renewable business based in nearby Muir of Ord, has built an exceptional reputation for high quality installations of renewable heating systems over the last decade. This will be their first involvement in the distillery sector but something Managing Director Ian Cruden is relishing.

“Although this will be our first distillery project we have been working closely with the GlenWyvis team for over three years now. We have scoured Europe looking for the best equipment and been heavily involved in the design process. It is now at the exciting stage where our hard work comes to fruition and we get to see all of our planning and design work come together during the build process. Our excellent team of engineers has completed additional project-specific training and they are excited to get started. This is a great project for us that will help with continued growth and assist in creating new jobs within our business. We look forward to a successful project which will provide a legacy for the local community”.

                                                                                     Company Director: Ian Cruden

“We are delighted to be able to partner with a local supplier on this important aspect of the GlenWyvis project. The team at GlenWyvis is committed to the local community and to renewable energy – and this contract represents a key milestone in the distillery construction. We have worked closely with the engineers from R&I Cruden and have been impressed with their willingness to invest time and energy to ensure that they can deliver the best solution for our ground-breaking project. We look forward to making this happen together.”

GlenWyvis Founder: John McKenzie

One of the main factors that attracted R&I Cruden to the GlenWyvis project was the client’s philosophy – “built on history, powered by nature” – that sits very well with our own ethos. This not only reflects the renewable aspect of the project, but also the core community values, something R&I Cruden is also extremely committed too, investing particularly in young people. R&I Cruden already have an award-winning apprenticeship program and the addition of the GlenWyvis contract will help further develop this.

R&I Cruden can be contacted on Tel: 01463 870 057 for all your Mechanical and Renewable enquiries.

http://www.ricruden.net/

info@ricruden.net

WHISKY OF THE YEAR: ARDBEG KELPIE COMMITTEE EXCLUSIVE (51.7% ABV) CROWNED WHISKY OF THE YEAR AT THE 2017 INTERNATIONAL WHISKY COMPETITION

Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg named Master Distiller of the Year for crafting the Whisky of the Year 2017 and will receive the coveted Golden Barrel Trophy.

The International Whisky Competition (IWC) just released its results for this year’s most respected blind tasting judging event. The top recognition, Whisky of the Year, was awarded to Ardbeg Kelpie Committee Exclusive (51.7% ABV) which scored 97.3 points, the highest scoring whisky of the competition.

The 8th edition of the International Whisky Competition took place in Las Vegas over three days, from May 3 to 5 and received over 180 different whiskies. A world-class tasting panel made of whisky, spirit, beer and wine experts blind tasted each whisky on an individual basis (8 minutes per whisky).

Each whisky was scored using a comprehensive 100-point scale system developed by Sébastien Gavillet, IWC Head of Tasting Panel and author of Discovering and Mastering Single Malt Scotch Whisky. This process and the fact that only three medals are awarded in any category make the International Whisky Competition the most followed whisky competition and one of the most professional competitions of its kind in the world.

We warmly congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden, Head of Spirit Creation at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, as well as his team, for creating such a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish. “Definitely a contender” said Sebastien Gavillet’s tasting notes. “Elegant! Spectacular” said Adam Carmer’s notes and “Warm finish, exceptionally smooth and well-integrated” said Agi Toth’s notes.

This is the second year Dr Bill Lumsden is crowned Master Distiller of the Year for crafting the best scoring whisky of the competition. Last year’s winner was Glenmorangie Signet, which scored 97 points. Ardbeg Distillery will receive the Golden Barrel Trophy for winning the Whisky of the Year during a ceremony to be held this summer in Islay, Scotland.

Full results available here: https://www.whiskycompetition.com/2017-results/ 

About the International Whisky Competition®

The International Whisky Competition is the most followed Whisky Competition on Social Media and brings whiskies from around the world to be blind tasted and rated by a professional tasting panel using the most comprehensive tasting method available. 15 criteria are required to produce the tasting notes as well as aroma and flavor profiles for the International Whisky Guide. Unlike other competitions, the judges are presented with one whisky at a time, to ensure each whisky gets the proper attention. For more information please visit www.whiskycompetition.com

We congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden and his team, for crafting such an a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish” said Sebastien Gavillet

For more information about the International Whisky Guide and the International Whisky Competition, please visit whiskycompetition.com or contact Sylvain Allard, Managing Director, at s.allard@whiskycompetition.com

We congratulate Dr Bill Lumsden and his team, for crafting such an a complex and sophisticated whisky, ever changing with pronounced phenols yet a smooth & lingering finish” said Sebastien Gavillet

Tamdhu marks 120th anniversary with archive appeal

Tamdhu Distillery is calling on whisky enthusiasts to help bring its history to life, as it marks its 120th anniversary.

The Speyside distillery is asking people to come forward with their Tamdhu memories, artefacts and photographs, as it seeks to build a brand archive and delve more deeply into the social history of its past.

Sandy McIntyre, Tamdhu Distillery Manager, explains:

“Since the distillery was reopened in 2012 by Ian Macleod Distillers, Tamdhu has been growing in popularity all over the world, and people love hearing about the history of how our whisky is made, and the people who made it.

“We already have some brilliant archive material – for example, the wages log from way back in 1897, and the original distillery blueprints –  but I know there must be lots more out there.

“We’re interested in hearing stories from those who have worked here and their friends and family, and will be collecting photographs and memorabilia, and anything else which people might have hidden away. And, as we are custodians of the old Tamdhu/Dalbeallie railway station, we’d also be thrilled to receive any stories or images relating to it. Our aim is to create an online archive which people can explore and maybe, in time, establish something here at the distillery too.”

To share your Tamdhu stories and memorabilia, simply upload to the Tamdhu Facebook page or share on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #TamdhuTimes

Born on the banks of the River Spey in 1897, Tamdhu Distillery was considered the most technologically-advanced of its time. Enthused by the optimism of Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee, it was built by a consortium of merchants and gentlemen of the whisky trade who had raised today’s equivalent of £20 million to fund the project. It was designed by Charles C Doig Esq – the pre-eminent distillery architect and engineer of the day.

Tamdhu is now owned by one of Scotland’s leading, independent family-owned distillers, Ian Macleod Distillers. Its quality is defined by the hint of peat in its malted barley, the natural Speyside water that is drawn directly from the Tamdhu spring and the 100% exclusive use of only the finest sherry oak casks.

Tamdhu has recently received an array of awards for its whisky, including a double Gold for its Tamdhu Batch Strength II and Tamdhu Ten Year Old at the International Spirits Challenge 2017, and Best Non Age Statement Whisky at the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Awards 2017, also for Batch Strength II.

For more information, please visit www.tamdhu.com.

Startup Anniversary Invites Worldwide Toast to Japanese Whisky

TOKYO — 25 May 2017 – dekantā, the leading online store for high end Japanese spirits, are hosting a week-long event, starting Saturday 28 May, to mark two years since its founding by Japanese entrepreneur Makiyo Masa. The anniversary week invites customers, partners and friends to celebrate a second year of success for dekantā and the continued allure of Japanese whisky on the international stage.

Each of the seven days leading up to the 3 June anniversary will highlight a Japanese whisky brand or distillery from dekantā’s extensive range, from big brand favourites to upcoming Ji-whisky labels. These daily profiles will involve insider insights and recommendations, ‘flash deals’ on popular bottles, competitions, limited edition bottle sets in dekantā collectible boxes, and more.

Friends of dekantā on social media are invited to offer a virtual toast to Japanese whisky by posting their photos using the hashtag “ToastDekanta” (#ToastDekanta). Participants in the toast will be entered to win bottles, gift-cards and door prizes valued at more than $1,000 USD.

Since dekantā’s founding in 2015, Makiyo has scoured Japan, sourcing the most exclusive and rare bottles and delivering her country’s exceptional spirit to the world’s elite. “Whisky lovers the world over have embraced dekantā and for that we are very thankful,” said Makiyo. “We couldn’t have achieved so much in so little time without the support of our online community of Japanese whisky enthusiasts, and that’s why we’d like to give a little back with a massive Japanese whisky extravaganza.”

In just two years, dekantā has grown to offer the world’s largest online selection of rare and authentic Japanese spirits, and has delivered to 127 countries across every continent in the world. It is now firmly established as the predominant source for rare and high-end Japanese whisky, while stocking a wider selection of Japanese spirits and offering a taste of Japanese culture worldwide. Bottles can be delivered to anywhere on the globe, with an authentic Japanese gift wrapping service available.

Stock ranges from the highly exclusive produce of silent distilleries, to more affordable and extremely popular brands such as Hibiki, Yamazaki and Nikka. Just some of the rare and exclusive bottles listed exclusively on dekantā include a large selection of bottles from renowned ‘silent’ distillery Karuizawa and Ichiro’s Playing Card series. dekantā is offering the highly-anticipated Yamazaki 2017 Limited Edition release for pre-order and the Yamazakura 963 21 year old is a dekantā exclusive bottle that cannot be found anywhere else online.

Japanese whisky has experienced rapid worldwide growth, and has won numerous awards and accolades in recent years. “Thank you to our wonderful customers. Thank you Japan, my home country for making such beautiful whisky that has caught the attention of so many worldwide,” says Makiyo. “We have always prided ourselves on being able to bring an authentic Japanese whisky and cultural experience to customers worldwide, that they would only otherwise find on a visit to Japan. We look forward to welcoming more whisky lovers on the journey.” 

Notes:

For more information on the world-wide toast (available from Sat 27 May): https://dekanta.com/toast-dekanta/

For more information on the anniversary event (available from Sat 27 May): https://dekanta.com/anniversary-2017/

About dekantā

dekantā offers customers access to the world’s largest online selection of authentic Japanese Spirits and has delivered to 127 countries across every continent in the world. A family owned and run business, dekantā’s founders have been selling collectibles since 1985 and specialize in rare, collectible, and new release single malt Japanese whisky. dekantā offers worldwide delivery on an extensive range of Japanese single malt whisky, Japanese grain whisky and Japanese blended whisky, in addition to Scottish whisky released for the Japanese market only.

Consumers who would like to learn more about Japanese whisky should visit the dekantā website, which boasts the most extensive repository of information dedicated to Japanese whisky, including distillery history and tasting notes for each bottle. Bilingual concierge service is available 24 hours a day, providing expert recommendations in both English and Japanese.

dekanta.com

Follow dekantā on Twitter: @dekantawhisky

Like dekantā on Facebook: facebook.com/dekantawhisky/

2017 Kilchoman Loch Gorm is Here!

LOCH GORM is the name given to our annually released sherry cask matured limited edition. The 2017 edition is the sixth installment of this limited release and has been matured exclusively in Oloroso sherry butts filled in 2009, the longest Loch Gorm maturation to date.

• Every bottle of Kilchoman is hand bottled on Islay at a minimum of 46% ABV allowing for the full-bodied character of the whisky to shine through
• We ship all our barrels whole directly to Islay. Our Bourbon Barrels are sourced exclusively from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky and our Sherry Casks from Miguel Martin in Jerez, Spain.
• Our stills are amongst the smallest in Scotland, increasing copper contact and creating unmatched balance and complexity.
• We never chill-filter or colour Kilchoman Single Malt, our whisky is a pure, unfiltered representation of traditional whisky distilling.

Nose: Orange and lemon notes, rich smoky peat and cooked fruit.
Palate: Rich chocolate, cinnamon and cloves combined with peat smoke.
Finish: Long and full bodied with a balance of sweet smoke.

“Loch Gorm is undoubtedly assertive however in the midst of it’s distinctive peat smoke and sherry character it retains a certain finesse and subtly”

ImpEx Beverages Inc. · 360 Swift Ave · Side B # 9 · South San Francisco, CA 94080 · USA

HUNTER LAING UNVEILS Six EXCEPTIONALLY RARE islay whiskies & NEW SHOP at feis ile  

The Kinship range will be exclusively available at Hunter Laing’s new shop on Islay and marks the start of work on Ardnahoe Distillery on the island 

Hunter Laing has unveiled ‘The Kinship’, a range of six bottlings of exceptionally rare Islay whiskies, which will only be sold at their new shop on Islay during and after the Feis Ile whisky festival.

The six single cask Islay whiskies in the Kinship collection have a combined age of 181 years and were hand-picked by iconic whisky distiller Jim McEwan. The legendary master distiller was recently appointed Production Director of Hunter Laing’s Ardnahoe Distillery, which will become the ninth whisky distillery on Islay when it opens early next year.

The Kinship range has been bottled for the Festival as a tribute to Ardnahoe’s neighbours on Islay and to herald the start of the construction of Ardnahoe on the island. The whiskies will only be available at Hunter Laing’s new shop at Islay House Square, Bridgend from 10am on Friday 26^th May, the first day of Feis Ile, and will be on sale during the Islay Festival of Music and Malt while stocks last. The shop, which will remain open for at least a year until the build of Ardnahoe Distillery is complete, will also sell a range of Hunter Laing bottlings.

The Kinship range, which has labels representing different aspects of the Scotch whisky production process – harvest, malting, fermentation, distillation, maturation and bottling – will also be sampled at two Ardnahoe tastings hosted by Jim McEwan during the festival on 30 May and 1^st June.

The cask-strength whiskies are among the rarest casks Hunter Laing has ever released. The range comprises of a 34-year-old sherry cask Port Ellen (£1800), 33-year-old sherry cask Caol Ila (£375), 30-year old sherry cask Bowmore (£495), 30-year-old Bourbon cask Laphroaig (£720), 28-year-old sherry cask Bunnahabhain (£310) and a 26-year-old Bourbon cask Ardbeg (£720). As each whisky is bottled from a single cask, they are available in limited quantities with, for example, fewer than 210 bottles of the Ardbeg in existence. Each bottle comes presented in an individual jute bag.

The Port Ellen whisky is noted by McEwan as being like “a tidal wave in a glass” whilst the Bunnahabhain is described as “without doubt the best sherry-matured Bunnahabhain I have tasted”.

Of the Kinship, Jim McEwan said: “I knew before I joined the Hunter Laing family to embark on the journey to create Ardnahoe that they had an amazing array of casks. So having the chance to search through their whisky stocks for exceptional examples of Islay whisky was an incredible experience.

“The whiskies in The Kinship range are a tribute to the brotherhood of Islay distilleries, of which I’ve been fortunate to be a part for most of my life, and now once again with Hunter Laing as we extend the Islay family with the establishment of Ardnahoe.”

Stewart Laing added: “With the world’s whisky fans looking towards Islay for the festival, and our distillery build getting under way, we wanted to release a truly special collection of whiskies that fitted the occasion. We’re hugely proud to be adding a new chapter to Islay’s whisky story and The Kinship is a fitting tribute to celebrate this exciting time for us and whisky fans all over the world.”

In addition to releasing The Kinship range, the Hunter Laing team are staging daily visits to the Ardnahoe Distillery site. The visits are free, with a shuttle bus taking groups from Persabus Farm to the site on the north-east coast of the island.

The Kinship range is available during Feis Ile from 10am Friday 26^th May at the Ardnahoe shop, Islay House Square, Brigend, PA44 7NZ. 

To buy tickets (£150) for the Ardnahoe tasting events with Jim McEwan, click here: https://billetto.co.uk/users/hunter-laing-co-ltd 

https://hunterlaing.com/

https://ardnahoedistillery.com/ @ardnahoe @hlaingwhisky

Notes

Hunter Laing 

• Hunter Laing & Co is an independent bottler and blender based in Glasgow run by the Laing Family – father Stewart with sons Andrew and Scott
• Hunter Laing has been operating since May 2013 and owns a portfolio of much-loved whisky brands including Old Malt Cask, Old & Rare, Hepburn’s Choice and Sovereign.
• It distributes to 65 markets around the world in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australasia.

• Hunter Laing & Co reported pre-tax profits of £1.4m on a turnover of £6.4m for its last full year of trading (end 30 April 2015).
  

Ardnahoe Distillery 

• Ardnahoe is being built on the north-east coast of Islay and will become the ninth distillery on the island. It expects to start distilling whisky in early 2018.
• It will be the first distillery to be built on Islay for more than a decade.
• The distillery, which will include a shop and tasting room, will produce traditional peated Islay single malt